Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 64 Violent Woman

Chen Shou looked up at her, and Liu Yifei also looked up at him. The two stared at each other like that.

Those nearby either whispered among themselves or turned their heads away, while others glanced at them curiously.

"Study hard." Chen Shou sighed after reading it.

"What do you mean by this?" Liu Yifei asked, displeased.

"You've also studied acting, so you should know that acting will always leave traces. You're too good-looking, so no matter how you act, you'll always leave traces. It's very difficult for an actor to truly become qualified. That's why the stage of drama is where people are honed."

"That's because there's no pause in a play. Whether the performance is good or bad, the audience can see it clearly. In movies and TV series, the characters can be portrayed through multiple performances and editing. You clearly have a fatal flaw," Chen Shou said.

"What shortcomings?" Liu Yifei stared wide-eyed, puffing out her cheeks, waiting for Chen Shouzhe's answer.

Having worked with so many directors before, they all praised her. But when she came to Chen Shou, she realized that she was still far behind. Even in science fiction films, with Gong Li's support, she was completely overshadowed.

This greatly affected her self-confidence, especially during this period, she began to question the meaning of life.

"It's so beautiful," Chen Shou said.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei couldn't help but feel secretly delighted. She pursed her lips, but couldn't hide the smile in her eyes, and said, "What kind of flaw is that? Is it wrong to be beautiful?"

“You’re beautiful, that’s true, but your beauty makes many people overlook your acting shortcomings and think you’re perfect. In reality, your natural advantages outweigh your hard work. You could even say you don’t have much acting talent; you’re just pretty. If someone else had your face and was given enough opportunities, they could also play your role. In other words, you’re not irreplaceable; on the contrary, you’re the easiest person to replace,” Chen Shou said, spreading his hands.

Why are female celebrities from the last century so easily remembered? Is it because they were beautiful?

She is not only beautiful, but her beauty is also distinctive and possesses a strong personal charm.

Today's young female celebrities are beautiful, but they all look like they were made from the same mold, lacking any distinctive features. Combined with their makeup, they all look the same.

Liu Yifei is beautiful in her own unique way, which fits a famous saying in the entertainment industry.

One should become famous as early as possible.

She became famous too early, which led to a high level of public sympathy for her, thus ensuring her enduring popularity.

But on the big screen, especially when acting alongside people more accomplished than her, her shortcomings become apparent, and she will never reach the heights of actresses like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi.

"Then what should I do? I also want to become an actress like Gong Li," Liu Yifei said.

Chen Shou glanced at her and said, "Don't even think about it. You have plenty to eat and wear."

"How dare you talk like that?" Liu Yifei slapped Chen Shouzhe across the face, still holding the metal spoon she used for eating watermelon.

"Hiss, how could you hit someone like that? And with so much strength?" Chen Shou stared wide-eyed at Liu Yifei, incredulous.

Someone actually laid a hand on the director! That person was far too violent and then said she was ill-mannered.

"You started it by saying that to me first," Liu Yifei muttered, turning her head away, knowing she was in the wrong.

"Watch out or I'll kick you out of the crew, it hurts so much!" Chen Shou said, grimacing as he covered his hand.

"Does it really hurt that much?" Liu Yifei asked after a moment's hesitation.

"You hit me so hard my muscles went numb, I can't feel anything in my hand." Chen Shou rolled up his sleeve, revealing a bruise on his elbow.

He seriously suspected that the woman had practiced some kind of bone-dislocating technique. Caught off guard, he slapped her down, and the iron spoon and elbow snapped together, leaving his hand numb.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Liu Yifei was startled when she saw the bruises.

"Go get the doctor."

The crew had arranged for a doctor, so Liu Yifei put down the watermelon to call the doctor over. When the others saw the doctor arrive, they all gathered around.

"What's wrong with the director?" Huang Xiaoming asked anxiously.

"It's nothing, my hand feels numb, let the doctor take a look." Chen Shouzhe didn't dare to move his hand.

"You've lost consciousness?" Gong Li frowned and asked, "What happened? How could this happen so suddenly?"

"Let's have a doctor take a look; it might be a sprain," Zhang Fengyi said.

A short while later, the doctor came over and squatted down next to Chen Shou to examine his hand.

"The nerve was compressed, and it was numb for a while. I'll massage it for you and it'll be fine." The doctor pressed on Chen Shouzhe's arm a few times, and Chen Shouzhe felt the sensation slowly returning. "Is the bone broken?" Chen Shouzhe asked.

"No, it's just a nerve injury from a blunt object. It'll be fine in a bit," the doctor said.

"How did you get it?" Gong Li asked with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Liu Yifei bowed and apologized from the side.

"It's alright, it's all better now." Chen Shou waved his hand, indicating that everything was fine.

"Consort Yi, what did you do?" Gong Li asked curiously.

"I just patted him on the shoulder," Liu Yifei said, her head down.

"It's not that serious after just one take, Director Chen, your health is too weak," Gong Li said with a smile.

"You know she's super strong? She's been practicing martial arts since she was little. And if only she had a slap, she would have been holding a spoon. I think I was hit on the nerve by that spoon," Chen Shou said irritably.

"Oh, I see." Now everyone suddenly realized why they said they were hit by a blunt object; it was a spoon.

Liu Yifei dared not look up at others. The actors who trained with her knew that the little girl was quite strong, but they did not expect her to use a spoon.

The farcical incident is over; let's take a short break before continuing filming.

Spacesuits are heavy, and the space capsule is weightless. Even actors with excellent acting skills need time to adapt, especially if it's their first time working with a spacesuit.

However, they were all good actors, and basically the effect that Chen Shouzhe wanted was achieved.

After the break, Liu Yifei treated everyone to a meal to apologize to Chen Shouzhe, since she had injured his hand.

A group of people gathered at a nearby restaurant, including the five main actors, Guo Fan, and Chen Shouzhe.

"Director, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Liu Yifei said, picking up her drink.

Chen Shouzhe picked up his glass of baijiu and said, "I guess I'm at a disadvantage here, but I think I'm the youngest person here."

“You’re the youngest, but you’re also the oldest,” Gong Li said with a smile.

"No, everyone here is a senior, and I still have a lot to learn. I'll drink this in one gulp, you can drink as you like." Chen Shou downed the small glass of baijiu in one go.

They knew Chen Shou's drinking capacity; when Teacher Yu came before, he saw that the two of them drank the most. As for baijiu, Zhang Fengyi was okay, but Zhang Hanyu was stronger, and the two of them got along well.

Zhang Hanyu likes collecting, as does Teacher Yu. However, Teacher Yu is more of a hobbyist, while Zhang Hanyu is a collector, preferring to buy antiques and collect them.

The two had a lot to talk about and agreed to visit the Panjiayuan Antique Market when they had time.

Liu Yifei took a sip of her drink. The others looked at them, and Zhang Fengyi laughed, "You must have said something unpleasant to get beaten up."

"Yeah, I didn't expect her to be so violent. You guys can mentor her when you have time. She's under a lot of pressure acting alongside you," Chen Shou nodded.

"Don't tell anyone." Liu Yifei's face was very red even though she hadn't been drinking.

"Oh, I see. It's okay. Everyone has a beginning. Don't feel pressured." Huang Xiaoming had worked with Liu Yifei before and could understand her feelings. There were too many Best Actor and Best Actress winners present. Any actor with a bit of ambition would feel pressure. If you feel pressured but don't want to improve, you can only be called a star.

"It's normal to feel pressured with so many senior actors. Science fiction movies don't demand too much in terms of acting skills, and you've already performed very well," Guo Fan said.

"You can't say that. You have very high expectations of me, okay?" Zhang Hanyu said irritably.

“If you’re not satisfied, you can give me your role; I think I can play it too,” Zhang Fengyi joked.

"Then forget it, let me grow potatoes on Mars instead." Zhang Hanyu smiled, raised his glass and clinked it with Zhang Fengyi's.

"Improving acting skills is a process, there's no use in rushing it. Congratulations to Director Chen on the box office success of his film," Gong Li asked.

"Ha ha ha, thank you."

"The Man from Earth" was released during the summer vacation and did well at the box office. Many people were looking forward to this movie, so it didn't need much promotion. Those who were interested went to the cinema to see it.

Some people didn't understand it, while others found it fascinating. The box office remained around 30 million, but after ten days it grossed 300 million, and many people called to congratulate him.

(End of this chapter)