Chapter 10: I've Seen Through Everything Long Ago!

To Tang Yan and Yang Mi and the others, Liu Yifei was truly a name that filled them with despair. She was only one year above them in school, yet the gap between them was absurdly large.

Strictly speaking, Liu Yifei was actually younger than all of them, but in terms of status and achievements, forget them - even among the now-rising Four Dan and Two Bing, only two or three of them would dare beat their chests and say they weren’t afraid of this "new powerhouse."

But what kind of level were the Four Dan and Two Bing? That was a combination of six first-tier and top-tier actresses, virtually the ceiling for actresses in the mainland industry. Even the weakest of the Two Bing were solidly hot first-tier stars.

And yet Li Bingbing, one of the Two Bing, could only serve as Liu Yifei’s supporting actress now. So what kind of standing did that put Liu Yifei at?

It could be said that this Hollywood blockbuster, which had brought together two superstars, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, would, once it exploded worldwide after release, make Liu Yifei an undisputed top-tier star afterward, and even an international star - an International Liu who would not lose to International Zhang.

Tang Yan and Yang Mi, nearly like two fellow sufferers, exchanged a helpless glance. The heat they had felt when they learned they could appear in Chinese Paladin 3 had cooled away completely. Liu Yifei was already about to become top-tier, while the two of them still could not even count as small-time second-tier stars. What was there to be happy about?

They were all the same age.

"Tangtang, are you going back to school?"

"Mm. My living expenses have been a bit over budget lately, so it’s cheaper to stay in the dorms. Anyway, I don’t need to worry too much about attendance. By the way, does Red Sister not get along very well with Sister Cai?"

"Mm, not really. I heard that back then they originally wanted to pull her in as a partner, but Red Sister didn’t think much of Tangren, which didn’t have much fame or standing at the time. This time it was Sister Cai who took the initiative to come and seek cooperation, and later they got into a bit of a spat over the pay, so things turned into all kinds of barbed remarks and cold sarcasm."

Managers and film companies were two completely opposed sides. One wanted more pay and profit shares, while the other wanted to suppress the expenses on compensation as much as possible. It would be strange if their relationship could be good.

Although in Tang Yan’s eyes eight thousand yuan per episode already seemed outrageous, in Red Sister’s view, Cai Yining was deliberately doing this.

Would giving two thousand more kill her?

If they raised it to ten thousand per episode, then Huo Jianhua would truly be a first-tier star. And if Chinese Paladin 3 didn’t flop later, and Huo Jianhua’s performance was recognized by the market, then from then on he would be first-tier.

Don’t underestimate that difference of two thousand. Once you broke into first-tier, you entered a whole new world. In one step, your pay would jump from five figures straight to a starting point of one hundred thousand, and your income from commercial appearances, endorsements, and a host of other channels would rise with it. It wouldn’t be strange at all for your earnings to double outright.

But the reason Tang Yan wanted to ask Ye Yu about it in the first place was because of Liu Yifei. After all, there were many rumors about how Liu Yifei landed the role, and one version had something to do with Ye Yu.

The King of Kung Fu was a Hollywood action-fantasy film directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Liu Yifei, Li Bingbing, Michael Angarano, and Zou Zhaolong. It was aimed at the international market, not the domestic one.

This film was a collaboration between Huayi and Lionsgate, the mainland industry’s first strategic partnership with Hollywood. They came out swinging with the supreme twin kings, bringing together the two most prestigious international kung fu stars in Chinese entertainment. The total investment was one hundred million dollars.

Once this god-tier resource was announced, it immediately drew countless stars and film companies across the entire entertainment industry like moths to a flame. Many famous first-tier and currently red-hot stars were even willing to play supporting roles just to get involved.

The most typical example was Li Bingbing among the Four Dan and Two Bing. She directly took on a female villain role, barely counting as the second female lead.

Just as everyone was wondering which of the Four Dan and Two Bing would end up as the female lead, an eye-popping twist happened: Liu Yifei, who had nothing to do with Huayi or Lionsgate, unexpectedly became the heroine.

After filming Chinese Paladin and The Return of the Condor Heroes, Liu Yifei had indeed become extremely famous. She absolutely counted as a newly risen first-tier hot star sweeping across the country, a top star of the new generation. But even so, this kind of god-tier resource was not something she should have been able to touch, which was why everyone was so curious about how she had managed to land it.

Tang Yan suddenly felt as if she was getting closer and closer to the truth. Everything, all of it, could only be confirmed from that bastard Ye Yu’s mouth.

Knock, knock, knock...

"At this hour, what kind of crazy woman is it now? No need to ask, it’s definitely one of those upperclassman veterans. Damn, this is another worthless one-night stand."

Things like "taking liberties" and "getting a cheap thrill" only worked on new freshmen like Dilireba, because they had to live in the dorms and were often subject to room checks. If they were discovered, the consequences were serious, so they either had to beg for leniency late at night or simply gamble on not coming back to sleep.

At BFA, room checks were usually between 10 and 11 p.m. Once that time passed, whether you came back or not had basically lost all meaning. A lot of seasoned hands who knew the rules and didn’t care much about those conduct points would usually choose that option.

When he opened the door and saw Tang Yan, Ye Yu couldn’t tell whether he was happy or not. In any case, tonight probably wouldn’t end up being another empty night.

"Remember to close the door. You really do know how to waste time. You’ve got the role already, haven’t you?"

"How do you know? Stop pretending with me. I’ve already seen through all those little tricks of yours. In the end, you were just making a bet, the same way people draw lots at a temple to ask for good or bad fortune.

As long as you say it to everyone like that, given enough quantity, you’ll still manage to fool a few people. Do you really think I’m stupid? I saw through your whole act long ago. You can’t fool me."

"Oh, is that so? Then you can head upstairs now. Want me to open the door for you? I won’t charge you anything this time."

Tang Yan looked at Ye Yu in great surprise. It was really unexpected. He was far too easy to talk to. Had she really seen through him completely so that he had no way to argue back?