[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-playboy-of-huayu-how-did-a-celestial-immorta":3,"chapter-the-playboy-of-huayu-how-did-a-celestial-immorta-the-playboy-of-huayu-how-did-a-celestial-immorta-chapter-332":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Playboy of Huayu: How Did a Celestial Immortal Transform Me?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2297958,4495,"Chapter 332: Liu Yifei: The Grave of Her Late Mother, Ceng Wenxiu?","the-playboy-of-huayu-how-did-a-celestial-immorta-chapter-332",332,"\u003Cp>At the end of July, the *Curse of the Golden Flower* crew filmed their final scene on the dam grassland outside Beiping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over 2,000 warriors in armor were the main focus; Boss Lu observed the entire process, clicking his tongue in admiration at Zhang Yimou’s ability to coordinate such a scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one were to use the exaggerated and \"chuunibyou\" definition of an \"imperial hexagonal warrior\" as the Japanese might, the young director’s shortcoming was clearly in this area of coordination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scale of the hundred-person extras in *Tangshan* was considered a preliminary attempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the scale of extras in *The Sky of History* reached tens of thousands, and the number of performers for the Olympic Games was nearly twenty thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On New Year’s Eve, Liu Yifei and Lu Kuan had made a ten-year pact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this massacre film was an excellent opportunity for a transformation in Liu Yifei’s acting career;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise, for Boss Lu, this was also a key link in patching up his own shortcomings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peter Chan stood with Lu Kuan, who had just finished a creative team meeting, smoking and watching the \"ten thousand horses hushed\" scene on the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wrapping up so early, you must be preparing for the preview screenings to apply for the Oscars, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This \"Oscar\" referred to the Academy Awards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peter Chan nodded: \"It’s already been arranged, in both Beiping and Pengcheng.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe the quality of *The Banquet* is not as good as the *Curse of the Golden Flower* that you helped revise; I am very confident.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*The Banquet* would be submitted to the Venice Film Festival in September and released domestically on September 16th, making it Zhang Yimou’s biggest competitor this year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the 2006 Oscar submission rules had undergone major changes; the original shortlist, determined from about 60 films submitted by over 60 countries and regions worldwide, was slashed to 9 films after the reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This brought the number of shortlisted films for Best Foreign Language Film in line with technical awards, both at around 10 films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Lu smiled: \"Don't worry, with Huayi’s influence, *The Banquet* should end up representing Xiangjiang as a co-production, and *Curse of the Golden Flower* will represent the mainland.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, Huayi’s moves have been quite significant this year. Does Boss Lu feel any sense of urgency?\" Peter Chan made a mild joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>News Corporation, represented by Deng Wendi, had acquired shares in the name of a mainland joint venture;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were two major screen productions: *The Banquet* and *Red Cliff*, a collaboration with Cheng Tian;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were currently communicating with the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television regarding the loosening of the \"game restriction order\" for *Chinese Paladin 3*, which they intended to land on the Hunan satellite channel;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most eye-catching of all was the buzz in the industry that e-commerce giant Alibaba’s president, Ma Yun, intended to acquire shares in Huayi, emulating the close cooperation between internet companies Blogchina and Wenjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Lu laughed heartily, not making any arrogant boasts about \"Wang Xiaolei being reckless\" or \"Ma Yun being unwise,\" his tone remaining humble: \"The cake needs to be made bigger by everyone together; Wenjie welcomes the entry of competitors.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It has to be Boss Lu, what a spirit!\" Peter Chan gave him a thumbs up. The two exchanged commercial flattery for a while before Zhang Yimou walked over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiao Lu, I’ve spoken with Zhang Heping; let the Olympic creative team take a few days off as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll arrange the post-production editing for *Curse of the Golden Flower* and then head to Jinling; you can just use these few days to set up the preliminary work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Directors understand directors best; the trivial matters before filming begins are far more numerous than after wrapping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially for a historical biographical film like this, the acceptance of sets and restored architecture, basic training for extras, and the preparation of equipment and props all require immense effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, most members of Boss Lu’s core crew had come all the way from *Drummer*, and one could see their extreme professionalism from the filming process of *Tangshan*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also the business guarantee for the smooth progress of every one of his films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Lu checked his watch: \"I have to go back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah? In such a rush? If you aren't eating lunch, you at least have to come join the fun at the wrap party tonight!\" Peter Chan and Zhang Yimou both tried to persuade him to stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, I need to go back to Beiping to prepare. See you in Jinling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou was straightforward: \"Alright then, we’re all our own people, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. Drive carefully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Lu smiled and crushed his cigarette butt: \"You got it! I'm off.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beiping Capital International Airport.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The electronic clock at Terminal 3 jumped to 23:17. In the international arrivals corridor for the last flight, a girl wearing a dark gray hoodie pulled her canvas bag up onto her shoulder, the brim of her baseball cap casting a small shadow under the fluorescent lights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd waiting to pick up passengers had long since dispersed. The wind that rolled in when the automatic doors opened brushed against the back of her neck, startling her into pulling her mask up another half-inch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The return of the \"number one little flower\" of the domestic entertainment industry after a year was relatively bleak, all because she had emphasized to Yang Siwei not to make a scene or create a big spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Zhang Chunru was traveling with her, and given the serious subject matter of the massacre film, they tried to avoid such entertainment-style hype.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could Yang Siwei do? Of course, she chose to support her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the little princess got unhappy and quit on the various announcements arranged for later?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei had her mother, Zhang Chunru, and Mia leave together while she left alone, so as to avoid her itinerary leaking and being surrounded by fans, which would cause inconvenience to Zhang Chunru.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conveyor belt emitted a dull hum. As her silver suitcase turned the corner, the Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet hidden in the little Liu’s sleeve accidentally brushed against the metal railing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she bent down, a round-faced girl who had been \"tailing\" her caught a glimpse of the small mole on the right side of her neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xixi! It’s Xixi!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scream outside the glass curtain wall pierced the silence of the early morning. The round-faced girl, holding her mobile phone, knocked over a luggage cart in her distraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Security guards on duty twenty meters away had just reached for their walkie-talkies when more young faces curious to see the commotion surged out of the convenience store, the sounds of flip-phone buttons clicking incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrival hall instantly turned into a boiling fish tank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A boy in a school uniform had his glasses knocked off in the crush but still lunged forward, holding his Sony Cyber-shot camera high;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A girl in a duck-billed cap waved a ballpoint pen, her notebook cover plastered with clippings from *Exotic* and *Bad Genius*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flight announcements on the PA system were drowned out by waves of shouts for \"Little Dragon Maiden,\" \"Lu Xueqi,\" and \"Blue Moon.\" Two ground staff members linked arms to build a human wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl looked helpless; her itinerary had leaked after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took off her mask: \"Hello everyone, please don't crowd, pay attention to safety! It’s almost twelve o'clock, hurry home!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could the fans be willing to disperse just like that? What a magnificent encounter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xixi, you’re not leaving the country again after this trip back, right? Why have you lost so much weight! We missed you so much!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fairy Sister, when are you going to Jinling to experience life? I want to go and run into you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far away, Yang Siwei was acting like an excavator, leading two assistants as she pushed through the crowd toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei answered their questions as she walked, her face showing the exhaustion and sleepiness hard to hide after a long-haul flight, smiling as she struggled to meet up with Yang Siwei toward the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until a fan with poor emotional intelligence abruptly blurted out, \"The Washing Machine said he was chasing you, why didn't he come to pick you up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, she was plunged into a vast ocean of people, subjected to all sorts of verbal attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the name mentioned in these words seemed to act like a shot of adrenaline for the physically and mentally exhausted Liu Yifei; the young girl couldn't help but look around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This dog of a man said he was rushing back from the *Curse of the Golden Flower* set to pick me up, where is he!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to take out her phone to call him, but then remembered he must have gone to pick up Zhang Chunru, who was traveling separately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it, no need to be jealous over this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a man wearing sunglasses forcefully parted the crowd and squeezed over, nodded and smiled at the little Liu, then grabbed her suitcase and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey! Who are you! Is this a robbery?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xixi, be careful! Who is this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei’s face instantly blossomed into a smile. Following the gesture from A-Fei, she saw a spot of orange light behind the security door—a certain \"Washing Machine\" was standing in the shadows smoking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl felt a sense of peace, a joy of an unexpected encounter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's fine, it's fine, I know him. Goodbye everyone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei waved to the fans, nodded to Yang Siwei and the three studio staff members who were helping to cover the rear, and headed straight for the security exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bentley rolled over the puddles on the airport expressway. When the headlights swept across the red characters \"Dongzhimen\" on a road sign, a rustling sound suddenly came from the back seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Lu tilted his head and watched as the little Liu pulled her hoodie down to her waist, the red marks from the suitcase strap still visible on her fair, glowing shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Phew! So hot!\" Liu Yifei finally managed to take off her mask and duck-billed cap, took off her shoes, and blew hard toward the air conditioning vent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Lu looked at her bright red toenails: \"Whoa! You really don't stand on ceremony, don't go stinking up the car later!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei had learned to snap back now, taking the initiative to tease him in return: \"You jerk! You got the benefit and you're still acting like you didn't!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young director gave her a thumbs up, speechless: \"If you're still hot, take off two more pieces.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl was a bit thin-skinned; teased like this, she felt embarrassed to stretch her feet out to the breeze so brazenly, and intentionally changed the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are we going to Jinling tomorrow?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" Lu Kuan looked her up and down: \"You have lost quite a bit of weight. Are you afraid I’d say your legs are thick?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I lost weight, right? Then take me to get something to eat, I'm hungry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss Lu smiled: \"There will naturally be food back at the Sihe Academy. I already instructed Master Qiao to make some late-night snacks before I got in the car, enough to fill your stomach.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that her mood was relatively stable, the young director didn't mention the grievances Liu Xiaoli had complained to him about, so as not to bring her mood back into that sorrowful environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that even though he deliberately didn't mention it, Liu Yifei had never forgotten her current main quest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This brief moment of mental respite was merely her brain stealing a half-day of leisure from life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, the \"Washing Machine\" was her spiritual opium; when the pressure was too great, she would take a hit to refresh her mind and ease her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The videos I sent you, why didn't you reply to the later ones! I asked you to point out the problems for me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her bring up the sore point, Boss Lu was direct: \"They’re not bad, but many problems need to be created within the context of specific shots and lighting environments.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What you designed was just a one-person monologue; its adaptability within specific film plots remains to be seen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated slightly: \"Also, I heard from Liu Ayi that your recent emotional and mental state...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing of the sort!\" The young girl raised her willow-leaf eyebrows, but the lingering gloom on her smooth forehead was clear as day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lu Kuan, I just want to shape this character well now. I want you to treat my performance with unprecedented strictness, otherwise, my efforts during this time will have been in vain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You will help me, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei looked at him with a solemn expression; the obsessed martial arts heroine looked as if her sharp sword had already been unsheathed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the old demon’s answer had even half a mistake, she would use a move to pierce his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at her at this moment, Boss Lu seemed to see Andrew from *Whiplash*, who had beaten his hand until it bled but was determined to hit the 400-beat limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except the roles were reversed; now the student was forcing the teacher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young director fell into a dilemma of reason and emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her spirit was already under constant, high-level tension; if he continued to push her on set for the sake of a perfect cinematic effect, could the young girl withstand it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Lu recalled Liu Xiaoli’s choked-up voice on the phone, stating that her daughter was suffering from insomnia, hair loss, and weight loss, and pleading with him to please help persuade her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing her today, it seemed his words might not necessarily be effective anymore, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Kuan looked away and changed the subject: \"I will be responsible for the film; you need to pay attention to balancing work and rest, which is also beneficial for your performance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl stared at him with burning eyes for a few seconds, her slender legs folded to the left on the seat, her kneecaps protruding slightly beneath the denim fabric like two stubborn seashells embedded there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly shifted her firm little hips and tilted her head, resting it lightly on the man's shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As her center of gravity shifted to the right, the citrus scent from the girl’s hair brushed past the young director’s nose, and the man felt her cool, tender, and smooth arm pass through his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't move, let me borrow your shoulder for a moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei said this in a soft, gentle voice, then murmured like a mosquito: \"You are afraid I will collapse under the pressure, I know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But ever since I became an actress, I have truly waited four years for a role that could make me... so infatuated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yet only when I truly immersed myself did I realize the kind of focus and passion you have when you edit film until your eyes are sore and tearing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When I was little and dancing, a teacher once told me—pain is your body applauding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And that line from Whitman in *Dead Poets Society*, 'I bequeath myself to the dirt'.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl crunched the mint tablet in her mouth: \"Sharpening a sword for four years, I have practiced my basic skills for four years, and now I want to bequeath myself to this role.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know this is also what you expect of me; you won't deprive me of this right, will you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei looked up with sparkling eyes, the plea for support from the bottom of her heart making her wrap her arms even tighter around the man beside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Kuan turned his head, his gaze locking with hers, his expression complex and hard to decipher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly pulled his arm out and wrapped it around her waist, using a bit of force to make the young Liu surrender, just like that day on New Year's Eve at the bottom of the Fox building, facing the media of the whole world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s broad chest completely enveloped this warm, fragrant, and soft body, along with the temporarily somewhat obsessive soul within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A romantic sentiment suddenly arose; the muscles at the girl’s waist tensed involuntarily, taut and impenetrable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... what are you doing...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warmth from Mr. Lu’s palm passed through her slightly thin summer silk shirt; the sudden intimacy made her feel a bit shy and coy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young director smiled: \"I said, I will be responsible for the film, but I will also be responsible for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Art is not a one-way ticket; finishing an odyssey also requires a complete soul.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have no experience and cannot judge what stage you are currently at; you must have me, your director, to supervise.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't think too much, just listen to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei struggled to speak, but looking up and seeing his firm-lined profile, she didn't know what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, thinking of his seriousness and fervor for the film, the young girl felt slightly relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their goals were always the same, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She squirmed a bit in the man’s arms, intentionally ignoring this illicit intimacy in her heart, reluctant to leave such warmth and lingering affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no choice but to find a clumsy excuse: \"Got it, I... I'm sleepy, I'll sleep for a while, wake me when we arrive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Liu feigned sleep; the neon lights outside the car window illuminated her slightly thin profile, and the young director finally caught a certain dangerous fragrance from Liu Yifei’s hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not the light citrus base note of the perfume on her, nor was it the scent of the mints she habitually kept in her mouth, imitating Zhang Chunru.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the incense she burned in the temple of performance, mixed with the bloody scent of the sacrificer. The burning fire in Liu Yifei’s eyes just now was both the spotlight illuminating the screen and the karmic fire consuming her own self.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Lu sighed softly in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had lit this fire, so it seemed he would ultimately have to be the one to extinguish it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late July, Jinling Hotel, Jiangsu Province.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xixi, shall Mom go with you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need! Mia, don't follow me either; what danger could there be in the country?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chunru was also not very reassured: \"Your fame in the country is much higher than abroad; how can Mia not follow you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Liu at the vanity mirror had no time to turn back, letting the film crew’s professional makeup artist work: \"I’ll make myself up to look like you, Sister Chunru, then put on 90s clothes, wear a hat and a mask, and nothing will happen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaoli was relentless: \"Mom won't walk with you, but can't I follow you from a distance?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, you’re so beautiful, the head-turning rate on the road is too high! The risk of exposure is too great!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go on, this child!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Chunru and Liu Xiaoli exchanged a look; seeing that she could still joke with a relaxed demeanor, their worries eased slightly, thinking it was the result of the young director’s efforts to counsel her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could they know that the \"illness\" of the martial arts heroine was intermittent and severe, and that Mr. Lu was also having a headache over how to guide her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, as the young Liu herself said, no one had the right to arbitrarily deprive her of this excellent opportunity for progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Knock knock!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaoli opened the door: \"Ah Fei, why are you here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold-faced bodyguard stood at the door without entering: \"The boss told me to accompany Miss Liu today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Liu finished her makeup and styling, and stood up helplessly: \"Why is everyone so worried, as if I were still some little child.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone saw that she had indeed completely changed her look; from her hairstyle to her style of dress, she had nothing to do with Liu Yifei anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei picked up her bag and was about to leave, the papers she shook in her hand still recording the target locations for these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm off!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xixi! Xixi!\" Liu Xiaoli went out and called twice, then returned to the room helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pacing for a long time, the old mother was still worried and dialed the young director’s phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Lu was at the restoration site of Jinling Women’s University: \"Auntie Liu?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Lu, Xixi went out by herself, she...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't worry, it's fine. The colors of the scenes in Jinling in the film are relatively warm; I believe it will be a healing experience for her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I chatted with her briefly yesterday, and I will find a way to guide her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Xiaoli sighed: \"Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Little Lu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're welcome.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final push before filming began, the young Liu’s Jinling experience series blog was about to be updated again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only this time, it was in the more vibrant domestic setting, and in the same city where Mr. Lu was inspecting the crew’s pre-production work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl’s psychological sense of security was stronger, so that stubborn streak had faded a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei sat in a taxi; the locations for her life experience were all routes that Zhang Chunru had walked back then in the script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were also a few survivors and their descendants she had interviewed, all of whom had been contacted in advance by the crew to serve as consultants, receiving some financial help in the name of consultant fees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the old house on Pingshi Street, the morning light had just climbed onto the gray tiles of the old southern city, and Liu Yifei stepped on the bluestone slabs and pushed open the courtyard gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Zhang had just bought breakfast and returned, her words filled with smiles: \"Miss Liu, you’re learning from Miss Zhang and wearing a blue cloth shirt?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can't tell who I am, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Liu replied with a smile, looking down at the cotton-linen shirt newly tailored by the crew—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the material chosen by comparing it to the photos of Zhang Chunru’s 1995 investigation, and the same dragonfly brooch was pinned to the collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Zhang beamed as she watched the big star sign an autograph for her: \"Can't recognize you, can't recognize you, you look too much like Miss Zhang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She led Liu Yifei into the old house and gestured with excitement: \"More than ten years ago, it was right here that Miss Zhang interviewed my great-aunt, and when she left, she even left her over a hundred yuan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At that time, I was sitting next to her watching Miss Zhang, and I felt her eyes were really bright!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The crew came yesterday and told me you were coming; oh my, I was so happy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Liu nodded with a smile, took off her disguise inside the house, and looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Eight Immortals table in the old house were enamel mugs and bamboo-cased thermos bottles scavenged from the second-hand market, and the floral pillowcases washed last night were drying on the windowsill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Zhang took out the osmanthus fermented rice wine glutinous rice balls and placed them on the dining table: \"Back then, Miss Zhang also lived in this room; the typewriter clicked in the middle of the night, so noisy that I even played the wrong tiles in mahjong!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Miss Liu, let's eat a little together?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, no, thank you! I ate before I came this morning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Zhang was very enthusiastic and immediately invited her to sit down; without rushing to eat herself, she chattered on about the actual situation of Zhang Chunru’s interview with the comfort woman survivor back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and began to record stroke by stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this hot summer morning, smelling the fragrance of the fermented rice wine glutinous rice balls, she officially walked into this city of wind and rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of the Jinling Library, where the morning mist had not yet dispersed, the light spots filtered by the sycamore leaves danced on the stone steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Liu stepped into the special collection room through the dew, her plain shirt cut into zebra stripes by the window lattice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The administrator, Old Zhou, pushed over a mobile ladder; the sound of the metal rollers crushing the teak floor awakened the sleeping dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello, Miss Liu, the crew has already said hello; you can stay until noon, no one will come for now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed to the elm table by the window: \"This is roughly where Ms. Zhang sat back then; she checked materials here for a week.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, sorry for the trouble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Zhou smiled and brought over a cup of Yuhua tea: \"You're welcome, I am a Jinling local, I have to support it no matter what.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei sat down quietly, the microfilm machine humming as it spat out the *New York Times* from 1937.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took off half of her mask, and when the headline from December 13, 1937, appeared, her fingertips hovered three inches above the photo of the victims, as if paying tribute to the old days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noon, Memorial Hall for the Victims.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei squatted in front of the mass grave site to copy the survivors' testimonies; the pebble path wore faint blue marks on the knees of her denim fabric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was experiencing the state of mind Zhang Chunru had back then, and unknowingly, tears blurred the small regular script in her notebook into ink marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white walls of the memorial hall refracted the sunlight into a pearlescent color, sprinkling it onto the notebook where she was copying the testimonies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, an old gentleman in a Zhongshan suit stood leaning on his cane: \"Young lady, the character 'thirty' should be written like this—.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her withered-branch-like hands traced old-fashioned stroke orders in the void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl looked up, smiling sweetly: \"Thank you, Uncle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she wrote, tears suddenly blurred the passage about \"a mother searching for her son,\" staining the ink into the outline of a river island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether she had completely immersed herself in Zhang Chunru or it was the scorching heat, Liu Yifei only felt that everything in Jinling was so heartwarming, even in such a solemn memorial hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afternoon, Pukou Railway Station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heatwave gradually dissipated, and steam wove thin gauze over the tracks on the platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei stood before the faded \"The World is for All\" slogan, and the phoenix eyes revealed above her mask left the elderly woman selling cakes stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the bamboo steamer was uncovered, the sweet fragrance of plum blossom cakes flowed out, wrapped in osmanthus honey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Granny, please sprinkle some more pine nuts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei remembered from Zhang Chunru’s notes that when she first arrived in Jinling and got off at the train station, she had used this very snack to fill her stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to taste it, and bring some back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman tremblingly added an extra spoonful of candied kumquats, looking at that porcelain-white neck and raven-black, waterfall-like hair before her: \"Is the young lady from Huaiyin?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, can you tell?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It sounds like it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei smiled and said goodbye to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the slender back of the young Liu walking away, the old woman, whose eyes were not yet too dim, suddenly remembered: isn't this the Little Dragon Maiden posted at her granddaughter's bedside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she saw the cake buyer had already walked toward the green-skinned train in the twilight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four o'clock in the afternoon, Liu Yifei arrived at the last stop of the day, Niushou Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also Zhang Chunru's last stop in Jinling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After experiencing interviews with survivors, collecting data at the Jinling Library, and tearfully visiting the Memorial Hall for the Victims, she came to Niushou Mountain before leaving Jinling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Autumn at Qixia, Spring at Niushou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The August Niushou Mountain had not yet been dyed with autumn colors, and the lush green mountains were immersed in the amber setting sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei stepped up the bluestone stairs slowly, her plain shirt puffed up by the mountain breeze into a gentle arc, and the cuffs of her trousers stained with a few specks of dust from old books brought out from the Jinling Library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took off her mask, revealing a porcelain-white face dampened by sweat, her playful ponytail swaying with her steps, and when the tips of her hair brushed her neck, they stirred up fine, shimmering light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl felt a slight regret in her heart; such beautiful scenery, if only he were here, if only he could see it too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the mountain scenery in her embrace, she wandered around the wild lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reeds by the lake rippled into emerald waves, and a few dragonflies skimmed across the water, dotting layers of golden ripples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei squatted by the pier, her fingertips lightly touching the water droplets on a lotus leaf, the chill climbing up to her heart along her wrists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, the copper bells under the eaves of the ancient temple chimed, startling a white egret to fly past the brows and eyes she lifted—this moment was etched into a poem by the mountain breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered the fragments in Zhang Chunru’s notes, walked a bit deeper, and wanted to pick some flowers and grass to bring back as a comfort for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she stood up, her trouser cuffs brushed against the wild daisies, and Liu Yifei leaned over to straighten the swaying little white umbrellas, suddenly seeing a tombstone half-hidden behind the flowers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven characters \"Tomb of the Late Mother Zeng Wenxiu\" suddenly struck her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Wenxiu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memories flickered like light fragments on a lake; these three characters instantly shocked her so much that her fingertips hovered an inch before the tombstone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei would never forget that after the car accident in Shuimo Town, when Lu Kuan was sent to Huaxi Hospital and was deliriously muttering on his hospital bed, he called out those three names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Wenxiu, Liu Yifei, Huang Yimei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, because he had just recovered from a serious illness, the young Liu had no intention of getting to the bottom of it, but she had wondered why he called out her movie character's name in his sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But here in the deep mountains of Jinling, this name appeared before her eyes so abruptly once again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it a coincidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young girl stared blankly, facing the gentle woman in the tombstone's ceramic tile photo across time and space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore old-fashioned wavy short hair, looked about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, the stray hair at her temples brushed into a gentle arc by the wind, and a pearl button fastened the collar of her moon-white diagonal-lapel shirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warmth flowed in the depths of her eyes, and the slightly drooping curve of the corners of her eyes reminded one of a mother who always left the door open for mischievous children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forever containing thirty percent kindness and seventy percent tolerance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei was silent for a long while before self-deprecatingly saying \"Tch,\" aren't there too many people with the same name in China?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he was an orphan who grew up on Maoshan, how could he be related to a tombstone by a wild lake in the deep mountains a hundred kilometers away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced at it in passing; there were very few weeds around, so it should be that relatives of a nearby family were buried here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how wild her imagination was, Liu Yifei could not establish a logical connection between the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be fine to go back and chat with him about this interesting incident; the world is so big, there really are no coincidences that don't happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she was here, she would be at peace with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twilight gradually rose, the mountain breeze carried the scent of osmanthus across her hair, and the cries of returning birds came from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yifei separated some of the wild roses and daisies she had just picked, placed them quietly in front of the tombstone, and then prepared to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For several days in a row, this young actress, who had prepared for the role for nearly a year, had measured the entire city of Jinling with her own footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slippery moss at the base of the Yijiang Gate wall, the whistling river wind at Zhongshan Pier, the last safe zone at the foot of Qingliang Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the twilight, the last ferry sounded its whistle and set sail, and river gulls skimmed over the broken \"The World is for All\" slogan at Zhongshan Pier, like ink dots not yet dry on a long historical scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the Ming City Wall, when her slender figure was elongated by the streetlights and projected onto the mottled, bullet-holed wall, she suddenly stopped, imitating Zhang Chunru by raising her right hand to press against the wall, her knuckles turning white from the force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shedding the soft-focus filter of the \"Fairy Sister,\" Liu Yifei’s eyes now settled with the heaviness of Jinling City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew that when the camera lens for tomorrow's filming focused on the new white hair at her temple, that would be the most moving makeup—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had finally merged into one with the 1995 Zhang Chunru.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the night of July 31, 2006, the literary youth Liu Yifei drew a period to her Jinling experience trip on her blog and wrote the final blog post before filming began:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I originally thought I was going to act out historical suffering, but I understood Zhang Chunru's obsession in the fireworks of a wonton stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind those painful numbers are the granny who delivers umbrellas to neighbors on rainy nights, the migrant worker who forces tea eggs on you, and the millions of concrete people living in the folds of the marketplace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acting is no longer imitating a certain movement or expression, but putting the moonlight of the Qinhuai River into the lens, speaking for that unspeakable era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",5715,"2026-06-20T06:05:19.268Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","94d457cedf31912f21a8dec64dcb6d4880634732b14b19f2cd30f96a15245449","the-playboy-of-huayu-how-did-a-celestial-immorta-chapter-333","the-playboy-of-huayu-how-did-a-celestial-immorta-chapter-331",343,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-playboy-of-huayu-how-did-a-celestial-immorta-cover.jpg"]