thefictionvixens Chapter 64 All Parties
Chapter 64 All Parties
On the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather was freezing cold, and snowflakes were flying everywhere.
Spring Festival decorations are hanging on the streets, companies are busy writing year-end summaries and holding annual meetings, and families are starting to clean their houses and buy New Year's goods.
With the first Spring Festival of the 21st century approaching, the entire country is eagerly anticipating it, and various media outlets are vying to report on the Spring Festival Gala.
Hou Yaowen prepares a novel crosstalk performance; Zhao Benshan and Fan Wei's skit revealed; Liang Chaowei and Zhang Manyu to sing "In the Mood for Love" together at the Spring Festival Gala...
Dengshikou, Building 14.
The Lin family had eaten dinner early and sat around the television in the living room.
Peanuts and melon seeds were spread out on the coffee table. Lin's mother was holding a cup of hot tea. The news broadcast on TV had just ended, and the opening music of the weather forecast was playing.
"It will get colder tomorrow, so please wear more layers when you go out."
Lin's mother muttered something to herself, looking at the clock on the wall with a somewhat absent-minded expression.
"The boss's show doesn't start until nine o'clock, it's still early."
Lin's father leaned back on the sofa, flipping through the Beijing Evening News, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"I thought you didn't watch it. Who said before that they weren't interested in that kind of stuff for young people?"
Enraged that her secret had been exposed, Lin's mother grabbed a cushion from the sofa and threw it at her.
The commotion the two made drew Lin Meng, who was secretly eating snacks in the room, out of the room.
Her round eyes swept around the living room, and finding that it wasn't a fight over food, she went back without much interest.
Lin Yi, who also heard the commotion, came out of the room.
She glanced at the clock on the wall, estimated the time, and then sat down on the sofa to wait.
Thanks to someone, their furniture underwent a major overhaul; the entire living room, except for the wall paint, was basically replaced.
The living room now features a set of mahogany sofas with brocade cushions and exquisitely carved cloud patterns on the backrests.
The coffee table is made of the same mahogany, wide and heavy, and a fruit plate is placed on it.
Even the carpet on the floor was new, made of thick wool, and felt soft and fluffy underfoot. Lin Meng loved to roll around on it.
On TV, the weather forecast ended, followed by a "GG" segment.
Lin's mother put down her teacup, unable to hold back any longer:
"What do you think of this show? What if it's not good?"
Mr. Lin said calmly, "Whether it's good or not is the TV station's concern; he's just a screenwriter."
After his worldview was shattered last time, he systematically learned about the film and television industry and roughly understood the production process.
Even if the broadcast is not well received, it will only affect the TV station's subsequent investments. As the screenwriter, Lin An will not be greatly affected.
Lin's mother breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Lin Yi gave his father a meaningful look, thinking that he was living in a dream.
Based on what I saw that day, how could Lin An be just a screenwriter?
Lin's mother seemed to remember something and turned to look at her daughter beside her:
"Um... what kind of TV series is 'iPartment' again?"
"sitcom."
"Like 'I Love My Family'?"
"...It should be about right."
Lin's mother said "Oh," her expression seemingly understanding but not quite. After a few seconds of silence, she continued:
"Can people from Shanghai understand jokes from Beijing?"
Lin Yi was stumped by the question. After thinking for a moment, he said uncertainly:
"It should... be possible, right?"
Lin's mother said "Oh" again, and was about to speak again when Lin's father couldn't help but interrupt:
"Since the TV station is willing to invest, it must suit their tastes. We'll find out the specifics after watching it."
Lin's mother did not say anything more.
……
……
The girls' dormitory at Beijing Film Academy.
Zhao Nana squatted in front of the TV, holding the remote control in her hand, changing the channel from Shanghai TV to Beijing TV, and then changing it back after a while.
"Can you stop adjusting it? It's making me dizzy." Haiqing sat cross-legged on the upper bunk.
Zhao Nana didn't even turn her head: "It's about to start, I'm just worried about not getting a signal."
"This was just provided by the school."
"What if?"
Haiqing was too lazy to argue with her. She turned a page of her book but couldn't concentrate on a single word for a long time.
The door was pushed open.
Wen Zhengrong walked in carrying a washbasin, a towel draped over her shoulder, her hair still wet, clearly having just returned from the washroom.
"Still waiting?"
She said with a strange expression, "You think highly of his show?"
"Of course."
Zhao Nana proudly tilted her head back and said, "With my cameo, this show is sure to become a nationwide sensation!"
Wen Zhengrong ignored her and looked at Hai Qing: "You too?"
Hai Qing thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I've read his biographical sketches; they're quite interesting."
Wen Zhengrong said thoughtfully, "Then save me a seat."
Zhao Nana grinned and said, "No problem."
……
……
The third floor of the Yifu Building.
The corridor lights had long been off, with only the "emergency exit" sign at the end glowing green in the darkness.
Tang Yu's dog cautiously peeked half its head out of the art studio and glanced left and right.
After confirming that He Laomo was not there, he took a deep breath, tiptoed, and slipped into the adjacent multimedia classroom with a lightness that was completely out of proportion to his size.
In the darkness, Tang Yu felt for the television's power cord, plugged it in, and pressed the switch.
The screen lit up, and the blue light reflected on his round face.
He squatted in front of the TV, turned the volume down to the lowest setting, and only after confirming that no one could see him did he nod in satisfaction and pick up the remote to change the channel.
Shanghai TV.
On the screen, a line of text slowly scrolled from bottom to top:
"Urban youth sitcom: Love Apartment".
Tang Yu's eyes lit up, and he was about to adjust his legs, which had gone numb from squatting, to make himself more comfortable.
"Clatter".
The fluorescent lights in the multimedia classroom shone directly down, illuminating the entire classroom brightly.
Tang Yu froze.
He remained crouched in front of the television, his neck twisting like a rusty gear, frame by frame.
He Yuwen stood at the door, holding a thermos in one hand and resting the other on the door switch, looking at him expressionlessly.
"If I remember correctly," He Yuwen said casually, "you should be in your studio working on your manuscript right now."
Tang Yu blinked, his brain racing for three seconds, then pointed at the television and said:
"I'll come here to gather inspiration and find some creative ideas."
He Yuwen said expressionlessly, "The storyboard is already finalized, what kind of material did you choose?"
"I can improve it too," Tang Yu said instinctively.
He Yuwen chuckled, "Then I'm really looking forward to seeing the results of your improvements."
Tang Yu choked, realizing he had shot himself in the foot.
He Yuwen didn't bother to investigate further. He glanced at the scrolling subtitles on the TV screen and asked curiously:
"Didn't you dislike Lin An? I thought you were hoping he'd lose?"
Tang Yu pursed his lips and muttered, "I don't like him, but I dislike those who play dirty tricks behind people's backs even more."
He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice slightly:
"Weren't you the one who got kicked out by those people?"
He Yuwen was taken aback, and then fell silent.
After a long pause, his tone returned to its usual calm. "After watching it, I'll go back to work. If I can finish it before summer vacation, I'll have a chance to go to the Ottawa Film Festival."
Tang Yu's attention was diverted: "Do you really think a few minutes of prison break fight footage can attract investment?"
He Yuwen ignored the question.
He turned and walked into the shadows of the corridor, his footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell, fading into the distance.
Tang Yu stared at the door for a while, making sure He Yuwen was really gone, before letting out a long sigh of relief.
He turned back, his gaze returning to the television screen.
In the video, a young man in a hoodie is walking down a city street. The camera slowly zooms in, revealing a familiar face.
Tang Yu's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"This guy actually looks pretty good on camera..."
He turned the volume up another notch and moved closer to the TV.