A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

The press conference for "The Goddess of Luo," produced by Liu Xiaoqing's company, was held as scheduled. However, facing numerous reporters, the former queen of the entertainment industry unusually lowered her head.

She completely changed her usual "This is who I am, you'll regret it" attitude, and instead behaved with remarkable gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility.

In fact, Liu Xiaoqing's poor relationship with reporters is well-known.

Aside from a few reporters with whom she maintained good relationships over the years, she was frequently subjected to surprise interviews by unscrupulous colleagues in her early years. Although she never physically assaulted reporters, swearing was commonplace for her.

But they become famous, they become popular.

Even knowing they might be criticized, Li Mu's colleagues still desperately tried to get news from her.

And now that she's embroiled in this tax evasion scandal, reporters are all prepared to be scolded.

I'd rather get scolded than not get a straight answer.

But Liu Xiaoqing acted unusually at this press conference:

"I am indeed under investigation by the tax authorities, and the company's accounts have been frozen. But I am innocent, and I ask all journalists not to overinterpret the situation. An explanation will be given to everyone after the investigation is complete. Please also treat all the staff of 'The Goddess of Luo' with kindness..."

She softened.

Sui Kuan, filled with regret, clenched his teeth.

Especially after seeing her in the entertainment news headline on the 6th... I kept slapping my thigh.

Li Mu rolled his eyes at this.

I have no idea what he's up to.

And so, another week passed.

This weekend, Li Mu didn't spend time with his girlfriend; instead, he boarded a plane to Macau alone.

Sister Zhang has lost nearly a million yuan recently... She loses everything she gambles on.

Normally, Bie Yan would invite Li Mu over to play, but after Li Mu got the news about Liu Xiaoqing, she knew he was busy, so she didn't invite him over every week like before.

Unfortunately... he got desperate after losing.

Money doesn't matter, what's important is why I'm so damn unlucky!

"Hey, Li! Help!!!! They've been ripping me off like a money-grubber for two months!"

Zhang Yujing made the call personally, and he rushed over.

Then... something "strange" happened.

Zhang Yujing won a small amount of 10,000 in the card game on Saturday afternoon.

This woman was so happy her eyes practically disappeared:\

"Hahaha, I knew it! Li and I are a perfect match. As long as he's around, I'll dominate the battlefield! Hahahaha... Here, here, Li, this is lucky money!"

Seeing the two 10,000-yuan chips she tossed over, Li Mu, who had been a dealer all afternoon, casually remarked:

"Sis, you've already lost ten thousand."

"...Oh right! Then give it back to me!"

"No!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"\

The atmosphere was relaxed, and everyone was already familiar with each other, so there were no reservations.

It's nice to spend the weekend joking around, chatting, and playing cards.

Unfortunately, Brother Sun didn't come.

Brother Bie didn't come either; he went with the girl to the newly opened Happy Valley in Shenzhen.

After spending two days at the Lisboa Casino, he returned to Beijing around 6 PM on Sunday.

Upon arriving at his girlfriend's house, he immediately noticed two large suitcases.

"Are you leaving?"

"Um."\

After resting at home for ten days, Fan Bingbing, who was now fully recovered and energized, nodded:

"Your flight is tomorrow morning. How was your trip?"

"That's good, but I didn't see Brother Sun and Sister Ding."

"I had an appointment with Sister Ding for a beauty treatment this afternoon. Knowing I was leaving, she invited me for a little get-together."

"Okay, shall I take you tomorrow?"

"No need, but you have to make me something to eat so I can take it with me. I'm afraid I won't be used to the food there."

"OK."\

Li Mu, who had just entered the house, immediately turned around and left:

"I'm going to buy groceries."

"good."\

When he returned, he was carrying a bag of vegetables and several cans of fruit.

"Why are you doing this? Wouldn't it be better to buy some fresh fruit?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mu handed over the can of food:

"After you've eaten, I'll put the food in a jar for you."

"No, it's all sugar water, are you trying to make me fat?"

Fan Bingbing's eyes were full of resistance, but this resistance immediately changed after her boyfriend poured all the canned food into a stainless steel basin and brought it over.

You know what... this canned yellow peach looks quite appetizing.

Take a bite!

Oh, it's so sweet and sour, it's really delicious!

After eating several pieces, she struggled to suppress her rationality, drank several sips of soup, and, satisfied, carried the stainless steel basin to the kitchen:

"Give."\

Li Mu opened his mouth while chopping vegetables.

"It tastes good."

"Hmm, have another sip of soup, I'll feed you..."

After her boyfriend had taken a few sips of the sugar water, she asked:

"I just asked you to make some pickled vegetables, why did you buy meat too?"

"A jar of pickled vegetables, a jar of pasta sauce. And this rye flour. I'm planning to make you some thin pancakes, similar to the flatbreads we have back home. Rye, less oil, so it won't feel heavy. That way, if you don't eat well there, you can wrap the pickled vegetables in the pancakes, or cook some noodles and mix them with this sauce. Okay?"

Before he could finish speaking, Fan Bingbing put down the stainless steel basin and hugged him from behind:

"Love you."\

"Take good care of yourself over there. I've never been to a snowy area, so I don't know what the climate is like there. I can only help you prepare as much as possible."

"……Um."

\

She stopped talking, simply holding her boyfriend quietly, pressing her cheek against his back, slowly absorbing that reassuring scent.

There was no reluctance, because they both understood that their current separation was for a better tomorrow.

……\

After his girlfriend left, Li Mu returned to his dormitory.

Every day, I just go back and forth between the Jin Huan Hotel and my dormitory.

And he would occasionally have meals with Zhu Lingjun, Qin Liyan, and others.

Time flies, and May is already halfway over.

As the investigation results become clearer, according to Zhu Lingjun, the day when Liu Xiaoqing will be arrested is not far off.

On May 17th, Li Mu received a call from Liu Baoteng.

"Mr. Li, are you free this afternoon? How about we have some tea? The company just finished a project meeting. Mr. Li, you're interested in the 'Pink Lady' project, aren't you? Shall we talk about it?"

Li Mu immediately became interested and readily agreed.

In the afternoon, the two met at a teahouse that looked like a traditional old Beijing establishment.

"Li Ji."

"Manager Liu."

Inside the private room, Li Mu greeted the person with a smile and accepted the cigarette offered to him.

Then, Liu Baoteng dismissed the tea master and went to the main seat to brew tea for Li Mu.

Li Mu cut to the chase:

"Manager Liu, what did 'The Girl in the City' say?"

Liu Baoteng, though surprised by Li Mu's frankness, didn't hide anything and said with a smile:

"The investment for this production wasn't actually that big; excluding copyright fees, it was probably around six or seven million. If Li Ji hadn't expressed interest, we probably would have done it ourselves."

"Haha, that's me taking what a gentleman likes."

He meant Li Mumenqing.

It's nothing more than doing someone a favor.

His response also indicated that he wanted to get involved:

"I really love this comic, and if it could be adapted into a movie, it would be like fulfilling a long-held wish for me. So, let me be shameless this once."

"Haha, Mr. Li, you're joking. We'd be more than happy to become partners. Well then..."

Liu Baoteng thought for a moment and asked:

"How much is Li Ji planning to invest? Give me a number, so I can go back and report."

"I don't know, how much are you asking me to invest?"

"Well... my instructions to the company are to go along with what you feel, Li Ji. You can release everything, and if you do, we won't charge any royalties; we'll even do the distribution for free. It's about friends helping each other out~"

He spoke very frankly and openly.

But if Li Mu were to actually take advantage of the situation, it would make him seem like someone insignificant.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly invest all of it.

Their eating manners were appalling.

Even though he knew the play would make money, he had no idea exactly how much "money" the frowning guy was talking about; he only knew that a businessman named Wu Kebo had made over ten million from the play.

But he didn't know how much Wu Kebo had invested.

Therefore, his only response can be:

"No way, I appreciate the sentiment, but let's keep things separate. Precisely because we're friends, I can't just take advantage of this, right? Here's the deal, Manager Liu, you name a price. Shares and such don't matter; the main thing is I genuinely love this comic."

"this……"\

Liu Baoteng didn't actually plan to directly allocate shares today.

After all, the cast for "The Girl in the City" hasn't been finalized yet, and the investment is only a rough estimate.

All he could say was:

"Currently, our estimate is around 7 million, plus the 1.5 million for the initial copyright purchase, totaling 8.5 million. This is just an estimate; I can't tell you, Mr. Li, how much we can invest until the budget is finalized. But what I can guarantee you, Mr. Li, is that our shareholding will definitely not be less than 20%. What do you say?"

Based on 8.5 million, 20% is 1.7 million.

That works too.

Since this is my first time investing in film and television, I'll just treat it as learning experience, regardless of how much I make.

"Okay, the number of shares doesn't matter. Like I said, the dream comes first."

He said with a smile:

"So, what preparations do I need to make?"

"Hmm..."

Liu Baoteng thought for a moment and asked:

"Does Li Ji currently own any companies?"

"without."\

"Then you could set up a company with film and television investment capabilities, and invest under the company's name; that would be more convenient. As for the rest... to be honest, Mr. Li, I'm the head of public relations, and I know absolutely nothing about film and television investment or contract drafting. You'll need to find a professional."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu immediately understood.

It seems I really need to register a company.

And this isn't just a hobby; this company... in Brother Frowning's words, is the broad road to the top of the entertainment industry.

"Celebrities are consumables, directors are necessities, but they're both commodities, understand? Li Mu, only investors are the real sugar daddies in this industry."

Recalling what Frowning Guy had said, Li Mu nodded:

"Okay, I'll start working on that in the next few days. As for 'The Girl Next Door,' I'll leave that to Manager Liu."

"Isn't that what should be done?"

"Ha ha……"\