Global Film Emperor

Chapter 340 Gao Peiling's Parents
"How come the weather changes so suddenly? It was sunny just now. Brother Ze, why don't you drive? I'm a little scared in this weather. Here are your car keys."

I had just come out of the mall when the originally sunny weather suddenly turned cloudy. The wind made it hard to breathe. Plop, a raindrop fell on the car roof, and then the raindrops became more frequent. A bluish-purple lightning bolt streaked across the sky, as if someone was undergoing a tribulation. The ground even started to smoke. Clearly, this rain was going to be heavy.

This undoubtedly ruined Gao Peiling's good mood. She sullenly handed the car keys to Lu Ze, brushed the messy hair that had been blown by the wind behind her head, opened the trunk, carefully put the gift box away, sat in the passenger seat, leaned against the door, crossed her arms, and stared out the window at the people who had also been caught off guard by the rain, running wildly through the streets.

Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. Whether it rains or not, it's a good day. Students have a rare short holiday, and schools and educational institutions have also taken a break, giving Lu Ze and her a whole day to spend together.

On this very day, Lu Ze made a decision that initially surprised her, but was followed by immense excitement and inexplicable nervousness. Yes, Lu Ze planned to meet her parents.

Lu Hua's rule is that the man must first visit the woman's home and obtain her parents' consent before he can bring her back to his own home. If the two can get engaged, the parents of both sides will meet. Otherwise, young people may not think it's a big deal, but in the eyes of the older generation, it will inevitably leave the impression that the woman is frivolous.

Because of this rule, if Lu Ze really wanted to take things further with Gao Peiling, he had to get the approval of the girl's parents. Coincidentally, Gao Peiling had a rare day off today, so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity to visit her family.

After driving for about ten minutes, the rain still hadn't subsided. If a thunderstorm could last this long, the rainfall must be considerable. There was already a lot of water on the road, and the vehicle kept splashing large amounts of water as it drove by. In order not to splash pedestrians, Lu Ze had no choice but to slow down and follow the map on his phone.

"Brother Ze, won't the water rise? If it stays like this for another hour, the cars will be swept away. It's so frustrating! How did we end up with this kind of weather?"

"Although Lu Hua's drainage system isn't great, it's definitely stronger than you think. It won't rise even in another hour, and the thunderstorm won't last that long. Don't worry, I'll be home in another forty minutes. I'm actually hoping for a heavy rain. The first half of this year has been excessively dry. Haven't you seen that we need to draw water to farm now?"

"You said it was your first time visiting my house, and it was raining so hard. It's so unlucky for you to come in this wind and rain."

Lu Ze glanced at her sideways and saw that her brows were tightly furrowed and hadn't relaxed for a moment. He suddenly found it a little funny, shook his head, stopped the car at a red light, grabbed two tissues and wiped the fogged-up windshield. He opened the window less than a centimeter wide, handed her the tissues, and gestured for her to wipe the passenger side window so she could see the rearview mirror.

"She's a female graduate student who returned from studying abroad, how can she be more superstitious than the old men in our village? Stop thinking about all that nonsense, keep an eye on the car window, wipe it if it fogs up. This depends on how the uncles and aunts feel about me. If they don't have a good impression of me, it won't help even if it's sunny and the temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius."

Perhaps the tissues weren't of very good quality; after wiping the damp glass, they left tiny lint-like fibers on the car window, which she had to wipe off with the back of her fair hand. After throwing her fingers into the trash bag, she looked at Lu Ze. For some reason, seeing Lu Ze's calm demeanor made her a little angry, and she muttered something irritatingly.

"Why are you so calm? I'm the one who's incredibly nervous. It feels like I'm meeting my aunt and uncle. Can't you be a little more nervous?"

"How could I not be nervous? I was nervous, but I'm an actor, so my calmness was just an act."

"Nobody believes you. I'm just taking a nap. Wake me up when we get there."

Lu Ze wasn't nervous at all. He didn't seem like a boyfriend visiting for the first time. Instead, he looked like a married couple who had been married for twenty years visiting each other's parents' home.

It's no wonder Gao Peiling was angry. She didn't want to see Lu Ze embarrassed, but she felt that the tension at this time usually came from the importance of his girlfriend and the respect for her family. Lu Ze's calm demeanor made her feel that she was somewhat dispensable in his heart.

.......
The journey wasn't as long as Lu Ze had imagined; they arrived at their destination in just over twenty minutes. Of course, this was directly related to the fact that the rain stopped just two minutes after Gao Peiling had dozed off.

This villa district, home to 80% of Lü Hua's wealthy residents, is situated on the hillside closest to Lü Hua city. Below the hill flows Lü Hua's mother river, and the area is estimated to be 60% covered in greenery. Even if Lu Ze didn't understand feng shui, he felt that living here would at least extend his life by three to five years.

The closer she got to home, the more nervous Gao Peiling became. After Lu Ze woke her up and let her swipe her card to enter the community, she held Lu Ze's hand tightly as he gripped the gear shift. Lu Ze could feel the sweat on her palm, which was slightly warm. However, she seemed to still be angry with Lu Ze and did not look at him until the car stopped in the garage of the detached villa at the very back of the community.

"How about... having a cigarette? I need to calm down first, you can have a cigarette and then we can go in."

"Don't you hate the smell of smoke?"

"Oh... just one is enough~ It's my first time bringing my boyfriend home at my age, I'm nervous, okay? Brother Ze is so kind, just one, let me prepare for five minutes."

"Xiaoling? Why didn't you get off the bus when you came back?"

Lu Ze was watching Gao Peiling rubbing against the car seat like she was covered in maggots, and was about to speak when a woman's voice came from outside the car. The way she addressed Gao Peiling was so intimate that it was obvious to both of them. Suddenly, Gao Peiling froze in her seat and quietly gestured to Lu Ze, giving him a hint.

"My mom..."

There was no way to prepare mentally, so the two had no choice but to get out of the car. What caught Lu Ze's eye was a middle-aged woman in sportswear. Her eyes and nose looked like they were carved from the same lathe as Gao Peiling's, and her face shape was also about 80% similar. However, she was not as pretty as Gao Peiling and could only be considered average-looking. She was well-maintained, though. She looked Lu Ze up and down with a smile, and it seemed that she was particularly fond of him. Lu Ze had also heard that it was Gao Peiling's mother who had first asked the Second Master to act as matchmaker.

"Hello Auntie, I'm Lu Ze. I'm so sorry it's been so long since I last visited. Pei Ling and I just bought some gifts, please don't mind."

"Hey, what's there to complain about? Bringing something is a sign of goodwill. Auntie is so happy! I've only ever seen you on TV, and now I'm finally meeting you in person. You're even taller and stronger than I imagined. Come on in, Jiyong, Xiaoling and the others are back!"

Actually, there was no need for Gao's mother to call out; Gao Jiyong was already standing at the door waiting. When he saw Lu Ze and Gao Peiling carrying large and small bags, he went down the steps to help carry the things. His expression was not serious; he smiled and took the things from Gao Peiling's hands. Lu Ze was about to introduce himself when he saw Gao Jiyong wave his hand.

"No need for introductions. We met when you were little, don't you remember? Sigh... you've grown up so much in the blink of an eye. How's Lao Lu's health these days?"

To put it bluntly, Lu Ze doesn't need to introduce himself in Lü Hua's society. Everyone from three years old to seventy or eighty years old knows him. But Gao Jiyong isn't making this up; the two of them really did know each other when Lu Ze was young.

At that time, Gao Jiyong's business was just starting out. He had only opened a furniture factory. Lu Weiguo was doing tree-carrying work and often needed to transport timber to Gao Jiyong's factory. At that time, Lu Ze would occasionally go with his father and ask his father to buy him some sugar candy in town.

Normally speaking, Lu Weiguo wouldn't really be able to talk to Gao Jiyong, given their different levels of influence. Gao Jiyong only remembered Lu Ze because Lu Ze was incredibly handsome as a child, enough to leave a lasting impression on people with rather conservative aesthetics at the time. Shamelessly speaking, before Lu Ze turned twenty, he was a famous handsome man in the surrounding villages of Zhao Jiabangzi.

Lu Ze was surprised that Gao Jiyong still remembered him. However, he had forgotten that he and Gao Jiyong had met once decades ago. After all, Lu Ze was only four or five years old at that time and didn't remember anything.

"I really don't remember. I was very young back then. I only remember my dad carrying trees up the mountain. He's still in good health now, but his legs aren't very good."

Gao Peiling seemed unaware of Lu Ze and Gao Jiyong's connection, and looked at her father with some surprise, asking curiously, "How come I didn't know? Dad, why didn't you tell me?"

"I forgot to tell you before. You weren't even born then. I really didn't expect that you would be dating Lu Ze decades later. Fate is such an interesting thing. Old Lu has finally gotten over his hardships in this life. Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go inside and eat."

The four entered the house. Gao Jiyong glanced at the gifts Lu Ze had brought. They weren't very high-end, just presentable. After all, Lu Ze was struggling financially, so there was no need for him to act like a big shot. Gao Jiyong didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he complained that Lu Ze didn't need to buy so many things. Then he invited Lu Ze and Gao Peiling to wash their hands and have dinner.

The villa's decor must be quite old, but the classic European style still looks very modern and impressive. The housekeeper was cooking, and the aroma wafting out confirmed to Lu Ze that the housekeeper's cooking skills were definitely top-notch.

After washing their hands, the four sat down at the dining table. There were no complicated rules or religious beliefs. After Gao Jiyong started eating, Gao's mother invited everyone to eat as well. Lu Ze offered Gao Jiyong a toast, and the two men drank happily, which made Gao's mother and Gao Peiling smile even more brightly.

During the conversation, Gao's mother inquired about Lu Ze's current job and his plans for the future. It was clear that Gao's mother was very satisfied with Lu Ze as her prospective son-in-law, her eyes filled with satisfaction. She kept serving Lu Ze food, while Gao Jiyong spent most of the time chatting with Lu Ze and did not ask him too many questions.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Gao Jiyong took out some tea he had been treasuring for a long time. The two men hadn't drunk much today; each of them had only two glasses of baijiu and a few bottles of beer, and were just slightly tipsy, but still able to continue chatting.

On the small stove, steam gradually rose from the kettle, and the lid was lifted and fell off by the heat, making a soft but crisp clinking sound. Lu Ze warmed the cups and filled Gao Jiyong's teacup to seven-tenths full, receiving two taps on the table and a cigarette in return.

Without any hesitation, they ordered their food. At that moment, the Gao family mother and daughter were cutting fruit in the kitchen for their after-dinner meal, while only Lu Ze and Gao Jiyong remained in the living room, watching the CBA broadcast on the sports channel.

"Stay at home tonight. I'll have Aunt Chen tidy up the guest room for you later. A grown man shouldn't have the habit of being in a different bed, right? The tea is quite good."

Gao Jiyong held the remote control, flipping through TV channels at a steady pace, seemingly without finding anything he wanted to watch. He kept changing channels until he finally got a loop and settled on the movie channel. Only then did he gently place the remote control on the table and take a sip of tea.

"No need to trouble Uncle Gao, I'll be leaving soon. I need to go home tomorrow morning, and there's a pet at home that's not locked up. If I don't go back tonight, it'll rebel." "You've come all this way, what kind of talk is it to leave so late at night? We don't have that kind of hospitality. Putting that aside, you know your stuff, do you think his acting was any good?"

The TV was showing the "Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" movie series. In Lu Ze's memory, it had been broadcast on TV for almost ten years, and several movies of the same series would be broadcast every year. They were produced exclusively for the domestic audience and only broadcast on CCTV-6, and were not shown in theaters.

The actors were all from within the system and rarely had contact with commercial actors like Lu Ze. If Lu Ze hadn't also had the title of a national second-level actor, he probably wouldn't have had any connection with the actor who played Lu Xiaofeng. The actor's acting skills... were actually just so-so, at the level of a seasoned professional who had made it big. He was much better than young commercial actors, but far from being top-notch. In Lu Ze's opinion, his delivery of lines was not bad, but his biggest flaw was that he was pretentious. His expressions and movements were similar to those of a stage actor, too affected.

However, adhering to the principle of not making absolute statements, Lu Ze was unwilling to belittle others or act like some kind of authority figure, so he simply watched the movie and nodded.

"is acceptable."

"I feel his acting is poor. Although I am an outsider, from the audience's perspective, I feel his acting is poor and not close to real life."

Asking a martial arts movie to be close to real life is simply asking the impossible. Although the acting was a bit exaggerated, it's something that can be tolerated for a martial arts movie. However, Lu Ze felt that Gao Jiyong's words had a hidden meaning, but there was nothing he could do. This was his girlfriend's father, so Lu Ze naturally wouldn't refute him and could only go along with what he said.

"Yes, art comes from life, so it's good to be closer to life."

"You don't have to go along with what I say. You're an insider, so you naturally have your own opinions. But I'm a little skeptical. I see those actors and singers from talent shows saying things like, 'Acting is my dream, singing is my life.' Can they really be true? Can they really be telling the truth? What was your reason for becoming an actor in the first place?"

The smoke twisted into a bewitching arc in the air, dancing under the lights. Lu Ze watched it, flicked off the ash, stopped the dance, and understood his meaning.

"It's all for money, to make a living, to earn a living."

"Haha, that's the truth. Dreams and all that are just a cover for pursuing profits, a hypocritical sense of shame. It's all about making a living. Sigh... But speaking of which, your line of work isn't easy either."

"No profession is easy, Uncle Gao, it's not easy for you to build such a large fortune."

When Gao Jiyong saw his daughter come out of the kitchen carrying a plate of cut fruit, he stopped talking, extinguished the half-smoked cigarette, and said, "When you get old, you have to be careful about smoking. No matter how expensive the cigarette is, I won't smoke the rest." He finished his tea, and Lu Ze poured him another cup. Gao Jiyong looked up, winked at Lu Ze, and gave him a playful wink.

"Having dreams is a good thing, right...?"

Gao Jiyong didn't say the second half of his sentence, and it's even uncertain whether there was a second half at all. However, Lu Ze thought that there probably was. Seeing Gao Jiyong staring at him, Lu Ze nodded and returned a smile.

"What are you chatting about? You seem to be having a lot of fun. Ze-ge, have some fruit. You've been drinking so much. Dad, you should eat too. I'll go tidy up Ze-ge's room..."

"No need to trouble yourself, I have to go now. The cripple is still at home. If I don't go back tonight, he'll rebel. I really can't stay overnight. If you don't mind, I'll come over and bother you another day."

Despite the objections of the three members of the Gao family, Lu Ze insisted on leaving. Gao Peiling knew that the cripple was at home, so she didn't stop him too much. She just complained that Lu Ze hadn't done a good job of preparation and that he had to go back late at night.

After Gao Jiyong made a phone call to the driver, a little golden man parked in front of the villa shortly after. Lu Ze was about to say goodbye to the three of them when he saw Gao Jiyong come out of the room carrying two boxes and hand them to Lu Ze.

“Old Lu’s legs aren’t very good. I asked around and found out about some medicine. You can take this and let Old Lu try it. It’s for external use, so it won’t hurt him. If it works, let me know and I’ll buy some more. This medicine is a bit hard to find.”

Lu Ze looked at the two medicine boxes, then at Gao Jiyong. Gao Jiyong winked at Lu Ze again, the hidden meaning of which was understood only by Lu Ze among those present.

This medicine is only sold at an old traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Hong Kong; it's really hard to find and quite expensive. Lu Ze bought it before, but now...

Lu Ze understood Gao Jiyong's meaning, so he did not refuse. After accepting the two boxes of medicine with both hands, he did not mention that he had bought them before, otherwise he would be contradicting himself. He could only smile and thank him, without mentioning the medicine at all.

"Thank you, Uncle. You've gone to so much trouble. I'll be going now. Aunt and Peiling, you should get some rest too. I'm so sorry to bother you so late. Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's okay, just send Xiaoling a WeChat message when you get home. You haven't had too much to drink, have you? It's good to have dreams, young man..."

Gao Peiling chuckled at the nonsensical remark, lightly tapped her father's arm, and gave Lu Ze a teasing look.

“Dad, Ze will be thirty-two in a few months~ He’s not young anymore, he’s an old man.”

"Being young or not has nothing to do with age; mindset is the key. Okay, it's too late; be careful on the road."

Lu Ze got into the car, told the driver the address, looked out the window, and saw Gao Jiyong smiling and waving at him. Then the car started and drove out of the villa area.

……

After seeing Lu Ze off, the three returned home. Gao Peiling, who was usually so capable at work, curled up on the sofa, stuffed a piece of dragon fruit into her mouth, and then hurriedly looked at her parents, wanting to hear their opinion on Lu Ze. After all, although she was independent, she was also family-oriented.

"Mom and Dad, how's Ze-ge? Mom, what do you think?"

Madam Gao still held the same view: she couldn't be more satisfied with Lu Ze. First of all, he had good character. Despite being a public figure for so many years and being under the public's scrutiny, he had never had any scandals, which was enough to prove this point. Moreover, he had a good personality, was magnanimous and steady, and looked like someone who had seen the world. In addition, he was shrewd. Someone who could make a name for himself in the entertainment industry couldn't be a fool.

As for whether he has money now, it doesn't matter at all. After they get married, the Gao family will provide the house and car, and the Lu family won't have to spend a penny. Anyway, they only have one daughter. In another ten or twenty years, when the old couple are dead, the family business will still have to be left to their daughter. So, even if they have money, there's no way around it. As long as the person is good, they don't care about the other person's family background.

“I think Xiao Lu is a very good person. Mom doesn’t object to you seeing Xiao Lu. As long as you two have a good relationship and you don’t suffer any grievances, Mom doesn’t care about anything else.”

"Mom, I'm a little touched. Have some watermelon, I'll feed you. Don't worry, Ze-ge isn't the kind of person who's spineless."

He stuffed a piece of watermelon into his mother's mouth, and seeing his father still with his arms crossed, a cigarette butt between his fingers, and eyes glued to the TV, he gently nudged his father with his foot, picked up his cup from the table, and took a sip of tea.

"Dad, why don't you share your thoughts? What do you think of Brother Ze?"

"Me? I had a very good impression of him before, but now, I don't recommend that you associate with him."

"Snapped……"

The teacup fell to the floor and shattered. Gao Peiling suddenly panicked, her nose stinging with tears. She looked at her father in confusion. They had been chatting so well just moments before, so why had her father suddenly turned on her? She wanted to ask him why, and she did.

"Why……?"

Gao Jiyong, unusually, let the cigarette burn down to the second half. He didn't look at his daughter; his gaze remained fixed on the actor on TV, the one he had just criticized for not reflecting real life.

“His ambition has been worn down, but I can sense that he still longs to act. He is a good person, but I don’t want you to marry a man who only knows how to settle down with his wife and children. I also don’t want you to marry a man who is often away from home for a year or two due to filming. You won’t be happy that way.”

"..."

I won't explain what Gao Jiyong said to Lu Ze; you can all guess.

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(End of this chapter)