Chapter 81 - Chance Encounter
“Wonderful, wonderful, wow!”Xiao Zhengqing picked up the drawing. It was drawn with a fountain pen and was relatively simple, but vividly portrayed a cat’s pride and wilfulness, as well as a monarch’s aloofness and forbearance. Most importantly, Song Xiao’s drawing had a sense of the traditional ink painting, which was very Chinese.
“If Uncle Xiao thinks it’s good, then draw it this way ba.” Song Xiao smiled. He had only drawn this very casually, and it was definitely impossible to use his drawing to film the movie; it could only be used as a guide for the artist, who would draw an even more detailed design.
Song Xiao didn’t have money to invest in this film, but Yu Tang did. He was very interested in the film. Xiao Zhengqing currently lacked money, so naturally he wouldn’t refuse any. Yu Tang wanted a detailed investment plan, so he discussed some particulars with Xiao Zhengqing before leaving with Song Xiao.
“You go back ba, I can return to the hotel myself.” Song Xiao urged Yu Tang to return to the Yu house.
“Call me when you get there.” Yu Tang gestured at Song Xiao, and only after the other boy nodded obediently did he turn and get into the car to return to the Yu house.
This part of Hollywood wasn’t far from the hotel he was staying in, so Song Xiao intended to walk back and enjoy the scenery along the way.
This was the real movie hotspot. One could see photography and film crews everywhere. There were also a lot of sightseeing tourists.
Song Xiao took the two bodyguards with him as they slowly walked down a road br.i.m.m.i.n.g with an exotic vibe. After a while, he abruptly stopped and looked into the alleys on the left and right. They were completely empty, with no one around. He couldn’t help furrowing his brow. Just now, he had felt someone watching him.
“Xiaoxiao!” Someone suddenly called him, and turning his head, Song Xiao saw a woman in a red cheongsam waving at him.
“Mu Sha?” Song Xiao was somewhat astonished, and went over.
Mu Sha was the number one sister in Xinghai Entertainment. Having received the best actress award twice, she was very influential in China’s entertainment circle, but she wasn’t very well-known overseas. Song Xiao was a little surprised to see her here.
“Why are you in LA?” Mu Sha tossed back her black hair, which hung down her back. Her hair had previously been permed into large curls, but to exhibit her Chinese traits in American films, she had straightened her hair and dyed it black.
“I came to play,” Song Xiao replied without thinking. “Mu jie is starring in a Hollywood film?”
This was a big deal. Usually, once a Chinese actor got a role in a Hollywood film, major news outlets would definitely vie to report it. But why didn’t Mu Sha seem happy?
Mu Sha laughed bitterly. “Working without pay; what’s there to be happy about?”
Xinghai Entertainment had been in increasingly dire straits in the past two years. The company wanted to push her onto the international stage to launch their brand, and had found a way to grab this role. It wasn’t a very important role, and the company had basically secured it with money. The studio here was also only using her for the Chinese market. One could thus imagine what her situation was like in the crew.
“Fame and profit can’t happen at once. To seek fame, we have to temporarily set aside profit.” Song Xiao understood, and comforted Mu Sha with a light smile.
How could everything in the world be perfect? If you wanted to break through your original situation, you had to make a sacrifice. A good comparison would be if a gifted scholar in Great Yu wanted to become famous across the land. He would have to first produce some writings without much reward, then spend money or rely on connections for people to spread praise about his work everywhere; only then would he be able to slowly build up his reputation bit by bit. Once his reputation was established, he could then compose poems and paintings, and sell them at a good price.
Mu Sha looked at Song Xiao, somewhat amazed. She never thought that he would be able to see things through such a profound lens at such a young age. “Thank you for comforting me.”
“This isn’t comfort; I’m just speaking the truth.” Song Xiao pursed his lips. He wanted to tell her that Xiao Zhengqing was nearby, but after thinking about it, he didn’t bring it up. “Do you have spare time? I’ll treat you to some tea.”
“A handsome fellow inviting me out; how can I be busy?” Mu Sha was amused by his serious demeanour. This little gentleman was quite interesting. She didn’t have many scenes in the first place, and today, she only had one scene, which was to simply stand around and accompany the crown prince as they read books, which was also rather boring.
The two of them went to a nearby cafe and ordered some afternoon tea.
“I initially planned to visit you at your school after I was done filming,” Mu Sha said with a smile.
Song Xiao looked at the bustling street through the gla.s.s window. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then withdrew his gaze a moment later. “Do you know Chief Xiao, who used to be at Xinghai Entertainment?”
Mu Sha paused as she stirred her coffee, and she raised her head to look at Song Xiao. “Of course I do. Why are you suddenly asking about him?”
“I’m just a little curious,” Song Xiao said with a serene expression. “I hear that he’s a very capable person; why did he stop working with my father?”
Isn’t it because Song Zicheng is too much of a scoundrel?! Mu Sha gritted her teeth. She wanted to say something, but in the end, this was Song Xiao’s dad; it wouldn’t be appropriate to insult the man in front of his son, so she could only take a different approach. “Actually, I don’t really know exactly what happened. It was just that the two of them, who had been perfectly fine at first, suddenly started to quarrel. Your dad also started to act dubiously with female artists in the company, making the company… Cough cough, Xiao Zhengqing disapproved, so they split up.”
So, what she was saying was that it wasn’t Xiao Zhengqing’s fault at all.
Song Xiao felt that the matter wasn’t so simple.
Baobao Notes
Real short right? Author’s notes also said an apology for this. Seems like she was busy with work.
Also, dear editor Jules pointed out that in the translation of the author’s other novel ‘I Have Amnesia, Don’t Be Noisy’, Mu Sha’s name had a s.p.a.ce in between. So I’ll be editing that in the previous chapters when I can.