Chapter 21: Thank You for Liking Me (Request Votes, Request Follows)

Liu Tianxian smiled in acknowledgment, not knowing whether the girl was older or younger than her, yet she accepted being called "Sister" with complete composure.

"Don't call me Principal—it's just a joke among them, nothing serious."

Fang Hong remained humble, then turned to Bao Jinjin and said: "Wang Xuezhang often mentions you."

"Really?"

Bao Jinjin asked, but there was no real question in her tone.

She shyly glanced at her boyfriend beside her, a sweet smile on her face.

"Yes..."

Fang Hong was momentarily at a loss for how to change the subject, so he looked toward Liu Tianxian.

Liu Tianxian was baffled, thinking: Why are you looking at me?

Seeing she didn't understand, Fang Hong feigned thoughtfulness, lowering his head: "Sister, I remember a novel called Those Years—was that written by you?"

"I wrote it!" said Bao Jinjin.

"It's excellently written—sharp, biting prose. I loved the story," Fang Hong praised.

Bao Jinjin was surprised to meet a fan here; she replied modestly: "Thank you for the compliment."

"If adapted into a film, it would surely be excellent—you should try," Fang Hong subtly hinted at his intention.

The intent couldn't be too obvious; too direct would make people uncomfortable, and they weren't even close yet—this was enough to leave a good impression.

Bao Jinjin nodded but said nothing.

The group chatted briefly before parting, saying nothing substantial—just an introduction, a meeting.

We're all from the same school, after all!

As they walked, Wang Ran asked: "Jinjin, have you sold the adaptation rights to your novel?"

"Not yet, but Senior Brother Teng contacted me—he wants it, and I haven't refused," Bao Jinjin shook her head.

Senior Brother Teng was the director who made Shanghai Fortress, also from Beijing Film Academy.

So directors still need good screenwriters; without talents like Bao Jinjin, that Teng guy couldn't hold his own in film—he'd only be stuck in TV.

And good screenwriters need good directors; Bao Jinjin's writing is unquestionable, but the quality of her team? That's debatable.

Wang Ran suggested: "Could you give your novel to the Principal?"

"But... but how would I explain it to Senior Brother Teng?" Bao Jinjin looked troubled.

"The Principal is truly kind—he's taught me so much."

Wang Ran said: "You know, in our line, if you have no achievements, no production team takes you seriously—but the Principal is different; he respects us."

Honestly, Fang Hong didn't deserve such praise—he'd just spent too long in society and learned how to manipulate people.

"I'll think about it," Bao Jinjin conceded to her boyfriend.

One side was the promised Senior Brother Teng, the other was her lover—it was truly difficult for her.

On the other side, Liu Tianxian was also speaking with Fang Hong.

"Why did you look at me like that just now?"

"Haven't you read a novel called Those Years?" Fang Hong countered.

"No, I've never even heard of it," Liu Tianxian said.

Indeed, the novel had just been published; its popularity exploded only after the film's release—many still hadn't read it.

Fang Hong suggested: "Then you should buy it and read it."

"Why?" Liu Tianxian was puzzled.

"Don't ask. Just read it first. If you feel nothing afterward, forget I said anything. If you do feel something, find me," Fang Hong said.

He wanted to get Liu Tianxian to fund him again—to borrow a few million to shoot that film.

Having a wealthy woman around was great!

And Fang Hong was determined to secure Those Years!

What to say about Bao Jinjin? Judging by her later path, she was a very traditional girl.

Because all her later works supported her husband; she rarely wrote for others anymore.

Though the box office wasn't great, the ratings were decent—that's the advantage of having a good screenwriter.

So as long as you win over her boyfriend, you've got her.

The film Those Years was already more than halfway shot; Fang Hong found Chen Zhixi and asked: "How much is left in the account?"

"You managed the budget well—there's about a million left," Chen Zhixi said.

Since Fang Hong cut and condensed much of the plot, reducing runtime to ninety minutes, far less filming was needed.

A million should be enough to finish the remaining scenes!

But post-production editing and scoring also cost money—editing is charged by the second, fifty to a hundred yuan per second.

The price varied by quality.

Low-end meant editing ordinary videos—ads, propaganda.

High-end meant editing documentaries or films.

Of course, films were top-tier, with even higher rates—so Fang Hong's editing alone would cost at least half a million, plus scoring.

Accounting for all this, if costs were tightly controlled, there'd still be money left over for propaganda.

Seeing Fang Hong silent, Chen Zhixi asked: "When will your two million arrive?"

"In a week," Fang Hong said.

Xu Jiandong had truly gone all out—he'd actually secured two million for him.

Fang Hong had assumed a million or so would suffice; he'd planned to tighten the budget and slowly grind out the film.

He never expected it to be fully approved at once!

Of course, the money isn't free—if the movie makes money, you have to return a share according to the ratio.

Before long, it was late May; Fang Hong and the others had already been filming for over a month, with no days off, working late every day, shooting both daytime and nighttime scenes.

The students had all stuck it out too; none of them were spoiled brats, and none had that spoiled-child syndrome.

After the plot made you laugh, cry, and love, it was all about missing each other!

Due to Liu Tianxian's lack of security, coupled with growing tensions between them, neither was willing to back down first, and gradually they stopped contacting each other.

But they still thought of each other.

In 2003, Fang Hong saw the news that Liu Tianxian's school had been sealed off, and anxiously called her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, we can go out now."

At that moment, Liu Tianxian was linked arms with another man.

The man's face wasn't shown—he was just a random extra.

Fang Hong let out a long breath. "Good, you're okay."

"Thank you!"

At this point, they fell silent. Though they hadn't seen each other in years, the feelings were still there—they had loved each other, after all.

Liu Tianxian signaled the man beside her to step aside and make a call, then walked to a spot with no one around.

"I'm truly moved."

"Moved? What's there to be moved about? You're the girl I chased for N years—if you disappeared, who would I remember our story with?" Fang Hong said.

"How can you say that? You haven't called me in years," Liu Tianxian replied reproachfully.

"You didn't call me either," Fang Hong said.

"..."

They chatted like they used to, and finally Fang Hong asked the question hidden in his heart: "Do you have a boyfriend now?"

"It's none of your business!"

Liu Tianxian's tone turned playful, then she grew serious: "I've dated someone, but I always felt he didn't love me as much."

"Did he treat you badly?" Fang Hong asked.

"No. After being loved by you, I always feel others don't love me enough," Liu Tianxian said.

"Wow, that's so touching!" Fang Hong teased.

"Stop ruining the mood, okay!" Liu Tianxian scolded.

Fang Hong sighed. The most beautiful goddess, after all, belonged to someone else. He said: "Liu Tianxian, I want to ask you—why didn't you ever want to be with me?"

"I often heard people say the most beautiful part of love is the ambiguity phase. Once you're actually together, many feelings vanish. So I wanted you to chase me a little longer!" Liu Tianxian said.

Fang Hong fell silent, looking up at the bright moon. "Do you believe in parallel timelines? Maybe in a parallel timeline, we're together."

Liu Tianxian looked up, gazing at the same moon, softly saying: "I envy them so much. Thank you for loving me."

"I also loved the version of me who loved you back then!"

"..."