diymy Chapter 81 Unable to Speak
Chapter 81 Unable to Speak
Chapter 80 Unable to Speak (Seeking First Subscription of 10 Chapters)
Three days later, at 10 a.m.
When Jiang Yu knocked on the hotel room door, there was no response.
He patiently knocked three more times, this time with a bit more force.
Finally, rustling sounds came from inside the door, followed by Liu Yifei's muffled voice: "Who is it?"
"Room service," Jiang Yu said, deliberately lowering his voice.
"I didn't order room service."
"It's free."
There was silence for a few seconds inside, then the door clicked open.
Liu Yifei was wearing a loose blue sweatshirt and sweatpants, her hair was haphazardly tied into a bun, with a few stray hairs sticking to her forehead.
She stood barefoot behind the door, clearly her ankle hadn't fully recovered.
Upon seeing that it was Jiang Yu, she paused for a moment, then her expression became complicated: "Why is it you?"
"Surprised?" Jiang Yu picked up the paper bag in his hand. "I brought you breakfast, Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbao. They only sell it at the Beverly Hills branch in all of Los Angeles. I waited in line for twenty minutes."
Liu Yifei blinked and stepped aside to let him in.
The room was a standard suite, and it no longer looked as clean as it used to be.
A script lay open on the sofa, covered with dense markings in various colors of highlighter; several books on ballet and psychology were piled on the coffee table, along with a few empty mineral water bottles; the curtains were drawn, with only a small lamp by the bedside emitting a faint light.
The most eye-catching item was the dressing table, which was covered with pictures cut from magazines: comparison photos of white and black swans, close-ups of dancers' injured ankles, and various contorted and painful facial expressions.
The whole room had a depressing atmosphere that said, "I'm creating, don't bother me."
"Have you been staying in this kind of environment for the past few days?" Jiang Yu placed the breakfast on the only relatively clean bedside table.
"I'm studying the character." Liu Yifei sat down on the sofa and moved the script aside. "The doctor said I can't dance, but he didn't say I can't read the script."
Jiang Yu sighed and walked over to draw back the curtains.
Sunlight streamed in instantly, making Liu Yifei squint.
Outside the window, there was a typical Los Angeles blue sky and white clouds, the swimming pool shimmered in the sunlight, and several guests were sunbathing on lounge chairs.
"You can't do this." Jiang Yu turned around, standing with his back to the light, his figure appearing exceptionally tall in the sunlight. "If you stay any longer, you'll really become like Lin Xin, that ballet dancer who locked herself in her room practicing until she broke down."
Liu Yifei didn't say anything, but just sat on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest. She looked thinner than she had been in the hospital three days ago.
"Get up and change your clothes," Jiang Yu said. "I'll take you out."
"Where to?"
"Whatever. Just don't let you stay moldy in this room any longer."
Liu Yifei hesitated for a moment: "But my foot isn't healed yet—"
"That's why you need to go out and move around; walking a little can help with recovery." Jiang Yu took out his phone and waved it. "I just asked Dr. Helen, and she said that as long as you don't exert yourself, walking normally is no problem. What you need isn't to stay in bed, but a change of environment to relax your brain."
He paused, then added, "And both your mom and my mom called me."
Liu Yifei looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
"Aunt Liu said you sounded very tired on the phone and was worried you wouldn't be able to take care of yourself abroad alone," Jiang Yu said, feeling the excuse was a bit far-fetched, but he continued anyway. "My mom went even further, saying, 'Xiao Yu, Yi Fei is filming alone in Los Angeles, it's not easy for her, you should take better care of her.' So you see, I'm just following orders now."
Liu Yifei looked at him, a slow smile spreading across her lips: "Really? Aunt Zhou really said that?"
"Absolutely true." Jiang Yu said without changing his expression. "She also said that if you lose weight, she'll come after me when we get back to China."
That's true. Yesterday, Zhou Huiwen did nag on the phone for half an hour, the main point being, "That girl is filming alone in a foreign country, as her friend, you should take good care of her."
Of course, Ms. Zhou's original words also contained subtexts such as "I think that girl is quite nice" and "You're not getting any younger," which Jiang Yu wisely did not relay.
Liu Yifei smiled, her first truly relaxed smile in days: "Alright then, since it's Aunt Zhou's order, I'll obey. Wait ten minutes."
She got up and walked towards the bedroom, but turned back suddenly as she reached the door: "But President Jiang, when did you become so obedient? I remember you even dared to defy Master Han."
Jiang Yu was momentarily speechless, then replied matter-of-factly, "That's different. Third Master Han can't cook braised pork, but my mom can. Weighing the pros and cons, of course I'd choose to listen to my mom."
Liu Yifei laughed out loud and closed the bedroom door.
Jiang Yu stood there, touched his nose, and realized that what he had just said was indeed a bit stupid.
But seeing her smile made me realize that being a little silly was worth it.
Ten minutes later, Liu Yifei came out after changing her clothes.
A simple light-colored cotton T-shirt, light blue denim overalls, and soft-soled canvas shoes.
Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, she wore a baseball cap, and had no makeup on except for a little lip balm.
She looks like a college student, not someone who is preparing to play a dark ballerina.
"Not bad," Jiang Yu commented, "At least it looks like a living person."
Are you praising me or insulting me?
"Yes, absolutely." Jiang Yu picked up his car keys. "Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
"So where are we going?"
San Francisco.
Liu Yifei stopped in her tracks: "San Francisco? Now? That's a six-hour drive!"
"So?" Jiang Yu had already reached the door. "Do you have any plans for the next couple of days?"
"I—" Liu Yifei stammered. She really had no plans; besides reading the script, she just spaced out.
"That's more like it. It's only six hours. The scenery along the way is nice, much better than you staring at those painful photos in your hotel room." Jiang Yu opened the door. "Are you coming or not? If you're not coming, I'll call your mom and tell her you're disobedient."
"You!" Liu Yifei glared at him, but finally followed. "How can you be so shameless?"
"A newly discovered skill." Jiang Yu pressed the elevator button. "It was only recently developed to deal with certain unruly wounded soldiers."
Inside the elevator, Liu Yifei leaned against the mirrored wall, looking at Jiang Yu's profile in the reflection.
He was dressed casually today, in a black polo shirt and khaki pants, and his hair, which wasn't styled with hair gel as usual, hung naturally over his forehead.
She looks several years younger than usual, and she's also much more pleasing to the eye.
"Are you really going to drive six hours to San Francisco?" she asked, "just so I can have a change of scenery?"
"Otherwise what?" Jiang Yu watched the elevator numbers drop. "Or do you want to go to Las Vegas? Three and a half hours, you can watch a show, gamble, and eat at a buffet; although I don't think gambling is a good idea, watching a show and eating at a buffet are still pretty good options."
Liu Yifei was amused by his train of thought: "You should go to San Francisco. At least it's not as noisy there."
"A wise choice." The elevator reached the underground parking garage, and Jiang Yu gestured for it to proceed. "Well then, Ms. Liu Yifei, your escape journey to San Francisco officially begins."
After the car drove out of downtown Los Angeles, the view suddenly opened up.
California sunshine generously bathes the land, and rolling hills line both sides of the highway, still retaining some greenery at the end of summer.
Further away are bare mountains, slightly distorted by the heat.
Jiang Yu drives a black BMW X5 owned by the company. It has a spacious interior and comfortable seats, making it suitable for long-distance driving.
The car stereo was playing The Eagles' "Hotel California," with the guitar intro flowing gently through the car.
Liu Yifei sat in the passenger seat, took off her shoes, and put her feet on the center console; this posture was not elegant, but she did it with a straight face, the reason being that "the doctor said to elevate the affected limb."
"How's your ankle?" Jiang Yu glanced at her still somewhat swollen right foot.
"Much better." Liu Yifei wiggled her toes. "The therapist comes to massage me every day, and I can walk normally now, as long as I don't run or jump. But—"
She paused, her voice lowering, "Director Darren said that the shooting schedule will be readjusted after filming begins. Some of the more difficult dance moves might be reduced in the early stages, and stunt doubles or special effects might be used to supplement some shots."
.
"That's a good thing," Jiang Yu said. "It shows that the director values your health."
"I know." Liu Yifei looked out the window. "I always feel—it's a little regrettable. I wanted to do all the dance scenes myself."
"Perfectionism is a disease, and it needs to be cured." Jiang Yu bluntly stated, "Do you know how many of those classic dance scenes in film history were performed by the actors themselves, and how many were done by stunt doubles or special effects? In 'Singin' in the Rain,' Jim Carrey's famous tap dance scene had some shots done by stunt doubles; that doesn't stop them from becoming classics."
He paused, then softened his tone: "Filmmaking is a collective creation, not an individual display of skill. You have to learn to trust the team, including trusting the professionalism of stunt performers and the capabilities of the special effects team. That's the mindset a professional actor should have."
Liu Yifei was silent for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement.
The car continued northward.
After passing Santa Clarita, the landscape begins to change, with hills gradually being replaced by farmland.
Vast vineyards stretch out under the sunlight, their neat rows of grapevines resembling green piano keys.
"Actually, I came to California when I was a child," Liu Yifei suddenly said. "When I was ten, my mom took me on a trip. We went to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and San Francisco. Back then, I thought the Golden Gate Bridge was huge and the crabs at Fisherman's Wharf were delicious."
"and then?"
"And then—" she laughed, "and then I decided I wanted to be an actress, to come to Hollywood and make movies. Pretty naive, right?"
"It's not naive," Jiang Yu said. "Many people decide the direction of their lives because of a moment of inspiration. I know a special effects artist who decided to work in movie special effects after watching Jurassic Park as a child and thinking that dinosaurs were so cool. Now he is the technical director of my company."
Liu Yifei turned to look at him: "And you? What made you enter this industry?"
This question surprised Jiang Yu.
Why?
Because of rebirth? Because of knowing the industry's development over the next twenty years? Because of wanting to use advanced knowledge to change things?
These things cannot be said.
"Because—" he chose his words carefully, "because I think film is magic. It can make things that don't exist real, and make fantasies tangible. Special effects are the most powerful magic in modern cinema."
This answer is very official, but it's also sincere.
Liu Yifei nodded and did not ask any further questions.
She adjusted the seat to make herself more comfortable: "I'll take a nap. Wake me up at the service station."
"it is good."
She fell asleep very quickly, and her breathing became even and deep.
Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating her face and casting fine shadows on her cheeks from her eyelashes.
When she was asleep, she looked younger than her actual age, with her lips slightly pouting and completely unguarded.
Jiang Yu turned the music down and turned the air conditioner temperature up a little.
The car drove smoothly on Highway 5, like a ship sailing on a green ocean.
Occasionally, a sports car would roar past, breaking the tranquility, but things would quickly return to normal.
Jiang Yu recalled that blind date from his past life.
At that time, Liu Yifei was the same, sitting quietly opposite him, listening to him talk about all sorts of interesting things in the special effects industry.
She listened attentively and occasionally asked questions, showing her genuine interest in filmmaking.
He was too busy at the time, his mind was full of company affairs, and he couldn't appreciate that moment properly.
Looking back now, perhaps that was fate giving him a second chance.
Not everyone has a chance to start over, and even less so for everyone to meet that special someone again after a second chance.
The question is, what should he do now?
According to his original plan, he would focus on his career, build a film and television industry empire, and promote Chinese-language films to the world. This is the meaning of his rebirth.
But what about feelings?
In his previous life, he lived to be 42 years old and only had one romantic relationship, which was when he first started working.
That relationship ended without a trace, and afterwards he devoted all his energy to his work.
After his rebirth, he deliberately avoided romantic relationships, telling himself that now was not the time.
But when is the right time?
Waiting for the company to go public? Waiting for the industry layout to be completed? Waiting for the true rise of Chinese-language films?
That might have to wait until ten years later.
Will she still be in the same place then?
Jiang Yu gave a wry smile.
It turns out that rebirth can't solve all problems.
Some confusion, some hesitation, some anxiety are things that no one, regardless of age or experience, can be immune to.
The car drove for another hour before arriving at the first service station.
Jiang Yu gently patted Liu Yifei's shoulder: "Wake up, we're here."
Liu Yifei groggily opened her eyes, blinked, and asked, her gaze still dazed from just waking up, "Are we here? San Francisco?"
"Service station." Jiang Yu smiled. "Want to come down and stretch your legs? Buy some water and use the restroom."
"Oh—okay."
The service station is small but very clean.
Several long-haul trucks were parked nearby, and the drivers were smoking and chatting in the rest area.
At the entrance of a convenience store, an elderly man is selling handicrafts, small decorations made of seashells and feathers.
When Liu Yifei came out of the restroom, Jiang Yu had already bought water and snacks.
He handed her a bottle of sparkling water and a bag of potato chips: "Your lunch."
"This is it?" Liu Yifei took the bag of original flavor potato chips, looking at it. "What about Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbao?"
"That was breakfast, this is lunch, they're different." Jiang Yu opened a bottle of water for himself. "We'll have a nice dinner in San Francisco. I've booked a seafood restaurant right at Fisherman's Wharf."
Liu Yifei tore open the potato chip package, ate a few chips with a clatter, and suddenly said, "You know what? It's been so long since I've done this."
"how?"
"Just like that—I went out without any plan, drove somewhere, and ate potato chips for lunch on the way." She looked at the road in the distance, her eyes somewhat unfocused. "Since my debut, my life has been packed full. Filming, promotions, attending events, giving interviews—even my vacations are planned out: where to go, where to stay, who to see, and what to say."
She turned to look at Jiang Yu: "So thank you. Although your excuse was lame, thank you."
Jiang Yu felt a little embarrassed by her words and touched the back of his neck: "You're welcome. It's mainly to complete the task my mother assigned me."
Liu Yifei smiled and didn't expose him.
The two returned to the car and continued their journey.
As the journey continued, they gradually became more talkative.
Liu Yifei recounted amusing anecdotes from filming "The Forbidden Kingdom," mentioning how Jet Li and Jackie Chan bickered like two big boys on set; she also shared embarrassing stories from her early days learning English in New York—pronouncing "l'mfull" (I'm full) as "l'mfool" (I'm a fool); and she shared her childhood dream—besides becoming an actress, she also wanted to open a dessert shop because she loved eating cakes.
Jiang Yu also spoke about some things, but of course, it was a filtered version.
He recounted amusing anecdotes from his time studying at USC, how he and Zhou Mu hit it off and founded Light and Shadow Digital, and their nervousness and excitement when they took on their first Hollywood project.
"So you really only took three years to go from an international student to the owner of a Hollywood special effects company?" Liu Yifei's eyes were full of amazement after hearing this. "That's more legendary than a movie."
"Just good luck," Jiang Yu said modestly. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time and met the right people."
"That's also due to your abilities," Liu Yifei said earnestly. "Opportunities always favor the prepared. And I've heard that you're doing a lot of things in China, building production bases, training talent, and promoting industrialization. This isn't just about making money; it's about changing an industry."
Jiang Yu was somewhat surprised: "You know all this?"
"Of course I know," Liu Yifei said. "Although I'm abroad, I still know some news from back home. And—my mom sometimes talks to me about you. She says you're a 'different' young person, with ideals and a sense of responsibility."
Jiang Yu blushed.
Being praised by elders is one thing, but having your peers relay the praise from elders is another, especially when that peer is Liu Yifei.
"Aunt Liu, you flatter me," he said dryly.
"I don't think so." Liu Yifei looked at him earnestly. "Jiang Yu, you're truly special. I've met many investors, many producers, many so-called filmmakers. They either only care about box office returns, or awards, or their own reputation. You're different; you're genuinely building something."
She paused, her voice softening: "Sometimes I think, if there were more people like you in the Chinese film industry, perhaps—"
Many things will be different.
The car suddenly fell silent.
Jiang Yu gripped the steering wheel, his fingers tightening slightly.
He didn't expect her to say these things, and he certainly didn't expect her to see things so clearly.
"I'm just doing what I believe is right. As for how much it can change—I'll do my best."
Liu Yifei nodded and didn't say anything more.
The car drove past a field of windmills, where huge white windmills slowly turned on the hills, like some kind of silent giant.
The sky was a clear, deep blue, with wisps of white clouds stretched into long strands.
"How much longer until we arrive?" Liu Yifei asked.
"About two hours." Jiang Yu glanced at the navigation. "If you're sleepy, you can sleep a little longer."
"I'm not sleepy anymore." She adjusted her posture. "Let's listen to some music. Do you have any other CDs?"
Jiang Yu rummaged through the storage box and found a few CDs: "There are The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Queen, and — Jay Chou."
"Jay Chou?" Liu Yifei's eyes lit up. "You listen to his songs?"
"I haven't listened to much, but this 'Fantasy' album is really good." Jiang Yu handed her the CD. "Which song would you like to listen to?"
"I can't open my mouth," Liu Yifei blurted out, then realized something and added, "—any song will do."
Jiang Yu glanced at her and put the CD into the player.
As the intro began, Jay Chou's indistinct vocals filled the car.
Liu Yifei leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and tapped her fingers lightly on her knees to keep a rhythm.
Jiang Yu kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye while driving.
Sunlight danced on her eyelashes, and a faint smile played on her lips.
At that moment, she was no longer the actress suffering for her role, nor the star troubled by public opinion, but just an ordinary girl listening to music.
Perhaps, bringing her out was the right thing to do.
Perhaps, there are moments that are more important than work.
Perhaps, rebirth is not just about changing the world, but also about not missing these moments.