Global Film Emperor

Chapter 534 It’s over
527
"You really aren't going?"

In the general manager's office, Lu Ze leaned against his desk and gently turned the hourglass around. This was the fifth time he had turned the hourglass around. On this issue, the usually impulsive Mickey had pondered for five five-minute periods.

"Don't play dead, it's not a big deal."

“I already told you, I just don’t want to argue with Elizabeth, but if I go there now, it would be a good thing if we didn’t fight. I don’t want Fanny to see this scene, I don’t want her to be sad.”

“If she hadn’t seen her father today, I think she would have been even more heartbroken. After all, she was being taken to a foreign country by a completely unfamiliar man, and I think she would have been scared, even if she was looking forward to life in the Netherlands. At this point, you should have gone over and given her a reason to overcome her fear.”

"You mean, she really needs me right now?"

He looked at Lu Ze with a surprised expression, like a naive young man who didn't understand emotions. He sat on the sofa, rubbing his hands together. Looking down at him, Lu Ze suddenly felt that Mickey was somewhat pathetic. As a father who never saw his daughter empty-handed, he had never participated in any of his daughter's life processes. Under the strict control of his birth mother, even though they were related by blood, it was difficult for Fanny and him to become close. They deliberately kept their distance from each other, even though they couldn't help but want to get closer to each other most of the time.

Mickey doesn't often depict the emotional exchange between father and daughter in his works because he only has a superficial understanding of such emotions in real life. It's believed that Fanny would also leave a large blank space in her notes describing her father.

“I think she will need you. You are her father, and you need to protect her.”

In the previous twenty-five minutes, Lu Ze had seen Mickey's timidity and had a slight teasing look on his face, but now he had suppressed his mischievous smile and answered Mickey's question very seriously.

The courage that had been lurking deep within his heart began to struggle, emitting a faint light in the darkness. His expression changed from ashen to complex. You can't force a man who rarely interacts with his daughter, who even after she's in middle school still thinks she likes McDonald's toys like she did when she was little, or whose memories of his daughter are still stuck in his childhood, to challenge his emotions that have been closed off for so many years. Only by overcoming the awkwardness and helplessness he felt when he was with his daughter in the past, and by continuing to rush towards his child, can a man be worthy of being the father of the child he once held and cried in his arms as an infant.

“Mickey, you only have less than two hours left. Don’t waste any more time. I promise, Fanny wants you to go to the airport to see her off. She’ll miss you right now.”

"But……"

"Stop with the 'buts'. You've been foolishly hiding from her for fourteen years, do you really want to hide for another ten or twenty years? Until you receive her wedding invitation from a foreign country, and watch her exchange diamond rings with a man who never asked for your consent? And all you can do is stand there and drink a glass of wine at the wedding?"

"No way……"

"Believe it or not, I can tell you for sure that if you hadn't shown up this time, there would definitely have been a rift between you and her that no amount of toys could make up for."

Giving up on further persuasion, Lu Ze simply left the room. However, before he had even reached the halfway point down the stairs, the man who had been timid just moments before rushed out of the office with his coat in hand, stumbling down the stairs like a tripping ant. Lu Ze quickly stepped aside to avoid accidentally injuring himself, and watched as the man desperately clung to the stair railing as he slid down.

"Car keys, where are my car keys?"

At the mailroom door, he looked around, searching for his car keys, which he always kept on the windowsill. Mickey remembered that he had placed the keys on his left side as usual, but they were nowhere to be found. He frowned deeply, his outstretched palm trembling as he held them out to Jill, like a child begging for candy from an adult.

"Here, here."

As it happened, a bill arrived today, and as old Jill went out to get the mail, he habitually closed the window and left the key on the table, in a corner where Mickey couldn't see it.

He got in the car, started the engine, and was about to launch his muscle car when the passenger seat was suddenly pulled open, and Lu Ze climbed in. Mickey didn't have time to chase him out and stepped on the gas, driving out of the company. Only when they were on the road did he ask impatiently.

"Why are you following me?"

"It's alright, can't an uncle take his niece away?"

That's one aspect. Lu Ze had considered it before; if Mickey didn't go, he wouldn't go either. But now that Mickey was going, Lu Ze had no choice but to go. It wasn't entirely to see Fanny off; part of the reason was that he was afraid Mickey would fight with Elizabeth's new boyfriend. Lu Ze had never met this Dutchman before. If he was big, strong, and powerful, Lu Ze could help him so that Mickey wouldn't suffer.

He didn't dare say this to Mickey, knowing that Mickey was a stubborn bastard who wouldn't listen to reason and would back down when pushed. If he said he was worried that Mickey couldn't beat him, the stubborn mule might actually refuse to accept it and challenge him to a fight.

Hearing Lu Ze's words, Mickey didn't say anything more. The car sped along, and Mickey, watching Lu Ze, gripped his seatbelt tightly, his heart pounding. When they entered the city, the previously anxious Mickey stopped in front of a department store, signaling Lu Ze to park the car properly, and then rushed into the store without looking back.

"One hour and a half left!"

"There's enough time!"

Just as Mickey said, there was indeed enough time. From getting in to getting back into the car, it only took a few minutes. When we started driving again, the speed did not decrease, and we arrived at the airport parking lot 20 minutes later.

He hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, tripping over the threshold below the door. He tumbled and scrambled out of the car, and Lu Ze followed him as they ran to the airport entrance. He looked around anxiously, his forehead already covered in sweat even though it was late autumn. He took out his phone and dialed a number, constantly searching for the newly formed family of three.

"Where are you all? What do you mean I'm here for? I'm here to drop off my daughter. What the hell do you mean? I don't have time to argue with you right now. I'm leaving after seeing my daughter. I still have over an hour left. What the hell are you doing boarding the plane? I don't want to curse you right now, but don't push things too far..."

He was once again embroiled in endless arguments with his ex-wife. Lu Ze had lost count of how many times this had happened in front of him. Unlike in American and European TV dramas, the two were not able to remain friends after their divorce. In fact, it was the same all over the world. Most separated lovers would harbor hatred towards each other, the only difference being the intensity of that hatred.

Mickey and Elizabeth, on the other hand, were truly estranged. Lu Ze didn't know why the two of them would verbally attack or curse each other without regard for others, sometimes even escalating into physical conflict. Perhaps it was just that Mickey felt betrayed by her former lover, and Elizabeth was driven to hysteria by Mickey's unrestrained insults. With so many such conflicts, it wouldn't be surprising if they turned into deep-seated hatred.

It seemed that Elizabeth did not intend to let Mickey see Fanny one last time. Lu Ze stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily. His brows furrowed more and more as Mickey uttered fragmented information. Things were heading in the worst possible direction. This woman's choice was consistent with her character. Fortunately, Lu Ze had anticipated this outcome and prepared a backup plan in advance.

"Hang up the phone." "Let Fanny answer the phone! I fucking don't want to hear your voice, it makes me sick! Why can't I let my daughter answer the phone? What's wrong with you?"

"Hang up, hang up."

Mickey hung up the phone, his face flushed with anger, his whole body trembling slightly. However, he remained rational and did not smash the phone while hanging up. Lu Ze did not say anything, but demonstrated his foresight with his actions. He took out two plane tickets from his pocket.

"You're fucking smart! You're Professor Lu! Fu·k, get to it!"

They begged and pleaded with the passengers in front of them to let them cut in line. Fortunately, the passengers on this train were quite understanding, and the two of them were able to cut in line and go through security early. They even found their boarding gate for the flight to Amsterdam on their boarding passes.

……

"Holy crap...!"

"Are you crazy? Control your emotions! Didn't you promise not to fight in front of Fanny?"

Seeing the newlywed family of three resting in the VIP lounge, Mickey almost pounced on them with an Ultraman-style leap after taking a running start. Fortunately, Lu Ze stopped him and kept persuading him. At the same time, Lu Ze breathed a sigh of relief. Elizabeth's new boyfriend was not strong and was even a bit short. After comparing the difference in strength, Lu Ze was mentally prepared that if the man was unreasonable, he could handle him by himself.

"Mickey, you're crazy, what are you trying to do..."

"Elizabeth, you should say less. He just wants to see his daughter. Don't go too far. He only has one daughter."

She was still quite accommodating to Lu Ze, after all, the two had interacted for a while on set before. Whenever she and Mickey had a quarrel, Lu Ze's mediation always yielded good results. To Lu Ze's surprise, her new boyfriend was also reasonable. Although his expression wasn't very good, probably because he had also heard the foul language Mickey used on the phone, he didn't stop Mickey. He just waved his hand and took Elizabeth to a place a little further away.

"dad."

Fanny was used to their arguments. Although they had broken up before she was old enough to understand, the arguments did not end with the end of their close relationship. Instead, she made the conflict between them even more intense.

She sat on a single sofa, with no food on the table. Mickey went over and sat down next to her, looking at her at eye level. Lu Ze could see Mickey's reddened eyes and his trembling outstretched hand, which, though slow, firmly stroked his daughter's head.

"Don't be afraid, I will come to the Netherlands to see you."

"Really?"

"Of course, call me whenever you need me, and I'll be there anytime."

Lu Ze didn't want to see this scene, so he turned around and found a quiet place to sit down. He took a few sips of water and closed his eyes to rest. He didn't hear what the father and daughter said afterward, but it was the first time he had heard Fanny laugh so openly. Unlike her previous polite laughter with Mickey, her laughter was loud and carried far.

Not long after, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that passengers could check in for their flight to Amsterdam. Lu Ze's heart sank. As Mickey's friend, he really wanted to hear that the flight was delayed, but Liverpool Airport was always late. This flight was surprisingly punctual. When Lu Ze opened his eyes, everyone had already gotten up and was preparing to leave.

As Mickey accompanied the group through the VIP passage, just as Fanny was about to board the plane, he suddenly took out a lipstick from his pocket and quietly placed it in Fanny's hand. With a smile, he spoke in a voice that only the two of them, plus Lu Ze, could hear.

"You're a grown woman now, you must care about your appearance."

This was the first time Mickey had given Fanny something that girls her age needed. The girl who was only tall enough to reach Mickey's thigh had eventually grown into a girl who could stand up to his chest. However, this time, realizing that his daughter was starting to grow up, Mickey missed the opportunity to accompany her through her growth for the second time, this time in just one week.

She didn't say anything, just clutched the lipstick tightly, quietly boarded the plane, and disappeared from Lu Ze's sight, as well as from the now dull-witted Mickey.

It was afternoon, and the sunlight was slanted and blocked by the airport's supporting pillars. Mickey took a few steps forward and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the plane. Even though the sun should have been shining brightly, Mickey happened to walk into the shadow under the pillar.

A dozen minutes later, the plane entered the runway. He watched it. Twenty minutes later, the plane took off. He watched it without moving until the flight carrying his daughter disappeared completely. Lu Ze walked over, took Mickey's shoulder, and patted it gently.

"Let's go."

"Ah."

"It's time to get back on track."

"Ah."

"What's the plan next?"

"I am prepared to accept investment from Disney."

"..."

(End of this chapter)