“Hometown”

Qu Shuanghua’s friend was called Yan Ke, who was actually his junior student in college. Later, he went to graduate school under the same tutor, and the relationship was much closer. Speaking of which, Yan Ke was also a weirdo. He obviously went to a prestigious university, graduated with postgraduate studies, and had always had excellent grades. It was not impossible for him to find a lecturer in any university or to enter a liberal arts college. But when he was about to graduate from graduate school, he somehow suddenly developed a great passion for writing screenplays. Fortunately, his family was relatively wealthy and had no shortage of food for him, so the family let him do what he wanted.

Nothing written with talent will be without merit. He had written several films before, and asked several directors to watch them. However, he had a weird temper, demanded too much, and didn’t understand the circle´s internal rules. Over time, he offended many directors. His reputation was ruined, and no one wanted to take his script. In a rage, he destroyed all the scripts he had written and began to write behind closed doors, vowing to write a script that would shock the entire Chinese film industry. After two years of dormancy, the legendary script finally showed up.

Qu Shuanghua knew his junior brother very well, and if he had to find someone by himself, he might have to hit a wall. He happened to meet Lu Yan because of his mother’s affairs, and thought he was quite a good person, so he just gave it a try and asked him for help. After all, with Lu Yan’s reputation, the success rate would definitely be much higher if it was someone recommended by him.

Logically speaking, Jiang Peiwen had been in the entertainment industry for so many years. As her son, he should know a lot of directors. However, the fact was exactly the opposite. Qu Shuanghua respected his mother’s career, but never got involved in her circle. As his mother was now semi-retired, he didn’t want to bother her. The acquaintance with Lu Yan this time was also a coincidence. If he was just a colleague of his mother, he would definitely not be interested in getting to know an actor. But as his mother’s savior, it was different. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring of water, let alone a life-saving grace. The last time he posted an article to speak out for Lu Yan, it was firstly out of righteous indignation, and secondly, it was also a way of repaying a favor.

After Lu Yan met Yan Ke, he realized that what Qu Shuanghua said about his weird temper was indeed true. Yan Ke himself was good-looking, but he was actually uglier than Li Ran, and he could choke people to death as soon as he opened his mouth. Although his intention may not be that, it just made people feel uncomfortable. Lu Yan could probably understand why he had offended so many directors. Let’s not talk about distant ones, just talk about Li Ran in front of him. If Lu Yan hadn’t invited him, he would have already left, let alone read any scripts, he was already so angry that he didn’t even want to say a word.

Qu Shuanghua secretly smiled apologetically at Lu Yan, and Lu Yan smiled back and said it didn’t matter. To be honest, Lu Yan had never seen people with low emotional intelligence, so this was the first time he had seen people with such low emotional intelligence. But he knew very well what the purpose of coming today was. What he wanted to read was the script, not the people. 

If the script was really good, he didn’t care how annoying the person who wrote it was. Lu Yan had long passed the age of judging a person by his likes and dislikes.

Many years later, Lu Yan will be very grateful for his decision and attitude at this time.

After chatting casually for a few words, Qu Shuanghua urged Yan Ke to take out the script quickly. He was afraid that if he continued talking, even a good-tempered person like Lu Yan would be pissed off.

Yan Ke had obviously been prepared a long time ago. He took out the document bag and handed it over. The documents were neatly organized. Fortunately, it was completely opposite to his personal image.

Lu Yan looked at it seriously, and Li Ran also came over to watch it together. He didn’t want to talk to Yan Ke anymore.

After watching for a while, Lu Yan’s eyes gradually lit up. Halfway through watching it, an idea began to grow in his mind, and then became stronger and stronger. By the time he finished reading, Lu Yan had already made up his mind.

After closing the script, Lu Yan glanced at Li Ran. From the other person’s eyes, Lu Yan also saw surprise and excitement.

This story was called “Hometown”. It told the story of a world-class nuclear war that breaks out in the future. The entire earth was almost destroyed and the environment was extremely deteriorated, making it no longer suitable for human habitation. The last survivors used spaceships built with advanced technology to escape from the earth and find another place suitable for human survival in the vast space. In order to be able to hold on until the moment they found it, everyone went into a deep sleep. Time became meaningless in the super-light flight, the spaceship was also lost in the longer and longer roaming and searching. The spaceship driven by the protagonist alone was the first to find its destination and land. After landing, the protagonist woke up and found that he had arrived on an incredibly beautiful planet, and the environment  there was very suitable for human habitation.

Originally, the protagonist should have sent a signal to other spacecraft to inform them of the landing location, but out of caution, he did not do so and instead started exploring first. The protagonist, who was acting alone, encountered the aboriginal people of this planet. The aboriginal people looked very distinctive. They looked like evolved rabbits on the ancient earth. They could walk upright like humans and have four limbs, but they were much smaller, retaining their ears and tail, and their temperament was docile and cute.

Afterwards, the protagonist discovered other aborigines who appear to be evolved creatures on the ancient earth, as well as many animals and plants that were once seen on the earth, even those that have become extinct. The protagonist was originally a young biologist, so he knew a lot. The protagonist became more and more confused. As the mystery was slowly revealed, the protagonist finally discovered the truth. It turned out that this beautiful planet was originally the earth that had regained life after being severely damaged.

It turned out that when humans were still sleeping and roaming in space looking for a place to rebirth, their hometown had changed and came back to life over the long years. But this time, the masters of the earth were no longer humans, but these humanoid animals that had survived the evolution of the catastrophe tenaciously.

Faced with the truth, the protagonist shed tears of repentance. The beauty of this planet today was something he had never seen before in his time. Humanity’s ambition and greed had excessively depleted the vitality of the earth, leaving their home planet riddled with holes. Before the outbreak of the world war, there were very few biological species on the earth. Human beings lived in reinforced concrete metropolises and relied on various high technologies to maintain their lives. They could no longer even breathe freely, but must use various styles of oxygen masks.

This was the first part of this story.

The next chapter had not been completed yet, but the general outline had been written. The protagonist was hesitating whether to inform other humans about the situation here. On the one hand, this was his responsibility. However, on the other hand, he was afraid that the return of humans would once again destroy the peace and beauty of this planet. And if humans returned, how would they treat these kind and gentle evolved creatures? The protagonist couldn’t imagine it. During this period of time together, he had already fallen in love with these lovely creatures, and even regarded them as equal living beings, but he knew that other humans might not be so friendly.

While he was struggling and hesitating, other spacecraft also discovered the planet that had returned to life. Humanity was awakened in advance and contacted the protagonist. Based on professional ethics, the protagonist told other humans about the current situation on Earth. The survivors were overjoyed and jumped with joy. The joy of going home filled every spacecraft.

The protagonist secretly asked the current supreme leader how he would treat the current residents of the earth. As expected, the answer he got was that humans should be the masters of the earth, and other creatures were just vassals and could not be treated as masters at all.

The protagonist went through an intense ideological struggle. During the period of his arrival, he had already reflected a lot on how greedy and arrogant humans were. He did not want such a beautiful planet to be destroyed by humans again, let alone get these beautiful and lovely creatures harmed. Finally, justice triumphed over human instinct. Therefore, taking advantage of the time difference between the arrival of the spaceship, the protagonist persuaded all current residents to unite to prevent human landings. This was destined to be a difficult war. Although the current residents had a good location, humans had the most advanced weapons. However, in the end, humans gave in. They had been wandering in space for too long and they were eager to go home. So humans and the current residents signed a contract, agreeing not to invade or interfere with each other, and to jointly protect the survival of the new earth.

Humanity and the current inhabitants were all rejoicing. However, the protagonist was accused of being a traitor by angry humans and was guillotined for treason against humanity. Before dying, the protagonist smiled and closed his eyes. He didn’t know how long the peace he had sacrificed his life for could last, but he had done what he could and should do, and he died without regrets.

After reading the script, Lu Yan and Li Ran were both shocked. How could such a tragic and epic story be combined with the increasingly mature 3D technology? If it was filmed, it would definitely shock the entire Chinese film industry, no, it should be the world’s film industry.

When he read the last part of the script, Lu Yan already had an idea, and now he made a decision immediately. When he looked at Yan Ke again, he felt that he was no longer so annoying, and even a little cute, although his hair was still so messy and the clothes were still so sloppy.

“I want to buy out this script. The price is not an issue. I wonder what Mr. Yan’s thinks?”  

As soon as these words came out, the three of them were a little surprised. The most surprised was Li Ran. He knew that Lu Yan would definitely be interested in this script, because he himself was the same, but he didn’t expect that Lu Yan had such a big appetite. After all, now Lu Yan was just an actor, and it was definitely not an easy thing to film this movie. But when he thought about who Lu Yan’s lover was now, he felt it was understandable. In fact, Li Ran himself was also very interested. If Lu Yan hadn’t spoken first, he would have done so. But now, he couldn’t interfere anymore and could only wait and see what happens.

Lesson

Lu Yan stood straight in front of Ke Yuzhuo and suddenly smiled, “You are Ke Yuzhuo.” The coldness in his voice remained unchanged.

Ke Yuzhuo’s beautiful face was a little pale, but he still looked back, unwilling to be outdone, “You are Lu Yan.”

If you ignored his shoulders that couldn’t help but tremble slightly, you would probably think that he was really not shocked by Lu Yan’s momentum.

Lu Yan naturally pointed out mercilessly, “You are afraid.”

“Who would be afraid of a bastard?” Ke Yuzhuo raised his chin higher and higher, full of contempt.

Lu Yan was not angered by him, but smiled slightly, “I’m older than you, so it’s obvious who is the bastard.” 

Ke Yuzhuo seemed to have been stabbed in the foot and almost jumped up. He could no longer maintain his superficial composure, “My mother was openly married, You are slandering me.”

Lu Yan curled his lips and said, “You can’t keep calm anymore? I thought you were calm. Weren’t you happy when you planned how to harm me? Do you only know how to use these dirty tricks?”

“Dirty tricks are enough to deal with you.” Ke Yuzhuo still said firmly.

“It’s a pity that your plan failed. And you may not know that I am a person who will retaliate. Anyone who wants to harm me, I will repay tenfold.” After saying this, Lu Yan’s eyes became more and more cruel.

Ke Yuzhuo’s momentum suddenly weakened, “You, what do you want?”

“What do I want?,” Lu Yan sneered, “I should ask first, Young Master Ke, what do you want?”

Lu Yan suddenly leaned forward, and before Ke Yuzhuo could react, he pressed him hard, his eyes were approaching, and there was murderous intent in his eyes, “Young Master Ke, do you want me to go to jail? Believe it or not, even if I kill you here, I can escape unscathed.”

Ke Yuzhuo trembled with fear. At this moment, he really believed that Lu Yan would do what he said and might actually kill him.

“However,” Lu Yan slowly stood up, patted Ke Yuzhuo’s wrinkled collar, and smiled, “I don’t think it’s worth dirtying my hands for someone like you.”

This man was so terrible! Ke Yuzhuo did not relax because of these words, and was still trembling. How could he have thought that the other party was just a lucky little actor? He somewhat regretted his recklessness, but things had already happened and he regretted it too much.

“So, today I want to teach you a lesson and let you know that there are many people in this world that you can’t afford to offend.” 

Ke Yuzhuo looked at Lu Yan and then at the two tall young men , he said tremblingly, “How can you sound so righteous when bullying me with so many of you?”

“Righteous?” Lu Yan seemed to have heard the most ridiculous joke, “Do you think this is a martial arts drama? You are too naive, Young Master Ke. However, I will give you a chance today, you two,” He pointed at Ke Yuzhuo and Song Jing, “Come together. I will fight you two by myself. If you beat me, I will let you go.”

Ke Yuzhuo asked worriedly, “Are you sure? Even if you are knocked down, they will not take action?” 

Lu Yan smiled, “I’m not you, I keep my word. Besides, do you think you can definitely beat me?” Lu Yan said, taking off his coat, throwing it on the sofa coolly, slowly unbuttoning his cuffs, and rolling them up to his elbows. Every movement he made was slow, unhurried, elegant and free.

Ke Yuzhuo regained some confidence and stood up. If he only dealt with Lu Yan alone, it would be better than adding those two thugs who looked very powerful at first sight. What’s more, Ke Yuzhuo was not as weak as he seemed on the surface. He usually liked to go to the gym. Maybe he hated being told that he was too delicate and feminine, so he wanted to prove his strength more and more. In the end, although he didn’t build any muscles, his physique was very good. Sometimes he goes to a boxing club to play a few games, and the weaker boxers were no match for him, which really impressed the second-generation ancestors who wanted to see his jokes.

It was absolutely an indelible shame for him to be trembling with fear from Lu Yan’s momentum just now, and now, he wanted to prove again that he was not a coward like Song Jing.

From the beginning of the conversation between the two people, Song Jing stopped barking. After listening to it for a while, he was shocked to find out that the Ke family had such a secret. But the most important thing now was how to escape. Hearing Lu Yan’s words, he felt happy. Having been hanging out with the young master of the Ke family for many years, he naturally knew the opponent’s skills very well. In his eyes, he was already a master, which was one of the reasons why he was willing to listen to Ke Yuzhuo No matter how timid he was, men admire strength.

After Lu Yan finished speaking, the young man who looked like a thug let go of Song Jing. Song Jing suddenly jumped up and waited happily to see Lu Yan be knocked down. However, the facts cruelly tortured him again.

Ke Yuzhuo was the one who struck first. He understood the principle of striking first, not to mention there were two people standing there. Although Lu Yan promised that they would not take action no matter what, he had always been insidious, so it was difficult for him to believe that others would be upright.

Ke Yuzhuo slowly walked towards Lu Yan, and when he was almost close, he suddenly sent a punch. His punch was fast, powerful, and at a sharp angle, which did not seem to match his delicate appearance at all. But if you think this was his killer move, you are wrong. He kicked out at the same time as the punch, hitting the vital point directly. However, this kick was hidden under the punch. Most people were likely to be hit by the oncoming attack and ignore the bottom lane.

It’s a pity that Lu Yan is not an ordinary person. He seemed to have already understood the opponent’s tricks. It looked like he was forced to step back, but casually raised his foot to block it, and with a “click” sound, Ke Yuzhuo’s powerful calf dropped down. Before he could let out a cry of pain, Lu Yan had already grabbed his fist, and with a few more “clicks”, Ke Yuzhuo’s right wrist also softened.

What followed was a one-sided beating. Before Lu Yan could wait for Ke Yuzhuo to fall, he stepped forward, grabbed his left shoulder, and pulled him down. With a “click”, the hand was also dislocated. Then he held the opponent’s arms with both hands, arched his feet, and exerted force on his waist to lift the person over. He turned around gracefully and punched the opponent’s chest in a series. The last two punches hit the opponent’s eyes directly, giving him a free smokey eye.

Lu Yan’s movements were clean, neat, and even a bit pleasing to the eye. They were not far behind the martial arts movements seen in movies. He probably wouldn’t need a stunt double or martial arts guidance if he was filming a fight scene.

The eyes of the two thugs were bright. They really didn’t expect that Lu Yan, who looked so gentle and nice, had such good skills. They were immediately impressed.

In fact, Lu Yan had not planned to strike so hard at first. He saw that Ke Yuzhuo looked fragile. If the strike was too heavy and became disabled, it would be too troublesome and would not be in line with his principles. But Ke Yuzhuo hit hard as soon as he took action. It seemed that he had practiced it, that was good, the physical endurance of people who had practiced would be better than that of ordinary people. So he unceremoniously selected areas that were easy to hurt but would not cause disability. He was determined to teach this young master who didn’t know the heights of the world a lesson, and he did not show mercy.

When Ke Yuzhuo fell down, he had already fainted from the pain.

Song Jing was stunned. Every punch from Lu Yan seemed to hit him. Making him almost wet his pants.

Lu Yan stopped and stood up, without looking at Ke Yuzhuo who fell to the ground. He moved his wrist and raised his fingers at Song Jing, “it’s your turn.”

Song Jing was probably really frightened. Instead of immediately kneeling down to beg for mercy, he tremblingly picked up a wine bottle and threw it at Lu Yan.

Compared to Ke Yuzhuo’s, that action was far too ugly, with so many flaws that he couldn’t bear to look at it. Lu Yan waited for him to get close before he kicked him out and kicked him and the bottle away.

Song Jing fell down on the sofa, and the wine bottle hit him on the head. He felt that the place where he was hit was warm. He subconsciously reached out and touched it. When he saw the blood on his hand, he screamed in fright, “Blood, blood, blood, killing people…”

Then he succeeded in frightening himself into unconsciousness. In fact, he only had a little scratch on his head.

Lu Yan raised his eyes and sneered contemptuously. As he was going to get his coat, one of the young men had already given it to him, “Brother Lu, your clothes.” Even the title had changed.

Lu Yan was not polite, took the clothes and put them on, and then ordered, “Call their parents to pick them up, but don’t let them go unless they come in person. If he asks who did it, don’t hide it. I, Lu Yan, dare to take responsibility.” 

“Don’t worry, Brother Lu, we will handle it well and we will do it according to your wishes.” 

When he got back to the car, he looked at the time and saw that only ten minutes had passed.

Song Hui asked with concern, “How was it, Brother Lu?”

Lu Yan smiled slightly and said, “It’s all settled, let’s go.”

The next day, he received the apology gift from the old man of the Song family, and Lu Yan happily accepted it. 

This result was expected by Lu Yan. Looking at the boy’s bearish appearance, he guessed he was not a very courageous person. Although Lu Yan seemed to be alone, daring to cause trouble in the Golden Palace had already revealed his identity. It was self-evident who was standing behind him. Moreover, this matter was originally Song Jing’s fault, not to mention that Song Jing himself was not harmed. The old man of the Song family was still very aware of current affairs, and Lu Yan naturally knew how to give up when things went well.

As for the person in charge of the Ke family, they just called his assistant and asked for a meeting. This time, Lu Yan was not so straightforward, but directly asked Song Hui to refuse, saying only one word “busy”.

This wasn’t entirely an excuse. In two days, he would go to Las Vegas with the crew. In addition to announcements, there was another important thing in these two days, which was to meet Qu Shuanghua’s friends and check out the script he’s working on. Because he had made an appointment with Li Ran before, he made another adjustment to the time, and finally decided to do it just before Lu Yan left for Las Vegas.