Chapter 5
Haicheng, Liu Yifan’s private studio.
When Yang Wei pushed the door open, she saw Liu Yifan standing by the window, gazing at the city skyline. His tablet was on the coffee table, the screen dimmed.
"Have you finished reading it?" Yang Wei approached with an inquiring tone.
Liu Yifan turned around, her face expressionless but her eyes steady. She nodded and said concisely:
"I've finished reading it."
"Are you leaning?" Yang Wei asked directly, getting to the point. She knew that at this moment, Liu Yifan didn't need analysis, only results.
Liu Yifan was silent for a few seconds, as if she was finally reaffirming her feelings. Then, she said clearly:
"Linna."
Yang Wei wasn't too surprised by this answer, but her professional instinct still made her confirm it. "Chen Jing's concept is very ambitious, and Wu Tong's technology is very cutting-edge. Are you sure it's Lin Na? Her plan is the most... uncertain."
"I don't need something grand or cutting-edge." Liu Yifan walked over to the coffee table and picked up the tablet, but instead of lighting the screen, she simply rubbed the edges with her fingers. "Chen Jing wants to deify me, and Wu Tong wants to break me down into data. Only Lin Na," she paused, looking up at Yang Wei, "wants to go into time with me."
Her words were soft, yet they carried an undeniable weight. "I don't act to be a statue or a specimen. Linna's plan is the riskiest, but... it also has the greatest potential. I want to give it a try."
Yang Wei understood. This wasn't a commercial trade-off; it was an artist's intuitive choice. Without further questioning, she immediately went into execution mode: "Okay, I understand. I'll contact Lin Na right away to arrange further discussions. I'll handle the other two cases appropriately."
"Yeah," Liu Yifan replied, looking out the window again. The choice had been made, and a path filled with unknowns, yet leading deep into her heart, lay before her.
The news quickly reached Zhou Ping'an, and Su Ying reported Liu Yifan's choice over the phone.
After listening to this, Zhou Pingan calmly replied, "I understand. Proceed according to Miss Liu's choice."
For him, it doesn’t matter who Liu Yifan chooses. What matters is that the selection process is real and the decision-making power is in her own hands.
All he provided was a field of infinite possibilities. As for what kind of flowers would eventually bloom in this field, that was something Liu Yifan and Lin Na needed to create.
He hung up the phone and gazed out the window. The next phase of the project was about to begin. He just needed to ensure the resources were in place, then quietly wait for the chemical reaction called "art" to take place.
Lin Na, who received the news, held the phone and took a deep breath. She hadn't expected Liu Yifan to choose her, the most adventurous and least commercial person.
A sense of pressure wrapped in huge trust and an excitement of embarking on an extraordinary journey surged in my heart at the same time.
Before finally signing the extremely demanding contract and starting in-depth cooperation with Lin Na, Liu Yifan made a request: she wanted to meet Zhou Pingan.
This request was beyond Yang Wei's expectations, and also surprised Su Ying a little, but Zhou Ping'an readily agreed.
The meeting place was a minimalist reception room on the top floor of Weihua Building. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a magnificent view of Haicheng's skyline. Zhou Ping'an arrived first. He stood at the window, gazing at the city below, his expression as calm as ever, as if this was just an ordinary business meeting.
Liu Yifan arrived on time, accompanied by Yang Wei. She was wearing a neatly tailored suit and trousers, with delicate makeup, and a strong aura, with a scrutinizing and inquiring look.
"Mr. Zhou, I've heard a lot about you." Liu Yifan extended his hand, his tone appropriate but with a clear sense of distance.
"Hello, Miss Liu." Zhou Ping'an shook her hand quickly, without any unnecessary greetings. "Please take a seat."
Yang Wei tactfully stayed a little further away from the reception area, and so did Su Ying, leaving the two of them with a relatively independent space to talk.
Liu Yifan sat down opposite Zhou Ping'an and got straight to the point: "Mr. Zhou, thank you for your interest. But before I commit to this project, I'd like to personally understand your thoughts. After all, this is an unusual project."
"I understand." Zhou Ping'an nodded, his eyes calmly meeting hers without any dodging or flattery.
After a brief silence, Liu Yifan asked the biggest question on her mind: "Why me? From what I know, your previous life and work seemed to have no connection with the film and television industry."
Zhou Ping'an didn't immediately answer Liu Yifan's question, "Why me?" He remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze calmly fixed on her, as if examining a familiar subject, yet one he always kept at a safe distance.
"Ms. Liu," he began, his tone steady, as if he were reciting the preface of a lab report, "from the age of twenty to twenty-five, you were a very important part of my life."
This opening remark made Liu Yifan slightly stunned.
"Specifically," Zhou Ping'an continued in his characteristic, emotionless tone, "at that stage, in my long-term planning, marrying you was the most important personal life goal I could imagine. Your video footage was what I could categorize as my long-term, highest-priority sexual fantasy at that age."
"Even now," he tilted his head slightly, as if reminiscing, "you are still my favorite female star. The movie you released nearly a month ago was the only time I went to the cinema in the past two years."
These words shot through Liu Yifan like an icy electric current. She had never heard anyone express their feelings this way before. There was no admiration, no shyness. This mixture of extreme affection and extreme distance left her feeling horrified and stunned.
It was in this suffocating atmosphere that Zhou Pingan changed the subject:
"But precisely because I have observed you for a long time and carefully, Ms. Liu, please allow me to make an objective technical analysis based on these observations."
Zhou Ping'an spoke in a calm tone, almost like an academic discussion, and said something that made Liu Yifan's pupils shrink slightly: "If we judge purely from the perspective of the technique and depth of the performing arts, your acting skills, objectively speaking, are not outstanding among actors of the same age. In fact, it can even be said that they are very average. I think you should be aware of this."
These words were like an icicle, instantly piercing Liu Yifan's carefully maintained professional facade. Her face paled slightly, and her hands on her knees clenched imperceptibly. Watching from a distance, Yang Wei's heart tightened.
But Zhou Ping'an didn't stop talking. There was no sarcasm in his tone, only a calm and cruel analysis: "In my opinion, your greatest and most irreplaceable market value to date is your appearance. An aesthetic symbol... with extremely high recognition and a wide audience base."
Liu Yifan's breathing quickened slightly. She had never heard such blunt and even disrespectful comments in any situation.
However, Zhou Ping'an's next words led this "offense" in a completely unexpected direction.
"And I think," Zhou Ping'an's eyes became focused, as if he were gazing at a work of art, "that this level of aesthetic resources, almost a miracle of nature's creation, should not be endlessly consumed in a commercial production line of films of varying quality, some even utterly terrible. This is a huge waste."
His voice brims with an almost paranoid certainty: "It's like a top-quality, non-renewable natural crystal. It should be cut and polished with the finest craftsmanship, placed under the most appropriate light, and preserved in the most perfect way. Only then can its value be truly revealed."
Finally, he offered his most impactful point, his gaze blazing as he looked at Liu Yifan. "So, in my opinion, your beauty doesn't just belong to you personally. It's more like... a kind of public aesthetic treasure belonging to a broader scope. I have the responsibility and the ability to preserve it in its most perfect state, using a method that transcends commercialism. That's why I've sought you out."
The reception room was dead silent. Liu Yifan was completely stunned. She had anticipated various answers—fans' enthusiasm, capital manipulation, even some unspoken agenda—but she had never expected to hear such a cold and grandiose argument, a mixture of extreme disparagement and extreme praise, elevated to a kind of "social responsibility."
There is no frivolity, no desire, only a protective mentality...close to the way scientists treat endangered species or precious cultural relics.
Anger, humiliation, astonishment, and a hint of bewilderment at the sheer absurdity of this situation intertwined within her. However, under Zhou Ping'an's purely rational, unadulterated gaze, she found herself unable to react as she would to an ordinary offense.
She suddenly understood why Yang Wei and Li Rui found this man "incomprehensible." He simply wasn't thinking according to the rules of the entertainment industry.
After a long pause, Liu Yifan took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "Mr. Zhou, your perspective... is unique. I've never heard anyone comment on me or my profession in this way."
Zhou Ping'an seemed unaware of the impact of his words and simply nodded. "I'm just stating the facts. The choice is always yours. Collaborating with Director Lin Na is currently the best path to achieve this goal from a technical perspective. If you agree, we'll continue. If not..."
He paused briefly, his gaze falling on Liu Yifan's face like a searchlight. His tone was calm, yet it carried a penetrating conviction: "No, you don't have a choice. Anyone who has reached your current position knows better than anyone that 'beauty' is your most valuable currency. Those so-called sacrifices for art and pursuit of acting breakthroughs are nothing more than tacitly accepted politeness in this industry."
Liu Yifan's breathing suddenly tightened, and he felt that the most secret corner of his heart was instantly illuminated.
Zhou Ping'an continued with his calm voice, destroying any hope of luck: "If God truly gave every female star a chance to trade their lifelong acting skills for a chance to be forever frozen in the most beautiful moment, no one would refuse. Because they know better than anyone that the former can be infinitely approached through hard work and luck, but the latter, once taken away by God, can never be returned."
He leaned forward slightly, as if stating a law of physics. "So, there's no such thing as 'if you don't agree.' You will agree. Because no one, including you, can truly refuse the opportunity to maximize their most scarce and core resource. Collaboration with Lin Na is not an option, but the optimal path to achieve this goal under the current conditions."
These words, cold and direct, completely stripped away any veil of tenderness and artistry, exposing the bloody underlying logic before Liu Yifan. She felt a chilling shudder, not out of anger, but because what he said was... the truth. Truths about human nature that she herself might not dare confront, even in her own late-night solitude.
All her hesitations and struggles based on "artistic pursuits" seemed so pale and ridiculous in the face of Zhou Ping'an's discussion that went straight to the point.
Seeing the shock and struggle flash across Liu Yifan's eyes, and then finally settle into a complex silence, Zhou Pingan knew that his goal had been achieved. He leaned back on the sofa and concluded the meeting with a single sentence:
"What you need to do is not to make a choice, but to be prepared. Be ready to enter the 'wrinkle in time' that Lin Na has constructed for you, and to re-refine your beauty that has been consumed by commercialism for too long."
Liu Yifan sat there, feeling as if all her strength had been drained away, yet as if she had been infused with a kind of icy determination. For the first time in front of a man, she felt like a completely unfolded blueprint, all its structures and weaknesses exposed.
She said nothing more, but slowly stood up, nodded slightly, and turned to leave. Her back remained straight, but with an unprecedented determination.
Zhou Pingan watched her leave calmly, his face expressionless. But in his eyes, which had always been as calm as water, at this moment, a glimmer of extreme enthusiasm could not be suppressed.
The elevator door slowly closed. In the small cabin, the brief silence was broken by Yang Wei.
Unlike Liu Yifan's dazed look, Yang Wei's face was a mixture of shock and professional excitement, like being struck by a giant pie falling from the sky. She quickly switched to calculation mode and spoke to Liu Yifan in a slightly hurried voice:
"Yifan! Although this person's way of thinking is a bit... special."
She considered it for a moment, skipping the word "monster." "But the conditions are absolutely amazing! They'll follow our rules completely, giving us controlling rights and equity, and asking for nothing in return! This kind of project is something you'll never come across in your lifetime! As for the salary, if we ask for 50 or 80 million, I don't think he'll even blink! This isn't a collaboration at all, it's simply..."
Yang Wei didn't finish her words as she was looking for a suitable word to describe this "charitable" investment.
Just then, the elevator made a "ding" sound, and the door slowly opened, allowing the cool light from the underground parking lot to filter in.
Liu Yifan, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke. Her voice was soft, but like a piece of ice, it instantly froze all of Yang Wei's excitement and calculations.
“This project is too dangerous.”
Yang Wei was stunned, thinking Liu Yifan was worried about the usual risks, and immediately assured him confidently, "Danger? Don't worry! We'll lock him down in the contract! The legal team is very capable, I promise to plug every loophole, and he won't be able to take advantage of a single cent! This project will benefit us in every way..."
"I'm not referring to the contract," Liu Yifan interrupted, slowly turning her head. Her face showed neither joy at the exorbitant salary nor worry about the legal terms, but rather a clear-headed calmness, akin to a profound awareness of some inherent danger.
She looked at Yang Wei's eyes, which were wide open with confusion, and spoke clearly and slowly.
"I might fall in love with him."
"Ah?!" Yang Wei was completely frozen in place.
Liu Yifan didn't explain. She turned back, straightened her back, and stepped into the cool light of the parking lot in her high heels. Her back remained elegant and resolute, as if she had just commented on the weather.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
