A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 194 Human Relationships

A "ding" sounded.

From: Zhou Wei - Hero

"Li Ji, filming for 'Hero' has officially wrapped."

Upon seeing this message, Li Mu thought for a moment and replied:

"Congratulations, Shusuke. You've been busy for so long, you can finally take a break."

"Yes, we've been busy for a long time."

Zhou Wei replied to this message almost instantly.

But when Li Mu saw it, he narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking.

About ten seconds later, he replied to the other party's message:

"Has the wrap party been held yet? What are the next steps for the film?"

"It will be held tonight. As for the next step, production will definitely be the first priority; other details will be decided by the company."

Li Muxin said... You really want me to take the initiative to find you, don't you?

So, he continued in reply:

"Zhou Zhu, do you remember before the New Year, our crew provided Time magazine with a cover photo? We're friends, we can't show favoritism."

As expected, Zhou Wei's reply was:

"Haha, of course, Li Ji. Whatever you need, we'll provide it. However, some things are still confidential for now. If Li Ji needs news, just release the news of the wrap-up. We just finished filming today, and we haven't even booked a place for the wrap party yet."

Look.

The Art of Language

He proactively told Li Mu that filming had wrapped, but kept dodging the question. It wasn't until Li Mu asked for the news that Zhou Wei revealed his "bottom line," telling Li Mu: We're giving you the exclusive news about the wrap-up.

In just a few words, Li Mu incurred a favor.

But... there's nothing I can do.

This is a film by Zhang Yimou.

International director Zhang Yimou, along with international superstar Jet Li, and a host of Hong Kong and Taiwan big names, including Zhang Ziyi, who has just become one of the "Four Little Actresses"...

This star-studded lineup alone is enough to secure a spot in the entertainment news.

So, Li Mu got a group photo of the crew after filming wrapped.

This includes Director Zhang and all the actors.

Zhou Wei readily agreed, saying he would send it to Li Mu's email address shortly.

A single photo, used in a small but prominent spot in the entertainment section of the Southern Metropolis Daily to promote the news that the film crew of "Hero" had wrapped up filming and entered the post-production stage, clearly made New Pictures a profitable venture.

And most importantly, a launch ceremony and a wrap party... these two favors are enough to ensure that New Pictures can get the cooperation of Southern Metropolis Daily when the film enters the promotion period without any public relations efforts.

They made even more money.

But for Li Mu, this was just a very ordinary exchange of favors.

Brother Bie taught him that favors are a give-and-take thing. The important thing isn't who owes whom a favor, but rather that everyone uses favors to keep their networks active.

Zhou Wei wants to get something for nothing, no problem.

Anyway, the company is getting the freebies, while Zhang Yimou's movies, at any time, clearly deserve a small section of screen space.

Next, Li Mu discussed some details of the film with him, such as how many days it took to shoot and where the scenes were filmed.

Without giving away any spoilers, here's a summary of the wrap-up news for the audience.

To put it bluntly, it involves introducing the locations Zhang visited for filming, the historical atmosphere created by these locations, and the artistic sparks that can be generated by the four main characters and the supporting cast of Zhang Ziyi, one of the "Four Little Flowers" (a term referring to four popular young actresses).

First, praise it, then tell the readers: the hero has moved into the behind-the-scenes production process and will soon meet the audience.

A news article, with just the right number of words but enough to secure a place in the entertainment section, was published.

That afternoon, Li Mu submitted the written article and the developed photos.

Then it appeared in the newspaper the very next day.

And this was the only news article Li Mu published this week.

It's not that he doesn't work hard, but in the very beginning of the year, the cultural and sports sections were immediately dominated by revisions and promulgations of regulations such as the "Film Management Regulations" and the "Audio-Visual Management Regulations."

After aligning with the world through the WTO, the Chinese-language film market has clearly taken the initiative to introduce a series of provisions to adapt to the changes, and the cultural and sports reporters have published articles interpreting these provisions.

This job wasn't for Li Mu, or rather, it wasn't his turn.

It was written by Wu Jun and revised by Lin Naichen.

This kind of work... let's not even talk about whether Li Mu could decipher it properly. It's simply impossible to entrust it to him.

If I really want to do this kind of work, I'll have to wait at least another ten years.

In short, a new year brings new beginnings.

This wave of new beginnings at the start of the year is pretty much complete.

However, the most impactful news for Li Mu in the past few days came from his girlfriend.

"Baby, Sister Zhang introduced me to Sammo Hung and Golden Harvest. They're finalizing a few scripts for the new year and are going to Yanjing this weekend. They invited me to join them. I won't be going back to see you."

The impact of this news is...not small.

The reason is also very simple.

Li Mu was willing, but Li Ben was not.

Li Ben was unhappy, and Li Mu was upset.

You tell me, is the impact big or not...? Of course, that's a joke.

Through Bie Ge and Frowning Brother, he had already glimpsed the tip of the iceberg regarding Zhang Yujing's relationships. As for his girlfriend's career, he didn't intend to interfere too much... or rather, he wouldn't interfere with her career, but he would interfere with her choices.

And the result of this choice is what he is happy to see.

So, regardless of whether Li Ben was willing or not, he just had to put up with it.

Moreover, Li Mu met with Zhang Yujing again on Saturday morning.

"Oh my, the great talent is here!"

This was the first thing Sister Zhang said to him when they met.

The second sentence was addressed to the other people who looked bewildered:

"Since ancient times, beauties and famous generals have been forbidden to grow old in this world. Tsk tsk tsk, look at how romantic Little Li is..."

After a long time apart, she reunited with Li Muyi and immediately made a joke.

In return, Li Mu sneered:

"Sister Zhang, please let me off the hook. All this talk about romance is just a figure of speech."

"Hehe, don't be modest... Stop talking, come on, come on, sit down at the table. Don't play too much today, just chat with us for a while and then go rest. Just leave Xiao Li with us."

Soon, Sister Zhang turned her attention to Bie Yan.

Li Mu then habitually went to the croupier's position.

It's alright, everyone who came today was a familiar face, which saved me a lot of trouble with strangers.

After unpacking the deck of cards, he stretched his fingers, which had become stiff from not using them for a long time. Amidst the laughter and chatter of the group, in the luxurious private room of the Lisboa Casino, he once again took on his duties.

……

According to the habits of Zhang Yujing's group, they would start organizing a gathering on Saturday, usually playing until Sunday afternoon, and then go their separate ways.

As for Li Mu, perhaps it's because he's been to the Lisboa Casino "too many times" that he's lost interest in it.

Two days passed quickly, and after lunch on Sunday, he and Bie Yan checked out and headed back home.

Because it was a taxi, the two barely communicated.

Just as they were about to reach the airport, Li Mu suddenly received a phone call.

It was Zhou Xun's agent, Huang Feng, calling.

"Hello, Mr. Li, this is Huang Feng."

"Hello, Broker Huang."

As soon as Li Mu said this, Bie Yan glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Looking at Xiao Li, he smiled and spoke with ease:

"Huh? Tonight?"

"Yes, that's fine. I happen to be free."

"...Haha, not at all, you're too kind. It's the start of the new year, so it's bound to be busy. I understand."

"No problem, Manager Huang can send me the address later. I'll be on time for the appointment~"

"Okay, goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Bie Yan asked:

"Huang Feng?"

"Yes, he's in Guangzhou now and wants to treat me to dinner. He also apologized, saying that Zhou Xun couldn't come this time because the director suddenly asked her to join the crew of 'Baby in Love,' which had already started filming."

"Um……"

He didn't say anything more.

It wasn't until they got out of the taxi and walked towards the helipad that he brought up the old topic again:

"The feedback on 'The Four Little Actresses' has indeed exceeded my expectations. Your article was published at just the right time, at the end of the year, which linked their workload and popularity based on last year, and it received everyone's recognition. In the entertainment industry, a person's reputation is like a shadow. Although you didn't rank them first, second, third, and fourth, the article's publication has led everyone to assume that these four are the most popular among the post-95 generation. And this one year of the Lunar New Year is enough for these investors to choose their favorite projects for the beginning of the year. So it's normal for them to be busy."

As he spoke, he suddenly said:

"If that's the case, then Xu Jinglei's gift was the most generous? And who was second?"

Although he hadn't thought carefully about the "order" Bie Ge mentioned, Li Mu, who roughly understood the meaning, still said:

"The second one is this Manager Huang. He said he would bring Zhou Xun to have dinner with me before the Lunar New Year. Now that Zhou Xun has joined the crew, he came from Yanjing by himself."

"?"

Bie Yan was taken aback:

"What about Zhao Wei and Zhang Ziyi?"

Li Mu shrugged:

"Do text messages count? Zhang Ziyi sent one more text message than Zhao Wei. Zhao Wei sent a congratulatory text message on New Year's Eve and another on the fifteenth, while Zhang Ziyi sent one on New Year's Eve, the first day of the new year, and the fifteenth."

Although he's not a petty person, his excellent memory... there's really nothing you can do about it.

When Bie Yan heard this, he didn't say anything about "favoring one over the other".

He simply said:

"Hong Kong and Taiwanese companies are indeed not as quick to react as mainland companies in this regard. As for etiquette... it varies from person to person. Some people do get arrogant after becoming very famous. You can just treat these people in a formulaic way from now on. If such a big pie falls on your head and you don't know how to be grateful when you're eating it, there's no need to be grateful later."

Li Mu was taken aback, turned to look at his older brother, and smiled:

"Okay, got it."