Huayu Tianxian: This director is such a hypocrite!

1 month 16 day.

The streets outside the courtyard were covered with a layer of white snow, and the snowplow was driving slowly, with the old-fashioned song "Orchid Grass" playing on its loudspeaker.

In the courtyard, Ye Chong held a phone in one hand and a hot towel in the other, wiping the pink pony's body.

"Dad, I'm not messing around! I have a movie coming out in July, would you like to check it out? You invested one million in me this time, and I'll pay you back two million by the end of the year!"

"I don't care about movies or anything like that. One million? Are you trying to kill me? No way!"

"hehe--"

A sneer came from behind Ye Chong. Chen Zhixi, dressed in a down jacket and high boots, sat on a wooden chair drinking hot tea.

It snowed heavily last night, but the weather cleared up the next day.

Early in the morning, Ye Chong was busy shoveling snow and picking at the ice on his car. He was so busy making phone calls that he couldn't even stop, which further strengthened his determination to move out.

"Who is it? You little rascal, you're in love now!"

"Huh?" Ye Chong was about to cover up when his father's words came down like raindrops on banana leaves.

"Where is this little girl from? Is she well-behaved? How old is she? Is she your classmate Mai? When are you bringing her home to meet us?"

Ye Chong's eyes darted around, and his father's attitude gave him a sudden inspiration.

"Sigh, we are dating, but she's waiting to invest in a movie with me! Just think, she's only just started dating me and she's already willing to invest a million, while I, as the guy, am so stingy..."

"..."

There was a silence of several seconds on the phone before my dad's voice came through.

"Is it still the same passbook from before?"

"Right!" Ye Chong smirked and slapped the towel onto the hood of the car.

"It's that passbook from before. Once the project is approved, I'll send you the supporting documents to see."

"Hmm...do it properly, don't mess around. I can't help you much, but I can still afford some money. And make sure you have fun, don't bully the girls!"

"I know, I know!"

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Chong smirked and turned around, raising one finger.

"One million!"

"Giggle giggle..."

"So, it turns out Director Ye's secret weapon is simply asking his family for money!"

"You don't understand!" Ye Chong shook his head.

"Connections, connections—why isn't family a connection? Just tell me, did you make any money or not!"

"Adding the 600,000 I withdrew from the stock market, I now have 1,600!"

Chen Zhixi drank the herbal tea but didn't comment. Instead, he pointed behind Ye Chong.

"Hurry up and wash the car, the towel's going to stick to it. You don't want to go out in a weird-looking car later, do you?"

Ye Chong glanced at her leisurely posture, then silently turned around and continued washing the car.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the two drove to a hutong (alleyway) on the Second Ring Road.

Ye Chong got out of the car and looked at it from left to right for a long time.

This courtyard house is so grand!

The blue bricks and gray tiles, the huge lion head doorbell, and the vermilion lacquer paired with red lanterns make the mansion look even more grand!

"Surprised?"

"A little, what percentage?"

"What do you mean by 'open' or 'not open'? It's a second-hand courtyard."

Ye Chong smacked his lips and reached out to touch the Chinese knot under the lantern.

"That must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"Three hundred of them, and they're practically priceless in Nanluoguxiang."

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

"Creak—"

Just as the two were having a pleasant discussion, the door opened, and an old man with a slightly receding hairline appeared before them.

He glanced at Ye Chong, then turned his gaze to Chen Zhixi. "Hehehe, Little Chen, what have you been up to lately?"

"Teacher Zhao, it's been a long time." Chen Zhixi stepped forward and warmly took Zhao Jiping's hands. "I was thinking of making a movie, and I've been busy with all sorts of things, but it's all been pointless. Oh, by the way..."

"This is Ye Chong, my partner, a sophomore majoring in directing at the Beijing Film Academy."

Ye Chong extended his hand with neither humility nor arrogance: "Hello, Teacher Zhao."

"Hello, hello." Zhao Jiping sized up the man, seemingly trying to guess his relationship with Chen Zhixi.

"Oh, right, come in and talk."

"Thank you for your help, Teacher Zhao."

"That's not true."

The two entered the courtyard and went to the wing room in the front yard.

Ye Chong looked around curiously. The interior decoration was quite modern, but the mahogany armchairs and tea table, as well as the openwork wooden screen, still gave him a sense of ancient charm.

Zhao Jiping is no ordinary person; he is a composer and musician from mainland China, and the director of the SX Provincial Song and Dance Troupe.

Just talking about it might not give you a sense of it, but look at the works he has composed music for: "Yellow Earth", "Red Sorghum", "A Chinese Odyssey", "The Grand Mansion Gate", and "Water Margin"!

"Xiao Chen, Xiao Ye, right? Come on..."

At this moment, Zhao Jiping came out carrying a wooden tray. Ye Chong and the other person quickly stood up, bowed slightly, and took the tea from the tray.

"Teacher Zhao, thank you for your trouble."

"You're welcome."

The three of them sat down and began to get down to business.

"Xiao Chen, I understand your request. It's that Xiao Ye wants to write a few songs, right?"

Zhao Jiping looked at Ye Chong, while Ye Chong's eyes darted around and he looked at Chen Zhixi.

You didn't explain it clearly either!

Chen Zhixi blew on the tea leaves, her eyelids fluttering as she gave him a look.

You decide what to do.

"Hehehe...Teacher Zhao, it's like this."

Looking at Zhao Jiping's upright posture, Ye Chong cursed Chen Zhixi in his heart!

I asked you to find someone, and you found a genius.

"Teacher Zhao, a few days ago, I suddenly had a few melodies in my head, but I haven't studied music theory, so I came here to see if you could... reproduce the songs."

Ye Chong didn't mention money; for a big shot like him, personal relationships are far more important than money.

And...they haven't agreed yet!

Zhao Jiping frowned and looked at the two of them suspiciously.

"Do you have a song in your head? No demo? No melody?"

Ye Chong blushed and exchanged a glance with Chen Zhixi, who immediately lowered her head.

"Teacher Zhao, no, I really don't know anything about music theory, that's why I came to you."

"Um……"

Zhao Jiping fell silent.

Just when Ye Chong thought his visit would be fruitless, Zhao Jiping raised his head.

"Xiao Ye, well, most of what I do here is classical, so I'm afraid I can't meet your request."

Ye Chong's expression darkened, but Zhao Jiping's next words made his eyes light up again.

"But... I can recommend someone to you."

"Please speak, Teacher Zhao. After it's done, I will definitely..."

"Hey, hey!" Zhao Jiping raised his hand to stop Ye Chong from speaking and turned to look at Chen Zhixi.

"Guo Sida, you visited the set of 'Walking Out of the Blue River' last time, remember?"

Chen Zhixi nodded. She had a deep impression of Guo Sida; he seemed like a very nice person.

He is very skilled at film scoring and song production.

"That's fine. I'll give you his phone number, and you can talk to him."

Zhao Jiping turned to look at Ye Chong.

"Xiao Ye, I'm sorry about today."

"Xiao Ye?"

Chen Zhixi also looked over.

Why are you staring at me? Answer Teacher Zhao's question!

Ye Chong then realized what was happening.

"Oh, thank you, Teacher Zhao."

"Um……"

……

Arriving at the courtyard gate again, Chen Zhixi frowned and stared at Ye Chong for a long time.

"He's usually a very polite person, what's wrong with him today?"

Ye Chong clicked his tongue, thinking to himself, "I can't exactly say I was shocked, can I? This Guo Sida is your future husband..."

"It's alright, it's only ten o'clock. Let's not delay, let's go to Wangfujing."

"Are you really alright?"

"I'm really fine!"

Chen Zhixi nodded, opened the car door, and got in.

"How many songs have you prepared? Is it really possible to make money from singing?"

Ye Chong pinched his middle finger, feeling inexplicably excited.

"Ready? About twenty songs?"

"How much?"