Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 46 Come to the door
Li Qiutang is definitely the most handsome kid in the family this year!
When I go to my grandfather's house or my grandma's house, I always say "Here comes our great director."

But Li Qiutang was young, so she could only sit there and listen to her aunts and uncles talk.

"This son is filial. He knows to buy a car for his father when he earns money." Li Qiutang felt a little embarrassed by the praise.

My mother didn't wear the jewelry he gave her during the Chinese New Year, and she still keeps it.

Brothers and sisters of the same generation all pestered him to tell stories about the entertainment industry. Li Qiutang said that his next movie would be about Huang Xiaoming and Fan Bingbing, which was a big deal.

Many sisters and friends asked him to get autographed photos for them, and some said they wanted to follow Li Qiutang into the crew to see the real person.

It would be easy if you just wanted to see the stars and ask for their autographs, but the difficulty lies in the fact that some people say they also want to be stars.

"Okay, just lose 20 pounds first." Li Qiutang threatened.

“You have to lose so much?!”

"That's not all. We can only eat vegetables boiled in water for every meal, without a drop of oil. Forget about the staple food, and we can only eat a little meat." Li Qiutang deliberately exaggerated.

"It's not that bad to be in jail."

"If you gain weight, your agent will scold you so much that you will question your life." Li Qiutang continued to add.

Then my mother slapped me on the back: "The actors you are talking about are not even human beings."

"That's about right." Li Qiutang said with a smile.

This year, there are many more people coming to my house to pay New Year's greetings than in previous years. I can't say that there is an endless stream of people, but it is still very busy and lively.

Even the principal of No. 2 Middle School came by.

There are two vice-principals in No. 2 Middle School who live in the staff quarters. The principal does not live here, so I don’t know how he got here.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the principal strolled into the community with his hands behind his back. Seeing two cars, one big and one small, parked there, he was surprised. Is making movies so profitable?

He went upstairs to the Li family's house. Only Li's parents received him. He asked curiously, "Where's Qiutang? Isn't he here?"

"He hasn't woken up yet," Li's mother said with a smile, "He was on the phone with the crew last night to discuss something, and didn't go to bed until after four o'clock."

“Looking at it this way, filming a movie is pretty tiring.”

Actually, there is nothing wrong with the leader coming. Li Qiutang is now a celebrity and a big director, so come and take a look.

Without meeting the main person, the principal left after a few dry chats about family and work matters.

"You never come to my house unless you have nothing to do." Mother Li has a strong temper and says what she wants to say.

"He's a leader, why would he come to our house for no reason?"

"So what is he doing here this year?"

"Tsk, you're just imagining things. Why do you care what he's doing here? He just left without doing anything. What are you having for lunch?"

"Dumplings, there's some stuffing left from yesterday."

"You said there was some skin left when we were eating yesterday."

In order to take care of Li Qiutang's schedule, lunch was specially served late, but Li Qiutang still didn't get up. However, he vaguely heard his mother's voice in the room: "Get up and heat it up for yourself."

When he woke up, no one was home.

We have to open for business during the Chinese New Year, as audio-visual stores will do good business during the Chinese New Year.

The speakers in the store play songs such as "Congratulations on Getting Rich", "Here Comes the God of Wealth" and "Happy New Year" on a loop.

A girl walked into the store carrying some New Year gifts and said, "Hello..."

Teacher Li responded: "What movie are you watching?"

"Oh, I'm not buying a disc, I'm just asking for directions."

"You are that so-and-so," Mother Li seemed to know this girl, "Zhihua, right?"

Qin Lan smiled: "I play Zhi Hua, my name is Qin Lan."

"Hello, big star." Mother Li knew Qin Lan because she also watched "Return of the Pearl 3" and the discs of "Storm and Cloud 2" were selling very well. But Qin Lan didn't forget the business: "I want to ask for directions. Is the No. Middle School staff building in front?"

"Yes, it's only a few minutes' walk." Mother Li saw Qin Lan's enthusiasm and asked, "Are you going to pay New Year's greetings?"

"Oh, yes." Qin Lan said, "I'm going to see a friend."

"I'll take you there. I live there. Old Li, you look after the store." Mother Li said and went out with Qin Lan.

The enthusiasm of Northeastern people.

During the few minutes' walk, Mother Li asked Qin Lan many questions and became even more enthusiastic when she learned that the other party was also from Shenhe District, Fengtian.

After entering the community, Mrs. Li said, "This is it. Where does your friend live? Maybe I know him."

This really stumped Qin Lan. She only knew that Li Qiutang's father was a teacher at No. 2 Middle School and that the family lived in the staff dormitory of No. 2 Middle School. How could she know which unit and floor Li Qiutang's home was located in?

Qin Lan asked: "Do you know where Teacher Li lives?"

"There are five or six of us with the surname Li."

"His son is Qiutang. He studies in Yanjing and makes movies." Qin Lan's conditions became more specific.

Mother Li was choked up. It turned out that this big star was looking for her son. But she still said, "I know. Come with me."

The two of them walked up the stairs slowly, with Qin Lan following behind.

"It's here." Mother Li took out the key and opened the door.

Qin Lan was now so embarrassed that she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. It turned out that the auntie she had been asking for directions for so long was Li Qiutang's mother.

Li Qiutang was watching TV. The Spring Festival Gala's language programs were being rebroadcast. The quality of this year's crosstalk and sketches was very high and it was quite entertaining.

Hearing the door open, Li Qiutang turned around and saw that her mother was with Qin Lan. What a strange combination!

Mother Li smiled and said, "I ran into him in the store and he said he was here to see you."

Qin Lan really feels like dying now.

Mother Li asked Qin Lan to sit down: "You two can chat."

What serious things can happen during the New Year? Just sit together and chat casually.

Qin Lan said that after the release of "The Night the Comet Came", she had many more opportunities in the industry, especially that some film crews had approached her: "I have already been offered two films and a TV series this year, which is enough to keep me busy."

For an actor in her position, it’s not the time to talk about artistic ideals; she just has to keep shooting and keep looking for opportunities for herself.

Li Qiutang did not take credit for it: "You performed well in Comet. Those directors and producers are not blind. They can see it."

Talking about "No One in My Eyes", Qin Lan said regretfully that she didn't have time to audition.

"Huayi has taken full control of the casting, and outsiders cannot get involved." Extras and minor supporting roles will be searched openly by the casting director - this is also the most rampant unspoken rules in the industry. No one would think that the casting director can sleep with the leading actor, because that is the producer who does the sleeping!
The main character and supporting characters are usually not released by the crew.

"We will go to Hengdian at the end of April, start filming in May, and also go to the Western Film City."

"I'll also be in Hengdian in a few months, and I'll come visit you then." Qin Lan said.

Qin Lan sat for a while, drank a cup of tea, and was about to leave.

Mother Li politely invited her to have dinner with him, but she declined.

After Qin Lan left, Li's mother said something inexplicably: "She has a good figure and looks good, but she is a little old."

"What did you say?" Li Qiutang asked.

"Nothing," Li's mother thought, "Just watch TV, silly son."

"What's for dinner?"

"Dumplings, there are still some skins left from lunch."

…………

(End of this chapter)