1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 641 Gong Xue's Movie!
As soon as he got off the plane, a wave of intense heat enveloped Li Changhe from all sides; it was as hot as a sauna outside.

After all, late July in Beijing is the beginning of the sweltering heat.

"Hurry up and get in the car, it's unbearably hot today!"

Lin Yuan pulled Li Changhe into a car waiting at the airport. The car had the air conditioning on, and the temperature was just right.

"Ugh, this weather is unbearable!"

"Later, you can get a car, I'll get you a license plate and a pass, and you can park it at the airport. That way, it'll be convenient for you to come and go as you please!"

After getting into the car, Lin Yuan quickly spoke to Li Changhe.

"By the way, don't go for those Mercedes or BMWs, they're too conspicuous. Just get a similar car!"

Thinking of Li Changhe's wealth, Lin Yuan gave him another piece of advice.

"Let's get a car from Japan."

"This place isn't very close to the city center, and there are many mountain roads, so it's not easy to drive a regular sedan. Last year, Toyota launched a new Land Cruiser, which was pretty good. It has air conditioning and power steering. I heard that this year's new model has added a turbocharger, a continuously variable transmission, and a differential lock."

“This kind of off-road vehicle has a lot of space and doesn’t stand out here. I’ll get one and put it here when the time comes.”

Li Changhe thought for a moment and then said to Lin Yuan.

Given the current traffic conditions in China, Li Changhe felt that driving an off-road vehicle would be more suitable and also more discreet.

Perhaps because there were so many Jeeps in previous years, especially the 212 Jeeps which were common in rural areas, most Chinese people naturally perceive sedans as several levels higher than Jeeps.

"That works too. There are a lot of imported Japanese cars in China right now. If you drive an SUV, it won't be too conspicuous. At least it's much better than Mercedes-Benz or BMW."

“Okay, let me help you get in. If you come in from Hong Kong Island, it will be a right-hand drive car, which will be troublesome to drive here. The cars we import will be converted to left-hand drive, which will be more convenient.”

At this moment, Lin Yuan made a suggestion to Li Changhe.

"Okay, I don't really care!"

The difference between left-hand drive and right-hand drive is that it takes some getting used to at first. Also, right-hand drive cars require the left hand to control the gear lever, which is sometimes not as smooth as using the right hand.

However, Li Changhe was already quite used to driving right-hand drive cars on Hong Kong Island, so for him, left or right-hand drive didn't really matter.

But since Lin Yuan is willing to help, let's just let him.

Should I take you straight home?

"I'll go get the car first!"

Li Changhe definitely needs to get his van ready first, otherwise getting around will be a hassle.

The van is no longer parked at the Beijing Film Studio, but at his villa.

Soon, Lin Yuan escorted Li Changhe to the villa, and just as he was about to get out of the car, Lin Yuan stopped him again.

"I almost forgot to tell you, Lord Liao wants you to visit his home when you have time after you get back. Try contacting him and find some time to go!"

"it is good!"

Li Changhe bid farewell to Lin Yuan, then took out his key, opened the door, and went inside.
I originally planned to drive straight away, but to my surprise, Gong Xue was in the yard, while the car wasn't home.

"I heard a car horn outside and thought it was Sister Linlin coming back."

Seeing Li Changhe approaching, Gong Xue said softly.

"She drove off?"

Li Changhe asked curiously at this moment.

"Sister Linlin drove to work. She went to CCTV for an internship, and it's so far, she must have driven there."

Gong Xue explained with a smile.

"Driving to work at CCTV?"

Upon hearing Gong Xue's answer, Li Changhe looked quite surprised, mainly because it seemed a bit too much for someone who had just started an internship to be driving.
Moreover, it's a foreign-owned black-label brand.

"It's not as exaggerated as you think. Sister Linlin isn't stupid. There's a courtyard house over there. When it was being renovated before, you made sure to add a garage entrance. Sister Linlin always parks her car in the yard and then rides her bicycle over there."

Gong Xue seemed to know Li Changhe's concerns and continued speaking to him.

After listening, Li Changhe shook his head.

"I don't know any of this, I don't even know where that courtyard is!"

Zhang Shiqi helped him acquire many of the courtyard houses, and Zhu Lin basically oversaw the renovations and alterations afterward; he didn't interfere at all.

So he really didn't know where many of the courtyards were located.

"Of course you don't know, you've never been there. It was Linlin and I who went to each one to confirm. I don't know why you bought so many courtyards, they're all over the inner city."

Gong Xue recalled the days when she and Zhu Lin went house hunting together and was speechless.

With a large number of keys in hand, they had to try each house one by one when they went to see them. After trying them, they would number them. It took the two of them several months to confirm and number all the houses.

"Oh right, Zhu Lin and I marked it on the map. I remember the map is in your study. I'll go get it for you to take a look!"

Gong Xue then got up and went to Li Changhe's study. She quickly found an iron box and took it out.

"Here, these are our markings on the map. Each number represents a house, and it's also the house's number."

"And below that, there are all property ownership certificates, so many papers."

The current property ownership certificates are just a simple piece of paper, not the kind of red booklet.

Li Changhe opened the map and took a look. Good heavens, thirty-six sets! They really are spread all over the East and West Cities and Chaoyang District.

"Hmm? With so many houses, are you almost out of money?"

Li Changhe thought for a moment, then asked Gong Xue again.

He brought back one million foreign exchange certificates, and spent a lot of it on buying houses and appliances. Later, he spent money in small amounts. When Zhang Shiqi bought his house, Li Changhe also got money from Zhu Lin.

Later, after Old Zhang went to Hong Kong, he gave Zhang Shiqi a sum of money, which he was to take back to China under the guise of a son's filial piety gift, and it could also be considered his acquisition funds.

These thirty-odd houses must have cost Zhu Lin a considerable amount of money.

"I don't know about that. I haven't asked Sister Linlin. You can ask her when she gets back."

Gong Xue shook her head, indicating that she did not know.

"Okay, I'll turn back later."

"Oh, right, I just remembered something else, which is about writing a movie script for you. It's been delayed until now, but I already have some ideas and I'd like to talk to you about them."

Li Changhe then remembered the movie script and immediately spoke to Gong Xue.

This movie script was requested by the Shanghai Film Studio when the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony was held last time.

Li Changhe hadn't had time to write it before, mainly because he was considering what role to assign to Gong Xue, so he hadn't started writing.

Having returned this time, he had a general idea of ​​what to do and planned to talk to Gong Xue first.

“I can film any script you write.” Gong Xue was delighted to hear Li Changhe mention this.

Li Changhe had previously tailored several scripts for Zhu Lin, which she had always secretly envied; now it was finally her turn.

Li Changhe pulled her into his arms and stroked her exposed, fair arms.

"This story isn't that simple. The main thing is to win an award. If it doesn't win an award, it won't be very interesting to make."

"But to win an award, you have to be in line with the prevailing trend. Like The Wrangler, it really benefited from this trend."

"Furthermore, the character design must be bold. The most obvious example of this is Lushan Love. The breakthrough in the character design of Lushan Love brought enough attention to the film and also made the female lead, Zhang Yu, receive enough honors."

"But this film actually blocked many people's path. There are only so many angles that can be filmed with female-centric scenes. Love is the primary theme, but she filmed it."

"This also means that if someone else makes a film with the same or similar story structure, they have no chance of winning an award."

"So if you're the female lead and take the lead, romance scenes are not an option. We need to change the direction of the character, and this character direction needs to be bold and keep up with the times."

Listening to Li Changhe's earnest analysis, Gong Xue also began to think seriously.

"Changhe, what are your thoughts?"

"My idea is actually quite bold, listen to it first."

"I want to write a story about an unwed mother. As far as I know, many of the educated youth sent to Shanghai went to the south, and many of them suffered terribly there. After returning to the city, they were also subjected to a lot of gossip."

"My idea is to write a script about the bond between a mother and her child, using the character of a single mother to establish the story of the female lead, and then, by taking advantage of the conditions of reform and opening up, to portray her strong and independent side."

Li Changhe said softly at this moment.

The script he gave to Gong Xue was actually inspired by those slice-of-film clips from his previous life.

Just like watching "The Herdsman" through clips, another film that left a deep impression on him was the very popular "Mom, Love Me Again" from back then.

However, this film seems to have been shot on the island, and the plot doesn't really fit with the present day.

Li Changhe, on the other hand, thought of drastically altering the title of the film.

Taking advantage of the special circumstances in Shanghai, and thinking about the plight of many abandoned youths among the educated youth, he wanted to write a script based on this situation.

More importantly, he felt that this image of being both gentle and strong was very suitable for Gong Xue, and maternal love is also a key point in our domestic cultural promotion.

Maternal love, being a sent-down youth, being single and unmarried, coupled with her strength and independence under the reform and opening-up environment—these are all elements that highlight the strong female protagonist.

Li Changhe also believes that the impact of the film will be no less than that of Wrangler, and may even surpass it in terms of social impact.

If a story with this kind of narrative doesn't get selected by the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards, then it would really be unacceptable.

However, there's one thing: I need to talk to Gong Xue first before I can play the female lead.

"You mean, I should play a single, unmarried mother?"

Gong Xue asked in surprise at this moment.

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, can you accept that?"

"Playing a mother is nothing special; I also played one in The Wrangler."

"Is this the kind of single, unmarried person, like the 'sent-down youth' who were sent to the countryside?"

Gong Xue didn't say it, but that doesn't mean she didn't understand.

She had also been sent to the countryside, and she had heard about the experiences of some female educated youth in Shanghai.

"It can't be too dark, that's not good for unity. What I actually wanted was to send Xu Lingjun abroad!"

"To put it simply, you found someone with overseas connections this time, but he abandoned you and went abroad, never to return, so you became a single mother."

“This character is completely different from Xiuzhi; in fact, she is the complete opposite.”

Li Changhe said softly at this moment.

Upon hearing this, Gong Xue's expression froze.

"We absolutely cannot ask Brother Zhu to act again, otherwise, the entire nation will condemn you!"

Gong Xue covered her mouth and said with a grin.

If Zhu Shimao were to play the male lead again, and Xu Lingjun abandoned Xiuzhi and ran away abroad, Gong Xue could imagine that Brother Zhu would definitely be cursed to death by audiences across the country.

Li Changhe couldn't help but shake his head when he thought of this scene.

If it were really filmed like that, Zhu Shimao would definitely be heavily criticized.

"We don't need Lao Zhu for the male lead. Let the Shanghai Film Studio choose the actor. Guo Kaimin from their studio is quite good, or I think Zhou Lijing from the Beijing Film Academy could also be a good choice."

"We won't get involved in this, but to be honest, the character isn't very appealing. They might not take the role. After all, even though he's the male lead, he's essentially a villain, just there to highlight you."

Li Changhe had already decided that this "scumbag" would definitely appear as the villain.

"My plot idea is this: at the beginning, you are going to abandon your child because of the temptation to return to the city and the judgment of society. You settle your child in the surrounding countryside."

"Then, in the meantime, you need to go through a spiritual journey, change your mindset, bring your child back, and remain strong and independent even in the face of gossip."

"Until the very end, when the male lead comes back intending to reconcile, you reject him and start a new life."

Li Changhe briefly explained the story he had conceived to Gong Xue, including the characters' emotional journey, from a fearful and helpless educated youth to a strong single mother.

From the initial expectation and obsession with the "scumbag" partner, to finally letting go of the shackles, undergoing a spiritual transformation, giving up on the other person, and moving towards a new life, it all ends with a bright and sunny blind date scene.

"Hello, Comrade XX, I am Xiuzhi. I need to confess something to you first: although I am unmarried, I already have a son."

Li Changhe described his envisioned ending to Gong Xue, and at that moment, she wore a bright smile, confident and dazzling.

As Gong Xue listened to Li Changhe's account, the scene vividly appeared in her mind.

"Changhe, so according to your plot, there's almost no male lead's role here, and it's almost entirely my storyline?"

Then, Gong Xue asked Li Changhe softly.

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, this is a female-centric drama. The core is mainly your transformation and the portrayal of maternal love. The male lead basically appears once at the beginning and once at the end, and then he basically has no role."

"So, can you accept this kind of role?"

Gong Xue did not answer Li Changhe immediately, but quietly thought about it in her mind for a moment, then opened her eyes with a firm gaze.

"can!"

According to Li Changhe's description, she also felt that this character actually had more shining qualities than Xiuzhi.

Xiuzhi actually showcases the gentleness of traditional Chinese women, while the new script that Li Changhe created for her portrays a very new female image, a kind of character that has almost never appeared before, but may be emerging now.

More importantly, this character is not a niche figure; there are probably many similar people across the country who are also in the same predicament as depicted in the film.

Perhaps this film can bring them some hope and guidance, after all, Changhe's films often contain a lot of life philosophy.

So she was willing to take this role!

(End of this chapter)