novellhall Chapter 24 The Person Behind Li Zhixing
Chapter 24 The Person Behind Li Zhixing
The atmosphere inside the tented carriage tonight was completely different from the dinner with the main cast and crew before the preview screening.
At the time, because the future of "Haeundae" was uncertain, everyone was worried, and even drinking had a forced smile. Director Yoon Je-kyun was even somewhat disheartened.
This time, the box office results soared, and it is even very likely that the domestic box office champion of this year will be locked in ahead of schedule. Yin Jijun's smile did not stop all night.
After a few drinks, he kept muttering that he had finally made money this time. Not only could he pay off the company's debts and pay the employees' bonuses, but he could also get back to work on the scripts that had been shelved.
When the conversation got excited, Yin Jijun patted Li Zhixing on the shoulder and promised that he would definitely make a movie just for him to play the male lead.
Li Zhixing naturally thanked him repeatedly.
He knew in his heart that although Yin Jijun was a little drunk, his words were by no means a casual remark made while intoxicated.
This older brother genuinely wanted to pave the way for his younger brother whom he had known for many years.
Seeing this, Xue Jingqiu, who was sitting opposite, had a smile in his eyes.
Sometimes he wondered what kind of magic Li Zhixing had that allowed him to get along so well with so many senior figures in Chungmuro.
Thinking back to when I first met him on the set of "Voice of a Murderer," he was just a stuntman who couldn't even show his face, yet he dared to come and ask me for acting advice.
The reason he can get along so well with those big directors and senior figures is probably because he's thick-skinned, and he's also smart, likable, and knows how to behave appropriately.
Although he never admitted it, he was actually quite proud of this junior, who could be considered "half a disciple," for making a name for himself in his first film. Before he knew it, he had drunk a few more cups.
However, as a "strict teacher," he can't help but put on airs as a senior and offer a few words of advice and guidance when necessary.
"You rascal, Director Ji Jun values you so much, you'd better cooperate fully with the film's promotion."
Xue Jingqiu put down his wine glass, his tone becoming more serious. "Don't slack off during this time. It's not easy for a newcomer to land such a popular project. Take this opportunity to get more exposure and boost your popularity. That way, you'll have more confidence when it comes to getting roles or negotiating with companies in the future."
Li Zhixing put away his joking expression and said seriously, "I understand, Brother Jingqiu."
"Good to know," Xue Jingqiu glanced at him, knowing that the kid was actually annoyed by the reporters' endless interviews. "Cooperating with publicity is also part of an actor's job. Many newcomers want to be interviewed but no one wants to interview them. Don't be hypocritical."
Yin Jijun chimed in, "That's right. Unlike others, Zhixing doesn't have any extra filming schedules. I'll try to accompany you to every stage greeting in the future, and I'll also arrange more interviews for you to help solidify your current popularity."
Li Zhixing's face fell, and he helplessly picked up his wine glass: "Thank you, Brother Jijun."
He had just put down his cup when he quickly added, "But Brother Jijun, there's a GGMV event I have to attend tomorrow morning. I'll head over to meet up as soon as it's over."
Yin Jijun was somewhat surprised: "You've already received a GG? So fast?"
Li Zhixing quickly waved his hand: "They didn't ask me to film it, I'm going to be someone else's assistant. Haven't I been working part-time at GG Company all along?"
Yin Jijun was even more surprised: "Huh? What are you doing doing this again?"
Now it was Li Zhixing's turn to be stunned: "Brother Jijun, didn't you introduce me to that place?"
Xue Jingqiu looked at Yin Jijun with suspicion: "Did you introduce this kid to GG Company to cause trouble?"
Yin Jijun was still somewhat confused.
Li Zhixing was somewhat surprised: "Brother Jijun, have you forgotten? You were the one who introduced me to LG Ad."
Yoon Jae-kyun thought carefully for a moment: "LG Ad? Hmm... it seems like that really happened, back when we were filming 'Sex Is Zero 2', right?"
At this point, he couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Back then, you were just a stuntman who had only been in the industry for a year. I don't know what got into you, but you insisted on asking me how to be a director. Becoming a director isn't that easy. You have to start by getting familiar with the set and the camera, right?"
"I figured I'd worked at LG Ads before, so I asked a friend to let you do odd jobs on a music video project so you could broaden your horizons."
Immediately afterward, Yin Jijun suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, that was two years ago. How come you're still there? Did you join LG?"
Li Zhixing shook his head: "I'm not officially employed. I'm just a temporary worker. LG will call me when they have projects, and if my schedule allows, I'll go and lend a hand. I've been involved in quite a few projects in the past two years."
"Huh?" Yin Jijun's expression turned somewhat strange.
Xue Jingqiu sighed from the side, "I remember that Director Ji Jun started making films in the early 2000s. I didn't expect that after so many years, he would still have such strong connections in LG and be able to arrange for this kid to study there for so long."
Unexpectedly, Yin Jijun shook his head and said inexplicably:
"I only asked a friend to arrange for Zhixing to work on a project and learn about the music video shooting process, but I didn't have him stay there indefinitely. Most importantly, my friend resigned not long after!"
The table fell silent instantly.
The three people looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Li Zhixing hesitated and asked, "Wasn't it arranged by Brother Jijun?"
Yin Jijun swallowed hard: "I had no idea I had such a strong network of connections at LG..."
Xue Jingqiu was also speechless for a moment.
He had always known that Li Zhixing was involved in the LG and GG projects, and he had never really approved of Li Zhixing's neglect of his duties. He was even a little dissatisfied when he thought that it was Yin Jijun who had arranged it.
But now it seems there's more to the story.
Xue Jingqiu wondered to himself, who was behind the scenes tacitly allowing Li Zhixing, a temporary worker, to continue working on LG's projects?
After a long pause, Xue Jingqiu broke the silence: "Alright, stop thinking about it. They probably just kept him around because they thought he was useful. I remember you weren't paid much as a temporary worker, right?"
Li Zhixing nodded: "Indeed, we don't have much money."
Yin Jijun took a sip of his drink and teased from the side, winking, "You're working so hard even though you're not getting paid. Maybe some female executive at LG Ad has taken a fancy to Zhixing's handsome face and is keeping him by her side on purpose."
Seeing that his older brother was making fun of him, Li Zhixing raised an eyebrow and shamelessly replied:
"Brother Jijun, broaden your perspective. Why can't it be that some young and beautiful heiress from the LG family has taken a liking to me and insists on marrying me into the family, so that she can inherit the entire LG Group in the future?"
Yin Jijun was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You little brat, you think you can have all the good things? The LG family has always only allowed the eldest son to inherit the family business. You want to marry into the family and take over? Keep dreaming."
Li Zhixing chuckled and steered the conversation back on track: "Just kidding, but in any case, the initial opportunity was given to me by Brother Jijun, so I must toast you with this glass."
As he spoke, he raised his glass with both hands to toast Yin Jijun, then turned to the side and drank it all in one gulp.
Yin Jijun simply stopped thinking about it, and the group continued drinking.
The topic has returned to today's phenomenal box office performance.
Because "Haeundae" dominated the box office, surpassing other Hollywood blockbusters released at the same time, Yoon Jae-kyun got drunk and started joking about his defeated opponent, mentioning that this was the third time his release date had clashed with the "Harry Potter" series.
"Oh?" The two of them immediately became interested.
Yoon Jae-kyun counted on his fingers and said, "The first one was 'My Boss, My Hero' in 2001, the second one was 'Sex Is Zero' in 2002, and the third one is now 'Haeundae' and 'The Half-Blood Prince'. Moreover, the first two were released on the same day."
Li Zhixing astutely seized on the blind spot and teased, "The first two times were on the same day, but this time it's a week later. Could it be that you're worried about Harry Potter stealing the audience again, so you deliberately avoided it this time?"
Yin Jijun laughed and scolded, "Nonsense! I also won one and lost one the first two times!"
After saying that, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The atmosphere at the table warmed up again.
Because of the great box office results, the pressure on Yin Jijun was significantly reduced, and he unknowingly got completely drunk.
With tears welling up in his eyes, he began to complain again, lamenting how difficult it was to film this movie, which drew frequent glances from the stall owner.
The drinking party only came to an end when the older woman came over and gently reminded them that it was time to close up shop.
When the event ended, Yin Jijun was so unsteady on his feet that he could barely walk, yet he kept saying he wanted to go to a second event.
Li Zhixing helplessly supported his arm and turned to Xue Jingqiu: "Brother, you have to film tomorrow, so go back first. I'll take Brother Jijun back."
Xue Jingqiu frowned as he looked at the drunken Yin Jijun and instructed, "Get him home safely, and you should also get some rest so as not to delay tomorrow's business."
After saying that, he waved his hand and walked alone towards the villa area.
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