Chapter 286: This Is My Girlfriend

Li Dayong arrived at Zaojunmiao at six p. ., watching Li Ye and Wen Leyu happily enjoy their private meal, while he himself ate without appetite.

Li Ye sipped his porridge and asked, "Dayong, how long have you been back?"

Li Dayong said, "Twenty-one days."

Li Ye: "How many letters did you get?"

Li Dayong hesitated for several seconds, then answered, "Three."

Li Ye put down his porridge bowl and said, "One letter a week—what's the rush?"

"I'm not rushed. Where am I rushed? Brother, don't talk nonsense."

Li Dayong's face flushed red, mainly because Wen Leyu was watching him with a knowing look, making him extremely awkward.

"Enough. This kind of thing can't be rushed. When the time is right, it'll happen naturally. When you meet her, don't be nervous—just be yourself."

"I really am not nervous. Really. If you say it again, I'm leaving!"

Li Dayong kept denying it, but within ten minutes he glanced at the door three times; finally, unable to bear Wen Leyu and Li Ye's teasing glances, he went and sat by the courtyard gate.

Wen Leyu then asked with concern, "Will Li Dayong's situation this time be like last time again? Love thrives on equality—he's throwing himself at her so hard."

Li Ye shook his head. "This time it's truly different."

Wen Leyu: "How's it different? He acted the same way toward Lin Qiuyan before."

Li Ye said, "It's Pei Wenhui who's different. You'll see what a southern sweet girl is like when you meet her."

"A southern sweet girl?"

Wen Leyu was puzzled, but an hour later, she finally understood.

Pei Wencong arrived at Zaojunmiao with his sister and Jin Peng.

The moment she stepped inside, Pei Wenhui spotted Li Dayong and rushed over happily.

"Dayong, is your foot still hurting since you got back?"

"Did you drink the herbal soup on time? The doctor said you injured your tendons—you need proper rest."

"I got the gift you sent me—I love it so much!"

"."

Pei Wenhui chattered nonstop with warm concern for Li Dayong, then presented him with a clearly carefully prepared little gift.

All this sweet, affectionate behavior left Wen Leyu utterly bewildered.

【How did this bear stumble upon a girl like this?】

The warmth and enthusiasm Pei Wenhui showed made even Wen Leyu, a woman, envious. After enduring Lin Qiuyan's emotional abuse, how could Li Dayong not be utterly melted?

Wen Leyu whispered to Li Ye, "Is this what they call fate turning around? Or do all southern sweet girls act like this?"

Li Ye said, "Not all. The world has countless beauties—she has her charm, you have yours. The best match is the one that suits each other."

Wen Leyu sniffed. "Hmph, you're good with words."

Li Ye said, "Yes yes, I like you just like this."

"Go away~"

After reuniting with Pei Wenhui, Li Dayong wanted to take her around Beijing, but Li Ye stopped him.

"Don't you know what's going on right now? Don't wander around at night. Take her out properly the day after tomorrow, on Sunday."

The crackdown had been going on for over half a month; unannounced officials were constantly patrolling at night seeking performance metrics, so caution was best.

Li Dayong looked disappointed, but then Pei Wencong said, "Actually, Xiao Hui shouldn't return to Hong Kong for now. We'll have plenty of time together later—I'm counting on you, Mr. Li, to look after my sister."

"Not returning to Hong Kong?" Li Ye thought for a moment. "Are you having her manage the business here, or enroll in school?"

Pei Wencong said, "Of course for her studies. I spoke with a professor at Beijing University today—they said they'd consider admitting Xiao Hui through special enrollment if she passes the entrance exam."

Li Ye smiled. "Old Pei, you've got good taste. Excellent."

Pei Wencong laughed heartily. "Not at all—it's all thanks to Mr. Li."

Pei Wenhui sat nearby, her eyes flickering, exchanged a smile with Wen Leyu, then asked Li Ye, "Mr. Li, I heard your girlfriend studies English. I brought some English materials—would now be a good time to bring them in?"

Li Ye replied calmly, "Here she is—my girlfriend. You two can talk."

Wen Leyu gave Li Ye a cool, sidelong glance, pursed her lips slightly, and smiled faintly.

Soon after, two large bags of English materials were placed before Wen Leyu.

The two girls quickly began chatting enthusiastically, leaving Li Dayong, who had waited all this time, completely shut out.

Jin Peng patted Li Dayong on the shoulder and pulled him outside for a cigarette.

He suspected Pei Wencong hadn't come to see Li Ye just for idle chat—he must have something private to discuss.

Once they were alone, Pei Wencong hurriedly said, "Mr. Li, I just spoke with Ah Bo. The Hong Kong exchange rate dropped a dime today—from 8. 5 to 8. 5."

Li Ye asked, "So you want to sell?"

Pei Wencong immediately shook his head like a rattle drum.

Li Ye hadn't said sell—how could he sell?

Hong Kong was a place steeped in superstition; Li Ye's flawless "miracle moves" had turned Pei Wencong, a highly educated graduate, into a believer in mysticism.

To put it bluntly, if Li Ye said squatting to pee brought luck, Pei Wencong would never stand to urinate.

Li Ye said, "Don't rush. You won't have to wait long to sell. If you absolutely can't hold back, sell a little first—just to hear the sound of money."

After a series of announcements, the Hong Kong dollar had been fluctuating around 8. ; many who had profited were already exiting, but Li Ye knew it would eventually stabilize around 7. and remain there for decades.

The money he and Pei Wencong held now—three tenths of a dollar—meant tens of millions in profit. No need to rush.

"Alright, Mr. Li, how much funding do we need to shoot 'Wandering Soldiers of the Homeland'? I asked a few Hong Kong directors—they quoted around thirty-five million."

"Thirty-five million?" Li Ye asked, puzzled. "Hong Kong dollars?"

Pei Wencong's jaw twitched, embarrassed. "No—U. . dollars."

Li Ye: "."

Seeing Li Ye stunned, Pei Wencong hesitated, then handed him a document.

"This is their quote. I didn't dare decide on my own—I brought it for you to decide."

Li Ye silently read it, not looking up for a full ten minutes.

"Hmph~"

Li Ye couldn't help but sneer.

The quote listed nearly three hundred actors—salaries ranged from tens of thousands to over a million.

As for costumes and props, it was even more absurd—a set of armor costing twenty thousand U. . dollars? Were they planning to use real antiques?

Li Ye shook the quote sheet in front of Pei Wencong's face, making Pei Wencong's eyes jump in alarm.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li. I'm not familiar with Hong Kong's film industry. This was a friend of a friend's recommendation. They just said historical war films cost a fortune—Hollywood's 'Cleopatra' in '63 spent $31 million, and now it's '83, so I needed you to decide."

"It will cost a lot, yes—but not wastefully."

Li Ye tossed the quote aside. "Don't associate with that friend anymore."

Pei Wencong quickly said, "Understood. Should I contact Wu Jinyuan tomorrow? She reached out to me tonight—seems interested in collaboration."

Li Ye laughed. "What, Old Pei, are you smitten with her? I brought you here to deal with her—don't misunderstand it as 'courting' her."

"I'm not courting her," Pei Wencong said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "I just think 'Wandering Soldiers of the Homeland' will definitely be released in Southeast Asia, and Wu's Cultural Communication Group has deep roots there."

"Besides," Pei Wencong added, "Wu Jinyuan isn't one of us. Have you noticed how she looks at us? Seems friendly, but actually condescending—she doesn't see us as equals."

"Oh?"

Li Ye became interested and asked with a smile, "Not one of us? Explain."

Pei Wencong said, "I asked my classmates. Wu Jinyuan is a direct descendant of the Wu family from Lijia Po—no one knows which branch, but she's far more than just a deputy manager."

"Oh, I see."

Li Ye nodded. That made sense.

Otherwise, how could a company deputy manager arrange student exchanges, or broadcast debate sessions?

"So, Mr. Li, since we don't have professional filmmakers yet, should we contact Wu Jinyuan?"

"Who said we don't have professional filmmakers?"

Li Ye coldly rejected Pei Wencong's suggestion.

If it were martial arts films, Hong Kong might currently hold overwhelming advantage.

But for historical war epics, the mainland isn't weak at all.

When Master Jin sold his wuxia rights to the mainland, his reason was: "If you can match the quality of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' I'll sell it for one yuan."

In 1983, thirty-five million U. . dollars?

Hmph. Half that amount could make a classic.

Today I only wrote two and a half chapters. Tomorrow I'll do three—too late, can't write any more.

(End of Chapter)