Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years

"Even though I often forget, I still love you... love you..."

The voice teacher diligently helped An Feng adjust her voice.

Although An Feng's skill level was quite average, the voice teacher, who had seen it all, never looked down on novice students.

She had seen many who were even less skilled.

An Feng was considered quite good in comparison.

Besides, this wasn't a school; people paid her to teach singing, so she just had to teach properly.

The most she felt was a slight pity for such a good song.

It's like a pearl cast in darkness!

She did her best to help An Feng show her best side.

As for Qi Hao, there was no need to worry as much.

This entertainment industry star sang even better than she had expected.

"Love you..."

An Feng was seriously learning; this learning opportunity was quite rare.

The person teaching her was quite impressive, and without Jin Dazhou's connections, it would have been hard to reach her.

Recording songs was secondary; a top-notch audio engineer could be arranged at any time.

The main goal was to attend the Jinmen TV Station's New Year's Eve gala, where there was no way to fake it.

The live recording environment would be basic, without an audio engineer, and the equipment certainly wouldn't match professional studios.

You couldn't just record in a studio and then lip-sync.

Anyone slightly professional would be able to tell if you recorded in a studio afterward.

If you not only lip-sync but also treat everyone like fools, then that's a serious issue.

It's very easy to mess up.

No matter how good you are, once you mess up, it's all over.

Qi Hao accompanied An Feng in the Jin Dazhou studio to record songs.

He had plenty of things he needed to do.

For instance, preparing for the new movie, since there was a long way to go before "Dragon Gate Armor" would begin filming, so he couldn't be idle the whole time.

He happened to have the script for "Heartbreak 33 Days," so he decided to make it during this period.

With a gap of four to five months, it was quite easy to handle.

This movie's total investment was thirty million, which was considered a medium-budget film.

Without considering actor fees, it could actually be made with just eight million.

However, Qi Hao neither needed to bet small for fame, as he was already a top commercial film director, nor did he need to evade taxes for extra money. Compared to his wealth, current box office numbers weren't significant; he simply enjoyed making films and fostering his girlfriend's career.

Also, this time there were other producers involved.

Apart from Feiyang Media and Zhonghao Entertainment, Qi Hao also invited China Film and Bern.

Both companies had collaborated before and had a pleasant experience, efficiently using the least money for the best marketing.

Especially Bern, who went all out for a pretty financial report, practically dedicating themselves completely to Qi Hao.

Moreover, Zhonghao Entertainment was starting to venture into film distribution, and they could learn a lot from working with these two companies.

Since Qi Hao had repeatedly made high-grossing films, China Film and Bern knew that although Qi Hao had ambitious goals and would become their biggest competitor in the future, they had no choice but to partner with him like drinking poison to quench their thirst.

Instead, they were worried that Qi Hao might get too complacent, feel he didn't need them, and kick them aside.

Everyone was cooperating while also being cautious.

Since there were external producers, Qi Hao and An Feng unapologetically took high fees.

Qi Hao's fee was ten million, and An Feng's fee was six million.

Effectively, half of the budget went to paying their salaries.

However, it was clearly worth it.

In the romance film genre, no one could surpass An Feng and Qi Hao at the moment.

China Film was highly anticipating "Those Years."

They called every three days urging them to submit it for approval so they could begin marketing.

Now, it was just missing the music, the final step.

"First Love, This Little Thing," "Those Years," and "Heartbreak 33 Days" formed a trilogy.

"Heartbreak 33 Days" was already in preparation.

The preparation for this film had nothing to do with Lu Yang.

His "Blind Cinema" was in production, leaving him no time to join Qi Hao's new movie.

Qi Hao couldn't always have a dynasty's second-generation member doing menial tasks.

After working as an assistant director in several of Qi Hao's films, Lu Yang was considered very dedicated despite his background.

The new assistant director was named Han Yan.

Additionally, the new director of photography, Cao Dun, also joined the film's preparation; he hoped to have the opportunity to direct in the future.

Both were recruited by Zhonghao Entertainment's Deputy General Manager Yang Liu.

Han Yan had directed the romance film "Let Me Guide You", but unlike Qi Hao, who directed "First Love, This Little Thing," his film's box office was disastrous.

So, he was keen to learn from Qi Hao or Ning Hao.

Currently, among young directors, only Ning Hao and Qi Hao excelled in box office figures.

As for old hands like Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang, they didn't bother playing with you.

Besides, Han Yan felt he couldn't comprehend their ways even if he tried.

After all, the box office appeal of Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang was evident, and seeking to learn from such master directors was somewhat overambitious.

Meanwhile, Cao Dun was an employee at Zhonghao Entertainment.

He would semi-regularly work for Zhonghao Entertainment.

Most directors of photography have fixed directors they work with, but Yang Liu offered him a million annual salary and directing opportunities, so he bowed to capital.

With these two assisting, Qi Hao felt much more at ease.

Therefore, he had the energy to review scripts.

With the unique role of the dead eunuch in "Dragon Gate Armor," Qi Hao was unsure if it could meet the mysterious system's requirements.

The task deadline was one year; if "Dragon Gate Armor" didn't work out, there was a backup project ready.

Otherwise, Qi Hao would have to buy scripts at a high price again.

Unfortunately, things didn't always go as Qi Hao wished.

It wasn't that he couldn't find a script.

Once Qi Hao released the news that he wanted to play a villain, a flood of scripts came his way.

He simply couldn't find a role that surpassed Yu Huatian from "Dragon Gate Armor."

Xu Ke's public persona is quite well-crafted.

It's not that easy to surpass, especially not with these opportunistic scripts.

These scripts come from both Xiangjiang and the mainland, and even film projects from Japan, South Korea, and Hollywood have approached him.

Because "First Love, This Little Thing" has done quite well at the box office in many places.

Even if it wasn't that high, the reviews were at least good.

Liang said he wanted to play a villain, and fans everywhere are eagerly anticipating it, so many projects looking to capitalize on the buzz have handed scripts to Qi Hao.

Waving cash, each of them offered Qi Hao high prices to help them cash in.

But as one can imagine, the quality of the scripts is poor. Just how bad these opportunistic projects are, who says Japan, South Korea, and Hollywood don't have bad movies? The level of badness is refreshingly astonishing, leaving Qi Hao amazed.

Qi Hao finally decided to let it be.

Since it's here, take it easy.

He decided to stick to the honest performance in "Dragon Gate Armor" and call it a day.

"Those Years" hasn't cleared the final review yet, so it can't be widely promoted, so Qi Hao took An Feng, who had finished recording a song, out to have some fun.

Having not seriously dated all these years, he couldn't pass up such an opportunity.

Dating is also a rare life experience.

Qi Hao went to West Lake once when he was very young, and it left a very deep impression on him.

If he couldn't sleep at night, he would fantasize about lying on the little boat at West Lake from his childhood, swaying gently…

He would quickly fall asleep, much more effective than counting sheep.

After becoming an actor, even though he traveled all over the country, strangely enough, he never went back to West Lake all these years.

This time, he brought his girlfriend along.

After all, June at West Lake.

Having the engagement set, Qi Hao felt even more carefree.

Even if they were recognized, it didn't matter.

The May Day holiday had just passed not long ago; there weren't many tourists, so it wasn't that easy to get noticed.

An Feng noticed that even when they were holding hands and walking by the lake, no one really paid attention to them.

"Are we dressed very low-key?"

An Feng didn't quite understand; how could she have imagined that there are metaphysical props in this world.

"Early in the morning, who cares if there are any celebrities? Didn't you notice it's all older folks?"

Qi Hao offered an explanation.

It wasn't the weekend or a holiday, and it was only seven or eight in the morning.

Young people were either off to work or school, or still sleeping. At this time, the tourists at West Lake were primarily retirees collecting their pensions.

"Don't you have a lot of older fans?"

An Feng wasn't entirely convinced by this reasoning.

"Hey, I noticed you're a bit cheeky, are you mocking me?"

Qi Hao playfully reached over to tickle An Feng's side.

An Feng jumped away to avoid the tickles, looking aggrieved: "When did I ever mock you? It's your own fault for not delivering the eggs properly and yet blaming others."

"Isn't it good that no one recognizes us? Come on, I'll take you for a boat ride."

Qi Hao noticed a related attraction up ahead.

"Do the rowing ourselves, or hire someone to row?"

Nowadays, West Lake has very comprehensive tourism options, and even boat rentals have several types.

There are big boats, small boats, or you can row yourself.

"Let's row ourselves, it's more free. Pay according to time, and once it gets hot, we can go back for lunch."

Qi Hao asked An Feng to wait on the side, adjusted his hat, and went to buy tickets.

"I want West Lake vinegar fish for lunch."

An Feng's taste is a bit unique. Whether it's squirrel fish, West Lake vinegar fish… eating fish has to be done in a distinctive way.

Qi Hao prefers steamed or red-braised fish.

"As long as you're happy."

Qi Hao doesn't like it, but he expressed his blessing.

After buying the tickets, they were ushered to a small boat.

The staff guided them to put on life jackets and instructed them on how to row.

However, from her expression, Qi Hao could roughly guess that he and An Feng had been recognized.

With the discretion provided by their low-profile hats, they wouldn't be recognized unless someone looked closely.

But with this face-to-face interaction, it was naturally hard to hide, especially since Qi Hao and An Feng were no longer holding hands.

Fortunately, these service staff are professionally trained and generally won't gossip around, much less take pictures of tourists.

Qi Hao and An Feng sat on the small boat, rowing it toward the more distant parts of the lake.

The fragrant grass under the slanting sun, the distant waters shrouded in light mist, a lone white egret flying across the emerald marsh.

"What's wrong?"

Qi Hao noticed the boat was quickly veering off the intended course. Weren't they supposed to be checking out the lotus flowers over there?

"No strength left."

An Feng was able to row at first, but after a while, she couldn't keep up the pace.

The oars on both sides were out of sync, causing the boat to spin in place.

"Then let's take a break."

Ordinarily, one might worry about the cost, since the boat rental is based on time.

But not Qi Hao and An Feng.

They were simply enjoying their time together.

The temperature today wasn't too high, with a gentle breeze, blue skies, and white clouds. A refreshing breeze blew across the lake, making it particularly comfortable.

"A boat is coming over there..."

"Quick, move!"

An Feng perked up, not because she was afraid of being recognized, but because being "stranded" like this was really embarrassing.

"Take it easy, don't flip the boat over."

Qi Hao looked at the other boat's pace and realized it was nearly impossible to avoid.

Their vessel was a medium-sized ship with a professional driver.

"The boat of love can capsize at any moment, oh..."

An Feng rowed with all her might, determined to save face. They could paddle a little to the side, then turn their backs to the approaching boat, so as not to be laughed at.