Huayu: I rely on hit-movie tactics to interweave...

Chapter 70 Lucy

The sound of firecrackers from the Lantern Festival hadn't completely faded, and the smell of gunpowder still lingered in the alleys of Changsha.

Liu Yu sat on the balcony basking in the sun, with a cup of Tieguanyin tea brewed by Zhang Yan beside him, which had already cooled down considerably.

His computer screen lit up several times with a news notification with the headline: "Lionsgate officially announces new film 'Lucy,' Liu Yu returns to Hollywood."

He swiped away the notification without clicking on it.

Zhang Yan poked her head out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of steaming hot glutinous rice balls.

"Stop looking, eat something first. It's freshly cooked, black sesame filling, the kind you loved to eat when you were little." She placed the bowl on the small coffee table on the balcony, then glanced at him again. "Your phone has been ringing since this morning. What can't you do later?"

Liu Yu picked up a spoon, scooped up a glutinous rice ball, blew on it, took a bite, and the scalding hot black sesame filling flowed out, making him gasp.

"Mom, it's nothing serious. It's just some news from the company, no need to rush back." He said this in a muffled voice because he still had a glutinous rice ball in his mouth.

Zhang Yan looked at him for a few seconds. "So when are you planning to go back to Beijing? It's been almost a month. Has the company given up on you?"

She said this without any reproach in her tone, only with a concerned desire to ask.

After Liu Yu finished chewing the glutinous rice ball, he said, "Mom, I rarely get a few days of peace and quiet at home, so please let me stay a couple more days."

Zhang Yan sighed, "Fine, fine, you stay here."

She turned and went back to the kitchen, but after taking a couple of steps, she turned back again. "Just leave the dishes there, I'll wash them later."

Liu Yu leaned back in his chair, looking at the surface of the Liuyang River in the distance.

Someone was walking their dog downstairs. A golden retriever rolled around on the grass before its owner pulled it up and they continued walking.

There was a queue outside the noodle shop across the street, and the proprietress called out at the top of her lungs, "Egg included?"

The sound drifted through the street into Liu Yu's ears, carrying a familiar, everyday feel that he had known for decades.

He took a deep breath. There was a faint smell of firecrackers in the air, as well as a hint of the aroma of cured meat and dried plums that had been dried in the sun on the well-ventilated balcony.

He thought that if he retired one day, he would come back here, eat a bowl of noodles and drink a pot of tea every day, look at the river, and walk his dog.

The computer beeped; it was a notification, another news item.

Screenshots of Lionsgate's press release have already circulated on major portal websites.

He glanced down at the title on the screen: "Lucy Project Greened: Lionsgate Partners with Chinese Director Liu Yu, Production Budget $60 Million, Cast to be Determined."

The small print at the bottom reads, "Denzel Washington, Daniel Craig, and Robert Downey Jr. are confirmed to star."

He placed his phone screen face down on the table, picked up the now-cold Tieguanyin tea, and took a sip.

Liu Yu leaned back in the rattan chair, resting his feet on the railing, his ankles sticking out.

He thought, sixty million US dollars, three top Hollywood male actors.

Now these words are printed in the news, in black and white, and the whole world has seen them; there's no way to hide from them now.

Sure enough, for the next few hours, Liu Yu's phone seemed to be fast-forwarded.

Phone calls and text messages came flooding in, and his hand went numb from the constant vibrations of his phone.

The first call came in from a Beijing landline number. The caller introduced herself as Wang Jinhua, the artist director of Orange Sky Entertainment. She spoke politely and asked questions indirectly for a long time before finally getting to the real question.

"Director Liu, have we cast the female lead for this film? I have a few suitable actresses on my side. Would it be convenient for you to meet with them?"

Liu Yu ended the phone call with three sentences: It's not decided yet. We'll announce it when it's confirmed. I'm currently out of town, so it's inconvenient for me to speak with you.

In less than an hour, his phone was flooded with similar messages.

Some called directly, some sent text messages, and some asked others to relay the message.

He had heard of some of the names, but he had no recollection of others.

"Director Liu, so-and-so from our company is perfect for this role. Would you consider giving him a chance?"

Some people spoke tactfully, first establishing a connection before getting down to business, "Director Liu, we met at such-and-such event last time, remember? We have an actor in our company recently—"

Liu Yu answered a few calls, but then he couldn't answer any more, so he simply put his phone on silent, tossed it on the coffee table, and let it light up on its own.

Zhang Yan came out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of sliced ​​oranges.

She placed the plate on the coffee table and casually picked up her phone to take a look.

"So many missed calls?" She frowned. "Aren't you going to call them back?"

Liu Yu picked up a slice of orange and took a bite. "No rush. Let them wait."

The next day, Liu Yu saw a commentary from the Southern Entertainment News with the headline: "If Liu Yu fails, his Hollywood journey may be interrupted!"

Although the report was exaggerated in tone, the reasoning it presented was fairly objective.

The project is worth $60 million, with two top Hollywood actors in supporting roles, while the female lead is still pending.

If this film fails at the box office, it will indeed be several times more difficult for Liu Yu to continue to secure big projects in Hollywood.

Hollywood is a place where profit reigns supreme, or to put it bluntly, it's the same everywhere in this industry; when you're successful, everyone revolves around you, but when you're not, no one will even answer your phone.

However, Liu Yu didn't feel too anxious when he saw the report. During his two months in the snow in Russia, he developed a new habit: always think of the worst-case scenario, then act according to the worst-case scenario, and leave the rest to luck.

At the lunch table, Zhang Yan asked him when he was going back to Beijing.

Liu Yu said to wait a little longer, and Zhang Yan glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

In the afternoon, Liu Yu received a phone call that he couldn't ignore.

Yan Danchen.

Her name flashed on the screen, and Liu Yu's finger paused for a moment on the answer button.

When the call was answered, there was a moment of silence on the other end, and then Yan Danchen's voice came through, filled with helplessness.

"Liu Yu, can you hurry up and finalize the casting? A lot of people have come to me asking who the female lead is for your new film."

"I'm being asked so many questions, I'm not your casting director." Her tone sounded like a complaint, or perhaps she was trying to cover something up with that complaint.

Liu Yu leaned against the balcony railing, a smile that he couldn't quite explain appearing on his face.

"So what did you tell them?"

"I said I didn't know, but you didn't tell me. They didn't believe me, saying I definitely knew, saying we used to be such good friends." Yan Danchen's smile faded for a moment, and her voice trembled at the end.

Liu Yu paused for a moment, then said, "Next time, just say the female lead is Scarlett Janssen. Anyway, they can't find anyone to verify it."

"Don't give me that." Yan Danchen's voice regained a hint of amusement. "If I really said that, tomorrow's headlines would be 'Yan Danchen exclusively reveals Liu Yu's new film's female lead,' and I'd be in deep trouble."

The two were silent for a moment on the phone.

Yan Danchen broke the silence first, "How are things on your end? I saw on the news that you haven't returned to Beijing yet?"

"Yeah, I'm in Changsha." Liu Yu's thumb unconsciously rubbed the faint scratch on the edge of his phone case. "How about you? How's the play rehearsals going?"

"It's alright. I'm focused on the characters from the script every day, so I don't have to think about those other random things." She paused, her voice softening slightly. "Take care of yourself while you're out there. Don't stay up late, and smoke less."

"knew.

""

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yu stood on the balcony for a long time.

The wind brushed past his ear, cool and refreshing.

He remembered the night they broke up, when she sat in the car and asked, "Can we still be friends?"

When he actually arrived, he found that he was still not quite used to this kind of friendship; the greetings were still there, the concern was still there, but that unthinking intimacy was separated by a thin layer.

He went back inside and picked up his phone again.

Besides Han Sanping and Zhong Lifang, teachers from the Beijing Film Academy, former classmates, and even several producers I rarely contact were also asking.

Liu Yu sat on the sofa, slowly sipping his Tieguanyin tea, his mind racing as he pondered how to answer the phone calls.

He first sent Han Sanping a message: "Mr. Han, let's talk in person when I get back to Beijing. There's no rush regarding the share."

After sending that message, he sent another one to Zhong Lifang: "Sister Zhong, please cover for me. Just say I'm out of town and the signal is bad. I'll deal with it when I get back to Beijing."

She replied almost instantly: "Okay, when are you coming back?"

Liu Yu thought for a moment, "Let's wait a few days. Let it cool down here."

That evening, Liu Yu was sitting on the sofa watching TV when his phone rang again.

This time it's Luojing.

His tone carried a casualness that suggested he wanted Liu Yu to know but didn't want to appear too concerned. "Director Liu, I just saw the news. Sixty million US dollars—I can't keep up with your pace."

Liu Yu leaned back on the sofa and turned the TV volume down a bit. "It's alright. Once you get to this point, it's a whole new world."

Luo Jing paused for a moment, seemingly savoring the words, "Director Liu, when are you going back to Beijing? I'll treat you to dinner when you get back."

I'll let you know when I get back in a while.

After a while, Liu Yu's phone screen lit up again.

It was sent by Liu Yifei, and it only had one line: "Director Liu, I also saw the news here in Japan."

Liu Yu replied: "You saw it too? The news has spread far."

She quickly replied, "Yeah, the entertainment media here have also shared it. Congratulations."

Liu Yu smiled as he looked at the screen, but did not reply immediately.

He put his phone on the coffee table and thought to himself: The speed at which information is transmitted in this world is more than a hundred times faster than when he was a student at Beijing Film Academy.

For the next two days, Liu Yu's phone was ringing almost non-stop.

He can return some calls, but not others.

Wang Zhonglei from Huayi Brothers called personally, and after a brief chat, asked, "Director Liu, could Huayi Brothers be involved in this film?"

.

"The allocation hasn't been determined yet; we'll let everyone know once it is."

Yu Dong also called, his tone much more direct than Wang Zhonglei's: "Director Liu, can Bona participate? Premium is not a problem; you know Bona's capabilities."

"Mr. Yu, I know you have US dollars. It's not finalized yet, but I'll let you know as soon as it's settled."

The Guangxian Group also sent a message through someone, expressing their desire to follow up on this project.

In the 2006 Chinese film market, who didn't want to earn US dollars? Who didn't want to connect with Hollywood?

Liu Yu knew perfectly well that each of China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Huayi Brothers Media Group, Bona Film Group, and Enlight Media Group had its own agenda and its own bargaining chips.

His role now is no longer that of a student; he is someone who has a project in his hands.

What he needs to do is not to be pushed around by these calculations, but to sit at the table, sort out the cards one by one, and then decide which card to play.

Three days after the Lantern Festival, Liu Yu decided to leave.

He packed his luggage, changed his shoes, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Liu Jianhui stood at the living room doorway, a cigarette between his fingers, but he hadn't lit it.

"Make a call when you arrive in Shanghai."

"Okay, Dad."

Zhang Yan came out of the kitchen and handed him a bottle of rock sugar pear soup she had made herself. "Drink this on the way. BJ, drink it dry."

Liu Yu took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. It was warm and the sweetness was just right.

"Mom, I'm leaving. I'll be back in a while."

Zhang Yan stood on the balcony watching him get into the car, her hand on the railing, her lips pursed.

He only bought a one-way ticket from Changsha to Shanghai.

I'll go to Shanghai first to see my sister Liu Min, and also to avoid the commotion in Beijing.

He imagined that if he flew directly to Beijing, the arrival hall upon landing would likely be filled with more than just a few diligent entertainment reporters.

The news that has been circulating in the last few days is enough to keep half of the industry watching his flight number closely.

Upon arriving at Hongqiao Airport, he pulled down the brim of his hat and quickly walked through the arrival hall, concealed by sunglasses.

However, just as he reached the taxi waiting area, several reporters who had been staking out the area for days suddenly rushed out.

Before the female reporter in the lead could even catch her breath, the recording pen was already firmly planted in front of him.

"Director Liu! Are you in Shanghai to prepare for your new film?" She spoke rapidly, each word chasing the last syllable of the previous one.

"It's a personal matter, I'm here to see my family." Liu Yu took half a step back, moving to the right side of the suitcase handle, creating a slight distance.

"Do mainland actors have a chance to participate in 'Lucy'?" Another reporter caught up with him, holding the microphone almost touching his chin.

"Of course. There are opportunities as long as it's suitable." His voice was somewhat muffled by the wind and announcements in the airport terminal, but he didn't raise his voice.

"Has the female lead been cast yet?"

"Not yet. We'll announce it once it's decided."

A male reporter squeezed to the front, his voice urgent: "Director Liu, everyone in the industry is speculating whether the female lead for this film will be a domestic actress. Could you give us a general indication of what's going on?"

Liu Yu stopped and glanced at the reporter.

"The female lead needs to be intelligent, not just a pretty face." He paused, "As for the specifics, just wait for the news."

As he followed the security guard around the cordon and toward the side door, the crowd was still trying to keep up with him.

Security personnel used their bodies to create a narrow passage, shutting out the shouts and camera shutter sounds behind them.

He bent down and got into a taxi. After the door closed, the noise outside was compressed into a layer of blurry noise.

He leaned back in his seat, let out a long breath, took out his phone, and sent a message to Liu Min: "Sister, I've arrived. I'm being mobbed by reporters."

Liu Min replied quickly: "Then don't come to the company yet. You might be followed by someone. Find a place to rest first, and I'll come over later."

Liu Yu smiled helplessly when he saw the message.