wavenovel Chapter 418 New Year Greetings
Chapter 418 New Year Greetings
After finishing breakfast on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Yuege urged Lu Ran to change his clothes.
"Wear that dark gray coat, not the windbreaker. My parents' friends are all senior figures in the industry; what would you look like wearing a windbreaker?"
Lu Ran stood in front of the wardrobe for a long time, and finally put on the wool coat that Shen Yuege had bought for him in Chengdu.
He looked in the mirror and felt that he did look much more energetic than usual, like a proper person.
Shen Yuege also changed her outfit.
She wore a beige cashmere coat over a light gray dress and nude high heels.
Her hair was down and draped over her shoulders, and she wore very light makeup.
She looked dignified and elegant, as if she had stepped out of a magazine cover.
Lu Ran glanced at her and said, "Are you dressed like that to pay New Year's visits or to walk the red carpet?"
"Mind your own business. Dressing nicely is a sign of respect for others."
"So you're disrespectful to me usually?"
"You're different. You're my husband, you don't need respect."
Lu Ran was speechless at her logic and followed her downstairs.
Shen Zhiwei was already waiting at the door, wearing a dark blue suit jacket over a white shirt, without a tie, and with one button undone at the collar.
Priscilla Chan stood next to him, wearing a dark red cheongsam jacket and her hair was styled in an updo, making her look several years younger than usual.
"Let's go. Let's go to Uncle Zhang's house first." Shen Zhiwei said and went out the door first.
Uncle Zhang's real name is Zhang Mingyuan. He is a retired director from the Shanghai Film Group. He is almost seventy years old this year, and his hair is completely white, but he is in good spirits.
When Shen Zhiwei first entered the industry, he worked as an assistant director under him. The two collaborated on several films and maintained a good relationship.
Zhang Mingyuan lived in an old Western-style house in western Shanghai. The house was not big, with two floors. There were two trees in the yard, one was an osmanthus tree and the other was also an osmanthus tree.
The trunk is thicker than a bowl, and it looks like an old tree that's been around for decades.
Red couplets were pasted on the door, and a pair of red lanterns hung on the door frame, creating a strong festive atmosphere.
Shen Zhiwei rang the doorbell, and after about ten seconds, the door opened.
The person who opened the door was Zhang Mingyuan's wife, a very kind auntie. She smiled when she saw Shen Zhiwei: "Old Shen is here? Come in, come in. Old Zhang is upstairs, I'll call him down."
"No need to shout, we can go up ourselves." Shen Zhiwei led Lu Ran and Shen Yuege through the door.
The living room wasn't big, but it was very clean.
The sofa is an old-fashioned leather sofa; it's a bit hard to sit on, but it's very spacious.
On the coffee table were a fruit plate and tea set. The fruit plate contained tangerines, longans, and pistachios, and the teapot was made of purple clay with plum blossom patterns carved on its body.
Zhang Mingyuan came downstairs, wearing a gray wool sweater and cotton slippers. He smiled when he saw Shen Zhiwei: "You old codger, you're here early."
"You should offer New Year's greetings early. Being late shows a lack of sincerity."
"When have you ever shown any sincerity?" Zhang Mingyuan asked, turning his gaze to Shen Yuege and Lu Ran, sizing them up. "These are your daughter and son-in-law?"
"Yes. My daughter is Shen Yuege, and my son-in-law is Lu Ran."
Zhang Mingyuan looked at Shen Yuege and nodded: "Your daughter is much prettier than you. She takes after your wife."
Shen Zhiwei blushed at what was said, but did not refute it.
Zhang Mingyuan then looked at Lu Ran, scrutinizing him closely, from face to toe, and then back again, finally saying, "This young man is quite handsome. What do you do for a living?"
"We make games," Lu Ran said.
"Making games?" Zhang Mingyuan paused for a moment, then laughed. "My grandson makes games too. He's a programmer at a small company in Shanghai, working overtime until midnight every day, his eyes are almost blind. Where's your company?"
"In Pudong. Tutu Technology."
Zhang Mingyuan's smile faltered for a moment, then his eyes widened slowly: "TuTu Technology? The TuTu Technology that made League of Legends?"
"right."
"Are you from Tutu Technology?"
"I am the founder of Tutu Technology."
Zhang Mingyuan was silent for two seconds, then turned to look at Shen Zhiwei, his voice a octave higher than before: "Old Shen, your son-in-law is Lu Ran? The Lu Ran who wrote 'Rice Fragrance'? The Lu Ran who made 'League of Legends'?"
Shen Zhiwei nodded, a smile he couldn't hide on his lips.
Zhang Mingyuan turned to look at Lu Ran again, his expression changing.
It's the kind of scrutiny one insider looks at another insider.
He looked Lu Ran over again, this time more carefully, as if confirming something.
"That 'Unlimited Firepower' game of yours, my grandson played it every day during the Spring Festival. On New Year's Eve, he was in front of the computer playing it while eating his rice bowl, and his mother scolded him several times, but he wouldn't listen. I asked him what was so fun about the game, and he said, 'You don't understand, this mode is so cool.'" Zhang Mingyuan laughed as he said this, "I don't understand. But I know that a game that can make a child put down his rice bowl on New Year's Eve must be something special."
Lu Ran smiled and said, "Uncle Zhang, you flatter me. It's just a fun mode to make players happy."
Zhang Mingyuan waved his hand: "You don't need to be modest. I've been making movies my whole life, I know all too well what it means to 'make the audience happy.' Whether it's a movie or a game, if it makes the audience happy, it's a good thing. As for artistry, ideology, or educational significance, those are just icing on the cake. Without icing, where would you embroider the flowers?"
Shen Zhiwei chimed in from the side, "Old Zhang is right. Some people make movies and start by talking about ideas, but when you ask them what the story is about, they can't even explain it themselves. Those kinds of movies deserve to be unwatched."
Zhang Mingyuan glared at him: "Who are you pointing fingers at?"
"I didn't name anyone. Don't blame me if you take offense."
The two old men started bickering back and forth, and the atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.
Zhang Mingyuan's wife brought out tea, one cup for each person.
The tea is Longjing, with a delicate aroma and a sweet aftertaste.
Lu Ran took a sip and thought it tasted much better than the Tieguanyin tea that Shen Zhiwei usually brewed, but he didn't say it.
After sitting for a while, several more groups of people came to offer New Year's greetings.
They were all Zhang Mingyuan's friends in the industry, including screenwriters, producers, and actors. They were all quite old, with most of them having gray hair. They spoke with great energy and loud voices.
Shen Zhiwei introduced Lu Ran and Shen Yuege one by one.
Each time someone is introduced, the other person looks both of them up from head to toe and then says something like, "Your daughter is so pretty" or "Your son-in-law is so handsome."
Shen Yuege always nodded and smiled in greeting, while Lu Ran followed behind with a forced smile, his face stiff from smiling so much.
It was almost eleven o'clock when I left Zhang Mingyuan's house.
Shen Zhiwei then took them to the next place.
The second person is a screenwriter surnamed Liu, named Liu Wenhua. He is 65 years old this year and is a senior figure in the Chinese TV drama industry. He has written several TV dramas that broke viewership records.
He lived in an apartment in Hongqiao. The apartment wasn't big, but it had a lot of books. Three walls of the living room were lined with bookshelves, which were crammed full of books, with even scraps of paper stuffed into the gaps between the spines.
Liu Wenhua was wearing reading glasses, her hair was sparse, and she was wearing a faded plaid shirt.
When he saw Shen Yuege and Lu Ran, his expression was much calmer than Zhang Mingyuan's. He simply nodded, said "You're here," and then went to make tea.
Shen Zhiwei was clearly used to Liu Wenhua's aloof style and didn't mind. He sat down on the sofa and invited Lu Ran and Shen Yuege to sit down as well.
Liu Wenhua brewed some tea and brought it over. He sat down opposite Shen Zhiwei, adjusted his reading glasses, and looked at Lu Ran: "You're the one who wrote 'Ip Man'?"
"Yes," Lu Ran said.
Liu Wenhua nodded, paused for a few seconds, and then said something that surprised Lu Ran: "That script is well-written. The pacing is good, the characters are solid, and the dialogue is concise. These days, action movies just keep fighting, and by the time they're over, the audience doesn't even know the main character's name. Your script is different; the action scenes serve the characters, not just fight for the sake of fighting. Have you studied screenwriting?"
"No. I just figured it out myself."
Liu Wenhua nodded again and didn't ask any more questions.
But the way he looked at Lu Ran was different from before.
It's not so much admiration as recognition among peers.
After a brief visit to Liu Wenhua's house, we moved on to the next one.
The third family is an actor surnamed Wang, named Wang Zhiyuan. He is in his early seventies and played many classic roles when he was young. Now he basically doesn't act anymore and stays at home enjoying his grandchildren.
He lived in a villa in Xuhui. The house was very big, and the yard was also big. There were several loquat trees in the yard, and a set of stone table and benches were placed under the trees.
When Wang Zhiyuan saw Shen Yuege, his eyes lit up: "This is Yuege? You were only this tall when I last saw you." He gestured with his hand, indicating that you were about waist-high. "Now you've grown so much and become a big star. Time flies."
Shen Yuege smiled and called out "Uncle Wang." Wang Zhiyuan was overjoyed and pulled her over to look at her again and again. Then he turned to Shen Zhiwei and said, "Old Shen, your daughter is a hundred times prettier than you."
Shen Zhiwei was used to this kind of evaluation and said without changing his expression, "A hundred times is too little, at least a thousand times."
Wang Zhiyuan then looked at Lu Ran for a few seconds, and then said something that made everyone laugh: "This young man looks like someone who makes games."
Lu Ran was taken aback: "What do game developers look like?"
"Someone like you. You look smart, but you don't talk much, and no one can guess what you're thinking. My grandson looks just like that; he also works in the gaming industry."
Lu Ran couldn't help but laugh.
This assessment is surprisingly accurate.
I just don't know which game company his grandson works for.
The fourth person is a producer surnamed Chen, named Chen Guoqiang. He is a big shot in the Chinese film industry, having handled dozens of blockbusters and having extensive connections within the industry.
He lives in a high-rise apartment in Pudong, on the 38th floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Huangpu River. Standing in front of the window, you can see the entire skyline of Lujiazui.
Chen Guoqiang is a few years younger than Shen Zhiwei, in his early fifties, but he looks much older than Shen Zhiwei.
His hair was mostly white, his face was covered in deep wrinkles, and he had heavy eye bags. He looked like someone who had worked hard for many years.
He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, sitting on the sofa with a cigarette between his fingers, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts.
He saw Shen Zhiwei bring Lu Ran and Shen Yuege in, but he didn't stand up. He just raised his chin to indicate that they should sit down.
Shen Zhiwei didn't mind and found a seat for himself, followed by Lu Ran and Shen Yuege.
"This is your son-in-law?" Chen Guoqiang looked at Lu Ran with a direct gaze.
"Yes. Lu Ran."
Chen Guoqiang stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, stared at Lu Ran for several seconds, and then said, "Your TUTU did a good job."
Lu Ran nodded slightly: "Thank you, Uncle Chen."
"No need to thank me. I'm just telling the truth, not just being polite. I often watch game streams on TUTU. Although I don't play games, it's quite interesting to watch others play." Chen Guoqiang picked up his phone from the coffee table, opened the TUTU app, scrolled to the games section, and turned the screen to show Lu Ran. "Look, this is what I watched last night. Someone was playing that 'Infinite Firepower' mode, picked Master Yi, and got over fifty kills. I watched for half an hour and didn't understand what he was doing, but it was just really exciting."
Lu Ran glanced at the screen and saw a streamer playing URF mode, choosing Master Yi.
The screen was filled with a dense barrage of comments, all of which were "666" and "Awesome".
"Uncle Chen, if you're interested, you can try it yourself. The Sword Saint isn't difficult to operate, and you can learn it quickly."
Chen Guoqiang waved his hand: "I don't play. I just like watching. Watching others play is more interesting than playing myself. I don't have to use my brain, and I can even join in the insults in the chat. Do you think there's something wrong with my mentality?"
Lu Ran laughed: "No problem. Many users are like that, they just watch but don't play. We call these users 'armchair gamers,' and they are an important part of the community. Without them, the streamers' live streams would be deserted."
Chen Guoqiang nodded, lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke.
The smoke slowly dissipated in front of the French windows, and the sunlight on the river shone through the smoke, becoming hazy.
"Old Shen, your son-in-law is no ordinary person," Chen Guoqiang suddenly said, his tone very serious.
Shen Zhiwei, holding his teacup, smiled and asked, "How so?"
"Young, thoughtful, and steady in his work. I've seen too many young people in this industry. Some are talented but impatient, some are patient but lack talent, and some have both but lack luck. Your son-in-law has all three." Chen Guoqiang paused, flicking his cigarette ash into the ashtray. "And most importantly, he's not arrogant. He doesn't get cocky when you praise him, and he doesn't get upset when you scold him. That kind of composure isn't something most people have."
Lu Ran felt a little embarrassed by the praise, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and pretended not to hear.
Shen Zhiwei seemed quite pleased, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
It was already past 2 p.m. when I left Chen Guoqiang's house.
Shen Zhiwei said there was one last place left, and after that, he would go back.
Lu Ran asked him who the last person was, and Shen Zhiwei said it was an old friend, surnamed Li, who was also a director, someone Lu Ran had met.
Lu Ran thought for a long time but couldn't remember who it was.
He only remembered it when he arrived at the destination.
Li Guoliang, an old friend of Shen Zhiwei, is also a well-known director in the industry. They had met at a dinner party before.
At that dinner, Li Guoliang drank too much and talked to Lu Ran for a long time about movies, praising his script for "Ip Man" so much that he even sprayed saliva on Lu Ran's face.
Li Guoliang lives in a detached villa in the western suburbs. The house is larger than the previous ones, and the yard is also large. There are two cars parked in the yard: a black Mercedes and a white Tesla.
Spring Festival couplets were pasted on the door, and red lanterns hung on the door frame, creating a strong festive atmosphere.
Rather than saying they had met, they barely exchanged a few words during their first meeting, to the point that Lu Ran didn't even bother mentioning it in the book.
Shen Zhiwei rang the doorbell, and it took quite a while before someone came to open the door.
The person who opened the door was Li Guoliang himself, wearing a bright red hoodie, with messy hair and red marks on his face from just waking up, clearly indicating that he had just gotten up.
"Old Shen? What brings you here?" Li Guoliang rubbed his eyes, his tone filled with surprise.
"If you don't come to pay your respects on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when will you? Did you just wake up?"
"I drank too much last night and didn't get up until noon. My head still hurts." Li Guoliang yawned and stepped aside to make way. "Come in, come in. Your daughter and son-in-law are here too? Okay, okay, come in."
The four people entered the living room.
The living room is large and luxuriously decorated, with crystal chandeliers, leather sofas, and marble coffee tables; every piece of furniture looks expensive.
However, the space was not very clean. There were leftover takeout boxes piled on the coffee table, several unfolded clothes on the sofa, and several pairs of slippers scattered on the floor.
Li Guoliang swept the clothes off the sofa to the side, making room for Shen Zhiwei and the other two to sit down, and then went to the kitchen to boil water and make tea.
His phone rang while he was making tea. He answered it, said a few words, and hung up. As he carried the teapot out, he muttered, "Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they can't let me have a moment's peace."
Shen Zhiwei asked him what was going on, and he said that an investor wanted to invest in his new movie, and that the investor wouldn't even let him celebrate the Spring Festival, insisting on talking to him today.
Li Guoliang waved his hand: "No, no. It's Chinese New Year today, even if the Emperor himself came, we wouldn't talk."
Several people sat down and drank tea.
Li Guoliang drank a few sips of tea, felt much better, and began to chat with Shen Zhiwei about things in the film industry.
After chatting for a while, he suddenly turned the topic to Lu Ran.
"Xiao Lu, have you written the sequel to 'Ip Man' yet?"
"I'm writing it now," Lu Ran said. Actually, he had already finished writing it; the complete script was in the system, but he couldn't say that.
"Hurry up and write it. The first movie did well at the box office and received good reviews. Strike while the iron is hot for the sequel, don't drag it out too long." Li Guoliang picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, looked Lu Ran up and down, then glanced at Shen Yuege, and suddenly smiled, "Old Shen, the more I look at this son-in-law of yours, the more pleasing he becomes."
Shen Zhiwei, holding his teacup, raised an eyebrow: "When did you start disliking him?"
"I didn't say I disliked him. I meant the more I looked at him, the more pleasing he became, much more pleasing than when I first met him. The first time I met him, I thought he was too shrewd, his eyes were full of calculation. Now, he's still shrewd, but he's not annoying anymore. It's hard to strike that balance, and he strikes it very well."
Lu Ran was at a loss for words and could only smile.
Li Guoliang glanced at Shen Yuege again, and then said something that instantly silenced the entire living room.
"Old Shen, do you think it's possible for you to marry my daughter as well? She can be my concubine."
Shen Zhiwei's teacup froze in mid-air, his expression frozen.
Shen Yuege stopped peeling the tangerines, the peels fell onto the coffee table, and she remained motionless in the same position.
Lu Ran felt as if he had been paralyzed by acupuncture. He froze on the sofa, his mind blank, his lips moved but he couldn't utter a single word.
What does this mean...?
Shen Zhiwei was the first to react, slamming his teacup down on the coffee table. His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was harsh: "Li Guoliang, have you had too much to drink?"
Li Guoliang laughed, a loud laugh, and then waved his hand, "Just kidding, just kidding. Don't take it seriously. I'm just a little jealous because your son-in-law is so outstanding. My daughter is twenty-eight this year and still doesn't have a boyfriend. She plays video games at home all day. When I tell her what to do, she says I don't understand. When I tell her to go out and find a job, she says work is meaningless. I'm so worried about her."
Lu Ran also breathed a sigh of relief.
I'm terrified! There's no reason for me to come and wish you a Happy New Year, or that I'll get another wife.
At the very least, I should consider whether she's good-looking... Ahem, I'm getting off-topic. I'll definitely only have Shen Yuege as my wife for the rest of my life.
Shen Yuege, who was standing to the side, smiled as she finished peeling the tangerine in her hand, popped it into her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, swallowed it, and then said unhurriedly, "Uncle Li, what game is your daughter playing?"
Li Guoliang was stunned for a moment: "What?"
"What game does your daughter play? Maybe it's League of Legends. If so, have her add me as a friend, and I'll help her rank up."
Shen Yuege actually knows Li Guoliang; he just loves to joke around and sometimes he can be a bit reckless.
However, as her elder, Shen Yuege wouldn't hold such a joke against the other party.
Li Guoliang looked at Shen Yuege, paused for two seconds, and then laughed: "Your daughter is more capable than her father. Your father would just slam the table in this kind of situation, but you smoothed things over with just a few words. Old Shen, you've raised a good daughter."
Shen Zhiwei snorted but didn't reply.
Li Guoliang turned to look at Lu Ran, this time with a much more serious expression: "Lu Ran, I was just joking. Don't take it to heart. You and your wife should be happy together, and don't let outsiders interfere."
Lu Ran finally found her voice and said, "Uncle Li, it's okay. I know you were joking."
While he said that, he was thinking something else entirely—he wanted to have as little contact with Li Guoliang as possible in the future.
It's not that he's a bad person, it's just that he's such a loose tongue, who knows what kind of unsettling things he'll say next time.
As Shen Yuege left Li Guoliang's house, she walked ahead, taking large strides, her high heels making a crisp sound on the sidewalk.
Lu Ran followed behind her, watching her hair being blown by the wind, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.
Shen Zhiwei and Chen Huixian walked at the back, whispering to each other. Lu Ran vaguely heard Chen Huixian say, "This old Li is getting more and more unserious." Shen Zhiwei replied, "He's always been like this, you know that."
Walking to the car, Shen Yuege stopped and turned to look at Lu Ran. The wind had ruffled her hair, and she reached out to smooth it. Her expression was calm, revealing no emotion.
"You didn't take Uncle Li's joke seriously, did you?"
"no."
"That's good."
...