Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

Chapter 204 Grievance

On August 15, 2007, Xiamen Electronics changed its name to Xingchen Technology.

With the arrival of 8 million yuan, Xingchen Technology immediately paid out all employee salaries in full.

The remaining 6 million yuan, apart from daily operations, was invested in the research and development of smartphones.

After a two-week selection process, Xingchen Technology's management team ultimately appointed a CEO named Liu Siyuan.

Liu Siyuan, male, 42 years old at the time, previously served as the Vice President of Technology for Greater China at a well-known international telecommunications company. He was known for his keen insight into technological trends and his decisive management style.

His arrival injected long-lost vitality and a clear strategic direction into Star Technology.

(This is purely fictional. I originally wanted to write about Lei Jun, but Kingsoft was about to go public at that time, and it was impossible to invite this bigwig.)

On August 28, Fu Yibai was looking at reports in his office.

The phone on the table suddenly rang.

Caller ID shows [Liu Yifei]

"Feed?"

"Brother Yibai, I've finished filming."

I'm heading back to Beijing soon. Do you have time tonight?

"At night..."

I have time.

"Okay! I'll call you when I get to Beijing."

The call was then disconnected.

"…………"

What's going on all this time?

Fu Yibai stared at his phone, somewhat bewildered.

At 7 p.m., Guo Zhenni drove him to Liu Yifei's apartment building.

This is Liu Yifei's apartment in Beijing, in a high-end residential area with excellent privacy.

Upon receiving the message, the security guards allowed the convoy to enter directly.

Fu Yibai did not get out of the car immediately after arriving downstairs.

Instead, he waited for his bodyguards to confirm that there were no paparazzi nearby before getting out of the car.

The elevator reached the eighteenth floor, and the door was already ajar.

Fu Yibai pushed open the door and went in. The light in the entryway was on, and the aroma of food wafted from the living room.

"Brother Yibai is here!"

Liu Yifei poked her head out of the kitchen, her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a floral apron, and with a small piece of scallion stuck to her face.

When she saw Fu Yibai, her eyes crinkled into a smile, and she quickly walked towards him.

"Come in quickly, come in quickly, the food will be ready soon."

"Did you do this?"

"No, my mom did it. I was just helping out."

Liu Yifei stuck out her tongue, wiped the scallion leaves off her face, and turned to run to the kitchen.

"Mom, Brother Yibai is here!"

Liu Xiaoli came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food, wearing an apron, and her hair was tied up. She looked a little thinner than the last time we met.

"Director Fu is here. Please have a seat. There's just one more soup left."

"You're too kind, Auntie."

Fu Yibai sat down on the sofa, and Liu Yifei poured him a cup of tea and sat down opposite him.

She wore a simple white silk slip dress today, her hair tied in a high ponytail, revealing a clean and neat face.

She wasn't wearing makeup; her skin was almost translucent white, with a pale pink tinge from the steam of freshly cooked food on her cheeks.

"Is filming tiring?" Fu Yibai asked.

"It's alright. There are just a lot of action scenes, so I practiced for a long time."

Liu Yifei stretched out her hand, revealing a small bruise on her wrist.

"I bumped my head while practicing swordsmanship."

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

Liu Xiaoli brought the soup out of the kitchen, and the three of them sat down at the dining table.

Six dishes and one soup.

"Director Fu, try this fish. Yifei specially asked me to make it because she said you like it."

Fu Yibai picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and nodded.

"Delicious. Auntie's cooking is excellent."

Liu Xiaoli chuckled and picked up another piece of pork rib for him.

"Eat more, you've lost weight."

Liu Yifei sat opposite, head down, eating her rice, her chopsticks poking around in the bowl, not picking up much food.

Fu Yibai glanced at her.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I'm eating."

She raised her head, smiled slightly, and then lowered her head again.

Liu Xiaoli watched from the side without saying a word, but simply put a piece of pork rib into her daughter's bowl.

Dinner was eaten quietly.

Liu Xiaoli ate a few bites and then went back to her room, saying she was a little sleepy and that the two of them should take their time eating.

Only Fu Yibai and Liu Yifei remained in the living room.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened, and the lights in the living room were on, casting a warm yellow glow on the dining table.

Liu Yifei put down her chopsticks and held the teacup with both hands.

Fu Yibai also put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair.

"Speak, what's wrong?"

Liu Yifei raised her head, glanced at him, and then lowered her head again.

"It's nothing."

"Your expression doesn't suggest that nothing's wrong."

Liu Yifei was silent for a while, then traced circles on the side of the cup with her finger.

"Brother Yibai."

"Um?"

"Do you... not like me?"

Fu Yibai was stunned for a moment.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Liu Yifei didn't speak, she just lowered her head.

"Look at me."

Fu Yibai's voice was not loud, but very steady.

Liu Yifei slowly raised her head and met his gaze.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she didn't cry.

His lips were pursed, and his chin was taut, as if he was enduring something.

"You promised me before that you would let me play your leading lady."

Why is Yang Mi the female lead in the new project...?

So, you don't like me, do you?

Upon hearing this, Fu Yibai's eyes immediately flashed back to the promise he had made when the girl confessed her feelings last year.

I did promise to film a movie specifically for her this year, but I got so busy that I forgot.

How could I not like you?

Because you were on the set of "The Forbidden Kingdom".

I don't know when you guys will wrap up filming.

So we started a project first.

I've prepared the project I promised you.

The script is at the company.

You can go to the company to see it in a few days.

"Once 'The Witch' is finished filming, I'll immediately start your project."

"real!"

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up instantly, as if stars had fallen into them.

She leaned forward, her voice filled with disbelief and excitement.

"Really? You're not kidding me?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Fu Yibai looked at her face, which had instantly brightened, and couldn't help but chuckle. Her previous aggrieved and forbearing demeanor had vanished without a trace; she was still just a young girl after all.