Global Film Emperor

Chapter 247 You are here

August 30, 2020, Hebei City, 8:00 AM.

"The plane has landed at Hefei Zhengding International Airport. The outside temperature is 31 degrees Celsius. The plane is taxiing. For your safety and the safety of others, please do not open the overhead bins. Please wait until the plane has come to a complete stop before unfastening your seatbelt."

The plane landed with a whoosh, and a tall man wearing sunglasses was the first to disembark. He looked up at the sky; it was cloudy and the temperature was just right—perfect weather for traveling or running errands.

Lu Ze estimated that he would be leaving Hebei this afternoon, so he didn't bring any luggage. He went straight out of the airport and found a quiet place to wait. After a while, an Audi A6L stopped in front of him.

"Mr. Lu, here are your car keys. Have a safe trip and please drive carefully."

The driver handed over the keys, but Lu Ze didn't take them. He frowned, circled the car twice, stepped on the wheels with his canvas shoes, and stomped down hard twice before reluctantly taking the keys.

"Thank you, thank you for your trouble. You too, please be careful on the road."

I got in the car, started the engine, and didn't rush off. I took out my phone, turned on the navigation, clipped it to the phone holder on the exit, listened to the cold, synthesized female voice, shifted gears, and drove towards the hotel.

This was his first time in Shijiazhuang, and the roads were a bit unfamiliar. In fact, the more cities he visited, the more he felt that they were all pretty much the same and didn't have any particularly unique features. However, he was also becoming more and more able to easily notice the subtle differences between cities.

The first impression Lu Ze got of Shijiazhuang was its warmth. Old neighbors greeted each other, and because it was Saturday, many elderly people were playing cards at the entrance of the community. Children were chasing and running around on the street, and there were many slogans praising the country along the roadside.

Behind the enthusiasm lies an indescribable helplessness. Like all heavy industrial cities in the north, after the closure of various factories, it experienced a long period of economic depression and has not yet fully recovered.

Even so, the people here still believe in the country and the government. This is a belief that flows in the blood of all people in industrial cities. They yearn for and firmly believe that the country can bring them a better tomorrow.

The car sped along, and a little over an hour later, they arrived at the rather impressive-looking hotel. There were three inflatable arches at the entrance, indicating that Yang Dan's family was not the only ones who had chosen to get married today.

After finding a parking space and parking, Lu Ze did not choose to get out of the car immediately. He sat in the car, lit a cigarette with the cigarette lighter, took a puff, and flicked the ash out the window with his left hand.

"Hey buddy, could you move your car? The convoy's going to park here later, sorry about that. Come on, have a smoke, have a smoke. Let's have some fun."

A slightly overweight man walked over and pointed out another parking spot to Lu Ze through the car window. It was Lu Ze's fault to begin with, but when the man saw that Lu Ze's car was worth at least several hundred thousand yuan, he spoke more politely. Just as he was about to hand Lu Ze a Yuxi cigarette, he noticed a small tin box of pandas in front of the windshield and looked slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't notice. Thank you. It's just going straight and then turning right, right? I understand, thank you."

"You're welcome. Which wedding are you attending?"

"Oh, Yang Dan's."

"Huh? Who are you?"

"Oh, then we're not from the same company. I'll be going now, buddy. See you later."

Lu Ze had just stubbed out his cigarette, but he didn't refuse the man's offer. He tucked the cigarette behind his ear, and seeing that the man seemed to recognize him, he quickly made his escape.

After changing parking spots, I walked over from the next street and saw the convoy approaching. The car mirrors and wheels were decorated with red ribbons, making it look particularly festive.

A group of people emerged from the hotel entrance, not the same man from before. They waved with broad smiles, and then the lead car stopped. The man seen in the photos earlier, dressed in a black suit with a red flower on his chest, sported a warm smile. He straightened his suit, ran to the other side of the car, opened the door, and picked up his bride. It's said that a woman is most beautiful on her wedding day, and she certainly stunned everyone, even Lu Ze. Perhaps it wasn't suitable for her to dress so glamorously after starting work; her once curly hair was now long and straight. Amidst the teasing chatter of the group, the man carried her into the hotel.

To be honest, Lu Ze didn't feel anything. After all, the two of them didn't have any romantic past. If there was no beginning, how could there be any regret? Besides, time heals all wounds. The shadow that she cast on Lu Ze when she left had long since disappeared without a trace over the years.

Upon entering the hotel, Lu Ze realized that her wedding was on the second floor. Instead of taking the elevator, he slowly walked up the steps to the banquet hall. He glanced inside and saw that there were about twenty tables of relatives and friends. Many of the girls were quite pretty, especially those wearing bridesmaid dresses. Lu Ze had seen them before in the photo album that Yang Dan had displayed in the room.

He took out a red envelope from his pocket, wrote his name on it, and there wasn't much money inside, only 8,888 yuan. It wasn't that Lu Ze was stingy, nor that his relationship with Yang Dan was worth that much, but rather that he didn't dare to give more, afraid that her husband would overthink it. The two of them didn't have anything going on to begin with, and he didn't want this to affect other people's marital relationship.

Even so, Lu Ze's red envelope was the thickest. After all, the relatives and friends here were all ordinary people, and giving a thousand or eight hundred yuan would be the most they could give. The old man who kept the accounts was stunned for a moment after taking the red envelope before writing Lu Ze's name on the red paper.

I pushed open the door, put on my hat, and casually asked an old man sitting at the table if anyone was there. Only after confirming that no one was there did I pull out a chair and sit down.

Because of his ordinary attire, and the hat and sunglasses he was wearing, Lu Ze didn't attract anyone's attention. He reached out and grabbed a piece of wedding candy from the plate, unwrapped it, put it in his mouth, and quietly started playing on his phone.

As time went by, the performances on stage began, and they looked quite good. However, although Lu Ze couldn't play the violin, as a master of verbal sparring, he could still tell that the girl playing the violin on stage was completely out of tune.

Then the host came on stage and introduced himself as a radio host from Hebei. He saw that many people in the audience applauded, so he must be quite famous in Hebei.

After a few lighthearted jokes, the emcee became much more serious. The speakers played background music perfectly suited for a wedding, and the banquet hall doors slowly opened, revealing the newlyweds walking towards the stage.

She was already quite tall, and wearing high heels made her appear even taller and more slender. Her wedding dress was snow-white, her hair was styled up, and she smiled as she chatted and laughed with her friends and family, without rushing to enter.

Like the others, Lu Ze stood up and clapped, watching them walk towards her little by little. But Lu Ze's height was indeed the kind that made her stand out from the crowd. Her gaze inadvertently fell on this tall man, and she suddenly froze slightly, her eyes revealing surprise and disbelief.

If others can't recognize Lu Ze, how could she not? Even though several years have passed and his demeanor has changed a lot, even though he's wearing a hat and glasses, she knew it was him at first glance.

He was dressed casually today, wearing only a regular short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and black canvas shoes. His slightly long hair was unkempt and covered by a plain baseball cap.

This kind of surprise is actually tinged with a lot of bitterness. She wore a wedding dress, while he was in the audience giving his blessings. Such dramatic stories are not uncommon in life, but when it happens to you, only those who have experienced it can understand the feeling.

But the rationality she had accumulated over thirty-one years told her to remain calm. The two of them were no longer from the same world, and after this wedding, they might never have another chance to intertwine.

She got closer and closer to Lu Ze, so Lu Ze took off his sunglasses and hat, put his hands down naturally, and waited for her to stand in front of him with a warm smile on his face.

She wanted to punch Lu Ze in the chest, but she immediately lowered her hand as soon as she raised it. Under the astonished gazes of the man and the people around her, her smile was as radiant as a flower.

"You're here?"

"correct."

"."

The real-life inspiration for Yang Dan got married on May 1, 2018, and I was there.

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(End of this chapter)