Chapter 15

"You two are so selfish, running so fast and not waiting for Yangyang and me," Jiang Yiyan said, feeling jealous that Lin Nan and Zhu Yawen could take a photo with the Heavenly King Liu.

"I only thought of it suddenly at that moment," Lin Nan argued.

After resting for the night, they had to head back the next morning.

There were five of them when they arrived, but only four on the way back; Lin Nan had declined the offer for the Shanghai Film Studio to send someone to see them off.

They didn't disclose their flight time either; after getting off the plane, the four of them hailed a taxi and headed straight for the school.

"Oh, it's the class monitor calling," Zhu Yawen's phone rang.

"Teacher Zhou, we've already landed and are on our way back to school. Yes, yes."

Zhu Yawen hung up the phone, "Linzi, the class monitor wants you to bring the trophy to the Acting Department."

Lin Nan remained unmoved; his phone was still turned off, just to avoid having too many calls come in at once.

After getting out of the taxi, the driver even shouted, "Looking forward to you becoming the next Zhang Yimou."

Lin Nan gave a wry smile, "Thank you, sir."

Since he had arrived at school, he simply turned his phone on. Good heavens, there were so many text messages again.

The messages from the Directing Department teachers were the most concentrated.

They must have sent them only after failing to get through by phone.

"Oh, Director Lin..."

The classmates were well-informed; they surrounded Lin Nan, wanting to see the trophy.

The teachers from the Acting Department were all there. "Teachers, what did you call me over for?"

"Don't be cheeky, hurry up and take the trophy out; we need to take pictures." Whether it was *Blind Shaft* or *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*, both were filmed while Lin Nan was in the Acting Department.

The Acting Department wouldn't let this teaching achievement go for anything, fearing the Directing Department would snatch it away; the teachers had it tough too.

Photos of the trophy alone, photos of Lin Nan holding the trophy, photos of the four of them with the trophy—it took half an hour to finish.

"Alright, you can go now," Teacher Zhou said, waving her hand.

"You're killing the donkey after it's done grinding the grain," Lin Nan said while running away.

Back at the Directing Department, he had to take the trophy out all over again.

"Keep working hard, bring back more awards, and we'll guarantee your admission to graduate school then."

They were actually starting to dangle a carrot in front of Lin Nan; they really knew how to read a person.

Lin Nan took the time to accept interviews from several media outlets, including traditional state media and emerging internet portals.

He had just said he would go see *Cell Phone* in a couple of days, and now a scandal had broken out there.

At the entrance of the school next door, a boy had beaten a girl; Zhang Guoli's son, Zhang Mo, had beaten his girlfriend until she was covered in bruises.

Lin Nan remembered that the girl looked very much like Zhang Ziyi.

The tabloids were already vaguely hinting that there was something going on between the girl and a teacher.

The promotion for *Cell Phone* was in full swing, with only two days left until the premiere; Zhang Guoli had no choice but to hold a press conference to apologize.

Lin Nan understood it; they were all hot-blooded young people, and who could stand being cheated on?

The *Lotus Lantern* production team contacted Lin Nan, telling him to be prepared for filming to start in Hengdian on February 9th, after the New Year.

Coincidentally, the roles for *Chinese Paladin* had also been set, and it was also scheduled to start filming in Hengdian on February 7th.

*Cell Phone* was not affected by the Zhang Mo incident; Director Feng's drawing power remained formidable.

Even with *Infernal Affairs 1* paving the way, *Infernal Affairs 3* still had its box office cut down by *Cell Phone*, despite being released six days earlier.

By the 28th, both *Cell Phone* and *Infernal Affairs 3* had broken the record held by *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* for half a year.

The former made 33 million, the latter 32 million; newspapers and online media reported it competitively, and *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* was used as the background.

"Damn it, stepping on me like this? Don't bully the young because they are poor! Hmm? Why does this sound so familiar?"

The first semester of sophomore year was over, and the necessary exams still had to be taken. Lin Nan aimed to pass with an 80; that was the threshold the teachers had set for him individually.

Lin Nan's father wasn't surprised that Lin Nan wouldn't be coming home for winter break; he just told him to keep warm and stay safe.

Lin Nan joked, "Why don't you find yourself a partner? Just don't make her younger than me, haha."

"Get lost, you brat," Lao Lin could be heard laughing heartily.

Lin Nan packed his luggage at school, put the trophy in the company, and gave the two finance staff the promised double bonus, plus a month of paid leave for the New Year.

He had to rush to meet up with the production team. Before the second semester had even begun, he had already signed his leave request; the teachers approved his two-month vacation very readily.

"Hengdian!"

"Has Director Lin never been here before?" A few crew members traveling with Lin Nan asked when they saw him standing there motionless.

"Ah? It's my first time," Lin Nan said, coming back to his senses.

The tens of thousands of acres of Hengdian World Studios was the most successful film studio in the country.

"Let's go, the crew has probably been waiting for a long time," Lin Nan said.

Following his memory, the few restaurants at that location were still there; in this life, you will have one less competitor.

The crew's budget was quite generous; they had booked a decent-sized hotel.

From afar, he saw Shu Chang, who played Xiaoyu, talking on the phone. When she saw Lin Nan and his group approaching, she smiled at Lin Nan, covered her phone, and ran off.

"Finally, we've waited for you," Director Zhao said, patting Lin Nan on the arm.

"Hello Director Zhao, hello Director Yu.

Hello Brother Jiao, hello Teacher Xie..."

There were so many familiar faces; Lin Nan greeted them one by one.

"Director Lin, you're too polite."

"Hello Director Lin."

Zhu Yawen and his unrequited love interest in the show, a Singaporean actress, were watching TV there. The latter greeted Lin Nan, while Zhu Yawen told her to ignore Lin Nan.

Looking closer, it was *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*.

"It's already airing?" Lin Nan hadn't paid attention to this recently. Thinking carefully, it seemed he hadn't heard Liu Qianqian mention it to him.

Zhu Yawen chuckled, "This is already the second broadcast; you're dead meat."

It turned out that Zhu Yawen and the others had all sent congratulatory messages to Liu Qianqian; Miss Wang was just too beautiful.

Zhu Yawen looked at Lin Nan with ill intent; the latter realized that this group had deliberately not told him.

"A reminder for you: *Chinese Paladin* officially starts filming tomorrow, right in the hotel next door. Do you want to go take a look?"

Zhu Yawen raised his eyebrows; he was someone who loved to join in the fun.

"No, I need to check the workflow and see what I need to film," Lin Nan said stubbornly.

In truth, he felt a bit guilty; how could he have forgotten about this?

In the hotel next door, Shu Chang sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, tossing a melon seed into her mouth from time to time. "I didn't lie to you, Director Lin has joined the crew, less than half an hour before I came to you."

Liu Qianqian sat nearby reading a foreign classic. She paused upon hearing this, "What does that have to do with me?"

She said it that way, but it was clear she was a bit angry.

"Dead blockhead, he's the only one who didn't send me a message, and I even congratulated him on winning the award," Liu Qianqian suddenly said angrily.

"Hee hee, you look so cute when you're angry," Shu Chang said, reaching out to pinch Liu Qianqian's face.

"Hey, you hooligan," the two girls started wrestling, laughter ringing out constantly.

Lin Nan snuck out in the morning; he wanted to go take a peek at the opening ceremony of *Chinese Paladin*.

"Oh, not working hard on your preparations? Where is Director Lin going?"

Lin Nan was startled by the sudden voice; he saw Zhu Yawen flash out from the room with a look of disdain.

"You talk too much. Want to go take a look together?"

"Let's go," the two of them set off sneakily.

There were quite a lot of people at the opening ceremony of *Chinese Paladin*. With *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils* airing, Liu Qianqian's popularity was very high right now, and there were many onlookers and reporters.

"Is that the boss of Tang Ren? She looks alright," Zhu Yawen commented.

"Say less; this mouth of yours will ruin things sooner or later," Lin Nan retorted.

The two of them squeezed to the front with effort. Lin Nan lowered his hat, only to hear Zhu Yawen say again, "Is this the male lead? I think I could do it too."

Lin Nan glanced at him without saying a word, letting Zhu Yawen figure it out himself.

Liu Qianqian felt something and looked at the onlookers behind her.

"Oh no," Lin Nan felt a shock in his heart. Before he could react, he met her sweeping gaze; he couldn't hide anymore.

He simply smiled. He saw Liu Qianqian look happy at first, but her face dropped instantly; she glared at Lin Nan and turned her head away.

"Was she glaring at you or me?"

Zhu Yawen didn't react for a moment.

"Glaring at you, you third wheel."

The two turned to walk back, but before they had gone far, someone chased after them—it was someone from Tang Ren.

"Director Lin, our Boss Cai would like to invite you to dinner. Would that be convenient for you?"

Lin Nan looked at Zhu Yawen, and the two exchanged glances.

"Should I go or not?"

"Why are you asking me if you should go? They didn't invite me."

"Mr. Zhu is invited as well," the person added in time.

After a warm and hospitable invitation, Lin Nan and Zhu Yawen went along with it; it was almost noon anyway.

Tang Ren's Cai Yinong could be considered a woman who was no less capable than any man.

Chapter 15: Heading to Hengdian

I had thought there would only be a few people, but I only realized the truth once I arrived.

Besides Cai Yinong, there was also Director Li Guoli, as well as several lead actors from the *Sword and Fairy* crew: Liu Yifei, Hu Ge, and Peng Yuyan.

Liu Yifei glared at Lin Nan again, and he felt bitter inside.

"Cai, you are too kind," Lin Nan said politely.

The key was that this was our first time meeting, and she was already inviting me to dinner; I just felt like it couldn't be anything good.

"Director Lin and Zhu Yawen are actually classmates with Qianqian. I am also familiar with Ren, so since we ran into each other, I certainly had to play the host."

Lin Nan was smiling on the outside, but complaining on the inside, "Excuses really just roll right off her tongue."

I don't know if Ren has a big mouth, but Cai Yinong kept asking about Lin Nan's upcoming film plans, specifically if he was short on people, as Tang Ren has quite a few actors.

She mainly just wanted to push some people.

Lin Nan kept his mouth shut, only saying that it was still in preparation and hadn't reached that stage yet.

……

"Believe me, I really just forgot because I was busy." Once the dinner party broke up, Lin Nan found an opportunity to apologize to Miss Wang, acting so well, blah blah blah, his attitude was quite sincere.

"In consideration of your sincerity, I forgive you. But you have to tell me what the movie you're preparing is called, and if there's a role I can play?"

"I can't tell you the name yet, but I can tell you the general content: it's a story about the protagonist regaining their youth and beauty."

I figure I won't be able to hide it for long; Lin Nan is already going through the filing process.

Speaking of which, *Cell Phone* is truly strong; the box office has surged to over fifty million, and Huayi has made a fortune.

Zhu Yawen went back first, while Lin Nan and Liu Yifei took a walk through the scenic area, chatting and laughing, very happy. At one moment, Lin Nan thought of the four words: "peaceful and quiet years."

Until, we ran into Mother Liu.

"Director Lin, Qianqian hasn't caused you any trouble, has she?" Mother Liu's smile looked warmer than before, which made Lin Nan feel a bit uncomfortable, like he had been caught doing something wrong.

Liu Yifei walked behind Mother Liu, stuck her tongue out at Lin Nan, and winked.

"Auntie, you're joking. Just call me by my name; you are an elder." Mother Liu took Liu Yifei back; they are officially starting filming tomorrow.

"Why did you run out by yourself? It's so dangerous. Even with Lin Nan, it's not okay. You are a girl..."

Mother Liu lectured, while Liu Yifei nodded mechanically, just smiling the whole time.

In the end, Mother Liu laughed too, "You are just stubborn. Every time, you only know how to nod, but you never listen."

Qianqian Novels