I'm not mentally ill, I'm a master of a thousand faces!

Chapter 289, The Current State of the Domestic Film Market

but.

No problem, just this once, no problem.

Liu Qianqian still agreed.

After all, this should be the last time.

My own willfulness.

On the other side.

While preparations were underway for "The Crucible".

But another unexpected person came to visit Li Yun.

This was someone Li Yun never expected.

The Li family

"Nice to meet you." Li Yuxuan looked at Li Yun in front of him and smiled slightly. "My name is Li Yuxuan. If we're talking about seniority, I'm yours. My uncle can call you nephew."

"Well, how should I put it?"

Li Yun looked at the imposing, unfamiliar middle-aged man in front of him, who did indeed bear some resemblance to her own physical appearance.

If you said you weren't related by blood, no one would believe you.

"Please sit down. My humble abode is simple and cannot compare to the Li family in the capital. I also have no fine tea to offer you."

Li Yun's gaze was so calm that Li Yuxuan felt a sense of cautious calm.

Despite seeing the relatives who abandoned him as a child, he was able to maintain such emotional stability.

His temperament.

Li Yuxuan thought of his other nephew, and if he could, he really wouldn't want to admit that the other one was his nephew.

That's outrageous. Li Yuxuan has done a lot of things just to clean up messes, but before that, he also helped Li Yichun clean up messes quite a bit for his brother's exemplary conduct.

Now it's all good, I don't have to wipe his butt anymore.

"What's wrong? As an uncle visiting his nephew, you can't even have a cup of good tea?" Li Yuxuan teased.

"I ruined his role model of the times." Li Yun shrugged. "What kind of rebellious nephew is that?"

"Wasn't it that kid Li Yichun who ruined his role model of the era? What does that have to do with you?"

Li Yuxuan looked at Li Yun's expression, as if they were 'mutually aware' of each other.

The fact that it was exposed at that time was incredibly ironic.

Li Yuxuan knew, of course, that his older brother's selection as a role model of the times ended when the illegitimate child scandal was exposed.

My own brother is out of luck.

Li Yichun's exposure seems to suggest that he is unworthy.

However, Li Yun still poured Li Yuxuan some tea from home.

"Good tea! You said you didn't have any good tea at home?" Li Yichun praised Li Yun's tea.

Li Yun's lips twitched.

"Ten yuan per jin (500g)."

For Li Yun, tea was more like a refreshing drink; as long as it tasted good and could refresh him, it was good tea. He didn't have any of those strange personal preferences.

At this moment, Li Yuxuan smiled slightly.

"Maybe it's because you brewed it yourself that I think it tastes good."

Li Yun remained silent.

Subconsciously, I felt that this "uncle" might have some ulterior motives towards me.

My vigilance immediately kicked in.

Li Yun was also somewhat amused and exasperated by his own reaction. What kind of reaction was that?

"Do you think my brother doesn't deserve to be called a role model of this era?" Li Yuxuan suddenly asked.

"What do you think, Uncle?" Li Yun decided to call him "Uncle" for the time being.

"What do I think?" Li Yuxuan said, "Of course he's not worthy. Actually, he's not as aloof as outsiders think. In fact, when he got together with my sister-in-law, it was because of her family's background in the industry. Her family did help a lot with the film resources for our 'strong alliance'."

"Oh, and then?"

"And then? From the beginning, my brother has been a rather selfish and utilitarian person. But clearly, this time, although he is not a role model of the times, it doesn't mean he won't be next time."

Li Yun was stunned for a moment.

"I admire him; he can also be a role model for our times."

"Hmm, didn't expect that, did you?" Li Yuxuan smiled slightly. "But it's not the dirty deal you're thinking of. Although our Li family has some power, we can't manipulate everything. My brother is a role model of the times because we need him. Don't forget, he's also a very capable director."

A talented director with a patriotic theme who can also make a box office hit can be said to have balanced commercial appeal with the patriotic theme itself.

You could say they're quite capable.

Li Yun suddenly realized what was going on; how could he not have thought of that?

The reason he is needed is because of his talent—regardless of his personal character, his talent is undeniable.

The Chinese entertainment industry needs a director who can create content that is popular with the masses without lacking in ideological and intellectual depth. Indeed, if this element is missing, the ideas that young people will encounter in entertainment works in the future will mostly be Western concepts such as "capitalism," "political superiority," and "the greater the responsibility, the greater the burden."

Therefore, there must be a Li Modu.

A highly talented role model.

As the spokesperson of the times, leading the charge into battle.

Mr. Cai is right.

The fire must never be extinguished.

After all, even in peacetime, there are covert wars.

"Oh, so what are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that some things still need to go with the times. As for personal matters, it's enough to just vent your anger." Li Yuxuan finished his tea, then stood up and said, "The tea was good. I hope I can have something a little more expensive next time."

"By the way, this is my phone number. You can call this number if you need anything."

"Take care," Li Yun said after a pause. "If you want some good tea, bring your own next time."

"Hey, definitely."

At this moment, Li Yun looked at Li Yuxuan, who was walking away, and felt somewhat puzzled.

Should one light a cigarette at this moment to symbolize the vicissitudes of life?

But I quit.

Liu Qianqian returned to the apartment there.

But then they found Liu Lili there, and her expression was quite gloomy.

"You've grown up, huh? You've got wings now, haven't you? You've learned to lie to me. You're something else, Liu Qianqian. Which wild boy taught you that?"

"Mom, what did I lie to you about!"

"You said you wouldn't see Li Yun anymore," Liu Lili said with a dark look in her eyes, "but you still did it."

"Waaah"

At this moment, Liu Qianqian was speechless.

"Mom, listen to me."

"I won't listen to your explanations. You've been lying to me; I'm going to settle the score with him right now!"

"mom!"

"Shut up." Liu Lili said to Liu Qianqian, "You're coming to Hollywood with me tomorrow, immediately."

"I turned down all the film offers and projects here to go to Hollywood. That's where you should be."

"Mom, I'm not going! I've already accepted a role in the movie myself."

Liu Qianqian bit her lip and told Liu Lili about the "Silenced" incident, which made Liu Lili laugh in anger.

"It's that wild brat Li Yun again. You told me you had nothing to do with him. You've been bewitched, making this kind of trash with him. What's the point?"

"Then what's the point of me going to Hollywood?"

"Go to Hollywood, you can be a leading Chinese actress! You can have resources that others can only dream of! You can access a free, democratic, and noble world! Why waste your time here? Isn't that better?"

You have no idea how well I meant to help you.

Liu Qianqian doesn't understand anything about democracy, freedom, or nobility, but if it were the old her, she would have obediently gone to Hollywood with her mother.

Because she is my mother, my family.

So if she wants to do it herself, then she should do it herself.

That's only natural.

But at this moment.

Liu Qianqian, however, had a different idea.

"Mother, do you know, I'm still confused," Liu Qianqian murmured. "Actually, I feel like I haven't found my true self yet."

Liu Qianqian also wanted to know what her true self was like.

In fact, she had been thinking about this question for a long time.

The true self is the authentic self.

She was still confused about what should be done and what the purpose of acting was.

All she knew was that working with Brother Li made her happy and made her forget that she was "Fairy Liu".

Let her forget the "goddess" halo that's been placed on her head.

Liu Qianqian sometimes feels that she is being pretentious, wanting to take away what others are eager for.

At least, temporarily.

If I go to Hollywood, I'll probably carry on the title of "celestial beauty" to the end. My mother mentioned this when she was choosing scripts back then.

My future path will be that of a "fairy".

Even before her debut, Liu Qianqian already knew her future was a well-planned and promising path.

She is also grateful for the future her mother has arranged for her.

Because of this, she didn't have the worries that ordinary people have.

Words cannot express my gratitude.

but.

She still wanted to rebel just once.

After all, I've never been rebellious from childhood to adulthood.

They are all their mothers' good daughters

A well-behaved girl with no sense of self.

"Mom, I want to at least... at least this time, let me choose for myself," Liu Qianqian said softly. "From childhood to adulthood, you've always made the choices for me."

"This time I want to do it myself."

"Your choice is to pick garbage, not Hollywood movies that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make."

Liu Lili said dismissively.

"I won't say anything else, but you can do arithmetic, right? Do you know the current box office trend? The box office of mainland and Hong Kong films has been eroded beyond recognition. It's almost 70% of the box office has been taken over. Under such circumstances, your persistence is futile. One is a super market facing people all over the world, and the other is a small place with only a small plot of land."

"And what's more, you chose a... nobody director."

For Liu Lili, Li Yun didn't even qualify as a 'director'.

Acting well doesn't guarantee a good film.

It was still self-written, self-directed, and self-acted.

If Liu Qianqian were to take the role, it would be a stain on her resume, a blemish on a clean canvas.

It's so ugly, really ugly.

"You need to start taking care of your reputation now."

"I know"

Liu Qianqian lowered her head and said, "I know, Mom. Give me a chance. After filming 'Silenced,' if it's really as bad as you say, I'll go abroad with you."

"But now, I want to make a choice for myself."

(End of this chapter)