Chapter 86

After a period of intensive promotion, the movie "Man Without Identity" was officially released on September 10. After experiencing a failure, Qiao Bailu became even more nervous. She was absent-minded all day and couldn't sleep at night. She kept her eyes open waiting for dawn. Before six o'clock, she hurriedly called the studio to inquire about the first day's box office.

Zhou Mengyao didn't care at first. Whether it was success or failure, she would always support Bai Lu. But seeing how nervous Bai Lu was, she came over early in the morning to look at the data on the computer. When she received Qiao Bai Lu's call, she smiled and said, "I knew you would call early."

"How's the box office?" Qiao Bailu asked directly without bothering to exchange pleasantries. Zhou Mengyao slid the mouse twice and said with a smile: "The good news is that it didn't fail. The first day's box office paid back the investment, 3 million. The bad news is that this box office is actually not that good."

Things like box office actually depend on what you are comparing with. If you compare it with art films, the box office is naturally very good. It is already a great thing for an art film to take over one million.

But this movie is essentially a commercial film. Even though it portrays human nature, its depth is not as good as that of art films, and its connotation is just that, so it is still classified as a commercial film.

Think about last year's low-budget film Homecoming, which made 20 million yuan in its premiere and more than 100 million yuan in its first week. It was a 2D comedy without any substance, just a funny movie.

Compared to movies like this, the performance of People Without Identity is a bit too weak.

"It didn't fail, did it?" Qiao Bailu couldn't help but smile. This result could only be considered mediocre, neither good nor bad, just mediocre. There was no expected surprise, nor a tragic failure.

However, that kind of loss was more obvious than success or failure. For a moment, Qiao Bailu was speechless. She didn't know what to say, but she felt that nothing she said was appropriate. She also felt depressed and didn't want to speak.

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Bailu rubbed her forehead with her hand. Suddenly, she felt very tired. She fell on the bed, but she felt anxious. She couldn't open her eyes, but she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was clearer than ever before.

Think about the script, the filming process, the box office, online comments, and media coverage.

After all, she is now a famous screenwriter. In terms of TV dramas, her achievements can be said to be ranked among the top ten in the industry. She has high output and good quality. Every time a script comes out, even a big company like Shengrong will send someone to contact her without even notifying them.

Last year, Sheng Rong even offered a high price to buy a play. But she didn't even have time to tailor a play for the actors in the studio, so how could she accept such a deal?

Her name even became a guarantee of ratings, and every time the media mentioned it, it was in a tone of praise. Firstly, it was because of Teacher Zhou He's face, secondly, it was because of her real ability, and thirdly, it was because of Zhou Mengyao's influence.

But, she failed again and again in the film industry. Oh, yes, it's not even the third time yet, but twice. She didn't want such a lukewarm response at all. Even if she was scolded by ten times as many film critics, she could still find out her shortcomings.

Why do all those critics keep silent when it comes to her movies? This is what I fear the most. If they criticize her, it means they still have expectations. But if they keep silent, it makes people feel that they knew the failure of the movie in advance, so they are not willing to spend time and energy to find faults.

When watching a movie, a good film critic has to work much harder than an average audience. If they want to find fault, they have to have something to say, from the pictures to the music, from the plot to the details, and they can't just make up things. They put in ten or twenty times more energy than an average audience. Whether it's a commercial film or an art film, a good movie, the film critic will take the initiative to watch it.

If even film critics are unwilling to write reviews for a movie, it will be a complete failure.

Having not slept well the whole night and now feeling very irritable, Qiao Bailu felt a dull pain in her head. She rolled over in bed, stared at the ceiling for a while, then got up helplessly and turned on the computer.

There aren't many reviews of movies on the forum, and if I find one or two, they're vague. I went to Xinbo again and looked through the accounts of several big-name film critics. The latest blog post was the one about King Kong last month.

Qiao Bailu lay on the bed, holding her chin and staring at the computer screen, her fingers moving the mouse intermittently. She posted her new blog last night to celebrate the release of her new movie. Qiao Zhenting and others forwarded it one by one, and there were quite a few comments below, all of which were from fans who said they would go to show their support.

I guess today’s box office is contributed by fans, right?

"Sister, are the box office figures out?" At around eight o'clock, Qiao Zhenting was knocking on the door outside. He was in a good mood and slept very well at night. When Qiao Bailu went to open the door, she saw that he was full of energy, with a head of short curly hair that looked very imposing.

"It failed. The first day's box office was only 3 million." Qiao Bailu said weakly. Qiao Zhenting's eyes widened: "You are asking too much, aren't you? 3 million, it's a payback. Compared with the first time, it's a lot of progress. The first movie took more than a week to pay back. It's a payback today. No matter how much you make in the next few days, it's pure profit. Why are you still not happy?"

The corners of Qiao Bailu's mouth twitched: "Are you satisfied with this?"

Qiao Zhenting nodded with a smile: "Yes, yes, I never thought before that I could make millions a year. This is all thanks to you, sister. If you hadn't let me drop out of school and chosen this path for me, I wouldn't be where I am today. Sister, you are the guiding light in my life, my mentor in my life, and the most important guide in my life!"

As she spoke, she gestured with indignation, "I will always believe in you, sister, you have never let me down. You said this time would be better than the first time, and sure enough, we recovered our costs in one day this time, and we made money in the next few days. Even if the box office is decreasing every day, I calculated that we can make at least another three million. This is faster than making money from TV shows. TV shows take one or two years to shoot, at least half a year, but we only shot this movie for three months. In three months, we made three million! Sister, you should write more movie scripts in the future, the kind of modern dramas that take a short shooting time and a shorter cycle, we will definitely make more money."

After a pause, he added, "Moreover, each time we made more money than the last. The first time we made no profit or loss, the second time we made three million, the third time we made six million, the fourth time we made nine million! The fifth time we made more than ten million! My God, I have never seen so much money. Tell me, if we convert it all into cash and pile it in the room, how much would we have?"

Looking at Qiao Zhenting's shining eyes, Qiao Bailu was completely speechless - what he said made so much sense and there was no way to refute it.

Qiao Zhenting smiled and stretched out his hand, holding Qiao Bailu's shoulders: "Didn't my brother-in-law say that he would be back today? It's just right, we should go celebrate! Let's have a big meal! Come on, tell me where you want to go? I made money this time, I'll treat you!"

Qiao Bailu slapped his hand away: "You're dreaming. Even if you can make three million, you'll get the lion's share. But there's also Xiao Dingran and Lin Xiao's pay, as well as the director and crew's salary. It'd be great if you could get one million!"

Qiao Zhenting was a little disappointed: "Only one million?" After thinking for a while, he sighed: "Forget it, one million is not a small amount. Back then, when I just debuted, I filmed a TV series and it took me a year to make one million. It's only been three months, and I'm very satisfied. As a person, the most important thing is to be happy, right? Hurry up, there is only one chance. If you don't tell me where to go for a big meal, you won't have a chance next time."

Qiao Bailu took a deep breath: "Eat, eat, eat! Just eat!"

With Qiao Zhenting looking shocked, Qiao Bailu held out her hand: "I've decided. For today's dinner, we'll go to the Royal Court Hotel!"

Qiao Zhenting's legs went limp and he almost fell down. He quickly reached out to hold onto the door frame and said, "Sister, please give me a way out. My wallet will be much thinner if I go to the Imperial Court every time. Can you bear to see your brother eat only steamed buns and pickles for the next six months?"

Qiao Bailu nodded vigorously: "You have to be patient, hurry up, your brother-in-law said he will be back at 11 o'clock, let's drive directly to pick him up, go change your clothes, remember to change into something better, otherwise the imperial court will not let you in."

Qiao Zhenting went to change his clothes with a bitter face. It was still early when he finished packing, so he went to the restaurant downstairs to have breakfast and walked around the studio. Qiao Zhenting was very open-minded, but that didn't mean that others were also open-minded.

Although she was not as obsessed as Qiao Bailu, she was definitely unhappy, so she planned to hold a mobilization meeting to comfort her companions.

When Zhou Mengyao saw the two of them coming in, she decided to hold a meeting and called all the important members of the crew and the important members of the director team. She first talked about the first day box office and then said, "I know you must feel a little disappointed and feel that you didn't achieve the results you expected, but what I want to say is that although this movie was not successful, it didn't fail either..."

Zhou Mengyao was much more talkative than Qiao Zhenting. She started with the analysis of the film market and put all the box office of the previous two years together to make a very intuitive comparison: "So, you see, we didn't fail, right? We didn't seek sponsorship this time. Everything was done by our studio, and we did the publicity ourselves. This kind of achievement is completely and independently ours. It made money, and that's success, don't you understand?"

Compared to Qiao Zhenting, Zhou Mengyao's words were more inspiring. After an hour's meeting, the frustration and disappointment on everyone's faces disappeared, and they were all full of energy. Qiao Bailu couldn't help but give Zhou Mengyao a thumbs up.

Zhou Mengyao patted her shoulder with a smile: "As a president, you have to be good at talking. It doesn't matter if you talk a lot, but you have to be able to inspire people. Don't worry too much. Each time is better than the last. The next time will definitely be better. Okay, okay, didn't you say before that you would welcome Xie Jiayuan? Go quickly and don't waste time."

Qiao Bailu nodded, said goodbye, and took Qiao Zhenting to pick up Xie Jiayuan. The research institute was quite far away, and there were many guards at the door. Qiao Bailu couldn't get in, so she could only wait outside.

At eleven o'clock, Xie Jiayuan came out. When he saw the car, his eyes lit up and he hurried over: "Why are you here? Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"No, I just arrived. Is this research finished?" Qiao Bailu asked with a smile. Xie Jiayuan nodded: "Well, the finished product has come out. The next step is to put it into production. Guess how much I made this time?"

Qiao Bailu blinked: "Didn't you say last time that if this experiment goes well, we can make about 500,000 yuan?"

Xie Jiayuan flipped his hands with a little pride: "This number, the experimental results are too good, the simulated limbs are very flexible, beyond expectations, so this time the research funds have been doubled."

Anyway, the company can earn more. Think about the accidents, car accidents, and congenital disabilities every year. Even if an operation only costs a few hundred thousand, the research funds can be almost earned back in a year. What's more, limb reattachment surgery is not something that can be done with just a hundred thousand.

"One million!" Qiao Bailu exclaimed, and Xie Jiayuan nodded: "This is not the best news, guess what the best news is?"

Qiao Bailu shook her head, indicating that she couldn't guess. Xie Jiayuan took out a few pieces of paper from his bag: "Take a look."

Qiao Bailu flipped through it and was even more surprised: "You have been hired as a researcher? But, you have a doctorate degree..."

"It's September now, and I will have enough credits to graduate by the end of the year." His two research experiences have added a lot of credits to him, and he can also master the textbook knowledge if he works hard.

"I will apply for a postdoctoral degree at the end of the year and study while working. My plan is to start independent research within three years. Bailu, please wait a little longer. Our lives will get better and better."

Xie Jiayuan held Qiao Bailu's hand and said with a smile: "I am very grateful to you for sticking with me when I couldn't make money and never giving up on our relationship. From now on, I finally don't have to wrong you anymore. I can give you a better life, and our future will be better and better."

Qiao Bailu nodded with a smile: "I knew that this day would come for you, congratulations!"

Xie Jiayuan leaned over to kiss Qiao Bailu, and Qiao Zhenting coughed hard in front of him, "Do you think I don't exist? You two can stop showing off your affection, don't show it in front of me, do you think I don't have a girlfriend?"

"By the way, didn't you say before that the movie was going to be released? If I remember correctly, today is the second day, right? How is the box office?" Xie Jiayuan asked hurriedly. Qiao Bailu shook her head: "Not good, but not particularly bad either. I can only say that I didn't lose money."

"Compared with the first one?" Xie Jiayuan asked. Qiao Bailu couldn't help laughing: "Why do you all say we have to compare with the first one? It was obviously my lack of experience and bad timing that caused the failure of the first one. If it hadn't happened to Director Li's blockbuster, maybe it would have become a dark horse. Forget it, don't comfort me. Zhenting and Mengyao have already comforted me. You don't have to worry."

Seeing that she really didn't look reluctant, Xie Jiayuan felt relieved and reached out to rub her hair. "Don't take it too seriously. One or two failures are nothing. When we were doing experiments, we had at least hundreds of failures. If we were unwilling to move forward just because of one or two failures, we wouldn't have achieved today's results."

"Brother-in-law, how many hundreds of times can you fail in your experiments?" Qiao Zhenting asked with great interest. Xie Jiayuan smiled and nodded, "Yes, the limbs and nerves are connected, and the reaction time cannot exceed five seconds. Even if it is only 5.5, it is a failure. At the beginning, it was more than ten seconds. You opened and closed your eyes, thinking that time passed quickly, but in fact, it was unsuccessful."

"The most painful thing when doing experiments is not being able to blink. Sometimes when you are looking at data, if you blink, the data will jump ahead, and there will be errors when you retest. So sometimes, you have to stare at it for three minutes without blinking. It is very uncomfortable. If you don't believe it, you can try it yourself."

"There is a man in our lab who stared at data for a long time without blinking for three days, and his eyes were almost damaged. But we cannot replace him because he is the most experienced in the process and others will make mistakes."

I picked out some interesting things in the laboratory and told them about them to liven up the atmosphere, and when we arrived at the hotel, everyone was in a good mood.

The service and food at Royal Court are indeed worthy of the price, because the people who come here are either rich or noble. Qiao Bailu and her friends did not ask for a private room, so they found a small table in the lobby, sat down, called the waiter and started ordering food.

Qiao Zhenting covered his chest and looked at Qiao Bailu pitifully: "Sister, please be merciful. By the way, my brother-in-law made a lot of money this time. Otherwise, let my brother-in-law treat us?"

Qiao Bailu ordered another dish and rolled her eyes at him: "A real man should keep his word. You said you would treat us all, you can't go back on your word. If you go back on your word, you'll be like a puppy. When you go back, you'll have to learn to bark like a dog, lying on the ground and barking like Xiaomao."

In fact, Xiaomao has grown into Damao now. Some time ago, Qiao Bailu and Qiao Zhenting went to film a movie, and Xie Jiayuan was not at home, so they had to send Xiaomao to foster care first, and they haven't had time to take him back yet.

Qiao Bailu turned to look at Xie Jiayuan: "Please pick up Xiao Mao when you go back. Don't forget to remind me."

Xie Jiayuan nodded and looked at the menu: "Six dishes are enough. There are only three of us. Just enough to fill us up. Don't order too much. If we can't finish it, it will be wasted."

Qiao Zhenting nodded quickly, reached out and grabbed the menu, ordered a bowl of soup, and returned the menu to the waiter.

"Are you going to write a TV script or a movie script next?" Xie Jiayuan asked in a low voice. Qiao Bailu sighed, "TV scripts are easier to write. I plan to write TV scripts while taking classes with my teacher. I always feel that I still have a lot of shortcomings in the film field. I moved too fast before."

Xie Jiayuan nodded: "That's fine, let's go to Teacher Zhou's house together later. I haven't seen Teacher Zhou for a long time. Have you been in touch during this period?"

"Of course I do. I go there at least once a month." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. She had to take Qiao Zhenting with her. As an older sister, that's how worrying she is.

Qiao Zhenting, who was sitting opposite him, saw that the two of them were almost together. He took out his phone and browsed the internet out of boredom. He refreshed the page and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He read the page carefully twice before quickly handing the phone to Qiao Bailu: "Sister, this is the announcement from Shengrong."

Bella Qiao scanned it and her expression changed: “The Queen of Change was written by Huang Qiwen?”

Qiao Bailu's own movie was released, so she naturally had to pay attention to some movies released at the same time. The Queen of Variety was released on September 8th, two days earlier than People Without Identity, and the box office on the first day was 8 million. At that time, Qiao Bailu even exclaimed in praise that, after all, it was a big film and television company and they were willing to spend money.

Queen of Change tells the story of a fashion queen's road to success. Various luxury goods appear one after another in the film, and they are all authentic. The cost of such a film must be at least tens of millions.

When the film was first released, Shengrong deliberately concealed the information of the screenwriter and the entire film. Why did Shengrong suddenly release this news?

Could it be that they are planning to promote Huang Qiwen again?

When Qiao Bailu thought about her own failure this time and the success of Huang Qiwen, her face became even uglier. If Sheng Rong really wanted to promote Huang Qiwen again, they would definitely not miss this opportunity.

To promote someone, you must first have a stepping stone. After the last incident between Qiao Bailu and Huang Qiwen, everyone in the entertainment industry knew that they were not on good terms. Don't say that Sheng Rong's release date was a coincidence, it just happened to be two days earlier than Qiao Bailu's!

If he failed, Sheng Rong probably wouldn't have said anything, but his result was better than Qiao Bailu's. So Sheng Rong couldn't hold back and immediately released the news the next day.

Qiao Bailu could easily guess what would happen next with her toes.

Xie Jiayuan also saw the webpage on his phone and frowned: "Sheng Rong's method... is really..."

Qiao Zhenting was very dissatisfied: "How despicable! Sister, you should call Sister Mengyao immediately and let her deal with this matter. We can't become Huang Qiwen's stepping stone!"

As they were talking, Zhou Mengyao called. Coincidentally, the call was also about Sheng Rong. "I just read the entertainment news. News spreads fast online. I guess the news there has just been released. It will probably be in the newspaper tomorrow. But the report in the newspaper is not just about Huang Qiwen being the screenwriter. There is a 99% chance that you two will be mentioned together."

Qiao Bailu pursed her lips, and Zhou Mengyao continued, "You can imagine what they will say. Are you having dinner now? After dinner, come to the studio with Zhenting, and we will discuss how to deal with it. If Xie Jiayuan wants to come, then come with him. Don't take it too seriously. Even in the worst case, they will just say that you have no talent in movies. Whether you have talent or not is not up to them. If you work harder in the future and give them a slap, they will change their tune. Aren't there many people in the entertainment industry who are said to have no talent by the media? Besides, your audience base is there, so we have to be more generous, right? Okay, I won't delay your dinner, so just rest assured. I'm hanging up. Senior invited me to dinner today, and I'm going to have a big meal."

In any case, Zhou Mengyao's relaxed attitude did comfort Qiao Bailu a little. At least, her appetite for food returned.

Chapter 87

Xie Jiayuan had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he followed the siblings to the studio. Zhou Mengyao hadn't come back yet, and Lin Xiao and Xiao Dingran were already sitting in the conference room. They had all read the report on Xinbo, and their brows were furrowed so much that they could pinch a fly to death.

But when he saw Qiao Bailu, he had to comfort her: "Don't worry, Huang Qiwen's reputation is already bad. Even if she wants to turn things around this time, she can't wash away the past. In fact, I'm confused, is Sheng Rong blinded by shit? Even in this situation, he still wants to support Huang Qiwen!"

Xiao Dingran was much calmer and knocked on the table: "I think this matter is not between Huang Qiwen and Bai Lu, but between our studio and Shengrong. Our studio has developed too fast and too well in the past two years."

Since the studio opened and Qiao Bailu's first work started filming, their studio has not taken any detours, starting from minor fame to major fame, and then to superstardom, everything has been smooth and unobstructed, whatever they film becomes a hit, and whoever they promote becomes a hit.

Back then, when the studio was just opened, everyone, including Zhou Mengyao, was brand new and had no experience at all. The actors had just graduated or were not yet graduated, the director had just graduated, the staff had just graduated, and even the president had not yet graduated.

Such a group of people should have run into obstacles everywhere, and then either achieve nirvana or never rise again. However, although they occasionally encounter difficulties, many people have reached out to help.

By now, the studio has established a firm foothold in the entertainment industry.

In the past, the entertainment industry was divided into five parts. Shengrong, Baina, and Hailan were the two most famous film and television companies in mainland China, Minghong was the best film and television company in Hong Kong, and Lieqi was the most well-known film and television company in Taiwan.

Of course, the studio is not as good as these five, but it is already at the top of the second-tier. In other words, apart from these five film and television companies, their studio's status in the entertainment industry cannot be underestimated. If they take another step up, they may be able to squeeze out one of them and become one of the top five.

Baina has the country as its backer, so no matter how the entertainment industry changes, its leading position will never be changed, so Baina never worries. Hailan is the strongest in singing, and it has no need to lower its status and fight against a studio with a different nature.

Only Shengrong, although an old subsidiary, does not have the magnanimity of its elders. It wants to swallow the entire entertainment industry into its own stomach and wish that all the most popular people in the circle came from their company.

Lin Xiao frowned: "The atmosphere in their company..."

Qiao Zhenting shook his head: "Hey, if we really go up against Sheng Rong this time, what are our chances of winning?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment. To put it in an analogy, their studio was a growing cub that had been pampered all its life, whereas Sheng Rong was an adult beast that had been through many hardships. When the two sides faced off, one could tell who would win without even looking.

Qiao Bailu lay on the table depressed: "We don't have the strength to go against Shengrong now. The simplest example is to use personal connections to block all film and television bases from opening to us, or when we need actors, we can work with other companies and not send anyone..."

A TV series cannot be shot by only one or two people. There are one or two protagonists, three or four supporting roles, seven or eight passers-by, a dozen cannon fodders, and dozens of extras. It is impossible to squat at the film and television base every time waiting for extras, right?

Extras are easy to say, but not everyone can play the role of a supporting actor. There is also a film and television base, a props team, and a camera team. Talent is the most important thing.

If this aspect cannot be blocked, there are other options, such as blocking their opportunities to appear on TV programs, squeezing out their publicity, and finding people to persuade the authorities to ban their TV programs. Shengrong can do all these with just a little effort.

They do have connections. The introduction by Teacher Zhou and the connections of Zhou Mengyao's father can also help them build a network of people. But just like the analogy just now, on one side are the immature little beasts that are not sure whether they can grow up, and on the other side are the adult beasts. If the network of people is maintained by the prey caught by these beasts, then what the studio can provide is completely incomparable to what Shengrong can provide.

"Then what should we do? Are we just going to let Sheng Rong trample us underfoot?" Lin Xiao was a little anxious. Zhou Mengyao's voice rang out outside: "How is that possible? We are not dead, how can we let them trample on us? Why are you all so discouraged? Things haven't come to that point yet, okay? Regardless of whether Sheng Rong intends to suppress us or not, can't we just regard this incident as a unilateral challenge from Huang Qiwen?"

Zhou Mengyao walked in with a clatter, threw her bag on the sofa, and turned around in the boss chair: "Shengrong is such a big company, it also needs to save face. They can't just post a notice saying they want to suppress a small studio. It's like a duel between the two sides. It's immoral to bully the weak. There may not be many people in this world who help others in times of need, but there are many people who stand on the shore and shout a few words. As long as we stand at the top of morality, Shengrong will have to be more cautious."

As he spoke, he touched his chin with his hand. "It's still like a martial arts competition. We are young, so we can use our full strength and weapons. They are older, so they have to be restrained and can't use weapons or use their full strength. This is our advantage. Not to mention, during a martial arts competition, there are referees who will call a halt at the right time, and there is also a rule of stopping at a certain point."

The corners of Qiao Bailu's mouth twitched. Why did she feel that the majestic beast in her heart had turned into a toothless old beast after hearing what Zhou Mengyao said?

"Alright, alright, let's not discuss Shengrong's affairs for now. As for us, we should just deal with whatever they come up with and we should just respond accordingly." Zhou Mengyao clapped her hands with a smile, turned on the computer, and connected it to the projector behind her: "Let's talk about this matter first. Huang Qiwen's movie Queen of Variety and Bai Lu's movie Man Without Identity will be released on September 8 and September 10 respectively. The first-day box office of Queen of Variety was 8 million, and Man Without Identity was 3 million. When promoting it, Shengrong only talked about Lin Chaoyang's movie. Who is Lin Chaoyang? He is a famous director. His most famous work is The Mute Girl. He has won a Hong Kong Film Award..."

Let's start with the filming crew of the two films. Even if the directors over there are not the top or the most famous, they are first-rate directors. Although the directors here have several successful works, their films are only second-rate, and they are not even third-rate in the film industry.

The leading actor over there is a first-line actor in the film industry, while Qiao Zhenting over here has just entered the film industry and this is his second work.

"So, in fact, judging from the cost, their movies are not particularly successful. But people outside the industry don't look at these data. They only look at the box office..."

Zhou Mengyao turned the page of the data list. Qiao Bailu blinked and asked, "Mengyao, you have summarized so many things in just half a day?"

"That's right, who am I? I'm the president. If there's a problem, I'll naturally take a step forward before you. When I saw the news, I immediately started working on this. I didn't even have a good meal. You have to compensate me later."

Everyone was young, so there weren't many rules during the meeting. They just joked around if they wanted to. Zhou Mengyao raised her chin with a bit of pride and said, "You've ignored Senior Zhao. Look how good I am to you. Otherwise, why don't you abandon your Xie Jiayuan and throw yourself into my arms?"

Qiao Bailu raised her eyebrows: "Don't do that. If Senior Zhao challenges me to a fight, I don't think I can beat him with my physique."

Zhou Mengyao winked at her, "It's okay. I'll protect you when the time comes. Okay, let's stop talking nonsense and continue. There's a 90% chance that Shengrong didn't announce the screenwriter's information before because they were waiting for this opportunity. As soon as our box office came out, they immediately revealed who the screenwriter was. The intention is obvious, stepping on Bai Lu to whitewash Huang Qiwen. I thought about it before, we have two ways to go. One is to keep silent and let them jump around on their own. If no one says anything, they won't jump around for long. But the disadvantage of this method is also very obvious, because our box office is really not that good, so if we don't say anything, it's very likely that we have tacitly admitted that we can't compare to Huang Qiwen."

"Of course, people with eyes can tell the pros and cons, but Shengrong certainly has a lot of trolls. The second way is to argue with reason and present all kinds of data. The advantages are well-founded, but the disadvantages are that they violate the rules of the industry."

Zhou Mengyao smiled and said, "As everyone knows, in the film industry, everyone basically focuses on the first-day box office and the final total box office. No one will peel off the skin of the entire movie. We are happy for a while, but everyone in the entire industry will be offended by us."

"Come on, let's brainstorm. Let's all share our ideas and try to find two better solutions than this one." Zhou Mengyao clapped her hands. "This matter must be resolved as soon as possible. There is only one requirement: we cannot ruin our own reputation. Therefore, our studio does not advocate shirking responsibility and finding scapegoats."

In fact, this method is very common. When the director has a relatively high status, the box office problem will be attributed to the screenwriter. When the screenwriter has a relatively high status, the box office problem will be the director's business, or the actors, or the props team. In short, someone has to take this responsibility.

Zhou Mengyao cut off this road with just one sentence. Everyone couldn't tell what they felt. They were definitely anxious, and it would be even more difficult to handle the situation if they couldn't shirk responsibility. But they were also happy because they didn't have to worry about becoming a scapegoat anymore.

"I have an idea. Can we find a bigger piece of news to attract everyone's attention?" Xiao Dingran said, "To be honest, when the audience watches a movie, not many people actually pay attention to the box office... If it's not too high and needs to be hyped, generally no one would mention it, right?"

Zhou Mengyao nodded, then frowned: "Indeed, but at present, there is no big news in the entertainment industry..."

"We can ask some entertainment magazines." Lin Xiao also made a suggestion, but Qiao Bailu disagreed. "Although no one has noticed it for the time being, the matter is still here. There will always be a day when it will be brought up. We can't leave any hidden dangers. Mengyao, you said that the industry rules do not allow the release of various movie data, so is it not okay to release our own data?"

Zhou Mengyao blinked, thought for a while, and suddenly realized: "You want everyone to see our progress?"

Qiao Bailu nodded: "We have been working hard. It is not difficult to admit that we are not as good as others. Even if Huang Qiwen succeeds this time, so what? Her criminal record is there. Although I failed, I have been making progress."

Zhou Mengyao disagreed with this method: "You have never seen the dark side of the entertainment industry. Even if you admit defeat this time, they will not see your progress. They will say more, such as you have no talent in movies."

"I have no talent, so what I want to tell everyone is that hard work pays off." Qiao Bailu nodded generously. If she were really a girl in her twenties, she would definitely not be able to stand everyone's denial of her talent, but Qiao Bailu didn't care. She was not really that talented. All her success was accumulated.

In her previous life, she worked diligently for five or six years to become a Little Pink, and in this life, she toiled for nearly ten years to write one TV series after another. Others saw that she never failed, but what she saw was her own sweat.

Without the accumulation of her previous life, how could she know what the market needs? Without the efforts of this life, how could she write a script with a more complete plot and more vivid characters?

Having talent is certainly a great blessing, but not having talent does not mean that you cannot succeed.

The title of young genius is indeed very attractive, but in comparison, Qiao Bailu feels that the reputation of being down-to-earth and hardworking sounds better.

"And, most importantly, I want to tell our fans that they are the ones who accompany us in our growth. Nothing is more important than companionship, right?" Qiao Bailu said with a smile. Zhou Mengyao couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.

If you put it this way, fans will definitely feel more present, right? People prefer recognition, and most people are willing to let the person they like know when they like him/her.

If their idols not only know about them, but also grow up step by step because of their love, they will definitely like them more, right? Maybe, they will also be more cohesive.

But at the same time, this method also has its drawbacks. This sense of achievement and identity is based on Qiao Bailu's step-by-step improvement and advancement. What if Qiao Bailu fails next time?

Then the strength that has been gathered this time will be dispersed even more severely next time because of Qiao Bailu's failure.

"Our main target is Huang Qiwen." Zhou Mengyao frowned. If Qiao Bailu's data was released, the whole Shengrong would be at risk. Because Shengrong started this war, Qiao Bailu's data was more like a challenge. If Shengrong didn't release it, it would mean they were guilty. If they did...

In general, this method is still unreliable, because when you publish your own information, you are also forcing others to publish it, which is against industry regulations.

"How about leaking the news that we are filming a TV series?" Li Xue said, and Chen Xueyi nodded quickly: "I think this is fine. Bai Lu's TV series are well written and everyone likes to watch them. When they see a new script, they will definitely be happy."

"It's not a good idea to announce the filming of a TV series at this time." Another director shook his head: "It's like they are escaping and admitting that Bai Lu failed in the film industry, so they turned back to the TV industry."

"I think the first method is better. People can't see the more secret data, but the data that is exposed can be seen by everyone. The audience is not stupid." Another director said in a deep voice: "The more we talk, the more guilty we appear. It's better not to say anything and let those with eyes discover it themselves."

Qiao Bailu lowered her head and looked through the new blog. It turned out that the new blog had become a hot topic at this moment. The title was "Competition between Two Screenwriters", which was very straightforward.

"I support the first method." After looking at it for a long time, Qiao Bailu also raised her hand: "No matter what I say now, the other party will have a way to deal with it. Either they will say that I am quibbling or that I am guilty. I will simply not say anything and let them make a fuss. In the next year, I will not try to write a movie script for the time being..."

Zhou Mengyao immediately became anxious: "With just a few clowns, you don't want to write the script? I don't know when you became so weak! Why don't you write it! Our studio has plenty of money! Besides, the first part is to break even, and the second part has already started to make money. Don't you have the confidence that you can make more money in the third part?"

Qiao Bailu couldn't help laughing: "Listen to me, it's not like I haven't written anything yet. I have to find the reason for my failure. My teacher called me just now and asked me to go over for dinner tomorrow. I plan to study with my teacher for another year. This year I plan to write four TV scripts, one for Li Xue, one for Xue Yi, one for Lin Xiao and one for Xiao Dingran. You all should prepare. We will start filming next month. I won't be responsible for the actors this time. I will give the script to Mengyao later. Mengyao, you can find someone yourself."

Zhou Mengyao blinked: "What about Zhenting?"

"Didn't I ask you to buy a script last time?" Qiao Bailu asked, and patted Qiao Zhenting again: "I used to lead you, now it's your turn to lead me, you should become famous quickly, if you are more famous, I won't be afraid of failure, okay?"

Qiao Zhenting was overjoyed, and quickly patted his chest, saying proudly: "Sister, don't worry, I will work harder and will definitely protect you in the future!"

He used to be protected by his sister, but now it's his turn to protect her! Hahahaha, a real man finally has a place to show his abilities!

Zhou Mengyao was a little unhappy: "If it succeeds, the media will talk about your talent in movies..."

"Hey, how can I just care about what others say every day? If I can't write a good script, will I keep dragging Zhenting down?" Qiao Bailu thought it through: "Hurry up, once the team is formed, I will go to study."

So, after discussing for most of the day, they decided to adopt the original approach - silence is golden. No matter what people said online, Qiao Bailu would just regard it as a group of internet trolls hired by Sheng Rong.

There were quite a few comforting comments under her and Zhenting’s new blogs. Qiao Zhenting posted a photo of Xiaomao - Xiaomao was finally brought back. By the way, why do I feel like Xiaomao has gained weight?

What Qiao Bailu posted was a picture of herself and Xie Jiayuan walking the dog hand in hand - walking the dog with someone, Xiao Mao almost didn’t recognize someone, someone, do you dare to stay away a little longer next time?

Xie Jiayuan’s new Weibo account has only a few hundred followers. He often disappears, and the page is very clean. I just forwarded it this time - Dear, you are responsible for being beautiful, and I am responsible for making money to support the family.

Qiao Bailu originally wanted to tell everyone that she was in a good mood and that everyone didn't need to worry too much, but she didn't expect that after Xie Jiayuan's words, everyone suddenly became lively. Qiao Bailu was a little surprised, and then she remembered that it seemed that Hu Bin's song had not been released yet at this time?

It's bad. It's all my fault for speaking too quickly that day and letting Xie Jiayuan remember it.

However, her and Qiao Zhenting's fans are really supportive. With just this one sentence, when she came back from walking the dog, it had become a hot topic - the national couple.

Qiao Bailu couldn't help but twitch her lips. Is it so easy to get the national at this time? First they were the national siblings, then the national couple, why couldn't she become the national beauty?

Because Xie Jiayuan's identity had never been exposed, he was not very active on the Internet, and even only showed up once or twice a year or six months. Everyone only knew that there was such a person and they were not familiar with him, so the topic disappeared in less than an hour.

But that sentence suddenly became famous, but Qiao Bailu didn't care, because there was an earlier similar sentence before, Brother Zhang, you were responsible for beauty and charm, and I was responsible for working hard to make money, which was also very famous. The earlier one was a literary work, which had been published, so it did not constitute plagiarism.

Besides, they had been married for not long, one was busy filming a movie and the other was busy doing research, and they became more and more isolated in the process. It had been several months since they last saw each other. A short separation is better than a new marriage. During dinner, their eyes were almost entangled with each other and could not be separated. Qiao Zhenting could not bear it anymore, so he quickly locked himself in the room after dinner.

"Wash together?" Xie Jiayuan held the person tightly. He had been holding back for many years and finally had an opportunity to eat meat, but he was forbidden to eat before he was full. Now that he was finally back, he would not be able to hold back if he didn't start eating.

Qiao Bailu's face flushed, and with her thing behind her, she was getting up really fast. But, to be honest, she was also thinking about it, after all, she was just starting to have sex...

As a legal couple, we both agreed, so there was no need to be hypocritical. She put her arms around Xie Jiayuan's neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss his warm lips. Xie Jiayuan was more excited than her. Her touch was like a gentle breeze and drizzle, while Xie Jiayuan's response was like a violent storm.

The two kissed all the way to the bathroom, and their clothes were gone. Qiao Bailu was embarrassed. They were newly married, and they were performing bathroom play. It was a bit too bold and open. However, as the saying goes, they were a legal couple!

Chapter 88

The next day, the media really started arguing. Qiao Zhenting went out early in the morning to buy newspapers and entertainment magazines, and Qiao Bailu curled up on the sofa and flipped through them one by one. About 60% of the people in the entertainment industry were in the upper-middle class of magazines and newspapers, and the content they said was basically the same.

It seems to be a very fair affirmation of Qiao Bailu's talent in TV dramas, but then it changes direction and talks about the two failed movies. In summary, Qiao Bailu has no talent in movies and should return to the TV industry in the future and stop thinking too highly of herself. At one-third of the way through, it changes direction again and becomes a compliment to Huang Qiwen.

It was quite smart. He didn't deny his mistakes before, but admitted them openly, saying that he was young at that time and everyone makes mistakes. He said that he could correct his mistakes and that everyone should give her a chance. He then used the remaining one-third of the article to praise Huang Qiwen for the success of the movie script and called her a rising star in the film industry.

One is said to have no talent in movies and to go wherever he wants and not tarnish the film industry. The other is said to be a rising star in the film industry and has a bright future. It's suffocating to watch.

Of the remaining 40% of the media, 20% spoke for Qiao Bailu, which objectively shows that even if Qiao Bailu's movie was not successful, it was an improvement over the first time, and each time is better than the last time, which is also a kind of progress. In addition, whether it is a movie or a TV show, the storyline written by Qiao Bailu is very attractive. In terms of character creation and plot control, it is very admirable. I sincerely hope that Qiao Bailu can go further and further in the future and write better and better scripts.

These 20% of the media have close relations with the Zhou family. For example, Zhou Yanhua's magazine and Zhu Wenqing's newspaper have given very informative reports on Qiao Bailu.

The last 20% of the media were unbiased. They did not say that Qiao Bailu had no talent in movies. On the one hand, they said that she was leading the fashion in TV dramas, and on the other hand, they said that she had made progress in movies. However, they still criticized what should be criticized, for example, saying that she only focused on movies and ignored TV dramas in the past two years. They meaningfully advised Qiao Bailu not to block this path.

As for Huang Qiwen, there is no need to say anything else. He just mentioned what she had done before and said objectively that if she really changed, it would be great, but if she pretended again, it would be terrible. He also commented on Huang Qiwen's movie and said with a smile that as long as there are big names, the box office is still guaranteed.

Qiao Bailu couldn't help but touch her chin and laugh. Qiao Zhenting didn't understand why and came over to see: "What's wrong?"

"It looks neutral, but it's actually somewhat biased." Qiao Bailu stretched lazily. It seemed that things had not reached the worst point. Not all media were on Huang Qiwen's side. This was already good enough.

However, in comparison, she was at a disadvantage, because most of those who stood on Huang Qiwen's side were first-rate media. Putting down the newspaper, Qiao Bailu turned on the computer again. There were also many debates on the Internet.

Compared with newspapers and magazines, the comments on the Internet are more sharp, more inflammatory, and less concealed. A group of people have begun to clamor for Qiao Bailu to get out of the film industry, saying that she is a TV scriptwriter and now she is like a clown, trying her best to get into the film industry. It is really ugly, too greedy, and her mouth is too big. She can't eat so much but she has to take it.

Qiao Bailu was not angry. She had seen more vicious remarks in later lives. Besides, there was no point in getting angry. Wasn’t it enough for her to classify all those who scolded her as Sheng Rong’s water army?

Looking through the comments under my new blog, I found that they were divided into two groups, one was insulting others, and the other was insulting each other.

Qiao Bailu thought about it and posted a new blog - I know you feel sorry for me, and I feel sorry for you too, so save your energy and eat more delicious food. Someone is making snacks in the kitchen, do you want to eat any?

I slipped to the kitchen door to take pictures. Xie Jiayuan, wearing an apron, was taking out a plate of small cakes from the oven. They were filled with date paste and sprinkled with raisins. They smelled sweet.

As soon as the photo was posted, Qiao Zhenting forwarded it - Hey, I think I should move out as soon as possible, otherwise, these two will show their affection in front of me every day, and I can't help but raise a torch, what should I do?

In less than three minutes, there was a group of howling sounds below.

——My sister and brother-in-law are so loving, they are worthy of being the nation’s good couple.

——What should I do if I can smell the aroma through the screen? It looks delicious, I really want to try it.

——My sister is very interested and my brother-in-law has great skills.

——Am I the only one who saw Xiao Mao's pitiful affection? I immediately added a sentence to this photo: "Daddy, daddy, please give me a piece, just one piece, okay?"

——Hahaha, the above is so funny. When you dubbed it like that, I suddenly had a sense of the picture. Xiaomao is so cute.

——You guys, your attention is all wrong! Shouldn't you be exclaiming how handsome your brother-in-law is? His body looks amazing!

——Tsk, you just noticed it. We have known for a long time that my brother-in-law has a great body. My sister has posted photos of him before, but she is too stingy and only posts side photos every time.

——Haha, last time I posted the left side view, this time it’s the right side view. I think I can assemble a front view photo. Is there any expert here?

——Is it really possible? Please help me.

——I don't think so. For a person, the most obvious facial features are the nose and eyes. These two need to be seen from the front. The lip shape is also very important. Eyebrows are also very important, right?

After refreshing, Lin Xiao and others forwarded the message. A group of people were crying out that they were hungry. Zhou Mengyao was the terminator and posted a picture of the queen waving a whip - not working properly, just thinking about eating! Be careful or I will come and whip you~

Qiao Bailu was also in a very good mood. On the one hand, it was because a short separation was better than a new marriage. Seeing her lover right in front of her, busying around in the kitchen for her, that kind of sweetness could not be destroyed by anything.

On the one hand, it is also because the fans of her and Zhenting are the kind that follow their idols. When the idols say, "Stop swearing and let's have some snacks," the fans will remain silent and start posting pictures of food.

I was bored, so I took a look at Qiao Zhenting’s new blog. Sure enough, there were a lot of comments there.

——Brother, come to my arms quickly, let’s not disturb my sister and brother-in-law~

——My poor little brother, no one wants him~

——Why is my brother such a poor little thing? Obviously so many people like him, come on, let’s fall in love together, and show affection in the future.

——Get out of here, my brother is mine, wait for me, I will save you! Let's compete with my sister and brother-in-law in showing affection!

——My younger brother will find a girlfriend soon, let’s show our love together!

Qiao Zhenting was holding his phone and sending WeChat messages to Zhou Minyu. After thinking for a while, he turned his head and asked Qiao Bailu, "Do you think I should reveal the news that I have a girlfriend? It's not good to keep it a secret forever."

Without waiting for Qiao Bailu to answer, he frowned again: "But, I see that many fans are very dissatisfied with this, especially male stars, most of their fans are female. Once they say that they have a girlfriend, I am afraid it will cause disgust among fans."

"These two days are not a good time. My matter has not yet been resolved. If you tell others about your relationship, you will definitely lose fans. It will be bad if your fans turn against you. It's okay to ignore it at other times, but not now."

Xie Jiayuan brought the plate over, pinched a piece of date cake and stuffed it into Qiao Bailu's mouth: "Wait a year or half a year before announcing it. Isn't Zhou Minyu still in school? You can only get married after she graduates. There is still a long time. I'm not saying this to discourage you. If you can't succeed by then, it will be difficult to explain if you announce it now. The reputation of an artist is very important. If you can succeed by then, you can slowly reveal it while planning the marriage."

Qiao Zhenting raised his head and thought for a while, then nodded: "That's true, brother-in-law. Actually, I don't like sweet things."

"Then you can find someone who is willing to make it for you. Anyway, I'm not making it for you. It's OK as long as your sister likes it." Xie Jiayuan didn't care at all. He took off his apron and went to find a paper box. "I'll bring some to Teacher Zhou and the others later."

The things I made myself were more thoughtful than the ones I bought. Qiao Zhenting's mouth twitched, and he was depressed: "Why is my brother-in-law like this? Shouldn't I try to please him?"

Qiao Bailu squinted at him and said, "Young man, you are thinking too beautifully. I have already married him, why is he still trying to please you?"

Qiao Zhenting was speechless. He paused, then reached out and pinched Qiao Bailu's belly: "Woman, don't eat too much. Look at the fat on your belly. It's like a swimming ring. You should lose weight."

Qiao Bailu threw a pillow at him, but Qiao Zhenting still said something mean: "Oh, I hit you in the sore spot, didn't I? You also feel that you have gained weight, right? Women can't be that fat. If you are too fat, you can't wear beautiful clothes. Your clothes last year are too small again, right?"

Xie Jiayuan came out of the kitchen carrying a paper bag. Seeing the siblings fighting, he quickly pulled them apart: "Alright, it's getting late. We have to get out. Pack up, change clothes, and hurry up."

The brother and sister snorted at each other, then stood up and went back to their rooms to change clothes. After coming out, Qiao Bailu pinched Qiao Zhenting's neck and sneered, "Hurry up and please me, otherwise, I will say bad things about you in front of Teacher Zhou, such as playing games every night, not being able to get up in the morning, being lazy, not even washing your own clothes, and finding a girlfriend just to find a nanny..."

Qiao Zhenting begged for mercy: "Sister, you are my sister! You are afraid that I will be able to get married in the future, right? I beg you, I was wrong just now, I was really wrong, you haven't gained weight at all, you are still so beautiful, like a 28-year-old girl, look at this small waist, I can hold it with one hand! Brother-in-law, don't you think I am right?"

Xie Jiayuan lied with his eyes open: "Yes, you are too thin. You need to eat more in the future."

Qiao Bailu smiled and nodded: "I also think I'm too thin. Let's invite Brother and the others to have hot pot in the evening?" Xie Jiayuan had finally gotten out of the research institute, so he had to get together with Brother Xie.

Xie Jiayuan nodded: "Okay, I'll ask when Big Brother can get off work."

When they arrived at Zhou He's house, it was exactly ten o'clock. Mrs. Zhou was going downstairs to buy groceries. Qiao Bailu originally wanted to go with her to help, but Teacher Zhou stopped her. There was no choice but for Xie Jiayuan to go with her to buy groceries.

"I was just thinking, why did I call you here recently? Have you reviewed the two previous movies?" Zhou He sat on the sofa and asked with a smile, "There is always a reason for failure. Have you found the reason?"

Qiao Bailu nodded: "For the first part, I think it's a problem with the plot. I tried hard to write something grander, but compared with Director Li's, mine became artificial and fake. For the second part, I think it's a problem with the characters. I wanted to make them more profound, but it seems a little too unreal..."

"When watching a movie, you can't just look at the plot and characters. You also have to look at the pictures, the music, the scenes, and the props. If you can find some reasons, it means you have watched it carefully. Now, I will watch two movies with you."

As he said that, he stood up and took Qiao Bailu upstairs. Qiao Bailu had been to Zhou's house several times, so she naturally knew what was on the second floor. In addition to Zhou Minyu's room and study, the remaining largest room was arranged as a home theater.

There were two big sofas with a big screen in front. Zhou He was Qiao Bailu's teacher, so he had the discs of the two movies, which were directly burned from the master discs. Zhou Minyu and the others also came to join in the fun.

Zhou He turned on the projector and handed Qiao Bailu a pair of 3D glasses. Qiao Bailu couldn't help but twitch her lips. It really was a complete set of equipment.

As soon as the opening song ended, Zhou He pressed the stop button: "This song is a good choice, but it's just good. According to what you said before, you were going to write a passionate story. Defending the country is more important, and the scenes are mostly about fighting, right? Since it's passionate, this song can only be said to have a strong sense of rhythm. You chose a female voice. Originally, Hualan was a woman, which was fine, but you chose Qiao Zhenting to dress up as a woman, which is a bit inconsistent..."

Qiao Bailu listened carefully, holding a small notebook and taking notes from time to time. Don't underestimate Zhou He, he is not only a famous playwright, but also an honorary professor at Q University, but he rarely teaches.

Continue to watch, every few minutes Zhou He would press the stop button to explain: "With this scene, you want to show Hualan's strength, right? Her eyes are slightly red, but there are no tears, and she doesn't make a sound when she is injured. But you overlooked one thing, Hualan is a woman, but she is also a soldier. There are actually many ways to express the unbearable pain after being injured. One is just like what you portrayed, with slightly red eyes..."

Qiao Bailu nodded quickly: "Yes, but I thought before that Hualan is a woman, so I was a little..."

"Since you have decided to go for the bloody route, then the best way is to make the lady Hualan and the general Hualan two different people. When she was in the army, how many comrades were there around her? None of them could tell that she was a woman, so why must the audience be able to see it? And if they can see it, it means that this story is fake. They know in their hearts that it is not true."

"Do you understand what I mean?" Zhou He asked. Seeing that Qiao Bailu was a little confused, he continued, "What kind of story can move people the most? Of course, it's the most real story, just like you young people always say some chicken soup for the soul, isn't there a saying like this? What kind of tears can move people the most? The most real tears are not the tears that flow when they should flow, whether they are sad or happy, the most real and heartfelt ones are the most touching."

"You told everyone at the beginning that this is a fake story, then who would be moved by this story?" Zhou He shook his head: "I have also watched the TV series you wrote. Because the plot is long enough, you can write as much as you want, and most of them are emotional dramas, which are easy to invest in, so they are better to watch. In terms of movies, you can't control the rhythm. You didn't interrupt when you should, and you didn't go into details when you should."

"The most important thing is that you value the gimmick of 3D, but you have to understand that in order to be linked to 3D, first of all, you have to be a large-scale production with a grand scene. Why is 3D more valuable? Because it is rare. Why is it rare? Because it is thrilling enough to make people feel scared and make people feel like they are in it. You have a good grasp of the emotional scenes and the characterization is also very accurate."

"For example, here, the love between Hualan and the general can be clearly expressed with just a look or an action. However, when it comes to big scenes, your imagination is not enough. It seems that you can't think of that kind of big scene, so you find a lot of people to make up the numbers and use the number of people to express it. Sometimes, having a lot of people is not necessarily a good thing."

As he said this, he stood up, ejected the disc, found another one, put it in, and fast-forwarded it. It was also a war scene.

"Look at this. This is the film that won the Best Screenplay Award at the Academy Awards three years ago. It's also about a battle, but this one features five people. How does this scene compare to yours?"

Zhou He asked, and Qiao Bailu blushed a little: "It's better than mine, very shocking."

"That's it. A big scene is a big scene, but it depends on what you bring to the audience, chaos or shock. A scene should express a certain emotion, not just because it's a big production, so the scene has to be grand. Don't you understand?"

Qiao Bailu nodded quickly. Just as Zhou He was about to continue, the voice of Mrs. Zhou came from below: "Come down to eat first. We have been talking for more than an hour. Aren't you hungry? Let's continue after you finish eating."

Zhou He touched his chin and said, "Come to think of it, I feel a little hungry. Let's go and eat first. Do you have anything else to do during this period of time?"

Qiao Bailu said hurriedly: "No, I originally wanted to come here to ask the teacher if he is free during this period. If he is, I want to come and listen to the teacher's lecture. If not, I will follow the teacher to the crew, right?"

Zhou He nodded with a smile: "It just so happens that I have nothing to do during this period of time. Let's do it the same as before. You come here in the morning, have lunch here at noon, and go back in the evening. There are many things to talk about movies. In three months, I will go to the crew, and you can follow me then."

"Thank you, teacher." Qiao Bailu hurriedly thanked him and diligently served dishes and rice to Zhou He and Mrs. Zhou. She and Qiao Zhenting always came over, and they had already become like one family and were in very harmonious harmony.

Since then, Qiao Bailu began a busy life. Zhou He always paid great attention to combining examples and theories when teaching his only disciple. He had many DVDs stored at home. He would choose one every day, watch it in the morning, and analyze the plot, characters, scenes, and music in it. He would talk about it in great detail, from movements to eyes, from the placement of things to the sound cues, and analyze it bit by bit.

After lunch, Zhou He was busy with other things, so Qiao Bailu started writing her review. In the first few days, Zhou He talked more and Qiao Bailu wrote less. After a week, Qiao Bailu started to talk about things that were wrong, and Zhou He corrected her, and she wrote more in the afternoon.

After a month, there were fewer and fewer things that needed Zhou He to correct, so Qiao Bailu started watching the films by herself and writing analysis reports after finishing them.

Fortunately, the evenings were free, otherwise, Xie Jiayuan would have become a wife-watching rock. However, Xie Jiayuan was not idle, as he had not yet completed his studies.

Being extremely busy, Qiao Bailu couldn't afford to neglect the TV script. She had promised Zhou Mengyao before that she would not miss any of the four scripts, and they had to be tailored to each person's personality. Qiao Zhenting didn't have to worry about it. Zhou Mengyao really bought the script. Although it was a small production, it would take three or four months to complete. Qiao Zhenting followed the crew to film.

Qiao Bailu had no time to read the news on the Internet, so naturally she didn't know. Because she had no rival, the news about Huang Qiwen didn't last long. It only lasted for three days, and then no matter what Sheng Rong said, it couldn't arouse everyone's enthusiasm.

Come to think of it, how many works does Huang Qiwen have? Her first TV series failed because she wanted to step on Qiao Bailu. This movie is her first work. Even if Sheng Rong wants to promote Huang Qiwen as a talented woman, she needs to have corresponding works to support her.

Compared with Qiao Baili, Huang Qiwen is more like a newcomer. Qiao Bailu is indeed a newcomer in the film industry, but she is almost the king in the TV industry. She has two or three dramas a year, and they are all big sellers. She can always lead the trend and win many trophies for the studio. Even if she is hit once or twice, she has the capital to stand up again.

As for Shengrong's move, the battle between companies, Qiao Bailu didn't know much about it. Now we live in a legal society, and Shengrong can't hire someone to kill. There are resources over there, and there are no fewer here. There are connections over there, and although there are not many here, they can help at critical moments. We don't do illegal things. It is normal to compete within a reasonable range. Zhou Mengyao said that she can handle it completely, more than enough, and full of energy, so Bailu, just concentrate on improving your strength, and don't worry about the rest.

So, Qiao Bailu was really not worried anymore.

Chapter 89

In December, the martial arts drama Red Dust Swordsman was aired, which was during the summer vacation. The drama was filmed very gorgeously according to Qiao Bailu's ideas, and it won a good result on the first broadcast. Later, the ratings continued to rise, and by the end of the year, it became the only good result among TV dramas in the past two years.

Suddenly, the streets and alleys were all discussing this TV series. Actually, in terms of content, this drama really doesn't have much, just handsome characters, bloody plots, and gorgeous scenes.

However, although it is a melodramatic plot, each link is connected to another, each link has a traceable path, and it is reasonable when it goes on. Although some people are crying out that it is really melodramatic, this group of people are the ones who follow the drama most seriously.

At the same time, the movie "The Missing Gem" starring Qiao Zhenting was also released. The box office on the first day was not very impressive, but it was not bad either. At least, the investment was earned back on the first day. But on the second and third days, the box office suddenly started to rise like crazy. In five days, the box office exceeded 100 million!

Zhou Mengyao was simply stunned. She stared at the data on the computer, her eyes fixed on it. She even forgot to talk to Qiao Bailu. It was only when Qiao Bailu pinched her hard that she realized, "Oh my God, Bailu, you are so accurate. At the beginning, you said that this drama would make money. I thought that it would triple or quadruple at most. I didn't expect it to exceed 100 million! Apart from King Kong in September, this is the only movie that has made so much money this year. Oh my God, I can't believe that the movie we made actually won first place! Number one in China!"

Qiao Bailu also laughed. This solved some of her worries. "Those outsiders can't say that Zhen Ting is box office poison. If anyone dares to say that any movie Zhen Ting stars in won't sell, this movie will slap them in the face."

Zhou Mengyao nodded with a smile, nodded twice, and suddenly froze: "But, without Zhenting to share the burden with you, won't the reputation of box office poison be entirely on your head?"

"What are you afraid of? Even if my scripts are not good in the future, I will never lose money with Zhen Ting's support. Besides, I won't fail forever. I made a lot of money this time, so you have to treat me."

Qiao Bailu was smiling, not at all gloomy. Zhou Mengyao carefully observed her expression and saw that she was really happy, so she smiled too and nodded in response, "We must treat everyone. Let's go to a big dinner tonight and invite a few more people. As for the crew, let Director Li pay for it himself. We can just invite Zhenting, Xie Jiayuan, and Senior Zhao to eat together."

Qiao Bailu nodded in agreement. As she was talking, the phone on Zhou Mengyao's desk suddenly rang. She answered it and heard a few words from the other end. Zhou Mengyao smiled and said, "Add more shows? Sure. How many shows do you want to add?"

Just after hanging up the phone, there was another ding-ling-ling ring. I answered it and it was still a request to increase the number of screenings. Zhou Mengyao's face was full of smiles, but her voice had to remain calm and serious. Qiao Bailu couldn't help laughing. One hundred million is not the end. It's only five days. New Year comedies have a week's schedule. If the film is popular, the schedule will be extended. I remember that the year before last, there was a New Year drama that was so popular that it was extended for half a month.

When will she be able to write such a popular script herself?

Speaking of which, she will follow her teacher into the crew after the New Year. This time, she must work harder. She cannot just go through the motions like last time, thinking that she is invincible as she understands the steps and key points of filming a movie.

Different types of films require different things to be paid attention to. I am still very immature in this field.

Seeing that Zhou Mengyao was very busy, Qiao Bailu wanted to get up and leave, but just as she stood up, she suddenly remembered something important, and hurriedly took out a stack of papers from her bag and placed it in front of Zhou Mengyao.

She had previously boasted that she would give out four scripts this year, and Swordsman in Red Dust was one of them. Last month, she gave out the second one, a mythological drama about Erlang Shen, called Legend of Erlang Shen, which was written for Xiao Dingran. She was too busy, so these dramas were all written relatively short, Swordsman in Red Dust only had 25 episodes, and Legend of Erlang Shen only had 20 episodes.

Today I'm giving you the third episode, a city drama written specifically for Li Xue, called White Collar Beauty, about a girl who works hard in Beijing and eventually succeeds in both career and love. It's also 20 episodes. Although it's old-fashioned, the content is relatively positive and upbeat, so it's not likely to get a huge ratings hit, but it's guaranteed.

She plans to write the fourth part slowly, and will talk about it after the Chinese New Year. As for whether she will break her promise or not, she will not gain weight anyway. Even if she gains weight, she can lose it slowly in the future, so there is no need to rush.

As for Qiao Zhenting, this movie is a big hit, and he has established a firm foothold in the film industry. He will not be afraid of not having films in the future. However, he did not make any plans before the New Year. Now that the end of the year is approaching, Qiao Zhenting plans to go home and live for a while. First, he wants to show his filial piety to his parents. It does not mean that you are filial if you buy things for your parents. What parents need more is the company of their children. Second, he also wants to take a break and start preparing for the struggle next year.

In April, when spring is in full bloom, it is time for the Magnolia Television Awards. Qiao Bailu walked onto the red carpet arm in arm with Qiao Zhenting. Listening to the host's jokes, her mind began to wander.

Back then, it was Qiao Zhenting's first time walking on the red carpet. He was so nervous that he spent two months preparing for everything from clothes to jewelry. He even hired an etiquette teacher to teach him how to walk and how to hold his feet. He was afraid that if he made any mistakes, he would be embarrassed. That time, he walked relatively far back. By the end, even the cameraman was so tired that he didn't want to take pictures anymore.

The second time, I finally got to the middle, and was able to joke and respond to the host's jokes calmly, and get along with the people around me. I was so happy when I got the award that I almost fell to the front row when I stood up.

The third time, I was in a closer position, won the award, and was able to go on stage easily.

This is the fourth time, and her position is among the top three. Qiao Zhenting is holding the microphone and speaking. All Qiao Bailu has to do is smile foolishly from beginning to end. This is the fourth time, and Qiao Bailu is no longer nervous. If nothing unexpected happens, this screenwriter award should still belong to her.

Counting it all, eight years have passed since she entered this industry. Hey, if she does that, she should be 29? Oh, my God, if I hadn't counted it, I wouldn't have known that she was almost middle-aged!

Why does time pass so fast! I am almost 30, I am almost 30, I am almost 30. This sentence is like a curse. It has been going on in Qiao Bailu's head. The hair on her head is almost standing up. She is usually careless and rarely celebrates her birthday. Unexpectedly, she is almost becoming a middle-aged aunt.

I was saying it, why do I always feel that when my parents called this year, they kept asking Qiao Zhenting if he had a girlfriend? It seems that they want to have a grandchild! Otherwise, when Zhenting went home this time, he urged Minyu to go over to see him?

Anyway, the two of them have already made it clear and confirmed their relationship. Teacher Zhou and Mrs. Zhou also know about it but haven't expressed their stance yet. Why not make my parents happy?

If she is already 29, then Brother Xie must be over 30, right? He is not married yet. I don't know how many times Father and Mother Xie have secretly called to urge him to get married. I always feel that Brother Xie and Lingling seem to be having an affair behind my back.

Last time I went to the hot springs, I actually ran into the two of them. Shouldn't these two have no intersection, and the only thing they have in common is that they both know me? When did they bypass this common point and secretly contact each other?

Could it be...? If that's the case, it doesn't seem so bad. My best friend becomes my sister-in-law. It's actually quite exciting to think about it.

Just as she was thinking deeply, Qiao Zhenting pulled her. Qiao Bailu quickly turned around and saw Qiao Zhenting smiling and nodding to the host, then pulling her into the venue.

The opening performance was the same as always, and then the highlight came. Without a doubt, the Best Screenwriter Award fell to Qiao Bailu again. This was her third trophy, and when Qiao Bailu went on stage to give her thank-you speech, it was so smooth that she didn't even need to think about it.

Then, he left the stage to applause.

In June, Qiao Bailu finished her training and worked with Teacher Zhou He at the J Province Film and Television Base for more than four months. She finally felt that she had something in mind. As soon as she returned to B City, she enthusiastically discussed with Zhou Mengyao: "I plan to write a popular love movie this time. I estimate that we can start shooting by the end of the year. If things go well, it will be released in March or April next year."

Zhou Mengyao said straightforwardly: "It's up to you. You can write as long as you want. However, you can't delay the work of the screenwriting department. Now the scripts of our studio are all reviewed by you. If you don't come, no one will take care of it."

Last year, because Zhou Mengyao was too busy, the screenwriter department hired another person, a young girl who had just graduated from graduate school. Zhou Mengyao likes to recruit newcomers because she can train them herself and the price is low. Unlike some already famous people, their price is very high.

But Zhou Mengyao would not treat these people unfairly. Their studio never gave fixed wages, but commissions. For example, if a TV series was a big hit, the studio would take 40% after deducting the cost, and the remaining 60% would be used as remuneration for the actors, 10% for the director, 10% for the screenwriter, and the remaining 10% for the crew members.

How much you earn depends on whether the script is good enough.

However, Qiao Bailu had to read all the scripts from the screenwriter department first. Only after Qiao Bailu made the final decision could the TV show start filming. At the same time, because the studio was now quite famous, and Zhou Mengyao had previously paid a large sum of money to buy the script, many freelance screenwriters began to submit their works, and they were all selected by Qiao Bailu.

"Have you had a lot of scripts recently?" Qiao Bailu raised her eyebrows and asked. Zhou Mengyao nodded: "Well, probably because I know you are an expert in TV scripts, 70% of them are movie scripts. I will pass on the TV scripts and only show you the movie ones."

"You can choose the one for TV yourself. I've been too busy this year and haven't given you a script yet." Qiao Bailu said quickly. Apart from the one she gave her just after the Chinese New Year, it's already June and there's not even an outline yet.

"Okay, I'll take a look myself. I'll have someone send you the scripts." There was a rustling sound from Zhou Mengyao's side, and soon a chair was heard sliding away: "I'll welcome you later? It's been a long time since we last met."

"Okay, come over, I'll cook for you today." Qiao Bailu nodded with a smile: "Call Senior Zhao and Lingling, I always feel like there's something going on between her and my brother..."

"Oh, you backward one, let me tell you, they are really together. Now Lingling has finally made it to the news department as a reporter, and she has achieved success in both career and love." Zhou Mengyao said with a laugh, "Lingling will be your sister-in-law from now on. I never thought that this would happen. This is a great happy event. I will be able to eat Lingling's wedding candy soon."

Qiao Bailu was shocked: "Wedding candy? No way, when was it decided?"

Xie Jiayuan was just coming out of the room and glanced over here. Qiao Bailu explained, "Mengyao said that big brother and Lingling are getting married soon."

Zhou Mengyao protested: "When did I say they were getting married soon? I only said they were together, maybe good things will happen soon!"

Xie Jiayuan didn't hear the voice from the other end, he just smiled and nodded: "Yes, I wanted to give you a surprise, but Lingling wouldn't let me tell you. Unexpectedly, Mengyao was quick to speak. My eldest brother is not young anymore, so I proposed to you last month, and we plan to get married in September."

Zhou Mengyao was stunned. She was just saying it casually, okay? Unexpectedly, she exposed a big secret! It's unbelievable! Lingling, that damn girl, was still hiding it!

"Proposed last month, married in September, isn't that a bit too fast?" Qiao Bailu also opened her mouth wide, a little puzzled: "We dragged it out for a year after the engagement, how long have they known each other?"

"It's been quite a while. We've known each other for a long time. We each know what kind of person the other is and we like each other. Isn't it normal to get married right away? We were different at the beginning. I was still in school, and you had an unstable career and were just starting out. You didn't have time to get married, but they are already grown up."

Xie Jiayuan tilted his head and kissed her on the cheek: "Okay, I'll go buy some groceries. What do you want to eat for lunch?" When you are young, you have plenty of time to fall in love. When you are older and more suitable for each other, you don't need to be in a love relationship that is too mushy. The sooner you get married, the sooner you can have a baby.

"Buy more. Mengyao and the others are coming to eat in the evening. Let's just have a quick bite at noon. I'll be the chef and prepare a big meal in the afternoon." Qiao Bailu said quickly. Because Zhou Mengyao was busy with work, the two gossiped for a few more words and then hung up the phone.

Qiao Bailu logged into her new blog with great interest. She hadn't posted on it for a long time. She refreshed her page and saw photos posted by Qiao Zhenting. He has been busy since the Chinese New Year. He first appeared on two variety shows and then selected a movie script.

The large-scale mythological drama "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea: Lü Dongbin" was also decided by Qiao Bailu. Because it is a big production, it has not been completed yet. It is estimated that it will be completed around October. After that, it needs to be edited and submitted for review and publicity. It is estimated that it will be released in December.

However, Zhou Minyu will graduate this month, and Qiao Zhenting has already booked a flight ticket. He will be back in the afternoon, so he can attend the graduation ceremony tomorrow and accompany Zhou Minyu to take photos, etc. Young couples need to see each other often.

Qiao Zhenting has been planning to slowly announce his relationship with Zhou Minyu. If nothing unexpected happens, they plan to get married next year or the year after.

If you count them this way, there are a lot of people getting married. Oh, and Mengyao, the two have been dating for so many years, and their families have been urging them to get married. Zhao Hean's family is also very wealthy, a true second-generation rich, but he is the second son, with only shares but no real power, so he can do what he likes. He and Zhou Mengyao are a perfect match, and both sides are happy to see it happen. The wedding date is set for October this year.

He Liuxiang and her classmates got married last year. If you count carefully, 80% of her classmates have already started a family and a career.

Thinking about it, Qiao Bailu touched her belly. She calculated that she was already thirty years old. Was it time to have a child? Xie Jiayuan took on an experimental project at the end of last year. This experiment was relatively large and it was estimated to take at least two years. Who knows when it will be closed for research again. If she got pregnant by then, would it be difficult without anyone to take care of her?

I heard that being pregnant is very hard. You never know what you want to eat in the middle of the night. If Xie Jiayuan is not around, who should you ask to do it? And if you have edema and want someone to massage you in the middle of the night, who should you ask?

However, the best time to get pregnant is when you are 28 or 29 years old, and I am almost 30 years old! If I postpone it for another two years, I will become an older pregnant woman. Otherwise, should I just give birth? At worst, I can go back to my hometown and live there. My parents will definitely not dislike me. Or, I can find a nanny when the time comes?

Yes, you should hire a nanny and pay her more!

I rolled around on the sofa for a few rounds, made up my mind, and started calculating the best time to conceive...

"What are you doing?" Xie Jiayuan opened the door and came in, asking while changing his shoes. Qiao Bailu mumbled, "I want to have a baby."

Xie Jiayuan was stunned for a moment, then turned around blankly: "What?"

"I say, we are not young anymore, it's time to have children." Qiao Bailu said with a smile. It's been 2013 and the hottest variety show "Where Are We Going, Dad?" is about to be aired. She envies other families for having children, so isn't it okay for her to have one herself?

Xie Jiayuan was overjoyed. He threw down the bag of vegetables and rushed over to kiss her: "Then let's go back to the room?"

Qiao Bailu's mouth twitched: "Be serious, what are you talking about? I said I plan to have a child, which means that from now on, the two of us should start to take care of our bodies, quit smoking, drinking, and staying up late, and get our bodies in good shape, and then start making little people."

Xie Jiayuan nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, you are right, but I don't smoke, drink or stay up late. You are like this too, do you still need to adjust?"

"Well, I'll go to the hospital to ask first. Let's go see the doctor together." Qiao Bailu thought for a while and said, to be absolutely sure. Xie Jiayuan smiled foolishly. He had wanted a child for a long time, but seeing Qiao Bailu never mentioned it, and seeing Qiao Bailu was busy all the time, he didn't mention it either. He was very considerate every time he used contraception. He thought he would have to wait another five or six years to have a child, and then consider it when he was in his thirties and at the peak of his career. Unexpectedly, Bailu actually brought it up first.

Xie Jiayuan didn't cook either. He went back to his room to find his cell phone to make a call. After making four or five calls, he finally made an appointment with a famous old Chinese doctor. His research was medical materials, so it was inevitable that he would deal with people in the hospital. By asking around, he could find a good doctor with real skills.

"Are you done? I'm starving." Qiao Bailu looked at him speechlessly as he made the appointment, holding her stomach and wailing, "You're planning to have a baby, but you can't have one right away. Don't be in a hurry. Go cook first."

Xie Jiayuan nodded hurriedly. Because they were going to have a big dinner that night, they made a simple lunch of tomato rice, which was ready in 20 minutes. As he carried the plate out, Xie Jiayuan suddenly thought of something: "I have signed a contract with a company. They want to give me a house and let us move in. The house inside the company has better confidentiality. 90% of the people in the community are from the company."

"Which company?" Qiao Bailu asked while eating. Xie Jiayuan smiled and said, "Kangxing, the largest medical device company in China, ranked in the top 100 in the world."

"Wow, husband, you are so strong!" Qiao Bailu gave a thumbs up: "How is the salary calculated?"

"The basic salary is 5,000 yuan, with five social insurances and three housing funds. The most important thing is the research results, which will be divided into profits after they are listed. The main researchers get 5% of the profits, the assistants get commissions, and 15% of the paid vacation is based on the research value. In addition to national holidays, there is one day off a week. We start work at 9 am and get off work at 5 pm. The overtime pay is 100 yuan per hour."

Xie Jiayuan said with a smile, paused and added: "However, the company's management is quite strict. If there is no feasibility study proposal within three years, you will be fired."

"Oh, I believe you. My husband is the smartest, so he will definitely not be fired. In fact, it doesn't matter even if he is fired. You can become a university teacher. I liked your job application the most at the beginning. You have winter and summer vacations, and you can make extra money when you are broke. But, as long as you are happy, doing experiments is your forte, so I won't interfere. Come on, we will have a baby soon, and you have to earn money for milk powder."

Xie Jiayuan smiled foolishly and nodded. After laughing for a long time, he suddenly realized, "By the way, I'm talking to you about moving. The company provides a three-bedroom, one-living-room house for married people, which is about 130 square meters. The company pays the down payment and you repay the loan yourself. If you want a bigger or smaller one, the company will refund more and pay less. The premise is that you have worked in the company for more than ten years. If you quit or are fired before more than ten years, the house will be taken back."

Qiao Bailu hesitated: "Let me think about it. Moving is a big deal. Besides, the house over there probably needs to be renovated or something. What if I'm going to get pregnant? The newly renovated house might not be good, so it's better not to go."

"That's right, I'm anxious, let's not worry about it for now." Xie Jiayuan nodded. Anyway, the house wouldn't run away. However, he could buy it first, renovate it, leave it vacant for a year or two, and then move in. Anyway, he has money now, so he doesn't have to pay Bai Lu's money this time.

Chapter 90

Even if Xie Jiayuan wanted to buy a house himself, his salary card was still with Qiao Bailu. Qiao Bailu would naturally know about such a large sum of money. After going to see the house over there with Xie Jiayuan, she came up with a good idea: "Does that community allow outsiders to buy houses?"

"Normally it's not allowed. What's wrong? Do you want to buy a few more?" Xie Jiayuan asked with a smile. Qiao Bailu shook her head: "No, I was thinking that Zhenting and Minyu are in a confirmed relationship, so they have to buy a wedding house, right? But they live too far away and I'm worried. Besides, the security of this community seems to be very good, and the privacy of the owners is well protected. Ordinary people can't get in without a door card. Haven't you noticed? There are a lot of sneaky people in our community recently?"

When Qiao Zhenting and Qiao Bailu were famous, if they were recognized in the restaurants in the community, they would at most take a photo and sign an autograph, and then they would be able to get away smoothly. But in the past two years, Qiao Bailu has found herself being followed several times.

If Qiao Zhenting hadn't lived on the set every time he was filming, he would probably have been secretly photographed.

"It should be possible. I'll ask someone later. When we went to look at the house, wasn't the house next door vacant?" Xie Jiayuan said with a smile, paused, and touched his chin again: "I don't know if big brother will buy a house, so why don't we buy all the houses together."

Qiao Bailu naturally had no objection. Mr. and Mrs. Xie were getting old, and they would definitely live with their sons in the future. If the two sons lived close by, it would be convenient for them to move around.

As for Qiao's father and mother, they are still taking care of the business now, but in ten years or so, they will definitely have to return to their children. As for the company's business, when the time comes, either hire professional managers, or sell it off, or Qiao Zhenting goes back to school to study management. Anyway, Qiao Bailu doesn't want to get involved.

She earns enough money on her own, and Xie Jiayuan is earning more and more money now, so there is no need for him to bother with the family business.

The next day, the two of them went to the hospital. The expert they had arranged to meet took half a day off to examine them carefully. He smiled and nodded, "You are in good health. It is the right time to conceive. Just go home and calculate the time. There will be no problem with the rest."

Xie Jiayuan hurriedly thanked the doctor and left a red envelope despite the doctor's refusal. Because of the good news, he was in a good mood and kept smiling all the way. When he got home, he almost floated into the kitchen and searched for ingredients in the refrigerator to start stewing soup.

Ever since Qiao Bailu said she was planning to have a baby, he bought a recipe and made soup every day, once a day. After two or three days, Qiao Bailu felt her face was getting rounder. Pinching her belly made her more determined to exercise, but she couldn't do strenuous exercise, she had to do it slowly, like taking a walk or something.

Both of them were in good health and they calculated the time. After three months, Qiao Bailu began to show early symptoms of pregnancy - drowsiness, poor appetite, and general fatigue. When she went to the hospital for a check-up, she found out she was already two months pregnant.

It was an expected surprise, but the two were still very happy, especially Xie Jiayuan, who almost spun around in circles with Qiao Bailu in his arms. Fortunately, he didn't do that because he was concerned about Qiao Bailu's belly.

"How about we let our mom come and take care of you?" Xie Jiayuan and Qiao Bailu discussed, "They are the older generation and have experience. We are first-time parents and don't know what to avoid or what to pay attention to during pregnancy."

Qiao Bailu nodded: "Okay, there's an empty room at home anyway." After getting married, Xie Jiayuan moved into her room, and the original bedroom became empty.

Xie Jiayuan immediately made a phone call and even informed the Qiao family. When Qiao's father and mother heard the news, they were extremely happy. They had originally planned to come over to take a look, but Qiao's father's business happened to be at a critical juncture, so they had to postpone their visit and decided to come again at the end of the year. By then, Zhenting would have gotten the house, so they would go and take a look at the house.

The most important thing is to take advantage of the New Year to visit the Zhou family. Zhou He was Bai Lu's mentor in the past, and they respect the Zhou family very much. They might become relatives in the future, so it is not enough to just respect them, they also need to get closer to them.

Mr. and Mrs. Xie arrived quickly. Within a week, they came from their hometown carrying large and small bags. There were homemade side dishes, dried fruits, and grains grown at home. In no time, they filled Bai Lu's kitchen to the brim.

After staying at home for a week, Xie Jiayuan received a notice from the company that the research had entered a critical stage and he had to live at the company. It was still a closed research. He could make phone calls and video calls, and Xie Jiayuan could come out, but the procedures were more complicated. When he came out, he had to be accompanied by the company's security guards, firstly to protect the safety of the researcher, and secondly to prevent leaks. Qiao Bailu could also go in to see, but she needed to submit an application.

While packing up Xie Jiayuan's things, Qiao Bailu couldn't help but feel depressed: "Your company is like being in prison, and you even have people taking walks and visiting the prison. Do I need to be searched when I go to visit?"

"There's no need for a body search, but I guess you can't bring any electronic devices." Xie Jiayuan said with a smile, reaching out to touch her belly: "I'm much better now, you should be glad that I didn't go in... Can't I walk around outside normally? Besides, I'm a newcomer, just joined the company, so it's inevitable that the company will be a little worried. After a few years, the company will have enough trust in me, and I won't be locked up, just like a teacher who can go home two or three days a week. Well, it will be quick, I will try to be out before you give birth."

Qiao Bailu pouted and stuffed a coat into the suitcase: "Okay, then, come back early. The child needs prenatal education. If you, as a father, are not here, be careful that the child will not be close to you after birth."

Xie Jiayuan hurriedly assured, "Okay, okay, I understand. I swear I will come back early. You should also be careful at home and don't go out casually. If you want to go to the company, ask someone to pick you up. Didn't Mengyao tell you that I have found a driver for you? Don't leave him alone."

"Don't be restrained at your parents' place. Just ask for what you want to eat or drink. If they don't do it, you can let someone else do it. Wasn't the part-time worker in our house quite useful? Zhenting will be back soon. If you want to go shopping, let him go. Forget it. Don't let him accompany you. Just be patient and don't go out shopping, okay?"

Qiao Bailu squinted at him and said, "Stop fussing. Hurry up. Your company is here to pick you up. Go quickly and remember to come back early."

Xie Jiayuan kissed her forehead, carried his suitcase and went out, said hello to Xie's father and mother, and left in the car. Qiao Bailu stood in front of the window and watched the car disappear before closing the window and turning back.

Mother Xie knocked on the door with a plate of fruit: "Bai Lu, do you want some fruit?"

Bella Qiao opened the door, took the plate, and nodded with a smile: “Thank you, Mom, it’s almost eleven o’clock, what are you having for lunch?”

"What do you want to eat for lunch?" Mother Xie asked. Qiao Bailu thought for a moment and said, "I want to eat fish. How about buying two fish and steaming them?"

Mother Xie just nodded: "Okay, then your father and I will go buy vegetables. If you are hungry, eat some fruit first. Don't eat too many snacks, they are not nutritious. You can eat more dried fruits. If you are tired, take a nap, but don't sleep too much, otherwise you won't be able to sleep at night."

Qiao Bailu nodded with a smile. To raise children like Brother Xie and Xie Jiayuan, Father and Mother Xie were not unreasonable elders. Instead, they respected Qiao Bailu's opinions. Qiao Bailu was not a nitpicker. Elders may have different ideas sometimes, but they are mostly for your own good. If you really don't want to, you can explain it in a nice way and they will understand.

So, everyone gets along pretty well.

Although Qiao Bailu couldn't sit in front of the computer for a long time during her pregnancy, she was able to write in a notebook. Zhou Mengyao specially found an assistant for her, who was responsible for re-entering the information into the computer and then printing it out.

As for selecting the scripts, they were all printed out by the assistants and brought to me.

Qiao Bailu selected three, all of which were TV scripts. One was written by the screenwriter of their studio, a silly and sweet campus love story. To be precise, it was an idol drama, about the college love life of a genius boy and a silly and cute girl.

The other one is a drama about a time travel to the Qing Dynasty. Unlike the serious drama about a time travel to the Qing Dynasty written by Qiao Bailu herself, this one is a comedy, full of jokes. The heroine makes a series of jokes because she does not understand the rules of the Qing Dynasty, but she happens to be very lucky and can turn danger into safety every time.

The last one is a script about an uprising in the late Qing Dynasty, called the Boxer Rebellion.

The first two scripts were given to Chen Xueyi, and one to a little girl who had just joined the studio. The last script was given to Xiao Dingran. Lin Xiao had won the Best Actor Award before. Among the three men in the studio, only Xiao Dingran had never won this award. This time, Qiao Bailu specially selected the script for him. Nanzhu was the leader of the Boxer Rebellion.

Unlike ordinary scripts, this play is a tragedy. Nanzhu dies in the end, and it has a strong tragic heroic color. If it is performed well, it can become a classic. If it is not performed well, it will just be a recreational film to kill time.

However, Qiao Bailu has great faith in Xiao Dingran's acting skills.

After selecting the script, Qiao Bailu began to write her own movie script seriously. This time she didn't set such a high challenge at the beginning. Just like the teacher said, she saw the popularity of 3D movies, but not all movies are suitable for 3D, and not all movies can attract audiences just by having 3D. If she has time, she might as well pay more attention to the description of the plot and the portrayal of the characters.

This time she prepared a light comedy called The Lottery. It tells the story of an ordinary young man who had just graduated and bought a lottery ticket on the roadside. When he redeemed the prize on TV, he found out that he had won a 5 million yuan grand prize, but he could not find the lottery ticket. He was unwilling to miss the jackpot, so he started looking for the lottery ticket.

The cleaning staff who collected garbage from the property, the homeless who searched for garbage in the trash can, the buddies and girlfriend who had been to her house, and the garbage station sorting staff. In order to make these people more distinctive and highlight their own personalities, Qiao Bailu spent a lot of time and effort. She also deliberately observed the working conditions and work attitudes of these people.

She first made an outline in her notebook, then began to describe everyone's personalities, and then simulated the scene. She was already very familiar with these steps, so it was not difficult for her to do it.

She had thought about the story a long time ago, and the short script was quick to write, so by the end of the year, it was complete.

Xie Jiayuan rarely had a holiday. Father and Mother Xie had lived in the city for a long time and missed their old neighbors. In addition, they had to tell their relatives and friends about Brother Xie's marriage. Yao Lingling also wanted to meet the relatives there and show her face. Then Brother Xie would accompany them to visit the Yao family, and the group planned to go home for the New Year. However, Qiao Bailu was pregnant and her belly was already showing. She didn't want to make a fuss, so she simply asked Father and Mother Qiao to come over for the New Year.

Qiao Zhenting's house has been decided. It has just been renovated and the smell is still getting rid of it. Qiao's father and mother took a look around the place and came back very happy: "Not bad, not bad, the house is big, there are many rooms, when Zhenting has a baby in the future, your father and I will come to live there, there will be room, and there is also a study room."

The brother and sister are not short of money, so they bought a very large house, a duplex with a home theater, a study and a game room on the upper floor, and four bedrooms and two bathrooms on the lower floor, as well as a large living room and a very spacious kitchen.

Father Qiao sighed, "I see you are all planning to settle down in City B, so should we move our business in City Z over here as well? But the competition here is quite fierce, and I don't think business is as good as in City Z. Besides, I have worked hard to build up a network of contacts over there, and we have acquaintances. If we suddenly move here, the market here will definitely not be happy."

"Dad, if it really doesn't work, let's find a professional manager, give him dividends, and let him help us run the business..." Before she could finish, Qiao's father rolled his eyes at her: "Is it easy to find such a talent? If there is such a talent, either they will start their own company, or they will specifically look for a large company like the Fortune 500. Who would be willing to come to a small stall like ours?"

"Then what do you think we should do?" Qiao Bailu spread her hands. At the moment, it seemed that the careers of both siblings were thriving. It was impossible for them to suddenly retire at the peak of their careers. Even if they did retire, Xie Jiayuan and Zhou Minyu were still in City B.

"It's up to you, old man. Anyway, my store can be closed at any time. I can open a styling studio then, right?" Mother Qiao asked Qiao Bailu excitedly. She opened a clothing store before because she knew how to match clothes, but that was limited to the ability to match clothes, having a sense of fashion, and knowing which clothes looked good.

When Qiao Bailu got engaged, she specially hired a shopping guide. Later, she became really interested in this area, so she looked up a lot of magazines to learn about it and even signed up for classes. After studying for a few years, she has become very skilled. Now, when she goes out and buys clothes, bags, and jewelry with Qiao's father, she is the one who decides on how to match them. And she looks really good.

"I'm only in my fifties, not old yet." Father Qiao emphasized, glared at Mother Qiao and then said, "Even if I retire, I have to wait until I'm sixty. There are still about ten years left. I can still work for another twenty years!"

Mother Qiao curled her lips and said, "Forget it. In twenty years, your eldest grandson might bring a girlfriend home. Are you not planning to have a grandson and are only waiting to have a great-grandson?"

The corners of Qiao's father's mouth twitched, and he looked at Qiao Bailu. Qiao Bailu spread her hands and said, "I don't plan to go back and take over your company. I can't stand having to go to the construction site from time to time."

While eating melon seeds, Qiao Zhenting said, "How about selling the business to our cousins? Let them manage it and we just collect the money?"

Qiao Bailu clapped her hands, "That's a good idea. Let's split the company's profits and let them give us dividends every year. Dad, which of these guys do you think is the most honest and capable? Then pass the company on. By then, Zhenting's children may not even want to start a company."

Father Qiao shook his head: "I can't give it away. What if my grandson wants to be a CEO or something? I have to give him something, right? If I give it away, what will I leave for my grandson in the future? Besides, it looks good now, but people's hearts are separated. Everyone will be close to their own flesh and blood first, and then it will be the turn of others. In the future, your cousins will have children, and it's not certain how the dividends will be calculated. The most important thing is that I worked hard to get this. I won't give my hard work to others."

"Well, then, if you don't want to give me any, how about this? Set up a head office? Move the company headquarters here, and that side will be the branch. But it's not easy to develop real estate in City B, after all, we are outsiders."

When I was in City Z, although I was also a country boy, I was still a local and could find a few acquaintances. When I arrived in City B, I was really unfamiliar with the place. Even if I had relatives and friends of Bai Lu, it would not be good to trouble them for everything, right?

The real estate industry is the most complicated. Bidding for land, buying materials, hiring property managers are not something you can do casually. If you don't know the ropes, you'll lose a lot of money.

"Opening a branch company? I don't have enough money..." Mr. Qiao was a little hesitant: "I just bought a piece of land some time ago, and I haven't built it yet. I can't make ends meet for a while."

"I have it." Qiao Zhenting said hurriedly, "Just ask me if you want as much as you want. You're my father, why are you being so formal?"

Father Qiao smiled and shook his head: "I don't want yours for now. I'll think about it later. Even if it's to open a branch, I want to change my business or something. Just like Bai Lu said, real estate is not easy to develop in City B. I'll think about it later. Anyway, you're not getting married for two years."

"May next year?" Qiao Zhenting suddenly asked. It took Qiao's mother a while to react: "What?"

"Next May is a good time, with spring flowers blooming, isn't that okay?" Qiao Zhenting asked with a smile. Of course, Qiao's father and mother nodded quickly. Their son is not young anymore, so it would be better for him to get married and have a baby sooner.

Qiao Bailu started counting on her fingers. By next May, which season of Where Are We Going, Dad? would she be able to attend?

Qiao Zhenting would do what he thought. When talking about marriage, he quickly started planning the proposal. He had acted in many idol dramas and had seen a lot of proposal scenes. He didn't need anyone else to give him any ideas. He found a lot of photos, booked a movie theater, found relatives and friends of the two, and planned a movie proposal.

The effect was very good. The photos combined with the music were particularly emotional and touching. Zhou Minyu was also a thoughtful person. She was moved to tears and nodded and agreed on the spot.

So, while Qiao's father and mother were still here, the two quickly got engaged, and Qiao Zhenting did not hide it and announced the good news directly on his blog. He had already given fans a heads-up before, saying that he had met the most precious girl in his life and wanted to pursue her, and asked fans for advice.

I have to say that this trick is quite effective. Even though the fans are sad that their idol has someone they like, they still gave a lot of ideas.

Occasionally, Qiao Zhenting would pick out a few ideas and report the results later. However, he kept Zhou Minyu's information hidden very well, and it was only when Zhou Minyu graduated that the paparazzi took the opportunity to take a few photos.

At this point, most fans have accepted the fact. In addition, Qiao Zhenting had only praised Zhou Minyu before, so they love her and her family, so they didn't have any extreme reactions.

As soon as the good news of the engagement came out, fans rushed to send their blessings.

Qiao Zhenting laughed so hard that he couldn't stop, and he looked silly for several days. When he went out, the media took photos of him, and the media couldn't help but tease him - a certain actor has developed laughing disorder since he got engaged, and he can't stop laughing all day long.

Fans couldn't help but join in the fun and went to Qiao Zhenting's new blog to leave comments.

——Is it okay for you to bully single people like this?

——I was blinded by the light and laughed like a fool, but I don’t know why, I also laughed foolishly for a long time.

——What can I do when I can’t help laughing when I see the photo? I have been laughing for several days. Every time I see my brother’s smile, I will laugh too. My mother has suspected that I am secretly in love and has interrogated me several times. God knows I am still a single dog.

——Single guys are being abused and crying!

——I don’t know why, but as I was laughing, I suddenly raised the torch…

Qiao Bailu casually posted a photo of Qiao Zhenting hugging Zhou Minyu's shoulders from behind - the younger brother forgot about his sister after he had a girlfriend, it's really sad, the sister was standing there for a long time and the younger brother didn't even notice her.

Then, a circle of people raised torches below.

——Where is your brother-in-law?

——When the sister used to show affection with her brother-in-law, did she ever think about what her brother was doing?

——Am I the only one who noticed that there seems to be a belly in my sister’s photo?

——I noticed it too! Big belly! Is my sister pregnant?

——Speaking of which, the media hasn’t released any photos of my sister for a long time. Is she staying at home to take care of her pregnancy?

——Are you really pregnant? Oh my god, I'm going to have a nephew? I wonder if he will be as pretty as his sister or as handsome as his brother.

——The person above is shameless. What do you mean by your nephew? He is obviously my little nephew!