Chapter 224 - A Little Doubtful About Life
Chapter 224: A Little Doubtful About Life
Liu Ning got drunk at home, worrying over the investment.
Now that the news of the investor’s withdrawal had spread, everyone was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Someone even made a sarcastic remark. “Did you really think that after producing ‘Sing My Life’, it’d be smooth sailing? Did you really think that no matter what you did, you’d be able to earn money and produce explosive products? Producer Liu is drifting a little too quickly. Look, even falling down is a little painful, right?”
“Humans have to take things one step at a time. Producers have to be good producers. Leave everything else to the professionals. They can’t interfere too much.”
“It’s a pity about Jinxin’s script. It looks like it’s going to be ruined in his hands.”
Liu Ning was hurt by all this gossip and did not go out for days.
He didn’t move when the knock came. However, the knocking on the door was relentless.
Liu Ning had no choice, but to force his eyes open. After adapting to the strong light of the day, he held his head, which was aching from the hangover, and stumbled to open the door.
Gu Jingyuan saw the door open and his eyes lit up… But, it was dark.
A disheveled man appeared in front of him, wrapped in a bedsheet.
“Hello, I’m looking for Producer Liu Ning.”
“That’s me. What is it?”
Gu Jingyuan frowned and thought deeply for a while. His mother said that when Producer Liu was young, he had been high-spirited and strong-willed. He was the best match for his father and was also a young man that many people pursued.
Looking at the man in front of him… Gu Jingyuan was thinking about how exaggerated his mother’s words must have been.
“Uncle Liu, I’m Li Juekai and Gu Qingqing’s son. My mom asked me to come.”
“Ah, Brother Li and Sister-in-law’s son.” Liu Ning immediately reached out to welcome him in. He randomly took the dirty clothes on the sofa to one side and reached out to sweep away the takeaway boxes and bottles on the coffee table. “Quick, take a seat. So, Xiao Li, how old are you this year? I held you back then, right?”
“I took my mother’s surname. My name is Gu Jingyuan.”
Liu Ning was embarrassed for a moment. “Ah, Jingyuan, sit down. Why are you looking for me today?”
“It’s like this, Uncle Liu. I’ve heard that your new movie is not going well?”
“Ah, well, it’s actually not that bad… When it comes to preparation, it’s inevitable that something will go wrong. But it’s okay, it’s okay.”
Liu Ning didn’t want Li Juekai to worry, nor did he want to embarrass Li Juekai, so up until now, he hadn’t even discussed the investment with Shi Jin. He believed that there would be a way.
“Uncle Liu, I have high hopes for this movie. Let me invest a little and also enjoy a wave of dividends.”
Liu Ning thought that it was too early to enjoy the dividends. However, since the young man had such intentions, he should support him well. He immediately agreed. “Alright, Uncle Liu will keep it for you. I’ll calculate your dividends according to the ratio.”
“Is 300 million enough?” Gu Jingyuan asked softly.
“How—how much?”
“Not much, 300 million. If 300 million isn’t enough, I’ll invest a little more,” Gu Jingyuan said calmly.
He had inherited Li Juekai’s talent for business. Although he and his father had not brought the Li family back to its former glory, a few hundred million was not a problem.
Liu Ning swallowed a mouthful of saliva. “Are you talking about 300 million?”
Gu Jingyuan calmly took out a cheque, scribbled the amount on it, and signed his name. “There’s already a signature on it. All major banks can take it. Uncle Liu, you can just send the contract to me.”
It was not until Gu Jingyuan disappeared that Liu Ning recovered from his shock. He pinched the check in his hand heavily and pinched his face hard.
Pain, pain, pain.
Then, he finally believed that he had gotten an investment! It was more than expected!
So, what was the point of hiding it from Brother Li?
He thought that Li Juekai must have spent all his savings after injuring his leg all these years. The remuneration from twenty years ago might not be enough for Li Juekai to grow old and support his family.
Shi Jin had just debuted and her income was limited. Therefore, even if he had to risk his life, he had to give Li Juekai the chance to participate in this movie. Not only did he have the intention of supporting Shi Jin, but he also had selfish motives. He wanted Brother Li to be able to earn some retirement money peacefully and not be left in a cold and desolate state.
Now, with this thin cheque in hand, Liu Ning began to doubt his life. Was he somehow mistaken?
***
After Li Juekai confirmed that he was participating in “Burning Sun, Long Sky”, the public discussed for a while. They couldn’t care less about the producer, so they tacitly agreed to this matter.
Yuxiu Hua found it strange. She pointed at the photo on the phone and said, “This Li Juekai… Xuexin, take a look. Is that Shi Jin’s father?”
“Yes.” Shi Xuexin had already seen the news, and she had finally linked the man in the photo with Li Juekai in real life.
It turned out that it wasn’t that she hadn’t seen Li Juekai on the Internet before. It was the same for everyone else. Everyone had once seen Li Juekai’s evil smile on a GIF taken from a movie. Many people had been stunned by this GIF, but when they were looking at the expression, no one had asked who this person was or what his life was like.
“He’s a Best Actor. Why haven’t I heard you mention him before?”
Actually, Shi Xuexin had not had many chances to interact with Li Juekai when she was young, but she remembered that she had never heard anyone mention her father’s profession. As for the Movie King or whatever, she really had no impression of him at all.
It was normal that she would have no recollection of him. When she was born, it was the day that the Li family met with a drastic change. The entire family was in chaos. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been mistaken for Shi Jin.
At that time, Li Juekai had already retired from the circle to handle the family business. The Li family was being watched by his enemies. In order to protect the children, Li Juekai had changed his two sons’ surnames to that of their mother and sent Shi Xuexin to the countryside to live with Old Master Li.
Later on, he had injured his legs, causing all his former glory to vanish. It was not surprising that Shi Xuexin did not know his life story.
Shi Xuexin shook her head. “I’ve never heard of him. My family never spoke of him when I was young.”
Yuxiu Hua nodded her head. “The news said that he already retired from the industry more than twenty years ago, so he can only be considered an outdated Best Actor now. Look, the reporters have already said that at that time, the Best Actor’s salary was only a few thousand yuan per movie, and he even acted in several movies for free. No wonder he implicated you and forced you to live in a small town. This kind of man who can’t even support his own wife and children is only so capable.”
When Shi Xuexin heard that Li Juekai was the Best Actor, she felt a little disappointed. She could have been Best Actor Li’s daughter.
However, when she heard her mother say that, she recalled the “tough life” she had had when she was young and felt that her mother was right.