HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

"I don't want to eat! Uncle Lu, I'm afraid I'll get indigestion if I eat with you..."

Jing Tian refused Lu Zheng's invitation to stay for lunch without hesitation, and excitedly dragged Li Yan out of the courtyard.

She walked quite a distance before turning back to the gate and snorting, like a victorious rooster, chin held high as she said to Li Yan:

"Next time we come to sell him our share, we'll make him treat us to a nice meal! Then you order the most expensive dishes, eat one and pack the rest to go, let him scare me..."

The weather in August was already very hot, but this area, which is right next to Liuyin Park, was a rare cool spot.

Neither of them drove.

I strolled along Huangsi Street, walking in the dappled shade of the trees.

The cicadas in the trees were chirping incessantly, but Jing Tian was in an exceptionally good mood.

"How about that? I told you I'd protect you, didn't I? You still didn't believe me!"

Jing Tian looked at Li Yan with a smile, her hands behind her back, her steps light and quick, occasionally taking a few steps backward, her skirt fluttering.

"Uncle Lu's expression changed several times just now! I've never seen anyone in my life manage to fool him... no, to make him completely bewildered!"

Li Yan put his hands in his pockets and smiled as he looked at the boisterous girl beside him, who had brightened up again.

Although he was prepared and confident that he could handle the situation.

But without her trust and this tantrum, it would probably have taken several more rounds of wrangling.

"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to President Jing."

Li Yan readily cupped his hands in greeting and joked:

"Whether Gravity Pictures can grow bigger and stronger in the future depends entirely on Miss Jing's help."

"Hehe, no problem at all!"

Jing Tian waved her hand, feeling both delighted and slightly embarrassed.

After walking for a while, she suddenly stopped, as if she had remembered something, and grabbed Li Yan's arm:

"By the way, Li Yan, you mentioned Venice... do you think we can win an award? Uncle Lu's tone just now clearly indicated he still had some doubts."

Li Yan shrugged indifferently, not giving a definitive answer: "It depends on the judges. Who can guess what those old artsy guys in Europe are thinking? Anyway, getting shortlisted is already a good start."

"Oh dear, we can't just 'break even,' we have to make a huge profit!"

Jing Tian immediately became anxious upon hearing this: "We're going to be the house, this shot has to be a hit! No, I don't feel at ease..."

She looked around, then her eyes suddenly lit up, and she pointed to the road sign ahead:

"This is so close to the Yonghe Temple! Let's go pray there! I heard it's very efficacious; may it bless you to win a big prize!"

Yonghe Temple?

Upon hearing that they were going there, Li Yan's teeth immediately started to ache.

The legends of this place are very well-known.

It's not that it doesn't work!

However, this place emphasizes "only looking at the result and not the process," which has a kind of spiritual approach that disregards human life and death.

Well, there was a girl who wished to find a soldier, but her brother joined the army two months later.

Another friend went to pray, hoping his crazy ex-girlfriend would stop bothering him, but at the end of the month he received a notice that as a young cadre, he had to be stationed in a village for two years to provide assistance...

Tell me if it works or not!

So when Jing Tian mentioned going to the Yonghe Temple to pray, he genuinely hesitated and struggled with the decision:

"Um...we're all materialistic fighters born under the red flag and raised in the spring breeze, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to pray to gods and Buddhas?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Better to believe it exists than not! Sincerity brings results, understand?"

……

As soon as you enter the main gate of Yonghe Temple, you are overwhelmed by the smell of incense.

Today is not a holiday, and there are only a few scattered devout men and women in front of the main hall, holding incense sticks and kneeling in worship.

Before Li Yan could react, Jing Tian shoved a handful of incense sticks into his hand.

I don't know where she hired her, but she's incredibly thick and long, and you can tell she spent a lot of money on her.

"Here, half for each of us!"

With a serious expression, Jing Tian straightened her skirt, held the incense in her hand, and walked respectfully to the prayer mat in front of the main hall.

Kneel down, close your eyes, and kowtow.

Muttering to himself:

"I, Jing Tian, ​​pray to Buddha to bless Li Yan's 'The Tuner' with a resounding success in Venice, and that he brings back a grand prize... If my wish comes true, I will definitely come back to fulfill my vow and bring you the most delicious jujube paste pastry. If you don't like jujube paste, ox tongue pastry will also be fine..."

Li Yan stood behind her, quietly watching her earnest expression, feeling both amused and inexplicably touched.

He didn't kneel; instead, he held up the incense sticks and bowed slightly to the Buddha in the main hall, namely Shakyamuni Buddha, as a gesture of respect.

"Greetings, Buddha. I won't kneel anymore. Let's communicate on a more equal footing."

"As for the grand prize, I reckon no one in the short film category can beat me, so I won't trouble you with that for now. If you really want to help, just pray that this film sells for a good price so I can make my first big buck."

After finishing his recitation, Li Yan looked up at the solemn and majestic Buddha statue, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He couldn't help but add another sentence to his mind:

"And also, Buddha, if you are truly efficacious, could you please take a look at the system in my head?"

"It's been stuck for almost a year! When will this 'Chinese localization patch' finally be released? Can you give me a definite answer? If you don't want it to work, just tell me directly. If all else fails, just uninstall it for me. It's really annoying, okay?"

Amidst swirling smoke, the Buddha statue remained silent with its head bowed.

Li Yan sighed and stepped forward to insert the incense sticks into the incense burner.

Well, even the real Buddha at Yonghe Temple probably hasn't handled this kind of business.

It's better to rely on yourself than on others!

After leaving the Yonghe Temple, both of them had a faint scent of sandalwood on them.

"What did you wish for?"

"It won't work if you say it out loud."

"Tch, you cheapskate! I made a wish for you to win the grand prize."

"If you really win the award, you'll get half the credit."

"That's more like it!"

……

Compared to the hustle and bustle of Yonghe Temple, Li Yan preferred the Imperial College next door.

It's not far, just across the street.

Ancient locust trees provide shade, and there are red walls and gray tiles.

There are many small shops along the roadside that offer fortune telling and name selection, with signs that read "I Ching" and "Bagua". There are also some shops that sell stationery and old books.

He always felt that there was still a scholarly atmosphere on this street.

After strolling around for a while, Jing Tian was getting tired and pointed to a small restaurant with a modest storefront and artsy decor:

"Come on, let's go inside and rest for a while, I'm hungry."

The restaurant is called Xuxiang, and it serves simple meals that are neither purely Chinese nor Western.

The environment is quiet and peaceful, with laid-back jazz music playing, which is quite suitable for the current atmosphere.

Two servings of pasta, a cup of coffee, and a glass of juice.

Simple, yet beautiful.

……

I don't know if going to the Yonghe Temple had any effect.

A few days later, Li Yan received a call from Ding Xiaoxiao, who urgently told him that he must come back to the company the next day.

People from Youku have arrived...