The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"What are you doing?"

Liu Yifei stood at the door, and as Gu Ning walked in, she quickly stepped back.

"I just asked the hotel staff, and they said you didn't go to the hotel restaurant for a meal after you came back, nor did you have anyone deliver food to your room."

Gu Ning walked into the room, placed the packed food on the table, and turned to look at Liu Yifei.

She was wearing a light-colored striped short-sleeved pajama set, shorts that didn't reach her knees, revealing a pair of fair, slender, and straight legs, and pink slippers on her feet.

"I ate out when I got back."

Liu Yifei frowned slightly and said, "You should leave now; it wouldn't look good if someone saw you."

"You seem a bit off today."

Gu Ning said, "I hardly saw you this afternoon."

Liu Yifei's eyes darted around as she said, "I received a few phone calls this afternoon and had some things to take care of."

"Then why did you say you weren't feeling well?" Gu Ning took two steps forward and asked.

Liu Yifei instinctively stepped back, but forgot that there was a wall behind her and bumped into it.

"I...I don't like those kinds of occasions."

Gu Ning stopped teasing her and said, "I have something to do, I'll go first, you go eat."

"I'm not hungry..."

"I'll come check in a bit. If you haven't eaten, I'll have the hotel send you some."

After Gu Ning finished speaking, she turned and left the room.

"I…"

Liu Yifei wanted to say something, but seeing that Gu Ning had already left, she closed the door in embarrassment and annoyance.

…………

Gu Ning arrived at the coffee shop and found Liu Sanxi and the others.

"Senior Brother Gu!" Jing Tian smiled and stood up.

"Um."

Gu Ning sat down next to Liu Sanxi and said, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I read the novel you recommended last time, and the company has contacted the author and secured the film and television adaptation rights."

Jing Tian said, "I would like to invite Director Gu to be the director."

"I haven't finished filming my current scenes yet; I have to wait until I finish filming them."

Gu Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Besides, if I were to direct, not only would I need to convert my director's fee into investment, but my company would also need to participate in the investment. Would President Lu be willing to do that?"

"Sure, making a movie usually involves multiple investors. Even if Senior Brother Gu doesn't invest, Uncle Lu will get others to invest as well," Jing Tian said.

"Then you can have the company finish the script first. After all, it's a Taiwanese novel, and there are some differences between it and the situation in mainland China."

Gu Ning said, "We'll talk about the rest after I'm done with my work here. If all goes well, it would be best to start filming during the summer vacation."

He should be able to finish filming and editing before the summer vacation.

If we can reach an agreement over there, filming can start seamlessly during the summer vacation.

"Okay." Jing Tian smiled and was very happy when Gu Ning agreed.

"Senior Brother Gu, this is my first time in Tianjin. It's still early, could you show me around?"

"This is my first time in Tianjin, and I've been staying with the film crew, so I'm not familiar with this place."

Gu Ning shook her head and said, "Besides, I drank some wine at dinner, and the effects of the alcohol are kicking in a bit. I want to rest early."

"It was my oversight. Senior Brother Gu, you should go back and rest early," Jing Tian said with a smile.

"Um."

Gu Ning stood up and said, "I'm going back to rest now."

"Old Gu, I have something to tell you."

Liu Sanxi greeted Jing Tian and the others, then quickly caught up with them.

"Sweetie, if you really like him, you might as well just confess. If Senior Brother Gu doesn't agree, you should give up now."

Hao Hao said, "It breaks my heart to see you like this."

"No."

Jing Tian shook her head and said, "I will continue to work hard and wait until Senior Brother Gu likes me before I confess to him."

Hao Hao slapped his forehead speechlessly and said, "You should read less of those melodramatic romance novels in the future."

…………

"Old Gu, you're really heartless. A girl invited you out for a walk, and you just refused?"

Liu Sanxi asked suspiciously, "You're not playing hard to get, are you?"

"Get lost."

Gu Ning said disdainfully, "I'm going back to sleep. I'm not going to bother with you anymore. You can figure out what to do yourself."

"Do girls these days really like this kind of look?"

Liu Sanxi watched Gu Ning leave, muttering to himself.

…………

"You're only eating now?"

Gu Ning looked at the chopsticks in Liu Yifei's hand and asked.

"I wasn't hungry just now, so I didn't eat," Liu Yifei said.

As Gu Ning walked in, Liu Yifei instinctively made way for her.

"I've already eaten, what are you doing coming in here?"

Gu Ning ignored her, went to the table, touched the food, and turned around to say, "Change your clothes, I'll take you out to eat."

"The food's all cold, what were you thinking?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei froze on the spot without making a move.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and change your clothes," Gu Ning urged.

Liu Yifei looked at him and said calmly, "You asked me to change my clothes, but you're not going out. Do you think that's appropriate?"

"Whether it's suitable or not depends on you... No... I'll go out now."

Gu Ning had intended to say a few flirtatious words, but when she saw Liu Yifei raise her hand holding chopsticks, she quickly ran out and closed the door behind her.

"Pfft~"

Hearing the door close, Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh, imagining Gu Ning fleeing in panic.

However, she soon became conflicted, unsure whether to change her clothes and go out with Gu Ning.

After Gu Ning left, she didn't actually want to eat, but she was worried that Gu Ning would come to check up on her.

After much deliberation, I decided to eat some, but I didn't expect Gu Ning to arrive so quickly.

After hesitating for a long time, Liu Yifei changed her clothes, put on makeup, and left the room.

Seeing her come out, Gu Ning said, "Let's go."

Liu Yifei didn't speak, she just nodded.

Soon, the two arrived at the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, Gu Ning looked at Liu Yifei's clothes.

She wore a black leather jacket on top, jeans on the bottom, and black ankle boots, with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

Although she was wearing a mask, Gu Ning could tell that her outfit had lost some of its ethereal charm but gained more of a heroic air, making her appear more youthful and vibrant.

After taking the elevator downstairs and exiting the hotel, Gu Ning asked, "Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"The porridge at that place was pretty good the other day, let's go there again," Liu Yifei said.

Gu Ning nodded, hailed a taxi, and the two got in.

After giving the destination, the driver started the car.

Although Gu Ning had a good alcohol tolerance in her previous life, her body in this life rarely drinks alcohol and is not yet used to it.

Although I didn't drink much at dinner, I was still quite sober when the alcohol kicked in.

However, while riding in the taxi, the smell inside the car, coupled with the driver's several sudden stops, made Gu Ning feel a bit carsick.

Fortunately, we arrived at our destination soon after.

After getting off the bus, Gu Ning paid the bill, and the two went into the porridge shop.

We ordered a private room, and the waiter led us there and handed us the menu.

"You order, I'm not hungry," Gu Ning said.

Liu Yifei ordered some food, and after the waiter left, she looked at Gu Ning and, noticing his pale face, asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Gu Ning rubbed her temples and said, "I had a few drinks tonight, and the driver kept braking suddenly, which made me a little carsick. I'll feel better after a while."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei hesitated and said, "How about I give you a massage?"

"Um?"

Gu Ning looked at her in surprise: "You can do this too?"

"Sometimes when my mom drinks too much and feels unwell, I'm the one who massages her," Liu Yifei said.

Gu Ning could sense the hardships her mother had endured from Liu Yifei's words.

"Please bring up the food you ordered."

Gu Ning initially wanted to refuse, but then wanted to try the fairy sister's cooking.

Liu Yifei regretted her words as soon as she finished speaking, and lowered her head without saying anything.

Before long, the porridge and snacks she ordered were served.

After the waiter left, Gu Ning said, "Come on, give me a massage."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei hesitated for a moment before getting up. Feeling uncomfortable when reaching out, she took off her outer leather jacket and placed it on the chair, then placed her hands on either side of Gu Ning's head.

Her hands were slightly cool, and that cool, delicate touch instantly cleared Gu Ning's somewhat drowsy mind.