Global Film Emperor

Chapter 333

"Thank you for bringing me back. Mr. Lu, where do you live? Is it far from here? You can take the car first, I'm not in a hurry. If you need it, just return it to me at a later time."

After leaving the movie theater, light snow began to fall. The windshield wipers were on their slowest setting, clearing the slightly fogged windshield due to the large temperature difference. After the car was turned off, two yellow lights illuminated the small interior space. The two looked at each other, and she looked into Lu Ze's eyes, saying these words without much difficulty.

The two chatted quite well along the way, finding a sense of familiarity with each other and not feeling awkward. After watching the movie, she asked Lu Ze to drive her back to her residence, saying she was afraid to drive in the snow.

"Ring ring ring. No need to trouble the car, I live not far from here. Excuse me, I need to take this call first. Hello? Director Liu. Long time no see."

Whether it was a coincidence or not, Lu Ze and Gao Peiling had just finished watching Liu Ying's new Lunar New Year film when the director, who should have lost contact with Lu Ze, unexpectedly contacted him, which surprised him somewhat.

"Aze, what are you doing? How's your rest these past few months?"

"It's okay, I just eat and sleep all day, and I don't have to worry about anything. I weighed myself yesterday and found I've gained five pounds. Everything's fine, so..."

"Have you seen my new movie? It did very well, quite ideally. But it was actually filmed at the end of September, but it was delayed until the Lunar New Year for release. I recently took on a script that's really good, and I'm itching to get it right now. The only problem is that I'm missing an assistant director. So, once you've had enough rest, you can come back to work."

Everyone knows that Lu Ze is having a tough time right now; this is common knowledge within the industry. But Liu Ying is the first person truly willing to lend Lu Ze a hand. Yes, it's difficult for Lu Ze to act now, but working behind the scenes or doing odd jobs isn't out of the question. At least it would provide Lu Ze with a decent source of income.

Liu Ying's call was entirely well-intentioned, and Lu Ze appreciated it, but asking him to return to the film crew and not film, but instead become an assistant director who might only need to train actors, was still somewhat difficult for Lu Ze.

After all, when he was filming before, he was just a laborer on the crew. He would just do whatever the director said and rarely had the chance to express his opinions. To put it bluntly, the job of assistant director was a little beyond his capabilities. In addition, in all the film crews he had joined over the years, whenever an assistant director had an idea to discuss with the director, there was never a relationship that didn't hurt feelings, and there was bound to be an argument.

You let Lu Ze join the crew but didn't offer any suggestions. He's feeling stifled. You only train the actors, and now those actors probably won't respect him. In any case, they won't be happy staying on set. After thinking about it, I think I'll just forget about it.

"I appreciate your kind offer, Director Liu. I just finished watching your film, and it is indeed very good. I think with you here, there will be no problem managing the crew. I may be a bit superfluous."

The phone was bound to leak some sound, and the car was quiet, so she could clearly hear what the person on the other end of the phone was saying. She didn't look directly at Lu Ze, but looked into his eyes in the rearview mirror. Those "windows" didn't show dejection, but rather a calmness after thinking. However, putting herself in his shoes, it would definitely not be an easy decision for her to give up on this matter.

An emotion gradually spread in his heart, not pity or sympathy, but heartache. Given their relationship, it hadn't reached that point yet.

In short, this feeling is complex yet straightforward. After all, men with a past are always more attractive than those with a smooth life.

Lu Ze's story isn't exactly legendary, but it's not simple either. If Lu Ze were to tell the stories recorded on the internet and those not recorded, he probably wouldn't finish in three days and three nights. He's not a man shrouded in mystery; on the contrary, he lays himself bare, as if saying, "My story is right here. If you want to know, come over and listen to my story."

Lu Ze refused Liu Ying's offer of help. Whether you call Lu Ze proud or ungrateful, Gao Peiling has no right to judge. She just believes from the bottom of her heart that this man must have had a very tough time over the years.

If you had to describe her current feelings in one word, you might say she's overflowing with maternal love for this man who's four years her senior.

She didn't listen to the conversation on the phone afterwards. She just gently curled a strand of hair with her right index finger, tugged it a couple of times, and then let go, repeating the process over and over again, while her gaze remained fixed on him in the rearview mirror.

"Sorry, I got a phone call. I won't use the car. You're too kind. Let's go. I'll walk you to your building and then I'll leave. The car will stay here."

"Hmm? Oh, okay."

The two unbuckled their seatbelts, and Lu Ze handed the keys back to her. They walked side by side into one of Lu Hua's most upscale residences to date. Lu Ze escorted her to the unit door, then said goodbye and prepared to leave.

"Why don't you come up and sit for a while? It's so cold outside. Thank you for bringing me back. Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea?"

Lu Ze glanced at her and noticed that her face was slightly flushed. He wasn't sure if it was from the cold, but he was certain that her request to go upstairs for a cup of tea was just what she meant. So he didn't plan to go up. Of course, if it wasn't just what she meant, then he definitely couldn't go up.

"No need for tea. It's getting late, I have to go. You can go upstairs now. Goodbye."

"Wait a minute! Wear a scarf, at least it will keep you warm. Wear it. Thank you for today, Mr. Lu."

Holding the scarf she had just taken off her neck, still warm from its wear, Lu Ze smiled slightly, nodded to her, and only turned to leave after she entered the lobby.

Lu Ze then realized why she had gone to the mall to buy this black scarf, which was clearly a men's style. In fact, she had already thought about what would happen after the movie ended, and that's why she prepared this scarf to protect Lu Ze from the cold. Perhaps this was her little bit of cleverness.

Following the children who were going out to set off firecrackers, Lu Ze lit a cigarette. When he exhaled, he couldn't tell whether it was smoke or the mist that condensed from his breath.

Under the dim light, on this snowy night, he wore a thick black scarf, one hand holding a cigarette butt, the other tucked into the pocket of his down jacket. Occasionally, like a child, he would step on the snow piles that people had cleared after the last snowfall, leaving his mark on the thin layer of snow on the road.

Until he came across a new energy shared car that had only become popular in Lü Hua last year, he scanned the code to unlock it, sat in the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, rolled down the window, flicked his cigarette ash, started the car, and slowly drove away into the distance.

"Ding-dong." I didn't open it immediately, but stopped at a red light and took out my phone to check the text message from Gao Peiling.

"Mr. Lu, may we continue to keep in touch?"

He rubbed his thumb on the phone screen twice to wipe away the fingerprints left on the screen under the light, thought for a moment, and replied with only one word.

"it is good."

He turned off his phone, then tossed it in front of the windshield. Watching the red light countdown, he rubbed his stubble-covered chin vigorously with his fingers, sighed, and waited for the green light to come on before heading to the hotel he had just booked.

Blind dates are certainly not the main theme of starting a new life; finding a new source of income is. So, four days later, on the eighth day of the first lunar month, Lu Ze signed a one-year lease agreement with the owner of a shop.

Fortunately, the previous tenant had opened a coffee shop in this 70-square-meter apartment, but due to poor business, he eventually had to sell it. According to Lu Ze's thinking, it would be strange if a coffee shop opened in a large residential area did not do well. However, it may also have a lot to do with the taste of the coffee.

However, this also suited Lu Ze perfectly. The room didn't need to be changed much. All he had to do was paint the white walls with dark blue latex paint, buy some refrigerators and wooden chairs, and that would be it. It was incredibly simple. But to save money, he had to do the painting himself.

"Brother, no, no, my arms are sore, please help me, I can't lift it anymore."

Hearing Lu Nan's call, Lu Ze quickly went over, afraid that she would scratch the wall he had worked so hard to paint. He took the roller and dipped it into the paint bucket.

Lu Nan was still on vacation, and the place had just been painted once. It was a simple job, so Lu Ze asked his sister to do manual labor without pay.

Lu Ze was used to Lu Nan, who never seemed tired when she was being mischievous, jumping up and down the wall, but would get diarrhea as soon as she started working. She had only managed to clean less than a meter of the wall in half a day.

"Bro, paint got on my head! Ouch!!! It's stuck to my hair! Can this stuff be washed off? I only noticed it after it dried! What should I do?!"

"It should be fine. If it doesn't wash out, just cut your hair. It's okay."

"I"

Lu Nan glared at her older brother and swallowed back the curse words, otherwise her brother, who had never practiced Taekwondo, might just kick out two of her teeth with a spinning kick.

He could only pretend he hadn't heard, shook his hands as if they had no bones, walked to the mirror left by the coffee shop owner, tore off the newspaper stuck to it, and ruffled his hair, which had been dyed blue.

"Excuse me, is the boss here? Is this the signboard you ordered? Are you Lu Lu Lu?"

Lu Ze's fame is greater in Lü Hua than anywhere else. From eighty-year-old grandmothers to kindergarten children, it's not surprising that everyone recognizes Lu Ze. Lu Ze wasn't surprised that the man who makes the signboards recognized him.

"Yes, brother, come in and have a seat. Want to have a smoke? Take a break, take a break."

"Brother, you've finished making the signboard? Let me see if it looks good."

“Come back! The boss is still here. Are you in such a hurry? Sit still. Never mind, go to the supermarket next door and buy two bottles of water and a pack of cigarettes.”

Hearing Lu Ze's reprimand, Lu Nan didn't react much. Instead, the man who was installing the signboard was so frightened that he almost swallowed his cigarette butt. He quickly waved his hand and gave a nervous but not-so-pleasant smile.

"It's alright, my apprentice is tidying up outside. Go ahead and take a look. It's fine. If you're not satisfied with anything, I'll take it back and fix it. I'll bring it back to you tomorrow."

Lu Ze was genuinely surprised by the man's politeness. The two exchanged pleasantries, and Lu Nan managed to resist the urge to take a look first. Instead, she listened to Lu Ze and bought some things.

Perhaps due to nervousness, after finishing his cigarette, the older brother insisted on starting work. Lu Ze couldn't stop him, so he could only help by holding the ladder and watching as the signboard was gradually fixed above the door. It took about three hours to complete the work. Then, the cloth covering the signboard was gently pulled back.

As Lu Nan watched the words on the plaque gradually emerge, her mouth gaped wider and wider. She turned to look at Lu Ze, who had a satisfied expression, and pointed at the plaque again.

"Is your name a bit too long?"

"Really? I think it's good, quite approachable."

"Hehehehehe."

Seeing Lu Ze's satisfaction, Lu Nan didn't say much. He just looked at the six bright characters on the signboard, "Brother Lu's Beer House," and gave a stiff smile.
"."

(End of this chapter)