ebookslot Chapter 86: Pure Friendship? Hmm! Lip-to-lip Friendship!
Chapter 86: Pure Friendship? Hmm! Lip-to-lip Friendship!
Half a month has passed since the finals, and Li Mo has finally digested the initial wave of attention. She even attended a few shows on "The Voice of China" tour.
Various endorsements, events, ceremonies, and interviews are all taken, and people will make sure to show their faces wherever necessary.
As initially predicted, apart from Li Mo, most of the trainees in this year's class were underdeveloped, and most of them disappeared after the show ended.
This season, Li Mo is the only one carrying the show, so naturally there are some negative comments online.
They tried to blame Li Mo for this situation, but were quickly and fiercely countered by Fenmo.
Some of them are rather crude and intense:
Is Li Mo your dad? He's even giving you publicity!
[In the entertainment industry, only the strong reign supreme. If you're not good enough, don't blame the world for being unfair. Besides, did you even watch the show? Li Mo barely got any screen time!]
[Noobs should enter the entertainment industry!]
There were also some more rational analyses, which were more comprehensive. One point that received the most praise was particularly well made:
The decline of "The Voice of China" was inevitable; its problems have long been an open secret in the industry.
I wonder how many of my peers envy "The Voice of China's" good fortune, since nowadays simply relying on a swivel chair is no longer enough to create differentiation.
To put it bluntly, just wait and see. If nothing changes in the rest of the show, once this storm with Li Mo passes, everyone will know who's been swimming naked!
After a period of grueling travel, Li Mo finally got his short vacation.
It wasn't actually a holiday; he just wanted to recharge himself.
The entertainment industry is booming right now, with plenty of work available. And with Li Mo's current popularity, how could he possibly lack work?
The criteria for evaluating top-tier celebrities have never been based solely on the number of fans.
In addition to the number of fans, it also includes achievements, works, popularity, influence, commercial value, and so on.
Everything else is fine so far, but Li Mo feels a little ashamed about this particular work.
As a singer, Li Mo doesn't even have an album yet. How can this be acceptable?
Therefore, Li Mo was not blinded by the current popularity; he chose to calm down and reflect.
It's time to get the album done, and the quality of the album must be guaranteed.
The recording work is basically finished; all that's left is to shoot the music video.
He plans to bring all the young actresses around him this time, and the reason is quite simple.
First, it doesn't cost money. Li Mo isn't short of money, but he'll still take advantage of any opportunity to get something for free; that's his life motto.
Secondly, it provides them with some exposure. You know, for young actresses who haven't yet risen to prominence, any amount of exposure is very important.
The case of Li Yitong, who was discovered after only helping to film a short film, perfectly illustrates this point.
Moreover, Li Mo's debut album did generate some buzz.
Thirdly, he wondered what people would think if they discovered in the future that so many future stars had emerged from this album.
It seems like it should be quite interesting.
The preliminary list of confirmed participants includes: Reba, Li Yitong, Yang Chaoyue, Tian Xiwei, and Li Xirui.
Costs still need to be considered; creating five music videos for one album is already quite extravagant.
Generally, people only make music videos for the main single, while music videos for non-main singles are made by adding lyrics and some visual clips to reduce costs.
Currently, Li Mo's album has "The Ordinary Road" and "South Mountain South" as the main tracks, which definitely need music videos. The initial choices are Dilraba and Yang Chaoyue.
There's no way around it, we've known each other for the longest time!
"Chengdu" was noticed by people in the cultural and tourism sector, and it needed to be done, so Tian Xiwei was chosen as the one to work on it.
After all, their collaboration on "The Voice of China" was quite interesting.
As for the remaining works, Li Mo decided on "Mercury Chronicles" and "Tearful Land," which correspond to Li Yitong and Li Xirui respectively.
The former was due to the entrustment, while the latter was because he had promised her beforehand.
When the commission was mentioned, Li Mo suddenly thought of an old friend. Was it really a good idea to give "Mercury Chronicles" to Li Yitong?
Isn't this a bit unfair to that old friend?
...
When a person is engrossed in something, time seems to pass by at twice the speed, which is quite annoying.
For the next period of time, Li Mo ignored everything else and devoted himself entirely to the production of the album.
Approving the budget, finding a team, finalizing the script, finding locations, and so on.
During this process, Li Mo's own abilities are also growing rapidly.
He was deeply involved in every step of the process, even though Li Mo sometimes had a counterproductive effect and caused some waste.
But Li Mo believes this waste is worthwhile, and he is willing to pay for it.
Finally, late at night, everything was ready and we could officially begin!
Reba, who was far away on set, was naturally the first to receive Li Mo's message.
She is currently coordinating with the production team. Filming a music video won't take long, and it's not difficult for her to take time off.
"Reba, come back soon!" Jing Tian said, pouting and acting cute as he hugged Reba.
Logically speaking, an actress of Reba's caliber shouldn't be worthy of being persuaded to stay by the only core member of the production team, Miss Jing Tian.
The reason for this is, of course, that Jing Tian is not the kind of person who flatters the powerful and belittles the weak; she is a pampered young lady who has been well protected by her family since childhood.
Ultimately, they are different from those who rise from the bottom.
Secondly, when Dilraba joined the crew, Li Mo specially sent her a food cart.
In the hopes that things would be better for her on set, Jing Tian learned that Li Mo and Reba were good friends, and coincidentally, she also admired Li Mo quite a bit.
Jing Tian has experience in making albums and has a certain reverence for singing.
So the two of them got to know each other and got along quite well, like a friendship between girls~
"Okay~ I'll have him send you a few copies when the album comes out, sweetie."
The two, one dressed in an ancient costume and the other in his own clothes, stood face to face, giving the impression that they had traveled through time.
Upon hearing Reba's words, Jing Tian nodded enthusiastically, indicating that he was looking forward to it.
However, there was a question buried in her heart that she had always been curious about. She considered herself to be good friends with Dilraba, so asking now shouldn't be too abrupt, right?
"It's hot, isn't it? May I ask if your relationship with Li Mo is just platonic?"
Jing Tian wasn't necessarily interested in a man she'd never met; she was genuinely curious.
In her opinion, if Reba and Li Mo were really a couple...
That was exactly the love story she had always dreamed of—two people who loved each other, complemented each other, and supported one another, just like in this music video.
You help me, I help you, and we'll navigate the vast and bustling entertainment industry together, only to meet at the top again – that would be incredibly romantic.
"Um... I guess so! We're just friends, haha..."
Reba's expression was somewhat unpleasant; of course, she wanted to acknowledge the relationship between the two of them.
The problem is, it's one thing if you're not doing well yourself, but you shouldn't drag Li Mo down with you.
She understood that Jing Tian wasn't a scheming person, but she couldn't start this conversation with Reba; Li Mo had to admit it first.
She was well aware of how publicizing their relationship would damage Li Mo's career, so... she had to respect Li Mo's decision.
They were destined not to be able to announce their happiness to the world like ordinary lovers.
You have to understand that if Li Mo had made this public, the losses would have been far more than ten million!
Thinking of this, Reba's thoughts became much clearer, and her previously unpleasant expression returned to its usual radiance.
"What are you thinking? It's just a friend asking me to help out!"
"Um... okay, then you should come back soon too!"
Jing Tian, whose idol drama was in ruins, pulled Dilraba along and continued.
...
Inside the music video shooting location.
Li Mo was busy discussing the final details with the director when Reba quietly walked over and watched silently from the side without disturbing him.
It seems like they haven't seen each other much since they took that step.
Moreover, Reba had never seen Li Mo like this before.
She had previously marveled at his talent, been amazed by his abilities, and experienced his tenderness, but this was the first time she had ever seen him in such a commanding leadership position.
Well... it's a bit wet.
I wouldn't have thought about these things before I took that step, but ever since it happened, I can't help but think about them in a skewed way.
"I feel like I've changed color..." Dilraba couldn't help but think with amusement.
But there's nothing wrong with admitting it; it's about love between men and women.
It would be terrible if one day you felt absolutely nothing for a man.
"They're here!"
Just as Dilraba was lost in thought, a magnetic voice rang in her ear.
Looking up, Li Mo had already finished talking with the director and walked over to Dilraba's side.
"How's the preparation going?"
Seeing that Reba didn't reply, Li Mo asked again, his expression somewhat serious.
Even if the two are boyfriend and girlfriend, Li Mo will still get angry if the other person delays the progress.
Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters; each should be handled separately.
"Don't be fierce, Momo~ I'm all ready, I'm a professional actress!"
Fortunately, Reba was very professional and remained as tolerant of Li Mo as water.
This time, we're filming "Nanshan Nan," and we can basically film everything in this one room.
Unlike the later film "The Ordinary Road", which required many location shoots.
Music videos (MVs) typically have simple, even abstract, storylines. Their main mode of expression is through visuals and music.
Therefore, the music video for "Nanshan Nan" needs to match the mood of the lyrics.
Originally, Li Mo designed a story about a poor middle-aged couple, revolving around an egg, with the husband committing suicide for his wife (yes, the one that later faded into obscurity).
However, it was later considered that Li Mo and Reba might not have a good effect if they forced themselves to look old.
They couldn't achieve the effect Li Mo wanted, so they extracted the element of lovers dying together and redid it.
Actually, the plot is not much different, except that it involves two young people, a girl and a boy, in a theater. The girl is seriously ill, and the boy commits suicide for her.
There are no lines; they communicate entirely through eye contact.
...
Everything was ready in the makeshift filming location.
With a limited budget, we can't waste money; the estimated investment for this album is three million RMB.
Moreover, since we want to produce a lot of music videos, every penny must be spent wisely.
So the female lead is free, the clothes are provided by the female lead herself, and the plot is created by Li Mo herself.
However, we found a good filming team, and we didn't dare to skimp on that.
However, no matter what, this music video is better than Maddie's; the original version was even more hasty and simplistic.
Fatty Song had a higher profile than Ma Di; it felt like he was just someone casually filming with a camera.
However, this also happens to match Li Mo's current situation of insufficient budget.
Li Mo and Reba sat in the empty theater audience seats; if the beginning wasn't sweet, the bitterness to come wouldn't be apparent.
Li Mo's requirement for sweet scenes is: intimate but not vulgar; it doesn't have to be a passionate kiss to be considered love.
Leaning back in their chairs, Li Mo and Reba snuggled together, looking at the microphone on the stage and pretending someone was singing (in later editing, the person singing there was Li Mo).
The two were very close, able to feel each other's breath, their high noses framing each other, as if they were about to kiss.
But they hesitated to take a bite, and their eye contact was very meaningful.
Given their current relationship, Dilraba has him in her heart, so she doesn't need to project any other person's feelings onto the character. Acting out this part is incredibly easy for her.
That affection was simply irresistible, though she would occasionally point at the stage and make a few comments.
But their eyes were almost never apart, constantly locked in a tender, intertwined gaze.
This was the second time Li Mo had acted with her. Unlike the last time, as they acted together, not only did Reba become emotional, but Li Mo also started to feel something for her.
"I have two bottles of water here, one is ice-cold and the other is warm. Which one do you want?"
"It's warm, isn't it?"
"Then you can leave after your performance. I have something to do later."
"What about the iced one?"
"I'm fine now!"
"..."
Li Mo was very straightforward. After the scene ended, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Li Mo gave Reba a rather obvious hint.
Combined with his gaze, Dilraba understood immediately.
A blush immediately rose to her cheeks, her eyes were like pools of spring water, and she nodded slightly to indicate that she understood.
She had been craving it for a while, so naturally she had no reason to refuse.
And could it be because she's motivated? Or has she really made progress recently?
In short, Dilraba's performance in the later episodes was quite brilliant, and we only needed to watch it two or three times to get through it.
Li Mo had a feeling that Dilraba would become popular even faster than she had previously estimated!
"knock off!"
To reward her, Li Mo booked a room at the Peninsula Hotel that night and told her to go there first.
That evening, when Li Mo finished his work and arrived at the hotel, he rang the doorbell, and the door opened the next second.
Hot Bar stood at the door.
Having removed her makeup, taken a shower, and put on a black silk lace bathrobe, she looked at Li Mo with a beaming smile.
The bathrobe was loose, and with any movement, all that could be seen was a glimpse of white skin.
"Come in quickly!"
She stepped aside.
Li Mo went inside, closed the door, and wasn't in a hurry. Master Li was very particular about ambiance.
Seeing the red wine already decanted in the room, Li Mo smiled slightly, took out a wine glass and poured two glasses, trying to recapture the feeling he had during the day with Reba.
"You did a really good job today. Everyone present was very satisfied. They said they'd never filmed such a smooth scene before. I think it will be very well received after it airs."
Li Mo hadn't realized it before, but now he's starting to genuinely like sliding Dilraba's nose.
That means she didn't have plastic surgery, otherwise Li Mo might have needed to go back for a complete makeover after a few tries.
"And then what? Just empty praise?"
Seeing that Reba had said that, Li Mo simply put his arm around her waist and moved his hands up and down. Before long, the two of them were breathing heavily.
Unlike during the day, this time Reba sat up straight, kissed him, and they responded to each other.
After a long while, their lips parted, a hazy, instinctive reaction escaping their lips…