Chapter 459: Boss Yang's Request; The Ban Returns

Halfway through August, Guo Fan's script passed the review, and along with the film's filing information, it was publicly posted on the Film Bureau's official website.

Film: *About Time*, a sci-fi romance.

Production companies: Shanhe Media, Guangxian Pictures; Director: Guo Fan; Screenwriter: Wei Jin; Cast: TBD; Once the news broke, celebrities and artists in the industry were quite excited. What did the four words "Cast: TBD" mean? It meant that the film would very likely hold open auditions.

Although the production budget was unknown and Guo Fan's track record wasn't exactly brilliant, the mere name "Wei Jin" on the script was a significant temptation for actors.

What's more, regardless of anything else, films are always a scarce resource.

For a time, many in the industry were looking forward to the character requirements and audition notices from Shanhe Media, and quite a few even began taking action through various channels.

*Late Night Sunshine* film crew.

Yang Mi, having just finished a scene, couldn't wait to pull Ceng Jia aside to ask.

"Jia Jie, what's the situation with Director Guo Fan's film? It's a sci-fi romance—is it like *Passengers*?"

Seeing the expectant look in Yang Mi's eyes, Ceng Jia shook her head.

"No. Although *Passengers* is a romance, it has quite a few special effects shots. Director Guo's film is soft sci-fi; I estimate it's about the same as *Ex Machina*."

"I see."

Yang Mi felt a slight sense of regret; this meant the investment scale of *About Time* wouldn't be very large.

However, it was a Wei Jin script after all, and a romance at that. Yang Mi felt the female lead's role should still be quite substantial, so she asked.

"Jia Jie, did the company say what method they're using for casting?"

"No, it's said that Director Guo hasn't decided yet. If you're interested, shall I go find Director Zhang and get a copy of the script?"

As an artist under Starry Sky Culture, she would certainly have an advantage over those auditioning from the outside; Ceng Jia was very sure of this.

"Alright, let's take a look first."

Guo Fan indeed hadn't decided yet, and in the afternoon, he found Wei Jin again.

"Boss Wei, is Gao Yuanyuan really unable to perform?"

Looking at the look in this guy's eyes as he tried to salvage the situation, Wei Jin couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, you don't need to consider her."

Having received a definitive answer, Guo Fan couldn't hide the disappointment on his face, then shrugged.

"Alright then, I'll have to start the backup plan. Boss Wei, do you have any arrangements on your end? If not, I plan to hold open auditions. Of course, I'll definitely prioritize starting with company artists and familiar actors; if I really can't find anyone suitable, then I'll consider expanding the scope."

"Hmm, how about this: for the role of the first love girlfriend, let Wang Zixuan have it. You can decide the rest yourself."

Wei Jin thought for a moment before giving his answer. This role could barely count as a female second lead, which was just right for Zixuan.

"Okay."

The boss only arranged a female second lead, which was perfectly acceptable to Guo Fan.

After dismissing Guo Fan, Wei Jin instructed Lao Zhu to drive to the Great Hall; the premiere of *The Bullet Vanishes* was about to begin.

As the distributor, Shanhe Media certainly had to attend to show support, and with the warm invitations from Huo Wenxi and Yang Dong, it was hard for Wei Jin to refuse.

Just as he arrived, the beautiful mature woman Huo Wenxi walked up in her high heels.

"Boss Wei, thank you for coming to show your support."

Today, Huo Wenxi was still in her professional attire—a slim-fit blazer paired with a black silk hip-hugging skirt—but worn on her, it had an indescribable mature charm.

Beautiful things are always pleasing to the eye, and Wei Jin couldn't help but reveal a smile.

"Mani, you're too kind. Wishing you a massive box office success, haha."

"Boss Wei, please come this way. Chairman Yang is already inside."

"Alright."

Yang Dong still appeared very refined, and upon seeing Wei Jin, a warm, spring-breeze-like smile appeared on his face.

It was just that Wei Jin didn't expect that after only two sentences of pleasantries, Yang Dong would call over the Best Actor Xie, who shed his usual arrogant on-screen image and bowed to greet him.

"Boss Wei, hello."

Looking at the Best Actor Xie, who was in his early thirties and more than half a head shorter than him, Wei Jin nodded. "Mm, hello."

He then looked at Yang Dong, his eyes filled with questions.

"Boss Wei, it's like this: I heard your company is currently operating a parent-child variety show. What do you think of Ah Feng and Lucas?"

Wei Jin suddenly realized; so that was the plan.

Come to think of it, Best Actor Xie debuted very early, but his path in the film industry in recent years hadn't been smooth, and Emperor Entertainment had spent a great deal of effort without being able to make him a hit.

Especially after the divorce scandal with Zhang Baizhi, Best Actor Xie's image had inevitably been affected.

Under these circumstances, changing his route was indeed a very good choice; after all, the boost *Keep Running* gave to celebrities was plain for all to see.

But looking at Best Actor Xie, Wei Jin was a bit doubtful. "I remember the custody..."

Yang Dong waved his hand. "Boss Wei, no need to worry. This matter is simple; I will handle it."

"Alright then, I will pass the word down."

For Wei Jin, this was just a small matter. Although he didn't particularly like Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, he didn't actually have any ill will toward Best Actor Xie—at most, he just couldn't stand his posturing—and there was no need to slight Yang Dong's face.

"Then many thanks, Boss Wei, haha."

More than two hours later, Wei Jin left the reception venue and went straight to Liu Yifei's place.

Lately, he had either been accompanying Li Jie or Da Meiyuan, occasionally going to Liu Shishi's place to provide some warmth, and even Jing Tian, who had just returned to the capital, had been well-fed. It had been a while since he'd "flipped the tablet" for the Fairy Sister; spreading the love around was still quite necessary.

Just as he arrived, he saw Liu Xiaoli, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, sitting on the living room sofa watching TV.

"Auntie, when did you get back?"

Perhaps because Liu Yifei was gradually growing up, Liu Xiaoli wasn't managing her quite as much. She had returned to her hometown for a while some time ago, and then went on a trip with her younger sister who lived long-term in North America.

Come to think of it, Wei Jin hadn't met Liu Yifei's aunt yet, only seen her in photos. She was indeed very beautiful; no wonder the little girl complained about being the "ugliest" in the family.

Facing Wei Jin's inquiry, Liu Xiaoli answered while watching TV.

"Wei Jin is here. I just got back today. Have you eaten dinner yet? Do you want Auntie to help you make some late-night snacks?"

"No need, no need, I've already eaten. I'll taste Auntie's cooking another day. But Auntie, why are you watching this show? It feels..."

What was playing on the television right now was a rerun of *iPartment 3*. Although this show was suspected of plagiarism, since its premiere late last month, its viewership ratings had been extremely eye-catching.

It had a huge appeal, especially among the younger demographic, and many local TV stations were even airing reruns in rotation during the day. The online streaming rights had also been snatched up by Tudou, and in just over ten days, the click count had approached five hundred million—it could be called terrifying.

It was just that seeing Liu Xiaoli, a middle-aged woman with such petit-bourgeois sentiments, watching it made Wei Jin feel a bit of a mismatch.

Liu Xiaoli smiled, "Feels what? The style is wrong? Can't I watch something young people like to watch?"

Wei Jin hurriedly waved his hands, "That's certainly not it. Auntie is still very young; if you went out shopping with Yifei, I'm afraid you'd be taken for sisters."

Speaking of this, Wei Jin turned his head to look around, "By the way, where is Yifei? Did she go out to play?"

"Not at all, she's in her room. I don't know if she's playing games. That stubborn girl has been holed up at home all day and is almost molding. Wei Jin, help me have a good talk with her."

"Alright, then Auntie, I'll head up first."

"Mm, go ahead."

Making his way to the second floor, he saw the young girl in her bedroom answering a phone call.

He saw her brows tightly furrowed, her face showing some disgust and impatience, giving one the feeling that she wanted to hang up the phone immediately, but was forced by politeness and upbringing to keep listening.

Seeing Wei Jin arrive, the young girl helplessly stuck out her tongue, patted the spot beside her, and then turned on the phone's speakerphone, signaling for the man to listen.

"Xixi, I beg you, for the sake of us being classmates, help me out. I really don't want to be blacklisted."

Just as Wei Jin sat down next to the girl, he heard a burst of sobbing from the phone. Listening to the voice, it was Jiang Yiyan from the Beijing Film Academy Class of '02.

He did not make a sound, and Liu Yifei also gave perfunctory responses.

A few minutes later, Wei Jin really couldn't help it anymore; he patted the girl's fair thigh, signaling her to find an excuse to dismiss the caller.

As the call ended, Jiang Yiyan was still playing the emotional card, requesting Liu Yifei's help, and even wanting to use the young girl to ask Wei Jin for assistance.

"She really has some ideas, doesn't she." There was no lack of sarcasm in Wei Jin's words.

Just as Wei Jin and Ning Hao had chatted about earlier, Huayi's club had quite a bit of illicit business, and it had only been open for a few days before trouble broke out.

Jiang Yiyan and Gu Zhangwei had hooked up at the club, and they weren't careful enough when heading to the hotel, getting snapped by paparazzi.

It was unknown if the price hadn't been negotiated or what happened, but it was actually exposed.

As a playboy director, Gu Zhangwei naturally suffered no losses, nothing more than a bit of after-dinner gossip that the public loved to hear.

But Jiang Yiyan was miserable. Although Jiang Wenli and Gu Zhangwei's marriage had been in name only for years, with them almost playing their own games, having this kind of thing exposed still made Jiang Wenli lose face.

It was said that Jiang Wenli had already united a group of Beijing directors' wives and issued a "blacklist" to the industry. Wouldn't it be a matter of minutes to finish off Jiang Yiyan, who had barely managed to step into the ranks of second-tier actresses?

Who told her to choose the former when Wang Jinhua and Orange Sky had a falling out? Now that she didn't have a big company as a backer, she could only set her sights on Liu Yifei.

But come to think of it, this Jiang Yiyan was really unlucky. The *The Four* series was taken by Wan Qian, and *The Last Tycoon* was taken by Wen Yongshan.

So much so that from graduation until now, she had been muddling along, only able to think of other ways. Unfortunately, this time she kicked an iron plate.

"Yifei, how do you plan to handle this?"

Facing the man's inquiry, Liu Yifei shook her head, "Brother, she should bear the evil she did herself. This isn't the first time; I won't get involved."

Liu Yifei was kind but not stupid. She knew very well that if she helped Jiang Yiyan this time, this classmate would only become more unscrupulous in the future.

After all, since her university days, Jiang Yiyan had been involved in all sorts of scandals, with directors and producers even fighting over her on set.

After graduation, it was even more incredible. Chen Daoming stood up for her, she lived with Tong Dawei, and went in and out of hotels with Wu Zhenyu. Almost every male actor she had collaborated with had been rumored to be with her.

Last year, she even interfered in the marriage of the founder of Holiland. She only did things that ruined her reputation. If not for the sake of being classmates, Liu Yifei wouldn't even have answered the phone.

"This incident can also be considered a lesson for her."

Watching the young girl looking a bit puffed up with anger, Wei Jin laughed dumbly and pulled her into his arms.

"Yifei, don't punish yourself for other people's mistakes. Smile."

"Brother, how can you be like this? Do you take me for a child?"

"Hehe, in my eyes, you're no different from the little girl back during *Sword of Fairy I*, just a little more grown up."

Listening to the man's sweet nothings, Liu Yifei remembered the scene of their first meeting, and the look she gave Wei Jin was full of tenderness.

But when she felt the temperature coming from his chest, she realized the meaning of "a little more grown up," glared with her almond eyes, and punched Wei Jin.

"Ouch, Yifei, are you trying to murder your husband?"

Liu Yifei exercised regularly, and the strength in her hands was not small. After Wei Jin let out a cry of pain, he began to grab the girl's waist and tickle her.

"Ah~~ Hahaha~ Hehe~~ Don't, Brother, it's so ticklish~~~ Haha~~~"

After a bout of laughing and playing, Liu Yifei leaned into Wei Jin's arms, quietly enjoying the time that belonged only to the two of them.

After a long while, the young girl frowned again, "Brother, do you think she will really be blacklisted?"

Hearing this, Wei Jin sighed at the young girl's kindness in his heart, couldn't help but pinch her pretty face, and then helped her analyze it.

"That shouldn't happen. Making a big scene out of it is good for no one. Besides, Wang Jinhua has accumulated quite a lot of connections over these years; she will eventually be able to smooth this matter over. However, it will be hard to avoid some damage to her foundation."

There is nothing in the entertainment industry that cannot be resolved privately. Even with someone like Zhang Jingchu provoking things back then, didn't Jiang Wenli fail to blacklist her? At most, it just temporarily affected some resources.

Thinking about it, with Jiang Yiyan's methods and Wang Jinhua's marketing, this storm should pass very quickly.

After listening to Wei Jin's analysis, Liu Yifei nodded, cast the matter to the back of her mind, and then her face turned slightly red.

"Brother, why didn't you say anything in advance when you came over? Mom is home."

"Hehe, are you getting shy now?"

"It's not that, it's just more convenient at Xishan..."

Ever since they had their love nest, Liu Yifei had become accustomed to singing loudly during their intimacy. With her mother home so suddenly, she was afraid they wouldn't be able to have a good time tonight.

"I didn't expect Auntie to be back either, but it doesn't matter, just be careful."

In fact, Wei Jin didn't notify Liu Yifei in advance because he didn't want to go to Xishan Villa; after all, Liu Shishi had been there these past two days.

Although there was some distance between the two villas, he didn't dare to gamble on those odds.

However, looking at the shy appearance of the girl in his arms, Wei Jin's appetite was whetted, and a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Yifei, Auntie just said to let me 'educate' you well. Now, get ready to receive your education."

As Wei Jin buried his head beneath the skirt, Liu Yifei's slender legs involuntarily pressed together, her whole body shuddered, she bit her red lips lightly, her back, which had been leaning against the headboard, instantly arched straight, and her beautiful head tilted upward.

"Mmm~~~ Brother~~"

(End of this chapter)