This director is so innocent.

Chapter 145 Spring Festival Gala

Mother hands line, wandering clothing.

Liu Shishi was deeply moved by her mother's actions, but also felt somewhat helpless. "I'm buying you things, so just accept them. Can you please stop with these melodramatic scenes?"

After all, once you make money, it's meant to be spent!

Liu Shishi took off her watch, put it into an exquisite little box, stood up and walked to her mother's side, placing the little box in her hand.

"Mom, I bought this for you, so just keep it. If I want to wear it, I'll go buy another one myself."

After saying that, Liu Shishi turned and left, carrying shopping bags of various sizes into her room.

Looking at the small box in her hand, then at Liu Shishi's departing figure, Liu's mother shook her head helplessly.

"Click"

A soft sound came from the doorway, and Liu's father pushed the door open and entered.

As soon as he entered, he saw the dumplings on the dining table and asked curiously, "Dumplings for dinner? Did you buy them?"

"No, it was a gift from your future in-laws," Liu's mother joked.

"Mother-in-law?" Mr. Liu was taken aback, even stopping the action of taking off his shoes. After a moment's thought, he remembered who this mother-in-law was.

"Has Su Jin's mother come to the capital?"

"Yes, I also bought a lot of things for your precious daughter."

"Have they confirmed their relationship?"

"No, I don't think so!"

"What do you mean by 'nothing'? If it's not there, it's not there; if it is, it is."

"Why are you yelling so loudly! If you're so tough, go yell at your daughter."

"No, I'm just in a hurry! If we haven't established a relationship, how can we accept gifts from others without giving them back? It would make people look down on us and think that Shishi has no manners."

"Your future mother-in-law insisted on marrying you to Shishi, what could Shishi do?"

"You think you can just force it on her? Does she not have legs, or are her legs broken so she can't run away?!"

"How can you curse your own daughter like that?"

"I----"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'I'? Shishi returned the favor by buying your future mother-in-law a watch worth over 50,000 yuan."

"A watch worth over 50,000? She really spared no expense." Mr. Liu smiled, his worries finally subsiding.

Since a return gift has been given, and the gift was reasonably priced, there's naturally no problem.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a small box on the dining table, or more precisely, to the letters on the box.

"Vacheron Constantin? This is the future—no, this was also bought by Su Jin's mother?"

"No, your daughter bought it for me," Liu's mother said with a smug smile.

"Did your daughter buy this for you? Did she buy one for me?" Mr. Liu said, feeling a little jealous.

"No, anyway, your daughter didn't give it to me." Mrs. Liu took out her watch, put it on her wrist, and twirled it in front of Mr. Liu, showing it off: "Isn't it pretty?"

"It looks good," Liu's father replied casually, then asked, "Where's Shishi? Is she at home or out?"

"In the room."

What is she doing in the room?

"I don't know." Liu's mother shook her head, picked up the dumplings, and said, "I'm not going to talk about it anymore. We're having dumplings tonight. Call your dad and tell him to come back soon."

"Um.

""

After finishing his phone call, Mr. Liu knocked on his daughter's bedroom door and subtly asked if she had bought him a gift.

When I found out I didn't get it, I was furious. Even the delicious dumplings didn't taste good anymore.

1 month 31 day.

Due to the snow disaster in southern China, the Spring Festival Gala added a "disaster relief segment" during the last-minute rehearsal, which consisted of a poem and a song.

The poem, titled "We Are One Family," was written a few days ago and was recited by 13 CCTV hosts and numerous top celebrities from the entertainment industry, including Jiang Wen, Chen Daoming, Zhang Guoli, and Su Jin.

The song is "Heavy Snow, Heartless People," sung by Bai Xue, Wei Wei, Han Lei, and Liao Changyong.

Because the entire program was nearly 10 minutes long, one or two segments were cut, and another segment was merged.

On February 1st, Jianmu Media, Jianmu Culture, Qidian, Junzhen Investment, Polaris Media, and Weibo officially began their holiday, which lasted until February 14th, a total of 14 days, with paid leave.

On February 2nd, the Spring Festival Gala held its fifth rehearsal, which was a dress rehearsal.

As the name suggests, it involves actors putting on makeup and costumes, and it's no different from a formal screening.

February 6th, the 30th day of the 12th lunar month, is commonly known as Lunar New Year's Eve.

This year's Spring Festival Gala is themed "Harmonious Prosperity, Unity and Progress," and the hosts are still the same few.

At 7:10 p.m., CCTV's Studio One was packed with 1230 seats, and people were whispering among themselves, creating a lively atmosphere.

Su Jin sat upright, her eyes vacant, her thoughts wandering far away.

Because Ms. Meng Yanjun and Liu's mother chatted very happily, they felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

Comrade Su Zhen, Liu's father, and Xia Jie's grandfather were having a good chat, while Xia Jie was chatting with Su Yu.

Ten minutes later, Su Jin couldn't sit still any longer. She got up, spoke with Ms. Meng Yanjun and Liu's mother, and then went backstage.

Su Yu and Sister Xia also went along.

Su Jin said to Su Yu, "Why aren't you sitting there properly? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get a celebrity's autograph! Look—" Su Yu smiled slightly and took out a diary from her bag.

"Don't disturb others when they are working," Su Jin instructed.

"I'm relieved."

The backstage area for the Spring Festival Gala was packed with people, a chaotic mess.

As soon as I walked in, someone came up to me and said, "Director Su, it's been a long time."

The person who arrived was Zhang Ziyi, wearing a pink strapless tulle dress and heavy makeup. She wasn't unattractive, but she was just too glamorous.

Zhang Ziyi's program was ranked seventh; it was a song called "The Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers," which was also her solo single.

"Long time no see, Teacher Zhang," Su Jin replied politely.

He then introduced her to Zhang Ziyi, saying, "This is my friend Liu Shishi. If you have any good projects to recommend in the future, please let me know!"

"No problem, no problem." Zhang Ziyi nodded and looked at Su Yu: "And this is?"

Just as Su Jin was about to introduce herself, she heard Su Yu say, "Hello, Sister Ziyi, my name is Su Yu, I'm your fan, could you please sign my autograph?"

"Of course." Zhang Ziyi smiled and nodded, took the notebook from Su Yu, and quickly signed her name.

We chatted for a few more minutes before parting ways.

After strolling around for a while, Su Yu saw a big star and went up to him, saying, "I'm your fan, can you give me an autograph?"

With her innocent and cute appearance, she was successful in everything she did, and before long, her notebook was filled with signatures.

At 8 o'clock, the Spring Festival Gala officially began.

The 08 Spring Festival Gala didn't have an LED full-stage display screen or anything that could be raised or lowered; it was just a normal semi-circular stage.

The performance opened with a song and dance number, "Flying Up to Spring".

When the hosts appeared, Zhang Xiaohai pulled a trick, making the six hosts descend from the sky.

They stood on a rectangular horizontal board, and then ropes were lowered down, with the six hosts reciting their lines as they descended.

After a few performances, it was soon Sister Xia's and Luo Jin's turn to appear.

She sang very well; her voice was melodious and pleasant, making one feel as if they were in a field.

The applause was enthusiastic, but I wonder if anyone will notice tomorrow that the two were lip-syncing.

After Liu Shishi stepped down from the stage, she relaxed completely; she had been too tense. Luo Jin was the same.

"Being on the Spring Festival Gala is exhausting, the pressure is immense," Luo Jin lamented.

"You're just lip-syncing, what pressure are you under!" Su Jin said.

"Lip-syncing also requires skill, you know!" Luo Jin retorted shamelessly.

"Yes, yes, yes—you're awesome."

After the two programs, it was time for the poetry recitation "Warmth 2008".

"The snow is falling, the snow is falling, the snow is falling, from the coldest days of winter until the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month."

The news program began with Li Ruiying, the anchor of Xinwen Lianbo, followed by Kang Hui, Yu Yang, and Wang Gang.

After Jiang Wen, it was Su Jin's turn. His position originally belonged to Huang Xiaoming.

"We saw police officers using their vehicle headlights to illuminate the way home for pedestrians on the city streets darkened by the power outage."

His voice was clear and resonant, his handwriting was legible, and his emotions were rich; he felt he had recited it quite well.

The enthusiastic applause from the audience is proof of that.

Soon it came to the program "Torchbearer".

When Uncle Benshan appeared, the whole audience burst into enthusiastic applause. Then, Song Dandan slowly walked out with her hands behind her back, and the whole audience burst into enthusiastic applause again.

That's amazing!

This applause was much more genuine than before.

"What kind of legs are these?"

"Cold legs".

"Wrong, these aren't ordinary legs, they're the legs of an Olympic torchbearer."

"Ham!"

The duo's skit was as hilarious as ever, with a laugh every two sentences.

Especially when the two were answering questions later, Uncle Benshan imitated Tai Chi as playing mahjong, which almost made people laugh to death.

The skit "Torchbearer" was reportedly prepared by Uncle Benshan after he received a last-minute notice a month before the Spring Festival Gala.

Despite it being an Olympic year, there wasn't a single program about the Olympics, which led to Uncle Benshan removing his previous scripts.

After his performance, Uncle Benshan burst into tears!

After crying, I didn't even feel anything.

Backstage in the studio, Zhang Xiaohai asked, "What are the ratings now?"

"33.1%."

A viewership rating of 33.1% met expectations; now it's up to Su Jin.

Backstage at the Spring Festival Gala, Su Jin was chatting idly with Xia Jie, while Wang Fei sat to the side with his eyes closed, resting.

At this moment, a medley of traditional Chinese opera songs was being performed on stage, followed by "Because of Love".

For some reason, he wasn't as calm and composed as usual; he seemed a little nervous.

Liu Shishi stopped chatting with Su Jin and held Su Jin's hand, silently encouraging him.

Not long after, the medley of opera performances ended, and the host, Dong Qing, began announcing the program.

"—Cherish the person who will grow old with you, hold their hand, and listen to the next song: 'Because of Love'."

In the center of the stage, Su Jin wore a well-tailored black suit with a red rose pinned to her chest, perfectly complementing Wang Fei's red tuxedo.

As the intro ended, Su Jin gently raised the microphone and began to sing: "Here's a CD from the past for you."

"6

"Listen to our love story back then."

As the music played, Su Jin lowered her head slightly, seemingly recalling the past.

Sometimes I suddenly forget that I still love you.

After singing her own lyrics, Su Jin gave herself a score: perfect.

"I can't sing songs like that anymore."

"They would blush and hide when they heard it."

Wang Fei's voice is ethereal, gentle, clear, and moving, like a clear spring flowing into the hearts of listeners, captivating them.

Her gaze was focused and absorbed, as if the whole world consisted only of her and the song.

Su Jin also gave Wang Fei a score, which was also perfect.

But others got full marks because the maximum score is only 100.

Anyway, it was better than his singing; he didn't have the off-key singing that happened at the 12 Spring Festival Gala.

"Even though I often forget, I still love you."

"Because of love, I won't be easily saddened."

"Director, the ratings have gone up! They've gone up!"

In the studio, Chen Linchun excitedly reported the good news to Zhang Xiaohai.

"How much did it go up?"

"After Zhao Benshan stepped down, the ratings dropped by two points, but after Su Jin took over, they rose by three points, and are now at 34.6%, and the ratings are still climbing."

"Excellent! Su Jin's invitation was definitely worthwhile!"

At this moment, countless young fans in front of their TVs watched Su Jin, staying up all night to cheer for their "brother".

Thankfully, it's being broadcast live on TV. If it were streaming online, the comments would probably be full of things like "Go Su Jin!", "Brother is so handsome!", and "It sounds so good!"

As the music ended, Su Jin and Wang Fei took their bows, and the host began announcing the next act. Meanwhile, in the studio, Zhang Xiaohai eagerly asked, "What were the ratings?"

"37.4%." Chen Linchun reported the good news but not the bad.

Because the ratings started to drop again, and dropped drastically. Almost as soon as Su Jin stepped off the stage, the ratings dropped by two points.

It's easy to imagine that in another minute or two, the viewership rating will return to around 30%.

However, it's best not to tell the director about these troublesome things; let him be happy for a while.

Zhang Xiaohai, full of vigor and high spirits, asked, "Old Chen, how much of the production budget is left for the program?"

"That's almost all, just a few tens of thousands left!"

"Damn it—how did you guys spend it? How come a production budget of ten million is reduced to only tens of thousands?"

"Stage effects, set design, props, costumes, accommodation and meals, personnel expenses —"

"Alright." Zhang Xiaohai was a little sad. He had originally planned to use the remaining money to reward the staff, but now he could forget about it.

Tens of thousands of yuan isn't even enough for food and drink, let alone bonuses.

"Go to the station and apply for 200,000 yuan, just say that the budget has been exceeded, make sure the accounts are in order, and then find a big farmhouse to let everyone relax."

"Yes, Director."

As soon as "Because of Love" ended, Su Jin sent Zhang Xiaohai a text message and then quietly left with her family, as did Liu Shishi's family.

The two families said goodbye to each other in the underground parking lot.

-

Ms. Meng Yanjun also made an appointment with Liu's mother to go shopping together the next afternoon.

Afterwards, Su Jin drove them back to the courtyard house.

In the car, Ms. Meng Yanjun suddenly asked, "Xiao Jin, do you like Shi Shi?"

"what!"

"Tell me, do you like Shishi?"

"I like it!"

"If you like her, why don't you say yes to Shishi? Why are you stringing her along?"

"My feelings aren't romantic; they're feelings for my younger sister."

"Keep pretending! Let me tell you, Shishi is a good girl. Don't bully her. We just talked to her parents, and they seem nice and well-mannered."

"So, you want Shishi to be your daughter-in-law?"

"I do want to, but do you?"

"Don't worry about my affairs. I'm a celebrity, and I can't date right now. It's a company rule."

"Didn't you own your own company?"

"Yes! But I have to lead by example!"

"Su Jin, do you think I'm too old to fight you anymore?"

"No! Mom, you still look so young. When we go out together, people will all say you're my older sister."

"Don't give me that nonsense. What do you have to say about Shishi? I've spent the last few days with her, and I really think she's a nice girl."

"Let's talk about it later! Right now is the time for me to focus on my career, I don't have time for romance."

"Building a career —"

"Xiao Jun, stop talking. Let Su Jin think about it himself. We don't need to interfere," Old Comrade Su Zhen interjected.

"I don't care, he can play around until he's thirty before getting married." Ms. Meng Yanjun immediately turned around and retorted.

Comrade Su Zhen smiled awkwardly, turned to look out the window, and remained silent.

Su Yu didn't dare to provoke anyone at this moment, and looked out the window.

Su Jin smiled and focused on driving.

At noon, the Grand Cherokee arrived safely at the courtyard house.

"All of them—"

"Slap slap slap—"

Fireworks exploded across the city, illuminating the dark night sky with dazzling brilliance.

"Hello, 2008."

"6

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