Global Film Emperor

Chapter 497 The Love Troubles of a Thirty-Two-Year-Old Man?
Paper books always bring people both spiritual and tactile pleasure. Even if they are not tightly bound at this moment, and are only supported by a staple to maintain the order of the paper, it is enough to make Lu Ze immerse himself in them and forget that there is such a thing as time in the world.

As the last page was turned, a cricket chirped outside the window, seemingly foreshadowing something, or perhaps reflecting the turbulent emotions in Lu Ze's heart. A few seconds later, lightning illuminated a corner of the room not lit by the lamp, carrying a hint of unease, becoming the best proof of the outward radiation of Lu Ze's inner world.

He finished reading the script, picked up his water glass, only to find it empty. His mind was racing. He took out a cigarette case from the drawer, opened it with his index finger, took out a cigarette with his mouth, lit it, and gradually calmed down. However, he wasn't sure if this tranquility came from the nicotine or from the tiny spark that had quietly lit up in the dark room earlier.

The entire story is stored in his mind. There are bugs, and he still needs Mickey and Zhuang Yu to fix them. The story description also needs to be polished again. However, the core spirit of the story has been clearly presented to Lu Ze.

Thinking back to the protagonist, I only feel pity, nothing else. The saying "Every pitiful person has something hateful about them," which can be seen on any online platform now, is too generalized according to the current understanding. It's like condemning all pitiful people, which is not comprehensive because the protagonist is not someone included in this saying.

Actually, the original text of this sentence only refers to a small number of pitiful people, while most pitiful people, even if they rack their brains, cannot find the reason why they are pitiful.

This is also why Lu Ze felt so emotional after reading the script. His pitiful state was not due to the hateful things he had done; his suffering stemmed from the most direct malice towards the weak.

What's even more chilling is that while many people helped the protagonist, from an omniscient perspective, none of their help stemmed from pure goodwill; rather, everyone had ulterior motives. They were all using this pitiful child to vent their inexplicable anger or to achieve their own greedy interests.

No one apologizes to a child whose life they have ruined.

In Lu Ze's view, all of this was too pessimistic and unrealistic. After all, everyone will encounter some kind people in their lifetime. Mickey seemed to have taken this into consideration as well, so he improved several characters whose stances were still unclear when Lu Ze first read the script, such as that truly kind and beautiful girl.

Overall, the feeling this script gave Lu Ze was like... a dark version of "Wonder," or... the original "Grimm's Fairy Tales." There wasn't much innocent and cheerful laughter, no supportive friends, no outstanding brains or physical abilities; all that was there was dark humor that would make you shudder, and a life ruined so badly that you could see the end from the beginning.

Sure enough, oppression is always the main theme in Mickey's movies. There are no tear-jerking moments, only a growing numbness to tragic lives through stories of unredeemed existence.

He carefully tore the script into strips, took them to the bathroom sink, turned on the tap, let them soak for five minutes, then kneaded them into a paste. He then squeezed out the water, like washing sauerkraut, and threw it into the bedroom trash can. He was a little thirsty and planned to go downstairs to get a glass of water, but when he got to the living room, he seemed to hear someone talking on the living room sofa.

"Who?"

"Oh...it's me, my boss. Um, we've been put up in a villa."

As soon as he finished speaking, before anyone showed their face, a thick arm stretched out and waved at Lu Ze. Then it lowered and whispered an explanation to the person on the other end of the conversation. Lu Ze didn't hear the rest of the conversation because the sound of water flowing into the cup completely drowned out Lucas's voice.

After drinking half a glass, he refilled it. When he came out of the kitchen, Lucas had already hung up the phone. His big face and hands were resting on the back of the sofa, staring straight at Lu Ze... at the SpongeBob SquarePants mug in his hand.

"There's something wrong with you."

Seeing Lucas's expression, Lu Ze couldn't help but blurt out a sentence he didn't want to say, because it was bound to lead to a conversation. It would be fine during the day, but it was already 2 a.m., and he was so sleepy that he didn't want to talk at all.

"Lu Ze, what do you think about us getting married after filming this movie?"

"Wait until filming is finished... Huh??"

No matter how much he planned, Lu Ze couldn't have imagined that after staring at him for so long, Lucas would just blurt out this fart. If he had said he was in love, Lu Ze wouldn't have been so surprised. After all, Lucas had been divorced for two years, and it was normal for him to find a new partner. But to skip the dating stage and go straight to marriage was a bit unbelievable.

Lu Ze was certain that Lucas didn't have a girlfriend when he came to Italy, because at that time he was still immersed in imagining what equipment he should bring to the Amazon rainforest. A man in love should not be thinking about what camera to bring when he travels, but rather whether or not to bring his girlfriend. And between the lines, he didn't reveal a single piece of information about women.

So there's only one truth: in the short twenty days he's been in Italy, he found a woman he liked and is getting married!
"How long have you known each other?"

"eight days."

"Flash marriages aren't a game for men this age who have already been divorced once, but if you want to get married, who can stop you? Embrace happiness, buddy, goodnight."

Lu Ze really didn't want to talk anymore. His brain kept sending signals of fatigue. As a friend, he actually wanted to persuade Lucas to reconsider and not rush things. He even reminded him of his divorce history because Lu Ze knew that Lucas didn't care about that. The issue of being divorced was always brought up when drinking, after all, there was an advanced template of someone who had a child out of wedlock and broke up with his girlfriend.

But then he thought it wasn't appropriate. He didn't need to hurt Lucas for no reason. Marriage was Lucas's freedom. If he wanted to get married, it meant he had really thought it through. So he changed his mind and went straight to wishing Lucas a happy marriage with many children and grandchildren. Then, with heavy steps, he stepped onto the first step.

"But I'm a little worried she'll reject me." "Ha, don't worry, if it were me, I'd reject her too..."

These were just thoughts in Lu Ze's mind; of course, he couldn't say them out loud. He rolled his eyes behind Lucas's back, his dream of going upstairs to sleep shattered once again. Helplessly, he turned around and stood on the steps, trying to think things through for Lucas.

"How old is she?"

"Twenty."

Good grief, another one dating someone a full twelve years younger than him… But girls this age are more emotional than older girls. If they really like each other, they might just impulsively get together. Wait a minute… there don’t seem to be any girls around twenty years old in the crew, right? The makeup artists are all twenty-five or twenty-six, and no actors in their twenties have joined the crew in the last twenty days. Where could he have met such a young girl? Could it be…

"Let me ask first, she's not from our crew, is she?"

"Ah."

"That McDonald's waitress?"

"how do you know?"

The memory suddenly surfaced, allowing Lu Ze to quickly lock onto his target. Lucas's question confirmed that Lu Ze's guess was correct. However, recalling the girl's appearance, he found her to be somewhat thin and short, probably only about 1.5 meters tall. This figure... a small horse pulling a large cart, that's overloaded, my friend.

"What do you like about her? Do you like how crispy her fries are? Or how delicious her hamburgers are?"

"No, it's just that I like their personalities..."

Instead of refuting Lu Ze's puzzlement, he simply answered Lu Ze's question shyly and earnestly, looking like a young man experiencing his first love. He couldn't articulate the outstanding qualities of his ideal partner, but he simply developed feelings for her based on their physical attraction, even considering marriage. This might seem a bit naive for a man in his early thirties, but upon closer reflection, it seems... to be the kind of first love that we all envy.

As we get older, whether we are men or women, our standards for choosing a partner gradually rise. We pay more attention to external factors and consider all aspects of whether we should turn our initial admiration into love. This made Lu Ze realize that his first marriage was to Lucas, who was arranged by his parents. This seemed to be... his first real love.

Most people's impression of Lucas is his burly physique, the tattoos covering his body, his fierce appearance, his excellent photography skills, and the seemingly simple-minded but actually meticulous heart beneath his tough exterior. He is not stupid, but unexpectedly, after a failed marriage, he still couldn't escape the clutches of love. Indeed, love comes too fast, like a tornado.

This is actually a good thing. Rationality will suppress impulses. When you get older, you won't be so impulsive when love comes your way, avoiding the unreasonable demands that come with hormonal surges in youth. Lu Ze believes he can control his behavior. After all, he's not a novice. He won't just start touching someone's butt as soon as she agrees to be his girlfriend. He's also slowly coming to understand the idea of ​​a whirlwind marriage. After all, he'll be returning to England after filming this movie. Long-distance relationships—who could truly swallow their heart in such a situation?

Did you tell Kesha or Mickey?

"No, Kesha is like Mickey now, preferring to solve these kinds of problems with money. Telling them is pointless; they'll probably just try to persuade me to have a baby or something..."

"I see... So you just want to talk to me, or do you want me to ask you some questions?"

"I just want you to help me figure out what I should do during this time?"

"What can you do? You don't need to do anything special at all. Just take advantage of this time in Italy to have a normal relationship, show her the good and the bad, and let her think about whether she wants to come with you. Otherwise, even if you trick her into going to England, you won't last long. The farther a person is from home, the stronger their regret will be. Finally, don't embarrass her. Oh, and one more thing, do you beat your wife when you're drunk?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course not."

"That's good. Okay, it's too late, I'm going to sleep. You too, don't let it interfere with your work. Actually, it's not bad for you to date her. If I go to buy fries, she might give me a few extra. Goodnight."

Ignoring his deep thoughts, Lu Ze stretched and yawned, spilling a little water from his glass with a sigh. He shook off the water droplets, went up the steps, and turned off the living room light as he went.

"..."

(End of this chapter)