Global Film Emperor

Chapter 517 Old Friend
"where?"

"I'm at home, why do you always ask me these pointless questions?"

Hearing the faint honking from the other end of the line, and Song Guiyuan's nonchalant counterattack, Lu Ze was so angry he laughed. He kept looking left and right, hoping to see that familiar figure by the roadside. But this wasn't a remote village; it was a bustling metropolis. Finding someone who had left more than ten minutes ago was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Old Song, you're something else, that's a really underhanded trick."

The person making the joke couldn't help but laugh, struggling to suppress his laughter until his tongue went numb. He mumbled something, which Lu Ze couldn't quite catch. He didn't know if the person was mocking him or pretending to be nonchalant. In any case, before Lao Song could finish speaking, Lu Ze interrupted, cursed a few times, and hung up the phone.

Holding his phone, his arm resting on the car door frame, he gently rubbed his index finger below his lips. It was a small area where his beard grew, which was usually hard to notice. It was softer and slightly longer than the beard on his chin, and touching it for a while could be a little addictive.

The two photographers beside him watched expectantly. Once Lu Ze had calmed down, they asked softly and meekly, "Teacher Lu, are we... going back?"

"No, let's go to Tiancheng first, and stay in Shanghai tonight."

"Ok."

With the car navigation system activated, the car provided by the sponsor merged into the traffic. The atmosphere inside the car was even more somber than when they arrived. Lu Ze had lost the mood for conversation. Besides constantly imagining what finishing move he should use when he saw Song Guiyuan after the show started filming, he was also thinking about who to ask for the script that would be missing after the plan failed, since Guo Mingde's script was no longer reliable.

Even when he arrived at Tiancheng Entertainment, Lu Ze still couldn't think of a new candidate. After all, Lu Ze and Song Guiyuan's network of connections actually overlapped significantly, and it was very likely that the person he was looking for had also attended the dinner party organized by Song Guiyuan the night before and was still drunk.

……

Tiancheng Entertainment is a word that Lu Ze often uses, but if he recalls it roughly, it has been six or seven years since he last stood in front of this company.

As the leading commercial entertainment company in the country, it has undergone renovations in recent years. Even though the building is not much older than Lu Ze, it still looks glamorous from the outside.

It was nearly dusk, and the neon lights were gradually illuminating the building, blending seamlessly with the city lights. He glanced at the time; it was 6:30. There were still people inside who had kept their appointment with Lu Ze and hadn't left yet. Thinking of this, Lu Ze quickened his pace considerably.

"Hello, is this Teacher Lu? I'm Jiang from the Department of Commerce."

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Standing in the lobby was a woman in a gray office lady uniform, probably under thirty years old. Although her appearance was not outstanding, she had a particularly confident demeanor, and her initial impression was that she was quite capable and reliable.

Wearing square-heeled high heels, her fitted flared trousers swayed with each step. This woman walked with a confident and dignified air. Holding Lu Ze's calloused, rough hand, Xiao Jiang immediately distinguished it from the delicate, boneless hands of the men she usually encountered. Her smile became even more cheerful, and she lightly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with her pink-manicured pinky finger as she answered.

"Not at all, I just came down here myself. When we heard that Teacher Lu was coming, all the girls in our department were practically fighting tooth and nail to get here. Luckily, they couldn't beat me, which is why I got such a great job."

"Then I'll have to trouble you. I'll have to fight before you can pick me up."

"I'd be happy to see you even if it meant fighting ten fights, let alone just one. Come, this way, please."

The building was a bit high, forty-two floors, and it had its own elevator that didn't stop at lower floors. The sudden increase in air pressure when the elevator ascended quickly always caused discomfort to Lu Ze's eardrums, as his hearing wasn't very good. So he didn't say much, but just kept rubbing his ear canal with his right index finger.

Xiao Jiang, standing beside him, glanced at him every now and then, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart that Lu Ze was a man who got more handsome as he got older. Back when Lu Ze first became popular in China, she was still in high school and didn't really care for him. Her aesthetic sense was limited to young, fair-skinned, handsome, and fashionable men.

It's normal that people weren't attracted to Lu Ze back then. If you compare Lu Ze's old photos with his current ones, eight out of ten people would think that Lu Ze is more handsome now, or at least more charismatic.

The gradual loss of collagen not only causes wrinkles on a man's face, but also exposes skin defects hidden in his youth. This is also the case for Lu Ze. However, the loss of plumpness in his face makes Lu Ze's high nose bridge more prominent. In addition, weight loss has caused his cheeks to sink a little, making his jawline more prominent, and his whole face is more three-dimensional. His neatly combed hair is slicked back, and a few white hairs can still be vaguely seen. Combined with the aroma of woody incense, he is both gentle and masculine.

When she met him in person, the aura of this mature man had a far stronger impact on Xiao Jiang than when she saw the photos. Even though most of her colleagues secretly called her a tomboy, she couldn't help but haphazardly twitch her fingers together with her hands folded in front of her abdomen.

"Love it, love it."

As she thought about it, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. She managed to force a slight, almost obsessive smile before she was forced to control herself. Her thoughts and hormonal impulses were locked in a battle on her face, constantly pulling at each other. If the elevator hadn't been open, her mouth would probably have twisted into a crooked shape if it had lasted any longer.

"Teacher Lu, cough... This way please."

As if something was stuck in his throat, his voice changed. After clearing his throat, Xiao Jiang walked ahead, his expression very complicated and constantly changing, probably blaming himself for embarrassing himself.

……

A long corridor was divided in two by the elevator entrance. Upbeat music came from the left, a mix of several songs. Listening to it in the corridor gave it a night market feel, but it didn't bring any pleasure; it was just noisy.

The walls were covered with green, sponge-like soundproofing material, and many hooks were hung on them. It was quite a clever use of space. The hooks were filled with bags of all sizes, taking up a lot of space in the corridor, leaving only enough room for two people to walk side by side.

As Lu Ze was observing, two girls were taking out their bags. They were wearing revealing shorts and crop tops, and their faces were obscured by their side profiles. Upon seeing Xiao Jiang, they immediately turned to run away, not even having time to close their open bags. "What are you two doing out here during class?"

"Sister Jiang, we... need to get something."

"I'll check attendance tomorrow morning. If you're leaving before 10 PM tonight, wait for me in the office tomorrow, understand?"

"understood."

Xiao Jiang didn't scold them loudly; her tone was gentle and mild, but it was still intimidating. The two girls didn't look too aggrieved. They put their hands behind their backs, nodded apologetically, and hurriedly opened the glass door to enter the classroom. Lu Ze noticed that the two girls were still sweating on their faces and couldn't help but sigh that it's good to be young. With the air conditioning on so strong, they were covered in sweat and still dared to expose their legs and belly buttons. If it were him, not to mention his knees, his stomach would hurt all night.

"The elevator in the director's office broke down a few days ago and is under maintenance, so you'll have to use the trainees' door. I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Lu."

"fine."

She smiled slightly at this brief interlude, stopped chatting, walked to the right side of the corridor, opened the fire door which was well covered with soundproofing material, went inside, and the cameraman followed behind. After closing the door, the noisy music disappeared instantly, and the decor became much more upscale. It was almost dusk, and only the cleaning staff were doing their final cleaning in the corridor, polishing the marble floor until it shone. When she saw the four of them come in, she looked up, sighed, and didn't say anything more.

"Director Liu, Teacher Lu is here."

"Enter."

Xiao Jiang stepped back, and Lu Ze glanced at her. Seeing that she just smiled and didn't say anything, he softly thanked her, pushed open the door, and the next second he was greeted by the fragrant aroma of mugwort. To Lu Ze's surprise, there were two people in the room.

"uncle."

"Daize, it's been so long since I've seen you."

"Is this... moxibustion? Uncle Bie, please don't get up, please continue."

Compared to Guo Mingde, Liu Ying aged much faster, with more than half of his hair turned gray. He had become thinner, and his once fierce, bullying-like face had softened somewhat after being covered in wrinkles. Only his protruding teeth allowed Lu Ze to recall his prime years from distant memories. It had been about three to five years since they last met, when Liu Ying's bedridden mother passed away.

He was applying moxibustion to his wrist when he saw Lu Ze come in. He put down the moxibustion stick. Lu Ze wanted to persuade him to sit down, but Liu Ying ignored him and insisted on getting up to hug Lu Ze. He patted Lu Ze's back, put his hands on Lu Ze's shoulders, looked left and right, and smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"Thin."

"Have you lost weight? Is your hand uncomfortable?"

"It's an old problem. I do moxibustion every now and then to maintain my health, haha. Let me introduce you. This is screenwriter and writer Wang Jianjun. His pen name is Mao Xiaotao. Does that ring a bell? Jianjun, Lu Ze, do I need to introduce him?"

Lu Ze turned his gaze to the man in front of him, who was busy stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray. Only after he stood up did Lu Ze get a clear look at his face.

Jianjun's name sounds imposing, but his appearance is nothing like that. He's thin and hunchbacked, barely reaching Lu Ze's chest, probably no more than 1.7 meters tall. He already has a somewhat pointed face and three not-so-short tufts of beard, which he probably grooms regularly. The light shines on his beard, making it look shiny. His eyes bulge slightly from their sockets, probably because he wears glasses all the time. They look somewhat natural with the round-framed glasses. When he smiles at Lu Ze, his teeth are white and clean, but when he bares them, he looks exactly like a clever mouse.

"Mr. Lu, I've heard so much about you."

"Teacher Wang, I've long admired the name Mao Xiaotao."

Wang Jianjun? He didn't know him, but the name Mao Xiaotao really startled Lu Ze. There were few famous screenwriters in the industry that Lu Ze didn't know, but Mao Xiaotao was one of them. He didn't even know what Mao Xiaotao looked like, since this person never accepted media interviews and there wasn't a single photo of him on online encyclopedias.

Lu Ze was very familiar with his works, such as "Look Who I Am," "Fragrance of Flowers, Smell of Earth," "Slave of Money," "The First Shot," and "Drawing the Sword." He had read these works over and over again.

Mao Xiaotao became famous early, publishing a book in his early twenties. A few years later, he adapted his work into a screenplay, which was successfully brought to the big screen, thus entering the film industry and becoming unstoppable.

How old was Lu Ze back then? Just over ten years old? He had seen "The Mill" when the village showed open-air movies. At the time, he only found it interesting but didn't understand the meaning behind it. He just laughed along with the adults who also didn't understand the metaphors. Later, he realized that not only "The Mill," but all of his works were full of satire on reality.

Speaking of Lu Ze's favorite writer, Mao Xiaotao is definitely on the list. It's not just because he dares to satirize the dark side of society in a blatant way, but also because he admires the ingenuity and humor of his plot design. Even when he feels chilled to the bone, he can still be amused by the plot. The title of master of black humor is truly well-deserved.

“Mr. Lu, I won’t waste any more time on pleasantries. Let’s sit down and talk.”

Invited to sit down, Lu Ze didn't know what to say since he was still unfamiliar with Mao Xiaotao, and Mao Xiaotao was the same. Seeing that the two were silent, Liu Ying looked them over and then burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, I can't help but laugh at how distant you two are. Daze, didn't you want a few good scripts that have been approved? I'll get them all for you at once!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)