novelraw Chapter 55 Is this Li... an idiot!?
Chapter 55 Is this Li... an idiot!?
The car drove away from the airport and merged into the Boston evening traffic.
Natalie Portman held the steering wheel with one hand and deftly removed her colorful wig with the other, tossing it to the back seat to reveal a head of dark brown, shoulder-length hair.
This temporary job came at just the right time.
She has just finished a six-month run of "The Diary of Anne Frank" on Broadway, and there is still a short gap before director Wang Ying's "The Heart of a Friend" is scheduled to start filming in June.
One of her current plans is to save up independent funds for her upcoming life at Harvard University next year.
The car radio tuned to a channel playing hip-hop music, playing the hit song "I'll Be Missing You," a collaboration between the then-rising rap superstar Puff Daddy and Faith Evans, the widow of legendary rapper The Notorious BIG, who was shot and killed last year.
Sad melodies and rap filled the car.
Natalie tapped the steering wheel lightly with her fingertips in rhythm, silently mouthing the words, her body swaying along with the movement.
Li Shuo glanced sideways slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
It's so good that she doesn't know anything right now... Anyway, he remembered all those mind-blowing incidents that were exposed after "Puff Daddy"... that "White Party"... BB oil... Bieber... Ugh!
I used to really like this song, but now I can't listen to it at all!
The Boston streetscape flashed past the car window.
The streets look quite clean now, but the scenes in some corners are still hard to ignore.
A homeless man huddled next to a bank ATM booth, wrapped in a dirty blanket; messy graffiti sprayed on the corner of the wall; and some beautiful pedestrians of various skin colors hurrying by, looking tired.
This scene inexplicably reminded Li Shuo, who had been reborn, of the noisy discussions on the internet in his later life, about the other side of the "beautiful dream"...
Perhaps the clues to that "line" were already there in the shadows we see now.
Back in the consciousness system, the connection confirmation information for "Natalie Portman" is still there.
He glanced at the slightly "richer" female star slots that had been added, then looked at the one who was driving nearby, who had amazed the world with her precocious Lolita image in "Léon: The Professional," smiled, and then confirmed the binding.
[Host: Li Shuo]
[Status: Somewhat well-known]
[Currently available female celebrities who can be linked to: 3/9]
[The host will now begin to cultivate goodwill towards Natalie Portman through any assistance she provides. The system will weigh the effects and determine which rewards will be drawn...]
At the same time, Natalie was also glancing at the young man from the East beside her from time to time out of the corner of her eye.
She took the job purely by chance, driven by her instinct to make money.
That day, I was on set discussing the script for "Fang Xin Tian Ya" with director Wang Ying, which was about to start filming.
I happened to overhear him finish a phone call, where he was about to connect a "young man recommended by a junior" with resources for shooting an independent film in the United States. The process would take about three weeks, and he also mentioned that the other party would provide a high-paying assistant.
Born into a family of "squid" (referring to women working in the sex industry), she has saved a lot of money on commissions because her mother works as her agent.
With a pragmatic personality developed since childhood, she prefers to be more direct and meticulous in planning for the future.
Despite the substantial income from filming "Star Wars," she was as astute as she was, knowing that maintaining her career in Hollywood and her upcoming Ivy League life required consistent and stable financial support.
For her, who has always been decisive, a short-term, high-paying opportunity that also allows her to get hands-on experience in the film industry was a smart deal that she figured she should take advantage of.
She was struggling with the exorbitant tuition fees at Harvard and the expenses of her entertainment career, which required her to temporarily slow down her studies. Since she had some free time recently, she recommended herself without much hesitation.
This airport pickup can be considered a two-way "interview".
If this person turns out to be difficult or unpleasant, she'll immediately find another reason to "subcontract" the job out; with her intelligence, she should be able to fool him easily.
But the result was unexpected.
This Chinese kid... his image is just too good.
At the airport just now, when she saw his clean-cut and somewhat mysterious Eastern face through his sunglasses, she almost couldn't hold back!
Fortunately, I managed to get away with this deliberately disguised image and a "cool" attitude.
Now, she has a very positive feeling about this temporary job!
Working with a handsome and pleasing young "boss" is surely better than being "ashamed to face" him every day, right?
Moreover, this guy named Li seemed to recognize her, but he didn't show any annoying excitement or press for answers... which is a plus... but seeing how indifferent he is now, it also seems to annoy her... so let's not add it...!
So, let's see what kind of "high price" this handsome young "boss" is willing to offer for his assistant who will be hired for the three weeks of film shooting...?
As she pondered this, she unconsciously accelerated her pace.
The car left downtown Boston and headed northwest, gradually entering what appeared to be a rural area hidden on the edge of the city.
About forty minutes later, the vehicle turned onto a tree-lined road, and we arrived at our destination.
This is a secluded little estate in Lincoln, MA.
It looks like a typical wealthy New England town, sparsely populated, with large areas of well-preserved woodlands, pastures and farmland, and a quiet environment, which is very suitable for film crews that need to film in seclusion.
The film "My Bloody Wedding," produced by director Wang Ying, is currently filming some scenes here.
In June, his own movie "The Heart of a Friend" will begin filming, in which Natalie plays an important role as the daughter "Ann".
In front of a rustic wooden house, Li Shuo met the Chinese-American director he had long admired.
Unlike Wong Jing's shrewdness and worldliness, Wong Ying's temperament is more academic and composed.
Li Shuo presented the finest tea and some exquisite snacks, which he had specially brought from Hong Kong Island, as a gift, behaving with propriety and politeness.
Wang Ying accepted it with a smile, clearly having heard a lot of praise for Li Shuo from Wong Jing in Hong Kong.
"Ah Jing really admires you and told me to take good care of you. But as for the specifics, Natalie has been in this industry since she was a child and recommended herself, so she knows the process. You young people can discuss it yourselves."
He pointed at Natalie.
"Talk to her about the execution of your independent film project. If you encounter any problems that you can't solve, then come to me."
When asked about Li Shuo's desire to finish filming and quickly complete post-production so that the film could be submitted directly to international film festivals, Director Wang Ying hesitated for a moment.
"I heard about the idea from Ah Jing, and it's very interesting. Although you're just participating in the exhibition to discuss getting it into theaters... well..."
He smiled and picked up a pastry.
"But I'll wait until I see the finished film first. I'm still considering the film festival route."
He left it at that, ate the pastry, clapped his hands, got up, and left.
Under the eaves outside the wooden house, only Li Shuo and Natalie remained.
The distant pastures were gilded by the setting sun; it was getting late.
"So,"
Natalie looked at Li Shuo.
"Little 'boss,' now we can talk formally. I need to see your script and plan first... and then, what about the specific figure for that high-salary employee you mentioned?"
While in the car, Li Shuo not only confirmed his connection with Natalie, but also took the opportunity to use the residential property usage right card!
"It's not convenient here... Could you take me to my place to stay first?"
Li Shuo went out from under the eaves first and walked towards Natalie's Chevrolet, getting into the passenger seat.
Natalie caught up and got into the driver's seat, asking, "You've already booked the hotel?"
Li Shuo pretended to take out a file folder from his backpack, which contained a rental contract, a remote control, and keys.
He pointed to the address above and showed it to Natalie.
Did that make her raise a delicate eyebrow?
"Back Bay!? You rented a 'mansion' in Back Bay for just three weeks of filming? And you rented it for two years!?"
Natalie, who had been shrewd and calculating since childhood, had a look in her eyes that screamed, "Are you stupid?!"
Then, with her mind completely blank, she drove the little Chevrolet towards downtown Boston.
After a silent half hour, the vehicle stopped in front of an exquisite wrought iron gate.
Li Shuo used the remote control to open the door, and the car slowly drove in.
What appeared before Natalie was a detached, classic Georgian-style manor house.
The main building is constructed of warm gray stone, and the imposing portico with its tall white columns stands quietly in the twilight.
Li Shuo used the key to open the heavy solid wood door, revealing a bright and open interior.
The grand entrance hall, nearly two stories high, leads upstairs via a magnificent spiral staircase.
The decor is a minimalist modern style, with an open view and a private courtyard that can be vaguely seen outside the window.
Li Shuo didn't go upstairs. Instead, he walked straight to the inner door that led to the garage and pressed the button.
The garage lights came on!
A gleaming, dark green Toyota Land Cruiser stood there like a steady, behemoth.
This model from the Neon series is a pleasant surprise.
…Who made the source film "Ravin," a short film series starring Shu Qi and Hugh Jackman, sponsored by Toyota?
"Park your car over there."
Li Shuo patted the sturdy hood of the Toyota full-size SUV.
"When we need to transport equipment and personnel to remote filming locations later, this vehicle has good mobility and is convenient for our crew to use. You can drive it without worry."
Natalie's surprised gaze shifted from the full-size SUV in the garage back to the mansion in front of her, which required a separate yard and private driveway to match, and finally landed on Li Shuo's calm profile.