Chapter 256: How beautiful, yet the higher one climbs, the colder it gets...
Soon, the first round of the Group A league's "championship" match ended with Qizhi defeating Nanfang 2-1.
Although it's unclear why several players on the Southern Football Team had problems in the second half, football is indeed a game that depends on both skill and luck. Sometimes, even when the teams are evenly matched or even slightly ahead, one team's performance can falter and lead to a loss, a phenomenon that has occurred quite frequently in history.
Moreover, the first half was really exciting. Many people who hadn't watched Qizhi's promotion match didn't know that the reorganized Qizhi was so excellent. At the beginning, they were particularly optimistic that Nanfang would defeat Qizhi again, and they secretly bought a lot of Nanfang's bets.
As a result, Qizhi, having just been promoted from the second division league, aggressively overtook the previous division league champion, Nanfang. This made the bookmakers who set up betting odds on the sidelines and the underground market very happy, and also made some money for fans who disliked Nanfang's style and liked to bet against the favorites.
Of course, besides the bookmakers, the biggest beneficiaries are the relatively small number of new and old fans of Qizhi, who are extremely loyal.
Meanwhile, the supporters in the south, the entire team, and the sponsors were all shrouded in gloom.
It is said that after the players with diarrhea were sent to the hospital for examination, they were found to have suffered from acute gastroenteritis caused by accidentally eating some unclean food. As a result, the sponsor was furious and vowed to find out which opponent had cheated his team, which led to their loss in the first round of the new year to a team that had just been promoted from the promotion tournament...
The intense emotions gradually subsided as the game ended. Li Sishi had called a car to pick her up during the game, and just as she was packing her things to get in the car, Ling Chen waved and stopped her again.
"Is there something you need?" Li Sishi turned around.
"I heard you told Director Cheng that you had to shoot a movie to take to Cannes recently, so you temporarily changed the release date of 'Big City, Small Love' to after you come back?" Ling Chen asked softly.
"Yes, thankfully my role doesn't have many scenes." Li Sishi was also a little glad that she had changed from the female lead to the second female lead this time, otherwise, if several scripts were to be written at the same time, she really might not be able to handle them all.
Cheng Hesheng, who is not easy to talk to, made things as easy for her as possible because she "graceed" him to play the second female lead, which allowed her to join the crew after the male and female leads' scenes were almost finished.
Although the Hong Kong film industry at that time was particularly fond of filming multiple projects at once, the three films that Li Sishi had on hand were either timeless classics, her own personal choices, or sequels that had increased investment and anticipation...
Therefore, it's impossible for her to film multiple projects at once. Even if it's a bit troublesome to adjust, she can't lower the quality of them because of other factors.
Upon hearing Li Sishi's response, Ling Chen hesitated for a moment before finally managing to force a smile: "I'll try my best to visit you on set when I have time."
"You absolutely mustn't do it; you know Director Cheng's personality."
He has high expectations for this drama, and you'll be acting alongside Shang Lanyu. You absolutely must give it your all in this drama! "I don't know how this handsome guy can be so love-struck, Li Sishi hurriedly said.
Although Ling Chen's acting skills are proven to be good by her own experience, and not as rumored to be that her upper and lower limits are similar, this role is so well-suited to her that such a "natural performance" is not difficult, but it is also quite difficult.
In particular, the male lead Wei Shaojun's character is mild and indifferent, unlike the female lead Lü Yao who is bold, passionate, and eye-catching. In addition, there is a certain gap in the acting skills of the two actors. So if he is distracted and messes up in the early morning, not to mention Cheng Hesheng, Shang Lanyu, and Li Sishi, they will not want to let him off the hook.
"I know what I'm doing." Seeing the burning passion in Li Sishi's eyes, Ling Chen shook his head with a slight smile. "I've been trying my best to finish the charity events I promised to do recently so that I can have as much time as possible to work on the role of 'Wei Shaojun.' After all, my opponent is Miss Shang Lanyu..."
Among the female artists in Hong Kong, Shang Lanyu's acting skills and awards at this time were truly in a class of their own. In the early hours of the morning, she was actually under a lot of pressure.
However, to avoid worrying Li Sishi, he naturally wouldn't reveal his pressure but instead secretly hone his skills to ensure he could handle Shang Lanyu's "powerful onslaught."
"Then I can rest a little easier..." Li Sishi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his response. "See you then?"
"See you then." The voice grew softer and softer as the two spoke, unsure whether they would be separated for a long time after this farewell.
However, at least he still lives in the same city as Li Sishi. Compared to Shang Hanyou, who is still touring around, he undoubtedly spends much more time with Li Sishi.
But when I thought about Cheng Erjian, Li Sishi's senior who will be working with her a lot in the future, and that the two of them will even be attending the Asia-Pacific Film Festival together later, I suddenly felt a little unbalanced...
Hmph, it's not about scarcity but about inequality. He still needs to try his best to find a little time to visit the set!
Although Li Sishi had given me instructions regarding the filming tasks...
I can relax, but for some commercial performances or something, I should, maybe, probably, perhaps be able to squeeze out a little bit of time, right?
19
Even if it's just for a short while, at least you can make your presence known!
Unaware of what mischief the love-struck cat behind her was plotting, Li Sishi walked to the driver's side of the car, then suddenly turned back and waved to Ling Chen, who was standing there waiting for her manager to pick her up.
Seeing his eyes light up, and then waving vigorously in response, Li Sishi waved goodbye again, got into her car, started the engine, and sped away.
The next day, while Li Sishi was practicing singing, she was suddenly called into Zhuang Menghua's office by Lu Yiting.
When Li Sishi pushed open the office door and saw the person sitting inside with their head down reading a script, she was slightly taken aback: "Why are you here?"
“Oh, Miss Zhuang did some research and found that the script needs some work on the makeup and costumes, so she had someone rush to produce a first draft of the script, and then let us discuss the makeup and costume issues.” Rong Juezhang stopped flipping through the pages, looked up at her, and explained.
After greeting Zhuang Menghua and taking the newly completed first draft of the script from Lu Yiting, Li Sishi sat down next to Rong Juezhang and asked, "Are you sure you want to take the male lead role in this play?"
“I think it has a lot of potential, and it can be just right to warn some ignorant young girls…” Rong Juezhang said with a smile.
"You're talking, but why are you looking at me like that?" Li Sishi frowned.
“Aren’t you going to play an ‘ignorant girl’ in this play?” Rong Juezhang’s smile became even more cheerful.
"This is outrageous! You're making fun of me like this? I'll tell Seventh Sister on you!" Li Sishi grumbled and turned her body to the other side.
Compared to Rong Juezhang's somewhat distant biological mother, he was closer to the maid, Seventh Sister, who had taken care of him since childhood. The old lady held the traditional and old-fashioned idea of "family reunion," and seeing that the "widowed" Rong Juezhang had a distant cousin, Li Sishi, by his side, she was very affectionate towards Li Sishi when she went to mahjong games.
"You've really taken after Attorney Li, all you do is complain all day long!" Rong Juezhang gritted his teeth in resentment when he heard that Li Sishi was going to find someone to complain about again.
"Who can blame me for being so lovable that everyone and flowers adore me? You can't be envious of that." Considering that Zhuang Menghua and Lu Yiting were still present, Li Sishi restrained herself considerably. She looked down at the first draft of the script, focusing mainly on a few key plot points.
According to her plan, the makeup and costume investment for other scenes could be reduced slightly.
Well, but the key scenes about marriage, indifference, and awakening are absolutely out of the question.
“Yes, that’s what I think too.” Rong Juezhang nodded in agreement upon hearing Li Sishi’s key statement.
Once their focus shifted back to work, the two instantly transformed from playful, bickering friends into incredibly compatible business partners.
“If that’s the case, then we need to start contacting clothing brands for cooperation and start ordering costumes as soon as possible,” Lu Yiting replied.
"If we can't get in touch with them, we can design and customize some costumes first. Actually, if possible, Li Sishi would prefer to design as many costumes as possible herself."
Although the term "live-streaming e-commerce" is not yet popular, her previous live-streaming e-commerce activities provide sufficient data and reasons to support this approach.
Moreover, it would also allow her cousin Zhou Huichang to "sneak in and learn"—she has many futuristic design concepts in her mind, but mature designers are generally not willing to listen to laymen, so it's better to let her younger cousin, who has collaborated with her many times, come over.
"I'll consider that. Although I manage the accounts, there's no need to be too stingy with money for me." Zhuang Menghua chuckled, "Spending a little more money on you is still worthwhile."
Upon hearing Zhuang Menghua's words, Rong Juezhang, somewhat surprised, secretly glanced at Li Sishi, who also looked shocked: For Miss Zhuang, who was known for "cutting in half" all expense reports, to speak like this, it was clear that Li Sishi was truly favored.
No wonder he had a new costume to wear when he returned to participate in the "Joyful Celebration at Kwong Wah" event.
If he manages to hitch a ride with Li Sishi this time, he might even get a few nice, brand-new costumes...
"What are you thinking about?" A sliver of morning sunlight peeked through the curtains and fell between her eyebrows and eyes. Li Sishi casually brushed her hair aside and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I was thinking, if the female lead of this movie is named 'Kitty,' have you thought of a Chinese name yet?" Rong Juezhang casually made up an excuse.
"Not yet, it's mainly about the special meaning behind the English name. Kitty is a nickname for kittens in English, and Li Sishi chose this name for the female lead to subtly allude to it, thus extending to the concept of 'pet'."
Attributes.
Even the film's title is quite straightforward, temporarily named "Kitty on the Showcase".
On the surface, it refers to an innocent girl named Kitty marrying into a wealthy family, but in reality, it means that she became a "pet on the display stand" for the rich.
"I see. Then we really need to think carefully about the Chinese name of the female lead... The main reason is that for a film that is going to compete for awards abroad, we really need to decide on the English name first."
Rong Juezhang was casually flipping through the script when, out of the blue, he was also bathed in a sliver of sunlight filtering through the gap in the curtains.
This ray of sunlight, particularly dazzling in the winter, not only reached him but also lingered on Li Sishi, his "captive," making her glance sideways, lower her head, and gently brush her hair aside—
The interplay of light and shadow reveals her warm, jade-like, and ice-white skin, which, set against her dark hair, creates a poetic, cinematic effect.
The higher you climb, the colder it gets; even celestial beings descend to earth.
“How… beautiful.” Rong Juezhang murmured softly, then his tone became more certain, with a hint of languid confidence after being bathed in sunlight, “English name Kitty, Chinese name He Qimei—it perfectly matches your name ‘beautiful,’ doesn’t it?”
The Chinese title of this film is also readily apparent – "Beauty on the High Platform".
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