The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

After a week, the team had basically gelled together.

Li Xu tidied himself up quickly, changed into clean clothes, and hailed a taxi.

Following the address given by Li Xu, the taxi drove into a luxury villa area in Shunyi.

Liu Xiaoli opened the door.

When she saw Li Xu, she was first stunned by his stunning good looks, and then she smiled and said, "Director Li, welcome, please come in."

"Hello, Auntie. Sorry to bother you. Just call me Li Xu."

Li Xu handed over a box of good quality tea that he had bought on the way, speaking respectfully.

"Director Li, you've come all this way, why did you bring a gift?"

"Oh, right, Sisi is still upstairs, she'll be down soon. Auntie will pour you a cup of tea, please have a seat."

I saw the gift that Li Xu handed me.

Liu Xiaoli's smile remained unchanged as she accepted the gift and led Li Xu through the doorway.

Following Liu Xiaoli into the room, Li Xu sat down on the sofa, relaxed, and casually looked around at his surroundings.

Although he rarely visits other people's homes, Li Xu remained calm at this moment, for one who is without desires is invincible.

A short while later, after Liu Xiaoli brought over the tea, footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

Liu Yifei wore a simple white sweater and her hair was loosely tied up as she came down the stairs.

Upon seeing Li Xu, her eyes lit up, and she immediately greeted him with a smile, "Li Xu, I'm so sorry you came so quickly, I was just washing up."

talking.

Looking at Liu Xiaoli, who had just finished brewing tea and was sitting on the sofa, she quickly introduced, "Mom, this is Li Xu, the junior from our school whom I mentioned to you. He's also the director of the movie I'm going to invest in."

"I know, Director Li's film 'Yili GG' was pretty good. Didn't you show it to me before?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Yifei, who had sat down not far from Li Xu.

A scrutinizing glint flashed in Liu Xiaoli's eyes. She smiled and turned to Li Xu, saying:

"By the way, Director Li Xu, I'm confident about your upcoming collaboration with Sisi. However, I still have a few questions about this film that I'd like to understand. Is that alright?"

Meeting Liu Xiaoli's gaze, Li Xu's expression was calm as he nodded and said, "Aunt Liu, I wonder what questions you have to ask? I'm willing to answer them seriously. After all, investing millions in a film is a big deal."

Liu Xiaoli picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and spoke calmly:

"Director Li, I'd like to ask about your film. What's the current status of the project? Also, what's the approximate final budget for this film?"

"If there's still a significant funding gap, I might be able to help you find someone."

Liu Yifei rested her chin on her hand, her brows relaxed.

She was initially worried that her sudden, all-or-nothing investment would make her resent Li Xu, but now it seems alright.

"Aunt Liu, I have finished polishing the script for my movie and am ready to submit it to the State Administration of Radio and Television for review. I have already started to assemble the filming team."

"Currently, the filming team has been finalized with five members, who were found with the help of our school's teachers, Mu Deyuan and Zheng Dongtian."

"As for funding, Auntie, don't worry. Senior Sister Liu is willing to provide an investment of five million, which is enough for the early stages of filming."

"The remaining funding gap is about five million or more, but several people have already contacted me through Nortel, including a few coal mine owners, so this funding shouldn't be a problem."

Li Xu does not shy away from the fact that his film still has a funding gap.

This is simply a fact.

However, he was confident that he could solve the funding gap of several million yuan. Whether Liu Xiaoli's words were a test or sincere, he did not need her to provide any more financial assistance.

A hint of surprise flashed across Liu Xiaoli's eyes.

She certainly knew the names of Mu Deyuan and Zheng Dongtian, two big names from the Beijing Film Academy, since Liu Yifei was a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy.

But what she didn't expect was that these two people would think so highly of this young man, and even take the initiative to help him form a filming team.

Liu Yifei hadn't told her this news.

She gave Liu Yifei a quick glare and learned the news.

In Liu Xiaoli's mind, the scrutiny and distrust had already diminished after Li Xu's filming of Yili Yogurt's "Summer. First Love" became a huge hit, and Liu Yifei gained two new endorsements. This would further diminish much of the distrust and suspicion.

Only a tiny bit of worry remains.

But she knew Liu Yifei's personality well; her daughter was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside.

Normally, he follows his own plans, but once he's truly decided to do something, nothing can sway him.

"She staked all her savings and even took the more than one million yuan she had with me to invest in a fledgling student director. Sisi, I just hope you made the right choice this time..."

"Mom made you choose Sony before, which was a mistake. This time... fine, I'll let you make your own decision this time. If we lose a few million, we can always earn it back."

A thought flashed through Liu Xiaoli's mind. She gently continued Li Xu's line of thought, nodding and smiling:

"Director Li, since you have already prepared the funds for the next step, I won't say anything more."

"In short, since Sisi believes in you, I believe in you too. Let's all do our best."

Upon hearing this, Li Xu put down his teacup, looked at Liu Xiaoli, and nodded with a firm gaze. "Auntie, don't worry, I understand your concerns. Investing in movies is indeed a risk."

"But I am also confident that I will not be disappointed by Sister Liu's investment and trust in the end."

"The success of Yili's GG film is not a flash in the pan, and I will also succeed in my next film."

Li Xu's words were devoid of any fancy language.

He was well aware of Liu Xiaoli's concerns.

Liu Xiaoli's last sentence, "Everyone should do their best," was spoken gently, but he heard the subtext in it—I'm not completely at ease, but I won't stop her.

But Li Xu also knew that no matter how eloquently he tried to explain, it would all be ineffective.

Only time will tell.

If the box office results are ultimately successful, all doubts will disappear.

I sat quietly to the side.

Liu Yifei remained silent, her trust in Li Xu based on her 'future vision'.

After their conversation, Liu Xiaoli felt she didn't have much more to ask, so she quickly left, giving her daughter some space.

Seeing her mother leave, Liu Yifei breathed a sigh of relief.

She moved a little closer to Li Xu and started talking about the film's preparations, while also inviting Li Xu to stay for dinner.

-

noon.

Li Xu had a meal at Liu Yifei's house, then left and returned to his studio.

The taxi drove away from the villa area.

Li Xu leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Liu Yifei has passed the test with her mother, Liu Xiaoli. Although she's not entirely at ease, at least she didn't stop her, and that's enough.

On the way, Li Xu's phone vibrated; it was a call from Grandpa Zheng Dongtian.

"Hey Li Xu, I heard that out of all the people I recommended to you, you only carefully selected a few."

"I asked Li Deyuan what you thought, so I found you another person, someone you'll probably be satisfied with."

"He's also a kid from our directing department, a year ahead of you. He has wild ideas and a steady hand. I gave him an A on his final assignment last semester."

"This kid's name is Shen Ao. I've given him your contact information. He'll call you. You can check it yourself to see if it's suitable."

Li Xu was also moved by Zheng Dongtian's words.

This old man recommended so many people to him, but he rejected most of them.

According to some interpretations, this could be considered a "slap in the face" to him.

As a result, this old man is still recommending people to himself. Even Li Xu has to praise him, saying that he truly deserves to be called an old artist, with a broad mind and good character.

"Thank you, Mr. Zheng. I will definitely take a serious look at this application for Macau's bid."

After exchanging pleasantries with Zheng Dongtian for a while, I waited for him to hang up first.

Li Xu hurried to his studio while waiting for Shen Ao's call.

"Hey, Li Xu, this is Shen Ao. Teacher Zheng Dongtian gave me your number. Are you at the studio right now? If so, would it be convenient for me to come over for an interview?"

A short while later.

Li Xu waited in his studio until his phone rang.

On the phone, Shen Ao immediately asked about the interview.

"Yes, I'm in the studio right now."

"Senior Shen'ao, if you have time, you can come over and have a chat."

Li Xu still took Shen Ao quite seriously; he had seen the man's name in his future memories.

A desperate gamble—Director Shen Ao, this is a talent.

Hearing Li Xu's words, Shen Ao perked up: "Right away, I'll be there immediately."

Half an hour later, a young man with short, choppy hair, wearing a wrinkled denim jacket, rushed into Li Xu's studio.

"Junior Brother Li Xu, I've come to see you. Come on, give me an interview!"

Shen Ao, the moment he entered, spoke with a rough and uncouth tone.

It's quite a contrast to his youthful appearance.

However, Li Xu liked people who got things done, so he didn't bother with pleasantries and directly handed over the outline of the script for "Love Announcement" and some storyboards to Shen Ao.

Shen Ao didn't hold back either, grabbing the item and looking at it immediately.

He read very quickly, his eyes gleaming, and occasionally a few indistinct words would pop out of his mouth.

About twenty minutes later, he looked up and said directly, "Junior Brother Li Xu, I understand part of what you mean. Your movie is superficially a love story, but its core is to expose human nature, show the inner world of modern people living in a fast-paced world, and also to explore mental illness."

"I really like your film. It has substance and is much better than many of those clichéd directors who have already made a name for themselves in China."

"I think your movie needs me. You need an assistant director who can control the flow, understands the pacing of genre films, and isn't just content with shooting romantic popcorn movies."

Li Xu looked at Shen Ao in front of him and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He hadn't expected that, besides himself, the person in front of him would also be so confident, asking to be his assistant director right off the bat.

With a smile in his eyes, Li Xu looked at Shen Ao, even happier than when he saw Liu Yifei, and immediately said with a smile:

"Senior Shen'ao, the fact that you can see the risks shows you're knowledgeable, but this movie isn't easy to make. You're only a junior, are you confident?"

"What's there to be afraid of!"

"Junior Brother Li Xu, you're only a sophomore. If you're confident enough to be the lead director, I'm not confident enough to be the assistant director."

As he spoke, Shen Ao grinned, his tone revealing a fearless and rough spirit, and added:

"To be honest, junior brother Li Xu, I actually like to photograph things that are different from others."

"If this were a pure romance movie, I wouldn't even want to watch it."

"By the way, Junior Brother Li Xu, have you finalized the male and female leads yet? Especially the male lead, Du Minghao. Those scenes where he has an anxiety attack, if the timing isn't right, it could be a disaster. This role requires a lot of acting skills."

Li Xu looked at Shen Ao, and whether it was because of the halo effect of that movie "All or Nothing" in his memory, he thought the man in front of him was quite good, so he didn't mind revealing:

"The female lead has been decided, as you should know, it's Liu Yifei, after all, she's the investor. As for the male lead, he hasn't been decided yet."

"Liu Yifei?"

"Her...she has more of an ethereal quality than a sickly one. Junior Brother Li Xu, your film isn't a pure romance; the character needs to have a touch of rust. Can she pull it off?"

Shen Ao paused for a moment, then stroked his chin.

"I think it'll work; I'm confident."

Li Xu didn't explain further.

He didn't know if others could succeed with Liu Yifei, but he was confident.

For now, he's more concerned about the male lead in this drama.

He needs a good male lead to guide the rhythm of the entire film and also to get Liu Yifei into character.

Next, Li Xu and Shen Ao continued to discuss some film details, and finally decided that Shen Ao should also submit an artistic interpretation three days later.

As long as the artistic interpretation is satisfactory, Li Xu decided that he would be the assistant director for the Australian film.