The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year in 2007, in southern Hunan.

The air was filled with the smell of sulfur and the lingering warmth of the New Year's Eve dinner. Li Xu lay in bed, feeling as if his brain had been stuffed into a high-speed blender.

No, it's worse than that.

At this moment, "God" is roughly mixing his mind, that of a sophomore at the Beijing Film Academy in 2007, with his future memories of standing on the Oscar stage in 2027, dubbed "the tyrant of light and shadow" by foreign media.

"Ugh—"

Rolling around on the bed, Li Xu groaned, his hands pressed tightly against his temples, which felt like they were about to burst.

At this moment.

In his mind, it was as if a floodgate to a movie database had been opened, and all sorts of images poured in wildly.

The blinding flash of the Venice Golden Lion Award.

The Cannes red carpet was filled with waves of cheers.

And then there are the movies he'll be making in the "future"—Old Lu swallowing his last bite of orange in "Dying to Survive," the tragic space station crashing into Jupiter in "The Wandering Earth," the mecha transformations and space fighters in "Project Nantianmen"...

A few minutes later, once the pain in my mind subsided, the flood of memories stopped.

Li Xu, panting heavily, sat up from the bed and looked around the familiar yet unfamiliar small room.

The hard bed, the buzzing CRT monitor, the stubbornly green pothos on the windowsill—the location remained the same. He hadn't been transported to 2027; he had simply merged with memories from a future timeline.

However, the memories in this future timeline almost exclusively involve movies, with only a few scattered fragments of other memories and very little useful information.

Li Xu got up, cursing, "Laozi, God, the Jade Emperor, whatever... I don't know which of you did this, but the way you gave this gift... it's fucking tyrannical, fucking too brutal!"

But it really hurts.

But it was really exhilarating.

Li Xu walked to his desk in the room, turned on his computer, and opened the folder on the desktop named "Light and Shadow Practice".

Inside are his three best short film assignments of the semester. Last semester, he was praised by a photography professor in class, and many of his classmates were extremely envious.

Now, in version 2.0, Li Xu spent three minutes reading through them, then selected them expressionlessly and pressed Shift+Delete.

"Rubbish."

He stared at the empty folder and gave a cold review: "The composition is so rigid it's like a formula, the lighting is so mediocre it's soulless, and the short film's pacing is so slow it makes me wonder if I was filming a health and wellness program for the elderly."

He paused, then added, "Also, the aesthetic sense of my teachers and classmates at Beijing Film Academy... tsk, it needs improvement. They can even treat trash as treasure."

That's a very harsh remark.

But now that he has the memories and aesthetics of himself as a world-class director twenty years from now, Li Xu looks at his past works like a Michelin three-star chef looking back at the burnt fried rice from his elementary school cafeteria—barely edible, but not something to praise.

That's all for my rant.

Li Xu casually created a new folder on the desktop and named it "New".

Then I dug out those rough, raw footage clips from the archive—the raw acting of the performance students, the rudimentary sets, and the stiff dialogue.

But these dull rubble, in Li Xu's now "worldly" eyes and hands, these materials quickly began to be dismantled, reassembled, and transformed.

The cold light and shadow cut through the screen, the oppressive color tone suggests the emotions, and the editing points are precise to the millisecond.

Forty minutes later, a five-minute short film was created on the screen.

It tells the story of a boy's voyeurism and loneliness on the edge of the city. There are no lines in the film, but every shot is a shout.

Li Xu named it "Corner," then pressed the export button, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh.

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly.

"That's more like it."

Li Xu murmured to himself, and a threatening smile gradually crept onto his lips, befitting the "Tyrant of Light and Shadow."

He knew that from this moment on, the Chinese film industry in 2007 was about to welcome a rather different player.

-

"Xiao Xu! Come down for dinner! All the relatives are here!"

Not long after resting in his room, Li Xu heard his mother, Wang Cuiping, calling from downstairs.

He rubbed his temples, knowing something was terribly wrong. The annual recurring event—a meeting with relatives urging him to get married—was about to begin.

However, in the past two years, it was his older cousins ​​who were discussed, but this year, it was finally his turn.

Li Xu went downstairs.

Sure enough, his eldest uncle's family, his youngest uncle's family, and his third aunt Li Yufen, who was always at the forefront of gossip, were all sitting around the round table in the dining room, and his father Li Sanchuan was chatting with them.

The dishes had barely been served, and before they could exchange more than three pleasantries, their barrage of attacks was precisely targeted.

"Xiao Xu, there are so many beautiful girls at Beijing Film Academy, didn't you bring one back for the New Year?"

Li Xu's third aunt, Li Yufen, spoke in a loud voice as she precisely used her chopsticks to pick up the last piece of cured meat from the plate in front of her.

"Exactly! With Xiaoxu's looks and education, finding a partner shouldn't be difficult at all!"

Li Xu's aunt chimed in with a smile, her eyes scanning Li Xu back and forth as if assessing a rare breed of livestock waiting to be sold.

Li Xu didn't even look up, focusing on finishing the rice in his bowl: "No rush, I'm only twenty, my studies come first."

"Twenty is still young?!"

Li Yufen's voice rose eight octaves, "When I was your age, your cousin was already old enough to run errands!"

"Listen to your third aunt, hurry up and find someone. Don't be too picky, just someone you can live with! If you can't find anyone, your third aunt has some ready-made!"

Li Xu's mother, Wang Cuiping, quickly tried to smooth things over: "Yufen, the child is still in school..."

"What's the point of going to film school?"

Li Yufen set out her chopsticks.

"Can filming that kind of stuff put food on the table? Sister-in-law, look at Old Liu's son next door. He graduated from vocational college, and the girlfriend he brought home this year—his family owns a factory! They're rich!"

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Wang Cuiping, lowering her voice so that everyone at the table could hear: "Sister-in-law, I have a close friend whose daughter is thirty. As for looks... well, she's a little bit lacking, but her family owns a large shoe factory, and they're genuinely rich!"

"Sister-in-law, if you trust me, let Xiaoxu meet her after the New Year. If it works out, her side can also support Xiaoxu's directing career! I'm doing this entirely for Xiaoxu's own good!"

Upon hearing this, Li Sanchuan frowned and couldn't help but try to tell his sister to shut up.

But Li Xu was the first to put down his chopsticks. He looked up and revealed a smile that could only be described as "innocent and harmless."

"Third Aunt, is that the best friend you're talking about the one who just helped you cover the 500,000+ yuan loss from your shoe factory last month?"

The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly fell silent.

Li Yufen's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

Li Xu's smile remained unchanged, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting about the weather: "And I heard that your best friend's daughter, Third Aunt, is not only over thirty and ugly, but most importantly, she's only 1.5 meters tall and weighs 150 pounds?"

"Third Aunt, you're not trying to introduce me to a potential partner, you're trying to send me on a marriage alliance to pay off debts, aren't you?"

"Li Xu! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Li Yufen slammed her hand on the table and stood up. Her little scheme had been exposed, and her fingers trembled with anger. "I... I'm your elder! How dare you talk to me like that during the New Year?"

"You think you're so great? You look down on this one and that one. What kind of woman are you looking for? Do you want a celestial beauty? How about I find you Liu Yifei?!"

At the dinner table, Li Xu's parents, uncle, and younger uncle all had "distorted" expressions on their faces.

They all disliked Li Yufen, a notorious gossip who always talked about their relatives. They had suffered a lot at her hands before, and seeing her get the short end of the stick now made them feel as happy as drinking an ice-cold Coke on a hot summer day.

But at this moment, they wanted to laugh but dared not, so their faces were contorted in a "grotesque" expression.

It wasn't until Li Xu picked up his chopsticks again, took a piece of chicken, and said slowly and deliberately, "Third Aunt, what are you saying? If I could really find someone like Liu Yifei, wouldn't you be proud of yourself?"

"Pfft—" Someone couldn't hold it in any longer.

Immediately afterwards, the whole table burst into laughter.

"Liu Yifei? Xiao Xu, you really dare to dream!" Uncle Li Xu laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.

"Exactly, that's a fairy from TV, she has nothing to do with us!" Uncle Li Xu shook his head and laughed.

Li Sanchuan and Wang Cuiping's lips twitched, but they tried their best to endure it.

Only Li Yufen's face was both red and white.

Amidst the good-natured, amused, and slightly mocking laughter filling the table, Li Xu calmly took a sip of his drink.

Only he knew that he was half serious when he said that.

After all, the fragments of memories from the future year 2027 in his mind did indeed contain images of him entangled with Liu Yifei, though they were blurry, they were real.

Just as this awkward yet hilarious atmosphere reached its peak—"Knock knock knock."

A clear knock came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Who is it? It's Chinese New Year."

"Xiao Xu, go open the door."

Wang Cuiping muttered something and nudged Li Xu, which helped to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Li Xu got up, walked into the courtyard, and opened the red iron gate.

There were two people standing outside the door.

Ahead was a tall girl wearing a long beige down jacket, a matching scarf wrapped up to her chin, and large sunglasses covering half her face.

Even though she was wrapped up so tightly, her upright and aloof demeanor still seemed out of place in the lively atmosphere of this small county town in southern Hunan.

Beside her was a short girl carrying a large bag. She was scanning her surroundings warily, leaning slightly forward, as if ready to protect her at any moment.

"Hello, are you Li Xu?"

The tall girl spoke, her voice gentle but with a hint of tension.

"I am Li Xu, and who are you?"

Li Xu frowned; this combination looked strange no matter how you looked at it.

The girl didn't answer, but quickly did two things: first, she pulled down her scarf, and then she took off her sunglasses.

Suddenly, a "familiar" face that Li Xu never expected appeared before his eyes without warning.

Her face was stunningly beautiful, with eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn water, and skin so white it was dazzling.

Li Xu's breathing suddenly stopped for half a second.

Liu Yifei!

The real Liu Yifei!

Liu Yifei, who became a national sensation in 2007 with her roles as Little Dragon Girl and Zhao Ling'er and was hailed as the "Fairy Sister," is standing at the gate of his dilapidated courtyard, looking up at him.

Fragments of future memories overlapped with reality in Li Xu's mind, causing him to momentarily feel disoriented.

But the memory of "Tyrant of Light and Shadow" allowed him to quickly suppress his shock and regain his clarity of mind.

"Li Xu, I need to talk to you about something, privately, don't tell anyone."

Seeing that Li Xu recognized her, Liu Yifei spoke quickly and in a low voice.

After saying that, she quickly rearranged herself, donning a scarf and sunglasses.

Liu Yifei's absurd words made Li Xu's heart skip a beat.

absurd.

It's ridiculous.

But he still turned to the side and said, "Okay, it's cold outside, you guys come in first."

With a slight frown, Li Xu led the two uninvited guests across the courtyard.

I could feel the probing gazes of my relatives inside the house.

Without batting an eye, he told a lie: "Dad, Mom, these are two staff members from Hunan Broadcasting and Television. They've come to talk to me about something. I'll skip dinner and take them upstairs to talk."

"Hunan Broadcasting and Television?"

Li Xu's third aunt, Li Yufen, pouted. Having just suffered at Li Xu's hands, she spoke as loudly as a trumpet.

"Talking about work so cover up like that, like a celebrity... There are so many scammers these days, who knows what's real and what's fake."

Liu Yifei paused almost imperceptibly.

But Li Xu didn't turn around, and continued straight upstairs, so Liu Yifei had no choice but to hurry up and follow.

Once upstairs, Li Xu opened the door, and Liu Yifei followed him inside, but left her assistant outside.