HuaYu: The most muscular director in history!

September 16th, 6:30 AM.

Early in the morning, before the military training instructors had even gotten up, Xiang Nan was startled awake by a phone call.

"Go to the company? Can we go tomorrow? I have something to do today. Oh, okay, Director Chen."

"Beep beep beep..."

After hanging up the phone, Xiang Nan stretched and sat up in bed.

A faint musty smell wafted in the air. He got up, drew back the curtains, and subconsciously took a deep breath.

This rental was a lucky coincidence. The original owner went to Mirika during the sea travel craze in the 80s and 90s and never came back. It's normal for it to have a bit of an odor after being left unattended for so long.

He paused for a moment, then put on his size 50 slippers and wobbled toward the bathroom, his mind preoccupied with recent trivial matters.

He's been working on the album for the past month. The general manager of Sony China has returned to Shanghai, and the new music director is very strict, making him almost doubt his original intention of entering the entertainment industry.

What I once thought was glamorous has now turned into monotonous practice and being treated like a servant.

However, there is also good news—his three-step plan is about to begin.

Having been reborn, he has two major aspirations:

First, it's very difficult to open the largest entertainment company in China and become the dominant force in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Secondly, winning over Liu Yifei, the dream girl from his past life, is even more difficult!

Following the routine of going to school and taking on acting roles is not in his nature. There are other options besides the Beijing Film Academy and stocks for accumulating fame and initial capital!

To this end, he also formulated a rudimentary three-step plan.

1. Start with Sony, build up popularity, then transition from singing to acting, and incidentally accumulate initial capital.

2. Start a company, and if you excel in acting, become a director. While acting and releasing albums to maintain popularity and fame, also produce films and TV series, ideally winning an award to build a good reputation for your company.

3. Continuously produce high-quality film and television works, build the company into the strongest in the Chinese entertainment industry, and incidentally crush Hollywood and BAT in the dust.

Finally—to get close to Liu Yifei and have a baby with her or something…

People always need to have a thought and a goal, otherwise what's the difference between them and salted fish?

At eight o'clock in the morning, before the school bell rang on the Beijing Film Academy campus, Xiang Nan arrived at the performance building with his bag on his back.

"Yifei? Why are you asking about this?"

Beijing Film Academy, Wang Jinsong's office.

First thing in the morning, Xiang Nan, this little giant, skipped military training and came to ask me for leave? That's not all, he even asked me for Liu Yifei's number?

Wang Jinsong looked him up and down suspiciously: "You're so young, what are you thinking about all day? No way! Go get your number yourself."

"Teacher Wang, I need to speak with her about something important!"

As they spoke, Xiang Nan pulled a document from his backpack and handed it over: "You'll understand once you take a look."

Wang Jinsong had no idea what he was up to, so he opened the contract and took a look.

"A Sony agreement? The copyright agreement for 'The Story of a Noble Family: Dark Fragrance,' a salary contract... 3? Ha, you're actually serious?"

This made Wang Jinsong look at the boy with new eyes; he suddenly realized that he had underestimated him.

His talent test was singing, and I never expected that this guy could get into Sony!

"I'm asking her to sing. Didn't she join the cast of 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'? I want to check her schedule and see when she can come back to record a song."

"Is that so..." Wang Jinsong thought for a moment and finally agreed to the request.

Xiang Nan actually told a little lie. Anyway, they would all be classmates in the future, and phone numbers wouldn't be a secret. It wouldn't matter if Wang Jinsong found out.

Ten minutes later, Xiang Nan closed the door to Wang Jinsong's office, turned around and smiled mysteriously—"I've got you covered!"

That night, in apartment 302 of Jimenli Community, Xiang Nan was renting a room.

Xiang Nan sat on the sofa with a bowl of beef noodles in front of him and a laptop next to him playing the audio tracks of an album.

After a long while, Xiang Nan pressed pause, put down his chopsticks, and took out his phone.

"I wonder if she's asleep?"

Xiang Nan knew that Liu Yifei was filming "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", but he didn't know if she had finished her work by 9 p.m.

"Beep...beep..."

A communication tone sounded on the phone.

"Feed?"

The call connected, and Yifei's voice rang out in the quiet living room before Xiang Nan could even speak.

"Xiang Nan?"

"Huh?" Xiang Nan's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Teacher Wang called me."

"Oh, I see. What did Teacher Wang say on the phone?"

Actually, Xiang Nan was more concerned about something else: whether Liu's mother had found out about the fake phone call.

Meanwhile, in Huailai County, Hebei Province, at the hotel where the film crew of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" stayed.

Sisi, curled up in bed, turned around and looked behind her when she heard this... Behind her, Liu Xiaoli was lying on her side, propping her head up with one hand, frowning, and gesturing towards the phone in Sisi's hand.

"Ahem, Teacher Wang didn't say anything."

"Is that so?"

"What do you want by calling?"

Sisi glanced back at Liu Xiaoli, saw her glaring at her, shrank back, and turned away.

"Just wondering, are you free in November? Would you like to be the female lead in my music video? By the way, it's paid."

Sisi's eyes lit up.

It's a music video! She's never been in a music video before. What's the difference between that and filming a TV series?

Before she could speak, Liu Xiaoli squeezed in from behind: "Xiang Nan, right? If you want to discuss legitimate business, please send a formal letter to Hongxingwu, instead of calling late at night and disturbing the peace!"

Liu Xiaoli emphasized the words "serious" and "disturbing the peace," which startled even Qianqian beneath her.

"Aunt?"

"Don't call me 'Auntie,' did you hear me? Do I need to repeat myself?"

On the other end of the phone, Xiang Nan pursed his lips. He knew it wouldn't be that easy!

"I heard you clearly... I'm sorry to bother you."

"Eh—"

Liu Yifei's voice rang out, making Xiang Nan's eyes light up again.

"You're stepping on my hair, Mom."

"Hang up."

"oh."

"Beep beep beep..."

The phone went dead. Xiang Nan tossed his phone onto the sofa, lit a Zhongnanhai cigarette, and took a deep drag.

White mist rose inside the room. Xiang Nan sank into the sofa, a hint of annoyance flashing in his squinted eyes.

Having been reborn, he naturally assumed he was the chosen one, but that was not the case.

Liu Xiaoli's behavior was less about keeping people at arm's length and more about arrogance—arrogance that comes from a wealthy family with high social standing and high standards. This kind of arrogance has existed throughout history, and he could understand it.

If I were Liu's mother, and some big, clumsy, country bumpkin tried to chat up my precious daughter, I would have the same attitude.

Therefore, this matter cannot be accomplished in a short time. The prerequisite for establishing an equal dialogue is... strength!

Since my rebirth, everything has gone too smoothly: getting into the Beijing Film Academy, signing with Sony, and auditioning for "Kung Fu Hustle"!

"Reborn individuals aren't omnipotent; they still need to work hard!"

Having figured out the key point, Xiang Nan stubbed out his cigarette, got up, shook his head, and stretched.

He reconnected to the internet, calmed himself down, and began his struggle again.

"The audio track for 'Fairy Tale' still needs to be adjusted. I need to go to the company tomorrow to have a professional take a look."

Soon, only the sounds of video tutorials and keyboard typing filled the bedroom...

On the other end, after hanging up the phone, Sisi chatted briefly with her mother before going back to playing on her phone.

What Xiang Nan didn't know was that Liu's mother kept Qianqian's phone, so he didn't have much free time to use it. What's even more incredible is that the two of them even slept in the same bed.

Although Sisi was kept under strict supervision, she was not without freedom. Whenever she put forward her ideas and opinions, Liu's mother would generally adopt them.

The bond between this mother and daughter is something that no one else can comment on.

A dozen minutes later, Sisi quietly glanced back at Liu's mother, whose breathing was steady and who seemed to be asleep.

She turned back, quietly opened the call log, added Xiang Nan's number, and thought for a while about what to call him.

That's it! This one will do!

Sisi typed three words in quick succession: "Big blockhead!"