Chapter 33

I am currently writing the next chapter. Today is quite unfortunate as I have acute gastroenteritis, so... I'm really hungry.......

I will try to finish the next chapter before 12 o'clock!

The following is the main text:

Liu Xiu Biao has been living a very comfortable life recently. Three years ago, with the strong support of his brother Liu Xiu Li's CJ Group, he was finally elected as a member of the National Assembly. For this, he paid a considerable price, such as 40% of his construction company's shares and the ownership of several schools in Gwangju, but it was all worth it. At his age, money is important, but compared to power, it is insignificant. Since he was elected as a member of the National Assembly, his former business partners began to flatter and curry favor with him. Many things did not need to be done by himself; they were naturally taken care of by others. Just like yesterday, Liu Xiu Li sent him a young star, whose figure, face, and voice were far superior to his wife, making his 50-year-old heart feel like it was 20 again. The feeling was truly unforgettable!

However, Liu Xiu Li also had matters to deal with him. It was said that a new director had offended Liu Xiu Li, who had already blacklisted him. But this guy was quite capable and managed to raise funds to shoot an independent film. Now that the film was completed, if it were to be released, it would need to go through a review and select a distributor.

In terms of distribution, Liu Xiu Li could only retain the resources in his hands. Although CJ is the largest distribution company in South Korea, there are still many other large and medium-sized distribution companies, such as Showbox, which is closely chasing the top spot in distribution. Therefore, Liu Xiu Li had no choice in distribution.

However, in terms of review and rating, due to Liu Xiu Biao's status as a member of the National Assembly, with the content of the film "The Chaser," a little manipulation could change the film's rating, at least to 18+ or, if handled well, directly to 19+.

So Liu Xiu Li found Liu Xiu Biao, who, being his brother, and also one of the representatives of the CJ Group in the National Assembly, could easily handle this small matter. Therefore, when Liu Xiu Li sent a young star who wanted a role in the film, Li Zhong's "The Chaser" was unknowingly labeled as 18+.

Since Li Zhong returned from Jin Min-shan, he had not left his apartment. His phone was out of power and he hadn't charged it, and his fridge was empty, but he didn't go out to buy anything. He just worked day and night on editing the film. Many times, he would edit it once, find it unsatisfactory, and start over. If he was still unsatisfied, he would start over again. Apart from picking up the yam juice left by Quan Yuli at the door and the fast food he later ordered, no one could see him.

During the 20 days Li Zhong disappeared, Jung In-moon, Lee Hyori, Zhang Xun, and even Ahn Byung-ki came to look for Li Zhong, but their calls were all turned off. They had no choice but to go to Li Zhong's apartment to find him.

When Jung In-moon came, Li Zhong had only been at home for a few days, and the apartment was still relatively clean. At that time, Jung In-moon's novel had just been submitted and became a bestseller upon release, so she came to celebrate with Li Zhong. However, Li Zhong was too busy and kicked her out.

When Lee Hyori came, Li Zhong was just running out of food and the apartment had a bit of an odor, with garbage piled up at the door. Lee Hyori resisted the urge to throw Li Zhong out of the apartment and came in to discuss her new album's MV. Li Zhong, using the excuse that he was busy, kicked her out again, but before she could get angry, he said that if it were next year, he might have time.

When Zhang Xun found Li Zhong, he could hardly recognize the apartment they once used as a studio. The living room was full of garbage, fast food boxes, and drink bags, leaving almost no space to stand. Zhang Xun originally wanted to ask Li Zhong to help review his script, which he had just finished. However, later, Ahn Byung-ki found him and asked him to pass a message to Li Zhong, saying that someone had warned him to be careful with the review and rating, as it might be rated 18+, and to consider it carefully while editing.

Li Zhong finally completed the editing on December 24th. After Zhang Xun brought him the message, Li Zhong knew who was trying to trip him up—Liu Xiu Li would not let him off. However, he still had to move forward and edit the film, hoping to reduce the difficulty of the rating.

Today is Christmas Eve. Although the older generation in Korea does not celebrate this holiday, the younger generation treats it as a real carnival. Li Zhong came out early, as he hadn't seen the sun in a long time. The windows were covered with black curtains during the editing, and his face was pale from lack of sunlight.

Li Zhong actually didn't believe that Liu Xiu Li could control the Film Rating Board. The board is composed of civilians, like a jury, and rotates irregularly, making it difficult to control.

Li Zhong submitted the edited film, and the staff said they would notify him in three days.

Finally, Li Zhong could have a good meal. It was Christmas Eve, and everywhere there were Christmas carols and people wearing Santa hats. Li Zhong found a restaurant in Myeongdong famous for bibimbap to satisfy his hunger.

While Li Zhong was eating, a familiar melody came from outside. He looked up and saw a performance by a star in front of a Lotte department store. The familiar red and white sweater and denim shorts belonged to Girls' Generation.

"Hey, they have a performance today, I'll go check it out later," Li Zhong muttered and continued eating his bibimbap.

Quan Yuli had been very happy recently, not only because Girls' Generation's album sold well and they topped the charts, but also because she delivered a few bags of yam juice to Li Zhong every five days. Each time she saw her yam juice taken, she felt happy. Last night, Quan Yuli sent a text message to Li Zhong, hoping he would come to the Lotte department store to see their performance today. However, Li Zhong had not appeared, and Quan Yuli was a bit disappointed.

"Yuri, it's time to go on stage," Jung Soo-yeon saw Quan Yuli looking a bit dazed and reminded her.

"Okay, I'll be right there," Quan Yuli put down her phone, thought for a moment, and picked it up again, resending the text message to Li Zhong.

"Beep, beep!" Li Zhong's phone received a text message, the first one since he changed the battery and turned it on in the morning. He hadn't looked at any of the others before... "Uncle Li Zhong, we have a performance at the Lotte department store today. Do you have time to come and see us? — Quan Yuli"

Li Zhong touched his nose, it seemed he was just about to go see their performance.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends