Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Parasol Tree Inn

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"Since its release on September 16, ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ has completed a full theatrical run and officially ended yesterday, grossing 140 million yuan and breaking the box office record for an art-house film in Chinese cinema."

"The Huayi-produced film ‘Empire of Heaven’ has been in theaters for over two weeks, with a total box office surpassing 200 million yuan. However, as of press time, its daily box office has dropped below ten million, making it difficult to recoup its investment."

"Jing Tian’s new film ‘My Beautiful Boss,’ following ‘Love is Not Blind,’ has exceeded 60 million yuan at the box office as of yesterday. However, its daily box office has already fallen below one million, making it unlikely to break the 100 million mark. The actress Jing Tian's performance has been widely criticized by netizens, who claim her acting has visibly declined compared to her previous work in ‘Love is Not Blind’."

"The Beijing Film Academy anniversary celebration is set to take place soon, with distinguished alumni such as Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou confirmed to attend."

…

On the nanny van heading to Dali, Chen Ling opened his laptop and browsed through movie news for a while. The morning was already abuzz with headlines—‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ had broken the art-house film box office record, so naturally, Chen Ling called Dou Xiao to congratulate him.

He wouldn’t be attending the Beijing Film Academy anniversary. He had no interest in such events, not now when he hadn’t made it to the main stage yet. If he went, it would only be to listen to the big shots showing off. He’d wait until he was accomplished enough to have them sit and listen to him brag before considering showing up.

He might not care for such occasions, but that didn’t stop others. Chen Ling had already planned to approve leave for Liu Yifei and Guo Fan, but neither wanted to pause filming just for the celebration; neither had any intention of going back for the festivities.

Chen Ling was happy with that—just a pity that netizens wouldn’t get to see those much-anticipated anniversary photos of Liu Yifei and Huang Bo together.

He also noticed the news about Jing Tian. For a low-budget romance like ‘My Beautiful Boss’ to achieve such box office numbers was already impressive, but the criticisms were plentiful—mainly about her acting. Chen Ling couldn’t decide whether ‘Love is Not Blind’ was Jing Tian’s true performance, or if ‘My Beautiful Boss’ was. He could only hope she’d improve in ‘Warring States’; otherwise, the public backlash would only grow louder.

Chen Ling even pulled up Jing Tian’s microblog. Sure enough, the critical comments were overwhelming—many were nearly insults. That innocent young woman must be feeling terrible right now.

After some thought, Chen Ling posted a message: "Sometimes when an actor's performance falls short, it has a lot to do with the director’s on-set guidance. An outstanding director should be able to bring out the best in their actors."

He attached a group photo with several cast members from ‘Breakup Buddies.’

People might interpret this as defending Jing Tian, or as using the opportunity to promote his own film—after all, he hadn’t mentioned any names or tagged anyone.

But he had underestimated the gossip-hungry netizens. Before long, his post was flooded with comments:

"Hey, are you defending your ex-girlfriend?"

"What does this mean? You’re mad because your ex is getting criticized? Still have feelings for her?"

"Director Chen, I heard Lin Zhiling joined your new film—please make my goddess look beautiful!"

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"The one above, how can Lin Zhiling compare to Liu Yifei? Director Chen, make sure to capture Yifei’s beauty or I’ll roast you online."

Seeing the comments spiraling out of control, Chen Ling shook his head with a laugh and closed his laptop. At least he’d managed to divert some attention.

…

‘Breakup Buddies’ had many scenes set in Dali, especially the unforgettable Wutong Inn. Back during pre-production, Chen Ling had already led a team to scout filming locations. Dali was a key area. After thorough scouting, they found an inn that met Chen Ling’s requirements. The price was right, so he simply bought it as an investment for future vacations.

Now, Chen Ling was leading the crew to what he had named the Wutong Inn. The remainder of the film would be shot here—those scenes included the long-legged beauty’s highway sequence, the epic “Oh my God” moment, the wedding at the film’s end, and all the events revolving around the Wutong Inn.

By now, nearly half the film had wrapped, and many cast members had already left, including Zhang Yishan and Yang Zhi, who had classes to attend and were likely already back at school. The academy’s anniversary was imminent, and with their parts finished, there was no reason to miss it.

Yesterday, the crew had even prepared flowers and a wrap party to celebrate their completion.

"Director Chen, did you really buy this inn?" At this moment, Shen Teng stood on the second-floor terrace, hands on the railing, calling out to Chen Ling. Shen Teng was still slim, and with his glasses, one could still glimpse a hint of his days as the military arts school’s heartthrob.

Nearby, Liu Yifei and a few others turned to Chen Ling, clearly curious. The inn was quite large—three stories, a courtyard, and a bar. Step out the window and you see Erhai Lake, with Cangshan Mountain across the water. The location was prime, and the purchase couldn’t have been cheap.

"That’s right. This place is nice. Since we’d have to rent it for filming anyway, I figured I might as well buy it. When we’re done, I can use it for vacations and we won’t need to book hotels during shoots."

Tourism here would boom in the years to come, making it a solid investment. He bought it with a loan—not because he couldn’t pay in full, but because with rising real estate prices, financing made more sense. In a few years, when the Dali city government clears out inns around Erhai that don’t meet standards, this property would only appreciate.

"Boss, you’re generous!" Shen Teng gave a thumbs up. Everyone knew Chen Ling’s last film was a huge hit; buying an inn was nothing to him—a mere drop in the bucket.

"Director Chen, leave me a room when we’re done filming."

With the breeze from Cangshan and Erhai, Liu Yifei lifted her arms, basking in the moment as the wind played with her hair. She looked every bit the artistic soul she played in the film.

"No problem," Chen Ling replied with a smile, noticing Liu Yifei seemed in much better spirits than yesterday. The inn was spacious—there’d be plenty of rooms to spare.

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"Director Chen, save a room for me too~" Shen Teng mimicked Liu Yifei’s voice, pitching it high in a playful tease.

He truly had the makings of a future comedy star—everyone on the terrace burst into laughter.

"Everyone in the crew gets one. If you ever want to come here for a vacation, just let me know—rooms are free, and food and lodging are on the house," Chen Ling declared grandly. "It’s just a small expense; what matters is the camaraderie. I doubt anyone here would feel indebted over such a trivial thing."

"Boss, you’re the best!"

"Woohoo! After shooting wraps, I’m definitely staying here for a while—the scenery is amazing."

"Liuyan, you can stay as long as you want, as long as President Wang agrees," Chen Ling replied, though as a contracted host for Enlight Media, she probably wouldn’t have much time for vacations. It was already rare for her to stay with the crew this long; if she stayed much longer, Enlight might fire her.

"I’d love to stay here forever, but the boss won’t allow it," Liuyan replied, though it was clear she was only half serious. Who really had the time to vacation long-term?

"My assistant will bring everyone their room keys in a while. Today the entire crew gets the day off—filming resumes tomorrow," Chen Ling announced to the group on the terrace. After days of continuous shooting, the crew was tired. Not everyone was as resilient as Chen Ling. Actually, if yesterday’s shoot hadn’t run late, they could have arrived in Dali earlier and everyone would have rested even better.

"Long live the director!"

"If you go out to play, stay in touch and call if anything comes up," Chen Ling added, ignoring their cheers as he headed downstairs. He couldn’t take a break—he still needed to scout the location for tomorrow’s highway scene, which was full of comedic moments and had to be shot perfectly.

The remaining actors in the crew saw Chen Ling was busy, so they didn’t ask further. Instead, they huddled together, discussing where to go for fun. After so many days together, everyone had grown familiar.

Even Lin Zhiling, who had just joined, was followed everywhere by Xu Zheng. Everyone knew what his intentions were, though nobody said it aloud.

…