Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 122 Liu Tianxian and her best friend, my daughter cried.
The domestic film market is growing larger and larger. Due to trade relations, many foreign films entered the market in the first half of the year, including "The Impossible". Chen Shou went to the United States at the end of February and returned to China at the end of April, just in time for the release of "The Impossible".

While the special effects in this disaster film are certainly not as good as those in "2012," the story is stronger than the previous two.

Online reviews are a bit lower compared to the previous two films, which were hailed as the pinnacle of disaster films that cannot be surpassed.

The Miracle of the Tsunami wins in terms of a smoother plot, with the family surviving the disaster and finally reuniting.

Chen Shouzhe, accompanied by two assistants, disembarked from the plane. The Capital Airport is always bustling, with people from all over the world coming and going every day.

He saw a large group of fans holding banners to welcome someone, and some people were taking pictures everywhere with their mobile phones and cameras. Chen Shouzhe had already learned a lot about the operation of some brokerage companies.

It has to be said that these people are really good at profiting from online traffic. The entertainment industry today is not about talent, but about money and looks.

Those people who wear makeup like sissies, apart from their faces, sing off-key, and dance like shamans, I really don't know where they get so many so-called fans.

"The entertainment industry these days is getting more and more outrageous. They treat actors like idols. It's just a profession, but they act like being an actor elevates you to a higher social class. It's completely incomprehensible," Chen Shouzhe said to his assistant beside him as he watched this scene.

"Director Chen, this is called the fan effect. Ever since Alibaba proposed the fan economy, more and more people are willing to spend money on their favorite celebrities. I heard that a necklace worn by a celebrity sold out, and my sister even asked me to buy one for her," the assistant said with a smile.

“They’re all obsessed. They have no acting skills whatsoever, yet they’re demanding such high salaries. If they were movie stars, it would be one thing, but never mind. Let’s not dwell on this. Let’s go. You’ve all worked hard. I’ll give you a raise when we get back,” Chen Shou said.

"Thank you, Director Chen."

Two assistants carried the luggage, and Chen Shou himself dragged a piece of luggage. No one paid any attention to them. The three of them left the airport and arrived at the main gate, where the company had already arranged for someone to come and pick them up.

Chen Shou went straight back to the villa to sleep; he was too tired, even sitting in first class would be exhausting.

I went straight to sleep after arriving, and when I woke up the next day it was almost noon, and my jet lag was slowly adjusting.

"Auntie, don't cook for me, I'll eat at the horse farm," Chen Shou said.

"Okay, take care," the aunt said.

There were many text messages coming in on Chen's phone. He had pinned messages from his parents, master and mistress, godfather, and others, so he could see their messages at a glance.

His teacher's wife sent him several messages, asking where he was now, if he was free, and inviting him to have dinner at the horse farm.

Chen Shou replied to a text message and was about to go to the underground garage to drive his car. The villa area has an underground floor, and the other common area is the garage.

I don't know if it was just a coincidence, but a red Ferrari drove by as I was leaving.

The car stopped, and a long-haired girl wearing sunglasses leaned out.

"Director Chen?!"

Chen Shouzhe looked the other person over clearly and nodded, asking, "Are you going out?"

“Yes, I was going for a drive. Weren’t you filming a movie in the US? You’re back so soon!” Liu Yifei said.

"I came back yesterday," Chen Shou said.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to the horse farm in Daxing."

"Teacher Yu's horse farm? I've heard of it, but I've never been there. Can Can, shall we go too?" Liu Yifei turned to another girl in the car and said.

"Okay," said another person in the car, leaning out as well. "Hello, Director Chen, I'm Shu Can."

"I know you, your acting is very good." Chen Shou nodded and said. This person was a child star who had acted in many TV series.

"Director Chen can contact us when he has a film to shoot," Liu Yifei said half-jokingly, having worked with Chen Shouzhe before and knowing his temperament.

"We'll talk about it another time. If you want to go to the horse farm, follow me. The horse farm is not open to the public; it's a membership-only facility," Chen Shouzhe said.

"Oh, I see. Let's go see the animals. I heard that Teacher Yu keeps a lot of miniature horses," Liu Yifei said happily.

"Then wait for me." Chen Shouzhe drove his car out and parked in front of them. The two women were surprised to see Chen Shouzhe's car and looked at each other in surprise.

"He really is like an old cadre, actually driving this kind of car." Liu Yifei was driving, and Shu Can was sitting in the passenger seat, whispering.

“Red flags are indeed rare,” Liu Yifei nodded.

Chen Shouzhe bought this car through someone at the August First Film Studio. He really liked the car but couldn't find a way to buy it. He mentioned it when filming "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy," and a director with connections helped him order one. It took almost half a year for the car to be delivered.

This was Chen Shou's first time driving it out, and it was quite a sight to behold on the road.

The two followed Chen Shou all the way to Daxing Horse Ranch.

Chen Shou's car was stopped at the entrance of the horse farm because the license plate was unfamiliar.

"Brother Liu, here you go." Chen Shou handed over a cigarette as the car window opened.

"Hey, it's you. When did you get back? And you have a new car." The other person took the cigarette and smiled.

"I just bought it. I came back yesterday. They didn't call me back for dinner. The Ferrari in the back is my friend's," Chen Shou said.

"Okay, you can go in now. I'll register the license plates."

The car drove into the horse farm and parked in the parking lot. Liu Yifei and the others also parked their cars. It was almost May in April, and the sun was a bit dazzling. Both of them wore sunglasses and carefully looked around the horse farm.

I didn't find it particularly special, but I could see a lot of small animals running around.

“When we were filming The Martian, we always ate watermelons that Teacher Yu brought us. This is my first time visiting his horse farm,” Liu Yifei said.

"I've already registered you. You can come over when you have time." Chen Shou got out of the car and took the prepared items out of the trunk.

I bought a lot of things after returning from the US, including skincare products, bags, and watches.

Liu Yifei and the others then realized something: they had come to visit someone's home but hadn't brought anything with them.

"It seems we didn't buy anything," Shu Can whispered. "It seems so," Liu Yifei replied, somewhat embarrassed.

"What's wrong with you?" Chen Shou shouted at them.

"Why don't you wait a bit and we go buy something before coming back? It's a bit embarrassing to come empty-handed," Liu Yifei said.

"No need, come and hold these for me." Chen Shou kicked a few boxes at his feet.

"What is this?" Liu Yifei asked.

"I brought the wine back from abroad," Chen Shou said.

Ignoring the two silly girls, Chen Shouzhe had already seen his master's wife standing at the door, waving at him.

"Master's wife, I'm back." Chen Shouzhe walked over and called out. Liu Yifei and Shu Can followed. When they saw Chen Shouzhe returning with two girls, the master's wife revealed a meaningful expression.

“Master’s wife, these are Liu Yifei and Shu Can. You should have heard of them. They live in my villa community. I brought them over for a visit when we ran into each other,” Chen Shou said.

"Oh, I know you two, I love your TV dramas." The teacher's wife suddenly remembered and pulled the two of them inside.

"Master's wife, where is my master?"

"In the kitchen."

"Where's the girl?"

"Just fell asleep."

Liu Yifei and Shu Can didn't know who the girl they were talking about was, and it was normal for them to be a little reserved when they first came to someone else's house.

Soon Yu Qian came out wearing an apron and was a little surprised to see Liu Yifei and Shu Can.

“Liu Yifei and Shu Can,” the teacher’s wife introduced.

“I know them, I know them all,” Yu Qian said with a smile.

The two also greeted Yu Qian.

"You've come all this way, why did you bring things with you?" the master's wife said, noticing what they were carrying.

"We didn't buy this. Director Chen asked us to bring it in. We came in a hurry and didn't prepare anything." Liu Yifei and Shu Can were a bit socially awkward, and in their haste, they blurted it out.

"That's good. You don't need to bring anything, just come and have fun," Yu Qian said happily.

"You bought so much wine again," the teacher's wife complained.

"These aren't for you, these are for you: bags, skincare products, and things for the eldest and second eldest sons." Chen Shou put the things on the ground, and his teacher's wife glared at him, unable to suppress her smile.

"You do have a conscience," the teacher's wife said with a smile.

"Come on over, wash up and have a meal," Yu Qian said with a smile.

"Eating so early?" Liu Yifei exclaimed in surprise.

"It's already noon, child. You've been sleeping since you came back yesterday and haven't eaten anything," said the teacher's wife.

The two were pushed to the dining table. Chen Shouzhe knew that Liu Yifei had a habit of sleeping in late. When she was on set, her mother would always wake her up on time. He guessed that the two had already eaten breakfast and probably still couldn't eat much.

Chen Shouzhe didn't care about any of that. He had been hungry all day. Teacher Yu had prepared more than a dozen dishes, including several cold dishes.

"Want a drink?" Teacher Yu asked, taking out a bottle of wine.

Liu Yifei and Shu Can stared wide-eyed. Drinking at noon?
"Have some." Chen Shou nodded, picked up the cup, and his teacher's wife, who was already used to it, watched the scene with a smile.

Under the shocked gazes of the two girls, Chen Shou poured a full glass, and Teacher Yu did the same.

The two ate and chatted. Chen Shou ate a lot of food to fill his stomach before starting to drink.

"When are you going back this time?" the teacher's wife asked after taking a bite of cucumber.

"I'll go in August, once they've made preparations there," Chen Shou said.

"How many days will it take to film?"

"It could take two months if things go smoothly, or three months if things go slowly."

"Are there any film projects planned for China this year?" Professor Yu asked.

"Not at the moment. It depends on the situation. If A Chinese Ghost Story does well, there will be two more sequels, which should be filmed by the end of the year," Chen Shou said.

Liu Yifei and Shu Can ate and listened to their conversation, but they didn't expect to overhear quite a few inside stories.

First, Chen Shou is going to film another movie in the United States in the second half of the year. Second, there are three parts to A Chinese Ghost Story. If the first part performs well, there will be two more parts, making it a series of movies.

The two of them enjoyed their meal, and they ate little by little, biting their chopsticks as they ate.

"Wow wow wow!!!"

Just then, a loud crying sound came from upstairs, and everyone put down their chopsticks and looked up.

"Is it Teacher Yu's child?" Shu Can asked.

"No, it's my daughter who woke up," Chen Shou said calmly, putting down his wine glass.

"What?!!"

(End of this chapter)