Bright Era of China Entertainment

Chapter 757 Entering Professional State

The Lantern Festival, which has been passed down since ancient times, is rarely taken seriously today because there is no holiday on this day. Over time, the fast-paced social atmosphere has made people remember the Lantern Festival every year, but its status in people's minds is far lower than that of New Year's Eve and the Spring Festival.

Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei haven't celebrated the Lantern Festival in recent years. If they hadn't happened to be free today and the whole family was not there, the couple would probably have missed this traditional festival again.

In the small private room of the hotel, in addition to the family of four, Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua's family of three were also invited by the couple. Recalling that they had set out for Wuhan to discuss the wedding half a month ago, and now that the wedding has been decided, today's Lantern Festival reunion is more like a perfect ending to the wedding that has come to a temporary end.

The marriage certificate was signed, and he called me "Dad". The time I spent with Ankang during this period surpassed all the time I had spent in the past few years, from being not very familiar with each other to now having the affection and familiarity of a father-in-law and son-in-law.

Chu Xuan no longer felt strange and became bolder. After drinking a few glasses of wine, he asked jokingly, "Dad, can you describe your psychological fluctuations during this period? I'm very curious."

Ankang looked stunned, and his hand that was picking up the food paused.

Liu Yifei, Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua looked at Ankang with interest, and even Liu Xiaoli showed some interest.

Ankang took a bite of the dish and felt a little amused. This kid used to be timid in front of him, but he didn't expect that this kid would dare to make fun of him now.

Even so, he was relieved, because it showed that his son-in-law no longer treated him as an outsider.

Ankang put down his chopsticks, looked at Chu Xuan and said, "Last year, when Xixi called to discuss marriage during the Chinese New Year, I wanted to rush back and beat you to death."

Liu Yifei, Wang Jinhua and Dong Zhihua laughed. Liu Xiaoli ate her food with a faint smile on her face, while Chu Xuan looked a little embarrassed.

"When you came to Wuhan, I saw that Xixi's beautiful daughter was about to get married. I hated you even more and wanted to tear you apart."

Everyone was watching with great interest, and Liu Yifei looked at her father with great tenderness.

"After spending a few days together, I can see that you two have such a good relationship. I haven't been with you and taken care of Xixi for many years. The happiness and joy that Xixi feels when she is with you is beyond my reach. Although I feel conflicted, I can only force myself to accept it."

Everyone was moved. Ankang's words were sincere. As a man, he dared to analyze his own heart, which turned the smiles on their faces into warmth.

"We got married a few days ago, and you called me dad that day. It's impossible to get used to it overnight, but today all I have left is my blessing to you. I don't ask for much, but just hope that you are well."

Ankang honestly expressed the psychological fluctuations before and after his daughter's marriage. Such expression seemed impossible before, not to mention that there was Liu Xiaoli, a woman who made him always worry about his strong self-esteem.

Perhaps it was the warmth, harmony and sincerity he felt while interacting with everyone during his time in Wuhan and Beijing that touched his heart, and thus changed his mindset about marrying off his daughter.

"Dad, we toast to you." Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei raised their glasses to toast. They were moved by their father's frankness.

Wang Jinhua said: "Marrying a daughter is like this. You will feel conflicted. We are better. Zijian is a man. When he gets married in the future, I think we will be very excited."

Dong Zijian rolled his eyes. He was only 15 years old and his mother was talking about this. He felt a little embarrassed.

"Yes." Ankang put down his wine glass and said, "If Xixi was a boy, I would also hope that she would get married and settle down early, but a girl's body makes parents always worry about their daughter's disadvantages and can't let go. That's how it is."

Chu Xuan and Dong Zhihua nodded to show their understanding.

Chu Xuan poured a glass of wine, glanced at Liu Xiaoli, glanced at Ankang, and pulled Liu Yifei to toast together: "Dad, Mom, we toast you, happy Lantern Festival, and I want to say something from my heart."

Tell me the truth? ...Everyone was excited and waiting for Chu Xuan to say the next word.

"I think that even though you are divorced, so many years have passed. You should let go of some things. For the sake of Xixi and me, you can have a normal communication with each other."

"Let's not talk about marriage. Let's just say that when Xixi and I have a child in the future, if we are too busy with our careers to take care of the child, we can only trouble you as grandparents to help take care of the child. We have to negotiate the child's education, right?"

Chu Xuan saw that his parents had always been at odds, and that Liu Yifei, as a daughter, had always hoped for harmony between the two sides. As a son-in-law, Chu Xuan thought that he was very close and familiar with Ankang, the father, so he openly spoke up for Liu Yifei to express her true feelings.

This is also to help himself. Otherwise, as a son-in-law, he has to favor both his mother-in-law and his father-in-law, and also make sure his wife is comfortable. He really has to take the overall situation into consideration alone, which is very tiring.

If his parents can communicate normally, his wife will feel at ease, and then he, as a husband, will have less worries in the future.

He didn't know what to say. He just thought that the older generation was looking forward to having grandchildren, so he brought up the future children he and Liu Yifei would have.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xiaoli said, "The first part is easy to deal with, but forget about taking care of the child. If you don't have time, I can take care of the child. He doesn't need to worry about it. A diplomat and the president of the Confucius Institute, it sounds impressive. Can he really help you raise a Confucius?"

Wang Jinhua chuckled, held her forehead with her hands, and lowered her head, unable to help laughing.

Chu Xuan is married now, and his mother-in-law's family and his father-in-law's family will often need Chu Xuan as a son-in-law to maintain the relationship. If Liu Xiaoli and Ankang can communicate normally, it will be a great thing for Chu Xuan and Qianqian's family and save them a lot of worries.

Seeing that Chu Xuan wanted Liu Xiaoli and Ankang to restore their relationship, she wanted to help say some good words, but she didn't know that her sister Li said something shocking and really didn't give Ankang any face at all.

Does the director of a Confucius Institute have to cultivate a Confucius?

Sister Li, you are really funny.

"Look at what you, as a mother, said. I am really speechless." Ankang was angry.

Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei looked at each other, feeling both amused and helpless.

Forget it, forget it, just do whatever you want with the two elders, as long as you are happy. They are too lazy to persuade you, so just let it be.

Although there were some discordant episodes during the Lantern Festival reunion, the overall harmonious atmosphere added to the joy of family life. It ended in peace in the evening, and this year's Lantern Festival ended with everyone going home.

After the Lantern Festival, there is a farewell with unspeakable sadness.

Now that all the domestic affairs are finished, Ankang is about to return to his job in France.

The number of days he requested for leave this time was a bit beyond the schedule, as there were a lot of matters waiting for him to deal with when he returned. Even though the couple hoped that he would stay for a day or two more to watch the press conference of "My Love from the Star", he had his wish, but his official duties could not be delayed any longer, so he could only regret it.

"Dad, have a nice trip."

"Dad, we'll come see you during the roadshow this year."

The next afternoon, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei took Ankang to the airport and said goodbye to Ankang who got off the car with his luggage in the parking area.

When Ankang heard his daughter say she wanted to come see him, he said lovingly and educationally, "Have you forgotten what I told you? Don't speak up easily about things you can't do or are unsure of, or you'll hurt the other person and feel guilty about yourself. Don't learn the empty talk ideologies of the entertainment industry. Just do what you have and say what you are capable of. This kind of truth-seeking and striving state is the true meaning of the word idol."

As a learned person with the responsibility of spreading culture as an educator, I always give my children a few more words of advice when they leave.

Chu Xuan nodded repeatedly and accepted the teachings with pleasure: "Dad is right, we will keep it in mind. But Xixi is right this time. This year, we need to go on a global roadshow before our movie is released. We must go to Paris, France. This is the itinerary that has been planned. We will not lie like before. Since we have said it, we will definitely come to Paris to visit Dad this year."

"That's right." Liu Yifei said. She was ashamed of her father's misunderstanding and criticism. Chu Xuan's clear explanation made her feel relieved: "We are no longer the same as before. We always keep our home in our hearts. Whether it is mom's home or dad's home, it is our home. There is love only when there is a family, right?"

"Well said, I'll wait for you in Paris." Ankang said comfortedly: "You guys go back, you also need to prepare for tomorrow's press conference, you can focus on your career, I wish you keep up the good work, there is an online version of the film and television drama, please send it to me when it's ready."

"Okay, I'll send it to dad after the post-production is done." Chu Xuan nodded with a smile.

"Okay, let's go, everything is fine." Ankang waved his hand and turned to walk towards the terminal.

"Dad is fine!" Liu Yifei waved her hand with reluctance in her eyes.

This time, she has been with her father day and night for more than half a month. It is not only Chu Xuan's first time, but also the first time in all these years that she has had the opportunity to spend such a long time with her father.

The long-standing lack of fatherly love was somewhat filled, and because of marriage she had established a stronger emotional connection with her father. It was only this farewell and it would be a long time before they would not see each other again, and the new level of sadness of parting made her feel it more deeply than before.

This may be another change in mood brought about by marriage. She deeply understood what home and family are, as well as the profound meaning of their existence, which brought her heart infinitely closer to these two words.

After seeing Dad off, the couple returned home, where Mom had already packed her luggage and was waiting for them.

Tomorrow's press conference will be held in the morning. To avoid delays, the whole family will set off today, stay in a hotel for one night, and then go directly to Shenzhen after the press conference.

They are about to go on a long trip. Considering the couple's pace of making a drama a year, what my mother calls an annual long-distance trip is a trip that the whole family feels fresh and looks forward to. Moreover, the trip also has the purpose of buying a wedding house, so the whole family is full of expectations.

"I hope the press conference goes well, and I hope everything goes well on your journey tomorrow. I hope everything goes smoothly on the filming. I won't see you off, I'll come to your house to say goodbye." Wang Jinhua came back from the company early just to say goodbye to the family.

"Sister, thank you for taking care of the group." Liu Yifei walked from the big villa to the main entrance carrying a suitcase. There were only two suitcases on this trip. The weather in Shenzhen was warm, so she mostly brought summer clothes, which were thin and did not take up much space.

After getting the marriage certificate, she no longer called Wang Jinhua "Sister Hua", but called her "Sister" just like Chu Xuan.

It sounds like there is no difference, but the single word "sister" seems more intimate.

Wang Jinhua was very satisfied with this change. "It's a small matter. Now that we are a group, everyone is in charge of their own affairs. With your sister Cod helping to manage various affairs, I am much more relaxed than before. Don't worry about me. You guys just focus on your work. You can contact me anytime by phone."

Chu Xuan and Liu Xiaoli came behind and handed the luggage to Lu Tao and Zeng Ni in the nanny car to help carry it up. The family of three said goodbye to Wang Jinhua in front of the car door.

"Jinhua, take care. We are leaving now."

"Sister, feel free to contact me if you need anything. I'm leaving now."

"Sis, bye."

Under Wang Jinhua's blessing gaze, the nanny car drove away gradually, and the newlyweds and their mother embarked on their career journey again.

The garden villa, which had been bustling and festive in the past few days, was now beginning to fall into silence and tranquility.

Wang Jinhua watched the rear end of the car disappear at the turn and turned to go home. She sighed in her heart that life is nothing more than an over and over again game of separation and reunion. She said goodbye to this family again, and she only hoped that you and I would still be safe and sound when we meet again next time.

--Shangri-La Hotel.

It is not a naming sponsorship, but it is better than a naming sponsorship. As long as there are guests of Brilliant Times or activities such as press conferences, they will be held here. After years of friendly business cooperation, the two parties have become tied together.

In the super-large private room on the restaurant floor, seven tables were fully occupied.

"My Love from the Star" producer Zhou Jielun, assistant director Lu Chuan, producer Tang Jili, director of photography Ning Hao, chief screenwriter Liu Yi, acting director Huang Lei, production director Liang Datong, and team members owned or temporarily formed by each teacher were all present.

As for the actors, Huang Bo who played the heroine's assistant, Yang Mi who played the villain female star, Wen Zhengrong who played the villain's agent, Zhang Songwen who played the villain's capital, Zhang Luyi who played the little girl's father, Ouyang Nabi who played the little girl, Qin Hao who played the policeman, and Li Xin, Zhang Ruoyun, Zhu Yillong, and Song Qian who played representatives of the heroine's fan club were all present.

In addition, some crew members from the costume and makeup groups were also present, forming seven tables with sixty to seventy people who gathered together for tonight’s opening banquet for “My Love from the Star”.

They will set off directly after the press conference tomorrow. After discussing with Li Yu, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei decided to hold the opening party the night before.

Compared with the two artistic coordinators, Mr. Qi Mu and Fang Wenshan, and the one hundred or eighty people led by some members of the production team in Shenzhen, the total number of people in the entire crew is less than two hundred. It is not a large number of people, but it is also a large crew for an urban drama.

The people in Shenzhen were all in their positions waiting for their main force to join them, so there was nothing they could do about not being able to attend the launch party and press conference. Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei could only say sorry in their hearts.

Li Yu, the chairman of Century Culture, also came to join in the fun at the opening banquet, chatting happily with everyone in the double joy of the afterglow of the New Year and the upcoming start of filming of the big drama.

Suddenly, he saw someone pushing the door open, and his face immediately showed a stronger look of joy, and he coughed loudly.

Hearing the cough, everyone present looked towards the door and saw that Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei, the two main characters, had arrived. It seemed that they had discussed it in advance, and they all applauded and sent their blessings.

"Congratulations to Director Chu and Producer Liu on their wedding!!"

Liu Xiaoli looked over with a smile, and saw Li Yu waving and pointing to the empty seat next to her. She walked over and sat down, leaving the main court to the couple.

Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei didn't expect that everyone would come up with such a thing, and they looked at the happy faces of most people. Familiar friends like Zhou Jielun, Huang Lei, Huang Bo, Ning Hao, Liu Yi, Yang Mi and others made jokes, while less familiar friends like Wen Zhengrong, Zhang Songwen, Zhu Yillong, Song Qian, Li Xin, Zhang Ruoyun and others brought their blessings, and the little girl Ouyang Nabi clapped her hands repeatedly with joy.

"Thank you everyone." Liu Yifei said softly.

"Thank you." Chu Xuan also thanked him.

Seeing the couple walking towards them and wanting to sit down in the empty seat, Li Yu said, "Director Chu, Producer Liu, can you say a few words?"

This was Chu Xuan’s first time as a director. Although he and Liu Yifei had worked as producers before, they were still not used to the process of giving speeches before the opening banquet.

After being reminded by Li Yu, Chu Xuan and Liu Yifei reacted and came to the front of the private room to say a few words to build cohesion among the crew.

There are only seven tables in total, and the private rooms are closed, so there is no need for a microphone. You can hear everything clearly.

Liu Yifei gave Chu Xuan a look, indicating that he should speak first.

Chu Xuan sorted out his thoughts, stood back, faced everyone, and began to speak.

"The inspiration for the story came at the end of August last year. After a month of thinking, exploring and setting the tone, we started working on the script in October. Thanks to the professional and efficient help of the teachers, we had a complete text in two months. After more than a month of auditions, we were lucky to get the recognition and participation of a group of excellent actors."

"After a Spring Festival that was of great significance to me, we can finally set sail. I hope that the happy event between me and producer Liu can bring good feng shui to the subsequent affairs of our crew, and everything will go smoothly."

Everyone and Liu Yifei were smiling. Did the happy event bring good feng shui to the crew? This sounds a bit metaphysical, but it was a good start for the crew to start filming soon.

"Although I am the male lead of this drama, I am also the director of this drama, and a new director who has just debuted."

"I don't know how much confidence other new directors have in directing their first work, how much ability they have in post-production, and how much confidence they have in making their work perform well."

"But in my case, I have the confidence to direct a good play, I also have sufficient ability to make the post-production perfect, and I have great confidence that the work will achieve good results!"

"Good!" Huang Lei and Huang Bo, the two leaders of the show, made everyone present burst into applause, applauding Chu Xuan's confidence.

Being humble should be appropriate in certain situations. Sometimes being arrogant once in a while may not be a bad thing.

If, as a director, you act very humble in front of the crew, this attitude may make people feel comfortable, but it will also make the crew lose trust and confidence in you as a director.

Perhaps when Chu Xuan becomes successful in his career as a director in the future, his subordinates will no longer need to express their confidence in him, but as a new director, he still needs to show his unyielding drive and confidence, at least to give people a basic degree of conviction in his attitude.

"I will devote my full energy to the work we create together, but I am both a director and an actor, and my energy is always limited, so I hope that the teachers and friends in the entire crew can work together."

"Director Lu Chuan, who was nominated for the Venice Golden Lion Award, is the assistant director. Director Ning Hao, who won the Huabiao Best Director Award, is the director of photography. Mr. Huang Lei, who is an all-round film and television person who is a screenwriter, producer, supervisor, and actor and is also a first-generation popular young actor, is the acting director. Mr. Liu Yi, who has won the Television Association's Golden Screenwriter Award many times, is the chief screenwriter. Director Tang Jili, a veteran Hollywood director, is the supervisor."

"This director team is incredible."

"It is our common luck and blessing to have such a director team."

"So, I don't want anything unpleasant to happen in the crew to distract us all."

Everyone listened and expressed their understanding of Chu Xuan's bringing the topic to this aspect. As a director and an actor, if the crew did something that distracted them, it would indeed be a bad thing for the director.

Little did they know that Chu Xuan's next words would let them know that they had misunderstood.

"Teacher Zhang Songwen has been in the acting industry for more than ten years, and his performance level was highly recognized by the teachers during the audition."

"Such senior actors deserve recognition and respect, but I was surprised and overwhelmed by Mr. Zhang Songwen's humble attitude during the audition."

"Everyone should know the reason. If an actor is not popular, it is a sin. No matter where he goes, he will be treated unfairly, which makes the originally good actors discouraged."

"As an actor, this makes me feel very disappointed."

"So I hope that in the upcoming cooperation, you will treat me and Liu Yifei the same way you treat actors regardless of their popularity, and crew members regardless of their experience."

"I have no control over other crews. We should respect each other and communicate well. This is my most basic bottom line for my crew."

Everyone applauded and looked at Chu Xuan with admiration.

If Chu Xuan's high level of confidence just now made them approve but also somewhat doubtful, then his words of respect for the entire crew just now made them feel very warm, so that they believed in Chu Xuan's leadership ability even more.

Especially Zhang Songwen, Wen Zhengrong and Qin Hao. Although Chu Xuan is much younger than him, they look at Chu Xuan with full respect from the bottom of their hearts, because Chu Xuan gives them great respect. This can be regarded as mutual appreciation between good actors.

Yang Mi, Li Xin, Zhang Ruoyun, Zhu Yillong, and Song Qian applauded continuously. Chu Xuan's words made them feel that he was so handsome.

"Senior brother is still the same senior brother, and he is as friendly to actors as always." Yang Mi thought to herself.

"Who says celebrities don't chase stars? Brother Chu is my idol!" Li Xin, Zhang Ruoyun, Zhu Yillong and Song Qian, a few young people, admire Chu Xuan very much.

As expected, with Chu Xuan's speech, Liu Yifei concluded as usual: "I hope that everyone can gain something from the next filming career in harmony and work together to make My Love from the Star a perfect answer both internally and externally."

"Great!" Huang Bo and Huang Lei applauded again.

As the applause died down, the couple walked down, took their seats to start the opening banquet, and returned to their professional state.

(End of this chapter)