Li Feng thought Yao Ming had returned to China first, so he wouldn't attract as much attention by returning a few days later.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he got off the plane, he saw a scene of thousands of people welcoming him again.
While touched, Li Feng also felt a hint of helplessness. Being a celebrity was really difficult; he had no privacy at all.
He interacted with the fans at the airport for over an hour, and finally, under the escort of airport security, he got into the car arranged by Bill Duffy.
Li Feng first spent two days accompanying his parents.
Then he met Deng Huasheng, the owner of Hongxing Sports.
Since Li Feng had visited the company headquarters before, he didn't go to the company this time but was directly received by Deng Huasheng's assistant at his home.
Deng Huasheng lived in a villa district in Beijing, where the residents were all wealthy or influential. Li Feng was visiting for the first time.
Deng Huasheng had originally planned to personally greet Li Feng, but he had a very important meeting to chair, so he could only send his assistant to pick him up.
Arriving at the villa's living room, Deng Huasheng had not yet returned.
"Mr. Li Feng, what would you like to drink?" a housekeeper, around forty years old, asked solicitously.
"Tea will be fine," Li Feng replied politely, nodding.
Sitting on the sofa, Li Feng looked around and found that Deng Huasheng had good taste. The villa's decor was not excessively luxurious but rather simple and elegant.
This indicated that Deng Huasheng was not like those nouveau riche who lacked substance.
As Li Feng took a few sips of tea, the sound of a car approached from outside, and Deng Huasheng bustled in.
At over fifty years old, he was in good physical condition and full of spirit.
"Oh, Li Feng, I'm so sorry, I'm just too busy. I should have come to pick you up myself." Deng Huasheng took off his coat, enthusiastically extended his hands, and clasped Li Feng's tightly.
Li Feng had a good judge of character, and Deng Huasheng was indeed an excellent entrepreneur who had invested significantly in charity and education.
"Mr. Deng, you don't need to be so polite. I'm not an outsider, so there's no need to pick me up."
After a few pleasantries, they sat down.
"Li Feng, your popularity is getting higher and higher! Haha, two championships in a row, truly amazing!"
Deng Huasheng couldn't help but praise Li Feng again.
"Mr. Deng, let's not talk about this. During the off-season, let's chat about other things."
Li Feng had a feeling that Deng Huasheng had something he wanted to discuss.
Deng Huasheng smiled awkwardly and hesitated before saying, "There are two matters where I do need your help."
Li Feng had a very good impression of Hongxing Sports. Ever since he agreed to cooperate with them, Li Feng had been paying attention to the development of Hongxing Sports.
He even secretly checked some gossip and rumors.
In the past two years, Hongxing Sports had been developing healthily, and Li Feng couldn't find any negative news about the company.
In terms of company management, they were also very effective, with no news of internal conflicts or infighting.
This further impressed Li Feng with Deng Huasheng's capabilities.
Therefore, when Deng Huasheng asked for his help, Li Feng readily agreed.
"Mr. Deng, we've been cooperating for so long, we're practically family. You don't need to be polite, just tell me directly, what do you need me to do?"
Deng Huasheng smiled gratefully and said, "Then I'll tell you. The first thing is that we want to shoot a short film, a promotional video, and we'd like you to film a few scenes."
Li Feng thought it was no big deal and laughed, "Just this? Of course, there's no problem. We're both friends and business partners now. Do you need to mention such a small matter in person? A phone call would suffice!"
Deng Huasheng nodded and said, "It's indeed not a big deal, but I don't want to hide anything from you. The female lead for the promotional film is an actress, and she is the daughter of an old comrade of mine from back then."
Li Feng seemed to understand.
Since Li Feng's brilliant performance in the Olympics the year before last, he had become completely famous in China.
Especially after joining the NBA and becoming another superstar alongside Yao Ming, his popularity had skyrocketed, and his fame was unparalleled.
In the selection of Sports Personality of the Year last year, Li Feng was deservedly ranked first.
At that time, Li Feng was still in the United States, so he entrusted someone to accept the award on his behalf.
Moreover, Li Feng's handsome and youthful appearance had captured the hearts of many young men and women.
In today's terms, Li Feng had become a household name, transcending his sport.
Even people who were not interested in basketball knew and liked Li Feng.
Where there is popularity, there is motivation driven by profit.
At that time, many entertainment stars in China hoped to collaborate with Li Feng on movies, TV shows, variety shows, and so on.
However, Li Feng was not interested in those activities. He didn't want to use his popularity to make money; he just wanted to play basketball well.
So he politely declined them all.
This time, when Deng Huasheng mentioned the promotional film, Li Feng did not refuse because there was a matter of personal connection involved.
Since there was a connection with Mr. Deng's old comrade, Li Feng had to show respect.
Li Feng nodded and said, "No problem. If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have refused. I'll just do my part. This is a promotional film for Hongxing Sports, and I'm duty-bound."
Deng Huasheng knew that Li Feng had refused many celebrity collaborations, so he expected Li Feng to refuse this time as well.
Seeing Li Feng agree, Deng Huasheng gratefully extended his hand and shook Li Feng's firmly.
"The second matter is about the basketball school we invested in. There's a student in his first year of high school who plays basketball well and wants to venture into the United States. I was hoping that if you have time, you could help arrange something for him."
Li Feng's eyes lit up. He was very passionate about basketball education.
Although he was only 19 years old, having transmigrated at a young age, his mental age was quite mature.
He didn't want to see a decline in Chinese basketball talent and a lack of successors after Yao Ming and he retired.
Therefore, every time he returned to China, he would visit the basketball school.
Hearing Deng Huasheng mention a talented basketball player, he naturally wanted to help.
"Mr. Deng, really? That's wonderful! I'll definitely arrange everything for him perfectly. But can I meet him?"
Seeing Li Feng's genuine excitement, Deng Huasheng hesitated slightly.
Li Feng was taken aback and asked, "What's wrong? Is it inconvenient for him to see me? Or is he not in China?"
"No, no, he's in China. I'll have him come to see you in a couple of days."
Li Feng didn't press further, as he vaguely felt there might be something going on.
The next day, Li Feng received the script for the upcoming promotional film and read it carefully a few times.
The plot was not complicated and lacked depth; it simply showcased Hongxing Sports' new products, its design team, and the strength of its staff through several different scenes.
However, Li Feng noticed that his interaction with the female lead seemed to be a bit too much, even including a kissing scene.
Upon seeing this, Li Feng frowned.
Was a kissing scene necessary for a promotional film?
Li Feng was not a prudish moralist, but he had his principles.
So, he contacted the director of the short promotional film, wanting to discuss removing the kissing scene.
The director's name was Sun Fei, a relatively young director, only 40 years old this year. He had previously directed a few art films and had some reputation in the industry.
Deng Huasheng had hired him to direct because he felt that the shots in his previous films were very well-composed and visually beautiful.
However, talented people often had eccentric personalities, and Sun Fei was one of them. He didn't know the significance of Li Feng to Hongxing Sports.
Sun Fei assumed Li Feng was just an ordinary athlete and should listen to him.
Therefore, when he received the call, his tone was indifferent.
"No, the kissing scene is part of my plan and cannot be removed. As an actor, you must listen to me!"
Although Li Feng was now a basketball superstar, he was very respectful of people in other industries, and his tone earlier had been very sincere.
To his surprise, he was met with Sun Fei's unreasonable reprimand, which ignited Li Feng's anger.
But he held back and continued to request in a calm and sincere tone, "Director Sun, it's like this, I already have a girlfriend, so I don't want to have any intimate scenes in any film. I hope you can understand..."
"What nonsense! If you are an actor, you should respect art. What's so great about a kissing scene? Are you from ancient times?"
Seeing Sun Fei's lack of courtesy, Li Feng didn't want to waste any more time with him. He said coldly, "This is just a promotional film, and it should primarily promote Hongxing Sports' products. If you don't remove the kissing scene, I won't act."
"Tsk, who are you trying to scare? If you don't act, then don't. I can find another actor!"
"Alright, then you find someone else."
Li Feng hung up the phone and snorted.
He didn't mention this to Deng Huasheng because Li Feng knew that someone would soon come crawling to beg for his forgiveness.
Indeed, less than an hour later, Li Feng's phone rang.
Li Feng glanced at it and saw it was Sun Fei calling.
"Hello, who is it?" Li Feng pretended to be confused.
"Mr. Li Feng, oh no, Brother Li Feng, it's me, Xiao Sun, Sun Fei..."
"Oh, Director Sun."
"No, no, just call me Xiao Sun! About what you mentioned earlier, we'll do as you say, the kissing scene will be removed. Do you have any other ideas? Tell me all of them, and I'll make the changes immediately!"
It was obvious that Sun Fei had called Deng Huasheng, wanted to replace Li Feng, and had been severely scolded by Deng Huasheng.
Hongxing Sports was the number one sports brand in China and had successfully entered the international market.
Being able to direct a promotional film for Hongxing Sports was a lucrative opportunity, so Sun Fei naturally wouldn't give up.
Deng Huasheng had just received Sun Fei's call, and upon hearing that he wanted to replace Li Feng, he had become furious, cursing him. He also told him:
"Li Feng is the pillar of Hongxing Sports. Replace Li Feng? Dream on! You won't be directing this promotional film anymore, get lost!"
Only then did Sun Fei understand how crucial Li Feng was to Hongxing Sports and Deng Huasheng.
He broke out in a cold sweat and apologized repeatedly. Deng Huasheng then gave him a chance to apologize to Li Feng immediately.
After listening for a while, Li Feng saw that Sun Fei was quite shaken and was practically begging, so he decided to let him off the hook.
"How about this, Director Sun, you can come to my hotel, and we can sit down and study the script properly. Although I'm an amateur, I've filmed many sports commercials and have some experience."
"Yes, yes, I'll be there right away. Please send me the address."
...
Actually, Li Feng didn't know that Sun Fei had arranged the kissing scene because he had accepted money from the actress.
This actress was named Tang Lulu. Her father was indeed an old comrade of Deng Huasheng.
However, apart from being beautiful, Tang Lulu was completely untalented and had very poor acting skills. After two years in the entertainment industry, she hadn't gained much recognition.
So, she seized this opportunity, wanting to become famous through this short film.
Li Feng's popularity was immense, and Tang Lulu decided to film a more daring scene with Li Feng and then create buzz and rumors with him.
People with poor acting skills could only improve their recognition through such methods.
It had to be said that the Chinese entertainment industry indeed catered to such tactics; many actors had become famous in this way.
However, the acting profession was not that simple. Creating scandals could lead to temporary fame, but to establish a long-term career, one still needed genuine talent.
Tang Lulu couldn't think that far; she just wanted to be famous!
Even if it was just for one day.
Forty minutes later, Sun Fei rushed to the hotel and discussed the script details with Li Feng.
Although Li Feng was not a professional screenwriter, he had participated in many promotional film shoots over the past two years, including those for the NBA, clubs, and other brands.
Coupled with his advantage of having memories from his previous life, Li Feng had a good sense for sports promotions.
He shared his ideas with Sun Fei, who secretly nodded, thinking Li Feng was truly talented and his suggestions were spot on.
However, Sun Fei was also inwardly lamenting that although Li Feng's revisions were good, the female lead, Tang Lulu's, scenes had been reduced.
The promotional film was already short, and now several scenes were cut. How was he supposed to explain this to Tang Lulu?
He had already accepted her money...
After they revised the script, they scheduled the formal shooting at the location for the next day.
As soon as Sun Fei left, Deng Huasheng called Li Feng to inquire about the script.
"Li Feng, I've already scolded that Sun Fei. You proceed with your own ideas, don't worry about him!"
Li Feng smiled, "It's fine. I still respect the director, but the script was indeed not good. I've already revised it with him."
"That's great! Oh, you really worry so much about Hongxing Sports. I don't know what to say."
"You're welcome, Mr. Deng. We progress and develop together!"
...
The next day, Li Feng arrived at the film set, ready to shoot the first scene.
Sun Fei and two assistant directors greeted him with deferential attitudes.
"Mr. Li Feng, please take a rest first, then change clothes and do your makeup..."
"No need to rest. Let's change clothes and do makeup directly. Everyone is quite busy, let's not waste time." Li Feng waved his hand, not wanting to act like a big star.
The staff responsible for costumes and makeup quickly came over and prepared Li Feng.
Once everything was ready, Sun Fei personally led Li Feng to the film set.
It was then that Li Feng saw the female lead, Tang Lulu, for the first time.
Tang Lulu's expression was displeased when she saw Li Feng arrive because she had heard from Sun Fei that Li Feng was unwilling to film the kissing scene.
However, she knew very well that she couldn't afford to offend Li Feng, as she still relied on his popularity to become famous.