Chapter 1088: Changes after pregnancy; Refuse, refuse, refuse!

For the whole afternoon, Liu Yifei could be said to have entered "drama queen" mode.

She lay lazily on the sofa, playing mobile games and surfing the internet, occasionally ordering Lin Nan around with her nose in the air...

Handing over yogurt, serving fruit platters, wanting to eat small cakes—the latter two even had to be cut into small pieces and fed to her mouth; she was truly in a playful mood, enjoying Empress treatment!

"You have to learn to get used to this kind of serving me; the time ahead is still long.

I heard that many pregnant women often act unreasonably, have bad tempers, deliberately find fault with their husbands, and wake up in the middle of the night wanting to eat things in the second half of pregnancy..."

Just past 5 PM, Liu Yifei lost another mobile game and was mocked by Liu Yan in the game for only knowing how to crouch in the grass, calling her a coward.

Then she put down her phone and transferred her emotions to her husband. Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered gently, her eyebrows raised slightly, and she tapped Lin Dao dotingly.

"Don't worry, in these eight or nine months, I will absolutely be obedient, work hard without complaint, be on call, and give my all... waking up at midnight, absolutely no ambiguity..."

Lin Nan wore a fawning smile, cooperating with Liu "Drama Queen" Yifei.

"What? Only these eight or nine months? Where did your conscience go?" Liu Xixi immediately raised her voice, pretending to be angry, and questioned him with claws and teeth.

"No no no, it's always like this, until forever, forever and ever." Lin Nan acted perfectly.

"That's more like it. I'm thirsty, I want to drink watermelon juice." Liu Xixi's fair, tender hands turned over, her orchid fingers pointed lightly, looking even more deeply into the role.

"I say Producer Liu, have you played enough? It's only the end of February, and you want watermelon juice right now; I have to go out to find it for you, it takes a lot of time. How about letting the assistant buy it and send it over?"

Lin Nan stopped playing; when it came to acting at home, he, a big man, really couldn't compare to a woman, a natural actor.

"You just said you'd work hard without complaint, and it's only been two minutes and you can't do it anymore? Hehe, men!" Liu Yifei smiled contemptuously, then her charming eyes flowed with waves of light, staring at Lin Nan and continuing to tease:

"Lin Dao, does this count as me easily holding you in the palm of my hand? You should learn more from Director Ning. Look at how fierce Sister Xing was when she was pregnant; you should be content."

"I'm content, thank you, Wife, for not killing me." Lin Nan hurriedly accompanied her with a smile, finally adding another shot.

He really remembered Ning Hao's miserable state back then; it was truly unbearable to look at. A bandit-style social idler was forcibly "domesticated" into a sick cat;

He was wilted all day long, doing everything cautiously, afraid of provoking Xing Aina and inviting all kinds of "difficulties," especially Xing Aina's soft-knife style of wiping away tears.

The thing Lin Nan remembered most deeply was that Ning Hao often complained during that time, saying he might be depressed, even more so than Xing Aina's

depression.

As the fetus gradually develops, the various hormones in a pregnant woman's body will soar;

Under these circumstances, it is highly likely that endocrine disorders will occur, subsequently leading to varying degrees of anxiety, irritability, wild imagination, sentimentality... and even true moderate or severe depression.

Therefore, Lin Nan, as a husband, already had sufficient psychological preparation and would definitely be ten times or a hundred times more careful in serving Liu Xixi.

However, Liu Yifei couldn't be compared to ordinary women; she was a big woman with an incomparably strong heart, a Mulan-style figure. He believed it was impossible for her to be as fragile as Xing Aina... right?

The buzzing sound of the phone vibration interrupted the ambiguity and flirting between Liu Yifei and Lin Nan's eyes, and the latter answered the phone immediately, waiting for it.

"Speak, how is it?"

"Lin Dao, it's been handled. You can go out around 7 PM, do the check-up around 9 PM, and sign the contract by the way. The hospital will strictly maintain confidentiality within the agreed period..."

"Good, then you guys come over now. Rest for a while afterward, then leave directly."

"Okay, Lin Dao." The assistant's tone also revealed obvious excitement.

Because she knew very well that for such a happy event, with Lin Dao and Producer Liu's generosity, everyone's year-end bonus this year would at least double, or even double several times over.

Just after Lin Nan hung up the phone, he suddenly remembered something else. He looked at Liu Yifei, who was already sitting cross-legged on the sofa.

"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to start the post-production for 'Mulan.' Should I call Chang to keep you company? At least until the day our mom comes back; anyway, she won't join the crew of 'My People, My Country' until the end of March."

Hearing this question, Liu Yifei raised her eyebrows thoughtfully. "Hmm, that works; she's filming an advertisement these two days. I'll call her and see if she'll be shocked, hehe."

As she spoke, Miss Liu flipped through her phone with a giggle.

Not long after, Watching Shu Chang, who answered the phone, was stunned in shock. It took several seconds before she became excited and couldn't wait to confirm: "You mean, I'm going to be an aunt?"

"Hmm, roughly around October or November this year? But it's best to get an ultrasound to let the doctor help confirm it."

"You wait, I'm packing my bags and coming over right now. Don't say staying for a few days, even staying until you finish your confinement is fine..."

On the other end of the phone, Watching Shu Chang hung up in a rush, not giving Liu Yifei and Lin Nan a chance to speak again.

"Alright, I found you a playmate. Then starting tonight, we'll sleep in separate rooms."

Liu Yifei, who had originally had a happy smile on her face, had her smile replaced by sharp eyes and murderous intent the moment Lin Nan said that last sentence, her voice cold:

"Lin Nan, are you waiting for me here?

"

As the sky darkened, an RV drove out of the manor villa against the neon lights of the capital. And Watching Shu Chang, who had just arrived with her suitcase, was left at the manor to watch the house.

If the daytime was 99% confirmation of pregnancy, then the evening check-up made up for the last 1%.

That's right, Liu Xixi was really pregnant, with a due date between the end of October and the beginning of November.

After a night passed, time finally entered March.

Although the atmosphere of the Spring Festival had completely dissipated, the films of the Spring Festival slot were still forging ahead; and the representative film was "The Wandering Earth."

At the same time, the additional second round of promotion for "The Wandering Earth" also began.

"'The Wandering Earth,' a sci-fi film blockbuster by Lin Dao Nan, released several hidden easter eggs and behind-the-scenes footage of the crew this morning. It is reported that such easter eggs and footage will be updated continuously until the film is taken off the screen."

"As of last night, the film 'The Wandering Earth' grossed a total box office of 5.1734 billion in February, with a daily intake of 60.8 million yesterday..."

"According to insiders at Enlight Media, 'The Wandering Earth' has completed the docking for overseas distribution and public screening.

The film will officially land in all global regions outside the Chinese market by the end of June at the latest in the first half of the year, jointly distributed by Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, and screened simultaneously;

Its specific overseas screening time will be announced after 'The Wandering Earth' is taken off the domestic film market..."

"Produced by DreamWorks, the Hollywood animated blockbuster 'How to Train Your Dragon 3' has landed in the Chinese film market this morning..."

When Lin Nan arrived at the company refreshed, he heard many employees chattering about the behind-the-scenes footage of "The Wandering Earth."

It seemed to be the part where Leonardo was joking about his view on love? Old Leo was just spouting nonsense at the time; he had no view on love!

Amidst greetings, Lin Nan went straight to Tiangong Color. Yue Jun had just sent some of the original shots of "Mulan" here, while the storage for the other shots was locked in a safe.

"Lin Dao, the promotion intensity from Enlight Media is indeed strong; it's been pulled to the max. Especially the online channels; under the premise that the film is genuine, the online feedback effect of the second round of promotion is very good."

"You guys just keep an eye on it; my energy has to be put into the post-production of 'Mulan.' By the way, how is the casting for 'Sheep Without a Shepherd'? I see there are still scattered actors and agents on the third floor?" Lin Nan sat at his workstation, took the coffee Yue Jun handed him, and asked.

"The main actors are all set, especially the female lead and male lead for the villain roles; Xiao Yang and Director Jiang made a very thoughtful choice of two acting powerhouses who often play positive characters." Yue Jun couldn't help but laugh.

"Who?" Lin Nan was a bit confused.

"The female lead villain

is finally set as the newly crowned Berlin Film Festival Best Actress, Yong Mei, and the actor playing her husband in the film is our old acquaintance, Teacher Liang Jiahui."

To be honest, Lin Nan was a bit amazed by this casting choice. Very good, it was indeed chosen very thoughtfully.

Actors with positive images who are acting powerhouses often give people surprises when playing villains, especially such recognized Best Actress and Best Actor level veterans.

"It was an invitation, right?" Lin Nan reacted.

"Yes, it was a special invitation, and both of them agreed immediately without much hesitation. After all, at their age, film resources aren't that easy to find or accept."

"Then let's do it this way; start filming on time next month. Anyway, I'm going to take a break from acting for a while; the company's film output will depend on others."

Speaking of this, Lin Nan remembered "Assassin in Red" again. "What about Lu Yang's side? According to the previous filming plan, it should be wrapping up soon, right?"

"If nothing goes wrong, it should be these two days."

Lin Nan was chatting with Yue Jun while busy with the post-production editing of "Mulan," and time seemed to pass very quickly.

Until near noon, the two were attracted by the news of films announcing their release dates—another big-budget film was going to compete for the summer slot?!

"Jointly produced by Seven Impressions Film and Huayi, directed by Guan Hu, produced by Liang Jing and Wang Zhonglei, and starring Huang Zhizhuo, Ou Hao, Wang Qianyuan, Jiang Wu, Du Chun, Li Chen, and others, the mainstream commercial blockbuster 'The Eight Hundred' announced the completion of the finished film and officially scheduled for the summer slot on June 25th."

"It is reported that the film's investment amount is as high as 700 million RMB, making it the highest-investment mainstream commercial film in China; it is based on the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, aiming to praise the 'Eight Hundred Heroes' of the reinforced battalion of the 524th Regiment, 88th Division, Third War Zone of the National Revolutionary Army!"

"Today, the summer slot battlefield has added another mainstream blockbuster 'The Eight Hundred'; it will compete with many commercial films such as 'Ne Zha,' 'The Father,' 'She Kills,' and 'Looking Up'..."

China Film Group.

Chairman La kept Guan Hu for lunch, because the latter brought the finished script of "Jin Gang Chuan" near noon.

And just after the two sat down in the small auditorium, the secretary also came to report a piece of news.

"Chairman La, it's confirmed; the post-production of 'Mulan' starts today. Lin Dao went to the company early in the morning..."

"Alright, I know; then let's do it tomorrow morning. You go eat lunch first; there's a meeting in the afternoon."

Listening to the conversation between the two in front of him, Guan Hu vaguely guessed something. After the secretary left, he asked: "Chairman La, do you mean you want to invite Lin Nan Film?"

"Hmm, I want to invite Lin Nan Film to cooperate; this only has benefits and no harm for mainstream films." Chairman La didn't hide it, but he only stopped at that.

He couldn't say that he wanted to take advantage of the fact that Ren and Wang were both about to retire to win Lin Nan over again, letting China Film Group and Lin Nan Film return to good terms? He couldn't say that.

"But Lin Dao Nan, he has always been very hostile toward me." Guan Hu was expressionless, just looking at Chairman La like this, with a very strong reminder.

Sure enough, the latter's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and it was only after a long time that he emphasized: "I'm just inviting Lin Nan Film to invest in China Film Group's project; the main body here is China Film Group, it has nothing to do with you!"

Could Chairman La not know what Guan Hu was talking about? He didn't just know, he knew very well.

And he also clearly knew that Lin Nan wasn't hostile toward Guan Hu, but simply didn't look up to Guan Hu at all, believing that the two sides weren't on the same path at all.

But a project is a project, cooperation is cooperation, it's not about making friends...

Furthermore, this is cooperation with China Film Group; just don't put Guan Hu in your eyes. No matter how much you don't look up to a person, at the very least, you shouldn't go against a project that is destined to make money.

Hearing Chairman La's words, Guan Hu fell silent. He could feel that Chairman La's attitude was very domineering and did not allow others to question it.

Enlight Media, 3 PM in the afternoon.

"Has there been any change in the comprehensive seat occupancy rate?"

"There is a clear increase."

"What about the screening rate?"

"Theater chains are generally willing to increase screenings. After all, among all the films currently showing in the film market, 'The Wandering Earth' is still the most capable."

"Also, even for 'How to Train Your Dragon 3,' which was just released this morning, its momentum on the first day is still quite a bit behind 'The Wandering Earth'."

"Good, seeing the effect on the first afternoon shows that the prospects are great!" Wang Changtian said very affirmatively.

"Chairman Wang, Director Zhang Mo is here." The secretary knocked on the door, interrupting Wang Changtian and several executives.

"Alright, let's stop here. President Li, stay; everyone else go back to work on your own departments." After ordering, Old Wang looked at the secretary: "Please invite Director Zhang Mo in."

Not long after, Zhang Mo, in a ladies' casual suit, stepped into the chairman's office. The three people present were all smiling, exchanging pleasantries as they sat down.

"The roles are set?"

"Half a month is enough to set the roles." As Zhang Mo spoke, she handed the list to the secretary to the side, who sent it to Wang Changtian.

"Then what about our specific start date?" Li Xiaoping looked at Zhang Mo.

"Middle of next month. This film is a bit larger than 'One Second,' with more actors and a stronger story, so my dad plans to take 3 to 4 months to wrap up."

"Zhou Dongyu? You really chose Zhou Dongyu between Ni Ni and Zhou Dongyu?"

Wang Changtian nodded, listening to Zhang Mo talk about the filming while browsing the casting list.

Then, he locked onto Zhou Dongyu, who was ranked very high and was completely a lead actor, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhang Mo naturally heard the mockery in Wang Changtian's laughter and could only explain with an awkward smile:

"To be honest, I also prefer Ni Ni; my directorial debut chose Ni Ni as the female lead.

But my dad's film is naturally different from mine; his film is too sought after in the industry, with all actors fighting for roles and all capital pushing people.

Both of them could play this role in 'Under the Light,' but at this time, one has to consider factors outside the audition room.

The other person has the Hong Kong circle behind her and is currently considered part of Director Chen Kexin's line... My dad is also a shareholder of Huanxi; considering all aspects, it had to be Zhou Dongyu."

Hearing these very straightforward words, even Wang Changtian couldn't help but sigh; Zhang Yimou really wasn't the Zhang Yimou he used to be. Looking at Li Xiaoping, she was also sighing at the transformation of the current Director Zhang.

"Fine, that's it. But I still want to sigh; Director Zhang's casting list this time is truly a mixed bag. It looks like he's pulled a lot of strings in the industry and given a lot of face and favors to film capital." Wang Changtian nodded and teased.

"Haha, the lead isn't Lei Jiayin? The biggest favor is still left to Enlight Media." Zhang Mo joked. Enlight Media's project, with Lin Nan Film's people as leads. Isn't this favor Enlight Media's?

On the morning of the 2nd, "The Wandering Earth" handed in its daily box office for March 1st—73.45 million.

Under the additional second round of promotion, the effect was seen on the first day: the daily box office turned around and rose, pulling up by nearly 13 million.

And looking at "How to Train Your Dragon 3," the first-day box office of 55.7 million looked quite good at first glance, but compared to "The Wandering Earth," it was truly a bit inferior.

However, Liu Yifei and Watching Shu Chang were prepared to contribute movie tickets.

After all, taking advantage of not showing a baby bump, they wanted to go out and play one more day while they could.

After three or four months of pregnancy, they wouldn't be able to go out and play casually anymore; not to mention being too eye-catching, it would mainly be very inconvenient.

"Good, you two had better bring two or three assistants. Be careful when eating at noon; don't be greedy for everything delicious. You aren't one person now; you have to be for the belly..."

"Got it, got it, why are you so long-winded? That's it, I'll video call you at any time, muma!"

Inside Tiangong Color, looking at his phone that had been hung up by Liu Yifei, Lin Nan shook his head speechlessly, and a smile couldn't help but crawl onto his cheeks.

After confirming the pregnancy, Liu Xixi seemed to be even sweeter? Yeah, she was indeed sweeter!

"Lin Dao, Chairman La has come to our company." Suddenly, the assistant ran over in a rush and reported.

Lin Nan instantly became serious and asked in confusion: "What is Chairman La here for?"

"He said he's here to talk to you about project cooperation. Director Yue is hosting him right now. He asked me to tell you. Chairman La seems to have confirmed you were in the company in advance; he came prepared today."

"Then let's go see him." Lin Nan's expression was rigorous, and he nodded.

"Should we invite him to your office, or stay in the current reception room?"

This question really stumped Lin Nan. Because meeting in different places has different implications, representing the good or bad attitude.

"Sigh, you guys invite him to my office first. Tell Chairman La that I'll finish up the 'Mulan' stuff here and will be over immediately."

Choosing to meet in his own office, but not going over immediately—this was the decision Lin Nan made after consideration. The relationship between the two sides now wasn't what it was a few years ago.

"Okay."

Ten minutes later, when Lin Nan walked into his office door, he saw Chairman La sitting there drinking tea, with his secretary by his side.

How to put it, this scene, in Lin Nan's view, still had quite a sense of time.

Last time it was here, because of the "Pacific Rim 2" incident, Chairman Wang of Western Film Group sprayed Chairman La until he was speechless... It seems three whole years have passed!

"Chairman La, what time do you have to come to my company today?"

Lin Nan was neither humble nor pushy, smiling and asking while walking to his position behind the desk. As if the estrangement and distance of the past didn't exist at all.

And Chairman La had the same performance, as if he had returned to when Han Sanping set up the game and introduced the two to each other.

"China Film Group has a very good project; I want to invite you to join."

"The projects on my company's side are already at full capacity." Lin Nan naturally couldn't refuse in one breath; he chose to pave the way.

"Mainstream commercial films in the current film market environment will only be big projects that make money. You only need to invest money; you don't need to split energy and manpower." Chairman La emphasized, talking about the film's subject matter.

"Chairman La is so confident? Then I'm curious what project it is."

"'Jin Gang Chuan,' directed by Guan Hu, Anti-America..."

The smile on Lin Nan's face froze instantly. "Chairman La, sorry."

"Because of Guan Hu? You can completely ignore him, just act as if this person doesn't exist. China Film Group will still be Lin Nan Film's partner after Ren Zhonglun and Wang Yong retire..." Chairman La didn't cover up, directly saying his true thoughts.

And at this moment, Lin Nan finally understood the other party's true intention today; this was to win him over again!

"First of all, I have always felt that this person's butt is crooked. I can guarantee with my head that the mainstream films he shoots will definitely be full of private goods. So, I will absolutely not cooperate with such a person.

Secondly, Chairman La, you should be able to see that Lin Nan Film is already very huge now, lacking nothing, especially not lacking mainstream film projects. I personally have even gotten tired of shooting them! As for what you said about after Director Ren and Director Wang retire, that doesn't seem to have any direct relationship with China Film Group, right?"

Lin Nan's tone carried an undisguised sense of estrangement and a naked, polite refusal.

"You should be able to guess my most fundamental meaning." Chairman La looked directly at Lin Nan and said quite seriously.

And the secretary on the side was already completely unsettled inside: Lin Dao really has this kind of resistant attitude!

"I can guess, but... Lin Nan Film really doesn't need any external help, and I also appreciate Chairman La's good intentions."

Lightning flashed through his mind, and Lin Nan still chose to word his refusal politely rather than directly; choosing to refuse directly would undoubtedly be giving the other party embarrassment to their face, and it would be hard for everyone to end the situation.

Sure enough, although Chairman La's face looked even worse, he was clearly psychologically prepared for Lin Nan's firm refusal attitude.

"Is it really impossible to go back?" He asked again.

"Chairman La, this question has no meaning." Lin Nan shook his head without changing his expression.

"Then lend me Guo Fan and Lu Yang." Taking a step back, when he spoke again, Chairman La changed his target.

"Chairman La, I really can't lend them. Lu Yang has to be busy with the special effects and post-production of 'Assassin in Red' for a whole year afterward. Guo Fan has been busy with me for over four months on 'Mulan'; he needs a vacation." Lin Nan found an excuse to refuse again, his attitude still firm.

Lin Nan's second refusal clearly made Chairman La a bit angry.

"Then Zhang Yi, come be one of the leads!"

"This still won't work. He's filming 'The Climbers' and has to join the crew of 'My People, My Country' at the end of this month.

After these two plays, he needs to rest and adjust for a while. Otherwise, continuous work will only overdraw an actor's creativity and potential." Lin Nan continued to refuse.

Finally, Chairman La no longer suppressed the anger in his heart, looked at Lin Nan and questioned: "From the beginning, you never intended to nod, right?

No matter how I invite you to cooperate today, no matter which director or actor of your company I invite, the result is the same in the end, a refusal?"

Lin Nan didn't answer directly, but first talked about Wang Yong and Ren Zhonglun:

"After Director Wang and Director Ren retire one after another, the cooperation between Lin Nan Film and Western Film Group and Shanghai Film Group will also end.

Chairman La, the cooperation between Lin Nan Film and you also ended long ago. Besides, I really hate that person surnamed Guan!"

... ===== CHAPTER 1089 =====

…………