Chapter 44: Picking Her Up at the Airport

"The Return of the Condor Heroes" has wrapped filming, though it hasn't been officially announced yet.

Liu Liu Yifei's ears were sharp—she picked up at once that Lin Nan was still sleeping in.

"What time is it, and you're still not up?"

"I've been going nonstop lately, doing promo runs all over the place—I'm exhausted. Want me to pick you up, Miss Long?" Lin Nan asked softly.

"Mm, sure, I'll arrive the morning after tomorrow." Liu Liu Yifei's voice turned gentle again.

"Coming with Auntie?"

Lin Nan asked.

"Of course, Mom and I are coming back together. When the time comes, bring along Changchang and Little Zhu, and we'll go for a big meal…"

Lin Nan lay in bed chatting with Liu Liu Yifei for half an hour. She was very happy with life on set and shared many fun stories from filming, including a minor injury.

Lin Nan had told her more than once not to push herself so hard, but she had taken it completely in one ear and out the other.

"The doctor said just take care of yourself from now on, you don't need to worry." Liu Liu Yifei reassured Lin Nan.

"Godfather and Mom are planning to have me train my vocals and then release an album—when the time comes, you guys come watch me rehearse." Liu Liu Yifei changed the subject again.

"Sure, I'll definitely be there. The day after tomorrow we'll pick you up first—my produced film 'Stone' is having its premiere, and you have to come too."

"Of course, I want front row."

"I'll save it for you." Lin Nan smiled without realizing it.

……

Releasing on May Day, Lin Nan and Enlight Media planned to hold the premiere on the twenty-ninth of this month. The scale didn't need to be huge—just invite companies, media, and artists they were close to.

Both Lin Nan and Ning Hao were students at the Beijing Film Academy, so out of both personal and professional reasons the premiere had to invite some teachers and leaders from the school. The venue was arranged by Enlight Media, the invitations went out under Lin Nan's company name, and for the Film Academy side Lin Nan personally delivered them.

Director Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang was very pleased that Lin Nan had taken the initiative to deliver the invitation in person; he had already forgotten the last time he'd asked Lin Nan whether he'd chosen a supervisor, but still said he might not be able to make it.

His team had been very busy lately, making a final decision on whether to withdraw from the competition for chief director of the Olympic opening ceremony, because they truly couldn't come up with a design that satisfied or amazed them.

Some teachers from the Directing, Cinematography, and Acting departments were quite happy to attend.

Invitations to film companies were sent out uniformly, and a phone call would be made as well.

Zhang Zhang Yimou and Chen Chen Kaige were busy with the competition and politely declined; Feng Feng Xiaogang was busy with a new drama's script and casting, so he couldn't come either.

Plenty of film and TV companies were willing to show support, but there weren't many invitations. Lin Nan also specially invited some people from the Central Academy of Drama, and they all said they'd come.

He contacted Zhu Zhu Yawen, had him pass along several invitations for Wang Wang Jinghua, and told him to go pick up Liu Liu Yifei at the airport the day after tomorrow.

Overall, this premiere wasn't large in scale, but it drew heavy media attention—because the organizer was Lin Nan.

On the morning of the twenty-second, Zhu Zhu Yawen drove, taking Lin Nan and Watching Shu Chang straight to the airport. They were mainly there to pick up Liu Liu Yifei, though they heard others would be at the airport too.

Zhu Zhu Yawen would be joining a new production soon. Wang Wang Jinghua had signed him to quite a few TV dramas; film resources were scarce, but good film crews had always been rare to begin with.

Watching Shu Chang sat alone in the back seat, looking like a model student, as if she'd already grown used to ordinary college life—her manager no longer booked her any engagements.

"Liu Yifei's godfather will probably go pick up Liu Ayi and them too." Watching Shu Chang said.

"No conflict with us—we just need to take Liu Liu Qianqian along for a big meal." Lin Nan replied.

Chen Jinfei and the Liu family were old family friends; he also knew Liu Yifei's biological father and had known her since she was just a few years old. Both "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes" had been bankrolled by this man.

He wasn't in the industry, so if he wanted resources, this was the only way.

They waited outside the airport for over an hour before that flight finally arrived.

As the crowd poured out, the three of them kept their eyes peeled, determined to spot Liu Liu Yifei, her mother, and their assistant first.

Liu Liu Yifei, in a sporty outfit, walked beside her mother and looked completely overshadowed in presence.

Liu's mother wore a sleek, minimalist black outfit with a fedora—her aura was commanding.

Watching Shu Chang ran over quickly, with Lin Nan and Zhu Zhu Yawen following behind.

A young man and woman reached Liu's mother first, exchanged a few words, and took the luggage. By then Watching Shu Chang had also caught up.

Lin Nan and Zhu Zhu Yawen watched Watching Shu Chang and the other girl embrace, then point in their direction.

The group moved to a less crowded spot, and only then did Lin Nan and Zhu Zhu Yawen greet Liu Liu Xiaoli.

"Hello, Auntie."

"Xiao Lin, Zhu Yawen—are you here to take Liu Qianqian out? Then go ahead, Auntie needs to head home first." Liu Liu Xiaoli said with a smile.

Lin Nan was surprised—he remembered that back in Hengdian, Liu's mother had been very reluctant to let Liu Yifei go wandering around Hengdian Town with his group.

"Let's go, Mom, you head back and don't worry—I'll come home early." Liu Liu Yifei took Watching Shu Chang's hand and urged Lin Nan and the others along.

"Alright, have fun, and stay safe." Liu Liu Xiaoli waved and followed the young man and woman to another car.

The four of them headed toward Zhu Zhu Yawen's car—and in that brief moment, they were photographed by reporters.

Zhu Zhu Yawen drove, Lin Nan sat in the passenger seat, and the two girls sat in the back chattering nonstop. The scene was very warm.

Lin Nan suddenly thought of the word "friendship," and sincerely hoped the four of them could keep their bond going forever.

Eating, drinking, and having fun—that was the theme of the afternoon. The places they went were all relatively upscale and private, so they wouldn't be disturbed.

Both girls sang beautifully. Zhu Zhu Yawen cleared his throat and sang "A Snow in '02," and actually sounded quite decent.

When the microphone was handed to Lin Nan, he flatly refused. Only when there was truly no way out did he sing a single line—and the mineral water Watching Shu Chang had just sipped came spraying out.

"Hahaha, you're tone-deaf?" Watching Shu Chang laughed unrestrainedly.

Zhu Zhu Yawen knew about this, and now wore a look of having pulled off a successful scheme. Liu Liu Yifei curled up on the sofa laughing so hard she clutched her stomach.

"No more singing, no more—Old Zhu set me up." Lin Nan started giving up.

"He does listen to music normally and hums a tune okay, but the moment he opens his mouth, it's a disaster—haha."

Zhu Zhu Yawen seized the chance to twist the knife. He'd accidentally discovered Lin Nan's flaw back in their freshman year, and after that Lin Nan had hidden it very well—until today.

The two girls sang with gusto, Zhu Zhu Yawen chimed in every now and then, and Lin Nan became the professional song-skipper.

After singing came dinner. The four of them picked a private kitchen. The girls were picky eaters—this one wouldn't eat that, that one wouldn't eat this—but when ordering they wanted everything. Fortunately Lin Nan and Zhu Zhu Yawen had foreseen this and ordered nothing, leaving it all to Liu Liu Yifei and Watching Shu Chang.

"Eyes bigger than stomach"—that described these two girls. Leaving too much to waste wasn't good, but packing it up seemed like a hassle, so the two men suffered, eating until they were stuffed.

"I'm an actor, I have to watch my figure. Don't let it happen again."

Zhu Zhu Yawen complained. He had eaten until he was ninety percent full, and it was evening time after all.

"Good thing I'm a director, I don't have to care about that."

Lin Nan's one line earned him a glare from Zhu Zhu Yawen and giggles from the two girls.

"Let's go burn off some food." Zhu Zhu Yawen suggested.

"Sure." The three agreed unanimously.

A city has no night, only daytime and neon-lit revelry — especially in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

A few people wore hats, and the girls also wore masks, strolling down the busy street, relaxed and inconspicuous.

"I rarely go shopping like this."

Liu Liu Yifei and Shu Chang walked hand in hand, very happy. As two beautiful and recognizable actresses, it really wasn't possible for them to go out shopping like this normally.

They wandered along, looking here and there, and it was soon past eight in the evening. Liu's mother had already called to urge them once.

"Let's call it a day here. We'll take Liu Qianqian back — Liu Ayi is already urging us. Changchang is at the Foreign Language Institute, so she can't stay out too late either." Lin Nan said.

Liu Liu Yifei looked a little unhappy, but said nothing.

The few hurried back to where they had parked. Zhu Zhu Yawen had been the full-time driver today — first dropping off Liu Liu Yifei and Shu Chang, then driving back with Lin Nan to the Film Academy. By the time they reached the dorm, it was already ten o'clock.

"I'm staying in the dorm tonight. Lin Zi, let's have breakfast together tomorrow." Zhu Zhu Yawen called out, then went back to his own dorm.

Lin Nan lay on the bed, and before long heard a knock on the door. Zhu Zhu Yawen came in carrying his bedding and set it down on the other lower bunk in Lin Nan's dorm.

"Senior year's almost over, the dorm is empty as death. I'll just move in here with you, so we can chat a bit too."

Lin Nan smiled and said nothing. A late-night chat was a late-night chat — but who knew, the two of them hadn't talked for a few minutes before their eyelids started to droop, and before long snoring filled the room.

The next morning, Lin Nan still woke up first and called out to Zhu Zhu Yawen.

He had lived alone in the dorm for almost two years, so suddenly having an extra roommate felt a bit unfamiliar.

"The dorm bunk is still this hard." Zhu Zhu Yawen stretched both arms and said.

After washing up, Zhu Zhu Yawen carried his bedding back, packed it up, and put it back in the cabinet.

Quite a few students were out for morning drill, but certainly not as many as the neighboring institute.

Lin Nan and Zhu Zhu Yawen walked toward the cafeteria. Along the way, many junior schoolmates and schoolmates would greet them warmly: "Good morning, Senior Brother Lin. Good morning, Senior Brother Zhu Yawen."

The two got their food and sat together to eat.

"In the blink of an eye, so many people are calling me senior brother. In another two months we'll be seniors." Zhu Zhu Yawen couldn't help getting sentimental.

"Isn't that Director Lin and Zhu Yawen?"

At that moment, a voice drew near.

The two turned their heads — it was Wang Wang Luodan.

"It's rare to see you, Senior Sister, in the cafeteria!" Lin Nan scooted over to make room.

Wang Wang Luodan sat down. "You'll be seeing me a lot in the next week or two. All the Class of 2001 have to come back for their thesis defense and graduation ceremony."

"By the way, there's news about you two today." Wang Wang Luodan said with a smile, then took a sip of soy milk.

"What news?" Zhu Zhu Yawen hadn't caught on.

"'The Return of the Condor Heroes' crew wraps filming; Little Dragon Girl returns to Beijing yesterday; close schoolmate friends and besties greet her at the airport."

"And there are photos of you two going shopping yesterday. The two girls were wrapped up tight, but you two didn't wear masks." Wang Wang Luodan added.

"Thought it was something." Zhu Zhu Yawen instantly lost interest.

Lin Nan ate his bun and nodded.

"You two are close, though. Our class doesn't have that kind of schoolmate bond — we're all competitors." Wang Wang Luodan complained.

There was no way to respond to that. All three major arts institutes were like this — schoolmates could become rivals at any moment, all because of resources.

The most popular one in the Class of 2001 was still that 'Zhou Zhou Xingchi girl.' Riding on the name Zhou Zhou Xingchi, she had pulled several lengths ahead of the other Class of 2001 acting students.

Apart from Huang Huang Shengyi, Wang Wang Luodan was actually already doing quite well among the Class of 2001. Signed under Chang Chang Jihong, she had already acted in two TV dramas, and plenty of her classmates envied her.