Global Film Emperor

Chapter 398 Becoming a Disciple
September 25th is auspicious for tailoring, weddings, setting up beds, and meeting relatives and friends. Inauspicious for raising the roof beam, consecrating objects, erecting horse frames, and preparing coffins.

"Master's wife, up so early?"

According to Madam Chen's plan, she should get up at six o'clock, wash up, and then cook breakfast for her husband and apprentice. However, when she went downstairs, she found that Lu Ze was already busy in the kitchen. This made her wonder if she had gotten up late. She glanced at the clock in confusion. It was a little past six twenty. The pot was steaming. With a little calculation, she could guess when Lu Ze started cooking.

"Daize, did you not sleep well?"

"No, I slept quite well. It's just that I'm used to going to bed early and waking up early, so I usually wake up around this time every day."

After answering, I lifted the lid, stirred the pot with a spoon, scooped out half a spoonful of rice, tilted it in the pot, and saw that the white porridge was slightly thick. Then I added green vegetables and a little salt to season it.

“Men in their thirties are at the age where they love to sleep. Back when your master was your age, he wouldn’t wake up even if the wind blew the roof off. He was always tired until eight o’clock every day. How many hours have you slept? Why don’t you… go back to sleep for a while? The rest is for your master’s wife to make. I’ll call you when it’s done.”

In fact, Du Xiu'e didn't know how to communicate with Lu Ze. The two hadn't known each other for long, and she wasn't a very outgoing person. Besides Lu Ze, her youngest apprentice, Song Guiyuan, had been under Chen Yongbin's tutelage for sixteen years. Only with the gradual accumulation of time and affection could she truly treat her husband's apprentices like her own children.

If you ask her to treat Lu Ze, who hasn't officially joined the sect yet, like her other disciples, she really can't do it now. It's unrealistic to expect her to just call him "Master's Wife" and accept him as her son.

However, the old lady had also seen Lu Ze's character these past few days, and she liked this young man very much. Even if she couldn't treat him like her other apprentices and push him into the house without any politeness, she would still show him care. That was her attitude; it was just that she expressed it differently.

"No need, Master's wife, you can rest. I really don't need much sleep. Seven hours a day is enough. Any more and I'll get a headache. Okay, I'll take care of it."

The old lady was a guqin player by profession. By the age of forty, she had become famous throughout the capital and could be called a master. However, she lived in poverty when she was young and did a lot of manual labor that injured her fingers. This led to her developing tenosynovitis and other finger joint diseases in her sixties. She stopped playing the guqin for more than ten years, which made many of her loyal listeners feel sorry for her.

Seeing that the old lady's fingers were trembling slightly, Lu Ze couldn't bear to let her take over his work. After refusing three or four times, he finally got the old lady to give up and sit at the dining table. Watching Lu Ze work quickly and efficiently, constantly putting ingredients into the pot, she didn't chat much, just making small talk about Lu Ze's family and work.

Around seven o'clock, Teacher Chen came downstairs and saw that the food was on the table and Lu Ze was sitting down next to him. He was a little surprised and very satisfied. He had heard that Lu Ze was hardworking, but only now did he realize that it was true. Lu Ze was much better than Song Guiyuan, that little bastard who slept until ten o'clock and had to go and call for meals.

Breakfast was simple: a savory vegetarian porridge, salted duck eggs, a small dish of pickled vegetables, and four steamed buns. Compared to ordinary families, it was quite plain, but it suited the elderly couple's taste perfectly. Influenced by traditional education, the Chen family always adhered to the principle of not speaking while eating or sleeping. They didn't talk much at the dinner table and were very quiet. Just as the last person put down their chopsticks, the doorbell was unexpectedly rung.

"I'll go."

Before Chen Yongbin could speak, Lu Ze got up and went to the entrance. He looked out through the peephole and saw that there were quite a few people outside, about six or seven. The two middle-aged men in the lead were probably between forty and fifty years old. They were carrying gift boxes and talking. Then the man on the left rang the doorbell again, and at that moment, Lu Ze opened the door.

"This...you must be the ninth brother? I've heard Master mention you for so many days, it's great to finally meet you in person. I'm your fifth brother, and this is your seventh brother. Alright, you don't need to look for slippers, I've been going in barefoot all along. Master, the seventh brother and I are here."

The man who called himself Fifth Brother entered the room, smiled and nodded at Lu Ze, and then shouted into the house. Another middle-aged man reached out and patted Lu Ze on the shoulder, then went to the shoe cabinet, found a pair of black cotton slippers with a puppy pattern, and casually draped his coat over the hanger.

Fifth Senior Brother Wang Libin and Seventh Senior Brother Liu Pengju both served in the Bureau of Culture. Although they did not have as much power as Second Senior Brother, they were still high-level leaders and big shots in the industry whose word was law.

In contrast, Seventh Brother's temper was more reserved than Fifth Brother's. After changing into slippers, he invited his family members in. In addition to their wives, there was a man and a woman, two young men in their early twenties. The two ladies were very enthusiastic and urged their children to call them uncle. Lu Ze responded and took out a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to the two men. He couldn't let them call him uncle for nothing.

From that moment on, the doorbell rang non-stop. Every three to five minutes, someone would come to the door. All of Chen Yongbin's apprentices were in the capital, and today they were all present. Everyone was usually very busy with work, and even though they were all in the capital, it was quite rare for all of them to be there. This made Old Madam Chen very happy, and she asked about each of them one by one.

Lu Ze noticed that the old lady would occasionally show a hint of sadness, and would look towards the door from time to time, as if waiting for someone who would never come.

None of the disciples present were fools; they had all guessed who the old lady was waiting for. The originally lively atmosphere suddenly cooled down, and they all lowered their heads and began to ponder. Liang Hongrui poured tea for his master and turned to rub his eyes.

"I heard that Yan Hong has met the right person and they are already preparing for the wedding."

It seemed that only Liang Hongrui had received the news. Chen Yongbin calmly took a sip of tea, while the others looked at him with some surprise, as if they wanted him to continue. Only the old lady smiled with relief and gently patted her thigh. "It's good that she found someone, it's good that she found someone... She doesn't owe Zhengzi anything. Zhengzi has been gone for two years, it's time for her to find someone else. If she's treated well, she'll have someone to rely on."

No one could accept this, since it was their senior brother's wife who had remarried, which wasn't exactly something to be proud of. Liang Hongrui's point wasn't that he really wanted to talk to his master's wife, but rather that he wanted her to give up on the idea. She already had someone new, and the past and relationships of the old man should be completely severed.

"Daze, I watched the trailer for your new movie. It's definitely not going to pass. Make something decent for your next movie. Bring it back. If I see it and it's good, I'll sponsor it for you."

The obvious change of topic caught Lu Ze off guard. He didn't understand how the conversation had returned to him, but for him, it was a good thing. Seeing Liang Hongrui calmly drinking his tea, he could only sigh inwardly that having connections in high places made things much easier.

Lu Ze doesn't need to worry about whether the subject matter of "Exile" will pass censorship. After all, there is nothing excessive or suggestive in it, and it is relatively positive and educational. Rather than an adventure survival movie, it is more of a film centered on animal protection.

It was brilliant enough, Lu Ze was quite certain of that after reading the script, and it was also very "safe" compared to other films written by Mickey.

"Thank you, Second Brother."

"Don't mention it. It's just a matter of a word. As long as you don't cause any trouble, it'll be fine as usual. All I can do is help you get your number faster."

Such a trivial matter was insignificant in the eyes of the bigwigs present, and no one would dwell on it. It could be glossed over. The topic of interest for everyone was still Lu Ze's work. After chatting for about half an hour, Chen Yongbin looked up at the clock, finished his last cup of tea, and said something softly.

"It's almost time, let's go."

With their master speaking, everyone naturally followed suit, dressed themselves neatly, surrounded Mr. and Mrs. Chen Yongbin, and prepared to leave their home for the hotel they had booked. However, as soon as Lu Ze opened the door, he almost stepped on the gift box placed at the door. He squatted down, picked up the postcard from the gift box, and softly read the words on it.

"Congratulations to Teacher Chen on the birth of his beloved student. This gift is presented to Teacher Chen Yongbin and Mr. Lu Ze. Respectfully presented by Liu Yanhong."

……

"Are you nervous?"

"What are you nervous about?"

In the hotel lobby, Song Guiyuan was cracking sunflower seeds, staring blankly at Lu Ze adjusting his collar. He was thinking about the joke he made during his apprenticeship ceremony back then, and compared it with the calm Lu Ze now. He could only smack his lips helplessly and spit out the sunflower seed shells.

"Mr. Lu, it's time for you to enter."

After the waiter knocked on the door and gave a reminder, Lu Ze looked in the full-length mirror to tidy his clothes one last time. He then followed the waiter slowly into the lobby. Pushing open the door, he found the place filled with distinguished guests, and the atmosphere was lively. These were the industry veterans and high-ranking figures that Chen Yongbin had personally invited a few days ago with wedding invitations.

Lu Ze glanced casually at the last few tables with the nameplate "Qian Shijia" on it. He didn't recognize the person who had come. He thought he was just a nobody. A cold smile appeared on his face, but it was quickly replaced by a warm smile as he greeted countless outstretched hands. He thanked them with words of congratulations and praise, and finally walked up to Chen Yongbin and his wife. He took the teacup handed to him by the emcee, knelt down, and raised the teacup high.

This was another major turning point in his life. From then on, he was no longer just an actor from the Southern faction, but also officially joined the Northern faction. In other words, Lu Ze is now well-connected in both the North and the South.

"Master, drink tea."

"..."

(End of this chapter)