Regardless of Huo Ge's skills as a director and actor, Liu Yifei carefully read every single script she received.
It took her five minutes to finish reading The Paranormal Activity, but nearly twenty minutes to ponder it.
Liu Yifei raised a question, "I don't find this script scary at all. In the end, the ghost doesn't even show its face! You call this a horror movie?"
"It's certainly not scary while filming; you only feel the terror when you watch it!"
"While filming, even the actors don't feel any terror—how can they act out anything scary?"
"Uh~," Huo Ge looked at Liu Yifei earnestly. "That just shows your acting skills aren't quite up to par yet. A good actor can play the role the director wants based purely on the script."
"..." Liu Yifei thought to herself that what he said made a lot of sense, and yet she found herself completely unable to think of a rebuttal.
"Will you join?" Huo Ge reached out a hand. "Come do this movie with me and hone your acting skills. You'll feel like you've been reborn! You'll step into the ranks of true performers instead of just being a pretty vase!"
Liu Yifei felt an inexplicable stirring in her heart, but then she remembered that taking on any work meant she first had to pass her mother's test. "With your budget, I doubt my mother would agree to let me act in this. The pay is even lower than what I get for doing TV dramas now!"
"A good movie is worth a low salary or even acting for free," Huo Ge persisted in his lobbying. "Trust me, if you play your role well in this film, you'll have what it takes to contend for a Best Actress award!"
"Ah?"
"It's true. Though winning a domestic Best Actress award is a bit difficult, winning one abroad is relatively easier!"
"What?"
Huo Ge explained, "You're a newcomer right now and haven't joined a major agency. Winning awards domestically is all about seniority and background, so it's very hard for you to win anything here. Overseas is a bit better. Of course, for our film, winning an award at a major film festival will be tough, but at a minor film festival, we stand a very good chance!"
"Ah?" Liu Yifei thought for a moment before coming up with a suitable response, "Blind self-confidence is just arrogance, don't you think?"
"Confidence is built on strength, while arrogance is built on bubbles!"
"Where on earth do you get your confidence?"
"I've saved almost a hundred thousand. All the other roles are cast—we're just missing you as the female lead!"
"..."
In her heart, Liu Yifei had already surrendered. A friend had once told her that people who direct movies all have bizarre thought processes—in short, they are total oddballs and freaks. It seemed Huo Ge had a rather stubborn streak as well.
Yet, Huo Ge's persistence didn't make her feel annoyed.
"My mom probably won't agree to me taking this movie!"
Liu Yifei used a formidable excuse to reject Huo Ge, since she was still under eighteen and needed her mother's consent for any job.
"I can convince your mother. But you're already sixteen—back in ancient times, you could already be the mother of two children. You can have your own thoughts."
"I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Things are great right now, I don't want to grow up too fast!"
"If you want to become a superstar, you must have your own mind, otherwise you'll just become a money-making machine for your manager and the company!"
"I never thought about being a superstar. It's my mom who wants me to be an actress. She said I'm not that great at studying, and being an office worker won't get me anywhere, while marrying into a wealthy family and being a miserable housewife would be too painful. She'd rather I make more money on my own so I can do whatever I want."
"No, true freedom isn't about being able to do whatever you want; it's about being able to *not* do what you don't want to do! It's like when you don't want to take on a role the company arranged for you—you just have to say, 'I'm not doing it!' and the company won't dare do a thing to you. That is what you call freedom!"
"..."
Liu Yifei pondered such philosophical words and spread her hands. "Fine, I can't argue with you!"
Huo Ge pitched another idea, "What if your mother acts in it with you? Would that work?"
"Ah?"
"We change the script to a mother-daughter story—dual female leads! That makes sense, right?"
"This~," Liu Yifei thought of her mother's calculating and petty personality. "That's going to be tough!"
Huo Ge brazenly declared, "Just tell your mother this movie is going overseas to be exhibited at festivals. Who knows, your mother might even have a shot at winning Best Actress!"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Liu Yifei had wanted to say that her mother wouldn't even deign to look at a movie script like this, but having Huo Ge's bold talk blast into her ears instantly startled her into a fit of choking coughs.
Seeing that Liu Yifei was struggling for breath, Huo Ge hurried over and gently patted her back. "Are you alright?"
"Xixi!"
Chen Cheng rushed down in a hurry, handing over a cup of water so Liu Yifei could drink and catch her breath.
After taking a small sip of warm water, Liu Yifei caught her breath and her complexion improved a little. "I'm fine."
Chen Cheng reminded her, "Xixi, we've been out too long. Let's go back, there's another scene you need to do for reshoots in a bit."
Liu Yifei handed the script back to Huo Ge. "Your script isn't bad!"
"Thanks!" Huo Ge didn't take the script. "Keep this script and read it. If you want to act in it or if you find any investors who are interested, contact me anytime!"
"Okay." Fretting over how to return the favor, Liu Yifei simply accepted the script.
As she turned to leave, she noticed that the line on the fishing rod was broken. It must have happened when a fish took the bait and thrashed free while she was talking to Huo Ge, snapping the line in the process. "Your fishing line is broken!"
"It's fine," Huo Ge picked up the bamboo pole and plunged the tip back into the water. "I'm like Master Jiang Taigong fishing—only the willing take the bait!"
"Am I a fish?!"
"Yes, you're a mermaid!"
Liu Yifei left with a smile, feeling that chatting with Huo Ge was a relaxed and pleasant thing to do.
...
Huo Ge continued fishing. With no line, he simply extended the fishing rod directly into the stream, where a few fish leisurely swam past it.
The fish weren't biting, but Huo Ge wasn't in a rush. He just sat there quietly, watching the little fish swimming about in the water.
A while ago when Huo Ge went to the hospital to visit Liu Yifei, he had actually brought the script with him, but he hadn't expected Liu Yifei's mother, Kong Xiaoli, to be there as well, so he hadn't dared to take the script out.
He knew Kong Xiaoli would certainly look down on the movie script he wrote, so he had intended to convince Liu Yifei directly.
He just hadn't expected that he never got the chance to put the script into Liu Yifei's hands.
It just so happened that he was fishing here today when Liu Yifei came out for a stroll, and that was how he finally managed to give the script to her. Next up, it would depend on whether Liu Yifei could actually star in it, though he felt the probability of her doing so was very slim.
Liu Yifei had already filmed three TV dramas by now and had gained a bit of fame in the industry. Kong Xiaoli had mentioned to a director in conversation that several major film and television companies had already started negotiating to sign Liu Yifei.
He had almost saved enough money for this movie. If Liu Yifei didn't mind the low pay and came to act in it, he really did have the confidence to finish shooting within a week.
If he waited until Liu Yifei became even more famous before making this movie, the budget would probably fall far short of paying Liu Yifei's salary!
Of course, finding another actress to play the part would work too, but he felt this movie suited him right now, and also suited Liu Yifei right now.
"Splash~"
A stone flew over Huo Ge's head and smashed into the stream, sending a ring of ripples splashing outward!
Without even turning his head, Huo Ge knew it was Qi Tongwei making trouble behind him. "If you scare the fish away, there won't be any grilled fish for dinner tonight!"
Qi Tongwei's bantering voice rang out, "I actually wanted to grill a mermaid. How come you didn't catch one?"
"The line snapped, I couldn't even hook a little fish!" Huo Ge lifted the bamboo pole.
"Yo," Qi Tongwei jumped down from above. "What a pity. Right when the fish was about to bite, it figured out your scheme and high-tailed it!"
"What scheme are you talking about?"
"Picking up chicks under the guise of filming a movie!"
"Heh, people with filthy minds see filth in everything!"
"Your assessment of yourself is spot on!"
"..."