novelraw Chapter 39 - A Special Birthday Gift for Meng Ziyi
Chapter 39 - A Special Birthday Gift for Meng Ziyi
Chapter 39 A Special Birthday Gift for Meng Ziyi
For most movies released in 2009, the promotional roadshows were mainly focused on first-tier and second-tier cities, which were the primary box office hubs in the country. Qu Yiming took it a step further, expanding the roadshow to every prefecture-level city in the major economic provinces, while in other provinces, starting with provincial capitals and cities with universities.
The “Lost Love 33 Days” crew split into two teams to begin their roadshows starting on November 15, excluding first and second-tier cities. One team was led by Qu Yiming, and the other by Zhang Tianai. The box office potential could be gauged from the roadshow itself. Zhang Tianai, with a two-billion-yuan box office and her popular status, wasn’t the lead in “Lost Love 33 Days” but still garnered huge crowds wherever she went because of her striking appearance and high topic discussions.
Qu Yiming’s team started their roadshow in the capitals of the three northeastern provinces, with six shows in each city. In Spring City, Qu Yiming was back for another roadshow.
In a familiar cinema, the familiar screening hall, Meng Ziyi and her mother, Qian Jie, were seated in the first row. Meng Ziyi had begged her mother for a long time to attend this roadshow, even using a perfect score on her final exams as leverage. But everything was worth it!
“Brother Yiming is still so handsome!”
Meng Ziyi’s eyes were only on Qu Yiming, while Zhang Ruoyun and Xiao Shenyang sat beside her, barely catching her attention.
“However, love has become a double-edged sword. Knowing each other can cause immediate pain. We speak hurtful words, not knowing if we can take them back…”
“This makes me even more disappointed. Why do we do this? Ask yourself, are you willing to hurt someone, even when love can turn into hatred in an instant…”
The roadshow was mainly about singing the theme song and sharing behind-the-scenes stories, with a promotional video playing in between.
After Qu Yiming sang, Xiao Shenyang, the host, joked, “How did my junior brother do?”
“Pretty good! But I still can’t stand you as the cheating scumbag in the movie!”
“…”
Xiao Shenyang played the role of Huang Xiaoxian’s cheating ex-boyfriend. As some in the crowd pretended to throw bottles, Xiao Shenyang quickly hid behind Qu Yiming with an innocent expression.
“This has nothing to do with me. It’s all Yiming’s decision, the roles and the scripts, so if you want to blame anyone, blame him.”
Qu Yiming laughed and scolded, “No, actors can’t hide behind the director when things go wrong. Do you still want to be famous?”
Xiao Shenyang replied, “I’m afraid of ruining my looks. You’re the director; even if you ruin your face, you can still be the director.”
“Hahaha…”
The crowd laughed heartily. After some jokes and banter, the roadshow came to an end.
“Brother Yiming!”
After the event, Meng Ziyi went to ask Qu Yiming for a photo. Qian Jie took the photo for them.
“Yay!”
Meng Ziyi gave a peace sign to the camera. After the photo was taken, she pulled out a photo of her and Qu Yiming from the previous “Lost Love 33 Days” roadshow and said, “Brother Yiming, my birthday is on the 5th of next month. Can you write on the back of this photo, ‘Wishing Meng Ziyi a happy birthday, and happiness every day’?”
“Of course, I can.”
Qu Yiming, who had a loyal fan base willing to spend money, was more than happy to grant such a small request. He immediately wrote on the back of the photo, adding a signature.
“Wishing you a happy birthday, happiness every day, study hard, and keep improving, Meng Ziyi.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, by the way…” Qu Yiming suddenly remembered something and, holding back his laughter, asked, “What grade are you in this year?”
“Grade 9.”
Meng Ziyi looked puzzled.
“What’s up, Brother Yiming?”
“Then let me give you a birthday gift. Leave me your address, and I’ll send it to you,” Qu Yiming said.
A birthday gift! From Brother Yiming!
“My address…”
Meng Ziyi’s eyes lit up, about to give her address. But Qian Jie interrupted, “Mr. Qu, it’s not appropriate to accept your gift.”
Qu Yiming waved his hand.
“It’s fine. You’ve supported me so much; I’d be happy to be friends with you. There’s no harm in sending a birthday gift between friends. I remember you have my number, right? Just send me your address, and I’ll have someone deliver it.”
Seeing that Qu Yiming was serious, Qian Jie replied, “Thank you, Mr. Qu. Meng Ziyi, say thank you to Brother Yiming.”
“Thank you, Brother Yiming. What’s the gift though?” Meng Ziyi asked curiously.
“You’ll know when you get it. It’ll definitely be a pleasant surprise.”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it!” Meng Ziyi said with a bright smile.
…
A few days later, Meng Ziyi, having received the gift, couldn’t bring herself to smile. Because the gift Qu Yiming sent was an entire box of middle school study materials.
“Hahaha…”
Qian Jie, standing nearby, couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Is this really a gift?”
Meng Ziyi’s face immediately scrunched up. She flipped through the study materials.
“Eh!”
Underneath the materials was a box. Meng Ziyi hurriedly opened it. Inside the box was an exquisite panda doll, which looked like it was worth quite a lot.
“I love this gift!”
Meng Ziyi happily hugged the doll.
…
Meng Ziyi’s mother: “Mr. Qu, Meng Ziyi really likes the gift you sent. She asked me to thank you.”
While traveling for another roadshow, Qu Yiming smiled when he saw the text from Meng Ziyi’s mother.
He replied, “Please supervise Meng Ziyi to finish those study materials during the winter vacation.”