Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 463 A Pear and Crabapple Tree
Bai Bing doesn't hesitate to speculate with the utmost malice about Huo Wenxi, whom she sees as both a mentor and a rival, seeing him as an insurmountable obstacle in her career.

Not only is her professional ability strong, but all the other top-performing agents are also highly capable.

More importantly, Huo Wenxi is beautiful and has a strong, independent woman vibe, which makes her very attractive and desirable.

The boss, such a picky pervert, couldn't resist forcing himself on her.

What does this mean? It means the threat level is very high.

If Huo Wenxi were to risk everything and join the boss's side one day, wouldn't he be taking my job?

Competitors, blatant competitors.

"Why does it feel like he's become Shen Gongbao? Something's up," Liu Jing muttered.

He and Huo Wenxi met at an event, but the latter always avoided him, preferring to avoid each other if possible.

The same applies to this year's Golden Rooster Awards. "Mei Lanfang" is a film produced by China Film Group and Eagle King, and Huo Wenxi attended as a representative of Eagle King.

From beginning to end, Liu Jing only knew that she had come, but he had never seen her.

He didn't plan to bother her; his little assistant had been acting cute for so long, so he would accompany her to eat, shop, and play with her tonight.

"Are you free tonight? Let's get together, I'll treat you to dinner..."

Huo Wenxi, panting heavily, jogged to catch up. The adulterous couple, seeing they weren't walking fast, were already quite far away in the blink of an eye.

"No time, neither of us is hungry," Bai Bing refused. "I'm on a date with my boss tonight, I don't need a third wheel. You can go wherever you want to cool off. If you really have nowhere to go, you can ask your boss. But your boss is so old, he definitely can't satisfy you."

"Since you're busy, go ahead and get busy." Huo Wenxi looked at Bai Bing coldly, her disgust undisguised. She wished she could strangle this annoying girl.

If silencing witnesses is not a crime, Bai Bing would be her first choice. So many ugly things happened because of her; she must be silenced, then her bones reduced to ashes…

Bai Bing wasn't intimidated. She returned the look with a defiant glare and pulled the boss away.

“If you leave, The Myth 2 will be postponed,” Huo Wenxi said coldly.

Sure enough, Liu Jing stopped, frowned, and looked displeased. "What do you mean? Why don't we just change the producer?"

"Everything is ready now, and the actors' schedules have been coordinated. We're just waiting for filming to start in early January. Kim Hee-sun's side keeps making excuses and won't give a definite answer..."

“You’re the producer, and I’m just a small-time actor. You shouldn’t be asking me about this, right? You should ask Jackie Chan about Kim Hee-sun’s issues; they’re good friends.” Liu Jing interrupted.

"The Myth 2" is a Jackie Chan project, with Eagle Entertainment as the leading producer, holding a 40% share. Golden Harvest is only a co-producer, holding a 30% share. Shanghai Film Group and several other companies share the remaining 30%.

Huo Wenxi serves as the producer, marking her first foray into film and television projects and paving the way for her to open a company in mainland China.

She personally handled all aspects of the preparation, actor coordination, start date, and filming location for "The Myth 2".

In early 2007, Kim Hee-sun met Park Joo-young, the second son of Park Sung-kwan, chairman of the Loksan Group, and they married quietly in October, entering a wealthy family.

In January of this year, Kim Hee-sun gave birth to a daughter. Huo Wenxi flew to Seoul to visit Kim Hee-sun and finalized her schedule.

They had to take care of their child, so they agreed that filming could only begin a year later.

“Yeah! If you don’t have the ability to handle Kim Hee-sun, you can ask Brother Cheng Long. He’s very familiar with Kim Hee-sun,” Bai Bing mocked.

“My brother told me to contact you, but he can’t get involved in this. If he contacts the other party, they might not come at all.” Huo Wenxi said with a strange expression.

"Tsk tsk..." Bai Bing clicked his tongue, thinking it was quite possible. If he were Kim Hee-sun's husband, knowing about the collaboration with Jackie Chan, he definitely wouldn't let her go.

"I have no choice. If all else fails, I'll have my son Xiaodong take over." Liu Jing was tense; he didn't want to pay for the mess the old fox had made.

"Xiao Dong? Heh, she's no good. Audiences go to the cinema because of Kim Hee-sun, not everyone wants to see a younger version of Kim Hee-sun." Huo Wenxi said dismissively.

"Oh, and some people say I'm the younger Huo Wenxi, it seems that's a more popular opinion. 'Younger' represents youth, represents the future. Someone's getting old, it's time to step down," Bai Bing retorted sarcastically.
“Yesterday I was in Yandu, and Lu Chuan and Qin Lan came looking for me.” Huo Wenxi took a deep breath. What was there to argue about with a dog? It would only make people think she was a dog too.

"What does he want with you?" Liu Jing asked in surprise.

"He came with a project..." Huo Wenxi recounted in detail.

Zhang Min's blacklist is proving its power.

Starlight International launched the "Hongmen Banquet" project a few months ago, inviting Lu Chuan to direct, and the two sides are currently in talks. Lu Chuan hopes to expand the story to the entirety of the Chu-Han Contention, while Starlight International prefers to focus on the single historical event of the Hongmen Banquet. Moreover, Starlight International is also worried that filming scenes of the Chu-Han Contention will definitely exceed the budget.

While the two sides were engaged in intense negotiations, Zhang Min released Chunqiu's blacklist, with Lu Chuan as the first person on it.

So Starlight International terminated the cooperation without hesitation, which made Lu Chuan and Qin Lan anxious.

Lu Chuan was hoping this project would recoup his losses, so he took his ideas to Lao Han. Lao Han dismissed him with a simple, "You need to settle the accounts for 'Nanjing' first."

Qin Lan was also anxious. She had sunk a lot of costs on Lu Chuan, having invested most of her savings.

The two went to Zhang Min for help, but Zhang Min said, "The one who tied the knot must untie it; you've come to the wrong person."

The two of them went to Liu Jing, but still couldn't reach a reconciliation, so they went to Eagle King.

Old Yang once expressed that he was very interested in this project.

But this time, the story changed. Huo Wenxi directly cried poor, saying that Eagle Entertainment had invested in over a dozen projects, including "Shinjuku Incident," "Let the Bullets Fly," "A Chinese Ghost Story," "Hot Summer Days," "The Informant," "The Myth 2," "Tang Lang Detective," "Summer's Desire," and "The Golden Branches and Jade Leaves," and simply couldn't afford to invest in your film anymore. He suggested you look for other companies. He added that Orange Beauty had money and connections, so you should go to them.

"You really know how to shift the blame." Bai Bing's expression softened, and she was quite satisfied with Huo Wenxi's actions.

"He really went to see Old Wu from Orange Sky last night. Old Wu treated him to a lavish meal at Heaven on Earth, and even took two people with him when he left. Lu Chuan hadn't even mentioned the project yet, but Old Wu asked to borrow money first. He's been losing too much money lately, especially on the 'Nanjing' project, where he's gone completely." Huo Wenxi's expression was strange. It was odd that such a big director couldn't understand human language.

"Let's put his business aside for now. What about Jackie Chan? Shouldn't 'The Karate Kid' be finished filming by now?" Liu Jing asked.

“Filming wrapped up yesterday, and he went to Australia for vacation today,” Huo Wenxi explained. Seeing Liu Jing’s displeasure, she quickly added, “Liu Jing, I’ve already booked a room. We should have a proper talk.”

"Does she really think she's some kind of stunning beauty? Our boss has seen all kinds of beauties, and he's not interested in older men..." Bai Bing was annoyed. "You two talk it out, what am I supposed to do?"
"Chen Dong, your name can be written in the producer section of 'The Myth 2'."

"Boss, I also think you should have a serious talk."

We must have a serious talk, a long and intimate one.

We're all acquaintances, so there's no need to beat around the bush; let's get straight to the point.

Under Liu Jing's warm hospitality, mountain streams gurgled, birds sang in the branches, and ice melted into streams.

Finally, two agreements were reached, with Liu Jing investing hundreds of millions of yuan. The next morning, he added another sum to consolidate his gains.
-
"Director, let's watch 'Final Destination 4' tonight." Xiao Dao walked into the movie theater, saw a poster, and instantly lost his composure.

She ran all the way to the poster, confirmed the information, and excitedly grabbed Liu Jing's arm.

Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, and Tang Wei exchanged subtle glances. These two were definitely having an affair; before it was just a suspicion, but now it was almost certain.

Xiao Dao's subconscious movements inadvertently revealed a lot.

She sensed something was wrong. She usually hid it well, but this time she slipped up. She chuckled awkwardly and offered a weak explanation, "I like watching 'Final Destination.' I can't watch it in mainland cinemas, so I watch it online. I'm quite excited to be able to see it in a movie theater."

"We're here to promote our movie, not to watch it in Taiwan," Liu Jing said irritably.

At this very moment, in this very scene, is the promotional event for the film "The Message" in Taiwan.

Liu Jing personally led the team, bringing Zhou Xun, Zeng Li, Chen Kun, Tang Wei, and the knowledgeable Zhao Xiaodao.

In mainland China, it's difficult to go out without makeup, but in Hong Kong and Taiwan, it's much more relaxed.

Of the six people in the group, Liu Jing and Tang Wei are the most well-known in the eyes of Taiwanese people. Liu Jing often acted in Hong Kong and Taiwan films and was a popular child star in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia back then.

As for Tang Wei, the film "Lust, Caution" made her a household name in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Zhou Xun is known by many people, but Zeng Li and Chen Kun are not as well-known.

The promotional venue is the Golden Harvest Cinema. Today is essentially the premiere in Taiwan. Before the audience officially enters the theater, they've come to familiarize themselves with the venue.

There's someone here to connect us. Golden Harvest Cinemas doesn't have many locations in mainland China, but it has the highest market share in Taiwan, which is quite impressive.

"This movie is pretty good. I only watched the first one, and I didn't dare to go out for a week." Zhou Xun looked downcast and pale, and it seemed he hadn't put on makeup since he got up early.

You treat me like a brother, but Zhao Liying has an even more manly heart; she still eats without hesitation.

She likes men who are talented, stylish, and cultured, and she also enjoys the feeling of being in love. Liu Jing is exactly her type.

Always sensitive to love, she was dismayed to discover that Liu Jing was indifferent and had no attraction to her whatsoever.

If Liu Jing had made any unusual move at that time, she certainly wouldn't have chosen Young Master Wang.

She didn't care whether Liu Jing had a girlfriend or how long their relationship would last; she only cared about having had him.

“I’m scared at home too. When I’m cooking, I’m afraid I’ll chop my hand or the gas will explode. I’m even afraid of choking on my food. Fans, lights, mirrors, cabinets—it feels like anything could kill me. I don’t even dare to stand under a tree when I go out, for fear of being struck by lightning.” Xiao Dao rarely found common ground with Zhou Xun, and he talked quite a bit.

"They're both bad at watching, but we love it." Liu Jing sighed. Qianqian, Shuchang, Yang Mi, and Gao Yuanyuan were the same.

I get scared after watching horror movies, yet I still enjoy watching them, and what's worse, I like to drag him along to watch them. You're scared, but don't you think I'm scared too?

He's not afraid of gory and violent horror movies, like "Saw" and "Final Destination," but he's terrified of Chinese horror films.

“‘The Blood Maze’ looks interesting; it’s a horror movie too. Who’s free tonight? I’ll treat them to a movie.” Zhou Xun pointed to another poster: a woman with a blood-covered face and a hooded figure holding an axe standing behind her.

"It should be translated as 'Terror Cruise.' It was screened in the UK; it's not really scary, it's quite interesting."

Liu Jing had seen this film. He would watch any good foreign movies that were released as soon as possible.

Whether or not there are Chinese subtitles, it doesn't matter to him.

He only offered an explanation, without responding to the question about watching the movie.

He has plans for the evening, and he has quite a few friends in Taiwan. Even if he didn't have plans, he wouldn't go to the movies with Zhou Xun.

"Triangle is still better." Xiao Dao bit her lip, pretending not to hear. What's the point of watching a movie with you? Should I beg Da Luobo to watch this one with me tonight?

She left the mainland and came to Taiwan, and suddenly felt like she had been set free.

"Sister Xun, if you don't mind, I'll keep you company tonight. This movie is good; I've wanted to see it for a long time. It's just that the Taiwanese translation of the title is hard to describe, but it's very descriptive. We mainlanders value faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance, and their translated titles feel like just the outline," Tang Wei remarked.

"I know one, a movie where you can pick up girls until they're dead. Guess what movie it is? It's a very famous film." Zhou Xun's resentful expression dissipated considerably; he wasn't lonely that night anymore.

"A Chinese Ghost Story?" Zeng Li guessed. This was the first name that came to her mind because the company was preparing to make the movie.

"Haha, 'Ghost'." Zhou Xun laughed loudly.

"Wow, he actually managed to pick up a girl!" Xiao Dao exclaimed in surprise, then quickly followed up with, "Sister Xun, is there anything else? Their translations are really interesting."

"That's the only one I remember. If you want to know more, ask the two directors." Zhou Xun spread his hands, saying that he couldn't even remember all the names of the mainland translators, let alone those from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"I know a few: The Shawshank Redemption is also known as The Thrill of 1995; Fast and Furious is translated as Fast and Furious; Waterloo Bridge is translated as Waterloo Bridge; Lolita is translated as A Pear Blossom Overwhelms a Begonia..." Tang Wei is a student in the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama, so she is quite knowledgeable about foreign films.

Zhao Xiaodao chuckled. Last night, someone explained the meaning of that sentence, and she finally understood.

Zeng Li spat lightly, her face slightly flushed, and turned to sit down in the lounge area, refusing to participate in the discussion.

While in Qingdao, Liu Jing took the two of them to enjoy some local cuisine, and they came across a patch of crabapple blossoms. Xiao Dao ran over to take a picture with the crabapple trees.

Zeng Li praised Xiao Dao for being like a begonia flower, and Xiao Dao responded that Zeng Li was the one who was like a begonia flower.

The two looked at Liu Jing, wanting to see what this talented scholar would say.

"An eighteen-year-old bride and an eighty-year-old groom, white hair against red makeup. A pair of mandarin ducks in the quilt, a pear tree in full bloom overshadowing a crabapple."

Zhao Xiaodao found it strange that he was reciting poetry. But the poem sounded quite good; the director did have some talent.

They arrived in Taiwan last night and were received by the head of the local Golden Harvest Cinema; this was on official business.

After the first session, Zhou Xun treated everyone to karaoke as a make-up birthday party, but this was a private matter.

Of the six people in the group, Zeng Li had the lowest alcohol tolerance, so she got drunk.

Xiao Dao didn't drink alcohol, but after returning to his room, he quickly became dizzy from all the commotion.

Liu Jing asked Xiao Dao if he wanted to know what it meant to have "a pear tree in full bloom overshadowing a crabapple tree." Xiao Dao was still savoring the moment and casually agreed.

A few minutes later, a pear blossom bloomed on her.

Xiao Dao understood: "The mandarin ducks are a pair in the quilt, and a pear tree in full bloom overshadows the crabapple tree." Su Dongpo was truly talented; he thought of this more than a thousand years ago.

"Was it wrong to say 'a pear tree overshadowing a crabapple tree'?" Tang Wei was baffled. Why did the event suddenly end? Did she say something wrong?
(End of this chapter)