Chapter 122 : Chapter 122

Chapter 122: “Nonsense, why should I let someone else snatch away what I discovered.”

Li Yamin sent the watch for repair, and the staff told him that because the watch case was severely damaged and there was no matching movement currently available in the country, it might take more than 12 weeks.

12 weeks it was.

After Wanshu Zu woke up, the operating speed of Lishou Entertainment noticeably quickened.

Li Yamin found time to have a few video conferences with the people from Netflix, and Wanshu Zu also participated in the last one.

There were eight faces in the online conference room, with three people representing Lishou: Wanshu Zu, Li Yamin, and the company's legal counsel.

Li Yamin consciously remained quiet, only listening to their negotiations.

The screen resolution was average, somewhat distorted.

Judging from the furnishings in the background, Wanshu Zu should be in his company office.

His face was blurred by the pixels, losing its details, which suddenly reminded Li Yamin of a long time ago.

Like when they were still in university.

Li Yamin really liked Rain Man, the 1988 film starring the heartthrob Tom Cruise and the lifetime achievement award winner Dustin Hoffman.

The movie was about a selfish young man, Charlie, who gets to know his autistic older brother, Raymond, due to their father's death.

Initially, Charlie only wanted to fight for the inheritance, but during their journey together, the two brothers gradually built a deep emotional bond.

Li Yamin loved it so much he could even completely put himself in the shoes of the handsome younger brother, who had a mentally handicapped older brother at home who got the inheritance rights.

The second son of the Li family was willing to be the family fool, it must be because of kinship, understanding, and love.

In the movie, the younger brother asked the older brother: “Do you remember the day you left?”

The older brother said: “You were in the window, waving at me. Bye-bye, Rain Man.”

Li Yamin was crying his eyes out in the home theater.

His older brother came in and asked him what crazy fit he was having, and Li Yamin shouted with a heart-wrenching voice: “Brother—Brother—I want to be the Rain Man!”

His parents' sharp comments when they were alive were very on point; when he was young, Li Yamin was a little bastard who acted on whims.

Given their brotherly affection, and the fact that the little bastard had no interest in the family business, his older brother could act as the doting parent for the time being.

The little bastard said he wanted to be the Rain Man, which was too abstract.

Then the little bastard changed his tune and said he wanted to be an actor, which was much more practical.

His older brother waved his hand and sent Li Yamin to Media University to study acting.

Media University was very different from the temple of art in Li Yamin's mind.

The news here traveled very fast, and the backgrounds of the new students were no secret at all.

The freshman section on the BBS was either for flashy seniors trying to hook up with junior girls in advance, or the style would suddenly change, and they would start selecting the most promising newcomer.

“Most promising” of course referred to family potential.

Li Yamin's name was prominently on the list, ranking second among the new acting stars.

The first was a second-generation star who had already joined a cast as a child actor long ago.

He engaged in a war of words with a senior online, trying to usurp the throne, and the war ended with the senior's sentence: "The entertainment circle doesn't lack rich people. That's the little crown prince of the Beijing circle, what does the second son of the Li family have to fight with."

Li Yamin couldn't stomach it.

He browsed through the names of the "various lords" and at a glance saw the name of the new king of the directing department: Wanshu Zu.

Mainly because the new king's photo was too flashy.

Other people's pictures were ID photos, but the new king of the directing department was unique.

His photo was obviously a candid shot, with noticeable noise.

The streetlight was dim yellow, the person was leaning back in a car, his features were very aggressive, almost completely submerged in the dimness, like a noble young master from an old Hong Kong movie who would pull out a gun and take down the enemy at any moment.

He didn't look like he was from the directing department, more like he had walked into the wrong door from the acting department.

The school still considered more than the students.

The second son of the Li family couldn't compete with the little crown prince of the Beijing circle in terms of prestige, but his application was approved quickly.

He wanted to choose his own roommate, with no specific target, as long as they didn't smoke.

Media University was terrifyingly so, especially for their performing arts category.

Everyone had a pack of cigarettes, most people looked as haggard as office workers who had been working for more than ten years.

Not many freshmen smoked, but "if you can't beat them, join them" was always the truth of the world.

Li Yamin never hesitated to speculate about others with the greatest malice; he wanted a clean dormitory environment.

The school directly assigned the new king of the directing department to him.

When the person pushed open the dormitory door with a suitcase, Li Yamin thought to himself, this is not good.

Isn't Wanshu Zu a bit too tall...?

Li Yamin was 185 cm tall, and seeing the long legs under the other person's khaki-colored Burberry long trench coat, his dignity felt crushed, and his vigilance was immediately aroused.

From the first day of school, Li Yamin's desk was never without calcium tablets.

Two a day, reaching 190 cm was just around the corner.

But soon, Li Yamin found that his sense of competition seemed completely unnecessary.

Because Wanshu Zu didn't pay any attention to him at all.

The acting department's curriculum followed the "three-three-three" rule: one-third public basic education courses, one-third general education for the arts faculty, and one-third professional courses.

Li Yamin learned everything quickly, excelling in the first two categories, a testament to his family's years of nurturing, but he really couldn't act.

He thought he was the younger brother from Rain Man, he liked the older brother's lines, and his acting was just like his perception, a mishmash.

The teachers' evaluations of him were particularly polarized; those who liked him liked him very much, and those who hated him found him annoying just by looking at him.

Li Yamin didn't care.

Wanting to be an actor, and wanting to be a good actor, he understood the difference between the two very clearly.

In the end, this was also a way to promote family harmony.

If he really strived hard, studied business, and then worked like crazy, his brother might really say "bye-bye Rain Man" to him.

There was really no need.

By the time his sophomore year was almost over, Li Yamin had exchanged no more than ten sentences with his roommate.

Among them were "The counselor is looking for you," "Professor XX is looking for you," and "Your classmate is looking for you."

Wanshu Zu was also exactly like the first impression from his photo.

The reason he was chosen as the little tyrant of the directing department and held the throne for two consecutive years was even simpler, not because of family factors—his professional grades were always first.

Wanshu Zu's self-introduction when he first came to the dorm was also very much in his style: "Wanshu Zu, directing department, hello."

He spoke calmly, with a smile on his lips.

At first, Li Yamin thought it was so cool, but it wasn't until his sophomore year that he realized something was wrong, this person didn't see him at all.

He truly realized this one day near the end of his sophomore year.

Li Yamin was almost late for class.

He was slowly packing his things to leave the dorm, and when he was leaving, Wanshu Zu was on the phone.

Their directing department was about to start the practical exercise of shooting a short film.

Wanshu Zu had also formed a crew and was planning to start shooting, but the actor he found had backed out at the last minute.

Li Yamin knew about this.

After all, Wanshu Zu was a celebrity in the directing department, and there were tons of students who wanted to get in on his film.

A fourth-year senior had fought his way through the crowd and stood out, but a few days ago he got a bit part in some big movie and immediately told Wanshu Zu he was leaving.

It wasn't hard to find a replacement.

The list of alternatives Wanshu Zu had could be pulled from the fourth year down to the first year.

If he was willing to wait until the list of new freshmen was announced in the summer, there would be fresh-faced youngsters lining up for him to choose from.

Wanshu Zu meant the same on the phone, and he even comforted the person on the other end, saying it was fine, they could cooperate next time if there was a chance.

His roommate was handsome, had long legs, good grades, and a humble temper.

Comparisons are odious.

Li Yamin heard the preparatory bell ring and dashed out of the dormitory building.

But he was still late; he wouldn't make it from the bottom of the academic building.

He was already marked as absent, rushing up now would still be late.

Li Yamin didn't struggle between bad and so bad, he turned around directly, planning to go back to the dorm and find his chosen bed.

When he reached the dormitory door, he was about to open it, his hand on the doorknob, when he was frozen in place by a huge commotion from inside.

Clang clang, thud thud thud, boom—

The ground was shaking.

Li Yamin was stunned.

He had only ever seen this kind of scene outside his family's study door.

For example, when his brother was making a fuss about wanting to marry the cleaning lady, Xiao Mei, his parents would wreak havoc in the study.

Except for his brother who was unharmed, everything in sight was in ruins.

—Of course, his brother couldn't possibly marry the cleaning lady, Xiao Mei, it was just a metaphor.

In his parents' perception, it didn't matter if the woman was a top student from the same school, or how excellent her job was.

Once her family background was checked, all those who didn't meet the requirements were classified as the cleaning lady, Xiao Mei.

What was Wanshu Zu... doing in the dorm?

Li Yamin quietly pushed the door open a crack.

Wanshu Zu was still on the phone.

“Don't stoop to his level? Why shouldn't I?”

His roommate's voice was chillingly cold, “I said, there was a possibility of changes, and to tell me a week in advance.”

“All the costumes and props were made according to his measurements. It's not that I'm short on money, but he used my crew as a stepping stone to get into another crew, and kicked me away before he even got a firm footing? Does he think I'm full of hot air when I speak?”

“I'm going to kill him.”

Through the crack in the door, Li Yamin saw ruins that were very similar to the study, and they were quite distinct.

Li Yamin's half of the dorm was as neat as new.

Li Yamin had an epiphany.

No wonder his roommate redecorated every so often.

He had originally thought the guy was absurdly obsessed with cleanliness, but it turned out he had someone clean up the mess after he went crazy.

Wanshu Zu had a real explosive temper.

He hesitated whether to go in, then heard Wanshu Zu say: “It's the same no matter who we find to act, you handle it.”

“Li Yamin?”

Hearing his own name, Li Yamin's ears perked up.

His reputation was just that, the most common comment was "a rich wooden stake."

After Li Yamin's unremitting efforts on the BBS, "a rich wooden stake" became "a rich and exquisite wooden stake."

He still had to have some face.

Wanshu Zu said calmly: “Who is Li Yamin?”

—Who is Li Yamin?

This sentence would often appear in the headlines of various news in the future, when he was nominated for major awards as an unknown young actor.

What impressed Li Yamin the most was still this sentence from Wanshu Zu.

Very calm, the voice completely different from the ferocity before.

It was difficult for an ordinary person to make such a rapid change under intense emotions.

When his parents scolded his brother, they would even give him a hard kick as he passed by.

Li Yamin pushed the door open.

He made eye contact with his roommate who was sitting on a chair.

The scene wasn't awkward at all, because Wanshu Zu's expression was too normal, exactly the same as when he was usually in the dorm staring at his computer.

After a few seconds, Wanshu Zu looked away, got up from his seat, stepped over the mess on the floor, and nodded to him while covering his phone, saying politely, "I'll clean up in a bit."

Just as they were about to pass each other, Li Yamin grabbed his arm.

Two years of calcium tablets had paid off.

Li Yamin felt that he could be on par in height.

He turned his head and looked at his roommate's slightly furrowed brow.

“I am Li Yamin,” he said.

“Director, how about considering me? I won't run away.”

There was no motive in saying this; Li Yamin just found it interesting.

The result was also just as Li Yamin expected.

A crack appeared on Wanshu Zu's expression.

Although it was just a slit, Li Yamin vaguely saw surging lava flowing in that slit.

This person was not a calm sea; he was always boiling, bubbling under the black rock.

What truly shattered that solid rock shell was during the audition.

Wanshu Zu's belief was that an actor's appearance was more important than their acting skills.

He believed that everyone in the crew was a decoration that could be manipulated at will under his command; he was the sole creator.

Li Yamin was also a master of theory.

He had secretly asked the scriptwriter in charge of the short film, the one who had mentioned his name on the phone: “Then how is he going to make it in this circle in the future?”

A director's authority in a film crew was quite Schrödinger-like; there were tyrants, and there were shutter-pushers, it all depended on the production attitude.

The scriptwriter was a fourth-year senior, his answer was quite sincere: “Wanshu Zu is very rich.”

He emphasized, “Parents are deceased, has cars and houses, and a trust fund sufficient for him to squander until he's old and gray.”

Li Yamin started to hate again.

It took him two years of eating calcium tablets just to catch up in height, how did this guy achieve financial freedom so early!

He was filled with hatred during the audition, and his performance could only be described as a failure.

Wanshu Zu, behind the camera, laughed in anger.

After a "cut," he stood up from the director's chair: “Student Li, you can go back first. I'll give you the result after I discuss it with the other students.”

Li Yamin: “Are you going to kill me too?”

Wanshu Zu: “…”

Li Yamin: “Don't smash things when you get back to the dorm, getting angry often is not good for your health.”

Wanshu Zu: “Get lost.”

Li Yamin was satisfied.

Right, this was how it should be.

They had been roommates for two years, what was the point of putting on an act?

He never pretended to be anything.

Since Wanshu Zu didn't value an actor's skills, and thanks to the reputation of being "a rich and exquisite wooden stake," Li Yamin got the role with his face and the sentence "I can ask my brother to send the film to Cinéfondation."

Cinéfondation, a short film unit under the Cannes Film Festival specifically for film school students.

The news spread quickly.

The fourth-year senior who had run away earlier was green with regret, but he was still stubborn, saying he didn't regret it, and finished his bit part.

Wanshu Zu didn't make a big move, but after the movie was released, there was no trace of the fourth-year senior, neither in the film nor in the ending credits.

A director knows a director best.

Deleting a shot was nothing, it didn't take much effort to make a call.

It wasn't even Wanshu Zu himself who made the call.

His crew was full of capable people.

For Li Yamin, who knew almost nothing about the inner workings of the circle, it was like a whole new world.

Wanshu Zu dominated this new world.

Gradually, Li Yamin's mind opened up.

He could never learn to act.

The things the teachers said were too abstract, and he couldn't get it right no matter how much he adjusted in front of the mirror.

He didn't start to ponder acting out of ambition; he just found Wanshu Zu's face-changing to be very interesting, playing people around his finger.

Li Yamin called it "charisma."

Li Yamin had already been completely defeated in height, academics, and financial freedom.

He was determined to be a man with charisma.

A determined Li Yamin would never let himself down.

He didn't know which of his meridians had been unblocked.

Technical movements were not a problem, lengthy lines just needed to be memorized, and the complex emotions not required by the director were not actually that difficult to figure out with a little thought.

He was like a different person under the camera—he was a different person—he tried to show what he understood to the camera, genuine fear and vulnerability, the awkwardness that was usually difficult to show in front of others...

The dark lens was cold, which easily made Li Yamin think of his roommate's eyes, and after a "Cut," he did indeed see his roommate's eyes.

Crimson, surging like lava, focus and gaze.

Wanshu Zu's expression was no expression, especially in front of the monitor.

He would be more calm and restrained than usual, using various restrictions to cover his anger at the actor's terrible performance.

But everyone could see that at this moment, the director had poured all his passion into the person in the monitor, very positively.

That simmering potential contained an indescribably huge energy, ready to explode at any moment.

A transformed leading actor, a director who no longer treated actors as exquisite decorations, it was like a miracle, erupting and colliding in this small group, captivating everyone.

“You…”

What did Wanshu Zu say?

Li Yamin was stunned by his gaze.

It took him a long time to react, and he moved like a zombie to the director, separated from him by the monitor.

“What did you say?”

Wanshu Zu stared at him and said: “You're a fucking genius.”

Li Yamin was even more stunned.

The scriptwriter pushed him away: “The script can be changed, it can be changed! Your roommate is reliable, Wanshu Zu, I told you before I wanted to adjust that part…”

That short film ended up winning an award.

Not to mention the dazzling cast and crew list, the quality of the film was also solid.

Wanshu Zu had a long list of people to thank when he received the award.

Lastly, he thanked Li Yamin.

He used more appropriate, more polite words, repeating what he said last time in English and French: "Li Yamin is a genius. I am very grateful for all the difficulties encountered in the film, they allowed me to meet a genius."

Li Yamin didn't show it on his face, but he was overjoyed inside.

He was starting to like acting a little, because the king of the new world who crushed him in every aspect said he was a genius.

Li Yamin spent the remaining two years becoming sworn brothers with Wanshu Zu.

Although Wanshu Zu himself did not admit it, and had repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with his offensive words and deeds in a rather fierce manner, since he didn't smash things on his own head when he was smashing things, there was naturally a reason for it.

Wanshu Zu didn't restrain his temper much anymore, mainly because he couldn't.

The switch between being polite to others and being furious with Li Yamin was also very shocking, so he simply stopped acting.

Near graduation, Li Yamin got an audition opportunity for a new role.

It just so happened that Wanshu Zu had nothing to do, so he was forcibly dragged along.

The director was very satisfied, the production was very satisfied, the scriptwriter was very satisfied.

They just had to go through the process, and the contract could be signed after a while.

When leaving the audition venue, someone handed Li Yamin a business card.

That person was a manager.

After some pleasantries and praise, he immediately asked about Li Yamin's intentions to sign a contract.

He made it sound wonderful, saying that the company would absolutely not let a genius be buried in dust.

Li Yamin's conditions were too good, flawless no matter from which dimension you looked.

Li Yamin looked at his roommate.

His roommate had no expression as usual, his returning gaze was dark and heavy.

Li Yamin couldn't read what he was thinking, and no one spoke on the way back to school.

Back at the dorm, Li Yamin emptied all the things from his pocket onto the desk, among them was that business card.

He went to take a shower, and when he came out, Wanshu Zu was gone.

That business card had been torn to shreds, blatantly displayed on the table.

Before going to bed at night, Li Yamin heard the voice of his roommate from the opposite bed: "I don't plan to be a director."

Li Yamin turned over: “Then what do you want to do?”

“Manager.”

Li Yamin suddenly wanted to laugh.

He remembered the gaze from the monitor, a focus so intense it could burn a person—this guy was even more self-centered than him.

Ordinary things couldn't catch his eye, and the result of catching his eye was also terrifying, blatantly carrying a hint of paranoia.

“I'm a genius, you sign me.”

Wanshu Zu also laughed, his laughter was obvious in the dark and quiet dormitory.

“Nonsense, why should I let someone else snatch away what I discovered.”

After graduation, Li Yamin joined a crew for three weeks.

After finishing his scenes, he went abroad without stopping.

Wanshu Zu was going to study for an MBA.

He thought about it, mentioned it to his family, and his brother immediately made the decision to let him go study for an MFA.

Before going abroad, his brother met Wanshu Zu once.

With the attitude of an old father, he shook Wanshu Zu's hand firmly, saying that this wretched little brother was finally making progress, and he expressed the full gratitude of the old Li family.

Life abroad was basically managed by Wanshu Zu.

He could always handle all sorts of things properly, including the messes Li Yamin made after not being accustomed to the new environment.

The makeshift team was also established in London.

At the beginning, there were only three people.

Wanshu Zu, Li Yamin, and the "legal counsel" Wanshu Zu had found, a childhood friend of Wanshu Zu's from when he was abroad, Marcus Li.

Marcus Li had a baby face.

No matter how you looked at him, he was also a minor, a second-year high school student at most.

You couldn't tell at all that he was the same age as them.

He was currently studying law at the University of Chicago and had already been invited by a domestic variety show, planning to add some fun to the program as a dark horse in the legal world, and by the way, to further his studies in Hong Kong, Macao, and mainland common law.

Wanshu Zu called him Li Maku, which to Li Yamin's ears sounded no different from Marcus Li.

When the three of them had dinner together, Wanshu Zu talked about his future plans.

Marcus Li was very surprised: “I thought you would go back to Illinois. My parents always talk about you, Nora too, she's still waiting for you to go back and get married.”

Li Yamin's hand that was cutting the steak paused, he looked at Wanshu Zu in horror: “Bro, how do you have a runaway groom plotline?”

He lost again?!

Wanshu Zu's expression didn't change: “Run away from what, Nora is his younger sister, twelve years old this year.”

Li Yamin was even more horrified: “Bro, you're a pedophile?”

Li Goudan: “To be precise, she has a crush on him.”

“Whatever, Zu, temporary agent is OK, but I have my own career plan, at most I'll be a nominal partner. Of course, no matter what, if you need me I'll definitely help.”

The preliminary agreement for the rundown studio had fourteen lines.

Wanshu Zu only listed the general cooperation matters.

Li Yamin was legally illiterate, and he didn't mind being seen as legally illiterate.

He treated the agreement as a contract and even wondered, saying does the law also do that Shakespearean thing.

Li Goudan was stunned for a moment, then laughed, slapping the sofa: “This isn't a fourteen-line sonnet. You guys in the UK are truly terrifying. Don't be like this, bro, I'm getting goosebumps all over.”

Wanshu Zu commented coldly: “Two lunatics.”

A lot of things happened later.

The only two core members of the small, rundown studio signed with a big domestic company together.

Li Goudan retired with honor, and then parachuted in to save the day when they were having a contract dispute with the company.

The name Lishou Entertainment was chosen by Wanshu Zu.

It actually didn't have much to do with Li Yamin, it originated from the Thousand Character Classic's "To Love and Nurture the Common People."

According to the literal meaning:

Reminding us to be people-centric, to create a social environment full of love and fairness, and to handle internal and external relations in a peaceful and harmonious way to achieve common development and prosperity.

Very official, just like Wanshu Zu himself.

Without in-depth contact, you could only see a strong outer shell, and under that shell surged his ego and ambition.

At this moment, the makeshift team of the online conference room was once again gathered.

Li Goudan still had a baby face, slowly and methodically stating the contents of the drafted contract and the matters that needed attention.

Li Yamin was on the sidelines, his thoughts diverging quickly and chaotically.

There was no fourteen-line contract.

Li Yamin thought.

A manager's greed has no direction.

He is always eager for what he fancies, refusing to be plundered or encroached upon.

But they stood very high.

The actor was still immersed in the praise of being a "genius," while the manager had already come into contact with new brilliance and prosperity.

“I will fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible.”

Wanshu Zu said in the video conference, “As for Yamin, he's about to join a film crew. I hope you can all understand his absence.”

—He was no longer looking at him, and had no intention of looking back.

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