The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

On the way back to the villa after leaving the set of "Love Announcement".

Thinking about everything she had seen and heard on set, Lu Xuan and Liu Yifei's attitudes toward her, and the stunning kiss scene in the rain that the monitor showed on the monitor, she felt a surge of emotion.

Jing Tian, ​​who had been silent since getting on the bus, suddenly couldn't help but smile brightly.

"Xiaotian, what's wrong? Did you get the result you wanted from the dating show crew?"

"That Li Xu, I heard he's a blockhead, could it be that he's suddenly become romantic?"

Beside Jing Tian.

A tall woman was sitting quietly.

Seeing Jing Tian's sudden smile, she frowned and spoke hesitantly.

"No, how could that blockhead understand romance?"

"But I suddenly realized that this slow-paced approach is quite fun, um, even more fun."

Zhao Shanshan frowned: "What do you mean?"

"It means... this is just right now. He can make his movie, and I can make my preparations. When the time comes, we will naturally meet where we are meant to meet."

Jing Tian drawled out her words, as if she were speaking through a secret code, her tone concealing a secret known only to herself.

Zhao Shanshan stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed, "Xiao Tian, ​​don't go too far."

"Putting everything else aside, the fact that you influenced Qian Mu to turn his planned investment of three million into five million is already a bit too much."

"And the fact that you had someone deliver flower sculptures so openly caused quite a stir. I had to go to great lengths to suppress those news reports."

"Your family asked me to keep an eye on you, not to let you do whatever you want. That Li Xu... I've looked him up. He comes from an ordinary family, has an ordinary background. These days, even making a movie requires investment. Are you sure your family member would agree to that?"

So that's why.

Jing Tian's smile deepened.

"So I will wait, until he is no longer an ordinary director Li Xu, but a world-class director Li, until I am fully prepared."

Upon hearing Jing Tian's words, Zhao Shanshan opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words back.

As she watched Jing Tian's profile flicker in the light and shadow of the car window, she suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for this little girl who had followed her around calling her "Sister Shanshan" since childhood.

It seems that everything changed starting from that day two months ago.

Zhao Shanshan couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

In the past, when Jing Tian spoke and acted, she felt like, "Sister Shan Shan, please help me, I want this."

The feeling now is, "If I, Jing Tian, ​​want it, then I will definitely have it," a confidence so certain it makes one's heart race.

-

In early June, sunlight filters through cherry tree leaves, casting dappled patterns of light onto the white tulle skirts of the cherry tree.

Jing Tian stood barefoot on the grass, holding a deep red, plump cherry between her fingers. She squinted slightly at the camera, her smile so sweet it seemed to radiate honey.

"Tian! Look here, soften your expression a bit, imagine this is a gift from your first love!"

The Chinese translator gave instructions in a loud voice.

Jing Tian readily agreed, adjusting the angle so that her gauze skirt rippled gently in the wind.

The annual spokesperson for Northwest Cherries in the United States—this is the level of resources Jing Tian was able to obtain right from the start of her career.

Previous spokespeople included Gigi Leung, Hui-hsin Hsu, and Michelle Wai-ki, all of whom were the sweetest idol girls at the time.

She was able to get it because her family put in a lot of effort.

But Jing Tian didn't care about that.

What she cares about is that after this endorsement is completed, her resume will have an extra line of beautiful words, bringing her one step closer to "having enough star power to match him".

"A gift from my first love..."

Jing Tian repeated these words in her mind, and suddenly remembered the rainstorm in Huairou, and the look in Li Xu's eyes when he lowered his head to kiss Liu Yifei on the monitor, a look that could dry up the rain.

You really got into the role.

She said it softly to herself.

Then slowly curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Not in a hurry.

In her memory, Li Xu was thirty years old.

It was Li Xu, holding an Oscar for Best Actor, who reached out his hand to her at the end of the red carpet.

He is a composed, reserved, and radiant actor with immense influence in Hollywood, capable of silencing the old-fashioned folks at home – the "Actor Li".

Although she didn't know what went wrong with the trajectory in reality, turning a genius actor who didn't direct into a director-actor dual-track system, it didn't affect her continued liking for it.

Even though he's only 22 years old and filming a low-budget romance movie in Huairou, he still has to do his own kissing scenes.

"However, we still have to wait; the time is not yet ripe."

He sighed.

Jing Tian looked at the incredibly tender North American cherry she was holding in her fingers. It was sweet, but also slightly astringent.

It needs a few more days to mature before it reaches its perfect flavor.

Therefore, Li Xu also has to wait.

Jing Tian wanted to wait for time to mold him into the image he remembered.

As for Liu Yifei...

Jing Tiansong opened her teeth, and the tip of her tongue licked the inside of her lower lip, causing a slight pain.

She recalled a scene from her future memories: backstage at a grand awards ceremony, where Liu Yifei stood in the shadows, watching her walk past arm in arm with Li Xu.

His eyes were like shattered glass, bright and piercing.

She was a beautiful, regrettable, but ultimately past woman in Li Xu's life.

It would be good to let Li Xu have a relationship with her first.

When relationships are too smooth in youth, it's easy to forget them.

There's a bit of regret, a bit of pain, a bit of "what ifs".

That way, when she finally appears, the feeling of "finally finding the right person" will be unforgettable.

"Cut! Perfect!"

The director's shout pulled Jing Tian back to reality.

She loosened her grip, the cherry fell back into the basket, and turned to walk towards the rest area.

Zhao Shanshan handed over a bottle of water, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Sister Shanshan."

Jing Tian took the water, but didn't drink it; she just held it.

"Tell me, if I like someone, but they're not good enough yet, should I tell them now, or wait for them to improve on their own?"

Zhao Shanshan was taken aback: "What kind of silly question is that? If you like him, just go for it! What if someone else snatches him up while you wait for him to improve?"

No, it won't.

Jing Tian unscrewed the bottle cap, took a small sip, and whispered as if talking to herself, "He will only ever be mine."

"and--"

She looked up and gazed towards the East across the ocean.

That place is Beijing, Huairou, the film crew of "Love Announcement", and Li Xu kissing Liu Yifei in the pouring rain.

"What I want is not just momentary pleasure."

"What I want is a lifetime."

Zhao Shanshan didn't say anything.

She just looked at Jing Tian's profile and suddenly felt a chill.

The sun was shining brightly, and the cherries were sweet, but the little sister I'd watched grow up seemed to be playing a very big, long game of chess.

She couldn't even see where the chessboard was.

-

Jing Tian actually remembered every detail of the future memories she had "awakened" on that day in April.

As she walked out of a luxury store in Wangfujing and reached the entrance of a dessert shop, she suddenly felt dizzy.

Like the grogginess after staying up all night, the colors of the whole world fade.

Zhao Shanshan helped her inside and sat her down, anxiously asking if she needed to go to the hospital.

She shook her head and said she just needed to rest.

Then I looked up and saw the television screen.

Liu Yifei, holding a bottle of Yili Yogurt, smiled with a clear yet hazy expression.

then--

"boom."

It wasn't thunder; it was something deeper collapsing and rebuilding in memory.

The dessert spoon in her hand clattered onto the porcelain plate.

Zhao Shanshan's exclamation seemed to fade into the distance.

The noise of the dessert shop, the hum of the air conditioner, the traffic outside the window... all the sounds are fading away.

Instead, there is another voice, another image, and another life.

She saw herself wearing a wedding dress, the veil trailing on the ground, and the bright red bouquet in her hand.

There was a person standing opposite.

She couldn't see his face clearly, only that he was holding her hand; the ring was cold, but his palm was burning hot.

The emcee asked, "Jing Tian... are you willing...?"

She heard her own voice, tinged with both tears and laughter:

"I do! I always will!"

Then came a kiss.

A passionate, all-out kiss, as if trying to meld each other into the very bones.

The image shattered and then pieced back together.

It was night, and she was at home, barefoot on the carpet, when she hugged someone from behind.

The person smelled pleasant, like a pine forest after the rain, or like a cotton quilt that had been dried in the sun.

He chuckled softly, put down the script in his hand—the cover of which read "The Wandering Earth"—and turned to pull her into his arms.

A kiss landed on the top of her head, tinged with a doting yet helpless affection.

"Tian Tian, ​​how old are you? Why are you still acting like a child?"

More fragments.

The backstage area of ​​the awards ceremony was blindingly bright.

She was holding someone's arm, her nails digging into his suit sleeve.

Liu Yifei stood not far away, her makeup exquisite, but her eyes empty and broken.

She looked up and smiled at Liu Yifei.

It wasn't intentional, it was uncontrollable—that kind of "look, he's mine in the end" smile.

My arm was gently patted, and the person beside me spoke calmly:

"Let's go."

I didn't look at Liu Yifei, I didn't stop, it was like passing by an insignificant scene.

More fragments are coming.

The milk cup that was pushed over at breakfast was at the perfect temperature.

When she couldn't cry during her acting, he calmly said, "Think about the flower you killed."

In front of his family, he was calm and composed, and his father nodded in approval, which was rare for him.

finally--

Red carpet, flashing lights, a roaring crowd.

He stood at the end, holding a small golden figurine of a movie star, and reached out his hand to her.

His eyes were gentle yet firm, as if saying:

Come on, I'll take you up.

All the images, sounds, touches, smells... come to an end at this moment.

It condenses into a name.

Li Xu.

……

"Tian Tian? Tian Tian!"

Zhao Shanshan's shouts pulled Jing Tian out of her memories.

She came to her senses and realized she was still standing under the cherry tree, her hand gripping the water bottle a little tightly.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Zhao Shanshan frowned. "The director is calling you. Next shot."

"Oh." Jing Tian let go of the water bottle, handed it back, and turned to walk towards the filming area.

Her steps were light, and her skirt swayed gracefully.

-

In early June, Jing Tian was filming Cherry GG in the northwestern United States.

Thousands of kilometers away, in Huairou, the capital city.

After the rainstorm kissing scene, the filming of "Love Announcement" has entered a strange rhythm.

That rainstorm kissing scene was like a key, unlocking an invisible lock on Liu Yifei.

In every scene that followed, she seemed like a completely different person.

It's no longer about "performing," but about "becoming."

Become Song Qing, become the Song Qing who loves, hates, struggles, and ultimately chooses to let go.

He quickly discarded the thin veil of "idol image" or "performance framework".

In recent times, her scenes with Li Xu have gone beyond simply following Li Xu's instructions; they now feature many subtle interactions that come from her own flashes of inspiration.

It could be a pause in the gaze, a change in the tone of a line, or an unconscious curling of a finger...

After Liu Yifei became completely immersed in the role of Song Qing, she would inadvertently reveal subtle "authenticity" during filming.

Being accurately captured on camera also made Shen Ao nod repeatedly behind the monitor.

With Liu Yifei's explosive acting performance, Li Xu, in addition to being the male lead, has also begun to take on more of the role of director of "Love Announcement".

Because he no longer needed to frequently and painstakingly inspire and guide Liu Yifei's performance.

Judging from this progress...

Wang Jing, the production manager, couldn't stop smiling and would often calculate how much filming budget could be saved this way.

Behind the monitor, Shen Ao watched the footage that had just been filmed and clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Director Li, Senior Yifei's condition is... amazing! Did you give her some extra tutoring?"

Li Xu glanced at him: "Special treatment?"

"After...that rain scene."

Shen Ao winked and said, "It's a romantic scene, we've already kissed, so the mood's set, right?"

Li Xu ignored him and looked back at the screen.

On the screen, Liu Yifei's eyes shone.

It's not the acting skills that shine, it's the people who shine.

It was the light that Song Qing felt when she looked at Du Minghao—a light that evoked both love and hate, a light that she both wanted to get close to and a light she wanted to escape from.

It was also Liu Yifei... when she occasionally looked at him, that complex and indescribable light.

Li Xu frowned.

He can distinguish between fiction and reality.

In the play, he is Du Minghao, and Liu Yifei is Song Qing; they are deeply in love.

Off-screen, he's the director, and Liu Yifei is the actress; they have to make the film a success.

But lately, Liu Yifei's gaze towards him sometimes blurs that line.

Li Xu didn't like this.

It's not that he dislikes Liu Yifei.

On the contrary, he felt that Liu Yifei was a good actress, willing to learn, able to endure hardship, and had high comprehension.

He just doesn't like trouble.

Feelings are troublesome, ambiguity is troublesome, and lingering ties after filming is even more troublesome.

He wants to make movies, to be a director, and to stand at the top.

I don't have the time or energy to allocate to these.

"Get ready for the next game."

Li Xu turned off the monitor, stood up, and spoke calmly without any emotion.

Liu Yifei was standing not far away, listening to her assistant speak.

Feeling Li Xu's gaze, she looked up and smiled at him.

That smile was clean and professional; it was an actor's smile towards the director.

But Li Xu still saw something else in those eyes.

He looked away and moved on to the next set.