I did not not go to practice on Sunday morning because Film City was too far from Dong Shan Lake. I hope gramps won’t be mad at me.
As I expected, Su Qiao and I pa.s.sed the screen test easily the next day. At the same time, I was feeling lucky, but I also could not help but criticize the corruption of the American Imperialists:
Is it that important to have someone supporting you? I thought America has long forgone the ancient tradition of ‘connections’ because you guys are referred to as the beacon of human civilization! Or is everyone a monkey and we should stop comparing who has more fur?
Since I had to act as monk, it was pretty hot wearing a bald cap in the summer. On the hand, Su Qiao was finally able to remove the armor she wore for two weeks and wear more refreshing Ming Dynasty maid clothes.
When the director announced Su Qiao pa.s.sed, she was unable to hide her inner joy, and she ran to me and said many words of thanks. It might be due to the fact that she took off her clothes in my room last night, but both her cheeks were flushed red. Every time I look at her, she would get fl.u.s.tered and panic.
“Mr. Ye, if… you need me for anything in the future, please tell me and I’ll be there anywhere and anytime.”
Need you for anything? Do you think I would ask you to perform acrobatics at a nephew’s birthday party? Also, anywhere and anytime sounds so ambiguous! Since I was corrupted by the A films in my dad’s hard drive, I would only think of a call girl!
Su Qiao gave me her phone number as if to show her sincerity. She had an old Nokia phone and the case was pretty shabby.
“Mr. Ye, sorry for the rude display.” Then, her expression actually brightened for once, “With the contract money, I’ll get a newer phone. Of course, I won’t switch my SIM card, otherwise it would be rude when you can’t get in touch with me….”
I casually asked: “You’re going to rent a closer place too, right?”
Su Qiao nodded, “Thanks to Mr. Ye, I don’t have to walk as much every day.”
“Oh right, will that distant cousin of yours still be living with you?”
I was not even sure why I asked that question.
Su Qiao was a bit alarmed when I mentioned her cousin.
“She… suddenly received a call from her boyfriend who was in the countryside, and she dropped everything and got married! That’s why I’m alone now…”
I felt that it was too much of a coincidence that her cousin chose this time to return home and get married. But after asking Auntie Ren, it seems her cousin did indeed get married.
But, the time frame was wrong.
Three days ago, when Su Qiao’s cousin returned home, she saw her boyfriend kneeling at the door with a bouquet of fresh flowers. Her boyfriend coming thousands of miles moved her to the point of tears, so she left her measly amount of stuff with Su Qiao and went home with her boyfriend to get married.
That means her cousin was not the one who told her about the unspoken rules. Su Qiao lied. (TN: Honeypot trap?)
But it was understandable, it is a bit less embarra.s.sing to say it was someone else’s idea when offering your body to a stranger. Also, no one can guarantee that her cousin never told her similar words before.
My dad always said: People are always weak to temptations, but you will have principles without desire.
It sounds good, but it’s something he can never achieve.
After working on set until 8 pm (I can’t even remember what I did), Auntie Ren drove me home.
Although the atmosphere was a bit tense and Xiao Qin also wanted me to sing to her, it was still better than squeezing on a subway full of people so I was grateful.
I can tell that Auntie Ren works harder than anyone else on set. The martial arts director is kind of like the chief surgeon, it sounds cool, but it takes a lot of stamina (surgeons may have to stand for upwards of 14 hours). Instead of calling them white-collar workers, they may as well be blue-collared workers with higher incomes, similar to American miners (can’t even be compared to Chinese miners).
Even though Auntie Ren acts cold to me on the surface, she would always ask me if I ate and where I ate around mealtimes. She even warned the crew to not forget to order a meal for me when they were ordering food.
So after looking at Auntie Ren’s tired silhouette under the dim light of night, it made me reminisce about the past.
I really liked Auntie Ren when I was younger. The Little Tyrant did not dare bully me in front of her, and she would always give me candy —— at that time I was still a shota, so Auntie Ren might have liked me too.
Things change as time pa.s.ses. The Little Tyrant is now a girl, and Auntie Ren no longer likes me. In her eyes, I am only a bad boy who wants to take her daughter away from her.
When I walked through the door after not being home for two days, the smell of alcohol and mold rushed straight into my nostrils. No wonder Ai Mi said our house stank, it seems like I have to do a thorough cleaning.
Once I walked into the living room, I found my dad sitting behind the dining table like a professor waiting until it was time to start cla.s.s. He was wearing a well-ironed suit, and he even carefully cleaned his gla.s.ses.
If these changes are something to be happy about, then the suitcase next to his feet was something to be worried about.
“Dad, what are you doing! Why are you putting on airs with that outfit, are you planning on leaving?! Can you grow up!”
I was angry to the point of running out of anger. He could not even write any more AV reviews after Ai ShuQiao’s second attack —— is a woman’s poison this scary?
After hearing my conjecture, my dad seemed to be embarra.s.sed.
“Xiao Lin, you misunderstood. I’m going out for business.”
Business? What kind of business needs you to bring along a suitcase? Don’t tell me you want to go to America and look for Ai ShuQiao? I will go with you if you are going to give her a beating! But based on your sloppy feelings with her, you might only look from afar then run back crying! I do not want to be humiliated in America!
“Xiao Lin, I’m not going very far. An old cla.s.smate —— he is currently the vice-princ.i.p.al of a university, requested me to help him write some teaching materials for s.p.a.ce physics. He’s already asked me for a while now, but I’ve never agreed. Recently, with all the stuff that’s been happening, I feel conflicted at home, so I want to take this opportunity to calm down…”
Huh? Which university? The university you used to teach at? Are you telling me your friend who has been a vice-princ.i.p.al for this many years, can’t write teaching materials better than someone who has been selling adult goods for over ten years?
It seems that vice-princ.i.p.al booked a single room for my dad at a hotel in Dong Cheng district. The room has daily cleaning and three meals a day can be written off as an expense. He only wants my dad to write a textbook within a month that he will put under his own name, since he feels inferior because he does not have many published works.
Previously, my dad never agreed because he could not leave the online business behind. Recently, he discovered I could run the store as well as him, so when his old cla.s.smate came asking, he could not refuse.
“Xiao Lin, the reason why I’m going is for a change of mood, and the pay is pretty good, but I’m worried about you and the store… can you stay home alone for a month? Will you be too tired with homework and managing the store! If you feel like you can’t do it, then I’ll immediately turn down this job…”
No, don’t turn down the job! Even though you are only using this opportunity to escape from Ai ShuQiao, this might be the chance for you to return to working at a university! I would much prefer having a university professor as a father than a father who owns an adult goods store!
The online business is no big deal! I was able to handle it when you were not here for a week. I am young and I am not an alcoholic, forget a month, even managing for a year is no big deal! At most, I would have to do some customer service with my phone during cla.s.s, then when I come home I would package the product and call the delivery service to pick it up! I could also train my body by moving boxes instead of punching a sandbag!
Thus I pushed my dad out the door without allowing him to explain anymore. I told him I was completely fine being home alone, and that I will even increase the volume of business of our store, and I told him don’t come home if you haven’t created any teaching materials.
My dad slowly told me: “Uhm, I’ll text the address to you tomorrow. Although I need peace and quiet to write teaching materials, you have to contact me if anything happens. I’ll definitely take the time to attend parent-teacher conferences and whatnot….”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! Go and immerse yourself in the sea of knowledge! I also need peace and quiet in order to manage the store!”
I inappropriately thought of Shu Zhe’s expression that looks as if he deserves a beating. If my dad is not home, I can be even more unrestrained and ruthless when I trick him into becoming my ‘rope model’.