novellhall Chapter 129 Ambush from the Front
Chapter 129 Ambush from the Front
Chapter 129 Ambush from Ten Sides
"Mommy, your back."
"here?"
"Go a little further down, yes, right here."
Looking at the faint red marks on her daughter's body, Liu Xiaoli applied the medicine while casually asking, "Qianqian, what do you think of Qingxu?"
"not good."
"not good?"
"Yes, Wolong is very strict. If my mom hadn't spent so much money, I would have wanted to change teachers."
Hearing this childish remark, Liu Xiaoli chuckled and said, "Isn't it better to be stricter?"
"But, but... Anyway, Wolong is so awful, he's not gentle at all, I don't know how he even has a girlfriend."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli asked curiously, "Does Qingxu have a girlfriend?"
"Mom, don't you know? It's Fan Xiaopang and Gao Yuanyuan."
"Um... let's just take this news in the newspaper with a grain of salt. Even if he really has a girlfriend, he might not have time to help you train."
"Hmm, that's true. I don't usually see him making phone calls or sending text messages. Mom, do you think he might do it secretly, like after he gets home at night?"
"Hehe, how would Mom know? Why don't you ask him?"
"Oh, is it inappropriate to ask? This is so embarrassing."
"You're classmates, what's wrong with joking around?"
"But this is his privacy, so let's not do it."
"What if he has a girlfriend?"
"So what if it is, Mom? I'll tell you a secret."
Seeing her daughter's secretive expression, Liu Xiaoli asked curiously, "What secret?"
"Crawler likes Crouching Dragon."
Upon hearing the name, Liu Xiaoli raised an eyebrow slightly. "Your female classmate?"
"hold head high."
"Did she tell you that?"
"Yeah, last time Fan Xiaopang came over, Papa was really depressed."
"Does she still like it?"
Liu Yifei thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "I guess he likes her. A couple of days ago, PaPa sent me a message talking about Wolong. She said that Wolong was ignoring her and that she wanted to come and visit me."
"So what did you reply?"
After Liu Xiaoli finished asking, she saw her daughter snort, "That stinky Wolong, I told him that Papa wanted to come and play with me, and asked if I could rest for a day. He said whatever, since the money has already been paid and it's non-refundable. He even said that if I rested for a day, the training would be doubled the next day. Mom, look at this Wolong, how stingy he is."
Liu Xiaoli smiled and said, "Just train properly. You know how important the role of Little Dragon Girl is. Besides, there will be plenty of time to play later. And isn't it a secret that Qingxu is training you?"
"Mom, why are you talking to Wolong like that?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli asked curiously, "Did he say that too?"
Liu Yifei nodded her head. "Yes, that's it. Liu Yifei, do you know how important your role is? The film hasn't even started shooting yet, and your mother has already spent so much money to make sure you..."
'
Seeing her daughter's expressionless face, Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing her mother's laughter, Liu Yifei wrinkled her nose. "This Wolong is even stricter than the teacher."
"A strict teacher produces outstanding students. Today, Mom watched your martial arts moves for a while, and you seem like a completely different person compared to half a month ago."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei exclaimed happily, "Mom, really?"
Liu Xiaoli nodded with a smile, "Yes, she looks so dashing, just as good as those actresses in TV dramas. My daughter is amazing!"
Faced with her mother's praise, Liu Yifei said proudly, "Hehe, of course, Mom is so amazing, so of course I won't be any less."
"Isn't Qingxu's teaching better?"
"Um... he teaches well and I learn well too, Mom. I sweat at least several kilograms every day, and I drink several jugs of water. By the way, Mom, do you think I've lost weight?"
Watching her daughter stand up and turn around, Liu Xiaoli carefully examined her and nodded. "She's lost weight. No, according to Qingxu, she's thin but not skinny, and her energy and spirit are much better than before."
"Mom, why do I feel like you're describing pork belly?"
"Hahaha, you little brat, what nonsense are you talking about? What pork belly?"
"But being lean but not skinny easily makes you think of pork belly."
She playfully patted her daughter, "Don't talk nonsense. But this Qingxu is really amazing. The results are so good in just half a month. This money was well spent."
"Mom, do you think he can play Yang Guo?"
Upon hearing this question, Liu Xiaoli stared intently at her daughter and asked, "Do you hope he gets elected?"
Liu Yifei clapped her hands. "Of course I hope so! If he can play Yang Guo, then I'll have company on set. It will be more convenient during filming, and I can ask him for advice if I have any questions."
Seeing her daughter's expectant look, Liu Xiaoli paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well, I hope he gets selected. It's getting late, you should get some rest. Mom's going back to her room."
"Okay, Mom. Thank you for your hard work, Mom. Goodnight."
"Good night."
After closing the door, Liu Xiaoli glanced in the direction of the door. Thinking of her daughter's expectant and excited look just now, and then thinking of her daughter's occasional complaints and whining lately, she frowned. However, thinking of the rumors surrounding Ji Qingxu, she relaxed and decided to see what would happen.
"Wolong, Papa asked me to go to the movies tomorrow. Has Lao Zhu called you yet?"
After training the next day, Liu Yifei walked over excitedly, and Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "We did it."
"Can we go earlier tomorrow?"
Seeing Liu Yifei's expectant look, Ji Qingxu smiled and denied it, "No, we're meeting at six o'clock in the afternoon, not six in the morning. We'll go after we finish training."
"Ah! Wolong, let's go early! I've made plans to go shopping with Papa. If we train until 5 PM, I'll be too exhausted. How about we take a half-day off?"
Seeing Liu Yifei looking at him pitifully, Ji Qingxu chuckled and said, "Alright, then we'll train for the whole morning tomorrow, and there won't be any training in the afternoon."
"Hey, Wolong, you're so kind."
"Wait...
'
Seeing Liu Yifei's smile freeze on her face, Ji Qingxu suppressed a laugh and said, "We need to make up for the training the day after tomorrow."
"Ah, no!"
"Hahaha!"
Hearing Ji Qingxu's loud laughter, Liu Yifei's mind went blank, and she subconsciously swung her fist at Ji Qingxu, "You stinking Wolong, all you know how to do is bully me, I'll fight you to the death."
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Ji Qingxu laughing as he parried her blows, Liu Yifei stopped abruptly, her face turning bright red. "Wolong, I... I didn't mean to."
Ji Qingxu chuckled and said, "It's nothing, your strength isn't even enough to tickle me."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yifei puffed out her cheeks and glared angrily at Ji Qingxu, "You stinky Wolong, all you do is bully people."
"You can return it."
Seeing Ji Qingxu raise an eyebrow at her in a provocative manner, Liu Yifei pouted and remained silent.
After checking the time, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "Alright, go back and rest early. Oh, and remember not to let it slip tomorrow."
"Hmph, you're the one with the big mouth."
Watching Liu Yifei storm off outside, Ji Qingxu shook his head with amusement. "What a little brat."
"Holy crap, there are way too many people."
Hearing Zhu Yawen's exclamation and seeing the crowded scene in the theater, which felt like the Spring Festival travel rush, Ji Qingxu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. It was too exaggerated.
In his previous life, Ji Qingxu had been to the cinema many times, but he rarely saw so many people in the cinema. Even during the busiest Spring Festival season, there was no scene like this, with people everywhere and it was almost impossible to stand still.
Zhang Yimou's appeal is evident. Today, Ji Qingxu and a few others went to see Zhang Yimou's new movie "House of Flying Daggers," which just premiered.
Of course, besides Zhang Yimou's appeal, the lack of entertainment options and the fact that it's summer vacation are also contributing factors.
"The movie doesn't start for another half hour. Let's find a quieter spot; it's too crowded here."
Finding a slightly empty corner, Ji Qingxu and his group chatted while watching the scenes in the theater.
"I heard that the cost of 'House of Flying Daggers' is even higher than that of 'Hero.' 'Hero' cost $3000 million, while the cost of 'House of Flying Daggers' is said to be over $3 million."
"That's amazing! I wonder when we'll be able to act in such a big production."
"I don't have that much ambition. I'm not even thinking about 3 million. 3000 million will do."
"I'll go for a lower amount, 300 million will do."
"Damn, can you stop bragging? What kind of movie can you make with 300 million?"
"I'll play the male lead in an art film."
"Damn, you're even more ambitious than me."
"6
'
Listening to the discussion, Ji Qingxu chuckled and took a sip of cola.
"House of Flying Daggers" was initially advertised as having a budget of $3000 million, but producer Zhang Weiping later changed his tune to $2.9 million. Then, after news broke that "The Promise" had a budget of over $3 million, Zhang Weiping again changed his statement to "House of Flying Daggers."
The investment exceeded 300 million.
As for how much money was actually invested in "House of Flying Daggers"?
Ji Qingxu guessed that there would definitely be a discount, or even a 50% discount.
Although Ji Qingxu had never met Zhang Weiping, he knew him somewhat. Zhang Weiping was known for his big mouth and love of boasting; not a single word he uttered was true.
It's worth noting that the movie "Hero" brought together a host of big names, including Li Lianjie, Liang Manyu, Zhang Manyu, Chen Daomin, Zhang Ziyi, and Donnie Yen, and only cost 3000 million US dollars. That 3000 million US dollars might even be questionable.
Not to mention "House of Flying Daggers," which looks star-studded but is far inferior to "Hero."
Although "House of Flying Daggers" also features three big names—Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Zhang Ziyi—their star power is still far less than that of the cast in "Hero." Only Andy Lau can be compared to the big names in "Hero" in terms of fame.
Of course, no matter how much investment was made, "House of Flying Daggers" is still a top-tier blockbuster in this day and age.
Ji Qingxu had seen the movie "House of Flying Daggers" in his previous life, but he had long forgotten the plot. He only vaguely remembered a few scenes: one was a scene of throwing knives in a bamboo forest or bushes, and another was a passionate scene between Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro. He had no recollection of the rest.
Compared to the classic scenes in "Hero," such as the "Battle of the Water Drops" between Nameless and Long Moon, the "Battle of the Poplar Forest" between Nameless and Broken Sword, the "Battle of the Azure Lake" between Nameless and Broken Sword, the Qin army's volley of arrows at the Zhao State Library, and the final showdown between Broken Sword and Flying Snow in the desert, "House of Flying Daggers" falls far short.
Of course, in this era, Ji Qingxu thought "House of Flying Daggers" was not bad. Compared to the art films that we watched every day at school, at least Zhang Yimou's movies were more comfortable to watch.
"How much do you think Director Zhang's 'House of Flying Daggers' will gross at the box office?"
"At least over 100 million."
"Damn, you might as well not have said anything. If the box office doesn't even reach 100 million, that would be a huge loss. Other companies invest hundreds of millions. How about we have a game? Everyone says a number, and the winner will each owe the winner a big meal."
Everyone became interested upon hearing Zhu Yawen's suggestion.
Luo Jin couldn't help but ask, "What if everyone guesses the same number?"
Ji Qingxu laughed and said, "Let's be precise down to ten million. Whoever has the smallest difference from the final box office is the winner. Old Pig, you go first."
Zhu Yawen crossed her arms and thought for a moment, "Hero's box office was 2.5 million, so this movie will definitely not be less than 2 million. I bet it will be 2.3 million."
Luo Jin laughed and cursed, "Damn, you're really cunning."
Zhu Yawen chuckled and said, "Mule, it's your turn."
Luo Jin pondered for a moment, then said, "2.2 million, Lao Lu, it's your turn."
Lu Fang-sheng stroked his chin and thought for a moment, "2 million."
Seeing that all three of them were looking at him after Lu Fangsheng finished speaking, Ji Qingxu smiled and looked at Liu Yifei, "Yifei, you go ahead and say it."
Liu Yifei scratched her head uncertainly and said, "2.4 million. Papa, what about you?"
Jiang Yiyan glanced at the smiling Ji Qingxu and thought for a moment, "2.6 million, Yutong, it's your turn."
Pan Yutong glanced at Zhu Yawen beside her and said with a smile, "Then I'll bet 2.7 million."
After Pan Yutong finished speaking, everyone looked at Ji Qingxu. Facing everyone's gaze, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "1.6 million."
"???"
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