Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

Chapter 588 Script Selection

"Have you made your choice yet?"

Fu Yibai put down his teacup.

Before Ning Hao could speak, Lu Yang had already stood up.

He walked over to Ning Hao and started massaging his shoulders again, his movements even more vigorous than before.

"Brother Ning, what do you think?"

Both scripts are pretty good, right?

You can't take two photos by yourself, so why don't you give me one?

Look at my technique, it's professional.

"That's really good. Did you study massage before?"

Ning Hao closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment comfortably.

"I learned this especially for you, Ning-ge."

Fu Yibai couldn't bear to look at Lu Yang's fawning manner. He wasn't handsome to begin with, and now he looked even more sleazy.

Ning Hao pushed Lu Yang's hand off his shoulder, picked up the two scripts, looked down at "Shoplifters" in his left hand, then at "Room" in his right hand, and then turned to look at Lu Yang.

Which one do you want?

""Room"."

Lu Yang did not hesitate.

"Room is more suited to Berlin, while Shoplifters is more suited to Cannes."

"I've already received the Berlin Silver Bear, so this one is for you."

Ning Hao patted the script of "The Room" on Lu Yang's chest.

Lu Yang caught it with both hands, glanced down at the two words on the cover, and grinned from ear to ear.

"Brother Ning, are you really going to give it to me?"

"for you."

"Brother Ning, you're such a great friend!"

Lu Yang continued to massage his shoulders.

"From now on, I'll take care of your shoulders."

"Alright, alright."

Ning Hao slapped his hand away, stood up, and turned to Fu Yibai.

"Mr. Fu, I choose 'Shoplifters'."

Fu Yibai nodded.

This allocation was within his expectations.

Ning Hao excels at handling complex interpersonal relationships and the subtle textures of life. The warmth flowing beneath the rough surface of life at the bottom in "Shoplifters" is a natural fit for his directorial style.

"Okay, you can decide when the project starts."

There's no need to worry about funding; the company can invest all of it.

If you want to invest, just talk to Wang Peng.

I have only one requirement: quality first. Don't waste my script.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely film it well."

"Hehe, me too."

"Come on, Mr. Fu, let me give you a massage too."

Lu Yang walked towards Fu Yibai with a sly grin.

"Get lost. If I want a massage, I'll go to a pretty girl, not some rough guy like you."

"You don't understand, little girl, you're not as strong as me."

"Get out of here."

Ning Hao, go back to sleep first. Lu Yang, go back and finish editing "Brotherhood of Blades II".

"Yes."

The two of them took the script and walked out.

As he reached the door, Ning Hao suddenly stopped.

"Mr. Fu, how about we go out for a drink?"

"Drinking? Sure."

"Mr. Fu, let's go. It's getting late, let's go home."

Upon hearing about drinking, Lu Yang immediately became excited.

"Are you two treating?"

Fu Yibai leaned back in his chair, looking at the two with a half-smile.

"Absolutely."

Ning Hao patted his chest.

"I'll pick the location, and there'll be plenty of alcohol."

Fu Yibai glanced at his watch; it was almost six o'clock.

He tidied up the documents on the table, picked up his coat, and stood up.

"Okay, let's go."

But we agreed, I don't drink beer, it makes my stomach bloated.

Ning Hao and Lu Yang exchanged a glance and then revealed a meaningful smile.

The three of them did not go to any fancy restaurants.

Ning Hao led the way, making several turns before stopping in front of a barbecue restaurant.

The shop is small, with a charcoal grill set up at the entrance.

"Right here?"

Lu Yang glanced at the plastic stool, then at the smoky grill, his expression a mixture of disdain and anticipation.

"Right here."

Ning Hao plopped down on the plastic stool and called out to the boss with practiced ease.

"Old Ma, forty lamb skewers, twenty pieces of beef tendon, ten large kidneys, and three bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor)!"

The shop owner was a fat man in his fifties, wearing an apron soaked in oil. He poked his head out of the shop when he heard Ning Hao's shout.

"Director Ning is here again? Bringing friends today?"

"Since you've brought our big boss along, you'd better show us your best skills."

Fu Yibai sat down opposite Ning Hao, took out a tissue to wipe the dust off the plastic stool, then crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into the trash can under the table.

"Ning Hao, don't you feel any remorse for sending me to a place like this?"

"Mr. Fu, let me tell you, this barbecue restaurant is the top one I've identified after eating here in Beijing for over a decade."

Ning Hao picked up the disposable chopsticks on the table, broke them in half, and arranged them neatly on the table.

"Old Ma is from Urumqi. The lamb skewers he grills use lamb that is air-shipped from Xinjiang. The marinating recipe was passed down from his father."

You'll know once you take a bite; they eat one without making a sound.

"That ruthless?"

"Just trust me."

Lu Yang sat down next to him. He had already accepted reality and was holding the menu, considering whether to add a plate of roasted lamb chops.

The Niulanshan Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) arrived first.

Ning Hao unscrewed the bottle cap and poured half a cup into each of the three cups, then raised his own cup.

"Mr. Fu, although today's meal is simple, it comes from the heart."

Thank you for the script.

Lu Yang also raised his glass.

"Thank you, Mr. Fu."

Fu Yibai picked up his cup, clinked it with the two of them, and took a sip.

Erguotou is spicy when you first drink it, but when you drink it in the cold November wind, a warm feeling spreads from your stomach to your limbs.

The lamb skewers arrived, the iron skewers were packed full, the pieces of meat were a mix of lean and fatty, and the cumin and chili powder on the surface melted into a fragrant crust under the high temperature of the charcoal fire.

Ning Hao picked up a skewer, took a bite, and grease oozed from the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes, chewed a couple of times, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Fu Yibai picked up a skewer, took a bite, paused, and then took another bite.

"How is it?"

Ning Hao looked at him with a smug expression.

"Um."

Fu Yibai didn't say much, but the speed at which he picked up the second string of beads said it all.

"What did I say again?"

They ate one after another without making a sound!

Ning Hao slapped the table and laughed loudly, then turned and shouted at the boss.

"Old Ma, twenty more skewers, please!"

The three of them ate and drank.

After downing about half a bottle of Niulanshan liquor, he started talking non-stop.

Ning Hao recounted the bizarre things he encountered while filming "Detective Chinatown" in Thailand.

As night fell, the barbecue restaurant gradually started to get crowded.

After several rounds of drinks, the bamboo skewers on the table were piled up like a small mountain.

The roasted lamb chops arrived, the skin crispy and the meat inside so tender that it could be easily torn apart with chopsticks.

Ning Hao grabbed the fattest piece of pork rib, but Lu Yang snatched half of it from under his chopsticks, and the two engaged in a brief chopsticks battle on the table.

Just then, a young girl at the next table suddenly stood up, took two steps toward them while holding her phone, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped back.

She whispered a few words to her friend at the table, then stood up again and walked directly to Fu Yibai's table.

"Excuse me, are you director Fu Yibai?"

Fu Yibai put down his chopsticks and nodded at her.

"I am."

"Oh my god, it really is you!"

The girl's voice cracked with excitement. She quickly raised her phone, then lowered it as if remembering something.

"Um...can I take a picture with you?"

"Can."

The girl walked around to Fu Yibai's side, squatted down, raised her phone, and took several pictures.

After the photo was taken, she bowed to Fu Yibai, and then bowed to Ning Hao and Lu Yang as well.

"Director Ning! Director Lu! I'm a fan of both of you! Can I take a picture with you?"

With half a lamb chop still in his mouth, Ning Hao mumbled "Okay, okay," quickly chewed a couple of times, swallowed, and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

Lu Yang moved to the side and straightened his posture.

The girl took photos with each of the three people, and then returned to her seat contentedly.

After she sat down, her fingers flew across the phone screen, either posting on WeChat Moments or Weibo.