Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

A look of disappointment flashed in Wang Fei's eyes, but he quickly felt a sense of relief.

She suddenly gasped, only to be pulled off the bed by him and found herself sprawled on top of him.

"Are you crazy? You scared me half to death."

"Sister, you're pulling my brother so hard it hurts."

Wang Fei subconsciously raised his hand to take a look, then disgustedly wiped it on his chest, feeling rather clumsy.

Yang Che didn't take it seriously. He first picked her up, and then put the purple icy jade safety buckle around her neck.

"Hmm...Beautiful. Only jade, the essence of heaven and earth, is worthy of you, who possess such a spirit and vitality."

Wang Fei picked it up and stroked it for a while. It was about 4 centimeters in diameter, very beautiful, and felt great to the touch.

"They've got a whole repertoire of these little words."

Even so, Wang Fei was still thrilled, as this was the first time he had ever given her such a gift.

Let alone such a fine piece of jade, even if it were plastic—well, plastic would be fighting over it, that would be too wasteful of people.

Yang Che actually noticed the change in Wang Fei's emotions after he saw the box.

In that instant, he thought about many things, such as his unwillingness to get married, and his unwillingness to marry anyone.

He can give things, care, and companionship, but he doesn't want to give responsibility, even though he cherishes the intimacy between them.

The next morning arrived in the blink of an eye, and the two went out together.

Wang Fei wanted to continue filming her music video, but she first sent Yang Che to the Asian headquarters of Columbia Pictures, Tak Hong Building, Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay.

A blonde woman with long, wavy hair was waiting for him in the lobby; she was Barbara's secretary.

The girl is quite pretty, especially with the help of makeup.

As Yang Che approached, he smelled a strong perfume scent, which became even stronger once he entered the elevator, making him quite uncomfortable.

After a brief greeting, I was led into the lobby.

On the plaque wall next to the elevator, you can see many multinational companies in this building, including Warner Bros., Disney...

So you can see some well-dressed Hong Kong people, holding their phones and speaking in a mix of Chinese and English, walking briskly like a bunch of cute mongrel dogs.

Upon reaching the 15th floor, I entered the cubicle office numbered 1513. Inside, there were two foreigners and four Chinese people busy at their desks. Hearing someone enter, they all looked up, clearly pretending to be busy.

Yang Che looked around and saw the surprise and scrutiny in their eyes; they all clearly knew him.

Standing in front of a private office with a long list of English nameplates, the secretary, with a large clerk, smiled and said in English, "Mr. Yang, please wait a moment."

"OK."

There was a chair next to the door outside the office, obviously prepared for those who were waiting.

Yang Che couldn't help but wonder when these foreign devils learned this kind of psychological oppression method that only existed in ancient Chinese feudal times, and when the new generation of Chinese "aristocrats" learned it from foreigners?

Yang Che naturally didn't sit down. After waiting for a minute, the secretary, with her large arm, tiptoed out of the office and said with a smile, "Ms. Robinson is on the phone with headquarters. Please wait a moment. Would you like tea or coffee?"

Yang Che smiled back: "No need to trouble yourself. Since Barbara is busy, I won't bother her any longer. This is the script. Please tell her to take a look when she has time, and to throw it away if she doesn't. Goodbye."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Ms. Big Waves blinked while holding the file folder, still smiling, though with a hint of mockery.

Of course, Yang Che didn't see it, but even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

"Tsk tsk, what a country bumpkin!"

However, one of the impeccably made-up office ladies from Hong Kong said disdainfully.

Her foreign colleague, sitting diagonally across from her, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Emma, ​​what does 'country bumpkin' mean?"

The woman from the port city immediately put on a sweet smile and replied in English, "You ignorant, uncultured country bumpkin."

Another woman from Hong Kong chimed in, "That's just how it is on the mainland!"

"Isn't he Wang Fei's boyfriend?"

"What boyfriend? It's Cheche!"

"Hahaha"

The office was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

The three foreigners smiled reservedly, but were quite pleased inside.

Just then, Barbara, with a smile on her face, came out of the private office, then paused, startled.

"Daisy, where's Yang Che?"

Daisy, the busty secretary, shrugged and repeated Yang Che's words.

Barbara frowned slightly, said nothing, and strode after him. Her high heels clattered on the floor, making a thud like a bell striking the hearts of everyone else in the office.

Barbara hurried out of the building lobby and spotted Yang Che making a phone call by the roadside. She called out and rushed over to greet him.

Meanwhile, Yang Che was on the phone with Wang Fei, who said that Liu Dehua wanted to invite him to dinner and asked when he could.

Did they say anything?

"No, that's strange, don't you two know each other?"

"We know each other, but we're not really close. Okay, I'll call him back."

"Okay, you don't need to look at my side."

I know what I'm doing.

"Okay, bye-bye."

Yang Che hung up the phone, a smile on his face, and looked at Barbara beside him.

"Yang Che, I think you've misunderstood something."

Yang Che nodded: "It seems it really was a misunderstanding. Thank you for being here."

Barbara smiled and said, "I will read the script carefully."

"Then I'll wait for your news, Lao Ba."

"Haha, okay, goodbye."

Barbara said, extending her hand.

Yang Che grasped it: "My personal suggestion is that if Columbia Pictures decides to expand its business in mainland China, then all of your colleagues should speak Mandarin."

Barbara smiled and said, "That's a great suggestion."

After saying goodbye, Barbara returned to the company and announced the rule. For the three foreigners, speaking Mandarin was not a problem, but for the three Hong Kongers, it was extremely difficult. However, they did not have the courage to question Barbara about why.

Why is that? Barbara knew this from teaching at Peking University ten years ago. The Chinese mainland film industry cannot bypass the authorities. If you speak Mandarin, even if it's awkward or not standard, the officials will be happy.

Afterwards, Barbara returned to her office and began to seriously study the script for "Looking for a Gun".

On the title page, I saw a line of handwritten text; the handwriting was very elegant.

"If Ma Shan was under a lot of pressure, developed a drinking habit, and then died of alcohol poisoning, was it the pressure or the alcohol that killed him?"

Barbara raised an eyebrow. It was an interesting question. She flipped through the script again but didn't see any other handwritten notes, which was a bit of a disappointment. After all, this represented the creator's third layer of thought, and many directors or writers liked to write it this way.

For example, at the end of "Farewell My Concubine," Li Bihua wrote, "After 97, how much freedom is left in Hong Kong?"

Well, after all, "Farewell My Concubine" is a accusation throughout.