Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
“Brother, a cigarette?”
“Thank you. I don’t smoke.”
“Oh.”
As the sun set, the rays of dusk dyed the sky red, which made the sky look different.
Lu Yuan looked at the bespectacled and gentle Li Qing. He had a sincere and honest smile. Fatty Wei stood beside Lu Yuan, his eyes full of excitement as he rubbed his hands from time to time.
“Do you really want to make a movie?” Li Qing looked at Lu Yuan with a suspicious look in his eyes.
No matter how he looked at Lu Yuan, who wore a second-hand suit and had an unknown hairstyle, he didn’t look like a filmmaker.
“Yes,” Lu Yuan nodded.
“The total investment is only $800,000?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not easy to make a movie. With an investment of $800,000, it’s hard to make a good movie,” Li Qing shook his head. There was an expression of speechlessness in his eyes. The last trace of expectation in his heart was completely extinguished..
When Fatty Wei talked about money on the phone, he was full of confidence. When he talked about the script, he made a lot of bravado. He boasted that the movie was a big international production, and it was bound to be the next big hit.
Because of this, Li Qing chose to meet with Fatty Wei and talk about the movie.
Before he came, he was looking forward to it.
After coming, Li Qing fell into a bad mood instantly when he learned that the total investment was only $800,000, the sole actor was Lu Yuan, and that the director was a silly person who got chased out of his household.
Saying that this crew was poor was not the correct way to describe them.
It was a scheme of deception by conmen…
“There are always exceptions,” Lu Yuan looked at Li Qing. He was very sincere, so when they met just now, he explained what was the situation within his cast.
It was not convenient for Lu Yuan to boast about the total investment and some other arrangements…
One could dupe others for some things, but it was better to remain sincere for some. If not, it would end well.
Deceptions with half-truths, coupled with some natural acting skills, made a conman a master of deception.
Okay, these things were not suddenly understood by Lu Yuan. They were picked up from a second-hand book, “How to Be a Liar”, which he had bought from the bookstore nearby.
Lu Yuan believed in this deeply.
After all, he was the man who wanted to be the king of deception.
“$800,000 investment, how well do you think you can do at the box office?” Li Qing pushed up his glasses seriously. “Now, the movie market is declining, and movies with tens of millions of investment will flop as well. What’s more, you only have $800,000 in investments. I’m sorry, with all due respect, you may not even be able to make it into the cinema. You will expend your efforts in vain, and it will become a joke.”
“How do you know if you don’t try? No one has ever ruled that a movie with an investment of $800,000 can’t do well at the box office, right?” Lu Yuan turned his head to look at the setting sun in the distance. He was not frightened by Li Qing’s words, but confident instead.
He was actually the least stressed person.
“Self-confidence is a good thing, and blindly wasting time is a bad thing. You see that with the sunset, another day has passed. What do you see? I always feel that time cannot be wasted on meaningless things,” Li Qing smiled. His smile was not sarcastic or contemptuous, but an attempt to avoid the topic in a polite manner.
“How do you know it’s meaningless if you don’t do or try it? Also, you didn’t even read the script.”
“Do you think I need to read a script with an $800,000 investment?”
“Why not?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything. “The Capital” has drained too much of my time. I need to have a good rest. Besides, I have an appointment with Sky Entertainment Group. I’m filming the next movie in three months. I also need to prepare for the next movie. I’m sorry. Right now, I can only wish you success at the box office.” When the last afterglow of the setting sun dissipated, Li Qing smiled, pushed up his glasses again, and then turned away politely.
He was going.
He should have left without hesitation.
He had no time to play games with these people.
At this moment, Lu Yuan took a look at Wei Wuji. His look was slightly ambiguous, and he smiled.
“Old Li, I think there are some things that we should have a good talk over. We are all young people. I think we need to sit down and have a cup of coffee, listen to music and talk about ideals. Oh, by the way, in fact, we are all artistic youths…”
After Wei Wuji’s eyes met Lu Yuan’s, he realised what he meant. Seeing that no one was nearby, his impatient expression suddenly changed into one of a bright smile, and he followed Li Qing.
“Artistic youth? What do you mean?”
“Yes, I don’t think it’s convenient to talk outside. After all, there are no people or ambience in this place. In fact, many things can be discussed in detail,” Lu Yuan also smiled radiantly and politely.
“Didn’t you summon me here to talk?” Li Qing looked at the bright smiles of the two people and felt bizarre.
It seemed that there was that little bit of bad intention?
Why is there something amiss with that expression?
He suddenly became more vigilant.
“Fatty! You grab the body, I’ll take the feet!”
However, at this time, Lu Yuan suddenly shouted loudly.
“Lu Yuan, don’t fucking call me a fatty!”
“Get him!”
“What are you doing? What are you doing? This… this is kidnapping! Let me tell you…”
When the sun set, leaving only the residual light, the red rays of light were reflected on Li Qing’s face…
Li Qing only felt subdued by Fatty Wei for a while. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and wanted to raise his legs and struggle. Unexpectedly, Lu Yuan had caught his legs, and he was dragged outside into the distance…
“What are you doing! What are you doing! Let go of me, or I’ll call the police!”
Both of them were strong and domineering, which rendered Li Qing totally helpless. He kept shouting…
However, it didn’t work.
The two men, one at the front and one at the back, carried the dizzy Li Qing as if they were going to a slaughterhouse. They ran very fast, as their smiles turned even more radiant. They found glee in cooperation.
Their shadows grew longer and longer…
As for Li Qing’s wailing sounds, it became more agonising and painful, as if he were a boar ready to be slaughtered.
In his heart, he had already cursed these two barbarians to the core. He did not know how many times he had cursed their ancestors.
…
“Distant Films” was not located on the busy streets of Hengdian.
It was at the edge of a remote alley.
Professor Zheng Guolong looked around for a long time to locate the company whose signboard had almost fallen.
Looking at this small facade, Zheng Guolong felt at a loss.
It was very shabby.
This was where the talented lad lived?
Zheng Guolong shook his head and realised that the company was locked. He felt a little helpless.
That lad was not in the company.
It was a pity.
He had specially made the journey over to see the lad and chat about that song, “Für Elise”, as well as to educate him on his future. However, it seemed like his efforts were in vain.
Helplessness was just a standalone emotion. Zheng Guolong did not feel overly disappointed.
He just felt a little pity.
Maybe a little regretful as well.
Okay, I’ll head back.
I’ll see him the next time I come.
Zheng Guolong shook his head and turned to leave, but just as he turned around, he suddenly saw two young people approaching. They were carrying a man whose face had turned red…
Li Qing?
He knew the young man. He was one of the professional photographers from Sky Entertainment Group. He had graduated from Yanying University.
As for the other two…
A fat man with a bright smile, and a young man who looked quite honest.
Then, Zheng Guolong looked at the young man.
This young man was familiar.
Was that Lu Yuan, the man in the video?
A talented young man. Better than the previous generations indeed.
“Fucking Old Li, do we have to invite you over in this way before you agree to come? Can’t we be honest with each other? Damn it!” Wei Wuji smiled as radiantly as before.
“Yes, Old Li, come on, have a cigarette. Oh, I forgot you didn’t smoke… Well, let’s talk about the script and filming later… Fuck, why are there no more cigarettes? Fatty Wei, help me get a pack later?” Lu Yuan took out an empty cigarette case and shook his head speechlessly.
“Fuck, don’t order me around. I’m the director you hired, not a subordinate!”
“…”
“I said, can you let me go?”
“We’ll let go of you when we get inside.”
When Zheng Guolong heard the voice of the two men and saw Li Qing, who had an expression that resembled “life is meaningless”, he was stunned.
Was this vulgar young man really the talented composer of “Für Elise”?
This…
Didn’t seem right.
“Stop. You are Lu Yuan?” When Lu Yuan and Zheng Guolong passed by each other, Zheng Guolong finally stopped Lu Yuan in his tracks.
“Ah, sir, do you know me?” Lu Yuan was stunned. He looked at the old man with glasses, who resembled a landlord collecting rent from him.
“You, you, you… You… you are…” Fatty Wei’s originally radiant smile suddenly convulsed.
“Zheng, Professor Zheng…” Li Qing, who was still being carried by the two men, was also stunned and began to stutter.