Chapter 202: Love is satisfied with water; heartlessness makes the golden house cold

Liu Yifei, this person—having been to so many places and experienced so many things—how is she still so impolite? To actually say straight to his face that Chen Zong only knows how to stir up scandals?

This remark nearly made Chen Nuo fly into a rage out of shame, ready to flick his sleeves and leave, which would have brought the celebration banquet Liu Yifei organized to a halt.

75 million yen.

This was the final salary price TBS television offered Liu Yifei, totaling about 3.5 million RMB. It was slightly lower than Chen Nuo's expectations, but Liu Yifei was already very satisfied.

After all, this was in Japan.

Her salary for "The Message" was 2 million, which was already the price for a top-tier domestic film star, not much different from Fan Fan Binbing.

If this exaggerated 3.5 million were exposed and spread back home, Liu Yifei felt it might even cause a massive uproar.

Let alone Japan, even in China, those who could command a figure higher than this could likely be counted on one hand.

Therefore, upon learning that Fan Fan Binbing had also come to Japan to attend the Tokyo Chinese Film Exhibition, she specifically proposed that she would treat them, so the "The Message" trio could gather in this foreign land.

It just so happened that Chen Nuo had been exhausted to death these past few days, so he took this opportunity to rest a little.

The place Liu Yifei chose to treat them was a rather hidden and quiet Western restaurant.

It was a place she had visited once with people from Sony during her training in Tokyo; she felt the taste and environment were both good, so she simply booked a table here for this treat.

Having dinner with Liu Yifei and Fan Fan Binbing, and perhaps having a small drink afterward—Chen Nuo felt that if this were auctioned off ten years later, it could probably go toe-to-toe with Warren Buffett.

Liu Yifei subconsciously blurted out the word "scandal," and Chen Nuo's expression darkened slightly.

The two women laughed about this for a while.

Afterward, Fan Fan Binbing finally knew to leave Chen Zong some face, shifting the topic by asking: "By the way, Chen Nuo, what do you do in the jury every day?"

Chen Nuo snorted and said: "What else could I do? Watching movies all day with those foreign judges until my head is spinning."

Liu Yifei also asked curiously: "Do you give the films scores after watching them?"

Chen Nuo shook his head: "Not at this stage; we'll vote at the very end."

"I heard Yamaguchi Momoe is among the judges?"

Chen Nuo recalled that first-generation Japanese goddess who had quite a favorable impression of him. When they met, the two of them were like old friends; although their languages were different, with the help of an interpreter, they chatted for a long time.

Mostly he listened, and she spoke.

In the end, they even complained together about Miura Tomokazu. Yamaguchi Momoe apologized quite sincerely, saying she had caused him trouble.

Then, Chen Nuo immediately troubled her once as well. He earnestly requested her to sign a few autographs for him.

Because Chen Bi, upon knowing he would meet Yamaguchi Momoe, had specifically made an overseas call from Long'an,

asking him to get three autographs from Yamaguchi Momoe no matter what, claiming there were three uncles who were loyal fans of Yamaguchi Momoe and had remained infatuated for many years.

Chen Nuo would dare bet all the balance in his account that among these three uncles, one of them was definitely surnamed Chen.

Thinking of this, a smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded: "Yes, she is there, and after so many years, she is still very beautiful."

Liu Yifei said: "I saw in the newspaper that Yamaguchi Momoe only became a judge because of you. Is that true?"

Chen Nuo said: "Who knows? But Xixi, you have a suspicion of discriminating against women. Who says that once a woman becomes a housewife, she must cook at home for the rest of her life? Can't she feel restless and come out to be active?"

Fan Fan Binbing tugged at Liu Yifei's sleeve and whispered: "Stop asking. Chen Zong is retaliating against you; can't you tell?"

Liu Yifei pursed her lips and laughed: "I can tell, so... Chen Zong, who are you planning to stir up a scandal with this time? That Aragaki something? I heard you even rubbed her head on a show; is she the target this time?"

Sure enough, there is a saying that goes well: women cannot be convinced by words; they must be convinced by "action."

Isn't Fan Fan Binbing the perfect example?

Since the wrap of "The Message" until now, she had been busy making money everywhere, and the two hadn't met again. Until today, counting the time, it had been nearly a month since she had "negative distance" contact with Chen Nuo, and she now dared to mock Chen Zong's magnanimity. Truly, if an uncle can bear it, an aunt cannot.

And this Liu so-and-so as well—after going to Africa and playing with a lion, she dares to pry into the affairs of a superior? Stir up a scandal with whom? What Aragaki or old-gaki—is that any of your business?

Chen Nuo sneered: "No matter who I stir up a scandal with, in any case, I won't stir one up with you. Sorry, Liu Yifei, your popularity in Japan hasn't reached that level yet."

His expression was also impossible to find funny; he was clearly both serious and cold, and his tone even carried a hint of mockery, yet the two women just hugged each other and burst into wild laughter. Fan Fan Binbing laughed until she was trembling like a flower in the wind, barely able to catch her breath, and said, "Yifei, did you see that? That's what you call being so ashamed that one turns to anger, hahahahaha... You can be proud now, Chen the Great Philanthropist has been angered by you to this extent."

Liu Yifei buried her face in Fan Fan Binbing's shoulder, her body shaking non-stop, also laughing uncontrollably.

Amidst this laughter and teasing, using Chen Zong as the butt of the joke, this outrageous dinner came to an end.

That night, Chen Nuo actually didn't find an opportunity to teach Fan Fan Binbing a lesson.

The reason was that Liu Yifei and Fan Fan Binbing—these two women—who knows what was going on; they didn't seem that close when filming "The Message," but after not seeing each other for a while, they appeared very intimate.

As they chatted, they actually said they wanted to sleep together that night.

Fan Fan Binbing, full of curiosity, wanted to chat with Liu Yifei all night, to listen carefully to all the things she encountered while volunteering in Africa,

to hear about the timid zebras, the agile leopards, and the cute little lions she spoke of,

as well as the Serengeti grassland, which seemed to be ignited under the fiery red sky every evening, stretching as far as the eye could see.

As a result, Chen Nuo had no choice but to slink back to the staff dormitory provided by the Tokyo International Film Festival organizing committee.

October 29, 2007, Beijing Film Academy.

"China News Service, Tokyo, October 28th (Reporter Zhang Guoqing):

On the 28th, the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival concluded in Shibuya, the pop culture center of Japan. The film 'Western Trunk Line,' created by the couple Li Jixian and Li Wei over thirteen years, won the Jury Special Prize.

This was also the only award won by a Chinese film at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival.

In an interview after winning the award, 'Western Trunk Line' director Li Jixian thanked his wife, thanked the jury, and also thanked the fellow countryman on the jury, the well-known Chinese actor Chen Nuo.

Li Jixian stated that in a conversation between the two after the preview, he received tremendous encouragement.

Especially when Chen Nuo mentioned that in the creation of a character, he often experiences many hardships and difficulties, and many times, it feels like being put into a refrigerator, shivering with cold. At this time, it is the enthusiasm in his heart that he wants to express that has been motivating him, allowing him to finally create the character he wanted.

He hopes Li Jixian can continue to persist in the future, not give up, and not forget his original intention.

Li Jixian said that because of this, he gained the courage to continue making films in the future.

Finally, the six-member jury, chaired by famous Hollywood producer Alan Ladd and including famous Japanese actress Yamaguchi Momoe and Chen Nuo, awarded the highest prize of this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, the 'Golden Kirin' Grand Prize, to the Israeli-French co-production 'The Band's Visit.' The film tells the story of..."

Yuan Shanshan hadn't finished reading when a pair of hands covered her eyes from behind, and at the same time, a giggling voice came, "Stop looking, he's coming to class tomorrow anyway... Huh, let me see what you're looking at. Wow, you're even reading this kind of news, you're truly beyond saving."

Yuan Shanshan said helplessly, "Mengmeng, let me go."

Wang Meng let go, jumped back two steps, and made a defensive gesture, "Let's talk things out, don't get physical."

Yuan Shanshan turned her head and said, "Seeing you in such a good mood, walking without making a sound, did your audition go well today?"

Wang Meng said with a grin, "It was okay, at least I wasn't eliminated, just waiting for the notification. Finally, sigh, I was saved by someone."

Yuan Shanshan asked curiously, "Who?"

Wang Meng laughed, "Who else could it be? Your idol, of course!"

Yuan Shanshan was used to their teasing by now, her face didn't even turn red, and she asked curiously, "What did Chen Nuo do to you? He only just got back from Japan today, how could he have saved you?"

Wang Meng sat down, took a sip of water, and said with some excitement, "I heard them say before that going to the audition, saying we're in the same class as Chen Nuo, would be quite useful. I didn't believe it at the time. Now I do, damn it, it turns out I was the one who didn't recognize a great talent. When Chen Nuo comes back to class tomorrow, I'll definitely, without a word, kowtow to him."

Yuan Shanshan giggled and said, "Stop spouting nonsense, hurry up and tell me, what exactly happened?"

Wang Meng said, "Hey, anyway, I performed terribly this time, I didn't have any feeling at all. After I finished, the assistant director asked me if I had anything else to say. As soon as I saw their expressions, I knew it was over, I was definitely done for. I steeled my heart and gathered the courage to say that I had worked as an extra in 'The Message' before."

"As a result... wow, you didn't see that scene, that director, the producer, and all those other big shots, they hadn't even spared me a glance before."

"The moment they heard 'The Message', they all looked up in unison. The director asked, 'Little sister, are you from the 2005 Acting Department at the Film Academy? Why didn't you write that clearly on your resume?'"

Yuan Shanshan was listening intently and couldn't help but interject, "You didn't write which grade you were in?"

"I did write it, it's just... I wrote it in the profile at the very bottom."

Yuan Shanshan shook her head and said, "No wonder. Nobody looks at that part. I just write it right after my age, so last time I went, before I even started the audition, they asked me directly."

"Is that so..."

The two were just chatting when the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open again. A somewhat exhausted girl with long hair walked in.

Yuan Shanshan was stunned for a moment, then stood up abruptly and said, "Mengmeng, are you eating? I'm a bit hungry."

Wang Meng said, "Didn't I just keep asking you to eat? And you're asking me. Let's go, I'm starving, I haven't even had lunch yet. Let's go, let's go."

Yang Mi said listlessly, "Wait for me, I'll go with you."

The air in the dormitory seemed to freeze for an instant, and even the breeze passing through the corridor seemed to have been frozen to death in mid-air.

Then Wang Meng smiled very naturally and asked, "We're planning to find a place to eat outside the school, it's quite a walk, Yang Mi, you're so tired, will you be okay?"

Yang Mi rubbed her eyes and said, "I am a bit sleepy, sigh, you guys wait for me a moment, I'm going to wash my face."

Yuan Shanshan stood there with a dark face, not saying a word, watching Yang Mi slowly make her way to the balcony, then turned to Wang Meng and asked in a low voice, "What do we do?"

Wang Meng sighed softly and replied in a whisper, "The big star has spoken, do you dare not listen?"

The three girls then went out together.

When Yang Mi returned to the dorm, she felt quite tired, but after going outside and being blown by the cool autumn wind, her energy seemed to return all at once.

The Beijing accent in her mouth was fast and dense, just like a machine gun, firing a barrage at Yuan Shanshan and Wang Meng's ears.

"So tired, I'm never taking a role from that director again, I'm not even the lead actress, yet there's so much drama, it's really annoying."

"Last time when I was filming 'The Door' with Chen Kun, Director Li didn't have so many demands."

"But that fatty has so many issues, saying this is wrong and that is wrong, and when I ask him what's wrong, he doesn't say a thing."

"Hey, this production came to me today, saying there's a lead role reserved just for me, I just went to check it out, but I don't want to go, do you know why?"

"It's another Qing Dynasty drama, the makeup is so annoying."

"Sigh, they want me to get up at 7 every morning, in this Beijing weather, come winter, how am I supposed to get up?"

Yuan Shanshan was already trying her best to dodge.

But the machine gun bullets were too fierce, the overwhelming barrage of fire coming her way really left her with nowhere to hide.

Yuan Shanshan had no choice but to cling tightly to Wang Meng's arm, hoping someone could help her share some of the firepower.

But Wang Meng's expression didn't look any better.

Yang Mi, this big star, had finally finished filming her seemingly endless drama during this period and returned to live at school.

But she hadn't properly finished attending many classes either.

She was busy outside every day, either auditioning or doing some event, or else shooting for some pictorial magazine.

The key was that whenever she finished being busy and returned to the dorm, she would fire a round at her poor roommates with her machine gun.

Yesterday, Duanmu had already written a request to change dorms, preparing to hand it in today. Although Wang Meng and Yuan Shanshan hadn't reached that point yet, they felt it wasn't far off.

Yuan Shanshan and Wang Meng's faces grew darker and darker, and Yang Mi finally noticed, turning her head to smile, "What's wrong with you guys, why aren't you talking? Did I talk too much? You guys should chat too. By the way, Mengmeng, I heard you went to audition for a third female lead today, right?"

"Did the production want you? Sigh, let me tell you, the hardest part is the stage you're at now, you have no experience, you know? The people they pick have to be..."

Wang Meng gritted her teeth, pinching Yuan Shanshan's hand so hard it hurt, and Yuan Shanshan really couldn't take it anymore; just as she was about to say something, her eyes suddenly lit up.

She saw two girls not far ahead, chatting as they walked toward the school gate.

Yuan Shanshan recognized one of them.

However, if it were any other time, she would definitely pretend not to see her, let alone take the initiative to say hello.

But now, she had been riddled with holes by the bullets and could no longer care about so much, so she raised her voice and called out, also taking the opportunity to interrupt Yang Mi: "Wen Yongshan?!"

The original storm of bullets, as fierce as a gale, stopped abruptly as if cut by a knife.

Both girls in front turned their heads in unison.

In Yuan Shanshan's eyes, one of them looked plain, not very tall, and had a plain figure; from any angle, she looked very ordinary.

As for the other one, she was quite pretty, with a large chest and long legs, big eyes and a small mouth, looking particularly sweet and cute, like a heroine from a manga.

The pretty one heard Yuan Shanshan's words and showed a surprised expression.

Yuan Shanshan and the others walked toward the two girls, and Yuan Shanshan waved her hand and smiled, "Hi, Wen Yongshan, do you still remember me? I'm Chen Nuo's classmate, we ate together last time in Hengdian."

The pretty girl still had a blank expression and didn't speak.

At this moment, Yuan Shanshan felt the very plain-looking girl suddenly reveal a look of realization and say, "Yuan Shanshan?"

Yuan Shanshan also gave her a faint smile and said, "Yes, I'm Yuan Shanshan. What a coincidence, where are you guys going?"

Wen Yongshan smiled and said, "School's out, we're heading home. Ah, I recognize you too, are you Wang Meng?"

Wang Meng smiled and nodded, "Yes. At the gathering in Hengdian last time, I specifically sought you out to drink."

Wen Yongshan laughed, "Yes, yes, yes, I remember. You have a great tolerance for alcohol, much better than mine. You drank that huge glass of beer in one gulp, while I only dared to drink a little bit."

Yuan Shanshan maintained her smile and said, "What a coincidence, let's eat together when we have time, we won't disturb you anymore, we're off, bye-bye."

"Bye-bye." "Bye-bye."

All five girls said it very politely, even Yang Mi and that pretty girl.

Next. The hail of bullets was completely gone.

They followed not far behind Wen Yongshan, and when they were almost at the school gate, they saw Wen Yongshan and that pretty girl say goodbye to each other, then climb into a BMW 740Li parked in a parking space.

They had just walked nearby when the car started and drove off.

Wen Yongshan was still very polite; when passing by them, she even rolled down the passenger window and said bye-bye again before slowly driving away.

At this moment, let alone gunfire, not even the sound of a firecracker could be heard, and Yuan Shanshan felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

She looked at the taillights of the 740 and said for the sake of talking, "They must be going to pick someone up."

Wang Meng said, "Probably."

Yuan Shanshan said coldly, "Her Mandarin is still not standard, in our class, she would definitely fail the acting class."

Wang Meng said, "Indeed. But she has already improved a lot. I watched an interview of hers from a year ago, her accent was still very heavy back then."

Yuan Shanshan recalled it and knew which one she was talking about.

It was the interview where a Hong Kong reporter asked Wen Yongshan about her relationship with Chen Nuo; that video circulated very widely in the mainland.

Many "Sticky Rice" fans inferred from this that the time the two were together couldn't have been later than December 2006.

In other words, it's very likely that before that Golden Horse Awards, after Chen Nuo returned from filming 'The Dark Knight' in Hollywood, the two got together.

After playing a legendary role, exhausted in body and mind, she took advantage of the situation.

Many hardcore fans believe this to be the case now.

Including Yuan Shanshan.

At this time, Yang Mi, who hadn't spoken at all, suddenly said: "What does it matter if the accent is heavy? If she wants to film, does she need any acting skills?"

Yuan Shanshan couldn't help but say, "How could she not? She can't just go and play a mute, right?"

Yang Mi twitched the corner of her mouth, forced a smile, and said, "You guys don't understand... if she's willing, the female lead in many dramas can be a mute."

(End of chapter)