Chapter 299 Drama

Sunny June, lush summer.

Inside the Capital Theatre, the crystal chandeliers hanging from the dome emit a dreamy halo.

Like scattered stars, it adds a unique touch of romance and elegance to the entire space.

In the viewing area on the second floor, Liu Shishi sat in the middle seat, wearing a mask and a playful little round hat.

A pair of beautiful eyes looked around with sparkle, curiously gazing at this world-famous art palace.

Looking around, the theater's interior decoration and facilities do not give people a sense of being outdated or old.

On the contrary, with the passage of time, the solemnity and elegance here have become more timeless, and every detail seems to be telling the glory and stories of the past.

After retracting her gaze, Liu Shishi asked her mother with a smile: "Mom, when did you start liking to listen to dramas?"

She returned to Beijing in the afternoon after the wrap-up press conference of "Startling by Each Step" yesterday. Today, her mother called her to the Capital Theatre to watch the People's Art Theatre's drama performance.

Having not seen her daughter for a while, Liu's mother missed her very much. At this moment, her motherly love overflowed: "You are usually in the crew, and your father is busy with his career now. When I have nothing to do, I will watch dramas and listen to concerts with my sisters."

"Wow, Mom, you're living a really cool life now."

Mother Liu is all smiles. Her life is indeed easy and comfortable now, and she has no worries.

A few days ago, I heard from my son-in-law that my daughter was so absorbed in the role of "Scarlet Heart" that she was exhausted, so I thought of taking my daughter to watch a play to help her adjust her mood.

There was still some time before leaving, and Liu Shishi was bored, so she took out her cell phone and checked Weibo.

Clicking on her Weibo homepage and looking at her 16.8 million fans, Miss Liu's eyes were curved and she was smiling happily. Every day when she saw her Weibo fans increase a little, she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction in her heart.

The comment section was full of fans and netizens discussing the second press conference of "Startling by Each Step" yesterday morning.

"After watching yesterday's wrap-up press conference, I finally understood why Shishi was the only one wearing modern clothes at the start-up press conference."

"When other actors wore ancient costumes, the sister's modern clothes hinted at the disconnection between Ruoxi's "modern soul" and ancient time and space; and when everyone else appeared in modern clothes, the sister's ancient costume strengthened the character's sense of fate of being "trapped in history."

"Even the publicity has the genes of a time-travel drama, with perfect details. Tangren Films has put a lot of effort into it this time."

Browsing the comments, Liu Shishi couldn't help but smile. Compared to the last time's theme of "Everyone is ancient, but I am modern", the theme of yesterday's press conference was "Everyone is modern, but I am ancient".

The strong visual impact created by the contrast of clothing and the effect of "displaced time and space" quickly aroused discussion among the media and the audience.

Seeing her daughter laughing foolishly, Mother Liu wanted to tease her: "I have also read the original novel of 'Startling by Each Step'. So many princes like you, but you don't look good."

Liu Shishi raised her eyebrows and said indifferently: "It doesn't matter whether Brother likes it or not. It's enough that someone only likes me."

"You little bitch, you're still showing off!" Mother Liu scolded with a smile, then she remembered something, "Oh, by the way, your parents-in-law have moved out of the community."

Miss Liu was stunned when she heard this: "Moved away? I didn't hear Yi Yi say anything, how come they moved away suddenly?"

"Maybe because you were on the set, I didn't tell you on New Year's Day. I ran into your mother-in-law that day, and she said she couldn't stand the constant stream of relatives and friends coming to her house to ask for favors, so she moved away."

Liu Shishi was a little dazed for a moment. The old house in the community had too many beautiful memories for her and Mr. Song. Now she heard that her parents-in-law were moving away, and she felt lost.

Mother Liu sighed, "Hey, your father and I discussed it the other day and we were ready to move. But we have lived here for so many years, and our neighbors are reluctant to let go and are still hesitating."

"You guys can move too. You're not short of money. Move to a better neighborhood. The old house is a bit old after all." Liu Shishi was quite open-minded and asked, "Mom, where did my mother-in-law move to?"

"We moved to the staff dormitory of Beihang University. It's the house allocated by the university to your mother-in-law. Your father and I have gone to see the new house. It's close to the university and the environment is good."

"I'll discuss with Yi Yi tonight and buy some things to get to know the place."

Mother Liu nodded slightly and said earnestly: "The Dragon Boat Festival is in three days, so it's a good time to go visit your parents-in-law. You are usually busy on the crew, and you can't be absent from etiquette during the New Year and other festivals. This is the most basic respect for the elders."

Liu Shishi kept her mother's teachings in mind. At this moment, the stage curtain slowly rose, and the drama "Mutiny" officially began. She calmed down and enjoyed the drama at ease.

In the center of the stage, a long oak table glowed with a cold light. Twelve naval officers gathered under the spotlight. Everyone's expression was serious and focused, instantly bringing the audience into the tense plot.

"I am the law!" The lines of Captain Queeg, played by Feng Yuanzhen, are clear and audible, and every word seems to carry a thousand pounds of power, sonorous and passionate.

"You accuse me of madness, but you dare not admit your cowardice." Wu Gang's first mate Green's performance was also amazing. His hoarse roar was shocking.

Watching the wonderful performances on stage, Liu Shishi couldn't help but praise: "The teachers from the People's Art Theatre performed really well! Especially Mr. Feng, whose role as An Jiahe in Don't Talk to Strangers is still fresh in people's memory."

When Mother Liu heard her daughter mention the perverted doctor "An Jiahe", she couldn't help but shudder. That is the nightmare of all housewives.

"Indeed, his performance was so realistic that it frightened people."

Mother Liu was still in shock. As if she remembered something, she leaned closer to her daughter and whispered in Miss Liu's ear, "Shishi, I asked you, didn't I hit you on Yuandan Day?"

Liu Shishi looked confused, and felt that her mother's question was really inexplicable: "Mom, what are you thinking about? Yiyi and I are on good terms, let alone fighting. I've never had an argument with him."

Mother Liu felt relieved after hearing this and couldn't help muttering, "I heard that some rich people play with flowers. And some men have a desire to destroy. I'm afraid that Yuan New Year's Day will be stressful at work, so I'll go home and vent my anger with you."

Liu Shishi recalled every detail of her husband's daily life and shook her head: "My husband is very normal and has no violent tendencies. He would never be willing to lay hands on his beautiful wife."

Seeing that her daughter's expression was not fake, Mother Liu became more and more satisfied with her son-in-law: "I just heard you think about An Jiahe in advance. It's good that this didn't happen. Mom was also afraid that you would be wronged. Domestic violence is something that must not happen."

After the short interlude, the mother and daughter continued to enjoy the drama. The actors’ vivid expressions and clear and powerful lines on the stage made people feel as if they were there and felt the charm of art.

"The acting skills of the teachers are really amazing. No wonder Lao Hu wants to go to the drama club to hone his acting skills."

"Hu Ge went to act in a drama!" Mother Liu was a little surprised. Tangren's No. 1 star became very popular after the broadcast of "The Myth". It was commendable that he could calm down and hone his acting skills in the drama club when he was at the peak of his popularity.

"Yes, his acting skills were overshadowed by Mr. Zhang Shi before, and he couldn't accept being called a male vase, so he went to the drama club to hone his skills. He turned down several scripts, and Sister K was so anxious."

"Zhang Shi's performance as Zhao Gao was indeed brilliant. Hu Ge's acting skills were indeed far inferior to his."

"What about me, how is my acting?"

Feeling her daughter's hopeful gaze, Liu's mother curled her lips and told the truth without mercy: "It's just so-so. The plot and the role itself are very supportive of you. If someone else plays Lu Su, as long as it's not too bad, the audience will still be dissatisfied."

"Hmph!" When Liu Shishi heard this, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed across her face. She chose to turn a deaf ear to the complaints from her own mother, and no longer paid attention to her mother, and focused her attention back on the stage.

Time flies, and a few days passed in a flash. In a blink of an eye, it was June 17th, the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

A luxury car was driving on the congested road in Peking, slowly moving towards the Capital Workers' Cinema.

"Sister-in-law, where is my brother?"

Liu Yuqing, who was sitting in the back row, looked excited. Today, she followed her sister-in-law to attend the premiere of the movie "Lost on Journey" to meet the big stars in the entertainment industry.

"I'm on a conference call at home. I have something urgent to do so I won't go to the cinema."

"Okay." Although the little girl was not happy about her brother's breaking of the appointment, she was quickly filled with excitement about attending a premiere for the first time.

"Sister-in-law, do I want to walk the red carpet with you?"

Looking at her sister-in-law's bright and longing eyes, Liu Shishi chuckled and said, "It's a pity that Director Xu's movie doesn't have a red carpet segment."

Liu Yuqing breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, but he felt a little disappointed in his heart.

"By the way, Yuqing, do you really want to get into Beijing Film Academy?"

The little girl stretched her head to look at the driver in the front seat and her sister-in-law's assistant, with a look of vigilance on her face.

She moved towards Liu Shishi and lowered her voice deliberately: "My father won't let me go to Beijing Film Academy. But my brother has arranged it for me. I have to choose between Peking University and Tsinghua University and go through the special recruitment route."

Liu Shishi thought that her sister-in-law was quite cautious when she went out, but some things were indeed not suitable for outsiders to know.

"It's better not to go to Beijing Film Academy. The entertainment industry is not as glamorous as you think."

Although Liu Yuqing is young, she has a thorough understanding of the world. She blinked her eyes and said seriously, "Actually, I don't care which university I go to. Anyway, my father and brother won't harm me, so I am willing to listen to their arrangements."

"So good." Liu Shishi gently touched her sister-in-law's black and shiny hair.

The vehicle drove to the parking lot of the cinema, and Liu Shishi, her assistant and Liu Yuqing went straight into the screening hall.

Xu Zheng was welcoming guests at the entrance of the hall. He was wearing a neat black suit and his iconic bald head was very eye-catching. When he saw Liu Shishi coming, he hurried to greet her.

"Director Xu, I wish the movie a big box office success." The actress was graceful and elegant, with a sweet smile. Her exquisite white evening dress was as dazzling as the moonlight.

It immediately attracted a lot of people's attention, whether they were staff passing by or guests who came to attend the premiere, all of them looked sideways.

Xu Zheng had a flattering smile on his face: "I would like to thank you, the investor, for your good words! Shishi, please come in."

"Then I'll go in first and see Director Xu later." Sister Yi lifted her skirt slightly, swaying her body, and walked towards the backstage.

After a while, Tao Hong came to her husband. She had just gone to the bathroom and unfortunately missed the meeting with Tangren's number one sister.

He pointed at the slender figure and said, "Is that the investor Liu Shishi whom you are trying to win over?"

Xu Zheng nodded slightly, secretly feeling lucky that he was wise enough to get Liu Shishi to invest.

The movie "Lost on Journey" is about the Spring Festival travel season. Common sense suggests that it would be best to release it around the Spring Festival, when the topic of the Spring Festival travel season is very hot.

Unfortunately, the competition in the Spring Festival period is fierce, and all the films are big productions and starring big stars, so small productions like "Lost on Journey" have no chance to be scheduled.

He first discussed the release date with the cinema chain and initially decided to release it in early June. That was an extremely awkward time, as students were busy with final exams and had no time to go to the movies.

The student group has always been one of the main forces of movie-watching. Without them, the movie box office will inevitably be greatly affected.

Fortunately, he brought up Liu Shishi, and the Southern Cinemas were the first to give in and gave face. Seeing this, all the major cinema chains finally agreed to adjust the film's release time to the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

In this case, the situation is completely different. The Dragon Boat Festival itself has a short holiday, and in a few days all major universities across the country will be on holiday.

Students will go to the cinema in their free time. Compared with the original release date in early June, the current release date has obvious advantages and the box office prospects are much brighter.

Tao Hong didn't delve into why Xu Zheng wanted to win over a young actress as an investor, but she and Xu Zheng had been married for many years and knew her husband very well. She knew that he would not get up early unless there was something profitable. "Meet him later and help me introduce him to someone."

"Liu Shishi has a complicated background, so you should be nicer later. As long as Lost on Journey does well at the box office, I will definitely make a sequel, and then I will ask her to invest in the next part." Xu Zheng looked serious, with a hint of admonition in his tone.

Listening to her husband's serious advice, Tao Hong became curious: "What is her background?"

"It's hard to say." Xu Zheng kept the secret. Although he and Tao Hong were husband and wife, they were separate in their careers, so there were some things he couldn't say too much about.

"Hmph!" Tao Hong rolled her eyes at Xu Zheng and turned around angrily.

At this moment, I caught a glimpse of a male star walking towards me with a simple smile on his face, "Oh, Baoqiang is here."

The backstage was bustling with activity, and Liu Shishi met an acquaintance.

"Liying, what are you busy with recently?"

When Zhao Liying saw that it was the boss's wife, her eyes lit up immediately and she was quite excited: "I'm filming the movie "The Laughing Man" with Mr. Benshan's crew."

She had worked with Xu Zheng on "Official Li Wei 3" and they had a certain friendship with each other. Secondly, "Lost on Journey" was also invested by Tengda Culture, so she came to show her support.

"Senior sister, who is this?" Zhao Liying asked curiously when she noticed the little girl looking around next to the proprietress.

"This is my sister-in-law Liu Yuqing. Come with me to see the world." Liu Shishi gently put her arm around the little girl's shoulders and introduced her, "Yuqing, this is Zhao Liying, my friend."

Liu Yuqing smiled and greeted, "Hello, Sister Zhao."

Zhao Liying quickly responded with a gentle smile: "Hello, Miss Liu."

Liu Yuqing was humble and polite, but she did not dare to neglect him. The sister-in-law of the eldest sister was the sister of the richest man.

When she first saw the pretty girl, she thought she was a new employee signed by Tangren, but she didn't expect she had such a prominent background and was actually a relative of the chairman.

(End of this chapter)