Huayu: This director is so eager to improve.

Chapter 6 Are your breasts big?

It was late at night in that rented room of less than 20 square meters in the HD district.

Even as directors, and even with three million yuan in project funding, Qi Yue and Guo Fan, who had sold their studio, could only afford to live in this cramped apartment.

The room was filled with storyboard sketches, scene reference images, actor information, and various instant noodle boxes from the TV series "Yu Zui".

The film crew will soon be officially moving into the temporarily rented suburban area and film studio, and they are making final preparations and tidying up.

Under the dim light of the table lamp, the two checked the equipment list.

The aroma of instant noodles mingled with the smell of printing ink, filling the small space.

"Where is this Linquan County? Why are all these lighting technicians from here?" Guo Fan asked, scrambling through his instant noodles while scribbling in his notebook.

"A county under AH, they were among the first to enter the lighting industry. They value mentorship there, and have practically monopolized the industry." Qi Yue didn't look up, marking key points on his schedule.

"The first three days of filming were focused on shooting the police academy training scenes, to get Jiang Qiming, Li Meng, and the rest of the 'classmates' in character as quickly as possible..."

Just then, there were a few cautious knocks on the door.

Guo Fan and Qi Yue exchanged a glance. At this hour, who would be knocking on their door?

"I'll go take a look."

Guo Fan put down the instant noodle cup, shuffled to the door in his slippers, peeked through the peephole, and paused for a moment.

The door opened, and a girl was standing outside.

She was wearing a simple light-colored dress with a thin cardigan over it, and carrying a small insulated bag.

In the dim light of the hallway, her fair face appeared somewhat hazy.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Excuse me... does Qi Yue live here?"

"Who is it?" came Qi Yue's question from inside the house.

Guo Fan turned around, a mischievous smile on his face, and deliberately raised his voice.

"Qi Yue! A beautiful woman is looking for you!"

"A beauty?" Qi Yue walked out in confusion, and was stunned when he saw the girl at the door.

"It's you? How did you find your way here?!"

Li Qing felt a little embarrassed by his direct question. She tightened her grip on the strap of the insulated bag and answered softly.

"When I was giving my statement at the police station, I saw the address you wrote on your registration form... We happen to live in the next neighborhood, so I wrote it down."

"Your memory is pretty good. What's up?"

"It's alright, it's alright." Li Qing waved her hands repeatedly and quickly handed over the insulated food container in her hand. "I misunderstood you that day, I'm really sorry. I came by during the day, but no one was home. Here, this is something I made myself."

Qi Yue glanced at the insulated food container in her hand, but before he could take it, Guo Fan squeezed in again.

"Oh my, you're Li Qing, the actress who plays Xue Baochai! So it really was you who went to the police station with Qi Yue that day!"

After saying that, he winked at Qi Yue, but Qi Yue ignored him and stepped aside a little.

"It's not convenient to talk at the door, would you like to come in?"

"May I?"

Li Qing hesitated for a moment, but still carefully stepped inside.

As soon as she stepped into this space, her gaze was immediately drawn to the scene inside.

Cameras, lights, cables covered with various labels, and drafts and documents covering the table.

"You guys..." Li Qing's eyes widened, "You're not dealing in secondhand equipment, are you?"

Guo Fan almost spat out the instant noodles in his mouth, feeling that this girl seemed a bit dim-witted.

That's true; even a shrewd person wouldn't dare let someone swindle all their savings at once.

"What do you mean by reselling used equipment? Listen up! Standing in front of you is the director and cinematographer of the future hit web series 'Yu Zui'!"

He pointed to Qi Yue and himself, his face showing considerable pride.

Li Qing turned her head, staring wide-eyed at Qi Yue, "You really are the director? So why were you in such a hurry to leave last time...?"

"There was an audition that day," Qi Yue said, pointing to the folding chair.

"Please sit down, it's a bit messy here."

Li Qing made two "oh" sounds, but did not sit down.

I was so stupid to mistake a director for a fraudster!

She picked up the insulated food container again, spread her legs, lowered her head, and held it up in front of Qi Yue.

"I'm so sorry, these are some snacks from my hometown that I made myself. They're nothing expensive, but... they're a token of my appreciation, so please accept them."

Guo Fan walked over carrying his instant noodle bucket, looked at Li Qing, then at Qi Yue, with a look of schadenfreude on his face.

Didn't this kid always say that he didn't know how good rich women were when he was young? Why has he changed his taste now?

Qi Yue took the lunchbox; it was still slightly warm to the touch. "Thank you."

He paused, looking into her eyes, "Regarding the money, is there any news from the police?"

Li Qing's eyes dimmed slightly, and she shook her head gently, "Not yet... I guess it's too late to get it back."

But she quickly cheered up a bit, "However, I believe I'll get a new role soon, life has to go on."

Qi Yue nodded, without saying anything more to comfort him.

Seeing that he had given away his things and expressed his gratitude, Li Qing prepared to leave.

Guo Fan wanted to keep the young girl for a few more minutes of conversation when his phone on the table suddenly rang sharply.

He picked up his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and saw it was an unknown number.

"Hello, who is this?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was a woman who spoke very quickly and in a businesslike manner.

As Guo Fan listened, the smile on his face gradually faded.

After hanging up the phone, he looked at Qi Yue, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Qi Yue, that Li Meng, the call just now was made by her agent."

"What did she say?" Qi Yue's heart sank, and he had a bad feeling.

"They said she might not be able to come because of a scheduling conflict, and she has to turn down our role."

"Schedule conflict?" Qi Yue's voice turned cold. "Why wasn't there a conflict before? What was the specific reason?"

"She didn't say that on the phone." Guo Fan's face was ashen.

Even if she didn't say it, Qi Yue could guess the gist of it: they had someone else as a backup plan, and their partner had been poached.

Reality is cruel. They were an unknown web series production team. Although three million might sound like a lot, in the face of a real "big production team," this budget might only cover their expenses for a few days.

People strive for better opportunities. Perhaps the other party didn't mean any harm, but being treated as a backup option is really fucking annoying!

More importantly, Lin Yujing is the female lead in "Yu Zui," and her role is central to the entire series. Without the female lead, the entire filming schedule would immediately have to be delayed.

Recasting? I wonder how much time that will take.

The air in the room seemed to freeze. Guo Fan scratched his hair in frustration and lightly punched the wall.

"Damn it! What kind of mess is this?!"

Qi Yue's face was so dark it could drip water. Since his rebirth, he had meticulously planned every step of the way, securing funding, finding his ideal male lead, and building a preliminary team...

Just when they were about to take the most crucial first step, they were caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events at the last moment.

His gaze unconsciously swept across the room, passing over the cold equipment and blueprints.

Finally, the focus shifted to Li Qing, who was preparing to leave quietly but was somewhat bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

She was slender, wearing a simple dress, and her unmade-up face looked exceptionally clean in the dim light.

Qi Yue's gaze lingered on her face, then involuntarily drifted downwards, sweeping over her slightly thin shoulders, and finally...

"Li Qing, are your breasts big?"