Huayu: This director specializes in promoting young actresses.

Chapter 75 Hao Chun: Don't kiss me

Twenty minutes later, she rushed into the bathroom with a flushed face, rinsed her mouth in front of the mirror, and muttered, "The boss is getting more and more outrageous."

In the other apartment, Tian Xiwei was scratching her head, staring at a math problem. "What on earth does this problem mean? I can't seem to draw the auxiliary lines correctly!" She slammed her pen down and groaned on the table.

Liu Haochun walked over with a glass of water and gently nudged her: "Don't rush, didn't your teacher give out the answers?"

"Give us the answer key? We don't get that kind of treatment!" Tian Xi looked up, her eyes lighting up. "Your art school even gives us the answer key?"

"Yes, the homework for winter and summer vacations every year comes with answers so we can check and correct our work ourselves." Liu Haochun nodded. "But the teacher said the main thing is for us to understand the thought process, not just copy it."

"Damn it! That's so unfair!" Tian Xiwei sat up abruptly and slammed her hand on the table. "Yeah! I can check it on my phone! There must be solutions online!"

She excitedly hugged Liu Haochun and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek: "Haochun, you're so smart! If you hadn't reminded me, I'd still be stuck in this dead-end situation!"

"Don't kiss me, you've got drool all over my face." Liu Haochun wiped his face in disgust.

"You're not good at studying, but you're quite clever at this little bit of knowledge," Tian Xiwei muttered as she opened her phone to search for questions.

"Even if I'm not a good student, I'm still better than you," Liu Haochun retorted. "At least I'm almost finished with my homework."

"You!" Tian Xi glared at her angrily, her fingers flying across the phone screen. "I'll forgive you for reminding me. This problem... oh! So that's how you draw the auxiliary lines!"

As evening fell, Lin Feng and Li Yitong arrived at Xiao Tian's apartment. Tian Xiwei was lying on the sofa playing on her phone. When she saw them come in, she immediately jumped up and asked, "Brother Feng! What delicious food are you going to make?"

"Braised pork ribs, stir-fried broccoli, and what you didn't finish yesterday." Lin Feng put the groceries in the kitchen. "How's your homework going?"

"Almost done!" Tian Xi patted her chest confidently.

At the dinner table, Tian Xiwei ate with great relish, constantly muttering, "Brother Feng's ribs are still the best; they're even more flavorful than those from restaurants."

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Lin Feng put a piece of pork rib on her plate. "By the way, I'm going back to Shancheng in a couple of days. You can come back with me."

"Huh? Going back so soon?" Tian Xiwei almost dropped the rib in her mouth. "Summer vacation isn't over yet!"

"You've been out for a month now," Lin Feng said, looking at her. "If you keep playing around like this, your parents will start coming after me."

"That's true..." Tian Xi slumped down slightly. "My mom has been calling me every day these past few days, saying that if I don't go back, she'll come to Beijing and kidnap me."

"That's perfect," Li Yitong said with a smile, "I can go back and visit my aunt and uncle, and finish up my homework while I'm at it."

"But I haven't had enough fun yet..." Tian Xi muttered, picking at the rice in her bowl. "I want to climb the Great Wall again, and I want to eat the fried noodles with soybean paste in the alley..."

"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Lin Feng ruffled her hair.

"Really?" Tian Xi's eyes lit up. "Pinky promise!"

"Pinky promise." Lin Feng extended his little finger and hooked it with hers.

After dinner, Lin Feng checked Tian Xiwei's homework and found that it was almost done. Although the handwriting was messy, it was still quite serious. "Did you come up with these questions yourself?" he asked, pointing to a few slightly complicated geometry problems.

"Uh..." Tian Xi's eyes flickered. "Yes...yes, I'm smart, right?"

"Haochun did it for you, right?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.

"No way!" Tian Xi retorted, her neck slightly stiff. "Her skill level isn't even as good as mine!"

Liu Haochun secretly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her not to be stubborn.

"Alright," Lin Feng closed the workbook. "No matter who helped, it's good that you finished it. Hurry up and finish it these next couple of days, so your mom won't nag you when you get back."

"Okay!" Tian Xi stuck out her tongue.

As they left, night had fallen. Li Yitong leaned back in the passenger seat, looking at the streetlights outside the window: "You really care about Xiaotian."

"I watched her grow up since she was little, she's like a younger sister to me." Lin Feng gripped the steering wheel.

In the apartment, Tian Xiwei was wailing as she looked at the map: "If I had known I had to go back, I should have gone to the Great Wall today!"

Liu Haochun handed her a glass of milk: "Stop wailing, go to sleep early, you have homework to do tomorrow."

"Haochun," Tian Xiwei suddenly grabbed her hand, "when I come again next time, let's go to the Great Wall together, okay?"

"Okay." Liu Haochun nodded with a smile.

In the airport terminal, boarding information was being announced over the loudspeaker. Tian Xiwei tugged at Liu Haochun's arm, her face full of reluctance: "Haochun, don't forget, you still owe me three breakfasts, and you still haven't washed the coat you promised to wash for me last time!"

"Okay, okay," Liu Haochun laughed, swatting her hand away. "I'll definitely make it up to you next time." She looked at Tian Xi's slightly bulging suitcase. "You brought so many local specialties, can you even carry them all?"

"Don't worry, Brother Feng's here." Tian Xi patted the box slightly, then suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice, "Oh, and don't forget the 'unequal treaty' you promised me. We'll settle it again next time we meet!"

Liu Haochun shook his head helplessly: "You have such a good memory. Hurry up and go, don't miss your flight."

"You too, be careful on the road!" Tian Xiwei followed Lin Feng, turning back every few steps, and even after they passed the security checkpoint, he was still waving at her.

At the airport in the mountain city, Lin Feng carried bags of local specialties. "The taste of home is still the best," Tian Xiwei said, taking a deep breath.

"You have a good nose." Lin Feng smiled and ruffled her hair. Just as he was about to walk forward, he was stopped by two girls.

"Excuse me... are you from 'Take My Brother Away'?" One of the girls was holding a movie ticket stub and her cheeks were flushed.

"It's me," Lin Feng nodded.

"We love this movie! Can we take a picture together?" The girl's voice was trembling with excitement.

"Of course." Lin Feng stepped aside, and Tian Xiwei took the opportunity to move closer to him, making a funny face. After the photos were taken, the girls thanked him repeatedly. Watching them run off excitedly, Tian Xiwei tugged at Lin Feng's arm triumphantly: "Brother Feng, you're a celebrity now!"

"Just a minor celebrity." Lin Feng picked up the local specialties. "Let's go. If we don't go soon, your mom will call and nag us."

The Lin family's dining table was laden with dishes. Steaming pork rib soup filled the air, and the aroma of twice-cooked pork wafted into the nostrils. Lin Feng's mother was serving Xiao Tian pork ribs, saying, "Eat more, see if you've lost weight in Beijing."

"Auntie's ribs are the best!" Tian Xiwei exclaimed, her mouth bulging. "Brother Feng is so good to me in Beijing! He even took us horseback riding on the grasslands. The lamb chops there are even better than in restaurants!"

"He didn't bully you, did he?" Lin Feng's father put down his wine glass, looking at Lin Feng, who was acting like a doting father, with a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"No, no," Tian Xi waved her hand slightly, then suddenly winked at Lin Feng, "But if he dares to bully me, I'll tell Uncle and Auntie, and they'll teach him a lesson!"

"You silly girl." Lin Feng chuckled and tapped her head.

When Lin Feng took Tian Xiwei to the station in the afternoon, Tian Xiwei hugged Lin Feng's arm and said, "Brother Feng, you must wait for me! I'll definitely get into the Beijing Film Academy next year!"

"Good luck, I'm waiting." Lin Feng tidied her bangs. "I'll be your senior when the time comes."

"And another thing!" Tian Xiwei suddenly became serious, staring into his eyes, "You're not allowed to date! Especially at school, you're not allowed to get too close to other girls!"

"How old am I? Still dating?" Raymond Lam was amused by her.

"I don't care! You absolutely can't!" Tian Xiwei tugged at his hand and shook it. "You have to promise me!"

"Okay, okay, I won't date." Lin Feng replied perfunctorily, but in his heart he thought, "If I date outside of school, it's not like I'm breaking my promise, right?"

When he got home, he turned on his phone and saw a photo Liu Haochun had posted in the group chat: "Arrived home safely! Mom and Dad really liked the local specialties~"

"That's good," Raymond Lam replied, "Spend quality time with your family."

He spent the next two days with his parents.

On the day he returned to Beijing, his parents helped him pack his luggage, filling a whole box with cured meat, sausages, vermicelli, dried cowpeas, and other items, saying, "Take good care of yourself in Beijing."

"understood."

"Work hard, but don't overwork yourself." His father patted his shoulder, saying nothing more, but the reluctance in his eyes was unmistakable.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Zhou Ming called as soon as he stepped out of the airport: "Junior brother, the casting is almost done. The auditions of several students from the Beijing Film Academy went quite well. When are you coming back to take a look?"

"I'll go to the company this afternoon."

Inside the office, Li Yitong was taking notes on the script, with a character relationship diagram she had drawn next to her. "You're back?"

She looked up and smiled, her eyes slightly bloodshot from staying up all night. "I've marked out a few of Geng Geng's key scenes. See if your understanding is correct."

Lin Feng leaned closer to look. Her handwriting was delicate and neat, filled with notes: "In the 17th scene where she gives you an umbrella in the rain, I think Geng Geng wanted to hand you the umbrella but was too scared, so she had to grip the backpack strap tightly with her fingers..."

"You're right," Raymond Lam nodded. "Let's do it your way. We'll shoot a test run later." He suddenly leaned closer. "Did you miss me?"

Li Yitong's cheeks flushed instantly, and she pushed him away: "You're so irresponsible, go check the casting list."

The casting went smoothly; the main actors were all students from the Beijing Film Academy, with clean eyes and a youthful, innocent air that matched the tone of "With You".

"They're all newcomers, the pay isn't high, but they're very talented." Zhou Ming handed over their resumes. "Especially the girl who played the simple character, her crying scenes were particularly moving."

"Senior brother has good taste." Lin Feng flipped through the resumes. "Let's choose them. We'll organize a script reading next week."

Just then, the phone rang. It was Mr. Wang from Tencent. "Xiao Lin, I heard you're not directing 'With You'?" Mr. Wang's voice carried a hint of worry. "You know, we still value your brand more."

"Don't worry, Mr. Wang," Lin Feng said with a smile. "Although I'm not credited as the director, I'm involved throughout the entire process. I've been overseeing the script polishing and the filming schedule. Zhou Ming's abilities are beyond question; we've collaborated twice before."

"Just keep an eye on it." Mr. Wang breathed a sigh of relief. "The platform has bought the exclusive broadcasting rights and will allocate promotional resources to you to try and get it online as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Wang." After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng looked at Zhou Ming and said, "Senior brother, the pressure is on."

"Don't worry," Zhou Ming patted his chest, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"