Hollywood, I became a legend with special effects.

Chapter 56: The Subtle Acidity

In late June in Beijing, the daytime heat had not yet completely subsided, but the nights in Houhai were already slightly cool.

On the second floor of a secluded bar that requires a referral from an acquaintance to find, in a window booth, Jiang Yu, Yang Siwei, Lu Yang, Wang Zhi, Zhu Yilong, and a slightly reserved young man were seated.

Lu Yang introduced Shen Ao, a recent graduate of the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, who was sitting around the table.

Several pitchers of beer and a few plates of dried fruit and snacks were laid out on the table, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

"This place is nice, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle." Jiang Yu took a sip of the single malt whisky in his glass, the ice cubes making a soft clinking sound.

He was dressed casually today, in a polo shirt and khaki pants, shedding the invisible aura he usually exudes at the company, and looking more like an ordinary young man.

"It's owned by one of my senior brothers. People in the industry come here often, and paparazzi generally can't get a hold of it," Lu Yang explained. He seemed more relaxed than during the previous sprint period.

After all, "The Witch" is his first feature film as a director, and it will officially be put to the test by the market next month.

Tonight's get-together serves two purposes: firstly, the boss, Jiang Yu, wants to encourage the core creative team of "The Witch," who are about to enter a period of intensive promotion; director Lu Yang; and newcomers Wang Zhi and Zhu Yilong, who are taking on their first leading roles in a blockbuster, and ease their tension.

Secondly, Jiang Yu wanted to take advantage of this relatively private occasion to see Shen Ao, a junior from the same school whom Lu Yang had brought along.

"Don't be shy about the Olympic bid, Mr. Jiang is a very easy person to talk to." Lu Yang patted the young man next to him on the shoulder.

Shen Ao nodded hurriedly, adjusted his glasses, and looked at Jiang Yu somewhat nervously: "Hello, Mr. Jiang, hello, Mr. Yang... Thank you, thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"I heard from Lu Yang that your graduation project idea is very interesting, a narrative about marginalized people in the city?" Jiang Yu asked casually, his tone calm.

When the topic turned to his major, Shen Ao's eyes lit up, and his speech became much smoother: "Well, it's a story about a food delivery driver who gets caught up in a series of absurd yet true events one night because of an unexpected order. I want to use genre film techniques to depict some of the things that are often overlooked around us..."

He began to explain his ideas, which, while still retaining a touch of student-like idealism, revealed his sensitivity to imagery and narrative.

Jiang Yu listened, occasionally nodding or asking a question or two about the details.

Yang Siwei smiled quietly to the side, while Wang Zhi and Zhu Yilong whispered about their recent promotional preparations, both with the excited yet apprehensive expressions typical of newcomers.

Just as the atmosphere was getting more and more pleasant, Yang Siwei's phone, which was on the table, vibrated.

She glanced at the caller ID, paused slightly, then gestured to Jiang Yu before getting up and walking to a quieter corner to answer the call.

A few minutes later, she came back and whispered a few words in Jiang Yu's ear.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow, took out his phone and glanced at it; sure enough, there were two missed calls and one unread text message, all from Liu Yifei.

He hadn't noticed that the bar was a bit noisy.

The message was simple: "Mr. Jiang, I'm sorry to bother you. The role has been officially announced, and I've been wanting to thank you in person. When would you be free? I'd like to invite you for a simple meal. Liu Yifei."

"Let's skip the dinner, it's too formal," Jiang Yu said to Yang Siwei. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Ask her if she's free now. If she is, she can come over and sit with us. Everyone here is from the industry, including Lu Yang and Wang Zhi. It's a good opportunity for the 'The Witch' team and the future lead actress of 'Black Swan' to get to know each other and have a relaxed chat."

Yang Si nodded slightly, then went back to make a phone call.

"Liu Yifei?" Lu Yang asked, somewhat surprised. "She's coming over?"

"Yes, it's official now, and I wanted to say thank you. I told you we could skip the dinner, but it would be nice to come over and chat," Jiang Yu explained.

Wang Zhi and Zhu Yilong exchanged a glance, both looking curious.

........

About forty minutes later, faint footsteps came from the bar stairs.

The waiter led two people up; it was Liu Yifei, and she had brought Shu Chang with her.

Both were dressed in simple T-shirts and jeans, wearing baseball caps, with no makeup, looking like college students who had sneaked out to play.

"Sorry I'm late. This place is a bit hard to find." Liu Yifei took off her hat, smoothed her hair, and smiled apologetically.

She greeted Jiang Yu and Yang Siwei first, then looked at the others.

Jiang Yu gave a brief introduction: "Director Lu Yang, Wang Zhi, and Zhu Yilong are all key members of the creative team behind 'The Witch.' This is Shen Ao, a new director from the Beijing Film Academy. This is Shu Chang, a friend of Yi Fei."

They greeted each other, and Lu Yang nodded to Liu Yifei: "Congratulations on 'Black Swan'."

Wang Zhi smiled, while Zhu Yilong seemed a little hesitant and called out "Senior Sister".

Liu Yifei quickly waved her hand, "No, no, just call me Yifei. I've seen the trailer for 'The Witch,' it's really cool, I can't wait for it to be released!"

Shu Chang greeted everyone cheerfully and quickly blended into the atmosphere.

With the addition of chairs, Liu Yifei and Shu Chang sat down next to Yang Siwei.

The initial slight awkwardness was quickly broken, since they were all young people and in the same circle, so the conversation flowed easily.

As they chatted, the atmosphere became more and more relaxed.

Liu Yifei's somewhat goofy and straightforward personality occasionally shines through. When she talks about embarrassing moments from her childhood dance lessons, it makes everyone laugh.

Shu Chang's commentary and additions from the sidelines added even more fun.

Jiang Yu listened most of the time, occasionally interjecting a word or two, with a faint smile on his face.

Just then, the topic suddenly shifted, and Wang Zhi said with a hint of teasing, "By the way, President Jiang, I have to complain to you. Ever since the casting for 'Black Swan' and... well, after some news, many of my junior female students at the Central Academy of Drama have been treating me like an intelligence station, trying every possible way to find out about you."

"Oh? What are you asking about?" Jiang Yu asked with interest, finding it somewhat amusing.

"There are so many!" Wang Zhi counted on his fingers, "They ask how old you are, whether you have a girlfriend, what type of girl you like, what your hobbies are, and whether your company is hiring. They're really enthusiastic."

Everyone laughed, and Zhu Yilong added in a low voice, "We at the Beijing Film Academy... actually inquired about it too."

Liu Yifei, who had been listening to Wang Zhi with a smile, suddenly turned her head and asked casually, "Who's there?"

Wang Zhi, oblivious to anything, went along with it, saying, "There are several from different grades. Tang Yan from the class of 02, Xiao Zhang Ziyi, and a few others whose names I can't recall. Anyway, they're all pretty junior sisters."

Liu Yifei picked up the soda water in front of her and took a sip. Her long eyelashes drooped, covering the fleeting, indescribable emotion that crossed her eyes.

She put down her cup, and when she looked up again, her face was beaming with a smile, even a hint of teasing. "Wow, I didn't realize, Mr. Jiang. You only showed your profile in the news last time, and you're already this popular with girls? You're quite charming."

These words were spoken in a joking tone, but for some reason, to Shu Chang's sensitive ears, something felt off. She glanced at her best friend.

Jiang Yu chuckled to himself, swirling his wine glass and saying self-deprecatingly, "Charm, I wouldn't call it. Maybe people just think this guy looks like a nouveau riche who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, naive and rich, easy to fool?"

Everyone was amused and thought Jiang Yu was quite humorous.

Yang Siwei, who hadn't really participated in the topic, suddenly pushed up her glasses and replied in a clearly teasing tone.

"Yifei, you have no idea. With our boss's image of being a fool with lots of money, he's quite popular among actresses in the industry. Not to mention the junior girls from the Central Academy of Drama and Beijing Film Academy, as far as I know, there are all sorts of actresses, from first-tier to fourth-tier, trying to find out about the boss, invite him to dinner, have tea, and discuss 'projects' through various channels and indirect means..."

She paused, as if calculating, "There must be at least fifty, if not a hundred. I spend a lot of time every day just filtering these cooperation intentions."

"Pfft—" Lu Yang almost spat out the mouthful of beer he had just drunk and quickly covered his mouth.

Wang Zhi and Zhu Yilong stared wide-eyed, their faces showing shock and amusement at the spectacle.

Shen Ao's mouth was slightly open, as if he had heard some incredible industry secret.

Liu Yifei's smile froze for a moment, though it quickly returned to its original shape, but it looked a little unnatural.