China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 881 I'm in a hurry to get married! [Part 2]

The snow gradually stopped, and Sun Yi and Liu Yifei strolled slowly along the familiar tree-lined path.

Although it's called a shady grove, the leaves have long since fallen, leaving only withered vines and old trees. However, after a snowfall, layers of snow hang on the dry branches, creating a silver-clad scene that has a unique charm.

The two held hands, and the snow crunched softly under their feet.

"Look, look!"

Suddenly, Liu Yifei pointed to something not far away and shouted excitedly.

Sun Yi followed her finger and saw a row of two-story townhouses.

A flood of fond memories rushed back to her, but she asked in confusion, "What? What's wrong?"

Unbeknownst to them, the two had arrived at the student apartment where they had lived together at USC.

At that time, Sun Yi came to participate in the International Young Directors Forum, while Liu Yifei came to the United States to participate in an acting training class.

Originally, it was Yale, but someone secretly changed it to USC.

Realizing that someone had actually forgotten about her, Liu Tianxian was instantly furious, raising her fist as if to strike.

"No, no, no, I remember now, I remember now." Sun Yi covered his head and chuckled as if he had just realized something. "Isn't this the student apartment you lived in when you were in the performance training class at USC? Yes, that's right, the luxury student apartment."

Outside the townhouse, the two looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar courtyard.

It's still the Christmas holiday season, and the students have all gone home for the break, so it feels very deserted.

Of course, this also dashed Liu Yifei's hopes of revisiting the old place.

She was also thinking that if there were any students, she could say hello and visit again.

Liu Yifei clung to the courtyard wall, looking at Sun Yi with a mournful expression.

That's it???

"Uh, what else?"

Sun Yi began to play dumb.

"I wonder who was the shameless person who insisted on coming to freeload at this place," Liu Tianxian rolled her eyes at Sun Yi and said indignantly, "They just moved in with their luggage regardless of whether the other party agreed or not. Their shamelessness has reached a certain level."

"Haha, that's because the conditions in our young directors' apartment were too poor. Your place is bigger, and you're all alone. Just think about it, a young woman in her early twenties, in a foreign country, how dangerous is that?"

Sun Yi made an exaggerated expression, gesturing and talking as if it were the real thing.

"Pah, you're the one who's in a foreign land! You couldn't even speak English properly back then, how dare you!" Liu Tianxian spat angrily at Sun Yi.

That's true. Back then, Liu Yifei still had a US green card, and she had lived in the US for almost ten years.

For Sun Yi, this is his first time going abroad.

I wonder who it is in a foreign land.

"Oh, really? Haha~~"

Thinking back to the days when she lived with this guy, Liu Yifei felt a wave of shyness wash over her, and she muttered softly, "This is the first time I've ever lived with a guy."

"Hey! I swear to God, I didn't do anything!"

"You dare say again that you didn't do anything?"

Liu Yifei glared at Sun Yi, and before she knew it, her small hands had moved to his waist, the threat in her eyes obvious.

"I, I, I was just acting out of affection, but within the bounds of propriety."

At least, they didn't break through the final step.

Sun Yi kept half a sentence to himself.

At that time, he had already confessed his feelings to Xiao Nizi and officially confirmed their relationship. Of course, he couldn't let go of such an opportunity to get away from Liu's mother's watchful eye.

Otherwise, given how much Liu's mother valued her daughter at the time, wanting to be by her side 24 hours a day, he would have had to wait forever to get close to her.

"Pah, you big pervert!"

Liu Yifei bit her lip and muttered a curse under her breath.

Looking back on their time living together, there were so many firsts, as if unlocking a genetic lock within her. Even on a cold day, her cheeks suddenly felt hot.

Liu Yifei's insults were worse than if she hadn't said anything at all; they made it seem like flirting, which only made her more alluring.

"So what if I'm a pervert?" Sun Yi stopped pretending and couldn't keep it up any longer. He pulled Liu Yifei into his arms and breathed into her earlobe, saying, "It's because my Qianqian is so beautiful that it's impossible to resist her."

Liu Yifei felt a surge of heat, like an electric shock, that spread rapidly from her ears to her entire body, making her feel weak and unable to move as she nestled in Sun Yi's arms.

Sun Yi had already thoroughly discovered all of her sensitive spots, and once you were affected, there was no way to get rid of them.

Her hands weakly pinched the soft flesh of Sun Yi's waist; it was more like kneading than pinching.

"Tell me, why did you secretly change your training program and come to USC? Was it for me?"

"Stop being narcissistic, it's completely untrue~"

Liu Yifei buried her head deeply in Sun Yi's neck, her voice barely audible.

"No?"

"No~"

Liu Yifei shook her head, not daring to look at Sun Yi at all, and continued to argue stubbornly.

Seeing that she wouldn't admit it and was deliberately being stubborn, Sun Yi resorted to family discipline—tipping her back.

"Really not? Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Hehe~ Oh dear~~ You're cheating~~ You're wrong~~ Hehehe~ Honey, yes, yes!!"

It's good that you've admitted it.

Sure enough, once the family rules were implemented, they were always effective.

Sun Yi looked at the little girl in his arms, her face flushed and her breath coming in short gasps, and felt a surge of pride.

"You admit it now, so tell me, why did you secretly change the school back then? I'm quite curious."

Liu Yifei bit her lip, her eyes filled with tears, looking at Sun Yi with a mournful expression. After catching her breath, she suddenly smiled and said, "Because I like you, you big idiot!"

After saying that, she immediately broke free from Sun Yi's embrace, ran away, and her silvery laughter continued to drift in the wind.

"Sun Yi is an idiot, a complete idiot!!!"

As dusk fell, the two revisited the student dining halls at USC.

Because it was a holiday, there were very few people. Those who came to eat were either school staff or teachers and professors.

Some people may have recognized them, but for various reasons, no one came to disturb them.

It's a world-renowned art-house cinema, and the instructors are quite reserved.

Like the Central Academy of Drama and Beijing Film Academy in China, although students and teachers also follow celebrities and have their own idols, they don't have the same fanaticism as fans.

This was exactly what Sun Yi wanted, allowing him to have a peaceful meal.

Perhaps due to the excessive physical activity she had engaged in that afternoon, Liu Yifei ordered a table full of food.

He picked up a piece of chicken and brought it to Sun Yi's mouth, saying, "Come on, open your mouth, you big idiot."

"Ugh~ Liu Xixi, that's enough! It's been all afternoon, and you're still not done~"

"It's not over yet. It's your fault for always calling me stupid."

Sun Yi sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Seeing Sun Yi's helpless expression, Liu Yifei was very happy and also picked up a piece of chicken, chewing it in big bites.

Saying she had a big mouth is just a figure of speech; she didn't even show her teeth, just her cheeks puffed out.

How can someone look so beautiful while eating?

What's the word for it?

Yes, she's a feast for the eyes.

Just looking at it made Sun Yi feel full.

"Honey, it feels like it's been ages since we went back to school."

Liu Yifei wiped her mouth with a tissue, then gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and sighed to Sun Yi.

"Hey, now that you mention it, it really has been a long time." Sun Yi tilted his head slightly, lost in memories.

"It seems like I haven't been back to see my teacher all year. Now that you mention it, I really miss Old Tian."

"What old man Tian? That's Director Tian," Liu Yifei said reproachfully.

“Hey, you don’t understand.” Sun Yi smiled and shook his head. “That’s how I address him.”

"You want me to call you Master? I'm a little hesitant. Calling you Director Tian seems too formal. Just calling you Teacher feels a bit off. So, Old Tian is just right."

"He also calls me 'brat'."

"Full of fallacies." Liu Yifei pouted and muttered.

"Just tell me, am I right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, my husband is absolutely right, everything he says makes sense!"

"That'll do."

"Big~idiot~"

"Again?!"

"You're not satisfied?"

"Okay, okay, okay~"

Sun Yi surrendered.

"By the way, I'll be going back to school soon, so I'll have a chance to visit my teachers."

"Oh, what's wrong? How come I didn't know?"

Liu Yifei asked curiously.

"I'm sending you something."

"what to give?"

Invitation.

"Invitation?"

"Yeah."

"What... an invitation?" Liu Yifei asked, biting the end of her chopsticks, looking completely bewildered.

"Sigh~" Sun Yi sighed helplessly.

"Why are you sighing? Tell me, what invitation? It's annoying that you only said half of it!"

"A wedding invitation from Ms. Liu Qianqian to this big idiot of a man!"

"Jie," Liu Yifei shut her mouth, turned her head, and desperately suppressed her laughter, while occasionally glancing at Sun Yi.

Her face turned red in no time.

Right, it's already 2013, and there are less than two months left until Chinese New Year. It's time to send out invitations in advance.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want to come with me? Then I'll go and distribute them by myself!"

"No way!" Liu Yifei slammed her hand on the table and refused immediately. "I have to go with you."

"Good~"

Judging by the timeline, their wedding is indeed approaching, and the contract for "Superman" has already been signed, while "Edge of Tomorrow" is currently being released on a large scale worldwide.

Both domestic and North American promotions are proceeding smoothly, and there's basically no need for the two of them anymore.

The next big event for the couple is their wedding.

Ever since Sun Yi mentioned the wedding that day at USC, Liu Yifei has been itching to fly back to China as soon as she got home.

Every night he pesters Sun Yi, asking when he's going back to China; he's practically obsessed.

But Sun Yi can't leave yet. The "Superman" project isn't something you can just hand over your responsibilities after signing a contract.

Director Sun Yi was involved in the film's preparation, script revisions, location scouting, special effects projections, and casting.

At the very least, he himself needs to clearly explain all the tasks.

First, there's the production cost.

Because it's a joint venture between Starry Sky and Warner, both sides have to deposit their funds proportionally into a shared account overseen by their respective colleagues before the project can begin.

The film's budget has been finalized. With Starry Sky Digital chosen as the film's post-production visual effects company, the initial production budget is $1.5 million, with an additional $2000 million allocated as project surplus.

In other words, the total production cost was US$1.7 million, a reduction of US$2.3 million from the original budget of US$6000 million.

This is the cost advantage brought about by the addition of Starry Sky.

Of course, the $1.7 million doesn't all need to be in the account right now. Film and television investments don't usually go that way; they're made gradually, one investment at a time, depending on the project's preparation stage.

Otherwise, film and television investments often take a year or two. No matter how much money a film and television company has, it can't just leave its precious cash flow sitting in the production crew. At least it can put it in the bank and earn some interest.

In the early stages of a project, 30% of the investment is typically allocated, though some projects may have even lower percentages.

However, for multinational projects like "Man of Steel," the minimum investment is 30%, which is $5100 million.

Based on the investment ratio between Warner and Starry Sky, Warner contributed $3570 million, while Starry Sky contributed the remaining $1530 million.

It must be complete, with no room for error.

North American starry sky.

A secretary-like staff member knocked on the president's office door, whispered a few words in Tom's ear, and then left decisively.

“Boss, our first payment has been received. Mr. Horn, you can arrange for Warner’s finance staff to audit it.”

“Okay, I’ll make a call.” Alan Horn nodded and dialed the accounting firm that the company was working with.

Sun Yi was not surprised.

That's just how Americans do things.

Business is business.

Business is business.

If this happened in China, given the relationship between the two, they would probably just wave their hands and say something like, "We're brothers, what's a little difference? I trust you to handle things."

But as soon as they stepped out of that door, they immediately arranged for someone to check the accounts.

It's better to keep clear accounts even between close brothers; at least on the surface, things will be open and aboveboard.

A short while later, Alan received a positive reply from the accounting firm, stood up and shook hands with Sun Yi, "From now on, the 'Man of Steel' project is officially approved, and I will serve as the producer sent by Warner Bros. to the production team."

"My dear director, what are your thoughts on the casting of the male lead, that is, Superman?"

"Let's stick to the traditional American superhero template. Height, build, hair color—these are the priorities. Just don't give me a black guy."

To be honest, Sun Yi didn't really have any particular thoughts about Superman, the absolute male protagonist.

Moreover, in the contract, apart from the role of Liu Tianxian, he did not have the final say on the other roles, but only the right to make suggestions.

Of course, as a concession, he secured the final cut rights that were most advantageous to the director in Hollywood.

For him, it doesn't matter who plays Superman, as long as it's not too outrageous, like some kind of LGBT thing.

“Alright, I’ll select actors according to the traditional American superhero formula.” Alan nodded. “And what about the female lead? Are there any requirements? For example, her figure, acting skills?”

"Um"

Sun Yi thought about it for a while, wondering if the female lead being too beautiful would affect his wife.

However, upon closer reflection, it's purely unfounded worry. He's the director; how it's filmed is ultimately up to him.
"Acting skills are acceptable, but the female lead is just a decorative role, so she can't be too ugly."

"Okay, I understand. I will do as you ask."

"By the way, Alan, please hurry up, my trip to the United States is only a few days away."

"Of course, with Warner's capabilities, they could find a whole roomful of actors in just a few days to meet these requirements. But I'm curious, do you have something important to discuss?"

"My waist is so tight, I need to get to my wedding!"

(End of this chapter)