Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

Thank you so much, Yifei Xianju, for the generous donation!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the first week of September, Lu Chen shifted his attention away from US stocks and focused on the project preparation for "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

The filming location was chosen to be the Qin Palace Scenic Area in Hengdian World Studios, with a three-month shooting schedule.

The special effects team talked to three companies and finally chose Hong Kong's Centaline Digital. The price was 30% higher than the other two, but Lu Chen insisted on having the best.

The art director was the assistant art director of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and the costume designer was a senior designer poached from TVB.

Wang Yan placed the budget sheet on his desk, totaling fourteen million.

"We've exceeded the budget," Wang Yan said.

"How much over?"

One million.

"Deduct it from my salary."

"Brother Lu, how much are you paid?"

"One dollar."

The cast for "Chinese Paladin" is also being finalized in a flurry of activity.

Liu Yifei played Zhao Ling'er, and she signed the contract without even looking at the amount of her salary.

The role of Li Xiaoyao, the male lead, was ultimately decided to be played by Hu Ge.

A student who just graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy with almost no acting experience, yet perfectly embodies the character of Li Xiaoyao.

It's often said that there's no Legend of Sword and Fairy without Hu Ge. While that might be a slight exaggeration, Hu Ge's portrayal of Li Xiaoyao is a cherished memory for a generation.

Even in later interviews, when he talked about the Legend of Sword and Fairy, he said that it was the best role he had ever played, and that he had given the most sincere and pure acting performance.

"Use new people?" Wang Yan was somewhat uncertain.

"use."

"The audience doesn't recognize him."

"The audience doesn't recognize the actors in 'Stone' either."

Wang Yan shut up.

In mid-September, Lu Chen flew to Hong Kong again.

This time it's not about stocks, it's about Google's IPO.

Google planned to go public in August, but the underwriters postponed it to September.

Lu Chen obtained a subscription quota through his connections at Emperor Securities.

It wasn't a large deal, with 25,000 shares issued at a price of $85, for a total cost of $2,125,000.

He withdrew all $1.38 million from his US stock account and transferred HK$500,000 from his Hong Kong stock account, bringing the total to $2.125 million.

When Wang Yan learned of this, he completely lost control of his expression: "You emptied your US stock account? And bought Google stocks with it all?"

"It's been cleared."

"The stock might fall below its IPO price on the first day of trading! What if it drops?"

"It won't fall."

How do you know it won't fall?

"I never fight a battle I'm not confident of winning."

Lu Chen tossed a printed copy of Google's prospectus onto the table and flipped to the page with the financial data.

"Google's revenue has grown at a compound annual growth rate of over 90% over the past three years, its net profit margin has exceeded 25%, it has ample cash flow, and it has no debt. For a company like this, a conservative estimate for its first-day share price increase is 15% to 20%."

"Where did you learn all this?" Wang Yan stared blankly at him.

"Then don't worry about it."

Wang Yan didn't ask any more questions.

He was getting more and more used to Lu Chen's way of speaking and doing things.

On the day Google went public, Lu Chen was in the trading room of Emperor Securities in Hong Kong, with a computer, a cup of tea, and a croissant he had brought from the Peninsula Hotel in front of him.

The opening price was $100.

It is 17.6 percent higher than the offering price of $85.

His 25,000 shares had an opening market value of $2.5 million.

The closing price was $103.50, and the market capitalization was $2,587,500.

The unrealized profit for the day was $462,500.

Wang Yan called from Beijing, his voice trembling: "Did you see it? One hundred and three yuan and fifty cents!"

"I saw it."

Aren't you excited?

"excited."

"You don't sound excited."

Lu Chen picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"I'll get excited when it rises to three hundred dollars."

After returning to Beijing, Lu Chen's life was once again filled with the "Chinese Paladin" project.

Casting, location scouting, props, costumes, and script readings.

He insisted on personally overseeing every step of the process.

Wang Yan said he was too controlling, but he said it wasn't a desire to control, but a sense of responsibility.

This film was a gift he gave to Liu Yifei, and he couldn't let anyone lead it astray.

One evening in late September, Liu Yifei came to his office.

She was wearing a loose sweatshirt, her hair was tied in a bun, and she was carrying a bag of fruit.

"Why are you here?"

"I brought you some food." She placed the fruit on the table and glanced at his desk.

The room was piled high with scripts, storyboards, production schedules, and budget reports. In the corner, there was also an open trading software, with Google's stock price stuck at $97.50.

"Looking at stocks again?" She frowned.

"Just browsing."

Now that he has the money and the project has started, why is he still speculating in stocks?

"Because it's not enough," he said.

"What's not enough?"

"Money. One 'Chinese Paladin' series is enough, but I want to do more than just one show."

He took a piece of paper from the drawer, on which was drawn an industry map, including movies, TV series, music, variety shows, artist management, copyright operation, and cinema chains.

Liu Yifei stared at the picture in silence for a long time.

"You want to do so much?"

"right."

"How much will that cost?"

"a lot of."

How much more are you going to do?

Lu Chen did not answer.

He didn't want to talk to her about money.

She is the purest part of his world, and should not be tainted by numbers.

"I'll give you a question," Lu Chen suddenly said.

"What question?"

"Suppose you currently have three million, how do you turn it into six million within a month?"

Liu Yifei tilted her head and thought for a moment.

"Buy stocks?"

"Except for stocks."

"Then...buy the copyright? Didn't you say ringback tones are very profitable?"

"Yes. Copyright is a money-printing machine; once it's signed, it will generate a continuous flow of cash."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"Find new talent. Sign those who aren't famous yet, but I know they'll definitely become famous."

Lu Chen took out another piece of paper from the drawer, on which several names were written: Angela Chang, Cyndi Wang, JJ Lin, and F.I.R.

Liu Yifei had never heard of any of these names.

"Are they all newcomers?" she asked.

"Yes, they haven't released any albums yet."

How do you know they'll become famous?

"Because I've heard their songs."

Liu Yifei looked up at him. "Where did you hear that from?"

Lu Chen smiled.

"In my dream."

In mid-October, filming for "Chinese Paladin" officially began.

The opening ceremony was held at the entrance of the Qin Palace in Hengdian World Studios, complete with a red carpet, incense table, and roast suckling pig.

Lu Chen, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, stood behind the camera like an ordinary crew member.

Liu Yifei stood at the front in her costume, her white dress fluttering and her hair styled in a high bun.

The sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly filled the air.

The media reporters pushed and shoved forward, their cameras aimed at her, at Hu Ge, and at the director's seat.

"Director Lu! Please look this way!"

Director Lu, how much was invested in "Chinese Paladin"?

"Director Lu, why did you choose Liu Yifei as the female lead?"

Lu Chen took two steps forward and took the microphone.

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy is a project I've been preparing for a long time. Now I finally have the opportunity to film it. As for why I chose Liu Yifei?"

He glanced at the girl standing next to him; she was smiling at the camera, a corner of her white dress billowing in the wind.

"Because she is the Zhao Ling'er I've always dreamed of."

A commotion broke out in the media section.

Liu Yifei turned her head and glanced at him, the corners of her mouth curving into a smile that she suppressed.

Lu Chen handed the microphone back to the host and retreated behind the camera.

Liu Yifei's assistant jogged over and handed her a bottle of water.

She took the water, but didn't drink it. She turned around and glanced at Lu Chen.

Their eyes met across the crowd.

She winked at him.

Lu Chen lowered his head, pretending to look at the storyboard, his heart beating even faster.