Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

Chapter 167: My Reincarnated Self Failed at Real Estate Speculation, Got Scammed While Trying to Make Money, and Could Only Save the World with My Disciple

If the movie hadn't already started, Zhou would have loved to stand up, grab Liu Haocun by the collar, and ask her what she was doing.

Can't you have any shame?

So what if she's the female lead?

Can the female lead really seduce other people's blind date partners?

However, at this moment, the lights in the entire theater dimmed, and all the scattered chatter disappeared without a trace.

All that was left was the sound coming from the theater's speakers.

"Wait until after the movie, and I'll see how I deal with you."

Zhou decided to first add Liu Haocun's indecent behavior to the bill.

Let's find a suitable opportunity to clean it up together.

Dolby Cinema.

There are some differences between Dolby Cinema and IMAX theaters. The picture quality in Dolby Cinema is more detailed and the colors are more realistic.

In addition, the sound effects are the biggest feature of Dolby Cinema.

Regarding the soundtrack, Lu Yunzhou believes that his team, as well as his own aesthetic sense, are among the best in domestic production teams.

On the silver screen.

The movie has officially begun.

The first thing that catches the eye is a golden sand dune, with a fierce wind swirling around it.

It seemed to stretch endlessly.

These are sand dunes near Qatar.

In the foreground, there is a blood-stained figure from behind.

He wore a tattered robe stained with blood. The robe fluttered in the wind, its silhouette resembling a battle flag.

-

Although only a back view is visible, viewers familiar with Lu Yunzhou can immediately recognize it as Lu Yunzhou's back.

What a pitiful sight from behind.

He was covered in blood, and his clothes were all torn.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Lu Yunzhou will either survive or suffer a terrible fate in this movie.

Just then, the mysterious figure raised its sword and shouted forward, "Charge with me!"

"Buzz buzz buzz~"

The ultra-low frequencies rumbled loudly, as if some monster was chasing after the audience's ears.

The camera rotated 180 degrees, focusing on the back of the mysterious person.

Behind him was a flat expanse of yellow sand, upon which stood countless fairies.

These goblins were short and fat, and their bodies were all green. Although they were covered in white robes and had masks on their faces, a small part of their bodies that were exposed had several sharp spikes on them.

The visual labels are very obvious.

This is a desert cactus fairy!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the camera switched to the front.

A violent explosion occurred there.

Smoke and dust billowed and surged. Gravel, like shooting stars with long tails and covered in black smoke, rained down from the sky.

The camera focused on the ground.

From the perspective of the desert cactus fairies, they saw the earth trembling between their feet.

The sand looked like it was dancing.

The camera then switched to close-ups of the facial expressions of these desert cacti.

At that moment, they seemed to discover something, and slowly raised their heads in terror—at the same time, the camera was shaking incessantly, telling the audience that the whole world was trembling.

Such chaotic scenes make the audience wonder what exactly happened.

The next second, the camera pans to behind the desert cactus fairy army—

Through an ultra-wide-angle lens, viewers can clearly see that the vast army of thousands of desert cacti, at this moment, appears as insignificant as ants in the face of that magnificent spectacle.

"Is the opening already this explosive?"

"The special effects are amazing!"

The audience stared at the big screen, holding their breath.

At this moment, a quarter of the way across the screen, there is a dividing line between the sky and the desert.

The countless cacti, located below the dividing line, were squeezed together, and in terms of their imposing presence, they were also in a lower position, as if they were being crushed by the giant monster above.

The vast space above was shattered by an unseen monster, filled with golden sand and accompanied by lightning and thunder.

"Buzz~~"

Suddenly, amidst the raging sands, a gigantic head opened its crimson eyes.

-

-

boom!

Beams of light, like laser cannons, shot out continuously from that scarlet eye.

It will kill you if you touch it.

The cactus army on the ground suffered heavy casualties under the relentless bombardment.

escape!

Before the monster could fully reveal its true form, the army collapsed, and all the fairies retreated and fled in a frenzy.

Camera angle change.

It was given to someone far away.

In the fierce wind, almost all the cactus fairies could not stand still, and they stretched out their long roots and plunged into the sand dunes.

All that remained was the white robe he wore, fluttering in the wind.

Everyone lay prostrate on the ground, as helpless as ants, awaiting their fate.

"Buzzing"

Just then, the weapons in the hands of all the cactus fairies began to clang incessantly, as if they had finally found a savior, a king.

"The Snow Queen is here!"

"Victory! Victory!"

The next moment, the cactus fairies began to cheer wildly.

Amid their cheers, the camera zoomed in like a missile, traversing the entire desert battlefield and arriving at another stretch of sand.

A red sun shines forth, but it's hard to tell whether it's the rising or setting sun.

At this moment, under the huge red sun, a slender girl, carrying a black sword box on her back, slowly appeared on the other side of the mountain.

Because of the halo of the red sun, no one could see what the girl looked like; they could only see her silhouette.

She has only one unique characteristic.

Her legs are incredibly long, it's as if her legs start right below her chest.

When she stepped onto the sand dunes, she walked like a compass.

"Haha, it's obviously Liu Haocun."

"Cunzi's long legs are truly outstanding."

"As expected of the strongest 165cm tall person on earth, I don't even need to see his face; just looking at his physique, I'm 100% certain it's Liu Haocun!"

"Looks like this one will be Cunzi carrying the plot again, while Lu Yunzhou will just lie back the whole time and only need to unleash his ultimate move at the end!"

"However, Cunzi's aura has improved considerably compared to the previous installment. It's probably because in the last part, as an 'incompetent disciple,' he watched helplessly as his master committed suicide before his eyes. This traumatized Cunzi, and after countless years of training, he's now preparing for a triumphant return!"

"The Snow Queen? Haha."

Lu Yunzhou's special effects blockbusters like to grab attention from the very beginning, locking all the audience into their seats right from the start.

He clearly told everyone that he never cut corners when making movies, and that everyone could tell how much money was spent just by looking at the footage.

-

Superb 3D special effects.

No dialogue needed, it's straight to a super battle.

Regardless of the plot, he definitely spent a significant amount on special effects. Getting audiences to buy tickets to see the movie is definitely a worthwhile investment.

Special effects blockbusters have this kind of strong competitive advantage.

In addition, Lu Yunzhou's portrayal of female protagonists is also exceptional.

Liu Haocun, who is as delicate and fragile as a white flower, is always portrayed as an incredibly resilient rose in Lu Yunzhou's films.

The rose with a sword—that's Liu Haocun.

In fact, Liu Haocun is the best spokesperson for Kou Rui!

On the silver screen.

The movie continues.

"Demon-Slaying Sword, draw your sheath!"

The girl let out a low growl.

The black sword case behind her emitted a burst of golden light that shot into the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a jet-black divine sword flew out of the sword box and soared into the sky.

The moment the sword was swung, there was no earth-shattering roar, but instead a very high-frequency hissing sound that almost pierced the eardrums.

That was the sound of air being torn apart instantly after being compressed to the extreme, like ten thousand taut drumheads breaking at the same time.

Where the divine sword passed, space appeared to be strangely distorted, like the distortion that occurs when flames are burning.

"boom!"

Immediately afterwards, the audience followed the vision of the divine sword, experiencing a few seconds of flight before it crashed heavily into the head of the giant monster in the yellow sand.

"Ugh~~"

Accompanied by a metallic roar, tinged with sorrow, it resounded throughout the entire arena.

Large amounts of blood rained down from the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a fierce wind arose, and the enormous monster, shrouded in black mist, fled wildly toward the distant ocean.

Soon after, with a deafening roar, the black mist crashed into the ocean, creating a massive tide.

As the monster disappeared into the deep sea, a giant wave tens of meters high crashed against the shore, forming a small tsunami that spread towards the coast.

In an instant, several small docks were submerged.

At the same time, the giant waves stirred up by the monster formed a dense raindrop in the sky, which pattered down on the ground.

The raindrops, mixed with a trace of monster blood and filled with deadly poison, landed on the gravel, instantly creating bubbles that burst open with a bang.

After a long time, the rain stopped.

The seaside has returned to calm.

On the ground, tiny craters appeared, as if the ground had been riddled with bullet holes.

The camera shifts to that point.

Under the apocalyptic sunset, the mysterious girl sheathed the black sword and turned her head to look in the other direction.

The girl's eyes were firm and confident as she murmured, "Master, I've become much stronger."

Below, various local cactus fairies cheered.

Accompanied by music and the sound of swords clashing, the words "Fairy Castle 2" appeared on the screen.

This line of text contains both Chinese and English.

All the words are like vines winding around and drawing.

She has the air of a plant fairy.

At the same time, a jet-black demon-suppressing sword slashed across the bottom of the screen with a sharp sound, leaving a clear sword mark.

It was as if the screen had been torn apart.

"These special effects are amazing."

"It seems that Lu Yunzhou's two months in Montreal were worthwhile."

"He did manage to produce something."

Mr. Kang, the general manager of China Film Group, whispered and discussed the matter with his subordinates for a while, then nodded slightly, his eyes full of interest.

There are quite a few directors in China who make feature films.

There are even masters like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige.

There are also several promising talents among the new generation.

However, there are only a handful of directors who make special effects blockbusters.

Lu Yunzhou, in particular, not only shoots special effects blockbusters, but also acquired his own special effects studio, enabling him to create special effects in his own unique style according to his own ideas.

On the silver screen.

The movie continues.

The location has been changed to Italy.

Milan, Palazzo Venezia Hotel.

Lu Yunzhou, who plays the protagonist "Li Daoyuan", is basking in the warm sun on the hotel terrace and taking a short nap.

The environment is also a warm, golden color.

Just now, there were endless Middle Eastern sand dunes, filled with the stench of blood.

This place, however, is filled with the old-fashioned Italian style. It's also gold, but here it gives off a sense of decadent luxury. "Both are gold; two sides of the same coin in the world."

"The Middle East is all about war, while Europe is all about enjoying life. Lu Yunzhou still prefers symmetrical camera shots in his storytelling."

"Lu Yunzhou really captured this golden texture beautifully. It has a luxurious old-money feel to it. His previous film had the same effect."

Putting the plot aside for now, the visuals are truly stunning.

This is pure visual enjoyment.

"Hopefully this story will be a little more down-to-earth."

"In the last movie, although the fight scenes were very exciting, the sense of immersion was much lacking. The protagonist was an old Taoist priest, and I just couldn't connect with him."

After the climax began, some small discussions arose among the audience.

-

After the previous movie was released, many viewers left comments saying that the sense of immersion was a little lacking, and that the protagonist was an old Taoist priest, making the character somewhat unrealistic.

This time, Lu Yunzhou learned from his mistakes and changed the settings.

The new protagonist, after being reborn, is an ordinary person.

On the silver screen.

The movie continues.

"It's that dream again. The ninth time now, when will it ever end?"

At this moment, the protagonist, played by Lu Yunzhou, had another nightmare about battle. He hurriedly got up, but accidentally spilled his coffee.

The fairy Zhang Tianai, who was by his side, could not speak. She quietly got up to help him clean his clothes, but Lu Yunzhou grabbed her wrist.

Lu Yunzhou stared intently at Zhang Tianai's exquisite face.

The camera gave Zhang Tianai a close-up.

With bright eyes and white teeth, she exuded a bewitching aura and an indescribable charm.

After giving the audience a visual treat, Lu Yunzhou stared at Zhang Tianai and asked, "Liu'er, tell me, do I really have to go?"

Zhang Tianai was stunned for a moment, then looked innocently at Lu Yunzhou.

She was like a blank sheet of paper.

Zhang Tianai's acting skills are indeed quite good. She looks like a fairy, but she is able to portray such an innocent and pure look in her eyes.

At this moment, many viewers silently gave Zhang Tianai a thumbs up.

"You're looking at me with that pitying look again. I'm doomed."

Lu Yunzhou said with a look of frustration, "This is the 9th time. Ever since you came, I've had the exact same dream 9 times in a row."

"Tell me, who is she?"

"If I can't beat them, can't I at least avoid them?"

-

Lu Yunzhou stared at Zhang Tianai, his eyes filled with pleading.

After a moment, Zhang Tianai blinked and finally surrendered, writing the two words "Xue'er" on the paper.

"I have absolutely no recollection of it."

Lu Yunzhou casually tossed the note into the trash can, pretending it had nothing to do with him, and prepared to leave gracefully.

But soon, he stamped his foot, knowing he couldn't escape his fate, and turned back to ask, "Why do I know her?"

Zhang Tianai then wrote two simple words: "Apprentice".

"Apprentice? She's my apprentice?"

Lu Yunzhou looked incredulous and asked incredulously, "How could I possibly take her as my apprentice? I don't have that kind of ability. I'm just an artist; if there's a fight in the street, I'm always the first to run away. She, on the other hand, carries a sword every day and can even kill monsters. I usually keep my distance from girls with that kind of violent temperament. How could I possibly take her as my apprentice?"

Zhang Tianai thought for a moment, then wrote two more words on the paper: "Debt".

Upon seeing those two words, Lu Yunzhou's eyes widened, his lips twitched, and finally he gave an awkward smile: "Ah? Is that so?"

"Ha ha!"

"That's hilarious!"

Viewers who had seen the first installment immediately smiled knowingly.

They all remembered that Lu Yunzhou had taken Liu Haocun as his apprentice, and then Liu Haocun embarked on a long journey of making fake paintings to pay off his debts.

The camera cuts to the next scene.

We returned to the interior of the luxury hotel.

Lu Yunzhou called his agent: "Robert, how much money do I have left? Help me estimate all my assets. I need to pack my things and go back to China. Someone's watching me; it's not safe here."

A short while later, the agent arrived with various documents.

The two sat solemnly at the coffee table.

The agent stared at Lu Yunzhou for a long time, then shrugged helplessly and said, "Li, I have bad news. You're bankrupt. You own too many properties; the property taxes alone will be a huge burden. You also have several overdue credit card payments. The court summons will be sent to you soon, and then bankruptcy liquidation proceedings will begin."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Lu Yunzhou interrupted his agent: "I want to hear good news. I know your nature; you wouldn't have come if there wasn't good news."

The agent laughed and gave Lu Yunzhou a high five: "The good news is, someone has paid off all your debts. You don't have to worry about being homeless tomorrow morning."

After laughing for a while, Lu Yunzhou asked, "What are the conditions? There's no such thing as a free lunch. I want to know what the other party wants from me?"

Speaking of this, the agent laughed and patted Lu Yunzhou on the shoulder, saying, "The condition is very simple: they want you to settle in Qatar for the next 5 years."

"Qatar? The Middle East? Oil tycoons? Sandstorms, white robes, cactus fairies—a super sea monster?"

In Lu Yunzhou's mind, the dream he had nine times in the past few days flashed by.

The agent took a sip of coffee and said unhurriedly, "A boss needs a tutor to teach his daughter painting. It's a long-term contract, at least five years. He really admires your style. Your painting of Leonardo da Vinci at his tomb has amazed him."

Lu Yunzhou couldn't help but ask, "Let me ask first, is the work location in the city center? I can't adapt to the remote suburbs. I'm a very hygienic person, I shower every day."

"certainly."

The agent nodded vigorously, laughed heartily, and said, "Doha, the capital of Qatar, is the pearl of the Arabian Peninsula. It's very beautiful there; you'll love it."

"You bastard, your smile is so fake. You're not going to sell me out, are you?"

L

Seeing his agent urging him to go to Qatar, Lu Yunzhou couldn't help but mutter something to himself.

The next second, the camera angle changes.

Lu Yunzhou took a plane from Italy to Qatar.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tianai returned to Moritzburg and told all the fairies about the move.

The next scene shows a large group of fairies, carrying their bags and belongings, squeezing onto a train overnight.

All the plant fairies moved to Qatar.

As Lu Yunzhou moved to Qatar, the music also changed to melodies full of Middle Eastern flavor.

At this moment, the drone's aerial camera lens captures the scene. The viewer's gaze follows the drone, like the wind, sweeping across the low, earthen-yellow buildings of the Persian Gulf.

The dome and wind tower cast long shadows in the setting sun.

In the open-air market, stalls selling all kinds of spices were piled up like mountains.

Saffron, frankincense, and cardamom are full of intense colors, just like an oil painting.

Locals wore white robes, Indian vendors shouted loudly, and laborers from Southeast Asia carried various boxes through the streets.

At this moment, the music subsided, the camera began to pan down, and slowly moved through the bustling street.

Finally, it stopped at an inconspicuous shop.

The camera gave a close-up of the shop front.

The signboard is very simple, with only four characters: "Xiao Li Art Studio".

However, the sign posted at the entrance was quite something; it read: "[Large quantities of Leonardo da Vinci paintings for sale; ten times the price back if fake]"

Inside the shop.

Lu Yunzhou was wearing a slightly faded cotton-linen shirt, his hair was a bit messy, and his stubble was not clean.

He was sitting at his worktable, raising his left hand and slowly, bit by bit, creating the Mona Lisa.

It's exactly the same as the one Leonardo da Vinci painted himself.

Next to his workbench were several potted plants, all of them wilted, including the little willow tree.

The branches and leaves have all turned yellow and withered.

However, these potted plants are different from ordinary plants.

They would occasionally move on their own, and one of the willow branches would even roll up a cup of drink and place it within Lu Yunzhou's reach.

"Why."

"No business today."

After Lu Yunzhou finished painting "Mona Lisa", he casually hung the painting at the entrance of his shop.

He painted more than a dozen different versions of the Mona Lisa.

-

One of the Mona Lisa paintings even has half an apple in its mouth, and Newton's law of universal gravitation is written in the lower right corner.

Since there's no business, he's completely given up.

Draw however you want.

Just then, his phone rang.

"Feed".

Lu Yunzhou quickly answered the phone, asking expectantly, "Robert, when are you bringing me back?"

Robert on the other end of the phone said, "There's no going back. The forgery business is getting harder and harder these days. I found a new job, a salesman at LDC Jewelry. I'm not an agent anymore. Good luck."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Yunzhou complained helplessly, "What kind of mess is this? Who would have thought that an oil tycoon could go bankrupt?"

As they were talking, Lu Yunzhou opened an app that displayed his debt data.

He glanced at it, then closed his eyes in despair.

"My card balance is only 36 cents. Have I really fallen this low?"

Lu Yunzhou sighed and put his phone on the table.

At this moment, the willow tree fairy stretched out a branch and gently touched the back of his hand, as if to comfort him.

Lu Yunzhou turned to look at the willow tree fairy: "Willow, I'm preparing to run away back to my country. But what about you?"

All the potted plants swayed their branches and then drooped down, just like humans sighing in disappointment.

Just then, a dark-skinned, thin Pakistani man pushed open the door and came in, holding a small notebook in his hand: "Li, this month's rent is due—"

"Has it already been a month?"

Sighing, Lu Yunzhou frantically rummaged through the drawers, pulled out a stack of cash, and counted it; it was all small denominations.

That doesn't seem enough.

He then rummaged through another drawer and found a few banknotes in the corner.

That still doesn't seem enough.

Under the strange gaze of the Pakistani man, Lu Yunzhou pulled out several crumpled hundred-yuan bills from under the potted dwarf red pine.

They gathered them all together and handed them over.

After quickly counting the money, the Pakistani man said somewhat helplessly, "Li, it's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult for you. I'm just working for someone else—I'm still short 300."

"

Lu Yunzhou spread his hands, indicating that he had no money, but could take any painting he wanted.

"Understood, same as always."

The Pakistani man chuckled and picked through the paintings on Lu Yunzhou's wall, finally choosing "Mona Lisa Conquering the Alps"!

It was originally supposed to be "Napoleon Conquers the Alps," but because of the protagonist "Lee Do-won's" quirky sense of humor, it became "Mona Lisa Conquers the Alps."

Just then.

The willow tree fairy stretched out a thin willow branch, slowly reaching out, trying to take the painting back from the Pakistani man's pocket.

But Lu Yunzhou stopped him: "Liu'er, forget it. This painting has been hanging for months and no one wants it. It's not bad to get 300 for it."

Just then, Lu Yunzhou's phone rang.

"Okay."

"Tomorrow morning?"

"Someone wants a self-portrait? 2000 card coins? Thanks, Brother Zhou."

It turned out that someone on the phone had introduced Lu Yunzhou to a business deal: a wealthy man wanted a self-portrait.

2000 card coins are roughly equivalent to 4000 RMB.

Seeing Lu Yunzhou so happy about the 2000 card coins, the willow tree fairy stretched out a branch and wrote on a piece of paper: "Why don't you go find Xue'er? She has money."

"I'm afraid I won't live to enjoy it."

Lu Yunzhou resolutely refused, then watered the potted plant fairies a little more and gently stroked their branches: "Don't worry, I will take care of you."

After turning off the lights, Lu Yunzhou went to bed.

These fairies all moved down from the potted plants and transformed into human form.

Dwarf Red Pine went out and found a construction site, where he huffed and puffed as he moved bricks.

The dwarf red pine is short in stature but strong, making it a natural-born construction site savior.

After finishing his night shift, he bought some alcohol. He returned home drunk and hid the rest of his money under his potted plant.

Other girls work part-time at various convenience stores to earn some pocket money.

The most amazing one is the willow tree fairy, who cuts clothes at home. She is very skillful and the clothes she cuts are eye-catching.

Then, she took the clothes she had cut and went to a fashion house called "Kou Rui".

"Excellent craftsmanship."

"As expected of you, Miss Liu'er. You've come at the perfect time; the guests are waiting."

The manager of Kou Rui Fashion House handed the clothes to the customers inside.

The customer inspected it, was very satisfied, and handed over a stack of money.

The manager of Kou Rui Fashion House handed a portion of the money to Zhang Tianai, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Miss Liu'er, are you really unwilling to become a designer for our fashion house? Believe me, you will become a famous designer."

The willow tree spirit, unable to speak, took out paper and pen and wrote: "There are people at home who need to be taken care of."

The manager of the fashion house watched the willow fairy's departing figure and couldn't help but sigh, "Miss Willow, you are truly beautiful and kind-hearted. It's a pity you're mute."

77

The next morning.

Lu Yunzhou got up and went to look for money under the pot of the dwarf red pine.

After finishing his work last night, Dwarf Red Pine had a few drinks and is still sleeping now.

Lu Yunzhou fumbled around for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "I'm lucky today, I found another 500 yuan!"

As he stuffed the money into his pocket, he watered the various plant fairies, promising each one, "When I get home from get off work, we'll have a nice meal together."

The dwarf red pine opened one eye halfway, then squinted again, revealing a smile.

Although these are all ordinary life scenes, they incorporate various special effects shots and the transformations of various fairies.

There are also various fairies who infiltrate human life, bringing all sorts of laughs.

It's still quite novel for the audience.

Because the audience will inevitably empathize with the protagonist.

-

Imagine yourself living in poverty, being tricked into going to a foreign land, or not being successful at work, but still having some intelligent fairies by your side who will never abandon you.

These little devils, though they can't speak and are usually quite mischievous, including some who are drunk, secretly work to support the protagonist.

The little devils secretly slipped the money they earned from working under the potted plants, waiting for the protagonist to discover it and give him a pleasant surprise.

Isn't this much better than finding a girlfriend?

"Miss Liu is so kind."

"Unfortunately, humans and demons are destined to be apart."

The willow tree fairy played by Zhang Tianai has a very perfect character design. She has almost no negative emotions and is wholeheartedly taking care of the protagonist.

She's practically a perfect fairy.

Which male viewer wouldn't want such a fairy maid?

In the previous movie, the willow tree fairy didn't appear many times, but the character was very popular with the audience.

-

In the sequel, Lu Yunzhou increased Zhang Tianai's screen time.

Basically, Zhang Tianai appears in all the transitional storylines.

It seems he did the right thing.

The audience really enjoyed seeing Zhang Tianai.

On the silver screen.

Lu Yunzhou was squeezed inside the subway, pushed forward by the crowd.

The Qatar Metro will not officially start until May 2019.

However, in reality, when Lu Yunzhou was filming, Qatar's metro had already been completed and was undergoing testing.

His film was originally designed to promote Qatar's image to the outside world, so he included some subway scenes.

The audience was indeed very surprised to see the protagonist taking the subway in Qatar.

"Is this in Qatar?"

-

"I didn't know Qatar had a subway!"

"This subway looks quite clean. The interior even has a mother-of-pearl design, which is quite interesting."

"No wonder it's a country with so much wealth, the subway is so spacious."

The audience couldn't help but make some comments.

Prince Khalifa of Qatar was sitting in the audience. Although he couldn't understand Chinese, he must have brought a translator with him.

At this moment, the translator explained the audience's words to him.

Prince Khalifa nodded slightly after hearing this, looking quite pleased.

Everyone hopes that their country will be seen by foreigners as a high-tech, modern nation, rather than as ignorant and backward.

He was no exception.

The subway was not crowded.

Lu Yunzhou sat in the subway, feeling drowsy and dozing off.

However, at that moment, something happened, and the subway suddenly braked, causing everyone to stumble forward.

Lu Yunzhou's painting toolbox fell to the ground, scattering various tools all over the floor.

He squatted down to pick up the things.

A little girl nearby saw this and came over to help.

"Thanks."

Lu Yunzhou thanked the little girl, then checked the tools and locked the toolbox.

Suddenly—

He sensed something, looked up, and his eyes narrowed instantly.

Camera angle change.

Deep within the tunnel, a chilling aura, like a black mist composed of countless tiny flying insects, began to hiss and emit a sour sound as it rose from the ground.

Immediately afterwards, the black mist churned and surged along both sides of the subway tunnel, rushing towards the subway car.

-

The camera then switches to the outside of the subway car.

As the subway traveled, black fog filled the outside of the carriages and continued to swirl.

The camera then switches to the interior of a subway car.

A black, shadowy, ethereal hand reached out from the carriage wall and grabbed at the little girl who had just helped him, its purpose unclear.

Lu Yunzhou sensed danger and almost immediately grabbed the little girl, forcibly pulling her over.

"Pfft."

The shadowy hand missed its target and retreated back into the wall.

"dad----"

Just a moment ago, the little girl felt a cold sensation on her hand. When she looked down, she saw that her hand was covered in black.

She immediately burst into tears.

The little girl's father rushed over, hugged her tightly, and checked her over carefully.

Seeing the black residue on the child's hands, the little girl's father glared coldly at Lu Yunzhou: "What did you do? What did you do to my daughter?"

Lu Yunzhou was stunned.

In this sequel, he is not a high and mighty Eastern Taoist monk, but an ordinary person who can only keep explaining, "I, I just saw something—"

"What is it?"

The little girl's father kept asking questions, his face showing some anger.

People gathered around, asking, "What happened?"

Then, witnesses explained to those around them.

"That person was strange; he suddenly pulled that girl."

"The girl's hands suddenly turned black."

"Is it some kind of toxin?"

"Don't argue, take the child to the hospital to get checked out."

"Take a picture of his face with your phone. If there's any problem, he won't be able to escape."

A group of people were talking at once.

Lu Yunzhou was speechless and unable to defend himself.

However, nothing serious happened, and most people got off the train at their stop.

Lu Yunzhou was jostled by the crowd and got off the bus as well.

Then he saw that the black mist once again enveloped the entire carriage and began to surge inside.

At that moment, the subway slowly pulled away.

He wanted to get back on the bus to stop it all, but it was too late.

"What is this?"

At this moment, Lu Yunzhou looked at the black mist, his eyes filled with doubt.

At the same time, he looked down at his hands.

A faint, lightning-like special power was spinning wildly on his fingers.

He stared blankly for a moment, and then the power vanished instantly.

Am I seeing things?

Lu Yunzhou was stunned for a moment, then he looked up and saw a clock on the station.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late!"

Once he saw the time on the clock, he snapped out of his daze, grabbed his toolbox, and ran.

As he ran, he would occasionally look back at the receding subway train.

At that moment, as he focused his attention and his thoughts raced, a mysterious spiritual force emanated from him, probing deeper into the subway tunnel.

A moment later, he saw the scene inside the subway.

m

Inside a subway car.

A girl in a white dress sat quietly on a chair, carrying a large black umbrella.

Just as the black mist was about to flood into the subway, the mysterious girl suddenly shook the large black umbrella in her hand.

In an instant, time seemed to be slowed down 100 times by a mysterious force.

In slow motion, a special power, like countless sword energies, shoots out in all directions from the large black umbrella.

"Sizzle~~"

When those sharp sword energies touched the black mist, all the dark energy was instantly shredded.

This also includes Lu Yunzhou's investigative spirit.

"Thump!"

As that spiritual power was torn apart, Lu Yunzhou's vision went black. He suddenly bumped into something, clutching his head and grimacing.

He rubbed his head as he hurried out of the subway station.

The camera shifts to the interior of a subway tunnel.

In the dark tunnel, as the mysterious black mist swirled, a scarlet eye appeared, swirling like a vortex in the void.

Just then, the subway train passed by.

Inside the carriage, Liu Haocun looked at the black mist.

She simply lifted her eyelids.

The black mist, as if it had encountered its natural enemy, vanished back into the wall in a flash.

"handsome!"

"Cunzi, your combat power has skyrocketed!"

"Finally, I won't be a useless disciple anymore, just watching my master get humiliated!"

Being handsome is a feeling.

So far in this movie, Liu Haocun hasn't really made a move, but the audience can sense that Liu Haocun in this movie is extremely powerful in combat.

At 10 a.m., at the client's house.

This is a seaside villa, decorated like a five-star hotel.

The customer was a local man in his fifties, dressed in a typical white robe and sporting a large beard, sitting next to me drinking tea.

Lu Yunzhou prepared his tools and quickly drew a portrait of this nouveau riche.

"no."

"You drew me too handsome, it's not realistic enough."

After the drawing was finished, the client came over and took a look, immediately finding fault with everything, and ultimately only gave 500 card coins, compared to the agreed 2000.

Card coins are far inferior.

"500? Okay."

Lu Yunzhou didn't want to explain anything, took the money and left, but he felt a little irritated.

That's life for ordinary people; you'll always encounter some unpleasant things.

But life goes on.

However, the thought of having a big meal with those plant fairies tonight instantly put Lu Yunzhou in a good mood.

Unfortunately, when he took 500 yuan to the supermarket to shop, he was heartbroken by the prices of all the items.

too expensive.

Finally, after some picking and choosing, he bought some cheap items.

On his way home, Lu Yunzhou's phone suddenly vibrated: "Are you free tonight?"

The name left is 【Xue'er】.

Seeing the name that popped up on his phone, Lu Yunzhou's eyes narrowed sharply, and he said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Looks like my death is imminent!"

The protagonist in the movie seemed to have lost all will to live.

But when the audience saw this scene in the theater, they almost burst out laughing.

"Haha, Zhouzhou is hilarious!"

"Zhouzhou knows how to make fun of herself!"

"Your death is imminent? Haha—how arrogant were you when you were the Grim Reaper? What goes around comes around, and today it's your turn to be unlucky."

The Khalifa prince of Qatar, unaware of the reason, asked the translator, "What are they laughing at? I don't understand the joke here."

The plot unfolds here, and just when the protagonist is about to get into all sorts of trouble, a crisis should be looming.

Prince Khalifa thought, with a major battle imminent, what's so funny?

-

There is only one possible reason for this: cultural barriers.

As the biggest investor in this film, Prince Khalifa wanted to know everything about it.

The translator, who was Chinese, explained with a smile, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but Director Lu's first TV series was called 'The Day Is Coming.' He played a Grim Reaper in it. So when he said his death was coming, it was a joke."

"Haha. I see."

Now Prince Khalifa understood what the joke was.

The film is still in its setup phase at this point.

In terms of special effects and grand scale, it seems to be inferior to the previous film.

However, the audience's sense of immersion is much stronger.

Because in the previous movie, Lu Yunzhou played an unrealistic Eastern Taoist monk, an old monster who had lived for countless years.

The audience's sense of identification with the protagonist will naturally be poor.

-

In this film, Lu Yunzhou plays the protagonist, an ordinary person struggling to make a living in a foreign land.

Although he had a special skill, he was even able to recruit Leonardo da Vinci.

Unfortunately, it encountered an industry downturn and an economic crisis.

Even those with Leonardo da Vinci-like painting skills may face employment crises.

His life has not been smooth sailing either.

He couldn't make it in Italy anymore, and finally seized an opportunity when a Middle Eastern tycoon wanted to keep him as a mistress for a few years. But then the tycoon suddenly passed away.

His agent was unreliable; he switched careers to sell jewelry, leaving him penniless in Qatar.

The protagonist was unwilling to go home empty-handed, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and struggle in Qatar.

The protagonist's predicament perfectly reflects the struggles of young people who want to stay and work hard in first-tier cities after graduating from university.

Young people all over the world will encounter this dilemma.

However, ordinary viewers don't have the same opportunities as the protagonists, such as the beautiful willow tree fairy to accompany them, or the mischievous yet sincere friends like the dwarf red pine.

Beyond reality, movies offer a glimpse of the beauty and hope in life.

"In the last movie, Zhou Zhou acted all serious the whole time, like an old man, always coughing or drinking tea and reading. I was completely confused."

"This sequel is much more interesting. Zhou Zhou feels so real, and it's all about enjoying life! What's with saving the world? Let whoever wants to go do it. I only earn this much money, and you expect me to save the world? Are you kidding me!"

"Although the protagonist never intended to be a hero, when faced with trouble, like the little girl on the subway, he still stepped in to help. But when confronted with criticism from those around him, he immediately chickened out. You could say he has a bit of heroism, but not much."

"Yeah, just like me. Within my capabilities, I can play the hero once, but when faced with a major crisis, I immediately back down."

The wallet in my pocket doesn't allow it.

"Indeed, it's incredibly difficult for ordinary people to become heroes!"

"If it were me, I wouldn't go to save the world either. With the willow tree fairy by my side, cooking for me during the day and tailoring clothes to earn extra money at night, the protagonist wouldn't have to do anything but focus on painting."

"However, there's one thing I don't understand. Didn't the protagonist become a world-famous figure by imitating Leonardo da Vinci? How come he's living in such dire straits? In reality, Zhouzhou earned 20 billion in one Christmas thanks to this very skill!"

"Movies need logic, but reality doesn't. If Zhou Zhou made a movie where he was shot in the right hand and his left hand suddenly developed Leonardo da Vinci's painting skills, would you believe it? I certainly wouldn't.

"Stop arguing, none of you are watching carefully. The protagonist used to make a lot of money with this skill, but he was just an ordinary person who could only draw. After making money by copying Leonardo da Vinci, he got arrogant and leveraged his money to buy a lot of houses. He probably used all the money he earned later to pay off his mortgages."

"Foreign countries also have to pay property taxes, which is a double blow for the protagonist. In addition, the agent vaguely revealed a key piece of information: the business of forgery is becoming increasingly difficult, and even the agent, Robert, has switched to selling jewelry. You can imagine how difficult the protagonist's employment situation is."

"His income plummeted, but his mortgage payments remained constant. I suspect the reason the protagonist stayed in Qatar instead of returning to Italy is because he had already gone bankrupt there."

"Sigh, this is a microcosm of an era."

"Zhou Zhou's portrayal of this protagonist may be meant to tell us that just because you have a skill and your current income is decent, you shouldn't think about buying a luxury house. Once an economic crisis or industry upheaval occurs, you could lose your job at any time. Even industry leaders may not be able to find work."

"I think I understand now—Zhou Zhou went to great lengths to make this movie just to persuade people not to buy houses! She'll try to convince as many people as she can."

"In my opinion, this movie should be called 'I failed in real estate speculation in Italy, went to Qatar to make money but got scammed, and was forced by my apprentice from a past life to save the world just to redeem my fairy castle.'"

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