A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 168 The New Century, Four Little Actresses

Chapter 167 The New Century, Four Little Actresses

To explain it using Einstein's theory of relativity, good times are always so fleeting.

It probably means this.

Two days passed quickly, and when the BMW pulled up at the airport on Sunday night, their parting was swift and decisive.

"I'm leaving. Don't overwork yourself. Just do enough, okay?"

"Okay. Don't worry, I promise!"

"Okay, I'll call you when I arrive."

"Mmm...hug~"

After a final, somewhat lingering hug and kiss, Li Mu got out of the car and waved to her.

The journey of a long-distance relationship has begun again.

On the 24th, amidst a cacophony of upbeat music, he heard his girlfriend's heart-wrenching confession:

"...Merry Christmas! Li Mu! I love you!"

He did not respond.

My girlfriend said the bar was too noisy and she couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

During this 200,000 yuan gig, the big star, who perfectly fulfilled the contractual requirement of "spending Christmas Eve with bar patrons from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day," immediately called her boyfriend after midnight and, amidst the dazzling music and dance, uttered the most beautiful words of love.

then……

She went straight to Shanxi Province.

Shanxi Province, a major coal-producing province, has nurtured the most famous investors in the entertainment industry—coal bosses—from its rich black gold deposits beneath the loess soil.

For the coal mine owner, the year-end period around New Year's Day, when she needed to attend a lot of social events, became the best place to make money and gain fame.

Li Mu naturally didn't go.

Stay in Guangzhou obediently.

The year 2001, according to the Gregorian calendar, has come to an end.

After playing tennis all night and sweating profusely, Li Muna fell into a deep sleep and arrived in 2002.

And finally, after the two-day New Year's Day holiday, he received a long-awaited phone call:

"Hey, Li. Want to come over for dinner tonight?"

On the first day back at work after the New Year holiday, around noon, Li Mu received a call from Bie Yan.

He was looking up information about Xu Jinglei in the archives when his expression brightened:

"Brother Bie, you're back!?"

"Ha, yeah. I got back yesterday~ Come over for dinner after get off work tonight, remember where I live?"

"Remember."

"Okay, come over tonight. Remember, don't bring any nutritional supplements or anything like that... my house is already overflowing. Just come empty-handed. If you dare to bring anything, don't even bother coming in."

"...Haha, okay."

Following his elder brother's suggestion, Li Mu quickly agreed.

Then they quickly got busy.

The information he was looking for was a report from 01 that he had read before.

The report said that Xu Jinglei plans to become a director herself.

It was a very inconspicuous news item. Although Li Mu saw it and remembered it, he didn't finish reading it.

Now that the list of the four most popular young actresses has been released, Xu Jinglei's profile needs to be revised again.

That was his real purpose for coming to the archives.

After searching and searching, I finally found the relevant record in the April 2001 newspaper.

The first China College Student Television Festival recently opened in Yanjing, Beijing, and was attended by numerous celebrities. When Xu Jinglei was asked about her recent plans, she said: "I'm currently preparing a script about my parents' generation. This time, I want to try interpreting it from a director's perspective..."

As expected, Xu Jinglei is indeed going to start directing.

So...

Looking at the news in the newspaper, he thought for a moment and quickly wrote down a few words in his notebook, which was full of handwriting.

More importantly, she's started learning to direct. What's Xu Jinglei like behind the camera? Nobody knows, but everyone's waiting to see.

After he finished writing, he nodded in satisfaction.

Yes, that's fine.

At this point...

Swish, swish.

As the pages turned, Li Mu looked at the densely written words in his notebook, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.

The article "The Four Little Actresses" is now completely finished!

……

"Fatty, where are you going?"

After clocking out, Li Mu asked.

Sui Kuan shrugged:

"Going home, what about you?"

"Me too... That's rare. I thought you were going to a bathhouse."

"Hehe, I can't go there recently, they've started inspections here."

"..."

Li Mu's lips twitched.

But he didn't say anything more, and waved his hand:

"I'm gone."

"hold head high."

After saying goodbye to Sui Kuan, he drove his Santana, which he inherited from Bie Ge but was now spotless and brand new inside and out, to the entrance of Bie Yan's residential area.

This was his first real visit. After the security guard asked him how to get to the building, he followed the directions and arrived at the entrance of a building.

I spotted the dusty Honda at a glance.

After confirming that it was Brother Bie's car, he immediately moved the Santana across in front of the Honda.

It's just the right distance from the road.

Then I dialed Bieyan's number:

"Brother, I'm downstairs."

"We've arrived?... Hmm, I see you, Xiao Li!"

Seeing Bie Yan waving at him from the third-floor balcony, Li Mu smiled, waved back, and quickly walked into the apartment building.

When they arrived on the third floor, the door was already open.

The door was opened by a woman who looked quite old.

Bie Yan stood next to the older sister and smiled.

"Brother Bie."

Li Mu greeted him with a smile, while carefully observing... Brother Bie had obviously lost weight.

She was thinner than before she left, and even her cheeks had become slightly sunken.

But... her complexion was alright.

"Come in quickly, Sister Dong, make some tea and start cooking."

The eldest sister, referred to as Sister Dong, nodded:

"OK."

"The nanny we hired."

After briefly introducing Sister Dong's identity, Bie Yan suddenly looked towards the sofa:

"Yiyi, your Uncle Li is here, come over and say hello. How can you be so rude?"

Li Mu was taken aback. After entering the house, he saw a girl packing her schoolbag on the sofa in the living room.

They are twelve or thirteen years old.

He was fairly good-looking, slightly dark-skinned, and wore black-rimmed glasses.

As Li Mu walked in, the girl, who had already packed her schoolbag, looked at him and greeted him:

"Hello Uncle Li. Dad, I'm done writing, I'm leaving now."

Bie Yan seemed somewhat speechless and asked:

"Aren't you eating here?"

"No, I'm going to find my mom."

As he spoke, he stood up, picked up his schoolbag, and said to Li Mu again:

Goodbye, Uncle Li.

"Well……"

Li Mu nodded subconsciously, watching the girl brush past him, walk out the door, and go downstairs.

???

Under his questioning gaze, Bie Yan gave a bitter smile:

"My daughter, don't cry... Sigh, she's going through a rebellious phase, she's hard to manage. We just had a fight before you came."

"quarrel?"

"Hmm...sigh."

He let out a long sigh, but waved his hand and said no more, instead pointing to the sofa:

"sit."

"...Okay, Brother Bie, are you alright now?"

"Look."

Upon hearing this, Bie Yan lifted up her clothes.

A dark red scar was unusually conspicuous.

But... it has indeed healed, and the stitches have even been removed, but you can still vaguely see some traces of the sutures.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

Clearly, this surgery, though it sounds minor, is...

"I think everything's alright now. After a few more days of rest, I can go back to work."

After putting down her clothes, Bie Yan sat on the sofa and pointed to Sister Dong, who was busy in the kitchen, and said:

"But from now on, you need to eat three meals a day regularly, go to bed early and get up early... That's why we sent Sister Dong, the jailer, over here."

He didn't make much noise, so Sister Dong probably didn't hear him, but Li Mu heard it clearly and laughed:

"That's good too. Brother Bie, your previous lifestyle was really unhealthy. My older sister also asked me to keep an eye on you, so you can't do anything reckless in the future."

"Hi."

Let me let out a long sigh.

I don't know what it means.

Li Mu quickly produced a folded manuscript:

"Brother Bie, I've finished writing the article."

Bie Yan was taken aback and asked:

"The one from 'The Four Little Actresses'?"

"Yeah. Didn't I say I'd show it to you as soon as you recovered? Hehe~"

"……Ha ha."

Seeing Li Mu's smile, Bie Yan, who understood the meaning behind his words, also smiled and took the manuscript.

"Let me see..."

A dozen seconds later, he nodded slightly:

"Hmm, good start. The professional explanation is quite clear, but... did you implement this standard?"

"It was carried out. We interviewed a total of 102 people, including the ten-person list. We also proactively interviewed reporters from our cultural and sports department, including Brother Zhou, Brother Chen, and the publishers you introduced to me last time. Although the number of people was small, they were all industry professionals, and although their perspectives differed, their understanding of these four individuals was the same."

"Okay...you really didn't choose Bingbing?"

"without."

Li Mu shook his head again:

"I've talked to her about it. If it's not a good match, it's not a good match. Forcing it will only make us a laughing stock."

"You're still brave, kid."

Without further ado, I continued reading.

Zhao Wei

"2001 was a pivotal year for Zhao Wei, marking her transition from an 'idol' to an 'actress'."

"Romance in the Rain" swept the national ratings that year. The character of Yi Ping surprised everyone who still called her "Little Swallow"—the seemingly crazy girl could cry, could feel pain, could sing "I miss you so much" in a hoarse voice, and could shout "I'm not your plaything" with all her might on the bridge. In those years, audiences were used to her antics; this time, she showed them her depth…

Zhang Ziyi

"In the past year, Zhang Ziyi has spent no more than three months in China."

At the beginning of the year, he was filming "Rush Hour 2" in Hollywood. In the middle of the year, he walked the Oscar red carpet in a traditional Chinese bellyband. At the end of the year, he was recalled by Zhang Yimou and joined the cast of "Hero" to act opposite Jet Li and Tony Leung.

Some people dislike her "I want the whole world to know I'm a star" attitude. But you can't deny it: this student from the Central Academy of Drama's class of '96 is the actress of her generation who has gone the furthest...

[Weekly News]

"In 2001, Zhou Xun practically dominated the television screen."

Her role as Princess Taiping in "Palace of Desire" brought her initial recognition, her portrayal of Xiuhe in "The Orange is Red" made her a central figure in public attention, and her portrayal of Du Xinyu in "Like Fog, Like Rain, Like Wind" garnered her countless tears. One actress, three major dramas in one year, each as the leading lady, each unforgettable. Director Li Shaohong said, "Zhou Xun acts with her eyes." That innocent yet neurotic, vulnerable yet stubborn gaze is a gift from God; it cannot be learned or taken away…

Xu Jinglei

In 1998, the TV series "Love Will Carry On" made Xu Jinglei the "Nation's First Love".

Three years have passed, and the "Wen Hui" of yesteryear is still in love, but in a different way. In 2001, she played a mistress in "Let Love Rule," and in "Spring Subway," she played an urban woman lost in her marriage. Her innocence remains, but it's no longer the naive innocence of youth; rather, it's the kind of innocence that comes from having seen the world yet still choosing to remain pure.

More importantly, she started learning to direct. What is Xu Jinglei like behind the camera? Nobody knows, but everyone is waiting to see…

Bie Yan's expression gradually became serious.

It seems that each of the "young actresses" is reflecting on their individual stories.

Consider whether the few hundred words in Li Mu's tightly controlled article, which takes 2001 as the starting point, are accurate and reasonable in their systematic introduction, reasons for selection, acting experience, and industry reputation.

This part took him about five minutes.

"Um……"

After giving a soft response to indicate his approval, he shifted his gaze to the last part of the article.

I looked at it first, then paused, stunned...

Then he squinted, his gaze falling on the final line of the poem: "Not allowed to see white hair in the human world."

A few seconds later, he revealed a very gratified smile.

He looked up at Li Mu and smiled:

"This article is well-written, quite excellent!"

After he said that, Li Mu breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I instantly understood.

"What's the title of the article? Have you thought of one yet?"

"Um!"