The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

In mid-May, the locust flowers in Beijing bloomed, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.

But even stronger was the city's restlessness on the eve of the Olympics, like a pot of water about to boil, with every bubble expanding, rising, and bursting.

Li Xu sat in the car, looking at the huge Olympic propaganda posters flashing past the window, "One World, One Dream," and his face was beaming with joy.

now.

It was more than half a month after he got the five million from Mr. Qian.

Time seemed to be fast-forwarded.

The filing receipt issued by the State Administration of Radio and Television, that thin piece of paper, seemed to possess magic.

The moment they received it, the entire "Love Announcement" project team seemed to have their last seal broken. With ample funding, they started operating at high speed like a sophisticated and hungry machine.

Li Deyuan and Wang Jing demonstrated remarkable efficiency, securing venue contracts, leasing equipment, and hiring personnel...

All the complicated administrative and legal procedures are being carried out and implemented at an extremely fast pace.

The costume and prop design drafts for the production crew were finally finalized after Li Xu's repeated refinements over the past week, and the production process began.

Today marks the start of filming for "Love Announcement".

Li Deyuan is currently driving towards the film and television base in Huairou, a suburb of Beijing, where the "home" of "Love Announcement" will be temporarily located.

The opening ceremony for "Love Announcement" was planned to be simple, following the strategy agreed upon by Li Xu and Wang Jing. There was no grand press conference; they only planned to hold a simple blessing ceremony.

Even entertainment news media only invited a few with good reputations.

When making the invitations, Wang Jing, the production manager, had already determined the focus of the reports with these entertainment media outlets: Li Xu's self-directed and self-acted film, with Liu Yifei as the investor, is the theatrical debut of a genius director from the Beijing Film Academy.

These three reporting focuses are engaging enough, but they also avoid being overly sensational.

As for the upcoming reports about Liu Yifei's first on-screen kiss, Li Xu, after discussing with Liu Yifei and Shen Ao, decided to release them a week before the film's release.

To avoid releasing the news too early and failing to achieve the desired effect of boosting box office revenue.

-

The car drove into the film and television base and stopped in front of a small square that had been specially cleared out.

In the square, the incense table, the offering of a pig's head, and the camera covered with a red cloth were already in place.

The main cast members of "Love Announcement" had all arrived early and were quietly standing aside watching the staff do the final checks.

Although there weren't many media outlets around them, they still set up their cameras and microphones, and flashes went off every now and then.

Liu Yifei was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans today, without makeup, her long hair loosely tied up. When she saw Li Xu get out of the car, she smiled slightly.

Beside her is Li Yuchun, who plays her friend in the movie and is also a musical talent.

Li Xu specifically invited her to take on this role.

Since the 2005 Super Girl competition, Li Yuchun has been extremely popular online.

Li Xu recalls that the film "Perfect Imperfection," which is expected to gross 5000 million yuan at the box office next year, specifically invited her to sing the theme song, so Li Xu wouldn't intentionally jeopardize the box office.

Beside Li Yuchun was Wang Jing, the production manager, dressed in a neatly pressed shirt.

He was chatting with several reporters with ease, controlling the pace. He also has a role in "Love Announcement," where he is the manager of the male lead, Du Minghao.

To save on actor salaries, Li Xu's main cast was kept very small, consisting of only four main actors: Li Xu, Liu Yifei, Li Yuchun, and Wang Jing.

The remaining supporting roles were played by veteran actors who are skilled but not well paid.

-

Not long after Li Xu arrived, the auspicious time for starting the machine, which had been chosen in advance, arrived.

Incense was offered, blessings were offered, and the unveiling ceremony was completed quickly.

Li Xu, as the director and male lead, stood in the middle, with Liu Yifei on his side, and Li Yuchun and Wang Jing on each side.

After they posed for a moment, the shutters of several entertainment media outlets around them started clicking rapidly, and then Li Xu and the others began to answer some questions from the media.

The process had been going smoothly until now, and the opening ceremony was about to end peacefully.

Suddenly, a deep engine sound came from afar, completely disrupting the rhythm of the scene.

A large Mercedes-Benz van, all matte black with an understated yet undeniably luxurious design, steadily drove to the edge of the square and stopped outside all the film crew vehicles and media cars.

But its sudden arrival still instantly attracted everyone's attention in the square.

The door of the Mercedes-Benz van slid open quickly, and a young man and woman dressed in black suits, exuding a capable air, got out. Without exchanging a word, they walked straight to the incense table on set.

The film crew members outside the square quickly stopped them upon seeing this.

But at that moment, Wang Jing suddenly received a phone call.

Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, his eyes sharpened, and he quickly stepped forward to let the film crew members outside the square pass.

After no one stopped them, the smartly dressed man and woman in suits walked over quickly. The woman spoke calmly, "Producer Wang, excuse me, Mr. Qian should have called you earlier, right?"

"We were asked to send this gift to congratulate the successful start of filming for 'Love Announcement'."

talking.

The door of the Mercedes-Benz van outside the square was wide open, and two staff members dressed in florist uniforms carefully lifted an item out of the vehicle.

A moment of silence fell when the item was fully revealed to the crowd.

It was... less like a flower basket and more like a giant miniature sculpture made of flowers.

Its base is made of dark green moss, with Monstera leaves scattered about, like a tranquil forest quietly holding it together.

Above this forest, white orchids and pale golden tulips intertwine and climb, forming an elegant arc resembling the ridgeline at sunrise.

At the very top, a few clusters of blue hydrangeas adorn the scene, like the cleanest patch of sky at dawn.

It contains no red or orange, colors that are considered "auspicious" in the eyes of the world, and is completely devoid of any vulgarity, exuding an air of high-class elegance and luxury.

A ribbon hangs on either side of this enormous floral arrangement, inscribed with the words: "The rising sun, light and shadow, become poetry."

The name of the gift giver was not found below the ribbon.

However, the enormous and expensive floral arrangement, the Mercedes-Benz van used as a gift, and the two men and women in suits clearly indicate that the gift giver is no ordinary person.

"May I ask who the gift-giver is...?"

Wang Jing was momentarily stunned by the enormous and expensive floral arrangement, but he quickly regained his composure and politely inquired.

"This is a small token of our appreciation. Please accept it on behalf of the production team. As for where to place it, that is up to Director Li."

"As for the person who gave the gift, it was a friend of Mr. Qian who really likes Director Li's works, but I can't say for sure who it was."

"If you need anything else later, please call this number. I won't bother you any longer, goodbye."

The woman in the suit smiled politely but offered no further explanation.

After she finished speaking, she handed over a plain white business card with only a handwritten phone number on it, nothing else.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jing turned to look at Li Xu, only to see him nod slightly.

A hint of doubt flashed through Wang Jing's mind, but since director Li Xu had already nodded, he didn't ask any more questions and immediately said goodbye to the two men and women in suits.

The two men and women in suits didn't say much, only nodded slightly to Li Xu, then turned around and got into the car.

A young female reporter holding an "Entertainment News Flash" microphone suddenly brightened up. Almost instinctively, she stood on tiptoe, pointed her camera at the man and woman in suits who were about to get into the car, and whispered quickly to the photographer next to her, "Quick, take a picture! Front view! Oh, and don't take a picture of the license plate, to avoid trouble."

"This is absolutely a bombshell news story: a mysterious tycoon visits a rising director on set. I've already come up with the headline!"

As the entertainment reporters and photographers exchanged photos, the black Mercedes-Benz van silently glided out of the square, just as it had when it arrived, without stirring up any more dust, but leaving behind a scene of astonishment and whispers.

"Who is this? Such a big deal?"

"These flowers... must cost at least five figures, right? Such a high-end, custom-made design!"

"No name? A congratulatory message? How mysterious?"

"Judging from the expressions on the Love Announcement team's faces, they seem to be a little unclear themselves? Interesting, very interesting!"

The other media reporters surrounding Li Xu and his group were also taking photos and exchanging ideas, their faces filled with excitement.

Liu Yifei stood next to Li Xu, her smile fading.

Her gaze swept over the expensive flowers and finally settled on the four words "Light and Shadow Create Poetry" on the red ribbon.

These four words made her heart sink slightly.

Light and shadow become poetry—this precisely captures the core of Li Xu's artistic pursuit.

It wasn't just a casual "box office hit" or "smooth filming," but such an insightful and... connoisseurly blessing.

She couldn't help but turn her head to look at Li Xu, only to see that his expression was as calm as ever.

Li Yuchun stood half a step behind Liu Yifei. As someone who had fought her way out of the talent show battlefield and was used to all kinds of situations and thoughts, her expression was also subtle at this moment.

Her eyes darted lightly over Liu Yifei beside her, and she clearly saw how quickly the smile on the "fairy sister's" face disappeared. She secretly enjoyed watching the drama unfold.

"Producer Wang, could you please have someone move the flower basket to the rest area? It's nice, but it's not blocking anyone's way."

Sensing Liu Yifei's gaze, Li Xu said calmly.

"Okay, got it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jing immediately directed the staff to carefully move the flower baskets, and at the same time turned to face the media, his smile returning to his face.

"Haha, fellow media reporters, what a pleasant surprise! It seems our 'Love Announcement' is indeed highly anticipated!"

"Alright, everyone from the media, let's get right to it. The director and lead actors can now give brief interviews..."

Upon seeing this, Liu Yifei turned back to face the camera, her smile perfect.

Only the fingertips were slightly sunk into the palm.

-

The launch ceremony continued in a subtle yet exciting atmosphere.

The enormous, luxurious custom-made floral arrangement stood like a silent exclamation mark in a corner of the crew's rest area, exuding an invisible presence.

A busy day: coordinating, familiarizing ourselves with the venue, and script readings.

By evening, the crew of the drama "Love Announcement" finally wrapped up filming.

After finishing work, Li Xu rushed back to the large rest room arranged by the film crew.

Although he was the director, he did not give himself any special treatment in order to save money.

Or rather, apart from Liu Yifei, the female lead and investor, and Li Yuchun, who were specially arranged to have more upscale rooms by Li Xu, the rest of the entire "Love is Not a Blind Date" production team were not included.

Whether it was producer Wang Jing, executive director Shen Ao, cinematographer Wang Luyao, or the other minor supporting actors, they were all assigned to ordinary rooms.

But when Li Xu returned to his room, he was surprised to find that there was something extra on his doorknob.

A plain white thermos with excellent texture hangs quietly, with a folded sticky note attached to its body.

Li Xu walked over, took the thermos, and picked up a notepad. His eyes fell on a line of neat handwriting on the notepad:

"I heard from Uncle Qian that the film crew works very hard, so I specially asked the chef to stew a bowl of rock sugar stewed pears for you. It was just delivered. I hope you like it."

After reading the message on the note, Li Xu casually opened the door, unscrewed the lid of the thermos, and a sweet pear scent mixed with a faint aroma of rock sugar wafted out.

The temperature is transmitted through the pot wall, making it just the right warmth to drink.

But Li Xu didn't drink it; he was afraid it was poisonous from this sudden, random concoction.

However, as Li Xu pondered, he also felt a strange sensation in his heart.

Stewed pear with rock sugar.

He likes to drink this, but very few people know about it except for a few family members.

Sending him this directly proves that he has been thoroughly investigated.

In addition, there were text messages about invalid phone numbers, Chang'an scenery, influential figures, and custom-made flower baskets...

These clues swirled and pieced together in Li Xu's mind, and a thought suddenly popped into his head.

Scenery... Scenery of Chang'an.

Is it just "景" (jǐng)? Or can it also be pronounced as "京" (jīng)?

As Li Xu was deep in thought, a soft footstep sounded outside his door.

Because Li Xu hadn't closed the door properly, Liu Yifei walked in, carrying two bottles of Red Bull. She looked tired and said, "Li Xu, I brought you some..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw the thermos and the note in Li Xu's hand.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Her gaze quickly swept over the thermos and the notepad before settling on Li Xu's face.

In Li Xu's eyes, she could clearly see the complex thoughts and understanding that had not yet been completely concealed.

"That look in his eyes?"

"Li Xu knows the person who delivered the items."

Liu Yifei's heart tightened, and her expression quickly turned indifferent. A weak smile appeared on her lips: "Director Li, it seems you are very popular. Rock sugar stewed pear, how thoughtful."

talking.

"Bang!"

She slammed the Red Bull bottle she was holding onto the table.

Li Xu did not offer any explanation.

He simply put down the thermos in his hand.

He stood up, picked up the Red Bull drink from the table a few steps away, opened it, took a sip, and said, "The stuff in this thermos is of unknown origin, and I definitely won't drink it."

"But this insulated container is of good quality, there's no need to throw it away. Could you just empty the contents of this insulated container for me?"

"Hmph~"

"You know you're afraid of being poisoned? You're smart to be sensible."

"Don't accept anything from unknown sources in the future."

Hearing Li Xu's words, Liu Yifei hummed softly, a triumphant smile appearing on her lips. She picked up the thermos on the table, turned around, and left, her steps light and quick, like a kitten that had just stolen a fish.

Watching the door close again, Li Xu downed his Red Bull in one gulp, got up, brushed his teeth, washed up, closed his eyes, and went to sleep, no longer thinking about the matter.

It's simply a matter of dealing with whatever comes our way.