novellhall Chapter 38 Happy Birthday Liu Haochun!
Chapter 38 Happy Birthday Liu Haochun!
Li Yitong looked at them, then drew a lucky charm for herself and quietly put it in her bag. She prayed for "everything to go smoothly," whether it was for the play or... anything else.
We had vegetarian food near Nanputuo Temple for lunch. The taste was light yet exquisite, and Tian Xiwei nodded repeatedly as she ate, saying, "I didn't know vegetarian food could be so delicious!"
In the afternoon, as planned, we went cycling along the Ring Road. We rented two tandem bicycles; Tian Xiwei naturally shared one with Lin Feng, while Liu Haochun shared the other with Li Yitong.
A sea breeze blew, coconut trees swayed, and the scenery along the ring road was as beautiful as a painting. Tian Xiwei sat in front, humming an off-key song, occasionally turning around to say a few words to Lin Feng. Liu Haochun and Li Yitong followed slowly behind, chatting, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant.
Liu Haochun looked at Lin Feng and Tian Xiwei's backs ahead, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
Tian Xi pointed excitedly to the distant beach: "Brother Feng! Look, someone's flying a kite! It's huge!"
"I saw it," Lin Feng replied with a smile, pushing his feet even harder.
As my afternoon cycling trip along the island ring road came to an end, the setting sun painted the sky a gentle orange hue. I found a seaside food stall and ordered stir-fried crab with scallions and ginger, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, boiled shrimp, and a large bowl of seafood porridge. All the seafood was freshly caught and exuded a sweet and fresh aroma.
"Eat up, these shrimp are freshly caught, they're especially tender." Lin Feng peeled a shrimp for each person and put it in their bowl.
Tian Xi took a big bite, her eyes squinting with delight at the deliciousness: "It's even better than the vegetarian food at lunch! Brother Feng, how did you know about this restaurant?"
"The crew recommended it. They said the owner is an old fisherman and makes the most authentic seafood dishes," Lin Feng said with a smile, serving her another bowl of porridge. "Have some porridge to tide you over, don't eat too much spicy food."
After dinner, they returned to the hotel, all too exhausted to speak. Tian Xiwei collapsed onto the bed after showering, scrolling through photos on her phone, muttering, "I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm so reluctant to go..."
The next morning, the airport wasn't crowded. Tian Xiwei hugged Lin Feng, burying her face in his chest, and said in a low voice, "Brother Feng, time flies so fast. We just met and we have to leave."
"We'll meet during summer vacation," Raymond Lam patted her back. "We'll be able to meet before the movie is released."
"real?"
"real."
Liu Haochun stood to the side, holding a small bag filled with seashells and conches she had collected over the past two days. She whispered, "Brother Feng, let's go."
"Be careful on the road, text me when you arrive." Lin Feng looked at her. "Practice your skills well, don't overwork yourself."
"Okay." Liu Haochun nodded and followed Tian Xiwei toward the security checkpoint. After taking a few steps, he looked back and saw that Lin Feng was still watching them, so he quickly turned around.
After watching the two figures disappear through the security checkpoint, Raymond Lam and Li Yitong drove back to the film set.
"Reluctant to part with it?" Li Yitong asked with a smile.
"This little kid is so clingy."
When he arrived at the film set, Zhou Ming was waiting for him with the clapperboard. Seeing him come in, he immediately joked, "Oh, Director Lin's back from vacation? You had a great time these past few days, didn't you?"
"Don't tease me, senior." Lin Feng took the script. "Which scene are we shooting this morning?"
"Look at the lighting in Wang Xingde and Tao Yinghong's flashback scene," Zhou Ming handed him the monitor. "I feel like something's missing."
Lin Feng stared at the screen for a while: "Dim the background lights to highlight the tear stains on their faces, and make the flashback scenes a little hazy."
"Okay, whatever you say."
The morning's filming went smoothly; the veteran actors handled their emotions with ease, and they nailed it in one take. At lunchtime, Raymond Lam and Zhou Ming sat under a parasol, the steam rising from their lunchboxes filled with shredded pork with garlic sauce.
"I plan to do a rough cut of the footage we've shot so far," Raymond Lam said, taking a bite of rice. "Once we've finished shooting and completed the first cut, we can get back to Beijing to do post-production faster."
Zhou Ming raised an eyebrow: "So eager?"
"Yes, we want to release it before the movie is released."
"That's impressive." Zhou Ming smiled. "Alright, let's hurry up and try to wrap up filming as soon as possible."
Just then, Lin Feng's phone rang. It was a message from Tian Xiwei: "[Brother Feng! We're here! Here's a meme I secretly took!]" It was followed by a photo of him getting his finger pinched by a crab while beachcombing.
He couldn't help but laugh and replied: "I'll deal with you next time we meet."
Shortly after, Liu Haochun also sent a message: [Brother Feng, we've arrived safely. Thank you for taking care of us these past two days.]
You're welcome, have a good rest.
For the next two weeks, Raymond Lam directed and acted during the day, and stayed up late into the night in the makeshift editing room.
"Mr. Lin, take a break, it's already two o'clock," Li Yitong said softly, bringing over a cup of hot coffee.
"It's okay, I'll go to sleep after I finish editing this part." Lin Feng rubbed his eyes, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
He has a complete picture in his mind, making the editing process much more efficient, like filling in content according to a template, which is incredibly efficient.
The crew admired his energy, and some whispered among themselves, "Does Director Lin never sleep? He only sleeps three or four hours a day, and he's still full of energy the next day."
Only Li Yitong knew that he wasn't without fatigue. Every night when she went to his room to bring him a late-night snack, she could always see the bloodshot veins in his eyes.
"Don't push yourself so hard." She handed him the warmed milk. "You have enough time."
"Not enough," Lin Feng took the milk, took a sip, and said, "The competition in the summer movie season is too fierce. We're not famous, so we have to get ahead of the curve and generate some buzz." He put down the cup, took her hand, and said, "But with you here, I don't feel so tired."
Li Yitong blushed, knowing what he meant by "unique method." Those late-night workouts allowed him to catch his breath and be fully recharged the next day.
"You still need to take care of your health." She leaned on his shoulder.
On May 19th, with the final "Cut!" of the last scene, filming for "The Beginning" officially wrapped. At the wrap party, the veteran actor who played Wang Xingde raised his glass and said to Raymond Lam, "Young Lam, I've been an extra my whole life, and I've never seen a director as young and knowledgeable as you. This show is sure to be a hit!"
"Thank you for your kind words," Lin Feng replied with a smile. "I'm very grateful for the guidance of my seniors."
The next day, Lin Feng and Li Yitong returned to Beijing together. The office of Fengrui Film and Television was much more lively than it had been two months ago, with several new faces and green plants filling the workstations, giving it a vibrant feel.
Old Yang came in with the reports: "Director Lin, in the past two months, the company has hired a legal and administrative staff, and also bought the copyrights to three novels, all of which are suspense novels. Take a look."
"Good," Lin Feng said, flipping through the reports. "The legal department should keep a close eye on the contracts and make sure nothing goes wrong."
Don't worry.
He then called Li Yi over: "How's the publicity department doing?"
Li Yi handed him a report, her eyes sparkling: "The department has expanded to ten people! We have over 80 accounts, including our own and partner accounts, all with thousands to tens of thousands of followers, and they're extremely active!"
"Very good," Lin Feng nodded, "Keep it up, the promotion of 'The Beginning' is up to you."
"Mission accomplished!"
After finishing his work at the company, Lin Feng glanced at the calendar and said to Li Yitong, "Go buy a cake this afternoon."
"Buying a cake? Whose birthday is it?" Li Yitong asked curiously. "Yours?"
"No, it's Liu Haochun," Lin Feng said. "It's her birthday today, could you take her to school for me?"
"Oh," Li Yitong paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, what size do you want? What does it say on it?"
"Buy a bigger one," Lin Feng thought for a moment, "and write 'Happy 17th Birthday Liu Haochun' on it."
At 5:30 p.m., Li Yitong stood at the entrance of the dance academy carrying a cake.
Not long after, Liu Haochun ran out, his eyes lighting up when he saw her: "Sister Xue!"
"Happy birthday." Li Yitong handed her the cake. "Feng bought this for you."
"Thank you, Brother Feng! Thank you, Sister Xue!" Liu Haochun accepted the cake, his face beaming with joy, his eyes crinkling into crescents.
Li Yitong then took out a small box: "This is something I bought for you, a bracelet. I hope you like it."
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Liu Haochun opened the box; inside was a silver bracelet adorned with a small musical note. "Thank you, Sister Xue! I love it so much!"
"I'm glad you like it," Li Yitong said with a smile. "Go back now, don't keep your classmates waiting."
"Okay! Goodbye, Sister Xue! Please thank Brother Feng for me!"
Around 6 PM, Raymond Lam was still in the editing room staring at the screen. The film's post-production was nearing completion, and every shot needed to be meticulously reviewed.
My phone chimed with a message from Liu Haochun: a photo of her with a cake, her eyes crinkling with laughter, the cake's words "Happy 17th Birthday" prominently displayed. There was another message: "Feng-ge, thank you for the cake, I'm so happy! This is the happiest birthday I've ever had!"
Raymond Lam smiled and replied: 【Happy birthday, and may you be happy every day.】