Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 235 Liu Haochun, the "Mou Girl"
On the lawn shrouded in morning mist, the girl's flowing sleeves billowed like clouds.

She was extremely beautiful, with an oval face and fair, translucent skin as delicate as fine porcelain, gleaming like mother-of-pearl in the morning light.

Her almond-shaped eyes were large and bright, with clear and natural double eyelid lines and slightly upturned corners, revealing a touch of liveliness and stubbornness.

Her black hair was piled high, revealing her slender neck. She looked elegant and refined, like a lady who had stepped out of a traditional Chinese ink painting.

As her water sleeves fluttered, her phone suddenly rang.

"Mom?" She stopped what she was doing and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

A slightly anxious voice came from the other end of the phone: "Xiaocun, any news from Director Zhang? Has the female lead for 'One Second' been decided yet?"

Liu Haochun shook his head slightly: "Not yet, we're still waiting for notification."

"Why hasn't it been decided yet after so long?" The mother's voice was filled with anxiety. "They've auditioned so many times already..."

Liu Haochun pursed his lips, noticing the unusual tone in his mother's voice: "Mom, are we short of money again?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a forced laugh: "It's nothing, don't worry about it, just focus on your training."

Liu Haochun gripped his phone tightly, his voice soft but firm: "Mom, how about we give the money to them?"

"what?"

“That compensation,” she said, lowering her head and lightly shuffling her toes across the grass, “I know you’re on the blacklist. Dragging this out isn’t a solution.”

The mother's voice suddenly rose: "Pay up? What will happen to the family if we lose money? Your dance lessons, your entrance exam for the Beijing Dance Academy, your future career in the entertainment industry—none of these things are free!"

“I can go to work,” Liu Haochun looked up, his gaze piercing through the thin mist towards the distant practice room, “I can teach children to dance, or take on commercial performances.”

"Nonsense!" her mother interrupted. "You're destined to be a star, how can you do such things?"

The father's faint words of persuasion came through the phone. The mother took a deep breath, her tone softening: "Xiaocun, it's not that Mom doesn't want to compensate, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"I'm just afraid that if we lose the money, our family will really have nothing left." The mother's voice lowered. "You have a long road ahead of you."

Looking at his reflection in the morning dew, Liu Haochun said softly, "Mom, you have to take things one step at a time. If I step on other people's pain with my first step, I won't go far."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, before finally a sigh came through: "Let's wait a little longer."

After the call ended, Liu Haochun stood still, her flowing sleeves trailing long marks on the grass.

She is from Tonghua, Jilin Province, and grew up in a dance class in a small county town in Northeast China.

Her parents run a small dance training institution. Although they are not wealthy, it is enough to support her in pursuing her dance dreams.

She was diligent from a young age, starting to practice martial arts at the age of six, and always arriving at the classroom earliest and leaving latest.

Leg presses, back bends, rotations—over and over again, the bruises on my knees never faded.

At the age of twelve, she was admitted to the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy with excellent grades, leaving home alone to begin her journey of studying in Beijing.

At sixteen, she was admitted to the Department of Folk Dance at Beijing Dance Academy with the highest score in her major, becoming the "most talented student" in the eyes of her teachers.

Fate seemed to be particularly kind to her.

At the age of sixteen, director Zhang Yimou was casting for the film "One Second," and she stood out from three thousand candidates and was selected for secret training.

Although the final result has not yet been announced, it is already widely rumored in the industry that she is very likely to become the new generation of "Zhang Yimou's Girl".

This should have been an enviable life.

But a shadow always loomed over her family.

At the age of fourteen, a teacher at a dance school in her hometown was teaching a class when a six-year-old girl was doing a leg stretch on her own. Due to improper technique, she suffered a spinal cord injury and was eventually paralyzed.

After the incident, her parents took her to the hospital immediately and paid for the initial treatment costs. However, the subsequent high compensation was simply too much for this ordinary family to bear.

“We didn’t mean to,” she had heard her father whisper in the middle of the night.

“But that child’s life is ruined,” the mother said, her voice choked with emotion. “What can we do?”

There is also a younger sister to support. Her dance tuition, living expenses in Beijing, and art exam training costs are all considerable sums.

The parents gritted their teeth and persevered, even borrowing money, but the compensation was like a bottomless pit. In the end, they were put on the list of dishonest persons.

“Xiao Cun, don’t worry about these things,” her mother always told her. “Just focus on dancing.”

But she knew that some debts couldn't simply disappear by ignoring them.

She desperately wants to be chosen by Director Zhang; as long as she gets paid, she can help her family.

……

Li Yitong linked arms with Gu Yang as they walked along the tree-lined path of the Beijing Dance Academy, their steps as light as a bird's.

“That’s the academic building. I used to hate the theory classes at eight in the morning. I would always sneak off to catch up on sleep in the last row,” she said with a smile, pointing to the red brick building.

Gu Yang raised an eyebrow: "Is Li quite rebellious?"

“No, that’s not it,” she wrinkled her nose, “it’s because practicing morning exercises is too tiring.”

She pulled him to the back door of the small theater, and whispered mysteriously, "There's a side door here. We used to sneak in to watch the seniors rehearse."

Looking into her bright eyes, Gu Yang couldn't help but pinch her cheek: "So even a good girl has moments like this?"

Just as Li Yitong was about to retort, her phone suddenly rang.

"What? Now?" Her expression instantly fell. "Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, she looked at Gu Yang apologetically: "There's a scene in 'Royal Nirvana' that needs reshooting, and the director said it has to be today..."

Gu Yang ruffled her hair: "Go on, work is important."

"then you……"

“I’ll have the driver take you first,” he said with a smile. “I’ll look around a bit more, and then I’ll go straight to the airport when he gets back.”

Li Yitong quickly kissed him on the cheek and ran away.

Gu Yang strolled alone to the lawn in the eastern part of the North Dance Academy. The morning dew had not yet dried, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, casting dappled shadows on the grass.

In the distance, the melodious tune of the guqin could be faintly heard, flowing as clearly as a stream.

He followed the sound.

In the center of the lawn, a slender figure is dancing gracefully in the morning light.

The girl wore a plain white practice uniform, her flowing sleeves billowing like clouds, tracing graceful arcs in the air with her movements.

The sunlight shone on her, as if gilding her with a faint golden edge, and the sweat in her hair reflected a shimmering light.

Liu Haochun?
Gu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly.

As a reborn individual, he naturally recognized this face—the future "Zhang Yimou Girl," who later became embroiled in controversy.

In Gu Yang's memory, among the young actresses, her acting skills seemed to be much better than those of his own family members who were not good enough.

But at this moment, she was just a student at the Beijing Dance Academy, focused on practicing dance in the morning light.

(End of this chapter)