Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 377 Rejection
In the silent hall, Liu Jing's sigh suddenly broke the silence; he was unable to enter the state of Takeda.

Zhao Xiaodao almost jumped up again. People are so scary, it's terrifying. When someone suddenly says something like that, she thinks she's seen a ghost.

Turning her head, she saw that Big Radish was staring intently at her.

She then realized what the other person meant: "Observing me for two years?" What did that mean? Why was her heart suddenly racing? She must be scared.

"Is there no more tea?" Zhao Xiaodao asked, peeking inside to see that there was still more than half a cup left.

Liu Jing shook his head. "Liying, I have a question that I've been struggling to answer."

Zhao Xiaodao was surprised. "You called me Liying? Is he running a fever?"

She spoke faster than she thought, "No need for a hundred tears, you've already got it."

Liu Jing was stunned for a moment, then realized that this was a joke.

His unpleasant expression might be a joke to others, but it was a fact to him.

"Why aren't you asking anymore? Are there still questions that stump you?" Zhao Xiaodao asked, even more surprised.

The other person's words struck a nerve, and Liu Jing stopped being polite, "I've been observing you for two years, and I haven't found anything good about you. You're not as cheerful as Shu Chang, not as elegant as Shi Shi, not as long-legged as Tang Yan, not as lively as Jing Tian, ​​not as charming as Xiao Bai, not as witty as Yuan Yuan, not as talented as Ya Ya, not as pretty as Bing Bing, and not as busty as Yang Mi..."

"Where's Zeng Li? Did you forget one?" Zhao Xiaodao's face was ashen; he was a real jerk. If they were so nice to you, why am I the one helping you with the work now?

"I don't mean to belittle you, I just don't understand what your strengths are," Liu Jing sighed.

Zeng Li is acting strangely. Her favorability rating dropped by eight points the day before yesterday, but it has increased significantly yesterday and today, and it seems to be recovering.

Zeng Li isn't stupid; when she first joined the crew, she was indeed blinded by lust.

She felt only disappointment and anger at Liu Jing's humiliation.

Back in her room, she couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. Scrolling through her chat history with Liu Jing, she gradually calmed down, and her intellect returned to its place.

The other party did this in order to film a movie.

Once she understood this, she felt a mix of exasperation, amusement, and admiration. This child was no longer a frivolous teenager, but a responsible and promising young man.

"Hehe, it seems that Yang Mi's only advantage in your eyes is her big breasts." Zhao Xiaodao mocked, but she didn't feel hurt. An ugly duckling being compared to a swan is also a kind of excellence.

"Isn't this an advantage? It's something you don't even have. Forget it, why am I talking to you about this? I'm just bored." Liu Jing sighed. If only the damn system were here, he could do an assessment every day and eventually get an answer.

Of all the people he evaluated, Zhao Liying received the highest evaluation, which he couldn't understand.

Zhao Liying is a non-material cultural heritage left to him by the dog system, but Liu Jing has not observed anything after two years. He is very conflicted about the choice of the twelfth bond.

Before the age of thirty, the system can only be upgraded once more, which means there are still four bond slots available.

He currently has only one vacancy, and has four candidates in his pipeline. Zhao Xiaodao is ranked fourth, while the top three are Li Xiaoran, Zhang Tianai, and Nazha.

Each had their own reasons: Li Xiaoran was because of her seniority, Zhang Tianai was because of her connections, Gulnazar was because of her beauty, and Zhao Liying was because of the system.

"Were those people just now all your women?" Zhao Liying asked, seeing Liu Jing busy with his head down.

"Don't slack off, get to work. The front door hasn't been wiped yet. Your boss said I can order him around as I please."

Zhao Liying was so angry she wanted to throw a rag. "Did our boss tell you to make me clean and do laundry? You're an idiot for not using me for other purposes."

Such a brain-dead person wants to sexually harass Zeng Li? Haha, who knows who will be sexually harassing whom that night.

I understand! He didn't treat me like Yang Bailao (a character from a Chinese folktale known for his poverty), but rather as a toy to amuse him when he was bored.

boom……

The door was pushed open, hitting Zhao Xiaodao squarely on the forehead.

"Who is it? Are you blind?" Zhao Xiaodao shouted, covering his forehead.

"Who are you? What are you doing standing behind the door? Where's Liu Jing?" The guest was startled, pushed open the door with a cry of pain, and looked up to see a long-haired girl in white. A gloomy old castle, capable of killing someone in the middle of the night.

“Are you blind? The person is sitting there.” Zhao Xiaodao retorted directly, assuming he was a staff member.

"Ahem, Xiao Dao, go make some tea." Liu Jing was also startled.

Xiao Dao, you're really brave. This is Master Han, I can only curse him behind his back.

If you're in the entertainment industry, you might not know who your local official is, or which department you're under, but you absolutely cannot be unaware of Master Han.

Today isn't the day Lao Han joins the crew, so he must have something on his mind to come over so late at night.

Zhao Xiaodao was playing the drums. He hadn't been able to see clearly because he was covering his head, but now that Lao Han's big head was right in front of him, he could see it clearly.

At that moment, she didn't want to say a word about knives, and quickly went to make tea with her head down.

"Wow, so young, and already has a beard. If this little girl hadn't pointed it out, I really wouldn't have recognized her." Old Han plopped down on the sofa next to Liu Jing.

Besides Lao Han, Xu Qing also came, and Shen Ao, who was winking and making faces, came at the very back.

Liu Jing glanced upstairs. Wang Zhiwen should be drinking with Wu Gang right now. His old flame is here; shouldn't he come out and say hello?

"Growing a beard is a sign of resolve." Liu Jing took out his phone and saw several missed calls, two of which were from Lao Han and two from Shen Ao.

His phone was on silent; he had been discussing something with Zhao Xiaodao and hadn't had a chance to check it.

The production crew has a rule that outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering, to prevent leaks and loss of mystery.

Old Han wanted to come in, but Shen Ao stubbornly refused. In the end, the two of them tried to call the director, but neither could reach him.

Only after Lao Han identified himself as an investor did Shen Ao allow him to proceed.

Here, the identity of the chairman of China Film Group is not as useful as that of an investor.

"After being insulted by the Japanese, do you want to emulate Mr. Mei?" Old Han joked.

"I can't learn it." Liu Jing shook his head, somewhat curious. "Uncle Han, did you join the crew early?"

"I'm attending a meeting in Shanghai these past couple of days, and I've got nothing to do in the evenings, so I came over to check things out," Lao Han explained, casually asking, "How's filming going these past few days? Is it progressing smoothly?"

"Everything is going smoothly, and we should be able to wrap up filming by the end of the year."

"Fan Bingbing has been appointed as the deputy head of the Actors Troupe of the Arts Creation Center by Xi'an Film Group. China Film Group also has a similar institution. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

when……

Upon hearing the familiar name, Zhao Liying dropped her teacup on the table and frantically tried to clean it up.

"I have no idea," Liu Jing refused.

Old Han didn't mind; it was just an opening remark to make it easier to discuss things later.

"Who is this little girl? She's got some nerve. In all these years, no one has dared to say that Third Brother is blind." Xu Qing suddenly spoke up, looking at Zhao Xiaodao who was pouring tea.

That's it! My career is over.

There's a saying that goes something like, "To die before even completing one's mission"—I'm even more wronged than Zhuge Liang.

Fear gripped Zhao Xiaodao, and he instinctively looked to Liu Jing for help.

"She's just a minor actress. Sister Qing is such a big star, no need to worry about her." Liu Jing smiled, thinking Xu Qing was joking.

There are different kinds of insults; unintentional insults are different from intentional insults.

In Liu Jing's view, the knife was unintentional and harmless.

With Lao Han's magnanimity, he wouldn't care about such things. Back in the day, he was the kind of guy who would fight to the death with a knife; he wouldn't stoop to the level of a little girl.

If you were that stingy, you wouldn't have gotten this position.

Liu Jing thought he could put the matter to rest with just a few words, but Xu Qing wouldn't let it go. "A minor actor? Whose actor is that? That's so rude."

"Rules? Is Sister Qing going to teach her a lesson to avenge Uncle Han?" Liu Jing's smile faded, and he beckoned to Xiao Dao. "She's my woman. If Sister Qing is still angry, I'll beat her up."

"Xu Qing, stop fooling around." Old Han quickly stopped him. With that slap, the feud was now sealed.

Xu Qing was also stunned. She thought he was just a minor actor, but Liu Jing directly admitted to being his person.

She scrutinized Zhao Xiaodao carefully, but couldn't see anything special about her. I'm already thoroughly familiar with her; ignoring my charms, she's willing to eat such a scrawny little brat—she really has no taste for anything.

"Brother, why are you taking this so seriously? Just kidding." Xu Qing quickly explained. "I'm not kidding, my people don't have any rules." Liu Jing chuckled, then stopped laughing.

Zhao Xiaodao stood next to Liu Jing with his head down, saying, "You...you can hit me then."

Liu Jing's face darkened. "I just said that, and you actually came to get a beating. Should I call you honest, or should I call you an idiot?"

He slapped Zhao Xiaodao on the butt and said irritably, "Hurry up and serve President Han some tea and apologize."

"Alright! What are you apologizing for? What happened today..." Old Han glared at Xu Qing. "I did this for you today, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind or your brain gotten full of lard?"

Before Lao Han could finish speaking, Zhao Xiaodao brought over the tea and handed it to Lao Han with both hands, saying, "Mr. Han, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you."

"I didn't knock and bumped into you. It was my fault." Old Han accepted the gift with both hands, very politely.

Ha ha……

A soft chuckle rang out, and Old Han's gaze swept over. Wang Zhiwen, leaning on the railing, looked down with a grin. "Mr. Han, Xiao Qing, have you eaten? If not, come up and have a couple of drinks."

"Oh! Are you here for a wedding?" Xu Qing asked with a smile.

Wang Zhiwen just got married this year, but the bride wasn't her, and she wasn't invited.

The building gave her a very bad feeling; it felt oppressive, gloomy, and desolate…

She had just seen Old Wang, and a wicked thought arose in her heart.

"You drink it yourself." Old Han said irritably. No wonder Xu Qing was in a bad mood; it turned out this guy was watching the show.

"I'll treat you to two drinks once you join the crew," Wang Zhiwen said casually as he walked away.

"Oh, Commander Han is here! Why didn't you say anything? I'm late..."

Just as Old Han was about to drink his tea, Chen Kun came down the stairs. He made a delicate gesture with his fingers, swayed his thick waist, and called out in a high-pitched voice, "Third Master Han," which startled Old Han so much that his liver trembled.

"Holy crap, what is that?"

Old Han didn't even take a sip of tea; his liver trembled, causing his hands to tremble as well, and most of the tea spilled onto his legs.

Someone like that, recommending him to play Chiang Ching-kuo? Dream on.

He picked up the towel on the table and cried out in pain, "What the hell is this?"

"Props." Liu Jing's expression was strange. I almost fell for it too.

Zhao Xiaodao lowered his head and pinched his thigh hard, the pain suppressing his laughter.

"Commander Han, it's me, Bai Xiaonian. We haven't seen each other for just a few days, and you've already forgotten me?" Chen Kun said awkwardly, still holding a handkerchief in his hand.

Old Han swallowed hard. "It's good that you're getting into character, it's good that you're getting into character..."

Liu Jing suggested, "We're discussing business right now, why don't you practice somewhere else?"

"Ugh..." Chen Kun pointed at Liu Jing with his finger, then swayed his waist and went upstairs again.

Old Han watched Chen Kun leave, and the other man turned back and smiled. Old Han shuddered. "Liu Jing, can I quit the role?"

"Okay." Liu Jing replied readily.

"You don't want mine, do you?" Old Han said irritably.

"Xiao Dao, get Mr. Han a clean towel and a bottle of mineral water while you're at it," Liu Jing instructed.

"Liu Jing, I'm here this time to help Xu Qing get a role. Li Ningyu is one of your Chunqiu people, so they'll definitely give your people first. Name your price, and give Gu Xiaomeng to Xu Qing. She just returned to China and wants to make a comeback, so she needs to achieve some results." Old Han was very direct.

Liu Jing remained silent. What does her comeback have to do with me?
Old Han continued, "We've talked about this before, but we didn't pay much attention to it at the time. 'Under the City Wall' broke 200 million, 'Painted Skin' broke 400 million, and 'The Message' is of a different weight than before. Besides, she really likes the character Gu Xiaomeng, and her acting skills are fine, no worse than Zhou Xun or Zhang Ziyi."

"Uncle Han, filming for 'The Message' has been underway for half a month now," Liu Jing reminded him.

"Of course I know. Gu Xiaomeng didn't have many scenes filmed. Replacing her and reshooting won't take much effort," Lao Han responded.

Liu Jing shook his head, "Zhou Xun is quite suitable, he was selected from the best of the best, I don't want to change him."

"Brother, I look great in a cheongsam. Would you like to try acting?" Xu Qing asked pleadingly, her eyes brimming with tears.

“In my heart, Zhou Xun is still Gu Xiaomeng even without wearing a cheongsam.” Liu Jing refused, “Where were you when you auditioned a few months ago? It’s too late now.”

"I'll trade you three films. Whatever role you want in a China Film Group production, I'll give you," Old Han stated his terms.

"Uncle Han, 'The Message' is very important to me. Liu Yifei, Gao Yuanyuan, Fan Xiaopang, and Yan Danchen are no less talented than Sister Qing, but I rejected them all. Because of this, Qianqian and I had a falling out for several months."

Liu Jing did not give a direct answer, but his indirect response was even more incisive.

Who are you to me, Xu Qing?

My sister, my girlfriend, my future wife, and my childhood sweetheart all didn't work out, so who do you think you are?

If you had come to audition back then, I wouldn't have said such harsh words today.

The movie role is definitely out of the question, but the TV series will start casting immediately. Out of respect for Lao Han, we can give you Gu Xiaomeng, but she might not be interested in the TV series version.

Besides, you were talking about rules just now, and I am talking about rules now.

After the release of "Under the City Wall" and "Painted Skin", his reputation was established. Xu Qing wanted to reap the rewards, but it wasn't that easy.

"You've all seen the result of Xixi's months-long fuss: Gu Xiaomeng is Zhou Xun, not Liu Yifei."

Liu Jing answered frankly, secretly grateful to Qianqian for being such a good shield.

Xu Qing stopped looking at Liu Jing and turned to look at Lao Han.

Old Han was helpless. Chunqiu was in charge of "The Message," so there was nothing he could do. "Xu Qing, you saw it yourself. It's not that I disagree. Liu Jing is just that stubborn. Because of his stubbornness, we have 'Under the City Wall' and 'Painted Skin.' 'The Message' is important to Liu Jing, and equally important to China Film Group. Next time, when a suitable role comes along, I'll make sure Liu Jing saves it for you."

What else could Xu Qing say? She sat there dejectedly, looking pitiful.

This is Zhao Xiaodao's heartache, and has nothing to do with Liu Jing.

What happens between you and Wang Zhiwen is your business. You're not one of my people, so I don't need to care about your feelings.

"Liu Jing, let's put this behind us. I have something to ask of you, you can't refuse again, can you?" Old Han unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

"I was originally a carefree man from Wolonggang, who could control the universe with the ease of Yin and Yang. The late emperor personally visited Nanyang three times to invite me..."

A loud yell came from upstairs, almost making Old Han choke. "Your film crew is like a haunted house. Everyone's so easily startled, how can anyone stand it?"

He has been frightened several times since he came in.

Shen Ao, appearing and disappearing mysteriously at the main gate; Zhao Xiaodao behind the villa door; Wang Zhiwen, with a sinister smile upstairs; Chen Kun, dressed in flamboyant attire; and the towel with thorns on the back—who is this again, with such a high-pitched voice?

"You'll get used to it eventually," Zhao Xiaodao muttered to himself. That Bai Xiaonian from earlier, his singing style was truly awful.

"You'll get used to it eventually." Liu Jing's voice was louder than Xiao Dao's; they both said the same thing, as if by prior arrangement.

Old Han shook his head, but his confidence in "The Message" grew even stronger.

“Liu Jing, you’re famous now. Young people can’t carry the box office as well as you. You can come and play a cameo role in ‘The Founding of a Republic.’ It’s a significant role, not just one or two shots or a couple of lines.”

Liu Jing's eyes lit up, then he hesitated, "Uncle Han, am I not suitable to play Premier Zhou? My appearance doesn't quite match."

Old Han felt a lump in his throat. "Why don't you just say it's not suitable to be an instructor? You know it's not suitable?"

“It’s definitely not suitable. Teacher Liu Jin is the most suitable.” Liu Jing affirmed. Actually, he wanted to play his idol, which would be even more unsuitable.

"Chiang Ching-kuo, he has the most screen time, second only to those three." Old Han rubbed his temples. Young people are just so unconventional. I guess it's because of their boundless imagination that they can make such excellent films.

"A villain." Liu Jing frowned.

"Who told you it was a villain? You can play Takeda, why can't you play him?" Old Han was exhausted.

"That works too." Liu Jing pondered for a moment. With Lao Han personally directing, the film's box office wouldn't be low; they could easily push it up. High box office meant a lot of entertainment value, and he was just worrying about how to get a share of the pie when Lao Han delivered the perfect solution.

"His roles aren't many, but they're not few either. I'll let you know when the time comes," Old Han instructed.

"No problem, the fee is just a token amount." Liu Jing readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)