Chapter 331: The Swordswoman Who Went

The secretary came in once. Hastings' office was filled with the burnt aroma of coffee beans, and a sentence from *The Godfather* poster on the wall hung: "Fast is better than perfect."

Liu Liu Yifei's "admonition" started here:

"Just now Mr. Reed (Hastings) mentioned my purpose, I think I should express it relatively clearly."

"Very clearly, my appeal is for Netflix to dominate the DVD rental market, and I can also get better role opportunities by holding shares."

"Fast is always better than perfect, isn't it?"

2006 was the peak period of DVD sales in Hollywood. It replaced VHS tapes and became the main carrier for consumers to buy and collect movies.

On average, DVD revenue generally accounted for 40%-50% of a film's total revenue, far higher than cinema box office revenue.

As an actress eager to get ahead in Hollywood, Liu Liu Yifei's argument was very convincing.

"Mr. Hastings, I have confidence in Netflix."

"Thank you, me too." Hastings was confident: "Ma'am, you and your family have made a correct decision. I will arrange the stake acquisition as soon as possible."

"I have to say, you chose a great enterprise. We will not only be kings in the DVD market, but have already aimed at the future streaming media field!"

Liu Liu Yifei looked at Hastings, who was drawing a big picture for investment, and was startled in her heart.

Boss Lu told her that Hastings might have already had the intention of streaming media; it seems it's true.

The young director was only estimating; after all, Netflix's truly bold transformation was in 2007.

The young girl pretended to have a puzzled expression: "Streaming media?"

"Right! Streaming media!" Hastings was proud: "DVD rental always has a ceiling, but streaming media can break physical media, provide richer content libraries, and satisfy the diverse needs of more users."

"In fact, I already have some preliminary ideas, but we must defeat the damn Blockbuster first, right?"

"They have dominated the market for thirty years; they will eventually be eliminated by the times."

This confident, even arrogant CEO talked eloquently, but was surprised to find that this mysterious Chinese girl suddenly stood up!

"Are you kidding, Mr. Hastings?" Liu Liu Yifei's pretty face was full of questioning: "My 300 million USD is not used to pay for your unrealistic dreams!"

"I am paying for my own dreams!"

Hastings was stunned, feeling a bit of disdain for these investors who didn't understand the market at all.

It looked like this pink-carved, jade-carved Eastern girl was just a vase waving a money stick.

"Innovation! Ma'am, you must understand what innovation spirit is!"

"Hollywood's 'Big Six' monopolized the big screen, but I tell you, the future PC side will be Netflix's world! This is innovation!"

Liu Liu Yifei clicked her tongue in appreciation in her heart. The expression was basically the same as Boss Lu's. The "three-screen integration" of movie channels he talked about, Hastings only missed the so-called mobile end.

And even she herself couldn't understand the scene of "watching movies on mobile phones" that he talked about.

Perhaps the release of Apple's first-generation smartphone next year would allow her to have a deeper understanding of the so-called mobile end.

The little beauty frowned; things were getting complicated.

It must be said that Hastings is worthy of being an entrepreneur who made Netflix's market value exceed Disney's in the future.

In 2006, when no conditions were mature and the world's first smartphone hadn't been released, he had already sprouted the strategic intention of an emerging streaming media platform.

But now Little Liu's task was to stop him.

How to stop him?

You can't expect a nineteen-year-old girl who is still in the learning stage to persuade a dictatorial entrepreneur on how to manage a company and formulate strategic decisions.

According to the report submitted by Netflix to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in 2005, Hastings held about 12% of the shares.

But because of the AB share setting, he had as much as 97% of the voting rights for company decisions.

Liu Liu Yifei, carrying 300 million USD, couldn't expect to persuade him, and realizing the shelving of streaming media business through board resolutions after buying a stake was completely impossible.

There was only one way: take advantage of the war between Netflix and Blockbuster and use this 300 million USD to try to drag his pace as much as possible.

Liu Liu Yifei raised her eyebrows: "Innovation requires capital. Does Netflix have it now?"

Hastings was still standing tall: "Why not?"

"Is that so?" Liu Liu Yifei stood up, crossed her arms, and looked at him with a smile: "In February, you pledged your shares to get a loan of 85 million USD."

"You were also forced to issue 200 million USD in convertible bonds with an interest rate of 7.25%, with a conversion price of 14.5, far exceeding the market price of 3.8!"

"Tell me, what do you call this capital?"

Hastings looked at this Chinese girl with great surprise, gradually correcting his previous perception of her.

It looks like... she doesn't seem like a vase.

Of course, anyone can read data, and they were public data of listed companies. Hastings hadn't looked at her with admiration yet.

"The capital I'm talking about isn't just these simple numbers." Hastings also stood up, trying to create some pressure for her.

"The company's innovation spirit and culture, our execution and determination to transform that lead industry peers, and our core technical talent—this is capital."

"What you're talking about is called numbers."

The dictatorial entrepreneur became more confident as he spoke, just like his style of challenging Blockbuster, which had dominated the industry for thirty years.

"Netflix was founded in 1997 and took only five years to go public. Blockbuster dominated offline rental, so we innovated online business."

"When Netflix fully embraced the DVD market, Blockbuster was still holding onto a large amount of VHS inventory and wouldn't let go."

"By the time we spent millions of dollars developing the recommendation system 'Cinematch' to predict customer preferences and viewing habits, Blockbuster hadn't even started their networking action."

Hastings spread his hands at Liu Liu Yifei: "Ma'am, I believe you chose Netflix instead of Blockbuster because of this, right?"

The Chinese-American girl looked at him with a smile for a few seconds, pointing directly to the core of the problem: "No matter how slow Blockbuster's actions were before, Antioco's 150 million USD networking action has started after all."

"Netflix knows how to innovate, walking 50 steps ahead of Blockbuster in the online rental business."

"But don't forget, Blockbuster's legs are twice as long as yours. This bit of lead doesn't count for anything."

Before Hastings could retort, she continued to output her point of view, all of which were the results of careful research during this period, and with Boss Lu's guidance, it was a case of "calculated against the uncalculated."

"I do have a few questions to ask Mr. Hastings, may I?"

"Please go ahead."

Liu Liu Yifei's face was cold: "In 2006, the average download speed of US households was only 1.2 Mbps. Buffering *The Lord of the Rings 3* takes 6 hours and 42 minutes. If you use it to watch *The Matrix*, Neo will be a mosaic before he pulls the gun. How do you attract users?"

Hastings was concise: "We are looking at the future. Last year this number was only 1.0 Mbps, isn't it?"

Little Liu didn't entangle, continuing to output her point of view: "Fine, looking at the future is fine, then do you want to look at the present?"

"According to Netflix's Q4 report last year, operating cash flow plummeted from 62.8 million USD to 3.1 million, because hoarding popular movies like *The Da Vinci Code* led to inventory turnover days extending from 58 days to 89 days."

"According to the current trend, if Netflix still wants to be distracted by streaming media, without living water, can it last until 2008?"

This time Hastings didn't respond fluently, hesitating a bit: "In fact, besides you, we have contacted other investors. This is not a problem."

"Heh, fine. Then I'll ask one last question."

Liu Liu Yifei decided to throw out the trump card, which was also what she confirmed with Lu Kuan, believing this was a problem that Hastings absolutely couldn't solve, or even find an excuse to avoid—

Format graveyard.

"Currently, there are three incompatible technical fiefdoms in the global video streaming field."

"RealPlayer, QuickTime, and Windows Media Player divide the world."

"Among these three players, there are Apple's direct line and Microsoft's direct line, and they support different playback formats. This is simply too fatal!"

"Among Hollywood film companies, Warner, Miramax, Universal, etc., only authorize a single format to play their movies. If you, Netflix, force streaming media, you have to pay an additional 30% format conversion fee."

Hastings' face was gloomy, and before he could refute, he was interrupted by Liu Liu Yifei's louder narration:

"No matter how innovative Netflix is, it has to consider user experience, right?"

"What is the DVD experience? Open the envelope, put in the disc, play."

"And your so-called streaming media? Download the player, update the driver, install the decoder package, buffer lag, and finally find a blue screen!"

"Hastings, tell me, what kind of loyal Netflix user would be willing to face a 1.2 Mbps download speed, busy for nearly ten hours, only to find that what they are fiddling with is bullshit?"

Liu Liu Yifei picked up her latest LV Speedy handbag from the sofa gracefully: "I'll say it again, Hastings."

"My 300 million USD is to pay for my dreams, not for yours or Netflix's dreams."

The arrogant Netflix CEO didn't mean to stop her from leaving. In fact, this was also the reason why he couldn't convince the team to start the transformation now.

Later generations, Hastings chose to bet everything on H. 264/AVC encoding in 2007, abandoning mainstream formats like RealMedia and Windows Media at the time.

This was also one of the boldest technical gambles in the history of streaming media.

But Hastings in 2006 was still facing a life-and-death battle with the giant Blockbuster, and his thinking was far from expanding to this step.

Missing this move, he was immediately refuted by the "swordswoman" who had calculated against the uncalculated, leaving him speechless.

This pretty and lovely swordswoman twisted the doorknob to leave, and suddenly asked before leaving: "Hastings, I heard you are a military fan, specifically going to West Point to listen to instructors talk about our country's *Art of War*?"

This was the homework she did.

The dictatorial entrepreneur, who still had a gloomy face, gave a noncommittal "Mm."

Liu Liu Yifei killed and punished: "Then I don't understand your decision even more."

"If the Allied forces had attacked France after landing in North Africa in 1943, the ones speaking French now would be the Nazis, right?"

"Streaming media is your Normandy, but D-Day requires meteorologists, airborne divisions, and fake intelligence—do you have these now?"

Swordswoman Little Liu officially bid farewell: "Thank you for the meeting, Hastings. If you think it through, I'm still willing to leave this 300 million USD to Netflix."

"Otherwise, perhaps Blockbuster also needs this life-saving money."

"Please consider it as soon as possible. Time is running out for Netflix."

With the 40-year skill infusion from the old demon in the previous life, Little Liu, this swordswoman, didn't seem to use much force. With a light sword, she pierced the life gate of a certain Western master.

The Cherokee drove away from Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Mia driving.

The young girl in the back seat let out a long sigh and dialed the old demon's phone.

"Mm?"

"Sorry, I failed."

"... Tell me in detail."

Little Liu spoke plainly, but didn't forget to observe Hastings' micro-expressions from the perspective of an actress.

"He seemed to waver, but in order not to make him suspicious, I only left first at the end."

Boss Lu laughed: "Doesn't count as failure. What kind of person did you think he was? Being able to reach this step is already not bad."

"Since Plan A didn't work, I will have people acquire Carl Icahn's Blockbuster shares as soon as possible. Let the media release the wind; Hastings will realize the crisis."

"You keep in touch with him. I think he will look for you again."

Liu Liu Yifei's spirit was a bit tired: "Got it. When the time comes, I will demand the flow of this investment, focusing on the competition for the DVD rental market with Blockbuster."

"Mm, what are your plans next?"

Little Liu hesitated for a while: "According to Sister Zhang Chunru's notes, there are also the George Library in Washington, the Library of Congress, PBS television, etc."

"Then I'm going to the Ye Lu Divinity School library, and I'm going to Germany to see Rabe's descendants. She will accompany me."

"Finally to Jin Ling. It should be about time to join the crew, right?"

The phone was silent for a while. Liu Liu Yifei didn't know what he was thinking, and just wanted to speak when she was interrupted: "You... pay attention to your mental state."

The current sound suddenly swallowed the second half of the sentence, but Liu Liu Yifei clearly heard the muffled sound of his Adam's apple bobbing.

Seeming to feel his concern, the young girl's heart softened: "Don't worry, Mom accompanies me every day, nothing will happen."

"To tell you the truth, many things you taught me before, I have had deeper and newer insights this month."

"Lu Kuan, do you know? I can't wait to push open that door now, uncontrollably wanting to throw myself into 1937, into 1995, to touch that history, to capture that emotional resonance."

The young director didn't know if he smoked too much, but his voice was a bit hoarse: "I can hear it. You're even speaking with a Huaiyin accent."

"Perhaps in the future we can talk in Jiangsu dialect. Jin Ling and Huai'an are very close."

Liu Liu Yifei covered her mouth and laughed: "Haha! We can do it now!"

Hearing that her emotions seemed normal, Boss Lu was relieved: "Then follow your own plan."

"If you feel the pressure is too great, you can stop for a while, manage Twitter, look at Blockbuster and Netflix, and divert your attention."

Little Liu pretended to be angry: "You washing machine, trying to trick me into doing black labor for you all day, right?"

"If you don't want to, that's fine. If you want to relax, then change to other methods."

"What method?"

Boss Lu teased her across the air: "Video, at worst I'll go shirtless and show you, don't say I, the dignified richest man, am taking advantage of a little girl."

"Get lost!"

"If you talk nonsense again, I'll beat you next time!"

Boss Lu's suggestive words seemed to rub static electricity on her eardrums. Little Liu's scolding hit the dark car window and shattered into eight pieces.

She couldn't help but think of the ambiguity in the video that day, only feeling that her face and body were burning, so she gently opened the car window a bit.

The breeze lifted the broken hair at her temples, revealing a touch of rouge red behind her ears, and this blush was attacking the city and seizing the land along her carotid artery.

Little Liu glanced at Mia, who was driving, thinking to herself that fortunately she couldn't understand Chinese: "You, you, you, stop being a hooligan, that day was really an accident!"

"Mm, I know, accident, accident." Boss Lu had a knowing tone; one could see the red clouds rising on her face even through the phone.

After joking for a while, the bridge of the old demon teasing the swordswoman ended, and the phone hung up.

Boss Lu at the Wu Long *Curse of the Golden Flower* set sighed leisurely. He was very conflicted now.

From the first time he saw Liu Liu Yifei in December 2001 to now, nearly 5 years, the young director is perhaps the one who can best understand her perception and evolution as an actress.

Saying this is like breaking a barrier in a martial arts novel is a bit mysterious, but for a young actress whose talent isn't exactly outstanding to have such an opportunity to experience it at this age is a very rare opportunity.

Considering her mental state, perhaps she should stop;

But in order to achieve her wish of becoming a top actress, it is undoubtedly worth encouraging her to go on, even if the road ahead is full of difficulties and demons.

Boss Lu of these past few years is like the teacher in *Whiplash*, constantly conducting frustration education on his student Little Liu, forcing her to move forward step by step.

Now that this student has indeed reached the point of "not being possessed, not being successful," this teacher has hesitated instead.

Whether it is interrupting her progress and asking the little girl to help him negotiate with Hastings;

Or the occasional joking and teasing, it is all just trying to reduce her pressure.

The swordswoman naturally doesn't know the old demon's inner conflict.

She still happily licks the concern and tenderness occasionally revealed by Boss Lu, enjoying the special treatment of the Machiavellian personality, and walks into the next journey through wind and rain.

Late May, Library of Congress, Washington.

Liu Liu Yifei wore a lady's suit, no makeup, black-rimmed glasses, and a shoulder bag, appearing in the underground archive room at a constant temperature of 21 degrees.

Her cuffs were stained with dust from old file bags. She spent some tips to have the archivist find the carbon paper of Zhang Zhang Chunru's borrowing record in 1996.

On the yellowed paper, there were ballpoint pen indentations, and the writing strength of words like "Asahi Shimbun 1937" could be identified.

During the few months in the Asian Division of the Library of Congress, Zhang Zhang Chunru maintained a high-intensity work of copying historical materials for eight hours a day for six consecutive weeks here.

It was the rainy season in Washington D. C. When checking microfilm at the National Archives, Little Liu's right little finger would always unconsciously lift—

This is imitating Zhang Zhang Chunru's habit of holding a fountain pen.

Liu Liu Yifei picked up her pen and wrote in the character biography: Add a callus to the first joint of the right middle finger; she will hold a peppermint candy when proofreading. The slight sweetness is used to resist the fishy smell of historical materials, and the coolness is used to alert the blood feud of the nation.

Mid-June, Georgetown Library.

"Double espresso, no sugar."

Liu Liu Yifei pushed the coin to the freckled barista, her voice hoarse from staying up late.

Her fingernails were stained with the indigo blue unique to microfilm, and her index finger joints were pale blue from long-term pen holding.

A head with a silver earring shaking poked out from behind the counter: "Ma'am, you look a bit like an Asian blogger on MyTube who hasn't updated for a few months."

Liu Liu Yifei, who was using the time waiting for coffee to supplement character details, didn't look up: "You're talking about Crystal, I'm also urging her to update."

The barista was wiping the latte art cup, suddenly lowered his voice and said to his companion: "Why do I think she is that 'Blue Moon'?"

"No, she is much thinner than Blue Moon, and her accent is Midwestern."

The suspected Blue Moon in the mouths of the two walked away with coffee. Her figure, appearance, temperament, and conversation had almost completely turned into another Zhang Zhang Chunru, so it was no wonder they couldn't recognize her.

She returned to the empty seat in the library, staring at the milk foam vortex gradually collapsing in the cup, the corners of her mouth raised in a tired arc.

The morning light penetrated the finger joints of the young girl holding the cup, casting a butterfly-bone-like silhouette on the table.

Liu Liu Yifei took a sip of coffee, suddenly felt inspired, walked to the electronic reading room, and posted a blog:

【It turns out that playing a scholar is not about pretending to be serious, but learning to fall in love with historical materials.

When my fountain pen tore the paper for the fourth time due to anger, I suddenly understood why Ms. Zhang Zhang Chunru always put her coffee cup on the corner of the table—

That is a seat left for the souls of history.

Between the opening and closing of the lens, we are all occupying seats for those who cannot speak.】

After staying in Georgetown for a week, Little Liu left gracefully and rushed to the next battlefield.

The number one little flower in the domestic entertainment industry hadn't appeared in official domestic activities for nearly a year, but the legend of her had never been missing from the world.

Starting from the beginning of May, her "Character Life Experience Series" blog posts began to be serialized on the blog network.

Her daily life, routine, and insights would all be taken out to share with fans.

The massive volume of nearly 13 million followers made this blog post quickly top the blog version's hot search, with countless replies.

【Washington Rain】: Encountered Sister Xixi checking materials without makeup at Georgetown Library! The ponytail was so high it could hang a schoolbag, and the way she held the magnifying glass looked like Conan!

It's just that she was warned by the administrator as a suspicious person when she was secretly photographed...

【Postgraduate Dull Girl】: Followed Sister Xixi and hoarded thirty boxes of Halls peppermint candy. Now the whole class calls me the "Walking Green Arrow." But the vocabulary memorization efficiency has really soared! It's just that the boys were smoked away during dates.

【Gu Gu Xiaobai VIP】: Had the honor of attending the *Sky of History* project launch press conference in Jin Ling in April. When Director Lu announced that the heroine was Liu Liu Yifei, to be honest, I wasn't very convinced.

Not to mention the external conditions, just her experience and age, can she perform the unyielding and pain in the eyes of a female historian and author?

The crew has been setting up scenes for these two months, and no more news has been released. I have only been following Liu Liu Yifei's blog posts.

This sentence today really stung me: "Between the opening and closing of the lens, we are all occupying seats for those who cannot speak."

Looking forward to your character shaping.

Online discussion never stopped, and everyone wanted to rub against this traffic.

Tianya Forum appeared "Liu Liu Yifei Makeup Tutorial": The ponytail must be tied 15 degrees crooked, the fountain pen must be tucked into the second button!

Xici Gongjian Hutong launched the "Find Zhang Zhang Chunru-style Coffee Cup" activity, and the sales of Yiwu-style enamel jars soared.

Penguin Space went viral with "Test which stage of Liu Liu Yifei's life experience you are in? Take you to appreciate the top ten top libraries in the US."

Late June, Connecticut, Ye Lu Divinity School Library.

If the Hoover Institution, where she arrived at the first stop, was one of the extremely important scenes, then the importance of this divinity school library was no less.

Because Zhang Zhang Chunru discovered the clue to the *Rabe Diary* here.

In the autumn of 1995, when Zhang Zhang Chunru was checking the *Bates Documents* in the Divinity School Library, she found multiple files mentioning "John Rabe, Chairman of the International Committee of the Jin Ling Safety Zone."

In December of the same year, she tracked down the contact information of Ursula Reinhardt, Rabe's granddaughter, through the death records of the Berlin City Archives in Germany.

In March 1996, in an apartment building in the suburbs of Berlin, Reinhardt took out the *Rabe Diary* that had been sealed for 59 years—ironclad evidence consisting of 80 handwritten diaries, more than 2,000 pages of documents, and 120 photos.

Zhang Zhang Chunru brought the copies to China and handed them over to official and non-governmental organizations, and held a press conference at the InterContinental Hotel in New York in 1996, becoming a powerful weapon against the right-wing scumbags who denied history.

Walking in this world-famous divinity library, Liu Liu Yifei had completely immersed herself in another period of history.

This scene was an important part of the movie, and she had to treat it with more enthusiasm and energy.

The morning mist condensed into fine water droplets on the Gothic colored windows, refracting the nine o'clock sunlight into pale blue rhombuses, just like the chessboard grid falling on Liu Liu Yifei's back.

She curled up on the top of the oak ladder, her light blue denim shirt washed white—this was replicated according to Zhang Zhang Chunru's work photo in 1995.

Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing the pale blue veins on the inside of her forearms, like fountain pen ink lines blurred on an ancient book.

When her fingertips touched the gold-stamped spine of the *Bates Documents*, the paper scraps stuck in her hair floated in the light column, as if they were the bone ash raised by history.

She sat quietly in a single seat, flipping through the copies of the *Rabe Diary*. Those photos facing the bloody reality seemed to make her soul tremble more than any historical materials in the past.

This swordswoman who was determined to touch the door of the performance temple didn't know that she was already on the verge of going "insane."

The weather gradually became hot, but her heart couldn't stop being cold and sinking.

The deeper she entered the play, the closer she was to the character, and the further she was from herself.

To see the tiny characters clearly, she bit her lower lip unconsciously, and the coral lipstick peeled off between her teeth, revealing the originally pale lip color.

The sweat-dampened broken hair stuck to the back of her neck, tightening into a full string with the progress of the check, and then falling like a broken halberd.

Liu Liu Yifei suddenly felt a palpitation, took a few deep breaths, and scratched her head hard.

Looking down again, a few strands of hair fell out between her fingers...

"Sister Xixi!"

Little Liu, looking dazed, was patted on the back by someone, and looked back suddenly.

Shock!

Why does this person look so much like me?

Oh, no... it's Sister Zhang Chunru.

In the early summer of July, Zhang Zhang Chunru found her, sweating profusely with anxiety, squatted down, and used the most severe tone for the first time to this little sister: "We called you more than a dozen times, why didn't you answer?"

Then she greeted Mia: "Pack up, let's go back first."

Liu Liu Yifei looked at them blankly: "What's the matter? You guys are so strange!"

Zhang Zhang Chunru was helpless: "You're really someone who can make people feel at ease, aren't you?"

The idolized big sister spoke, and Little Liu couldn't even produce the rebellious nature she had against her old mother, letting her make the decision for herself, and went all the way back to the hotel in downtown New Haven.

The atmosphere in the room was solemn, and Zhang Zhang Chunru and Liu Ayi were staring at her with complex eyes.

The young girl

Liu Ayi shook her head: "Sister Xixi, you can't go on like this anymore."

"It's been almost three months. Look at how thin your chin has become; insomnia, vivid dreams, hair loss, you..." The old mother's eyes turned red, and she choked up, unable to continue.

Liu Liu Yifei waved her hand: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The young girl waved the notebook in her hand at them: "You can't even imagine how much I've gained; it really is true that one must practice to truly know a thing."

"Sister Zhang Chunru, you will soon see another version of yourself in the movie."

Zhang Zhang Chunru looked with bitterness at this girl whose voice had become slightly hoarse; her external conditions, including her accent, were now almost infinitely close to her own.

Even the aroma of the peppermint candy in her mouth when she spoke.

Countless life habits like this had been imitated and captured by her, becoming almost second nature.

Since first meeting Liu Liu Yifei in 2002, Zhang Zhang Chunru had often been infected by her naive cuteness.

Last year, during her live broadcast on Fox, her line "I don't allow it" made Zhang's father and mother weep as they watched, exclaiming—she is just like you.

But what pained Zhang Zhang Chunru the most was that this young girl had infected her own self—who was then on the verge of an emotional breakdown—with her innocence;

Yet she had taken the burden upon herself, carrying the painful history on her shoulders once more, exhausting herself for this film destined to fulfill a national wish...

In the unseen, Liu Liu Yifei and she had completed an emotional exchange of joy and pain, but where was this something Zhang Zhang Chunru was willing to see?

"Sister Xixi, don't become another me. I know what kind of torture that is."

"I think you can stop for a while."

Liu Ayi also couldn't help but say: "Sister Xixi, Mom knows you've grown up and are very independent, but this situation is different. You might not notice it yourself, but everyone around you can see you're not yourself!"

"You can't go on like this anymore!"

Little Liu knew their good intentions, but she really didn't want to give up such a good opportunity: "Think about how much obstruction we've experienced in this year since Lu Kuan decided to launch the massacre film project?"

"Even now, there are still a few right-wing scumbags tailing and harassing us."

"The way to make them shut up is to film this 'Schindler's List' of the Chinese people!"

"Sister Zhang Chunru, the more I walk the path you came from, the more I realize the importance of this film."

"Seeing that we are only a month away from starting production, how can I shrink back at this time?"

Zhang Zhang Chunru warned her with an unprecedented solemn tone: "I know better than anyone how much pressure you are under. This pressure once tried to destroy me; it was this film that gave me hope again."

"The film is important, but you are more important."

"Besides, we just hope you stop your hurried pace and adjust your state before filming begins. What is wrong with that?"

Liu Liu Yifei bit her lower lip tightly, pleading helplessly: "Can I go back to Jin Ling after going to Germany?"

"No!"

"No!"

Liu Ayi and Zhang Zhang Chunru said in unison, the latter coaxing her: "How about this, cancel the Germany trip. You'll have to go when filming starts anyway, just familiarize yourself with it then."

"Besides, if you want to know anything, just ask me. Is there anyone who knows more than I do?"

"I just contacted Lu Kuan, he's going to the set to inspect it in advance in the middle of the month."

"Let's go back to Jin Ling first, and you can familiarize yourself with the scenes there at the end, wouldn't that be fine?"

Seeing their stance that they wouldn't give up until she agreed, the young girl could only pick up her notebook filled with notes and agree, full of worry.

Watching her return to her room listlessly, Liu Ayi and Zhang Zhang Chunru looked at each other helplessly and sighed.

"Don't worry too much, Sister Ayi. Once she goes back to Jin Ling and sees Lu Kuan, and the domestic environment is a bit more lively, she will naturally get better."

The old mother shook her head with a bitter smile: "You don't know, Zhang Chunru, this girl is really a bit obsessed now."

"Sometimes she forgets to eat and sleep while pondering the character, and even Lu Kuan can't persuade her sometimes. This, compared to before..."

Zhang Zhang Chunru was speechless.

She naturally knew about Liu Liu Yifei's feelings for Lu Kuan, but this matter didn't seem too surprising.

The underlying tone of Liu Liu Yifei's character already carried pride and persistence.

She was the one who wouldn't take off her pointe shoes as a child even when the straps left bruises;

She was the one who performed her morning exercises meticulously for four years to enter the world of performance;

She was the one who resolutely jumped out of the frame to be the most unique color;

She was the one who was willing to smear herself before the whole world to protect the people she cherished.

From the night of the birthday banquet, from the moment she said "I, completely and absolutely, am in charge of me," even Boss Lu, who had the greatest influence on her, seemed to fail intermittently on certain issues.

For example, regarding loyalty and exclusivity in relationships, the washing machine would never dare to test or provoke her.

Or perhaps the role of Zhang Zhang Chunru in the current "Sky of History."

In the heart of the young girl who was too deep into the role, there was nothing more important than this film.

For the public, this was the hard work and expectation of so many people.

One only needs to think about the significance of "Schindler's List" to the Jewish people to understand.

For herself, this was also the key to crossing that threshold, an opportunity for her acting career to break free from the shackles of typecast roles.

In this life, the twists and turns and colorful life and emotional experiences had sculpted a more resilient, wise, and independent female image on her naive and tranquil foundation.

Regarding performance and emotion, she had her own unique attitude and aesthetics—

Casting characters with iron willpower, letting the cracks of emotion bloom into flowers in the dark.

——

At the end of July 2006, several news items were quietly published in the "Wall Street Journal," though irrelevant people scanned past them, while those who cared clicked their tongues in admiration.

【Marvel Company reaches a principled acquisition agreement with a mysterious Eastern buyer, planning to submit an overall acquisition plan within the year.】

Relatively speaking, this was a piece of news that no one cared about, because the current Marvel was truly a mud that couldn't be plastered onto a wall.

The rupture of cash flow had led the management to bet almost everything on "Iron Man," which was about to start filming next year.

It is reported that this superhero film, jointly invested by North American Inquiry Realm, Miramax, and Disney, will have its global premiere in 2008.

Referring to Wanda's successful acquisition of AMC in 2012, and the fact that the acquisition of North American Legendary Pictures by companies like Cheng Tian in the same year did not encounter obstruction.

Today, in 2006, a film company that started with series like "Paranormal Activity" and "Insidious" acquiring Marvel, even if it belonged to the Chinese, was not a very sensitive transaction.

At this moment, Marvel had already mortgaged all its assets, and in the eyes of outsiders, Chinese capital was just "dumb money" taking over the mess.

【Blockbuster and Netflix war is in full swing, both sides fight again after attracting investment!】

The industry first heard that Blockbuster's major shareholder Carl Icahn had sold his 15% stake for $150 million to a mysterious private equity fund in North America.

Immediately after, Netflix CEO Hastings, feeling the pressure, did not show weakness and announced that a Chinese consortium had invested, bringing $300 million in ammunition to the DVD rental war.

Not only that, Hastings also received support from Miramax and Disney.

Not only would Miramax's film library be prioritized, but Disney's recent "Toy Story" would also consider exclusive distribution through DVD channels.

This was a huge negative for Blockbuster.

Of course, these were all the results of Boss Lu's secret manipulation, with the goal of quickly crushing Blockbuster, absorbing chips through the secondary market, convertible bonds, and block trades, and finally completing the acquisition.

The next step was the devouring of Netflix, which had been forced to start an all-out DVD war.

In 2006, Netflix's total market cap was less than $2 billion. As long as the battle lasted until early 2007, when Paulson's first CDS earnings arrived, the only things to consider would be the review by the US Trade Commission and the Department of Justice.

In addition, North American Inquiry Realm's two films, "Twilight" and "Underworld 2," would land in the North American summer release window at the end of July and mid-August, respectively.

Unlike in the past, this time the distribution had the help of ally Disney, making it even more handy.

However, while the company and partners like Harvey and Lionsgate were full of worry, Boss Lu was quite confident and casual.

"Underworld 2" was a series film with a fixed audience and Leonardo's appeal, while "Twilight" was a box office truth verified by later generations.

In this life, with the marketing bonus of internet tools like MyTube and Twitter, the numbers would only be more beautiful.

As long as there were no accidents, one could just sit and wait to collect the money.

Unknowingly, the tentacles of a certain Eastern entertainment capital had already taken root and sprouted in Hollywood.

In terms of content, it was based on B-movies like "Insidious" and "Paranormal Activity," was about to acquire Marvel, and began to gradually recover the superhero IPs scattered in the hands of the Big Six;

In terms of channels, the big screen had allies like Disney and Lionsgate helping out, and starting from Blockbuster/Netflix, it aimed at the future streaming track;

In terms of Fourth Estate marketing, Twitter users had already exceeded two million, and with the explosion of "Twilight," the mutually bound IP and products could grow synergistically.

This didn't even count Boss Lu's shares in Facebook, which were placed under the name of the Gunslinger Fund and were not too flashy for the time being.

There were also $1 billion in stocks of Google and Android, which would shine brightly in the era of streaming and mobile internet.

In the middle of 2006, the Eastern old demon, who had lived two lives, had finally driven the first nail deep into North America, starting to lay a solid foundation step by step, waiting for the day of blooming and bearing fruit.

And the martial arts heroine he had cultivated with his own hands had to accept the arrangements of Zhang Zhang Chunru and Liu Ayi, returning to China at the end of July after being away for nearly a year.

She was about to finish the last stop of her life experience, Jin Ling, and then join the crew to start filming.

(End of this chapter)