Who says Beijing Film Academy has no great directors? (2002)

Chen Yan had only been sitting down for two minutes when Liu Yifei pushed a card over to him, and then sat there like a good little girl, digging into the fruit on top of her ice cream.

Chen Yan swore that no one in his two lives had ever given him money so decisively, let alone such a large sum.

Even if he made a movie that grossed 30 billion in his previous life, when talking to those investors, they still tried every means to squeeze money out of Chen Yan, not wanting to give up even a single point of profit.

Chen Yan pressed down on the card that was being pushed towards him, lowered his head, and smiled.

Chen Yan looked up at Liu Yifei and said in a coaxing tone, "You're such a fool. You just give it to me like that? Aren't you afraid I'll take it and run away?"

Liu Yifei took a bite out of the spoon, her eyes wide open.

But it didn't last more than a few seconds before the kitten's paw reached out: "Who are you calling an idiot! You're the idiot, Chen Yan, you big idiot!"

Shuchang stood beside him, grinning foolishly.

Chen Yan eventually put the card away.

But he still gave Liu Yifei an IOU, which was very simple, even a bit childish.

Chen Yan lent Liu Yifei 150 million yuan, and the only thing on the document was Chen Yan's signature.

Chen Yan took a bite of the ice cream that was served. "The company is now registered. I'm Boss Chen from now on. You two better be smart, or I'll make things difficult for you."

Liu Yifei pursed her lips, but still managed a slight smile.

Liu Yifei chuckled and took another bite of ice cream. "Boss Chen, you're making a fortune! This meal is on you."

Chen Yan placed the two scripts in front of them.

"Hey, keep an eye on the script. Read it often, or I'll give you both a good scolding when you get on set." These words were obviously meant for Liu Yifei. Shu Chang is a veteran actor, and his acting skills are miles ahead of Liu Yifei's.

But God is inevitably biased, so Liu Yifei's book has many little notes, and there is also a thin autobiography of Huang Xiaoxian tucked inside.

As soon as Liu Yifei opened it, she saw it because there was a small bomb emoji on it, and it said: This is the director's special treatment for you. Comrade Liu, you must not let down the organization's trust in you.

After reading the words above, Liu Yifei's face flushed red, and she slammed the script shut.

Shu Chang turned to look at Liu Yifei curiously: "Qianqian, what's wrong?"

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Liu Yifei's flushed cheek, asking, "Do you have a cold?"

Chen Yan knew the reason, of course, but he also joked about it.

"No, Sisi just ate too much ice cream and it's too sweet."

Liu Yifei pushed away the ice cream in front of her. "It's okay, my teeth are sore from the cold, it'll be fine in a bit."

Shu Chang said "oh" and turned her head back to look at the script.

Once Shuchang stopped paying attention to them, Liu Yifei raised her little fist as if she was about to hit someone.

Chen Yan laughed even more heartily, truly deserving of being a future leading lady in martial arts dramas.

After a while, Liu Yifei also buried herself in the script, her emotions constantly shifting with Huang Xiaoxian's joys and sorrows.

Even when they saw something heart-wrenching, their eyes would redden, and tears would well up in their eyes, ready to fall at any moment.

Chen Yan didn't disturb the two girls, but instead went to buy a pack of tissues and handed it to Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei sniffed, looked up at Chen Yan, and said, "It's all your fault!"

Chen Yan choked up. What did this have to do with him?

However, Liu Yifei only glanced at him briefly before immediately returning to studying the script.

Chen Yan took the opportunity to observe Liu Yifei carefully. Her tearful eyes and delicate face were free of any cosmetics, relying entirely on her youthful invincibility.

Shu Chang read quickly, pulling herself out of the script first, and looked at Chen Yan with admiration.

"Wow, you're so talented, Chen Yan! How did you come up with this story?"

Shu Chang wasn't particularly optimistic about this project before, but after so many years of working on film sets, she can now tell which scripts are good and which are bad.

Now she has complete confidence in Chen Yan.

Chen Yan made up a reason casually, "I dreamed about it."

Then he added, "Got it? From now on, you'll get to eat well if you follow me."

Shu Chang smiled and said, "I understand, from now on you'll be my idol."

After a while, Liu Yifei finished reading the script and looked at Chen Yan with a mournful expression, clearly putting herself in the shoes of the female lead.

Chen Yan immediately interrupted Liu Yifei's sorrowful mood: "How's the script for my leading lady?"

Sure enough, Liu Yifei immediately stopped being sad when the female lead was mentioned.

She even raised her chin with a hint of arrogance and commented, "Hmm, not bad~"

A sense of unease flashed through Chen Yan's heart. He hadn't told Liu Xiaoli about this matter from beginning to end, but if Liu Yifei's legal guardian didn't agree to cast her in the play, then they might have to find someone else for the lead role.

Chen Yan didn't bring up the disappointing matter yet, but instead changed the subject to "The Story of a Noble Family".

"I'll be able to wrap up filming this week, and Sisi will be around the same time. Then I won't have to take on any more roles."

Shuchang's family doesn't interfere with the acting roles; as long as they receive the money on time, everything is fine. Ultimately, the matter still comes back to this.

At this point, Liu Yifei realized that she had a mother who was very authoritative.

She panicked immediately, her eyes pleading for help as she looked at Chen Yan.

"I really want to act in this. Maybe I should go back and tell my mom the truth."

"If...if Mom still doesn't agree, then Chen Yan, you must treat my Huang Xiaoxian well." Liu Yifei almost cried as she said this.

Chen Yanxin seemed to have been hit hard, but she quickly reassured her, "It's okay, leave it to me. You don't need to worry about it. Just tell Auntie when you get back that you want to take a break after filming 'The Story of a Noble Family'."

Liu Yifei nodded, but kept stirring the ice cream in her cup with a spoon, unable to hide her depressed mood.

Chen Yan suppressed his emotions and continued, "If it doesn't work out, I'll prepare several leading ladies for you to choose from in the future, okay? Don't be sad."

Liu Yifei raised her eyes and blinked twice: "But, the roles I play from now on won't be Huang Xiaoxian anymore."

Chen Yan was not exaggerating; at that moment, he really wanted to present the whole world to this young girl and let her choose.

Liu Yifei clutched the script tighter and pulled it closer to her chest: "And I'm not giving this script back to you. You can't give the script I gave you to someone else."

Although the girl's awkward emotions were subtle, Chen Yan still understood her subtext.

If she can't play Huang Xiaoxian, then you're not allowed to send the notes and character biography written for her to someone else.

Chen Yan replied very seriously, "Of course."

Shu Chang watched the two of them chat in a daze. At first, she saw that Liu Yifei was very sad, but after Chen Yan made a few promises, Liu Yifei's mood returned to normal.

Shu Chang didn't understand, but she was greatly shocked.

When they parted, Liu Yifei was still preoccupied with the possibility that she might not be able to play Huang Xiaoxian, and her eyes were filled with reluctance as she looked at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan patted the little girl's head. "Listen to me, don't be sad. I'll take care of this for you."

Liu Yifei turned her head away, pouting slightly, and said, "I'm not sad at all."

Chen Yan pointed to her lips and laughed, "Still saying you're not sad? Look at your lips, they could hold an oil bottle."

Liu Yifei immediately turned around, said "You're so annoying," and pulled Shuchang away.