Chapter 53

2003.

The Chinese internet was just beginning to flourish.

BBS forums, Mao Bu, Jiao Ya, and others were thriving; countless young people from all corners of the country, influenced by the internet tide, gathered in these forums to chat, debate, and exchange stories, while some gained massive attention for their words and actions, quickly becoming focal points of public discussion and so-called “internet celebrities.”

In June of this year, after graduating from high school and being admitted to a decent university in Beijing, Li Yijie received her first computer.

She was not unfamiliar with computers…

Her school was among the earliest in China to offer computer courses.

Li Yijie adapted quickly to new things; after just a few lessons, she learned typing and soon became a regular on various forums and chat rooms. After the college entrance exam ended and she was fully liberated, she plunged completely into the intense rush of the internet, savoring the explosion of information it brought her.

One evening in June, after finishing a series of chilling ghost stories on Jiao Ya’s “Ghost Stories” section and finding it hard to sleep, she idly clicked open a post titled 【Yanying Gate Handsome Guy Snapshots】.

At first, as usual, she just browsed casually…

But as she scrolled, somehow, her gaze was drawn to a figure in a suit.

The photo appeared to be taken surreptitiously; though the resolution was low, the atmosphere was rich.

Beside a red Audi A6 sports car stood a figure wearing sunglasses, exuding an intensely cold demeanor.

The figure was not tall, yet standing alone among the handsome men at Yanying Gate, he possessed a peculiar charm.

He looked like a celebrity, or a model, or more like the dashing male lead from a novel or film.

Below this photo, comments were numerous, shares abundant, and even male netizens used it as their chat avatar, attracting considerable attention from girls.

But in 2003, the internet was still in its infancy, far less developed than it would become later; Li Yijie excitedly scrolled through countless photos, but sadly found no detailed information about this boy—only one side profile photo of him without sunglasses, riding a small electric scooter…

Until yesterday, while watching TV with her father, who had just returned from the coal mine, she happened upon a news segment…

And saw a melancholy face…

…

【Xuanshi Entertainment】.

Soft lighting illuminated a gentle side profile smiling.

His smile felt comforting, like a cool breeze brushing past, dispelling the stifling heat in the room.

“Hello, I’m Zhou Yang!”

“Hello, I’m… I’m Li Yijie… You’re much better-looking than in the photos!”

After seeing him smile and greet her, Li Yijie excitedly shook Zhou Yang’s hand.

Zhou Yang’s hand was soft yet broad and strong, gripping hers tightly—somehow, it made her heart race.

After the brief handshake, she and her father, Li Dachun, sat aside, drinking boiled water poured by a nearby girl.

She observed everything around her…

【Xuanshi Entertainment】 was extremely modest.

A few rooms, one table, some basic office supplies…

Beyond that, the company had nothing—indeed, it didn’t even have a single computer.

As she looked…

Li Yijie suddenly felt a pang of sadness, especially when recalling Zhou Yang’s tearful, desperate scenes on TV, struggling for his film.

Having grown up in a family that was never wealthy, she couldn’t help feeling a quiet ache.

Had Zhou Yang’s journey been this hard?

“Sorry, Mr. Li, our place is quite humble…”

Zhou Yang made no attempt to hide his poverty; instead, facing Li Dachun and Li Yijie, he showed exceptional sincerity: “I’m sure you’ve both noticed—we’re actually poor. I won’t lie: we’re just ordinary young people, barely more than society’s scraps. Last month, we made a film. Its reception wasn’t good, and the box office was average, but the DVD market did fairly well—we sold nearly twenty thousand copies…”

As he spoke, Zhou Yang handed Li Dachun a set of figures.

The portly Li Dachun glanced at them, then passed them to Li Yijie: “It’s fine. I like your honesty. If you tried to put on fancy airs, I’d think you were fake. It’s normal for young people to be poor. When I was your age, we couldn’t even afford a meal—my child cried for candy, and I couldn’t even afford to buy it.”

“Mr. Li, you seem to have quite a story.”

“Haha, my story’s a long one. You’re filmmakers, right? I think my life’s just as dramatic—it could make a great movie. Why don’t you adapt it?”

“Oh, sure, Mr. Li, tell us in detail?”

“Alright, alright!”

When Li Dachun saw Zhou Yang fetching paper and pen, ready to take notes for a story, he couldn’t suppress a grin and lit a cigarette: “Back in 1985, when my kid was born, our hometown was hit by a locust plague…”

“Dad, don’t smoke!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine… just one. Today’s a happy day. Oh, by the way, bring those two bottles of Maotai from my car, and buy some snacks from the street vendor…”

“Dad, the doctor said you can’t drink!”

“Just a little won’t hurt. Hey, look, Director Zhou, my wife’s gone, and now someone’s even watching over me…”

“Dad!”

“Alright, alright, no drinking, no drinking…”

“Dad, today we’re talking about my matter—can you let me take charge?”

“Of course, of course. But I just saw how serious Director Zhou is—he clearly understands art. Art comes from life, and our coal miners’ lives are rich with stories. A little input from me might help—what if your movie wins an award?”

“Dad!” Seeing her uneducated father about to brag again, Li Yijie felt deeply embarrassed and stepped hard on his foot.

“Alright, alright, you talk, you talk…” Sitting with one leg crossed, Li Dachun noticed his daughter’s murderous gaze and changed his expression, awkwardly crushing out his cigarette: “Director Zhou, let’s talk about the business first, then my story. My daughter’s got real artistic sensibility—look how beautiful she is, she’s a flower at school…”

“Dad!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything. I’ll go smoke outside. You two talk…”

Seeing her embarrassing, boastful coal boss father about to lose composure again, Li Yijie stepped on his foot once more.

Coal boss Li Dachun smiled awkwardly again, pretending to rise to leave.

“Dad, how much are you planning to invest?”

“Is one million enough?”

“Dad! If the movie’s good, one million might not be enough… For a director with dreams like Director Zhou, I think you should invest more!”

“Fine, you decide. I don’t understand movies. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. I’ll go smoke and check on driver Xiao Wang. You two talk…”

“Alright!”

When the coal boss waddled out of the room, lit a cigarette, and stepped outside…

Li Yijie finally relaxed…

Then, unconsciously, she glanced at Zhang Jiali beside her.

Zhang Jiali paused, then understood Li Yijie’s meaning, lowered her head, and said to Zhou Yang: “I’ll go work on the script for a bit…”

“Alright!”

When Zhang Jiali left…

Zhou Yang cleared his throat.

“Miss Li, here’s the script for our new film. Why don’t you take a look? Also, there’s another script, called 《Tiao Ren: Restart》—it’s a sci-fi film inspired by Superman, actually…”

“Um… Director Zhou…” Li Yijie’s face flushed slightly, her pretty features shyly turned toward Zhou Yang.

“Yes?”

“Director Zhou… do you think my appearance is suitable for acting?”

“Of course it is. Miss Li, you’re so beautiful—you’re perfect.”

“But I’ve never studied acting. I’m afraid…”

“No problem, no problem, Miss Li, you don’t need to worry. We’re artists, and I, especially, am good at discovering everyone’s unique qualities. I think you’re perfect for our new film 《Lin Daiyu Fights Lu Zhishen》—no, wait, the one called 《Old Corpse in the Village》—as the beautiful female lead…”

“Really?”

“Really!”

Zhou Yang adjusted his glasses and looked at Li Yijie with solemn seriousness: “Actually, the moment I saw Miss Li walk into our company, I had a strong thought in my mind…”

“Director Zhou, I’m serious—don’t say this just because I’m investing in your film…”

“Oh, Miss Li, you’ve misunderstood me. Though we’re short on money, we value film art above all. You know, a person’s dream is pure—it has nothing to do with money…”

Zhou Yang took a quiet sip of boiled water, his gaze drifting silently toward the window, his voice growing faint and dreamy: “Actually, this journey… has been very hard.”