Prologue
“I heard you and Tong Fei have your own production company?” the person in the phone asked her in surprise.
“Nowadays, if you’re an artiste, you’re part of a production company. Screenwriters have them, too, as do directors. It’s not really all that sophisticated and special. It’s just so you have a name you can put down in the spot for whom the invoices should be made out to.” With her eyes on the display screen in front of her, Chu Jian offhandedly provided this response.
Oh crud. She just lost her last 50 HKD worth of credit.
On the other end of the line, the other party rambled on for another couple of sentences. After hanging up the call, Chu Jian rummaged through her backpack and discovered that she had used up all of the Hong Kong currency she had on hand… Should she go up to the second floor and find an “unofficial” money changer to change some?
The feeling of being penniless was annoyingly depressing. Tong Fei had just left her here, and Chu Jian did not even know when she would be returning. If she did not change some money so she could continue betting, she really would have nothing to do.
While Chu Jian was still wavering on what to do, a man sat down by her side.
A pair of black-frame glasses with flat lenses. Very young. He was wearing a dark gray pair of casual pants, black sneakers, and a white, cotton, short-sleeved athletic shirt. He looked like a university student. However, so as to have the best outcome when on camera, his facial contours were very chiseled and defined, and hence he appeared to be on the slightly slim side.
Jian Bianlin? Chu Jian was somewhat taken aback. Concealing her face with the back of her hand, she furtively surveyed around the area and then whisperingly asked him, “You’re not scared of your picture getting taken?” He did not speak. Rotating the cap in his hand a half-circle, he put it on so that its brim obscured half of his face.
“Do you have any Hong Kong dollars?” Chu Jian’s second sentence cut straight to the chase. Still, he did not make a sound. From his pants pocket, he fished out his wallet and searched through it from front to back, but he was only able to find two thousand Hong Kong dollars.
“This casino is so weird. It’s in Macau, but its machines only accept Hong Kong dollars.”
Muttering, Chu Jian took the two bills of Hong Kong currency from him. After inserting them in turn into the machine, she spun her chair in a semicircle and tilted her head to the side to look at this young man beside her.
Hmm… she was a little thirsty.
But to make him trek across half the casino to grab a drink for her was not a very realistic idea either.
Behind the both of them were countless slot machines, and in the distance, there were several hundred table games. So very noisy.
Chu Jian had no choice but to lean in close to speak to him. “Sit here and keep an eye on the machine for me. Absolutely make sure no one photographs you. I’m a little thirsty. I’m going to go get two cups of milk tea.”
His brows furrowed together slightly.
Chu Jian had already left, darting out onto the floor to get some milk tea. From far, he gazed upon that slight backside, once again pressing the button on the vibrating mobile phone that was in his pocket to reject the incoming call. He then motioned at a nearby casino server.
When Chu Jian returned with two cups of milk tea in hand, that seat was already empty.
“Miss, over here. That sir already inserted a membership card here for you.” The server pointed at the screen display.
The credit balance that was showing on the top right hand corner of that screen was not a small amount. As a result of this card that had been provided in her aid, Chu Jian was able to tide over for another three, four hours in the casino. By the time she returned to her room, it was long past midnight.
After hurriedly taking a shower, she arbitrarily turned on the television and happened to see a replay of the 2015 China Victory Day 70th Anniversary Parade[1]. This sort of thing that “blazoned our nation’s might and prestige” was, of course, something that she would never tire of watching. Hugging a throw pillow and propping her chin on her hand, she prepared herself to kill time with this while she continued to wait for Tong Fei.
Two minutes later, the one who had disappeared for the entire night, Tong Fei, found her conscience again and called. The first sentence she said was, “Were you bored tonight?” Before Chu Jian had a chance to grumble at her, Tong Fei’s second sentence came at her. “Hurry up and get yourself ready. I’ve brought a bunch of people over to talk business.”
What’s there to get ready? It’s not like I’m a part of the entertainment industry like you guys are, Chu Jian silently countered.
In the end, at past one o’clock in the morning, this place was actually even livelier than the casino.
Tong Fei had brought along all her contacts in Macau whom she had had business socials or work dealings with. In this hotel room, they began a new round of project discussions, from whom the directors of projects were to actors’ salaries that were soaring like a boat riding the rising tide.
“I heard Jian Bianlin is in Macau as well. I sent an outline and screenplay over to his agent, but I’m still waiting for a reply,” someone suddenly said.
The instant the name “Jian Bianlian” appeared in the conversation, several producers laughed.
There was more than one or two people present here who had sent him screenplays and script outlines.
Alas, this idol artiste, who had been rising in popularity and worth over the last year, had entered a period of transition in his image and was being strict in his criteria for selecting dramas to participate in. No one in this room tonight had been able to get a confirmed slot in his schedule. This group conversed awhile, some commenting that his asking price was too expensive, some mentioning that he was not accommodating when it came to publicity and promotional events, some saying that he was too picky when it came to scripts, etc., etc. In any case, they had a nice round of dissing of this currently popular idol artiste.
In the midst of these accusations that were coming closely one after another, Chu Jian wordlessly boiled a kettle of water.
Actually… his personality was okay. It wasn’t that bad…
Tong Fei took advantage of the opening when Chu Jian was pressing the switch on the kettle to throw her a meaningful look: That guy who has lived across the hall from you since you were four years old sure is hugely and crazily popular.
[1]反法西斯七十周年大阅兵. More formally called 纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年阅兵式 “parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggressions and the World Anti-Fascist War,” this is often simply referred to in English as the “2015 China Victory Day Parade.” It was in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Held on September 3, 2015, it included a grand military parade of 12 000 troops and was attended by many world leaders. (Note that this novel’s online releases began in the fall of that same year.)