The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

In mid-March, at a well-known GG photography studio in Beijing.

The air was filled with the smell of fresh paint and the distinctive odor of electronic devices.

Lights were being set up, tracks were being laid, and staff were hurrying around, creating a busy scene of preparation.

Li Xu, wearing a clean white T-shirt and a slightly oversized director's vest that Liu Yifei had somehow gotten her from, stood behind the monitor.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, and the vest he wore didn't make him look sloppy at all; instead, it gave him a calm and composed aura that most young people didn't have.

With a focused expression and his fingers swiftly tracing the storyboard, Li Xu made his demands of the lighting technician and cinematographer in the most concise tone.

"Brother Wang, add a butterfly cloth to the main light, and then add another layer."

"I want Teacher Liu's cheeks to have a halo effect, but not obvious lines between shadows—yes, like the feeling of afternoon sunlight touching the face through the leaves."

"Zhang She, when the track car moves forward, we need to slow it down as much as possible. If it goes too fast, I definitely won't be able to get that feeling of slowly falling into a dream."

Lighting technician Lao Wang was stunned for half a second before he realized what "touched his face" meant. He was surprised and quickly made adjustments.

Zhang, who had been somewhat nonchalant, immediately straightened up and nodded in agreement upon hearing Li Xu's professional advice.

This is a "second-year director from Beijing Film Academy" who looks too young and was strongly recommended by Liu Yifei.

From the moment I entered until now, only a short time has passed, but the various instructions for allocation have been exceptionally clear and precise, with witty and vivid wording.

He didn't seem like a second-year student at the Beijing Film Academy who hadn't even graduated yet. Instead, he seemed like a seasoned veteran who had spent over a decade on film sets and knew how to hit the nail on the head with the fewest words possible, making them completely wary of fooling him.

The center of the GG shed.

Liu Yifei had changed into a refreshing white dress, and her face was covered in light makeup, almost like she was wearing no makeup at all.

She stood quietly, letting the makeup artist make the final adjustments, but her gaze passed through the busy crowd and landed on the focused profile behind the monitor.

The pressure and doubts she felt for recommending him had now transformed into a secret sense of pride.

She recalled the meeting she had with the brand and GG Company a couple of days ago.

"Teacher Liu, the Li Xu you recommended... We checked, he's only a sophomore at the Beijing Film Academy, and his resume is completely blank. Isn't that too risky?"

"Yes, Yili's budget for this project is quite high. If it's a flop, it will affect your image and reputation, Mr. Liu. How about we use the director we've worked with before? He's more experienced..."

Sitting at the end of the conference table, Liu Yifei stood ramrod straight, her face bearing an impeccably gentle smile, yet her words were uncompromising, completely devoid of her usual "well-behaved and sensible" image:

"The previous director was very good, but the feeling I'm looking for can only be captured by my junior."

"It's not that he lacks ability, it's just that he hasn't had the opportunity to let others see his ability yet."

"How about this: if GG doesn't perform as expected, I'll personally take some responsibility, okay?"

Only after Liu Yifei put it this way did the Yili brand finally relent.

Now, watching Li Xu perform so freely on set...

She felt the tightness in her chest that had been building up for days finally dissipate.

-

"All departments, prepare!"

"Actors, take your positions!"

"Yili Yogurt Drink: Early Summer Dream - Summer First Love, Scene 1, Shot 1, Begin!"

The crisp sound of the clapperboard rang out.

The camera is focused on Liu Yifei.

Yili Yogurt is currently out of production. It was a series of youth films, and Liu Yifei signed a three-year contract, from 2006 to 2008. Li Xu was only in charge of one season.

This season, Yili requested that the filming convey a youthful, fresh, and dreamy first love feeling.

According to the shooting script.

Li Xu had Liu Yifei hold a bottle of Yili Yogurt and stroll through a newly built, lush, sunny greenhouse (backdrop + real plants).

She needs to convey a sense of joy, youthful dreaminess, and first love after tasting the product.

This performance was not difficult for Liu Yifei. She completed two takes with ease, and the producer sent by Yili nodded in approval.

The quality of the photos was good, and he was quite satisfied. He wanted to finish filming as soon as possible and get off work early, as he had plans to meet friends and have a foot massage that evening.

However, Li Xu, who was behind the monitor, did not agree with this.

He frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the replay on the screen.

Something doesn't feel right.

"It's refreshing and pleasant, but it's not enough to give you that dreamy first love feeling; it's more like a formulaic sweetness."

Yili's producer was stunned. He had only ever seen himself criticize director GG before, but he had never seen director GG so meticulous after he had already agreed to everything.

As a seasoned employee, the Yili producer waved his hand and smiled, "Director Li, Yifei has performed very well. We at Yili were a little worried when she recommended you."

"Now it seems that Director Li, your directing skills are very strong. If I have the authority, I will definitely ask you to direct our next Yili film."

Upon hearing this, Li Xu's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

He now understands why Yili's productions have always fallen short in recent years—the requirement is merely "watchable," and it would be a miracle if they could actually produce good work.

But his face remained expressionless; he simply shook his head and said calmly:

"Producer Lee, if your brand's GG only requires that it be presentable, then we can indeed call it a day now."

"But if we want to achieve perfection and create a truly moving work, we need to do one more thing now."

That's all.

The Yili producer was stunned.

Li Xu stood up and walked directly to Liu Yifei, speaking sharply:

"Teacher Liu, your performance just now gave me the feeling of acting out the feeling of drinking a good beverage, but we are selling much more than just beverages."

"If we want to get viewers to buy through GG advertising, what they need is an emotion, a hook that can arouse their emotional desire to buy. This level is not enough."

"If you believe me, let's film one more take, the last one."

Liu Yifei answered almost without hesitation: "Okay."

Seeing that Liu Yifei agreed with his idea, Li Xu softened his voice slightly, leaned closer, and whispered in a voice so low that only Liu Yifei could hear:

"Teacher Liu, forget you're filming GG."

"Imagine you are sixteen years old now, on a summer afternoon, in the alley behind the school, you bump into the senior you've had a crush on for three years."

"He remembers you, smiles at you, then takes this drink out of his bag and hands it to you."

Li Xu spoke slowly, yet with a certain hypnotic quality.

"Take it, let your fingertips touch his fingers—"

Liu Yifei's breath hitched slightly, and her eyes glazed over. Li Xu keenly noticed this reaction and his voice grew even deeper:

"That's it. Teacher Liu, remember it, then drink it. Don't think of it as work, think of... the simulated object in your mind, giving you the sweetest candy in the world."

Having said that, Li Xu took a half step back, his voice returning to normal: "Teacher Liu, do you understand?"

Liu Yifei pursed her lips, her gaze sweeping over Li Xu's features, and nodded vigorously.

"Understood."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, Liu Yifei's emotions had changed. Her eyes softened unconsciously, filled with shyness and longing. She also unconsciously gripped and sucked on the Yili yogurt in her hand.

Her overall demeanor no longer resembled that of a perfect, distant, aloof fairy.

Instead, she is a sixteen-year-old girl whose heart skips a beat when her sweetheart touches her fingertips, and who gets flustered by a single piece of "candy".

"Yes, that's the look in my eyes!"

Li Xu keenly noticed Liu Yifei's subtle change in thought and immediately gestured to the photographer not far away, signaling him to quickly capture a close-up shot and give her a catchlight!

-

He quickly returned to the monitor.

Li Xu whispered to the lighting technician next to him, "Brother Wang, for the side-backlighting position, quickly add a small rim light to achieve that fuzzy effect under sunlight."

Under Li Xu's precise instructions.

Lighting technician Lao Wang quickly adjusted the angle of the side backlight, allowing an extremely soft beam of light, seemingly carrying its own warmth, to gently glide over Liu Yifei's hair, cheeks, and shoulders.

It was a fuzzy, golden outline light that could only be seen on the most perfect summer sunset, making Liu Yifei feel exceptionally warm and dreamy.

After Li Xu returned to the monitor, he whispered something to the cameraman.

The railcar began to move forward at an almost reverently slow pace.

In the shot, Liu Yifei lowered her head slightly, biting a straw, and took a gentle sip.

Then, she looked up.

The corners of her mouth couldn't be suppressed, a slight upward curve, while her eyes, overwhelmed by the excessive sweetness, glistened with a hint of physiological moisture.

She blinked, and the glint of water, under the warm-toned light, refracted into tiny, star-like sparkles.

The entire studio was completely silent.

The only sounds were the low hum of the machine and the faint, held breathing.

Cut!

Li Xu's voice broke the silence.

He stared at the monitor for a full half minute before slowly leaning back in his chair and letting out a long breath.

"Passed."

Two words, light and airy.

It was like pressing a switch.

"Tsk!"

Lighting technician Lao Wang squeezed in front of the monitor, glanced at it, and couldn't help but click his tongue unconsciously.

He stared at the outline light on the screen that could be described as a "miracle," feeling as if he were seeing the beautiful scene in Zhang Yimou's blockbuster "Hero," where Zhang Manyu, playing Feixue, was dressed in red and stood in the poplar forest, with yellow poplar leaves falling all around her head.

This is the ultimate in cinematic color aesthetics!

Lighting technician Lao Wang never imagined that he would witness the birth of such a classic lens of light, shadow, and color aesthetics while shooting a series of GG photos.

So beautiful!

The producer from Yili also squeezed in front of the monitor, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the replay of the footage where Li Xu had pressed the button.

In this replay, Liu Yifei has her head slightly lowered, and the surrounding light is warm.

Her hair was outlined with gold by the warm light, as if a girl in her first love was shining with joy on a warm summer day.

I took a small sip of the yogurt drink.

The moment the yogurt entered her mouth, a faint, sweet smile unconsciously crept onto Liu Yifei's lips.

Her eyes were clear yet hazy, like a mountain stream or a misty haze under the summer sun.

Her lips were slightly pouting, like a budding red lotus quietly blooming in a summer pond.

This mist is called "The Sweetness of a Young Girl's First Love, Unspoken Yet Unspoken," and this red lotus is called "Summer Red Lotus."

This is like the traditional Chinese painting by Wu Guanzhong, which has already developed a unique aesthetic conception.

Anyone who sees this will feel that this is the perfect first love they have always dreamed of, and will be unconsciously drawn into this sweet and innocent relationship.

"Holy shit!"

After watching the replay, the Yili producer kept opening his mouth. He had always maintained a high-handed demeanor as a brand producer on the GG set, but now he couldn't help but swear.

"This...this is GG?! Director Li, could this be a GG award at Cannes?!"

As he spoke, he slapped his thigh, almost jumping up in excitement: "**Absolutely amazing! Absolutely fucking amazing!"

"Director Li, I was wondering why Teacher Liu recommended you so highly, but now I'm totally convinced! You're just too awesome!"

"In the past few years, my production company has never seen a director who can create something like this. Director Li, we must collaborate more often in the future... I will report to the company to increase your director's fee!"

The Yili brand supervisor was so excited that he was incoherent. Although the video had just been filmed, he had already fully imagined the sensation it might cause after it went online, as well as the bonus he would receive. His boss had also praised him.

I heard the Yili brand representative praising it highly.

"Is that amazing?"

Liu Yifei, who had just finished filming GG, quickly walked to the monitor upon seeing this, as she naturally trusted Li Xu's skills.

But at this moment, the Yili brand director's tone and expression were too excited, and the lighting technician Lao Wang's expression was too exaggerated, so exaggerated that she could hardly believe it.

I moved closer to the monitor and started operating and watching the GG playback.

Liu Yifei was quickly stunned, and a smile instantly bloomed on her face, her eyes shining brightly.

She's been in the industry for five years and has acted in quite a few dramas, including some good ones.

But she had never seen a pornographic film like the one on the monitor before her, which perfectly blended commercial appeal with the ultimate girlish sentiment, with every frame seemingly breathing.

Most importantly, she looks stunning in this clip! Absolutely gorgeous!

Just like the peerless and aloof temperament she exuded when filming The Return of the Condor Heroes, in the current footage of the monitor playback, she also possesses a special, exceptionally eye-catching, lively and pure beauty.

Anyone who watches it can almost project their own perfect first love onto the screen.

Youthful, pure, and vibrant! Exquisitely dreamlike!

Liu Yifei's heart pounded, and she couldn't help but show joy on her face.

"Director Li."

She called out softly as she watched Li Xu checking the shot with the photographer.

Li Xu turned around.

"Thank you."

Liu Yifei spoke softly, but the admiration in her eyes was unmistakable.

Li Xu smiled and shook his head. "No need to thank me. You were capable of doing this all along. I just didn't let the camera lie."

-

After filming wrapped, the staff began packing up the equipment.

Yili's producer rubbed his hands together and approached Li Xu, exchanging contact information with him and warmly inviting him to continue filming the next season of Yili GG, promising a significant increase in his director's fee.

Li Xu politely replied, "If you have time, yes."

But his mind was completely preoccupied with the GG invitation.

He knew very well that GG was just a warm-up.

The real battleground is his upcoming directorial debut, "Love Announcement".

Next, he should start conquering territory in the mainland film and television industry in 2007.