Entertainment: A whirlwind marriage with a fairy-like mother at the start!

Meryl pointed to the camera.

Forget who you are, forget who I am.

"You just need to remember that you desperately need this job to pay your rent right now."

"If you don't speak up, you'll be fired immediately."

Meryl patted Liu Qianqian on the shoulder.

"Bring out that will to survive."

"Ready? Let's do one more take."

Liu Qianqian took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

She closed her eyes and took a few seconds to compose herself.

When I opened my eyes again, my timidity had vanished, replaced by the stubbornness unique to top students.

"Director David, I'm ready," Liu Qianqian said loudly.

David sat back down behind the monitor.

"Action!"

Same scene, same movement.

Liu Qianqian bumps into Meryl again.

This time, he faced Meryl's extremely oppressive scrutiny.

Liu Qianqian did not back down.

She hugged the clothes in her arms tightly and spoke very quickly.

"I'm Andy Sachs, your new assistant."

"I've ordered your coffee, skim milk and no sugar."

"I got my clothes back too."

Meryl put on sunglasses, concealing the hint of admiration in her eyes.

"Terrible details, utterly tasteless."

"Put the coffee on my desk."

Meryl walked past Liu Qianqian and headed straight for the elevator.

Liu Qianqian let out a long sigh of relief, and leaned against the wall as if she were completely exhausted.

"Cut! Absolutely perfect!" Director David slapped his thigh excitedly.

Meryl turned around and gave the girl, who understood immediately, a thumbs up.

..........

Mid-November.

Beijing.

While Yu Le and Liu Qianqian were battling it out in Hollywood, the domestic film market was also buzzing with excitement.

The movie "Soulmate" has been released.

Saltyfish Entertainment's PR department didn't come up with any fancy marketing gimmicks this time.

The poster is extremely simple—two girls sit back to back on a bluestone road, sunlight streaming in from the alley entrance, one laughing and the other crying.

There are only two names in the very center of the poster.

Liu Yifei, sung by Shu.

The bottom line of small print reads: Produced by Salty Fish Entertainment.

Just those few words alone boosted the number of screenings to 35%.

There's no way around it; the phrase "Salted Fish Entertainment" is now practically a no-questions-asked product for Chinese-language films.

On its opening day.

The occupancy rates of major cinemas have exploded.

But the feedback this time was different from the previous ones.

In the past, audiences often came out of the films produced by Salty Fish Entertainment in high spirits, dancing and gesturing with joy.

Eight out of ten audience members who came out of the screening room this time had red eyes.

The two who didn't cry were already exhausted from crying inside.

The online comment section was instantly flooded with tears.

I cried through two packs of tissues! Two packs! I used up all the tissues in the movie theater by myself! The guy next to me thought I was heartbroken and handed me a bottle of water!

[Liu Yifei and Shu's singing was absolutely amazing! Their duel kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! Especially when July said, "Nobody loves you," it felt like my heart was punched!]

[Who understands? When An Sheng wrote in her diary, "July, I'm sorry, you are the person I most want to be," I completely broke down and cried until I couldn't breathe!]

[That old scoundrel Yu Le has tricked me into crying again! Last time it was Mao Mao sacrificing herself, this time it's July and An Sheng! Do you think my tears are free?!]

To be honest, after watching this movie, I called my best friend whom I hadn't contacted in ten years. We even had a falling out over a guy. Looking back now, it was totally not worth it.

Film critics also praised it highly.

Chen Feng, a senior film critic for the Beijing Youth Daily, wrote a long review of 3,000 words.

"Director Tsang Kwok-cheung uses extremely restrained cinematography to thoroughly explore the possessiveness, jealousy, and sacrifice within female friendships. Liu Yifei and Shu Chang's performances can only be described as 'stunning'—one reserved and restrained, the other flamboyant and unrestrained—their chemistry is simply perfect!"

"Liu Yifei deserves special mention! This former 'Fairy Sister' delivered a truly divine performance in this film! Her portrayal of July is gentle yet obsessive, kind yet ruthless..."

.........

The box office in its first week was 80 million.

For an art film, this number is enough to be recorded in the history of Chinese-language cinema.

When the news reached the other side of the ocean, Yu Le was in his hotel room in New York making braised chicken wings for Liu Qianqian.

The phone screen lit up.

The box office report sent by Yang Nuo.

Yu Le glanced at the data, put her phone on the counter, and continued to stir the chicken wings in the pot.

To avoid being tormented by the food in this foreign land, he brought a whole set of seasonings with him when he came.

The aroma of caramelized soy sauce filled the air.

Liu Qianqian sniffed.

"Dad! What's that smell? It smells so good!"

She slipped into the kitchen in her hotel slippers, ready to reach out and grab one.

Yu Le slapped her hand with a spatula.

"handwashing."

"oh."

After obediently washing her hands, Liu Qianqian came back and sat by the bar, gnawing on chicken wings and scrolling through her phone. Then she suddenly shoved her phone in front of Yu Le's face.

"Dad, look at these movie reviews! They all say I'm a great actress! Some people say I'm a top contender for Best Actress of the Year!"

Yu Le brushed her hand away, picked up a chicken wing, and put it in her own bowl.

"Best Actress of the Year?"

"Let's rehearse tomorrow's scene first. We haven't confirmed your blocking for that costume scene yet."

Liu Qianqian's excitement was immediately dampened.

She chewed on a chicken wing bone, mumbling incoherently.

"Dad! Can't you say something nice to me?!"

Yu Le put the bowls and chopsticks in the sink and turned on the tap.

"Praise you? What if you get cocky after praising you and start acting like a queen when you join the crew tomorrow? Meryl Streep doesn't care if you're a potential Best Actress in China."

Liu Qianqian rubbed her teeth against the chicken wing bone a couple of times, then stopped arguing.

She looked down at the overwhelming positive reviews on her phone, and couldn't help but smile.

Then it was forcibly suppressed again.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to go over the lines."

She grabbed the script from the table, shuffled into the bedroom in her slippers, and kept muttering to herself.

"My costume show tomorrow must be amazing... I'll show those foreigners the power of the Chinese people..."

........

After finishing his meal, Yu Le sat down at his desk in his room and turned on his computer.

He opened a folder containing a scanned copy of a handwritten musical score.

This is what he has accomplished in the past few days.

Song title: Santa Tell Me.

He casually packaged the documents and sent them to Chang Shilei, who was far away in China.

Christmas is coming.

This year's Christmas season is perfect for using this song to give Hollywood a tiny bit of Chinese pop culture buzz.