《Dreaming With My Dragon Lover》


 Chapter 1 - Prologue - The Execution (1)

    In a distant universe, on the shores of the Dead Sea, where the Divine Tree grows, there exists a magical realm called the Great Roxy Heaven.


    Today, in this faraway land, a trial and execution is currently taking place.


    Six beautiful mermen are tied up and kneeling on the execution platform, all dressed in white mourning clothes. Some face their fates undaunted, their backs straight; others bow their heads and sob, their voices wailing to the heavens.


    These mermen belong to the Scale Clan, which for generations has been the guardian of the art in the Great Roxy Heaven. They are trained from childhood to be performers, entertaining the Roxinians with their songs and dances. Their beauty, the most charming of the five clans, will not fade away even if their bodies are destroyed; their enchanting voices, echoing in the clouds, will not be forgotten even if their souls are scattered..


    Oblivious to the suffering and misery of these beautiful prisoners, in the central seat under the feathered canopy on the viewing platform sat a magnificently dressed, stern-faced woman, the Holy Consort of the Great Roxy Heaven.


    She talked and laughed, playing with a chalice full of amber wine in her hand as she lazily surveyed the slender figure hanging high on the Divine Tree by the Dead Sea.


    And the man was suspended from a thick branch by a special dragon rope. Although the shade of the tree provided him with a little protection, he had long since lost his spirit from repeated exposure to the nine blazing suns. The blood splatters on his snow-white robe looked like red plum blossoms; his once serene and beautiful face looked pale and haggard from the excessive loss of blood; his body was so frail that he seemed unable to bear even the weight of his robe, and the lower half of his body had lost its human form, turning into a long dragon''s tail, coiled helplessly on the trunk of the tree.


    "Little Ingdra, how does Her Highness''s Nine Sun Roast taste? I thought you were just a white carp of the Scale Clan, but who''d know that you are actually a silver dragon and I couldn''t kill you at all. Luckily, Her Highness came up with this brilliant idea, using a row of blazing suns to roast you and to bleed you dry for forty-nine days. Even if you have an immortal dragon''s body, today you will be destroyed and your soul will be scattered!"


    Lord Peacock sneered while looking up at the sundial, then turned to the Holy Consort, "It''s time for the execution, Your Highness, please give your order."


    The Holy Consort looked at Ingdra''s haggard, breathless face, a pool of blood soaking through the roots of the Divine Tree beneath him, turning the surrounding soil dark red. Her phoenix eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth rose slightly in imperceptible delight, then she nodded towards Lord Peacock.


    "Today your six brothers will accompany you so that you will not feel alone on your road to death. They will be killed first, and then it will be your turn. You should watch the show carefully and not waste Her Highness''s special arrangement."


    Lord Peacock plucked a feather and threw it to the torturers on the execution platform, "Begin the punishment!"


    Seeing the torturers approaching, one of the prisoners struggled and shouted in the direction of the Holy Consort, "We are not guilty! Our Great Roxy Heaven was originally ruled by the five clans of ''Bareskin, Scale, Fur, Feather and Shell'', but you, as the Holy Consort, have repeatedly stirred up strife among the clans in order for the Feather Clan to have sole power, causing our Eden to be in constant warfare ever since. And now, in order for your son, Red Phoenix, to gain glory on the battlefield, you disregarded the lives of the Roxinians and raised a new war, resulting in this new defeat, and yet you hold us, the innocent singers and dancers of the Scale Clan responsible for the defeat! ..."


    This righteous and handsome young man was no other than Teague, the eldest brother of Leeyu Troupe.


    The chains on his body rattled as he struggled. He looked at the Holy Consort with hatred in his eyes and blood dripping from his voice as he said, "Our old masters, who committed suicide to take the blame, so that their disciples, the seven of us, could be spared. His Majesty the Holy Emperor has granted our plea and pardon is imminent, but you have illegally set up this private trial to torture us, bent on killing us. Does Your Highness not have any mercy at all!"

 Chapter 2 - Prologue - The Execution (2)

    "Your Highness! Your Holiness! Have mercy!" Ignoring the awe-inspiring righteousness of his senior brother Teague, a young man with phoenix eyes and a pretty face fell to the ground, kowtowed in the direction of the viewing platform, and howled, "By the grace of Your Highness! I beg your mercy! The offending song was made by the two masters and then sung by the fourth brother Ingdra. They had undoubtedly committed a mortal sin. Now the masters are dead and have confessed their sins, and the fourth brother has been duly punished and deserves to die. At the time of the crime, I had already completed my apprenticeship, so I am no longer considered a member of the Leeyu Troupe. Your Highness! Please have mercy on me, and spare my humble and worthless little life!"


    "Herro! How can you denigrate our masters and brothers like that! You have been a brother to me for so long, but I never thought you would be such a spineless coward! You are betraying our masters'' teachings and their spirits in heaven! How could you do this!" Seeing his second brother behaving in such a disgraceful manner, Teague could not help but feel a surge of shame and anger.


    Herro, however, ignored his brother''s scolding and simply prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing in the direction of the viewing platform and begging for mercy.


    The Holy Consort snorted coldly, "You are really born great performers! One can speak eloquently and the other can cry bitterly, even I can''t help but feel pity. People like you who are clever with words and good at acting, if not punished severely, I am afraid that the millions of soldiers of the Feather Clan will be addicted to sensual pleasures and ruined by your hands!"


    After saying these words, she eyed Lord Peacock, who immediately understood and ordered accordingly, "Teague to pluck the tongue, Herro to be scaled alive!" With a wave of his hand, the feather he threw on the execution platform earlier was transformed into a huge plaque with the names of the punishment engraved on it and erected on the top of the platform.


    Several torturers swarmed up and pressed the two prisoners hard on the platform..


    The Holy Consort waved her slender fingers, a lightning bolt suddenly appeared directly on Teague''s head, accompanied by a loud thunder. In a flash, this handsome and robust young man turned into a big fish, with smoke coming out of its head, gills opening and closing, and a python-like fish tail twisting and flapping. Its mouth could not speak, only its chirps and cries could be heard.


    One of the torturers stepped forward to hold the fish''s head down while the other picked up a golden knife and slit its throat, the wailing ceasing abruptly and the blood gurgling out, instantly staining the execution platform. Teague struggled in unbearable pain, but his body was tightly bound in unbreakable chains, and no matter how hard he struggled, it was in vain. The torturer then began to pull out the gills one by one. With each piece pulled out, the fish''s fins, feet and tail twitched and slapped. By the time the last piece was pulled out, blood was already spreading all over the platform. But the torturer wasn''t finished yet, he opened the fish''s mouth, put his hand in it and ripped off the tongue with one pull.


    Teague could not breathe and was on the verge of death. The fish tail swung wildly for a while, then hung lifelessly, the light in its eyes gradually dimmed, and finally it died from suffocation. Fearing that it was not quite dead, Lord Peacock drew his sword and, with a flash of white light, beheaded Teague, tied it to a Sunken Fish Stone, and threw it into the Dead Sea with its body.


    Located at the foot of Roxy Mountain, the immortal water of Roxy is unfathomably deep, clear and warm, like a piece of smooth jade, without a single ripple on its surface, flat as a mirror. It is known as the "Dead Sea'''' only because there is a River Ruo hidden at the bottom of the water. Any immortal being who touches the waters of the River Ruo will lose their immortal consciousness if they are lucky, or lose their immortality all together if they are unlucky, and from then on they can only drift in the Other World, suffering from reincarnations, life after life, never to return to the Great Roxy Heaven.


    Fortunately, the River Ruo is very heavy and is a dark undercurrent under the Dead Sea. Ordinary Roxinians cannot easily reach the river, so the Dead Sea is quite safe. Only those with profound magical power, or with the help of magical objects such as the Sunken Fish Stone, can reach. And the Sunken Fish Stones and the Fallen Goose Orders have always been in the hands of only the most venerable rulers, so even if any Roxinians wanted to leave the Great Roxy Heaven and go to the Other World through River Ruo, it is not an easy task.


    Today, Teague has been beheaded, was tied to a Sunken Fish Stone and thrown into the Dead Sea and River Ruo, his spiritual consciousness erased, his immortality lost, from then on he is forever separated from the Great Roxy Heaven and its people.


    "Big Brother!" Little Ingdra, hanging from the tree, had been unconscious due to the loss of blood, but he was awakened from his stupor by the thunder released by the Holy Consort, just in time to witness the tragic scene of Teague''s death. His eyes were filled with tears of grief at the sight of his respected brother sinking into the Dead Sea, never to be seen again.


    Just then, another thunderbolt was released from the Holy Consort''s hand, and the second elder brother, Herro, was turned into a fat-headed, ten-bodied fish. Its scales glittered brilliantly like a neon rainbow, but he barked and whimpered like a little puppy, making it unbearable to listen to.


    The torturer spread out Herro''s ten bodies, chained to the pole like open fingers, and slowly lifted the fish scales, slicing them off each of his bodies piece by piece. The ten fish bodies quivered together, undulating and tumbling in the sunlight like a colourful tapestry, bloody yet perversely gorgeous. Soon the bright, lustrous scales covered the entire execution platform, glistening in the pool of blood left by Teague. Several of Herro''s bodies became messy and bloody, his whimpers gradually weakening¡­


    Ingdra never liked his second brother''s character. But they had, after all, studied under the same masters for so long, and seeing him suffer this long and painful "death by a thousand cuts", he could not bear to watch any longer and shouted in a hoarse voice in the direction of the viewing platform, "You are acting against the Will of Heaven! You will be punished for the cruelty and injustice you have done to the mermen performers! "

 Chapter 3 - Prologue - The Execution (3)

    "The Will of Heaven? Her Highness, our Holy Consort, IS the Will of Heaven! Save your strength, little Ingdra, there are still four brothers waiting for you to say good-bye to! How can the show go on if you can''t even stand it now?"


    With these words, Lord Peacock tossed another feather on the execution platform and announced the punishment, "Reyan to be cut into a fish stick, Chagall to be crushed into fish paste!"


    So another two beautiful young men, third brother Reyan and fifth brother Chagall, were dragged onto the execution platform and bound with chains respectively.


    Reyan was quiet and easy-going. He had always been regarded by the two masters as the next successor to Leeyu Troupe. When he saw the cruelty of Her Highness the Holy Consort and Lord Peacock, and witnessed the heartbreaking deaths of his two older brothers, he knew that there was no escape from this fate for all of them. His heart filled with sadness as he remembered those carefree days when they had been so close, learning and playing together, but now they were all destined to end up in River Ruo. His longing gaze swept over his brothers one by one, finally resting on the haggard face under the Divine Tree, and he let out a long sigh, "I will go before you, but I hope we will meet again in the Other World. Let us be brothers again then! ..."


    Before the words were completely out of his mouth, he was struck by a thunderbolt, and Reyan revealed his true form as a snake-headed fish with six feet on each side in addition to his fins. Lord Peacock chose the punishment of the "fish stick" specially for Reyan, as this punishment involved cutting off all the protruding parts of his body, including his fins and hands and feet, with a blunt knife, which was very cruel.. Reyan was easy-going, but also a rather tough person. As the blunt knife sliced into his flesh, his body trembled and blood flowed out like water, but still he refused to make a sound. At last only a fish trunk remained and he was thrown into the Dead Sea alive.


    "Third Brother..." Little Ingdra''s lips were already dripping blood, clearly his body and soul were shattered, and he choked back a sob, not knowing what else to say.


    Fifth brother Chagall had always been optimistic and was the most mischievous of all his brothers. He had never imagined that he, as a simple performer, would one day suffer such a calamity and he was so full of hatred that he shouted and cursed from the moment he was marched to the execution square. Now, seeing that his death was imminent, he shouted in the direction of the viewing platform, "What a Holy Consort! What a vile bunch of birdmen! You only use your power to kill innocent people! Remember, even if I go to the Other World, even if I become a ghost, I will not leave you in peace! I will fight against you to the end! You will pay the price for your crimes..."


    Seeing Chagall speak his mind in such an aggressive manner, unafraid of death, the torturers rushed forward to silence him. Just as the execution was about to begin, a man arrived in a whirlwind, leapt onto the execution platform, stood in front of Chagall and shouted, "Hold the execution!"


    This man was heavily armoured and had wounds all over his body, as if he had been through a bloody battle and had travelled thousands of miles to get here. The torturers, knowing him as Fedor, the lieutenant of the Feathered Army, dared not proceed, but looked to Lord Peacock for instructions.


    "So it is Lieutenant Fedor," Lord Peacock smiled coldly, "I see you are still in your armour, do you have some important military matters to attend to?" He said, "Her Highness is personally dealing with the sinners at the moment to relieve the army of its worries. Even if you are the confidant of General Red Phoenix, trespassing in place of execution, is a crime of disregarding your superiors."


    Ignoring Lord Peacock, Fedor took out a piece of paper decorated with a phoenix feather from his inner pocket and knelt down to present it to the Holy Consort. "By order of General Red Phoenix, I have travelled over a thousand miles to present this letter to Your Highness." Having said this, he unfolded the paper and read aloud, "This defeat is my responsibility alone. The mermen performers of the Leeyu troupe had nothing to do with it. By the grace of Your Highness, have mercy on them."


    When the brothers heard these words, they all became excited. Even Herro, who was still suffering punishment at the hands of his torturers, a glimmer of hope could be heard in his sobs. Chagall wept tears of joy and looked lovingly at Fedor with pride in his eyes.


    Seeing everyone''s reaction to these words, the Holy Consort'' face sank and she sneered, "Who ordered you to stop the scaling? Not a single piece should remain!" With that, the torturers rushed back to peeling the scales with their knives, and the square resounded with Herro''s pitiful cries of pain.


    Fedor was greatly shocked and said angrily, "Your Highness, since you already know the details of the battlefield and I have presented General Red Phoenix''s own handwritten letter here, why do you..."


    Before he could finish his words, the Holy Consort struck a thunderbolt, knocking Fedor to the ground and revealing his original form as a golden-haired divine horse.


    "A mere lieutenant and a remnant of the Fur Clan, dares to pass on a forged letter here, spouting lies and slandering others! How dare you say that my son Red Phoenix is to blame for the defeat? What a load of nonsense! Do you think I don''t know that you are having an adulterous affair with that red salmon Chagall? Since you have come all this way to die today, I will grant you your wish!"


    Lord Peacock took the Holy Consort''s cue and gave the order. Immediately, Fedor the Divine Horse and Chagall the Red Salmon were thrown together to a place on the execution platform. Several torturers, armed with gilded gourd hammers, smashed them without mercy and it wasn''t long before they were beaten to a pulp. They were so mixed together that it was impossible to be separated. They then were thrown down into the Dead Sea with a Sunken Fish Stone wrapped inside.

 Chapter 4 - Prologue - The Execution (4)

    "Fifth Brother! Brother Fedor! You..." Ingdra could not imagine that the Holy Consort would be so heartless, not only to kill the people in Leeyu Troupe so cruelly, but to punish Fedor, the messenger of her son Red Phoenix! His heart was broken. Finally, he could not bear it any longer and cried and begged, "Your Highness... I beg you... please let them go! I am willing to take all the punishment! If there are any grievances, let them all be paid for by me!"


    The Holy Consort glanced at the last two prisoners in the square, then turned her gaze back to the white figure hanging from the Divine Tree and said with a cold snort, "Since they are all dead, why spare the remaining two." With those words, she gave the torturers the order, "Wayde to cut out the heart and Pulley to pick out the bones!"


    Sixth brother Wayde was quite frail and timid. The blazing sun and the bloody torture scenes had long since caused him to faint, and the torturers had little trouble presenting a small, delicate scarlet heart to Lord Peacock..


    Lord Peacock picked up the fish heart with two fingers, examined it for a moment and then, to everyone''s amazement, swallowed it. "I''ve heard that Wayde''s flesh can cure madness. Having just tried it, I believe it is indeed the most delicious thing in Roxy Heaven!"


    The youngest brother Pulley was all teary and helpless. When his eldest brother Teague was killed, he was already scared out of his wits. He simply mumbled "big brother" over and over again, losing all strength to resist and completely at the mercy of the torturers. Like the others, he was struck by a thunderbolt and revealed his true form. His long, snake-like body, so soft as if it had no bones, lay on the execution platform and was dissected alive, inch by inch, in front of Ingdra. When all the bones had been separated from the flesh, he too was thrown into the Dead Sea.


    "All six sinners of Leeyu Troupe have been executed. I ask Your Highness to decide what to do with this dragon, the last remaining sinner." Seeing that the punishment of Pulley had been completed, that Herro had died after being scaled, and they had both been thrown into the River Ruo, Lord Peacock came before the Holy Consort to report on his duties.


    The Holy Consort gave a slight nod to Lord Peacock, and with a flash of golden light she had disappeared from the viewing platform and reappeared beneath the Divine Tree. Her immaculate embroidered shoes stepped on the blood-soaked ground as she walked up to Ingdra, cupped his chin, scrutinised his perfect, delicate but almost transparent face and smiled smugly, "Teague was right. You are all just scapegoats. To hold you responsible for the war is a great exaggeration of your importance. The lives of a bunch of mermen are as worthless as grass seeds in my eyes, so I could have spared them. Unfortunately, they adopted you. Your masters and brothers, their greatest sin was to have been kind to you, so they must die!"


    "Why? Why? What have I done to make you hate...me so much? ..." Having lost his six brothers so suddenly and cruelly, Ingdra felt completely broken, both physically and emotionally. His body almost drained off all blood and the tears dried up in his eyes.


    "Why? Because of your damned mother, that mermaid bitch! How dare she seduce His Majesty the Holy Emperor and give birth to a bastard like you!" A burning red lotus appeared in the Holy Consort''s eyes as she gripped Ingdra''s jaw tighter and tighter, as if she wanted to crush his beautiful chin. "You were born full of sin, the bastard son of a low caste bitch! You are destined to wreak havoc in our world! Your brothers who were down in River Ruo may still be reincarnated in the Other World, but you - I will make you disappear like ashes and smoke! I will destroy you forever!"


    With these words, the Holy Consort exerted all her magical power and was about to use the forbidden art, Fire of Rolling Thunder, to destroy Ingdra''s form and spirit! With the movement of her palm, a flash of lightning accompanied by a rumble of heavenly thunder, tumbled violently towards little Ingdra. At this critical moment, the Divine Tree shook up and the huge branch on which the little dragon hung blocked the forbidden spell and was cut off by the thunder, sinking into the pond along with the little dragon on the rope, disappearing without a splash.


    This turn of events also surprised the Holy Consort. Have I mishandled the forbidden art? She wondered. The tree that had lost its branches had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. After pondering for a long time at the still pond, unable to understand the reason for this, she asked Lord Peacock, "Is Ingdra dead? Will he ever return to the Roxy Heaven?"


    Lord Peacock pondered for a moment and responded, "Your Highness, the dragon has wings and is not an ordinary Scale clansman. Even if he is stranded in the Other World, I fear he is bound to be an extraordinary person. Given time and a few reincarnations, perhaps he will eventually ride the clouds..."


    "You mean that not only did he not die, but he also went to an unknown world. What should I do...How can I eliminate the root of the problem?"


    "He is bound by the dragon rope and will surely sink into the River Ruo, severing his spiritual consciousness and falling into the Other World, so he will have no memory of the Great Roxy Heaven. Your Highness, if you are so worried, you can send me across the River Ruo to look for him. I think he will be confined to the Other World as a mere mortal, so what is there to fear? When the time comes, I will use some means to keep him in constant tribulation to make him suffer endlessly outside of the Roxy Heaven!"


    "That''s good!" The smile returned to the eyes of the Holy Consort of the Great Roxy Heaven, "Since he has escaped the fate of being turned into ashes and smoke, let him reincarnate in the Other World for a thousand of lifetimes, preferably for all eternity, and remain the most miserable and lowest being in that world, suffering humiliation and torment, and never returning to the Great Roxy Heaven!"

 Chapter 5 - Amélie Got Her Wish

    "I still think it''s a waste of time to ask me to cast actors every day. With a handsome face like yours, starring on your own is an absolute guarantee at the box office. Why do you have to be a director?"


    Yuan Ge put the director''s viewfinder and light meter in his hands back into his toolbox and turned around to see Am¨¦lie Jiang leaning against the set''s carved moon door, wearing her favourite 120mm red-soled high heels and a plain black double-breasted cashmere overcoat with a large dusty pink hibiscus belt tied around her waist that outlined her slender figure and added a touch of softness to her sophistication. Her makeup is always delicate and just right, impeccably elegant and sassy even through a director''s discerning eye. And at the moment her almond-shaped eyes were smiling teasingly at him.


    "Did I do something wrong again, Lady Producer? You have a talent for finding things to question me with." Yuan Ge smiled, put the toolbox away in the locker, closed the door behind him, turned off the lights and walked towards her.


    Am¨¦lie looked at Yuan Ge''s face, his sword brows and starry eyes combined with his chiselled features, always giving people an illusion of being icy and stern. Luckily, he often smiles when he looks at her - even just a hint of a smile can be described as breathtaking, enough to make a woman lose her composure and hopelessly fall into his beauty.


    But of course, she would never admit it, because Yuan Ge doesn''t like to be praised for his looks, or rather, he doesn''t care much for praise beyond his talent. If he knew that she could not escape the superficiality of being a "beauty worshipper" like the others; it would probably damage the mutual understanding between them.. At that thought, Am¨¦lie hurried back to her senses.


    "How dare I question you! I was just lamenting. Is it true that if a person is so good, he no longer cares to lead an easy life and must choose the hardest path to achieve success in order to prove himself?"


    "Is Miss Jiang lamenting herself? Is it that you regret entering the showbiz industry and joining our little film company, Dragon Dreams Pictures?"


    "How would I? I''ve already decided to follow you¡­ I mean you guys, come back to China to build our own business. We''ve just started out, why would I back out? Seeing you too busy to care about anything, I just want to kindly remind you that, a year ago today, we met for the first time in Z¨¹rich. Isn''t it worth celebrating the very first anniversary of our acquaintance?"


    Yuan Ge was taken aback momentarily at her words. He scratched his head innocently and said, "You are absolutely right. If you hadn''t mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten. Gee! We''ve been bumbling about together, from overseas to here, for a whole


    year already. Looks like I must treat Miss Jiang to a proper meal tonight to show my appreciation for her hard work over the past year!"


    Am¨¦lie got the answer she wanted, her heart rejoiced, but she pretended to be displeased and said playfully, "Inviting people to dinner but still being the last to leave work; not sincere enough I''m afraid. As punishment, I will order more wine tonight!"


    "Okay, Miss Jiang, I''m willingly accepting your punishment. Tell me, where do you want to go to commemorate lost youth?"


    "Well, you are not going to take me to some hot-pot place or a street stall, are you?"


    "When we first came back to China, who wanted to eat hot-pot, barbecues and spicy crayfish every day? Why? Are you finally tired of those foods?" Yuan Ge said this jokingly, but he could tell that as Am¨¦lie had gone home to dress up specially for the occasion, and she must be looking forward to a formal date, "If we''re going for western food, I need to change my clothes, it''s too embarrassing to go out like this."


    Am¨¦lie liked this man''s understanding. He always seemed to know what she was thinking without her having to say it.


    As she walked down the small gravel path of the old mansion, he probably noticed that it was difficult to walk on such a path in high heels, so he reached out his hand to help her without her having to ask. It was a bitterly cold winter''s day, but the warmth from their interlaced hands was enough to dispel the chill. Am¨¦lie cocked her head and looked silently at the perfectly contoured profile of this man''s face. She felt infinitely attached.

 Chapter 6 - By The Dragon Pond

    The two of them walked together to an ancient tree by a pond in Rong Mansion, and Yuan Ge pointed to a stone bench under the tree and said, "Your shoes are not comfortable to walk on, why don''t you sit here and wait. I''ll change my clothes and come back soon."


    Am¨¦lie glanced at the winter sky darkening prematurely; the sun had set completely and thick clouds were gathering, reflected in the deep, still pond, making it look even more gloomy. She shivered slightly as she said, "You seem to be particularly fond of this old tree and you always sit here looking at this pond during breaks in filming. How come I don''t find it so romantic here? It''s a bit creepy to sit by the water with no lights and no moon."


    Yuan Ge laughed, "A woman as westernised as you, is still afraid of ghostly things on a moonless night?"


    Am¨¦lie laughed too, "It has nothing to do with being westernised, I''m still a woman after all, what''s so strange about a woman being timid? Besides, there are so many ghostly tales about this old mansion, and there''s a weird brass chain tied to this big tree. It''s hard not to let people make up stories in their heads, don''t you think?".


    "This is an ancient ginkgo tree, which together with this chain is known as the ''Silver Dragon Coiling Jade Tree''. It''s a famous tourist attraction in Beijing."


    "I''ve just returned to China, being a new arrival to the capital, I know nothing about these historical legends, so why doesn''t Director Yuan tell me something about them?"


    "For shooting this film, I checked the historical records of the mansion specifically. The tree is over 2,500 years old, so it may have been cultivated as a spirit."


    "Liar! Two thousand five hundred years old? What an exaggeration! I think you are deliberately making it sound mysterious! You are very good at talking nonsense in a serious way."


    "How am I talking nonsense? Don''t you believe me? Beijing was known as the City of Thistle during the Warring States period, which is 2,500 years old anyhow, and this tree is said to be older than the city."


    "Then what is this brass chain tied around it? Look, it has cut deeply into the bark of the tree. Is it because of fear that the tree will become a spirit, so it is tied up with a chain?"


    Yuan Ge saw Am¨¦lie reaching out to touch the bark of the tree that had been cut by the chain with a look of deep interest. He felt the need to explain a little more, "Do you remember all the gossip about this pond when we first started filming at the mansion? The local elders called it the Dragon Pond. The historical records of the mansion said that a silver dragon was imprisoned at the bottom of the water, and that it was said to have offended the Heavenly Court and was punished by suffering in the mortal world, imprisoned in this small pond. Of course, in my mother''s book Ghosts of the Capital, the stories she collected are even more mind-boggling. After all, this was the residence of that high-ranking official of the Qing Dynasty, Ronglu. As you can imagine, in such rich and powerful families there were always stories of family rivalries, people throwing themselves down wells, people hanging themselves and other gruesome rumours. These rumours didn''t stop until around the time of the founding of the People''s Republic of China. If you say the water in this pond is creepy, you''re probably right: there could be something unclean down there."


    "Yuan Ge! You''ve gone too far, you''re scaring me on purpose!" Am¨¦lie looked into the deep, bottomless water and trembled slightly, looking as if she had been led astray by her own imagination.


    It was rare to see this usually calm and collected career woman show a bit of girlish expression, Yuan Ge couldn''t help but laugh, "If you think this is scary, then you should really read the research papers my mum wrote, it''s definitely scarier than all the horror novels on the market, there are all sorts of legends of demons and monsters, and they all have detailed academic evidence. Even the things that aren''t real can be archaeologically realised by her. She gets so excited talking about ghosts, it''s hard to believe she''s just a woman."


    Am¨¦lie was amused by his comment about his mother, "How can you say that about your own mother! You''ll make Professor Fu angry if you say that."


    Yuan Ge sighed, "She doesn''t care, you''re a lady whilst my mum is not. She doesn''t know how to act her age. Ever since I was a kid, she''s been telling me bedtime ghost-stories about the old Imperial City and never behaved like a real mother. Anyway, let''s not talk about her. You wait here while I go and get changed."

 Chapter 7 - The Other End Of The Chain

    Seeing that Yuan Ge was about to leave, Am¨¦lie recalled the legend of the Dragon Pond that he had just told, and hurriedly pulled him back, "You haven''t finished the story yet: is that chain for locking up the dragon or the tree? What does that ''silver dragon coiling the jade tree'' actually mean? Is that little silver dragon still trapped under the water?"


    Yuan Ge looked as if he was thinking hard, "Your questions belong in the realm of mythology. Let us burn incense later and ask the Holy Emperor of the Great Roxy Heaven."


    Hearing this, Am¨¦lie couldn''t resist giving him a punch, "I''m asking you these questions seriously."


    Yuan Ge said innocently, "I am answering them seriously. The dragon and the tree are all from the legend of the Great Roxy Heaven. Going to heaven or earth, being immortalised or becoming spirits. These are not those things which we see with mortal eyes. In my opinion, they were entangled in their past lives and were unwilling to be separated wherever they went, thus were chained together. According to my mother''s research in her book, this brass chain was forged in the mid to late Qing Dynasty, so it had been embedded in the bark for hundreds of years, growing almost into the tree. It feels pretty painful to me...." He reached out to touch the tree as he said.


    "Well, have you tried to pull the chain? Maybe you''ll pull up a little lady dragon who''s already cultivated herself into a human form."


    Yuan Ge answered lightly, "Or maybe pull up a lady ghost."


    "Whatever it is, a lady dragon or a lady ghost, she''s surely a great beauty, and when she comes to the mortal world, she will immediately fall in love with you - a handsome scholarly gentleman, and naturally you will marry her. Ah! what a perfect match made in heaven!"


    Yuan Ge rolled his eyes at her and pointed to a stone tablet next to the tree, saying, "Look, this is a national cultural relic and we have an obligation to protect it. Besides, this brass chain has been polished to a mirror-like shine. I see that those youngsters in our new recruits have been gathering here to pull this chain whenever they get a bit of free time these days. Even if there was something down there, they would have pulled it out long ago."


    "Maybe it only works for those who are destined? The others can''t pull anything up, but maybe if you try, something will occur. Come on, try it, if just to set my mind at rest. You know that I''m from Canton and how superstitious the Cantonese are, and we''re going to be shooting in this old mansion for months. I can''t help myself wondering every time I pass by the place."


    "The way you say it, it''s as if there really is something down there." Yuan Ge sighed helplessly.


    "Just pull it once for me while you still have your work clothes on, please? I promise not to pester you again or think about it after that."


    "At your service, Miss Jiang. I shall do as your ladyship wishes." Yuan Ge was not really interested in pulling the chain, but he was reluctant to see Am¨¦lie disappointed.


    Strangely enough, although the brass chain was not very heavy, it seemed to be endless, and after Yuan Ge had been pulling at it for quite some time, it made a large pile on the lawn next to the tree, but no end in sight. The brass was getting colder to the touch, as if it had been tinged with frost as soon as it came out of the water.


    "How can it be so cold? Is there an ice spring at the bottom of this pond? I guess that little silver dragon must be made of ice, otherwise it couldn''t survive down there... The temperature under this water is almost like being in a freezer!"


    Yuan Ge felt his hands almost sticking to the brass chain, the coldness had seeped into his bones, but his curiosity was also aroused and he began to wonder what the chain actually led to and what was hidden beneath this cold pond. He kept pulling until he was almost exhausted, yet he still could not reach the end. Just as he was about to give up, suddenly he felt the chain stop moving, as if he heard a dull "click" from under the water, and he could pull no more.

 Chapter 8 - A Snow-White Hand

    The two of them looked at each other, obviously not expecting such an outcome either. Yuan Ge threw away the brass chains in his hand and said, "Now you can rest assured. There''s nothing at all at the bottom of the pond, it''s probably tied to a big rock or something to attract peoples'' curiosity. That''s why legends are just legends, nine times out of ten they lead to disappointment when you try to verify them."


    Am¨¦lie nodded in agreement, "You are right, it''s reassuring, but the truth is just not that interesting at all."


    Seeing her somewhat disappointed look, Yuan Ge smiled and tried to cheer her up, "You just sit here and wait for me. Maybe my future wife will be coming up from the water soon, someone has to greet her when she arrives."


    "It''s not funny! You are terrible!" Am¨¦lie jumped up and grabbed Yuan Ge''s arm straight away, "I''m not going to wait here by myself. I''m going with you."


    "What a chicken, how dare you egg me on .... When Professor Fu comes back, I''ll make sure to ask her to help you become gutsier..."


    As the chatter and laughter faded and their backs disappeared into the cold winter night, the Dragon Pond returned to undisturbed silence.


    The night breeze rustled the jagged branches of the old ginkgo tree, and throughout the entire Rong Mansion, only the faint shadow of the moon could be seen from time to time through the dense clouds.


    The dark pond appeared still in the night breeze, without a single ripple, the frosty white chain began to slide slowly under the water, as if it had suddenly been pulled by some mysterious force from below. As less and less chain was piled on the grass, it sank back into the water faster and faster, and with a final click the chain sank all the way back into the water at last, interlocking until it was tautly stretched to the same old groove tied to the old tree.


    As night fell, thick clouds covered the sky and the faint moonlight was finally completely obscured by the clouds, leaving a total darkness behind. Raindrops fell, but the freezing temperatures at the edge of the pond turned them into a knife-sharp sleet shower.


    Suddenly, a burst of bubbles rose from the thick pond of water, as if something was stirring underneath and a bubbling splash spread out as a vermilion coffin slowly surfaced from the bottom of the pond.


    The top panel of the coffin was engraved with the character "fu"[1] in seal script, and the red paint on the body of the coffin was mottled, vaguely revealing the thick greenish black wood beneath. The coffin was half floating on the water, tied tightly to the other end of the brass chain, but it was impossible to tell how many years it had been at the bottom of the pond. Beneath that ornate exterior was something ghostly, unsettling and sinister. An icy mist lingered nearby the floating coffin for a long time without dissipating, making the atmosphere unspeakably eerie.


    There was dead silence around the pond except for the rustling sound of sleet falling in the air.


    Suddenly, a faint rattle came from the coffin, as if something was banging and flapping inside, then the coffin sank and shook violently, bobbing up and down in the water. Intermittent cries accompanied by moans or coughs were vaguely audible but difficult to describe.


    After a long time, the cross-locks on the brass chain tied around the coffin fell off and sank into the water. The lid of the coffin tilted slightly, and several pieces of bright yellow talisman paper floated out of the cracks and scattered on the surface, some bloody characters vaguely visible. Then a few strands of long black hair, like lush black water weeds, emerged from the cracks of the coffin and floated around it, rippling along gently with the water waves.


    As the coffin shook violently again, a snow-white hand emerged from beneath the lid, trembling slightly in the cold air and rain and snow. If we ignore its excessive pallor, the hand can be described as exceptionally beautiful: the fingers are slender and long; the knuckles are well defined; the skin is jade-like in the faint moonlight; the slight tendons show the strength with which it pushes against the coffin lid, while through the widening gap, only the deep, thick blackness inside can be seen...


    --------------------


    [1] Chinese character, pronounced as "Fu", means fortune, luck, happiness, blessings, etc.

 Chapter 9 - Dinner At Rêver

    R¨ºver''s marble terrace is hidden behind a big sycamore tree, looking simple yet elegant.


    Even in the coldest winter months, when the street is no longer shaded by dense sycamore trees, the textured trunks and tall canopy shapes are still distinctive, giving this street in Beijing an air of French chanson.


    Most restaurants on this street are run by returnees from abroad, who have quite successfully recreated the elegant and sophisticated style of the European restaurants. The d¨¦cor and the choice of music are authentic and pleasing, especially R¨ºver, famous for its vinyl records, whose melodies waft through the air with an indulgence that seems to come from another time and another world.


    The click of her heels on the hardwood floor made Am¨¦lie feel like she was finally back in a familiar and long-lost life. Looking at the stylishly dressed men and women at the tables by the window, accompanied by dancing candlelight and soft exotic music in the air, she couldn''t help but be captivated by the romantic atmosphere before her.


    Since her return to China, she has been devoted to the business development of Dragon Dreams Pictures, battling through the torments of the start-up period - a trivial and worrying existence that has quickly turned her, a French bourgeoise, from a "petite femme" into a "femme fatale". Deep down, Am¨¦lie doesn''t want to be like this. Even though she is always praised for her business acumen and toughness when she deals on behalf of DDP, she often reminisces about her life in Europe, about the clean, crisp winters there, the place where she first met him.


    If she hadn''t met him, she would probably still be working as a senior sales manager at C.. L''s flagship shop on the Champs-¨¦lys¨¦es, and she wouldn''t have returned to China, let alone enter an unfamiliar industry like show business and entertainment circles.


    But the man in front of her was born with a natural talent to titillate - not just on a sensual level, but to titillate the soul. He can tap into one''s romantic yearnings that have been gradually buried by life as the result of growing up, washing away the impurities with his art, drawing people into his world without knowing, and making them follow him like a moth to a flame.


    Just looking at the innocence on his face and the passion in his eyes when he talks about his art and dreams, the fantasies of love buried deep inside her will be drawn out completely. Even a woman who is as pragmatic and disciplined as she is will unconsciously follow his "seduction" and soar away from reality.


    Perhaps this is the kind of person one would call an artist.


    If you are lucky enough to meet a living artist, will you let him slip away from you so easily?


    Thinking about this, Am¨¦lie turned her attention back to the man sitting across from her. Yuan Ge had changed into a slightly loose white shirt with a stand-up collar, a couple of buttons on it being casually unbuttoned, allowing glimpses of his half-hidden collarbone. A trendy, slim-fitting light grey blazer set off his broad shoulders and narrow waist, making his body look straight and elegant.


    Reluctantly she took her eyes off his swan-like graceful neck and then immediately fell back on his long, slender fingers. The owner of these fingers was at the moment mixing black pepper into the truffle sauce the waiter had brought and carefully pouring it over her steak. It was his usual courtesy, but Am¨¦lie always found in his every simple gesture a grace that few men possessed.


    She sighed deeply, which successfully attracted Yuan Ge''s inquisitive gaze. Embarrassed to realise that after a year''s acquaintance, she still couldn''t resist the allure of his gaze, Am¨¦lie surrendered and spoke frankly about what was on her mind.


    "Yuan Ge, you''re actually a demon creature in human form, aren''t you?"

 Chapter 10 - A Demon In Human Form

    "Haha! Are you still thinking about ghosts and demons?"


    "No, not really. I was just thinking that you can dance ballet, play piano, compose and sing, write stories and scripts, do filming and editing, operate so many complicated instruments and equipment, and excel in both artistic disciplines and scientific ones. All of these skills you achieve at a professional level, and any one of which is enough to build a lifelong career for an ordinary person. The most annoying thing is that none of these is your main occupation! You have a double degree in acting and directing from two of the most prestigious film academies in the UK and the US. Surely, even in a so-called slash life, people can''t possibly juggle so many different things, can they?"


    "It''s not as exaggerated as you make it sound. I''ve been working hard since I was a kid no doubt, but I''ve never found anything particularly difficult. I seem to enjoy it all."


    "Come on, if any novelist wrote the main character''s persona as you actually are, I don''t think readers would believe it and would absolutely resent it for being a super Mary Sue. What''s even more annoying is the way you talk, ''It''s not hard, it''s nothing'' - that kind of understated bragging can be really irritating!"


    Yuan Ge sighed helplessly, "Okay, okay, I know too much and I have nowhere to put my talent, so I''ve chosen the most well-rounded career - directing, okay?"


    Am¨¦lie''s eyes widened, "So that''s why you became a director?"


    Yuan Ge thought for a moment, "I guess so.. You know my eccentric parents; one likes art and the other prefers science. They have been arguing about my career choice for as long as I can remember. My mother wanted me to study the literature and arts, but my father wanted me to follow in his footsteps and pursue a technical career. As a result, I remained undecided about studying art or science until my final year of high school. Can you believe it? I was worried that they would interfere with my choice, so I deliberately chose Fudan University in Shanghai."


    "We''ve known each other for a year now, but you haven''t told me much about your past. I''d love to hear more."


    Yuan Ge looked at Am¨¦lie in the candlelight, her eyes shining and looking at him with an inquisitive eagerness, so he continued.


    "Have you ever wondered why so many people nowadays like to start their own business and become their own bosses? It''s because in times of peace, it''s impossible to realise one''s ambition and achieve greatness on the battlefield like in times of war, so they use this disguised way to compete on the commercial battlefield, using the level of wealth to determine one''s position in the world. By the same token, film directing is also a profession that can fulfil a man''s ambition, and being in charge of a large crew can be quite exhilarating. Plus, it requires a combination of technical and artistic talent to successfully lead a crew and create worthwhile works of art."


    "So, to sum it up, you just like to suffer. Your chosen career has to be difficult and challenging enough to keep you interested."


    Yuan Ge said, "At least this career will allow me to use everything I know. It''s also technically demanding, so my father''s research into all that highly sophisticated technology will come in handy, saving him from nagging me that art is all airy fairy."


    Am¨¦lie couldn''t help but laugh at his words, "You must have been a rebellious child at heart. Instead of going to Beijing University or Qinghua University, you escaped to Shanghai, studied for a year and then went to England to study film making. Did two professors emigrate to Europe just to keep an eye on you?"


    Yuan Ge laughed as well, "How did you know? It seems that you understand my parents very well. So, when they both moved to Europe, I immediately escaped to America."


    Am¨¦lie sighed, "It''s not easy raising a genius child. I''m starting to feel sorry for your parents. I wonder when I''ll be able to meet them."


    "You want to meet them? Usually, they will come back to China for the New Year during the winter holidays. We will certainly go abroad again to make films. But video calls nowadays are so convenient that you can see them anytime you want with just the push of a button."


    "I''m just wondering how you are going to introduce me to them? A partner? A colleague?"

 Chapter 11 - Am I Your Goddess?

    "The steak will get cold if you leave it too long. Try it, this place does quite good steaks." Yuan Ge refilled their glasses with red wine and clinked his glass lightly with Am¨¦lie''s, but did not continue the previous conversation.


    Am¨¦lie dropped the subject and looked down at her plate as if she were concentrating on enjoying her steak, but she knew in her heart that Yuan Ge''s attitude was still one of clear rejection. The man could only speak eloquently and genuinely when it came to his art, but when it came to his personal life and relationships, he was always vague and indifferent. Am¨¦lie knew that Yuan Ge, as a good film director, must have a delicate and rich emotional world, and his reluctance to discuss his personal feelings could only mean that she had not yet aroused his interest enough.


    For the past year, she has been working hard on this small start-up company. As one of the four founders, she has put her life savings, all her time and energy into it without a minute of relaxation, taking on several jobs at once and acting as everyone''s housekeeper and nanny. But Am¨¦lie never complained, did her best with limited resources, ignored her gender and threw herself into her career with enough professionalism to show that she was excellent at what she did. In this regard, she could see that she had gained Yuan Ge''s respect and recognition, and his trust and reliance on her was growing. However, he had never shown the same eagerness towards her as the other two partners had towards their female peers. Even when she took the initiative to make obvious hints, as she did today, they were ignored without comment. She couldn''t think of anything she hadn''t done well enough to explain why he remained indifferent to her after a year of acquaintance..


    "What are you thinking about? So engrossed."


    Am¨¦lie looked up and met Yuan Ge''s gaze. Since beating around the bush didn''t work, she might as well be more direct, "You." With that said, she lifted her glass to her lips and took a small sip, without taking her eyes off Yuan Ge.


    "I was thinking, what kind of a goddess the future Mrs. Yuan would be."


    "What Mrs. Yuan? You''ve been living in the West for too long. It''s not popular for women in China to take their husbands'' names after marriage. Nowadays it''s all about the heroine plus her subservient husband or queen plus her loyal servant. It''s impossible to find a traditional woman who is willing to play a supporting role to her husband and children!" Yuan Ge replied, with a mischievous look in his eyes, as if the question had nothing to do with him.


    Am¨¦lie''s heart beat faster, the words "I''m willing if it were you" almost came out of her mouth, but she held it back.


    Don''t lose your composure. In front of such a wonderful man, do not let him take you lightly by behaving imprudently. She told herself.


    "Don''t change the subject. We''re talking about your choice of wife, Director Yuan." She smiled brightly and decided to push him one more time.


    Seeing Am¨¦lie''s insistence, Yuan Ge had no choice but to reply, "Lady Producer, look at the state of DDP, with its current size and operations, it''s not even a third-rate film production company in China. I don''t want to sound conceited, but I do understand that everyone is doing their best to keep this company going, more or less because of me. Our first film was an art-house film that received international acclaim thanks to a niche subject and overseas setting, but the domestic audience knows almost nothing about us and we have to start from scratch. This film with its traditional theme is therefore crucial to our survival and our ability to gain a firm foothold in the mainstream film market. This is a huge responsibility on my shoulders."


    Am¨¦lie understood that Yuan Ge was telling the truth, but she didn''t want him to switch the conversation back to work and art so quickly. Unwilling to drop the subject, she asked again, "I understand, and that''s why I want to be your best comrade in arms. It''s just that, work aside, don''t you want a life? I''m curious what kind of woman you''d be attracted to."


    "I never seem to have time to think about that."


    "Love is the source of art. How can you pursue the ultimate art but not have a high regard for love? Or is it that our great Director Yuan has too many untold love affairs and too many women to choose from that he has become numb to them all?"

 Chapter 12 - There Is No Venus In The World

    "Not at all¡­ "


    Looking into Am¨¦lie''s smiling eyes, Yuan Ge knew he couldn''t get out of the topic without saying something. After thinking about it for a while, he sighed, "Actually, I can''t put my finger on it. The short answer is that she needs to have the ability to inspire me, I guess. Art requires a Dionysian spirit and I am often too bound by reason to push the boundaries. Perhaps the presence of that person will give me a glimpse of the true nature of art and ignite a passion in me that I cannot hold back from burning myself out."


    "You make it sound so vague and ethereal. Can you be more specific?"


    "But the spiritual world is supposed to be ethereal. I often find myself walking through the misty woods, trying to catch the spectrum of the Divine from the dappled light seeping through the branches, searching for the feathers of angels among the trees. Perhaps there will be a spirit who can decipher the special characters recorded by these feathers of light, and with her leaps and flutters, songs and dances, join me in describing the miracles and recreating the ethereal world. Such joy must be spellbinding."


    Am¨¦lie made a face, "No wonder they say that artistic men are the hardest type to catch.. You''re a man who chases the light, and the woman who can make your heart sing probably has to be Venus herself."


    Yuan Ge laughed, "Yes, she is the ultimate, the purest white of the snowy mountains, the deepest blue of the vast oceans, the bone etching heat of the corona centre, the virgin red of the cherry blossoms¡­ "


    When it came to artistic pursuits, Yuan Ge became eloquent again. Am¨¦lie sighed inwardly.


    It indeed has to be Venus herself who can make an artist fall in love. A mere mortal, no matter how good she is, is not in the same league; without the magical power to shake the soul, she could only be mediocre. She thought to herself.


    She gently swirled the glass in her hand, her emotions swirling together with the onyx-coloured liquid. It felt good to be slightly tipsy, to indulge herself in just the right way under the guise of alcohol.


    Am¨¦lie listened quietly as Yuan Ge continued to describe the artistic sanctuary in his heart. If she disregarded reality, such topics would always enthral her and make her fall into his world - a man like him... I will never meet a man like him again in my life if I let him slip away. This thought kept flashing through her head, suddenly causing Am¨¦lie to panic and feel a great sense of loss.


    There were only a few tables left in the restaurant and a French love song was playing in the background. The soft but resolute vocals of the female singer caught Am¨¦lie''s attention and made her listen closely to the lyrics.


    "...


    Ma peau br?le de tes caresses


    Mon c?ur est hant¨¦ par ta solitude


    Pouvons-nous abandonner ce faux-semblant ?


    Je ne peux pas pr¨¦dire comment ?a va finir


    Tu peux tout avoir de moi


    Mon c?ur, ma vie et mes d¨¦sirs


    J''ai mis mon ame ¨¤ nu


    Parce que tes yeux sont dangereux


    Dis-moi de qui tu r¨ºves


    dans ton sommeil le plus profond


    Je briserai la d¨¦fense de ton c?ur


    m¨ºme s''il est fait de roche et de glace !"[1]


    Am¨¦lie was captivated by the lyrics. Here was a woman who had fallen for a man, that burning desire, that exhilarating and palpitating feeling, sung so truly, so, like herself.


    Do I have the same faith and determination before crashing and burning with no way back, before I fall completely and hopelessly in love with him? Could I break his heart''s defence, even if it is made of rock and ice?


    Immersed in the music and the infectious lyrics, Am¨¦lie became optimistic again. Her pride, competitiveness and innate desire to win all seem to be stirred up and her heart is full of hope.


    There was no Venus in the world. She had no obvious rival, at least not yet, so she must seize the opportunity to make the most of this vantage point she had. There is no absolutely impenetrable defence. If one is brave and strong enough to hit a rock, how do you know she won''t win in the end?


    Thinking of this, she regained her old confidence and said briskly to Yuan Ge, "My great artist, it is getting late. Let''s go back." Raising her glass, she made a gesture of toasting to the man opposite her. The candlelight danced in her eyes like two flames, and her cheeks looked even more charming under the crimson colour of the wine.


    "To the success of our film, to the future of Dragon Dreams, to you, and to me!" After saying these words, Am¨¦lie drained her glass of wine without waiting for Yuan Ge''s reply.


    --------------------


    [1] English translation of the French lyrics is roughly as follows:


    My skin''s burning from your caress


    My heart''s haunted by your loneliness


    Can we give up this pretence


    I can''t predict how it ends


    You can have my all


    My heart, my life and my desires


    I''ve bared my soul


    For your eyes are dangerous


    Tell me who you''re dreaming of


    in your deepest sleep


    I shall break your heart''s defence


    even if it''s made of rock and ice!

 Chapter 13 - The Midnight Encounter

    "Trying to play cool really does come at a price¡­ '''' Yuan Ge muttered, shaking the wet snow off his overcoat, and quickened his pace to rush back to the Rong Mansion. He had to get back the script he had left in the props room. Not to mention delaying tomorrow''s work schedule, if the script were to be stolen and the details leaked out, the consequences would be unthinkable.


    How could it start snowing while he was having dinner with Am¨¦lie? It was a good thing that he just had some wine. As he walked faster, the heat spreading through his veins gradually dispelled the chill in his body.


    Yuan Ge greeted the security guards at the entrance and entered the empty mansion. The gravel path he had come from was already covered with a fine layer of white snow, and the grass and trees around were tinged with a thin silvery glow.


    As Yuan Ge walked, his thoughts went back to Am¨¦lie at dinner and some undefinable feelings welled up in his heart. As a woman, she really was perfect enough, and it would be a lie to say that he didn''t have any feelings for her. Was it too insensitive to talk so much about art and ultimate love? Nevertheless, Dragon Dreams was still in the toughest start-up phase and he really didn''t have time to think about anything other than work.


    As usual, Yuan Ge used work as an excuse to avoid emotional entanglements. Before he knew it, he was back in front of the ginkgo tree by the Dragon Pond. His instincts told him that something was not quite right. The air around him seemed to have become so thin that he could barely breathe.


    His eyes inadvertently swept across the darkness of the pond, and then stopped abruptly. For a minute, Yuan Ge thought he was mistaken, for there, in the grass by the water under the ginkgo tree, lay a slim white figure!


    No way!


    Yuan Ge shook his head, trying to shake off the effects of the wine, then stepped a little closer. The white figure still lay motionless on the shore. Black hair, about waist length, spread across the lawn at the edge of the pond; a long, water-soaked white robe seemed to be tinted with moonlight and covered in frost in the night air. Its skin was as white and smooth as jade, without a trace of blood, and lifeless like a white porcelain doll. It lay on the shore as if exhausted, the lower half of its body still submerged in the cold water.


    Hmm, what a classic opening scene to a midnight ghost story! Yuan Ge laughed to himself, still he couldn''t help but feel a little creeped out: on a snowy moonless night, by a dark pond in an old mansion, long black hair and ancient white costumes - it seemed like a re-enactment of an old legend of this mansion, or a scene he had vaguely glimpsed in his own dreams. Only in his own dreams, this slender white-robed figure was babbling a sad opera, blood dripping from his wrists and down from his eyes... Yuan Ge suddenly felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and the hairs on his body pricked. Had his "wife" really emerged from the water?


    There are no demons or ghosts in this world! They are all made up by unscrupulous professors like Violette Fu. The person is probably someone who wanted to commit suicide by jumping into the water and regretted it, right?


    Yuan Ge quickly forced himself to calm down and tried to explain away the ghostly scene in front of him. Fear comes from the unknown. To overcome the fear, all you need to do is to find out what it is - as a daredevil who grew up listening to ghost stories and as a film director who had watched countless movies, Yuan Ge knew this very well. His abundance of reason immediately brought him back to his senses. Ashamed of his momentary weakness, he strode over to the person to see what was going on.


    The person lying on the shore did not respond to his approach. The rigid body was motionless, seemingly asleep or completely dead. The white robe was still wet, outlining a waist as thin as a willow, fragile and delicate as a celestial fairy, surprisingly beautiful.


    "Hey, who are you! Can you hear me?" Yuan Ge walked half a circle around the person, trying in vain to figure out whether it was a man or a woman; the person''s face was so tightly covered by the long hair that it was impossible to tell the gender or age. The robe was clearly not an everyday garment, but its style looked like it came from the Qing Dynasty.


    "Why did you steal our costumes? How did you get in here? Get up now! Stop pretending to be a ghost and scaring people like this. I''m calling the police!" Yuan Ge spoke loudly, but the person just lay limply on the ground, not responding at all.

 Chapter 14 - A Water Ghost?

    Was it possible that this person was actually dead? Even if not, with half of the body in the icy water, they would have frozen to death in this bitterly cold weather. Thinking of this, Yuan Ge couldn''t care about anything else and hurried over, putting his hand under their arms and trying to drag the person to the shore. However, as his eyes swept across the pond, he noticed that the submerged legs, which seemed to be without trousers in the hazy moonlight, looked like they were stuck together, not like human legs, but a huge fish tail, still glistening with the silvery light of fish scales.


    Yuan Ge shook his head again. Was it because he had told too many ghost stories and legends tonight that he was actually hallucinating? Or was it because he had been writing a film script about a Qing Dynasty actor and had gotten too deep into it and had been having some strange dreams lately?


    With a strong pull, he finally pulled the person out of the water. When he looked at the lower half of the body again, there was no fish tail at all. Beneath the white robe, there was only a pair of long white legs.


    It was actually a man!


    Yuan Ge felt even more incredulous when he recalled the outline of the man''s bone structure and the tightness of his muscles that he had just touched. With this striking white robe and such long hair, it was unlikely that he was a burglar. Was it possible that the man had chosen this old mansion to commit suicide, but finding the water too cold for him to die painlessly, changed his mind and struggled back to the shore, only to collapse from exhaustion by the icy water and cold wind? Better not delay any longer, it''s time to call an ambulance and get him to the hospital.


    Thinking of this, Yuan Ge bent down and tried to check if the man was still breathing. After the dragging and pulling earlier, the man seemed to have finally regained his consciousness. He was lying on his side on the grass under the tree, shivering, seemingly completely disoriented, oblivious to his surroundings and Yuan Ge''s presence. He maintained his rigid posture and mumbled something incoherently under his breath.


    "Mate, are you alright? Can you hear me?" When Yuan Ge saw that the man had woken up, he tried to help him sit up. However, when his hand touched his arm, the man unexpectedly clutched Yuan Ge''s wrist with both hands like a drowning man clutching at the last straw, and refused to let go.


    By now, the cold wind had blown away the dark clouds, the sleet had stopped, and the moonlight was pouring out between the clouds. Holding Yuan Ge''s hand for strength, the man finally sat up slowly.


    Yuan Ge felt a piercing chill on his wrist. Looking at the man''s long wet black hair and skin as white as moonlight, he suddenly recalled water ghosts his mother Violette Fu had told him about when he was a child. People who die by drowning sometimes find a double at the water''s edge in order to be reincarnated early. This kind of ghost is usually pale white in colour from prolonged immersion in the water. Although it looks weak on the shore, once a living person is dragged under the water by it, it becomes immensely strong. It will then cover the victim''s seven orifices with silt and pull it into a cave underwater¡­


    The image of a water ghost eating a man alive sent Yuan Ge''s heart pounding. He jerked his hand violently, trying to get out of the man''s grip, but he would not relent, pulling back and forth as hard as he could, clutching at Yuan Ge with all his strength, as if he was afraid of being abandoned.


    There were no garden lights by the pond, but by now the moon had fully broken through the clouds, so Yuan Ge tried to get a good look at the man''s face in the bright moonlight.


    Hidden beneath the damp black hair was his high nose and thin lips; his fair skin was completely bloodless, but his silhouette was perfect. Even the hands that gripped him were exquisitely delicate; ten slender fingers with well-defined knuckles and the utmost elegance. The white robe he wore was of the finest silk, intricately embroidered with patterns of orchids and bamboo, far more elaborate than the white satin robes made by the DDP''s costume department.


    Finally unable to hold back his curiosity, Yuan Ge reached out to brush aside the man''s long hair, only to be stunned once again by the face before him.


    The person looked so much like Rong Qing he had seen in his dreams - a small, delicate face with a full forehead, prominent brow bones and nose, and thin, slightly curved lips. Flawless white porcelain skin and dark, bristly eyebrows added depth to his features, giving him a sense of gallantry. Even with Yuan Ge''s extreme pickiness about a person''s looks, this man could be considered stunningly beautiful with perfectly proportioned features. In particular, there was an indescribable sadness on his face, which seemed to have undried tears, and the ends of his eyes seemed to be tinged with a thin layer of red hue, making one''s heart ache for him while also bringing out a feminine fragility in his male handsomeness.


    Only a beauty that blurs the boundaries of gender can be described as heavenly, existing only in the world of the gods.

 Chapter 15 - A Male Venus

    However, the man was oblivious to Yuan Ge''s gaze and just stared at him with those big, empty, unfocused eyes, while holding on to his hand tightly. Only then did Yuan Ge notice that he had a white silk scarf wrapped around his neck, with bright red strangulation marks underneath, exactly like the way his protagonist, Rong Qing, had died!


    What the hell is going on here!


    Yuan Ge felt a chill down his spine and his scalp tingling. But as a staunch atheist, Yuan Ge firmly believed that "there is no ghost in the world, but ghosts are born from the heart", so how could this person in front of him, who resembled Rong Qing so much, be real? It must be because he had been so immersed in writing that he had begun to hallucinate. Perhaps the most plausible explanation is that this man is a Cosplayer. Judging from the age, he is either a highschooler or a university student. Perhaps he heard somewhere that a film was being made in this old mansion, so he tried to get the director''s attention by cosplaying in an ancient costume to get himself a part in the film. Young people nowadays are so determined that they will do anything for a hobby, even unafraid of freezing to death in the middle of the night! How immature! Yuan Ge thus made a judgement and came to this conclusion about the unusual scene in front of him.


    "Hey kid, are you trying to cosplay Rong Qing from my film? Come on, get up, you''re going to freeze to death if you keep lying here. Just let go of my hand and go home, or I can call an ambulance for you if you need it."


    However, the boy remained unresponsive to Yuan Ge''s questions. His unfocused eyes stared blankly into the darkness, seemingly completely unable to see or hear.. He kept shivering with a hoarse choking sound coming out of his mouth, but he seemed to be unable to form a complete sentence, both hands still clinging to Yuan Ge''s hand, not letting him go.


    Yuan Ge waved his other hand in front of him a few times and saw that the boy was still staring straight ahead as if he was blind. This was impossible! How could a cosplayer not be able to see? Was he showing off his acting skills or something? Although his miserable appearance made Yuan Ge feel sympathetic towards him, it was still annoying to be pestered by such a strange boy in the middle of the night. Yuan Ge stood up and tried to get away from him, but the boy seemed determined and refused to let go, therefore he was pulled up to his feet by Yuan Ge.


    "Hey, enough is enough!" Yuan Ge finally lost his patience and reached out to push him away on the shoulders. But just as he and the boy wrestled together, the elegant-looking white silk robe the boy was wearing suddenly crumbled into pieces and fell to the ground, swept up by a gust of wind and blown away without a trace. In the moonlight, the boy in front of him was instantly naked, revealing his jade-like body, even his private parts were exposed.


    Yuan Ge was completely stunned. He didn''t know where to put his eyes. Even though he didn''t want to look, this boy''s naked body was right in front of him and he simply couldn''t miss it. His well-proportioned body made Yuan Ge feel that if there was a male version of Venus in this world, it would probably look like this boy right in front of him.


    The boy still seemed unable to see, yet he too felt his nakedness and hurriedly let go of one hand, trying to use it to desperately cover his private parts, but the other hand still clung to Yuan Ge firmly. The red hue at the end of his eyes became brighter, and large teardrops flowed from his eyes, as clear as crystal. He looked like a pear blossom in the rain, sobbing silently, a pained expression mixed with extreme shyness that made the hearts of all who saw him ache.

 Chapter 16 - Cry Me A River

    In the dead of night, faced with such a completely naked and stunningly beautiful boy...


    Director Yuan Ge, who always considered himself intellectual and rational, thought he had finally understood what was going on and seen through his tricks, "Now I get it! You''re actually a porcelain bumper[1], aren''t you! Tell me, where did you hide the camera?"


    Having gained a lot of experience in fighting smear campaigns since his return to China, Yuan Ge thought he now had a good understanding of all the crap that goes on among the crazy fans in show business.


    "You want to play Rong Qing in my new film, don''t you? I suggest you not try to be too clever. It''s useless to pull this kind of stunt!"


    "Do you think you can blackmail me by getting naked on a cold, snowy night and pretending to be deaf, dumb, blind and miserable? Let go of me now!"


    Yuan Ge looked around to see if the boy had any accomplices, and in desperation he increased his strength to break free of his grip, but to no avail. The boy was so terrified of being abandoned that he seemed to cling to Yuan Ge with all his might, as if he was his only hope and he could not let go no matter what.


    "What a hopeless time we live in! Do boys have to go to such extremes just to get into the acting circles?"


    Yuan Ge saw his wrist turning red from being grabbed, and he looked around for signs of snappers and cameras, fearing that he would be on the news all over the Internet the next morning.. He said sarcastically, "That''s quite an outfit you''ve got there. It turns to ashes at a touch. The special effects are top notch. Which seller did you get it from on Taobay? I''ll have to order a few for my actors too... "


    Before he could finish his words, the boy suddenly burst into tears, his emotions rushing out of him like a river breaking its banks, his previously muffled whimpers becoming discernible. "Wherefore, wherefore! who is''t art thee, I¡­ I... "[2]


    The boy muttered, crouching down again and clutching his knees as he sobbed uncontrollably.


    Yuan Ge had never seen anyone able to cry so hard. Large teardrops fell down his face like broken pearls, as if a lifetime of unfulfillment, resentment and grievances had converged in his eyes and burst forth from these choked sobs.


    The sound of the boy''s cries was also beautiful and ethereal. His broken words had a pure Beijing accent. And the expression on his face was so resigned and helpless, his jade-like body trembling, causing Yuan Ge''s heart to suddenly feel like it had been stabbed by a dull knife, starting to inexplicably ache terribly. As if the blood in his veins was stirred by the boy''s tears, it began to boil, and many strange images rushed into his mind, bizarre and fantastical, like a dream.


    Moonlight shone on the old ginkgo tree, casting shadows on the faces of the two men. In the stillness of the night, the only sound that could be heard in this old mansion was Yuan Ge''s reprimand, "What the hell do you want? A liar, a porcelain bumper, pretending to be a victim, why are you crying? What do you really want, crying so much¡­ What a great actor you are! Well, act, keep acting!"


    Although Yuan Ge''s words were sharp and unforgiving, seeing the boy crying while hugging himself into a ball and trembling terribly, he still felt sorry for him. With a softening heart, he took off his overcoat and draped it over the boy''s naked body, "There! You won! Stop crying! It annoys the hell out of me! Come with me to the office so I can at least find you some clothes to wear! If you freeze to death here tonight, I''ll still be on the news tomorrow!"


    Yuan Ge wrapped his coat around the boy with one hand, helped him up with the other and led him towards the temporary crew lounge.


    "You''re a real pro at this kind of porcelain bumping scam. I can''t even call the police or an ambulance. If anyone saw us like this now, I won''t be able to wash myself clean even if I jump into the Yellow River[3]. Okay, okay, please, stop crying! In a minute when you''ve calmed down and can talk properly, you can tell me what you really want¡­ "


    The boy seemed to sense Yuan Ge''s kindness and gradually stopped crying, taking Yuan Ge''s hand and following him timidly. The two walked slowly along the gravel path by the Dragon Pond, moonlight covering the water behind them as two golden leaves drifted down from the ancient ginkgo tree onto the surface of the water, like two overlapping hearts.


    --------------------


    [1] Porcelain bumping, or Pengci, is a type of scam where the scammers place ostensibly expensive, fragile items (usually porcelain) in places where they may easily be knocked over, allowing them to collect damages when the items are damaged. The term has been expanded to include feign injury in traffic accidents in order to extort money from drivers.


    [2] This is Shakespearean English, in modern English it means "Why, why! Who are you, I... I..."


    [3] Unable to wash oneself clean even if one jumps into the Yellow River, this is a Chinese idiom used to describe the inability to clear one''s name after being slandered.

 Chapter 17 - Who Are You?

    When they reached the temporary crew lounge, Yuan Ge turned on the lights and then immediately noticed the boy''s eyes turning towards the light source. There was finally life in those previously blank eyes, as if his eyesight had returned, so Yuan Ge hurriedly settled him on the sofa and said soothingly, "You look so pale... You must be freezing, or maybe your blood sugar is too low? Let me get you a cup of hot coffee."


    The boy looked at Yuan Ge with tearful eyes, but it seemed that the warmth of the room had helped him regain his hearing and other senses. His body was no longer as stiff as before and he slowly released his grip on Yuan Ge''s hand, wrapped his coat tightly around himself and hugged his legs shyly, huddling in the corner of the sofa, not daring to move an inch.


    Yuan Ge saw his frightened look and didn''t have the heart to press him too hard. He stood up, walked to the makeshift kitchenette, made two cups of coffee, and after some thought added a whole sachet of brown sugar to one of them.


    Still looking timid, the boy took the cup of hot coffee carefully and held it closely to his chest, sniffing uneasily at the aroma, as if unsure whether he should drink it.


    "Don''t worry, it won''t hurt you, a sugar overloaded macchiato should do you good.. It''s too cold outside. Let''s warm up first." Yuan Ge said as he took a sip of his own coffee.


    This time, the boy seemed to understand what he meant and took a small sip, following Yuan Ge''s example, then immediately he choked and began to cough, staring in horror at the frothy brown liquid in his hand. When he saw Yuan Ge smiling and raising his cup to him, he was too embarrassed to push back and plucked up the courage to finish his coffee in one gulp, after which he frowned and coughed a few times, but his body gradually stopped shaking.


    "After being in the icy water for so long, you may have temporarily lost your five senses. Once your blood sugar level returns, you should be fine. By the way, what''s your name?"


    The boy looked around the room, his face looked confused, as if he recognised something that was familiar to him, but he wasn''t quite sure. When he stared at the ceiling light, he actually looked frightened.


    Seeing this, Yuan Ge couldn''t help but feel amused, "You''ve never had coffee, but haven''t you ever seen an electric light?"


    "I... " The boy cleared his throat, as if trying to get rid of the sugar residue that had stuck to his throat from his coffee earlier. When he spoke again, his voice sounded remarkably clean and crisp like wind chimes, "I hath used to beest an act''r in Jinyu Troupe, Qiuchen, and anon i worketh in the House of Rong, so I tooketh Rong as mine own surname and hath called myself Rong Qiuchen."[1]


    He spoke with a pure Beijing accent and the tone of his voice sounded musical like an opera singer.


    Now it was Yuan Ge''s turn to be amazed, "How is it possible¡­ "


    "Whither am i? Who is''t art thee?"[2]


    "Whither? Thee? I want to ask you, why are you talking so weirdly in the middle of the night? I am Yuan Ge of the House of Yuan, and this is Rong Mansion of Shoubi Hutong in the Imperial Capital!" Yuan Ge was amused by his half-literate, half-vernacular question and answered him in the same way.


    The boy who called himself Rong Qiuchen seemed oblivious to Yuan Ge''s mockery. His eyes glistened with undried tears, and when he looked around again, the light in his eyes dimmed and he muttered, "It''s not Shoubi Hutong, it''s Choupi¡­ " Then, suddenly becoming more agitated, he said, "Whither is the Third Lord?"[3] Standing up, he seemed to want to walk out of the room to look for someone, but the overcoat slipped off his shoulders. When his eyes met Yuan Ge''s gaze, he hastily crouched down again, his face blushed, and he wrapped the coat tightly around him, not daring to move again.


    Yuan Ge was even more surprised to hear him call out the old name of Shoubi Hutong.


    This kid is pretending to be crazy and foolish, but he has done his homework well. Go on, keep acting and let''s see when you''ll reveal your true self!


    So, he went along with the boy''s game and answered, "Third Lord? You mean the previous owner of this mansion, right? This was once the residence of the First Grade Minister Ronglu, and his brother the Third Lord''s name was Huilu, is that right?" Yuan Ge counted his fingers exaggeratedly, "Qiuchen of the House of Rong, your master has been buried underground for almost 150 years!"


    --------------------


    [1]Translate into today''s English, it means: I used to be an actor in Jinyu Troupe, Qiuchen, and now I work in the House of Rong, so I took Rong as my surname and called myself Rong Qiuchen.


    [2] Where am I? Who are you?


    [3] Where is the Third Lord?

 Chapter 18 - The Qing Dynasty Is Over!

    "How can this beest? Thee mustn''t talk tush tush!"[1]


    Rong Qiuchen shook his head repeatedly, but seeing that Yuan Ge did not seem to be lying, tears quickly welled up in his eyes again as he looked around at the unfamiliar furnishings and filming equipment in the room. Holding back his tears, he grabbed Yuan Ge''s hand in fear and asked in a trembling voice, "Childe Yuan, is this the fourth year of Guangxu?"


    "Yes, yes, the fourth year of Guangxu. You seem to have put a lot of effort into trying to get into my cast. The acting isn''t bad at all. The tears come naturally enough, and the basics are all there." Yuan Ge still had the same mirthless smile on his face as if telling him to stop fooling around. "By the way, I say Rong - Qiu - Chen, are you a student of NATA[2] or IFA[3]?"


    "Student?" Rong Qiuchen looked puzzled, "But I am an act''r."


    "Okay, so you must be from NATA. Now, let''s stop playing games, and tell me honestly, how on earth did you get my script?" Yuan Ge waved the master copy in his hand. He had come back specifically to get this, and it looked like this kid had probably gone through it first. If he didn''t get to the bottom of it, and it did leak out, the damage would be unthinkable..


    Seeing that the boy still looked confused and frightened and had no intention of telling the truth, Yuan Ge decided to apply some pressure even though he felt pity for him.


    "In the film I''m making now, the male lead is called Rong Qing, who is based on a real historical figure happened to be called Rong Qiuchen[4], but Flowers of the Opera Stage, which records this fact, is a rare ancient book that I''ve never shown to anyone, not even the actors in our cast. How could you, a student, know about it?" Yuan Ge pulled down his face and stood up, towering over him, assuming the stance of an official interrogating a prisoner.


    The boy still looked confused, "I... I am Rong Qiuchen."


    When Yuan Ge saw how stubborn he was, he couldn''t help but raise his voice impatiently, "Still talking tough, right! Believe it or not, if I tell your school about you sneaking into my film set, stealing my script, and doing porcelain bumping stark naked, you''ll be expelled immediately!"


    "I might not but beest dreaming, dreaming! Wherefore art thee falsing to me? This might not but not beest the fourth year of Guangxu! Whither is the emperor? Whither is the Empress Dowager?" [5]


    Rong Qiuchen, however, ignored Yuan Ge''s threats and instead carefully surveyed Yuan Ge''s clothes, hairstyle and the various filming equipment in the room, shrinking on the sofa and clutching his knees, terrified and unsure of what to do.


    "I say, little fellow, stop acting! The Qing Dynasty is long over! No more Tongzhi, no more Guangxu, no more Cixi! It''s the People''s Republic of China now! PRC!"


    "The Qing Dynasty is long ov''r? ''t''s long ov''r! ''t''s ov''r ..."[6]


    Rong Qiuchen mumbled at Yuan Ge''s words and suddenly stood up like a madman, stumbling towards the door.


    "Stop! I haven''t finished! Come back, it''s cold outside! Ah... That''s my overcoat!... " When Yuan Ge put down his coffee and hurried out after him, there was only darkness outside, and no sign of the boy anywhere.


    The only sound coming from the distant wind was the clear, melodious and mad chant of the boy, "The Qing dynasty is ov''r¡­ "


    --------------------


    [1] How can this be? You mustn''t talk nonsense!


    [2] NATA: National Academy of Theatrical Arts


    [3] IFA: Imperial Film Academy.


    [4] The name Qiuchen is made up of two Chinese characters that literally mean ''autumnal person'' or ''autumnal theme''. Autumn has a number of specific metaphorical meanings in the Chinese literary tradition. It usually evokes a noble feeling of both melancholy and solitude.


    [5] I must be dreaming, dreaming! Why are you lying to me? This must not be the fourth year of Guangxu! Where is the Emperor? Where is the Empress Dowager?


    [6] The Qing Dynasty is long over? It''s long over! It''s over.

 Chapter 19 - Directors Nightly Routine

    This is not scientific!


    Yuan Ge lay in bed, frowning and thinking about the whole incident. In fact, after a hectic day, he was feeling a little tired. It was already late when he arrived home, and tomorrow was another packed day, but he found it hard to sleep due to the unexpected sudden appearance and disappearance of "Rong Qiuchen".


    Thinking back to the boy''s waist-length hair, he initially thought it was a high-end wig, purely to show off the ancient costume to impress him the film director, but when he helped the boy into the crew lounge, he paid close attention and made a point of touching it, and found that it was indeed his real hair.


    But the boy looked like he had just come of age. Yuan Ge unconsciously touched his own hair, still feeling baffled - a man''s hair only grew a dozen centimetres a year, and it would take at least six or seven years, if not more, to grow to waist length. He was only a boy. How early did he need to start planning to grow his hair that long? But that length would be quite suitable for playing Rong Qing if it was plaited in the Qing Dynasty style...


    Yuan Ge considers himself to be an artist with a rational mind.. Once he thinks about an issue, not only must he have a clear thought process and a unique perspective, he must also be able to give a rational explanation backed by logic and reason. He would never allow himself to make intellectual mistakes.


    The most plausible explanation for this "Rong Qiuchen" business is that the boy might have been a student at the National Academy of Theatrical Arts (NATA). It is hard to say if he is studying pop music or opera, but he certainly has a good voice. He must have heard somewhere that Dragon Dreams was making a new film and that it was in the middle of casting, so he came up with this porcelain bumping idea of wearing an ancient costume in the middle of the night to make an unusual impression on the director to increase his chances of getting a part in the film. The boy does look good and has a nice body, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he is one of the rare beauties in the world, but instead of coming to the audition in a proper way, he used this unorthodox method, which is a bit low.


    Yuan Ge shook his head. This kid was quite meticulous and had put a lot of thought into creating this "accidental encounter". Yuan Ge didn''t know where he had gotten a copy of the Flowers of the Opera Stage and actually found out that Rong Qing''s real name was Rong Qiuchen. Kids these days are very resourceful and will really do anything to get what they want!


    Yuan Ge rolled over in bed and idly picked up the script. His perfectionist nature has made it a habit for him to read through the script every night before going to sleep, using the trance between reality and dreams to sort out the emotional development of the story, while putting himself in the shoes of each vivid character, imagining how the actors should recreate and interpret the scenes, and how the camera should tell and present them.


    Although the film is about a story set in traditional theatre circles, Yuan Ge has resisted presenting conventional plots and ideas that people are used to seeing in such films. What he wants to present is the main character Rong Qing, a superb actor with the spirit of the moon and the character of jade, a noble and lofty soul who uses his life savings to support a scholar to gain a position of power, but unfortunately his love and trust are betrayed and he eventually dies a tragic death.


    [i]In this life, my long-cherished wish is not fulfilled. But in the next life, on a lotus leaf platform, we will be together.[/i]


    A fragile love, in a wrong era.


    In a two-hour film, in order to convey a proposition that goes beyond the traditional theatre circles and presents a reflection of an era, every scene has to be carefully arranged and every shot used with precision.


    Yuan Ge finally drifted off to sleep in a state of exhaustion. In a trance, it was as if he was back in the Rong Mansion again, walking aimlessly and somehow coming to an elegant little garden.


    It is late autumn and the misty morning fog has not yet lifted. A tranquil pond meanders before him, rustic and natural, with three stone bridges over it. Long corridors and pavilions are scattered around the waterside, some leading to exquisite artificial mountains made of Taihu rocks, others connecting the pavilions by the pond, but none leading out, so this ancient garden, which cannot be entered from outside, has become the true inner courtyard of the Rong Mansion. The walls are lined with old vines and the roots of the walls are planted with flowering trees, and with the rockery sheltering the garden, it is secluded but doesn''t feel confining. Yuan Ge looks up and sees a plaque hanging above an octagonal carved moon gate, which reads "Yi Qiu Garden"[1] in an ancient style.


    The garden looks a little bleak in autumn, and the water''s edge feels even colder. The faint sound of singing, accompanied by the early morning mist, is lingering in the air as if it were a fairyland, drawing Yuan Ge closer to the pool of water in the garden.


    --------------------


    [1] The name of the garden, Yi Qiu, is made up of two Chinese characters that literally mean "to please the autumn" or "the pleasures of autumn". Here "Qiu" also refers to "Qiuchen", so the name of this garden has a double meaning: "to please Qiuchen" or to enjoy the pleasures that Qiuchen brings.

 Chapter 20 - The Man In The Dream

    He saw a yellow ginkgo leaf fall into the pond with a snap. Several red-tailed koi rushed over to grab it, thinking it was fish food, but they soon realised it wasn''t for their tummies. Disappointed at being tricked, they blew water bubbles and hovered around, seemingly reluctant to leave.


    Gently, a slender, white hand deftly fished the fallen leaves out of the water. The palm of that hand was light and thin, with long delicate fingers, clean and transparent nails, and light blue veins faintly showing under the fair skin, making one think that the hands of the beauties of the past who picked flowers, caught butterflies and did needlework were not as graceful as the hand that had just fished the fallen leaves out of the water; or, if this hand were to pick flowers, catch butterflies and do needlework, how tantalising it would be.


    Yuan Ge is mesmerised by the scene before him. Separated by a pool of water and a mist, he cannot see clearly, but he knows exactly who the owner of the hands is.


    The man turned his head, revealing a look even more forlorn than the autumn, his thin figure, set against the desolate garden, made one''s heart ache.


    It is Rong Qing.


    Sitting on a Taihu rock at the edge of the pond, he took pity on the fish in the water being teased by a fallen leaf for no reason, picked up the fallen leaf from the water, and then scattered fish food for them to eat.. All the fish in the water immediately gathered around to grab the rare treat.


    The pond was not very large and there were far too many fish in it, flopping around as they fought for food, many pushed out of the water by their fellows and struggling to find gaps to re-enter. As far as the eye could see, the water was coloured red by the crowded schools of fish, as if they could all be caught in one net.


    Such a thrilling scramble for food was no fun at all in Rong Qing''s eyes. He didn''t want to see the usually graceful koi lose their dignity in their hungry state, so he quickly emptied all the fish food from the pouch into the water. Just as he was watching the fish happily eating, he heard a languish voice coming from behind.


    "Rong Qing, it''s so early in the morning, why aren''t you in bed instead of sneaking out to the pond to watch the fish?"


    Yuan Ge doesn''t know from whom these words came from, and he can only see that Rong Qing has turned his head towards the man at the sound of his voice and returned a light smile. There is a hint of reluctance and bitterness in that smile, while in his eyes, there is no obvious emotion, only a wisp of melancholy, like a pool of autumn water in front of him.


    He is as indifferent and graceful as a chrysanthemum in the autumn breeze.


    As if his soul had been taken away by this faint figure, a strong emotion rushed to Yuan Ge''s heart, making him want to go forward to embrace that lonely figure.


    However, a mist rose from the pond and obscured the image in front of him. When it disappeared, he found himself no longer in the garden, but standing inside a private room.


    Yuan Ge has done a thorough research of the Rong Mansion before beginning filming, and he knew that this is the study suite in the Yi Qiu Garden called Yi Qiu Hall, which has a bedroom behind the main study. Through the window, one can also see the pond in the garden, and the large ginkgo tree by the water''s edge with its luxuriant branches reaching down to the eaves, shading the house from sun and rain.


    Unlike the actual place in reality which has fallen into disrepair over the years, the Yi Qiu Hall in front of him at the moment looks magnificent. The outer study is furnished with an upholstered daybed and a low table for the owner to sip tea while reading, while the inner bedroom is furnished with a mahogany bed covered with fine velvet sheets and an exquisitely embroidered silk quilt that appears to have been in use just moments ago. Fragrant smoke is emanating from an antique brass incense burner on the table, curling up in the air and lingering with a sense of indulgence.


    Just when Yuan Ge was hesitating whether he should intrude into someone else''s private space by mistake, he felt arms hugging him tightly from behind.


    "You''re finally here!"


    Looking back, to his surprise, it was Rong Qing, elegant and simple in his moon white robe, looking at himself with a loving gaze. It was impossible to say whether it was joy or excitement, anger or melancholy in his beautiful eyes, but he could feel a fervent hope in the strength of his embrace.


    In an instant, Yuan Ge felt this passionate embrace stirring up boundless desire in his body. His heart was filled with an unquenchable lust. In a trance, he hugged back Rong Qing somehow. Their lips and tongues eagerly sought each other''s comfort, as if it mattered not when, where or who, except to quell the aching desire in their hearts.


    Bodies entwined; whispering softly.


    He was so close to him that he could feel his breath and taste his sweetness. His peachy eyes, full of love and seduction, were gazing deeply into his own eyes and heart. His soft kisses fell eagerly on his temple, his chin, his neck... that conveyed an indefinable sensation, sensual and ambiguous.

 Chapter 21 - The Butterfly Moment

    Without realising it, they both fell onto the large velvet-covered bed. Half undressed, their snow-white shoulders and necks entwined in a wave of desire.


    A blossoming pear tree was not as beautiful as his jade-like body; the peach petals in spring were no match for his shy blush.


    Yuan Ge could no longer hold back the lust within him, fervent waves of desire rushing through his heart and body, pounding wildly against the boundaries of his sanity. With a whoosh, he tore open Rong Qing''s robe, his lips searching hungrily, raining kisses all over his body, his hands peeling and stroking, eagerly exploring the nakedness beneath¡­


    Outside the window the trees swayed and the leaves rustled in the autumn breeze.


    Just as they were engrossed in the tender love and erotic fever, Rong Qing suddenly let out a shrilly cry, "You! How could you be so cruel!"


    With these words, tears poured out of his eyes, flooding his beautiful face and wetting Yuan Ge''s cheeks as well. Yuan Ge was shocked, and when he looked more closely at the face in front of him, which only a moment ago was deeply affectionate, he saw that the tears had somehow turned into blood, and two hideous wounds appeared on the wrists of the arms that were wrapped around him, and blood gushed out from those wounds, drowning Yuan Ge in a bed of blood instantly.


    Yuan Ge''s mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood, as if he was being choked, and he could no longer breathe as he slowly sank into the hell of the pool of blood. As his consciousness drifted away, Rong Qing''s face, which had been flitting about, became clearer and clearer.. Yuan Ge finally saw that the face was actually identical to the face of the porcelain bumping boy he met today at the pond¡­


    "Qingqing!" Yuan Ge let out a startled cry and sat up with a jolt.


    There was no fish pond in front of him, no study, no velvet sheets, no mahogany bed. He was still lying in his own bed in his own bedroom. There was a faint glimmer of morning light outside the window at the moment, but the room was still too dark to tell what time it was.


    Yuan Ge could hardly believe that such vivid and realistic scenes turned out to be just a dream - a dream in which Rong Qing''s emotions seemed to soak into his bones, his blood was hot and sticky, that lingering passion could still be felt in his hair and skin, and that suffocating fear was so real that it was actually frightening¡­


    Yuan Ge wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead, his heart still palpating with fear, and checked his watch. It was only half past five in the morning. What was this dream all about? Why was Rong Qing''s face, which was so close as if he was right before him, exactly the same as the boy he met last night? Just as Yuan Ge pondered this bizarre dream, he was suddenly startled by an uncomfortable wet and slippery feeling in his underpants - "Holy shit! What the fuck is this? I''m fucking wasted! I''m fucked!"


    Feeling depressed, he hurriedly took off his underwear and threw them into the washing machine along with the bed sheets. Yuan Ge thought back on his dream in frustration, completely confused as to why he would dream about a stranger he just met, let alone befriended, and actually did something so embarrassing and ambiguous with him in his dream... However, no matter how bad he was feeling, everything he saw in the dream remained so clear, so vivid and so provocative in his mind. Every scene in the dream was so dramatic and emotional that it was easy to be fully immersed in it.


    Yuan Ge suddenly had an inspiration, a sort of light bulb moment. The question that troubled him before he went to bed last night now suddenly had an answer - what this script lacked was not a sense of greatness or historical significance, but how to convey the kind of rollercoaster of twists and turns of emotion in the characters. Poignant, melancholic, lingering, intense, tragic... Rong Qing''s every delicate expression of such emotions in his dream was exactly what he had been searching for these days!


    The more Yuan Ge thought about it, the more excited he became. Not only did he become wide awake, but his mind was also busy mulling over the scenes in the dream. If he were to film these scenes, how should he structure the story or switch between subplots, such as the fish pond scene at the beginning of the dream, which was rich in detail and very useful in presenting different layers of the characters ... Yuan Ge rushed to his desk and wrote down all the details of the dream in his project folder. When he finished, he couldn''t help but admire himself.


    I''m such an extraordinary director, even when I''m dreaming I can dream at such a high level! What a boy genius am I!


    After recording the dream in detail, Yuan Ge suddenly felt that he could no longer be sure whether the Rong Qiuchen he had met last night by the water was also just a part of his dream.


    "Zhuang Zhou dreamed that he was a butterfly."[1]


    Yuan Ge laughed at himself, washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror, remembering his own startled cry when he woke up as well as Rong Qiuchen''s stunningly beautiful face in his dream, then he was inspired again and decided to give the film a beautiful new name - "Qingqing"[2].


    --------------------


    [1] This is one of the most famous stories of Zhuang Zhou, an ancient Chinese philosopher. Once he dreamed that he was a butterfly, and when he woke up, he was unsure if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou.


    [2] Here is another play on words. "Qing" is the given name of the male protagonist "Rong Qing" in Yuan Ge''s film script, but when this Chinese character is repeated as "Qingqing" it becomes an affectionate term of endearment, a term of endearment formerly between husband and wife or between close friends.

 Chapter 22 - Lost And Found

    Yuan Ge could not get "Rong Qiuchen", whether the real one or the unreal one, out of his head. Thinking about the nonsensical yet vivid scenes in his dream, his sleepiness was all but driven away, so he left home early and went straight to the filming set.


    When he arrived at the entrance of the Rong Mansion, he saw the cameraman Du Jinghai talking to the security guards. Yuan Ge patted him on the shoulder and greeted him cheerfully, "Jinghai, are you free? I need to discuss with you the location of a scene."


    Du Jinghai, however, replied with a wry smile on his face, ''''Ah! Yuan Ge...You''re here early today, I see you didn''t sleep in...but let''s not worry about the scene locations yet. Director, you''d better deal with the coffin first!"


    Baffled by his words, Yuan Ge followed him to the Dragon Pond, and saw two security guards of the Rong Mansion pointing at a large vermilion coffin on the shore and asking with a grim face, "Did you leave this behind last night after your crew finished the shooting? Why did you throw it into the water? It''s so heavy, like it''s made of iron! It took us both a lot of effort to drag it to shore!".


    "There''s no one inside, is there?" Yuan Ge looked at the ancient looking coffin and blurted out. A stupid statement that almost gave himself the creeps.


    "Don''t be ridiculous! It was still open when we hauled it up. How could anyone have been there!" The guard said snappishly, "It''s such an unlucky thing to look at, so I put the lid back on."


    "But this coffin really is not ours. Could it belong to the Guan family?" Du Jinghai asked.


    "How is that possible!" The older guard snorted, "I''ve been a security guard here for twelve whole years! Everything here is recorded in the inventory book clearly. How can anyone of social standing like the Guan family store a coffin on their own property!"


    "You guys should just hurry up and send someone with us to go and explain the situation to Assistant Liu. It''s too unlucky to keep this thing around. If you don''t use it for filming, then get rid of it as soon as possible, otherwise if the Guan family gets the word of it, we''ll both lose our jobs!" The other security guard said with a serious face.


    Am¨¦lie also arrived at the scene at this point, but when she saw the coffin, she stayed away from it and looked a little apprehensive. Yuan Ge, on the other hand, who was known as "Daredevil Yuan" since childhood, slowly circled the coffin and then pushed open the lid to take a look, scaring Am¨¦lie into covering her eyes. Yuan Ge glanced inside and said with a smile, "This should be a prop left behind by the previous filming crew that used this house for filming. Although the coffin is of good quality, the paint has peeled off here and there, and the patterns in some places are not fully carved, so it''s a half-finished product."


    "Why don''t I get a van and tow it to the dump, let''s not make it difficult for the security staff." As the chief technician in charge of the camera crew, Du Jinghai is a man of action.


    "Not so fast, let me send a few photos to my mum first. We can wait until this afternoon to decide what to do with it."


    Despite his boldness, Yuan Ge is a meticulous man, calmer and sharper than most of the crew when it comes to dealing with the unexpected. He touched the coffin cautiously and felt that the texture of the wood was very unusual, not like the material of ordinary props. When he leaned closer and took a sniff, there wasn''t a hint of the smell of a corpse, and there was actually a faint aroma. Even though the coffin had been submerged in water for a long time, there was no sign of decay and the bottom of the coffin was still cold, as if it was made of ice. What puzzled Yuan Ge most was that the thick lid and walls of the coffin were carved with many mysterious patterns, and there were several pieces of bright yellow talisman paper nailed to the bottom of the coffin. These papers and the ink on them had long since been soaked through, making it impossible to tell what was written on them.


    "Yeah, no rush to get rid of it. Let''s hurry up and give it a good clean instead. Let''s put other scenes on hold today and shoot the funeral scene first! By the way, Yuan Ge, how many people are going to die in this film?"


    "Plenty... Ah!?" Yuan Ge replied automatically, then turned around and saw that somehow Dragon Dreams'' boss Chow Mingrun had arrived on the scene.

 Chapter 23 - Let’s Shoot The Funeral Scene

    "Fat Chow, have you forgotten again? The seven brothers of the Jinyu Troupe plus the two masters, all but one, ended up dead." Yuan Ge continued.


    "That settles it. Old Dude, you get a few guys to move the coffin to the filming location, set it up, and then help Yuan Ge finish shooting the funeral scene first to save us from having to order the prop later. When we''re done with it, I''ll get someone to turn it into table tops."


    Chow Mingrun slapped the lid of the coffin and the solid wood made a lilting sound as he smiled in satisfaction. "My congee bar happens to be short of tables and chairs. This will work very nicely."


    "Boss, there are still a few roles to cast. How can we shoot the scene when we haven''t yet decided who is playing who? And do you have to be so stingy that we must use something so dubious as a prop? What if....what if it''s really unclean..." Am¨¦lie heard what Chow Mingrun said and was one hundred percent sure that this was not a good idea.


    "Just give it a good wash and it''ll be as clean as a whistle! Why waste good money to buy a new coffin when you''ve got one right here that can do the trick." Chow Mingrun brushed aside Am¨¦lie''s objections and, seeing the horrified look on the faces of the few newly signed actors around her, said reassuringly, "I think this coffin is of very good quality. It''s definitely better than the stuff made by the props department. Besides, we don''t even have a props department, so most of our props are bought from outside anyway. You can''t get coffins that easily these days. Why not use it when it''s readily available."


    "You can get anything on Taobay!" He Zicheng, or Stephen as everyone calls him, a newly signed actor, muttered under his breath. Although he was not from an acting college, as the president of the drama club of Qinghua University, he was both a college hunk and an academic overlord. Using Yuan Ge''s words, he was a talent with star potential who was "honey-trapped" to Dragon Dreams by Am¨¦lie''s alluring beauty during her school recruitment trip.


    Chow Mingrun, however, rolled his eyes at Stephen, "Even if it did, a solid wooden coffin of that size would cost tens of thousands of RMB! Besides, can it be made quickly? Will it arrive today?"


    "Bloody miser!" Yuan Ge shook his head and muttered his complaints through gritted teeth, but at the same time he knew very well that this was typical of Fat Chow''s style ¨C He is the largest shareholder and CEO of the DDP. He had worked in the film industry for decades before setting up his own company, but had suffered a great deal over the years in business dealings, getting the rough end of the stick most of the time, and had firmly developed a reputation in his circle as a "miser". Now that he has got his own filming company, he is determined to become more financially astute, save money wherever he can, and keep his budget as low as possible.


    Yuan Ge knew that if he didn''t shoot this funeral scene today as Fat Chow wanted, he would definitely refuse to pay for another coffin when it was needed again in the future. The good thing was that the coffin is elegantly shaped, finely carved and made of exquisite materials, which was more than enough as a prop, but using such a high-class coffin on mere actors of Jinyu Troupe was a bit of overkill.


    "Boss, it''s fine to use it for filming, but turning it to tables and chairs? Oh, please! Just think about it, if word gets out that your Chow''s Congee uses coffin boards as tables, you will have no customers in the future. We Cantonese are very particular about this." Am¨¦lie didn''t want to make a big fuss of this dubious coffin, but still she thought Chow Mingrun was talking nonsense.


    "If none of us say anything, who will know? Madame Producer, dear Miss Jiang, your ladyship needn''t worry at all. I know a few good joiners; they can change it into tables in no time." Chow Mingrun replied without a care in the world, grinning wryly at her.


    "People you know? I bet they can''t be trusted!" Am¨¦lie laughed. She didn''t like Chow Mingrun''s stinginess, but she loved the family atmosphere and camaraderie of DDP.


    In the end, the crew used a trailer to move the coffin to the filming location. Yuan Ge flipped through the script, weighed his options and decided to shoot the scene where Jinyu Troupe sends off the big brother and the little brother first.

 Chapter 24 - To Congee Or Not To Congee

    "I thought we haven''t decided on the actor for the little brother yet. How are we going to shoot this scene?" Du Jinghai shook his head at the last-minute change of shooting schedule.


    "Big brother... Let Waylon play it, little brother..."


    As the executive production director, Am¨¦lie had to do all the on and off-set producer''s work during DDP''s start-up phase as well as taking on the casting director''s job. Such an impromptu arrangement today has caused a lot of trouble for her, making her have to juggle around things again.


    She nodded in agreement with Du Jinghai, and sighed, "What can you do when you have a stingy boss who insists on saving money on everything and an arty director who often wakes up from a dream and adds new roles without any warning." She then turned her head to look at Waylon Song whose thick eyebrows, bright piercing eyes and righteous look did suit the role of the heroic elder brother of the Jinyu Troupe, despite the fact that he had failed the Imperial Film Academy''s entrance exam.. But to find a suitable little brother on such short notice¡­


    "Am¨¦lie, I know what''s troubling you. I thought about it, why not let Chestnut try out for the role? I think she has a boyish gallant look, so it might work surprisingly well for her to play a boy."


    Am¨¦lie, reminded by Yuan Ge, thought about it in her head. "Chestnut" Zhao Lizhi, the latest actress signed up by DDP, was a pure surprise ¨C she was discovered by Yuan Ge and herself at a chestnut stall, only 19 years old, a working girl from the countryside who had come to Beijing to try her luck and still carried the air of an innocent country girl, but she was simple and sincere, a sweet girl at heart. Although she has no acting training, she is hard-working and has a lot of potential. Who knows, she might become a major force in Dragon Dreams one day.


    "Agreed! Let''s go with your suggestion. Hey, Waylon and Stephen, where''s your little sister Chestnut?"


    "Ugh..." Before Waylon and Stephen could say anything, Chow Mingrun walked over with a sheepish smile, "Since there weren''t any scenes for her to take part in today, I sent her over to the congee bar to help out. There were not enough people to serve the congee."


    "How ridiculous! Chestnut is an actress we signed, not a working girl hired for your congee bar!" Am¨¦lie didn''t know whether to laugh or to cry, and hurriedly called Chestnut to come back asap.


    Luckily, Chow''s Congee and the Rong Mansion were on adjacent streets, so it was only a quick ten-minute jog for Chestnut to get back. Am¨¦lie had the make-up artist create a special look for Chestnut. A slight change of the style made her look surprisingly handsome. Everyone expressed admiration for Yuan Ge and Am¨¦lie''s choice of candidate. The little brother of the Jinyu Troupe was very gifted and had the potential to be a superstar, but he was too young to be a master; moreover, he was weak in personality and secretly in love with his big brother. Ignoring the acting and just looking at Chestnut''s appearance, she did exude a boyish charm. Such an inherently androgynous role was unexpectedly suitable for Chestnut to play.


    "Amy..." Seeing Chestnut being made-up into the little brother look, Chow Mingrun didn''t dare to object to Yuan Ge''s arrangement, instead gave Am¨¦lie a pleasing smile and said, "It''s all well and good for Chestnut to come back to play her part in this scene, but...but what about the congee bar? That''s the financial backbone of the Dragon Dreams after all. How about...could I trouble you, Amy darling, to keep an eye on it for me, just for a little while?"


    "Can''t you see that I''m not dressed to serve congee!" Am¨¦lie pointed to her fancy suit and said in a fury, "I have to go and talk to Siensiendo about a sponsorship deal at two o''clock, and you want me to go to stir congee in this outfit? Do you think I haven''t got enough on my plate already? Now you want me to be in charge of the congee production as well?! Oh please!"


    "I''ve got it covered here. Anyway, I''ve been in showbiz long enough to know how to handle things on set when push comes to shove. You know, once upon a time I was a household name too! But I''m just a guy, not good at making congee, and if it''s not done right, my wife will kill me for ruining the family brand. Amy, good girl, just do it for me this one time, will you please?" Chow Mingrun folded his hands, looking pitifully at Am¨¦lie like a Chow Chow, "Pretty please, the congee will be ruined if it boils over..."


    "Told you before to buy a fully automatic machine to make congee but you didn''t want to spend the money!" Yuan Ge taunted from the sideline.


    "Do you want an industry-sized congee maker or a camera filler kit? Your choice. It''s about the same price anyway." Chow Mingrun responded instantly.


    It was Yuan Ge''s turn to shut up.


    "Here we go again! Money! It always goes back to the same old problem! When will our poor little company escape its fate of being a subsidiary of a congee bar?"


    "My lady, just be grateful. If it wasn''t for the century-old congee bar in South Luogu Lane, would we be able to get an office address in such a prime location in the CBD? It''s as awesome as getting an address on les Champs-¨¦lys¨¦es in Paris, d''accord?"


    Am¨¦lie didn''t care what Chow Mingrun had to say, "Yeah right, what''s the difference between a manager of a luxury flagship shop on les Champs-¨¦lys¨¦es and a congee-stirrer on South Luogu Lane!" Am¨¦lie sighed, but she knew it would be useless to argue any more, so she left a number of instructions and made some necessary arrangements, then went to Chow''s Congee reluctantly in her red-soled high heels.

 Chapter 25 - Farewell To My Brothers

    "Do I really have to lie in it?" Waylon felt a little reluctant; acting or not, it wasn''t exactly fun for a young man to be lying in a coffin alive.


    Chestnut, on the other hand, acted quite readily, and with just one word from the director, she lay straight and motionless inside the coffin, her little white face looking incredibly realistic in her dead man''s costume. In the end, a tall Waylon and a small Chestnut, lying side by side in the coffin, played touchingly this tragic scene of the two loving brothers who died together but had no money and had to share a coffin.


    After taking a few shots, Chow Mingrun was proven to be completely incompetent as the stand-in line producer, always on the side talking on the phone. He was told off by Yuan Ge several times, but he just feigned a smile and carried on without changing his ways. Jinghai''s camera crew was short-handed and often had to have one person doing several things at once. Yuan Ge had to roll up his sleeves to set up dolly tracks with other grips[1], and help out on one of the camera positions from time to time to keep the shooting going.


    The last scene was the one where the entire Jinyu Troupe gave a farewell to the two brothers. Because there were not enough extras hired for the day, the crowd shot looked thin and did not have the desired effect on screen, so they had to ask all the staff of the Rong Mansion, including the security guards and cleaners, to temporarily join the mourning crowd. As it was a funeral scene, no one was willing to appear, Chow Mingrun reluctantly agreed to pay an extra 50RMB for each person, and in the end even himself and Yuan Ge joined in and made a cameo appearance themselves.


    After a lot of palaver, Yuan Ge, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt on the floor and was about to shout "Action" when he saw from the wireless monitor hidden under his belly that Chow Mingrun beside him was still whispering on the phone.. He couldn''t help but shout at him, "Fat Chow! The screen of your phone is shining your face green, do you still want us to go on or not?"


    "Ow meow! Yes, yes!" Chow Mingrun still had a trifle of scruples about Yuan Ge''s rage. "Mr. Wong... I''m very sorry! I''ll call back tonight to talk more about it!" Chow Mingrun hurriedly hung up the phone, "Sorry, Lord director, that''s business, an important business deal!" He grinned cheekily, not at all like a boss.


    "Action!"


    Yuan Ge shook his head helplessly and finally started to get the camera rolling on this scene.


    Chow Mingrun immediately fell to the ground in loud cries, displaying incredible agony and sadness.


    "Cut!"


    "Fat Chow, have you read the script! Your emotions are pretty full, but it''s not your turn to cry yet!"


    Chow Mingrun took a look at the paper money being blown up by the blower and hurriedly clapped his hands and shouted, "Can I have everyone''s attention please! Let''s try to get it done in one take, paper money is also money. It''s not cheap!" The guys in the props crew rolled their eyes silently at these words.


    "Action!"


    One by one, the famous actors of the Jinyu Troupe bowed and knelt to the coffin to pay their respects and send off for their big brother who was killed and their little brother who died of illness.


    Du Jinghai wheeled the camera slowly on the dolly track and adjusted its position several times, gradually capturing this poignant scene.


    But just then a young man appeared onto the scene from nowhere, dressed in a snow-white robe, his jade-like face full of sorrow, his thin body seeming to collapse, and he looked so miserable that he was about to burst into tears at any moment.


    The crowd was stunned at this unexpected event. Yuan Ge, of course, saw it clearly from the monitor but did not shout for a cut. Without hearing the director''s instruction to stop, the crowd naturally had to carry on as if nothing happened.


    Chow Mingrun who knelt beside asked him in a whisper, "Who is this?" Only to be stopped by a stern look from Yuan Ge.


    The man staggered to the coffin and suddenly fell to his knees, his hands trembling slightly as he touched the coffin, tears rolling down from his eyes as he gently recited,


    "At night I dream of us together.


    In the mornings, I wake up with tears.


    Your bones are turning to dust six feet under.


    How many autumns do I have to sojourn on earth?"


    It was the boy who called himself Rong Qiuchen that night. He had somehow found a thin, long undergarment from the costume department, still looking elegant, seemingly unconcerned by the winter cold. His thin, under-dressed body gave a sense of vulnerability, and the sincerity that naturally flowed from his mournful choking sobs not only touched Yuan Ge''s heart, but also stirred up the tears of the other "brothers" kneeling on the ground. They all cried their hearts out, bringing the scene to a climax.


    "This is my Rong Qing!" Yuan Ge was full of praise in his mind, and with the word "cut", he got up and walked to "Rong Qiuchen".


    But with the word "cut", this poignant atmosphere instantly changed, Rong Qiuchen''s face also changed dramatically. He looked around bewilderedly at the unfamiliar equipment and the curious gazes of the crowd, and sighed as if in a trance, "Has''t I been dreaming f''r ov''r a hundr''d years? At which hour shall this dream end?"[2] Suddenly, he ran away from the scene. He seemed to be extremely familiar with this place, so much so that the whole crowd could not stop this fleeing figure.


    Yuan Ge was not willing to give up and searched the entire mansion for a long time, but the white figure was nowhere to be seen.


    --------------------


    [1] A Grip is a crew member who sets up dolly tracks, moving props, camera cranes, and other pieces of equipment.


    [2] Have I been dreaming for over a hundred years? When will this dream end?

 Chapter 26 - Trouble Ahead

    "Hey! What are you guys doing! What a mess! Who gave you permission to film the funeral scenes inside the Rong Mansion? If people hear about it, how can this place be liveable again? And, where did you guys get the coffin from? I''ve only just gotten the report from the security guards. Such an unlucky thing, hurry up and get rid of it! I mean now!" Near the end of the day, Liu Sang, the chief assistant of Guan''s Properties, suddenly appeared on the set, followed by his trademark loud voice and angry shouts.


    "A nobody like DDP, just because of your god-knows-what connections with the Guan''s Properties, came through the back door to use the garden of this place as your film set, which is already an exception and a huge favour. But don''t you know which side of your bread is buttered on? Shooting such a scene, you won''t even bother to give me a heads up?! If Master Guan finds out, he will throw you all out!"


    "Chief Liu, this coffin is really not ours. Would you please get in touch with the film crew of ''Cixi and Her Old Lover''? They borrowed this place before us as a filming location for the movie. It''s likely that they left this coffin behind." Du Jinghai hurried over to explain.


    Liu Sang, as the representative of the Guan family, has always been treated like an "Old Buddha"[1] in the show business circle, and the tiny Dragon Dreams Pictures cannot afford to offend him. They only got this old residence of Ronglu because of the connection between Professor Violette Fu and the old master of the Guan family. If they were kicked out, not to mention the fact that DDP could not afford to rent a place in Studio City, and that Yuan Ge''s high standards for scene setting would not be satisfied with the poor quality of the studio sets, then this film would surely die before it even had a chance to be born!


    "I don''t care about that. Get in touch with them yourself! Anyway, if this coffin is still here tomorrow, your crew won''t be allowed to enter this property again!" Liu Sang looked at the crowd dressed in their full mourning costumes with a disgusted look and dropped these words mercilessly..


    Just as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of Chow Mingrun, who was hiding in the crowd. Knowing that he was the boss of Dragon Dreams, his attitude still wasn''t any friendlier, and he said to him coldly, "Mr. Chow, if it''s convenient for you, please come with me now. Our second young master Guan has sent me for you."


    Chow Mingrun''s face was full of misery as he secretly passed a look to Yuan Ge and Du Jinghai, clearly hinting at the trouble ahead, as if to say, "We''ve tried so hard to avoid trouble, but trouble is still coming for us. Are they going to break the contract and get rid of us?" But there was nothing he could do but take off his costume, put on a fake smile and follow Liu Sang to meet the second young master Guan.


    When Yuan Ge saw Liu Sang dusting off his coat before he left as if he was afraid of being tainted with the bad luck of the place, he could not help but secretly curse this "dog who was relying on his master''s power".


    As he finished up the scene and told everyone to call it a day, he was still thinking about the unexpected performance of "Rong Qiuchen" just now. However, Du Jinghai, who had packed up his equipment, had a worried look on his face, "Yuan Ge, you don''t think the Guan family is really up to something, do you? Fat Chow didn''t look that confident."


    "I don''t think so. After all, my mother still has some connections with the old master of the Guan family. If push comes to shove, I will ask her to step in and try to smooth things out. I think Fat Chow may have been called over for something else. In any case, we should go ahead with the scheduled filming until there is a clear indication. Let''s not fret and mess up things ourselves."


    As one of the four founders of Dragon Dreams, Yuan Ge knew that Du Jinghai was not as eloquent as Chow Mingrun, but he was no less concerned about the future of DDP.


    "By the way, the kid who broke into the scene earlier seemed to be wearing one of our costumes, wasn''t he?"


    "Yeah, that style of clothing, who else''s could it be if not ours."


    "Should we ask the security to have a good search of the whole place?" Du Jinghai looked uneasy, "Stealing costumes is a small matter, but if our equipment here is lost or damaged, that would be a big problem. Our budget is so tight that we can''t afford such a loss. By the way, isn''t that the same guy, the porcelain bumper that you were talking about? His appearance and acting skills are really good, and he looks pretty young too."


    "Yeah that''s him." Yuan Ge said, "But this guy is really weird. If his intention is to get a part in the film, then he should just come to talk to me. I never said that I didn''t want him, you know. Instead, he''s pretending to be a ghost. How weird!"


    "You''re always so eager whenever you see a good talent. Let''s wait and see. He might show up again tomorrow if he really wants to join us. But from today on, I''m definitely going to double check the security of the prop room before I leave..."


    --------------------


    [1] Old Buddha is the common name given to the Empress Dowager or the retired Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. It usually refers to the Empress Dowager Cixi. In this context, however, it refers to a person who was not the head of a powerful organisation, but who represented its authority in some way.

 Chapter 27 - You’ve Hit On A Gold Mine!

    Just as the two were chatting, Yuan Ge''s TweeChat app suddenly rang and Violette Fu, who was in Switzerland, unexpectedly called him on video.


    "Son! The picture you sent, the resolution is too low! Quick! Get closer, let me see the coffin!" The voice actually sounded quite excited.


    There must be something fishy behind her sudden phone call like this! Yuan Ge knew his mother too well, and looking at her eager face, he knew that the whole coffin business would not be that simple and straightforward. There must be something unusual about it.


    "Hey, Momps, I have to get rid of this coffin in a hurry, the crew has already pissed off the Guan family. So what do you say, is it an antique or something? The wood is particularly heavy, is it cypress or cedar?"


    "Didn''t you say there were unpainted places? Get over there and show me a place that hasn''t been painted!"


    Yuan Ge did as he was told.


    In such matters he trusted his mother; she was, after all, a highly respected professor of folklore at Beijing University. She was not a serious person at home, always mischievous and not at all like a mother, but outside she was an absolute authority in her field of study..


    He zoomed in carefully on the coffin with his phone''s camera, showing his mother every detail. The bottom of the coffin was thick, with a peculiar texture and wood grain, and a faint aroma could be smelled. When he tapped the coffin lid with his finger, it made a clear ringing sound. Where the paint had peeled off, it appeared charcoal black with a greenish tinge.


    "... a gold mine! You hit on a treasure trove! Son, is there anyone by your side? What did the Guan family say, do they want this stuff?"


    Ever since Yuan Ge had answered the video call, Du Jinghai had walked away discreetly. Seeing his mother''s obviously excitement like she had won the lottery, he sighed, "There''s no one around, Momps, so if there''s anything you want to say, just hurry up and say it. That arrogant assistant of the Guan family has just left, and he told us to get rid of it asap because it was too unlucky."


    "What does an ignorant assistant know! He has no idea what it''s worth, ahaha..." Violette''s voice sounded distant, but also high-pitched, like a hungry cat that had found the most delicious fish. "It turns shiny black in water and can sink and float...this is the truly precious water-fossilised ''gloomy wood''! ''A chest full of gold is no match for a piece of ebony''. Haven''t you heard of it?"


    "How should I know what ''gloomy wood'' is! I don''t read tomb raiding novels!"


    "What tomb raiding! You ignorant kid, didn''t mum tell you before that ''gloomy wood'' is semi-fossilised carbonised wood, and the process of fossilisation usually takes more than 2000 years! But if it takes too long, it''s also no good, as the wood would easily be ruined and turned into coal. It''s a pity that the wood of this coffin is not water-fossilised Phoebe zhennan but rather - yes, it looks like the grain of that big ginkgo tree by the Dragon Pond, otherwise such a coffin would be worth millions in wood alone, not counting the heritage value it has. Hurry up and show me the ornaments and charms inside again!"


    Professor Violette Fu gets excited whenever she sees something to do with ghosts and spirits. Things like coffins and charms are definitely her thing. As the saying goes, it takes a son to know his mother, and Yuan Ge is well aware of her mother''s proclivities and often feels helpless.


    When Am¨¦lie finished her business negotiations and rushed back to the set, she saw Yuan Ge crouched by the coffin, doing a video call. It sounded like he was talking to his family, and she wanted very much to go up and say hello to his family, but the sight of the coffin gave her the creeps. Yuan Ge saw her scared look and smiled at her gently as a greeting.


    Violette was still talking excitedly on the phone, "... The writing on these talismans looks familiar, I''ll have to double check and study them after class. By the way, son, are you 100 percent sure that no one wants this coffin? Definitely don''t throw it away. Tell you what, you take it home with you! Mum is pretty sure that it''s definitely a historical artefact!"


    "Momps, are you kidding me! Are you sure you want to bring a coffin back to our house?" Yuan Ge didn''t believe in ghosts and spirits, but who on earth wouldn''t mind having a coffin in their house? It took up space and was an eyesore. This was just crazy.


    "What does it matter! ''Coffins cough up promotion and prosperity''[1]. Let me tell you, it''s certainly worth enough to buy a top-of-the-line movie camera..."


    "Vivi, what the hell are you talking to your son about!" Before Yuan Ge had time to consider whether his mother''s offer was tempting enough, he saw on the screen that his father, Yuan Fen, had walked over and dragged Violette away, dropping a grave warning before he left, "Son, if you listen to your mother and dare to put that coffin in our house, I''ll stop your allowance immediately!"


    Then there was the sound of an argument between the couple, while the phone''s camera was pointed at the empty ceiling.


    Yuan Ge had long since gotten used to the way his parents got along. He sighed helplessly and looked at the time; fortunately, they should both be off to their respective university classes soon and wouldn''t be torturing him for too long.


    Eventually, Violette''s loud squeaks could be heard over the phone again, "Son, you have to listen to your mum on this! Don''t forget who is holding the purse strings in our family!" The TweeChat call was then hung up abruptly.


    --------------------


    [1] Coffin is pronounced in Mandarin as "guan cai", which are homophones for "promotion" and "prosperity" respectively. This is not an idiom. It is the author''s clumsy attempt at wordplay, trying to link the two languages together.

 Chapter 28 - Rival In Love

    "Ugh..." Yuan Ge sighed, put away his phone, looked back at Am¨¦lie and shrugged helplessly.


    Am¨¦lie tried to keep her composure. She managed to put on a smile, but she involuntarily pressed her hand to her stomach - she had just overheard a little bit of Yuan Ge''s conversation with his parents and suddenly felt a pain in her stomach. Artefact or not, it was so insensitive for a mother to let her son take home an old coffin of unknown origin! What a horrible family habit! If one had to get along with such a mother-in-law in the future¡­


    "Yuan Ge, are you sure this coffin has never had a corpse in it? I''ve heard that when a drowning ghost is looking for a host, it doesn''t disappear until it has killed the person who did it..."


    Am¨¦lie''s apprehensive persuasion, as always, fell on deaf ears - and being an atheist, Yuan Ge, as always, responded in the same way, "You Cantonese are too superstitious; there are no ghosts in this world."


    When Du Jinghai finished tying up all loose ends of the day, he was overjoyed to see Am¨¦lie back on set.. "Amy, how did the sponsorship deal go this afternoon? Would you like to go to dinner together?" After glancing at Yuan Ge, he hastily added, "All three of us?"


    Yuan Ge looked at Du Jinghai and clearly understood what he really meant. How could he not understand! He smiled and pointed at the coffin and said, "You guys go ahead, I have to get rid of this thing first, otherwise Liu Sang will nag us again tomorrow."


    Am¨¦lie was being pulled away by Du Jinghai, but still looked back at Yuan Ge with a concerned look on her face. She had been trying to find an excuse to go to Yuan Ge''s house, but how could she go if he brought something like this back to his house!


    "It''s good to have a bit of reverence for mystical cultures, I don''t think there''s anything wrong with your Cantonese superstition. My home town is quite superstitious too, my parents adamantly forbid us to talk about anything to do with death..."


    Du Jinghai''s voice was low when he spoke to Am¨¦lie, but Yuan Ge still heard it all. However, he did not have the slightest intention of reproaching him. After all, Jinghai''s pursuit of Am¨¦lie was the worst kept secret at Dragon Dreams. Perhaps the reason he was willing to join the DDP in the first place was the fact that Am¨¦lie was on board. Among the four founders, Am¨¦lie was the only female, and she was so beautiful and outstanding in every way that if Fat Chow had not been married, he would have joined in the mad pursuit of her as well. But he, on the contrary¡­


    Thinking about this, Yuan Ge could not help but feel a bit at loss. He had been pursuing an artistic dream all his life, but for what? What was his goal? Art, that was his ideal in life, and he had never wavered in the slightest. But beyond that, did everything else really not matter? The faint scent of Am¨¦lie''s perfume still lingered in the direction she had left. This woman, willing to put aside all her pride for him, willing to be a submissive woman for him, could he really be so heartless and willingly give her up to Du Jinghai?


    He stayed in a daze for a while, but Yuan Ge was not good at sorting out his personal feelings, so he avoided it by escaping into work as usual.


    The immediate work before him was to deal with the coffin.


    Yuan Ge carefully weighed the difference in his parents'' battle power in his mind, and considering the dire consequences if he abandoned her mother''s "precious artefact" and her doubled battle power after finding out his abandonment, he finally picked up the phone and reluctantly called a courier company. After all, he rarely went to his house in the Western Hills these days, and his parents weren''t likely to return any time soon, so it wouldn''t make much difference to have one more strange object there, would it?


    A few courier boys soon arrived at the Rong Mansion, all looking grimly at the heavy coffin, and one of them said, "Sir, you should call a funeral home to deliver this, not us!"


    "It''s just a prop!" Yuan Ge waved his director''s ID, "Not the real thing! Please deliver it for me to 18 Moonlight Valley, Western Hills."


    "Who signs for it and do we need a key?"


    "No, the door has a smart lock. Call me when you get there and I''ll open the door for you remotely."

 Chapter 29 - The Collector Of Beauty

    That evening, Yuan Ge began his customary shot-by-shot film analysis after dinner.


    This has been a habit of his for over a decade.


    As a man with a strong sense of self-awareness and the ability to persevere, Yuan Ge had dreams of becoming a great director from the time he was introduced to the art of film in junior high school. While his peers were chasing girls, playing games or being completely occupied by the pressure of schoolwork, he took advantage of his superior intellect and ability to easily cope with regular studies to watch two films a day. During his holidays, he often stayed up late and watched films day and night as if he was obsessed. He wanted to understand not only what the world''s most famous films were about, but also to learn in detail how the best directors express their artistic ideas through this complex art form. The art of cinema is an integrated art form that relies on modern technology, allowing Yuan Ge to maximise his inexhaustible energy and multifaceted talents.


    Before the National College Entrance Examination[1], he had already won the National Artistic Film Directing Scholarship and was exempted for his award-winning playwriting and the drama club he led, meaning that all of China''s top art schools opened their doors to him. While his peers in the directing department were able to amass between 2,000 and 3,000 films, Yuan Ge had already surpassed 10,000.


    In Am¨¦lie''s words, the most frightening thing about Yuan Ge, compared to all young people, was that he knew early on what he wanted to pursue in life. Talent and drive may be found in many people, but perseverance is a rare trait among people of his age.. In a world of temptation and choice, there are too few people who can walk the talk, because no one can resist temptation so resolutely or dare to persevere so relentlessly.


    But Yuan Ge has done it.


    That is why he had the confidence and strength to say that he was going to achieve his dream. He is a man who can bring dreams to his friends around him and make them come true. Just like when he was a student, he told his drama club members that he would become a director one day and bring them along to make the best films. Now, although those who vowed to make films together have long since gone their separate ways, drowning in the minutiae of mundane life and abandoning their initial dreams, Yuan Ge is like a rock-solid pillar in the flood, steadfast and finally making dreams come true for everyone. As long as they are with him, anyone can dream without fear.


    Tonight, however, the ever-energetic director somehow drifted off to sleep after only a few minutes into a film.


    In a trance he seemed to be back in the Rong Mansion, still in that misty and bleak late autumn morning.


    Immediately he saw the white figure feeding the fish by the pond under the tree.


    "Rong Qing, why don''t you stay in bed this early in the morning, instead of sneaking out to the pond to watch the fish?"


    Rong Qiuchen glanced back at the sound of his voice, and a poignant smile drove away all weariness.


    Yuan Ge vaguely felt that the person who spoke must be Huilu, the Third Lord of the House of Rong. Yet for some reason, when Qiuchen looked over, his eyes were always looking at him.


    The Third Lord was a man who knew how to appreciate beautiful objects. Not only did he understand beauty, but he also collected it. By virtue of the Guwalgiya clan''s loyalty, his second older brother, Ronglu, inherited the family title and was so highly regarded by the Empress Dowager Cixi that he became Governor of the Nine Gates before the age of forty and had now been promoted to the rank of First Grade Minister of Works. As his only younger brother, Huilu didn''t have a title or an official post in the imperial city, but he was famous among the boulevardiers. With his brother''s connivance, he never lacked silver to spend and never skimped on anything. Without such wealth, who would dare to speak of collecting beauty?


    He loved poetry and books, qin[2] and chess, good paintings and delicious wine, listening to opera and admiring beauties on the stage. But he did not want to stop at just admiring, he wanted to collect all the beautiful things and have them in his possession: beautiful artefacts that he went to great lengths to get his hands on; beautiful landscapes that he took great pains to recreate before his eyes. Although the Rong Mansion was built in the name of his second brother, the actual design and construction came from the Third Lord himself. He had hired famous artists for five years, including top craftsmen and painters, and spent countless amounts of silver, so much so that there were rumours that the mansion was more magnificent than the imperial gardens. As for the beautiful people, he was even more reluctant to let them go. Everyone in the House of Rong, from Lady Rong to his concubines, from maidservants to boy-attendants, were all good-looking people. Even when he held private parties in the garden, he would bring out his own troupe to compete with the famous actors and singers from outside; if any of the new performers from outside were better, he would buy them into his troupe at any cost.


    When it came to beauty, he was an undisputed connoisseur and the most renowned collector in the Imperial City.


    Yet there was only one thing in his collection that really made the Third Lord proud - the man in front of him. He often made him feel that in the past he had talked about having all the beauty in the world, but had not realised that beauty could reach such a supreme level of perfection.


    Yes, perfection.


    Having finally licked and tasted the beauty of perfection, he was now completely addicted to it.


    --------------------


    [1] The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the gaokao, is a standardized college entrance exam held annually in mainland China. It is required for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level.


    [2] Qin, or guqin, is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement.

 Chapter 30 - Weeping For The Fish

    The Third Lord stayed where he was, savouring the poignant smile of the man before him. Although he could see that the smile Qiuchen forced was not sincere, or that he had been using it in a perfunctory manner since he had entered the Rong Mansion, the delight of possessing him still overshadowed the slight discontentment. Perhaps it was the late autumn chill that made him think that Qiuchen was thinner than ever, wearing only a thin moon white silk robe, looking like a fairy by the autumn waters in the opera "Goddess of the Luo"[1], stepping on the waves and about to fly away.


    Perhaps even a fairy was not as perfect as he was. That beauty that transcended the earthly world, that aloofness that was untainted by the mundanity, how was it not like a celestial fairy? What was more, no matter how beautiful a fairy was, she was still only a woman, while he, after all, was a man.


    Without costume or make-up, his handsome face looked more translucent and his skin naturally smooth. A full forehead and straight nose, without a hint of angularity, outlined a gentle profile. A slightly furrowed brow and upturned thin lips, without eye shadow or blush, removed the feminine appearance of the stage and what remained was a clean and pretty boy.


    Most beautiful of all were his eyes, which used to take countless different forms on stage - fluttering, soulful, full of emotion, full of desire, or if he raised an eyebrow and threw a teasing glance, the audience, no matter how different, was bound to fall for one of his looks. How else could he have been adored by so many people? After only six months on stage, he was hailed as the number one Dan[2] actor in the Imperial Capital by opera lovers like never before. As everyone knew, in the capital, there was absolutely no shortage of first-class troupes or beautiful young Dan actors, all of whom had good looks and skills. The stage with its gongs and drums was, to put it bluntly, just a glamorous battlefield.. The only difference was that the competition on this battlefield was about appearance and voice.


    The Third Lord had seen, supported and been intimate to all the famous Dan actors either with stunning looks or stunning voices. However, no one had ever been able to combine a beautiful appearance and a beautiful voice as well as Qiuchen. It was no surprise that he was named as the first in the "Flowers of the Opera Stage" by the Empress Dowager Cixi herself.


    Thinking of this, he couldn''t wait to run up behind him and pull that delicate body into his arms.


    "Come inside, it''s not like you have to practice singing now; stay in bed with me a little longer. Sit by the water just in your thin silk robe...if you catch a cold, that will make my heart ache."


    Rong Qiuchen instinctively struggled, but felt unable to free himself from the confining embrace. Unable to avoid it, he could only try to tilt his head to the side and stare at the fish in the pond, holding back the bitterness in his eyes.


    "My lord, why do you keep so many fish in such a small pond? They are so crowded against each other that it is difficult for them to even turn around. Aren''t fish supposed to be free?"


    Yuan Ge seemed to feel the pain in Qiuchen''s words. The once dazzling flower of the stage was imprisoned in the Rong Mansion, in the secluded Yi Qiu Hall, as a boy-attendant serving pens and ink, or to put it more bluntly, as an "exclusive catamite". Cut off from the possibility of creating art and beauty, he was like those fish imprisoned in the Dragon Pond, surviving only by begging for food.


    However, no matter what he felt in his heart, Yuan Ge could only hear the voice that did not belong to him speak intimate words to Rong Qiuchen, caressing his cheek and neck, nibbling on his ear and whispering, "Little beauty, you are freezing cold, why do you still worry about the fish? Let''s go back to bed and warm you up."


    Pushing the hand away, Qiuchen stared at him insistently, as if he had to have an answer.


    "Do you know how many koi I had put in this Dragon Pond? Seven thousand! All you have to do is to scatter a bit of fish food and they will come and grab it, waiting and begging with their mouths open. It''s such a great feeling. And if you want to fish, you don''t even need to bait a fishing rod. It''s a sight to behold in the entire capital. If it amuses my darling Rong Qing, I''ll have someone put another seven thousand fish down, so you''ll be able to catch them with your bare hands, okay? But don''t always feed them here, they won''t behave so eagerly if they are well fed."


    Qiuchen laughed self-deprecatingly. What the Third Lord liked most was to have all beautiful things appear sordid in front of him. The famous actors on the stage were too far away, and the Rong Qiuchen he liked had to be a "slut" with no pretensions and stripped bare beside him for his sole enjoyment. He wanted to see him performing in bed, to leave his soul behind, to submit obsequiously to his will, to gratify his every whim.


    Perhaps the too-fake laughter revealed what was on his mind. At that moment he heard the voice of the Third Lord say, "Lord Longyang weeps for fish[3] to cement the favour of the King of Wei, but my Rong Qing is for what, to grieve at the koi so early in the morning?" He was so impressed with his own clever analogy that he could not help but burst out into a string of laughter.


    The laughter made Qiuchen feel even sadder. Lord Longyang, the favourite male lover of the King of Wei during the Warring States period, had wept for fish and pitied himself, causing the king to vow never to give favour to other beauties. He was a smart man who knew how to consolidate his position. But what he, Rong Qiuchen, wanted was not favour or promotion. However, as a lowly actor, there were things he had no right to ask for but accept, otherwise he would be ruined and crushed like an egg against a stone.


    --------------------


    [1] The Goddess of the Luo is a figure in an ancient Chinese poem created by Cao Zhi, a writer living in the state of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period (c. 220-280 CE). In his tale, Cao Zhi is returning from the capital to his own land when he stops at the Luo River for a rest, where he sees a vision of the goddess so powerful that he instantly falls in love with her. Cao sees a nymph of peerless beauty "as elegant as a startled swan and supple as a swimming dragon". Though he''s swept away by her ethereal beauty, it''s a love that isn''t meant to be.


    [2] Dan is the general name for female roles in Chinese opera, often referring to leading roles. Traditionally, all dan roles were played by men, but this practice is no longer common in any Chinese opera genre today.


    [3] The story of Lord Longyang took place sometime between 276 and 243 BCE, and is the second account of a male same-sex relationship in Chinese historical records. Lord Longyang and the King of Wei are in a fishing boat together when Longyang begins to cry. After the king pressures him to say why he is crying, Longyang reveals that he is afraid that the king will be tempted by other, more beautiful men, and lose interest in him. The king then forbids anyone to mention other beauties in his presence under penalty of death. As a result of his status as a favourite of the king, Lord Longyang was given a small fief and a feudal title.

 Chapter 31 - I Am A Genius

    But the Third Lord did not care what he felt or thought. He looked at the beautiful man by the fish pond and felt even more aroused inside.


    "Since we''re talking about Lord Longyang, why don''t we sing this act together, ''Lord Longyang Weeps for the Fish To Secure the King''s Favour''?"


    Qiuchen replied sharply, "That''s an obscene piece. It''s not allowed to be sung in any respected opera houses. Your lordship is a connoisseur of opera, how can you ask me to sing this?"


    "Since you know it''s obscene, you must know how to sing it. Don''t be such a prude. I''ve been supporting and promoting you ever since you first came on stage.. But for all these years, you always chose to sing the highbrow numbers, which tickled the people on stage, making everyone wanting to hear what you can sing in private. Now that you''re in my house, you have a different status and different duties to fulfil, so you should change your ways too. Be a good boy and let me start you off."


    The Third Lord cleared his throat and sang the words of the King of Wei.


    "My young lover, I see that you have a flawless youthful body, which is as juicy as a baby peach... Your graceful movements are indescribable... You are like the famous pearl of Hopu, the beautiful jade of Kunshan, the night light of..."


    Qiuchen stayed silent for a long time, refusing to continue the duet.


    The Third Lord tapped his beat and looked at Qiuchen with an ambiguous smile, "Look, the lyrics are written for Lord Longyang, but I think they are more suitable for my Rong Qing. I see that you don''t want to sing...do you think I didn''t sing my part well enough?"


    Qiuchen dared not resist any longer, so he sang softly.


    "It is hard for me to repay your kindness, like a small grass that is cared for by the brightness of spring, I am sheltered from the waves and clouds. Your grace is vast, as wide as the sea and as high as the sky, etched in my bones..."


    Just a few lines had made the Third Lord enthralled, and he smiled with satisfaction, "Wonderful! That was well sung! I wonder if my Rong Qing thinks so too? Go on, I want to hear more!"


    Qiuchen had no choice but to continue to sing against his will.


    "Watching the fish at the pond today, I feared that my happiness would not last long. I felt so sad that my tears soaked through my robe. Your Majesty my king, I fear that your favour will flow away with the water; I fear that without your affection I am like grass after the frost..."


    The Third Lord hummed along after him.


    "You were born a beauty, born with a proud nature. You have been unfailingly caring to me. I love that your voice is as pleasing as a nightingale; I rejoice that your face is more beautiful than a Jade Flower[1]¡­"


    His voice was getting lower and lower, a desire stirred up inside him that was tickling him into action. He stepped forward and suddenly grabbed Qiuchen into his arms.


    "My good boy, how can Lord Longyang be as lovely as you are? Not only are you more beautiful than the Jade Flower, but you also have such a delicate heart and a moon-like spirit. This early in the morning, let''s not be so broken-hearted over a few fish. I''ll have the servants get rid of it all..." Then he started calling him honey bunny baby sweetheart all sorts of sweet words, trying to coax him back to his bedroom.


    Qiuchen was forced into the arms of the Third Lord, knowing that it was useless to struggle, so he had to hide his thoughts along with his sorrow and whispered, "Fish should be graceful. If a pair of fish can swim freely in their own water and love each other until they grow old, that would be the most beautiful sight to behold."


    Yuan Ge could sense the hidden sentiments in Qiuchen''s words, and he felt endless pity welling up in his heart. However, the Third Lord''s perfunctory voice coming from Yuan Ge''s body was as piercing as ever, "Fine, fine, I will do as you say!" Wrapping his arm around his waist, he led him straight towards the bedroom in Yi Qiu Hall.


    Rong Qiuchen dragged his feet feebly, tears welling up in his eyes as he watched the tossing and turning koi disappear into the distance.


    Walking inside with Rong Qing in his arms, Yuan Ge thought he would see the same tastefully decorated bedroom again. However, where the carved mahogany bed was originally placed was a large vermilion coffin. Yuan Ge walked over to the coffin without thinking, pushed open the lid and tried to put the person in his arms into the coffin.


    The person in his arms seemed to have lost the desire to resist, his body cold, his face pale, and no longer showing the slightest sign of emotion, as if he were a frail white paper doll, with white silk scarf tied around his swan-like neck, leaving a deep red strangulation mark.


    Yuan Ge was shocked, but no matter how hard he tried not to, it was as if his body was not governed by his will at all, and he put Rong Qiuchen into the coffin without hesitation. In a few moments, countless bright yellow talismans written in vermilion or blood descended from the sky, completely burying Qiuchen''s body, then the heavy coffin lid closed by itself.


    Yuan Ge''s heart was torn with anxiety and he frantically pushed the coffin lid, but it did not move at all. Inside of the coffin came a weeping chant:


    "All the vows and promises became illusions.


    A match made in heaven turned into nightmares.


    I had a noble heart, but was born in a lowly place.


    I had eyes but failed to see his unworthiness.


    As time passes by my remorse is endless.


    You are cruel...so cruel...please let me go... set me free! ¡­ ¡­"


    "No!"


    Yuan Ge could no longer bear the heart-wretching chant and tried to push open the coffin lid with all his strength, only to be startled out of his couch in a cold sweat.


    It turned out to be a dream.


    "How weird! What''s wrong with me these days? I can even fall asleep watching movies! And why do I always dream of Rong Qiuchen?"


    Yuan Ge frowned and tried to recall the horrible scene in his dream.


    "Isn''t that coffin containing Qiuchen the same one I picked up on the set today? Guess I really shouldn''t have helped my mum identify any historical artefacts. I''ve touched it, examined it, photographed every detail of the thing. ¡­ ¡­ And look what''s happened now. It has appeared in my dream!"


    Despite his annoyances, Yuan Ge loved the magical feeling of continuing the same dream. Remembering Rong Qing feeding the fish and his conversation with the Third Lord, his heart was filled with inspiration and he hurriedly opened his notebook to record all the details of this fleeting dream.


    Great! Even when I dream, I can dream up an entire TV series with dialogues and theme songs. What a genius I am!


    --------------------


    [1] The Latin name for the Jade Flower is Viburnum macrocephalum and is often referred to as the ''Chinese Snowball''. In Chinese culture, it symbolises beauty and romance and represents perfect love.

 Chapter 32 - A Mysterious Thief

    Yin Fenghua, the male lead who plays Rong Qing, has not yet entered the set as scheduled. So Yuan Ge decided to update the parts of the script relating to the Rong Mansion based on his dream last night and used this waiting time to shoot the family scenes of the House of Rong and the Third Lord ahead of schedule. Fortunately, many of the supporting roles were played by dedicated veteran actors, while the newly contracted young actors were quite diligent and willing to learn, so several scenes were filmed to the effect he wanted.


    During the break, Am¨¦lie came over and complained that something had gone missing again from the set. As the executive producer and the line producer, she has always been responsible for many of the chores on and off set.


    "We lost two more costumes. The costume crew searched everywhere but couldn''t find them. A few cushions and blankets in the crew lounge also went missing, but the overcoat you wore to our dinner the other day appeared from nowhere."


    Yuan Ge knew what was going on as soon as he heard it, but he didn''t want Am¨¦lie to have a bee in her bonnet about that strange boy, so he immediately responded, "Oh I left that coat in the lounge."


    "Well, that''s good then. I''ve had it cleaned and ironed by the dry cleaners.. It''s on your desk. Remember to wear it home tonight." Am¨¦lie gave him a tender look, then her expression became puzzled again as she said, "There''s one more thing that''s strange. The props we used at the Rong family''s birthday party scene yesterday, a couple of plates of waxed chicken and waxed meat, disappeared overnight. Who do you think would want these things? It''s not like they''re edible. Even a cat wouldn''t want to eat them."


    How could Yuan Ge not see that Am¨¦lie had become a little paranoid for the past few days. After all, the sudden appearance of a coffin in the mansion, and now things starting to go missing one after another, including inedible wax food, was too spooky for a woman who was afraid of ghosts.


    "Yuan Ge, are you holding back from me some mysterious legends of this mansion? What other stories are there that I don''t know?"


    "I''ve told you everything. Really, there''s nothing more. I was actually born in this place, but I moved out when I was still a baby." Seeing how uneasy Am¨¦lie was, Yuan Ge took the time to chat with her while directing the grips to set up the camera dollies for the next scene.


    "What?! You were born in this mansion? How come I haven''t heard you mention this before?" Although she had known Yuan Ge for a year, she hadn''t had the chance to learn about his past, especially his childhood and teenage years. At the moment, her curiosity got the better of her and she put down the task at hand, wanting only to ask him a few more questions.


    "Yes, when my mother was studying for her PhD, the Guan''s Properties got back this old mansion of their ancestors and commissioned scholars from Beijing University to do a study on the historical heritage of the Rong Mansion. The research topic my mother was doing at the time happened to be on the famous houses of the Imperial City, so she was sent by the university to lead the project. And because they were both Banner people[1], her family and the Guan family were both of Manchu descent, and had more or less ancestral connections, they let my parents live in the house during that period of research. My mother didn''t move out until after I was born. So, I guess this mansion is my birthplace. Only I was too young to remember much at the time."


    "Ah! I would never have guessed that Professor Fu was a Manchu if you hadn''t said it! So you''re half Manchu? No wonder the Guan family has such a high social status, so they''re descendants of Qing Dynasty nobles, huh?"


    Yuan Ge smiled, "There are so many things to talk about when it comes to Manchu and the Qing dynasty. My mother''s family name ''Fu'' is from the Manchurian clan name ''Fuqa'', and the Guan family''s Manchurian clan name is Guwalgiya. Ronglu''s full name is actually Ronglu Guwalgiya, so this old mansion does belong to the Guan family."


    --------------------


    [1] The name "Banner people" comes from a military system called the "Eight Banners" established by Nurhaci, who reunified the Jurchen tribes and organized Jurchen soldiers into groups of "Bannermen", and eventually established the Qing Dynasty in China. The term "Banner people" is related to the Manchus, but they are not the same.

 Chapter 33 - Waiting For The Star

    Seeing that Am¨¦lie was listening to him intently, Yuan Ge paused for a moment and continued, "Apart from the legend of the Dragon Pond, this mansion is considered one of the cleaner old mansions in Beijing and is not heavy with Yin energy at all. If you don''t believe me, you can check out the houses near the Central Market, such as the West Crane Hall and the tailor shop next to it. Violette Fu, uh...my mum, once told me about a tailor there who heard a thief sneaking around in the middle of night stealing things. The tailor was old and frail and afraid he couldn''t fight the thief, so he didn''t bother to get up and just let the thief steal whatever he wanted. When he got up the next day, he found that nothing was missing from the house, but the needles and threads from the shop were all gone..."


    Am¨¦lie''s face changed as soon as she heard that the story came from "Violette Fu". Her usual calmness and assertiveness as the executive producer were gone, and she looked vigilant and apprehensive. But Yuan Ge pretended not to notice it and carried on telling this ghost story that he knew by heart..


    "When the tailor went back home, he saw that the prisoner, who had been beheaded the day before at the Central Market, where he was supposed to be on display for three days, was now lying in front of his house. His severed head had actually been sewn back on the body with the tailor''s needle and thread. Then he knew that the thief who had sneaked in last night was probably the corpse looking for a needle and thread to sew his own head back on..."


    "You horrible bastard!" Am¨¦lie screamed, giving Yuan Ge a few good punches.


    "Yuan Ge, why are you scaring Am¨¦lie again? Don''t you know that she''s afraid of ghosts?" Du Jinghai walked over at some point, and he smiled, trying to comfort Am¨¦lie, "Amy, don''t be afraid. The ghost stories Yuan Ge got wholesale from Professor Fu are all fake! There are not that many ghosts in this world. This Rong Mansion was once the residence of a first grade minister, so if there were any ghosts, that would only be a few hanging ghosts, drowning ghosts or newborn ghosts. The kind of ghosts Yuan Ge just mentioned are called headless ghosts, and the lowest level ghosts, such as the hungry ghosts, wouldn''t normally come to such high-class places. But there are always exceptions. You said our wax food props went missing last night, maybe..."


    "Is this your way of comforting me? You horrible people! You both are bad horrible people!" A flurry of small punches fell on Du Jinghai this time, and Yuan Ge couldn''t help but smile at him as he watched how much Du Jinghai was enjoying this special treatment.


    "By the way, Yuan Ge, when is that Yin Fenghua coming on set? I''ve got something else going on at the end of the month, so time might be a bit tight. Have you asked Fat Chow? Even a hot shot like him should think of the whole crew and give us an exact schedule, instead of leaving us hanging."


    Yuan Ge was very well aware that Du Jinghai, a capable photographer, was a "capital drifter"[1] from a small village with little background and connections in Beijing. Over the years he had worked his way up through sheer diligence and determination. In addition to being one of the main shareholders of DDP, responsible for the camera and technical crew, he regularly takes on a lot of side gigs to earn some extra cash. Why else would he bother to become a verified user on Quarro platform, earning popularity and gaining name recognition by writing and marketing his technical knowledge? Because name recognition brings more opportunities to make extra money. Events such as birthday parties, weddings, funerals, shop openings, or annual celebrations of big companies, etc. are all his opportunities for the side business. Du Jinghai is not at all picky about what kind of job he takes on, as long as there is money to be made.


    Yuan Ge truly admired the drive of these "capital drifters". Du Jinghai came from a poor family. His parents lived in the countryside who needed his financial support, his younger brother was still in university who also needed his financial help, and he planned to buy a house in the capital, get married and settle here. To him, the realities of life definitely took precedence over artistic dreams. Yuan Ge was very sympathetic to his situation. As long as there were no shooting scheduled in DDP and his private activities would not delay the current filming progress, he never interfered with him taking on any side jobs.


    "I was worried about that, too. I''ve been shooting the subplots and supporting scenes to fill that gap. I don''t know this guy that Fat Chow decided to get. Anyway, he doesn''t seem to have a contractual spirit at all. Maybe he doesn''t think much of our small company. If the schedule continues to slip, the film is as good as dead."


    Am¨¦lie, seeing Yuan Ge and Du Jinghai''s worried faces, tried to smooth over the situation and reassure them, "I''ve brought this issue up with Fat Chow several times. You know how he is. Always trying to gloss it over, telling me that Yin Fenghua was scheduled for a variety show, or a concert and so on. Whenever I prodded him, he''d say ''OK, OK, he is coming in a couple of days¡­ He will be here soon''. And then another two weeks went by and nothing happened!"


    "Ha! Gotcha! Amy darling, what are you saying about me behind my back?" Before Am¨¦lie finished her sentence, Chow Mingrun walked over with a big grin on his face and a spring in his step.


    --------------------


    [1] Capital drifters are people who were not born in the capital, who either came to the capital from a small town to try their luck, or who studied in the capital but tried to stay on after graduating. They usually have no local connections and move around a lot, hence the term ''drifters''.

 Chapter 34 - King Guan Entertainment

    "Fat Chow, you''re in a good mood today. Is it because Yin Fenghua is coming to the set?" Du Jinghai continued the topic, trying to strike while the iron was hot. He took out a packet of cigarettes and handed one to Chow Mingrun, then turned to Am¨¦lie, "Do you mind?"


    "No, go ahead."


    Chow Mingrun took the cigarette and, unable to contain his excitement, said, "Don''t worry about that Yin Fenghua business. It can wait. You guys had better listen to the good news first! Liu Sang dragged me to see the Guan family yesterday. Guess what it was about? I''ve finally met the current head of the family. He''s officially taking over the reins of Guan''s Pictures since he returned from abroad and is making drastic changes to the business these days to prepare for a new movie! This is a big event that will shake up the entire entertainment industry!"


    Yuan Ge said, "I''ve heard of it. This man you''re talking about is Arthur Guan, right? The second son of the Guan family in this generation. He''s been living in America for the past ten years and is the most liberal and avant-garde of the Guan family. He is taking over the family''s entertainment business in full now that he''s back in China.".


    Du Jinghai blew a smoke ring and laughed, "Guan''s Properties, that is the number one property developer in the country. It''s hard for ordinary guys like us to speculate on its financial power. Think about it, more than half of the cinemas in the country are owned by that family. Although the second young master Guan studied business, I heard that his interest was in film and television, so the first thing he did when he returned to China was to restructure Guan''s Pictures and even changed its name. It''s now called King Guan Entertainment. What an ambitious name that is!"


    Am¨¦lie nodded in agreement, "I believe the predecessor of Guan''s Pictures was Beijing Film Studio, which had quite a long history. Now renamed as King Guan Entertainment, he probably wants to manage it with newer and more modern concepts to achieve a dominant position in the entertainment industry. I just don''t know if this second young master Guan is a pretender or a real contender. Whether he has the ability to lead his gigantic family business to become the industry''s trendsetter is still unknown."


    "Gee, I can''t believe you all know quite a lot about it." Chow Mingrun shook his head and couldn''t help but laugh as he listened to everyone''s chatter, "But, do you guys know that his King Guan Entertainment is about to pitch a big production movie?"


    "Yeah I know. It''s said to be a period drama set in the Ming Dynasty, an adaptation of a big Webnovel IP, fully produced by KGE. From the playwright to the entire cast and crew, they are all supposed to be the best in the industry, creme de la creme. The base investment is 1 billion! I heard that the audition for the lead roles will start after the Lunar New Year."


    "Old Dude, you know quite a lot! Always appearing so harmless and quiet, I didn''t expect you to be such a know-it-all!" Chow Mingrun laughed.


    Du Jinghai smiled, "I''m a Quarroer, so I read all kinds of posts on Quarro every day. It''s hard to miss any news even if I don''t want to know."


    "A billion? Wow! If they invest that much in pre-production, plus post-production and distribution, they''re heading for at least one and half billion! What a difference it makes to have a property company as a financial backer. Our production budget for a film can''t even reach ten million." Yuan Ge felt a little envious.


    Chow Mingrun saw right through Yuan Ge''s mind and patted him on the shoulder, "Don''t be so sour, our chance has come! When second young master Guan met with me, he had given me the green light to bring a team to the audition."


    "Audition? Isn''t it supposed to be held after the New Year? Actually, I''ve always thought that our Waylon, Stephen and Chestnut are all very good in terms of appearance and personality. If they can go to the audition, they might have a chance. Jinghai, how about taking a few good photos of each of them and passing them on to KGE''s casting? But I don''t know if KGE will like the actors recommended by such a small company like ours."


    Although Du Jinghai was reluctant to oppose Am¨¦lie''s proposal, he couldn''t resist giving her a reality check, "Amy, you don''t know much on how the domestic show business works. For big productions like this, the lead roles are all decided behind the scenes. The so-called auditions are just a means of publicity. How could they really take a serious look at a small timer like us? There''s no need to try, because there''s no chance at all. It''s going to be a waste of time."


    "What are you two talking about! Look at TweeChat, the news is all over the internet today! The audition has been moved up to the day after tomorrow! As soon as KGE released this audition date, TweeChat''s servers almost grind to a halt!" Chow Mingrun interrupted the two with an excited look on his face.


    Du Jinghai hurriedly took out his phone and scanned the trending topics list, and sure enough, it was all about the audition and casting for KGE''s new movie. "Holy shit! King Guan is the King after all! It''s clearly stated here - they are going to have 3,000 people in the audition, only proper actors allowed, no celebrities or TV idols ¡­ 64 go into the second round and so on, with Arthur Guan himself as the audition judge in the final round!"

 Chapter 35 - Opportunity Knocks

    "Three thousand! Isn''t that a bit of an exaggeration? How many actors are needed for this film! Why would so many people want to audition for it? Oh my god! It''s not an audition, it''s like looking for a needle in a haystack! Besides, all the actors who audition have to bring their portfolios with them, there''s no hope for newbies, so it seems our people really don''t stand a chance after all." Am¨¦lie sighed as she browsed through the webpages on her phone.


    "Then you must have underestimated the appeal of King Guan." Chow Mingrun said, "TweeChatters are moaning about why ordinary people aren''t allowed to audition, otherwise I reckon at least 300,000 people would have turned up. Also, I asked Liu Sang and he confirmed to me that young master Guan doesn''t care what status you are or how big a star you are, the so-called ''just actors not idols'', which means that no matter how famous you are, you have to pass the audition. You are only judged by how good your acting is on the day and if you are suitable for the role. No mercy."


    "If Arthur Guan can actually do this, it would be quite something. I think this audition will probably be reduced to a hyped up marketing event. King Guan Entertainment was reformed from the old state-owned film and television company. While it does have a high status in our circles, it is also plagued by the most complicated nepotism. When it comes to not showing favouritism, the personnel relationships left behind by the previous management are enough for this second master to cope with. Besides, everything in the show business is all interconnected, pandering to the top and bullying the bottom.. This is just a disguised invitation to those influential film and TV production companies, not a truly impartial casting."


    "Yuan Ge, can you not be so pessimistic? I came all this way just to show you this! Drum roll please ... Ta-da!" Chow Mingrun said as he triumphantly pulled out a gilded invitation from his suit pocket, with "To Dragon Dreams Pictures" printed on it.


    "See this? The King himself gave it to me when I went to see him!"


    "What?" Now not only Yuan Ge, but also Am¨¦lie and Du Jinghai were quite amazed.


    "Took you guys by surprise, didn''t it?" Chow Mingrun smiled smugly and said, "Can you believe it? A big cheese like young master Guan has actually seen the debut film of a small potato like us, ''Eve''s Fallen''. He seems to admire Yuan Ge''s directing talent and specially asked me to make sure you are at the audition. I reckon, if you''re lucky, you might get the assistant director position. You''ll lead the team and take all our guys and gals to the audition. How cool is that? Thanks to my quick reflexes and smart thinking, I was able to negotiate with the King himself and make an exception to allow our actors to audition without a single work under their names. Come on! Praise me for my heroic effort!"


    Du Jinghai''s eyes lit up and said, "KGE actually opened the back door for our small company? Fat Chow, you are a genius! If we are chosen by Master Guan for this big production, we''ve finally got our big break! Our chance is here! Like Amy said, I''ll go take a good set of studio photos of our boys and girls, and Yuan Ge can lead the team to try their luck on the day of the audition."


    Chow Mingrun looked at Yuan Ge with a big grin and instructed, "Old Dude, don''t forget to take a few nice pictures of our director Yuan Ge. That good look of his will definitely make him stand out in the director pile!"


    "You''re full of shit! I''ve never heard of directors applying for jobs based on their looks!" Although Yuan Ge was also happy that DDP had gotten this opportunity out of the blue, there was always a bit of uncertainty in the back of his mind.


    Watching Chow Mingrun''s high spirit on set all day, Yuan Ge kept his cool and carried on with the shooting as planned. He did not share the news of the upcoming audition with the actors. They were too inexperienced, and knowing the news of the audition in advance would not only increase their anxiety but also make them feel unnecessarily stressed, so it was better to focus on shooting the film and improving their acting skills.


    Finally finished with the day''s work, Yuan Ge returned to the crew lounge when he suddenly noticed a person squatting in the corner of the room, wearing a dirty white costume taken from the prop room, his bloodless face looking sickly and dejected. It turned out to be that "porcelain bumping" boy who claimed to be Rong Qiuchen the other day.


    "Hey! You! I''ve been looking for you! Don''t hide from me." Yuan Ge looked at his pitiful appearance, not even wearing a coat in such a cold winter, and couldn''t help but worry that he might get sick from the freezing cold. But as soon as he opened his mouth, Rong Qiuchen jumped up like a frightened rabbit and tried to escape again. Yuan Ge hurriedly chased after him and tried to stop him from running away, but he deftly dodged. By the time when Yuan Ge rushed to the moon gate of Yi Qiu Garden, Rong Qiuchen had already disappeared into the thin air, without a trace, like a snowflake evaporating in the sun.

 Chapter 36 - The Boy Is Back In Town

    "Chestnut, you''re playing Felicity, the young lady of the Rong family here. I don''t think you''ve captured the essence of her character." Yuan Ge said to Chestnut, then turned to the other actors and said, "Come over here, you lot, have a listen too. You need to get a thorough understanding of the Rong family''s background before you can get into character."


    During the shooting break, Yuan Ge gathered the young actors together and explained to them the key points they needed to grasp in order to play the subplot of the Rong family.


    "Qiuchen was the first prize winner of the Flowers of the Opera Stage, the equivalent of a superstar nowadays, so you can imagine how many powerful people in high society were promoting him and pursuing him. And the main reason why this Third Lord of the House of Rong was able to get Qiuchen into his household, apart from his tactics, was because of his illustrious background. The House of Rong, or Manchurian Guwalgiya clan, was a family of loyalty and martyrdom, sheltering its descendants by the sacrifices of its forefathers. It had a distinguished record of warfare - the Third Lord''s father and uncles died for the Qing dynasty. His elder brother died young, so his second brother, Ronglu, inherited the family title and became a First Grade Minister before the age of forty, taking charge of the imperial treasury, overseeing the construction of the imperial tombs, and serving as the Governor of the Nine Gates. There were even rumours that he was an old lover of the Empress Dowager Cixi. It was never money he lacked, but time, so he doted on his only brother and sister. He spoiled his younger brother, the Third Lord Huilu, into a playboy, a rich idler.. Although Huilu did not want to achieve anything in life, he definitely knew how to have fun and enjoy life. In today''s terms, he was a big collector and an avid fan. For elegant pastimes such as listening to opera or playing with actors, if it wasn''t top notch, it simply wouldn''t have caught his attention."


    "No wonder the script says that the Third Lord loves poetry and books, the qin and chess, paintings, wine, opera, and... sex! Probably an old hand in the land of debauchery, not a decent guy." In stark contrast to Chestnut''s clueless face, Waylon and Stephen couldn''t help but laugh out loud as they listened to the director talk about the scene.


    "Although Qiuchen committed himself to the House of Rong, his heart was never on the Third Lord. Their relationship was still essentially one of coercion between master and servant. As you know, there is a big difference between the operatic circles of the old days and the show business of today. Back then, actors had no personal freedom, their indentures of servitude were held in the hands of their masters, and only the top actors had the chance to earn enough money to repay their indentures and eventually free themselves to establish their own careers."


    "Then surely Qiuchen had this money. He was a superstar, so why did he have to come to the Rong Mansion?"


    "His mistake was to fall in love with someone unworthy. The Third Lord was just one of his admirers, obsessed with Qiuchen''s beauty but powerless over his noble character. Although he spent a lot of money courting him from the beginning, he was never able to get close to him. It was only later when the Third Lord made a deal with Liang Zitang, trading his sister''s marriage for Qiuchen''s indenture of servitude, that he finally got him into the Rong Mansion."


    "Director, is this man, Liang Zitang, the heartbreaker in the film? Qiuchen is a beautiful person that no one can get close to, so how could he fall in love with him, a poor scholar, and use the money he saved up for his indenture to pay for his studies and get him to the position of importance, only to be abandoned by him anyway? To please the Third Lord and the power of the House of Rong, Liang Zitang took Qiuchen''s love to exchange for a marriage with Miss Rong..." Chestnut blinked her innocent big eyes and asked seriously. Before Yuan Ge could answer, she suddenly exclaimed, "Di ¡­ Director ¡­ Do you see a man behind that tree? Isn''t that the costume that sister Amy has been looking for?"


    Yuan Ge looked in the direction Chestnut was pointing and saw a wide sleeve of a costume behind a large tree. Several people rushed over and found the unconscious boy who claimed to be Rong Qiuchen behind the tree.


    "This little brother is so good looking!" Chestnut immediately noticed that Rong Qiuchen''s dirty little face was actually very handsome.


    "Isn''t this the same guy we saw the other day when we were shooting the funeral scene?" A few guys obviously remembered him too.


    "Yes, actually, I saw him at noon today ¡­" Waylon stuttered a little as he looked at Rong Qiuchen''s seemingly frozen face, "He was so quick that I couldn''t catch him. He seemed to know the place really well, like it was his home. I lost him after he made a few turns."


    "What a strange guy! In the middle of winter, lying outdoors in a thin piece of costume, is he nuts? Even if he''s not frozen to death, he must easily catch a cold or a fever." Stephen reached out and touched the boy''s forehead and immediately let out a gasp, "Oh my God, it''s as cold as ice!"


    "I''ll go back to the congee bar and bring him a bowl of hot congee." Chestnut volunteered and got up immediately.


    Seeing the boy''s frosty face, Yuan Ge also wanted to check his temperature, but just as he reached out his hand, his wrist was grabbed by the boy unexpectedly. It took a long while before he slowly opened his eyes, but both hands still clung to Yuan Ge''s hand as if he was clutching the only straw that could save his life. He looked terrified, but did not say a word.

 Chapter 37 - Come Home With Me

    "Hey, have you learned martial arts before? You jumped over that wall so easily, that''s amazing! Where did you learn your Kung Fu?" Waylon also studied martial arts before his art exams and was naturally more interested in Rong Qiuchen''s extraordinary martial arts skills.


    Just then, Am¨¦lie rushed over with two security guards.


    "What''s your name, young man, and what are you doing on our film set? Are you a snapper or a paparazzi or something?" Am¨¦lie''s first concern was the reputation of Dragon Dreams. What if this guy was some crazy fan who had fallen off somewhere while doing a secret photo shoot and injured himself? If word got out, whether it was a plot leak or a safety issue, it would be detrimental to the company.


    "Should we call an ambulance to take him to the hospital for a check-up?" Stephen was still in a state of shock as he remembered the icy cold temperature of the boy''s forehead.


    "Not yet, the kid seems to be a bit mentally unstable. I''ve spoken to him before and he won''t tell me his real name or mention who his family is or what school he goes to. Let''s not scare him and let him calm down first." Seeing Rong Qiuchen leaning over him, clutching his hand tightly, with that frightened and anxious look on his face that no one could fake even if they wanted to, Yuan Ge didn''t know whether to laugh or cry, and just added, "By the way, he also has a strange habit. Whenever he sees me, he either runs away or treats me like a charging station.".


    "What is a charging station?" The boy who called himself Rong Qiuchen finally spoke up.


    "You grabbed my hand and then regained consciousness after a while, am I not your charging station?" Seeing Qiuchen''s eyes gradually regain focus and light up again, obviously recovering some, Yuan Ge was relieved and he wasn''t as worried as before. With two guards standing by, maybe he wouldn''t get away so easily this time.


    Just then, Chestnut trotted back from the congee bar with a flask of hot congee and a jar of pickles. The boy was too weak to sit up properly and he wouldn''t let go of Yuan Ge''s hand, so without thinking, Chestnut picked up a spoon and fed him the congee herself. He smiled gratefully at Chestnut''s kindness and ate the congee with her helping hand. He seemed to enjoy the pickles quite a lot, and after finishing the flask of congee, he finally looked a little alive again.


    "Which school are you from? Last time you showed up from nowhere at our funeral scene, even our director said it was well acted! ¡­ Here, look here ¡­" Stephen took out his phone and quickly took a picture of Rong Qiuchen, then used the Silverfox search engine''s picture comparison function to search the internet, but had no luck. He also posted on the campus websites of several famous universities in the capital, but unfortunately no one replied that they knew this person, instead, a bunch of nymphomaniac girls came to ask which faculty this handsome guy came from.


    "Director Jiang, Director Yuan, I think this kid is the thief we''ve been trying to catch these days, so why don''t you let us take him to the police station." The two guards were eager to get rid of this troublemaker straight away. The recent theft had added a lot of work to their plate, causing them to do extra patrols and inventory checks. They felt vindicated and a little angry to see Rong Qiuchen in a costume from the film crew. They didn''t want to waste their breath, just wanted to take him to the police station and be done and over with.


    "Let''s not rush into this. What if he''s a college student? Taking him to the police will have an impact on his school and personal records. And ¡­" Yuan Ge looked at Rong Qiuchen - although his delicate little face was rather dirty, it couldn''t hide his handsomeness, and he looked a little odd and confused in Rong Qing''s costume. If he was really taken to the police station and locked up with all sorts of dubious characters, it was likely to cause more trouble.


    "Director, why don''t you let him come home with me. We''re about the same age and I''ll ask him if he''s run away from home or if he''s lost his memory." Stephen had always been a warm-hearted kid, and as a Beijing local, he was one of the people in the crew who loved to take care of things, even though he was only a budding actor.


    "Or he could come back with me. A couple of my flatmates are NATA students, so they might recognise him." Waylon also volunteered, clearly feeling sympathetic to the confused little brother.


    "Director, you can let him stay with us for now. He can stay in my room above the congee bar. I could go back to the chestnut stall for a few days. I''ve worked for that boss for so many years that it shouldn''t be a problem for me to go back and stay there once in a while." Chestnut was genuinely concerned about Rong Qiuchen and worried that he would continue to sleep rough in his thin clothes, so she was even willing to give up her temporary accommodation.


    Am¨¦lie was pleased that the three young actors were such kind and warm-hearted people, however, after checking the time, she vetoed their suggestions, "It''s too late today, you three should go with your brother Jinghai to the photo shoot now. Tomorrow it''s King Guan''s audition, you can''t afford to be distracted before this tough battle."


    Yuan Ge nodded, helped Rong Qiuchen up from the ground and said to the crowd, "Since I am the director of this crew, I am still the most responsible for the affairs here. Everyone please go home and focus on preparing for tomorrow''s audition. As to him ¡­ it''s better for me to take him home for proper questioning."


    Am¨¦lie looked at Rong Qiuchen holding Yuan Ge''s hand tightly, refusing to let go at all, and sighed, ''''It seems he only trusts you at the moment. I think this is the best arrangement for now. You take him home and I''ll go to the nearby hospital and police station after work and ask if any patients are missing or if anyone has reported a missing person''s case. Yuan Ge, thank you for taking care of him tonight. You go home early and get some rest. And don''t forget to come over first thing in the morning. Fat Chow has been going on and on about making sure you lead the team for tomorrow''s audition."

 Chapter 38 - Stop Talking The Ancient Gobbledygook!

    "Well ¡­ erm ¡­ Rong-Qiu-Chen ¡­" After the crowd dispersed, Yuan Ge took the boy into the crew lounge, but he still felt very strange calling him by this name from his script.


    "It''s been quite a few days since I first saw you. You haven''t been hiding in this mansion and never gone out all this time, or have you?" Rong Qiuchen looked dusty and grey from head to toe, his skin had lost the lustrous whiteness it had when he first saw him, and there was even dirt on his high nose bridge. It seemed that he could really do with a good bath.


    The boy looked at Yuan Ge with sorrowful eyes, seemingly ready to burst into tears at any moment, his gaze filled with resignation and helplessness as he nodded and whispered, "Childe Yuan, thank thee f''r being so kind to me ¡­ f''r ¡­ saving me the present day. I ¡­ Qiuchen ¡­ am anon all high-lone ¡­ the ordinary is so vast, yet thither is nay one whom i knoweth ''r who is''t knoweth me, nay lodging to stayeth, nay lodging to wend ¡­ if ''t be true thee mind not taking me with thee, i shalt beest at thy disposal."[1]


    "Do you mean you finally believe me and don''t plan to run away anymore?" Yuan Ge couldn''t resist teasing him when he heard him speak in this formal way of the ancient literati..


    But there was no sign of joking on Rong Qiuchen''s face, as if he had made some difficult decision, nodding slightly, but still holding onto Yuan Ge''s hand and refusing to let go.


    Seeing his solemn and timid look, Yuan Ge somehow recalled the dream he had the other night, the image of their bodies intertwined together, and those intimate words and actions of the Third Lord. Although he could not figure out whether he was the same Third Lord, the Rong Qiuchen in the dream did have the same face as the boy in front of him now. All of a sudden, he had a wicked association with the meaning of "take me with you" and immediately felt ashamed of himself.


    Trying hard to dispel those wicked thoughts in his mind, Yuan Ge sighed, "I say little buddy, uh ¡­ Rong Qiuchen, you are close to freezing yourself to death on the street, can''t you first take a little more responsibility for your own life? Let''s stop playing games and stop being such a drama queen. Do you really think I''m some kind of lord or childe, and you''re some kind of indentured opera singer of the ancient times? Please, just tell me the truth, what''s your name? Where do you live? Is your home in Beijing??"


    "Home? this is mine own home, wherefore would i dissemble thee?"[2] Rong Qiuchen looked at Yuan Ge blankly, and the light in his eyes dimmed a little. He bowed his head for a long time before whispering, "So thee has''t misgivings about me. If ''t be true yond''s the case, i would not dare to expect thee to taketh me in, so ¡­ i shalt taketh mine own leaveth"[3] Having said these words, he stood up and was about to walk out.


    "Stop right there!" Yuan Ge pulled him back, seeing that pitiful look in his eyes like an abandoned puppy, and he felt that he was at his wit''s end. Holding his hand to his forehead, he said in resignation, "I beg you, please just tell me what you want. Can you stop pretending to be an ancient guy? At least stop talking gobbledygook! Even though I can understand it, it sounds weird to me!"


    Rong Qiuchen asked carefully, and in a trembling voice, "Childe yuan, i just wanteth to asketh thee to confirm one thing, as thee hath seemed to has''t mention''d in thy haste yond day yond t is anon moo than a hundr''d years after the fourth year of Guangxu. Is yond ¡­ true?"[4]


    "Of course it''s true!" Seeing his obsession with cosplaying someone from the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Ge replied impatiently, "It''s 2021! If you''re transmigrated here, that''s 143 years after the time you lived in. Stop talking nonsense and put on some clothes!" He shouted as he threw his down jacket over.


    "One hundred and forty three years ¡­" Before Rong Qiuchen had time to exclaim, he was hit squarely in the face by the down jacket, "... What is transmigration? Where is Childe Yuan taking me?"


    Yuan Ge looked defeated, ''''Where am I taking you? Mr. Ancient Cosplayer, you almost stink to high heaven! I''m taking you home to take a bath! You refuse to give me your home address, what can I do but take you back to my house first. Stop dawdling, hurry up and get dressed. It''s cold outside."


    "You mean ¡­ you agree to take me in?" Rong Qiuchen gauged the sincerity in Yuan Ge''s words and seemed to finally feel somewhat reassured.


    "Taking you in or taking you out, whatever. I just can''t see you freezing to death on my film set. I have a small flat nearby, a fifteen minute walk, so you can stay with me for now."


    Seeing that Rong Qiuchen was still frozen in place with a puzzled look on his face, seemingly struggling to digest the meaning of his words, Yuan Ge had no choice but to repeat in literate and formal language, "I have a private residence on Yandai Byway, just a short distance away. Would Master Rong please condescend to stay in my humble abode temporarily tonight?"


    "Yandai Byway? Qiuchen knows it well!" For the first time, a small smile appeared on Rong Qiuchen''s face. "If ''t be true yond is the lodging, then Qiuchen would like to wend with thee, Childe yuan. In the past few days, i has''t been in a daze, as if ''t be true i wast in a dream. Anon yond i has''t been did guide by thee, i realize yond things has''t hath changed and everything is not a dream."[5]


    "Talk to me properly, I don''t have time to practice these ancient gobbledygook with you." Yuan Ge''s words were sharp, but seeing the boy smile happily for the first time, he was still stunned by how beautiful and infectious that smile was. He wondered to himself, "Does that mean this crazy boy finally is going to admit that he has played enough of this crazy game?"


    Although Rong Qiuchen was wearing Yuan Ge''s down jacket, underneath it was still just a thin, dirty robe, his hair was dishevelled and he looked confused. Yuan Ge shook his head, walked over, helped him zip and button his jacket, and pulled the fox fur hood at the back over his head. His waist-length black hair had nowhere to go, so Yuan Ge brought it over his shoulders to the front and let it hang like black waterfalls.


    --------------------


    [1] Childe Yuan, thank you for being so kind to me ¡­ for ¡­ saving me today. I ¡­ Qiuchen ¡­ am now all alone ¡­ The world is so vast, yet there is no one whom I know or who knows me, no place to stay, no place to go ¡­ If you don''t mind taking me with you, I shall be at your disposal.


    [2] Home? This is my home, why would I deceive you?


    [3] So you have misgivings about me. If that''s the case, I would not dare to expect you to take me in, so ¡­ I shall take my leave.


    [4] Childe Yuan, I just want to ask you to confirm one thing, as you seemed to have mentioned in your haste that day that it is now more than a hundred years after the fourth year of Guangxu. Is that ¡­ true?


    [5] If that is the place, then Qiuchen would like to go with you, Childe Yuan. In the past few days, I have been in a daze, as if I were in a dream. Now that I have been guided by you, I realize that things have changed and everything is not a dream.

 Chapter 39 - Traffic Stopper

    When the two of them walked out of the Rong Mansion at dusk, the street lights were just coming on and they walked right into the evening rush hour traffic.


    Although this street in the old part of Beijing was not as congested as the ring road, there was no shortage of traffic and pedestrians. A sharp braking sound frightened Rong Qiuchen, who hastily tugged at Yuan Ge''s hand. Every car that passed in front of him made him jump, and his face was filled with a look of shock and horror.


    They hadn''t gone more than a few steps before they were caught in a traffic jam at the junction. Impatient drivers kept honking their horns and making ear-splitting sounds. Rong Qiuchen shrieked and tried to run back to the mansion, but Yuan Ge firmly pulled him back, "Stop it! Please stop behaving like a child! Don''t act like you''ve never seen a car before! Aren''t you tired of playing this game? It''s not funny!"


    Soon, he noticed that Rong Qiuchen seemed to be scared of motorbikes, bicycles and even skateboards. He looked at the pedestrians in various clothes with shock and fear in his eyes. Yuan Ge couldn''t believe what he saw and exclaimed, "Don''t tell me you''ve been holed up in the mansion all these days because you''re afraid of these!"


    At this, Rong Qiuchen nodded firmly, his eyes as frightened as those of a lost deer.


    "Do I have to explain every single thing to you just to cater for your severe insanity and delusions of transmigration?"


    Seeing Rong Qiuchen blinking his big, confused eyes and nodding firmly again, Yuan Ge gave up totally. He pointed at the busy traffic on the street and said in resignation, "This is a car -- my goodness, are you crazy or am I crazy! --This is the transport of our time, much more advanced than the horse-drawn carriages of the Qing Dynasty. It runs fast and doesn''t eat grass, well, it''s just a bit noisy ¡­"


    The two of them walked along the busy street, Yuan Ge explaining the whole way. Like an uninitiated child, Rong Qiuchen clung onto Yuan Ge the whole time, but his eyes quickly scanned everything in front of him, nodding frequently to show that he was listening and taking note of everything.


    Until they reached the intersection of South Luogu Lane, Rong Qiuchen suddenly asked as an afterthought, "Childe Yuan, the odd street we just came from, was it Ju''er Hutong?"


    Frustrated by his fussing over every little thing, Yuan Ge didn''t bother to reply and just pointed to the street sign, which had "Ju''er Hutong" clearly written on it. Rong Qiusheng stood at the intersection with tears streaming down his face and said, "Everything has changed ¡­ the imperial capital I grew up in has become like ¡­ this! ¡­ many of the streets have become unrecognizable to me ¡­"


    It was dinner time and South Luogu Lane, the capital''s famous traditional foodie street, was packed with tourists and diners. The sight of Rong Qiuchen''s weeping immediately drew the attention of people on the street.


    "What a handsome boy!"


    "Is he an internet celebrity? Is his hair real? Wow! It''s so long!" Sure enough, Rong Qiuchen''s extraordinary long and shiny black hair immediately made the girls stop in their tracks and admire.


    And when they noticed another tall, handsome young man standing next to the anachronistically dressed boy, they became even more excited.


    "Look! They''re actually holding hands!"


    "Is this just for show or for real? Are they really gay?"


    "One actually made the other one cry!"


    "Wow, there really can be such a good-looking gay couple in life! What eye candy ¡­"


    "Bless you!" In the midst of the whispering crowd, a girl actually had the guts to shout out her blessing.


    Damn!


    Yuan Ge knew he would get into a lot of trouble if the boy continued like this, so he shouted to Qiuchen, "Stop crying now! In the Qing Dynasty, could a man just cry in the street willy-nilly? Why are you trying to grab my hand all the time!"


    These harsh words had the desired effect and the boy held back his tears, not daring to make a sound. However, the red tinge at the end of his eyes, his delicate face still with tear stains, and his resigned look caused more people to stop and whisper to each other.


    On this winter evening, in the bustling streets of the old part of the capital, two handsome young men were holding hands and snuggling together, one of them dressed in an ancient costume and walking alongside gingerly. How could this not make girls go wild with their imaginations? An endless stream of people took out their mobile phones to snap photos, and several of them simply followed behind the couple and started doing live streaming excitedly ¡­


    "I''m ruined! You''re nothing but trouble!" Yuan Ge yanked down the hood of the boy''s down jacket to better cover his face, "The way it''s going ¡­ we could be on the Hot Topic list tomorrow! You must be the one sent by Buddha to torment me!" No longer caring about the taboo of men holding hands, Yuan Ge quickened his pace, dragging the boy with him, leaving behind a group of excited girls and heading straight for Yandai Byway.


    Unfortunately, Yandai Byway was also a busy street in the old part of the capital. Yuan Ge pulled Rong Qiuchen and dodged around the crowd, eventually managed to escape into a small flat on the first floor of a shop on the street, took the key and opened the door and pushed the boy in, before he breathed a sigh of relief, "Mr. Rong Qing, welcome to my humble abode!"

 Chapter 40 - How To Use A Chamber Pot

    Yuan Ge took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cupboard and handed them to Rong Qiuchen, then he noticed that Rong Qiuchen was still wearing the shoes he had taken out of the props room, without even a pair of socks on! How awful it must have been for him in this cold weather!


    Rong Qiuchen stood in the doorway, looking abashed and ill at ease. He dared not move an inch as he surveyed the layout and furnishings of the room. Yuan Ge sighed, helped him take off his jacket and ushered him inside, explaining, "This flat is very well heated, so it''s comfortable enough to wear just a T-shirt. Why don''t you take a shower first and I''ll find some clean clothes for you to change into."


    "Childe Yuan ... I ...."


    He looked flustered and unsure of what to do. Yuan Ge noticed that his legs were trembling slightly and he looked more uncomfortable than before, so he asked, "What''s the matter? Is something wrong?"


    "Childe Yuan, may i asketh whither the cubiculo pot is in thy house? i ¡­ has''t teen in mine own stomach ¡­ urgently needeth to useth the cubiculo pot¡­"[1]


    "The chamber pot?" Yuan Ge almost laughed out loud at his words and pointed to the bathroom door, "It''s over there!"


    Rong Qiuchen looked embarrassed and rushed into the bathroom and closed the door. Yuan Ge finally laughed out loud in a very ungenerous manner. This guy, in such a hurry to go to the toilet, almost crying out, and still not giving up saying the lines in the script! His perseverance was admirable. Perhaps the congee was not agreeable to him, or perhaps the jar of pickles in Chow''s Congee had passed its use-by date.


    After briefly tidying up the living room and finding some clean clothes for the boy, Yuan Ge still didn''t see him come out of the bathroom.


    "Hey, have you fallen into the toilet?" Yuan Ge called out from outside, but didn''t think much of it as he took ingredients out of the fridge and started to prepare dinner for the two of them.


    However, after he had made the Italian salad, cooked the bolognese sauce and the spaghetti was almost ready to be served, Rong Qiuchen still did not come out of the bathroom. Yuan Ge went over and called him a few times from outside, but there was no response. Then he knocked on the door, but still no one answered.


    What''s happening? Did he faint again? Remembering his ashen white face every time he fainted before, Yuan Ge suddenly became a little worried. He pushed the bathroom door and found that it was not locked, so he pushed it open and walked right in.


    "You! What are you doing?" Yuan Ge shouted angrily. He was shocked by what he saw.


    Rong Qiuchen was kneeling on the floor, holding the toilet, his whole body firing and trying to pull the toilet bowl off the floor.


    "Childe yuan, wherefore is this cubiculo pot impossible to moveth? i wanteth to exsufflicate t. "[2]


    "No! Stop it! Stop it right now!" Yuan Ge shouted while waving the spatula in his hand, "If you dare to dismantle my toilet, I''ll beat you up hard!"


    "But ¡­ it''s filthy ¡­ I ¡­ I must clean up ¡­ myself."


    "Oh man! Just push this button and the toilet will flush itself. How long are you going to carry on this game!" Yuan Ge glanced at the toilet, but couldn''t see anything unsightly, as the inside of the toilet was completely covered with a large amount of toilet paper. To demonstrate the toilet''s self-cleaning function, he pushed the flush button.


    However, upon seeing the instantly rising water level and the almost non-existent whirlpool, his heart sank and he almost kicked himself in regret, but it was all too late!


    "I''m going to put you in a mental hospital!"


    Yuan Ge pushed the flush button several times before finally giving up in frustration and accepting the fact that the toilet was now blocked.


    "Why did you use so much toilet paper!" Yuan Ge put down his spatula and took off his apron, feeling on the verge of losing his temper.


    "To cover up ¡­ Shameful ¡­" Rong Qiuchen''s expression at this moment was indescribably complex, with apologies, shame, embarrassment and regret ¡­ But whatever that expression was, it was so mesmerising that it was impossible for anyone to get angry at.


    "Ahhhhh!" From the bathroom came Yuan Ge''s frustrated cries.


    --------------------


    [1] Sir, may I ask where the chamber pot is in your house? I ¡­ have pain in my stomach ¡­ urgently need to use the chamber pot ¡­


    [2] "Childe Yuan, why is this chamber pot impossible to move? I want to empty it."

 Chapter 41 - Let Me Be Your Servant

    As they sat down at the table, Yuan Ge served the spaghetti bolognese and salad on a plate and placed it in front of Rong Qiuchen. He wanted to remind him that he should eat the pasta with a fork, but when he saw the way he played with the cutlery like he had never seen a knife and fork before, he gave up again and handed him the chopsticks instead.


    However, looking at his plate of deliciously smelling pasta, he suddenly lost his appetite - it was the first time in his life he had used a toilet brush - and he felt that not only his hands but his whole body stank!


    Rong Qiuchen peeked at Yuan Ge''s face, trying to read his mood, and naturally he didn''t have much of an appetite either, his head hung low, his face ashen, and even though he wasn''t blushing, his expression was still one of obvious embarrassment. Perhaps he felt it was inappropriate to remain silent, so he tried to make small talk to get out of this awkwardness.


    "Childe Yuan, do you usually stay in this house? Do people in the imperial city no longer live in courtyard houses?"


    "The courtyard house? Yes, people still live in them. It costs several hundred million RMB to buy, not something the average person can afford." Seeing Rong Qiuchen''s puzzled look, he had to add, "What, you want me to help you change the currency unit to the Guangxu period? Well, I''ve done my research anyway when I was preparing to shoot the film Qingqing, so if you''re good at maths, happy to continue your game. One tael of silver in the Guangxu period was about 200 yuan in today''s currency, so 100 million yuan would be 500,000 taels, which most people could not afford at all, even in your day. This small flat of mine, although it is only 60 square metres, is worth about nine million yuan, or roughly 45,000 taels of silver, just because it is in this prime location."


    Rong Qiuchen said in surprise, "For such a small residence ...." and then immediately stopped and covered his mouth, as if realising that he had said something rude.


    Yuan Ge said with a smile, "No problem. You are right. It is very small. If you think about it, Beijing has a huge population now, 23 times more than in the Qing Dynasty. Many immigrants can''t afford to buy a house, so the living space is definitely not as spacious as it was in the Qing Dynasty. I''ve only recently come to live in this flat because it''s closer to the film set and more convenient for me. When I''m not filming, I usually go back to my parents'' house in the Western Hills."


    "I see. The Second Lord of the House of Rong also has a dozen private residences in the imperial capital."


    "Ha! You mean Ronglu? How can I compare with him! He was a first-grade minister, a real powerful figure, the equivalent of someone from the Guan family of today. I''m just a film director. I don''t have that kind of financial power."


    Rong Qiuchen''s face relaxed a little and said with a smile, "I know who you are. I stayed in the Rong Mansion for the past few days and I saw that Childe Yuan and Qiuchen are actually in the same profession. You are also a performer in the theatrical circle."


    Yuan Ge tilted his head and blinked, "Uh, the acting world is much broader now than the theatre world used to be. I, as a director, would have been the person in charge of choreographing plays in an opera troupe in the Qing Dynasty. You said I was a performer ¡­ Hmmm ¡­ I guess it can be justified." After saying this, he suddenly glared at the boy, "Why do I have to convert everything to the Qing Dynasty for you? Haven''t you had enough of cosplaying as Rong Qiuchen?"


    Rong Qiuchen seemed to be accustomed to this kind of questioning from Yuan Ge, and after taking a few bites of the pasta on his plate, he asked another question, "Childe Yuan, what kind of spell are you using? How can you make fire out of thin air?" As he asked, he pointed to the gas stove in the kitchen.


    Yuan Ge deliberately made an evil face, ''''I can do demon spells! It''s the gas produced by the decaying bodies of various creatures that died billions of years ago. I use it for cooking - are you scared?"


    However, Rong Qiuchen could tell that he was teasing. He laughed and continued to ask, "Why don''t you have any maids in your house? Do you have to do such trivial things as washing and cooking yourself?"


    "Where did you get this feudal thought in your head? What maidservants or boy servants, I''m not blessed with that! You little decadent, have you remembered your real name or not? I see you are quite familiar with the area, so your family must live nearby, right?"


    Rong Qiuchen''s dark eyes looked seriously at Yuan Ge and said, "I am indeed Rong Qiuchen, a servant of the Rong Mansion. I am not deceiving you, Childe Yuan. Now that I''ve been saved by you, I am willing to be a servant in your mansion and take care of your daily needs."


    "Fine, fine, my servant boy, finish your dinner and go take a shower when you''re done. Take care of me? If you can take care of yourself, I''ll be thanking the Buddha for that! Don''t forget, I''m still waiting in line for the shower, so hurry up. If it wasn''t for the pasta getting cold, I wouldn''t want to eat with this toilet ''aroma''."


    Seeing Yuan Ge''s disdain, and hearing him bring up the previous topic, Rong Qiuchen dared not dawdle any longer. After finishing the meal in front of him in a few bites, he wanted to get up and clear the dishes, but was afraid of continuing to annoy him, so he went into the bathroom as he was told.


    However, a long time passed and he did not come out. Nor was there any sound or movement in the bathroom.

 Chapter 42 - Taking A Shower Together

    This troublemaker, he hasn''t taken the taps apart, has he? The tap was not as secure a fixture as the toilet bowl! Thinking of this, Yuan Ge no longer had the confidence to let him mess around and barged straight into the bathroom.


    What he saw was Rong Qiuchen staring blankly at the shower and hose, not knowing what to do with them. Seeing Yuan Ge walk in, he whispered gingerly, "Childe Yuan, your excellent house has neither a ladle nor a bathtub, nor a water storage tank or a water boiling stove, I would like to ¡­"


    "I don''t care what you would like to do! Cut the crap! Hurry up and take off your dirty clothes." Yuan Ge quickly lost patience with the young brat, urging him to take off his long, dirty robe before taking the shower off the wall bracket and explaining to him how to use it.


    "Look, the water comes out from here ¡­ and this is the hose that connects the water to the source ¡­ hot water on the left and cold water on the right ¡­"


    After taking off his outer robe, Rong Qiuchen became completely naked. There was nothing inside to cover his private parts. Standing in front of Yuan Ge with nothing on, he was so embarrassed that he didn''t pay attention to what he was saying. After explaining how to use the shower, Yuan Ge was about to walk out of the bathroom when a sudden splash of water hit him. It turned out that the boy had held the shower in the wrong direction and in his haste had sprayed water on both of them.


    Giving up any hope of reasoning with him, Yuan Ge had long since been tamed to the point where he had no temper left.. He wiped the water off his face, gave a quick shake of his dripping wet hair and said helplessly, "Well, I don''t have to stand in line anymore. Looks like we''re gonna have to take a shower together!"


    He stripped himself naked in a few quick movements, turned on the shower, took the flannel and said, "Master Rong, it looks like it''s better for me to be your servant to wait on you in the shower."


    This made Rong Qiuchen feel even more bashful and ill at ease. He propped himself up against the wall with one arm, buried his face deep in the crook of his arm, covered his private parts with his other hand and stood under the shower, exposing only his naked back for Yuan Ge to scrub.


    "What''s there to be shy about, haven''t you ever lived in a dorm?" Yuan Ge tried to speak as calmly as he could, as if it was no big deal, even though he himself hadn''t showered with anyone since he left the country over a decade ago.


    He squeezed the shampoo out of the bottle and applied it to Qiuchen''s long hair. "You''ve got amazing hair. How many years did it take you to grow this long?" Yuan Ge lathered his long hair from the roots and it took half a bottle of shampoo to finally get it thoroughly cleaned.


    Seeing the boy standing stiffly against the wall with his back to him, seemingly unsure how to wash himself, he took the liberty of scrubbing him with the flannel, from his swan-like neck, to his smooth back, down to his slim waist, to his full buttocks ¡­ It was like touching silk, the skin was so supple and smooth, yet the muscles were so tight. For some reason, his heart began to pound wildly, his blood rushing, and his face blushing.


    And Rong Qiuchen, blinded by the foam of the shower gel, could only call out softly, "Childe Yuan ¡­ Childe Yuan ¡­"


    "Uh ¡­" Listening to the boy''s soft murmuring of his name, Yuan Ge felt his mouth growing dry, his heart beating faster, and all that came to mind were fragments from his dream, where his body was intertwined with this beautiful man in front of him on that big mahogany bed. A shared shower that he had thought nothing of originally had suddenly become not so innocent.


    What''s wrong with me! Am I so obsessed with my film script? Not only do I have erotic dreams, but now I have dirty thoughts while showering naked with a man! What''s wrong with me? Yuan Ge turned the temperature down and sprayed the cold water on his face and body, telling himself firmly that the regular physical urges of an adult male were entirely animistic and had nothing to do with the object or his own morality, but were simply the result of temporary stimulation.


    No! I''m not a pervert who kidnaps demented children!


    However, when he opened his eyes, all he could see was the naked perfection of Rong Qiuchen, who was now looking back at him with a look of helplessness and attachment in his eyes...


    Oh, God! Please! Don''t let him discover the changes in my body! Yuan Ge wailed inwardly, but when he met Qiuchen''s gaze, it was like being struck by lightning and he actually forgot to breathe. Is this what they call "a glance of a million years"? --but the boy''s naked body was just too beautiful--perfect flesh accompanied by the erotic dream of that night, tumbling before his eyes and eating away at his mind ¡­


    Yuan Ge couldn''t stand it any longer and handed the flannel to Qiuchen and hurriedly escaped from the bathroom.


    ¡­ ¡­


    "How long does it usually take to groom this long hair of yours after each wash?"


    When Yuan Ge finally calmed down, Rong Qiuchen had also finished his nice hot shower and emerged from the bathroom with a content look on his face, wearing Yuan Ge''s pyjamas.


    "Two hours." Qiuchen said as he tried to dry his hair with a bath towel.


    "So this is how time is wasted!" Yuan Ge said and took out the hair dryer from the cupboard, but as soon as he turned it on, the roar of the hair dryer immediately sent Rong Qiuchen scurrying like a rabbit to the corner of the bathroom.


    "Don''t be afraid! This is the magic tool that will dry your hair in style in 20 minutes." Yuan Ge grabbed him from the corner and blow dried Qiuchen''s long, dark, shiny hair inch by inch. Feeling the softness and smoothness between his fingers, he couldn''t help but exclaim, "It''s a pain to take care of, but it sure is pretty!"


    "One''s body and hair are gifts from his parents, how can one easily part with them? May I ask why Childe Yuan cut his hair? Have you ever been a monk?"


    "Of course I''m not! Didn''t you see all the men on the street with short hair when we were coming back earlier? That''s the standard in the modern world, even if they need to do costume dramas, they all use wigs. Out of 1.4 billion Chinese, there is probably not a single person with hair as long as yours. How about tomorrow I apply for a Guinness World Record for you?"


    "What is Guinness?"


    Yuan Ge didn''t bother to answer and just focused on the task at hand. Rong Qiuchen soon fell in love with the hairdryer and followed Yuan Ge''s example, blissfully blowing his hair, letting it fly freely and looking at himself in the mirror with delight.

 Chapter 43 - The Test

    After a night of fussing over the little drama queen, Yuan Ge was too exhausted to speak. He collapsed on the sofa and began browsing through his film collection - he must now begin his daily routine of shot-by-shot film analysis or he would not be able to finish it.


    When Rong Qiuchen finished styling his hair and walked into the living room, he was naturally scared out of his wits again when he saw the moving images flashing on the television screen.


    Yuan Ge held his hands to his forehead, knowing that if he didn''t pacify this paranoid little drama queen, he wouldn''t be able to watch the film in peace tonight. He had to let him touch the screen himself and explain to him the principles of television imaging, the production of sound and the basics of film-making. After a while, the boy finally calmed down and sat down on the sofa to watch the film with him.


    It didn''t take long for Rong Qiuchen to develop a keen interest in television. His big, soulful eyes were glued to the actors'' performances on the screen, and he kept asking Yuan Ge all sorts of questions.


    Yuan Ge said in resignation, "I say, little buddy, your acting is so good that even I, a director, can''t fault it. I admit that your performance as a servant boy who transmigrated from the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty is flawless! Why don''t you stop acting now and let us both relax? I declare your porcelain bumping scheme a resounding success, and I will get you a part in my film ''Qingqing'' tomorrow, OK?"


    "Childe Yuan, you''re making fun of me.. I used to be an actor, and then I joined the House of Rong as a servant boy. What I''m telling you is the truth. If you don''t believe me, please allow me to convince you with a shoulder massage and a back rub."


    "Will you also make me tea, wash my feet and warm my bed?"


    "... ¡­"


    "That''s enough, buddy. Your young mind is full of remnants of feudal thinking! It seems that too much cosplay can easily lead to a distorted value system and outlook on life."


    They were watching the Spiegel brothers'' sci-fi thriller Predestination on TV. Yuan Ge thought to himself that this modernist work of complex editing with a difficult plot was really not suitable for this little lunatic to learn the basics of cinema. On a whim, he switched to the TV channel and put on an episode of Cixi and Her Old Lover, which stunned the boy on the spot and made him stare more intently at the screen.


    "How''s that? It''s a Qing Dynasty drama. Does it look familiar? Is the acting realistic?" Yuan Ge looked at Rong Qiuchen''s indescribably complex expression and couldn''t resist teasing him.


    "No, not at all! Who would dare to speak so presumptuously about the Empress Dowager? This is a very serious crime that will not only get one killed, but will implicate his entire family! What is shown in this box is not in the least bit true. How could it be so absurd!"


    Yuan Ge saw that the boy''s shock did not seem to be fake, as if he knew a lot of history that he could not share with others. He also seemed genuinely worried that Yuan Ge would get into trouble and be killed for discussing court politics. He couldn''t help but laugh out loud and said, "I repeat, the Qing Dynasty is long over! These people have been buried in the ground for over a hundred years. We can talk to a certain extent about what happened in past dynasties, whether parodically or teasingly, without fear of having our heads chopped off or our families exterminated. Especially when it comes to movies and television, people like to watch hearsay history. Apart from a few people who like to take things too seriously, most people can tell what is historically true and what is artistic exaggeration. Look at yourself, buddy, you''re really good at acting! If I were to play someone who had transmigrated from ancient times to modern times, I would not be able to think as thoroughly as you do. I''m totally convinced! Come on, take it easy, don''t get so excited, like you''ve actually met Cixi!"


    However, the boy refused to come out of the play and replied in a serious manner, "Naturally, I have met her before. Qiuchen once sang for the Empress Dowager Cixi and was quite appreciated by Her Imperial Highness."


    "Don''t be ridiculous! You''ve sung for the Old Buddha?"[1]


    "And the Empress Dowager Cian and the Emperor¡­"


    All these details were not mentioned in his script of Qingqing. How much peripheral homework did this kid do? Yuan Ge wondered. However, Rong Qiuchen looked serious and did not seem to be joking at all. Yuan Ge bemoaned to himself silently, "I don''t believe it, how can he pretend to be someone from the Guangxu period and not make a single mistake! I will definitely catch him out tonight!"


    As if treating this as a fun game, Yuan Ge decided to test how much he really knew about the Qing Dynasty. He continued to play the drama for him and asked him questions while checking his answers online with his mobile phone. Surprisingly, Rong Qiuchen knew everything about the Qing Dynasty and the court affairs from the Xianfeng to Guangxu years, and could even easily point out inaccuracies in social customs and court etiquette in the TV series.


    "I see, no wonder you don''t want to admit that you are a student of NATA or IFA. So you are actually a student of the History Faculty at Beijing University! With such an in-depth knowledge of Qing dynasty history, I salute you. You certainly know more than me in this subject."


    "Childe Yuan, you are too kind. I do not deserve your praise. When I was an actor, most of the people I socialised with were the members of the imperial house and important figures of the imperial court, and there was no shortage of talk about politics and court affairs. Later when I entered the House of Rong, as the Second Lord was an important minister of the court and the Third Lord read widely, I was influenced by them and often listened to their conversations and learned a few things, hence I was able to answer your questions."


    "So, you''re determined to continue cosplaying Rong Qiuchen and refuse to come out of the play?" After losing this round of "history test", Yuan Ge suddenly realised that it was really silly of him to use this method to try and catch him out. Who was Rong Qiuchen? The winner of the Flowers of the Opera Stage, aka the best Beijing Opera actor in the country at the time! Instead of testing his knowledge of history, why not test his operatic singing skills! With that in mind, he picked up the remote control and switched to the Beijing Opera channel, which happened to be showing "Selections from the Best Beijing Opera Actors" - "Okay, let''s hear your thoughts on this piece. What do you think? How well did this guy sing?"


    After listening to a few lines, to Yuan Ge''s surprise, Rong Qiuchen got quite emotional and lamented, "I never thought that after a hundred years, this national art treasure would retreat to this extent instead of advancing!"


    "What- what do you mean by that?" Yuan Ge was confused by his words again.


    "If Childe Yuan wants to hear the truth from me, I shall say that this singer in that Magic Box cannot even beat my youngest brother of the Jinyu Troupe."


    "I don''t know much about Beijing Opera, but that''s an arrogant thing to say! If you''re so good at it, sing me a verse!"


    "I have no other skills, but when it comes to opera singing, I am certainly worthy of my masters'' teaching." Rong Qiuchen answered readily, his face looking proud.


    "I don''t have time to warm up my voice, so I''ll sing a few lines just for Childe Yuan to have a laugh." He opened his mouth and sang the same piece he just heard on TV, but his tone was higher and rounder, like a hundred birds singing in the cloud or an ancient zither played in the moonlight, at times warm and invigorating, at others soulful and melodious, leaving Yuan Ge completely mesmerised.


    "Why the bloody hell are you singing in the middle of the night! Do you know that other people need to sleep!"


    It was only when they heard the neighbour shouting through the wall that Rong Qiuchen stopped singing abruptly, and Yuan Ge came back to his senses as if waking up from a dream.


    --------------------


    [1] Old Buddha is the common name given to the Empress Dowager or the retired Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. It usually refers to the Empress Dowager Cixi.

 Chapter 44 - A Sleepless Night

    "Wow! You ¡­ You''re really something! Such an attainment! What a hidden talent!"


    Qiuchen''s singing left Yuan Ge wanting more, but he knew that his praise was not enough to concretely express how good his singing really was. Perhaps the boy''s singing skills could indeed rival those of famous artists. He really should seek expert opinions at some point. Suddenly, he remembered the piece that he had heard Rong Qing sing in his dream, ''Lord Longyang Weeps for the Fish to Secure the King''s Favour'', and on a whim, he asked Rong Qiuchen to sing it.


    However, when Rong Qiuchen heard this, his expression instantly changed, gone was his proud look, almost in tears again, he said, "Childe Yuan has treated Qiuchen very well, and I respect you and thank you for all your kindness, but why are you making such an insulting request all of a sudden?"


    Yuan Ge carefully recalled how the Third Lord behaved in the dream, and his words and actions were indeed frivolous. In the eyes of a professional actor, the lyrics of this opera piece must have been something that showed inappropriate intimacy to men, but just now he had thoughtlessly asked Qiuchen to sing it ¡­


    Thinking of this, he regretted his words and apologized sincerely, "My apologies. I was too presumptuous. It''s just that I remembered an unfinished scene from my dream, a scene that seemed very realistic to me, yet unreal, so I wanted to hear Master Rong sing the piece to verify some doubts I had. I did not mean to offend you. I hope you will forgive me." He stood up and made a deep bow..


    When Rong Qiuchen saw how sincere Yuan Ge was, and that he had specifically used ancient terms in his apology, he changed his tone and said with a smile, "Childe Yuan, please do not condescend to yourself. Qiuchen is no longer a well-known singer in this world, having nowhere to go and no one to turn to. It is entirely thanks to your kindness that I have a place to stay. I wish to do anything to show my gratitude."


    Yuan Ge also smiled and said, "I have not been a good host, and I may have aggravated you. It''s pretty late already. I have a tough battle to face tomorrow, so let''s say good night now."


    He took the boy to the bedroom and let him have the bed, while he took a spare pillow and blanket and settled himself on the sofa in the living room.


    In the middle of the night, feeling a chill coming from his wrist, Yuan Ge woke up in a trance and immediately saw a pair of big bright eyes staring at his face, while his left hand was being held by a pair of cold palms. He jumped up in panic and turned on the floor lamp, then he realised it was Rong Qiuchen. He was kneeling by the sofa and seemed to have been there all along.


    "Why don''t you go to bed in the middle of the night? What are you doing here?"


    "I''m not tired, Childe Yuan. It''s only when I am with you that I feel at peace."


    "What kind of crappy habit is this... you''re not a child, why are you afraid of sleeping alone?" Yuan Ge looked at his hand that was being held by Qiuchen, "Is the room temperature too low? Why are your hands so cold?"


    The boy looked depressed. After a long silence he said, "I don''t know why, but I can only feel any warmth when I come in contact with your body. If I am away from you for a long time, I start to lose my senses and my body becomes stiff, as if I were dead."


    Yuan Ge thought about the state he had been in since he first met him and sighed, "I''m afraid I must take you to the hospital as soon as possible; I''ll have to make an appointment with a psychiatrist to take a good look at you. So you''re delusional and see yourself as a Qing dynasty person, but why am I your charging station? And a contact charger, pretty advanced, eh? Well, I really have important things to do tomorrow. Please go to bed, I don''t have time to humour you."


    "As you please, Childe Yuan. Qiuchen shall be here at your service."


    "Alright. Suit yourself."


    Yuan Ge turned off the light and lay back down under the blankets on the sofa, feeling in the darkness that Rong Qiuchen was still there. Then he seemed to sense that he began to massage his thighs and calves. Yuan Ge wanted to ask him to stop, but Qiuchen''s superb technique and just the right amount of kneading pressure made his tired body feel so relaxed and comfortable that he actually drifted off to sleep. The second before he fell asleep, he had been thinking to himself, "It sure is nice to have a servant to wait on you, even though it''s not so politically correct to have such feudal ideas!"


    It wasn''t until his phone alarm rang loudly that Yuan Ge woke up from his sleep. Strangely enough, it was the best night''s sleep he had had in days, no interruptions and dreamless. Just as he was about to get up, he realised that Rong Qiuchen was still kneeling next to the sofa giving him a massage.


    "You''ve been doing this all night?!"


    "Childe Yuan said that there is an important battle to be fought today, and Qiuchen only wishes that you are well rested and have speedy success."


    "Uh ¡­ I''m not really going to war... how can I enjoy your service with a clear conscience." Yuan Ge sat up and stretched. The massage had worked wonders. The fatigue accumulated over the past few days had all but gone, and he was feeling quite refreshed.


    "Childe Yuan, you have taken me in, provided me with food and shelter, and I would like to return the favour." There was no sign of tiredness on Rong Qiuchen''s face, his gaze was gentle and sincere, and he answered as a matter of course.


    Yuan Ge, however, could not accept it with ease, wondering if his actions would be perceived as taking advantage of a homeless child.


    "You are a stubborn silly boy. Do catch up on some sleep while I''m gone!"


    Then he got up quickly and rushed into the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of them.


    Today was the big day of auditions for King Guan Entertainment. Remembering Fat Chow''s great expectations and the eager faces of the young actors, Yuan Ge knew he had a daunting task ahead of him. He only hoped that Dragon Dreams would make it through today''s audition.


    Yuan Ge quickly finished his breakfast, then he saw that the coffee and toast in front of Rong Qiuchen hadn''t been touched. He took out a few hundred yuan from his wallet and handed it to him. "I don''t have time to explain to you in detail. If you don''t like the food, take this money and the spare house key and buy yourself something to eat whenever you want. You know how bustling this street is, with countless shops selling all kinds of food, you can get whatever you want, just remember to lock the door when you leave. If you''re still afraid to go out, you can drop a basket from the window and someone from the shop below might bring you food."


    Yuan Ge showered, dressed and put on his overcoat, and instantly became the distant and aloof director again. Rong Qiuchen looked at him and seemed reluctant to let him go.


    "Today is a big day for us at DDP and I don''t know when I''ll be back. Tell you what, I''ll teach you how to use the TV and you can watch films or TV if you''re bored. Like that rubbish drama ''Cixi and Her Old Lover'' ¡­"


    Yuan Ge went on to teach Qiuchen in detail how to use the "Magic Box", then added, "I don''t always stay in this flat, so I don''t have my favourite movies in my collection here. You will have to make do with these TV dramas. They''re mostly quite old-fashioned and more popular in my mum''s generation. Be a good boy. I''ll take you to the police station when I get back tonight and try to get you home soon!"


    Rong Qiuchen did not respond, just stood sadly at the door to watch Yuan Ge leave.

 Chapter 45 - Real Men Wear Pink

    When Yuan Ge arrived at Chow''s Congee - aka Dragon Dreams Pictures - He found that everyone had arrived except Am¨¦lie Jiang. Fat Chow cheerfully handed each person a pink T-shirt that he had quietly ordered at some point, and forced everyone to wear it without exception.


    "The font is so ugly!"


    "That pink is sick!"


    "And the style is so cheap and tacky!"


    Yuan Ge has always had a high regard for his own artistic taste. When he saw this chavvish[1] T-shirt with "Dragon Dreams" printed in a childish "strawberry" font, he threw it back at Chow Mingrun at once, saying in disgust, "We''re going to King Guan''s for a proper audition, not to some countryside villages to sell your pickles! Wearing this? We''ll be everyone''s laughing stock!"


    "Come on, I''m doing this to get us noticed! You guys don''t understand how new media works nowadays. It''s the era of video streaming and big data, you know.. The audition today has 3,000 people attending and countless big media players, it''s definitely the best opportunity for our company to get free publicity. Only when we stand out in the crowd, will we get eyeballs and attract some media coverage!"


    "Fat Chow, you could have asked our opinion before placing the orders. The T-shirt is really ugly, even I can''t stomach it!" Du Jinghai also had a disgusted look on his face.


    "What does it matter? Trust me, it''s the way to go! The secret to a successful audition - the uglier the better!" Chow Mingrun put on his pink T-shirt with great enthusiasm, did a catwalk and posed in front of them, then forced the clothes into everyone''s hands, "Everybody, put it on and let''s go. Join me in shouting this slogan to boost morale - ''Dragon Dreams - On fire! On fire! On fire!''"


    "On Fire-fire-fire ¡­" The crowd followed him unenthusiastically.


    Being forced to wear such a tasteless outfit had seriously undermined everyone''s confidence in the audition. This is what you call a bad start, Yuan Ge thought to himself, but he couldn''t be bothered to refute Chow Mingrun''s aesthetic and sophomoric arguments. As they changed into this company T-shirt and walked out of the congee bar, they were immediately met with the first group of onlookers of the day - regular customers and breakfasters drinking congee in front of the shop.


    Because Dragon Dreams is "headquartered" on the first floor of Chow''s Congee in South Luogu Lane, even its signboard is in the retro wine flag style, hanging side by side with the congee bar''s signboard, its filming industry peers often mock the film company as a subsidiary of a small restaurant, and Chow Mingrun is often referred to as "the congee boss".


    It is not entirely unfair to call him that. The ground floor of the small brick building still houses Chow Mingrun''s wife''s pickled vegetable shop. Although it is the flagship shop of a century-old business, the smell of pickled vegetables permeates the shop all year round, and a few wooden tables and chairs are set up outside the shop for customers who come to enjoy the "buy pickled vegetables and get a bowl of congee free" offer. As a result, the front of Dragon Dreams is always bustling with people, and the tables and chairs are always full all year round, attracted by the pickles and congee.


    "Aiya, Mr. Chow, are you going out for a charity event today? You''re all dressed up in such festive clothes!"


    Chow Mingrun always boasts that his wife''s Chow''s Pickles is the oldest and the number one pick of pickles in the country, and says that this flagship store has been here since the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. Whether it is that old is uncertain, but what is certain is that the main group of congee drinkers at the door are all elderly people.


    "Director Yuan, you look great in pink. Such a handsome boy, if you go on a blind date anywhere, girls will definitely fall in love with you!"


    An old lady smiled and praised Yuan Ge, making him so embarrassed that he wanted to be swallowed by the ground. Stephen and Waylon learned their lesson and hurriedly put on their coats on the pretext that it was cold outside. In the end, only Chow Mingrun and Chestnut were still wearing their pink T-shirts without a concern.


    Yuan Ge sighed inwardly as he surveyed the innocent faces of these young actors in the backdrop of this century-old congee shop. With hardly any resources, he should really count himself lucky to have recruited the few people he had now.


    --------------------


    [1] Chav, also "charver" and "scally" in parts of England, is a British pejorative term used to describe an anti-social lower-class youth dressed in sportswear. "Chavette" is a related term referring to female chavs, and the adjectives "chavvy", "chavvish", and "chavtastic" are used to describe things associated with chavs, such as fashion, slang, etc. Chavvish in this context is used to describe a tasteless, loud and in-your-face fashion style.

 Chapter 46 - The Hidden Dragon

    Fortunately, the headquarters of King Guan Entertainment is only two kilometres away from the congee bar. It is located in the Guan family mansion, which used to be the residence of a prince of the Qing Dynasty. As the group walked along, Chow Mingrun took the opportunity to once again brag about the prime location of Dragon Dreams, but Yuan Ge knew full well that his main purpose in taking the whole group on foot was to save on transport cost.


    When they walked to the end of South Luogu Lane, however, Yuan Ge realised that the decision to walk was not only a money-saving one, but also a trouble-saving one! A brilliant decision in fact!


    All the streets in the old part of the city were chock-a-block; the car parks around Shichahai and all the underground car parks on Di''anmen Street were jam-packed; all the little hutongs where it was almost impossible to squeeze in a car were completely stuffed; even the streets where parking was strictly forbidden had cars parked there, risking heavy fines.


    Walking across the Jinding Bridge, the beautiful manicured lawn in front of the Guan family mansion came into full view. Reporters from entertainment radio stations and big anchors from various online platforms and vloggers could be seen working frantically on the street, trying to generate maximum traffic for their respective platforms from this explosive topic of the day.


    This is because today''s 3,000-person audition is the first big-budget film production since Guan''s Pictures was restructured and officially renamed as King Guan Entertainment by its current new CEO and chairman, Arthur Guan. If one could participate in the production of this film, even a small part of it, then there would be an unlimited increase in future popularity and access to resources. As a result, this audition for King Guan attracted half of the big names in the entertainment industry.


    The Guan family mansion is located in the capital''s most prosperous area, Shichahai, next to the Imperial Palace and right on the doorstep of the former emperor''s residence.. No matter how big a star you are, you can only enter this area on foot, so it''s a rare opportunity for showbiz journalists and anchors and fangirls to get up close and personal with their idols. If they can squeeze into the old town, they''re sure to catch a few celebrities. As for the big stars, as soon as their teams appeared, the traditional media and various online media would chase them like a pack of hungry wolves.


    As the guys and gals of Dragon Dreams walked down the street, they saw many of the biggest stars surrounded by dozens of microphones, being photographed by media and fans at the picturesque Shichahai Lake, and giving confident speeches about being the chosen ones in the auditions.


    While there were many media and fans who had noticed the striking appearance of the DDP crew and knew that they were not passers-by, unfortunately no one wanted to waste time interviewing them because they had no film productions that were well-known to the public. They preferred to go to the big film and television production companies and casting agencies who came to auditions today.


    "Humph, can''t they see the ''Dragon Dreams Pictures'' on my T-shirt? They all turn a blind eye on me!" Chow Mingrun complained indignantly, yet whenever he saw any media cameras sweeping by, he would still immediately put on his trademark business smile and try his best to get into the camera''s lens.


    "Hey Yuan Ge, can you focus a little more on self-promotion? Get your TweeChat and Quarro accounts out and do something. You can''t leave everything to me. In this day and age, even the proudest artists have to get off their high horse and do some marketing. Look at you, an international award-winning director who has been in Hollywood for so long, who can write, direct and act, who is certainly a rare and brilliant talent in the entertainment industry here, it''s not hard to get ahead, but you have to be open to self-promotion." Du Jinghai, as an experienced netizen and blogger, saw what was happening today and felt a little upset that Dragon Dreams was being ignored by all media, both traditional and new.


    Chow Mingrun immediately chimed in, "Old Dude is right, Yuan Ge, you are the backbone of our company. Not only are you a director with real talent, but you can easily become a big star based on your looks alone! When I first hunted you down from America, you played opposite that hot actress Susan. She''s now an A-list star in American TV circles! And look at you! You can''t keep such a low profile all the time."


    Waylon and Stephen never knew their director had such a glorious past and both rushed to their boss''s side, trying to dig out more juicy bits of the story. Yuan Ge always gets a headache whenever he hears people talking about his past. He sighed helplessly, "Guys, come on, I''ve been pretty cooperative today. This 3,000-people audition is obviously a hyped up marketing campaign and I wouldn''t have come if it wasn''t to humour you guys. It''s like looking for a needle in a haystack, and if we don''t get picked, it will affect everyone''s motivation as well. I can''t see any point in coming."


    "That''s not true! Look at how wonderful and gifted our kids are! And you, Director Yuan, are a dragon just waiting for the right moment to take off and soar to the sky. Besides, we are the company that got invited by King Guan himself! Those media guys who don''t see us are simply as blind as bats. I''m sure they will regret it one day."


    "Well, it''s good to be optimistic. Since we are already here, let''s do our best!" Yuan Ge sincerely appreciated Chow Mingrun''s never-say-die entrepreneurial spirit. If the company didn''t have someone like him to boost people''s morale at all times, it would be difficult to continue.

 Chapter 47 - Arriving At The Battlefield

    They continued on their way, encountering more and more media, artists, fans and onlookers along the way. Soon, the entrance to the King Guan Entertainment compound appeared in the thickest of the crowd.


    "Director Yuan, how did such a big royal residence become the Guan family mansion?" Chestnut, who was not a Beijing local and did not know much about the history and customs of the old imperial city even though she had drifted around the capital for many years, could not help but ask when she saw the majestic Guan family mansion.


    "That''s a long story."


    Yuan Ge, being a Beijing local and half Banner people, knew something of the history of the revitalisation of the Guwalgiya clan, and he was happy to tell Chestnut about it.


    "The Guan family has been Banner people for generations, with illustrious ancestors. From the historical succession point of view, this old royal residence is partly their family property anyway. After the establishment of PRC, the Guan family was also able to seize the opportunity to take advantage of the government policies of the time and become one of the leading property developers in the country. In the past few years, under the slogan of reviving traditional culture, the Guan family bought the entire area around this royal residence, including the Rong Mansion, which we rented for filming, Shoubi Hutong, Ju''er Hutong and South Luogu Lane, where Chow''s Congee is located. All of these streets, which have a long history and traditional cultural significance, were basically acquired by the Guan family, and the purchase was supported by the state. After all, through their management and development, these traditional cultural revival projects are doing well and have many positive implications for the country and society as a whole.. Old Master Guan now lives in Zhongnanhai, but the headquarters of both Guan''s Properties and King Guan Entertainment are now located in this old royal mansion."


    "So that''s how it came about!" Waylon''s jaw dropped. "Big families are frigging awesome. I bet there isn''t another company in the world that could use a royal residence as its headquarters, is there?"


    "Oh! That''s what they meant by ''red-topped official merchants'' back in the Qing Dynasty!" Stephen also said in a sudden enlightenment.


    "So boys and girls, put your best foot forward today. See this huge crowd? We''re not the only ones who want to please the Guan''s. The future depends on you!" Chow Mingrun made an encouraging gesture of victory, "Look, in front of you is little Willow, on the right is big Tiantian, and sitting at the door is Cheng Kun''s team, all of whom are A-list stars in show business, but they all came to audition in the hope of being selected for this big production movie by King Guan. They are no more privileged than we are, but they have to walk here and queue at the door just like us. Maybe today''s audition will be a fair chance for a grassroots actor to make a name for himself!"


    "The boss is right. Look at how many satellite TV broadcasters and mobile communication vans are stuck outside, and the tidal wave of fans who came to hear about the event packed the old town to the brim. King Guan deployed so many security guards to maintain order at various intersections, and less than a tenth of the total number of people made it to where we are. They either have invitations or have already been cleared for auditions. Such a big show, just to cast some actors for a film, it must be a new industry record!"


    Am¨¦lie Jiang suddenly appeared at some point. It turned out that she had arrived at King Guan''s headquarters earlier than everyone else. The reason she gave was that she had to come here early to shoot some promotional materials for the company''s website, but Yuan Ge believed that she did so to avoid wearing that hideously ugly pink T-shirt of Chow Mingrun''s.


    "By the way Yuan Ge, what happened to the boy you took home last night? I''ve asked all the police stations and hospitals in the area, but no one was reported missing or looking for anyone missing." Am¨¦lie saw that Yuan Ge seemed pretty calm, and assumed that the little loony did not cause any trouble.


    "He was pretty well behaved, didn''t cause any trouble and I left him at home today. I think he may have been scared by something and is mentally disturbed. I''ll take him to the police station tonight and see if I can find his family."


    "You two are a pair of warm-hearted nice guys. But that boy does have a talent for acting. If his level of mental illness is not too severe, we could sign him up." Du Jinghai pulled the conversation back to today''s event, "Look, this is the era of fan economy. A pretty face is all that matters. Having fans is what gets you clicks and traffic and determines your status in the circle. Just look at the number of fans each of these stars brings in today as their cheering squad. Fans are also strictly ranked. You see those standing at the door? They are probably the leading fans, each of them with their own 100,000 followers. If we at Dragon Dream want to move up the ladder in showbiz, we need to learn more about these fandom cultures and their game rules."


    Everyone followed Du Jinghai''s words and focused their attention on the wide main gate of the Guan family mansion - the entrance to the main battlefield of the day. They saw top actors from the major film studios walking down the red carpet, with dozens of security guards gathered around them to keep the crowd in order. Each star''s fans were given a specific spot to take photos, and hundreds of people formed an inverted arc at the main entrance, clicking away with long and short lenses in a frenzied and orderly fashion.

 Chapter 48 - Getting On The Bandwagon

    Stephen was staggered at the sight, "What a display! King Guan is frigging awesome! I can''t believe I''m qualified to come here today for the auditions!"


    "Is that all you aim for! Come on, let''s be a bit more ambitious. With three thousand people, it will surely be our turn to get a piece of the action!" Chow Mingrun was still quite confident.


    "But the three of us haven''t been in any films, can we really do it?" Waylon asked doubtfully.


    Chow Mingrun said complacently, "True, YOU haven''t been in any films, but your director Yuan Ge has and your boss Chow Mingrun have!"


    "What? Boss, didn''t you used to be a singer? How come you''ve made films too?" Chestnut looked incredulous.


    Chow Mingrun laughed, "Little Chestnut, you underestimated your boss! I was also one of the lead actors in our company''s debut film, which won an award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.. Although the film was not released in domestic cinemas, it is still internationally renowned, okay?" Speaking of his achievements, Chow Mingrun was very proud of himself and continued to brag, "So you guys have to be grateful to your director Yuan Ge and your boss, me, for the opportunity you have today! ¡­"


    Before Chow Mingrun could finish his words, a well-known girl group had appeared on the red carpet at the entrance of the mansion, its upbeat rhythm and hot dance moves immediately attracting the attention of all the media.


    "Boss, I''ve heard that this movie is a big production of a historical costume drama. It''s rumoured that King Guan likes tough action dramas, not chick flicks, so how come they''ve got a girl group here to do the singing and dancing?" Waylon asked.


    "It''s all a marketing ploy." Yuan Ge replied on the sidelines.


    "That''s right. This film is the first big production Arthur Guan has led since his return to China. With huge investment and a top-notch production team, it has to be a blockbuster, the king of hits and traffic. Even if you can''t be an actor in it, appearing in this film as a singer or a dancer could still help you become an A-lister, or even be picked up by a sponsor for a commercial that could also make you a hit! So don''t think that singers will just pass up such a great opportunity. Look how hard these girls are twirling their bodies!" Chow Mingrun whistled towards the girls on the red carpet. As a former boy band singer, he knew how to liven up the atmosphere in such situations. Unsurprisingly, the girls danced even more vigorously on the red carpet and got more photo opportunities from the media.


    "Remember, never be coy or timid when facing an occasion like this. Learn from these people. Fake it until you make it! If you can put on a brave face, you''ve already won half the battle! As long as there''s exposure, there''s no need to care about whose stage it really is. Remember, all publicities are good publicities! A national audition like The Voice of China, that''s a lot bigger than this, so there''s nothing to be afraid of. We''re going to do everything we can to get on King Guan''s bandwagon." Chow Mingrun looked at his rookies worriedly and instructed them like a mother hen.


    "That''s right. Once the news of the auditions came out, the share price of King Guan Entertainment had almost doubled in just two days! What a pity though, this pig brain of mine was way too conservative and I bought too few shares!" Du Jinghai has always had a keen interest in the stock market.


    "Old Dude, when you make money this time, you must treat everyone to hot pot!" Chow Mingrun did not forget to tease him.


    As the group walked towards the main gate, they saw a tall and majestic stone lion towering to each side of the imposing vermillion gate. Pointing to the stone lion, Yuan Ge smiled at Chestnut and said, "Chestnut, if you are interested, you can count the curly hair bumps on the tops of the heads of those two lions. There must be twelve rows of them, indicating it''s a prince''s residence."


    Hearing this, Chestnut did go up and count the curly hair bumps on top of one of the lions. Afterwards, she looked at Yuan Ge with wide eyes, in total amazement.


    King Guan''s staff were rigorously checking the entry qualifications at the gate. After looking at the golden invitation card handed over by Chow Mingrun, they still insisted that the number of entrants must be strictly in accordance with the size of the company, and since DDP only had three actors for the audition, only one team lead and one instructor were allowed to accompany them. Chow Mingrun had no choice but to let Am¨¦lie Jiang and Du Jinghai stay behind.


    "Sorry guys, you''ll have to wait for our good news."


    "Fat Chow, you guys go right in, don''t worry about us! We''ll just wait outside. Call us as soon as there''s any news!" Du Jinghai didn''t want to go in to suffer the boring wait in the first place, and now he could justifiably not to suffer it any more. He was only too happy to take Am¨¦lie to the Shichahai Park to enjoy some culinary delights.


    "Something fishy going on!" Seeing those two leave leisurely, Chow Mingrun made a face.


    Du Jinghai''s pursuit of Am¨¦lie was the worst kept secret at Dragon Dreams. The three young actors have been with the company for some time now, and they all smiled knowingly when they saw this.

 Chapter 49 - Let The Game Begin

    Yuan Ge and Chow Mingrun led the three young actors into the Guan family mansion. True to the style of a Qing dynasty royal residence, the mansion is a standard courtyard compound[1]. It is difficult to say how many layers of courtyards there are, but it is quite convenient for audition purposes, as one would only be allowed to enter the next layer of courtyard once they have passed the current round.


    The outermost courtyard was now packed with actors of all types, their agents and assistants. The teams of the big stars from several major studios, such as Polar Bear Pictures and Magic Lamp Pictures, occupied the best spots. They had even set up makeshift heated tents under the trees. Assistants were busy serving tea and handing towels to their stars, who were surrounded by busy hairdressers and make-up artists to make sure they looked perfect at all times.


    Naturally, King Guan Entertainment did its best to be a good host and hired a lot of extra staff to serve the thousands of people in the courtyard compound. Although it was the middle of winter, today was exceptionally warm, and the several thousand people packed the outermost courtyard to the brim, actually making those who were overdressed get a bit sweaty.


    Virtually unknown in showbiz circle and with only a few people attending the audition, Dragon Dreams Pictures naturally didn''t get a good spot or the heated tent treatment, so they had to stand in the corner of the courtyard and wait for their number to be called.


    "You can call today the grand opening of King Guan Entertainment.. The general public can''t get into this royal residence normally, so it is really an eye-opener for all of us. I don''t know where the Guan family''s offices and living quarters are ¡­ maybe they are not open to the public, but the actual size of the mansion must be much larger than the parts we can see."


    Since Chow Mingrun entered the courtyard, he had been observing carefully all the way.


    "Both of the old Master Guan''s sons are quite something, the older one has taken over the real estate part of the family business, and the younger one has inherited the entertainment part after he returned from his studies from America. It seems that the first chair in showbiz will still be theirs in the future."


    Yuan Ge saw that Chow Mingrun''s sly face seemed to be plotting something, his eyes searching in the direction of the industry bigwigs, looking as if he was thinking of going over to make an appearance. Yuan Ge knew that he couldn''t persuade him otherwise, so he just kept quiet and let it be.


    "Get lost!"


    Just as Chow Mingrun was babbling on, there was some commotion at the entrance to the second courtyard. It turned out to be Cherry Media''s top star, who was eliminated shortly after entering. She hadn''t had time to tell which way was in and which was out, or even to see what the second courtyard looked like, before she was rejected. She was furious and was venting her anger at her assistant.


    "Aiya, it seems that this second young Master Guan really shows no mercy. He has the guts to eliminate the big shots in the first round of the 3,000-strong audition, that''s ruthless! It seems like he''s playing for real, actually choosing people based on their acting skills and real ability. I''m afraid relying on connections alone won''t work this time."


    Just as Chow Mingrun was lamenting, a surprising number of well-known actors kept walking out with their heads hanging low in disappointment. With 3,000 people auditioning, each person had a pitifully small amount of time to perform, and many just had a few seconds to appear before the selection committee. Only a few made it to the next courtyard in the compound, and a large number were quickly eliminated. The originally crowded outermost courtyard soon thinned out, seeming a little empty.


    Waylon, Stephen and Chestnut all looked quite nervous when they saw how quickly those big names were eliminated.


    "Don''t be afraid. The more you think about it, the more it will affect your performance in front of the judges. Try to relax when it''s not your turn, let your mind go and focus on yourself."


    "The director is right. You don''t know what they are going to test you on anyway, so it''s useless to think about it. Come over here, let me point out to you which are the bigwigs in showbiz, so you won''t make a fool of yourselves when you get the chance to talk to them later."


    Yuan Ge listened as Chow Mingrun chatted with the three young actors by his side, but his mind had wandered elsewhere. He was thinking about the little lunatic at home and getting increasingly worried. He wondered if he had managed to get himself something to eat. It was probably a bad idea to leave a mentally imbalanced child alone in the flat. He should have brought him here at the audition to keep an eye on him.


    --------------------


    [1] A courtyard house, or siheyuan in Pinyin, is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi. The entrance gate is usually painted vermilion and with copper door knockers on it. A pair of stone lions are often placed outside the gate. Some large courtyard compounds would have two or more layers of courtyards and even private gardens attached to them. Such is a sign of wealth and status in ancient times.

 Chapter 50 - Getting Through The First Round

    "Number 1005, Sean Shen! Nine Koi Media!" Inside, the second courtyard started calling numbers again.


    "Here here here!" A tall, handsome young man trotted cheerfully all the way into the corridor leading to the next courtyard, wearing the same style of advertising T-shirt as the Dragon Dreams crew, except the fancy colours and exaggerated fonts were even worse than what Chow Mingrun had picked. He was probably some unknown starlet signed by some obscure little studio.


    "Sean-Shen, that''s quite an unusual name." Chestnut said.


    "Look how interesting and striking this youngster is! From his clothes to the way he trots about, he looks just like a fancy peacock. I knew I had made the right choice for our outfit today. With so many people coming to the audition, how can you get King Guan to give you a look without dressing so conspicuously? Look, every one of them is dressed more over the top than we are!"


    As Chow Mingrun chattered on, most of the members of the few popular girl groups who had just entered walked out looking indignant.


    "It seems that the film doesn''t need so many women." Stephen concluded, but before his words had a chance to stick in everyone''s mind, several boy bands fell to the same fate.. For the half hour they watched, various pretty boys lined up, walked in on the red carpet looking confident and then walked out with their heads hung low.


    "All I can say is that King Guan doesn''t think much of idols, otherwise based on their looks alone, these people would have gotten their chance!" Waylon spoke with a touch of trepidation in his voice.


    "If this second master Guan hasn''t completely succumbed to commercial interests, and still remembers that KGE''s predecessor, Beijing Film Studio, as the patriarch of the domestic entertainment industry, had created so many masterpieces, and can focus its consideration more on the actual level and strength of the actors, rather than just on popularity among the fans, then you guys don''t have to worry too much. I believe in your talent in acting."


    Seeing the popular internet traffic stars constantly being eliminated from the audition scene, Yuan Ge became somewhat curious about this legendary Arthur Guan. He wondered what Fat Chow meant when he said that young Master Guan had asked to see him specifically, whether he really intended to recruit directors from outside KGE, and how the selection of directors would be conducted¡­


    "Well, cheer up, everyone, and stop worrying about ourselves silly! While we are waiting, let''s go and do something useful!"


    Chow Mingrun looked around and felt confident that he had a good idea of what was going on in the courtyard. He took out a stack of business cards from his briefcase and waved his hand with a smile, "As you can see, everyone here today is a big shot in the industry. Each of you take 50 of our company''s business cards and go around handing them out. If you can get these people to scan the QR code and add us as contacts on TweeChat, that would be even better. We''re a new company so we need to take a little initiative to get our names out there."


    "Fat Chow, you are so low! I''m not gonna do this!"


    Yuan Ge wanted no part of his terribly bad idea and refused without hesitation. The three young actors, however, wanted to refuse, but they didn''t dare show it in their actions because they didn''t want to piss off their boss, so they had no choice but to take the job reluctantly.


    It didn''t take long for Stephen to work out a sweat. He had to take off his jacket to reveal the humiliating pink advertising T-shirt. Chow Mingrun laughed out loud in his mind when he saw this. "You little brat, you want to outplay me? Just be a good boy and spread the name of Dragon Dreams for us!"


    Waylon was also getting sweaty in the crowd and couldn''t help but complain, "Boss, I''m all stinky here, how am I gonna make it to the audition later?"


    Chow Mingrun pointed to the garden hose in the corner and said, "You''re from a sporting background anyway, and have such a great body, why don''t you just take a shower with that? Hmmm ¡­ The wet t-shirt look is sure to attract the attention of the bigwigs ¡­"


    Yuan Ge hurriedly interrupted, "Waylon, don''t listen to Fat Chow''s nonsense. It''s not worth losing your dignity over it, and you might be arrested for hooliganism later!"


    Chestnut was the only one who didn''t complain. She brought out the same hard-working spirit that she had when she sold chestnuts on the street, and with her willingness and sweet talk, she handed out 200 business cards all by herself. She was so hot and sweaty that her hair was stuck in strands, but she didn''t care about her image. Yuan Ge saw this and took it to heart.


    "Number 1325, Waylon Song! Dragon Dreams Pictures!"


    Everyone went up to Waylon to cheer him on, "Don''t be nervous, buddy, just be yourself. You can do it!"


    Having seen him enter the corridor leading to the next courtyard, they began to wait anxiously, just as the other groups had done.


    However, a long time passed and they did not see Waylon come out. Chow Mingrun proclaimed excitedly to the team, "It''s a good thing he didn''t come out! This means our Waylon has made it. He must have managed to get through the round!"


    Soon, it was Stephen and Chestnut''s turn, and both of them also passed the round without a hitch. Chow Mingrun patted Yuan Ge on the shoulder, couldn''t help but congratulate himself once again for his great vision in signing up the right actors and happily accompanied Yuan Ge, the group leader, into the second courtyard.

 Chapter 51 - A New Kid On The Block

    By the time they reached the second courtyard, the waiting list had shrunk considerably, leaving only 64 actors of each gender for the second round of auditions. Unlike the first round, which took place in the main hall of the first courtyard using cattle call method, the second round took place in different rooms, clearly differentiating between genders and roles for more targeted tests.


    Amidst tense number-calling and busy screening activities, time flew by quickly. Soon it was noon.


    Many companies had ordered premium lunch take-aways from the surrounding restaurants and the courtyard was filled with the delicious aroma of food. Stephen savoured the mouth-watering aroma in the air and said longingly, "Boss, I''m hungry too, what are we having for lunch?"


    To this, Chow Mingrun responded with a big smile on his face. He looked well prepared as he pulled a bag of small bread rolls, ham sausages and a few packets of individually wrapped Chow''s Pickles from his backpack, "Ta-da! Here comes our lunch - the classic picnic set! What a nostalgic thing to do, uh? Your boss I have been carrying it personally for the whole morning, isn''t it sweet?"


    Seeing Waylon and Stephen muttering in discontent, he added defensively, "Hey guys, I''m not being petty, trying to save money. It''s for your own good! In case you have to show off your bodies and compete with your abs at the audition later, what chance do you have if you''re full and your bellies are bulging!"


    Everyone had no choice but to take a bottle of mineral water each and reluctantly pick up their share of the cold "winter picnic".


    Not far from them, the fancy "peacock" they had seen earlier called Sean Shen was no longer wearing that over-the-top chavvish T-shirt, but rather looked quite handsome in a stunning flying fish brocaded costume and an actor''s long-haired headgear, crouched under a small tree, munching on a piece of bread all by himself. Still appearing as jovial as ever, he saw that the group of people from Dragon Dreams seemed pretty down-to-earth and approachable, so he stood up, trotted over with a big grin on his face and asked Chow Mingrun for a packet of pickles to go with his bread. Noticing that Chestnut and the other two were of a similar age to himself, he simply sat down and started chatting with them as if they were his old friends.


    Stephen was also a chatty guy and was surprised to see Sean in this outfit. "Hey man, what school are you from? How come you''re all dressed up? This costume of Embroidered Uniform Guard[1] looks really good on you. Are you a cosplayer?"


    "Oh, I''m an actor too, but I didn''t go to acting school. I started doing acting not that long ago. I used to study design." Sean pointed to his flying fish costume and continued, "As for this - my number was called early and I''ve just passed the second round and made it to the final round of auditions. The casting director at the third courtyard said that the second master Guan was going to be interviewing me in person this afternoon, so he had the stylist put me in this ancient costume and told me to wait outside and get a feel for it first."


    "Gee, not bad, lad, you''ve made it to the third round so quickly! Have you found out what kind of film King Guan is going to do this time? Which novel is your brocade-clad guard look from?" Chow Mingrun pulled Sean to his side and asked warmly. Yuan Ge knew that he was just trying to get as much inside information about the audition as possible. But in all fairness, this Sean seemed to be a straightforward young man. His black and white smiling eyes and lively, witty demeanour were very endearing.


    "Sean, you''re from Nine Koi Media, right? I overheard it when your number was called earlier, but I don''t think I''ve heard of your company." Yuan Ge''s memory was quite good, and although he didn''t have any hopes for this audition, he still paid close attention and had a pretty good idea of who went in and who came out along the way.


    "Wow, you''re Director Yuan! Nice to meet you!" Sean flashed his pearly white teeth and gave him a big smile as he rushed over to shake his hand.


    "You know me?" It was Yuan Ge''s turn to be surprised.


    "Of course I do! I loved your film ''Eve''s Fallen''. It''s the pinnacle of small budget arthouse movies, with its taboo subject and exploration of complex emotional matters. I came over here mainly because I wanted to talk to you." Sean smiled excitedly, as if he had seen his idol. "The company I signed to, Nine Koi Media, is owned by a layman. He probably just wanted to make a round of quick money and then get out, but these days the company can barely make ends meet and I''m the only actor left, so they asked me to come over today to try my luck."


    "And where is your boss?"


    "He texted me this morning saying he had a fever, so I came here alone."


    King Guan''s audition was a big event in the industry, but no one from Nine Koi Media accompanied him to this potentially life-changing event. It seemed that the boss had truly given up. His fever must have just been an excuse. What a shame that such a good talent was neglected like this.


    Yuan Ge thought to himself as he closely examined Sean''s innocent smile, optimistic and likeable manners. He suddenly felt that his image was perfect for a role in his film Qingqing, so he handed over his business card and said, "In case, I mean just in case you get out of your contract and become a free agent, if you still want to be an actor, you can come to me at Dragon Dreams Pictures."


    "Thank you, Director Yuan, I would love to have you take me in one day!" A bright smile appeared on Sean''s face.


    --------------------


    [1] The Embroidered Uniform Guard, or jinyiwei in Pinyin, literally means ''brocade-clad guard'', was the imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China. The guard was founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards. In 1369 it became an imperial military body. They were given the authority to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecutions with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating and punishing anyone, including nobles and the emperor''s relatives. The guards donned a distinctive golden-yellow uniform, with a tablet worn on his torso, and carried a special blade weapon.

 Chapter 52 - What Is BPT?

    After the lunch break, the afternoon''s fierce competition was back in full swing.


    Waylon, who was the first in the group to make it to the second round, came back with a sullen look on his face. It seemed that his luck ended here and he would now miss the chance to perform in full make-up and costume in the third round.


    Chow Mingrun rushed over to console him. Waylon said incredulously, "The casting director for this round asked me to play a complete wreck! Something about being hit by a battering ram, having my gut ripped open and spewing blood out of my mouth and whatnot, but I couldn''t feel anything, so I was sent off within two minutes."


    Just then, a well-known beauty was also eliminated from the women''s audition, and she cried to her agent, "This round is so sick! They made me play a heavily pregnant woman with a big belly, fighting the enemy on the battlefield until she vomited blood, but still holding on and not giving up, and the final act was to commit suicide. What a sick act that was! What kind of film is King Guan making? They are making things difficult for us purely for the sake of it!"


    Hearing her go into such detail, a group of actresses immediately gathered around her anxiously to ask for more details, no longer caring to save face. Even a few of the big names in acting looked a little nervous under their facial masks, unable to appear relaxed and confident.


    Chestnut also panicked when she heard this, "Director Yuan, I have no problem playing a pregnant woman. I can definitely act like one, with my hands on my hips and my belly out.. When my sister was pregnant, I looked after her the whole time, so I''ve seen all kinds of pregnant woman looks. But how am I going to act this vomiting blood move? I haven''t practised it at all!"


    "I don''t think they are going to provide you with a blood bag for the purpose of audition. They probably will ask you to take a mouthful of water instead. Here is some water, take a mouthful, go practice now!" Chow Mingrun said as he pushed a bottle of mineral water into Chestnut''s hand.


    When Yuan Ge saw that Chestnut immediately posed as a pregnant woman without regard to her image and was about to take a sip of water, he gently pulled her back and said with a smile, "Chestnut, let''s not rush into the acting itself. You have to think about it in your mind first - what does the casting director really want to see?"


    Chestnut''s small face was scrunched together, "Director, you know I''m not that educated, and I''m terrible at analysing things. Please help me out."


    "It''s clear that this film of King Guan''s places a lot of importance on the BPT feel of its male and female leads."


    "Director Yuan, what is BPT? Can you tell us more?"


    Sean, who had been watching on the side, was caught by this unusual term and sneaked closer wanting to hear more about it. Chow Mingrun rolled his eyes at him, but he didn''t care and still kept a toadying look on his face.


    "BPT means beautiful, powerful and tragic. It is a popular characterisation in film and television dramas these days, and female viewers, in particular, are especially attracted to it. What this persona entails is that while the characters are powerful and strong, their miseries, especially physical humiliation and injuries, are shown in a way that is visually pleasing to the eye ¡­"


    Seeing that several young actors didn''t seem to understand, Yuan Ge added, "For example, an important part of BPT persona is crying. How to cry without appearing weak and yet touching, that feeling of the hero''s end, the vulnerability in the sadness, the tenderness in the hardness, all need to be handled skilfully and expressed with subtlety."


    "Director Yuan, you''re making it sound too complicated!" Sean pulled a small bottle of eyedrops out of his pocket and said with slight relief, "I came prepared. I can cry whenever I need to. These are the most pungent eyedrops that ensure your eyes turn red and teary in an instant. The casting director in the last round was fooled by my secret weapon."


    When Stephen heard of such a dark tech, he turned eagerly to Sean to borrow his magic weapon, but Yuan Ge stopped him, saying, "It''s basic training for a good actor to cry whenever the situation calls for it. He doesn''t need any eyedrops at all. In a moment, at the audition, if you need to do a crying scene, try this little trick I learned when I studied acting abroad."


    Chestnut and Stephen had just dug up a lot of gossip about their director from Chow Mingrun and knew that he had not only majored in directing at the College of Performing Arts, but had also studied acting at two of the world''s most prestigious film schools, so asking him for advice was certainly the best way to boost their audition performance. Some of the actors from the acting schools who had passed the first round of auditions also recognised the budding director and quietly slipped over to hear what he had to say. Soon, a large group of people had gathered around Yuan Ge.

 Chapter 53 - The Director’s Cut

    "Firstly, you need to prepare yourself physically for crying, for example by taking a deep breath in, quickly allowing your jaw to fire and creating a feverish sensation at the base of your nose and lower eyelids when you exhale. More importantly you need to release your emotions and force yourself to fully immerse yourself in the drama, becoming the character, thinking and directing your actions with the logic and emotions the character should have. Also use emotional memories, such as a sad experience to help draw out your first wave of tears, followed by intensifying your emotions and completing the crying scene. As the old saying describing actors goes, ''shed your own tears in someone else''s story''."


    Just as Yuan Ge spoke, the rims of his eyes, especially the tail ends of them, suddenly turned red, and without warning, a clear teardrop fell from the corner of his right eye, as if oblivious to the noisy surroundings and onlookers, his eyes looked into the void, his brow furrowed, as if the endless pain in his heart fell silently and heavily with that single crystal clear teardrop...


    "Wow! That''s so impressive! I''m convinced! The instant redness of your eyes, plus a single teardrop falling from one eye, your acting is divine!" Sean was the first to exclaim in admiration.


    Chestnut, Stephen and the actors who came around to watch were all impressed by Yuan Ge''s performance. It''s true that a director must have the ability to hold the audience in check, and anyone who can''t be a good actor can''t be a good director.


    However, several big-name actresses waiting on the side-lines turned their noses up at this crash course..


    "Where''s the crappy little company coming from, trying to sharpen its spear before going into battle!"


    "Toads want to eat swan meat[1]! Some Z-listers want to get a piece of the pie from King Guan''s big production - dream on!"


    Chow Mingrun was pretty pissed off when he heard these cutting remarks, but he didn''t want to speak out directly against these big names from well-known companies, so he pulled his actors aside and quietly told them, "Listen to your director and concentrate on the performance. Don''t worry about what these people say. These people think they''re great, but if you ask me, none of them have their hearts set on acting. They all see this audition as a perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with the second heir to the Guan family. They thought that if they could find favour in the eyes of King Guan, they would have a chance to marry into the Guan family. Just look at them, all dressed up in fancy outfits, touching up their make-up every few minutes, waiting to meet King Guan in person and hook up with him."


    Yuan Ge never cared what others thought and he was glad to see that Chestnut was unaffected by others and continued to practice while concentrating on what he had to say. He asked Chestnut to try that suicide move again.


    Chestnut wasn''t shy about it. She picked up a small stick from the ground and made a fierce slashing gesture at her neck.


    Yuan Ge corrected her, "It''s still not tragic or decisive enough. The huge difference in duration between films and TV dramas dictates that actors in films must fully reveal the psychology of their characters in a very short period of time, so the action must be strong and explosive, and in such scenes, the acting school''s approach is not as appropriate as the experiential school''s."


    Seeing Chestnut''s bewildered look, he continued to explain patiently, "Let''s figure out the logic behind the scene mentioned in this round of audition. Although we don''t know the exact backstory, if it''s a pregnant woman who has to fight an enemy army, then she''s probably the wife of the general guarding the border. Although she is highly skilled in martial arts, her actions are restricted by the child in her womb. She is outnumbered and deeply besieged. If captured, she could be defiled and ravaged, losing her husband''s honour, or she could become a pawn in the enemy''s threat. In both cases, given the values of ancient women, it would have been preferable for her to commit suicide to avoid humiliation and preserve her dignity. To show the intensity of this scene, therefore, this suicide move has to be clean and crisp. You see, you have to cut down the back of the neck and let the blade take the tangent line so as to ensure that the veins and arteries are cut at once, in order to show the determination of the character to die, because it is a decisive way to die. It''s an attitude."


    With that, Yuan Ge took the stick from Chestnut, dropped to one knee, his face full of grief, anger and defiance, slashed at his own neck in the manner he had just described, and then fell down on the ground, causing many of the actors around him to laugh. "The fierceness of this slashing action would surely have taken his own head off in one movement."


    "I understand now!" Chestnut nodded deeply and her eyes brightened, "Thank you director. I''m sure I can act well!"


    Chow Mingrun pulled Yuan Ge up from the ground and said, "Okay, okay, that''s enough, you drama nerd. Let''s stop teaching, shall we? If you keep doing it and giving away all your secrets selflessly, what if Stephen and Chestnut are surpassed by others later!"


    Yuan Ge brushed the dust off his clothes, completely unconcerned that others were stealing his technique, and smiled as he asked Chestnut and Stephen, "Do you guys want me to demonstrate how to spit blood?"


    He was completely oblivious to the commotion around him and the whispers that erupted from the crowd - "Master Guan! It''s King Guan! King Guan is coming out!"


    --------------------


    [1] This is a Chinese figure of speech to describe wishful thinking or unrealistic aspirations.

 Chapter 54 - The King Has Descended

    In the third courtyard, there are less than 30 actors waiting for the final round of auditions. The large courtyard, away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, felt very quiet and subdued.


    "Second master, what kind of male lead do you want to pick? The few that came in just now were all top stars, and now they are all eliminated by you. The rest are not that well-known, so it''s going to be hard to pick out the right one from that bunch ¡­"


    Liu Sang, the Chief Assistant of King Guan Entertainment, said with a big smile on his face albeit a little helplessly.


    "It''s better to have no one than to have the wrong one."


    Replied the imposing looking man sitting in the centre of the interview panel. He was in his late twenties, but his demeanour carried an air of complete dominance. At 6''3" and dressed in an elegant bespoke suit, he exuded an undeniably elite air from head to toe. He seemed to carry his own brand of iciness, and as he scanned the room of prominent producers and actors, his expressionless face appeared distant, as if he was above and beyond this world.


    He was none other than Arthur Guan, the second heir to Guan''s Properties and the current CEO of King Guan Entertainment..


    Since the King had made his intentions clear, Liu Sang should have gone along with it, but when he looked at the final round of auditionees, who were just some unknown small fries, he couldn''t help but feel a little worried. The company veteran executives all looked very disappointed and reluctant, but no one spoke up, and he knew that in this situation he had to be the bad guy and try to dissuade King Guan.


    He walked gingerly over to Arthur and said warily, "Second master, if we want to start shooting after the New Year, it''s already very late in the day for casting. If we can''t settle on a male lead today, it will definitely delay the schedule. This audition has been marketed to the hilt and has dominated the trending topics for days. If we can''t choose a suitable candidate from these 3,000 people, we will be called arrogant and it will not be good for the company. Besides, with so many partners and clients nominating their ace artists to come in, we have to give them some face ¡­"


    Seeing that Arthur did not dismiss him straight away, Liu Sang continued his persuasion, "Second master, while many people in the second courtyard have not yet left, how about you take another look at them, maybe there are some potentials we''ve missed? The elimination rate of almost 50 to 1 in the previous round is pretty harsh! After all, the 3,000 people here today are all actors with portfolios, not some freshers from acting schools, and those who made it to the second round are all talented. Why don''t you move to the second courtyard and see if you can meet someone who takes your fancy?"


    The moment Arthur Guan walked through the hall and into the second courtyard, the sharp-eyed crowd immediately noticed his tall figure, but were too intimidated by the powerful aura to openly approach him. They whispered from afar and closely followed his every move. Some young actresses never expected the legendary King Guan to be such a tall and handsome young man, and the sight of him made their hearts flutter and they all took out their mobile phones to secretly take pictures of him.


    Arthur Guan was completely unconcerned by all the stares he was receiving from those around him. He glanced majestically around the courtyard and was soon drawn to a man in the corner who was talking to a young actress with his back to him, holding a small branch and acting out a suicide scene. His full concentration and exaggerated movements brought a faint smile to Arthur''s face.


    Yuan Ge was still focusing on helping out Chestnut and Stephen with their performance, unaware of the change in atmosphere. The actors around him all had a strange expression on their faces, staring blankly in Yuan Ge''s direction, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound.


    Yuan Ge, for his part, was quite pleased with the quiet teaching atmosphere. Seeing Stephen staring at him dumbfounded, he took over the bottle of mineral water from his hand and said, "Stephen, you act out a scene with me first. Suppose you were the enemy general who had captured me, the pregnant wife of a Ming general who refused to surrender, and was about to **** and humiliate me. I will fall to the ground from exhaustion while you flirtatiously lift my chin. I will show Chestnut the expression she is supposed to have here and then demonstrate the key to using the aesthetically pleasing way to spit blood."


    Yuan Ge took a mouthful of water, still on one knee, and leaned on the branch in his hand, pretending it was a broken sword, closing his eyes lightly and letting his emotions brew as he felt Stephen crouch down in front of him and lift his chin frivolously but forcefully. The boy was getting into character rather quickly, he thought to himself - and then he opened his eyes sharply, shame mixed with anger flashing in his gaze, his brows furrowing together as he jerked his cheek sideways to get out of his capturer''s confinement, the fierce movement causing the veins in his neck to strain and pull at the wound in his chest, a ''mist of blood'' bursting from his mouth and spraying thinly across his enemy''s face.


    And so, in full view of everyone, Arthur Guan''s cold face was covered in a fine mist of water that dripped down the ends of his short, well groomed hair and pooled on his bespoke suit, wetting not only his lapels and collar, but also his trousers and shoes.

 Chapter 55 - Just Do What They Say!

    The large courtyard instantly became pin drop silent. Everyone was petrified on the spot.


    "Guan ¡­ Master Guan, sor ¡­ sorry sorry - we - Yuan Ge didn''t mean it!"


    Chow Mingrun was the first to wake up from his petrification, taking a packet of tissues out of his pocket and rushing forward to wipe the water off Arthur Guan, but Liu Sang pushed him aside, pulled out a snow-white custom-made handkerchief and handed it to Arthur. He looked around as if he wanted to reprimand the crowd, but didn''t know what to say -


    Gosh! What the hell is wrong with our second master! I asked him to come to the second courtyard to see if we had missed any potential candidates. Who''d have thought he''d be so taken by some little kid that he''d actually gotten himself personally involved! Taking someone else''s place, holding up someone else''s chin, and ending up getting sprayed in water from head to toe...he really had it coming ¡­ and deserved it ¡­ But how could the King make a mistake! Who dares to say that King Guan deserved it! Where did that nobody called Yuan Ge come from? He''s dead as a doornail for sure this time!


    Yuan Ge felt a murderous chill in the eyes of the tall, strange man in front of him, as if a sadistic desire was hidden beneath that elegant exterior. He stood up silently, his face stony, and refused to accept the handkerchiefs and tissues handed to him by Liu Sang and Chow Mingrun. With his face and hair still wet, he waved his hand and abruptly turned around, walking straight back inside of the hall. Eight bodyguard-like men swarmed up and grabbed the dumbfounded Yuan Ge like grabbing a little chicken and followed him inside without a word.


    Chow Mingrun scrambled after them in a panic, but he was blocked at the entrance and was not allowed to go in. He watched helplessly as Yuan Ge was escorted in by the bodyguards, not wanting to give up, he gestured frantically and shouted, "Yuan Ge, the man you just spat on is the second master King Guan! Remember to keep Dragon Dreams alive! Do whatever they ask you to do! Please be obedient! Just do what they say!"


    * * *


    Yuan Ge was taken to the Great Hall of the third courtyard, which from the outside looked like an old and majestic classical building, but its interior was furnished as a modern conference hall. In front of him in the middle of the interview panel sat Arthur Guan, who had already changed into a new suit, even his water-stained shoes had been replaced with brand new ones, and his hair had been re-styled, not a trace of the embarrassing mess he had just been in.


    Sitting next to him were two rows of industry veterans, and Yuan Ge instantly recognised some of the big-name directors who were the mainstay of the original Guan''s Pictures and the benchmark of the industry.


    What does it all mean? An audition for a director? Well, it looks like he''s going to do it for real this time! Well well well, bring it on then!


    "I''m going to tell you the backstory of a scene. I never say anything twice, so listen carefully before you act." Arthur Guan said in a matter-of-fact way. His tone was cold, without the slightest rise in emotion, but judging from his indignant expression, he was still holding a grudge against Yuan Ge for that "water bath".


    "Shanhai Pass[1] has fallen to the enemy. You were the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards of the Great Ming. You infiltrated the city to rescue someone, but you were outnumbered and captured by the enemy. You were hung from the city tower and tortured in public, and thrown from the walls several times until your bones were broken. And your lover, the one you were going to save, is in the crowd under the city walls at this very moment." In a low voice, Arthur Guan described a difficult scene for Yuan Ge to act.


    "That''s it?"


    "That''s it."


    Both his voice and his presence felt powerful yet oppressive, like a giant lion, domineering yet arrogant.


    "And take off your jacket."


    --------------------


    [1] Shanhai Pass, aka Shanhaiguan, is one of the major passes in the Great Wall of China, being the easternmost stronghold along the Ming Great Wall, and commands the narrowest choke point in the Liaoxi Corridor. Throughout Chinese history, the pass served as a frontline defensive outpost against ethnic groups from Northeast China (Manchuria), including the Khitan, Jurchen and the Manchus. Shanhai Pass is the starting point of the eastern end of the Great Wall, and is the first barrier for guarding the frontier, therefore it is called the "First Pass Under Heaven".

 Chapter 56 - King Guans Test

    Although Yuan Ge was feeling hot and sweaty from the central heating in the room as soon as he entered, he was only wearing the tacky company T-shirt Chow Mingrun had chosen underneath. Now that the young master Guan asked him to take off his jacket, he had no choice but to do as he was told, revealing the ugly pink underneath. Seeing the T-shirt, the towering CEO''s stony face softened slightly as he gave a bemused smile and said, "You people at Dragon Dreams are rather different, and I will remember you now. This shirt suits you well. Your dress sense is quite, um, unique."


    Yuan Ge cursed the damned Fat Chow a thousand times in his mind, but forced himself to calm down quickly. Unlike Chestnut and the others, he had come here to apply for the job of assistant director, not to audition for a role in the movie, but since master Guan had personally come to test his acting skills, he must not be acting on a whim, nor would he be so narrow-minded as to take offence at that bit of water just now.


    Heart-wrenching, it seemed, was the key word for today''s audition. The film must be so heart-wrenching both physically and emotionally that whoever Arthur Guan was searching for, whether actor or director, should have been able to convey that feeling to the fullest.


    Thinking he had figured out the key, Yuan Ge quickly began to search his memory bank for the tens of thousands of movies he had seen and the heart-wrenching scenes that were most relevant to the current proposition.


    A light flashed across his mind and the figure of a beautiful man in white suddenly appeared vaguely.. He hung from a tall tree, his handsome face haggard from days of exposure to the blazing sun, blood seeping from his dry, cracked lips. His thin and frail body seemed to have been broken from prolonged stretching, hanging helplessly from the tree, as soft as the passing wind, and twitching with pain. And on the execution table before him, the brutal killing continued, the blood of his kinsmen gathering in rivers of bright red. And the man in white witnessed such tragedies unfold before him, his normally gentle and compassionate eyes radiating a fiery karmic fire ¡­


    Yuan Ge could not recall exactly which film this scene came from, but his intuition told him that it was the most heart-wrenching and most in keeping with the imagery of King Guan''s test. It was just that all the drama and emotions were not expressed through words, and he himself had to use the most direct action and facial expressions without lines to complete such a tragic scene.


    So in the end, what Arthur Guan saw was Yuan Ge, wearing a tacky pink advertising T-shirt, not pondering too long about the plot arrangement, his hands raised as if literally tied by ropes and suspended high in the air, his two feet pointing to the ground like a ballerina, his whole body muscles tense like a tight guitar string about to break, and like a dying swan, noble yet tragic. His beautiful eyes, haggard from the prolonged torture, looked at Arthur defiantly, full of stubbornness and endless sorrow ¡­


    Arthur Guan had remembered his appearance the moment he was sprayed with water by Yuan Ge back in the second courtyard. It seemed that the young man''s face could not simply be described as handsome. What attracted him more was a spiritual quality about him - a man who was still a child at heart after sailing a thousand times; an artist who was untouched by the murkiness of the world; a dreamer with a strong will and clear eyes. He has seen too many good-looking people, but only true genius and strength of character can make an artist stand out from the crowd and never fade away.


    However, before Arthur could evaluate whether the stretched body in front of him was the result of years of professional dance training, Yuan Ge had already let go of his guitar-string-like pose depicting the fragility of life in an instant and collapsed to the ground like a puddle of spring water, the joints of his limbs and fingers seemed to be dislocated, his entire body was as soft as if it had no bones, and his facial muscles seemed to twitch involuntarily from the extreme pain. His eyes looked into the distant void before him, and his thin lips trembled gently as if he wanted to say something, but eventually fell silent again, as if only the lover who knew his heart beneath the city walls could hear ¡­


    The proud spine was broken, but he still stubbornly tried to lift his head, seemingly exhausted, but his gaze was as sharp as a knife, fixed on Arthur''s face. His brow was furrowed in a tight frown that seemed to transcend death, yet still attached to the human emotions and the desires of the world.


    "Exquisite, intense and vivid."


    Arthur Guan gave a succinct and clear assessment the moment Yuan Ge finished his performance, and everyone else in the room applauded upon hearing his words.


    He then stood up, walked over to Yuan Ge and whispered in his ear, "Your performance carried an innate sense of vulnerability, and a fragile and fleeting beauty. I also like the - how should I put it - ''foreign body sensation'' you express when you frown."


    Before Yuan Ge could catch what he meant, the corners of Arthur''s mouth turned upwards slightly, and he had pulled back and turned towards the set stylist, saying, "Go dress him up. Let''s see his costume looks."

 Chapter 57 - Let The Drama Begin

    No wonder King Guan''s make-up artists and costume designers were known as the best in the industry. In just ten minutes, Yuan Ge was dressed and made up as the valiant commander of the Great Ming Embroidered Uniform Guards and brought back to the room.


    Still seated in the middle of the interview panel, Arthur Guan glanced at Yuan Ge with an expressionless face. Yuan Ge looked around and saw the same arrogance in the gazes of the other industry veterans of the interview panel, as if they were clubbed together to observe an inferior creature.


    "I never say anything twice, so listen carefully before you act." The King spoke, using the same opening line and same attitude as before.


    "You, Chu Jiliang, the youngest first grade commander of the Great Ming Dynasty, are assigned to marry a young princess of a border vassal state.. However, you are deep in an emotional whirlwind as the person you loved was killed by the current emperor, who is also in love with you, leaving you devastated and never able to accept your new bride. And your best Jurchen brother Sibeoci[1] arrives from the North, willing to do anything to get you back on your feet, only to discover that his feelings for you are not so simple either. And this scene is going to be the turning point in the changing feelings between the two of you."


    "That''s it?"


    "That''s it."


    Master Guan was clearly not a man of many words.


    "May I ask how, er, popular, this Chu Jiliang was? Do you mean that he was emotionally involved with all four of the people you mentioned? Was the person he loved deeply a man or a woman?"


    Hearing his questions, Arthur Guan responded with a wicked smile, "The person he loves deeply is a eunuch."


    So, it''s a story about an emperor competing with am eunuch, a princess and a foreigner for the favour of his guard! That''s a lot of information to digest ¡­


    Yuan Ge did not have time to question what kind of contrived melodramatic script King Guan had chosen for his first film, his brain went into overdrive mode trying to make sense of this complex emotional drama - in order to make himself who had fallen into an emotional quagmire bounce back, a brotherly love changes its nature ¡­ the sudden confession of same-sex love - Yuan Ge quickly distilled the key emotional points in this chain of events that needed to be performed in this scene.


    Suddenly, he understood why Arthur Guan had thrown such an ambiguous emotional scene at him. On the surface, it appeared to be an improvised performance, but in fact the focus was not on acting at all, but on his ability to screen write and direct on the spot, and his ability to grasp and analyse human emotions!


    Sweat broke out on Yuan Ge''s forehead. To compose such a scene in such a short time, to match the emotional state of the characters and to devise the appropriate lines ¡­ This was definitely not an easy task, in fact it was hellishly difficult.


    To Arthur Guan''s right sat He Yiru, the big shot director of several of Guan''s classic films, and Wang Xiaowen, a famous screenwriter who had been a prominent figure since the days of the Beijing Film Studio. They both looked at Yuan Ge with half-mocking, half-sympathetic smiles on their faces. It was hard to tell if they thought the scene was absurd or if they thought he was simply incapable of writing and acting the script well ¡­


    "I need an actor to play Sibeoci to support me in this performance."


    Arthur Guan glanced towards Liu Sang when he heart it.


    "Second master, young master Yu is quite tired after supporting dozens of performances today. Just now, I saw that there weren''t many people waiting for the audition at the back, so I let him go back to the crew lounge to have a rest. Should I call him back now?"


    "No need." Arthur waved his hand, got up and walked over to Yuan Ge, "Tell me your plot arrangement, and I''ll play along with you."


    Yuan Ge was a little surprised that Arthur Guan wanted to work with him personally for this audition scene. He had some doubts in his mind whether this stern-faced man could act well or not, but this was his home turf, he was the investor, he had set the rules, he could play it however he wanted, and no one could say anything. So he said graciously, "Master Guan, I''ll call you Sibeoci for now, here is what I came up with for this scene ¡­ " and then whispered the script he had just thought up in detail to Arthur, explaining to him the lines he had devised, line by line.


    Arthur Guan listened with unexpected seriousness and concentration. He remained silent until the end, then he said to Yuan Ge, "I have no objection to the plot you''ve devised, but I can''t remember all the lines. I''m going to improvise and play it roughly along your lines."


    --------------------


    [1] Sibeoci Fiyangg¨± was the great-great grandfather of Nurhaci, the man who reorganised and united various Jurchen tribes. Nurhaci''s descendants established the Qing Dynasty and became the Emperor of China.

 Chapter 58 - Revenge Of The King

    So, under the watchful eye of the industry bigwigs from King Guan Entertainment, Yuan Ge''s version of the heart-wrenching "brother confessing his love" scene was being played out.


    Everyone was more intrigued by the performance of Arthur Guan than by the young director''s improvisation, and all eyes were on the King himself, who was still dressed in his bespoke suit without making up for the role.


    The great Jurchen warrior Sibeoci Fiyanggu marched up to Chu Jiliang and, without warning, suddenly jumped up and gave him a big kick, sending him into the corner.


    Everyone could tell that Arthur Guan carried a lot of force with this action, and when the kick landed on Yuan Ge, his body flew three metres away and he staggered to the ground, holding his hand on his chest, unable to get up. Due to the force of the kick, the middle seam on the back of the bespoke suit Arthur had just changed into actually split open.


    Liu Sang said a silent prayer for the poor unknown director.. It seemed that King Guan was still holding a grudge for the "water bath" he had received after all, and had finally found his chance to take revenge.


    Yuan Ge obviously did not expect the kick from Arthur to be so painful either. Although he had designed the scene to highlight the emotional intensity between the two men, and he didn''t need the Jurchen warrior to treat the emaciated Chu Jiliang with kid gloves, the kick was still way too forceful!


    In the spirit of a good actor''s professionalism, Yuan Ge placed his hand on his chest and took a deep breath, trying not to focus too much on the severity of the kick, but to control his facial expression to match the character in the scene, not letting his reaction out of character, and doing his best to show Chu Jiliang''s dispirited state - his face ashen, neither resisting nor answering back, just letting the beating take place.


    "He''s dead! DEAD! Now you go to battle alone every day, provoking the Mongols, bent on throwing your life away, not even caring that the princess may become a young widow as a result. Are you still a man!!!"


    Sibeoci stepped forward and gave him two more punches and continued, "I was wrong about you! You are no longer that great, fearless hero in Shanhai Pass! Where is your strength? Where are your feelings? I went all out to the capital to save you just to see this half-dead worthless piece of shit?! I don''t have a brother like you!"


    Sibeoci continued to speak angrily as he swung a barrage of punches at Chu Jiliang with his huge iron fist. But it was as if Chu Jiliang had been drained of his life and did not react to all the violence inflicted on him, like a puppet that couldn''t feel pain.


    Sibeici''s eyes were red with anger, and he kicked and punched Chu Jiliang from one end of the room to the other. His actions were clumsy and violent, but his words were choked with emotions.


    "Is your love the only true love in this world? Are you the only two people who can risk everything for each other? To build great things together and then to die fiercely and capriciously together, is that all that is worth having! There are many people in this world whose love is unrequited - they don''t even get to profess their love, let alone have each other''s hearts or be together!"


    Chu Jiliang''s head hung weakly to one side, but the moment he heard these words from Sibeoci and saw the glint of tears in his eyes, a hint of surprise appeared on his face, yet he quickly averted his gaze, but the corners of his mouth trembled as he suppressed the urge to speak.


    "Your love for him is so well known to the world that even the Emperor is mad with jealousy. Is this not enough! Open your eyes and look around you! Is he really the only person in this world who loves you? Someone has died for you; someone has become a nun for you; your new princess wife grieves for you day in and day out; and ¡­ your brother, who is willing to betray his tribe and go to hell and back for you any time ¡­ But you turn a blind eye to them all. Treasuring only your love for him in your heart, and yet letting the rest of us all down!"


    With that, Sibeoci punched Chu Jiliang again in indignation, who spurted out a mouthful of blood, but Sibeoci had no pity for him. He drew out the two swords with their scorched sheaths behind him, and said, "These are your Double-edged Sword of Separation and his Star-Moon Sword of Soulmate, which I dug out from the ruins of your cabin with my own bare hands. I had hoped to retrieve them and see you use them to recreate your great feats again, but now it seems to have been a useless exercise. You want to die, don''t you? Rather than die at the hands of the Mongols, let me kill you with this sword instead!" With that , he thrust the tip of his sword right against Chu Jiliang''s neck.


    When Chu Jiliang saw the two swords, his emotions finally stirred and a glimmer of light appeared in his lifeless gaze. He shuddered and struggled to stand up, but his body gave in and he fell back down in a daze, spurting out another mouthful of blood. The moment he lifted his head again, his face was covered in tears.


    "He''s dead ¡­ and I''ve done him and all of you a great deal of harm ¡­" He choked out, running his fingers up the sharp edge of the sword by his neck, ignoring the blood dripping from his fingertips and stroking inch by inch the design he had carved into the sword with his own hands.


    "We promised each other we would be soul mates like the stars and the moon, and now the sword is here, but you are not. How can I live alone in this world ¡­" The sad look, not like the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, not like a great general, but like a wounded baby animal, which made Sibeoci utterly heartbroken.


    "You only know he can''t come back from the dead, but you don''t know how I can live alone if you die ¡­" With a clang, the charred sword fell to the ground, and unable to contain himself, Sibeoci crouched down and fiercely pulled Chu Jiliang into his arms.


    Shivering as he was held tightly in those broad arms, Chu Jiliang stared at the man in front of him, his eyes red, tears rolling slowly down his handsome face, and another mouthful of blood spurting out, as if he had finally let out the grief that had been pent up inside him for so long. His tears could no longer be held back and poured out of his eyes uncontrollably. Ashamed to be seen by the man in front of him, he pressed his forehead to his shoulder and lowered his face to hide away.


    And Sibeoci held tightly the silent but constantly trembling body, his hard shell finally disintegrated into nothingness, and the brotherly love that he had tried so hard to disguise finally turned into a lifelong obsession with no way back¡­

 Chapter 59 - A Clean Sweep

    Silence.


    The whole room fell completely silent after the powerful performance of these two men.


    Yuan Ge got up from the floor, stumbled a little with his hand on his chest, and was held by Arthur Guan''s outstretched hand just in time to overcome a slight dizziness - that lame lunch prepared by Chow Mingrun was totally useless!


    Yuan Ge smiled gratefully at Arthur, wiped the tears from his face, and his expression returned to normal; it was hard to imagine that only a second ago he was the same fragile, helpless and tearful Commander of the Great Ming. He extended his hand towards Arthur and said graciously, "Master Guan, thank you for your cooperation. I didn''t expect you to be such a superb actor and have such good line skills!"


    Arthur Guan''s chest was heaving and his eyes were teary, obviously having been completely immersed in his role during the performance just now, and it was only when Yuan Ge complimented him that he realised he had forgotten himself. Seeing Yuan Ge''s outstretched hand, he gave it a reluctant shake before turning around and marching back to his seat on the interview panel.


    Liu Sang hurriedly handed him a handkerchief and proudly bragged to Yuan Ge, "Our second master also studied acting at UCLA when he studied in America. If he didn''t love movies, how could he come back to lead the restructuring of Guan''s Pictures?"


    He Yiru and Wang Xiaowen, who were sitting beside Arthur Guan, looked at Yuan Ge with interest and a noticeably better attitude..


    "We haven''t revealed the details of this film to the media yet, so you shouldn''t have known the plot of this scene in advance. To be able to write and direct the scene to such an extent and act it out so vividly, you Dragon Dreams really aren''t short of talent."


    * * *


    When Yuan Ge returned to the second courtyard, he saw that everyone had finished their auditions, especially Chestnut and Stephen who were absolutely glowing. When they saw Yuan Ge come out, they both pounced on him with gusto and said excitedly, "Director, it looks like we''ve all passed the final round! King Guan wasn''t there in person and it was said that the results would be announced later, but it still feels like we made it!"


    Yuan Ge remembered what He Yiru and Wang Xiaowen had said, that there was no shortage of talent at Dragon Dreams Pictures, and it seemed that during the time he and Arthur Guan were doing the director''s screen test, the auditions in the other rooms were going on normally, and the two young actors from his own team had performed quite well.


    At this moment, Chow Mingrun also trotted over, "Yuan Ge, how did it go? I was worried sick! What took you so long? King Guan didn''t give you a hard time, did he? Why are you coughing and your eyes are all red?"


    Yuan Ge deliberately put on a deadpan face, "Thanks to your crappy pink T-shirt, the King himself complimented our dress sense and then gave me a good beating!"


    "Huh? That bad? No wonder you''re limping and coughing. Come, sit down and take a rest!"


    Seeing Chow Mingrun''s eager face desperate for some inside scoop, he couldn''t help but break into a smile and said, "It''s been a long day, but it''s good to see that we''ve made some achievements. All three kids are doing well, and if they really wanted an assistant director, I think I might have gotten the job."


    "Oh yeah!" Chow Mingrun shouted in delight, "I knew it! How could our Director Yuan Ge have fallen short when he went after a position? I bet you''ve got the lot at King Guan''s group falling all over you. There''s no telling how many roles we''ll get for this film, even small supporting roles would be good enough."


    Just as they were talking, Liu Sang, the chief assistant, walked into the second courtyard, informing everyone that today''s auditions were over and the official results would be posted on King Guan Entertainment''s company website.


    With so many celebrity teams out at the same time, it was quite a hassle to exit the place. Thinking of the countless media outside the gates of the Guan family mansion waiting to dig up juicy gossips from the final round of auditionees to make eye-catching headlines, Yuan Ge had no desire to linger any longer.


    "Fat Chow, I''m off now. I''ve got a demented child at home. I''ll leave it to you to share the good news and the audition details with Am¨¦lie and Jinghai."


    It was already dark, Yuan Ge, fearing that the little loony at home would get into trouble, wrapped his coat around him, walked out of the crowd and hurried back to Yandai Byway.

 Chapter 60 - A Close Call

    "What''s that smell!" Yuan Ge arrived at the bottom of his flat building and smelled a faint odour of rotten cabbage. Oh no! He screamed in his mind and immediately rushed up the stairs as fast as he could. When he reached the security door of his flat, the smell was even more pungent and there was no doubt that it was coming from his own place. If he listened carefully, he could even hear a subtle hissing sound from inside.


    Little loony must have committed suicide!


    A fine sweat immediately broke out on Yuan Ge''s forehead. He meant to help him by bringing him home... but had he done a bad thing with good intentions? If this kid died in his home, just forget about continuing to be a film director. He would probably be held legally responsible if the parents decided to sue him! Yuan Ge suddenly felt that what he had done before was so immature, mainly due to his own wishful thinking. Just because of the boy''s appearance and the name "Rong Qiuchen", he had let himself be carried away.


    With a heavy heart and trembling hands, he unlocked the door quickly with his key..


    Fortunately, he did not see the boy lying on the floor, but standing in front of the stove, trying to light the gas burner!


    "WHAT THE FUCK!!! STOP! STOP! STOP! Stop it RIGHT NOW!"


    Yuan Ge rushed forward and violently yanked Rong Qiuchen away from the stove, flung him onto the sofa and pointed at his nose, shouting, "Are you fucking crazy! It''s going to explode! You can''t do that even if you want to die! From now on, just sit there. Don''t move, and don''t touch anything in the house!"


    Hearing the sound of Yuan Ge opening the door, Rong Qiuchen''s face was overflowing with heartfelt joy. However, before he could properly greet Yuan Ge, he was flung onto the sofa by him all of a sudden, and was reprimanded in such a harsh manner. He felt aggrieved and tried to explain, "Childe Yuan, it''s getting late. Qiuchen just wanted to make you something to eat ¡­"


    But Yuan Ge had no time to listen to him or his grievances. Covering his nose, he first opened the cupboard door under the gas stove, turned off the main valve, scanned the room to make sure no appliances had been turned on, then rushed to the door and opened it as far as it would go, followed by opening all the windows of the flat.


    "Are you out of your mind?! Do you want to kill yourself that badly?! Smell the air yourself! The methane level in this room must have reached 15% already!" Yuan Ge came back into the sitting room and yelled at Qiuchen, "It was a mistake to bring you home. Thank goodness you didn''t manage to light the gas burner, or we would have been blown to bits! The point is, you can kill yourself if you want to, or even get me killed and blow up my home, but think about the street we live on! Yandai Byway, what a busy street that is! With such a high methane content, if there was a fire, a small brick building like this would not be able to withstand it and would have collapsed in an instant. Look out the window and see how many people are on the street and how many shops are downstairs. If this building catches fire, there will be a big explosion if we are unlucky. Are you really crazy or are you just pretending to be crazy?"


    Yuan Ge''s tone did not soften in the slightest. He finally showed his teeth - no longer as a gentleman, but as a stern director who used to barking orders at his crew, scaring Rong Qiuchen into cowering in the corner of the sofa like a little mouse.


    "Childe Yuan ¡­ I ¡­ you ..."


    "You what you! Luckily we''re all using natural gas now, otherwise you would have succeeded in killing yourself as you wished!" Yuan Ge grunted and collapsed onto the sofa, feeling exhausted. The good mood he''d just had after the audition had all but gone out of the window. He should have known this was an idiot, so what the hell was he thinking, leaving him at home alone! Yuan Ge was filled with horror of hindsight. He could not condone Rong Qiuchen''s behaviour despite his pitiful, aggrieved look, so he got up and took him to the nearest police station.

 Chapter 61 - At The Police Station

    "Not Found. We have no record of this person." The system did a lookup of Rong Qiuchen''s face and fingerprints, but came up with nothing.


    "You can leave him here if you like. Chief Lee can question him properly later." The policeman on duty eyed Rong Qiuchen''s waist-length plait with a puzzled look on his face. Yuan Ge then realised that Rong Qiuchen had plaited his hair into a long plait, probably out of boredom when he was home alone, which made him look even more like a Qing dynasty person.


    "I''ve just questioned him.. This young man seems delirious. Instead of bringing him to the police station, you should have taken him to a mental hospital and get his head examined first."


    An older looking policeman came over with a thermal mug in his hand and said pleasantly.


    It turned out that he was Chief Lee mentioned by the duty officer just now.


    He narrowed his eyes, looked Yuan Ge up and down and said, "Young man, we can''t find him in the system, and we don''t know his family. So, who are you? How are you two related?"


    "Me?"


    Yes, who am I to him? Why the hell should I care so much about him! Yuan Ge was a bit speechless, cursing himself silently, but could only answer Chief Lee''s question politely, "I''m a film director. He was wandering about in our film set one day, and I took him home out of pity. I thought he was just pretending to be crazy, but today he turned on the gas in my flat and almost set the whole building on fire."


    "A director? So young ¡­" Chief Lee looked Yuan Ge and Rong Qiuchen up and down again and frowned, "So you''re both in show business, no wonder you''re both so good looking. Where are your IDs? We must register the case for the record."


    Yuan Ge pulled out his ID card and said resentfully, "So, what''s wrong with show business? He doesn''t have any ID. I''ve already asked him about it before."


    "Comrade, please show me your papers. How is it possible that you don''t have any documents? An identity card? Residence permit? Student card? ¡­" Chief Lee ignored Yuan Ge''s statement and said directly to Qiuchen, "You''ve been fobbing me off before, but now we need to register for the record. Don''t waste any more of our time. Show me your ID."


    "There''s no need to force him. He really doesn''t have any papers! When I found him, he ¡­"


    Yuan Ge remembered that night when he first saw Rong Qiuchen by the Dragon Pond at the Rong Mansion, that jade-like body, and blushed a little, unable to go on.


    Chief Lee looked at the two men, pondering, with a wry look in his eyes.


    As it happened, two hooligans were escorted in through the door, obviously drunk, with bruises and blood on their faces, and were pushed by the two police officers on duty behind them to go through the fingerprinting and registration procedures.


    Chief Lee frowned at the sight, "It''s you two again!"


    "Chief, a few days no see, you look younger again - what''s on the menu tonight?" The hooligans were obviously regulars at the police station.


    One of them passed by Rong Qiuchen and whistled, humming incoherently, "A girl from Dabancheng, with long plaits and two pretty eyes!"[1]


    The other one tugged on his hair insolently and whistled in surprise, "This is a real plait! Are you a bloke or a chick? How many years have you had this plait?"


    Seeing the shifty-eyes of these two rogues, Rong Qiusheng shrank back towards Yuan Ge and asked nervously, "What is this place, is it a yamen[2]?" The slight panic in his voice still couldn''t hide the magnetic and melodious tone that sounded like heavenly music, causing everyone around him to look at him in amazement.


    Yuan Ge sighed, "Sort of."


    Rong Qiuchen''s face changed at his words and he asked warily, "Why did Childe Yuan bring me here? What is my crime? Qiuchen doesn''t want to see an officer!"


    When a few policemen at the side heard their conversation and saw Qiuchen cowering beside Yuan Ge, they all covered their mouths and sniggered.


    --------------------


    [1] The Girl from Dabancheng is a well known folk song with Chinese lyric translated by Wang Luobin, and adapted from the Uyghur folksong Qamberxan. The song talks about a girl in Dabancheng (or Davanching in the Uyghur language) which lies between Turpan and Urumqi, and is well known as an entrepot on inter-oasis travel. The reputation of the beauty of local girls is partly due to the mixing among the different populations that travelled through it.


    [2] Yamen refers to a government office in Feudal China.

 Chapter 62 - Is He Really A Man?

    Chief Lee was not happy about this. His expression turned serious as he looked at Yuan Ge and asked, " How are you two related? What kind of relationship do you have? You come to our police station at this late hour ¡­ Is it just to practice your movie lines? Are you trying to make fun of us? What kind of ''show business'' are you in? Look at his looks and voice, is he really a man?"


    "How is he not!" Yuan Ge felt that Chief Lee''s questions lacked basic respect for Qiuchen and couldn''t help but be a little annoyed, "What are all these questions about? I just want to help him find his family, but you have no record of his fingerprints and can''t find any information about him. Your database system isn''t well set up, is it?"


    "That''s impossible. The population database is a centralised system and we''ve never had a problem with it. If a person can''t be found in this system, there are usually only two possibilities - either the person you brought in has a criminal record and is deliberately withholding identifying information, or, the person is underage, has never applied for an ID card and has never had his fingerprints recorded in the system."


    The suspicion on the old policeman''s face deepened as he thought about the possibility of a minor being involved.


    Only then did Yuan Ge realise that he had been calling Rong Qiuchen a little loony all this time, but hadn''t really asked him his age. Could this guy really be underage?! He hurriedly turned around and asked, "How old are you?" Then on second thought, he quickly added in ancient Chinese, "The officer asked if you are over 18." Just in case this little loony replied that he was born during the reign of Xianfeng, the police would then hear and charge him with the crime of attempting to restore a deposed monarch.


    Rong Qiuchen blinked at his words, "Childe Yuan has really underestimated me this time.. I am twenty two years old, already over the age for the capping ceremony[1]."


    Yuan Ge looked back at Chief Lee: "You heard him. He''s 22 years old. How can he be underage."


    "He doesn''t have any papers, so he could be lying about his age. We have to do further investigation. In my opinion, the boy should stay with us for tonight; after all, he looks like a minor and seems to have mental health issues. This is as much for your safety as it is for his. You can leave us your phone number and we will inform you if we find his family."


    When Yuan Ge heard this, it finally occurred to him that they meant to let him go but leave Qiuchen behind. He had brought Qiuchen to the police station on impulse, but he only wanted to find out his identity, not expecting to leave him here alone. Wouldn''t leaving him at the police station be equivalent to being detained? And -


    "For his safety? What do you mean by that!" Yuan Ge could feel his anger rising. He had helped this boy out of his own kindness, and as a promising law-abiding young man with a good education and a respectable job, how could he end up being viewed as a bad guy in the eyes of these policemen for no reason at all? Did people nowadays have a prejudice against directors and a misconception of the entertainment industry?!


    "Forget it. I don''t want to find out his identity or family any more. Sorry to have troubled you! Qiuchen, let''s go!" Yuan Ge felt that the situation was getting out of hand and pulled Qiuchen to leave, but was stopped by Chief Lee.


    "Comrade, we have our procedures. This is a police station, not an amusement park where you can just come and go as you please. You need to cooperate with our investigation - what''s your address? How did you meet him? Who else have you brought him in contact with so far? What activities have you taken him home for? If you are not his guardian, we are not going to allow you to take him away today."


    Chief Lee pulled down his face, turned around and shouted to the back, "Lily, you take this one with the long plait to the back and check him out. I want to know if he has any papers on him and if he''s a man or a woman."


    "No problem, Chief!" An energetic female voice answered, followed by a round-faced female officer who weighed at least 200 pounds coming from the back. Looking at Rong Qiuchen''s cool, handsome face, her eyes lit up and she reached out without a second thought to grab him for a body search.


    "You''re going too far! You''re violating our rights! We''re not suspects, why do we need to be searched? I''ve already said he''s a man, so why don''t you have any basic trust!" Yuan Ge couldn''t let Rong Qiuchen be bullied, so he tried to reason with Chief Lee, but was surrounded by several police officers with batons in their hands, while the female police officer twisted Qiuchen''s arm and tried to pull him inside.


    --------------------


    [1] The capping ceremony, or Guan Li in Pinyin, is the Confucian coming of age ceremony. According to the Book of Rites, it is only after the coming of age ceremonies that young people could call themselves adults and could share social responsibilities. The capping ceremony typically occurs when a man reaches 20 years old.

 Chapter 63 - The Escape Artist

    When Rong Qiuchen saw Yuan Ge surrounded by policemen and a butch woman trying to detain him by force, he didn''t care about rules any more and in a panic he deftly retracted his body to get out of the fat policewoman''s grip.


    Police came from all directions to block Qiuchen, but to everyone''s surprise, he displayed superior martial arts skills, easily dodging several police officers before doing a vertical flip, jumping onto a desk, and another one-handed flip, bouncing his body a few metres away, leaving a mess in his wake. He then spun around in the air, using his feet to kick against the wall as a fulcrum, and dodged two more police officers.


    Everyone in the room was dumbfounded when they saw him demonstrate his martial arts skills like a pro.


    "Get him! Don''t let him get away!" Chief Lee gave an order to the dumbfounded policemen, and in an instant a few more policemen went up to surround him.


    "That''s frigging awesome! The chick can actually fight! Old Lee got a flogging hahaha!" .


    The two hooligans couldn''t wait to see the chaos unfolding in the police station, jeering and clapping their hands to kick up a fuss.


    "Run! Qiuchen, run! Don''t worry about me!"


    Yuan Ge didn''t want Qiuchen to spend the night with these hooligans in detention, and he too tried to slip out of the room amidst the chaos, but was pinned down by Lily''s two hundred pound body - "Wanna leave? Pay for my printer first!"


    Seeing Yuan Ge''s arrest, Rong Qiuchen became even more panicked and confused, with the horror of his fifth brother''s experience floating before his eyes - what justice was there to be had in a yamen? He ducked and slid deftly and was about to run out of the police station when a tall, sturdy policeman blocked the door from outside. Hearing Chief Lee''s order, without thinking, the policeman used his grappling technique to grab Qiuchen, but his attempt to twist Qiuchen''s wrist was easily blocked by Qiuchen''s left hand, followed by a swift counterattack on the policeman''s wrist. The pain caused the policeman to withdraw his hand and then tried to grab Qiuchen''s plait, but Qiuchen slipped out again like a cicada out of its shell, leaving only a jacket behind.


    Everyone chased him out of the police station, but he had already blended into the night and disappeared into the thin air ¡­


    ***


    By the time Chow Mingrun bailed a gloomy-faced Yuan Ge out of the police station, it was already in the early hours of the morning.


    "Yuan Ge, what the hell is wrong with you? You''ve expanded your area of expertise, haven''t you? Assault a police officer! What were you thinking! How was that going to end well?"


    "It''s not me! It was that little nutcase! I don''t have his good fighting skills. The police is so unreasonable! Why should I pay for their bloody printer! It''s not like I kicked it to the floor! The most hateful thing is, what makes them think I''m not a good person, what makes them think I''m a dirty old pervert who plays with underage boys!"


    Yuan Ge was furious.


    "Come on, big head, just thank your lucky stars that you''re not in custody for obstruction. If I hadn''t grovelled and flattered, bent over backwards, and brought the company contract and papers to bail you out, Your Excellency would have had to spend a night in a police cell to get a taste of real life."


    With a weary face, Chow Mingrun sighed, "Look at you, a good looking guy, dragging another good looking guy to the police station in the middle of the night to check his ID card, how can people not make wild guesses? I''ve been telling you to mind your own business, you simply wouldn''t listen, now you''re getting your ass kicked, serve you bloody right! Let me remind you, Yin Fenghua will be on set soon, you better pull yourself together, focus on filming and stop paying attention to that little lunatic. It''s not cheap to keep the crew, money flows out like water every day. How many pickles and congee do I have to sell to pay for it ¡­"


    While Chow Mingrun rambled on as they left the police station together, Yuan Ge walked in the other direction.


    "Hey, where are you going? Look at the time, don''t you think you should go back and get some sleep?"


    "Fat Chow, it''s such a cold night and the boy is only wearing a T-shirt. I have to go find him, what if he freezes to death on the roadside."


    "In this day and age, you talk about freezing to death on the side of the road? Don''t be ridiculous!" Seeing that Yuan Ge had ignored everything he had just said and was still so stubborn about taking care of the kid, Chow Mingrun was a little annoyed, "WTF! a porcelain bumper, not like he is someone we know, why do you care so much? Can''t you just mind your own business! Everyone avoids porcelain bumpers like the plague these days, yet you go out of your way to stick your nose into them! I really shouldn''t have come to bail you out! Hey ¡­ Are you okay? Where are you going? If you don''t go home, I''m bloody going to leave you alone. If I keep sticking around with you all the time, my missus will start imagining things again." After he said these words, he paid no more attention to Yuan Ge, and called a taxi to go home.


    However, Yuan Ge could not help worrying about Rong Qiuchen''s safety, so he searched the streets around the police station and then returned to his flat on Yandai Byway, where he did not see Qiuchen at the door, so he went to the Rong Mansion to look for him again, but again found nothing. Finally, exhausted and dejected, he couldn''t think of anywhere else to look for and had to return home.

 Chapter 64 - Back In The Dream

    Back at his empty home, Yuan Ge tried to clear his mind from the chaos of the day.


    He had been scolding Qiuchen for the gas leak, only now when he had calmed down, he noticed that Qiuchen had cleaned the entire flat and that on the kitchen counter there were vegetables that had been neatly chopped and sliced but not yet cooked. Judging from the variety and knife work, they had been prepared with considerable care.


    He opened the box and found that Qiuchen had actually finished watching the entire series of Cixi and Her Old Lover, and the money he gave him this morning was sitting untouched on top of the TV stand. It seemed that he had stayed indoors all day, just watching TV, doing his chores and preparing dinner at home dutifully, really behaving like his servant boy.


    This silly child ¡­ hope nothing will happen to him.


    Yuan Ge blamed himself immensely. Thinking of how happy he looked after his shower yesterday and how insistent he was when he massaged his legs at night, he could only pray that the dramatic event played out at the "yamen" - police station - tonight would shock the demented boy back to his senses and perhaps he would remember how to get home ¡­


    ***


    "Well sung!"


    A sudden cheer broke the silence around him..


    Yuan Ge looked around and realised that somehow he had landed himself in a theatre, with bright sounds of Jinghu[1] accompanied by loud gongs and drums, and a large red theatre stage crowded with crazy opera fans. Emperors, generals, gifted scholars and beautiful ladies from classical tales all weaved across the stage like a merry-go-round, playing out their heroic tragedies and heart-breaking romances.


    Amidst wild cheers and accolades, a stunning opera singer came on stage with light dancing steps. He had an unforgettably beautiful face, a sight to behold in itself: a delicate little face set off perfectly by a light foundation; skin as soft and smooth as gelatine, warm and clear as jade; cheeks and eyes painted with an intoxicating red rouge; slightly upturned lips dotted with cherry red, giving this handsome boy a flirtatious charm; coupled with a light and supple body, a high, melodious voice, beautiful costumes and sparkling accessories, the boundaries of gender were completely blurred. But none of this could compare to the expressiveness of his eyes. These tender eyes seemed to have the ability to transform into a thousand different shapes and flavours of amorous feelings, as if they had extracted the moonlike souls of a thousand beautiful women in an instant. Together with his delicate hands and slender fingers half-hidden in his sleeves, just one glance was enough to make people believe that he was the rarest of the treasures of the world.


    It was Qiuchen! Qiuchen had come out on stage!


    With the experience from the previous two times, Yuan Ge knew that he was probably in a dream world again. Only this time, he finally saw the magnificent Rong Qing on the stage. And without thinking he knew that that face was bound to look exactly like the little loony boy!


    Yuan Ge heard him sing:


    "Beauty queen gave her heart to the wrong man


    Blind passion was born from the wrong place


    ¡­


    The jade pipe and golden flute sank into the water


    The peerless beauty threw herself into the river


    ¡­"


    It was an act from the opera Du Shiniang Angrily Throwing Priceless Treasure to River[2].


    His singing voice, sometimes tender, sometimes poignant, his every smile and expression revealed an indelibly lonely and noble soul. In a trance he was like the reincarnation of Du Shiniang, even more beautiful and single-minded. And that heavenly voice was just as moving as the one Yuan Ge heard that night when ''Rong Qiuchen'' sang the opera selection shown on television.


    Yuan Ge knew he was in a dream, but he was paralysed, as if a ghost had pinned him to his bed, unable to move or wake up. All he could do was to look up at the beautiful stage, at the famous opera star surrounded by people, not knowing who he was in this dream.


    Yuan Ge vaguely heard people whispering.


    "Qiuchen is only sixteen years old and is the fourth disciple in the most prestigious Jinyu Troupe in the capital. Now that Her Imperial Highness the Empress Dowager has ranked all the outstanding singers on the opera stage, and all seven brothers of the Jinyu Troupe are on the list, and this Qiuchen has been named as the First Flower on the Opera Stage. What an early success! What an unparalleled fame! Even princes and nobles have to wait for days to see him perform!"


    "Even so, he''s only an opera singer. How could he be called having a noble soul?"


    "Well, this Qiuchen has vowed to stay true to his heart, to remain pure and devote himself only to opera. That''s a real wonder!"


    Yuan Ge listened to the chatter of the crowd and stared in amazement at the charming Qiuchen on the stage. He could not tell what he felt in his heart.


    The famous star on stage was too distant from himself. It felt so surreal.


    Did that "Qiuchen", who had called himself his "servant boy" last night and sat humbly by his side with an innocent face, really exist?


    --------------------


    [1] The jinghu is a Chinese bowed string instrument in the huqin family, used primarily in Beijing opera. It is the smallest and highest pitched instrument in the huqin family. The jinghu has a tone similar to that violin but raspier.


    [2] Du Shiniang Sinks Her Jewel Box in Anger is a popular story and theatre plot in China. The plot concerns the courtesan Du Shiniang, who falls in love with a literati, Li Jia, and is eventually betrayed. She sinks her jewellery box and denounces this betrayal before throwing herself into the river. This story reflects a theme used by Chinese romantic authors for centuries - the self-sacrificing love of a woman for a man whose family and position from which she must be excluded. It was said that Dumas used the themes of this story to create Camille and Verdi La Traviata.

 Chapter 65 - Childe Liang?

    Just then, a wisp of mist drifted by and Yuan Ge suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere as an unprecedentedly enthusiastic murmurs of admiration spread through the audience off the stage. When he looked closely, he saw a noblewoman in a Manchu palace attire sitting not far away from the middle seat with a faint smile on her face, while beside her, a young man of 18 or 19, dressed in royal yellow robes, stood respectfully and solemnly¡­


    The Empress Dowager Cixi and the Emperor Tongzhi?!


    Although Yuan Ge had dreamed of the Qing Dynasty many times, this was the first time he had actually seen such famous historical figures. However, no one questioned his existence or was surprised to see him watching a show with Empress Dowager Cixi. So, for the people in his dream, was he the actual phantom?


    By now, the play on stage had turned into a lively performance of the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea". The actors in the Jinyu Troupe, dressed as the eight drunken immortals on stage, each showed off their divine skills and turned the sea upside down before finally getting into an argument with the Koi Fairy.


    Qiuchen played the beautiful, bright and lively Koi Fairy.. He was full of charm as he bantered with the Eight Immortals with vivid expressions and humorous lyrics. To combat Lu Dongbin''s disrespectful remarks, he displayed a heroic spirit of a woman who fought all the immortals single-handedly. Whether it was his dance-acting or vocal skills, he stood out from the crowd and far surpassed the others. To see him was to believe in the existence of immortals in the mortal world.


    When the play was finished, the audience applauded. The Empress Dowager Cixi was so pleased that she had the masters of the Jinyu Troupe rewarded, saying, "Your Jinyu Troupe is now very famous in the capital; you two masters have brought out such outstanding seven young apprentices, all of whom have exquisite skills and excellent stage presence. In my ranking of the opera stage flowers, the top few places are all taken by your troupe. For today''s performance, each of them will be rewarded twenty taels of silver, and Qiuchen will be rewarded a pair of ruby hair ornaments in addition to one hundred taels of silver..."


    Just as Yuan Ge was thinking to himself, that Qiuchen was indeed a magnificent actor of his era before he entered the House of Rong, and his status, fame and income were truly extraordinary, he saw Cixi turn her head towards him, "Commander Rong, you have pleased me by inviting the Jinyu Troupe to perform today. More such events can be arranged in the future."


    "Certainly, Your Imperial Highness, certainly!" Ronglu was full of promises, and the voice of the Third Lord, Huilu, also came from nowhere, "If it pleases Your Imperial Highness, I will assist my brother next time to make this water stage more refined, and also bring all the famous troupes in the capital over..."


    "No need. Having Jinyu Troupe and Qiuchen is enough." Cixi said with a smile, not at all like the stern face in the history books.


    The members of the Jinyu Troupe came before Empress Dowager Cixi and thanked her for the reward. Qiuchen, still dressed in his Koi Fairy costume, walked in gracefully. After greeting the many nobles one by one and thanking them for their patronage, he actually came to him, with a hint of imperceptible delight and a familiarity hidden in his eyes, and greeted him in a low, affectionate voice, "Childe Liang ..."


    ***


    "Childe Liang?!" Yuan Ge woke up with a jolt.


    The lights in the room had all gone out at some point, and a thin layer of frost had formed on the outside of the window panes, reflecting the faint glow from the street lights. The room was still dark and uncomfortably quiet. The sounds of gongs and drums, the lively audience and the red stage were floating vividly in front of his eyes, making it almost impossible to believe that such a realistic scene was nothing but a dream.


    "Childe Liang? ¡­ Shouldn''t it be Childe Yuan?" Yuan Ge sat on his bed in a total loss, pondering over the name. The unparalleled beauty of Rong Qing was clearly in front of his eyes, coupled with the lyrics of "the peerless beauty threw herself into the river" in his ears, and he could not help but be amazed at his own ability to make up scripts and lyrics in his dreams.


    Suddenly, there was a "beep", the sound of the fridge starting up, and then the lights in the room came on, leaving Yuan Ge''s heart palpitating. It seemed that the power cut must have occurred while he was asleep.


    Last night, the little loony "Rong Qiuchen" was sitting right next to him, holding his hands while staring at him with wide eyes, yet he was able to sleep soundly, without any dreams. Now that he was gone, why did these strange dreams come back to haunt him? And what were these dreams about? They seemed so real, and they were often continuous, like a television series. What kind of a role did he play in this "dream drama"? Who exactly was he in it? Why was it even more baffling than the test at King Guan''s audition?


    Yuan Ge was always reluctant to delve into such fluttering emotions. He got his inspiration - no matter where he got it - It would be best to use it on set during filming. Didn''t Fat Chow say that Yin Fenghua, the male lead chosen to play Rong Qing, was finally coming on set?

 Chapter 66 - Chows Choice

    The next day, after a busy day of filming, the four founders of Dragon Dreams gathered at a trendy bar by the Rong Mansion, all because Chow Mingrun was being secretive and insisted on asking everyone to meet together for a drink after work.


    Yuan Ge was waiting for his Martini at the bar when he saw a man walking over to their table and tapped Chow Mingrun on the shoulder, "Hey, I''ve been looking all over for you. Why are you sitting so far out of the way in the back?"


    He took a closer look and recognised him to be Yin Fenghua, a pop singer still active on stage and the male lead Chow Mingrun had decided on for their film ''Qingqing''.


    "Ah Hua, you''re finally here." Chow Mingrun tilted his head upwards and reached out to pinch his chin, "You look so hot! Why... you are dressed up just to meet me?"


    Yin Fenghua pulled over a stool and squeezed himself next to Chow Mingrun, took a sip of the gin and tonic Chow was drinking and said helplessly, "Just finished a gig, I''m dying of thirst. This was supposed to be a meet-and-greet reception. If they hadn''t told me there was a photographer there to take some promo photos, I wouldn''t have bothered to go! Fat Tom is a fucking slave driver, absolutely sucked us dry!"


    "Tom Tang still has some contacts in showbiz.. He''s been helping you stay in the public eye all these years, maintaining a considerable popularity for you, it''s not easy lah. I see you''ve even appeared in quite a few variety shows this year, not bad at all."


    Yin Fenghua glanced at him flirtatiously and said with a pouting smile, "It''s all your fault. Had you hurried up and expanded Dragon Dreams into the pop music industry, I wouldn''t have to stay with Fat Tom. I could come to join you in a heartbeat."


    The two of them carried on talking to each other as if there was no one else around. After holding back for a while, Yuan Ge finally interjected, "Mr. Yin, you''re really taking your time to come to join us. Our shooting schedule has been delayed for three weeks already because of your late arrival."


    Hearing the unfriendly tone in Yuan Ge''s words, Am¨¦lie hastily winked at him, trying to stop him from doing further damage.


    "Yuan Ge, don''t be such a killjoy. Our big star is here now, isn''t he? He''s got a very tight schedule these days. Let''s all be a bit more understanding of each other, shall we?" Chow Mingrun looked at Yin Fenghua with an ingratiating smile on his face, "Come on, Ah Hua, let me introduce you to my capable partners - director Yuan Ge, producer Am¨¦lie Jiang and cameraman Du Jinghai; this, as you all know, is Tom Records'' leading singer Yin Fenghua. "


    Yin Fenghua stood up lazily, shook Am¨¦lie''s hand lightly, greeted Du Jinghai with a barely visible nod, and then turned to Yuan Ge, looked him up and down with a hint of frivolity, and said, "Brother Run has mentioned your name to me many times, I didn''t expect you to be so young and handsome in person! Oh and, I''ve been working in the pop music industry for many years, but I''ve never made a movie before. It''s an honour for me to work with Director Yuan this time. I welcome your guidance." Then he extended his hand to shake.


    Yuan Ge felt that his hands seemed to be coated with something like a moisturiser, slippery and greasy. Looking at him again, he was wearing a scarlet translucent top with a large collar and matching shiny patent leather tights. His face was indeed quite pretty, except that, taken as a whole, he looked slouchy and slutty.

 Chapter 67 - Under The Table

    "Now that everyone is here, we can officially kick off the shooting at last!" Chow Mingrun said to the group with an excited look on his face, then he turned to Yin Fenghua, "Ah Hua, the male lead in our film is a dan actor in Beijing opera. He has to play a woman in many scenes, so he definitely needs to be good looking and have a good voice. Your singing talent is there for all to see. When the time comes, we''ll find you a Beijing Opera master to teach you to sing opera, and you''ll definitely be able to play the role to perfection. You really are the best choice for our male lead!"


    "It seems that you haven''t quite forgotten the good things about your old partner. The kind of friendship we have¡­ when you need me, I''ll drop everything to come, won''t I? Our ''Run-Hua Combo'' was a household name too once upon a time! If you hadn''t gone to the Chow family to become their son-in-law, I wouldn''t have had to fight alone in the pop music world all these years."


    Yuan Ge took a sip of his Martini and looked at Chow Mingrun and then at Yin Fenghua without saying a word.


    Yin Fenghua sensed Yuan Ge''s cold attitude. He lowered his eyes and continued in a low voice as if he were talking to himself, "Seriously, the budget for this film is ridiculously low. The male lead has to play himself, sing opera and pretend to be a woman at the same time. It''s making things deliberately difficult for people. If not for Run''s insistence, I really wouldn''t have bothered to come.."


    Trying to play hard-to-get? What a pretentious brat! Am¨¦lie cursed in her mind, but the words that came out of her mouth were all polite, like an iron hand in a velvet glove, "We at Dragon Dreams have gone all out for this film. We can''t compete with the top production companies in terms of funding, but the money and effort we''ve put into production and promotion are very sincere. There has been a lot of interest from the media, especially from those who know what they''re talking about, who are keen to find out who will be chosen to work with Director Yuan on his new film. Working with an up-and-coming director who has returned to China with an international award, and is making his first new film in China - it''s certainly a great opportunity to make a name for yourself in the film industry, and you, as a veteran singer, would be keen to pursue that opportunity as well, wouldn''t you say?"


    Yin Fenghua was rendered speechless by her words. A little embarrassed, he turned his gaze to Chow Mingrun. Chow Mingrun hurriedly tried to say something to smooth things over, "Ah Hua, our Miss Jiang is a business elite I poached from France. She is very smart and capable and is currently in charge of our finance, media liaison and marketing. We''re now all in the same boat, so it''s best to be straightforward and upfront in our communication. Let''s worry not, I''m sure we''ll have a great time working together this time!"


    Yin Fenghua ordered a Screwdriver and raised his glass to Chow Mingrun and the other three, "Brother Run is right. Since we are all in the same boat, I won''t treat you guys like the others, and will be direct. Please bear with me if I offend you in any way. Let''s toast to a happy partnership for the future."


    Everyone followed Yin Fenghua''s toast and drained their glasses.


    Yuan Ge did not like Yin Fenghua''s style and remained silent almost the whole time. On the contrary, Du Jinghai, as a seasoned Quarroer who was used to dealing with his fans, appeared much calmer and more modest. He lavished his praises and kept expressing his admiration for Yin Fenghua''s decade-long singing career in the pop music industry, which pleased him so much that he happily brag about the past fame of "Run-hua Combo".


    "Yuan Ge, I''ve dropped my handbag by your feet. Could you pick it up for me please?"


    Am¨¦lie bent down to look for her handbag that had fallen on the floor and asked Yuan Ge to help her. As Yuan Ge bent down to look for it, Am¨¦lie nudged him gently and pointed, "It''s over there ..."


    Yuan Ge followed the direction she pointed to pick up the handbag, and saw Yin Fenghua''s leg wrapped around Chow Mingrun''s leg rubbing gently under the table.


    "Thanks!" Am¨¦lie said as she smiled and winked at Yuan Ge. The two of them got up and sat down again. But above the table, Chow Mingrun and Yin Fenghua were just drinking and chatting normally as if nothing was happening.


    After a few rounds of drinks, nothing substantial was discussed about the filming of Qingqing. Yuan Ge felt that his presence here tonight was purely to witness Chow Mingrun''s reunion with his old partner, and he did not want to spend his time on matters unrelated to his film and script, so he was the first to stand up to say his goodbyes, "Fat Chow, since Mr. Yin''s schedule has been settled, I need to make some adjustments to the script according to his features, and it may take me some time to get it done. I''ll take my leave first. You guys have fun."


    "Okay, I''ll leave it all to our big director. The script, I will show it to Ah Hua later. You go back first, we old buddies have too much to catch up." Chow Mingrun smiled and patted Yuan Ge on the shoulder.


    "It''s a bit late, I have to go too." Am¨¦lie also stood up to say goodbye.


    When Du Jinghai saw that neither Am¨¦lie nor Yuan Ge had any intention of staying, naturally he followed suit and took his leave as well.


    Chow Mingrun bid farewell to everyone, not forgetting to remind them, "The day after tomorrow, we will hold an official ceremony to kick off the shooting, so you guys all go back and prepare. Don''t slack off on the pre-production publicity stuff, let''s meet tomorrow to discuss the details."

 Chapter 68 - Friendly Gossip

    When they left the bar, Am¨¦lie turned to Yuan Ge and said in amazement, "I can''t believe that our boss Chow''s appetite doesn''t stop at women."


    Yuan Ge sighed, "Why do you think he has chosen Yin Fenghua as our leading man."


    Du Jinghai obviously sensed something from this gathering as well and said, "I can''t stay behind like a fool when you two are gone. They were a household name back in the days of the ''Run-Hua duo''. Now that they''re back together, I''m sure there will be a rekindling of an old flame."


    Am¨¦lie asked curiously, "When did you guys know that our boss Chow is into men? Isn''t he supposed to be afraid of his wife? Isn''t he quite a dutiful son-in-law of the Chow family? How come he still has the guts to have an affair behind his wife''s back? Jinghai, since you have known him the longest, do you know?"


    Du Jinghai smiled wryly, "I know nothing, honestly! Maybe I''m particularly slow at this sort of thing? I worked with Fat Chow long before Dragon Dreams was founded, and I really didn''t know that he was actually a bi. I reckon, he is not truly into men. He liked it out of ¡­ how should I put it, necessity? His wife usually keeps a close eye on the women around him and probably doesn''t see men as a threat, so just let him be."


    He turned to Yuan Ge as he said, "Yuan Ge understands more about human nature, and sees things much deeper than a simple straight guy like me. When we were in Europe making the film ''Eve''s Fallen'', we didn''t have many actors at the time, you and Fat Chow played a gay couple, you must have felt something then, right?".


    Feeling put on the spot by Du Jinghai, Yuan Ge couldn''t hide the embarrassment on his face and said, "Acting is acting, don''t mix it up. I''ve never pried into Fat Chow''s private life. He came to me when I was in Hollywood. All I knew was that he was there to accompany his wife for IVF treatment. I never paid any attention to anything outside of filming. This is the first time I''ve heard that he is a bi."


    Du Jinghai shrugged disconcertedly and pursued, "You are the director of Eve''s Fallen, such a profound film that explores the complexities of human nature, you know, man and man, man and woman, woman and woman - it''s all messed up and confusing, so you must be able to accept gay or bi, right? And, this film ''Qingqing'' we are making now is also about gays, isn''t it?"


    When Yuan Ge saw that Am¨¦lie was also looking at him with some curiosity, he had to give a reply, "I can understand sexual minorities, and I absolutely accept and respect whatever sexual orientation people have. When you are a film director or an actor, it''s only natural to understand and delve into your characters, but that doesn''t mean you have to be the same as these characters in real life, does it?"


    Du Jinghai laughed, "That is because you are good. If you asked me to kiss a man, there is absolutely no way I could do it. Amy, do you remember the first time you came to see me from France? We happened to be shooting on location in Vienna, and you ended up witnessing an all-male bed scene right after you arrived. You were quite shocked at the time, weren''t you? That must have been the first time you met Yuan Ge and Fat Chow, right?"


    Am¨¦lie laughed as well, "Yeah, what a first impression! Yuan Ge gave me a full-on nude blast right from the start and I can never forget it ever since."


    The mention of the past put Am¨¦lie into high spirits, "Why don''t the three of us go somewhere else for another round of drinks? We work so hard every day, it''s such a rare night out, let''s relax and enjoy ourselves. It doesn''t make sense that even old boss Chow, who is obviously older than us, can go behind his wife''s back to hang out with his ''gay friend'' while we all have to go home and work on our own."


    Seeing that Yuan Ge was about to push back, she hurriedly took his arm, and on second thought, she took Du Jinghai''s arm as well, "Let''s go, just think of it as friends catching up and relaxing."


    The three of them found another relatively quiet bar nearby. Yuan Ge was preoccupied with how to collaborate with this far from ideal leading man to finish the film, but he knew that bringing up this subject would definitely spoil everyone''s mood, so he just drank quietly and buried himself in thoughts.


    Am¨¦lie looked to be in a great mood and still engrossed in gossiping about Chow Mingrun, "Hey, do you guys really believe that our boss and Yin Fenghua were that popular back in the day? Why do I feel that their ''Run Hua combo'' is only liked by the senior citizens. A lot of their songs seem to have become the must-haves for square dancing[1]."


    Yuan Ge laughed, "Every era follows the same logic. The logic is the same. Every era is like that. Those that can become popular are bound to be to the taste of the masses, and the preferences of the elite will always be in the minority."


    Du Jinghai looked at Yuan Ge and said disapprovingly, "Yuan Ge, Yin Fenghua is to the taste of the masses, and since we''ve chosen him as our leading man this time, perhaps it''s best not to position the film as too edgy or artsy. Let''s capitalise on his popularity, and put the box office first for a change. If we focus on pure art and make no money again like last time, I think that even Fat Chow would call it quits. Last time, Eve''s Fallen won us an international award, but it didn''t get a domestic release, he''s still reeling from that."


    Yuan Ge sighed, "Forget about the art. I''m worried that this male lead he has chosen might not even succeed in catering to the popular taste."


    "Don''t be so pessimistic. You are typical of the arty farty elite. What you don''t like may just be what the market likes. Yin Fenghua made his showbiz debut early, so he must have plenty of contacts in the circle, and he is quite good-looking. Although he''s not as good as Fat Chow thinks he is, I''m afraid we really can''t find a more suitable candidate either."


    With a few drinks down, Du Jinghai was very much in tune with this evening''s gossiping mood, and the usually quiet man turned into a talkative one.


    --------------------


    [1] Square dancing or plaza dancing, is an exercise routine performed to music in squares, plazas or parks of the nation''s cities in China. It is popular with middle-aged and retired women who have been referred to as "dancing grannies" in the English-language media. Square dancers dance to a variety of music, mostly Chinese popular songs, both contemporary and historic.

 Chapter 69 - Making Money Standing Up

    "Amy, come and see my new home sometime."


    Du Jinghai''s face looked a little flushed in the dim light, but a hint of smugness and eagerness to show off was still clearly visible.


    "New home? You''ve bought a house, Jinghai! When did that happen? You never said anything about it!" Am¨¦lie was surprised to hear that, "Looks like we really should get together more often after work, how come there is so much news I''m hearing for the first time!"


    "I only bought it recently. Seeing how busy everyone is, I didn''t bother to mention it. I''m still doing the refurb, and it''s almost finished now."


    "Wow! You''re a dark horse! Only have been in the capital for a few years and you''ve quietly bought a house! I''m so impressed! Let''s have a drink and toast to your success!"


    Am¨¦lie was full of praise for Du Jinghai, and Yuan Ge also raised his glass, "Buying a house is a major life event, congratulations, Jinghai!"


    Du Jinghai happily drained his glass and said, "Thanks guys, but it''s not paid off, I still have to pay back the mortgage, a long way to go yet."


    Am¨¦lie sighed, "Even getting a mortgage is no small feat. I can''t afford to buy a house in Beijing - the price starting from tens of millions, who can afford it! Jinghai, which area did you pick? How many square metres?".


    "A girl doesn''t have to worry about buying a house, does she? You just need to stay beautiful and graceful, be our goddess and lead us to a bright future. As for buying a house, naturally, there are more than enough people who can''t wait to worry about it for you, isn''t that right, Yuan Ge?"


    Seeing that Du Jinghai had put him on the spot again, Yuan Ge had to say, "Our Am¨¦lie cares a lot about her lifestyle - she''s not going to settle for anything not worthy of her. That trendy Loft apartment block she lives in now is full of international business elites, and the rent is probably more scary than the mortgage payment."


    Am¨¦lie made a face, "The way you two talk, it''s like you know me better than myself."


    She swirled her glass gently and lamented, "Time goes by so fast ¡­ It''s been a year since I come back ¡­ and we''ve been working together for so long already, but we haven''t even been to each other''s homes. How about we plan some home visits after the New Year? We''ll go visit Jinghai''s new house first, and then check out Yuan Ge''s and mine. You know, I''ve been looking forward to seeing his mysterious lake-view villa in the Western Hills."


    Hearing Am¨¦lie''s suggestion, Du Jinghai''s face turned a little gloomy as he said uneasily, "Amy, you mustn''t compare my house with Yuan Ge''s. If that''s the case, I''d be embarrassed to invite you over to my place. I''m a Beijing drifter, with the old above and the young below that I need to support. I can''t compare myself to him - an elite native from the Capital. He gets two houses from his family just by being born here, and the smaller one in the old town alone is worth more than my new house."


    "The young below?" Am¨¦lie grinned as she caught Du Jinghai''s slip of the tongue.


    "That''s right. My younger brother is coming to Beijing later this year to go to university. I''ll have to pay for his tuition and living expenses. Art majors in university these days are not cheap! And my parents are getting old, so sooner or later they''ll have to come to the city to live with me. "


    Du Jinghai let out a long sigh as he talked about the realities of life.


    "Jinghai is indeed a better man than me. I''ve been living a rather capricious life over the years and contributed nothing to my family. Jinghai, you have shouldered more responsibilities than I have. On top of keeping our loss-making startup going, you''ve managed to buy a house in the capital, it''s definitely not easy!"


    Although Yuan Ge could hear the envy and indignation in Du Jinghai''s words, he knew how hard it was for him to work alone in the capital, taking on so many jobs rain or shine in order to save enough money for a deposit to buy a house. In contrast, he was much better off financially, so that he could devote more energy to his dreams, which was no doubt a luxury in the eyes of others, but also an undeniable fact.


    When Du Jinghai saw Yuan Ge had backed off and appeared quite humble and understanding, he regained his composure and said, "The four of us set up Dragon Dreams, in the end, it was your talent that we''ve been banking on. Profitable or not, it''s entirely up to you. We mortals sometimes have to think about making a living before making art. Fat Chow may appear to be a little too eager for quick success and instant profits at times, but I hope you don''t mind and show him a little more understanding."


    Then he turned to look at Am¨¦lie and continued, "You also need to put yourself in Amy''s shoes. She had a good life in France, but after helping us produce ''Eve''s Fallen'', she decided to come back with us, getting out of her comfort zone and into the entertainment industry that she was completely unfamiliar with, and that really took a lot of courage ¡­ "


    Am¨¦lie sensed the pressure Du Jinghai was putting on Yuan Ge and hastily tried to say something to ease the situation.


    "That''s too much of an exaggeration. You make it sound like I''m as great as the people who sacrificed their lives for their country. In fact, it''s simply because show business is full of beautiful people, with lights and cameras, red carpets and celebrities¡­ All girls dream of the opportunities to get involved. When it comes to the courage to return to China, it''s definitely Yuan Ge, not me. If he had stayed in Hollywood, with so many opportunities to pick from, he wouldn''t have had to suffer the hardship with us in this tiny little company. As for ''Eve''s Fallen'', it''s not that Yuan Ge didn''t do a good job that it wasn''t released domestically, it was because of the theme of the film. We should be proud of the fact that our very first production won an international award. Maybe I''m not as obsessed with making money as you men are, but Yuan Ge wants to make films without compromising his art, ''to make money standing up''[1] so to speak. It''s hard, I know, but ideals are hard to achieve, so we have to be strong in our beliefs and enjoy the process."


    --------------------


    [1] Making money standing up is coined from the phrase "making money lying down". It implies to make money in an honourable way, with dignity and without compromising one''s principles.

 Chapter 70 - A Greedy Snake

    Seeing a glint of light in Yuan Ge''s eyes as he looked at Am¨¦lie gratefully, Du Jinghai let out an exaggerated sigh, "I''m a few years older than both of you, and I''ve taken quite a lot of beatings from life, so I don''t have as optimistic a view of things as you do. Is it really possible to make money standing up these days? It''s hard to break into any industry - The moat is wide, the water is deep, and the ceiling is high. Showbiz, in particular, is a murky vanity fair, filled with fortune and fame seekers and all sorts of interest groups, so the water is even deeper, and ceiling is even higher to reach. Does making it to the top really have anything to do with talent, hard work, or the art per se?"


    Am¨¦lie chuckled at his words, "The way you talk, it feels like you''re still the same kind, thoughtful and meticulous senior I had at university. Being away from home, alone in a strange city, and having seniors to watch out for you is such a warm feeling."


    "If you hadn''t said it, I wouldn''t have known that Jinghai also went to university in Canton." Yuan Ge chimed in.


    "Isn''t fate amazing?" said Du Jinghai, "When Fat Chow, you and I went to Europe to do a location shoot for Eve''s Fallen, I thought it would be great if we could get some local help, so I looked in my TweeChat group of university alumni to see if anyone was in Europe that I can get in touch with. Then I found out that Amy was in France - she was the most popular girl in all Canton universities at the time and was a well-known goddess in the School of Economics and Management, so I contacted her straight away. She flew over from Paris to help us and with some clever persuasion from Fat Chow and the lure of you, a hot director, we managed to get her into Dragon Dreams and brought her back to China!"


    As the three of them recalled the days when they started Dragon Dreams, their hearts were filled with all sorts of emotions. Am¨¦lie looked at Du Jinghai and said, "The culprit is still you. When a senior of my university came to sell me the ultimate dream, guaranteeing a bright future, how could I refuse! But look what''s happening now that I''m back, Fat Chow is putting almost the entire burden of the company''s finances and marketing on me. I''m working my socks off and exhausted every day... he is such a slave driver!"


    "Me the culprit? It was obviously our big director who sold you the dream. If you hadn''t joined, I''d be content just to remain a freelancer, doing some contract work here and there. I wouldn''t have the courage to take the risk of starting a business with you guys in the capital."


    "As they say, ''a wrong step results in eternal regret'', but now that I''ve bought a house here, it''s too late to change my mind. I''d have to accept the fact and be prepared to be a new Beijinger for the rest of my life."


    "So you have to be responsible for me..." Feeling tipsy, Du Jinghai said, his eyes looking longingly at Am¨¦lie, "You''re the woman who changed the direction of my life."


    Am¨¦lie followed suit and turned to Yuan Ge, "So you have to be responsible for me too. Without that blast of that passionate scene you gave me when we first met, a lady like me wouldn''t be so easily seduced..."


    "There is no seduction¡­ I didn''t¡­" Yuan Ge whispered his protest to no avail, then he too followed suit and lamented, "Then I''ll just have to go to Fat Chow to lodge my complaint and make him own up his responsibility for me. If he hadn''t gone to America with his wife to do IVF and come nagging me every day on the set where I was working at the time, there would be no Dragon Dreams..."


    "So we are actually a greedy snake[1] with its head and tail joined together. Fat Chow, the head of the snake, is not here, otherwise we would have to punish him severely with a large drink."


    Am¨¦lie said as she picked up her glass and stood up, "Come, have one more drink and toast. Let the splendour of the world be intertwined with each of us!"


    --------------------


    [1] The snake Amy refers to here is the classic video game concept where the player manoeuvres a line which grows in length, with the line itself being a primary obstacle. The concept originated in the 1976 two-player arcade game Blockade from Gremlin Industries.

 Chapter 71 - Meeting The Press

    "Mr. Chow, what made you consider casting pop idol Yin Fenghua to star in your next production? Is this another bold attempt by Dragon Dreams to challenge taboo subjects? Many loyal fans of the ''Run Hua'' duo want you to talk about what it''s like to work with your ex-partner again ¡­"


    "You''ve officially announced that your new film is going to be called Qingqing. Does this title refer to an intimate term for a couple[1] or is it a synonym for kissing[2]? For such a sensitive topic as homosexuality, can Director Yuan share with us his thoughts and ideas on the filming? How many ''kissing'' scenes can we expect to see in the whole film?"


    "The tagline of the promotional poster is ''The intimate collaboration of Yin Fenghua and Yuan Ge; a roller-coaster romance between two men'', and many people have speculated that this seems to have hinted at something else, could director Yuan please clarify?"


    "Director Yuan, you have received international attention for directing ''Eve''s Fallen'', a film about sexual minorities. This time you have chosen a more traditional subject of Beijing Opera, but it still deals with the topic of same-sex relationships. Do you plan to make any adjustments to the positioning of the film in the current market, or to the way you present gender issues in the film? Will you be experimenting more boldly with the camera work¡­"


    "Dragon Dreams recently has just signed a few new actors. Will they be asked to make the necessary sacrifices for director Yuan''s artistic vision in the film?"


    ¡­ ¡­


    Chow Mingrun didn''t mind at all the tricky questions from the entertainment reporters, because all publicity is good publicity. Only when a topic becomes a hot topic with a lot of hits and discussions will profits follow. Microphone in hand, he spoke freely and eloquently, obviously well prepared, giving ambiguous answers and deliberately leading people into wild speculation..


    Yuan Ge watched from the sidelines and understood Chow Mingrun''s intention. By scheduling the opening of the shoot on the same day that the male lead joined the cast, Chow Mingyun was clearly trying to make the most of Yin Fenghua''s current popularity in entertainment circles. In his TweeChat updates, he made a big deal about the same-sex aspect of Qingqing the film, attracting a lot of media attention, leading to all sorts of rumours and gossip in the online entertainment commentaries over the past few days. Many of the questions posed by journalists today were clearly triggered by his deliberately vague messages.


    Yuan Ge didn''t want to complain about the calculated marketing tactics that Chow Mingrun has adopted to create hype on TweeChat''s trending topic rankings. In this day and age, even the best art needs to be marketed effectively. Still, after attending the press conference today and listening to the questions from these entertainment reporters, he couldn''t help but feel irritated by the subtext of the questions - all of which clearly focused on the film''s male-male relationship. While it was to be expected that the production would generate discussion on the sensitive subject of homosexuality, the distorted attention and malicious speculation in the media still made it unpalatable in its superficiality, especially when the questions and harsh remarks were thrown at himself.


    When faced with such a situation, Yuan Ge has never bothered to argue. Whatever he says will inevitably be used to confirm the preconceived ideas of the media and marketing agencies. Instead of selling ideas to people who don''t understand, it''s better to let his work do the talking.


    Yuan Ge''s indifferent reticence and Am¨¦lie''s sharp retort from time to time soon brought the press interview to a standstill, and the reporters who had been expecting to dig out some juicy behind-scene gossip were all running out of steam. They either turned to Chow Mingrun to listen to his promotional bravado or snapped pictures of the actors in this film. Having long been told by Yuan Ge that only photos were allowed, Waylon and the others happily posed in front of cameras, but not commenting about the plot of the film at all¡­


    Just then, a sharp-eyed person saw a white figure getting out of a car on the edge of the crowd and immediately cried out, "Yin Fenghua!"


    All at once, reporters flocked to him as if they had found a saviour. Yin Fenghua loved the limelight and had a habit of making sensational statements, so as long as he was there, everyone would be able to get quotable remarks to elaborate on in their stories without having to worry about not being able to deliver the goods to their bosses. Instantly, Yin Fenghua''s face was reflected dazzlingly bright in the countless camera flashes. He posed in front of the cameras in all directions with ease to get the best angle for the photo shots.


    Of course, the reporters were unlikely to show him any mercy, bombarding him with all sorts of tough questions. But the focus of media attention was not on the former "Run Hua" duo, but on his relationship with Yuan Ge.


    "Mr. Yin, this is your first foray into the film industry and you are working with internationally acclaimed director Yuan Ge. How is your personal relationship with him like? Are you two close in private?"


    "Mr. Chow said that you admire director Yuan''s talent. As the leading man of the film, are you two confident of working closely together to create a box office miracle?"


    Yin Fenghua did not answer these questions, but looked to the back of the crowd. His thoughtful gaze fell on Yuan Ge, who had been left out in the cold by the reporters.


    --------------------


    [1] Qingqing was formerly a term of endearment between husband and wife or between close friends, and later generally used as a form of intimate address.


    [2] Kissing is pronounced as "qinqin" in Chinese, which is very similar to the pronunciation of "Qingqing".

 Chapter 72 - Pop Idols First Day On Set

    Yuan Ge did not appreciate Yin Fenghua''s ambiguous gaze, nor did he give any response, but stood far away from the crowd and examined Yin Fenghua indifferently.


    He was dressed in a half ancient, half modern plain white robe, deliberately imitating the style of Rong Qing in the film. It was hard to say whether this was to act in concert with Chow Mingrun''s publicity campaign or to prove to Yuan Ge that he was the most suitable candidate to play Rong Qing in the film. However, in Yuan Ge''s eyes, all these efforts were just a cheap marketing ploy to grab attention and did not recreate the image of Rongqing he had in mind, not even close.


    Watching him pose in front of the camera - his waist was slender but obviously stiff; his movements lacked grace; his seduction appeared soulless. His smile looked dazzling to the eye, but failed to dazzling the heart.


    Seeing the frequent flirtatious glances coming from Yin Fenghua, Am¨¦lie couldn''t hold back her smile and gently leaned over to Yuan Ge and whispered teasingly in his ear, "Although he was late coming on set, our leading beauty has started making up for it as soon as he joined the cast. Shouldn''t you also play along with his act in front of the media and respond to his flirtations and romantic gestures?"


    Yuan Ge''s brow furrowed and he ignored Am¨¦lie''s teasing. Judging from Yin Fenghua''s outfit today, he must have read the script like Chow Mingrun said, but the way he presented himself was so wrong and so different from the character Rong Qing, a person with the spirit of the moon. This made him deeply worried about the subsequent shooting of the film..


    ***


    "Yuan Ge, what are you still standing there for? Stop dawdling and come over with Amy, it''s time to offer incense!"


    Ever since becoming the Chow family''s son-in-law, Chow Mingrun had become particularly superstitious, and for the opening ceremony of the shoot, he had deliberately dressed in red from head to toe, which incidentally matched Yin Fenghua''s all-white outfit. Following his lead, the other three company founders took three thick incense sticks and worshipped heaven and earth according to Chow Mingrun''s pre-calculated longitudes and latitudes.


    Yuan Ge had little interest in such a ceremony, but as a director he had no choice but to comply with the arrangements. Unfortunately, as the red cloth was about to be removed from the camera, the weather didn''t cooperate and a light rain started to fall. Du Jinghai hurriedly handed over an umbrella and when he saw Yuan Ge looking like he was about to thank him, he hastily added, "Don''t thank me! It''s not for you. Quick! Cover up the camera!"


    "Never mind never mind! It''s called ''Seeing Water and Getting Rich''. This film will definitely make Dragon Dreams a hit!" Chow Mingrun explained, putting things into a positive light as usual.


    After the routine procedures of the opening ceremony of the shooting, Chow Mingrun was still talking nonsense to some of the press, but Yuan Ge was unwilling to waste time with the media and asked the make-up and costume crew to take Yin Fenghua to the dressing room to prepare for the afternoon shoot. Am¨¦lie also followed suit, responding to various demands made to the crew by several of Yin Fenghua''s assistants.


    "Director Yuan, I don''t understand. We are in a modern society, but why is it still popular for film crews to hold such superstitious opening ceremonies?" A puzzled look appeared on Waylon''s face.


    Stephen took the opportunity to show off his inside knowledge, "That''s because every film crew is worried about offending something mysterious or unclean. Think about it, take the example of the Rong Mansion where we are filming now, it is hundreds of years old, how many people would you say have died in the Mansion? Is there a water ghost under this pond, do you know? Maybe just as you are filming a scene, something will appear right behind you in the same frame!"


    Chestnut was horrified by what he said. Feeling satisfied, Stephen continued, "And it''s just an old tradition. If burning incense in a filming opening ceremony is considered a superstition, then all the temples in China would have to close."


    Chestnut said, "But don''t you have to be sincere when lighting incense and worshiping the gods? Just now I found a pad on the offering table and it used a picture of a pig''s head as an offering. What''s more, the pig was from the cartoon Peppa Pig! I almost laughed out loud."


    "That''s Mr. Chow''s bad taste! It was supposed to be an offering of a roasted pig''s head, but frugal as he is, he even dares to cheat his offering to the gods." Yuan Ge laughed as well, "These shooting opening ceremonies are actually inherited from some of the traditions of the old Shanghai film industry during the period of the Republic of China. What is important is actually the sense of ritual. If you think about it, there are so many actors and crew members involved in a film production. Pulling a group of people together from all over the country to work on a film for months and having a formal ceremony like this, or having a meal together to kick off a film project, can boost the morale of the team. It''s like a rallying event."


    "So there will be a meal together today?" Waylon''s eyes lit up when he heard that.


    "Stop dreaming. Boss Chow is so stingy that all you can expect is a packed lunch." Stephen dealt him a blow without mercy.


    With that they joked and laughed all the way to the filming location, but when they arrived they saw Yin Fenghua had already put on his make-up and costume for his role and was shouting his complaints at the crew on set.


    "You have too few camera positions on the set. Variety shows I''ve been in often have a dozen cameras, some with more than twenty, so that there''s enough material for post multitrack editing, avoiding reshoots and wasting everybody''s time. You''re making a film and you only have three cameras? Even my concert in the village hall was equipped with at least four cameras..."


    "Is the crew all here? So few, even less than a documentary team! How can you get things done properly when you have one person doing the work of many? You call this professional?! Look at all this make-up, why do I look so fat? And why do you always use this terrible lighting setup!"


    "Mr. Du, your equipment needs to be upgraded. You guys save money on everything, even on LED lights, look at all the cables on set, it''s a mess! It''s seriously affecting the actors'' form!"


    "Your sound department is so unprofessional, your boom man keeps getting the pole into the camera frame. If I hadn''t brought over my guys from Tom Records to help out, are you going to let my great voice go to waste like that?"


    "Miss Jiang, are you the casting director? I just want to ask you, where did you find all these supporting actors, and what kind of schools did they graduate from? How come they don''t know anything about facial expressions or emotions management? You all came in before me, and have been warming up for weeks in advance, but I didn''t see any signs of training in these actors. Where is Director Yuan''s so-called talent?"

 Chapter 73 - Lights, Camera, Action!

    Seeing Yuan Ge coming from a distance, Am¨¦lie shrugged and made a gesture of hopelessness. Yuan Ge shook his head slightly in understanding, then he took over the situation and said to Yin Fenghua, "Mr Yin, you are right, the conditions of our film crew are suboptimal, I do apologise for that and I really appreciate the sacrifices you have made to come to us. We are at the start-up stage, and I''m sure you can understand the difficulties that Mr Chow is facing. Even as we speak, he is still running around for sponsorship due to lack of funding. We will do our best to remedy these problems you have pointed out, but it is also true that we are short of people and money, so please bear with us and let''s work together to get the film made efficiently with the least amount of the waste of time, money and effort."


    When Yin Fenghua heard Yuan Ge''s words and saw his courteous yet firm attitude - he had obviously heard his shouting earlier questioning his directing ability - so he felt slightly guilty and could not continue to display his arrogance, restrained himself a little and said, "The schedule is so tight that you are shooting immediately after the opening ceremony... I''m joining you guys this time purely as a favour to Brother Run. Well, I guess I will have to suffer for a while. Just tell me, which scene do you want me to start shooting and what do you want me to do?"


    Yuan Ge had actually predicted that Yin Fenghua would not have a good attitude after entering the set. He had come in three weeks late, and with his own celebrity status in the entertainment circles, he must have felt superior to a small, unknown company with a bunch of fresh actors. Still, Yuan Ge was surprised to see him behaving so arrogantly before a single scene had been shot, condescending to others, making everybody tiptoe around him and cater to his every whim.. But as a director, he had to manage the whole crew, so he had to be the most tolerant one in order to make the team work together.


    Thinking of this, Yuan Ge calmed down, ignored his rude remarks and began to explain to him about today''s scene.


    "When Qiuchen joined the Rong household, he was reduced from a stage idol - a champion of Flowers of the Opera Stage - to a mere servant of the Third Lord of the House of Rong, or a toy boy to put it bluntly. He has lost his family, the Jinyu Troupe, his faith in love, and his beloved opera. He is extremely depressed and pained inside. At this point, his second elder brother in the former Jinyu troupe, the only one with poor characters and fond of currying favour with the powerful, Luohua, comes over to add insult to injury ¡­"


    "Lights, Camera, Action!"


    ***


    The little maids in the mansion were all kind to him, treating him just like a young lord of the house.


    Qiuchen looked at his own reflection in the pond - a handsome young man dressed elegantly who would make any young girl blush - but the thought of his life being reduced to being pampered and enjoyed like a pet made him frown and the pain in his heart welled up again.


    Unable to eat, he leaned against the railing at the water''s edge and watched the autumn breeze sweep casually across the empty garden and over his equally empty body.


    ¡­ ¡­


    ***


    Yuan Ge sighed as he watched Yin Fenghua''s performance on the monitor. As the actor playing the Third Lord wasn''t here today, he skipped the intimate scene between the two at the fish pond and filmed Qiuchen''s subsequent inner monologue scene. There was no need to recite lines or do any difficult action, all that needed to be presented was Qiuchen''s inner sadness.


    However, this simple scene had been repeated several times. Although he was wearing Qiuchen''s clothes, his face didn''t reflect Qiuchen''s sorrow.


    "I say, Director Yuan, you keep NGing and saying it''s my acting that''s wrong, I rather think it''s your script that''s wrong. Rong Qiuchen enjoyed the same treatment as a young lord in the House of Rong, that kind of life was not so painful, was it? In those days, actors were almost the same as brothel girls, and the best they could end up with was becoming male concubines or toy boys in the houses of the dignitaries. The Rong family was a first-grade official, how could that be considered being treated badly? Even if the Third Lord always wanted to be physically intimate with him, didn''t he still dote on him? His life wasn''t so miserable. I don''t think there is a problem with the way I performed his emotions!"


    Yuan Ge thought to himself, "You are interpreting only what you have in mind, which is entirely the world''s superficial understanding of an actor at the time. If I were to go by your way of thinking, there would be no point for my story, my Rong Qing, to exist."


    Seeing Yin Fenghua''s arrogant and ignorant look, he could only suppress his irritation and explain patiently, "Qiuchen''s senior brother Luohua''s persona is the kind of actor you''re talking about. He entered the Rong Mansion earlier than the others and was not happy with the Third Lord for taking in Qiuchen. One of their rival scenes will highlight the difference in character."


    "Then let''s shoot the next scene now. NGed so many times, it''s kinda boring for me to keep doing solo scenes."


    Seeing how frustrated the crew on the set were with Yin Fenghua, Yuan Ge really didn''t want to waste any more time repeating this scene and had to force himself to accept the imperfection and push forward to the next rival scene between Luohua and Qiuchen.

 Chapter 74 - Directors Dilemma

    "Rong Qiuchen! Rong Qiuchen!"


    A series of rude shouts broke the silence, and when he looked up, Luohua, the master of the Herro Troupe, had entered the hall in a rage.


    "What are you waiting for? Do you have to wait for me to come to invite you personally!" Luohua was already fully dressed in Cui Yingying''s make-up and costume, and in the dim light he appeared magnificent, but his eyes were filled with hatred.


    Qiuchen got up and asked politely, "Brother Luohua, what brought you here in such a hurry?"


    "Didn''t Little Fiver come to you just now? The lords and ladies are waiting outside for the show, and you think you are the master who needs the others to wait?!"


    "Qiuchen dares not think this way. I am only a servant serving pens and ink in Yiqiu Hall. I am not fit to go to the Great Hall. Brother Luohua is at the helm of the Heero Troupe and trained the disciples well. I''m not worthy of being in the same troupe and have been neglecting my training these days. I really shouldn''t sing any more."


    "You don''t have to talk to me in such a perfunctory manner.. We are brothers trained by the same masters and we all know what level we are at with each other. You, the number one ranked stage flower, say you can''t sing? That''s called posturing! To be clear, it''s not that I can''t stage a show without you, it''s the Third Lord who insists that you go."


    Seeing how aggressive Luohua was, Qiuchen didn''t want to argue, so he just complied with his request without saying anything more.


    Luohua ignored him as well, turned around and walked out of the hall, muttering, "Who the hell do you think you are! Ever since you came here you''ve done nothing but flaunt your body to seduce the lords in this house. You don''t even know your place¡­ you''re nothing but a bargaining chip for Master Liang to please the Third Lord in exchange for a promotion. You''ve been sold and you don''t even know it. Stupid bitch!"


    Qiuchen walked behind him and heard everything clearly. Although he had expected that coming into the Rong Mansion would cause a lot of unwarranted talk, he did not expect that his former brother in the same troupe would say such nasty things. He looked up into the distance several times before struggling to hold back the tears in his eyes.


    ¡­ ¡­


    ***


    "Cut!"


    Yuan Ge called off the shoot once again, depressed beyond belief.


    He thought that having the two play opposite each other would inspire them both to get into character quickly, but to his dismay, the grudge match between Waylon''s Luohua and Yin Fenghua''s Qiuchen was a complete disaster.


    Waylon was still too young and inexperienced to act. Although he had been warming up on set for a few weeks and had successfully completed filming his scenes with Stephen and Chestnut, he couldn''t find his form today in front of the pop idol who was both a senior and behaved like a prima donna. The crew had been unable to find a suitable actor to play Luohua and had to ask Waylon to fill the gap for the time being. The scene was not part of the shooting schedule, it was added on the fly, and his temperament did not quite match the role. Waylon tried a few times, but he was unable to portray Luohua''s jealous and bossy attitude in front of Yin Fenghua.


    Yin Fenghua, on the other hand, was even worse than Waylon. Even though he was still active in the entertainment industry and maintained a youthful appearance, he was in his thirties already. While he might still be considered beautiful under the cover of the usual beauty filters used by variety shows, he couldn''t hide his true condition under the lens of a film camera. His skin and his spirit couldn''t at all do justice to Qiuchen''s breathtaking beauty. More incongruously, the difference between the character and his personality was uncanny, and there was no trace of Rong Qing in his performance.


    However, Yin Fenghua didn''t realize that he was responsible for the continuous NGs, and was instead furious with Waylon.


    "Can you act or not? It''s getting dark, and at this rate we''re going to miss dinner today!" He shouted at Waylon.


    Looking at Waylon''s indignant look, Yuan Ge had to call a halt and let everyone take a break for the time being.


    "Director, I really tried my best, but Mr. Yin is ten years older than me, and doesn''t at all look like my younger brother. And he hasn''t got that delicate and aloof attraction you talked about in the script, so how am I supposed to act?"


    Seeing Waylon''s frustrated look, Am¨¦lie chimed in in a low voice, "I don''t think the problem is all on Waylon, it''s that the character''s temperament doesn''t feel right. We didn''t choose this male lead, and it doesn''t match your Rong Qing''s vibe at all."


    Yuan Ge watched the replayed clip, his brow furrowed in silence, then he called over Waylon, walked with him to Yin Fenghua, and said politely, "Mr. Yin, could I ask you to please demonstrate how to play Luohua when we roll the camera again? Waylon is a new actor and inexperienced. I''m afraid he won''t get what you mean just by listening to the explanation, maybe after watching you perform once, he will realize what the problem is."


    When Yin Fenghua saw that the director had come over in person to ask him for help, he felt rather pleased with himself, lazily standing up, and said, "It''s such a bore to train newcomers." He then beckoned at Waylon, "Come here, I''ll show you once, and you can copy me afterwards. Let''s not have any more NGs! I''m telling you, a bad guy like Luohua is the easiest type of character to play ..."


    As he watched Yin Fenghua change into the role of Luohua to demonstrate the performance to Waylon, Yuan Ge hurriedly asked Du Jinghai to film it in its entirety.


    "Old Dude, what do you think?"


    The two of them watched the playback on camera together and Du Jinghai already understood what Yuan Ge meant.


    "I don''t need to say it. He''s absolutely a natural. Yin Fenghua is Luohua himself! He doesn''t even need to act. He just needs to be himself. Why don''t I remove the close-ups and do a little blurring in post-processing, and you can just use his performance for this scene."


    Yuan Ge sighed, "I agree. Yin Fenghua is impeccable as Luohua, but the problem is that he''s playing Qiuchen!"


    When he thought that today was only the first day of shooting, and that Yin Fenghua was playing Rong Qing, the soul of this film, Yuan Ge felt devastated. How on earth could he guide a person with a completely opposite temperament into his Qingqing? At this rate, can this film really be a masterpiece like he hopes it will be?

 Chapter 75 - Flowers Of The Opera Stage

    Filming did not go well for several days in a row.


    Yin Fenghua was a firm believer in being strict with others and lenient with himself. Whenever it was time to shoot his scenes, he always made a fuss about this or that. He did not read the script carefully, nor was he keen to learn the opera singing techniques from the professional teachers hired by the crew. Whenever something went wrong, he refused to take his own responsibility, always making excuses. He constantly pushed the limits of Yuan Ge''s patience, causing what was originally a work with artistic and humanistic aspirations to fall into a dilemma of expression.


    Early this morning, the entrance to the Rong Mansion was particularly busy. A middle-aged well-groomed woman led a large group of young people to the set. When she saw Yuan Ge, a delighted smile appeared on her face and she said warmly, "Yuanyuan, is the filming going well? How is Professor Fu doing in Switzerland these days?"


    Yuan Ge walked up to greet her, "So good to see you Auntie Wang. My mother is doing very well. She is doing some research and writing a new book on the culture of the Great Roxy Heaven. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come here to help me.. I really appreciate it!"


    It turned out that this woman was Professor Wang from the Beijing Opera Department at the NATA. She brought over a group of students to help shoot an important scene in the film - Rong Qiuchen winning the Flowers of the Opera Stage competition. This scene required a large number of extras with Beijing Opera training.


    Professor Wang smiled amiably, "You are welcome. It''s my pleasure. Professor Fu is really an energetic person. She is always interested in such strange topics. We are very lucky that she is the Vice President of the Traditional Culture Research Association and has been looking after our department for many years. It''s rare that you ask for help this time, so how can I not come to help? Also, the fact that you are making a Beijing Opera film is good for promoting our country''s Beijing Opera''s artistic tradition, and having my students come over will be good for them to gain some performance experience. They are all very excited about being on camera and hope to make a name for themselves in Director Yuen''s film."


    Yuan Ge looked at the large group of Beijing Opera students behind Professor Wang, all of them in high spirits and eager to try out, and he thought to himself that this is what actors should be like. Even if they were only playing supporting roles or extras, they were still more in tune with their roles than his male lead.


    Professor Wang saw the downcast look on Yuan Ge''s face and was very concerned, "Yuanyuan, is the shooting not going well? I heard from your artistic director, Mr. Li, the other day that your lead actor was a bit out of his depth?"


    "Oh, don''t mention it", Yuan Ge said depressingly, "Luckily today I have your help for this big scene, otherwise I really be at my wit''s end."


    At the moment, in the water pavilion of the Rong Mansion, the props team had set up an elaborate opera stage, just like the one Yuan Ge had seen in his dream. The Beijing Opera students led by Professor Wang brought their own costumes, dressed and made up themselves, and were so well trained that they soon formed the various troupes according to the script. Together with the Jinyu Troupe, of which Qiuchen was a member, the scene of the competition for the Flowers of the Opera Stage was finally ready to be filmed.


    As the camera rolled, gloriously colourful images appeared on the monitor, brilliantly recreating the scene when the Empress Dowager Cixi personally selected the winner of the competition. On the stage, each of the famous Beijing opera troupes performed their best works, while both Empress Dowagers were seated gracefully, the princes and ministers were looking on solemnly, the capital''s dignitaries and celebrities were all present and the opera fans were eagerly waiting for their favourite acts.


    Yuan Ge first filmed scenes from classic opera selections such as ''Pitchforking the Battering Chariots'', ''The Mulberry Garden Meeting'', ''The Peach Party'' and ''Silang Visits His Mother'' to warm up sufficiently before finally advancing to the filming of the big play that showcased the strength of the Jinyu troupe - the play ''The Battle of the Red Cliffs''. Although this is a long lost play, Professor Wang has led her NATA students to research and create a new opera play based on the remnants left behind over the years. Yuan Ge felt that it was a win-win situation for both parties to be able to insert this play into the plot of Qingqing. Not only would it help Professor Wang to promote the new play and save Dragon Dreams the expense of finding so many extras today, but it would also be a way to highlight Qiuchen''s great skill of being able to play both Sheng (male) and Dan (female) roles.

 Chapter 76 - The Battle Of Red Cliffs[1]

    "Action!"


    Yin Fenghua, dressed in an ornate costume of a Hua Dan[2] and wearing dazzling accessories, played the historically famous beauty Xiao Qiao[3]. Probably because everybody here today were professional Beijing Opera performers from NATA, he was not as lax as he had been a few days ago and took himself a little more seriously at least in his outer appearance. At first glance, he seemed quite beautiful, prompting Chow Mingrun to keep praising him in front of Yuan Ge, "See! I told you! There is a reason why Ah Hua has remained so popular over the years. Look at how exquisite he looks in his opera costume! You can''t even tell if he''s a man or a woman. Yuan Ge, you should be content. I don''t think you''ll find a better Qingqing anywhere else."


    Unfortunately, his praise didn''t last long before things went awry. Yin Fenghua''s voice, which he prided himself on as a singer, somehow sounded hoarse. He couldn''t even sing a few simple opera lyrics coherently, but coughed repeatedly.


    "Cut!"


    Yuan Ge frowned and called a time out. After some water treatment and throat spraying, they did two more takes but there was no noticeable improvement..


    Professor Wang shook her head and commented regrettably, "His current condition cannot be fixed in a hurry. A professional opera singer can immediately see that this condition is the result of spending too much time in bars, and is a clear case of smoker''s throat. Nowadays, pop singers don''t pay much attention to this, but traditional opera singers can''t afford to be sloppy when it comes to looking after their voices."


    Beijing Opera is about "song, speech, dance-acting and combat", Comic Dialogue[4] is about "speaking, imitating, teasing and singing", while acting is about "voice, stage and form". Vocals and lines are the basic training for any performing art. Yuan Ge thought to himself that professional training and strict discipline are essential, no matter what form of art it is. For film actors, it is undoubtedly a pity to casually give up using original voices when the vocal conditions meet the requirements of the role. Looking at Yin Fenghua''s state today, coupled with Professor Wang''s professional assessment, he knew there was no point in persisting any longer, so he said reluctantly, "Let''s dub this part later. One more take!"


    As soon as Yin Fenghua heard Yuan Ge say that he could dub his voice afterwards, he acted like a prisoner being pardoned and became even more reckless. Since the voice could be re-recorded afterwards, the singing and lines were irrelevant and there was no need to practice. It didn''t matter what words were sung, as long as one could do the movements as the director wanted. He posed and sang a few lines casually,


    "If you make peace, he will say you are afraid of the enemy,


    if you want to fight, he will say you are doing it for a woman.


    I would rather die than put you, my husband, in a dilemma."


    Then he picked up the poisoned wine on the table and was about to drink it.


    "Cut!"


    "What''s the problem now? How is there anything wrong with my action of drinking this glass of wine?" Hearing Yuan Ge shouting to cut again, Yin Fenghua''s face was full of displeasure.


    Yuan Ge also felt a little irritated at this point, and said, "Of course there is. if you hadn''t gone clubbing last night and instead read the script carefully, you would have seen the lines I highlighted for you."


    Yin Fenghua looked utterly discomfited after being exposed.


    Yuan Ge tried his best to suppress the anger and patiently explained, "The Battle of Red Cliff is like a Chinese Trojan War, and Xiao Qiao is seen as Helen of Troy. But she knows the important principles of right and wrong, loves her country and her family, and does not want to make things difficult for her husband, which is why she intends to drink the poisoned wine and let Cao Cao''s plot fall through. So here, her actions must be gentle but determined. Your performance lacks the inner emotion of the character and comes across as somewhat contrived. Another point to note is that Xiao Qiao is a classical, traditional beauty; what she has should be the noble and gentle nature of a woman from the south of the Yangtze River, not the flirtatiousness of a courtesan, so her posture when drinking should not be that of someone used to drinking, but should show the grace and poignancy of a woman of the scholarly family."


    Yuan Ge demonstrated the move as he spoke, and then asked Professor Wang, who was playing the Empress Dowager Cian, "Auntie Wang, does my analysis match your understanding?"


    "Director Yuan is right, and the performance was spot on." Professor Wang smiled, "Mr. Yin, your expression when you tilted your head up should have revealed more of your inner sorrow. You were sacrificed for the greater good of Eastern Wu, so your actions should have been more decisive. It would be more perfect if you could show some more reluctance when facing your beloved husband. Also, you are playing a famous Beijing Opera actor. As a traditional art, Beijing Opera does not have modern sound and light effects to help create the atmosphere, so the movements and expressions of opera actors are inherently more exaggerated than modern performances, and you have to highlight your inner thoughts and have more characteristic hand-eye expressions..."


    Professor Wang explained very patiently and even personally demonstrated what the expressions of the hands and eyes should look like, but Yin Fenghua did not appreciate it at all. As he made his way back to the stage, he muttered under his breath, "It''s just a declining craft. Who watches Beijing Opera nowadays?! So many rules and requirements! Who the fuck can put determination and reluctance together to act? What a fusspot!"


    Seeing Professor Wang''s face change, Yuan Ge knew that she had heard Yin Fenghua''s words, which pretty much knocked over a boatload of people with one single stroke, so he held back his own anger and hurriedly apologised to Professor Wang for the actor''s rude remark. Chow Mingrun also pulled Yin Fenghua aside to whisper a few words before he finally curbed his attitude and shut up. But after a few more takes, his performance still looked lifeless and distracted. It was just a simple act of drinking poisoned wine, and he could not do it as well as Professor Wang had demonstrated.


    Fortunately, Zhou Yu, who came on the stage later to save Xiao Qiao, was played by a top student of Professor Wang. With his graceful and moving vocals and his heroic and tender spirit, he saved Yin Fenghua''s Xiao Qiao, who had the look but lacked the spirit. This, coupled with Yuan Ge''s excellent intuition in camera selection and Du Jinghai''s skilful camerawork, captured the emotion of the moment and made the couple''s duet the highlight of the stage act. Eventually, Sun Quan, Zhuge Liang and Lu Su were so moved by what they overheard that they decided to form an alliance to fight against Cao Cao.


    After the performance, ministers and celebrities in the audience tossed flowers onto the stage to vote for their favourite opera singers, and the two Empress Dowagers also threw flowers for Qiuchen. In no time, flowers were piled up under the banner of the Jinyu Troupe, far outnumbering the other troupes.


    ---------------------


    [1] The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in the winter of AD 208¨C209 at the end of the Han dynasty. The battle was fought between the allied forces of the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei against the numerically-superior forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao. The allied victory at Red Cliffs ensured the survival of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, laid the foundation for the later creation of the two southern states of Shu Han and Eastern Wu.


    [2] A Hua Dan, also called "flowery role", is a type of Dan role in Beijing Opera, a lively, vivacious young female character.


    [3] The "Two Qiaos of Jiangdong" are two legendary beauties from the Qiao family who lived in China during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Xiao Qiao was the younger sister who married Zhou Yu, a general under Sun Ce and later under Sun Quan, the head of Eastern Wu.


    [4] Comic Dialogue, also known as Xiangsheng or crosstalk, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. The Xiangsheng language, rich in puns and allusions, is delivered in a rapid, bantering style, typically in the Beijing dialect. The acts would sometimes include singing, Chinese rapping, and musical instruments.

 Chapter 77 - Roughly Right

    During the lunch break, Yin Fenghua returned to his dressing room and instead of reflecting on his performance problems during the morning session, he took it out on his assistant and a few junior staff members, complaining that the boxed lunch was not to his liking, that the air conditioning in the room was not warm enough, and shouting in front of the many teachers and students from the NATA, acting like a prima donna and looking down on artists in the traditional arts.


    Yuan Ge watched in disbelief, and other than apologising to Professor Wang and the others on his behalf, there was nothing else he could do to change the behaviour of Yin Fenghua - an actor of their own choosing.


    During the past few days of filming, Yin Fenghua had long seen through the tight financial situation of Dragon Dreams. With his seniority in the acting world and his close ties with the boss Chow Mingrun, he didn''t take Yuan Ge''s heartfelt work seriously at all.


    He didn''t bother to hide his attitude either and it became increasingly obvious that he was just going through the motions. He sat lazily in his chair in front of the dressing mirror, his eyes half closed, looking wan and sleepy. The assistant brought in Zhou Yu''s costume for the next scene for him to change into, but he waited a full fifteen minutes before opening his eyes, looking at the Jiangdong general''s costume and helmet, and slouching to his feet.


    Yuan Ge and the rest of the crew waited for a long time before finally seeing a listless Zhou Yu on stage. It was not that the costume didn''t fit him well, but Yin Fenghua''s mental state was different from the heroic Zhou Yu he had in mind. No one knew where he was fooling around after work these days, whether it was because he smoked and drank too much, or for other reasons....


    However, these scenes had to be completed today no matter what. Professor Wang brought so many students and teachers to the set to help out, not taking a penny, doing art direction and making guest appearances, saving them a lot of money on their budget, and instead of being respected, they were taunted and ridiculed by Yin Fenghua. What''s more, their new play, The Battle of Red Cliffs, which he placed in the film also failed to achieve the effect of showcasing Rong Qiuchen''s sensational success in the capital, so how could he expect them to be willing to continue helping out tomorrow?


    "Mr. Yin, I''d better tell you about the context of this scene first, so we can save time later."


    "No need to tell me. The burning of Red Cliffs, even a three-year-old knows that story."


    Yin Fenghua said impatiently. When he saw that everyone was waiting for him, he was not willing to be singled out by Yuan Ge to be lectured. "What you are trying to do is just to shoot a big scene. All you want is just the result of Qiuchen''s winning. There''s really no need to film so many details or focus on the opera singing itself. Getting it roughly right will do."


    "Getting it roughly right will do" - Yuan Ge, an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, could never tolerate such an attitude in his life. When he heard this, he was so exasperated that he almost snapped.


    "Mr. Yin, you really don''t read my script at all! After filming for so long, you have never understood my character Qiuchen. This scene, Qiuchen winning the Flowers of the Opera Stage, is the highlight of Qiuchen''s life, condensing his glory before he entered the Rong Mansion. After the competition, Qiuchen was awarded the top prize by the Empress Dowager Cixi herself, and the seven brothers of the Jinyu Troupe soared to great heights, becoming the ''Seven Golden Flowers'', and making the Jinyu Troupe a sensation in the capital. This is what made his later life seem all the more tragic. With such a reputation, he supported Liang Zitang, a down-and-out scholar, on his path to power and prestige, only to be betrayed by him, which in turn led to the tragic fate of the destruction of the Jinyu Troupe. By the way, do you know why Qiuchen played Xiao Qiao in one scene and Zhou Yu in the next?"


    Yin Fenghua''s gaze was dull, looking as if his brain was empty.


    Yuan Ge had to answer the question himself, "Because that was the heyday of Beijing Opera. There were many opera troupes and many masters in the capital at that time, and the ''Thirteen Greatest Artists of Tongguang'' were all highly skilled. Qiuchen was able to stand out from the crowd and win the Flowers of the Opera Stage because he was an artistic genius who could handle both a Sheng and a Dan role! Xiao Qiao was to showcase his stunningly beautiful Dan role, while Zhou Yu was to highlight his handsome and heroic Sheng role. The two masters of the Jinyu Troupe had trained seven great artists, some of whom excelled in the Sheng role and some in the Dan role, but only Qiuchen, a true all-rounder, excelled in both. This was the reason why he stood out and took the title of Number One Flower of the Opera Stage..."


    Yuan Ge spoke for quite a while, doing his best to explain, but Yin Fenghua appeared uninterested. It was hard to say how much he had actually heard.


    Once filming resumed, it quickly fell back into the same situation as the morning. The lead actor couldn''t get into character and shooting was constantly NG''d. Either the stage style was out of place, or the look was not right, not to mention that he couldn''t even remember his lines. The simple four lines of opera lyrics had to be repeated a dozen times, and it was Yin Fenghua who finally got fed up first, and pushed the work to the sound department. He just mouthed a few random numbers and let the lines be dubbed post production.


    It was supposed to be a great scene, but it dragged on from noon to sunset because the leading man kept dropping the ball at the crucial moment. In the end, Yin Fenghua was the first to get impatient and simply gave up, leaving the young student who played Zhou Yu earlier to continue the performance in his place.


    "I can find a way to justify using a double for Zhou Yu''s martial arts scene, but today it''s all stage singing, using a body double just doesn''t make sense. You just have to stick with it, get a few close-ups right and put some effort into singing the lyrics. Is it really that hard?!"


    Yuan Ge was so exasperated that he was on the verge of an outburst. Just as he was trying his best to hold back his anger, Yin Fenghua said he had got a headache and insisted that he needed to stop now. Seeing that it was getting late and the NATA students and teachers had been working all day as well, he had no reason to delay them any longer, so Yuan Ge had no choice but to grit his teeth and let the body double take over Yin Fenghua''s Zhou Yu and continue to finish the filming.

 Chapter 78 - Pickles Fit For An Empress Dowager

    I really want to have it out with Yin Fenghua and replace this incompetent leading man!


    This thought had been on Yuan Ge''s mind all day.


    However, it''s only been a few days since filming began. If news of the director and leading man falling out gets out, it will definitely affect the future of Dragon Dreams ¡­


    Just as Yuan Ge was getting depressed about the whole thing, Chow Mingrun appeared out of nowhere with an ingratiating smile on his face and announced to everyone, "Hello everyone, thank you for working so hard! Please hang in there and help out with one more thing, and we''ll call it a day." Then he turned to Yuan Ge and whispered, "Come on, let''s do a product placement. Look, morale is low right now, let''s do something that will make money to cheer up. I''ve been working all day to get these three new sponsors, and a few more are in the works. It''s all looking good! Come on, let''s take advantage of the crowd today and get them all done in one go, so we can deliver to our sponsors!"


    As he spoke, he took out a large pile of various kinds of pickled vegetables from a cart. Yuan Ge took a look - they were all products from the villages near the Chow family that Chow Mingyun married into, such as dried radish, drunken crabs, pickled cabbages, cucumbers, nuts and the like.


    "Fat Chow, are you kidding? Empress Dowager Cixi eating pickled vegetables while watching an opera show?"


    "Why not? The imperial family eats all kinds of delicacies every day, surely they''d want to eat some congee and pickles once in a while!".


    Yuan Ge felt his head growing bigger. "If you want to put in this product placement, then you can be the director. I can''t stand the shame!"


    "Geez, Yuan Ge, I don''t know how to direct. I''ll have to leave it to you! Seriously though, don''t you look down on this commercial. My in-laws'' Chow''s Pickles has never been advertised for years, yet it''s the best-selling pickles in the country! Who hasn''t eaten them when they were growing up? If it wasn''t for my film production, my father-in-law wouldn''t have wanted to do the product placement this time. Chow''s maiden ad can be a hot topic in itself. Putting Chow''s brand in the film might please my in-laws and it might win me some brownie points for the future."


    While organising the scene, Chow Mingrun had the costume department bring over a eunuch''s outfit and dressed himself up as Li Lianying[1], the head eunuch. Even Yin Fenghua, who said he had a headache earlier and wanted to go home, came over with a big grin, "Brother Run, are you going to transform into Brother Li? Are you sure that appearing as a eunuch will win you any brownie points in front of your father-in-law? I''m afraid it might have the opposite effect! Wouldn''t it make you even more like a kept son-in-law?"


    "Ah Hua, it''s easy for you to say. Not anyone is fit to be a kept son-in-law living with his wife''s parents. As long as I can increase sales and bring more profits to my in-laws'' family, not to mention playing a eunuch, even if I have to become one I guess it doesn''t really matter." With a confident look, Chow Mingrun said to Yuan Ge, "Director Yuan, your eunuch-in-chief, Li Lianying, is ready, let''s do it!"


    Seeing that both Am¨¦lie and Du Jinghai had succumbed, Yuan Ge, with great reluctance, went to explain in person to Professor Wang, the actress playing Cixi and others, thanking them for their understanding, and then arranged for the set before adding this product placement scene from where the previous one had ended.


    The stage was a sea of flowers and the crowd was thunderous with applause. The Empress Dowager Cixi was in a good mood and said to Li Lianying at her side, "Little Li Zi, I feel no taste in my mouth, why don''t you bring me some refreshing congee to eat?"


    So Li Linying, played by Chow Mingrun, led a group of eunuchs and served each table with a variety of congee, pickles and snacks. After tasting the congee, Empress Dowager Cixi could not help but praise, "This is a wonderful congee, carefully simmered in a casserole and served with the pickles made from a century-old secret recipe. Chow''s brand really lives up to its name!"


    "Cut!"


    "Can we not have the actors read out the brand so blatantly? This is a film, not a commercial!" Yuan Ge felt frustrated to no end.


    "Don''t cut! It was really good!" Chow Mingrun, however, was very pleased with the shooting. "Of course we have to read out the brand. Old Dude, don''t forget to give us a few close-ups of these pickles later! Since they are paying good money for it, we have to do it right. Besides, we''re not exaggerating. Chow''s Pickles have been popular in the capital since the time of Cixi. Yuan Ge, if you wanna moan, just think of the good things about Chow''s. Without their century-old flagship shop in the capital, where do we get a prime location for Dragon Dreams ¡­"


    Seeing that Chow Mingrun was about to harp on again, Yuan Ge simply shoved the megaphone into his hand, "Fine, fine, you''re right, you have a point, you do the directing! I give up!"


    "Fine! I''ll do it!" Chow Mingrun was on a roll now, so he simply took over the director''s job, tested the loudspeaker, then shouted into it with a big smile,


    "Attention all departments, listen to my command now. Lights! Camera ready for close-ups! Action!"


    Seeing the boss had gone into action himself, everybody all went along with it. Du Jinghai laughed as he zoomed in and gave a few close-ups of the many different kinds of pickles from the sponsors. The princes and lords naturally praised in unison and squeezed out happy smiles as they ate all the pickles on the table against their will. Both Empress Dowagers drank a bowl of congee each and held half a spoonful of pickles in their hands, listening to the opera while eating, looking surprisingly content.


    "How shameless!" Yuan Ge shook his head on the side, absolutely speechless. He could only watch his artwork turn into a farce, but was powerless to stop it. To add insult to injury, when Chow Mingrun finished directing the scene, he even jogged over to brag about his work and fish for compliments, "You have me to thank for that, Yuan Ge. All product placements I agreed to could be done naturally in the film. At least these foods were already available in the Qing Dynasty. What if I get a sponsorship from a plastic sandal factory? That would be a real challenge for you!"


    Yeah right. With his hand on the forehead, Yuan Ge cringed inside, but he had to admit that what Chow Mingrun said was true.


    The product placement scene arranged by Chow Mingrun capped off an unpleasant day of filming, bringing an inexplicable comic effect to a film with tragic overtones. The NATA students, led by Waylon, happily played eunuchs and were all laughing and joking afterwards, and finished the day in good spirits.


    After seeing off Professor Wang and the NATA students and teachers in person at the entrance of the Rong Mansion, the crew had wrapped up and left, but Yuan Ge''s work was far from over.


    When he returned to his office, he pulled up the footage of the day and watched it repeatedly. An unquenchable anger still burned in his chest, especially when he saw the footage of Yin Fenghua. The gap between his poor performance and the Rong Qing he wanted to portray in the film could not be easily bridged by editing and post-production!


    What am I doing here! A load of rubbish! This isn''t even the film I want to make!


    --------------------


    [1] Li Lianying was a Chinese imperial eunuch who lived in the late Qing dynasty. He was highly influential during the regency of Empress Dowager Cixi, who was the de facto ruler of China from 1869¨C1908 throughout the reigns of the Tongzhi Emperor and Guangxu Emperor.

 Chapter 79 - To Dream In A Dream

    Yuan Ge stayed on the set until late, thinking left and right, sighing long and hard, trying all the remedies he could think of, but in the end, he had to accept the fact that the scene of Qiuchen winning the Flowers of Opera Stage couldn''t be made perfect. He was in a state of utter frustration.


    Looking at the silent back sitting at his desk, not to mention Am¨¦lie Jiang and Du Jinghai, his two old partners, even the few young actors in the crew could tell that their director was in a bad mood.


    Yuan Ge is normally a good-tempered man, and although he is a perfectionist and elitist, he is always patient with all the crew on set, unlike many legendary big directors who are tyrants. Even a girl like Zhao Lizhi, who was plucked from a chestnut stall on the street, had never been scolded for not knowing how to act. However, the unprofessional and cop-out attitude of Yin Fenghua over the past few days has completely broken Yuan Ge''s bottom line - everything could be tolerated, but art, in his heart, is something that couldn''t be tarnished or desecrated.


    Everyone had spent a lot of time with Yuan Ge on set and they all understood why he was depressed. It''s hard to be a director, and when you and your lead actor don''t see eye to eye, it''s futile no matter how hard you try.


    However, shooting has only just started, so how can he pull the plug all of a sudden? The only thing they can do is not to disturb him, and to quietly help pack up the equipment and tidy up the set. Chestnut even left a flask of hot congee on the table for him..


    ***


    Yuan Ge worked alone at his desk late into the night, and when he looked up, everyone was gone and he was all by himself. It was so quiet. The entire set seemed colder and emptier. Yet somehow, he felt an indescribable attachment to this century-old mansion, as if he needed to stay in such a place to calm himself down. It was not far to walk back to his flat in Yandai Byway, but Yuan Ge decided not to go back tonight.


    Although everyone thought that such an old mansion would be haunted, Yuan Ge could not be sure what he was expecting at the moment. It might be too much to say that he was looking forward to seeing a ghost, but he did want to see Rong Qing in his dreams again - this was his home, and he had dreamt many times of him singing and practising under the ginkgo tree, resting and crying by the Dragon Pond. The world in his dreams changed in a strange and bright way, depicting the brief ups and downs of Rong Qing''s life.


    If I could see him in my dreams and talk to him, would I be saved from the chaos caused by Yin Fenghua?


    And where was that strange, shy little loony? Yuan Ge remembered the first time he had met the boy who called himself Rong Qiuchen, also on such a cold night - he had disappeared since the incident at the police station, but Yuan Ge admitted that he had never stopped worrying about him. Not only had he contacted the police station several times to enquire about him, but he had also searched for him constantly in this mansion, even keeping an eye out for anyone with long hair and white robes on his way home every day... However, many days have passed and where has he gone? Did he get tired of cosplaying and finally go home, or is he still hiding somewhere on set? During the last few days of filming, he always had the feeling that he was being watched, which made him wonder, "Maybe it was him?"


    With his mind in turmoil, Yuan Ge settled down on the office sofa and tried to get some sleep. However, it was not a place to spend the night, and the hard sofa combined with the cold night air made it impossible to go to sleep.


    Forget it. Tomorrow''s shooting schedule is for an emotional scene between Qiuchen and Liang Zitang, which needs some essays as props. Instead of waiting for the props team to find someone who can write calligraphy, why not take advantage of the late night to make the props needed for these indoor study scenes?


    Thinking of this, Yuan Ge got up again, took out Xuan paper[1] and brushes from the prop room, sat upright, and began to copy the writings of Qing Dynasty literati.


    It is still the feeling of pen and paper that gives one peace of mind. Yuan Ge thought to himself. He hadn''t written calligraphy for some years and he really missed the smell of ink.


    After writing for an hour, Yuan Ge felt a lot calmer inside. He paused to admire his own good handwriting - and to this day, he was still grateful to his mother, Violette Fu, for the ferocity with which she forced him to practise calligraphy during his school days. For several summers, while other children walked around the streets playing games, he had been practicing various calligraphy styles with a soft brush, learning how to control his wrist and the position of his strokes¡­


    Nevertheless, at that time he often heard his parents arguing about the necessity of practicing good handwriting. His mother, for example, always mocked his father, "Your father''s handwriting is like that of a turtle crawling. When he was teaching in the classroom, he couldn''t even dare to write on the blackboard! Don''t follow his example." His father, Yuan Fen, would always retort, "Voice input is fast and accurate. Pedantic people have no idea that technology is changing the world!"


    Two professors, one studying cultural heritage, the other dealing with cutting-edge technology, who knew how on earth they fell in love. In any case, he - this poor love child of theirs - had never had any peace since birth, forever pushed and pulled between tradition and modernity by them.


    However, when it comes to calligraphy, Yuan Ge is more supportive of his mother''s approach. The good habits he has maintained since childhood have often led to him being complimented by those around him when he occasionally lifts his pen to write, especially in the fickle world of show business, where having such a seemingly useless skill is impressive. For this reason, Am¨¦lie Jiang often says enviously, "It''s a pleasure to watch you scribble on set. It can almost be an honour to be written in your director''s notebook, even if it''s on your blacklist."


    Whenever this happened, Yuan Ge would taunt her, "You''ve spent so many years abroad, but you''ve only picked up the dregs of the West and lost the essence of your own culture, a typical bowl of half-cooked rice." Then a flurry of little punches from Am¨¦lie would rain down on him, followed by, "You only know how to bully me, you smug bastard!"


    Thinking back on this, Yuan Ge smiled unconsciously. To charm a woman, sometimes all it takes is a few unintentional tricks. Growing up, he had been forced by his parents to learn so many useful and useless things, but today it seems that they have not been wasted in his career. He really is director material.


    Looking back on the trajectory of his growth from childhood to adulthood, and on his determination to embark on the path of film directing, Yuan Ge wondered - he had been communicating in spirit with Rong Qing in his dreams, but if one day he really stood in front of him, how much he would want to say to him, how many questions he would want to ask him, and how many topics about art he would want to discuss with him.


    In that spiritual realm above the clouds, in the highest sanctuary of art, there are no limits of time or space, no limits of life or death. The human world is but a dream trapped in the earthly world.


    Both he and I are fools, dreaming in a dream with bodies outside our bodies.


    It is the destiny of an actor to create eternal dreams, to fold time and space, to overlap past and future.


    --------------------


    [1] Xuan paper, or Shuen paper or rice paper, is a kind of paper originating in ancient China used for writing and painting. Xuan paper is renowned for being soft and fine textured, suitable for conveying the artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting.

 Chapter 80 - Mysterious Visitor

    When he woke up again, it was already early the next morning. The light in the room was still on, and Yuan Ge found that he had fallen asleep on his desk, spending the night amidst the paper and ink, but thankfully the ink was not printed on his face.


    He stood up to freshen up, but felt the clothes on his back slip off. On closer inspection, what draped over his shoulders was a cloak from the props room.


    What?


    Wasn''t he the only one left in the entire mansion last night?


    Did someone come by?


    Yuan Ge looked around; it was still early morning and there was no sign of the staff coming to work.. He wondered if someone had seen that he had fallen asleep and had draped this cloak over him.


    Pale dawn light shone in through the window; a fragrance permeated the room, rather like the ambergris[1] favoured by the ancient nobility, faint if at all, but with a pleasant effect on the mind and body. In addition to the few calligraphic pieces he had written for today''s scene, there were several more on the right side of the desk, which appeared to have been written not long ago, and the ink had not yet completely dried. The handwriting is elegant and skilful and appears to have been written by a renowned calligrapher, whose grammar and style look like the work of a literati of the Qing dynasty. On closer inspection, there is a faint water stain in one corner of the paper, looking like a teardrop.


    Yuan Ge was a bit puzzled. What was this all about?


    Could he have been possessed by Rong Qing in his dream and written a more perfect essay?


    That seemed unlikely. He had only slept shallowly for half the night, and he had not seen him in his dream.


    Could it have been the little loony boy?


    Looking at the slight grip mark on his right wrist, he remembered that the little loony always seemed to need a ''recharge'' when he was around. He had clutched his wrist like that at home that night - this guy, if he was here, why didn''t he show up to meet me. Didn''t he know I was worried about him?


    In any case, looking at the perfect piece of calligraphy work on the table, Yuan Ge suddenly felt uplifted - no matter how Yin Fenghua behaved, there would always be people in this world who understood him.


    Art, no matter what era it is in, has its faithful makers and believers, and will never lose its lustre just because someone else has tarnished it. Qingqing is my work of art, the fruit of my heart and soul, and no matter how many difficulties I have to overcome, I will make it right!


    After clearing his mind, Yuan Ge went back to work, organising scenes and making notes on the day''s shooting schedule. It may be easier for Yin Fenghua to perform a purely emotional scene, and perhaps he will be more committed to it.


    ***


    "Mr. Yin, I know we have our differences and that the previous scenes haven''t been satisfactory for either of us, but this scene we are shooting today is the first major emotional scene in this film. It is the first scene of physical intimacy between Qiuchen and the man he loves, Liang Zitang. It''s a delicate moment that needs to be handled subtly in order to reveal the rich inner emotions of the character. I hope you will take it seriously and do your best to convey the layers of the character''s changing emotions."


    When Yin Fenghua looked around and saw that the set had been cleared of people, he couldn''t help but laugh, "Director Yuan, you always talk in such a roundabout way. You mean we are gonna do a bed scene, right? You can just say so! I''m not a child, so no issues from me. But this amateur actor of yours, will he be able to handle it?"


    Yuan Ge turned his gaze to Stephen, whose face had turned red from Yin Fenghua''s sarcastic words.


    He ignored Yin Fenghua''s words and said to Stephen soothingly, "Your character Liang Zitang is a poor scholar who has gone to the capital to take his imperial exams. He had the chance to see Qiuchen perform on stage and was so impressed by his art that he was determined to win his affection. As a famous actor with lofty ideals, Qiuchen is way beyond your reach, and under normal circumstances you could never dream of meeting him. But as fate would have it, Qiuchen favoured you, and not only does he not care about your down-and-out lowly status, but he also uses the money he has saved to fund your studies ¡­ From an emotional standpoint, you greedily enjoy his infatuation with you, and gradually become tempted to take advantage of it. You want to woo him and possess this pure and innocent body that even a man like the Third Lord cannot have. So when you perform, you have to pay special attention to how to convey your complex feelings with your eyes, both covetous and grateful, making all sorts of promises with flowery words, but knowing in your heart that what you are giving is not the same as the soul-binding love that Qiuchen craves ¡­"


    Stephen listened carefully to the director''s analysis. As a highly talented graduate of the Capital University of Technology, his ability to learn and grasp the essence was quite remarkable. Seeing that he kept nodding in comprehension, Yuan Ge was confident that he would be able to act out Liang Zitang''s complexity.


    Yin Fenghua listened and interjected from time to time, "Director Yuan, how far should we go in this physical intimacy? It''s too complicated the way you explain the scene. Why don''t you just tell us how far you want us to go. That''d be a lot easier for us actors."


    "Only to the point where the intention is expressed. I will instruct Jinghai to make the images aesthetically pleasing and the angles as subtle as possible. After all, this is not pornography we are filming." Yuan Ge replied, somewhat frustrated by Yin Fenghua''s attitude.


    However, Yin Fenghua said, "But last night, Brother Run also made it a point to tell me that we should be more daring when shooting bed scenes. Don''t shrink back and get all arty, going for aesthetics, otherwise the film will do poorly at the box office."


    This Fat Chow, what a load of nonsense he was talking about!


    Yuan Ge recalled that when they had agreed to form Dragon Dreams Pictures together, he had stressed the premise - that he did not want his creative ideas to be interfered with too much. Watching his growing obsession with profit, it seemed that he had forgotten the promise he had made to him in the first place.


    --------------------


    [1] Ambergris, or grey amber, is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales.


    China was one of the first countries in the world to discover ambergris. In the Han Dynasty, fishermen found some greyish-white waxy floating material in the sea. It had a strong fishy smell, but when it was dried it gave off a long-lasting fragrance that was even more fragrant than musk when lit. Some local officials contributed it as a treasure to the emperor, used it as a spice in the palace, or as medicine. At the time, no one knew what this treasure was, so they consulted the alchemists in the palace, who believed it to be the saliva of a "dragon" from the sea, which flowed out during sleep, dripped into the sea water and solidified. Its name therefore means "dragon''s saliva" in Chinese.

 Chapter 81 - Body Language

    "Lights and camera in position. Attention all please. Let''s get ready to roll."


    The director''s assistant shouted into a megaphone to the set. When "Action" was called, the camera began to slowly zoom in. Yuan Ge sat quietly in a chair behind the monitor and watched.


    In the camera lens, Qiuchen was leaning back in a small chaise longue within the set, seemingly tired after having just returned from performing on stage. Liang Zitang was sitting by an oil lamp flipping through the pages of a book, lifting his brush to write from time to time.


    Yuan Ge frowned as he watched Yin Fenghua''s performance. After the first few days of conditioning, he had finally stopped pinching his voice to say his lines, and his voice sounded much more natural. However, his eyes were still soulless, without a trace of clarity. Around Liang Zitang, he was neither like a companion nor a lover, always with some inexplicable frivolity..


    Yuan Ge could not bear to look at this scene any longer. The melancholy, affectionate gaze that had appeared in his dream kept flashing before his eyes, and in a trance he could taste salty tears at the base of his tongue. He wanted to call a halt to the performance, but considering that it was, after all, an intimate and emotional scene, he was worried that it might affect Stephen''s emotion. And was it really possible to train the expression in one''s eyes?


    As the play progressed, the scene had changed into Liang Zitang trying to have physical relations with Qiuchen.


    "Liang Zitang" could no longer hold back his lust, walked over to the chaise longue and pressed his body against the seemingly sleeping "Qiuchen". He mumbled a string of sweet words as he tried to kiss him. "Qiuchen" opened his eyes in horror, his eyes filled with panic and shyness as he trembled slightly, avoiding Liang''s intimate movements, a blush appearing on his cheeks.


    Stephen''s Liang Zitang kissed Yin Fenghua in his arms with slight compulsion; although Yin Fenghua''s arms were pushing outwards, his legs, which were pinned under Stephen, have unconsciously parted¡­


    "Cut!"


    Yuan Ge shouted in annoyance. He ignored Stephen, who stood up awkwardly, and said sharply to Yin Fenghua, "May I ask why you are changing my script without asking me again! What are you trying to show? Is he willing or unwilling?"


    Yin Fenghua looked confused, "What''s wrong with my act? Why cut? Isn''t it clearly written in your script that Qiuchen was unwilling?"


    Yuan Ge lowered his voice and said, "Being reluctant on the surface, but showing willingness in your body language will only make the other person more excited."


    Yin Fenghua looked down at his body and didn''t notice anything wrong with the performance.


    "How am I reluctant on the surface, but willing in body language?"


    Yuan Ge had no choice but to explain patiently, "Spreading your legs open is an unguarded gesture. Although Qiuchen is the most renowned opera singer in the capital at this moment, he still maintains his chastity. Even in front of someone he likes, he would not express his feelings so unreservedly."


    As soon as Yin Fenghua heard this, he immediately acted like a know-it-all veteran and snickered, "If he wants to be chastity, why does he go into someone''s bedroom late at night and falls asleep? Isn''t this a clear case of seduction? I thought there was something wrong when I first read the script. Today I''m just acting according to the correct interpretation!"


    Hearing Yin Fenghua''s misunderstanding of Qiuchen, Yuan Ge was actually feeling quite upset. He couldn''t bear to see Qiuchen being wronged, even though he was only a character in his film, so he explained again, "Qingqing is infatuated with Liang Zitang and believes too much in his character, and he doesn''t know anything about homosexual relationships, so he often visits him late at night when he returns from his stage performance. You could interpret it this way; Qiu Chen is experiencing his pure first love and knows nothing about sex. Your performance should be closer to that feeling. Let''s do it again."


    With that, he turned around, patted Stephen on the shoulder and returned to his seat.

 Chapter 82 - Physiological Errors

    Yin Fenghua rearranged his costume and by the time the Camera signal went off, he was already lying down on the chaise longue as if asleep. Stephen also actively cooperated. As Liang Zitang fumbled to undo Qiuchen''s top, Qiuchen''s performance reflected a change from panic to submission. He eventually stopped struggling and allowed Liang Zitang to kiss and caress him, a low moan escaping his lips¡­


    But as Liang Zitang got deeper into his action, the low moans suddenly changed tone, filled with a surprisingly sugary sweetness of being pleasured, causing a few young crew members behind Yuan Ge to burst into laughter before hastily covering their mouths to force themselves to hold it in, while Stephen rolled over and got off Yin Fenghua, looking at Yuan Ge with an embarrassed look.


    "Cut!"


    Yuan Ge walked up to Stephen and asked him what was wrong. Stephen blushed but couldn''t say why, just kept saying sorry to Yuan Ge.


    Reclining in his chaise longue, Yin Fenghua put his arms behind his head and said lazily, "It''s not my fault this time. He was way too nervous. After all, he didn''t come from professional actor training. A student with limited life experience, especially not enough experience with love and sex.".


    "Liang Zitang''s food, clothing and accommodation, as well as offerings to his teachers and bribes to officials in the capital, were all provided by Rong Qing. This state of having no strength of one''s own but greedily wanting to possess Qiuchen''s beauty is very well interpreted by Stephen. It is exactly this mixed feeling of trepidation and greed."


    When Yin Fenghua saw Yuan Ge defending Stephen, he muttered discontentedly, "Who wants to watch an amateur performance..."


    When Stephen heard Yin Fenghua had put all the blame on himself, he felt so wronged that he finally told the truth.


    "Director, it was that¡­ that just now Mr. Yin, when he was underneath me, he tried to undo my pants¡­ and that''s why I jumped off!"


    Before Yuan Ge could respond, Yin Fenghua jumped in and said, "That''s because you weren''t acting right, and I was just helping you correct your performance. Why are you making such a fuss about it?" He then turned to Yuan Ge and whispered ambiguously, "Director Yuan, he doesn''t know, but you should know, right? If even the body position is not right, then this bed scene will look too fake. If we keep making the film this way, it''s an insult to the audience''s intelligence! You''re a serious director and you wouldn''t tolerate such physiological errors of common sense in your work, would you?"


    "Physiological errors of common sense..." Yuan Ge''s face turned gloomy. He instinctively felt that it was inappropriate for Yin Fenghua to talk like this in front of the crew, especially in front of many young women, so he whispered to him, "Mr. Yin, our actors and some on-set assistants are the same age as college freshmen and sophomores, so there are some things that are not appropriate to speak so explicitly..."


    "Hahahaha, Yuan Ge, you''re overthinking it! Don''t be so na?ve! Kids nowadays are much more open when it comes to sex than in my time. There are basically no virgins left in high schools. For the sake of becoming an overnight sensation, there''s nothing young actors are afraid to act. Believe me, they''re all veterans, nothing is too explicit."


    Stephen blushed at his words and retorted, "Don''t be ridiculous! What veterans! I¡­ I haven''t had..."


    Yin Fenghua laughed even more at his words, "That''s why I''m teaching you. First, you have to know how a man does it with another man. If you don''t get the position right, how are you going to make your next move? Then you''ll definitely make a fool of yourself!"


    Yuan Ge knew that the young actors in Dragon Dreams were all quite innocent, especially Stephen, who looked tall and big, but was still just a boy with a warm heart. He did not want an industry veteran like Yin Fenghua to lead him astray, so he said, "Mr. Yin, male-male romance is still a taboo area and not widely accepted. Although our film deals with this theme, it aims to emphasise love regardless of gender, rather than focusing on the physical desire."


    "Director Yuan, I didn''t expect you to be so conservative at your age. How funny is that! You take everything so seriously, and you''re always stressing on getting things done to perfection, so how come you have double standards now?"


    Yin Fenghua seized a rare opportunity to defend himself in front of everyone, "When I was acting, I had to start all over again with every little flaw, but your own actors can just let go? How can you lead a crew like this? Where is the fairness?"


    "I''m only concerned with the quality of the film itself. It''s the performances I''m talking about, not the people, so how is that unfair?"


    It was hard to tell whether Yin Fenghua''s attitude was sarcastic or seductive as he said to Yuan Ge tauntingly, "Anyway, this is just a kind reminder. It wouldn''t be good if this film becomes a laughing stock once people in the gay community sees it. If you don''t know the correct body position or posture, you can ask me for advice. Since we''re going to sacrifice ourselves to art, why don''t we find a chance to work on it tonight?"

 Chapter 83 - Is He Gay?

    Yin Fenghua has revelled in his looks and voice countless times.


    He remembers the "Run Hua" combo days when he was a huge star loved by millions of fanatic fans. But times change so quickly, and youth and beauty also fade easily. Now when he sings on stage, he often feels his overused voice falling short. The glory that was his once upon a time is fleeting fast. He doesn''t want to give up singing early and marry into some big family and become a kept man like his old partner Chow Mingrun has done, nor does he want his evergreen singing career to be abandoned by today''s so-called Generation Z in just a few short years. If it wasn''t for the big data analysis showing that people might like a fresh-faced director like Yuan Ge and an oddball movie like Qingqing, why would he bother to come to such a small filming company and work with a bunch of amateur kids? And getting lectured by his juniors every now and then, losing face left and right!


    After observing him over the past few days, he actually admired Yuan Ge. Although he was a few years younger than himself, he was handsome, talented, and very artistic and self-assured. Before he entered the cast, he made a point of watching Yuan Ge''s self-directed film, Eve''s Fallen, which featured bold nude scenes and exotic love triangles, and his bed scene with Brother Run was quite well acted, pretty exciting to watch actually. It was obvious that he was in the same boat. He''s been in the entertainment industry for so many years, when has he ever misread anything? He must be in the gay scene. If not gay, at least bisexual. He thought he would be able to figure out his sexuality in a few days so he could hook up with him, curry some favours and save himself from needless suffering on set.. But the guy seemed immune to his tactics, putting on a straight face and always giving himself a hard time for no reason. There''s a rare gay bed scene today, so he''s determined to test him out!


    "Cut!"


    Finally, he got through one take, but the next one, with a soft call of "Childe Liang", Yuan Ge shouted out "Cut" again.


    "My dear director, what are you up to again?" Yin Fenghua said lazily, not bothering to put his clothes back on, baring his shoulders.


    Yuan Ge looked at him for a long while, but finally explained patiently and dutifully, "You have more or less understood the intent of the script in your act, but the moment you opened your mouth you ruined your good efforts. This call ''Childe Liang'' was too unsubtle, not in keeping with Qiuchen''s sensitive and delicate character and lingering heart. Instead of evoking a sense of pity, your call sounded like you were asking to be pleasured."


    "Sensitive... delicate... Lingering heart... Help! I''m going to throw up!"


    Yin Fenghua was fed up with the constant NGs and showed his true colours again.


    "Yuan Ge, aren''t you tired of talking in such a bookish way all day? When it comes to domestic market positioning, I''m much more familiar with it than you are. It''s you who seem to have no idea what your company and Brother Run are after in this movie. Qing dynasty or not, It doesn''t really matter, it''s just a shell. At its core, it''s just a gay movie. You are needed because having a fresh faced arthouse director can make this movie feel classier. But in the end, you''ve made this movie so complicated, working on things that don''t even matter. I''m using today''s bed scene to help you straighten out a few things on your path and you don''t even appreciate it. Who the hell is wasting our budget and time every day? Who in public is going to buy a ticket to see a film if you make it so hard to understand?"


    Since Yin Fenghua had made a patronising start, the urge to teach his junior a lesson could no longer be held back, so he might as well get it all out.


    "This world is always the same - men and men, what love? It''s simply to seek something more thrilling to play with, and changing partners often just to have more varieties. It''s all about getting laid, and getting a man is not as troublesome as getting a woman. What does that have to do with genuine affection?


    "I''ve also done my homework for your film. Gay culture was a lot more prevalent in the Ming and Qing dynasties than in our time. Why do you think that opera singers were at the bottom rung of society? Because in those days, they were the same as prostitutes; the only difference was whether they sold male sex or female sex.


    "In those days, the male actors looked like girls, sang like girls and acted like girls, so they were all prostituting themselves in addition to singing. What else do you expect the lords of high society to do with them? Of course they were treated just like playthings. A male actor was called ''Xiang Gong'', which literally meant ''like a girl'', and ''calling a Xiang Gong'' meant to call for a male whore.


    "In your script, Rong Qiuchen, who is said to be the winner of the Flowers of the Opera Stage, is actually just a top ranking prostitute, singing during the day, and selling his arse at night. Jinyu Troupe is a brothel; his two masters are pimps; and his seven brothers are fellow prostitutes who are used as good money-makers... And you treat him as some kind of soulmate, a god of art! And talk about purity! True love! The fact is that you are completely out of touch with the times! This is just your own wishful thinking! I downright doubt the logic of your story and your direction..."

 Chapter 84 - Mr. Yins Challenge

    Once these words came out, no matter how good Yuan Ge''s temper was, he could not hold back the anger and slapped the megaphone in his hand on the seat as he responded angrily.


    "Mr. Yin, what do you mean by saying such things now! The purpose and spirit of the film is clearly written in the script, and we have had many discussions and detailed analyses since the shooting began. Why can''t you dispel these rigid and superficial perceptions in your mind now? It was because the world stubbornly viewed the opera singers of that era with prejudice, and looked at the lives of these male actors who performed in female costumes with novelty-seeking eyes, that we had to make the film ''Qingqing'' to prove that many of them were in fact great artists. And, on the other hand, to show that same-sex romance is not all about physical lust and what you might call ''getting laid'' or ''thrill-seeking''. I believe that there is real love between two men... However, what you just said undermined the two main plot lines of our entire film and inadvertently insulted everybody in the process! No wonder that you are unable to immerse yourself in acting, not getting the performance right, because your understanding of the script is totally out of whack!"


    "Insult? Who did I insult? The Operatic Circle? The male prostitutes? Or your Qiuchen? Your pure and innocent Qingqing of your dreams? Don''t be so pretentious! In this day and age, when making this film of yours, mix in a bit of gay scenes, a bit of sex scenes, find your commercial selling point, that''s enough! If you don''t want to make a flop like you did last time, then don''t be so high and mighty. What with making art and exploring emotions... that''s not what the public wants to see! If I may say so, your use of the Qing Dynasty rent boys as a marketing tactic was quite successful.. Following that tone and making a thrilling gay movie is enough to grab people''s eyeballs. Brother Run had it all figured out a long time ago, how come you just don''t get it!"


    Good, a flop. So that''s what Chow Mingrun really thinks about my last film. In the end, the so-called non-interference he promised me is all but a lie. Yuan Ge thought to himself.


    When it came to the marketing and promotion stage, he certainly wouldn''t be able to control him. Thinking back to Chow Mingrun''s behaviour at the shooting opening day, and Yin Fenghua''s words today, what was there not to understand? What he couldn''t say to his face, he must have been counting on his old partner to deliver.


    The more Yuan Ge thought about it, the angrier he became, and he didn''t want to say a word more. He could tolerate when Yin Fenghua acted like a prima donna or posed as an arrogant senior, but what he couldn''t tolerate was that he had now utterly sullied the Jinyu Troupe and Rong Qiuchen he had created. Was his attempt to change the narrow-mindedness of the public through this film destined to be in vain?


    The atmosphere became unbearably awkward.


    Seeing Yuan Ge''s silence, Yin Fenghua was rather pleased with himself. It looked like this pampered boy living in an ivory tower had finally taken a bit of a beating. Not bad, he deserved it! A returnee from overseas with Hollywood experience, so what? Let me teach him a good lesson on how to keep his feet on the ground!


    Thinking of this, Yin Fenghua became even more reckless, pointing at Stephen on the side and saying, "Hey kid, you don''t know how to act the sex scene. Stand back, let me and your director show you how to do it properly."


    After saying this, he turned to Yuan Ge and took on a stance of coaxing a child, saying with a softer tone, "Director Yuan, are you angry with me? I''m saying this for the good of the company and the film. After all, it''s your big production. I''m the male lead in it, and if it doesn''t do well at the box office, it won''t do neither of us any good. I think today''s male-male scene is the selling point of the whole movie. Stephen and I can''t get into the emotions of the characters, so could I ask you please to try out this scene with me?"


    Yuan Ge felt as if his most precious blood had been turned into mosquito blood[1]. His own work and the characters he had given birth to were trampled on by Yin Fenghua in such a way that their ideas were completely at odds with each other, so what was the point of forcing the film to continue to be made? He wished he could call off the shooting today. However, Yin Fenghua''s sudden softening of his stance after his tough words put him in a difficult position.


    "There was nothing wrong with Stephen''s performance. I don''t feel the need to demonstrate."


    Yuan Ge answered in a fit of pique, and Yin Fenghua couldn''t help but laugh, "Fine, there''s no problem with his acting, but there''s a problem with mine. Then can I ask Director Yuan to demonstrate exactly how Rong Qiuchen you have in mind actually stays pure in bed? I wanna learn from you."


    Of course Yuan Ge understood that Yin Fenghua was calling his bluff. It was one of the best moves an actor could use to challenge the authority of a director.


    If he could avoid it, he really didn''t want to act with the type of person he least admired, but Yin Fenghua insisted on acting opposite him for some reason.


    "I heard that Director Yuan not only made it to the third round of King Guan''s big audition, but was also taken in to be interviewed by the young master Guan himself, very impressive. We''ve been working together for so long, but I haven''t had the chance to see you in action. How about it, do you dare to do a scene with me?"


    Before Yuan Ge could reply, he heard Stephen muttering in a low voice, "What''s there to be afraid of? Our director was the last man standing in that audition. Even I passed their second round, unlike someone who was eliminated in the first round and still has the nerve to put on airs and act like a senior."


    Little did Yin Fenghua realise that his early elimination from the King Guan audition was already widely known in Dragon Dreams. Feeling embarrassed, he said angrily, "The roles they chose were strange and didn''t suit my acting style. Don''t change the subject. Talk is cheap. Just show me how you''re gonna play your Qingqing. You''re obviously good at doing gay scenes, since your Eve''s Fallen was quite daringly made and exciting to watch."


    After saying that, he no longer gave Yuan Ge a chance to evade and pressed him down on the chaise longue, "I am now playing Liang Zitang. You tell me, how exactly can love and lust be distinguished with the eyes. How can a man show love to another man without sex being involved?"


    --------------------


    [1] The phrase "mosquito blood" first appeared in the Chinese writer Eileen Chang''s novelette Red Rose, White Rose. It is often used to refer to something or someone that is no longer cherished but is vaguely disgusting.


    "Maybe every man has had two such women - at least two. Marry a red rose and eventually she''ll be a mosquito-blood streak smeared on the wall, while the white one is "moonlight in front of my bed." Marry a white rose, and before long she''ll be a grain of sticky rice that''s gotten stuck to your clothes; the red one, by then, is a scarlet beauty mark just over your heart." that is no longer being treasured, instead disgusted.

 Chapter 85 - Innocent Seduction

    Such being the case, Yuan Ge did not bother to retort. With his eyes closed, he adjusted his thoughts and emotions to get into character. When he opened his eyes again, they were like trembling clear springs overflowing with affection that seemed to reach deep into one''s soul; the slightly curled body, the rapid breathing, the lips that quivered uneasily, all showed the innocence of a virgin and the fear of unfamiliar lust. His holding of Liang Zitang''s hand, wanting to push it away but unable to let go completely, accurately expressed Qiuchen''s conflicted feelings at the moment.


    Yin Fenghua let out a silent gasp of astonishment. Damn, this kid can act! Why be a director? He''s a genius actor! Compared to that, his own acting just now was indeed elementary. This is what''s called an advanced level of seduction - "innocent and seductive", as the popular saying goes. A paradoxical combination, but he did it!


    Under the disguise of the character in the play, he lifted Yuan Ge''s chin with one hand, greedily enjoying the emotions conveyed in those eyes. Yin Fenghua found himself actually being seduced - those eyes were so alluring, conveying the affection and attachment of first love; and a purity that made one want to possess and destroy immediately.


    To see a white dress defiled and a beautiful person humiliated, this kind of evil lust probably lurks deep inside everyone''s heart, and Yuan Ge is indeed a demon who is good at figuring out people''s deepest desires, otherwise he wouldn''t be able to perform these feelings with such precision. In contrast, he indeed doesn''t have such ability or acting skills..


    But it was one thing to admit it in one''s heart and another to admit it in public. He was the one who had challenged him, so how could he admit in front of so many people that he was inferior to a junior?


    As these thoughts went through his mind, Yin Fenghua unceremoniously leaned down and tried to kiss that "innocent and seductive" face, groping around with both hands wildly in an attempt to show the eagerness of Liang Zitang''s burning lust. He was a little amused and feeling smug when he heard the the crew being stunned into silence by the passionate demonstration of the sex scene between him and their director.


    If they are so absorbed in the daring performance, then they wouldn''t have time to think about who is good or who is bad in terms of acting, would they? Since I am now showing Stephen how to play Liang Zitang, it is the lustful scholar in the play who is acting indecently - so why not indulge a little in his disguise? What''s more - Yuan Ge, you still don''t want to admit that you''re gay? If you can act out this kind of seduction, I don''t think you need to pretend any longer!


    "The demonstration has served its purpose. Now stop it."


    Feeling Yin Fenghua pressed firmly against him, not caring about the stares of those around him and showing no signs of reining in, Yuan Ge frowned and turned his head to avoid his kiss.


    But Yin Fenghua did not relent, and while fully displaying the eagerness of a man possessed by lust, he whispered in his ear, "What are you afraid of? Let''s go all the way. You can act with Brother Run, but why are you so shy in front of me?"


    "What are you doing! The film doesn''t need a scene like this! I''m just showing you what Qiuchen is supposed to feel like at your request. it''s done now, so get off me!"


    Yin Fenghua looked at the anger in Yuan Ge''s eyes and for some reason felt a sense of pleasure in bullying him, so he reached out and gave his tight buttocks a good squeeze. Seeing his cheeks flush red, he felt much amused, so he touched his private parts flirtatiously as well.


    "Let go of me!" Yuan Ge no longer cared about the gazes of the people on the set, got out of Yin Fenghua''s hold with both hands and feet, rolled off the chaise longue and got back on his feet, his eyes burning with anger, "Yin Fenghua! You are the leading man in the cast, yet not only are you not dedicated to your work, you also have no respect for your colleagues! Do you deserve to be treated as a senior by the whole crew?!"


    When Yin Fenghua saw how angry Yuan Ge became, his initial flirtation quickly turned into confrontation.


    "Am I not dedicated to my work? The amateur you got here had no idea how to act out the right kind of lust, and I''m showing him how to do it out of dedication to my job, so how is that being disrespectful? Let me ask you, do you really know how two men go to bed? Isn''t kissing and fondling the right kind of foreplay? How can an actor claim to be a professional when he squirms even at such an elementary level of performance?"


    "What this film is meant to show is not a physical relationship. The love that Qiuchen pursues is a love based on equality and respect, a resonance in the spiritual realm."


    "Equality? Respect? If you wanna respect, then stay as friends, end of story! Why bother becoming lovers? Since it''s love, there must be lust. And who''s the top and who''s the bottom, can you please be clear when you make up this story? The script is so vague, with so much umming and arring, that the actors don''t know how to act at all!"


    "What top and bottom, don''t you apply this kind of narrow-minded definition of today! Qiuchen had none of these thoughts in his mind. He thought that Liang Zitang didn''t care about social status and gave him absolute respect and genuine love, which in the eyes of a Qing Dynasty opera singer was a true luxury worth fighting for!"


    "Yuan Ge, are you saying you''re making a gay film without knowing anything about gay? If that''s the case, let''s just stop making it right now! Otherwise, even it''s made it''s going to be so pedestrian that will make the gay community laugh! Gay relationships are not as idealistic as you might think. There are a lot of people in the arty circle who are gay - who wants to see your imaginary and glorified unrealistic same sex relationships? Brother Run said that you knew what you were doing, and your previous gay film won an international award, that''s why I was willing to come join your little no-name crew. If I knew you were such an amateur, I wouldn''t have taken the role! Even if you had the nerve to direct, I''d be too embarrassed to act. It''s a bloody disgrace to be seen in it!"


    "Yin Fenghua, if you''re really afraid of being embarrassed, then stop talking nonsense here. Forbidden emotions are not something that superficial people can understand. It is because of too many of narrow-minded perceptions like yours that homosexuality is so misunderstood by the world!"


    "I''m superficial? At least I have the fucking guts to admit that I''m a gay, unlike you, so provocative that even a straight man can be bent into a gay with that kind of look in his eyes, and yet you''re still pretending you are straight and don''t have the balls to admit you''re gay! If you ask me, you are the same kind of bitch as that Rong Qiuchen in this movie - born with a slutty face, just asking to be fucked!"

 Chapter 86 - A Wounded Little Animal

    The end result of the heated argument was Yin Fenghua shouting "What a rubbish crew! What a hypocritical director! I''m not acting anymore! I quit!" and left the set in a fury.


    Yuan Ge also returned to his office in a rage and deleted all the footage taken today without even reviewing it. Since returning to China, he thought he had seen the world and learnt to control his emotions so well that he would never be so angry again, but little did he know that this bastard Yin Fenghua must have been sent by God to torment him. He actually had the ability to enrage himself so utterly, so completely!


    Yuan Ge felt like a boneless chicken at the moment, unable to muster up any strength, slumping at his desk, not wanting to move at all. It was only when a mug of hot latte touched the back of his hand that he came back to his senses and saw Am¨¦lie''s pretty face beside him, her beautiful eyes full of concern.


    "What''s the matter, regretting messing things up?" Am¨¦lie''s expression didn''t show a hint of frustration, her smile as heart-warming as that mug of coffee..


    "What''s there to regret! The most vulgar singer in China, bar none! He has the nerve to brag about how popular he is, even though his specialty is to perform in village halls! How come I''ve never seen his name on any charts? Not only does he act like a prima donna, but he''s also terribly unprofessional. He can''t act at all! If it wasn''t for Fat Chow''s sake, I would have replaced him a million times over!"


    "Come on, bemoaning is not your style. Our director Yuan wouldn''t lower himself to the level of that kind of person. Why take his words to heart when he''s so much beneath you?"


    Yuan Ge pouted and looked at Am¨¦lie. Today, Yin Fenghua had called him gay and used so many swear words in front of so many people, and she must have heard it all. He had lost all his face. But how could he explain that to this woman beside him? Especially as she was so considerate and gentle and had never talked out of place. How depressing!


    Am¨¦lie loved the way Yuan Ge occasionally took off his artist''s mask, revealing such a vulnerable look, like a wounded little animal. She wanted to reach out to stroke his messy hair. He looked so childlike with his face buried in the crook of his arm, not wanting to see anyone. But who knows how much she wanted to hug and comfort this frustrated but stubborn child.


    "I understand what you''re thinking. It''s true that Yin Fenghua is not ideal, but we don''t have a better candidate at the moment. We don''t have the kind of financial power like King Guan Entertainment has, so we can''t just hold an audition like they did, right? Besides, if you replace Fat Chow''s pick for the leading man, how do you expect him to continue to fund the production?"


    "I know." Yuan Ge said sullenly without looking up, "That''s why I''ve held back every time since the shooting started. I kept telling myself to put up with it a little longer, that maybe this was the last retake. But the truth is, as long as Yin Fenghua is there, I can never convince myself that the next shoot will be better. He is not playing Qiuchen, he''s simply destroying him!"


    "Why don''t you play Qiuchen yourself? I''m not trying to pander to Yin Fenghua, don''t get me wrong, but when you demonstrated today, your eyes were really evocative. I don''t think anyone could have played it better than that."


    "It''s not because I''m a good actor, but because in my dreams, I''ve seen that look many times. Really, Am¨¦lie, can you believe it? It''s like I owe it to Qingqing to make this film. He came into my dreams countless times, as if asking me to do him justice to the world. I really don''t want to tarnish this trust of spiritual friendship for any reason. It''s a pity that I can''t take you into my dreams to show you. If only you could see his beautiful face and eyes, you would have understood how much I wanted to replace Yin Fenghua! Not even I could have reproduced the divine charm of Qiuchen."


    "You''re just too much of a perfectionist, can''t tolerate the slightest imperfection. You don''t rest your brain all day, always immersed in a reverie of another world. It''s a miracle that you haven''t worn yourself out. Of course everything in the dreams is perfect. If you compare your real life with your dreams, how can you not be disappointed? Don''t you think it''s too hard on yourself to demand that kind of perfection? Look at yourself, you''ve lost so much weight, and there are visible dark circles under your eyes."


    Yuan Ge felt Am¨¦lie''s slender fingers gently caressing his face, and in her beautiful eyes was his own reflection. He smiled gratefully, "Then let''s go eat something to make up for it, shall we? By the way, where is Jinghai?"


    "He went to Yin Fenghua''s place with Fat Chow. They are taking him to dinner to try to make amends..." Am¨¦lie looked at Yuan Ge and said, "You''re indeed a troublemaker. They probably didn''t expect you to back down, so they took it upon themselves to be the peacemaker. "


    Yuan Ge sighed. Despite the constant turmoil, Du Jinghai and Chow Mingrun were no less indulgent to him than Am¨¦lie. He considered himself very lucky to have such partners.


    "Let''s go. They can eat whatever they want and we''ll go find what we want. They say that eating is the best cure for anger. I''m going to eat that filthy-looking Luzhu[1] that everyone raves about to get this bad energy out of my chest!"


    Am¨¦lie was very happy to see Yuan Ge''s morale recover so quickly. As long as this ever childlike man was by her side, life seemed to be full of fun and excitement, and she felt content and settled no matter how busy and tired she was.


    --------------------


    [1] Luzhu huoshao, which literally means ''pork stew with bread'', is one of the most well-known traditional Beijing street foods. The main ingredients are pork, pork lung, pork intestines, pork liver, tofu, and some may add fermented bean curd or chives sauce. It is served with ''bing'' (a type of flatbread).

 Chapter 87 - The Scene Of Reunion

    "We''re shooting now. Please clear the set! All stand by!"


    The lighting crew had used several sets of lights to illuminate the set in layers, so that even this late at night the theatre stage in the water looked colourful and striking.


    "Quiet, please... And roll sounds!"


    "Rolling!" The sound recordist responded.


    "Cameras are running!" Du Jinghai waved his hand to indicate.


    "Mark it!"


    Am¨¦lie took on the temporary job of a clapper loader and shouted into the megaphone, "Du Shiniang! Scene three slate one take one!"


    After a loud click of the clapperboard, and Yuan Ge''s "Camera set! Action", a major night scene in the film began its shooting by the Dragon Pond..


    The entire cast and crew were told to work late into the night today, as this scene of Du Shiniang was the first time that Qiuchen appeared on stage since he was sold into the Rong Mansion and was also a scene of intense emotional conflict between him and his unfaithful lover Liang Zitang. In this reunion of theirs, Liang Zitang has become the son-in-law of the House of Rong and has risen to the high rank of Third Grade Secretary.


    The monitor screen in front of Yuan Ge perfectly depicted the extravagance of the opera stage in the Dragon Pond.


    ***


    Facing the opera stage, across the dark water, colourful lanterns are hung from the Lotus Heart Pavilion, inside where, at this moment, sits the Second Lord Ronglu, the Third Lord Huilu, Liang Zitang, Miss Rong and many other members of the Rong family watching the opera. The sound of drums, huqin and strings before the opening scene drifts clearly across the water.


    Liang Zitang, played by Stephen, stares blankly at the other side of the pond, as if he cannot feel the night breeze.


    I wonder why the person who is tugging at my heart is not out yet?


    He still remembered that midsummer when he first saw that beautiful face. That was also on this water stage in the Rong Mansion.


    As a student who went to the capital to sit for the imperial examinations, he had an eye-opening experience when he first arrived there. It turned out that the lords of the capital preferred men to women. It was no longer considered romantic to court famous courtesans to listen to poetry and music. If a ranked official, or a scholar who prided himself on his talent and elegance, did not go to the opera house and know about opera, he was considered a vulgar man who had no taste and was cut off from the elite social circle of the capital.


    Liang Zitang has always been fond of men and knows the unspoken rules of promotion in the official world. If he could befriend a famous opera singer, he would naturally be able to enter the heart of the capital''s elite social circle and get to know the most important people, which would help him in his career. This would be much more useful than preparing for the imperial examinations.


    He managed to squeeze into the shows of famous opera troupes several times, and his effort finally paid off when he met the Third Lord, Huilu. Naturally, he knew all about Huilu''s identity and background, but as their conversations were all about opera, he was unable to make deeper acquaintances with him until that day when the Third Lord finally let him come to his residence to watch the Jinyu Troupe''s performance. Sandwiched between a group of officials and gentry, looking with trepidation at the mansion comparable to an imperial garden, and at the waterfront stage by the Dragon Pond, which looked like a moon palace, he understood what it meant to live like a god ¡­ ¡­


    "My Lord, why do you seem as if you have lost your soul all the time? Let Luohua make another toast to congratulate Your Excellency on your promotion to the Third Grade Secretary!"


    Liang Zitang was startled when Luohua came over to toast him, and only when he looked at the Third Grade court uniform he was wearing did he snap out of his trance. The water stage of the Rong Mansion was just as it had been in the past, as surreal as a painting, but he had gone from being a timid outsider sitting behind the Third Lord watching an opera play to becoming a family member of this great House of Rong. And all this change was because he had met Qiuchen.


    Yes, he has lost his soul. But his soul was lost a long time ago, here, but not now.


    That day, when he caught a glimpse of the unusual purity in those captivating eyes, it was as if his soul had fallen into a pool of pristine water that had been frozen for ten thousand years, never to be found again.


    When the owner of those eyes stood on the stage, he was as distant as a fairy living in the moon palace; and when he stood in front of him, he was so aloof that there was not a hint of a smile on his face. He still remembered that time when this beautiful man was forced by a group of officials to make toasts with a "lip cup"[1], his eyes clearly filled with tears, and he made a public fool of himself to save that man from his embarrassment. This was the first time he was rewarded with a grateful look from those beautiful eyes, which led to the subsequent entangled love ¡­ ¡­


    While he was deep in his thoughts, the introduction music to the play had stopped, and a boy came on stage and read out the opening lines to set the scene[2]:


    "Du Shiniang accompanied her husband to the capital for his exams, but she didn''t know that he was too engrossed in sensual pleasures to think about the examinations. All the money they brought with them was spent, so it was all up to Shiniang to plan the expenses ..."


    The Third Lord looked puzzled and said curiously, "Yo! What''s this story? Even I have never heard of it! It seems to be the story of Du Shiniang, but it''s not quite the same. Is Qiuchen writing his own play now?"


    Liang Zitang, however, had already figured out the significance of the story. It turned out that the play was based on the traditional story of Du Shiniang. In the story, Li Jia, an ungrateful scholar went to the capital to sit for the imperial examinations, but he had spent all his money in debauchery. Li Jia was played by Yiran, the third elder brother of Qiuchen and the current master of the Jinyu Troupe, with whom Qiuchen had always had a very close relationship. Looking at Yiran''s movements and mannerisms, he was deliberately imitating himself. It was evident that he felt sorry for Qiuchen''s current situation and used the opportunity of this performance to mock himself.


    Liang Zitang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, but he could only watch the play patiently as if nothing was wrong. Since he married Miss Rong, he hadn''t had the chance to see the man who was now the Third Lord''s personal servant... and in his heart he was still fond of him. Now that they had met again, could he forgive him? After all, he had always been so kind¡­


    --------------------


    [1] The term "lip cup" refers to the mouth-to-mouth feeding of a drink. One person takes a sip of wine and feeds it directly into the other person''s mouth. It''s an intimate but usually disrespectful act.


    [2] It''s a part of the formulation of the Beijing opera. When a play starts, a character enters for the first time, an ''entrance speech'' or ''self-introduction speech'' is given, which includes a prelude poem, a set-the-scene poem, and a prose set-the-scene speech, in that order.

 Chapter 88 - An Exiled Fairy

    Yuan Ge was very pleased with how this scene had turned out so far. The veteran actor who played the Third Lord and the professional Beijing Opera actor who played Yiran had both played their roles very well. What pleased him the most was Stephen and Chestnut who played the couple Liang Zitang and Miss Rong in this scene. Although they did not have many lines, they both managed to act out the inner feelings of their characters through their facial expressions. Even Waylon, who was not very successful in his previous attempts as Qiuchen''s second elder brother Luohua, played his role a lot better today.


    The entire cast and crew braved the bitter cold of the winter night to shoot this scene. They were very dedicated to their work and managed to successfully create the lively atmosphere of the opera party of the House of Rong. Viewed from the camera lens, it wasn''t at all obvious that the weather conditions were bad, which made Yuan Ge feel quite touched.


    However, what was to come eventually had to come - Yin Fenghua would have to appear after all. In the film, it should have been a scene that everyone looked forward to, but in reality, Yuan Ge felt a pain in his stomach just thinking about Yin Fenghua''s terrible acting skills and arrogant attitude.


    After that big fight yesterday, he had no idea how Fat Chow and Du Jinghai managed to persuade the guy to come back. They must have apologised against their will and made a reluctant compromise.. It was already dusk when Yin Fenghua arrived. He was escorted by his assistants into the dressing room and had not came out since. Probably because he simply didn''t want to communicate, trying to show his displeasure to him, the director.


    Thinking about how determined he was yesterday to replace this male lead, but seeing how hard the cast and crew had worked today, Yuan Ge hesitated. He couldn''t bear to see all these efforts go down the drain, to the extent that this production would end up being aborted.


    Just bear with it! Pinching his brow, Yuan Ge repeatedly told himself in his mind. But what if Yin Fenghua''s performance was still as bad as ever? What if he was deliberately giving him a hard time? Should he call NG or accept his subpar performance?


    Just as Yuan Ge was struggling with what to do, "Rong Qing" emerged on stage in Du Shiniang''s costume and appeared on the camera monitor in front of him.


    As this production Du Shiniang was a fabricated Beijing Opera play, Rong Qiuchen did not stick to the usual formula of opera styling. He only used liquid powder[1] to lightly outline his face, applied some red rouge around his cheeks and his eyes, and a touch of peachy rouge on his thin, slightly upturned lips, adding a subtler and more feminine touch than his previous look. This appearance alone had stunned the audience. Then, calmly, he sang the set-the-scene poem that he had made up.


    "A thousand strands of sorrow are in disarray.


    My guests are invited to enjoy my smile every day.


    And I am made fun of and belittled.


    Even if there are tears, I dare not to shed..."


    Then, in a high and tender voice, he sang about the life of Du Shiniang. The graceful pride and icy beauty he displayed was like putting the soul back into the fictional character Du Shiniang; his aggrieved heart came from the tragedy of Shiniang, but was filled with his own emotions. He had woven his own traumatic experiences into the story of Du Shiniang and Li Jia.


    Liang Zitang was instantly captured by his alluring face and couldn''t turn his eyes away - that man was as beautiful as ever, so beautiful that it hurt!


    And it wasn''t just Liang Zitang in the play who had been captivated!


    When Yuan Ge looked at Yin Fenghua''s performance today, he could hardly believe his eyes: the make-up was so exquisite that it was like nothing he had seen since the start of the production of Qingqing! It was obvious that this make-up didn''t over-emphasise the strict operatic look like in the previous scenes, but the light Beijing opera make-up that Yin Fenghua wore today was unique. The lowered eyelashes cast two shadows across his face, as if deliberately concealing the deep sorrow locked in his eyes. The slanting corners of his eyes and the pale rouge completely blur the boundaries of gender. In the hazy night, under the faint shadows of the stage lights, he looked as beautiful as an exiled fairy descending to earth. Even if Du Shiniang had been reborn, she wouldn''t have had such charm!


    What was even more surprising was that, apart from the perfection of his make-up and posture, Yin Fenghua''s smoky throat, which he had been suffering for days, was also completely cured. Yuan Ge was very sure that he had not gone to Professor Wang to borrow a professional opera actor to dub his singing today. Had Yin Fenghua finally been enlightened? Not only did he sing the lyrics without missing a single word, but his opera singing skills - although Yuan Ge didn''t know Beijing Opera particularly well, to the layman''s eye, this singing standard was absolutely impeccable; as for professional opinion, he stole a glance at the Operatic Director, Mr. Lee from the NATA, who was actually staring at the stage with wide eyes, muttering under his breath, his eyes tearing up, his astonished expression even more exaggerated than his own!


    As for the other members of the cast and crew, they were obviously dumbfounded as well. Probably they had never seen Yin Fenghua acting with such dedication, so much so that even when it was clear that it was time to cut to the next scene, Du Jinghai, Am¨¦lie Jiang and the others didn''t issue any corresponding instructions. Everyone held their breath to be in harmony with the performance of the man on stage, not wanting to disturb this rare brilliance.


    Yuan Ge''s heart was full of excitement, thinking about how exactly he was going to apologise to Yin Fenghua when the shooting of this scene was over.


    Not to mention the apology, had Yin Fenghua been able to act like that in the future, he would gladly accept it even if he asked himself to burn incense and bow down to him every day!


    --------------------


    [1] Liquid powder is a cosmetic made from powder and glycerine.

 Chapter 89 - The Real Rong Qing

    With nothing to distract him, "Rong Qing" immersed himself in the drama on stage and his performance got better and better. He seemed to know the script by heart and sang without a hint of hesitation, confidently enjoying the respect and admiration of the audience.


    His skirt resembled the water of the Xiangjiang River and his hair was like the clouds of the Wushan Mountain. After his stunning first appearance, he went on to bring Du Shiniang to life with his light and graceful steps, his vivacious movements and expressive face. He finally recaptured the brilliance of Rong Qiuchen, that most famous actor of the Qing dynasty who had captured everyone''s imagination and charmed the whole world.


    "All the vows and promises have become illusions.


    A match made in heaven has turned into nightmares.


    The water glistens like a ribbon.


    Beneath the fair exterior a mystery is hidden.".


    He sang the aria in a clear voice. His eyes were filled with misery; his chanting was interspersed with sobs; his words were laden with regret. In a low voice he spoke of his sorrow and melancholy, and in a high voice he rose into the clouds.


    "Wrong, wrong, wrong, I shan''t complain.


    Why can''t I tell the difference between good and bad?


    The more I think about it, the more confused I get.


    I''m frowning and have nothing to say.


    ¡­ ¡­


    I have a noble heart, but was born in the demimonde.


    I have eyes but failed to see that he was unworthy of me.


    As time passes by my remorse is endless!"


    The final line was sung in such a long, high-pitched way that it gave one goose bumps. It sounded like a cuckoo crying blood[1], turning the anguish of the heart into a cry of grief, revealing the helplessness of the character at this moment, so heart-rending yet so soul-stirring!


    Yuan Ge was so mesmerised by the performance that he was unable to move. The Rong Qing in his dreams and the Rong Qing[2] on stage had finally become one! THIS was the cinematic effect he had dreamed of!


    Mr. Lee, the Operatic Director of the film, could not hold back his excitement and was the first to stand up and applaud when he heard Yuan Ge call "Cut".


    "Great! That''s great!" The 60-year-old gentleman was as excited as a child, repeating these simple words, completely overwhelmed by the performance of the man on stage.


    "Catch him! Don''t let him get away!"


    A screeching, angry shout suddenly broke the mood of the set and snapped everyone back to reality!


    Then, people saw a man, dishevelled and stumbling, rushing furiously towards the stage, pointing at "Rong Qing" on the centre stage and shouting, while several security guards from the Rong Mansion and assistants behind him pounced on the stage to grab him, completely ignoring the shooting in progress.


    Yuan Ge was stunned, because this miserable-looking man was actually Yin Fenghua!


    His forehead and the corners of his mouth were wounded, and his face was covered in blood mixed with tattered opera make-up, making him look even more wretched. He looked angrily at the crew who were all staring at him in disbelief and shouted hatefully, "What are you all standing around for! Someone''s been going around pretending to be a ghost here! Stealing costumes and props, impersonating actors, and beating up the lead in the toilet! What an outrage! What is the use of security guards? If you can''t catch this bastard, call the police!"


    It was only then that the crowd finally realised that the superb actor "Rong Qing" on stage was not actually Yin Fenghua! And Yuan Ge instantly understood that the man on stage must be the loony boy "Rong Qiuchen" who he had been searching for all these days!


    --------------------


    [1] "Cuckoo crying blood" comes from an ancient Chinese legend.


    Legend has it that in ancient times there was an emperor named Du Yu who was in love with his empress. He was later murdered by a traitor and died a miserable death. His soul was transformed into a cuckoo bird, which cried and wailed in the Empress'' garden every day. The teardrops it shed were drops of red blood that stained the beautiful azalea in the Empress''s garden.


    When the empress heard the cuckoo''s wail and saw the red blood, she understood that it was the spirit of her husband. In her grief, she wailed day and night, "You come back, you come back", and eventually died of depression.


    Her soul was transformed into a red azalea that blossomed all over the mountain and the wilderness, accompanying the cuckoo bird, which is why the azalea is also known as Cuckoo Flower. This is the allusion to the cuckoo crying blood. This lifelong love between bird and flower is an immortal legend in the world.


    [2] Rong Qing, Rong Qiuchen, Qingqing, are different names for the same person. Rong is the surname, Qiuchen is the given name, and Qing is a name/title used between close friends.

 Chapter 90 - Don’t Let Him Get Away!

    I can''t believe it''s him! No wonder!


    This was the first time Yuan Ge had seen "Rong Qiuchen" in full Beijing Opera costume. Although he had known for a long time that underneath that crazy and unusual behaviour, he had a stunning face that was quite similar to the Rong Qing in his script. But it wasn''t until today when he stood on stage and played Rong Qing''s part impeccably, especially when his performance even had Mr. Lee applauding, that he was truly stunned. Anyone who had seen it would have to agree that his acting was perfect. And at this very moment, he almost wanted to believe that this was the Qingqing of his dreams - even though it was impossible.


    Using reason to suppress the excitement in his heart, Yuan Ge just wanted to talk to this "Rong Qiuchen" right now and tell him all the mixed emotions he had been feeling for days.


    However, Yin Fenghua kept shouting, urging his assistants to call the police and have the security guards come and arrest him. The man on the stage was instantly jolted out of the play. All his brilliance and charm vanished with the chaos; the light in his eyes quickly turned to horror at the reality of his situation. Seeing several burly men rush onto the stage without a word, he had to bring out his martial arts skills to fight back. His slender body swayed from side to side, ducking those who tried to grab him, and he deftly leapt off the stage to escape..


    "Stop him! Don''t let him get away!" Two people shouted these words at the same time, one was Yin Fenghua and the other was Mr. Lee.


    "This bastard cornered me in the toilet and beat me up. I''m the lead actor of Qingqing, yet he deliberately hit my face! Look at my forehead, and the corner of my mouth, it''s all bloody! My nose might have been broken as well! He even dared to take my costume and steal my headdress! I must catch him today and make him taste his own medicine!" Yin Fenghua said with hatred as he wiped a handful of blood from his lips.


    Although Rong Qiuchen was dressed in the soft female costume of Du Shiniang, he was obviously well trained in real martial arts. He moved swiftly to dodge the interception and siege from the security guards, fending off the punches and kicks that came his way with precision. He leapt from the water stage towards the Lotus Pavilion - climbing, hurdling, hanging and tumbling, as if he were an Olympic medal-winning gymnast, or a parkour master in a video game. A series of combinations dazzled all onlookers, but no one was able to stop him.


    "Please don''t go away, young man! Where are you from? Are you a student of the Beijing Opera Academy or an actor of the National Opera House? Your singing and acting skills are so superior that they are beyond my imagination. Please stay and let''s talk!"


    Mr. Lee looked even more anxious than Yin Fenghua. Watching Rong Qiuchen being driven away by the security guards, he felt very distraught. How he wished he could stop the chaos immediately and meet this national treasure properly!


    "Don''t trip over the cables and bring the cameras down!"


    When Du Jinghai saw "Du Shiniang" running towards him and Yuan Ge, he didn''t care about anything else and rushed to protect several of the most expensive cameras around him, thinking that if those precious equipment worth millions were destroyed, the company would be finished for sure. They might as well say goodbye to Dragon Dreams.


    Yuan Ge''s only thought at the moment was to make the man stay. He rushed forward, stretched out his arms to block Rong Qiuchen''s way, his eyes looking firmly at his panicked face, and said loudly and calmly, "Rong-Qiu-Chen, don''t be afraid! It''s me! I''m here for you!"


    When Rong Qiuchen suddenly heard Yuan Ge''s voice, he was a little dazed. He couldn''t slow down his running momentum in time and his body crashed involuntarily into the arms in front of him. When their eyes met, it was as if the strength in his body had been exhausted, and he suddenly collapsed limply.


    Yuan Ge was startled and hurriedly helped him up. His body was cold and icy, as if he had been frozen to the bone by this winter night, probably because he had only worn a few thin layers of costume while he performed on stage. Yuan Ge felt an inexplicable compassion in his heart at the thought, and hugged his body tighter in his arms.

 Chapter 91 - The Breakup

    "This kid really is a porcelain bumper, and he specifically likes to bump into you ¡­"


    Am¨¦lie Jiang came to Yuan Ge''s side and surveyed Qiuchen''s pretty face with the opera makeup on. Although it was hard to see his face underneath the makeup, she could tell that he had gradually regained consciousness after falling into Yuan Ge''s arms.


    She was about to ask him if he was suffering from low blood sugar when she heard Yin Fenghua''s voice coming from a distance.


    "Has he been caught? Where is he? I won''t fucking let him get away with it. I''m going to fucking beat the shit out of him!"


    Am¨¦lie was alarmed and winked at Yuan Ge anxiously. Yin Fenghua had taken quite a beating today and she feared he would never let it go easily.


    Rong Qiuchen came around at that moment, and hearing Yin Fenghua''s angry shouts, he looked at Yuan Ge and spoke slowly, "I cannot allow him to belittle the Jinyu Troupe like that, to insult the two masters and my brothers, to belittle me and to humiliate you! I can''t allow him to be so rude and disrespectful to the Peking Opera!"


    Without saying anything more, he struggled to his feet and was about to leave. Yuan Ge pulled him back and said earnestly, "Don''t go! You are still very weak. You can''t go on like this in such cold weather! Besides, I need to talk to you ¡­"


    Rong Qiuchen glanced at Yin Fenghua limping towards them with a vicious look on his face, and knew that the beating he gave him earlier must have caused a lot of trouble for the crew. He gave Yuan Ge a deep look, clasped his fist and saluted him, broke away and darted off, disappearing into the darkness of the night.


    Yuan Ge thought back to Rong Qiuchen''s words, and for a moment, he was a little bewildered. Then he heard a cold laugh from Yin Fenghua behind him, "Yuan Ge, what kind of director are you? How much longer do you want to keep up the charade? You are clearly in cahoots with this fake! I saw you hugging him and talking to him! Don''t think I don''t know what games you''re playing! For the sake of Brother Run, I let you off the hook for your rudeness yesterday and reluctantly returned to the set to continue shooting for your lousy film. But I didn''t expect you guys to hire this kid to kidnap me, beat me up, impersonate me and mock me! You are always crying about being poor, but how much did you pay to get a student from the NATA to act as a decoy and thug!"


    Before Yuan Ge could retort, Mr. Lee, who had just arrived on the scene, spoke up first.


    "You deserve to be mocked! You think you''re a big pop star, but your performance level is not even one tenth of that kid''s! Whether it''s the appearance, the singing, the posture or the martial arts skills, you are no match for him. The performance of Du Shiniang just now was something that even the professors in our department could not do. I am afraid that even the best Dan actors in the country may not be able to compete with him. So you don''t need to bring NATA into it, because we wouldn''t dare to boast that we can produce such a good student. And don''t wrongly accuse Director Yuan either. If he could have hired such a decoy, he certainly wouldn''t have wanted you. He would have replaced you ten thousand times already!"


    Yin Fenghua had never been ridiculed like this before, and he spluttered hatefully, "Old man, who do you think you are, daring to lecture me?! You can sing opera, so bloody what? A declining craft, no one gives a damn about, and you still think you''re great?! You''ve been picking on me every day and I''ve long since had enough! How dare you urge Yuan Ge to replace me? Without my star appeal, do you think anyone will still watch this crappy movie? With this lame plot, a few amateur actors, a head-in-the-cloud director, and a Beijing Opera theme no one cares about, you think it''s going to be a box office hit? No way! Just wait until you lose your last penny!"


    Seeing him spouting such rampant nonsense, Yuan Ge''s anger from yesterday was rekindled.


    "Yin Fenghua, you don''t need to insult the word ''art'' by talking nonsense here! If you don''t want to act, then don''t act. No one wants to have you back. I''d rather not shoot my film than have you continue to trash it."


    Yin Fenghua didn''t expect Yuan Ge to be so tough this time and actually put his words so adamantly. He was so angry that he pointed his finger at him and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, you want to replace me, right? Fine, just go ahead and try! I''d like to see how you guys can explain to the media and the fans! I''ll have my agency expose you tomorrow for hiring thugs and beating up the lead actor! Not only will I expose it, but I will get a medical certificate for my injuries and report it to the police! Yuan Ge, just wait for the court summons! When your company goes bankrupt, I''ll see how you''re gonna beg for mercy on your knees!"

 Chapter 92 - The Farewell Dinner

    After saying these harsh words, Yin Fenghua left the set and did not reappear for the next few days. Everyone was very anxious, wondering if his threat to file a lawsuit for damages was for real or not.


    However, Yuan Ge didn''t appear to be distressed. He calmed everyone down and used the last few days before Chinese New Year to continue filming other scenes, mainly because he didn''t want to lose morale by stopping work, and more importantly because the only way to find the mysterious "Rong Qiuchen'''' again was for the crew to continue filming at the Rong Mansion. Yuan Ge made up his mind that no matter what kind of trouble Yin Fenghua would cause, as long as the film "Qingqing'''' was to continue, he would definitely replace the male lead! And the most suitable person for the role had to be that little porcelain-bumping loony boy!


    After work that day, Yuan Ge received a call from Chow Mingrun inviting the entire cast and crew to a hot pot dinner tonight.


    "What''s going on?" Am¨¦lie looked incredulous, "I haven''t seen Boss Chow for days. I guess he must have been burned out because of the Yin Fenghua business. I don''t know how he wanted to handle the whole thing, but I didn''t think he was in any mood to invite us to dinner even if he was not angry. But now, not only did he invite the whole cast and crew, but he chose that big, expensive "Dong Lai Chang" restaurant! Given how stingy he usually is, he should have ordered takeaway from his congee bar even if he wanted to treat us to a New Year dinner!"


    "Fat Chow said that today is the last get-together before the New Year and we''ll stop work tomorrow. Aren''t you all going back home for the Spring Festival holiday?"


    Seeing Yuan Ge''s breezy attitude at Chow Mingrun''s invitation, Du Jinghai couldn''t help but worry, "You are too optimistic, I''m afraid. If you ask me, I wouldn''t be surprised if this meal is going to be a farewell dinner ¡­ "


    "A farewell dinner?!"


    Waylon, Stephen and Chestnut were all a bit dumbfounded when they heard What Du Jinghai said. They had only just signed their contracts and become actors; was Dragon Dreams going to close up shop so soon?


    Each with their own worries, dozens of people stepped through the doors of Dong Lai Chang Hot Pot restaurant, one of the most famous traditional restaurants in Beijing, and filled the place up at once. Fortunately, Chow Mingrun had booked in advance, otherwise there would have been no chance to find an empty table at this time of day. After arranging for the general crew members to be seated downstairs, he pulled the company''s key players directly upstairs to a large private room with two tables.


    Du Jinghai looked at the situation and couldn''t help but make a dejected face at everyone, which clearly meant, "See, a farewell meal, just like I said."


    "Come, come, come! Hurry up, all sit down please. You guys are really taking your time. I was getting hungry while waiting for you guys! Leaving me alone in a hot pot restaurant is so inhumane! It''s torture to smell it but not be able to eat it!"


    Surprisingly, Chow Mingrun was in high spirits. When he saw the crowd entering the room, he greeted them, standing up to welcome them as if they were his precious clients. He put his partners and main cast at one table and the lighting, props, make-up, set and editing crew at another.


    "Fat Chow, what''s the deal today? Instead of eating at your congee bar, you brought us here for an expensive hot-pot banquet. Do we have the budget for it?"


    Noticing that Chow Mingrun was wearing a designer suit today - a rare occasion that he actually looked like a big boss, Du Jinghai became even more suspicious and couldn''t wait to bring out the questions in his mind.


    "Today is the farewell dinner. You have all worked so hard since the inception of our little start-up Dragon Dreams, but I haven''t treated you all to an authentic Beijing hot pot experience. That won''t do! Just look at how good the ingredients are at this restaurant! Tender five-month-old lamb! Look how good the knife work is ¡­" said Chow Mingrun as he picked up a plate of thinly sliced lamb and stood the plate up on its side without the lamb falling apart, "Look at the way the lamb is arranged! Look at this traditional knife work! Look at how thin each slice is! "


    The crowd did not care about the lamb, their attention was focused on the words "farewell dinner".


    When Chow Mingrun saw that everyone was staring blankly, not looking excited at all, he was quite puzzled, "What''s wrong with you all? The pot is boiling, waiting for the lamb to go in. Why don''t you sit down and enjoy it?"


    "Fat Chow, you said, uh, farewell dinner? ¡­"


    Chow Mingrun couldn''t understand what Du Jinghai was talking about and replied, "That''s right, it''s a farewell dinner. It''s only a few days before New Year''s Eve, aren''t you going back home to Anhui for the New Year? Amy is going back to Canton, Chestnut is going back to Hebei, and Wei Lun''s home is in Dalian ¡­ I have a good memory. Only Stephen and Yuan Ge are local to Beijing and don''t have to fight the Spring Festival travel rush[1], definitely the luckiest of us all. I''ve already booked a flight back to Xiaoshan the day after tomorrow. Alas! I have to be on time every year to spend New Year''s Eve with my wife''s family."


    "So you don''t mean to dissolve the company?" Du Jinghai asked uncertainly.


    "Dissolve the company? How could it be dissolved!" Chow Mingrun had the waiter open beer, wine and various spirits and said with a big grin, "Dragon Dreams is going to soar from now on! We''re on our way to becoming the top of show business!"


    --------------------


    [1] Spring Festival travel rush, or chunyun, is a period of travel in China with extremely high traffic load around the time of the Chinese New Year. The travel season in China usually begins 15 days before New Year''s Day and lasts for around 40 days.. It has been called the largest annual human migration in the world.

 Chapter 93 - The Explosive News

    Seeing that the crowd still looked baffled, Chow Mingrun lifted his glass and said, "Everyone, please raise your glasses, I have some great news to tell you today!"


    Yuan Ge saw a big smile on Chow Mingrun''s face, and he wondered what news was so good that it could make him so happy. But since he was in such a good mood, perhaps later after a few rounds of drinks, he could mention to him about replacing Yin Fenghua, and maybe he would just agree.


    Am¨¦lie didn''t bother beating around the bush. She raised her glass and said playfully, "Boss, stop making us guess and just tell us. Is it because your wife''s Chow''s Pickles are selling so well that she has decided to invest more in us?"


    "How can that be! She''s such a conservative person! With me whispering in her ear every night, after all these years she still hasn''t shown the slightest trust in the entertainment industry. Not to mention investing more, even if she has made a lot more money, she is not willing to invest anything in film productions or increase my pocket money."


    The crowd laughed at his words. Chow Mingrun, the son-in-law of Chow''s Pickles from Xiaoshan, was never ashamed of marrying into his wife''s family and often made self-deprecating jokes about it. Everyone thought he was rather cute in this completely unabashed way.


    "Hey, let''s not talk about irrelevant things. I''m inviting you all to dinner today because I have a huge big announcement to make!" Chow Mingrun said excitedly, looking a little delirious, "I was called over to King Guan Entertainment today and guess what? We''ve really made it this time! - The audition last time, that audition of three frigging thousand people, and we at Dragon Dreams Pictures have scored the biggest win of all!!!"


    "Fat Chow, what are you talking about here? What do you mean we''ve scored the biggest win? Are you drunk already - who are you fooling?" Seeing him waving his hands around deliriously, Du Jinghai felt that he could not trust his words.


    It was Am¨¦lie who was thinking fast, "You mean Yuan Ge got the assistant director job for King Guan''s new film?"


    These words reminded several people in the room. The thrilling scene of Yuan Ge spraying Arthur Guan in the face, getting him wet all over, and then being dragged inside by eight beefy guys for a forced audition was still fresh in everyone''s mind.


    "No-no-no, I said a big win, how can it be that simple!" Chow Mingrun smiled mysteriously before pulling out a large poster from behind his back, "Waylon, come over here and give me a hand, let''s ''open the light''[1] for this poster!"


    The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, used clear tape to stick the poster on the wall. When the spotlights shone on the poster, the crowd couldn''t believe their eyes -


    It was the concept poster for the new film "A Journey in Brocade", just announced today by King Guan Entertainment. The grandiose design style suggested that this would be the industry giant''s big blockbuster of the year. The most crucial thing was that in the section of leading actors, the name of Arthur Guan was written in the first position! And the second male lead was actually Yuan Ge!


    The whole room was in an uproar - how was this possible?! Wasn''t it the assistant director''s position that Yuan Ge went to audition for? There were 3,000 people auditioning, including a handful of award-winning movie stars, but Arthur Guan had chosen Yuan Ge for the lead role? And the big boss was going to star in the film himself? That was simply unheard of! How come King Guan suddenly decided to star in it himself, and in the lead role too? This ¡­ was all too beyond people''s comprehension; it was absolutely unbelievable!


    Chow Mingrun gestured for everyone to be quiet, pointed triumphantly at the poster and said with a big smile, "Don''t just read the headline, there is other important information. Waylon, read it."


    "Wow, the special guest stars are all big names! And in the main cast, there''s Chestnut! Oh my God, Chestnut, you should be so proud of yourself! Your name even ranks ahead of a few big movie stars!"


    Waylon almost dropped his jaw as he looked at the cast announced on the poster.


    Stephen rushed over to him, "Look! Look! Even Waylon and I are in supporting roles! Waylon, this is King Guan''s biggest film of the year, a film with an investment scale at the top of the industry, and we''re both actually in it!"


    "Come here, Chestnut, they''re not reading the poster carefully enough, you read it. Here, in the producer''s section, read it three times!"


    Apparently not satisfied with the level of surprise of the crowd, Chow Mingrun called over the usually simple and honest girl, Chestnut, who was now stunned almost speechless, and asked her to read it aloud.


    "The producers are King Guan Entertainment and Dragon ¡­ Dragon ¡­ Dragon Dreams Pictures!" Chestnut stammered, her eyes opening wide.


    "Chestnut, I told you to read it three times, not to stammer three times. Look carefully, everyone - Dragon Dreams Pictures, the number two producer!"


    --------------------


    [1] Open the light, or kaiguang, is the Chinese term for consecration of a statue of a deity. A Kaiguang ritual varies amongst Chinese religious traditions, but it is essentially the act of formal consecration for proper usage by dotting the eyes of a statue of the Deity using a calligraphy brush coated with cinnabar.. It is believed that if a statue or lion costume has not been ''kaiguang'', it cannot be worshiped or used for performance, as the eyes are still "closed".

 Chapter 94 - Lets Drink To Success

    "What the hell is going on here, Fat Chow?"


    It was Yuan Ge who was the first to snap out of this shockingly explosive news.


    "Ha! Let me tell you, Yuan Ge, you''ve scored big this time!" Chow Mingrun smiled as he came over and patted him on the shoulder, raising his glass towards everyone, and said, "Guys and gals, please, drink this glass and I''ll tell you all about it!"


    "Happy New Year! Long live Dragon Dreams!" A warm sound of blessings filled the room.


    Chow Mingrun happily drained his glass.


    "Today, Chief Assistant Liu Sang asked me to go and see King Guan, just to inform me of this great news in person. He told us to think it over tonight, and we''ll sign the contract officially tomorrow! They want Yuan Ge to play one of the male leads Chu Jiliang, the Chief Commander of the Brocade-Clad Guards, and Arthur himself will play the other male lead Sibeoci Fiyangg¨±, the head of Jurchen tribe. This is just the first concept poster, there will be a series of big marketing campaigns to follow! Hahaha ¡­"


    "Don''t just laugh, keep talking!" Du Jinghai was eager to hear the whole story.


    "I met Arthur today and he was actually quite nice. He explained to me personally that this film is his first production back home, and is vital to his restructuring effort, and the pre-production investment alone is one billion! The reason for casting Yuan Ge as the male lead was because he particularly liked his performance at the last audition and also felt that his temperament suited the role. Judging from what he said, King Guan was totally impressed with Yuan Ge. As a result, everyone of us in Dragon Dreams got a piece of the action in this production. Look at this, Chestnut was cast as the female lead, playing the princess, that''s the number one beauty in the film! Waylon and Stephen didn''t pass the audition, but they have all been given roles in this announcement. The key is that ¡­"


    Chow Mingrun looked at the poster again with a happy face and pointed to the producer section, lest the world didn''t know, repeatedly poking at the words ''Dragon Dreams Pictures'' and saying, "What kind of honour is it to list us as the number two producer? Even ahead of Polar Bear Pictures and Magic Lamp Pictures! Those three are the giants of the film industry, yet we, a newly established small potato, are listed as the second producer! This will definitely cause an earthquake in the industry. From now on, let''s see who dares not to take us seriously! Finding project partners, getting resources, ¡­ it''s not going to be the same from now on! This is a real breakthrough! Hahahahahahaha ¡­"


    This burst of unstoppable maniacal laughter from Chow Mingrun made the crowd finally believe what he said.


    Am¨¦lie''s eyes also shone with excitement as she raised her glass again, "Let''s drink to Boss Chow! He is the leader of Dragon Dreams and has done superbly well in this negotiation. Let''s follow his leadership and achieve a glorious future with Dragon Dreams!"


    Chow Mingrun took a large sip of wine and raised his glass to Yuan Ge, "I am the boss, but Yuan Ge is the soul of Dragon Dreams. I hope he can work well with King Guan and make us all proud. We have a bright future ahead of us!"


    "Fat Chow, are we really going to join forces with King Guan Entertainment? It feels so stressful. Do I need to start preparing now? Can you give me more stuff apart from this poster to work on?"


    "Old Dude, you think too much! The contract signing is tomorrow. They are the top dog of the industry, so there''s no need for us to worry about the promotion and distribution. We''ll get what we''re supposed to get after the contract is signed, and you worry about the lack of things to work on? Just put your heart back in your stomach and think about how to update our company''s homepage first. I reckon our website traffic will increase geometrically as soon as the news comes out. The time to make a name for ourselves is just around the corner! Come on, guys and gals, let''s get started on this hot pot and have a good meal! Try the old Beijing style hand-shaved lamb, worth every penny, it really is as thin as paper, soft as cotton, the broth is light and the lamb is fresh ¡­"


    The crowd was so encouraged by the good news that they put aside all concerns. With good cheer and appetite, the lamb was poured into the hot pot freely, and a full range of alcohol was ordered.. Everyone mingled and laughed and the atmosphere soon became very lively.

 Chapter 95 - Secrets In The Poster

    Am¨¦lie, despite her small frame, had an amazing capacity for alcohol. Because of the nature of her work, she often had to negotiate and entertain at dinner parties, and she had no problem handling all kinds of alcoholic drinks. As a result, she had taken several rounds of drinks on behalf of Yuan Ge, who had been made drunk by the group.


    "Amy, you''re not being fair! Old Dude and I are your partners too, how come we only see you help Yuan Ge out with his drinks?"


    Chow Mingrun was in a good mood tonight and was also drinking to his heart''s content. However, he, who had always been a superb drinker, was no match to Am¨¦lie when it came to a drinking contest.


    "Yuan Ge can''t drink at all. Now that he''s been cast as the male lead in King Guan''s blockbuster, he probably won''t be a director for a long time and is going to be a movie star. If the film is a big hit, he could be a superstar. Don''t you think we should give him a PA?"


    Am¨¦lie said as she downed another glass of wine for Yuan Ge, still looking as sober as ever, leaving Chestnut and the other young actors completely in awe.


    "Nononono! You want to be Yuan Ge''s personal assistant, huh? Then who''s going to be in charge of marketing and finance? Don''t even think about it! Our little company can''t do without you!"


    There was no way Chow Mingrun was going to let go of his right-hand woman.


    "That''s right! If Yuan Ge is going to work with King Guan''s group, he''ll need to work on his drinking ability. Amy, you can''t keep spoiling him and helping him out all the time."


    Du Jinghai was not a bad drinker either, and he managed to keep a clear head at the moment, discussing with the three of them, "Say, Fat Chow, you said that King Guan budgeted one billion for the pre-production of this film alone, and everything was to be top-notch, how much did Polar Bear and Magic Lamp put in respectively, or did they provide other resources but not money? We are the second producer, how many people will we provide and how much money will we put in? You have to get your numbers right. Let''s not get trapped in a bad deal and sign some kind of agreement with lots of damaging clauses. If you get one thing wrong, not only will we lose Dragon Dreams, but you could lose your porridge bar too! Why don''t Amy and I go with you tomorrow to sign the contract?"


    "Why do we have to put in money? We''ve provided four important actors! At worst, we will forgo the remuneration and call it an investment, right? You and Amy have already booked your tickets, there''s no need to change them. I can handle it... why... are you worried about my business skills? Relax, mate, go back home for the New Year and we''ll be in a different league when you get back. In fact, providing four actors is already too much, just selling Yuan Ge alone is enough, isn''t it?"


    Chow Mingrun was already dizzy from drinking, and the way he smiled at Yuan Ge was becoming weird. He pulled Chestnut to the side, "Chestnut, go, read aloud again for Brother Chow, who are the producers of ''A Journey in Brocade''?"


    Chestnut was just about to stand up when Yuan Ge pulled her back down again.


    "Don''t listen to him, Boss Chow has turned into Brother Chow ¡­ if he has a few more drinks, he''ll probably have no problem being a Grandson Chow!"


    He patted the drunk Chow Mingrun on the back, "Fat Chow, you are not hiding any information from me, are you? I know that on the day of the audition, King Guan used one of their nine biggest stars, the hottest actor Wang Jinyu, to help with the scene. How come once the result was announced, the male lead was changed to the CEO himself?"


    "Sure, Wang Jinyu is popular, but can he be more appealing than his boss? You''ve met Arthur, he actually looks a lot like Wang Jinyu, 6ft tall, well built, and he is super rich! Maybe he is starring in his own film just for fun, so that he can win both titles of ''China''s Most Handsome Rich Man'' and ''China''s Richest Handsome Man''. As for what his acting skills will be like, that''s not our concern. Anyway, if they want to make a splash with a billion dollars, feel free, as long as they can make enough waves to set us sailing." Chow Mingrun smiled breezily.


    "It won''t be that bad. It was Arthur Guan himself who played opposite me on the day of the audition. He''s quite talented and his acting skills are definitely solid." Yuan Ge recalled the day of the audition and said not without emotion.


    "What?! How can you hide such an important detail from me? Quickly, quickly, tell me all about it! How exactly did he audition you that day?"


    Seeing that Du Jinghai, Am¨¦lie and the others all had their ears pricked up to listen, Yuan Ge had to recap the details of his audition with Arthur Guan that day.


    Du Jinghai listened carefully to Yuan Ge''s description and examined the concept poster a few more times before speaking, "I think Fat Chow may have thought the whole thing too simply. Take a closer look at this poster, guys." As a veteran photographer, Du Jinghai could always find many details in a picture.


    The crowd followed his description and took another close look at the poster.


    The poster shows a northern landscape of forest and snow; Heaven Lake[1] is surrounded by fresh snow like a white porcelain bowl filled with blue water; a rare glow appears in the sky as if it were the Northern Lights reflected on the mirror-like surface of the lake. At the outlet of the lake, a tall, bare-chested young man stands majestically at the water''s edge, undaunted by the cold wind, with a white-feathered, jade-clawed Haidongqing[2] resting on his left arm; beside him is a handsome Brocade-Clad Guard, followed by a ferocious snow leopard. These two men are but small figures in the vast expanse of the sky and mountain, but you can still see them standing side by side, talking happily.


    "Look at the Jurchen man on this poster, tall and dominant, looks exactly like Arthur Guan himself; while Chu Jiliang, beside him, looks just like Yuan Ge. These two standing there, apart from having a sense of history, have replaced the usual promotion of male/female romance on posters, emphasizing instead a sense of brotherhood ... I just looked it up online and found out that this film is based on the popular book, ''Me and the Emperor Compete for a Guard'' ,by a famous overseas Webnovel writer Meatball. The original book is said to be quite explicit in content; more crucially, the novel is a danmei[3] work!"


    --------------------


    [1] Heaven Lake is a crater lake on the border between China and North Korea. It lies within a caldera atop the volcanic Paektu Mountain, a part of the Baekdudaegan mountain range and the Changbai mountain range. It is located partly in Ryanggang Province, North Korea, at 42.006¡ãN 128.057¡ãE, and partly in Jilin Province, north-eastern China. Heaven Lake has been recognized as the highest volcanic lake in the world by the Shanghai Office of the Guinness Book of Records.


    [2] Haidongqing, also known as spear falcon, is a species of gyrfalcon that is found in the Arctic and over a wide area of North America and Asia, and is native to Heilongjiang and Jilin in China. It is a small but robust bird that flies extremely high and is an important helper in hunting, attacking swans and fighting chickens and rabbits. There are many types of Haidongqing, with the pure white jade-clawed type being the most prized.


    [3] Danmei is a genre of literature and other fictional media originating from China which features romantic relationships between male characters.. The term danmei is borrowed from the Japanese word tanbi ("the pursuit of beauty"), and Chinese fans often use danmei and BL (Boy''s Love) interchangeably.

 Chapter 96 - Lets Send Him To The Emperors Bed

    "What a rubbish title for a book! It''s for teenager girls, right? What are you trying to say with all this analysis? What''s danmei?" Am¨¦lie didn''t understand what Du Jinghai meant at all.


    "Amy, haven''t you ever heard of danmei? You must be a pure straight girl! Danmei is a subculture that is very popular nowadays; it is dedicated to male male romance, or boy''s love, and the audience is called ''rotten girls'', or fujoshi. It is a niche culture and a niche group, but the hits and web traffic today are driven by them. It is said that the one who wins the ''rotten girls'' wins the world, and the film industry has to pander to them to create ratings miracles."


    "Well well well, our Old Dude really lives up to his reputation as a seasoned Quarroer! So analytical and well versed in pop culture, you even know about danmei, that''s very good!" Chow Mingrun praised Du Jinghai enthusiastically, clinked glasses with him and then turned to Yuan Ge and Am¨¦lie, "So what Old Dude is saying is that the female lead in this film is not important, and most likely King Guan is trying to create a double male lead drama. That''s why he went out of his way, even holding a 3,000 people audition, just to pick a suitable male lead! Danmei has been quietly popular for many years, but due to regulatory policies, it is difficult to bring it to the big screen. I guess King Guan Entertainment, with its position as an industry leader, is brave enough to try something new and unique. It is quite an ambitious move! If we go by this line of thinking, this film will certainly be a big hit. We must seize this opportunity and become their important new partner. I''ll have a good talk tomorrow to figure out how much we are worth in their eyes."


    Seeing that Chow Mingrun was positively glowing with pride, Yuan Ge rolled his eyes inwardly and said, "Fat Chow, you must be overthinking it! So you''re going to sell Dragon Dreams? If Arthur Guan really wants to make a danmei film, I''m not even sure I can play it well!"


    "Yuan Ge, you''re the one who''s overthinking it! Let me tell you, you are now the girl chosen by the emperor to be his concubine, and all we have to do is to feed you well, dress you up, then strip you naked. Little Waylon and little Stephen will take a quilt and wrap you up, and put you in the emperor''s bed. Voil¨¤! We, the Dragon Dreamers, will have all set for our future."


    Chow Mingrun found this analogy very apt. Seeing Chestnut''s puzzled face, he added, "Little Chestnut, don''t just watch, you have a part to play too. You''re responsible for carrying the lantern ..."


    "Get lost! If that''s the case, then you must be the Chief Eunuch Chow, who doesn''t do anything good but pimp!"


    The crowd laughed their heads off as they listened to the conversation between the two, and naturally another round of hearty drinking ensued.


    Remembering Yin Fenghua this headache, Yuan Ge planned to ride on the buzz to test the waters with Chow Mingrun. But before he could say anything, Chow Mingrun brought up the topic first, "Don''t worry about ''Qingqing''. We shut down the shooting tomorrow, and when we all come back after the New Year holidays, it''s for sure that we have to get into the shooting of ''A Journey in Brocade'', so ''Qingqing'' will probably have to be postponed. But don''t worry, after we finish filming King Guan''s film, our resources will be totally different from before. We will have no more funding worries. By the way, Yin Fenghua specifically called me today to ask when we would resume filming. He said that as soon as the shooting of ''Qingqing'' is resumed, he will put off his other commitments and prioritise us. And he also promised to go to the National Theatre to seriously learn Beijing Opera for the next six months ..."


    "Ha! So he''s gotten wind of our collaboration with King Guan, has he? Hmmm¡­ is he not going to act as a diva or sue us anymore?"


    Although Yuan Ge had always had reservations about today''s unexpected news, he still felt a sense of pleasure from Yin Fenghua''s retribution when he learned of his sudden change of attitude. However, he felt a little depressed again when he thought of his goal of becoming a great director, and because of Arthur Guan''s proposal, he had strayed onto the path of an actor again.


    Chow Mingrun, however, did not understand this feeling, patted him and laughed, "Yuan Ge, I told you, why be a director when you have such a handsome face! How can working behind the scenes be as satisfying as being on stage? You''re destined to be a star, that''s what I call ''man''s plan is not as good as God''s plan''. I don''t think you should resist anymore. When this film becomes a hit, you will have more resources than you can handle. We send you to the emperor''s bed, and you just serve him well and try to get promoted to imperial consort or something, so we can all rise to the top with you! Hahaha!"


    "Shut up! Is there an end to this analogy!" Yuan Ge gagged Chow Mingrun with a glass of wine, leaving the crowd laughing hysterically.

 Chapter 97 - Amélies Farewell

    After downing another round of drinks, Chow Mingrun proposed to the crowd, "Hey guys and girls, let''s take a group photo! I also have a group task for you all to complete - everyone take a selfie in front of this poster and post it to your friends to cheer us on for our new movie!"


    With that, he led by example, happily took a selfie and wrote on his TweeChat app, "Somehow became the second producer of one of this year''s biggest productions... Ow Meow!"


    "You''re so shameless!" Am¨¦lie laughed at Chow Mingrun''s brazenness, while she herself showed a big picture of the poster with the words, "Follow your dreams far and wide; stay together year after year."


    Waylon posted "An underdog''s fight back" while Stephen said he might have to take six months off next semester to work on a blockbuster movie. Chestnut said it with the least confidence. She zoomed in on the names of several actresses on the poster and wrote, "I grew up watching the works of these big stars and never thought I''d get to work with them one day. I will work hard to make everyone proud!"


    "Yuan Ge, and Old Dude, everyone''s posted their updates. Where are you two''s?" Chow Mingrun was quite strict, checking the completion of tasks one by one.


    "How can I be casual about something this big? I''ll go back and photoshop the poster first, then think of a clever slogan, otherwise I''m sure to be mocked and my follower count will drop!" Du Jinghai had always been very concerned about his online image.


    Yuan Ge''s fingers were busy for a while, but when he was finished, all anyone saw of his update was a just string of ellipses under the picture of the poster.


    "You''re too perfunctory!" Am¨¦lie had always felt helpless about Yuan Ge''s low-key approach.


    "It''s called ''being silent at this time is better than being loud'', saying less is more." Chow Mingrun teased mercilessly ¡­


    "That''s enough banters for one night. It''s late and many of you have flights and trains to catch tomorrow, so let''s eat up, drink up, be merry, and see you after New Year!"


    "Yes, yes, we''re all away during the New Year. Here are the keys to the set and my congee bar; I will be counting on you to keep our company safe during the festival season..." Chow Mingrun staggered to his feet and shoved a bunch of keys into Yuan Ge''s hand.


    "Duh! This is what you call the advantage of being a Beijing local? He has to be a night watchman for the company!" Yuan Ge shook his head as he put away the keys, then took out a number of oddly shaped and exquisitely designed thermos cups from the large backpack he had brought with him, "This is my little Chinese New Year gift for everyone, made in Switzerland. It can automatically adjust the temperature and keep warm for three days, using my dad''s latest AI technology."


    With good food, good wine and good news, and now a gift, the crowd was overjoyed to see how thoughtful Director Yuan was. It was just a small gift, but certainly a very practical thing to have on set.


    "Hey, why are you all looking at me!" When Chow Mingrun saw that everyone had turned their expectant eyes towards him, as if he suddenly remembered something, he hurriedly took out several packages from his bag, "I almost forgot, come come, everyone gets a New Year VIP gift pack of Chow''s Pickles. As your diet gets too rich in the New Year, it''s good to have some light congee with Chow''s Pickles in between the banquets!"


    "An iron cock[1] is always an iron cock. This New Year gift is not sincere at all!" The crowd moaned at this sight.


    "Oh dear, you''re really something... Who hasn''t had enough of your pickles these days!" Am¨¦lie carried the heavy gift bag of Chow''s Pickles in her hand and didn''t know whether to cry or laugh.


    "But I treated everyone to a hot pot as well!" With the long itemised receipt in his hand, Chow Minrun had a pained expression on his face, "So many people were having lamb hot pot together tonight, and my heart was also going up and down with the boiling soup..."


    Thus, the lively New Year''s dinner ended in a roar of laughter.


    As she was leaving, Am¨¦lie''s bright face finally took on a hint of drunken flush, and after saying goodbye to the crowd, she made a point of walking up to Yuan Ge, "My dear Director Yuan, I wish you a happy New Year, and we''ll see you next year!"


    "Lady Producer, see you next ye..." Before Yuan Ge could finish his words, Am¨¦lie hugged him and gave him an authentic French farewell - all he felt was her soft cheeks gently sweeping left and right of his face, an intoxicating womanly scent wafting in, and the sound of her soft and warm lips kissing his cheeks.


    Yuan Ge was at a loss for words and froze in place, forgetting to respond to her gesture. Am¨¦lie did not appear bashful in front of everyone, showing the natural poise of someone who had lived in Europe for many years, smiling, raising the thermos cup in her hand, and said gracefully, "Thank you, see you next year!"


    Until he saw her disappearing into the night, Yuan Ge could still feel the scent of her perfume lingering around him...¡­


    --------------------


    [1] An iron cock is used to describe a type of person who is petty, stingy and calculating in life because you cannot pluck a feather from an iron cock.

 Chapter 98 - "The Poor Is Frozen To Death On An Empty Stomach"

    Yuan Ge went to collect his car from the car park under South Luogu Lane, where he usually parked it. Living in the heart of the old town while filming, it was really inconvenient to drive; but today the crew finished their last day of work and Yuan Ge felt it was time to go back his home in Moonlight Valley to live for a while.


    As the car passed the entrance to the Rong Mansion, he couldn''t help but stop. Although someone was in charge of clearing the set after today''s shoot, Yuan Ge was still a little uneasy. Now that he was the only member of the crew left in Beijing, he felt the need to do one last check before going back home. Besides, even though Am¨¦lie had done most of the drinking for him tonight, he had to allow enough time before driving just to be on the safe side.


    Walking into the empty and silent Rong Mansion in the stillness of the night, Yuan Ge inspected each of the venues rented by the crew in turn. He saw that Du Jinghai and his team had packed up all the equipment and moved it back to the warehouse before dinner. Everything had been meticulously organised and he could not help but praise Old Dude in his heart. The prop room and dressing room were also packed up and looked quite empty. As for the lighting technicians and assistants, they were all temporary contractors. After getting paid, they all stopped working, eager to catch the various transports tomorrow morning and head back to their respective homes for the New Year - the imperial capital had always been the place where people''s dreams began, but it would never be their hometown.


    After checking around, he finally returned to the crew office, which was the only place that had not been emptied. After thinking about it, he decided to move all the things here back to Moonlight Valley for the time being. It was a hassle, but it would give him more peace of mind during the holidays - Yuan Ge knew he had OCD, which was not kind to his profession as a director. He felt compelled to worry about everything and couldn''t tolerate any imperfections.


    Picking up the master copy of Qingqing from his desk, which was handwritten and had been revised and edited many times by him, Yuan Ge sighed and silently put it into his backpack. Although rationally he understood what the olive branch extended by King Guan Entertainment meant to Dragon Dreams and himself, it was the fruit of his labour after all. Once they got on King Guan''s bandwagon, they might travel further down the road of commercialisation, and it would be hard to say when he would be able to go back to make Qingqing again - on this point, Yuan Ge admitted to having selfish motives. His position was different from that of Chow Mingrun, Du Jinghai, Am¨¦lie Jiang and the other young actors. They probably believed that Dragon''s Dream had to develop quickly and get a firm foothold in the industry as soon as possible. As for himself, he had come all this way, choosing to be a director rather than an actor because he wanted to create a work of art, the kind that belonged to the soul, free from worldly interference and true to his conscience.


    A true artist often relies on this determination, on the obsession to squeeze himself to the limit, to explode with an energy in order to reach the top in a short time, to create art, to create immortal works. Lately, in his dreams and outside of them, he had been full of inspiration for the creation of Qingqing. If he could not strike while the iron was hot and let go of his inspiration for six months or a year, would the film he produced at a later time have tasted as good as it would be today?


    With his thoughts running wild, he hauled the cleared junk to the rubbish collection area at the back door, but unexpectedly saw a ragged figure collapsed next to a bin. Yuan Ge''s heart tightened as he ran a few steps closer and realised that the unconscious man was indeed Rong Qiuchen. He was still wearing the thin, tattered costume from the set, which could no longer be seen its original white colour; a stunningly beautiful face was so dirty that it was unrecognizable, and he was holding a box of leftover lunch from the set, which he had obviously pulled out of the rubbish ¡­


    "While meat and wine go to waste behind the vermilion gates of the rich, the poor is frozen to death on an empty stomach by the roadside."[1]


    Such a verse drifted into Yuan Ge''s mind at an inopportune moment, remembering that so many people from Dragon Dreams had gone to Dong Lai Chang for lamb hot pot tonight, while this poor man was hunkered down here pawing through rubbish to eat.


    --------------------


    [1] This is a famous line by the Chinese poet Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty.

 Chapter 99 - "Is This … True, Childe?"

    In the past few days, Yuan Ge had been hoping to see him again for a chat, but he had not expected to see him in such a miserable state.


    Feeling sad, Yuan Ge hurriedly went forward to help him up from the ground, and as usual, his body was ice cold. Anyone would have thought the boy had frozen to death if it wasn''t for the fact that Yuan Ge had gotten used to seeing him like this from those previous encounters. Recalling how the boy depended on him and what he had said, "I can only get warm when my body touches you, but when I am away from you for a long time my ears and eyes lose their function and my body goes stiff, as if I were dead." It seemed that the right way to save him was to act as a rechargeable battery ¡­


    When Rong Qiuchen slowly opened his eyes, he found himself in a dark and confined space, with someone holding him tightly in his arms, and a gush of warmth flowing like a thousand streams, converging on his body and awakening his consciousness.


    "Childe Yuan ¡­"


    "You''re finally awake! I nearly had to take you to the hospital if you hadn''t woken up!" Yuan Ge breathed a sigh of relief, then let go of the boy.


    "This theory of saving lives like recharging batteries is a load of crap, and I can''t believe I''m buying into your bullshit! But it seems to be working. How do you feel now? Feeling better?" He handed him a brand new thermos and spoon, "It''s too late now, most restaurants are closed, I only managed to find a small caf¨¦ to make you a bowl of pork congee. Have a bite first and I''ll take you out for a big meal tomorrow."


    Rong Qiuchen was at a loss as he looked at the oddly shaped container in his hand, which looked like a water bottle. Yuan Ge unscrewed the lid for him and immediately a tantalizing aroma came out. Rong Qiuchen scooped a large spoonful into his mouth and could not help but praise how delicious it was!


    Yuan Ge looked at his expression as if he had finally been saved and couldn''t help but laugh, "You''re really a born actor. Your expressions are particularly vivid, and what you''re thinking is practically written on your face! Fortunately, this thermos designed by my father has a function to set temperature. 55 degrees is just the right temperature for congee, otherwise you would have burned yourself in such a hurry!"


    After saying that, he seemed to remember something and pulled out a wet tissue from the car door and wiped Qiuchen''s dirty little face and his two dirty little hands clean.


    "You really are a weird guy. Why do you keep hiding and refusing to see people? It''s cold outside; you''re killing yourself if you don''t dress warmly. Also, why are you rummaging through the rubbish bin for food ¡­ if you''re in any kind of trouble you can come to me ¡­"


    As Rong Qiuchen looked at Yuan Ge''s concerned gaze, he said with some shame and aggravation, "I lost control that day and hit that bad actor surnamed Yin. I was afraid of causing trouble to Childe Yuan and of you taking me to the Yamen again... ¡­ I was really hungry and cold, so I stole the clothes and food from your troupe. I beg you to let me go, Childe Yuan."


    Seeing how pitiful he looked, Yuan Ge didn''t know weather to cry or laugh, "Who''s going to take you to the Yamen, I''m going to take you home!"


    "Home?" A hint of imperceptible joy swept through the boy''s eyes, "Are you taking me back to Yandai Byway?" After saying this, as if remembering something, his expectant gaze darkened again, "But I was scolded by Childe Yuan for getting into trouble last time, and you took me to the Yamen to see the official; if I go back with you this time, I''m afraid you will loathe me again ¡­"


    "It was my fault last time...my fault, I won''t scold you anymore. It''s almost New Year''s Eve, how can you hide in this old mansion every day and muddle through. Don''t ever eat out of the rubbish again. In this day and age, it''s a disgrace to us Dragon Dreamers to allow such things to happen under our noses! If you really have nowhere else to go, come home with me for the New Year."


    "Is this ¡­ true, Childe?"


    "Yes, it''s true. I''ve loaded you in the car, haven''t I?"


    Yuan Ge said as he started the car and helped Qiuchen fasten his seat belt, "Go on and eat your congee. We''ll be home when you''re done eating!"

 Chapter 100 - Let’s Go Home And Have A Bath

    "Ah ¡­ What are you doing? Why does this wagon run without a horse? Aaaahhhh! What kind of ride is this?! Why is it so strange? Who is driving the carriage? ¡­"


    "Shut up. Eat your congee. No yelling. Stop acting or I''ll beat you up!"


    Trying to stop Rong Qiuchen from putting on a terrified performance, Yuan Ge warned him sternly, stepped hard on the accelerator and drove his limited edition Land Rover onto the road. Catching a glimpse of the boy screaming in panic and clinging to the door handle, acting out the drama of an ancient man transmigrating to the modern world, he couldn''t help but laugh out loud; then he locked the doors to prevent the boy from overacting and accidently opening the door and falling out of the car.


    "Hey, eat your congee, don''t grab my arm! Even though I can drive pretty well with one hand, it''s not a good idea to be caught on the road cameras with you tugging and pulling me! Sit back, eat your food and don''t spill the congee in my car!"


    But the boy paid no attention to Yuan Ge''s words. Both of his hands clung to Yuan Ge''s right arm as he stared out of the car window at the fast-moving world with a terrified look on his face.


    Yuan Ge had been driving for years, but this was the first time he had seen such a dramatic passenger - this inexplicable little creature beside him, who would pinch his arm hard every time he turned a corner. When Yuan Ge changed lanes to overtake, he either closed his eyes tightly or propped his hands on the windscreen, as if this would provide some sort of protection. As soon as Yuan Ge picked up speed, he would collapse in his seat, and that dying look on his face was simply brilliant...


    "I mean, come on, we''re not strangers any more, and I fully acknowledge your superb acting skills, so can you just behave normally and stop messing around? I just don''t get it. What kind of illness are you suffering from? Amnesia? Paranoia? Hysteria? Can someone forget all the skills of modern life and pretend to be an ancient person from the use of language to the logic of behaviour..."


    Amidst Yuan Ge''s monologue and Rong Qiuchen''s occasional shrieks, the car drove into the vast night of the Imperial Capital. It was only when Yuan Ge got onto the second ring road that Qiuchen became slightly more accustomed to the feeling of riding in a car. Through the car window, he stared wide-eyed at the incomparably prosperous megalopolis in the beautiful night light, and he could not help the tears that welled up in his eyes as he watched a corner of the Forbidden City not far away drowned in the magnificent splendour of modern architecture.


    Yuan Ge caught his expression out of the corner of his eye and said before he could let out his emotion, "Well, it''s changed a lot, hasn''t it? From the Rong Mansion to Moonlight Valley in the Western Hills, which only covers about a quarter of the city, it''s much bigger than it was in the Qing Dynasty, isn''t it? After all, with more than 20 million people crammed into this city to live, there''s no way to do it without some kind of reform. People will have nowhere to live if these matchbox buildings are not built; cars will have nowhere to drive if highways are not built. It''s a pity that so many ancient buildings and relics have been torn down, but the good thing is that people are now paying more and more attention to the preservation of traditional culture. Look at the classical architecture around our film set, isn''t it well preserved ¡­"


    "The last time I went to Yandai Byway with you, I could already feel how things had changed. What I have seen today leads me to believe that things have indeed changed forever and that the past is truly behind us ¡­"


    Yuan Ge turned his head and looked at him. Looking at the emotions on Rong Qiuchen''s face that didn''t seem to be fake, he sighed, "You''re really obsessed! I really think it would be a waste of your talent if you are not allowed to make a drama about people transmigrating from the past to the present!"


    "Childe Yuan, what kind of divine carriage is your transport? How can it move as fast as the wind and lightning! It''s just that we are confined to one place, which feels somewhat stuffy ¡­"


    "Turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, 240 brake horsepower, not bad, eh?" When it came to cars, Yuan Ge had a lot to talk about, but looking at Rong Qiuchen''s clueless expression, he knew it was all a waste of time, but wait, did he say "stuffy"?


    "How dare you say my car is stuffy? This is a limited edition imported Range Rover Evoque convertible! The thing is, if I were to open the roof now, not to mention that we''re both going to freeze to death in this weather, just with you screaming like a headless chicken, we''re waiting to be arrested by the police!"


    Not fully understanding Yuan Ge''s words, Rong Qiuchen sighed, "In the past, fine horses and beautiful chariots belonged only to the lords, but now they are inundated on the roads of a busy city?"


    "As it''s the middle of the night, traffic is flowing quite freely. If it was rush hour, you would see how bad the traffic jams are in the capital. China now has 400 million cars, one for each family on average, but the price difference between a good car and a bad car is huge."


    "How much is 400 million? Childe Yuan, your fine chariot is of very good quality. What did you mean when you said 240 horses?"


    "Geez, where did you get so many questions! Any topic is enough to keep us talking for hours¡­ can''t wait to get home to have a bath ¡­"

 Chapter 101 - Do Me A Favour Before The Bath

    The car exited the Fourth Ring Road and soon arrived at Moonlight Valley, just off the West Lake in the Western Hills. Several three-storey villas are scattered in the quiet surroundings of the lake.


    "Is this the country house that Childe Yuan told me about before?" Rong Qiuchen was delighted to see that there were no lights and noises of the metropolis and no skyscrapers in sight, just these detached houses nestled peacefully in a setting of bamboo forests and dense flowers and trees, with a natural wilderness of the mountains and lakes.


    "Yes, the last place I took you to was the one my parents gave me as a wedding home. It''s close to work so it''s convenient for me to stay there during the week, but I usually come back here on my days off, so this is my real home."


    As Yuan Ge spoke, the garage door in front of him opened automatically, and the Led lights lit up from the lawn all the way to the inside of the garage, while the porch light in front of the door also lit up automatically, and Rong Qiuchen''s eyes went wide as if he had seen magic.


    When Yuan Ge saw him like this, he couldn''t help but laugh again, "Thank you for complimenting me with such an exaggerated expression. It''s not so unusual, it''s just a smart home, you know, many homes in the city are like this now."


    The two of them got out of the car and Rong Qiuchen followed Yuan Ge to the front door and heard him say, "I''m back." The door opened automatically, the spotlights at the entrance lit up, and a large vermilion coffin came into view.


    "Shit! I forgot about this!"


    Yuan Ge rubbed his forehead, remembering the day they found the coffin on set not knowing what to do with it, and his mother insisting that it be kept as a relic. It was he himself who had asked the courier company to deliver it to Moonlight Valley. He had completely forgotten about it, and it had ended up being displayed in front of the door to greet his guests in such an undignified manner. How embarrassing!


    "How could it be in the Childe Yuan''s residence!" Seeing the coffin, Rong Qiuchen had an extremely complicated expression, obviously far more surprised than frightened.


    "By the way, since you''ve been hanging out in the Rong Mansion, do you know which crew left this coffin behind?"


    "I don...¡­" Rong Qiuchen suddenly shut up.


    "I''m so sorry, but I''m going to ask you to do me this favour any way. Would you please help me move it to - my father''s room?" Yuan Ge thought about it and decided to sacrifice Yuan Fen''s room.


    "Childe Yuan, why did you put a coffin of yin energy in a house of yang energy?"


    Yuan Ge replied full of resignation, "It was a terrible idea of my mum''s. She insisted it was a cultural relic and had research value for her Roxy Heaven studies, I think."


    Surprisingly, although the boy looked thin, his strength was extraordinary. The two of them tried to lift the coffin together, and with a word "up", the end the boy was carrying easily went high into the air, while Yuan Ge, with all his strength, only managed to lift his end barely a foot off the ground.


    "Hey, hey, I say you, a little lower over there, my wrists are about to break! They certainly didn''t hold back on the material when making this coffin, dead heavy, be careful not to drag it across the floor...¡­"


    Yuan Ge''s face was red from overexertion, and looking at Qiuchen''s thin and frail appearance, carrying such a heavy coffin without blushing or panting, he could not help but sigh, "I can''t believe you have so much strength even without eating properly!"


    "Childe Yuan, the so-called ''daily cultivation'' for opera singers, is also to build up physical strength. If there is a performance to attend, I have to sing for more than ten hours continuously, so my physical stamina is higher than normal people." Rong Qiuchen said with pride.


    "You say that as if it''s true. Okay, so you''re strong and you''re brilliant, but it''s still going to take a lot of effort for us to lift this thing up the stairs."


    The two of them took a short break at the bottom of the stairs, and Rong Qiuchen volunteered to take on the heavier end of the coffin, "Childe Yuan, when we go upstairs in a moment, you go up first to lead the way, and I will follow below. Let me take the main weight so that you can save some strength."


    "Are you sure you can do it? The person at the bottom of the stairs takes the majority of the load, especially when you''re carrying the head end of the coffin."


    Looking at Rong Qiuchen''s eager and obliging face, Yuan Ge realized that despite his slender appearance, he was a man after all, and his competitiveness, impulse to win and desire to protect were clearly visible.


    With great effort, the two men finally carried the huge heavy coffin slowly up to the first floor.


    Yuan Ge was so exhausted that he sat panting on the floor in a hot sweat, complaining about his mother a thousand times over in his head.. There was no sign of sweat or flushing on Rong Qiuchen''s handsome face, and he went downstairs alone to carry up the coffin lid as well.

 Chapter 102 - Im Making An Exception For You

    The two of them carried the coffin into Yuan Ge''s father Yuan Fen''s room. Yuan Ge found a bedsheet and wrapped it tightly so that no one could see what it really was.


    Rong Qiuchen looked around the room and saw several large, simple bookshelves filled with books and documents in many languages, a sophisticated mechanical hand on a workbench, and several strange objects of odd design that he did not recognise at all.


    "It''s all my dad''s research experiments and models. He does AI research, you know, artificial intelligence, and is considered a top expert in the field."


    Rong Qiuchen didn''t understand, so he asked again, "Childe Yuan, what is your father''s honourable profession? Is he an official or a merchant? What rank does he hold?" Looking around Yuan Fen''s room, which looked unoccupied, he whispered, "Aren''t your father and mother living in this house?"


    Seeing Qiuchen''s cautious look, wanting to say something but not daring to, Yuan Ge didn''t bother to continue mocking him and patiently replied instead, "He''s not really an official or a merchant, he''s sort of - a teacher at the Directorate of Imperial Academy[1], except that he lives abroad all the time and teaches foreigners."


    Yuan Ge, now more accustomed to Qiuchen''s ways, paused at this point and gave him a "Do you understand?" look, until he saw Qiuchen nod his head in understanding, he continued, "My parents usually come back to China once every couple of years, so I have this house all to myself. Come on over and I''ll show you around."


    Rong Qiuchen curiously followed Yuan Ge on a tour of this strange new environment.. The house was decorated in a minimalist and modern style, with clean lines and neutral colours. It wasn''t overstuffed with furniture and looked very classy; especially the various lamps scattered throughout the house, which could be adjusted at will through voice control, were very ergonomic and convenient.


    "The style of the Childe''s country house is very unique and very different from the abode in Yandai Byway."


    "That flat is in an old building after all, whereas this house is a typical modern residence. Are you not quite accustomed to it all yet? That''s okay, you''ll have plenty of time to get yourself familiar with this house in the morning."


    Yuan Ge thought about it as if it was the first time he had brought a friend to his home since he had returned from abroad, and was feeling a little excited.


    Rong Qiuchen appeared even more impressed than Yuan Ge had anticipated, "Childe Yuan is indeed from a wealthy family. The candles in this house are so brightly lit that the night has turned into daylight, even the Third Lord did not make such an extravagance."


    "There are just a lot of lights." Yuan Ge replied, and then couldn''t help but laugh, "I think I finally figured it out! You''ve been playing a Language Cosplay game with me all along, haven''t you? You''re really good at this! You''ve actually managed to last this long and never OOC, could it be that you''re the forum master of some Qing Dynasty Cosplay forum?"


    This query caused Rong Qiuchen to look confused again.


    "Well, it''s okay if you don''t want to admit it, otherwise you''re OOC, I understand, so you go ahead, keep pretending. I really don''t know what to do with you. I guess I''ll just have to keep playing this game with you, treating you like you''ve transmigrated from the Qing Dynasty. But when you''ve played enough and want to quit, you''ll have to let me know. I have a lot of serious things to talk to you about. What''s the point of wasting both of our time explaining ancient and modern terms and torturing each other."


    Feeling wronged, Rong Qiuchen said defensively, "I only wanted to be nice to you, Childe Yuan. I have no intention to torture you."


    "Fine, fine, let''s not go over the same ground again and again, go take a shower. How many days have you been rummaging around in the rubbish? You stink to high heaven." As he said this, he grabbed the boy''s braid and headed for the bathroom.


    When they arrived at the bathroom on the first floor, Yuan Ge realised that the guest bathroom had not been used for a long time and was not prepared with bathing supplies and towels, so he led the boy up to the second floor.


    "Since it''s already too late today, I''ll allow you to use my private bathroom. I have always had the entire second floor to myself and even my parents don''t often get the chance to come up here. You''re in luck today, I''m making an exception for you."


    Seeing the boy with his head bowed, seemingly still ashamed of being called "stinky", Yuan Ge couldn''t help but laugh again, "You''re quite thin-skinned and so easily embarrassed, which gives me a more vivid understanding of the words ''teary eyed''. This is quite in line with Rong Qing''s persona - as a famous actor, he must be particularly sensitive to his image and public opinion. It''s just that you really don''t have to be so formal in my house. It''s awkward for two grown men to be bashful with each other all the time. Go on, take off your dirty clothes and give them to me. I taught you how to use the shower last time - do you still remember how to use it?"


    --------------------


    [1] Directorate of Imperial Academy, or the Imperial College, was the highest educational administration in feudal China.

 Chapter 103 - A Golden Basin For Bathing

    But the boy''s gaze had not left the freestanding bathtub in the middle of the room since he had entered the spacious bathroom.


    "Childe Yuan, is this basin for bathing?" Qiuchen''s eyes shone with eagerness as he touched the white, shiny, eggshell-shaped bathtub with awe.


    "You really have an eye for good stuff, actually coveting my bathtub!" Looking at the boy''s awe-stricken face, Yuan Ge couldn''t resist the urge to show off, "It''s a Duravit freestanding Jacuzzi, made of artificial stone."


    Although Rong Qiuchen could not understand Yuan Ge''s description, his ability to deduce the meaning through the tone of voice and facial expressions was not weak.


    "Childe Yuan, what you mean is....¡­that this is like a golden basin for bathing?"


    "Well, yeah, sort of." Yuan Ge was quite pleased with himself. He was just about to say that this bathtub was for his personal use only and that no one else had ever used it before he saw the boy say with an envious look on his face, "The bathing basin that the Third Lord used was made of water-fossilised camphorwood, while your basin, Childe Yuan, looks even more comfortable and beautiful than the Third Lord''s. It feels just like white jade!"


    Yuan Ge was so flattered by what he said that he immediately forgot his principles and blurted out rather generously, "If you really want to take a bath that badly, I''ll make an exception and let you use it once."


    Before the words were fully out of his mouth, he saw the boy flashing a big smile and nodding eagerly. Yuan Ge sighed inwardly, why did he always give in so easily in front of this guy? However, looking at his dirty little face, he suddenly felt a little reluctant to let him mess with his fancy bathtub, so he quickly added, "You can use it, but you have to shower first before you can take a bath."


    Luckily, Rong Qiuchen had mastered the use of the shower after his last experience in the Yandai Byway flat. By the time the tub was filled with hot water, he had already finished washing his long hair, cleaned his body from top to toe and joyfully slid himself into the eggshell-shaped tub, his face looking so content as if he had arrived in heaven.


    Yuan Ge couldn''t help but feel a little amused when he looked at his face that was too happy for words, "Well, enjoy yourself, I''m going to put the washing machine on and find you some clothes to change into as well."


    When Yuan Ge returned to the bathroom, all he saw was water spilling all over the floor, but no one was in the bathtub.


    What the hell was going on here! Could one drown in the bathtub even by taking a bath?


    Yuan Ge rushed forward to take a closer look, and immediately felt a pearly white object fluttering at him, making a huge splash. When he wiped the water off his face and opened his eyes, he saw Rong Qiuchen bursting out from under the water, looking at him with a happy face at the edge of the tub.


    "Why are you so restless even in the bath, flopping about, spilling water all over the floor!"


    Yuan Ge wanted to reprimand him for his child-like naughtiness, playing in the bath at his age, but instead he was stunned by the sight before him - the boy''s long wet hair cascading behind him, his handsome face uncovered, his drenched features more striking, and he looked even more breathtakingly beautiful; what''s more, he was in a rare happy mood, smiling as he lay on the edge of the tub, wet and fluffy like a cute little aquatic animal.


    "So you like to play with water, uh? I''ll let you have all the fun you want today!"


    Yuan Ge shifted his gaze, not daring to look at Rong Qiuchen''s stunning pearly white body submerged in the water. He threw a Lush bath bomb into the bathtub and pressed the Jacuzzi''s on button. Instantly, the motor roared and more than thirty nozzles of the jacuzzi jetted together, a huge wave of foam gushing to the surface.


    Immediately, Yuan Ge saw the boy flopping about in the bathtub like a mermaid in panic. The water flow was so strong, the walls of the bath so smooth, and he was too blinded by the foam to get up; his slick, fish-like body twisting and turning, trying to get up, then falling back into the water again. Yuan Ge forgot that he himself was soaking wet from the splashing water and foam and laughed heartily at Rong Qiuchen''s wretched state.


    "Childe Yuan! What kind of demonic spell are you using again!" Drowning in the bubbles and red-eyed, Rong Qiuchen wailed like a mistreated baby animal.


    "Don''t be so dramatic! Hahaha! This is the ultimate treat, what are you afraid of!" Yuan Ge took the hose and helped him rinse the foam off his face and pushed him back into the tub, "Don''t move, you''ll know why this is the ultimate treat in a moment."

 Chapter 104 - A Naked Conversation

    In no time, the bath bomb was completely dissolved under the impact of the jets, and the water surface was covered with fragrant snow-white foam. Feeling the gentle massage of the water flowing from the thirty jets, Rong Qiuchen''s eyes gradually changed from panic to delight.


    "Wow! How can Childe Yuan''s basin be so wonderful? It is truly heaven on earth!"


    Yuan Ge could sometimes be said as a man with very simple pleasures. Hearing the boy''s naked praise, he immediately became even more enthused, "Wait, there''s more!" With a voice command of "change colour", rainbow coloured lights instantly lit up from the walls of the bath, shining through the water and the foam, as if a magnificent miniature underwater dragon palace had been placed in this tub. Qiuchen was so ecstatic and excited that he didn''t know what to say.


    Seeing the boy reach out to stroke the colourful streams of water one moment and then cup the thick, fine and smooth foam the next, looking more excited than ever, Yuan Ge opened the bath cabinet, pulled out a bunch of little yellow ducks and threw them into the tub. "These are all collected for me by my dad when he travelled around the world on business when I was growing up. As a kid, I loved to use them to form an invincible fleet in the bath. You might as well give it a go today. I''m already soaked from all your splashing. I need a wash, too." And with that, he took off his wet clothes and went to take a shower..


    Rong Qiuchen looked curiously at the flock of various kinds of little yellow ducks on the water surface. He didn''t know what material they were made of, but they could actually float easily, and with the water jetting from the Jacuzzi, it was a magnificent sight to behold. He couldn''t resist grabbing them one by one, forming a long row of ducks, and beckoned with delight, "Childe Yuan, why don''t you join me in commanding the yellow ducks in battle?"


    "You''re so childish!"


    After taking a shower and seeing Qiuchen''s delighted and contented look in the bathtub, Yuan Ge was actually a little jealous - he was the one who had a busy day and desperately needed a hot water massage to relax, but this turtledove was hogging his nest and having a good time.


    "Hey you, are you sure you''re 22 years old? So childish!"


    "I am indeed 22 years old. There is no doubt about that. How old are you, Childe Yuan? It''s the people who collect these playthings that are truly childish." Rong Qiuchen was in a good mood and had actually learned to talk back. Seeing Yuan Ge standing idly, he invited, "Why don''t you join me in the bath? Wouldn''t such hot, fragrant water be a waste if it was not enjoyed by more people?" He continued, as if reminiscing about the happy times in the past, "Back in the old days, my brothers in the Jinyu Troupe rarely had the chance to bathe, and a wooden bucket of water often had to wash three to four people. With the brothers crammed into one place and fooling around in the water, what a joy it was!"


    When Yuan Ge saw that the boy had no qualms, he stopped hesitating, "Alright, since you don''t mind, I''ll take the liberty of joining you. After carrying the coffin upstairs, I also need to take a good soak to get rid of the bad luck."


    With that, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped into the bathtub, sitting opposite Qiuchen, enjoying the gentle massage of the water and the fragrant bubbles. He couldn''t help but sigh inwardly at how soothing a hot bath was.


    Looking at his relaxed face, Rong Qiuchen smiled and said gratefully, "What a privilege it is for Qiuchen to be saved by your Excellency and to enjoy this prosperous era. I am so fortunate."


    "That''s for sure. If you were really from the Qing Dynasty, do you think these 150 years of technology have been developed for nothing?" Yuan Ge lay down in a comfortable position in the bathtub and said, "Actually, the enjoyment can be further enhanced. Wanna try it?" With a voice command of "Music" from him, gentle blues music started to play in the background.


    "Where are the musicians hiding?!"


    Yuan Ge put his finger on his lips to stop Qiuchen''s questioning, raised his voice and shouted, "Vivi, Vivi!"


    Immediately, a woman''s voice came from downstairs, "Your humble servant is here. What is your Majesty''s command?"


    "One iced Soda, one ¡­ Beijing Yogurt."


    A moment later, they heard a buzzing sound gradually coming up the stairs. Rong Qiuchen looked alarmed, leapt up and tried to get out of the bath to get dressed, but was held down by Yuan Ge, "What are you doing?"


    Rong Qiuchen''s face was full of embarrassment, "Childe Yuan, I... I did not know that there were ladies present in your mansion. It is really rude to meet them naked!"


    "Take it easy! Where are the ladies ¡­" Before Yuan Ge could finish his words, the bathroom door opened and a white, round, chubby, child-height robot buzzed in, holding a tray of drinks.


    Yuan Ge picked up the yogurt from the tray and placed it in Qiuchen''s hand, "Try it, is it the traditional flavour of the old imperial city?" Seeing Qiuchen''s incredulous face staring at the robot speechlessly, he grinned, "Isn''t it great? Especially good for pampering the lazy bums in the house, isn''t it?"


    "Childe Yuan... Who is this magical creature? How is it like a living humanoid puppet?" Rong Qiuchen stared at the round, chubby little robot, as astonished as if he had seen a living ghost.


    "This is a domestic robot prototype developed using my dad''s patented AI technology. It hasn''t been launched to the market yet. This one is a test product given to him by a Swiss manufacturer. It''s the only one in the world at the moment, a robot servant of sorts. Isn''t it awesome?"


    Rong Qiuchen nodded, "I can''t believe that your excellent father is a master like Lu Ban[1]. He has created such a miraculous object! But why does this object, er, robot, have a woman''s voice? And - it''s actually named after your mother."


    It turned out that Qiuchen had been lurking on the set for many days and had overheard Professor Fu''s full name.


    "Haha! Of course it''s because of my dad''s guilty pleasure! It''s just the nature of men - no matter what social class they are in, or how learned they are, they probably all have a harem dream and want to be an emperor. But in real life, my mum won''t let him, and they banter all the time, so he uses this robot to get his dose of fun."


    Rong Qiuchen seemed to understand Yuan Ge''s explanation and laughed along with him. He took a sip of yogurt drink in his hand and said in amazement, "This is actually Talah! It tastes even better when chilled!"


    "I knew you''d like it. Talah is a Manchu word for yogurt. And you even know that? You''ve certainly done your homework well."


    Rong Qiuchen, probably tired of arguing with Yuan Ge about his identity and origins, changed the subject and asked, "Speaking of your family, may I ask you how many wives and concubines you have, and how many children you have, Childe Yuan?"


    --------------------


    [1] Lu Ban (c.?507¨C444 BC) was a Chinese structural engineer, inventor, and carpenter during the Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the Chinese Deity (Patron) of builders and contractors.

 Chapter 105 - 165 Year Old Demon

    "Huh? Wives and concubines?" Yuan Ge didn''t know whether to cry or laugh, "What kind of feudal dregs are you carrying in your head? I don''t even have a girlfriend, let alone a wife and children! As for concubines, I''ll have to rely on fantasies just like my dad."


    "How can that be? Childe Yuan is handsome, from a good family and very talented, so there must be many girls who want to serve you. That Miss Jiang is quite fond of you..."


    "Stop, stop, stop! Stop talking nonsense!" Yuan Ge was embarrassed by Rong Qiuchen''s words, "This¡­ this is not about how many girls are willing to serve you, times are different, you know, men and women are equal now, love and respect and all that! Anyway, it''s not that simple, I can''t tell you in a few words. You think we are still in ancient times? By the order of parents, by the words of matchmakers, two people can spend a lifetime together without even meeting each other, and get married at the age 14 or 15 years old!"


    Rong Qiuchen looked at Yuan Ge in a profound manner, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he abided by the ancient etiquette of proportion and did not pursue the matter further, instead he sighed, "I think Childe Yuan is a prudent man when it comes to handling emotional matters."


    "Do you have deep insights into emotional matters, you little brat?" Yuan Ge was feeling a little red-faced and defensive as if he had been seen through by Qiuchen''s gaze.


    "How come Childe Yuan has so many names for Qiuchen?" Rong Qiuchen politely expressed his displeasure at Yuan Ge calling him a brat while counting on his fingers, "Such as - brother, mate, student, little loony, little brat, little fellow, demented child, porcelain bumper, and coser or ¡­"


    "Stop it!" Yuan Ge blushed at Rong Qiuchen''s counting, "You have too good a memory.. You can''t hold a grudge like that!"


    "I have a given name and a surname. Why is Childe Yuan unwilling to call me Rong Qiuchen in all seriousness?"


    "Because Rong Qiuchen is obviously a character in the film script I made up..." Yuan Ge protested in a small voice, but Rong Qiuchen did not intend to let him off the hook and continued, "How old are you, Childe Yuan? I don''t think you are much older than me."


    "I am twenty-six, quite a few years older than you."


    "If we''re talking about my actual age, then I''m over a hundred years older than you!"


    "I see, you are having me on, aren''t you? Tell me, what year were you born?"


    "The sixth year of Xianfeng."


    With a deadpan face, Yuan Ge called out, "Vivi VIvi!"


    The little robot standing at one side immediately responded, "Your humble servant is here. What is your Majesty''s command?"


    "What year is the sixth year of Xianfeng in the Gregorian calendar?"


    "The sixth year of Xianfeng is 1856 AD."


    Seeing that the robot could not only do things but also answer questions, Rong Qiuchen was very impressed and asked in amazement, "Childe Yuan, is it the foreigner''s calendar that you are asking this puppet servant? May I ask which emperor is reigning today? What is the name of the year of his reign?"


    "No, no, no, there is no emperor anymore! My dad''s just fooling around! And now... 165 years have passed since the year you said you were born."


    When Yuan Ge said that, not only did he feel reluctant, but Rong Qiuchen also had an incredulous look on his face. He sighed, "How unbelievable... one hundred and sixty-five springs and autumns have passed ¡­ I ¡­"


    "You what? You want to say that you''re a 165 year old demon? Would I believe it? Would you yourself believe it? So don''t make jokes like this in the future. We''re not that far apart in age and it shouldn''t be that much of a struggle to communicate. To be honest, you should consider yourself a great success if you''re really a porcelain bumper trying to get a part in my film. Look, you''ve already gotten into the same bath with the director ¡­"


    After Yuan Ge had uttered these words, he suddenly felt that something felt wrong with what he had said. Across from him, Qiuchen lifted his snow-white wrist and arm from the foam as if examining his own body; his clean, handsome face and jade-like body dazzled against the dreamy glow reflected from the surface of the water.


    With a wave of inexplicable panic, Yuan Ge dared not look again and closed his eyes, immersing himself in the warm water and relaxing blues music. His body was overwhelmed by the fatigue accumulated over the past few days, and in a haze of fragrant mist and soft colourful ambient lighting, he leaned back in the bath and drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 106 - Dreaming Of A Huge Dragon Tail

    In the infinite water, Yuan Ge felt his body keep going down, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss, torn by two lifetimes, dazed and out of control.


    The water that surrounded him, clear and impermeable, dense and thick, seemed to block all sensations and feelings. All those human emotions, the greed, the anger and the resentment, had dissolved without a trace.


    He didn''t know where he had come from; he didn''t know where he was going.


    There was only the constant sinking and falling. Going down and down....


    The bubbles in the water had blurred his eyes, tightened his heart and lungs, and a suffocating fear rushed in, but there was nothing to hold on to, nothing to struggle against. The sensation of sinking towards the bottomless abyss made Yuan Ge feel deeply powerless.


    But just then, he felt something lapping at him from below, wrapping around him and stopping his descent. He looked down and saw a huge, glistening tail wrapped tightly around his legs, while its broad tail fins, strong and powerful, pushed through the thick current and held their bodies firmly together. Opposite Yuan Ge was a man with glowing white skin and a well-toned body, who pressed his naked chest against Yuan Ge, and without hesitation, the man teased apart Yuan Ge''s lips with the tip of his tongue and delivered a lingering, intimate kiss.


    Yuan Ge felt weak and dizzy, as if he had been asleep for a thousand years and still hadn''t woken up. The sensation of being wrapped in a giant fish tail was surprisingly comforting; the intimacy of the kissing and the feeling of his naked skin pressing against his were more exhilarating than sweet vows of love.


    The two of them were thus entwined, exchanging breaths between their lips and tongues, rising and falling through infinite waters, through both real and unreal dreams, as if the length of a lifetime were but a moment of becoming one.


    At the bottom of these bottomless waters lay the secret of temptations, powerful enough to make one fall willingly. That mighty fish tail, however, stirred up a thousand waves, carrying Yuan Ge upstream, through time and space, until the water and the sky were one, and it was no longer possible to tell whether it was the River Ruo or the cloudless sky; and the huge fish tail, shimmering white, leapt out of the water and stretched to its full length, somehow transforming into a silver dragon... ¡­


    Yuan Ge looked in awe at the beautiful dragon form of the man in front of him, and the moment he lifted his eyes, as if struck by lightning, he saw a deep gaze filled with unbreakable love and affection. Their lips pressed together, their tongues intertwined, without ever letting go of each other, conveying their cravings for each other''s bodies and their hunger for life.


    Not wanting to think, not wanting to judge, nothing wanting to reason¡­ Not wanting to struggle with himself, Yuan Ge reached out, wrapped his arms around the man''s neck, and kissed him passionately, wanting to give him all his heart and soul, to melt into him, and to burn with him¡­


    "Wrap me... tighter¡­ deeper¡­ "


    In the heat of passion, he whispered the words that could only be heard from an intimate distance.


    It was then that he heard a faint call of "Childe Yuan", a voice that came from a distance and was getting closer.


    Not wanting the physical intimacy between the two of them to be disturbed, he tightened his arms slightly around the man''s neck and moved himself even closer so that their bodies were joined more deeply together.

 Chapter 107 - Who The Hell Is Su San?

    "Childe Yuan! Childe Yuan!"


    The call grew more and more real, shattering the dream world of the water and sky.


    Yuan Ge reluctantly opened his eyes and immediately saw Rong Qiuchen''s wide-eyed face right in front of him.


    "Where am I..." Yuan Ge looked around in bewilderment and found himself lying in his own bed, half-naked, with his hands on the small of the boy''s back. The two of them were curled up under the same quilt, at an embarrassingly close distance. With a start, he rolled out of bed and tried to dispel the dreamy, amorous images in his mind.


    "Childe Yuan, you fell asleep in the bath. I was worried that you might catch cold in the water, so I took the liberty of moving you to your bedroom.".


    "Uh... I''m all confused, what time is it?" Yuan Ge was terribly embarrassed on the inside, but he tried to keep his composure on the outside - luckily he was still wearing his pyjama pants, which was probably put on by the boy as well. It wasn''t easy to move a man of his height from the bathroom to the bedroom. But then he remembered that the guy could carry a coffin lid with almost no effort, so he guessed that moving him around must be a piece of cake. It was just that he seemed to get naked with him a lot. Never in his life had he been so physically intimate to anyone.


    Yuan Ge looked up at the electronic clock on the wall. It was already 10am! How could he have slept so deeply? And the lingering hallucination in the dream was still clear. Oh, that dragon''s tail in the dream... Yuan Ge stole a glance at the boy''s long, snow-white legs against the dark bedding and couldn''t help but feel ashamed of the amorous scenes in his dream - "That... uh... while I was asleep, I didn''t do or say anything strange, did I?"


    "Childe Yuan, you asked me to keep you company in your dream. I did not know which room to go to, so I took the liberty of sleeping in your bed. I hope you will forgive my impudence. As for other things... You kept calling Su San in your dream, and I didn''t know what you meant."


    "What the hell is Su San?" Yuan Ge was confused.


    "Isn''t she the main character in the Peking Opera classic ''The Story of Su San''[1]? She was a famous courtesan of the Ming Dynasty..."


    "What famous courtesan? I don''t know so many Beijing opera classics. What kind of museum piece is this ''The Story of Su San''? Never even heard of it."


    Anxious to extricate himself from his embarrassment, Yuan Ge suddenly realised the amorous scene in his dream - could it be that he was thinking of his girlfriend Susan from his Hollywood days?


    Rong Qiuchen, however, did not detect Yuan Ge''s embarrassment and continued, "Childe Yuan also said ''wrap me tighter'' and ¡­"


    "Uh, that''s because I dreamt of a white dragon ¡­"


    "What about Su San?"


    "Susan ¡­ is a white horse ¡­"


    After stopping Rong Qiuchen from asking further questions, Yuan Ge took out two sets of T-shirts and sweatpants from the wardrobe for the two of them to put on comfortably. With a voice command of "Rise And Shine", the blinds and curtains on all the windows were pulled open automatically and the smart house turned on its daytime mode.


    The bright morning light pours into the room through window panes of various sizes, giving off a warm winter glow.


    Looking in amazement at the beautiful turquoise water through the large floor-to-ceiling French windows in the living room, Rong Qiuchen said excitedly, "I never thought that the site you chose to build your house would have such a magnificent view! The site choice is so amazing that it actually rivals the Rong Mansion. The view of this lake is no less beautiful than that of the Dragon Pond."


    "I''ve noticed that you seem to be particularly fond of water. I could tell when I saw you having so much fun in the bathtub yesterday."


    Seeing how delighted Rong Qiuchen was, Yuan Ge took him to the roof terrace as well, " How''s that? It''s not a bad neighbourhood, is it? At least in a mega capital city like Beijing, it''s quite rare to have a prime location like this."


    ----------


    [1] The Story of Su San is a classic Beijing Opera play. Wang Jinglong, a son of a government official, and Su San, a famous courtesan, vow to be together for life. After spending all his money in the brothel, Wang is banished to a temple. When Su San learned of this, she went to the temple and gave him her savings, so that Wang could return to Nanjing. The brothel owner sold Su San to a wealthy Shanxi merchant, Shen Yanlin, as a concubine. Shen''s wife, Pi, poisoned Shen and framed Su San. The magistrate took a bribe to have Su San convicted of a capital offence and sent her to Taiyuan for trial. The judge happened to be Wang Jinglong and the injustice was vindicated. Wang and Su are reunited.

 Chapter 108 - My Annual Income Is Enough To Buy Your House

    Standing on the three-storey high roof terrace, Rong Qiuchen was able to get a full view of the Moonlight Villa. The residential area was backed by the Western Hills and bordered by the West Lake to the east. The houses were not densely packed, mostly built around the water, with a classical architecture style that complemented the beautiful scenery. Seeing this, he could not help but exclaim, "Childe Yuan''s residence is located between the mountains and water. The feng shui is very good!"


    "And you say you''re not a little nerd? You can even read feng shui! Tell me, why is the feng shui of this house very good?" Yuan Ge did admire Rong Qiuchen''s knowledge of traditional culture and could not resist his curiosity to find out how far the boy could go in pretending to be an ancient man.


    "This is a sacred place for gathering wealth, as it is surrounded by mountains and water. This pool of water in front of your house must be water from the West Lake, which has been an excellent feng shui site in the imperial capital for thousands of years - ''the dragon locking the pearl into a longevity peach and the bat spreading its wings to add to the blessings''. It has always been considered a place of blessing and longevity for future generations".


    "Gee, you''re good! You sound like a pro! If Professor Fu hears you, she will definitely make you her confidant!" Yuan Ge couldn''t help but laugh at Qiuchen''s words, and continued, "I grew up listening to my mum talk about these feng shui theories of yours. Whenever people came to visit, they would always praise the feng shui of our house, which made my mum very proud. She would brag to me and my dad, whenever she thought of it, that choosing this house was one of her genius moves."


    Rong Qiuchen smiled slightly and said, "The social elite in the imperial capital are very particular about feng shui. Qiuchen often goes to the houses of the nobles to sing opera. If I didn''t know a little about their preferences, I''m afraid it would be difficult for me to socialise in that circle. Your parents must have spent a lot of money purchasing this house?"


    "Ha! Even if I don''t tell this story, my mum will definitely tell it when she sees you. Twenty years ago, she wrote a dissertation called ''The Eighty-One Mansions in the Imperial City'', which was about the historical origins and urban legends of the major haunted mansions in Beijing. But because her writing style was so sensational and her story so vivid, this academic work of hers was published as a series of popular novels by a cunning publisher, and was a huge hit in those days. You could find it on the stalls in front of all the train and bus stations at the time, and it is an absolute classic of the ''stall literature'' genre. Because of the success of my mother''s books, my family was able to buy this house. Back then, not many people were keen to buy their own home in Beijing, and a flat would only cost a few hundred thousand yuan, which translates to about five or six thousand taels of silver in the Guangxu period. Now it''s different and property prices can easily exceed 10 million yuan."


    "Five or six thousand taels¡­ in this suburban place¡­ It is indeed a lot of money. Even when I was in my prime, I had to work hard for a whole year before I could earn this amount."


    "Hey, Rong Qiuchen, I noticed that you look quite low-key, but your words are not. You''re secretly showing off! Do you mean to say that your annual income is enough to buy such a house? You know, my mother has been bragging about this achievement for half her life! Actually, my dad is the main earner in the family, but his income is fixed. My mother always says that a horse can''t get fat without eating extra grass at night, so my family had to rely on her to have unplanned income like this to build up wealth quickly. The two of them were always arguing about who should be in charge of the family finances and who deserved more credit for building up the family fortune. I''m just a film-making spendthrift, unlike you, whose annual income is enough to buy a house!"


    Rong Qiuchen did not seem to notice the small mockery in Yuan Ge''s tone, and explained seriously, "I am grateful for the kindness of the two masters of the Jinyu Troupe, so I hadn''t thought of leaving the Jinyu Troupe and setting up my own troupe. Therefore, most of my earnings had been given to the masters to cover the daily expenses of the troupe, and I only kept some to redeem my own indenture."


    Yuan Ge thought to himself, "Didn''t you give all the money you had saved for redeeming your indenture to that ungrateful man Liang Zitang to study for his imperial exams?" But on second thought, he suddenly realised that he had somehow applied his film plot to this "Rong Qiuchen". He almost took the boy''s lies seriously again! This guy was such a good actor!


    Rong Qiuchen could see the doubt in Yuan Ge''s eyes, "Childe Yuan, you don''t believe my words?"


    Yuan Ge said perfunctorily, "Whatever you say, since you say you are Rong Qiuchen."


    Rong Qiuchen did not seem to be bothered. He looked at the lake view around the roof terrace and said eagerly, "Childe Yuan, you like to get up late, but I am used to getting up early. In future, can I use this place for my morning exercises?"


    Yuan Ge checked the time and saw that it was almost noon, "I''m up late because it''s holiday time. Please make yourself at home, do whatever you like, and I''m going to make breakfast - no, brunch."

 Chapter 109 - The Talented Brother Puppet

    When Rong Qiuchen moved to the large modern kitchen on the ground floor, Yuan Ge had already put the brunch on the table - Italian tortellini with fried sea bass, but Rong Qiuchen was completely indifferent to the food, instead curiously surveying the kitchen, especially the tall wine fridge.


    "Is it so unusual? That is just for wine and drinks." Yuan Ge said and pulled open the built-in fridge, "This is the fridge for fresh ingredients, similar to the ''ice box'' used in ancient times. If you want to eat anything, just help yourself, or you can ask Vivi to get it for you."


    Just then, the little robot that had finished cleaning the upstairs bathroom buzzed down the track by the stairs.


    "It usually comes back to this floor automatically to recharge when there is nothing else to do. Most of the housework is happening in the kitchen, so it''s quite nice to have it around to help with cooking or just for a chat."


    Rong Qiuchen nodded as he listened attentively, "The cooking room in your residence is indeed different; Brother Puppet is very intelligent. I would like to learn Childe Yuan''s way of life and prepare meals for you from tomorrow onwards."


    Yuan Ge remembered the day when the boy worked very hard to prepare dinner for him at his flat in Yandai Byway.. Unfortunately, due to a gas problem, the whole thing ended up at the police station, wasting his good intentions. Remembering that incident, he lightened his tone and explained, "I really don''t know how to cook very well. Since I studied abroad, I''ve gotten used to eating Western food. As for Chinese food, I can only cook simple things like noodles and scrambled eggs, so I guess it might not be to your liking. After brunch we will go out shopping and buy anything you want to eat and drink. After all, it''s Chinese New Year time and it''s good to stock up on ingredients. Anything you want to know about the house, just ask Vivi the robot. It is not only good at housework but has also installed a companion system developed by my dad. It has all sorts of encyclopaedias in it and enhanced personalised learning features tailored specifically for my parents and myself. For example, she knows all the movies and TV shows in the world, and for my mum it has enhanced functions specifically for archaeology, literature and history, so I guess it''s no problem for Vivi to translate ancient languages to modern ones, or convert traditional Chinese to simplified Chinese."


    Seeing Qiuchen''s look of incredulity, Yuan Ge pointed at the tortellini on the plate and demonstrated, "Vivi Vivi, what kind of food is this?"


    The little robot''s glowing red eyes scanned the plate and replied in Professor Fu''s synthesized voice, "This is a type of pasta. It''s called tortellini in Italian..."


    "Translate into Old Chinese."


    "this is a traditional italian pasta dish in which the pasta is did shape into a pouch, did fill with minc''d meat and vegetables and did cook in boiling wat''r. An 1842 rec''rd shows yond the filling enwheels minc''d beef and egg yolk ¡­"[1]


    Rong Qiuchen could not hold back his joy and hugged the chubby little robot as if he had found a treasure, "Childe Yuan, Brother Puppet is really knowledgeable about the past and the present. I will learn about this world as soon as possible with its help so as not to bring you trouble."


    Yuan Ge sighed helplessly, "If you insist on playing an ancient person even to a robot, then be my guest. Whatever, as long as you''re happy. Thanks to my mum being an archaeologist and folklore researcher, my dad added an extra Old Chinese conversion function and a lot of uncommon and non-mainstream ancient knowledge to make it more convenient for her research. If this robot was mass-produced, I don''t think many customers would order such impractical add-ons."


    --------------------


    [1] I have used Shakespeare English again to mimic the effect of the Old Chinese. Here is the passage in modern English:


    "This is a traditional Italian pasta dish in which the pasta is shaped into a pouch, filled with minced meat and vegetables and cooked in boiling water. An 1842 record shows that the filling contains minced beef and egg yolk..."

 Chapter 110 - The Fish Tank And The Vegetable Garden

    The two of them discussed the usage of the robot for a while before finally settling down at the table to eat. But Rong Qiuchen''s attention was soon drawn to the decorations on Yuan Ge''s dining table.


    "Childe Yuan, why is there a little fish in this ball? And how did it swim into it?"


    Rong Qiuchen curiously picked up a glass ball on the table and examined it, finding it completely sealed. Inside was clean white sand and soft water plants, and a small neon-coloured fish swimming around. He looked in amazement at the vibrant colours and exotic species like he had never seen such things before.


    "Oh, it''s a smart ecological fish tank. The model I have is a miniature version. If I only keep one fish in it, I don''t need to change the water for months. It''s very easy to take care of as it feeds, changes the air and cleans automatically... Hey, don''t go scaring him! He''s a living thing, not a robot fish, and he''s very timid!".


    Rong Qiuchen was holding the small fish tank in his hands and when he heard Yuan Ge''s warning, he took a close look at it. The little fish in the tank had indeed been frightened by him taking it up from the table and was banging against the glass wall. He hurriedly put the fish tank back on the table and apologised repeatedly.


    "It''s okay. The little guy is way too timid. It''s a pity there is no mental hospital for fish, otherwise I would definitely take him to see a doctor. A male fish is so shy about being watched, there must be something wrong with him."


    "Childe Yuan, you can try to keep another one so that these two fish can form a pair and keep each other company. Maybe they won''t feel lonely and timid then."


    Yuan Ge nodded at his words, "You have a point. Why didn''t I think of it? Remind me later to go to the fish market and buy another one." Seeing that Qiuchen was too busy satisfying his curiosity to lift his chopsticks to eat , Yuan Ge urged, "Come on, let''s finish eating brunch first. We have plenty of time to worry about other things later."


    But Qiuchen''s mind was not on the food, his eyes were once again fixed on the green plants on the table. Inside the small, simple, snow-white plastic pot, there were a bunch of miniature plants. The little green leaves were like those from a doll house, but they were so tender, so lush, and covered with colourful fruits. Illuminated by the light above the plastic pots, they looked like bonsai, but more delicate and adorable.


    Yuan Ge saw his curious look and smiled, "This is a mini seeding station grown by LED lights. I brought it back from abroad. It''s kind of like my little vegetable garden, growing directly on the dining table, isn''t it cute?"


    Rong Qiuchen touched the small bright green spring onion and nodded in amazement.


    "By the way, if you don''t think the tortellini is seasoned enough, you can just pick a few cherry tomatoes and peppers and mix them with a few basil leaves. They taste very good together." When Yuan Ge saw that Qiuchen seemed reluctant to do so, he simply picked a few fruits and leaves and put them on his plate, "Try it, yellow tomatoes, red peppers and green basil leaves, the colours certainly look very appetising, but you be the judge of whether the aroma and taste are up to scratch!" He sprinkled grated Parmesan cheese over the tortellini for him, and then he placed a piece of fried sea bass on his plate, "Have a try. Actually I''m not that bad a cook, am I?"


    Rong Qiuchen ate some of the food on his plate and could not help but look up again, gazing at Yuan Ge''s handsome face without saying anything, as if in a daze.


    Yuan Ge, however, was still gloating over his little seeding station. He smiled cheerfully and said, "I usually only come back to this house once a week, and this thing is producing just the right amount of produce, so it should have no problem supplying the two of us."


    "Childe Yuan is well versed in the pleasures of life, kind-hearted, refined and has a childlike spirit. If... any lady is fortunate enough to be your companion and become the future Lady Yuan, she will be blessed beyond measure."


    Yuan Ge laughed at his words, "I''ve heard similar talks about ''Mrs Yuan'' from Am¨¦lie before. Why are you all so concerned about what kind of girl I''m going out with? Even my mother wasn''t in such a hurry to ask me to get married. I''m doing pretty well with my life as it is, aren''t I?"


    Looking a little awkward, Rong Qiuchen said in a low voice, "You are quite right, Childe Yuan. I have indeed overstepped my bounds."


    "No problem at all. I don''t mind you saying that. I''ve brought you home as a friend, it''s not like the old times when it was all about social class and status. I''m not the Third Lord, so I don''t have so many rules. Just say whatever you want, make yourself at home, and we''ll go shopping after brunch!"

 Chapter 111 - Are You Saying You’re Bigger Than Me

    They finished their brunch and Yuan Ge cleaned up the dishes while Rong Qiuchen chatted with Vivi the little robot.


    "Childe Yuan, Brother Puppet said that today is the 26th day of the lunar December, just the right time to kill the pigs, prepare the meat to celebrate the Spring Festival and go out to do the New Year''s shopping. Do you have any servants at the house to help you with these things?"


    "We are the only two living, breathing human beings in this house to celebrate the New Year. Vivi the robot, your ''puppet brother'', could be considered half human. So who else can you expect to do proper shopping and prepare things in the traditional way? Let''s just go to the supermarket and buy whatever you want to eat. That''ll do."


    "New Year is the most important festival of the year, how can it be taken lightly? In the old days in the Jingyu Troupe, the most fun we had all year was preparing for the New Year celebrations."


    Yuan Ge scratched his head, "I''ve been abroad for many years, and I basically don''t celebrate the Chinese New Year. If my parents don''t come back, there wouldn''t even be anyone to organize it, so my Chinese New Year holidays are rather lacking in ritual."


    Rong Qiuchen looked rather enthusiastic and said, "If you don''t mind, Childe Yuan, you can leave these matters to me.. There are still many rules that must be observed for the New Year, so that we can have good luck in the coming year."


    Yuan Ge was amused by him, "You little old fashioned nerd, you care so much about these traditional customs, just like my mother. Are you sure you don''t need to go back to your own home since you take the Spring Festival so seriously?"


    Rong Qiuchen looked hurt by his words, "Why do you always want me to leave?"


    "No, no, no, I''m not kicking you out. You''ve misunderstood me! Ah, if you''re sure you''re homeless, you can stay with me for as many days as you like. It''s quite boring for me to spend New Year''s alone anyway, and it''ll be nice to have you around." Seeing that the boy''s anxiety had eased slightly, Yuan Ge took him to the wardrobe in his bedroom, "Feel free to pick out any clothes you like. When you are done changing, we''ll go out to do the New Year''s shopping."


    But after waiting for quite a while, Yuan Ge saw Rong Qiuchen awkwardly coming out of the bedroom, "Childe Yuan, thank you for your kindness in lending me your clothes, but this robe is very short, what should I do?"


    When Yuan Ge saw what the boy was wearing, he was too exasperated to speak. It turned out that he had been trawling through the wardrobe for so long that he had only found the longest white shirt to put on, his legs and feet still bare wearing nothing.


    "Who told you this was the way to wear a shirt! In the modern world people don''t usually wear robes anymore, you have to wear a pair of trousers, and at the very least, underwear and socks first, okay?"


    Seeing Rong Qiuchen''s embarrassed look, Yuan Ge opened the wardrobe again and took out two brand new packs of underwear and socks, handing them to the boy, "These are for you, new ones. It''s not convenient for us to share underwear, so keep them for yourself. From now on, you have to wear and change them daily, otherwise... you will be considered indecent if you are seen on the street without underwear, and you will be reported to the police!"


    Rong Qiuchen took the soft underwear and socks and examined them for a while before saying, "These undergarments are quite different in style from those of my time. "


    Yuan Ge put his hand on his forehead and shook his head, "I don''t even know what underwear looks like in the Qing Dynasty, yet you''re still cosplaying. Anyway, just put them on, and I''ll help you choose your outerwear." As he spoke, he sized up Qiuchen''s figure, took a pair of skinny jeans and handed them to him, then found a cream-coloured shirt with a jumper of the same colour scheme and told him to hurry up and change into it.


    Sure enough, the outfit removed any incongruity in his appearance since they had met, transforming Qiuchen into a handsome and bright young man immediately. Standing in front of the mirror, he still looked a little uncomfortable and asked Yuan Ge uncertainly, "Childe Yuan, is it appropriate for me to go out dressed like this?"


    "Yes, It will do. You''ll charm tens of thousands of girls at least."


    Hearing Yuan Ge''s compliment, Rong Qiuchen couldn''t help but smile brightly. That smile was so stunning that it made one dizzy just looking at it.


    Yuan Ge dropped his gaze, but immediately exclaimed, "You''re so slim! These are the skinniest pair of jeans I own. They''re actually a bit loose on you."


    "Overeating was never allowed in opera troupes, not to mention that I often played Dan roles, and the masters were particularly strict about my figure management. However, Childe Yuan is quite slim, and these trousers of yours are actually very tight on me, making me very uncomfortable...", he said, pointing to the tightness around his groin area.


    Yuan Ge rolled his eyes at the boy fiercely, "What do you mean! The legs are loose and the groin area is too tight, are you saying you''re bigger than me? Hmph, uncomfortable? Deal with it!"


    Rong Qiuchen blinked and instantly understood what Yuan Ge meant. Seeing his childish obsession with comparing body parts, he just smiled but said nothing.

 Chapter 112 - A Trip Down The Supermarket Aisle

    "I say, do you want to stop by a barber today and get that long plait of yours cut off? Otherwise it feels weird, even when you''re dressed in modern clothes."


    When Rong Qiuchen heard Yuan Ge''s suggestion, he immediately shook his head, "Every part of the body is a gift from the parents and cannot be damaged. How can I let my hair be cut off? Besides, I''m an actor, how can I perform on stage without my hair?"


    "I thought you were going to talk about the hair shaving order in the early Qing dynasty, what with ''keeping the head but not the hair, keeping the hair but not the head''. The custom is such a strange thing, you know, when Dorgon[1] led the Jurchen army into the hinterland of China and forced the Han Chinese to wear Manchu hairstyle, they would rather die than shave their heads and change their clothes; yet by the end of the Qing dynasty, they would rather die than change their Manchu hairstyles and cut their plaits, because they did not want to follow the Westerners'' example of wearing short hair. It took more than two hundred years to settle the issue of what to do with one''s hair. Sometimes, when I think about these things, I feel there is a lot I can chew on and dig deeper into to express in the film, exploring aspects of cultural significance and human nature."


    "Childe Yuan has a keen mind, compassionate, sensitive and diligent. My master once said, ''If you have that kind of temperament, you have what it takes to be a talented actor''."


    "Your master has a rather high standard. He is right, though; an artist is meant to have a greater sensitivity towards all aspects of life. It''s just that if one is too smart and perceptive, one is bound to hurt oneself, for such a person is destined to endure more trials and tribulations."


    Qiuchen looked at the seriousness in Yuan Ge''s eyes as he talked about art and could not help but say, "I wish I could discuss art with you more often. When I was hiding in the Rong Mansion, I was able to overhear you teach others and I felt immense admiration for you."


    Yuan Ge laughed at this, "The director''s job is to instruct and explain to the actors about their roles. You''re not saying that just to please me, are you?"


    "Why would I do that? I never say anything against my heart."


    "That''s good. We can talk more while we''re on holiday." Yuan Ge said, finding a knitted hat with a pompom on top from his wardrobe and putting it on Qiuchen''s head. The dangling hood was perfect for hiding his long plait in.


    "You see, that''s what a proper modern handsome man looks like."


    Rong Qiuchen rubbed the pompom hanging down from the tip of his hat, suddenly remembering what Yuan Ge had just said, "Childe Yuan, you said that at the end of the Qing Dynasty, all men were required to cut their hair? Is this true? When did this happen? I wonder..."


    "I just praised you for being normal, why are you being abnormal again? Let''s not dwell on what happened after ''Rong Qiuchen''s'' death, shall we? Let''s go. Let''s go shopping for the New Year and get something nice to eat!"


    The two drove out to one of the largest supermarkets in the neighbourhood.


    Yuan Ge looked at the full car park and knew that the supermarket was destined to be crowded today. Apart from families stocking up for their New Year dinners, those who were going back to their hometowns also needed to buy some gifts to take home before they left the capital. The thought of the boy''s tendency to fuss over everything he saw suddenly made him regret bringing him out.


    But Rong Qiuchen''s attention had long been drawn to the thousands of cars in the car park. When he got out of the car, he asked anxiously, "Childe Yuan, aren''t you worried that your carriage will be stolen if you leave it here unguarded?"


    Yuan Ge pointed his finger at the security camera high above and said, "I''ve deliberately looked for a parking space that can be monitored. My car is a bit special. It''s likely to be scratched by people with bad intentions or bored children, so I''m quite careful. If there really are bad people trying to damage the car, the footage from the security camera can be used as evidence in court. By the way, this is called a Land Rover, one of the brands of cars nowadays. Don''t call it a horse-drawn carriage like in the old days. Parking is not tethering a horse, and refuelling is not feeding the grass. Don''t get these terms wrong, otherwise people will laugh at you!"


    Seeing Rong Qiuchen nodding obediently, Yuan Ge pulled a shopping trolley and stuffed it into his hands, "We are short of supplies at home, so I guess we need to buy a lot of things today to stock up. Let''s each push a trolley, and you stay close to me so you don''t get lost."


    Despite ample prior warning, Rong Qiuchen was stunned by the tens of thousands of different items stacked in the supermarket and the packed shoppers.


    "Childe...Childe Yuan, how can the market look like this? There are neither shops nor shop assistants, and many people are crowded together to take things as they please... How can it not cause a riot?"


    Yuan Ge couldn''t help but laugh when he saw his dumbfounded face, "You really make a fuss about anything! You''ll see how it''s regulated soon enough. In modern times, everything is a hundred times more convenient than in the past. Hurry up, just pick whatever you want to eat and put it into the trolley."


    "But...this wide range of goods, I¡­ I¡­ do not recognise..."


    "It''s just the packaging that''s changed. I''m sure you''ll recognize many of them." Yuan Ge said as he pulled him to the pastry and confectionery section, "Look, many of these are traditional snacks, such as candied fruits, sachima[2], tortoise jelly, and these traditional pastries. Everything you can think of is here, so just take whatever you like."


    After taking a closer look, Qiuchen''s face lit up. Feeling pleased, Yuan Ge said to him, "You stay here with your trolley, don''t go anywhere else, just take enough to eat for the next few days. I''ll go to the next aisle to pick up other stuff. To be honest, modern snacks taste better. Wait till I get something you''ve never tried before, and we''ll be able to enjoy them tonight while watching movies."


    --------------------


    [1] Dorgon, also Prince Rui, was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the House of Aisin-Gioro as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, predecessor of the Qing dynasty), Dorgon started his career in military campaigns against the Ming dynasty, Mongols and Koreans during the reign of his eighth brother, Hong Taiji, who succeeded their father.


    Under Dorgon''s regency, Qing forces occupied Beijing, the capital of the fallen Ming dynasty, and gradually conquered the rest of the Ming in a series of battles against Ming loyalists and other opposing forces around China. Dorgon also introduced the policy of forcing all Han Chinese men to shave the front of the heads and wear their hair in queues just like the Manchus. He died in 1650 during a hunting trip and was posthumously honoured as an emperor even though he was never an emperor during his lifetime.


    [2] Sachima is a sweet snack in Chinese cuisine made of fluffy strands of fried batter bound together with a stiff sugar syrup, somewhat similar to American Rice Krispies Treats. It originated in Manchuria and is now popular throughout China. Its decoration and flavor vary in different regional Chinese cuisines, but the appearance of all versions is essentially the same.

 Chapter 113 - Time To Raise The Red Lanterns

    When Yuan Ge returned with a large bag of various snacks, Qiuchen had also selected a number of traditional snacks and sweets and was looking around at this brand new world curiously. The two then went to the main cooking ingredients section and picked up some rice, flour, oil and seasonings for cooking, as well as several dozen different kinds of soft drinks.


    But Yuan Ge had no answer to Qiuchen''s "how can you not drink alcoholic drinks during the New Year" argument. The wine and beer in the liquor section were obviously not to his liking, so Yuan Ge ended up having to buy a few jars of vintage packaged rice wine to appease the man who insisted on going to a proper "liquor shop" to buy alcohol.


    The two finally made their way to the fresh produce section. Apart from eggs and milk, the boy insisted that the frozen and processed meats and other fresh produce in the supermarket were not fresh enough. They also searched all over the supermarket but could not find the Chinese New Year couplets and New Year paintings that Qiuchen had in mind.


    "Can we just forget about the New Year paintings and stuff like that? To find this kind of thing, I guess we''ll have to go to an old-fashioned marketplace to get them. I don''t think they stock this sort of thing in supermarkets."


    "Is there a real market? Why didn''t you tell me about it earlier?"


    Hearing Yuan Ge mention old-fashioned markets, Rong Qiuchen''s eyes lit up.. Although today''s large supermarket was a new experience for him, the tall shelves, endless merchandise, and crowded shopping trolleys were not a perfect substitute for the memories of a hundred years ago.


    Faced with his expectant look, Yuan Ge gave in, "Alright, let''s go find a farmer''s market then. We haven''t yet bought any of the fresh produce anyway."


    The two men pushed two trolleys full of food and drinks to the checkout counter. Rong Qiuchen watched in amazement as the cashier scanned the barcodes rapidly, Yuan Ge just put his watch over and scanned it, then pushed the trolleys away.


    While helping Yuan Ge load the shopping into the boot, Qiuchen whispered, "Childe Yuan, you must have spent a lot of money today since we have taken so many goods. Did you buy these things on credit and have to pay them back later?"


    "Buying these things on credit? Of course not! Shopping is paid for in full!" Yuan Ge looked at him and pointed to his watch, "Making payment through a smart device, do you understand? Electronic payment system, do you understand? Banking and credit systems, do you understand?"


    Rong Qiuchen shook his head in confusion.


    "Then how can I explain it to you? Go back home and ask your Brother Puppet for the details. Now that you have reminded me, perhaps it''s better to take some cash with me to the farmers'' market. But then again, even farmers are starting to pay with their phones. You need to wake up fast! It''s really no fun to cosplay someone from the past. It''s very difficult for an ancient guy to live in the modern world..."


    The two left the supermarket and drove to the largest Spring Festival market in the western part of the capital.


    It was Yuan Ge''s turn to be surprised to see the same crowded scene of people doing their New Year''s shopping here.


    "Wow! I haven''t been to a farmer''s market in years. I never imagined that such an old fashioned custom could not only survive but thrive so well in modern city life."


    Rong Qiuchen, however, had finally felt at home. Without saying a word, he took Yuan Ge''s hand and ran happily into the market. Although Yuan Ge didn''t think it was appropriate for two men to wander around in a farmer''s market hand in hand, he figured that if the boy got lost, he would have to go to a lot of trouble to find him, so he just let him be - no one was paying attention to them anyway since it was so crowded. Yuan Ge bought him a traditional tiger hat to wear, which made him look like a cute New Year''s mascot.


    When Rong Qiuchen first entered the market, he ran straight to the busiest place - the stalls selling New Year paintings and couplets were packed with people, and it seemed that there was no shortage of people following traditional Chinese New Year customs. He chose two large red lanterns and carried them in his hands, happy as a child.


    "How could we not have such red lanterns at the entrance of Childe Yuan''s residence? Even if it is not the New Year, having good feng shui at the entrance of a home is still important for any noble house to protect its peace and prosperity."


    Seeing how happy he was, Yuan Ge didn''t bother to ask him why his tastes always coincided with his mother''s. He just followed him and silently paid for the things he fancied. But Qiuchen was not satisfied with many of the couplets and New Year paintings. After searching many stalls, he still could not find any that met his standard.


    "Childe Yuan, how come none of these couplets and words of blessings are handwritten? How come the couplets written by today''s scholars read so shallowly and the words are so clich¨¦d? If you don''t mind, I will write them myself when we return. I''m sure I can do a hundred times better than these. As for these papercut window decorations, they are also very ordinary. What a pity that I am not as good at this as my sixth and youngest brothers. I''m afraid that we will have to make do."


    "My dear Mr. Rong Qiuchen, can we come to an agreement? It''s fine to hang a pair of red lanterns if you like, but can we leave these couplets, words of blessings, papercut window decorations and the God of Wealth alone? Wouldn''t it be strange to put these things on the door of a modern smart house like mine?"


    "Isn''t the New Year all about ''replacing old couplets with new ones''? Childe Yuan, it would be strange if you don''t do that, wouldn''t it?"


    "Okay, okay, you go ahead and pick whatever you need, I''ll just pay." Yuan Ge sighed silently, feeling that his willpower was definitely not strong enough to shake the deeply rooted traditional thinking in Rong Qiuchen''s mind, and that the wise thing to do at times like this was to let him be.


    "By the way, Childe Yuan, is the new calendar issued by the government available for sale here?"


    "You mean the almanac, Chinese lunar calendar?" Yuan Ge smiled and showed him his smart watch, "What day of the year do you want to know? I''ve even got your zodiac sign and fortune telling here..."

 Chapter 114 - Proper New Year Preparation

    "Childe Yuan, look!"


    As he turned around, Qiuchen seemed to have found a treasure in a nearby stall and eagerly pulled Yuan Ge over. Yuan Ge felt that his hands were as cold as ever, but his grip was incredibly strong. He followed him over and found that it was a fruit stall selling specialty fruits from the surrounding areas of Beijing, what with the pears from Mentougou, the persimmons from Fangshan, the apples from Changping and the white peaches from Pinggu ¡­


    "Oh, so you like these types of fruits. No wonder you didn''t take any of those imported fruits when we were in the supermarket earlier."


    Rong Qiuchen reached out and picked up a pear, simply because the box had the image of the Empress Dowager Cixi printed on it.


    When the stall owner saw how carefully he was examining it, he came forward and explained, "This is a pear that even the Old Buddha loved to eat, so it''s also called Buddha See Hei. Young man, it''s Spring Festival time, why not buy some to try at home?"


    He said as he picked up a large persimmon, "If these fruits were in the Ming and Qing dynasties, they would have been chosen as a tribute to the court!"


    Yuan Ge saw that all the fruits on the stall were really fresh, so he picked a few of each kind, and also stopped by another stall to get a few pounds of chestnuts from Huairou.


    "This chestnut is very famous.. According to the historical records, the Old Buddha often ate small buns made with chestnut flour for her health. When the recipe leaked out the palace walls, it became a famous Beijing specialty snack. Aren''t you a fan of Cixi, you must like this snack?"


    "Yes, everyone in the Jingyu Troupe, from the second master to the youngest brother, all loved to eat sugar fried chestnuts. Even when we bought a lot for the New Year, there never seemed to be enough for everyone!"


    A heartfelt smile appeared on Rong Qiuchen''s face as he remembered the past. Yuan Ge could not help but feel pleased with himself that he had made him happy. It seemed that he had become very good at gauging the boy''s likes and dislikes.


    The two wandered around the market for half a day and found "beasts in the mountains, birds in the clouds, cattle and sheep on the ground, and fish in the sea" - basically, everything they could think of. The stalls were filled with all sorts of seasonal products and were full of the cheerful atmosphere of the New Year.


    Yuan Ge felt as if he was leading a big, strong and curious dog who was looking at the wide array of pork, beef, mutton, chicken, duck and goose, all kinds of sausages, hams, dried fish and smoked fish at the meat stalls. His eyes were like those of a man who had been imprisoned for a long time and had finally been released, and excitement was not a strong enough word to describe his eagerness.


    "Just to be clear, you can only buy what you can make. Don''t count on me, I can only make supermarket food." Yuan Ge was fearful of the live animals at the market, but Rong Qiuchen was oblivious to his fear, pointing to the poultry in the cage and saying, "Childe Yuan, it''s best to have live poultry for the New Year, why don''t we get a fat goose?"


    "A live goose? Who is going to kill it? You?"


    Looking at the big robust goose in the cage, for some reason, Yuan Ge''s mind suddenly conjured up a scene of the boy strangling the goose by the neck and bleeding it inside the Jacuzzi.


    "Childe Yuan is afraid to hold a knife? I''m happy to do it for you."


    Seeing Rong Qiuchen''s assured look, Yuan Ge shivered, finding the whole thing unimaginable and firmly rejecting the idea, "Don''t be ridiculous! Do you think my kitchen is a place where I will let you kill a live goose?"


    But Rong Qiuchen was puzzled with Yuan Ge''s attitude, and in the end Yuan Ge bought a roast duck and a salted goose as a compromise.


    "This stall sells traditional venison jerky, do you want to get some to try?"


    "Although venison is an auspicious thing and good to have during the Spring Festival, the Rong family had never eaten it because it is homophonic with ''Lu''. Childe Yuan, you''d better get some air-dried beef, it tastes so much better."


    This explanation reminded Yuan Ge of the name of Rong Lu, the head of the Rong family. This Rong Qiu Chen had really taken his ''cosplay'' to the extreme, even taking into account the "naming taboo"[1]! If not for the lack of scientific basis, he really should have believed that the "Rong Qiuchen" in front of him was the same character in his script. Yuan Ge thought to himself.


    And the boy next to him, who had just finished selecting many fresh seasonal vegetables, started looking around again and asked, "Childe Yuan, why can''t I find a stall selling fireworks in this huge market?"


    "Now fireworks are not allowed within the Fifth Ring Road, so there are fewer people selling them. In a few years'' time, I''m afraid they could disappear from our daily lives altogether."


    Rong Qiuchen''s eyes were full of regret as he said despondently, "Without fireworks, wouldn''t the New Year celebration be lacking in energy and liveliness? In the past, the brothers of the Jinyu Troupe all set off firecrackers together... That scene is still vivid in my mind..."


    Yuan Ge couldn''t bear to hear him talk about the joy he once felt in the opera troupe as Rong Qing in his script, and then showing a lonely and despondent look, so he led him to a stall selling electronic firecrackers and said, "You don''t have to be so disappointed. Look, we can use electronic ones instead. And let''s get some sparklers to set off on the rooftop, it''ll be quite atmospheric."


    Rong Qiuchen was quite grateful to Yuan Ge for his thoughtfulness. Seeing that the electronic firecrackers were indeed very similar in appearance to traditional firecrackers, and that all the sound and light effects were also very similar after the stall owner''s demonstration, he nodded and readily accepted this substitution.


    It was already dark when the two of them finally returned to the car laden with shopping bags. These shopping bags, plus the things they had bought at the supermarket earlier, actually filled the large boot and back seat of Yuan Ge''s car to the brim.


    When they got home, it took them over an hour to finally sort through the various items and store them in the fridge, pantry and other places. Looking at the never-before-seen full fridge and cupboards, Yuan Ge couldn''t help but exclaim, "It looks like we''re really going to have a proper Chinese New Year this time."


    --------------------


    [1] A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China. Not respecting the appropriate naming taboos was considered a sign of lacking education and respect, and brought shame both to the offender and the offended person.


    "Lu" was the name of Rong Lu, who was the head of the House of Rong. As venison is a homophone for "Lu", the Rong family did not eat venison in accordance with the naming taboo.

 Chapter 115 - A Multi-talented Man

    Having enough ingredients meant a hearty meal.


    While Yuan Ge was preparing the dinner, Rong Qiuchen volunteered to do the year-end cleaning. He found a feather duster, a broom and a mop in the utility room. He examined each of the items carefully, weighed them in his hands and nodded with satisfaction, as if he had found the suitable weapons. With a twist of the wrist, he assumed a beautiful operatic pose of holding a spear and began sweeping the floor.


    Ever since the gas incident, Yuan Ge had to keep an eye on the little loony for fear that he might cause trouble again. But today, seeing him meticulously sweep up all the nooks and crannies, and even clean up the cobwebs on the ceiling, he couldn''t find anything to complain about, even with his high standards of cleanliness.


    But it was a bit unfair to take advantage of this kind-hearted little guy to clean a big house all by himself. While waiting for the rice to be ready, Yuan Ge tied on his apron, folded a kitchen paper towel into a small hat and put it on his head, and said to Qiuchen, "You''d better leave the cleaning to me. This house has not been cleaned thoroughly for a while. Look at you, you''re covered in dust already...."


    But Rong Qiuchen stopped him with a smile, "Childe Yuan, you have just been driving the carriage and organising the shopping for the New Year, and now you are in the middle of cooking. Please leave the simple task of cleaning to me. It is a servant''s basic duty to keep the house spotless anyway."


    Without waiting for Yuan Ge to retort, he removed the paper hat from Yuan Ge''s head and put it on his own head, tied on his apron and went back to cleaning.


    Yuan Ge watched as Qiuchen stood on the chair and stretched out to brush away the cobwebs on the ceiling. Probably because the chair didn''t provide enough height, he stepped on the armrests with his bare feet and pressed downwards as the chair stood up on two legs, enabling him to reach the ceiling. This perfect balancing act was dazzling to watch.


    "Where did you learn to do this acrobatics?"


    "Taught by my masters, of course. All basic skills, nothing special." Qiuchen smiled a little smugly.


    "Not bad! Apart from singing opera, you''re also a master at parkour, martial arts and acrobatics!"


    "Childe Yuan, you must also know the saying ''to be distinguished in front of people, one must suffer behind the scenes''. Although I had won the title of the ''First Flower of the Opera Stage'', to achieve that, the amount of training and hardships I had been through in the Jinyu Troupe could be matched by few people in the world. Most of these skills that you mentioned are things that I had to learn in my stage training. Today''s cleaning is but a very simple task, so please don''t feel bad about letting me do it."


    The boy said it lightly, but Yuan Ge felt it deeply in his heart: his film showed the glory of Rong Qing in front of people, but did not portray enough the hardships he had to endure behind the scenes before he became famous. Perhaps he could ask the "Rong Qiuchen" in front of him to help him adding the necessary details to his script in the future.


    "All right then, do as you please. Just be careful not to fall and break my kitchen countertop."


    "Don''t worry, Childe Yuan." Rong Qiuchen said as he stood on a chair and wiped the dust off the top of several paintings on the wall.


    Yuan Ge gazed at his slender, upright body, his graceful movements and agile posture, which looked so beautiful even when he was doing his chores. He could not conceal his admiration and his eyes fell on him uncontrollably. He was so distracted that he almost burnt the cumin lamb he was cooking. With such a distraction, when would dinner be ready? Yuan Ge had to find an excuse to remove the distraction to enable himself to focus on cooking.


    "I say, you should go clean the upstairs first. I''m in the middle of cooking, and if you carry on disturbing those cobwebs, we might end up having spiders for dinner."

 Chapter 116 - A Complete Makeover Of A Junk Storage Room

    When the sumptuous dinner was served, Yuan Ge was just about to call Rong Qiuchen down for dinner when she heard a call from upstairs, "Childe Yuan, come quickly!" The voice was full of surprise.


    "What''s wrong?" Yuan Ge said anxiously as he rushed upstairs. When he followed the sound to where the boy was, he found him standing in his mother''s room, staring at the mess around him and seemingly at a loss for words.


    Yuan Ge hastily explained, "Oh I''m sorry. Please don''t judge my actual standards for a tidy living environment based on what you see here. Just to be clear, this is my mother''s room and is not at all representative of my taste. Look at the whole house, where is it as messy as this? The only place that doesn''t meet my standards is this room of hers. She''s been collecting old junk for years, piling them up in her room and calling them ''her precious''. But she doesn''t sort through them at all and the room has turned into a junk storage room. If it wasn''t for the fact that the room was already full, I would have put the coffin she insisted on bringing back in here as well!"


    Rong Qiuchen couldn''t help but smile as he looked at Yuan Ge''s pained expression at the mention of his mother, "The gift of life from a mother can not be repaid even in three lifetimes. Childe Yuan, you...¡­"


    "I shouldn''t say anything bad about her, is that what you meant to say?" Yuan Ge felt wronged yet helpless, "Sure, I agree with you in principle, but every time I open this door and see this room full of junk, I can''t help but blame my mother. Yes, blame her! You see, on this floor, apart from the guest bedroom, my parents have their separate rooms. I guess it''s because my dad can''t stand my mum''s messiness, so he prefers to sleep separately."


    Qiuchen listened to Yuan Ge''s complaints, but he didn''t seem to care. His eyes sparkled as he surveyed the old furniture, bottles, jars and various antiques in the room and said excitedly, "Childe Yuan, if you don''t mind, would you allow me to rearrange this room?"


    Yuan Ge was taken aback and looked at him uncertainly, "Are you sure? If you don''t have a penchant for tidying things up and just want to do it for the sake of year-end house cleaning, I suggest you don''t take this job at all or suffer at your peril! The mess in my mother''s room is the result of over a decade of accumulation that even she couldn''t handle herself. If you try, you''ll probably end up eating dust for nothing and eventually have to give up."


    "Don''t worry, Childe Yuan. I am willing to do it!" Qiuchen blinked his big eyes, straightened the paper hat, tightened the apron strings around his waist and was about to throw himself into the job when Yuan Ge pulled him back, "Okay, fine, but let''s eat first. After we''ve eaten, you can rearrange this room at your heart''s content."


    Having received Yuan Ge''s permission, Rong Qiuchen was delighted. He rushed through his dinner, then excitedly grabbed all kinds of tools, followed by the little robot Vivi, and dived into Professor Fu''s room to start this gigantic cleaning project.


    Yuan Ge smiled and shook his head, thinking to himself that this guy is just too thin-skinned, not wanting to just be an idle house guest, wanting to chip in and be useful. Then let''s see what he can do.


    After clearing away the dishes, Yuan Ge returned to his own room on the top floor to delve into his next film project. After all, once the New Year holidays were over, King Guan''s blockbuster film would start shooting, and he had to face this huge challenge with the same enthusiasm he had for Qingqing.


    Before Yuan Ge knew it, it was already after midnight. Feeling a little tired, he left the office, and only then did he realise that Qiuchen had not come out of his mother''s room all night. Had something happened? He was worried and hurriedly went downstairs to check, but when he pushed open the door, he was stunned by what he saw.


    The dusty old furniture had been wiped clean and placed in appropriate locations; the painted folding screens, bookcases, display shelves and even the curtain rods and tent supports above the carved bedsteads had all been sensibly rearranged; the bronze mirrors, basins, scholar''s treasures and various porcelain knickknacks, hundreds in all, had been gathered together in one corner to be taken to the bathroom for a good clean; and the embroidered screens, scrolls and knitted items had been placed together in another corner, perhaps to be moved to the balcony for airing?


    Yuan Ge looked in amazement at the new look of the room. Although there was still a lot of details yet to be taken care of, the effect of this rearrangement was already evident, successfully transforming this messy junk storage room of Professor Fu''s into an elegant and quaint sitting room. One could easily imagine that once all the items had been cleaned and put back in place, the room would be more beautiful and authentic than a professional movie set in some costume drama.


    And most incredibly, at first glance, the interior style of the room actually resembled that of the Rong Mansion. A modern person, even one as talented as Yuan Ge himself, could not have relied solely on trance-like dreams or pure imagination to recreate the true classical feel of a place.

 Chapter 117 - Will You Recharge My Battery?

    As if he didn''t know what tiredness was, Rong Qiuchen took the curtain, which was too dirty to tell its original colour, and went to wash it , not noticing that the dust that had accumulated on the small paper hat he was wearing had fallen on his face.


    Yuan Ge saw that he was covered in dust, and the little robot was apparently running out of power because it had been sweeping and mopping the floor non-stop with the boy, and even his speech was starting to run out of tune. He felt quite sorry for him and said, "It''s already midnight, time to take a break. Please spare yourself and your Brother Puppet for now. It''s an absolute miracle you managed to clean up my mother''s room to this extent! You are a credit to my family!"


    Looking around the room, Qiuchen also seemed quite satisfied with the fruits of his labour as he smiled and said, "Will Childe Yuan reward me with a ''recharge'', just like Brother Puppet?"


    "Wow, you''ve learned the word ''recharge'' now?"


    "For the past two days I have been watching Brother Puppet. After answering many questions or doing his chores, he would return to the ground floor and lean against the wall. When I asked him what he was doing, he replied that he was recharging his batteries. It made me think that whenever I touched you, I always felt my energy returning and my body getting a rest, so I thought, maybe I was recharging too."


    "I see you don''t just imagine yourself as a person who has transmigrated from the Qing dynasty, you also imagine yourself as a robot that transmigrated from the Qing dynasty. How do you plan to recharge? Still hold my hands all night while sleeping next to me?"


    Yuan Ge felt a little ashamed when he uttered these words. He obviously didn''t mind doing it, and even felt more at ease than usual with him sleeping beside him, but to allow a man to develop this kind of whimsy thoughts while he, another man, indulged his strange habits was, well, it didn''t make sense! And yet, to refuse his request for a "recharge" outright was something just ¡­ impossible for him to do!


    Sensing Yuan Ge''s dilemma, Rong Qiuchen immediately tried to comfort him, "Childe Yuan, please go and rest first. I am not tired at all, and there is still a lot of cleaning to be done here, so I will stay in this room and not disturb you."


    Yuan Ge saw that the large carved bed, which he had no idea where his mother had got from, had been cleaned but had no mattress or pillows. He didn''t have the heart to let Qiuchen spend the night here, so he said, "This bed is not comfortable to sleep on. You must be very tired after working all day, do come and sleep with me."


    Qiuchen saw that Yuan Ge had extended this bedroom invitation despite some uneasiness. He was feeling a little amused inside, but instead of teasing Yuan Ge, he pointed to himself and said, "Childe Yuan, please go and rest first, but I would like to ask you a favour. May I borrow your bathtub to bathe and cleanse myself?"


    "Coveting my bathtub again?" Yuan Ge pretended to complain, but seeing that the bridge of the boy''s nose was also covered with a layer of dust, he couldn''t resist the urge to touch his nose, but suddenly remembered that dream of dragon, and at Qiuchen''s gentle gaze, he withdrew his hand awkwardly, "Well ¡­ I''m off to bed, make yourself at home, just don''t be too naughty and splash water all over the floor ¡­"


    The next morning, the curtains of the bedroom were automatically drawn and Yuan Ge opened his eyes sleepily. Surprisingly, the night was dreamless and he slept soundly.


    He rolled over lazily, only to find himself with one hand held by Qiuchen, who was kneeling upright on the edge of the bed staring at him.


    "What are you doing!" Yuan Ge was shocked.


    Qiuchen, however, had a sincere and frightened look on his face, almost kowtowing, "I really didn''t know that Childe Yuan was the current Crown Prince! I hope Your Highness will forgive me for the disrespect I have shown for so many days!"

 Chapter 118 - Gege Can Call Me Chenchen From Now On

    "Why are your delusions getting worse? You were fine last night, how come you are confused again after taking a bath?" Yuan Ge couldn''t understand Qiuchen''s behaviour at all.


    Qiuchen called out to the door, "Vivi Vivi!" In response, the little robot came to the bedroom and said, "Your humble wife is here, what is your Majesty''s command?"


    Qiuchen called out again, "Yuan Ge Yuan Ge!" The little robot paused for three seconds, changed out of its female voice and responded in its male voice identical to Yuan Ge''s, "Your humble son is here, what is your Majesty''s command?"


    Yuan Ge''s face instantly turned gloomy. He jumped up from the bed at once and protested, "How did you find out about how to activate the male voice?"


    "Last night, after I finished cleaning Professor Fu''s room, Brother Puppet also happened to have finished recharging his batteries. I then asked him for advice on the changes in world affairs over the past 150 years. He was so knowledgeable that he knew a lot about the Qing Dynasty. I was curious, so I asked him how the Qing Dynasty had actually fallen."


    "And then what? You were so disturbed that you didn''t sleep all night?" Yuan Ge secretly admired Rong Qiuchen''s ability to learn, as well as his inquisitiveness and his spirit of exploration.


    "Childe Yuan, I remember you saying that there is no longer an emperor, but the emperors after the Qing Dynasty clearly came from the Yuan family!"


    "Yuan? ¡­ Yuan Shikai[1]!?" It was only then that Yuan Ge finally realised what he meant.


    "Exactly. I learned from Brother Puppet that the Qing dynasty ended at the hands of Yuan Shikai, so he must have passed the throne several times, and now it has passed down to Childe Yuan''s father, otherwise how can I explain that when Brother Puppet answers a question in Professor Fu''s voice, he would say "your humble wife", but when he answers in your voice, he would say "your humble son"? Who else could your father be, if not the Emperor? Now I understand why Prince Yuan can set up a stage and sing at will in Ronglu''s house, why you could drive a divine carriage, live by the Forbidden City, and have such a wonderful country house outside the city along the Dragon Vein. It''s all because you are the Crown Prince!"


    When Yuan Ge saw Rong Qiuchen looking ready to kowtow again, he hurriedly stopped him. He didn''t know whether to laugh or cry, feeling that the whole thing was ridiculous, "What kind of nonsense is this reasoning! What the hell! The Xiangcheng Yuan clan has nothing to do with my family! You are talking absolute nonsense, though I have no proof!"


    Yuan Ge looked defeated and pressed his fingers to his forehead.


    "Your logic is sound and you are quite good at explaining yourself. I''ll give you that - you''re a good scriptwriter, able to connect completely unrelated things. But it''s still all wrong I''m not a prince, don''t delude yourself!"


    However, Qiuchen was sceptical, "But words like ''your humble wife'' and ''your humble son'' are the language used by the royal family. How can they be used indiscriminately? ¡­"


    "Oh, it''s OK to mess around with these sort of language usage nowadays! Even though we are in an egalitarian society, there are still many people who love feudal rituals and often fantasise about going back to the Ming Dynasty to be a lord or to the Qing Dynasty to be an emperor. My dad is a typical example of such people. He couldn''t get my mother to play along with his fantasies, and he didn''t like the way I behaved, so he used this robot he invented to shamelessly satisfy his fantasy of becoming an emperor. What with ''your humble wife'' or ''your humble son'' bullshit, it''s a classical case of ''spiritual victory''[2]. You''d be crazy to believe it! If you want, tomorrow you can also call yourself by the word ''Zhen''[3] and make yourself some kind of first-class imperial relative to make up for your regret as a lowly actor in the Qing Dynasty."


    "I would not dare!"


    Yuan Ge pulled him up from the floor and said, "Anyway, if you want to ''recharge'' or do something, just say so, no need to be so polite all the time. From now on, you can also drop the title and stop calling me Childe Yuan or Prince Yuan. I''m just an ordinary person, not a prince or a childe, you can just call me by my name ''Yuan Ge'' from now on."


    To Yuan Ge''s surprise, before Qiuchen could respond, the little robot answered, "Your humble son is here, what is your Majesty''s command?"


    Yuan Ge was so pissed off, "What have you done! It''s all your fault for activating his male voice mode! Now it answers when you call it ''Yuan Ge''. You''d better switch it back to Vivi quick!"


    Qiuchen looked a little fearful, "I¡­ I¡­ I don''t feel it''s appropriate to call Brother Puppet by your mother''s name. I don''t know what to do. Childe Yuan, please give Brother Puppet a different name."


    Yuan Ge looked pained, "Do you think my mum and I would put up with such mischief from my dad if I could easily change the operating system? I''ve been pissed off for years about this ''your humble son'' thing, but unfortunately I have to have my dad''s personal verification before any system modifications can take effect."


    The smile on Qiuchen''s face actually appeared a little sly, "In that case, please don''t blame me for addressing Brother Puppet as ''Yuan Ge'', which is better than just calling it by Professor Fu''s given name."


    Yuan Ge rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction, "You call it Yuan Ge, then what are you going to call me from now on? Are you just going to keep calling me Childe Yuan?"


    Rong Qiuchen''s eyes were shining brightly as he replied sincerely, "From now on, I will address you as ''Gege'', which is a combination of the ''Ge'' of Yuan Ge and the ''Ge'' of being a brother. I hope you will be willing to call me Qiuchen."


    Yuan Ge scratched his head, feeling undecided, "Qiuchen always makes me feel like it''s a character in my film, and it''s awkward to call you by this name. Anyway, I''ll try to control the number of nicknames I give you in the future. Maybe something a little livelier? Like Little Qiu, Little Chen, Qiuqiu, Chenchen, how about that?"


    "Chenchen?" Qiuchen was delighted with this suggestion, "I like the modern way of addressing each other with superimposed characters. In the past, perhaps only Qingqing fit in this form. All right, Gege can call me Chenchen from now on."


    --------------------


    [1] Yuan Shikai was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of the Empire of China (1915¨C1916). He first tried to save the dynasty with a number of modernization projects including bureaucratic, fiscal, judicial, educational, and other reforms, despite playing a key part in the failure of the Hundred Days'' Reform. He established the first modern army and a more efficient provincial government in North China in the last years of the Qing dynasty before forcing the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor, the last monarch of the Qing dynasty, in 1912. Through negotiation, he became the first President of the Republic of China in 1912. This army and bureaucratic control were the foundation of his autocratic rule. He was frustrated in a short-lived attempt to restore hereditary monarchy in China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor. His death shortly after his abdication led to the fragmentation of the Chinese political system and the end of the Beiyang government as China''s central authority.


    [2] Spiritual victories, also called "spirit of Ah Q'', is a euphemism for self-talk and self-deception even when faced with extreme defeat or humiliation, typified by the character Ah Q written by Lu Xun.


    [3] "Zhen" is the word used by the emperor to refer to himself.

 Chapter 119 - King Guans Live Streaming

    At this moment, a loud TweeChat ringing broke the intimate atmosphere of the early morning. Yuan Ge picked up the phone and it turned out to be Du Jinghai.


    "Yuan Ge! Hurry! Arthur Guan is broadcasting live, talking about his new movie! The whole showbiz world is about to explode!"


    Yuan Ge put on his clothes hastily and rushed to his office. It seems that Chow Mingrun had eagerly signed the contract with King Guan Entertainment before he left on holiday. Now that King Guan had finalised the main producers and actors, the company immediately went into the pre-promotion phase of the film.


    When Yuan Ge turned on his computer, before he could find the live broadcast site, TweeChat''s real-time hot search list popped up first. The top of the list read, "Who the hell is Yuan Ge?" And most of the top ten hot searches were related to King Guan''s new movie and casting.


    "Gege, please get on with your business first, I will go and finish cleaning the house and preparing breakfast." Seeing Yuan Ge''s focused look in front of the computer, Rong Qiuchen seemed to know how to be a competent little "servant" and not disturb him.


    "Okay..." Yuan Ge didn''t pay attention to him this time, because in the live broadcast Arthur Guan was talking about the shooting plan for his new movie, "A Journey in Brocade''''. Yuan Ge did not expect the live broadcast to attract so much attention at this time of the year, when the whole country was busy preparing for the Chinese New Year celebrations and the morning was not even prime viewing time. TweeChat''s streaming service had always been very smooth, but today it actually got choppy because there were too many people watching online.


    Arthur Guan was still dressed in a bespoke suit, with a cool, domineering look. There were dozens of microphones in front of him, representing almost every kind of media outlet in the country. All of the company''s key personnels and industry veterans were also present, all looking solemn.


    Arthur Guan said in a straightforward manner, "This film, ''A Journey in Brocade'', is a historical fantasy drama with a very contemporary feel. It is also our first major production after the restructuring of King Guan Entertainment, and has a shooting budget of one billion RMB. The director is, of course, the man you all know very well, He Yiru. The film script is currently rated S+ in the industry and is being overseen by the award-winning screenwriter Wang Xiaowen. And King Guan''s premier cast, plus many much-loved veteran actors and actresses, will work together on the film..."


    His face remained expressionless. Every word he said had enough power to shake up everyone and make them look up in awe, but it wasn''t enough to bring a smile to his face.


    "... As for the world view, costumes, make-up, styling, art, sound and post-production special effects, they are all handled by the top teams in the industry. The music director is the pioneer in the martial arts music genre and the theme songs will be sung by some of the most popular singers in the industry. In addition, we are moving away from the traditional production method of the old Guan''s Pictures and will keep up with the times to satisfy the older generation of viewers while also considering the taste of the new generation of youngsters. We will listen to a wide range of opinions and gather the strongest voices of the times. You will know this when you see the list of our producers and co-producers. This will be a superb film that gathers the strongest forces from all walks of the Chinese-speaking world and will be a leader in the revival of our industry, definitely worthy of your eager anticipation!"


    Even through the screen, Yuan Ge could clearly feel the pride burning in Arthur Guan''s chest as he said these words. Although he remained expressionless, there were stars in his eyes that showed his determination and unshakeable confidence, as if this confidence was also contagious, giving his listeners an infinite amount of motivation.


    The audience in the live broadcast session also seemed to be infected by his declaration. The screen was instantly filled with gifts, so many that the system crashed and couldn''t even collect them; and all kinds of blessings and expectations were turned into pop-ups that covered every corner of the screen. The most asked questions were then thrown in front of Arthur Guan.


    "Yuan Ge is a little-known director who hasn''t even stepped into the domestic acting scene, yet you bypassed your own popular artists and cast him as the male lead in this big production. May I ask if this is the biggest unsettling factor for this film?"


    Arthur remained confident, "We at King Guan Entertainment have selected the most suitable male lead through an audition of 3,000 film and television actors. Please trust our professional judgement."


    "Mr. Guan, you have also taken on a male lead role yourself this time. May I ask if this was after much deliberation, or was it purely because you were interested in acting?"


    "Of course it''s not a whimsical decision. A billion is not a small amount for any company. Our transformation of Guan''s Pictures into King Guan Entertainment is not as simple as just changing the name. Since our goal is to lead a brand new film and television dynasty to compete in the world, naturally I need to be able to lead the way. Having formally studied acting overseas, I believe that my appearance and strengths are perfect for the role of Sibeoci Fiyanggu in the film. The character is a Manchu, the same ethnic group as me, and I personally would love to portray the legend of my ancestors myself..."


    After listening to the responses to these questions, Yuan Ge found that although Arthur Guan was young, he was already very experienced in dealing with the media - logical, clear, well-reasoned and unobtrusive - and he could not help but have a little more faith in the film.

 Chapter 120 - "Me And The Emperor Compete For A Guard"

    The live broadcast ended with a bang and Yuan Ge breathed a huge sigh of relief. Had his name not been mentioned repeatedly on the screen, this blockbuster film produced by King Guan would have remained just a distant dream for him. What on earth did it have to do with him, an unknown director in the domestic entertainment industry?


    When Yuan Ge clicked on Du Jinghai''s Quarro account, he found that his number of followers had suddenly increased by 200,000. It turned out that King Guan had released a detailed cast and crew list, and Du Jinghai''s name was ranked first in the second camera crew! That was enough for him to brag about for months. No wonder he sounded so excited on the phone that his voice almost changed in pitch!


    Yuan Ge continued to check the official account of Dragon Dreams and the accounts of the actors they had signed, and they had all seen considerable growth in their followers. So it seemed that they had all benefited from jumping on King Guan''s bandwagon.


    At last, he clicked on his own account - holy crap! What the hell is this? Overnight, Yuan Ge''s TweeChat account had actually gone from having only 400,000 followers to 4 million! This surprised him to no end.


    But the atmosphere in the comment section was foul, with many trolls engaging in a lot of unscrupulous speculation and vicious slander about his casting as the male lead. Yuan Ge remembered that the top-ranked hot search earlier in the day was "who the hell is Yuan Ge" - which was quite understandable, as King Guan Entertainment had nine "pillars" of its own, all of whom were big acting stars. And those veteran actors and actresses chosen for supporting roles were also household names and had won many acting awards. It would be strange if someone as unknown as him was cast as the male lead and not become the "what the hell" in the eyes of the public.


    After a quick scan of the comments, Yuan Ge decided not to continue torturing himself by reading the details.


    Luckily, browsing through the comment section wasn''t entirely in vain. He followed up the discussion and found the original work, on which the film ''A Journey in Brocade'' would be based - an original novel hidden in the column section of Bulabula, the popular video publishing platform. It was quite extraordinary, to say the least, that this IP had gained such fame. It was bizarre enough to publish a novel on a video site, but it also had such an outlandish and unorthodox title - "Me and the Emperor Compete for a Guard". The author, Meatball, was an online writer who lived overseas and earned his fame very early on. It was said that he had been writing since the beginning of the Danmei[1] genre in China. The author had been writing for many years without seeking fame or profit, refusing to sign contracts with specialized book publishing platforms. He wrote purely for the love of writing, and for the purpose of pursuing creative freedom. He was characterized by his R18 content, which was quite liberal and open in its style. His adoring fans respectfully referred to him as "The God of Flesh".


    It was hard to say exactly how King Guan Entertainment had managed to acquire this IP. No wonder it had sparked such fierce discussions this time around - a billion-yuan blockbuster adapted from a Danmei work that was laden with R18 content - this alone was an industry first and enough for netizens of all walks of life to debate until the end of time!


    Yuan Ge had never been one to follow the crowds. He did not judge people by their appearance, so naturally he would not judge a book by its title either. He quickly scanned the synopsis of the original work, flipped through a few random chapters, and found that the novel was quite well written, with adequate research into the historical content involved, great world-building, rigorous logic, and vivid characterisation. The writing style was a mix of seriousness and lightheartedness, with a sense of humanity in its humorous language. The most impressive feature of the writing was the strong sense of imagery it created, as if viewed through a camera lens, which was undoubtedly crucial for its adaptation into a screenplay.


    With a general understanding of the original work, Yuan Ge felt somewhat more reassured. As a director who often wrote his own scripts, he understood very well that "the script is the foundation of a play". No matter how splendidly Arthur Guan had just made the prospect sound, if he, a nobody, was to take the lead role in this billion yuan production, if he did not do as much homework as possible, put in more effort to familiarise himself with the original work and analyse the script before shooting began, then all his performances would be reduced to an airy, impractical pavilion without a foundation. This was why this book was what he needed to focus on during his holidays.


    But looking at other people''s stories, he couldn''t help but feel sorry for his own belated film ''Qingqing''. He wondered when the film would attract high enough attention to enable it to resume filming.


    He was completely lost in his own thoughts when Yuan Ge suddenly heard his name being called downstairs. He dropped what he was doing and went downstairs to see what Rong Qiuchen needed. When he arrived in the kitchen, he saw the boy standing by the cooker, making congee and some other dishes while calling "Yuan Ge Yuan Ge" and chatting happily with the little robot beside him.


    "You keep calling ''Yuan Ge Yuan Ge'', I thought you were calling me."


    What Yuan Ge minded more was actually the little robot''s response, "Your humble son is here. What is your Majesty''s command?"


    Rong Qiuchen looked pleased to see him coming down, "Have you forgotten that Brother Puppet has taken your name and I am now calling you Gege? But since Gege is here, please sit down, breakfast is ready."


    --------------------


    [1] Danmei is a genre of literature and other fictional media originating from China which features romantic relationships between male characters. The male same-sex romance genre of "boys'' love", or BL, originated in Japanese manga in the early 1970s, and was introduced to mainland China via pirated Taiwanese translations of Japanese comics in the early 1990s. The term danmei is borrowed from the Japanese word tanbi ("the pursuit of beauty"), and Chinese fans often use danmei and BL interchangeably.

 Chapter 121 - A Brain Full Of Feudal Dross

    Yuan Ge was seated at the dining table and saw Rong Qiuchen serving up mixed congee made from various kinds of grains and pulses, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, roasted aubergine, cucumber salad, tofu with preserved eggs, and eight different types of pickled vegetables. Not only was there a good balance of hot and cold dishes, but they also varied in colour and texture, which looked quite appetising. After taking a bite, Yuan Ge couldn''t help but exclaim, "You''re not a bad cook at all! I haven''t had a decent Beijing style home-cooked Chinese breakfast in a long time."


    Qiuchen replied modestly, "In the past, when I was in the Jinyu Troupe, all the brothers had to take turns to prepare meals. My cooking skills are not great but they are not bad either, but after I joined the House of Rong, I didn''t have the opportunity to prepare meals anymore. If Gege doesn''t mind, you can leave all these matters to me."


    As Yuan Ge ate his sumptuous breakfast and looked around the large kitchen that had been thoroughly cleaned, he couldn''t help but sigh, "Honestly, it feels so good to be served. No wonder Haruki Murakami would say that ''In order for there to be true art, there necessarily has to be slavery''."


    Qiuchen nodded and laughed at Yuan Ge''s sentiment, "That''s for sure! Gege didn''t even know how many servants the Third Lord of the Rong Mansion had to wait on him every day. He was a man who appreciated the art of eating, drinking and playing, and was a master of all art forms, from the qin, chess, calligraphy and painting. If he had to clean his own house, prepare his own meals, lay out his own paper and grind his own ink, I''m afraid he wouldn''t have any time left to ponder, so how could he become a great connoisseur of art?"


    "You sound quite servile. A little fuddy-duddy full of feudal dross!"


    "Fuddy-duddy? Gege has given me another strange name. I saw that you were preoccupied, so I wanted to do something to relieve you of your worries."


    When Yuan Ge saw how gentle he was when he said these words, he couldn''t help but let out a long sigh, "Chenchen, we''ve known each other for quite some time, so let me simply give you the lowdown. Actually, I have thought of replacing Yin Fenghua and asking you to star in my ''Qingqing''. It''s just that... according to my pessimistic estimation, I am afraid that the film is likely to be aborted. If you pretend to be an ancient man to approach me and look after me all for the sake of wanting to star in that film, there would be no need to work so hard now."


    "Gege, what do you mean by that?"


    "King Guan Entertainment will soon start shooting their blockbuster of the year, ''A Journey in Brocade'', and I have for some reason become their chosen male lead. For a small company like Dragon Dreams, even if I don''t care, others will try their best to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and will definitely drop the shooting of ''Qingqing'' after New Year to focus on this King Guan''s film. So, if you want to play Rong Qiuchen in Qingqing, I''m afraid it will be six months from now at the earliest. And what happens six months later, in this fast-changing entertainment world, no one can say for sure. Maybe that the whole film will be delayed in production, or even aborted..."


    Yuan Ge saw that Rong Qiuchen was listening attentively and felt that his words were a bit cruel. In order to win the chance to play Rong Qiuchen, this guy had put in efforts that no one in the acting business could have done. If he kept on giving him false hope on the grounds of the role and coaxing him into servitude, then his conscience wouldn''t be clear.


    However, Rong Qiuchen didn''t seem to be too disappointed. Yuan Ge thought he hadn''t explained himself clearly enough, so he went on to give an example, "I went to the audition originally for the assistant director''s job, but now I ended up taking on the role of the male lead. This is like the Empress Dowager Cixi writing a new opera on a whim and choosing one of the most popular artists from the 300 or so opera troupes to sing it, only to end up with picking a handyman in the troupe."


    "Gege is wrong. Her Imperial Highness Old Budha was a true connoisseur in opera, and she often made her own changes to existing productions, so her new piece might not be substandard. If she picked a handyman to sing, she might have a discerning eye. Perhaps that person has the potential to outshine the famous actors, and now that he has been given the stage, he will soar to the top and become a legend on the opera stage."


    "You''re quite good at comforting people. And you do have a point."


    Yuan Ge had expected Qiuchen to be extremely disappointed when he found out the truth, and to return to school and go back home, with no more attachment to him. But to his surprise, not only did he not show any displeasure, he also said these comforting words. He always acted like he wasn''t quite in his right mind, but when he spoke seriously, he sounded very mature, unlike a student who hadn''t experienced the world.


    "But ¡­ What''s the point of following me around and suffering like a little servant if you can''t be part of Qingqing''s filming?"


    A hint of hurt finally appeared on Rong Qiuchen''s face, "Does Gege think that what I have done is just to get a role in the cast?"


    Seeing the unconcealed sadness in Qiuchen''s eyes, Yuan Ge stumbled and replied, "No-no-no! I was - I am - afraid of - worried that you sacrificed yourself for nothing..."


    "Gege, I have followed you willingly because of your kindness in saving my life, because of the help you have given me in recharging my batteries, because of the warmth you have provided me in bringing me home, and because I admire your dedication to your art. I have learned so much from the time I have spent with you, my heart has been touched and my mind settled. Why doesn''t Gege appreciate my feelings and assume that I''m just in it for the fame?"


    "I don''t mean that at all!" Yuan Ge was so flustered by Rong Qiuchen''s words that he hurriedly explained, "I used to say things like you are a ''porcelain bumper'' just because we didn''t know each other too well yet, but now that I understand the way you are and appreciate your attitude in many things, coupled with your excellent personal qualities, you will definitely become a good actor in the future. I''m just worried that after I get into the filming of ''A Journey in Brocade'', I will become so busy that I won''t have enough time to take care of you. I won''t be able to continue filming ''Qingqing'' in the short term, and this may hold up your future stardom."


    When Qiuchen saw Yuan Ge''s sincerity in his speech, his sadness turned into joy, "Gege, I learn a lot every day when I''m around you.. Whether you are filming ''Qingqing'' or ''A Journey in Brocade'', the best way for me to learn is to be with you."

 Chapter 122 - The High Is Easily Broken, The Clean Is Easily Defiled

    Seeing that Rong Qiuchen had no intention to leave him even if the shooting of Qingqing won''t go ahead, Yuan Ge''s mood brightened and he said with a smile, "You don''t have to be so polite. If you really are that famous Qing Dynasty actor Rong Qiuchen, then you should feel honoured, because it''d be me who would learn from you. Anyway, let''s learn from each other now."


    "Gege, why don''t you just think of me as Rong Qiuchen? If you want to ask him anything, you can just ask me."


    Yuan Ge gave him a sidelong glance and laughed, "Here we go again. Just as I thought you were normal you''re getting carried away again! Well, Okay, let me ask you, Mr Rong, during the heyday of Beijing Opera in the Qing Dynasty, every famous actor had so many ''ticket followers'', or fans in today''s terms, which could be described as the early form of the ''fandom''. I was told that these fan groups had their own special names and were quite crazy. It is said that Tan Xinpei''s fans were known as ''Phlegmatic Fans'', Wang Yaoqing''s fans were known as ''Yao Lunatics'', and Mei Lanfang''s fan group had the most dreadful name, known as ''Syphilitic''[1]. Just looking at these names, you can imagine how crazy they were."


    Qiuchen said with a smile, "The actors that Gege is talking about may have come after my time, but I think the traditions of the opera circle have not changed. Back then, all "Seven Golden Flowers" of the Jinyu Troupe were adored by the public. Gege''s film only shows them being invited to parties at the residences of the society elite and being rewarded by the royal family. In fact, compared to the upper class, the ordinary ''ticket followers'' were even crazier. They formed their respective "societies" in which they each had their own role to play - The ''civil'' followers wrote poems, lyrics, painted pictures, engraved plaques and printed books for the actors they supported; the ''military'' followers not only had to grab seats in advance so that everyone in their group could watch the opera in the theatre, but also had to cheer. But the way of cheering must be regulated and not shouted indiscriminately. The word "good", its beginning, middle, and end, must be pronounced with a cadence, and it had to be full of tone, with hooks and folds, which was a great test of one''s chest strength. Even if their idol did not perform well that day, supporters had to use the word "good" to help cover it up. Some ladies were even more daring, writing love poems on handkerchiefs, wrapping gold and silver jewellery in them and throwing them onto the stage. My elder, third and fifth brother had all been supported in this way, and there were even women who wanted to marry them in order to enhance their fame. Entrust them with a lifetime of happiness, ah, what crazy women...¡­"


    Yuan Ge couldn''t help but laugh when he looked at him talking so emotionally, "When you say your brothers, what you''re actually trying to say is that Rong Qiuchen had the most fans, right? I guess the women who wanted to entrust their lifelong happiness to you could line up around the city walls. Hahaha! But hearing you talk about it in such detail, it seems that the craziness of fans is the same throughout the ages, and there is really nothing new under the sun."


    "Are you bringing this up because now that you are about to take on a big role, your fan base has surged?"


    "You''re smart to guess that. It bothers me, now that the film hasn''t even started rehearsing and there are 4 million more ''ticket followers''...¡­"


    "Four million! The entire imperial capital only has a million people, but Gege already has so many followers! Gege will soon lead the stage and become the stage flower of a generation, won''t you?" Rong Qiuchen''s eyes went wide, clearly having a new appreciation for today''s fans for the first time.


    "No, no, no, you can''t use Qing dynasty figures to compare! Today, there are 20 million people in Beijing alone. To be what you call a ''stage flower'', I reckon there''d have to be at least 50 million ''ticket followers'' for it to count."


    "Is that true, Gege? How can an actor cause such a frenzy nowadays?"


    "Well, that''s the way the world is today. So, you work hard, ''cause it''s a long way to go to become the ''Rong Qiuchen'' of today."


    Seeing Qiuchen''s thoughtful look, Yuan Ge sighed again, "Don''t assume that having so many people following you is an entirely good thing. What bothers me is that some people have ulterior motives for wanting to see me act. You see, the film hasn''t even started shooting yet and public opinion is already so divided." With that, he handed his mobile phone to Qiuchen.


    Rong Qiuchen had long been aware that everyone nowadays liked to hold such a shiny little box in their hands. As if using magic, it contained a big world inside, yet now that he held it in his hands, he found that the writing inside was not fully recognisable to him.


    "Ah, the Qing Dynasty people couldn''t read simplified characters. Is that it? This is what I admire about you - when you do something you pay attention to every little detail." Yuan Ge had long been used to his stubbornness and the fact that he''d rather die than be out of character in this cosplay game, so he simply converted the phone system to traditional Chinese and handed it back to him.


    "See, now everyone is asking, who the hell is this Yuan Ge dude? Why did he get the lead role in King Guan''s big production and not my idol? He must have bought his way into the cast, or he must have climbed into bed with the big boss...¡­"


    Rong Qiuchen carefully browsed the information on the page and tried to comfort him, "Gege, as the saying goes, ''the high is easily broken, the clean is easily defiled''. People''s words can be malicious, people''s hearts can be evil, and such people exist in whatever age we are in. This is what happened when I won the Flower of the Opera Stage. The groups of ticket followers behind each actor would slander each other, fight with each other, and even kill each other just for the ranking of the actor they supported, for the order of their appearances on stage, whether they would be able to perform the grand finale or get the royal reward...¡­ What happened to Gege now is the same as what happened to Qiuchen back then, or rather, it is just the beginning. If you were to become a superstar because of this film, I am afraid that you would be called upon to wait on the powerful every night, and you would never be free."


    Yuan Ge didn''t know whether to laugh or cry, "Well, you''re really good at comforting people, talking as if it''s all true! So what you''re saying is that my current worries are nothing compared to Rong Qiuchen''s worries. But you do have a point. He was the top artist of his time, the number one superstar, and I''m not even close."


    Just as the two were eating and chatting, the TweeChat app rang again and Qiuchen hurriedly handed the phone back to Yuan Ge. It turned out to be the boss, Zhou Mingyun, who had called an online video conference with the four founders.


    "I can''t keep you company now. They are probably all puffed up with pride. I don''t know how long this meeting is going to last¡­ " Yuan Ge sighed, put down the bowl in his hand and helplessly climbed back to the top floor for the meeting.


    "No problem, Gege. I''ll clean up the dishes and then go to the rooftop to air a few items." Rong Qiuchen replied without a care in the world, and happily went back to the chores at hand.


    --------------------


    [1] Tan Xinpei, Wang Yaoqing and Mei Lanfang were all famous Peking Opera artists of different eras in China. The names of their opera fan groups carry a play on words. Tan and phlegm are the same sound, so Tan Xinpei''s fan group is jokingly called the "Phlegmatic Fan". The Chinese word for syphilis is "mei du", where the character "mei" is the same as in Mei Lanfang, so his fan group was jokingly called "Mei du" or "Syphilis".

 Chapter 123 - Get Into The King’s Bed And Serve Him Well

    "What great news! As soon as I arrived home today, the townsfolks gathered around me and treated me like a hero. I never thought that I, a man married into a woman''s family, would one day be able to walk with my head held high!"


    On the other side of the screen, Chow Mingrun was beaming with joy.


    "According to my incomplete count, apart from the three sponsorships we received last time, there are now more than 20 businesses in my village lining up to use my connections to advertise in King Guan''s movie. Now we''ve really earned both face and money! Even my demanding father-in-law gave me a pat on the back for the first time!"


    Chow Mingrun''s smug look reminded people of an opening peacock.


    "The things to be advertised this time won''t all be pickled turnips, will they?" Du Jinghai teased.


    "That can''t be. There has to be something else, like cabbages and cucumbers or something. I''ll talk to King Guan when the time comes. It''s an ancient costume drama anyway, surely they must eat pickles too ¡­"


    They all laughed happily. Yuan Ge didn''t know what to say.


    "By the way, Yuan Ge, just now Liu Sang sent me the electronic copy of the script for everyone to read during the holidays. Remember we signed a non-disclosure agreement, be careful not to leak it out or we will be sued our pants off!"


    "Got it, and I found the original work online as well. No need to remind me, I''ve already started reading it."


    "Our Yuan Ge is the most professional! I know I can count on you!" Chow Mingrun said with a smirk, looking like he was coaxing a child.


    At this point, Am¨¦lie Jiang interjected, "Yuan Ge, I see that you have added a few millions new fans, and they are begging to see your photos and some personal from you. What''s your plan? You''ve had your TweeChat account for over a year now, but you haven''t shared any personal updates other than a bunch of technical posts. If you don''t want to share photos, you should at least upload a profile picture!"


    "Uh ¡­ I''ll try to find some time to do it later."


    Am¨¦lie, however, was a little impatient and couldn''t wait to tell the world how handsome Yuan Ge was.


    "Will you stop being so low key? If you don''t want to, let me do it. I know what women like to see, and I can post something that fits their aesthetic and preferences. Anyway, I have enough cool photos of you in my phone to choose from. Jinghai, please tell me Yuan Ge''s account password and I''ll manage his account for him."


    Yuan Ge had always been a low-key person who didn''t bother to run any social media accounts. Upon his return to China, his TweeChat account was set up with the help of Du Jinghai, an experienced social media user, and he had been managing it for him as well. Du Jinghai was obsessed with photography and would often post summaries of his chats with Yuan Ge at work on TweeChat. Due to the high technical content, most of Yuan Ge''s followers were people interested in the technical aspects of filming, directing and photography.


    "Amy, you''re finally back in Canton, so it''s better to enjoy New Year with your family. I haven''t checked these accounts for a while, I''ll have to look for the password and see where it''s written down."


    Du Jinghai clearly didn''t mean what he said and didn''t want Am¨¦lie to take over Yuan Ge''s account.


    "Old Dude, you set up our official website and TweeChat account, didn''t you?" Chow Mingrun interjected.


    "Yeah, I only just finished the verification process for our company''s official TweeChat account early this morning. I didn''t expect the power of King Guan''s official announcement to have such an explosive effect. As soon as the news was released, our official account also increased by more than 100,000 followers. It''s only been one day, and the web traffic is already scarily high. It looks like this movie is going to be a huge hit!" Du Jinghai exclaimed.


    "Then, ''Qingqing'' is going to be shelved for now, right?" Yuan Ge finally managed to voice out the worries he had been having for days.


    "My dear Yuan Ge, forget about Qingqing! We''ll first send you into King Guan''s bed and hope you serve him well, then we''ll jump on his bandwagon to become rich and famous! Amy, Old Dude, how much do you think our company is worth at its current value? ¡­"


    The conversation soon ran all the way to fame and fortune. Sure enough, all three had their egos inflated and didn''t care about Qingqing anymore. Thinking of how perfect Qiuchen looked in his dreams, Yuan Ge''s heart was filled with loss and he ended the long video conference early on the pretext of reading the script.


    When he thought of Am¨¦lie''s repeated urges for him to add a profile photo on his TweeChat account, Yuan Ge picked up a supermarket paper bag, dug out two eye holes, put it on his head and casually took a selfie. Underneath this quirky profile picture, director Yuan Ge, who had now been forced to become an actor Yuan Ge, added a deliberate self-mocking remark - "You all asked ''who the hell is Yuan Ge'', and how dared he play the male lead, so here it is, a not-so-daring Yuan Ge!"

 Chapter 124 - Welcome To My Secret Garden

    After dealing with many online matters and printing out a thick copy of the film script, Yuan Ge threw himself into this new work. When he looked up again, it was already late at night. He remembered that Rong Qiuchen had been working all day. Although the boy had been busy trotting up and down the stairs to the roof terrace and had passed by his office several times, he had turned a blind eye to him. Had he been too indifferent to the boy?


    He stood up, feeling quite apologetic, and found that the whole house was now immaculately cleaned, even the red lanterns for the New Year had been hung on the front door and the roof terrace. The bright red colour added a festive cheer to the whole house. When he pushed open his mother''s room, the bedding and soft furnishings had all been cleaned and rehung, displaying their classical charm. Cluttered piles of antique artefacts had been dusted, wiped down and put in their place appropriately, transforming this former untidy storage room into one of the most elegant rooms in the house.


    Full of amazement, he walked downstairs to the kitchen and a sumptuous dinner had already been laid out on the table. And Rong Qiuchen, accompanied by the little robot, was studying how to use the dishwasher.


    Yuan Ge hurried forward to help load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, "You must be hungry, right? Why didn''t you call me when the food was ready?"


    "Gege has been busy doing something and I am not at liberty to interrupt. It is only right for me to wait for you. The food is getting cold, so let me warm it up for you first."


    Seeing that he was about to get up, Yuan Ge hurriedly pulled him back and said "You are going to spoil me into a lazy man. Later on if I get used to this easy life, that''d be really tragic. It is easy to go from simplicity to luxury, but hard to go back to simplicity from luxury."


    Qiuchen smiled at this, "Gege doesn''t have to be bothered with such trivial matters all the time. I''m happy enough as long as you don''t keep trying to get rid of me. You can devote more energy to your artistic pursuits."


    Yuan Ge looked at the table of delicious food and then back at the sincerity in Qiu Chen''s bright eyes, and without thinking, he blurted out, "I don''t want you to leave. If you like, you can choose a room and be a permanent resident here."


    After dinner, Rong Qiuchen picked up his cleaning tools again, "Gege, there is still one last room left to clean on the second floor. The door was closed, so I didn''t want to intrude."


    Yuan Ge took the tools in his hand, "You''ve worked so hard today, so just take a break tonight. I''m going to give you a proper reward. I will show you my secret garden!"


    With a curious look on his face, Qiuchen walked into this mysterious room on the second floor. The room was not very large and the furnishings were quite simple - a set of double-sided modular sofas, beige carpet and perfectly soundproofing walls. Various equipment and wiring were built into the walls, blending in with the room discreetly.


    With Yuan Ge''s voice command "Light", several sets of LED lights come on together, drawing outlines on the walls and furniture, giving the room a hazy and elegant feel.


    "This is my AV room, both for work and for rest and entertainment. The flat on Yandai Byway I took you to before, the TV there I could only use to play things to pass time, which was a degradation to my professionalism. Only here, where I do all my serious film analysis work, can you experience the real world of ''Director Yuan''."


    Yuan Ge sat Qiuchen in the centre of the sofa and said, "How about I play you a piece of music to get a feel for it first?" He then said into the air, "The fourth movement of Beethoven''s Ninth Symphony."


    All of a sudden, an intense and powerful burst of music and human voices followed, resonating through the room like a volcanic eruption.


    Qiuchen felt that the music was like a raging tide, a torrent and a storm, pounding his ears from all directions. It was sometimes solemn and grand, sometimes delicate and gentle, so rigid yet tender that it sent one into a whirlwind of passion and sorrow. The harmonies of male and female voices seemed to converge in his mind as a magnificent sun shining over the earth, yet beneath the light there was still a despair and terror and pain that was hard to escape. Finally, all the sounds, colours and light converged into a torrent of thunder that rolled forward, sending shivers down his spine as the bass trembled. With the final words "Freude, sch?ner G?tterfunken!", the room finally went from a lively commotion to dead silence.


    Rong Qiuchen was so lost in the afterglow of the sound that he was too shocked by the emotions saturating the air to speak.


    "Speechless, right? So good it makes you wanna cry, huh?" Yuan Ge curbed his usual bantering attitude and lamented, "This piece was premiered in Vienna in the fourth year of the Qing Dynasty''s Daoguang era, making Beethoven an instant musical saint. The immortal art transcends race and lives on for centuries. I wonder when I will be able to create such a masterpiece of art".


    "This is a foreigner''s song. I couldn''t understand a word of it, but I was so moved by the pain of life and the tenacity of mankind."


    "It is only through suffering that there is joy. Those who can become saints must have a considerable philosophical height and a deep understanding of life. The fact that you can hear the sadness in Ode to Joy means that you have grasped the essence of the piece. This 7.1-channel panoramic HIFI set of mine has not been wasted on you".


    Yuan Ge watched as Qiuchen''s chest rose and fell and his eyes filled with emotions. He probably touched something in his heart, Yuan Ge thought to himself, so he went forward to pat him on the shoulder, assuming a tone of infinite compassion, "Don''t be too sad, and don''t miss things too much. You are so young, yet you have suffered such a serious mental illness, hysteria, amnesia and delusions... even more serious than what happened to Beethoven. You would surely become a great artist and your artistic career would be limitless!"


    Qiuchen came back to his senses and gave Yuan Ge a fierce glare, "Gege, you are a real killjoy sometimes."


    "How so?"


    "You mean well, but you don''t say it in a good way. You need a good beating!"

 Chapter 125 - Farewell My Concubine

    "Good lord! You really think you''re somebody! Want to give me a good beating?! I''ll make you cry any day!"


    Yuan Ge took out a Blu-ray disc from the built-in disc rack, pull down the 150-inch curved, acoustically transparent screen and projected the film onto it with a 4k HD projector. The lights in the room gradually dimmed. Nearly 1,000 small-diameter spotlights on the black ceiling make this luxurious private cinema feel like it''s in the middle of the night, and you can even feel the twinkling stars.


    Rong Qiuchen watched the light and shadow flicker on the screen as the two Peking Opera actors appeared.


    Yuan Ge asked the little robot to bring all kinds of snacks and drinks. When he saw Qiuchen staring intently at the screen like a silly boy, he tore open a large bag of crisps and handed it to him, "Little Potato, have you ever tried crisps? Come on, have some while you watch. It''s a long film."


    So, with the clanging of gongs and drums and the high, shrill, penetrating sound of the Peking Opera instruments, the film started.


    When Rong Qiuchen heard the sound of the instruments he was so familiar with, he instinctively looked around the room, but could not find the place the instruments were making their sounds.


    "Apart from the horn speakers, I''ve made them all to be built-in, taking into account the acoustic lens principle. Where you''re sitting is the emperor''s seat, the best acoustic position in the room."


    Rong Qiuchen did not fully understand the technical things that Yuan Ge said, but he was completely moved by the film he chose. Seeing the story of a group of children growing up in an opera troupe and the price they pay to become actors was so familiar, so close to heart and so empathetic that he could not help but tear up.


    Although Yuan Ge said he wanted to make him cry, when he actually saw the crystal teardrops on Qiuchen''s cheeks, he felt indescribable compassion. Sitting beside him, he said softly, "Have you not heard of this film? It''s a masterpiece in Chinese film history."


    "Farewell My Concubine..."


    Qiuchen recited the title of the film softly, as if he was muttering to himself.


    "When I was an apprentice, the training was even more painful than shown in this movie. The strictness of the two masters of the Jinyu Troupe was second to none in the capital. The Seven Golden Flowers on stage had all the fame and glory, but who had ever heard of those brothers who didn''t make it through the rigorous training..."


    Rong Qiu Chen couldn''t help but comment softly as he watched the story unfold. When he saw the banner behind Dieyi, "Absolute Beauty", who had finally become a famous actor, he said wistfully, "How similar to when I was awarded the Flower of the Opera Stage..."


    "Ah, you''re going into a delusion again. Well, I''m really curious though. I wonder who was more famous, Rong Qing of his time or Dieyi in the movie?"


    "I had more ostentation and extravagance than he had."


    "Yes, yes, you had a bigger swagger, ''cause Empress Dowager Cixi was sitting down there watching, right? I say, my little loony Chenchen, you are good at everything, but you''re as thick-skinned as a city wall. With such a handsome face, saying such shameless things, don''t you think it''s very incongruous?"


    "I have never told lies to you. Gege asked me many times, yet disbelieved me each time. I do not know how to prove myself."


    Yuan Ge paused the film, turned to him and asked seriously, "What do you want me to believe? Believe that you are the famous Qing Dynasty actor Rong Qiuchen? Then let me ask you - are you a ghost who has lived in the world for more than 160 years, or are you a phantom who came out of my dream? How about waiting for me to get a blood pressure monitor and test whether your blood pressure and heartbeat are normal?"


    "Don''t!"


    Rong Qiuchen cried out in horror, looking indescribably aggrieved.. Tears trembled in his eyes and the corners of his mouth were pursed, but in the end, he could not find the right words and hung his head without saying a word.

 Chapter 126 - Only You Are Possessed Of Such Charm

    "Now I know that Gege''s artistic dreams are not unfounded delusions of grandeur. You will one day be able to produce works that will make the world marvel. I want to stay here forever, not just for my own enjoyment, but in the hope that I can fill this 160-year gap soon and accompany you to realise your dream." Qiuchen says sincerely, his eyes full of determination.


    "You know how to butter me up."


    Yuan Ge avoids Qiuchen''s passionate gaze, refocuses his attention on the collection and says, "I''ll divide them into different drawers by region then. You see, America, Europe, Asia, and then each drawer is roughly ordered chronologically so that you can find them as easily as possible. For example, the Asian section is larger and it''s further subdivided into different regions such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan and Korea, South East Asia, India and so on. There are also these extra drawers, all sorted by awards won, and this one below is our academic analysis ¡­"


    Seeing how Yuan Ge meticulously sorted through the huge collection and explained everything to him in detail, Qiuchen is so grateful that he doesn''t know what to do. Yuan Ge also notices that Qiuchen is very perceptive and is able to understand almost everything he has been taught, which is a great relief to him. Seeing how quickly he has progressed in his studies every day, Yuan Ge wonders if he doesn''t need to sleep at all.


    "What did you put in these three drawers? Gege forgot to tell me about them."


    Rong Qiuchen points to the three drawers in the far corner, which are stacked with various hard drives marked with letters and followed by specific instructions written in a foreign language.


    "They''re, uh ¡­" Yuan Ge looks embarrassed, "Chenchen, are you of the legal age of majority or not?"


    "How is it that Gege always fails to remember that I am twenty-two years old. How can I be underage?"


    "So, as a hot-blooded college graduate, you must have watched porn, right?" Yuan Ge cleared his throat and explained awkwardly. Seeing that Qiuchen still looked confused, he said even more sheepishly, "That, uh, is similar to the ancient ¡­ Chungong Pictures[1], only that they are not just pictures, they are moving pictures, so that, uh, the level of realism ¡­ probably is a bit more, uh, explicit ¡­"


    "But there are so many hard drives here. According to what Gege said earlier, a small box can store thousands of movies, and since there are so many hard drives, could it be ¡­"


    "Stop, stop! Let''s not discuss my rather uh, kinky collection and tags, shall we?" Yuan Ge put his hand on his forehead and sighed helplessly, "Chenchen, you''re a good, innocent boy. It''s better not to understand..."


    "But what about in this drawer?"


    Qiuchen''s long and slender fingers pull open another drawer below. Yuan Ge rushes forward and grabs the large hard drive labelled "Worldwide Restricted Films" from his hand, shoving it back and closing the drawer firmly.


    "The movies here are even more outrageous than those just now, and they''re something even adults shouldn''t watch! It''s what we directors use professionally to discover and study human nature ¡­"


    "Human nature?" Qiuchen glances at the drawer with the porn and restricted movies and a third drawer below it and finally swallows the question he was about to ask.


    ***


    For two days in a row, Yuan Ge has been in his home office studying the script of "A Journey in Brocade". Apparently, when this million-word novel is condensed into a film, many of the plot lines become incoherent, especially the emotional thread of the story. How does Chu Jiliang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, whom he is to play, go from being buddies to having romantic relationships with all three men closest to him?


    Holding the original novel while tossing and turning under the covers, Yuan Ge becomes more and more confused as he reads.


    This Meatball really deserves the title of "Goddess of Flesh", a woman who has the guts to write about sex in such an explicit way! The uncensored scenes of passion in the book are so intense that they will make a man blush. But how do such intense emotions happen? Girls are always fond of using the phrase "I don''t know where love comes from, but I just fall into it deeply", but as a rational person, Yuan Ge is not willing to accept such an unexplainable emotion.


    Admittedly, most male love stories written by women are still largely fantasy-based, focusing too much on aesthetics and lacking a sense of reality, which is probably the hallmark of so-called "danmei" works, or "boy''s love". But since King Guan wanted to adapt it into a film, with an S+ script and a lot of big names in the industry, Yuan Ge figured that he wouldn''t tolerate a purely female perspective. Therefore, if he were to play the role well, he had to understand the key emotional points.


    But ¡­ but he just can''t make sense of these key emotional points!


    Yuan Ge is tossing and turning in bed, desperately trying to figure this out. Between two men, it''s easy to understand why they vow to live and die together, and why they would treat each other as confidants and not betray each other, but how can there be such a turning point where brotherly love suddenly turns into romantic love?


    When he wrote the play Qingqing, everything seemed to flow naturally. Perhaps because of Rong Qing''s special identity as an opera singer, he feels that he should be influenced by social customs of the time and liked men naturally. And since he was an unworldly boy, he was probably lured into it before he understood what homosexuality meant. But Chu Jiliang is different. He is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, so how can he not even want his newly married princess but wanting a man instead?


    --------------------


    [1] Chungong Picture is a type of Chinese erotic art, similar in style to the Japanese shunga tradition of art of the same period.. Translated literally, Chungong means Spring Palace, referring to the crown prince''s palace, and "spring" is a common euphemism for sex in Chinese.

 Chapter 127 - Ride Your Dreams Forward, With Songs Along The Way

    Why don''t I go and ask little Chenchen?


    Yuan Ge thinks to himself.


    He is so deep into cosplaying Rong Qiuchen that he might be able to figure out the things about the male to male relationship that I have not thought of.


    The guy hasn''t been out much since he went into the AV room, probably because he has been watching movies like crazy. I don''t think I''ve seen him for the past few days except for dinner. Of course, I''ve been too busy reading this million-word tome to bother with him as well.


    With this in mind, Yuan Ge went downstairs and pushed open the door to his mother''s room, which is now Rong Qiuchen''s domain.


    The curtain on the large carved bed is hanging low and the incense is  burning slowly, but no one is in the room.


    He wanders into the kitchen and sees the little robot charging quietly in one corner. Sure enough, even it has been abandoned. The guy really does seem to be drowning in the movie world and couldn''t get out.


    Yuan Ge makes two cups of coffee and returns to the top floor.


    As soon as he steps into the AV room, he feels that there is something wrong in the air - this is a closed, soundproof room that relied entirely on lighting to create the atmosphere, making it impossible to distinguish between night and day. At the moment, a passionate scene is being projected on the screen. The naked bodies of two men are entwining together, coupled with soft and intimate moans, dripping sweat, the pent-up desire spilling out of the screen and filling up the entire room.


    "What are you ¡­ watching here?"


    In the dimness, Yuan Ge saw Rong Qiuchen sitting still on the sofa in the room, as if he has turned into a stone statue. He looks back nervously at the sound of Yuan Ge''s voice. Although there are no visible dark circles under his eyes, his whole being looks out of sorts, and his originally clear eyes have surprisingly become murky and unpredictable, filled with surprise, confusion, obsession and unresolvable desire in between.


    "What the hell have you been watching while hiding here these past few days?"


    Yuan Ge hands him the coffee in his hand, and when Rong Qiuchen stares blankly at himself refusing to answer or move, he simply checks out the player''s history.


    Hmph, luckily I held back a little and didn''t teach him this function.


    As soon as he looks at the playback record, Yuan Ge feels his heart sink.


    This guy has indeed watched many of the restricted movies in his collection! He hasn''t slept at all in the past two days!


    "Holy shit! ''One Hundred and Twenty Days of Sodom''? You even watched that? Don''t you find some of the scenes too unpalatable?"


    Yuan Ge feels his brain is going to explode as he continues to scroll down the list, and sure enough the guy has picked out various categories in porn to watch as well.


    "You you you naughty boy! I thought we said good kids weren''t supposed to watch them. You actually managed to dig up all those ''shouldn''t'' from my collection after all! Don''t you know that curiosity kills cats?"


    "I did not expect ¡­ the Chungong Pictures that Gege said would be filmed so ¡­ shamelessly¡­ Those Japanese films have no regard for propriety and decency¡­ how can they make gentlewomen do such obscene things ¡­ but they are not the worst compared to the western ones¡­ what these westerners do, so inhumane, really horrible ¡­"


    Although Qiuchen looks a little bashful, it is obvious that he has no remorse and is even in the mood to comment on these films, not forgetting to compliment Yuan Ge at the end.


    "Gege''s classification skill is truly remarkable. Your collection is extensive and your attention to detail is admirable. You have built an excellent catalogue that is both inclusive and easy to search."


    "You dare to mock me!"


    Seeing the little pervert actually has gone through all those bondage, discipline, whipping and many other categories on his hard drive, Yuan Ge is so embarrassed that his face is turning red. It is true that his own porn collection and categorisation are on the kinky side, but that is his personal affair, his privacy! And this guy has actually peeked into all of them!


    "You even watched The Handmaiden? Why?" Yuan Ge glanced at the last part of the playlist, which is all about same-sex movies. He puts his hand on his forehead, feeling extremely embarrassed.


    "This ¡­ I didn''t know that the bottom drawer was full of same-sex movies, so I picked one at random. I didn''t expect it to be about two Korean women ¡­"


    Thinking of those naked physical entanglements between the two women in last night''s story, Rong Qiuchen also looks a little embarrassed and bows his head in silence.


    "Okay, I can understand that men like to watch lesbian films as if they were porn. But explain to me why you''ve been watching same-sex movies since then? And it''s all male on male, you even watch gay porn! What''s that playing on the screen now?"


    Yuan Ge lectures the little pervert while being distracted by the moans of men coming from the screen - such is human nature. Telling a kid that age not to do something was tantamount to tempting and encouraging him to do exactly that! His three secret drawers have undoubtedly been turned inside out.


    Seeing that Rong Qiuchen is still sitting on the sofa with his head hanging low and not saying anything, Yuan Ge is slightly irritated.


    "Do you remember why I allowed you to use the AV room in the first place? What happened to the promise to study hard and get better every day and aspire to be a world class actor? You''ve been watching restricted movies and porn for nights on end without any sleep! Now you''re brain dead, aren''t you? Young people are weak-minded and your life will be ruined if you get addicted to watching porn! I''ve warned you, those three drawers are full of material used by professional directors to confront human nature. At your age, you probably haven''t had a girlfriend yet. If your outlook of life follows what you watch and your sexual orientation gets influenced, then it will affect the rest of your life!"


    "There''s nothing to influence. I already like men!"

 Chapter 128 - The Wake-up Call

    "What?!"


    Qiuchen raises his head, his gaze filled with complicated feelings, but without the slightest hesitation, he looks solemnly at Yuan Ge and repeats, "The passion of cut sleeve[1], the love of Lord Longyang[2]¡­ in this era, you call it homosexuality. Then, yes, I am a homosexual."


    "Hey, you can''t talk about things like that so casually. You can''t come out of the closet so, so off hand!"


    Yuan Ge didn''t expect Rong Qiuchen to speak so directly and didn''t know what to say for a moment. He frowns at the entwined naked bodies and the soft moans that kept coming from the screen, thinking that this dimly lit environment is really not suitable for discussing such serious topics.


    "Please, calm down. It''s easy to get carried away after watching so many gay movies. Don''t define yourself that way so readily."


    As if he has not heard Yuan Ge''s words at all, Qiuchen stares at his face unyieldingly. Under the flicker of light and shadow, there is even something aggressively bright in his eyes, "I have long since decided on the person I like. I just don''t know how to let him know in this time and in this world."


    Yuan Ge feels a little anxious all of a sudden in the face of Qiuchen''s unbelievably bold declaration and sits down beside him with a grave face, saying, "You can joke about other things, but don''t talk nonsense about things like coming out of the closet! Don''t think that it''s no big deal in this day and age. Even after a hundred years, it is still very difficult to change people''s long-held prejudices. In our time, homosexuality is still an extremely taboo subject."


    Pointing to the screen, Yuan Ge continues, "Look at them, all deeply in love with each other, but how tragically they ended up, do you know? And, since you''ve watched so many gay movies, you should know that not many of these people have lived happily ever after."


    "How could I not know that? Since the beginning of time, same-sex love has been a taboo. It is never easy for men to trust each other with their hearts without fearing the world and what people say. Even if they are willing to live and die together, they may not be able to hold each other''s hands and grow old together."


    When Rong Qiuchen says this, he looks a little melancholy, as if remembering something, he sighs lightly and continues, "What''s more, I always misread people''s hearts. I don''t know how he feels yet. Even if I like him, he may not have any feelings for me."


    Yuan Ge carefully surveys Qiuchen''s expression and suddenly exclaims in realisation, "I see. I know who you like!"


    "You know?!" It is Qiuchen''s turn to be surprised, staring expectantly at Yuan Ge, just waiting for him to utter the name he wants to hear.


    "Liang Zitang."


    "You''re ¡­ you-are-asking ¡­ for a good beating."


    Qiuchen is completely speechless at Yuan Ge''s mood-spoiling reply. He leans forward, confining him to the narrow space between his chest and the sofa, his gaze having regained its previous eager eagerness.


    Yuan Ge struggles, not wanting to give in so easily, "Did I say something wrong? Didn''t you insist on never going to be OOC in this game? You''ve left no details unattended in cosplaying Rong Qing, and even pretended to be gay. I was so shocked just now that I almost believed it. Okay, so the person Rong Qing likes is Liang Zitang, isn''t it...¡­"


    "Is it really..." Rong Qiuchen doesn''t bother to argue with him and continued to press closer, his gaze so full of affection that one simply can''t overlook it.


    Yuan Ge feels that looming pressure, and his space to move is squeezed to the limit bit by bit. He can''t help but shrink back, seeing Qiuchen''s unparalleled handsomeness infinitely magnified in front of his eyes.


    Is his skin made of translucent jade? How come it is so perfectly smooth, without a single flaw; these lips are so well-defined and lightly coloured, unlike Yin Fenghua, who couldn''t hide the dullness of over-smoking even with lip gloss; only now do I notice that this guy''s eyelids have many folds and he has a pair of natural peach blossom eyes that seduce the soul with a glance and usher in spring with a smile...


    Yuan Ge''s mind is racing with confusing thoughts, but he cannot take his eyes off the face of the man in front of him. His cheeks become hot without him realising it, and Yuan Ge feels his whole body is burning. He wants to say something, but his mouth is dry and his throat is tight.


    All he can see is that beautiful face and his own reflection in those clear, watery eyes. The heavy sadness of the past is erased from his eyes and replaced by a sincere and passionate lust, with the magic of seduction - Yuan Ge feels like a rabbit facing a giant snake, unable to move and without any strength to struggle except to stare back blankly. Before he knows it, he is pinned down on the sofa by Qiuchen, unable to move.


    -------------------


    [1] Emperor Ai is famous for being the most effusive homosexual emperor of the Han dynasty. Traditional historians characterized the relationship between Emperor Ai and Dong Xian as one between homosexual lovers and referred to their relationship as "the passion of the cut sleeve" after a story that one afternoon after falling asleep for a nap on the same bed, Emperor Ai cut off his sleeve rather than disturb the sleeping Dong Xian when he had to get out of bed.


    [2] The story of Lord Longyang took place sometime between 276 and 243 BCE, and is the second account of a male same-sex relationship in Chinese historical records. Lord Longyang and the King of Wei are in a fishing boat together when Longyang begins to cry. After the king pressures him to say why he is crying, Longyang reveals that he is afraid that the king will be tempted by other, more beautiful men, and lose interest in him. The king then forbids anyone to mention other beauties in his presence under penalty of death.. As a result of his status as a favourite of the king, Lord Longyang was given a small fief and a feudal title.

 Chapter 129 - Back On Stage

    Yuan Ge feels that their bodies have pressed together so tightly that there are no more gaps, yet surprisingly, he does not catch Qiuchen''s rapid breathing, nor his violent heartbeat; on the contrary, his own breathing has almost stopped, his heart beating like a drum, so fast that it is almost shameful. He indulges himself in those profound gazes, as if he has fallen into the vast River Ruo, confused and unable to see the bottom, evoking a thousand different kinds of emotions, and like experiencing the vicissitudes of several lifetimes, stirring up all those hidden desires of the heart ¡­


    His mind naturally goes back to those dreams of Qingqing. How many times the two have been so tantalisingly close, skin to skin, the same dazzling beauty, the same jade-like body, the same seductive eyes - and now within reachable distance, utterly irresistible - so close, yet not a dream.


    Not a dream!


    How is this possible...¡­


    Yuan Ge feels completely disoriented, his body feverish, but unable to escape from the source of that dazzling attraction, unable to escape the captivating sensation brought by Qiuchen. The cool touch that has landed on his eyelids is a timely relief to his burning body, gentle and comforting, like snowflakes, falling slowly on him, from his eyelids and along his cheeks, the feathery caress mesmerizing ¡­ When he opens his eyes again, not only their bodies but also their faces are pressed against each other so close that Yuan Ge thinks he could even count the man''s long eyelashes... ¡­


    "Gege ¡­"


    Qiuchen''s voice is so close that it feels unreal yet unfamiliar, as if it were pristine water mixed with sand and pebbles, losing its usual clarity and dripping with an impatient urgency.


    Then Yuan Ge feels his hand being guided by him, stroking the cool, smooth skin, from his bare arms, to the firm, thin waist beneath the cotton shirt, to his flat stomach, rubbing slowly all the way down to the hard, hot, forbidden place...¡­


    Yuan Ge suddenly feels that he could barely breathe.


    This Rong Qiuchen in front of me... Does he mean to ask me to... help him...


    The unmistakable hardness in his hand does not require any verbal confirmation.


    Yuan Ge''s mind goes blank.


    In his entire life, he has never touched another man''s member except his own.


    What the hell is going on here!


    Yet Qiuchen''s hand grips his hand firmly and insistently, placing Yuan Ge''s hand over his hard member and guiding it back and forth as he stroked it. Those watery eyes, as if they could speak, silently pour out the unquenchable desire of the moment, deep, seductive, yet as if begging for mercy, making it impossible for anyone to resist such a distinctly offensive request!


    Heck, I knew it! After watching restricted movies and porn for days and nights, it''d be strange if he didn''t want to get his rocks off!


    Yuan Ge groans inwardly, helplessly, while trying to salvage his dignity and rationalise this unusual situation between the two of them. This is clearly a boy who has been abstinent for too long and is looking for a way to relieve himself. The wisest course of action would have been to throw him a box of tissues and then get up and go out, leaving the room all to this man to let off steam.


    But this guy has never been quite right in the head. Even for such personal physical needs which should have been done in private, he has blatantly asked others to lend a helping hand! But he looked so hungry, begging for help¡­ What would happen if I made a fuss and turned him down? Would I have caused him some psychological trauma inadvertently? Oh, poor kid, maybe I should help him out for once?


    Although Yuan Ge can''t make sense of the confusing thoughts in his head at all, he convinces himself to place his hand over Qiuchen''s hardness that is screaming to be touched and satisfied. But the feeling of being pinned down by a man is too strange.


    I''ll forgive you for your evil deed of treating me like a chick for the time being.


    Yuan Ge tells himself, and with that in mind, he simply lets go of his inhibitions, tightens his hold on the man on top of him and rolls over so that they are lying face to face on their sides on the sofa, while he begins to take hold of that burning source of desire with his right hand and actively strokes it, up and down.


    Qiuchen''s expression at the moment is one of unspeakable delight. His handsome face is overflowing with surprise, shyness and anticipation, especially when Yuan Ge takes the initiative to quench his thirst for relief. He is so ecstatic that his watery eyes have appeared to shine even brighter, the ends of his peach blossom eyes are automatically tinged with a hint of red, and his bright pupils reflect boundless attachment and seemed to be full of gratitude and deep affection. He gazes at Yuan Ge, unable to take his eyes off him at all, as if he is afraid of missing a single moment of him.


    "Close your eyes...¡­"


    Yuan Ge can not be as unfettered as Qiuchen, feeling the hardness swelling in his hands with reckless abandon, and he feels so shy that he simply could not meet the gaze before him.


    Qiuchen can''t help but smile faintly at this whispered command, nevertheless, he closes his eyes obediently. He releases his guiding hand and gently wraps his arms around Yuan Ge''s neck, resting his head sideways on his shoulder, enjoying the passion that was rushing through his veins at the moment.


    In the dimly lit room, all there can be heard is the intermittent groans in the background, realistically recreating the raw passion between two men in the film, and that distinctive wet, sticky and slippery sound of flesh rubbing against each other coming from the sofa - accompanied by Qiuchen''s gasps as he finally reaches to climax, instantly wetting Yuan Ge''s palms and pyjama pants.

 Chapter 130 - Gege’s Kung Fu Is So Good!

    "Holy crap¡­ how long have you been building up for this ¡­"


    After bringing Qiuchen to climax, Yuan Ge looks at the man snuggled up in his arms with a look of contentment and happiness on his face. He cannot help but feel an inexplicable affection for him, despite the fact that he has just mocked him on the surface. He doesn''t even mind the stickiness on his hands and pyjamas. But¡­


    "Are you sure it is you I was giving a hand job to just now? Why am I getting a hard-on while jerking you off?"


    Hearing Yuan Ge''s muttering to himself, Qiuchen opens his eyes and glances down. An exaggerated outline of his erection is clearly visible under Yuan Ge''s wet pyjama pants.


    "Gege, allow me ¡­"


    Just as Yuan Ge is trying to chant the Buddha''s teachings to clear his head and drive away his bodily desires, his self control crumbles instantly as soon as he hears Qiuchen call him "Gege", and all his emotions and desires rush towards him like a tidal wave. He sits up from the sofa at once and blurts, "No, no, no, don''t, I''m fine, really, you''re welcome¡­"


    But in this dimly lit room, with the door closed and the scent of ambergris floating around tantalising the senses, they gaze so deeply into each other that not a single detail of their facial expressions can escape their eyes, let alone such obvious physical change¡­


    Qiuchen ignores Yuan Ge''s evasion and rolls off the sofa, pulling off Yuan Ge''s pyjama pants in one fell swoop.


    "What are you doing!"


    With another ripping sound, Yuan Ge''s underpants are also pulled down to the floor.


    Before Yuan Ge can react, Qiuchen takes the unleashed hardness into his mouth without hesitation.


    "Ah!" Yuan Ge unwittingly lets out a cry of surprise.


    He tries to pull away, but he cannot resist that heady sensation, so ecstatic that his knees feel so weak as if his whole body has been drained of energy, and then his mind goes blank, unable to utter a single word.


    Those slightly parted lips surrounding his protruding member are like budding flowers; his mouth is silky soft, hot and damp; his tongue is like a wandering dragon, teasing him relentlessly, sucking and licking every inch of his throbbing hardness, controlling the rhythm with great skill ¡­


    Yuan Ge has never experienced such extreme pleasure before. Perhaps only a man can truly know how to serve another man well, to satisfy his body''s full range of desires in such an exquisite manner. Even a saint could not resist in the face of such ecstasy. What''s more, Qiuchen, kneeling on all fours in front of him, has the ability to make such a sinful act of eroticism look so holy and beautiful. His pretty face is burning red with excitement, and his bright eyes convey a deep affection, so innocent yet so seductive, compelling and intoxicating.


    ¡­ ¡­


    Just like that, sensory stimulation from all directions soared to the top of his head in an instant, and before Yuan Ge can react, he feels a tingling sensation come from the end of his member in Qiuchen''s mouth, snaking along his spinal cord to every nerve ending in his body, erupting like thunder that seems to reach straight to the Great Roxy Heaven ¡­


    "No, wait ¡­"


    It is too late to withdraw. Yuan Ge only manages to push Qiuchen''s head away slightly before the jets of his passion gush out, half remaining in Qiuchen''s mouth and half shooting across that stunningly beautiful face.


    "Ahh ¡­"


    Yuan Ge groans, feeling exhilarated, relieved, a little shy and uneasy.


    What a fast shooter I am! How humiliating! I can''t believe I''ve come in his mouth and all over his face! How embarrassing!


    But Qiuchen doesn''t seem to mind at all. He wipes it off his face with the tips of his fingers, and even licks off the creamy globs on his lips with the tip of his tongue, his expression full of seduction and indulgence beyond words. Then he catches Yuan Ge''s escaping member back into his mouth and licks it carefully and meticulously, allowing the body, which seems to have been washed away by a powerful rising tide, to once again enjoy the pleasure of being swept away by the soft waves of the ebbing tide ¡­


    This has to be a dream.


    Yuan Ge thought to himself as he basked in the soothing afterglow of the release.


    Rong Qiuchen, the world-class actor, the beauty everyone wants to possess for themselves, is now serving me, me alone, with all he has.


    Oh God, I''m really good at fantasising.


    However, after settling down, Yuan Ge opened his eyes again and saw that stunning face still in front of him, looking at himself, smiling faintly, as if a thousand words are hidden in that smile. Such a complex and gentle smile, even after many years, is imprinted on Yuan Ge''s heart and can never be forgotten.


    All that is lingering in his mind at the moment is this poem -


    No matter how tantalising the spring breeze is, it is no match for Qingqing''s smile.


    ***


    Yuan Ge does not remember how he fled back to his bedroom, dragging his soiled pyjamas with weak legs.


    On the morning of New Year''s Eve, he just went to the audio-visual room to bring him a cup of coffee. How did things come to this?


    I''m so unprincipled!


    Yuan Ge rolled under the covers and buried his head in his arms in distress. His cheeks turned a scarlet red with guilt and shame. Jerking each other off -


    Oh God, how shameful! What a pathetic act by two grown men who have been abstinent for too long and have no girlfriends!


    Yet, no matter how much his heart wailed, the passionate scene, the man''s eyes and smile that he had just witnessed were etched into his mind like a permanent, lingering memory. Every time he opened and closed his eyes, that seductive smile would appear before his eyes like a spring breeze.


    The touch of this man''s mouth and tongue was so thrilling that, as a man, Yuan Ge could not deny the ultimate pleasure they had brought him. How else could he have surrendered so quickly? He isn''t exactly an inexperienced young boy ¡­


    Was it a sexual violation to make a stranger who couldn''t even remember his own name do something like that? Well, that doesn''t sound quite right somehow, and it''s not even clear who is the violated party, but at least on the face of it, I''m an unscrupulous director and worse than an animal...


    It seems that the film "Qingqing" was right to be called off for the time being. If I continue with the shooting and I dream of that man night after night, I guess I will be eroded by feudal values and go further and further down the path of perversion!

 Chapter 131 - New Years Eve Dinner

    Yuan Ge took a clean set of clothes out of the cupboard and changed into them, but he still couldn''t muster up enough courage to walk out of the room. He could clearly hear the sound of Rong Qiuchen''s brisk movements in the corridor - probably busy putting up the New Year''s couplets on the doors of each room.


    This guy, so enthusiastic, can''t he just go to his room and rest for a while? It will also give him a chance to slip downstairs and throw his dirty clothes in the washing machine.


    So not wanting to bump into him right away - it''s just too embarrassing to face him!


    Yuan Ge picked up the script for "A Journey in Brocade" and continued to study it, but he couldn''t even read a word of it. He had intended to discuss with him how the two men in the script had gone from brotherly love to same-sex romance, but now they had put it into practice!


    How distressing! Yuan Ge tossed the script aside and covered his head with the blanket, his mind in a tizzy. He wanted to sleep off, but he could hear Rong Qiuchen''s footsteps, walking upstairs and downstairs. Shortly afterwards, the sounds of washing, chopping and cooking came from the kitchen, accompanied by him leisurely humming an opera tune, obviously feeling happy and in a good mood.


    It''s New Year''s Eve today, and I have promised the guy for a proper celebration, so I really should go downstairs to prepare the New Year''s Eve dinner together with him, shouldn''t I? But ¡­ but ¡­


    Yuan Ge, who has always been the worst at dealing with emotional matters, eventually chose to avoid facing them. Waking up for a while, sleeping for a while, he actually dawdled until the sun went down, then he heard Rong Qiuchen''s voice coming from downstairs -


    "Gege, please come down for dinner!"


    Yuan Ge slowly dragged his feet to the kitchen on the ground floor amidst some crackling sounds. He saw New Year''s paintings and couplets plastered everywhere, brimming with the festive atmosphere of the New Year. However, Rong Qiuchen apparently thought this was not enough and he actually turned on the electronic fireworks they had bought at the farmers'' market earlier to create a more lively atmosphere.


    "New Year''s Eve feast is usually preceded by firecrackers to greet the various gods, right?"


    With a smile on his face, Qiuchen uncorked the small, antique looking jar of rice wine and poured full glasses for both of them.


    The large dining table is laid out with a dozen dishes. Many well-known dishes with auspicious meanings have been included, such as squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, sweet and sour spareribs, braised prawns and perfect chicken soup, all these difficult to prepare dishes are cooked to perfection in style and colour.


    "You''re a pretty good cook! It seems that I have underestimated you."


    In the face of the healing power of the good food, Yuan Ge also quickly dropped his uneasy feelings and threw himself into their private New Year festivities for two.


    They clinked glasses, drank wine and ate the sumptuous New Year''s Eve dinner cooked by Rong Qiuchen. The two of them chatted and without realising that time had flown by, their New Year''s Eve dinner had already lasted for several hours.


    "I''m not really good at drinking, but with you, everything feels so quaint that I''m even starting to develop a taste for wine."


    Yuan Ge''s face has already turned red from the extra glasses he drank, but he won''t let go of the last bit of wine in the small jar, "Sorry I didn''t help you cook today, let''s make dumplings together later."


    Rong Qiuchen drank the wine with him without changing colour and smiled, "Everything is worth doing as long as Gege likes it. Dumplings are a must for New Year''s Eve, and I have already rested the dough."


    "Resting the dough?" Yuan Ge blinked, "No wonder the dumplings my family made every time since I was little were not very tasty. I see it''s because my parents didn''t even know about this process."


    So the two began to clear the table and soon it was transformed into a dumpling making area.


    "What is it that Gege has made?"


    Rong Qiuchen saw Yuan Ge break one of the dumplings and then he quietly stuck two dumpling wrappers together to form the shape of a poached egg, trying to cover up his mistake. Amused, he exposed Yuan Ge''s little trick without mercy, "When you do that, the dumpling skin is too thick and won''t cook easily. Why don''t you take a break¡­ allow me..."


    As soon as Yuan Ge heard the words "allow me", he immediately remembered the intimate episode between the two earlier in the day and hastily shifted his thoughts before his cheeks reddened even more, "No way, you''ve made a feast all by yourself. If I don''t help with the dumplings, I''ll be completely spoiled for a prince."


    "Gege can just watch on the side. If you lend a helping hand, it might slow down the process instead. I''d really like to be able to eat these dumplings by midnight."


    Rong Qiuchen smiled naturally, without any awkwardness, and his hands continued to wrap the chubby white dumplings one by one, quickly and skillfully.


    Yuan Ge looked at the dumplings Rong Qiuchen had made, each one was round and sturdy, and when he looked at the ones he made, all of which looked lifeless. It seems that his Chinese cooking skills are no match for this man, so he should concentrate more on Western food in future.


    When Rong Qiuchen saw Yuan Ge sitting aside playing with the dough, looking rather bored, he smiled and said, "If Gege is free, perhaps you can find some copper coins for me?"


    "What for?"


    "When I think back to the past, the happiest time for me and my brothers was when we had New Year''s Eve dinner together and found copper coins while eating dumplings. Back then, when the Jinyu Troupe was still very poor, the Second Master would put the copper coins into the dumplings and whoever of the brothers ate the dumplings with the copper coins in would have good luck for the year."


    Yuan Ge nodded his head as he listened, "I can''t believe I know this tradition! My mum used to do something similar when I was a kid, wrapping coins in dumplings. One time it nearly broke my teeth, another time it almost choked me to death, and then this bad practice was strictly forbidden by my dad."


    "How is it a bad practice? It is obvious that Gege had eaten too quickly."


    Qiuchen couldn''t help but smile, "The dumplings that the two Empresses Dowager rewarded on New Year''s Eve were often wrapped with gold ingots inside. If everyone ate as fast as you did..."


    "Don''t be absurd! It''s about time you recovered from these delusions, talking as if you had actually eaten at Cixi and Cian''s state banquet!"


    "I am not being delusional.. My fifth brother was lucky enough to have chanced upon the gold ingot in his dumpling, and although he had to turn it in to the two masters, he was ecstatic for several days. But in my mind, even such a precious dumpling is not as good as the dumplings made by the combined efforts of my brothers in the Jinyu Troupe ¡­"

 Chapter 132 - The Story Of Making Dumplings Together

    Yuan Ge put down the dough in his hand and said with interest, "Does everyone in your troupe have your dumpling making skills? What fillings are so delicious that you can''t stop thinking about them? Tell me some of the stories of the Jinyu Troupe, for example, this story of making dumplings sounds quite innovative to me."


    Although he feels in his heart that Rong Qiuchen is being delusional again, he knows that this guy has always been full of details in the stories he has made up so far, so maybe he can add these little details to his script of Qingqing later.


    Seeing Yuan Ge''s look of interest, Rong Qiuchen is only too happy to tell him these stories. While his hands are busy wrapping dumplings, his thoughts seem to go back to the past.


    "Back in the days when the Jinyu Troupe was still unknown and quite poor, every New Year''s Eve, the Second Master would lead us in making dumplings. He would personally go to the market to buy flour and vegetables. The eldest brother came from a well-to-do family. He only joined our troupe out of love for opera, so he was the only one of us who did not sign an indenture to the troupe. Every year before New Year''s Eve, he would insist on returning home despite the humiliation and reproach he received from his family. When he came back he would bring back some beef, mutton and pork, and sometimes a little seafood. The second brother was the best among us at kneading dough and pulling it into small pieces, and he did it quickly and evenly. The third brother was good at martial arts and had good stamina because he was a Sheng actor; and making minced meat filling was his speciality. Fifth brother and I were responsible for rolling out the small pieces of dough to make the dumpling wrappers. The youngest two brothers were tasked with making dumplings with the Second Master because they had an eye for detail and were the most meticulous in their work. They could wrap all kinds of different shapes of dumplings, but I didn''t have such skills..."


    "There are so many of you! It sounds like a clear division of labour. That would be a quick and easy way to make New Year''s Eve dumplings together, wouldn''t it?"


    There are only three people in Yuan Ge''s family, and in recent years he has often spent New Year''s Eve alone, so Yuan Ge could not help but feel a sense of longing when he heard about the lively and atmospheric New Year''s Eve dinner in Rong Qiuchen''s description.


    "As Gege said, dumplings are traditionally served around midnight, from the last hour of New Year''s Eve to the first hour of the New Year''s Day, so we had to do it continuously and quickly to ensure that everyone in the troupe got their dumplings in time. However, there were so many of us in the troupe that even when we moved quickly, a few hundred dumplings were only enough to give everyone a taste of it, getting half full..."


    "One can imagine that in a large opera troupe full of young lads, a delicacy like dumplings is never enough to go around, no matter how many there are."


    "That''s right. There were not just seven ''golden flowers'' in our troupe, but also many young brothers who were less than ten years old. When the dumplings came out of the pot, the young ones were given the priority to eat, so when it was our seven brothers'' turn, we had only about ten dumplings each, so we were never full. We also had to save a few bowls of dumplings as a New Year''s offering to the gods. Although the First Master himself did not make dumplings with us, he was the one who led us in burning incense to worship the ancestors and the gods."


    "It feels like the two masters in your class, one is like a strict father and the other is like a loving mother."


    "Exactly. The First Master was good at playing the Sheng role, so he was responsible for teaching us martial arts and other skills required for acting in the Sheng role. The Second Master was once a leading actor in the Dan role, and it was thanks to him that eventually the Jinyu Troupe dominated the opera scene and the Flower of the Opera Stage ranking. Life in the troupe was hard, but I felt very happy inside. Whatever was on the plate at that time tasted like a delicacy like no other."


    "Every one of those sentiments and stories you mentioned sounds so touching, would hit home when placed in the plot of Qingqing. What about after that, any more events?"


    "After the New Year worshipping ritual, the fifth brother''s best friend Yee Bo - who was a chivalrous little beggar with a big heart - somehow managed to get a big pile of firecrackers, so a bunch of us brothers from the troupe went with him to the lively markets and fairs and let loose for a whole night, feeling completely uninhibited, free and happy! The next day, the first day of the New Year, the masters were merciful and exempted us from the morning training..."


    Qiuchen''s eyes turned red as he spoke, and his voice choked up, unable to continue.


    "You provided a lot of detail in your story. You have made this story up really well!"


    Seeing the redness at the end of his eyes and the tears welling up in his eyes, Yuan Ge hurriedly joked and tried to comfort him, "We are just making up a story, there is no need to take it seriously and move ourselves to tears."


    "It''s not a story! It''s all in the past¡­ the Jinyu Troupe is gone¡­ all is gone¡­"


    Although Yuan Ge has seen Rong Qiuchen cry a few times, he has never seen him cry with such emotion. He thought to himself, "It''s New Year''s Eve, how come I have made him cry? I really shouldn''t make him sad!" He didn''t know what to say, so he hurriedly retrieved his collection of special editions of two euro coins from his black sheep shaped piggy bank, and said, "Here here here. Give them a good wash and put them in the dumplings. Let''s see which of us has the best New Year''s luck and gets the most coins in the dumplings. However, although I have enough coins here, you must not sneak them into each dumpling. And no cheating! Don''t mark them secretly!"


    Seeing Rong Qiuchen staring blankly at the unfamiliar euro coins, his mind still immersed in reverie, a tear fell on the dumpling wrappers, Yuan Ge put his arm around Rong Qiuchen''s shoulder and patted it, comforting him, "I promise you, in the future, when ''Qingqing'' is resumed, I will make sure that your Jingyu Troupe and your masters and brothers will be brought to life in the movie, and make sure that the scenes are just like what you have described, okay? Don''t feel sad, let''s cheer up and continue to wrap the dumplings or we won''t be able to eat them in time for midnight. In my house, you can have as many dumplings as you want, all you can eat in fact!"

 Chapter 133 - Meeting The Parents

    So, in this large and elegant modern kitchen, the two worked hard to continue the millennia-old Chinese New Year tradition. Rong Qiuchen was in charge of the dumpling making, arranging them in a neat matrix. Yuan Ge was responsible for peeling the garlic and cooking the dumplings. Soon, two batches of dumplings were ready and being served on the table.


    "It''s so tasty! I thought we wouldn''t be able to finish them all if I cooked too much, but I didn''t expect it to be so delicious with the garlic sauce!"


    As Rong Qiuchen watched Yuan Ge enjoying the fruits of his labour one bowl after another, his earlier sadness was gradually washed away and a faint smile surfaced on his handsome face.


    While they were eating, Yuan Ge''s TweeChat app rang. It was his mother, Professor Violette Fu, and his father, Professor Yuan Fen. His parents'' happy smiling faces made Yuan Ge feel full of affection and missed them a lot, so he dragged Rong Qiuchen, carrying a couple of plates of dumplings to the living room and projected the video call directly onto the big screen, chatting while they ate.


    "Wow! When did your life skills improve so much, son? Did you make these gold ingot shaped dumplings yourself? You must have cheated and bought them at the supermarket, didn''t you?"


    "Wrong! They were totally homemade! Not only did we make our own dumplings, but you didn''t see our New Year''s Eve dinner with over a dozen big, proper, festive dishes. I bet it''s even better than what you two had today!"


    "So, Am¨¦lie is here to spend New Year''s with you this year?" Violette Fu and Yuan Fen seemed to remember Am¨¦lie well and quite impressed with her.


    "No, it''s all this guy''s doing!" Yuan Ge said, pulling Rong Qiuchen in front of the camera.


    "Wow! Who''s this young lad? So good looking, is he a new actor signed by your company?" When Violette saw Rong Qiuchen, unsurprisingly, she was immediately amazed by his stunning beauty.


    "Indeed. This young man is even more handsome than those two students you signed last time. He has a very classical Chinese style, as if just stepping out of a traditional Chinese painting." Yuan Fen commented out of the blue.


    "Yo! It''s rare that my parents agree with each other. They think quite highly of you!" Yuan Ge turned the camera on Rong Qiuchen, and said rather proudly.


    "Rong Qiuchen pays his respects to Uncle and Aunt Yuan, wishing you both prosperity, happiness and a long life in the New Year!" Without saying any more, he knelt down at once to the TV screen and kowtowed three times to Violette Fu and Yuan Fen.


    "Please get up, please!  It''s too much! We are flattered! What a sweet talker you are! Yuan Ge, stop laughing, hurry up and help him up. How can you let this young lad perform such a grand salute ¡­"


    "Don''t worry, it''s just the way he is, thinking that he''s Rong Qing from my film script, having transmigrated over from the Qing Dynasty. He''s not quite right up here," Yuan Ge said, pointing to his temple, then moved his phone directly in front of Rong Qiuchen, "You have to kowtow towards the camera, not towards the TV screen. Here, look here and smile!"


    Rong Qiuchen, however, was all nervous and said in a low voice, "Stop it, Gege, you have to pay your respects to the elders in the New Year. Hurry up and kneel down with me too."


    "Look how polite and well behaved your friend is. Son, how did I bring you up? Haven''t I taught you all these manners when you were little? But now you call your parents by their names willy-nilly. You are not well behaved at all." Professor Fu scolded Yuan Ge for a few moments, then turned to Rong Qiuchen with a smile, "My child, please get up, let''s not be so formal. Your name is Rong Qiuchen, isn''t it? Where did you graduate from? Your classical etiquette is very good! Your posture is very proper, respectful, and gentlemanly. Have you ever taken an etiquette class?"


    Seeing that his own mother had fallen on Rong Qiuchen''s side and was praising this guy while scolding himself, Yuan Ge was a little upset and muttered, "What child? He''s over twenty years old already ¡­ You forgot I told you about him before. He is that little ''porcelain bumping prince'' who has been hiding like a phantom on my set ¡­"


    "Don''t give people nicknames all the time. Your mother and I aren''t going back this year, so it''s nice to have a little brother to keep you company. You two can spend a good New Year together."


    Even Yuan Fen has spoken up warmly for Rong Qiuchen, and before Yuan Ge could protest, he changed the subject, "Yuan Ge, take your phone to my room and let me have a look if everything is in order there. My eyes have been twitching lately for some reason and I keep feeling that something is wrong ¡­"


    "Ah? Dad, why are you superstitious about eyes twitching too?"


    "Your mother wanted to keep that coffin in the house last time. I''m worried that you might have pretended to listen to me when actually you listened to your mother. What if you put the coffin in my room? If that''s the case, how am I going to sleep in my room when I get back!"


    "Dad ¡­ that, uh, let me ask you an important question first. How do you adjust the settings on that housekeeping robot of yours? As soon as my name ''Yuan Ge'' is called, it answers. I am fed up with him answering ''your humble son'' and ''your majesty'', so please remove my name from the settings!"


    "Oh, the setting can''t be changed remotely. Any changes will have to be verified by my fingerprints to take effect." Yuan Fen''s smile looked mischievous, "What''s wrong with ''your humble son''?"


    "Nonsense! You just won''t change it for me!" Yuan Ge grumbled under his breath as he saw Rong Qiuchen trying to hold back his laughter on the side.


    "The water''s boiling! Go and check out the dumplings, darling, and don''t forget to add cold water three times before you take them out of the pot!"


    Professor Fu tricked Yuan Fen away in time and asked Yuan Ge mysteriously, "My good son, now tell mum, how is that coffin?"

 Chapter 134 - The Mysterious Civilisation Of The Great Roxy Heaven

    "It''s sitting right in the middle of his room, safe and sound!" Yuan Ge rolled his eyes helplessly at his mother.


    "Well done!" Professor Fu had an excited look on her face, "This coffin is certainly no ordinary thing!"


    "How so?"


    "Those photos of the talisman papers you showed me last time, although the writing on them were blurred, my students analysed them through image restoration and found that they were indeed closely related to the Great Roxy Heaven civilisation!"


    Professor Fu''s tone is full of excitement and she continues, "Do you know how many fanatical scholars and believers around the world are currently researching the GRH civilisation? Unfortunately, none of them have made a breakthrough and are unable to argue for its existence in time and space. However, many of the world''s mystical civilisations are indeed closely related to the Roxy culture and can be traced back to it, such as the symbols at the bottom of that coffin board, which bear a striking resemblance to the tablet symbols excavated in the Himalayas a few years ago!"


    Yuan Ge is surprised at his mother''s words, "Is it really that magical? I thought the Great Roxy Heaven was just a legend. It''s something people made up, what with the Great Emperor, the Holy Consort, and dragons and mermaids, it feels like a jumble of religions and cultural phenomena from various countries meshed together. You scholars then add to the confusion, mixing truth with falsehood, making it sound even more dramatic and mysterious. I can''t believe that so many people are willing to believe it. When something can''t be explained, they just say it has something to do with the Roxy civilisation."


    "Don''t follow your father''s example and believe only in science. There are so many things in this world that we don''t know yet. Archaeology is not just about exploring the past, it''s also about discovering the future. I will go into more depth on this topic when we see each other next. Anyway, just remember this, son, the coffin should not be thrown away under any circumstances. It is very valuable. You must not let the Guan family or any archaeological enthusiasts know about it!"


    "Fine, fine! You think everyone is like you, treating a coffin like a piece of precious treasure." Yuan Ge replies full of disdain.


    "Of course it''s a treasure! That coffin not only has scientific research value, it''s also a proper antique ¡­"


    Professor Fu then puts on a gloomy face and starts to tell her "ghost stories'''' again.


    "Let me tell you, that talisman paper in the coffin translates roughly to - Ing Dragon from the Heaven, eternally subdued in cold water, never to be released. In addition to the talisman paper at the bottom of the coffin board, there is also the Dragon-Suppressing Seal engraved on it, so the owner of that coffin is no ordinary person!"


    Seeing the mixed emotions on the face of Rong Qiuchen beside him, Yuan Ge cannot help but ask curiously, "What is the Dragon-Suppressing Seal?"


    "It is said to have come from the ''art of deception'' by Tong Yin, a divine prophet of the Ming Dynasty. It can suppress dragons and seal gods. Legend has it that Tong Yin used this seal to kill Emperor Zhu Qiyu of the Ming Dynasty!"


    "Momps, are you saying that this coffin was prepared for an Emperor[1]?!" Yuan Ge is also astonished at her words, "Could that be this coffin was prepared for Emperor Guangxu after the Empress Dowager Cixi poisoned him with arsenic?"


    "It''s not out of the question!" Professor Fu doesn''t seem surprised by this bold hypothesis of Yuan Ge''s.


    "Gege ¡­ is that true? How could the Old Buddha have killed the Emperor ¡­"  Rong Qiuchen has been listening quietly on the side, but now he cannot help but interject, looking all horrified.


    "Wait, let''s not talk about this for now, your dad is back with the dumplings." Seeing Yuan Fen enter the room, Professor Fu hurriedly moved off the topic, raising her voice and beginning to gossip with an exaggerated eagerness, "By the way, son, how exactly did you become the leading man in King Guan''s annual blockbuster? Tell mum about it!"


    "There''s not much to tell. I took our young actors to King Guan''s audition to see if I could try my luck in applying for the assistant director job, and somehow I ended up getting the lead role. You ask me how, I''d like to know that too."


    "Son, you seem to have made a name for yourself this time!" Yuan Fen''s serious face couldn''t hide a hint of pride, "The news has spread in our Chinese circles here. There are also those overseas Chinese media, such as 6park, Literature City, Overseas Matters, anyway, they are all buzzing about the filming of this historical drama. Even people like me who never watch TV have heard about it, so it seems that the audience has high expectations for the film."


    "What your dad said is true. I''ve been bragging to my friends for three days straight, and now all your aunts and uncles are looking forward to seeing you perform!"


    "Momps, you''ve gone too far! Why are you broadcasting it among our family and friends and making them anticipate it as if waiting to see a monkey show? If I don''t do well, it''d be so humiliating." Yuan Ge feels helpless, and his mind conjures up images of a group of elders stretching their necks and eagerly discussing his performance.


    "Yuanyuan, why are you talking with no confidence this time? Haven''t you always been very determined in this film path of yours?"


    "Dad, you don''t understand the industry. There are too many unpredictable factors, and I''m not the director this time, there''s no autonomy at all ¡­"


    Talking to his parents about his work in the New Year, Yuan Ge doesn''t hold anything back and says whatever is on his mind. Rong Qiuchen listens in silence, gazing at the kind faces on the screen, and has become so emotional that he barely eats any dumplings on his plate.


    "Didn''t you say that you never have enough to eat? Why do you eat so little of such delicious dumplings, which you made with your own hands?"


    "I have never met my parents and am homeless. When I saw Uncle and Auntie Yuan on the screen, I felt so close to them that I couldn''t control my emotions ¡­"


    When Yuan Fen and Violette Fu see Rong Qiuchen with his head bowed and his eyes red, their parental love is unconsciously aroused. They give Yuan Ge a look that clearly asks where did you get such a poor child from, but the words coming out of their mouths are full of pity.


    "Yuanyuan, you need to take good care of your little brother. We are not there, but our house is big enough for him to stay if he has nowhere else to go."


    "No need to tell me, I''ve already done that. By the way momps, he loves your room, and has cleaned it up and completely transformed it! Let me show you in a minute, and I guarantee that you won''t want him to leave once you''ve seen it!"


    --------------------


    [1] In Chinese tradition, the dragon represents the emperor.

 Chapter 135 - Professor Fu Has An Idea

    "It''s incredible!"


    On the other end of the screen, Violette Fu''s eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing her cluttered room largely rearranged in accordance with the customs of the Qing dynasty royal family, not only is the furniture properly arranged, but even the stationary and decorative items on the table, such as wrist rests, paperweights, seals and teapots, have been placed in their appropriate places. The dust that had accumulated in the room over the years is cleared away, the incense from the copper burner is wafting about, and the antiques collected over the years are carefully polished and placed tastefully on the shelves, displaying the elegance that should have belonged to them.


    "What do you say momps? Don''t you think he has a unique taste and considerable attainment in history and archaeology? On the basis of his ability to transform your messy room into a work of art, momps, I think you should even consider taking him in as your postgraduate student in the future. I think this room tidying exam could be even harder than the postgraduate entrance exam at Beijing University!" Yuan Ge joked.


    "If he''s interested in studying in my field, I would be delighted to take on a good student."


    Yuan Ge pats Rong Qiuchen on the shoulder after hearing his mother''s words, "Did you hear that? Professor Fu said to accept you as her postgraduate student. Your future is all set even if you don''t want to become an actor ¡­"


    Before Rong Qiuchen can answer, Yuan Ge sees his mother''s eyes suddenly change and hears her ask anxiously, "Yuan Ge, zoom in on the couplet posted on the door of my room with your phone now. Let me have a close look."


    "''One hour divided into two years, every year has you; one night connected to two years, each year has me'', hey, this was also written by Rong Qiuchen. His calligraphy is really good, isn''t it?" Yuan Ge was made to practice calligraphy when he was a child, so he has enough appreciation for this art form.


    "His writing is indeed very good! But what I want to know is whether the paper used for this couplet is the ''Jade Plated'' Xuan paper that I have kept very carefully?"


    "To answer Auntie Yuan''s question, yes, that is exactly so." Rong Qiuchen replies respectfully, "I saw this roll of paper in the corner of the room. The paper was made during the Xianfeng period, half raw and half ripe[1], so I took the liberty to use it to write a few couplets and stick them in various parts of the house. I did this because Gege took me to the New Year''s market and I saw that the Spring Festival couplets for sale were very unimpressive and really not worthy of having, so I dared to write them myself."


    "A few?" Violette''s face is starting to turn white, "Qiuchen, uh, so the ink you used was ¡­"


    "Auntie, I also found a gold-grade royal ink stick from the Qianlong period in a pile of old papers. Although it is slightly dried out from age, it is still as lustrous as black jade when mixed with water. It is rightly top quality."


    Violette meowed and almost fainted with Rong Qiuchen''s words. Yuan Fen, however, bursts out laughing, "I think Qiuchen has done the right thing. Putting these things to good use is the best way to realise their value."


    "The market price of Jade Plated Xuan paper is ten thousand yuan a piece! The ink stick is twenty thousand yuan a piece! The point is, they are so rare that you can''t buy it even if you have the money!" Violet rubs her forehead, feeling quite painful inside.


    "Auntie, have I done something wrong?" Rong Qiuchen is not sure what is happening, but he looks terrified.


    "It''s fine, no it''s not ¡­ hmm ¡­ well ¡­ Good calligraphy deserves good paper and ink ¡­"


    At that moment, the sound of New Year''s fireworks is heard from outside the window. It turns out that Moonlight Valley is adjacent to West Lake, and the other side of the lake is one of the designated fireworks display points outside the city. Remembering that Qiuchen loved the festive atmosphere of the New Year, Yuan Ge hurriedly asks him to put on a coat, and then the two of them go together to the rooftop to watch the magnificent firework display.


    The moon shines clearly and the lake shimmers with light. High in the sky clusters of colourful fireworks burst into bloom one after another, illuminating the night sky. Some are scattered in the air after a loud bang; others are like fireballs, flying into the sky with ribbons of fire; some of these fireworks look like daisies; others like unopened parachutes. They are red, green, yellow, purple, and gold and look so dazzling and festive.


    "Happy New Year, Chenchen!"


    "Happy New Year, Gege!"


    They look at each other as they spin the fireworks in their hands. All that is reflected in their eyes is the glow of heaven and earth and each other''s smiles.


    "Ding!" The sound of TweeChat rings as a red packet arrives in Yuan Ge''s account. When Violette Fu sees through the screen the fireworks from the Western Hills that she has missed for so long, she instantly puts her earlier displeasure behind her and eagerly urges Yuan Fen to send their son a red packet as well.


    "Dad, can you send one to Qiuchen too? He has given you both a big kowtow salute earlier." While Yuan Ge is busy paying his New Year respects to his parents, he is still thinking about what Rong Qiuchen said earlier about not having met his parents.


    "I was just about to do it. Ask Qiuchen to add me as a TweeChat contact."


    "Dad, you can just send it to me, and I''ll withdraw the money and give the cash to him later. He doesn''t have a TweeChat account. In fact, he doesn''t even have a mobile phone."


    With a "ding", another red packet is sent over.


    "Chenchen, this is the lucky money my parents give you for the New Year." Yuan Ge opens the red packet, and it is indeed another ten thousand yuan. He is overjoyed, knowing that his dad has always been very generous with money.


    Although Rong Qiuhen doesn''t understand the purpose of the TweeChat red packet, he immediately gets the significance of it. Cupping one hand into the other before his chest, he says aloud, "Thank you, Uncle Yuan and Auntie Yuan!" He is about to kneel down and kowtow again to show his appreciation, but Yuan Ge pulls him back.


    "It''s not fashionable to kowtow anymore. Just take the lucky money, and don''t worry too much. Let''s work hard together in the New Year and get good results, then they''ll be happy!"


    "By the way, son, I just thought about it; after New Year, you must remember to take down all the Spring Festival couplets carefully and keep them well...¡­" Violette Fu, whose thoughts are always erratic, seems to be focused on some new idea again.


    "Think about it, paper can be preserved for thousands of years. This Jade Plated Xuan paper is originally from the Xianfeng period, and the ink stick is indeed from the Qianlong period, and your little porcelain bumping prince can write quite well. With such a high standard combination, there''s no problem at all having him pretend to be from the Guangxu period. You take these Spring Festival couplets to Liang Yu Xuan[2], and you can just say that they are the work of an unknown scholar from the Guangxu period. That Boss of Liang Yu Xuan, Mr. Lin, I have met him a few times and am on good terms with him. So maybe these couplets will not only pay for themselves, but also earn us a good profit ¡­"


    "Vivi, don''t get any further down the road of committing antique fraud!"


    On the screen, Yuan Ge sees that before his mother can finish her thoughts, his father has rushed up, grabbed her by the neck and carried her away like a kitten. Another heated and familiar argument comes from outside the empty screen. Yuan Ge can only shrug and make a face at Rong Qiuchen before ending the call.


    ---


    [1] Due to different producing methods, Xuan paper can be classified into Shengxuan, Shuxuan, and Banshuxuan. Shengxuan (literally "Raw Xuan"), which is not specially processed, excels in its ability to absorb water, causing the ink on it to blur. Shuxuan (literally "Ripe Xuan"), however, has Potassium alum worked into it during production, which results in a stiffer texture, a reduced ability to absorb water, and less resistance to shear stress (meaning that it can be torn much more easily). Banshuxuan (literally "Half-ripe Xuan") has intermediate absorbability, between Shengxuan and Shuxuan.


    "Half raw and half ripe" referred here by Rong Qiuchen means the paper is a Banshuxuan and suitable for calligraphy.


    [2] Liang Yu Xuan is a shop specialising in traditional Chinese stationery and artworks.

 Chapter 136 - The First Day Of The Chinese New Year

    The first day of the Chinese New Year.


    The crisp, cold morning air presses a thick layer of mist over the lake, making West Lake look like a silver-haired maiden draped in a mysterious veil. The mist drifts out of the reeds at the edge of the lake, as smooth as silk, hazily and gently spreading over the Moonlight Valley. Frost hangs on the icy grass and a few crows peck discontentedly at the frost-covered remains of fireworks scattered on the ground. After a night of human hustle and bustle, everything has returned to the boundless silence of nature, and as the sun rises, the boundaries of the different worlds become blurred.


    Yuan Ge''s sound sleep is disturbed by a peculiar aroma. Puzzled, he opens his eyes, seeing a faint white smoke wafting about in the room, and hurriedly jumps out of bed.


    What is going on here? The appliances in the house are all electrical, not gas, and there are no open flames anywhere; has this guy managed to pull off yet another surprise for him in the New Year?


    Yuan Ge scurries upstairs and downstairs, trying to find the source of the smoke, and eventually finds out that the smell is actually coming from his home cinema room. He can''t help but break out in a cold sweat on his forehead. Has the little loony been watching movies for so long that his home cinema system has caught fire? He rushes into the room, only to see Rong Qiuchen standing in the middle of the room with a solemn face, holding three large incense sticks in his hands, worshipping in the direction of north, south, east and west.


    "What are you doing here? Making the whole house all smoky!" Yuan Ge is relieved but also confused.


    "Gege is up too late. Come and burn the first incense of the New Year with me. It''s not good to miss the hour!" Rong Qiuchen replies as a matter of course.


    Yuan Ge looks around the room curiously, and sees that the incense sticks held in Rong Qiuchen''s hands are thick and long, emitting a strong sandalwood scent, and with his straight and graceful figure, it''s quite ritualistic and beautiful to look at.


    "This incense came out of some corner of my mother''s room again, didn''t it?"


    "Yes."


    Using antiques as everyday objects, how extravagant is that!


    Yuan Ge can''t help but imagine the look on his mother Professor Fu''s face when she finds out about this. Anyway, there is no point in leaving all her old junk in a corner to collect dust. As his father said, putting these things to good use is the best way to realise their value, so just let him use them as he pleases.


    "But why did you choose to burn incense in the home cinema room?"


    Yuan Ge watches Rong Qiuchen place an old, clean incense burner on the table in front of the sofa, and insert the three large incense sticks into it solemnly.


    "According to the tradition of Peking Opera, on the first day of the New Year, one not only needs to worship the ancestor of the opera, but also needs to worship one''s equipment, such as swords, spears, costumes and other paraphernalia, in order to be blessed by the ancestor in the New Year and have all the best of luck."


    "The ancestor of the opera?"


    "It''s Emperor Xuanzong of Tang."[1]


    It was then that it dawned on Yuan Ge. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was a famous opera lover, and as such has been worshipped as the god of opera in later times.


    "You superstitious little fellow, you''re burning incense in this room because you think everything in this room is the director''s equipment, right?" Yuan Ge finds that he has actually gotten used to Rong Qiuchen''s peculiar logic.


    Rong Qiuchen nods with a smile and takes another three large incense sticks and passes them to Yuan Ge.


    "Gege is blessed with the talent of acting. And I, thanks to Gege, am able to watch films every night and have learned a lot, so it is only right that I should pay my respects to the gods through these incense."


    "Well, you seem to be able to rationalise everything you do!"


    Yuan Ge takes the incense from Rong Qiuchen''s hand and follows his example, "Heaven above, earth below, the projector, the player, the various discs and hard drives in this room, the god of cinema and the god of art, please take a few more puffs of smoke and bless me, Yuan Ge, with a masterpiece in the New Year that will leave a name in the history of cinema. If I prayed in the wrong way or the respect I gave was not enough, please do not blame me, but this Rong Qiuchen beside me."


    Rong Qiuchen listens to his nonsense prayer on the side, smiles and doesn''t seem to mind, just respectfully bowing along with him.


    Yuan Ge puts the sticks into the incense burner and says to Rong Qiuchen, "Today is the first day of the New Year, let''s go shopping and buy you some clothes. I can''t pocket the New Year''s lucky money my dad gave you, and besides, you can''t wear my clothes all the time. They don''t even fit you that well."


    "Yes, Gege''s trousers always seem to be a little tight ¡­" says Rong Qiuchen. His eyes twinkle, showing a hint of mischief.


    "Don''t be so cheeky! It''s not like I''ve never seen you before. What you  have down there is not exactly bigger than mine!"


    When Yuan Ge stepped into the home cinema room today, memories of yesterday came flooding back. And now, although he is blushing a little, Rong Qiuchen''s words have somehow stirred up his competitive spirit.


    Heck, it is a matter of a man''s pride. He must not go down without a fight!


    --------------------


    [1] Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang or Illustrious August, personal name Li Longji, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. In the early half of his reign he was a diligent and astute ruler, and was credited with bringing Tang China to a pinnacle of culture and power.. However, he was blamed for over-trusting Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong and An Lushan during his late reign, with Tang''s golden age ending in the An Lushan Rebellion.

 Chapter 137 - Seeing The Forbidden City Again

    The two of them got dressed and drove into town.


    It has snowed during the night and everywhere is covered in white. The red walls and yellow tiles look quite beautiful against the backdrop of white snow, bringing the city back to its original old charm.


    Yuan Ge points to the empty streets and says, "It''s only at this time of year that Beijing feels like what it used to be, because all the out towners have gone back home for the Chinese New Year. I don''t have anything against the out towners in particular, but the city is really too crowded on a normal day. It''s only during these days that we can take advantage of the relatively small number of people and can slow down and really experience the leisurely pace of the old Beijingers of yesteryear, the way they carried their birdcages and chatted with their friends."


    "Indeed, although the Imperial City was the capital of the Empire in my time, back then it was still a small city with fewer people compared to today. As the poem says, things are here but people are not; a hundred years of vicissitudes, a snap of the fingers; everything is like a spring dream, vanishing without a trace."


    Seeing that Rong Qiuchen has become emotional again, Yuan Ge hurriedly says, "Don''t you give me ''tears flow before words are spoken''[1] line! I know a place that has stayed pretty much the same as before, even though everywhere else has changed dramatically over the years. Would you like to go and see it together?"


    "Where does Gege refer to? Is it the Rong Mansion? That was the only place I have seen that remained largely the same as before, but all the furnishings of the mansion were long gone, making it feel so empty and bleak."


    "You''ve been hanging out in the Rong Mansion for so long and you probably already know the place like the back of your hand. Will I be so uncreative as to take you to a place you know so well on the first day of the New Year? Let me find a parking spot first. It will be much easier for us to walk around in town."


    Feeling the rare tranquillity of the New Year and the fresh spring air, the two get out of the car and walk on the thin snow on the ground towards the grandest building complex in the heart of the old town.


    It is only when Rong Qiuchen sees the nine horizontal and nine vertical nails on the majestic vermillion gates of the Imperial City that it dawns on him, "Is the unchanging place that Gege is talking about the Forbidden City?"


    Yuan Ge has a very pleased look on his face, "Yes! If you want to get nostalgic, isn''t that the best place to do it?"


    Ignoring Rong Qiu Chen''s frightened look and his attempts to retreat, Yuan Ge pulls him along and walks leisurely with him into the Forbidden City.


    Rong Qiuchen has never experienced what it is like to enter the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate. He walks as if in a trance along the path leading to the three main palaces, trembling all over yet feeling all stiff. It is not until he has reached the Hall of Supreme Harmony that he raises his head and looks up. Seeing the snow-covered eaves of the hipped halls standing solemnly, the flying dragons on the imperial path and the bronze tortoises carved on the stone slopes, evoking the nostalgia for the old days and telling of the changes in history, he suddenly falls to his knees and bows down towards the tall palace to pay his respect formally.


    "Don''t be like that! You have long hair and now you''re kneeling down like this, people would really think you''re an old codger from a feudal dynasty!"


    Yuan Ge knows that his words will fall on deaf ears, so he hurries to help Rong Qiuchen fasten his hat tightly to cover his long hair. Although it is early in the morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the weather is cold, and the Forbidden City is sparsely populated with visitors, it still looks odd for Rong Qiuchen to be kneeling like this.


    "Friends and family are gone, leaving me alone in this world.


    The past is set in the past, and everything has been buried.


    The Hall of Supreme Harmony stands as it has always been,


    Carrying the sorrows of the world in vain ..."


    Rong Qiuchen has tried very hard to hold back his tears, but still cannot help but tear up, "In the past, every time I was summoned to sing in the palace, I was led by eunuchs, watched over by imperial guards, and entered through the corner gate to the inner palace. Not only did I never have the chance to see the majesty of the first three main halls, even when I walked around in the garden of the inner palace, I had to be respectful and solemn, not daring to overstep the mark in terms of etiquette and demeanour, lest the slightest slip might bring death to people in the Jinyu Troupe. Who would have thought that even ordinary people would be allowed to enter this place now? And there are no more emperors or the empress dowagers? I feel every day that I am in a dream of some kind. Everything is simply too unbelievable."


    Hearing him say that, Yuan Ge pretends to be a little displeased, "You''ve been with me for so many days already and you still treat everything as a daydream, huh?"


    Rong Qiuchen turns back and looks at him solemnly, "I dare not forget for a moment the kindness of Gege in rescuing me and taking me in. You are my only link to this world. Without you, I would not be able to survive in this world alone."


    When Yuan Ge hears him say this, he hurriedly replies, "You don''t have to say it so seriously. You and I ¡­ are kindred spirits who have hit it off at first sight, so talking about saving lives and so on sounds too artificial. You''ve been inspiring my art too, so there''s no need for us to be so polite and formal with each other."


    Rong Qiuchen shakes his head gently, turns back to face the palace, bows again towards the hipped hall with its thousand flying eaves, and then clasps his hands together, as if praying silently for something in his heart.


    Seeing how solemn he appears, Yuan Ge doesn''t want to disturb him and quietly waits aside for him to get up before saying, "Come on, let''s continue our stroll. Let me take you to the Palace of Gathered Elegance to see where your idol Empress Dowager Cixi started out, as well as the Studio of Unimpeded Sound and the theatre at the Changchun Palace, which are definitely more nostalgic." Suddenly he lets out a sigh, "Ever since I was a child, every time I''ve been here I''ve thought the Forbidden City was amazing. If only ''Qingqing'' could rent the venue here for filming... Ahem, Actually I''m the one who is daydreaming!"


    "Why do you say that, Gege? If all the common people are now allowed to enter the Forbidden City, why are they not allowed to build a stage to sing?"


    "Tourists are not a problem, but film crews using it as a filming location can cause a lot of damage to the monuments and will definitely affect tourism. There used to be the film The Last Emperor, and the TV series Legendary Qianlong, which did use the Forbidden City as a filming location. But after that, all filming had to use fake sets made in the film city, and no more crews were granted that privilege by the Forbidden City."


    Yuan Ge looks at the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City that have been through the ages and mutters to himself, "King Guan Entertainment''s new film is about the Embroidered Uniform Guards and has quite a few scenes in the palaces and their inner courts. I wonder if they have the means to go into the Forbidden City for filming..."


    --------------------


    [1]  "Things are there but people are not"; "A hundred years of vicissitudes, a snap of the fingers"; "Everything is like a spring dream, vanishing without a trace" and "Tears flow before words are spoken" are all lines from famous Chinese poems.

 Chapter 138 - Eat, Shop, And Be Merry

    But the clothes shopping didn''t go very smoothly.


    Just as Rong Qiuchen is looking around aimlessly, a strange pair of trousers in a shop window catches his attention. The trousers are black and tattered, covered with various sizes of elastic bands. He can not help but laugh, pointing to the window and saying, "Gege, how can they sell such rag like trousers in a shop? My fifth brother''s best friend, Yee Bo, the little beggar I told you about before, was wearing clothes similar to these."


    "You''re so out! These trousers are called ''You''re My Attachment'' and they sell for - wait for it - at least 30 taels of silver!"


    Rong Qiuchen is astonished to hear this, "How is this possible? How can a beggar''s outfit be so expensive?"


    "Do you like it? Why don''t we buy it for you? It''s a trendy Korean brand,  quite fashionable." Yuan Ge can tell at a glance that not only is this pair of trousers in this season''s trendy colour of black, but it is also a limited edition.


    When Rong Qiuchen sees that Yuan Ge is about to walk into the shop to buy it, he immediately pulls him back, shaking his head like a rattle while saying, "I''m not going to wear trousers that look like a beggar." Then he drags Yuan Ge away from the shop as fast as he could.


    Thus they carried on shopping in this way. Yuan Ge couldn''t find any trousers that would fit Rong Qiuchen''s long legs and please him at the same time, so they ended up just buying a couple of pairs of comfortable yoga pants for him.


    As for the tops, Rong Qiuchen was completely unimpressed by those so-called big brands. Every piece of clothing was too ugly in his eyes, and he couldn''t find anything he liked in those fashion shops and department stores. In the end, he picked out a few T-shirts with the heads of Peking Opera characters on them at a roadside stall.


    "I say, you really can''t tell the difference between the expensive stuff and the cheap crap!"


    Yuan Ge paid for the T-shirts, clearly indignant that his good intentions have been let down.


    "These crappy clothes only cost twenty or thirty yuan each, and they''re all a rip-off for passing tourists! The ones I picked out for you earlier cost at least a thousand yuan a piece! What kind of taste do you have? You can''t even go out and meet people wearing clothes like that! If you don''t buy some decent new clothes, you''ll have to keep wearing mine."


    Rong Qiuchen blushed a little at his words, "Gege has gone to a lot of trouble for me. I will definitely find ways to repay you the money one day!"


    "Repayment? What nonsense! This is the New Year''s red packet money my dad gave you yesterday. But the way you are spending it, which is almost nothing, makes it look like I''m embezzling it all. I''ll have a bad conscience if this money continues to stay in my account. I should have asked Am¨¦lie to take you clothes shopping. She''s a fashionista and might be able to handle someone as fussy as you are!"


    Although Yuan Ge talked tough, he still felt sorry for Rong Qiuchen, so he went back to the department store and bought him two sets of vintage designed long robes from some niche brand.


    When Rong Qiuchen sees Yuan Ge carrying a large bag of stuff, all bought specially for himself, he is very touched in his heart and unconsciously puts his hand in the pocket of Yuan Ge''s coat again to quietly hold his hand.


    Yuan Ge is long accustomed to such overly suggestive gestures from him. This little loony''s ridiculous habit has gotten deep into his bones, always saying that recharging has to be done with physical contact. Rather than spending dedicated time charging him when they return home, it would be better to let him do it to his heart''s content while shopping.


    But Rong Qiuchen seems to be full of energy today, and he doesn''t look like he needs to recharge his batteries anyhow.


    Yuan Ge asks him curiously, "Have you been shopping for too long and feel less energetic?"


    Rong Qiuchen blinks his innocent peach blossom eyes and suddenly gives him a bright smile, "The method that Gege used to charge me up yesterday morning was very effective. It lasts longer compared to the method of holding hands ¡­"


    Yuan Ge''s face instantly turns red, feeling as if everyone in Wangfujing has found out what he and Rong Qiuchen did yesterday, and he just wants the ground to open up and swallow him right there and then.


    "Shut up! Don''t talk about it! Don''t even mention it! Who gave you the idea that battery charging could be upgraded!"


    "I have experienced first-hand the effects of this upgraded battery charging method.  My ears and eyes have become more sensitive after my intimate encounter with Gege yesterday. Today I feel stronger and more energetic, even my heartbeat and breathing are much faster than before ..."


    "Shut up and stop thinking!"


    Seeing how embarrassed Yuan Ge has become, Rong Qiuchen smiles faintly and stops teasing him. The two of them walk out of the main street and stroll along the narrow alleys until they have reached Meilue Hutong near the old Eastern Depot site[1], where Rong Qiuchen has turned in for some unknown reason.


    "These hutongs are full of old shops. I don''t think there''s anything to buy there."


    Yuan Ge feels puzzled when he sees Rong Qiuchen heading towards the back of the hutong.


    Has this guy remembered something? Could it be that his family is nearby?


    Rong Qiuchen stops at the entrance of a small shop and Yuan Ge looks up - it is a very inconspicuous toy shop with a few big red letters on the window - SHOP FOR SALE!


    --------------------


    [1] Eastern Depot or Eastern Bureau was a Ming dynasty spy and secret police agency run by eunuchs.. It was created by the Yongle Emperor.

 Chapter 139 - This Is No Ordinary Toy Shop

    Rong Qiu Chen and Yuan Ge gently pushed open the door and walked into the tiny toy shop. Instantly, it is like they have crossed over from the noisy New Year''s Eve market to a quiet and mysterious "other world". The shop is only about 20 square metres and the aisle is so narrow that it is almost impossible to turn around. At the far end of the shop there is a small counter, behind which sits a young man with his head down, concentrating on something in hand. He didn''t even raise his eyes when they entered the shop, let alone greet them.


    There are no other customers in the shop, which raises serious questions about the wisdom of the owner''s choice of location. Although the shop is not far from the pedestrianised streets of the city centre, it is located in such a quiet alleyway that it is unlikely to be frequented by tourists and passers-by other than regular customers.


    Although the shop is only tiny, it is packed to the brim. On both sides of the narrow aisle are floor to ceiling built-in wooden cabinets, divided into neat shelves and organised into dozens of different themes and scenes, each with one or more exquisite dolls dressed in period costumes; each doll has a different look and feel that complements its respective scene, as if quietly telling a story frozen in time.


    "These puppets are so exquisitely realistic!"


    Hearing Rong Qiuchen''s incredulous exclamation, Yuan Ge hurriedly corrects him, "They are not puppets. They are called ''''ball jointed dolls'''', a very popular high-end toy nowadays."


    As a director who has watched numerous films, doll horror films are no stranger to Yuan Ge, not to mention that he has always had a keen interest in niche culture. He has to admit that the dolls in this shop are not inferior in any respect than the authentic Japanese ball jointed dolls, and they have incorporated a lot of Chinese cultural elements in them, not only in the dolls themselves, but also in every scene, which is all done in a detailed and vivid manner.


    Yuan Ge carefully surveyed the cabinets beside him. One of the compartments is arranged with a scene of a riverside pavilion, in which stands a beautiful woman in red, a 45cm tall doll with an ethereal figure and a melancholy face, looking into the distance, seemingly waiting for her husband. Although it is only a simple scene, the pavilion and the surrounding rocks are made very realistic; the clothes and jewellery on the doll are small, delicate and elegant; and most strikingly, the doll''s face is very refined and its demeanour extremely realistic, as if it has a soul of its own.


    "The cool autumn breeze keeps blowing


    The water in Lake Dongting is rippling


    And leaves drift down from the trees on the shore ..."


    Rong Qiuchen follows Yuan Ge''s gaze to the same doll and can''t help but recite a poem softly.


    And the fellow sitting at the end of the shop suddenly looks up and glances their way, a hint of surprise on his face. He is a young man in his twenties, clean and pretty, with delicate features, and an air of detachment from people.


    "The dahurian grass is green in the Yuan River,


    And the orchids are fragrant in the Li River.


    Thinking of Lady of the Xiang but not daring to tell her openly¡­


    Gege, this scene must be from the story of Lady of the Xiang."


    Yuan Ge remembered that there was indeed a poem about Lady of the Xiang in Qu Yuan''s Nine Songs[1], but he doesn''t have the ancient literary skills of Rong Qiuchen to recite the poem off the top of his head. While admiring Rong Qiuchen, he can not help but sincerely admire the makers of these dolls. Even with this very restricted and condensed way, they were able to portray human emotions so vividly. The realism of the clothes and the wind, the sorrow of unrequited love¡­ It is not difficult for a film director to express these feelings in the language of the camera, but it is never easy to recreate this flow of emotions with such still dolls. He can not help but feel in his heart that art, indeed, knows no form.


    Their eyes swept over the many compartments on the wooden shelves one by one and saw more classic scenes from historical stories and legends. For example, the story of Huarong Trail[2], where every strand of the beard of Guan Gong is clearly visible, his purplish red face is vivid, and even his Green Dragon Crescent Blade is made to look cold and murderous. Who would know how such a small prop blade can be made with such details! How much thought must have gone into it ...


    Yuan Ge is very impressed with these dolls, which he considers not as ordinary toys, but as objects of art. Rong Qiuchen is even more enthralled. He is so delighted to see the ancient heroes, the talented scholars and the beautiful ladies, each in different poses and in their respective scenes that he wants to touch the dolls in front of him - the one with the jewellery box clutched to her chest, Du Shiniang.


    "Don''t touch that!"


    The young man behind the counter suddenly puts down the craft knife in his hand and comes striding over, looking at them full of disdain. Without saying another word, he points his finger at a notice behind the shop door, which has red letters written on a white background - Don''t touch my dolls or you''ll risk losing all your money!


    "You''re the shop owner and the doll maker?" Yuan Ge is surprised, "I thought ¡­"


    "You thought an old man with a white beard had made these dolls, didn''t you?" The young shop owner says coldly, looking aloof and proud.


    "For a shop owner selling stuff, even if you don''t put customers first, you don''t have to act so condescending, do you? And risk losing all your money? That''s so exaggerated¡­ " Although Yuan Ge admires him a lot, he still can not help but secretly complain about his attitude.


    The young shop owner''s attitude did not bother Rong Qiuchen as he walked up and down the aisle, happily scrutinising each doll. Suddenly, he stops, as if struck by lightning, his body is trembling and the ends of his eyes have turned red.


    --------------------


    [1] Jiu Ge, or Nine Songs, is an ancient set of poems. Despite the "Nine", in the title, the number of these poetic pieces actually consists of eleven separate songs, or elegies.[1] This set of verses seems to be part of some rituals of the Yangzi River valley area (as well as a northern tradition or traditions) involving the invocation of divine beings and seeking their blessings by means of a process of courtship. In common with other Chuci works, the authorship of these 11 poems has been attributed to the poet Qu Yuan, who lived over two-thousand years ago.


    [2] The story of Huarong Trail, or Huarong Dao, is a fictional tale from the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, about the retreat of warlord Cao Cao through Huarong Trail after his defeat in the Battle of Red Cliff in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, in the winter of 208/209 AD. He encounters Guan Yu, a.k.a. Guan Gong, an enemy general who is guarding the road and waiting for him.. Considering the generous treatment he had received from Cao Cao in the past, Guan Yu spared Cao Cao and allowed him to pass through the Huarong Trail.

 Chapter 140 - Seven Ball-Jointed Dolls

    "What''s wrong now?"


    Yuan Ge has become quite used to seeing the little loony getting emotional at the drop of a hat.


    Rong Qiuchen excitedly takes Yuan Ge''s hand and shakes it vigorously, then points to the top of the cabinet near where the young shop owner was sitting before. The top shelf of that cabinet looks rather like a small stage. Compared to the other sets, this one is clearly the largest, and there are seven dolls in it.


    All the dolls are styled in Beijing Opera characters, including various Sheng roles and Dan roles. The costumes they wear and the objects they hold are all miniature models made to scale, exquisite and vivid. The dolls'' tiny Peking opera headpieces are even more glorious and glittering. It is impossible to imagine what kind of materials were used to finely carve them to such a realistic level. Most impressively, each Beijing Opera doll has a different stage pose, a different demeanour and expression, as if they have been infused with souls. And at the bottom of the stage are the small words inscribed in gold - Flowers of the Opera Stage!


    Yuan Ge feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up. With such a coincidence, no wonder the little loony was so worked up.


    Rong Qiuchen examines the seven dolls carefully and sees that there is no price tag attached anywhere, so he turns back to the owner and asks eagerly, "Are these dolls for sale? Can you sell them all together to me?"


    The shop owner does not look well; his face is so pale and bloodless that it is hard to tell what illness he is suffering from. It seems that he has lived in this gloomy shop all his life, accompanying these toy dolls of various shapes and sizes. To Rong Qiuchen''s question, his answer is as cold and emotionless as his expression, just a few dry words, "Not for sale!"


    How could Yuan Ge not see that Rong Qiuchen was very keen to get the doll set, in fact, he himself is also very interested, so he walks up to the shop owner and tries a different approach, "Excuse me, sir, this doll set is perfect, the stage and all the props are very beautiful. I wonder how you got the inspiration?"


    Yuan Ge''s enquiry seems to have touched the young man''s heart.


    "This doll set is very special to me. It took me months just to find the right materials and set the scene. If you like my work, you can pick any other dolls, but this set is not for sale." He pauses and adds, "Believe it or not, each doll has a soul, just like a child. And these seven dolls are like my favourite children."


    Yuan Ge glances at Rong Qiuchen and he sees that his eyes are full of disappointment, as if he has been rejected by his beloved woman. His dejected look is so unbearable to look at that Yuan Ge feels compelled to continue to persuade the shop owner.


    "But I see the for sale sign on your shop window, which means that you need the money. Isn''t it more important for you to get the shop''s cashflow going for the time being?"


    The shop owner lets out a helpless sigh, "You two do know your stuff. I knew it when I heard you guys recite poetry just now. But these days, dolls styled in ancient period costumes are far less popular than other styles of dolls, so my shop has not been doing well and I can''t keep it going much longer...¡­"


    "Then why did you refuse when we offered to buy your dolls?"


    "As I said, you can buy any other doll, but this set is special to me and not for sale. Each doll you see in this shop has a soul, a personality and a story of its own. Every day when I look at them, it''s like listening to them tell me about their lives." The shop owner speaks slowly, this time with emotion in his words, looking quite haunted and eccentric.


    "Personality? Soul? That''s interesting ¡­"


    Yuan Ge becomes even more curious after hearing his words, because the doll in the middle of the stage looks exactly the same as Rong Qing in his dream, with the exact same makeup as well! And beside himself, Rong Qiuchen hasn''t taken his eyes off this set of dolls at all.


    "So what''s the story of this set of dolls?"


    The shop owner lowers his head and speaks softly, "They come from my dreams. No one would believe me when I say this, but they came to me again and again in my dreams and I remembered every one of them and every expression they had as if they were right in front of me. I spent a lot of time creating them exactly as I dreamed them. I made them very carefully, not daring to make any changes. I always felt that these dolls were trying to tell me something. I didn''t want to let them down, so how could I bear to sell them?"


    "I believe you!" Yuan Ge says with conviction, "A dream is but a shadow of reality. Even though it is not reality, it can still inspire art." He takes out a business card from his pocket and hands it to him, "The film I am currently shooting, Qingqing, the script also comes from my dream and is closely related to the Flowers of the Opera Stage. If possible, I hope you can come to the set and see the filming process with your own eyes, then I am sure you will understand the shock I felt the moment I saw these seven dolls. At the same time, I understand very well why your dolls look so striking - because their souls are given by you personally, filled with your consciousness and emotions. Each of your dolls is a true work of art."


    When it comes to art and artistic creation, Yuan Ge is quite confident that he could talk to this man all day long, as long as he is someone who really understands and has a true artistic spirit.


    Hearing Yuan Ge''s words, the shop owner''s originally indifferent face actually shows a hint of emotion.


    Sensing his wavering, Yuan Ge hurriedly adds, trying to strike while the iron is hot, "My, uh, my brother and I really like your masterpiece very much. Look, sir, it''s the first day of the new year, so let''s make a deal.. You get your first sale of the year and ensure a full year of prosperous business, while we get our wish and get the best New Year present for ourselves. Isn''t that a win-win?"

 Chapter 141 - The Doll Maker

    The shop owner can see that Yuan Ge is determined to have this set of dolls, and the young man besides him also has a look of eagerness and anticipation. What''s more, that man is so dazzlingly beautiful that his face is as exquisite as the dolls in his shop.


    After a long silence, he finally gives in and names a price through gritted teeth, "One hundred and fifty thousand. Seven dolls, you have to take them together if you want them. I won''t sell them separately."


    "One hundred and fifty thousand! This a toy shop, but dolls sell for such a high price ¡­"


    Yuan Ge knows that ball-jointed dolls are definitely not cheap, but the asking price of one hundred and fifty thousand is still far beyond his expectation.


    "Director Yuan, I think you are a man who knows his stuff. Although my dolls are not a well-known brand, each one is completely handmade by me, the scenes are also designed by me personally, and all the props and costumes are absolutely unique and tailored specially for each doll. Don''t you think the end result is better than those well-known creations from the big brands? Do you honestly think they are not worth the price I asked?"


    Yuan Ge hesitates for a moment, scratching his head. In fact, speaking in good conscience, this price is indeed quite reasonable, but a grown man like him, who comes out shopping and ends up buying seven dolls to take home, it sounds a bit ¡­


    He glances at Rong Qiuchen by his side again, who is staring at the dolls fondly, as if he could not bear to part with them. Yuan Ge doesn''t have the heart to disappoint him and is just about to speak, but Rong Qiuchen obviously sensed that the asking price of one hundred fifty thousand is a large sum of money, so he silently takes Yuan Ge''s hand and says, "Gege, let''s go. If you can bring me to see these dolls every now and then in the future, I will be very happy."


    Hearing Rong Qiuchen''s voice sound like heavenly music, and seeing that he looks like an unearthly being, the shop owner seems a little perplexed, "Excuse me, do you know how to sing Beijing Opera?"


    Yuan Ge is still debating whether he should buy this set of dolls for such a large sum of money. He looked at the set again and saw that the doll in the middle of the stage, dressed as a Dan role, looks just like a miniature version of Rong Qiuchen, performing the scene of "Drunken Beauty'''' in a dramatic lying fish pose. It is hard to say how many joints this doll has that can move.


    Rong Qiuchen at the moment walks into the middle of the narrow aisle of the shop, and in a quick movement, he also did a lying fish pose, exactly the same as that of the doll on the mini stage. He even sings a line in his operatic voice, "Life is like a spring dream, open my heart and I shall have a few drinks."[1]


    The clear, high-pitched voice lingers for a long time, making every speck of dust in the shop seems to be vibrated and stands still in time.


    The shop owner looks at Rong Qiuchen without saying a word for a long time before he walks back to the counter silently, as if waking up from a dream. As he passes by them, he drops a few words grimly, "The dolls have met the right owners. My final price is one hundred thousand, including the stage and all props."


    Hearing this, Rong Qiuchen gets up from the floor, his eyes full of expectation and surprise. Yuan Ge is afraid that the shop owner would change his mind and hurriedly follows him to the counter to pay with his credit card.


    Feeling reluctant to part with them, the shop owner carefully wraps the entire set with multiple layers of packaging, and packs the seven dolls, their costumes, accessories and all related small props, and so on, in individual packages. Then he tells them as he hands over the large bag, "I don''t want to entrust my beloved dolls to just anyone. Nowadays, I don''t feel comfortable with online transactions without meeting the customer in person. Running a physical shop is expensive and I don''t know how long I can keep my little shop going. With you two taking back this most precious set, I can somewhat rest easier..."


    "We really admire your artisanship, sir. Thank you for your kindness in letting us have this set of dolls today. We will certainly take good care of them and believe that one day you will see them reborn and recreated through another art form."


    So, Yuan Ge and Rong Qiuchen left the shop with their hands full, carrying this precious toy worth a hundred thousand yuan.


    "Gege, you have spent so much money for me today. I shall certainly repay you some other day."


    Yuan Ge replies emotionally, "Actually, I bought it also because I wanted to help this shop owner. There are not many people in this world who can always follow their heart. Seeing that he is so dedicated to making dolls, I really can''t bear to see his shop go out of business like this. With the current cost of shop rental in this location, the one hundred thousand yuan might be able to help support him for another six months."


    Seeing the deep compassion on Yuan Ge''s face, Rong Qiuchen also sighs, "Believe it or not, for a moment, I thought this shop owner was my sixth brother in the Jinyu Troupe. Although he was one of the Seven Golden Flowers, he was frail and preferred to make costumes and headdresses rather than perform on stage. If there were no big shows or private engagements that he had to attend, he would stay in his room sewing costumes and mending hairpieces, just like this shop owner. Although the two of them bear no resemblance in looks, the way he concentrates on making things and is oblivious to what''s going on in the world is as if my sixth brother had come alive."


    "So, your sixth brother was the prop master of the Jinyu Troupe. What happened to him? Did he become a grandmaster eventually?"


    "He, and all the assets and props of our Jinyu Troupe, were burned to ashes in an unexplained fire ¡­"


    When Yuan Ge sees that Rong Qiuchen has become extremely distressed again, he does not dare to ask any more questions. He takes out the business card the young shop owner gave him earlier, on which there are only three simple words:


    Dollmaker Way De.


    --------------------


    [1] They are the lines from the classic Beijing Opera play the Drunken Concubine. The story happened in Tang Dynasty around 745-755 AD. This is one of the masterpieces by Mei Lan-Fang. It is almost a one-person show. The story is quite simple. Mei had made this play famous by his vivid performance reflecting the concubine''s disappointment, her drunken charming, and her intentional show-off of her beauty.. There are many movements difficult to perform, including drinking a cup with the performer''s teeth only and placing the cup on the tray by bending over backwards, also known as the lying fish pose.

 Chapter 142 - The Real Flowers Of The Opera Stage

    After dinner that evening, Yuan Ge has gone into his home cinema room and retrieved a lot of film materials related to the Ming Dynasty from his collection for comparative study. Although it is the first day of the New Year and he is still in holiday, he dares not slacken off in the slightest when he thinks of the pressure of work after the festival season.


    Rong Qiuchen is quiet all night, neither hanging out with the little robot nor going into the home cinema room to watch movies with him, but staying in Violette Fu''s room alone for a long time. Yuan Ge assumes that he must have been excitedly assembling and playing with the dolls. He is sure that he will see a perfect opera stage with the whole cast from the Jinyu Troupe reappearing in his mother''s room soon.


    It''s not until after midnight that Yuan Ge has finally finished his work for the day. At that moment, Rong Qiuchen happens to come upstairs to say good night, his eyes full of excitement.


    "How''s it going? Finished assembling the doll set?"


    Rong Qiuchen nods happily, "Gege, I want to thank you for letting me have this set of dolls. Looking at them makes me feel as if the seven brothers of the Jinyu Troupe are right in front of me, and the pain of missing them is somewhat eased a little. The dolls have so many joints and are so flexible that they can be made into all kinds of poses. Perhaps I can make new costumes for them and use them to choreograph new plays in the future."


    Yuan Ge chuckles as he listens, "So that''s why that shop owner relented to sell you the dolls. Probably only in your hands can they fulfil their roles and shine. But it''s quite strange when I think about what happened today. Don''t you think it''s weird that someone should have met these famous Qing Dynasty actors from Flowers of the Opera Stage through a dream like I did? It''s not an easily accessible book, so where did the shop owner or you get it from?"


    "Gege, do you still think that the shop owner and I both learned about the Jinyu Troupe by reading the book the Flowers of the Opera Stage?"


    "What else could it be? Are you all reincarnated and carrying the memories of your past lives? I guess only my mother would believe such nonsense. Just tell me the truth, where on earth did you get a copy of that book? It will save me the trouble of guessing all the time."


    When Rong Qiuchen sees that Yuan Ge is still as stubborn as ever, holding the same attitude as before, he feels quite helpless, "Gege, didn''t you also meet Rong Qing in your dreams? Why do you believe in yourself, but not in us?"


    "That''s not the same! I did get a lot of details of Rong Qing from my dreams, but the original inspiration came from another source." Yuan Ge winks mysteriously, "Because not only did I see the original book of The Flower of the Opera Stage and read its contents, but this rare artefact itself is now in my house!"


    Seeing Rong Qiuchen''s astonished and completely dumbfounded look, Yuan Ge simply is feeling quite smug. He leads Rong Qiuchen to the sitting room and says indulgently, "Seeing that you have such a deep connection with opera, I''ll show you this treasure that has been held in the highest esteem by generations of Chinese opera singers."


    Yuan Ge takes down a post-modern decorative painting from the wall, revealing a built-in safe behind it. After some tinkering with mechanical rotation, codes and fingerprints, the safe is finally opened with a click.


    Yuan Ge puts on a pair of gloves and carefully takes out a turquoise brocade box from the safe, brings it to the coffee table in front of the sofa and opens it. Rong Qiuchen looks inside curiously and sees that there are two thin pieces of palm-sized oval shaped jade lying in the box.


    With Yuan Ge''s voice command "Spotlights!" The lights above the sofa and on the side wall light up, illuminating the entire coffee table without a shadow. Only then does Rong Qiuchen see clearly that the two pieces of jade are pure white in colour and flawless, and are actually made from top quality suet white jade. He cannot help but blurt out, "Gege, how did you get this authentic piece of artefact?"


    "You know it''s the real thing just by looking at the cover? The way you talked as if you''ve seen it before!"


    Yuan Ge doesn''t take too much notice of what Rong Qiuchen said, and carefully picks up the two pieces of jade, which have many pages of yellow paper folded into a little book between them. On the first page, there are five words written - "Flowers of the Opera Stage".


    "I don''t know where you have seen a copy of this book and learned the name of Rong Qiuchen, while this book folded between the jade covers in my hands is the authentic original book the Flowers of the Opera Stage!" Yuan Ge smiles proudly and continues, "My mother and the curator of the Forbidden City Museum have been close friends for many years, and this book is considered by the curator to be the greatest treasure in his private family collection. Because he wanted to have it evaluated by my mother, and also because I''m making a film about a famous Beijing Opera actor, he has temporarily left it to my mother''s care. You are very lucky to be able to take a look at this precious historical relic that has not yet been released to the public."


    Rong Qiuchen looks at the book in Yuan Ge''s hand in a daze and can not help but exclaim, "As fate would have it, I would never have imagined that this book would pass into Gege''s hands!"

 Chapter 143 - The Last Page Of The Book (1)

    "Strangely enough, ever since this stuff got into the safe in this house, I''ve been having more and more weird dreams about Rong Qing and the Jinyu Troupe. After that I''ve got more inspiration on the story of Qingqing."


    Recalling what Way De the Dollmaker has said during the day, and his dreams of being with Rong Qing night after night, Yuan Ge is overcome with emotion.


    "Gege, this jade-covered book is not just some ''stuff'', but a sacred book that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Peking Opera art world." Rong Qiuchen appears very solemn, "For thousands of years, the artists have suffered a great deal and shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears in order to have their names recorded in this book."


    Seeing that Yuan Ge is listening attentively, Rong Qiuchen continues, "Empress Dowager Cixi loved opera and had ordered the Minister of Rites to have this book transcribed again during the Guangxu years. This is why the famous artists from the Qin dynasty to the Qing dynasty were all recorded in this jade book!"


    "Wow, you know a lot about the origins of this book."


    Rong Qiuchen sighs, "Gege, you might as well turn to the last page, which records the extraordinary glory of our Jinyu Troupe ¡­"


    At this point, his eyes are filled with tears again.


    "There you go again!" Yuan Ge glances at him, "I didn''t bring the book out so that you could use it to get into your fantasy land and tell me over and over again that you were Rong Qing who had transmigrated from the Qing Dynasty. Because that dollmaker also knew about this book, I wanted to have another look at it."


    Rong Qiuchen silently takes the gloves from Yuan Ge and puts them on, gently stroking the precious jade covered book, as if he has just met the most familiar stranger. As his fingers sweep over the two pieces of flawlessly beautiful white jade, he feels as if his chest has been torn open by time, the fire in his soul is burning incessantly, and for a moment the pain is so unbearable that he can''t help but place his hand on his chest and press tightly.


    Thinking that Rong Qiuchen is cosplaying Rong Qing again, Yuan Ge laughs, "Legend has it that these two pieces of beautiful jade are in fact two dragon scales of the Silver Dragon of the Great Roxy Heaven, which is why they are so thin, so slick, so hard, and able to protect the spirits of the artists of the various dynasties recorded in the book."


    Rong Qiuchen flicks the thin piece of jade with his finger and it makes a pleasant melodious sound different from that of gold or jade.


    The move scares Yuan Ge into hastily retrieving the book, "Careful! Be gentle! The story of the dragon scales is just a myth. In case this delicate piece of jade is damaged by you..." He examines it carefully and suddenly cries in horror, "What''s going on here!"


    When Rong Qiuchen sees that Yuan Ge''s hands are shaking and sweat has appeared on his forehead, he is also alarmed and hurries over to take a close look. Yuan Ge turns the book to the last page, trying to find the list of the "Seven Golden Flowers" of the Jinyu Troupe, but all there is left is a blank piece of yellow paper, with not a single word on it.


    "Impossible! I clearly remember that all the famous actors of the Guangxu period were recorded on this page!" Yuan Ge is completely flustered, "Look at the previous page, it''s still from the Jiaqing period, there are no new records from the Daoguang or Xianfeng years, and the following page is the one from the Guangxu period[1], which records the achievements of the Jinyu Troupe. I remember it very well, but but ¡­ , how could it have disappeared!"


    Rong Qiuchen is also dumbfounded at the sight, "What Gege said is correct. I know by heart the pages of all the famous Qing dynasty artists, and the last page indeed contains the names of the seven artists of Jinyu Troupe in Guangxu period! Could it be that this book in Gege''s hands is a forgery?"


    "No way! It can''t be! The curator handed this treasure over to my mother personally, and it had been authenticated as genuine by all the experts. My mother told me again and again to keep it safe and lock it carefully in the safe, so how could it be a forgery!"


    Yuan Ge''s forehead is covered in cold sweat. Could it be that someone has torn out this page? However, when he turns the book in his hands back and forth several times, it doesn''t seem like any pages are missing or damaged. Then Yuan Ge remembers the invisible ink trick. Could this trick have been used in transcribing the names of artists during the Guangxu period? So he digs out a hairdryer and blows hot air at it from afar, but no writing has emerged.


    "It''s an absolute disaster! It arrived at my house in perfect condition, but now it''s damaged. How am I going to explain this to my mum? How are we going to return it to my mum''s friend Uncle Curator now? No one can afford to pay for such a priceless piece of historical artefact!"


    Yuan Ge clutches his head and mutters with a chagrined look on his face, "If I had known this, I would never have asked to use such a rare artefact as a reference for my character''s authenticity. I went to great lengths to write a script that was as close to historical truth as possible yet no one really cared. I should have just made up some nonsense main characters and saved myself a lot of trouble!"


    --------------------


    [1] Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng and Guangxu - these were the year names of the Qing emperors.. When a new emperor succeeded to the throne, a new name was created for the years of his reign to be used when referring to corresponding historical period.

 Chapter 144 - The Last Page Of The Book (2)

    "What Gege said is not true. If you had not striven for excellence and pursued the truth, how would you have impressed Rong Qing so much that he had entrusted his heart to you?"


    "Could it be that I dreamed of Rong Qing so many times that I summoned him out of the dream world, and the dream world and reality collided, thus he disappeared from that era of the Qing Dynasty, and the name associated with him on this artist ranking book was vanished as a result ¡­ "


    "But he was killed, sealed in a coffin and sunk in a pond, and was rescued and came back to life over a hundred years later. I''m afraid he was not summoned from the dream world as Gege said."


    However, at this point, Yuan Ge''s mind keeps popping up with scenes from a bunch of sci-fi blockbusters, and he simply cannot listen to what Rong Qiuchen has to say. He is so distracted by all the fanciful hypotheses and bizarre plots in those movies that he doesn''t know what he should believe.


    "What the hell! This just can''t be! It makes no sense!"


    Yuan Ge runs upstairs to his office to fetch a copy of this book he had previously made and quickly turns to the last page for comparison.


    "Look at the copy in my hand. Rong Qiuchen is different from other artists. He was the number one Flower of the Opera Stage in Guangxu years, conferred by both Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci''an, so his page not only contains the names of the two masters of the Jinyu Troupe, his name and his six brothers'' names, but also the seal of the Empress Dowager Cixi. If someone had stolen the last page of the book, how could it be that this valuable seal of Empress Dowager Cixi is still there but the names have disappeared? It makes no sense at all! Perhaps the ink was of such poor quality that it faded over time?"


    "Paper and ink can last thousands of years. It''s only been over a hundred years since the Guangxu era, and there''s never been an incident of handwriting disappearing for no reason." With a single statement, Rong Qiuchen puts a stop to Yuan Ge''s speculation.


    Yuan Ge is in a complete daze. His rationality, which he has always prided himself on, was challenged and he mumbles uncertainly, "Could it be that there was nothing on this page in the first place, and that everything was made up in my dream? Like Zhuang Zhou, I dream of butterflies, and butterflies dream of me ¡­ Could I have made up a story so real that I even convinced myself of its veracity? I can no longer tell what is real and what is fantasy. Could it be that Rong Qiuchen never existed? Then when exactly did he appear in my mind ..."


    As Yuan Ge mumbles, he feels a chill down his back. Suddenly he pulls Rong Qiuchen to his side and pinches him  a few times on the cheek.


    "Although this face is always cold and bloodless, it''s fleshy and soft. You can eat, talk, sing and fight, not like a zombie ghost or monster at all!"


    Rong Qiuchen is speechless at Yuan Ge''s stream of consciousness; nevertheless, he solemnly states what was on his mind, "Perhaps there is a spirit in the Flowers of the Opera Stage that has brought Rong Qiuchen back to life in the present world, so that he can decipher the karma of previous lives and reunite with his old friends?"


    Yuan Ge said doubtfully, "So, you are saying that whenever he finds an old friend, he writes a name back in the book? That''s just too freaky!"


    But Rong Qiuchen replies confidently, "This book has been around for thousands of years, and each page records the most outstanding artists of each dynasty and period. Rong Qiuchen''s name was once on this list, and even though it has disappeared now, I vow to get this name written back in this history book again!"


    "If a tree has no bark, it dies! If a man has no shame, the world is his oyster! My goodness, do you know how many famous artists in the entertainment industry nowadays have fans in the millions and billions? It is indeed a bold ambition that you want to be among the top ranked artists in the world today, to be recorded in this book, but the way you speak is even bolder! Who are you? I see that you have not even played a part in any film yet and already your ego is inflated!"


    Ignoring Yuan Ge''s questioning, Rong Qiuchen looks solemnly at the jade-covered book again and says firmly, "If Gege and I work together and strive hard towards this goal. The time will come when our names will go down in history and you will witness the fulfilment of my vow!"


    "Well, it''s good for young people to have dreams! Let''s take your good advice and both work hard!" Yuan Ge replies absentmindedly. His thoughts can''t help but drift back to the case of the mysteriously disappearance of the last page . He shakes his head and sighs, "I''ve never seen anything so outrageous and so inexplicable. Forget it, I''ll hide the book in the safe for now. Anyway, my mother is still abroad and ''Qingqing'' hasn''t finished filming yet. I don''t think Uncle Curator will remember to ask for this book back for a while, so let''s put it away for now and figure out some ways to solve the problem later."


    Yuan Ge puts the "Flowers of the Opera Stage" back into its brocade box and locks it in the safe carefully. Together with Rong Qiuchen, he retires upstairs to his room to rest.


    What they do not know is that, in the darkness, the jade cover of the book emits a pale, eerie white light, while on the last page, a faint bit of ink appears, slowly revealing the name of a person in ancient script - Wade.

 Chapter 145 - Meeting An Old Friend In An Exclusive Club

    Time flies when you are having fun.


    Rong Qiuchen feels like it has only been a few days since he was brought home by Yuan Ge, and in the blink of an eye it is already the third day of the New Year. When he is with Yuan Ge, somehow time always flies by in a relaxed and happy way.


    Today, Yuan Ge has put on a white shirt and a light brown suit with a camel-coloured tartan coat, transforming himself from an easy-going young man next door to a cool, aloof English gentleman like in the movies. Rong Qiuchen is dazzled by the sight, and he is about to say that his Gege is really a handsome man when he hears Yuan Ge say, "You don''t have to cook for me tonight. I''m going to meet a friend, and I probably won''t be back until midnight."


    "Gege, today is the day of the Red Dog, so it is not advisable to go out to pay a New Year call, especially when meeting friends, which can easily lead to disputes, causing trouble and provoking anger."


    "What''s with all the rules, you little superstitious man? I''ve never even heard of a Red Dog Day. You wait for me at home, do whatever you want to amuse yourself, watch a movie or something, and ask the robot for anything you don''t understand. Look at you, you''ve been with me for quite some time now and you are still not used to the modern way of talking."


    However, when Rong Qiuchen remembers the curious events with the jade covered book a couple of days ago, he feels quite uneasy, "Then Gege please take me with you, I am afraid something will happen to you."


    "It would seem odd to bring you over when I''m meeting an old university friend I haven''t seen in a long time."


    But no matter what, Rong Qiuchen insists on going with him. One moment he said that today was "the rat''s wedding" and that it was forbidden to turn on the lights in the house; another moment he said that eating rice was forbidden on the third day of the Chinese New Year and that he had nothing to eat at home. One excuse after another, in short, he refuses to let Yuan Ge go out alone.


    In the end, unable to brush off Rong Qiuchen''s wishes, Yuan Ge has to relent and let him change into the ancient-style robe he has recently bought. The two of them drive out and headed straight to the centre of the imperial capital.


    The car pulls up in the car park of an old courtyard house in Rongxian Hutong. Seeing that many luxury cars are hidden under car covers, Rong Qiuchen cannot help but ask, "Is this to protect these precious carriages?"


    Yuan Ge laughs, "It has nothing to do with hiding the car. It''s to hide the identity of the car''s owner. They don''t want to be recognised by their acquaintances."


    The two of them arrive at the entrance. The imposing gate is tightly closed, with red walls and dark tiles, hinting at another world in the courtyard. Yuan Ge looks up at the camera on the gate and speaks the name of the person who made the reservation, and the gate creaks open a crack to let them in.


    When they enter the courtyard, they are immediately greeted by a long corridor built entirely in the Qing Dynasty, transplanted from Suzhou. At the end of the corridor is a vintage Western-style building, which sits in a Chinese courtyard but doesn''t look out of place, blending East and West styles quite perfectly.


    The lobby of this exclusive clubhouse is decorated with considerable elegance and luxury. Aged rosewood furniture can be seen everywhere, set against the gleaming lights. Even the paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls are antique and of exceptional quality. Rong Qiuchen''s eyes are drawn to these paintings and he recognises several of them as masterpieces from the Ming Dynasty, but he doesn''t have time to examine them carefully to see if they are forgeries.


    "Stop looking at the paintings. Come this way." Yuan Ge takes Rong Qiuchen''s hand and points to the brightly lit place at the end of the hallway - a very elegant looking high-end restaurant.


    The waiter leads them to a table where a man is already seated. He is dressed in a fairly formal shirt and suit, but doesn''t look conspicuous, for he is not very tall and slightly hunched over. A pair of black-rimmed glasses have covered half of a pale, scholarly face, and his narrow eyes are hidden behind the frames, making it hard to see his emotions, except for that very broad, goofy smile. When he sees Yuan Ge, he gives him a firm but warm hug.


    "I say, Yuan Ge, you haven''t changed a bit after all these years! You''re always so handsome and dashing, leaving us mortals nowhere to hide, no way to live!"


    Without waiting for Yuan Ge to answer, he goes up to shake hands with Rong Qiuchen sincerely, "May I ask who this young gentleman is? Do excuse my ignorance, but you must be a movie star, right?" His eyes seem glued to Rong Qiuchen''s face, obviously stunned by his beauty, so much so that he has forgotten to let go of the hand he is holding.


    The man impresses Rong Qiuchen as quite a well-educated businessman. Although he is Yuan Ge''s university mate, he looks clearly much more mature than Yuan Ge, and his ability to compliment people is quite extraordinary. Rong Qiuchen retracts his hand from him quietly and makes a bow to him with his hands folded in front. At the same time, Yuan Ge also introduces Rong Qiuchen to the man, "He is an actor from our company, Rong Qiuchen.. He didn''t go back to his hometown and stayed behind over the New Year, so I brought him along with me here today."

 Chapter 146 - CEO Of Nomi Technology Asks For A Favour

    "Mr. Rong Qiuchen ¡­ Nice to meet you! I guessed at first glance that you were an actor, otherwise how could you be so handsome! I was quite surprised to see you two come in holding hands just now!"


    Yuan Ge has already made up some excuses to explain why he brought Rong Qiuchen here, but the man''s sudden remark makes him panic for a moment, and he hurriedly explains somewhat awkwardly, "Hey, you mustn''t make wild assumptions. It''s his first time coming to a club like this, so he''s a bit confused."


    "That''s quite understandable, quite understandable. I''ve never been to an upmarket place like this before either. I was dazzled as soon as I walked in. But since I want to meet my old friend, I have to treat the occasion with the respect it deserves and choose somewhere special, don''t I?" The man stares at Rong Qiuchen''s long hair as he tries to lighten the mood. Rong Qiuchen thinks to himself, "This man is a real expert at socialising. He has a delicate mind and hides his thoughts well without showing any traces."


    Seeing the two of them checking out each other, Yuan Ge, fearing that Rong Qiuchen will be exposed as a lunatic as soon as he opens his mouth, preempts them by saying, "Nomi, you''ve made it big now! Your company''s TV box works very well. I''ve already installed several of your smart home products in my house."


    When the man hears his own products mentioned, a smile immediately spreads across his face, but he replies modestly, "My company''s technology is definitely no match to Professor Yuan''s top-notch AI designs, but the good thing is that our products are cheap enough and suitable for the mass market. Unfortunately, the brand is not well-known enough and my sales channels are limited ..."


    After the three have sat down and properly introduced, Rong Qiuchen learns that the person nicknamed Nomi is Yuan Ge''s classmate in the Computer Science department of Fudan University and is now the founder and CEO of Nomi Technology.


    Nomi could see that Rong Qiuchen is very interested in Yuan Ge''s past, so he begins to talk about it in a very dramatic way, "You probably don''t know your Director Yuan, he''s quite a character! He got into the Computer Science Department of Fudan University with the highest score back then. All his classmates knew that his father was a world-class AI technology guru, but instead of going to CUT (Capital University of Technology), where his father taught, he went to Shanghai and stayed there for less than a year before escaping overseas. He said he wanted to pursue his interests and do what he loved - going to the UK to study filming, directing and acting. How cool is that? He was the envy and admiration of our class at the time!"


    "Come on, Nomi, you are mocking me. You guys probably all think I''m just a player, not pursuing a proper career."


    "People like us, no matter how successful we are, can only be senior programmers at best, not a big star like you! Now you''re going to be the lead actor in King Guan''s movie and soon you''ll be a household name!"


    "What, how do you even know about this?" Yuan Ge hasn''t expected that his old classmate is still following the news of the entertainment industry while immersed in research and development.


    "Hey, being a businessman is not the same as being a programmer. A programmer only cares about making good products, but when you''re a business owner, if you don''t have contacts and don''t do marketing, the product you''ve worked so hard to build simply won''t sell." Nomi laughs bitterly as he talks about business, "You know I''m just a computer science guy who started with nothing, and I''m terrible at making business contacts. It''s not easy to mix in with the right business circles and make friends with the big players."


    "So why did you make an appointment to meet at this club today? I''ve heard that the requirements for membership here are quite high in terms of personal net worth. We''re old roommates, you don''t have to be so extravagant and polite to me."


    "You''re a future celebrity, a star director. It''s not what it used to be, can you still meet me at a street stall like in our old student days?"


    "A street stall feels more comfortable to me. Besides, I''m just a small-time director at the moment. I don''t even have a single film in the country to show for it. Nomi, your personal net worth is already high enough to get into this club, there''s no need to keep such a low profile all the time, or is it¡­"


    When Yuan Ge sees that Nomi is all smiles, he suddenly has an understanding, "You didn''t ask me to come here today purely to reminisce about the past as an old roommate, did you? Is it because you want to ask me for some inside info? Let me be upfront with you. I don''t know anything about the cutting-edge technology that my dad is working on overseas!"


    Nomi hurriedly lowers his head upon hearing this and nervously pushes his glasses, "Mate, how dare I covet Professor Yuan''s tech. But I do have a favour to ask today. I saw the TweeChat update you posted the other day. Since you are now the leading man of King Guan''s blockbuster, can you talk to Master Arthur Guan and ask him to reserve a product placement spot in the film for my Nomi TV Box?"


    "I only posted three dots in my TweeChat update and you can tell from that that Arthur Guan and I have a great friendship? Since when did you become so shrewd!" Yuan Ge laughs, "Have you tried to contact King Guan''s marketing department yourself about the placement? I''m just a small-timer. I don''t really know him."


    Nomi looks aggrieved, "His chief assistant Liu Sang was too arrogant, saying that our brand was too small, that tons of companies were lining up to sponsor the film, and that there was no point in putting a low-end product like ours in there to make a fool of ourselves."

 Chapter 147 - Meeting King Guan Again

    Remembering the huge contrast between Liu Sang''s usual high and mighty demeanour and his extreme caution in front of Arthur Guan, Yuan Ge cannot help but laugh, "That man is indeed snobbish to a rather exaggerated degree. But this film is an ancient costume drama, and it would be quite tricky to make a product placement for your smart home device in a seamless way."


    Nomi grabs Yuan Ge''s hand with great expectation, "My dear old mate, you really have to help me out with this! My product has been unable to open up the market, but all there is missing is just an opportunity, a turning point, to make the public aware of its existence. A few days ago we did a prospect modelling based on big data and this film by King Guan is by far the most anticipated by the audience. it will definitely be a huge hit! If I can place an ad for Nomi Box in it, my market share could soar to 42%!"


    Before the excited Nomi has finished his pitching, they all hear a commotion in the hall. A group of waiters, in a dramatic change from their usual cool demeanour, are bowing to another group of people and greeting them humbly. The group is led by a tall, imposing man who is striding proudly ahead.


    With one look at the bespoke suit he is wearing, Yuan Ge immediately recalls the man who has treated him like a football on the day of the audition - Arthur Guan, the second young master of King Guan Entertainment, has actually come to this club!


    After a quick exchange of glances with Rong Qiuchen and a look at the pleading eyes of Nomi in front of him, Yuan Ge immediately realises that tonight''s get-together is actually a set-up. However, before he can figure out if his old classmate has trapped him, Arthur Guan is already looking this way.


    As he passes Yuan Ge''s table, he pauses briefly and frowns, "Why are you here too?"


    Nomi on the side stands up and is just about to answer when Liu Sang appears from nowhere behind Arthur Guan, "Second Master, I think it must be the CEO of this Nomi Technology who brought him here."


    "Come to see me in half an hour!" Arthur Guan completely ignores Nomi and Rong Qiuchen at the table, drops these words to Yuan Ge and leads his entourage straight into a large private room.


    "Hm ..." Yuan Ge hasn''t expected to have a chance encounter with Arthur Guan here. He doesn''t know if this man has gotten over the "water spray" incident, but the tone in which he was talking to him was simply too off-putting. His eyes sweep over the group, noticing that among them are either King Guan''s ace directors and scriptwriters, or the popular actors in showbiz, as well as a few leading real estate developers and well-known venture capitalists in China. Presumably, these people are here to do business deals for the new production.


    "Please, old buddy!" Nomi pleads like a trained puppy standing up to pay respects with his paws, "It cost me a lot of money to get this inside info that Arthur Guan was coming here tonight. That''s why I joined this club. You have no idea how hard it is to get into the Guan family''s own club. It''s said to be ten thousand times more exclusive than this place. Even if I sold myself, it would be impossible for me to get in. It''s so rare to see the King come out of his palace today, and it''s really not easy to catch him here." Nomi folds his hands and begs Yuan Ge, "We were such good friends back then. I even made a special crawler to help you go over the wall to download a lot of unusual..."


    "That''s for research, research!" Seeing Rong Qiuchen next to him with a "so that''s how it is" expression, Yuan Ge hurriedly stops Nomi from continuing.


    "Yuan Ge, if you can help me arrange an ad placement in this film, I will sponsor any future films you make!"


    "Okay, okay, I''ll do my best." Thinking that he will have to go over to see Arthur Guan in a minute, Yuan Ge can''t help but feel reluctant and awkward.


    ***


    Walking into Arthur Guan''s private room, Yuan Ge immediately sees a petite young girl standing on top of a large table in the middle of the room. She looks very shy and confused, seemingly unsure what to do. Yuan Ge recognises the girl as Daisy, the lead dancer of a popular girl group.


    Arthur Guan is sitting in the centre of the leather sofas arranged in a circle around the room, laughing and chatting with the CEO of Magic Lamp Pictures on the side. They have obviously had their dinner earlier and are currently just drinking and chatting together in the private room.


    The expression on Arthur Kwan''s face today is much softer compared to the seriousness and indifference he displayed at the last audition. He seems to be in a good mood and quite relaxed, perhaps because the business talks over the New Year period went well.


    But not all the bigwigs in the room are as preoccupied with the conversation as he is. A few are clearly thinking about something other than business deals and leering at the young girl on the table. Mr Jia, the boss of An''s Estate, says with a drunken grin, "Little girl, why don''t you liven things up a bit with a K-pop dance? Aren''t you the best singer and dancer in the group? Take off your shoes if you don''t feel comfortable! There are so many investors and producers here today, why miss this opportunity to show off your talent?"


    Having lived overseas for many years, Yuan Ge places great importance on equality and respect between people. Although he has heard of such things happening in the entertainment industry, it is still hard to accept when he sees such blatant bullying of an artiste happening in front of him. He tries to defend the girl by saying, "She didn''t look like she wanted to dance. I don''t think it''s appropriate for you to force her to take off her shoes and dance on a table".


    At these words, Arthur Guan immediately looks over this way.. He seems to be slightly surprised, but makes no move.

 Chapter 148 - How About A Solo Dance To ‘Swan Lake’?

    Mr Jia is obviously drunk. When he is openly challenged by a young man from nowhere, he becomes angry and says, "Young man, you have come to the wrong room, haven''t you? Can''t you tell what kind of place this is, and whether it''s appropriate for you to poke your nose in? I don''t need you to tell me how to do things!"


    Yuan Ge shows little fear at Mr Jia''s rebuke, but he is disgusted to see several middle-aged men in the room, led by him, gawking at Daisy''s bare thighs. He continues regardless, "Even professional dancers may not be able to perform to their level without a warm-up, not to mention that in many countries table dancing is synonymous with lap dancing. It''s very ungentlemanly of you to force people to do things against their will in this fine club."


    "Hey! Have you just transmigrated from the Qing Dynasty? Haven''t you ever seen a girl dancing at a private party? Even getting her to pole dance is nothing, let alone table dancing. To work in showbiz, you have to know how to entertain, and to be able to sing and dance whenever you are asked to. It''s quite normal to test an entertainer''s talent in front of the big names in the industry. Ah! I see. When you see short sleeves, you immediately think of bare arms and naked body, don''t you? It''s just sour grapes; you pretend to be nice, but inside you''re probably nastier than anyone else." Mr Jia shouts loudly with a disdainful look on his face, and in the meantime, he drops a harsh remark at Daisy on the table, "It''s up to you whether you dance or not. If you don''t dance, someone else will. What a fucking killjoy!"


    At this point, there are several other young girls in the room, some in JK uniforms, some in catsuits, and some dressed like anime characters. When they see that Daisy is in a difficult situation and that Mr Jia is not amused, they rush to volunteer to perform. A couple of eager ones have begun to take their shoes off and are about to jump on the table.


    Seeing that she has attracted the attention of the whole room, and that even the host Arthur Guan himself has stopped his conversation to look at her, Daisy is so flustered that she hurriedly says with a red face, "I''ll dance, I will!" With that, she sits down on the table and begins to take off her boots.


    Yuan Ge is upset to see her succumb to the pressure and says, "It seems that I''ve indeed come to the wrong room and seen the wrong people. If she''s willing to dance, then it''s none of my business. Do excuse me!" After saying that, he turns around and is about to walk out.


    "Stop!"


    Yuan Ge looks back and sees that Arthur Guan has walked up to him. He puts a hand on Yuan Ge''s shoulder and says, "Not showing your talent is like wearing a brocade coat at night[1]. Since you are in this entertainment business, you have to get used to the rules of the industry." Then he lowers his voice and says in a voice that only Yuan Ge can hear, "There are so many important people here today. I asked you to come over, don''t think it''s a good opportunity for you to observe and learn? I, Arthur Guan, will never be wrong about anyone."


    Yuan Ge feels bewildered at his words. Is this man trying to teach him a lesson, or is he trying to show him the ropes? The man puts his arm around Yuan Ge''s shoulder and pulls him back to the centre of the room, smiling slightly as he announces, "Gentlemen, please allow me to present to you our chosen male lead of ''The Journey in Brocade'', Yuan Ge."


    The atmosphere in the room instantly changes.


    That rude property developer, Mr Jia, immediately changes his tone and chimes in, "Oh, so this is Mr Yuan! We were all curious as to who you would choose as the male lead in your new movie. We''ve all heard of his name, but seeing is believing. He is indeed a fine young man with handsome looks and a noble bearing."


    Yuan Ge mentally rolls his eyes at the drunkard. When did he hear my name, heck, I don''t even want to be seen by you. It''s all bullshit!


    Seeing that the bunch of middle-aged men have all sat back in their respective seats and the previous lively atmosphere is somewhat subdued, Arthur Guan pauses slightly before turning to the crowd again and continuing his introduction in a different direction, "Although Yuan Ge can''t dance K-pop, he has been dancing ballet since he was a child. In his student days he even won the Peach Blossom Cup and almost became a professional dancer! "


    "This is incredible! The Peach Blossom Cup is the most prestige professional dance competition in the country!" The boss of Magic Lamp Pictures immediately gets the message from Arthur Guan and echoes it loudly, showering him with praise, "No wonder Mr Yuan has such a graceful and upright body and an extraordinary demeanour. He couldn''t be more suitable to play the Chief Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards of the Great Ming Dynasty. Young Master Guan does have an eye for talent!"


    Arthur Guan returns him with a faint smile, "It''s rare that you gentlemen are in the mood to watch dancing today. What''s the fun in watching a girl dance, why don''t we let our future male star do a ballet to cheer us up?"


    Yuan Ge''s face has turned pale when he hears these words. Arthur Guan really had no intention of letting him off the hook. He was being polite first with the aim to catch him off guard later.


    Mr Jia, who was irritated at having lost face, hears what Arthur Guan said and immediately understands his intention, and laughs in agreement, "It''s a rare treat to be able to watch the leading man of our next blockbuster dance for us at today''s party! Let''s welcome Mr Yuan to show us his talent! How about a solo dance to ''Swan Lake''?"


    --------------------


    [1] "Wearing a brocade coat at night" is a Chinese idiom that refers to walking at night in gorgeous clothes, a metaphor for enjoying glory and wealth without showing it in front of people.. In this context, it refers to the need to show one''s talent.

 Chapter 149 - To Dance Or Not To Dance, It’s A Question

    Those middle-aged men who were gathered around Daisy earlier to watch the table dance immediately echo Mr Jia''s words in pushing Yuan Ge into a corner and egging him on.


    Yuan Ge is very annoyed. Arthur Guan has saved Daisy from the fire but put him into the frying pan instead, which is simply fanning the flames of this bunch of lewd men. However, in front of so many people, he cannot argue with him blatantly, so he has no choice but to respond coldly, "You are mistaken, young master Guan. I am not good at dancing."


    Arthur Guan doesn''t bother to say anything about Yuan Ge''s denial. He casually snaps his fingers at Liu Sang, who immediately gets the message and turns on the large QLED TV in the room, connects it to the USB player and a dazzling dance performance begins to play in front of the crowd.


    Although the video clip is somewhat dated, the solo dancer in the footage appears to be professional, with a handsome figure and a youthful face. The background banner on the stage shows that this is in fact a video recorded during the National Art College Entrance Examination, and the performer of this Path¨¦tique Rhapsody is none other than Yuan Ge.


    Yuan Ge is astonished to see the dance video in front of him. This performance from his high school days, even if there was a video, should have been for internal viewing only, and not even he himself had ever seen it before. He cannot help but ask in surprise, "Where did you get this video from?!"


    Arthur Guan smiles smugly, ignoring Yuan Ge''s question, and says towards the others in the room, "If he could perform so well in a mere art exam, naturally you can imagine how high his performance level was in the Peach Blossom Cup, right?" He makes a gesture to Liu Sang as he speaks.


    Yuan Ge watches the pictures switch on the screen, expecting Arthur Guan to continue showing his winning performance at the Peach Blossom Cup, but instead the TV shows a set of high definition stills of a stunningly beautiful young man, almost life-size on the huge screen. He is naked with well-toned muscles, wearing heavy smokey eye make-up, but sitting curled up in just a pair of plain white briefs, knees up to cover his private parts, arms crossed around his shoulders as if in self-protection, and yet he has several ropes dangling from his upper body as if to deliberately arouse the viewer''s desire. Most seductively, his eyes are pure and innocent, filled with a longing for redemption. Even through the lens of time, a hint of the boy''s shyness and unease in front of the camera can still be detected.


    "My goodness, this set of photos is hot! Mr Yuan, when were they taken? It''s you in the college days at most, right? The photo looks so young! The expressions are so rich and the ability to titillate the audience definitely has the potential to become a superstar!" As the first person to remark, a well-known producer sets the tone, his eyes twinkling.


    "Yuan Ge is what is called a man favoured by God. Just look at him, a textbook explanation of what an innocent face and a seductive body are. Even those top flower boys at Guan family''s Roxy Heaven can''t be as pure and alluring as he is!"


    Wang Xiaowen, the renowned scriptwriter of King Guan Entertainment, looks at the screen and then at Yuan Ge, takes a sip of wine and smacks his lips lightly in a playful manner.


    "You''re absolutely right! Our Second Master has seen a lot of people, how could he choose the wrong person? Our leading man is youthful and energetic in his art exam videos, innocent and lovely in his college photos, while looking positive and manly in person. Alas, the buzzwords these days are a bunch of adjectives. The latest aesthetic trend set by female viewers for male celebrities are all contradictory in nature. You can''t believe how demanding the world is on men''s appearance. A man like Mr Yuan who is naturally good-looking, has not had plastic surgery and can satisfy the needs of female viewers is an absolute godsend!"


    Roxy Heaven? Yuan Ge has pondered for a while before he realises that the "Roxy Heaven" they were talking about could be the top private club in China, known as the Billion Yuan Club, where the minimum personal net worth required to become a member is one billion yuan. Guan family''s private club that Nomi mentioned that he couldn''t get into even if he sold himself may be referring to this club.


    But now is not the right time to mull over this information.


    A bunch of so-called bigwigs comparing some flower boys from Roxy Heaven to me obviously do not mean well. They appear to be complimenting me on the surface, but in fact they are all sucking up to Arthur Guan. And just look at the way they are looking at me, even if they are singing my praises, they must be thinking something dirty in their minds. This Arthur Guan, what does he take me for!


    "Where on earth did you dig up the video of my art school exam and the poster I took when I studied overseas!" Yuan Ge angrily questions this imperious man, feeling quite offended at Arthur Guan''s disregard for his privacy.


    "Quite a big temper you''ve got there!" Arthur Guan looks at Yuan Ge and sneers, "Do you think there''s anything in the world that I can''t get my hands on?" He points to the carpet in front of him and says, "People here would prefer to see you perform your dance on the Peach Blossom Cup live. Like it or not, you''re going to do a ballet for us now. I have gathered these people here today with the aim of getting them to invest in the male lead in my new film. You must prove before them that you have what it takes."


    Yuan Ge immediately exploded with fury at these words, "Why should I dance for you!"


    "Because I CHOSE you to be the male lead of my next film!" Arthur Guan''s tone suddenly becomes cold and harsh.

 Chapter 150 - Refuse A Toast Only To Drink A Forfeit

    The two men lock eyes for a minute, in the end Arthur Guan backs down first and says towards the people in the room, "Gentlemen, there is one thing you may not know about our leading man. Yuan Ge had a great future in Hollywood, and he didn''t need to come back to China at all. Internationally acclaimed director Spiel Cameron''s hit TV series ''Brazen Housewives'' was going to cast him as the boyfriend of the lead actress Susan, to play an Asian male prostitute. The set of photos you have just seen are from the set photos taken by the show''s cast agency..."


    He even dug out this part of his past!


    Yuan Ge is astonished. Before he has time to fully comprehend just how resourceful Arthur Guan is, he hears him continue telling the story.


    "... But he did not want to play such a stereotypical and negatively portrayed character against the Chinese and flatly turned down this opportunity. Well, as you all know, this show has made Susan one of the top female stars in the world, but our Yuan Ge has passed up the chance to become rich and famous and instead returned to China determinedly."


    Arthur Guan raises his glass to Yuan Ge and says to the room, "Come on, gentlemen, let''s all drink to our patriotic and feisty Yuan Ge!"


    Hearing this fascinating personal experience of Yuan Ge directly from Arthur Guan has been a great surprise to everyone. They all raise their glasses to toast Yuan Ge, to pay their respect. However, Yuan Ge remains unmoved and is unwilling to accept the glass handed to him personally by Arthur Guan.


    "You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, is that right?" Seeing Yuan Ge''s stubbornness, Arthur Guan''s face grows more and more gloomy.


    "Yuan Ge, you and I have both spent time overseas. I can understand your choice then, and I don''t blame you. If I were you I wouldn''t accept this role either. But now that you have chosen to return home to continue your career in the entertainment circle, you have to start learning to put your feet on the ground and abide by the rules of industry. Daisy is willing to compromise to dance on the table today, then in the future she and her group will have a chance to appear in my film. You dance a ballet in front of my investors today, then your own career, the future of Dragon Dreams, and everyone associated with you will be all set. But if you do not know what is good for you, brushing me off, making me and my entire company lose face, even if I do not take any actions, social pressure will leave you bruised all over. If you do not yield to the unspoken rules of the game, you could not make it in the United States, nor could you make it in China!"


    "I can''t believe you think it''s justified to expose my privacy! You talk about rules and circles, but no matter which business circle you''re in, you have to have professional standards and ethics. Since you want to revitalise your family business Guan''s Pictures to make it the industry leader, you have to throw away those old conventions and bad customs, and set a new example in the industry!"


    Yuan Ge paid no heed at all to Arthur Guan''s advice and instead engaged a tit for tat battle with him. Worse still, he hit directly at the issue that has been troubling Arthur Guan the most - his business reforms.


    Liu Sang''s palms are sweating. He wants to rush over to shut up Yuan Ge but doesn''t know what to say.


    Arthur Guan''s face is grim, and his patience clearly stretched to the limit. Slowly and with a slightly threatening tone he says, "Yuan Ge, you''re a dedicated actor. You''re not even afraid to do nude scenes, so why are you so stubborn today in refusing to dance for these business VIPs? Do you want me to put your bed scenes with other men on the big screen right now?"


    Yuan Ge''s face instantly turns white. Arthur Guan once again points to the table in the middle of the room, "Right here, take off your shoes. Yuan Ge, like it or not, today you WILL dance!"


    ***


    "Allow me please! I''ll dance for you!"


    The door of the private room is suddenly pushed open and in comes a handsome young man dressed in a long robe.


    With a classical style and a handsome face, he walked in with a breeze in his sleeves and spoke with grace and dignity, as if he were a gentleman stepping out of a painting on the wall, and like an immortal descending to earth, bowing gracefully to all present.


    The person is none other than Rong Qiuchen.


    "My name is Rong Qiuchen. Please allow me the honour of dancing on behalf of Childe Yuan."


    He walks up to Arthur Guan, takes the glass of whisky from him, finishes it in one gulp, ignores the surprise and murmurs of the room, and leaps gracefully onto the large table in his old Beijing-style cloth shoes, spins around and strikes a clean, beautiful pose. He then starts to sing an opera piece from Mulan Joins the Army[1].


    "I''ve just bought a saddle from the market.


    I have been chasing the wind and the lightning with a long whip.


    The sound of night watchmen is heard in the bitter wind from the north.


    The cold moonlight reflects on the armour of the warriors ..."


    Rong Qiuchen does an inverted fish pose on the table, his body looking flexible and his expression determined, then continues singing.


    "The moon hangs high in the sky, I''m in a hurry not to delay ..."


    He stands up, leaps forward and turns to reach for the imagined horsewhip on his back.


    "The frosty moon presses the long river.


    The conscripts stay awake at night.


    The letter is as urgent as fire.


    When will we reach the frontier?"


    ... ...


    This impromptu singing and dancing performance without any props, which almost no one in the audience has seen before, is greeted with astonishment and praise.


    --------------------


    [1] Mulan Joins the Army is one of the classics of Beijing Opera, and Mulan is one of the best known roles played by Beijing Opera legend Mei Lanfang, who starred in the 1917 play, one of the earliest plays and films based on the story of Hua Mulan.

 Chapter 151 - A Hidden Dragon At The Party

    Even the only veteran Beijing Opera fan among the guests is in awe, "No whip in the hand, but a whip in the performance. Even if Master Mei Lanfang were to come back to life, it would be no better than this! Young Master Guan, you really deserve to take over your family business and usher in a new era. You have so much talent under your command!"


    Without waiting for Arthur Guan to ask, Rong Qiuchen bows to him respectfully and says, "I am the attendant for Childe Yuan. My master is not feeling well today, so I have taken the liberty to amuse Childe Guan on his behalf."


    After speaking, he takes a few steps back and stands respectfully behind Yuan Ge.


    Everybody in the room is amused by Rong Qiuchen''s words and actions. They turn to Yuan Ge and laugh, "This is so funny! We didn''t know that you had a boy attendant, Mr Yuan. Look at this little guy, he''s quite capable. Make sure you bring him along when the shooting starts."


    The boss of Magic Lamp Pictures has just recovered from Rong Qiuchen''s stunning Beijing Opera performance, but his eyes still rest on him. He can''t help but exclaim, "How come all the talent has been taken by Master Guan first? Look at your King Guan Entertainment, you have so many talented people under your command, all with extraordinary singing and dancing abilities. Even at the party tonight, there are crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Not only do you have professional ballet dancers, but also heirs to the traditional arts! We don''t know what kind of superb cast you will assemble when you start shooting this blockbuster!"


    Arthur Guan smiles confidently and says with pride, "With the new talent selected from the 3,000-strong audition, plus the veteran artists we already have, it is indeed not an overstatement to say that the line-up for this upcoming film is superb."


    Mr Jia from An''s Estate chimes in, "I know a lot about the real estate industry, but very little about showbiz. However, even from an outsider''s perspective, it''s quite clear how big a splash the Second Young Master Guan has made in the industry since taking over the reigns of King Guan. The momentum of the reform has almost overshadowed that of his older brother in charge of Guan''s Properties..."


    At the mention of his brother, Arthur Guan just smiles noncommittally. Clearly the flattery from the crowd is far less interesting than Yuan Ge and his eccentric little sidekick.


    Although Rong Qiuchen has eased the tension in the room, Arthur Guan doesn''t intend to let Yuan Ge off the hook easily. He asks Rong Qiuchen with interest, "Your¡­ ''master'' didn''t say that he couldn''t dance because he wasn''t feeling well. How could you overstep your bounds and interfere in his affairs?"


    But Rong Qiuchen replies calmly, neither servile nor overbearing.


    "To answer Childe Guan''s question, as a dancer, if you don''t practise for one day, your body will know; if you don''t practise for two days, your master will know; and if you don''t practise for three days, then everyone in the world will know. Childe Yuan is a gentleman who strives for perfection; if he cannot present his performance to you with perfection, he would rather not dance."


    Yuan Ge is also dumbfounded by Rong Qiuchen''s well thought out speech, and can only play along with him, nodding slightly awkwardly.


    Arthur Guan bursts into laughter, pulling Yuan Ge to sit beside him, asking the waiter to serve wine, and continuing to chat with the investors in the room about the various details of sponsorship in his new film. Liu Sang has also started organising the music and the entertainers who came with him to liven up the atmosphere, bringing in some cute girls in mini skirts and rabbit ears to sing and dance for everyone. In no time, the private room is filled with the lively atmosphere of the New Year.


    Yuan Ge is an artist in every sense of the word, naturally different and not one to pander. The more he frustrates people, the more these people want to make friends with him. So, one by one, a group of uncultured businessmen come over to drink and converse with him on the pretext of meeting this new leading man.


    Yuan Ge has never been a good drinker, so he is no match for these experienced party players who are used to such occasions. After a few glasses of wine, he is already red faced and feeling dizzy in his head.


    Rong Qiuchen has been standing beside Yuan Ge and already taken several rounds of drinks for him. Everybody in the room is great at social drinking and is surprised to find that this handsome and delicate-looking porcelain doll-like young man could actually hold his drinks incredibly well. Unconvinced, one by one they try to challenge him. Whether it is a finger-guessing drinking game or a straight drinking contest, they are all defeated in the end.


    Rong Qiuchen is not afraid to mix different drinks either, wine, whisky, vodka, brandy, whatever, he can drink it all in one gulp or sip it slowly. He treats wine like mineral water, drinking so much of it and not looking any different in his appearance and demeanour, and still speaking in a somewhat annoyingly ancient scholarly way, neither too emotional nor indifferent, but pleasant and soothing to the listener, with a fresh and interesting, if somewhat unfashionable, point of view. In the end, even Arthur Guan cannot resist and has a few drinks with him, finally leaving both of them semi-drunk.


    The party has carried on late into the night and finally everyone has had their fun, starting saying goodbye to each other.


    Arthur Guan, who is the last to leave, pats Yuan Ge on the shoulder and says, "Not bad, you''ve found such a capable assistant to help you out tonight. He can dance and drink on your behalf. I''m letting you off the hook this time, but you owe me one. You go back to get yourself back on form and practice well. Be ready to dance for me alone!"

 Chapter 152 - What Made You Think Of Coming To My Rescue

    When the group of the people has left the club, Yuan Ge and Rong Qiuchen return to the hall and find that Nomi is still waiting outside in agony. Perhaps because he has been waiting too long, he is looking a bit dazed like a statue.


    Yuan Ge feels slightly apologetic to him, "Mate, why didn''t you come in? Arthur Guan was in quite a good mood tonight."


    "Social class is something you are born into, not so easy to cross. I''m just a small businessman and don''t have what it takes to befriend those tycoons. Besides, I''m quite clumsy with words. It would be a tough ask for me to interact with that bunch of people!"


    Yuan Ge suddenly remembers why Nomi had asked to meet him here today. He had promised to help him out before he went into that private room, but after what happened in the room, he had completely forgotten about Nomi''s request and had done nothing about it. Now he is feeling even worse and his face has turned redder, "I''m sorry, Nomi. I''ve had too much to drink and forgot to mention your business to Arthur Guan."


    But Nomi waves his hands and puts on a forgiving smile, "No problem. It''s only natural not to be able to bring in such topics on this sort of occasions. In business, one can''t take things too personally. Don''t worry too much about it."


    However, Rong Qiuchen interrupts unexpectedly on the side, "I have pleaded the case on Brother Nomi''s behalf, and Master Guan has agreed to this favour and asked you to see his Chief Assistant Liu Sang to arrange the details."


    "When did this happen ..." Yuan Ge must have been so drunk and confused that he didn''t even know when Rong Qiuchen had approached Arthur Guan to settle this matter,  "Chenchen, what a cunning little fellow you are! As they say, still waters run deep!"


    Nomi is overjoyed to hear this news. Having gone through so much trouble to get to this point today, he didn''t expect to achieve his goal at all, so he can''t help but thank Rong Qiuchen wholeheartedly.


    Together, the two men help Yuan Ge to the car. Nomi asks for their address and volunteers to be the driver to take them home on the grounds that he hasn''t been drinking.


    "You two have done me a great favour by being so helpful to my business. If you need anything in the future, just ask!"


    Sending away the elated Nomi, Yuan Ge took a shower to wash away the stench of alcohol and his hazy mind finally became a little clearer.


    He looks at Rong Qiuchen in the eyes and thanks him solemnly, "I really have to thank you for what happened tonight. Actually, you are much more mature than you look ..."


    Yuan Ge''s cheeks are slightly flushed and his eyes look very sensual. It is hard to tell whether it is because he is still a little drunk, or because he is feeling grateful. Rong Qiuchen looks at him with a faint smile, "Gege, there is no need to say ''thank you'' between us. I didn''t expect that after the world has changed so much, what remains the same is that the powerful still can bully others and the actors still have to sell their smiles."


    Yuan Ge echoes his sentiment, "Alas, such is the entertainment industry. I''m afraid the way it works in showbiz has never changed over the centuries." Recalling all the details of tonight''s events, he can''t help but ask, "What made you think of coming to my rescue in the private room?"


    "I was chatting with Brother Nomi outside. He talked about your new play and seemed to be looking forward to it. However, when I heard him cite many powerful people involved, I was worried that these people would make things difficult for you."


    "No wonder you can even name all those people in this room! But there''s one thing I don''t quite understand. If you couldn''t stand them bullying and humiliating me, why did you take it upon yourself to sing and dance for them? If I couldn''t take the humiliation, how could you?"


    Sensing the sincerity in Yuan Ge''s question and his awareness of his sacrifices, Rong Qiuchen explains with pleasure, "It''s not the same. Gege is my master. If you defy Master Guan from the start and are forced into submission, I am afraid that Master Guan and his men will look down on you and you will find it difficult to gain their respect again. I''m only your attendant, so when I sing and dance on your behalf, it will not make you lose dignity. After all, a servant who pleases all the masters is also making his own master look good. I only hope that what I have done tonight has not disgraced you."


    "What are you talking about! I forbid you to think like that in future! I''ve told you, I''m not your master or your childe, and you''re not an attendant or a servant, we''re, uh... good friends, good buddies, and we are equals. You should not suffer the grievances that I cannot suffer! In the future, if we come across a situation like tonight again, let''s teach them a hard lesson!"


    Seeing Yuan Ge''s sincere and drunken look, Rong Qiuchen cooperatively tightens his own cuffs and belt and says with a smile, "As you wish! Since Gege has so commanded, let''s do so in the future!"


    Yuan Ge assumes a boxing stance and swings a few very powerful punches in the air, and the two look at each other and burst into laughter.


    Mentioning tonight''s party, the conversation inevitably turns to Nomi. Yuan Ge asks with some uneasiness, "You two had been chatting for a long time in the hall, but you didn''t mention the Qing Dynasty or talk about anything unusual, did you? This old school mate of mine looks naive and honest, but..."


    "But he is a man of deep thoughts." Rong Qiuchen quickly speaks out what Yuan Ge was about to say. Seeing his expression grow more and more surprised as he looks at himself, he can''t resist the urge to tease again, "Don''t worry, Gege. I did not mention anything from the previous dynasty. He and I only talked about how colourful Gege''s collection was."


    "Collection?" Yuan Ge looks at Rong Qiuchen''s teasing smile and instantly remembers those discs in his home cinema room.. Recalling that embarrassing scene, he jumps up and pretends to punch him.

 Chapter 153 - Rong Qiuchens Secret

    Rong Qiuchen laughs and jumps away deftly, "Gege, I was only joking! No need to take it seriously. It seems like you''ve had too much to drink, you''d better get some rest now. I''m going to the cinema room to watch movies."


    "I''m terrible at drinking. If it wasn''t for you tonight, I''d be dead. Anyway I''m very thankful that you saved my life! Good night."


    After tending the wobbly Yuan Ge to his bed, Rong Qiuchen went to the cinema room alone and turned on the projector as usual - Yuan Ge does not yet know the secret that he doesn''t need to sleep at all. The best time to study is in the dead of night when the whole world is asleep. With the help of Yuan Ge''s film collection and the little robot brother, he looks forward to getting to know this strange new world as soon as possible.


    But tonight, he is not in the mood to watch James Bond saving the world, nor is he in the mood to watch Jackie Chan jumping up and down in a witty Chinese kung fu routine. The only thing on his mind is the man who is fast asleep in the bedroom.


    Gege was surprised that I helped him out at the party tonight, but he didn''t know that I was already famous at the age of 15 and had been through many scenes like this one. Gege is such a purist, a true gentleman. One day he will be world famous, so how can he now bow down to the powers that be and lose his dignity? I have been put through the mud before and there is no way I would wish that same fate on him.


    I can save him for a time, but can I protect him for a lifetime?


    He and I may have been more than masters and servants, but we are not friends and buddies either, as he claimed. What happened in this room that day, while not without the influence of the film, was also more than simple physical lust between men. It is ultimately unpleasant to be thought of in this way.


    But apart from the kindness of his taking me in and the bond from recharging my body, is what flows between us the same kind of love and adoration as that between a man and a woman? For myself, love knows no gender; what is so terrible about loving each other when you meet someone who knows your heart? And yet, does he think the same way? In a world bound by rules, would he be afraid, would he hesitate to accept my unusual existence and my rebellious love?


    Rong Qiuchen is equally confused as to what to do at this moment. How should they continue their relationship under the same roof? Should he be settled for a peaceful life in this world and just be content to stay by his side, to take care of him and be there for him? Or should he profess his love to him and try to possess him in his entirety?


    But past heartbreak has cast a cloud over his current feelings.


    As a person of low status, wanting something that doesn''t belong to me, thinking wishfully of spending the rest of my life with just one person whom I truly love and who truly loves me, haven''t I tasted enough of how that feels in my previous life?


    In this life, where is the certainty, where is the confidence, to pray for love again, to compete again for a man as highly sought after as he is?


    ***


    The New Year holidays have passed quickly and it is now the seventh day of the Chinese New Year.


    When Rong Qiuchen sees that Yuan Ge is again dressed up carefully, he knows that he must be going out to meet someone. Sure enough, Yuan Ge is going to the airport to pick up Am¨¦lie Jiang.


    This time without waiting for Rong Qiuchen to beg, Yuan Ge has decided to take him along. When he imagines how surprised and terrified this little country bumpkin would be to see the modern airport and the big "iron birds" rising and falling in the air, he finds the scene well worth looking forward to. He really likes Rong Qiuchen''s exaggerated acting style, which is so dramatic and so funny to watch. Heads can be chopped off and blood can run dry, but the show must go on. Rong Qiuchen is cosplaying a Qing Dynasty Beijing Opera singer, and he will never allow himself to be Out Of Character!


    "Chenchen, look! The iron bird is flying in the sky!" While Yuan Ge is happily teasing Rong Qiuchen, he notices a striking figure appearing in the crowd at the arrival exit. Looking at that elegant and slender figure, and signature red high heels, who else can it be but Miss Am¨¦lie Jiang?


    Am¨¦lie has seen Yuan Ge as well, and all those worries from the plane seem to vanish without a trace. Unable to contain the smile in her eyes, she quickens her pace in his direction and happily gives him a warm hug.


    "What brings you here? I didn''t tell you the exact flight number!"


    "You said you''d be back on the seventh day of the New Year. There are only a few flights between Guangzhou and Beijing today, and I happen to know you''re a premium member of a certain airline, so it was pretty easy to guess." Yuan Ge replies with a matter-of-fact face.


    "I thought you used your irresistible charm to get the info from the customer service lady!" Am¨¦lie teases him playfully.


    Patting the two large and one small suitcases on the trolley, she says, "Good thing you''re here, look how much luggage I have!"


    "Is there any point in bringing so much luggage? What''s there in Beijing that you can''t buy that you have to bring from home! Well, let me take you straight back to your place then."


    Am¨¦lie  curls her lip, "You''ve only just met me and already you are trying to send me away, huh?" She points to one of the larger suitcases, "The stuff in here is basically all for you, so let''s just go to your place first.. You promised to invite me over a long time ago."

 Chapter 154 - The First Mover Advantage

    "Is it all food? That''s so over the top! You really think I have a big stomach!"


    "It''s best to use local ingredients, otherwise it won''t taste authentic. I''m going to cook a Cantonese dish for you today. Don''t you always say that Cantonese people are the real connoisseurs?"


    Am¨¦lie smiles as beautifully as a flower. Without thinking, she passes the luggage trolley in her hand to Yuan Ge and says, "Jinghai will be back the day after tomorrow, and Boss Chow won''t be back until after the tenth day of the New Year; that means you and I can enjoy two more days of holidays!"


    Yuan Ge certainly has heard the emphasis on ''you and I'' in her words. He smiles awkwardly and beckons towards Rong Qiuchen, who is standing by the window, "Chenchen! Stop watching the planes, it''s time to go home!"


    "Huh? Isn''t he that ¡­" Am¨¦lie is totally caught off guard. She didn''t expect Yuan Ge to bring a little gooseberry[1] with him.


    "Hello Sister Am¨¦lie, I''m Rong Qiuchen."


    Am¨¦lie has momentarily lost herself, believing that the man in front of her, who is making a bow to her with hands folded in front in an old-fashioned way, must be Rong Qiuchen himself from "Qingqing". However, when she sees that he is wearing the same down jacket that Yuan Ge used to wear, and that the hat and scarf he is wearing are actually her birthday present to Yuan Ge, she is instantly back to reality, feeling more than a little uncomfortable inside.


    "Why is he here?"


    "Oh, it was on the last working day before the New Year break, after our hot pot dinner party, I went back to the Rong Mansion and saw him in a really pitiful state, cold and hungry, so I took him home with me."


    "Back to Moonlight Villa?"


    "Yes."


    Although Am¨¦lie is still smiling, she is feeling a little grumpy inside. How can Yuan Ge have brought a complete stranger home and stayed with him for nearly two weeks? He has always been a man who values his personal space and keeps his distance from people. She has hinted many times before to visit his Moonlight Villa home without success, yet a stranger has managed to stay there so easily! And, has he forgotten that the scarf and hat were a birthday gift to him from her? Why did he give them so casually to another man to use? Am¨¦lie suddenly feels a little aggrieved, and although she has tried her best to restrain herself, she cannot help the smile on her face from stiffening a little when she glances at Rong Qiuchen.


    Rong Qiuchen has always been very sensitive in people''s feelings and how the world works, so how could he not have detected Am¨¦lie''s thoughts. Without waiting for Yuan Ge''s instructions, he takes over the luggage trolley from him. The three of them walk back to the car park while chatting about King Guan''s new movie. Rong Qiuchen helps Am¨¦lie put the suitcases into the boot, gives up the passenger seat to her, and volunteers to sit in the narrow back seat of the convertible.


    "Are you sure you are okay to sit in the back? The back seat is actually for children or dogs and may not be very comfortable ¡­" Seeing that Rong Qiuchen insists on sitting in the back, Yuan Ge has no choice but to let him be. He turns around uneasily and tells Rong Qiuchen to fasten his seat belt.


    ***


    The three of them drove west, heading for Moonlight Villa.


    They haven''t even entered the villa compound yet, Am¨¦lie is already struck by the beauty of the surrounding lake and mountains, "The feng shui here is really good!"


    "Since my mother, Chenchen and you all said so, the feng shui here must be very good." Yuan Ge smiles happily, not noticing the trace of unease in Am¨¦lie''s face when she hears Rong Qiuchen''s name being mentioned.


    When they reach the front door of the house, Am¨¦lie hesitates slightly and looks at Yuan Ge enquiringly as if asking, "Is that thing still there ..."


    "Open Sesame!" Yuan Ge deliberately scares Am¨¦lie, "That thing? It''s just by the front door to welcome guests!"


    "You are so annoying!"


    Am¨¦lie finds the entrance hall clean and empty when she removes her hand from her covered eyes, realising that Yuan Ge was teasing her again - He has been living here for two whole weeks with the little "porcelain bumping" boy Rong Qiuchen, and that coffin must have been moved somewhere else.


    "Yuan Ge, I''m warning you, if you let me see that ominous thing today and spoil my New Year''s luck, I''ll put laxatives in the dish I make for you!"


    "Are you sure you have the heart to do so?" Yuan Ge teases her, "The ingredients you brought over must be precious and the cooking is such a time consuming activity."


    "Of course I have!" Am¨¦lie replies, pretending to be vicious.


    "Well, the thing is in my dad''s room. As long as you don''t wander around on your own you won''t come across it." Yuan Ge leads Am¨¦lie into the hall and makes a gesture of coming in, "Miss Jiang, welcome to my humble abode."


    Feeling reassured, Am¨¦lie walks into the living room, looks around the modern and simplistic decor and exclaims, "Yuan Ge, your house is really beautiful!"


    Rong Qiuchen follows them in and takes the initiative to bring in all the luggage from the car. He has watched many similar scenes in films recently and is able to put what he has learned into practice.


    Am¨¦lie hurriedly thanks him, but hears Rong Qiuchen call out, "Yuan Ge Yuan Ge, get two bottles of coke and a yoghurt!"


    You''re quite good at ordering people around!


    Am¨¦lie watches Rong Qiuchen''s every move and can''t help but grumble in her heart.


    This little guy is quite good looking, but his emotional intelligence doesn''t seem to be very high. He acts as if he is the master in someone else''s house!


    However, Yuan Ge shows no sign of getting drinks for his guests. Just as she is wondering, she hears a buzzing sound and shortly afterwards a small, round, white robot slowly walks up the stairs, holding two bottles of coke and a yoghurt on a tray.


    Rong Qiuchen introduces with a smile, "Brother Puppet''s name is Yuan Ge."


    Those who have stayed for fourteen days really did have the first mover advantage!


    Am¨¦lie is upset. She had always meant to come and visit Yuan Ge''s house in Moonlight Villa, but because of her busy work schedule, she ended up putting it off again and again. But what made this strange boy who appeared from nowhere get ahead of her and worm his way in?!


    Holding back her displeasure, Am¨¦lie points to "Yuan Ge" and asks Rong Qiuchen, "If its name is Yuan Ge, then what do you call Yuan Ge?"


    "Gege, naturally!" Rong Qiuchen replies with a broad smile and matter-of-factly.


    Am¨¦lie feels even more annoyed. Such an intimate name[2], she has been wanting to use it to address Yuan Ge countless times, but has refrained from doing so due to her reserve. But now this guy has taken it! Does it mean that she would never be able to call Yuan Ge that in the future?


    "Come on, let me show you around." Yuan Ge does understand that Am¨¦lie has been wanting to visit his house for quite some time, so just with one simple remark he has managed to divert her attention away from Rong Qiuchen.


    --------------------


    [1] Gooseberry is a British slang, means an unwelcome chaperone or extra person on a date.


    [2] Gege literally means brother in Chinese and is often used as a term of endearment for a girl to a boy between lovers.

 Chapter 155 - A Woman’s Instinct

    The three of them wandered from the ground floor to the second floor and viewed the whole house except for Yuan Fen''s room. Am¨¦lie was full of praise the whole time.


    "I say, Young Master Yuan, you are too fortunate, aren''t you? Your parents are away, and the entire second floor is all yours to enjoy alone, and not only does this house have good feng shui, but the interior decoration and design is exquisite, and to top it all off, it''s a smart house! It''s an utter luxury!"


    Touching the comfortable fabric of the sofa in the cinema room, Am¨¦lie looks at the huge projection screen and the huge collection of movies with envy.


    "For the time being I''m not living in this house alone. Chenchen is staying in my mum''s room."


    "You mean that particularly elegant room we saw earlier?"


    When Am¨¦lie hears the news, she couldn''t care less about her modesty and hurries back to the first floor again to revisit the ancient and elegant room of Professor Fu. Looking at the large carved bed with beautiful drapes and the ancient incense burner, and then at the precious antiques on the shelves, she can''t help but pull Yuan Ge aside and whisper in his ear, "Are you sure it''s okay to let a stranger stay in Professor Fu''s room? There are so many antiques and treasures in her room, what will you do if he happens to steal one or break one?"


    "That is not possible. Chenchen is a decent man, and it''s all thanks to him that this once messy room has been transformed into what it is now."


    Am¨¦lie looks at Yuan Ge''s unguarded face and can''t help but sigh, "You''re too big-hearted. You''ve only known this guy for a few days, and you have no idea where he comes from, yet you took him home without any precautions. If you really suffer a loss later, you might not even be able to find him."


    However, Yuan Ge does not share Am¨¦lie''s concern, "I am a director. I may not be good at other things, but I am good at analysing human nature and reading people''s minds. I think Rong Qiuchen is a very good person, and we should consider signing him as soon as possible after the New Year."


    "He has gained your trust so quickly? Looks like he has put a lot of thought into you these couple of weeks. If we sign him, are you going to offer your home as his free accommodation?" Am¨¦lie points a finger at her temple and continues, "Besides, is he normal up here? Do we really want to sign someone who''s not quite there in the head?"


    "His mind may not be quite normal, but it doesn''t stop him from being a good actor." Yuan Ge replies with great certainty.


    Am¨¦lie senses Yuan Ge''s protectiveness towards Rong Qiuchen, and knows that it is futile for her to continue acting as the bad guy. She has no choice but to move on from the subject. She turns her attention back to the room in front of her, carefully surveying the place that is now being claimed as Rong Qiuchen''s bedroom.


    "Professor Fu really has a great collection of treasures! Just look at this set of Beijing Opera dolls! They are particularly exquisite, and they even have a realistic stage built according to the background of the story. Yuan Ge, these costumes and stage settings are not your handiwork, are they? If they are, you could be a qualified set designer and prop master!" Am¨¦lie cannot help but be amazed when she catches sight of these seven dolls on the shelf by the door.


    "I have no such skills. The set of dolls was bought by chance. Chenchen reassembled the set according to the scene of Jinyu Troupe winning the Flower of the Opera Stage."


    Am¨¦lie looks at one of the seven dolls in the centre, and is amazed at how he looks and poses like Rong Qiuchen himself. It looks like this guy has really put a lot of thought into recreating the opera troupe from Yuan Ge''s dream, and the small opera stage has fit in with the antique furnishings very well, complimenting the classical style of the room. It''s just that¨C


    "Ball jointed dolls usually are very expensive. A set of seven like this would cost a lot of money to buy, wouldn''t it?"


    "The shop owner gave us a discount, a hundred thousand yuan all in, including props and costumes."


    "One hundred thousand?! Don''t tell me that this is a gift you bought for Rong Qiuchen, is it?"


    "Uh...¡­"


    Seeing Yuan Ge''s hesitation, Am¨¦lie immediately understands. Her face turns gloomy, unable to lash out at Yuan Ge, she turns to Rong Qiuchen, "You''re good! Getting Yuan Ge to give you such an expensive gift."


    "I''ll be sure to pay back the money to Gege one day!"


    Hearing Rong Qiuchen reply with a serious face, and that he addressed "Gege" so natural, Am¨¦lie is feeling even more irritated, "Well, you are a homeless person, and still living in someone else''s house, where do you get the confidence or means to easily get a hundred thousand yuan to pay him back?" Then she turns to Yuan Ge and says, "Yuan Ge, buying such an expensive gift for a student, you''re not being nice to him, in fact, you are adding to his psychological burden. Don''t you think this is a bit too much for an ordinary friend? You and I have been working together for so long, but I''ve never seen you going out of your way to do anything for me."


    "I thought I''d wait until you got back before getting any present for you. You have good taste and I''m afraid I won''t be able to get it right. How about we go shopping together tomorrow?"


    Am¨¦lie is somewhat relieved to hear Yuan Ge extend the invitation, but in her heart she also realises that although only a short Chinese New Year holiday has passed, many things have changed, and even Yuan Ge seems different from before. She can''t be sure what has gone wrong, but a woman''s instinct seems to make her sense that some danger is around the corner.. If she doesn''t make any effort to create opportunities for herself, she''s afraid that she will lose her hold on the man in front of her more and more, move further and further away from his life, and even lose out to a strange little boy like Rong Qiuchen.

 Chapter 156 - Amélie’s New Battleground

    The kitchen has always been Am¨¦lie''s absolute domain, her invincible arena.


    At work, Am¨¦lie is efficient and capable, and when she takes off her iron lady''s uniform and puts on her apron, she instantly transforms into a wonder woman in the kitchen. As a smart woman, Am¨¦lie knows very well that a man like Yuan Ge, who comes from a privileged family and has refined taste, will not appreciate a pampered princess who only knows how to show off, dress up and spend money, but a hostess who handles her taste in an understated and natural manner, who remains feminine and gentle outside the workplace, and who behaves with propriety. Am¨¦lie has always been confident in this.


    Many metropolitan women have fallen into the trap of extreme feminism, capable in the workplace but powerless in the kitchen, too much in assertiveness but not enough in gentleness, failing to learn the ancient wisdom of conquering the unyielding with the yielding. Am¨¦lie, however, does not want to blur her gender identity. Why not be a good woman in addition to being a good human being? And, this woman eventually WILL become Yuan Ge''s wife.


    Am¨¦lie has originally thought that the real battle would kick off when the new film starts shooting. Yuan Ge, as the male lead of this upcoming blockbuster, is, without surprise, on his way to superstardom. She has been worried about the number of sultry bitches he will encounter in the near future, but little did she know that a little lunatic appeared from nowhere, and a man at that, would beat her to the punch and even manage to move in with him in such a short space of time!


    Am¨¦lie can see that Yuan Ge appreciates Rong Qiuchen''s beauty and acting skills and is bent on promoting him in Qingqing, so it is only a matter of time before he brings him to Dragon Dreams. It''s just that this pretentious brat doesn''t seem to be as innocent as he looks. Although he has used his mental illness as a disguise to behave like a lunatic, seeing how he has managed to worm his way into Yuan Ge''s life, she must find out his true intentions for Yuan Ge''s sake.


    What does a young student have to offer other than a handsome face? Am¨¦lie, it''s time to show your true power!


    Am¨¦lie opens her suitcase and takes out a carefully wrapped set of clay pots, placing them one by one on the kitchen counter as if they are her weapons, and then unfolding a dozen packages of ingredients like ammunition. The abalone, sea cucumber, tendon and scallop, she soaks them in water and washes them one by one.


    Rong Qiuchen, who has been watching Am¨¦lie on the side, says, "The fragrance of meat in the pot is wafting to the neighbours'' houses, and even the Buddha has abandoned the Zen and jumped over the wall when he smells it. Is Sister Am¨¦lie going to cook the dish ''Buddha Jumps Over the Wall''[1]?"


    "Did you try it at the Empress Dowager Cixi''s state banquet, or at the family banquet in the House of Rong?" Yuan Ge can''t resist the urge to seize every opportunity to tease Rong Qiuchen, who unsurprisingly nods and says as a matter of course, "The ''Buddha Jumps Over the Wall'' in the imperial palace was made with 18 ingredients. What Sister Am¨¦lie prepared here is missing two main ingredients of venison and crab roe, but has a few additional ones that I don''t recognize ¡­"


    Am¨¦lie, however, is slightly surprised. This dish is typical of a Southern Chinese cuisine. How does this kid with a native Beijing accent know that just by looking at a few ingredients? He must have ordered one of those heat-and-serve convenience takeaways online before.


    Before she can ask him, Rong Qiuchen reaches out and touches the ingredients, then looks at the writing on the packages and sighs, "Whale shark fin, large abalone, Jinhua ham, yak tendon, plus Japanese sea cucumber ¡­ Sister Am¨¦lie, you must have spent a lot of silver on these ingredients, haven''t you?"


    Am¨¦lie glances at the curious Yuan Ge on the side and answers rightfully, "Of course! I brought them all the way back just to keep our future star well nourished. He''s the pillar of Dragon Dreams, and we need to keep him in top form before his shooting schedule begins."


    Rong Qiuchen nods with a look of approval, "This dish has too many ingredients and is time consuming to prepare, so why don''t you let me give you a hand?"


    Considering that she is indeed too busy to do it alone, Am¨¦lie is quite happy to take him up on his offer to help. Besides, she can also use the opportunity to have a chat with him.


    Seeing the two of them busy preparing the dish, Yuan Ge also wants to help, but Am¨¦lie stops him with a grin, "No need to bother, Childe Yuan. With six million fans, you can just wait for it to be read and enjoy!"


    "Added another two million?! I''ve never heard that even wearing a paper bag can increase the number of fans!"


    Yuan Ge has not posted anything new since his last profile photo update on TweeChat.


    "If you ask me, you''ve got quite a talent at marketing!" Am¨¦lie laughs as she slices ginger and spring onions, "The topic of ''Who the hell is Yuan Ge'' has stayed on TweeChat''s trending topic list for a week, and the comments are all over the place. There were rumours that you were a kept man, while others said that King Guan liked tough guys, and there were heated arguments on both sides. And then you put on a paper bag to introduce yourself as that mysterious Yuan Ge. This was commented on and retweeted by those influential opinion leaders, drawing the curious masses to follow you, to find out what is going on. So how can your fan base not soar?"


    "What about our Dragon Dreams?"


    "Well, a small fish being put on a big skewer is sure to be talked about by the public. But never mind that, it adds to the popularity and Boss Chow and the others are happy." Am¨¦lie takes the chestnuts that Rong Qiuchen has peeled and starts roasting them, "Even Arthur Guan himself made a high-profile public appearance. I guess he didn''t want to see you taking the limelight all by yourself, so he posted a picture yesterday showing off his muscles. Go and check it out for yourself."


    "Ten million retweets?! This is done by bots, right?" Yuan Ge looks at TweeChat and his eyes nearly pop out.


    "We don''t know if it''s done by bots, but we do know that he has a great body. The netizens are now saying that among all the CEOs in the country, Arthur has the hottest body! Countless chicks are drooling over him!"


    "How can society become like this nowadays? A man considers that baring his chest and belly is beautiful, and being surrounded by thousands of people is something to be proud of?" Rong Qiuchen looks at the picture on Yuan Ge''s mobile phone screen with a puzzled expression.


    "We are in the era of the consumption of male eroticism. Even the big boss of King Guan Entertainment is not exempt from using his good looks for self-promotion."


    Am¨¦lie has anticipated that the cooker in Yuan Ge''s kitchen is an induction one, so she first puts down a clean heat-conducting sheet under the clay pot, and then layers the prawns, scallops, sliced bamboo shoots, dried shellfish and shiitake mushrooms in the pot. As she is doing the preparations, she continues to explain to Rong Qiuchen, who is clearly clueless about the workings of today''s society, "Arthur Guan is showing off his body, but it''s Yuan Ge who will suffer the consequences. He''s keeping such a low profile, not even showing his face, so he has already been pinned down firmly by the public opinion as a ''uke''."


    "What is a ''uke''?" Rong Qiuchen asks while putting aside the shelled quail eggs and beginning to wash the lotus leaves.


    "If you don''t know, then there''s no need to know." Yuan Ge feels a little awkward discussing this topic, "I seem to be in the way here, why don''t I, uh, go and talk to Old Dude about upgrading our company''s camera equipment?"


    --------------------


    [1] Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, also known as Buddha''s Temptation or Fotiaoqiang, is a variety of shark fin soup in Fujian cuisine. Since its creation during the Qing dynasty (1644¨C1912), the dish has been regarded as a Chinese delicacy known for its rich taste, and special manner of cooking. The dish''s name is an allusion to the dish''s ability to entice the vegetarian Buddhist monks from their temples to partake in the meat-based dish, and implies that even the strictly vegetarian Gautama Buddha would try to jump over a wall to sample it.. It is one of China''s state banquet dishes.

 Chapter 157 - Three Deadly Questions

    "Every time I make a joke you want to run away. Can''t you just spend more time with me?" Am¨¦lie grumbles in her mind. Watching Yuan Ge escape upstairs, she can only turn her mind back to Rong Qiuchen, observing this guy who seems to be behaving in a strange yet appropriate way.


    Rong Qiuchen seems oblivious to Am¨¦lie''s scrutiny and remains gentle and graceful, unhurriedly mixing the oyster sauce, rock sugar, salt and rice wine as instructed.


    Am¨¦lie opens a pre-prepared jar of aged red-headed duck stock, pours it inside the clay pot, then adds various meats and vegetables and other ingredients, and begins to simmer. The question that has been nagging at the back of her mind since she found out that they were living together is still bothering her, so she simply asks Rong Qiuchen directly, "How much of his money did you spend during the days you came to eat and live with him for free? And, are you really crazy or are you pretending to be crazy?"


    To Am¨¦lie''s surprise, Rong Qiuchen takes the question literally and replies honestly, "To answer Sister Am¨¦lie''s question, Gege took me to an outdoor New Year''s fair, a supermarket and a nightclub party. He paid cash at the outdoor fair, paid with his watch at the supermarket, and dinner at the nightclub was paid for by a friend of his. In addition, he bought clothes and dolls for me, which probably totalled over a thousand taels of silver."


    Am¨¦lie hasn''t expected him to answer her questions so directly. Although he still sounded like a lunatic, his logic was clear, and he actually converted the amount into silver, which she couldn''t convert back in a hurry. She sighs helplessly, "Good that you know! Yuan Ge is not good at managing money at all. Apart from work-related expenses, he pretty much spends as much as he has. You are not related to him, so don''t take advantage of his weakness to spend recklessly, or else I will definitely have a way to deal with you when you join Dragon''s Dream in the future."


    "As I said before, I will pay back this money to Gege."


    "How are you going to do that? You don''t even have a job yet, and you''re already talking so big. Don''t expect a small company like ours to pay you much ¡­" Am¨¦lie''s attitude is not friendly, "Also, how come you, an outsider, have taken over Yuan Ge''s mother''s room?"


    "I cleaned, tidied and decorated that room, and Lady Yuan was so pleased that she agreed to let me stay in it."


    How could he have won the heart of Professor Fu?


    Am¨¦lie is secretly shocked. It seems that a lot has happened in the past few weeks. This kid has a good head on his shoulders, and if he wasn''t cosplaying the ancient character, no one would have sensed anything at all unusual about his behaviour. He is definitely not stupid or crazy.


    Just as she is wondering why Yuan Ge has been so insistent that this man has mental problems, she hears Rong Qiuchen ask casually, "Sister Am¨¦lie, you come to Gege''s house to cook for him personally, is it because you are already engaged to Gege?"


    "Uh ¡­"


    One simple question leaves Am¨¦lie speechless. What a move!


    Is she Yuan Ge''s girlfriend? It seems that way in everyone''s eyes, but the two of them have never officially confirmed it. Besides, even if she were his girlfriend, it doesn''t mean that it will lead to marriage. Am¨¦lie suddenly feels aggrieved and is at a loss as to how to answer.


    Just then, Rong Qiuchen asks her the second question, "Have you already consummated your relationship with Gege?"


    "You ¡­"


    Am¨¦lie really wants to shut him up.


    This annoying kid, with his scholarly language, how can he ask things without any discretion at all! How dare he ask me such private things? Do I know you that well?


    Before she can make sense of it all, Rong Qiuchen throws out a third question.


    "Sister Am¨¦lie, are you planning to have a shotgun wedding[1]?"


    Am¨¦lie feels like she is going to have a heart attack. He has answered her questions with ease, but this guy''s three questions are as sharp as a knife, and each of them is straight to the point. She thought she could use the opportunity of working with him in the kitchen to interrogate him, but instead she got interrogated by him! Worse still, she couldn''t answer any of the questions he asked!


    "I ¡­ I am the producer and finance director of Dragon Dreams. Of course I have a duty to take care of our director. Don''t get the wrong idea in your head."


    Rong Qiuchen is an expert at picking up clues from a person''s words and facial expressions. Seeing Am¨¦lie''s reaction, he has already worked out everything and stops pursuing.


    He covers the ingredients in the clay pot with a lotus leaf, puts the lid on and says, "I am a newcomer, hence I do not know all the rules and boundaries. Sister Am¨¦lie, please forgive me if I have overstepped the mark."


    He goes to the coffee machine, makes two cups of coffee and hands them to Am¨¦lie, "This dish will take a long time to simmer before the taste can reach one''s soul with just a single bite. May I trouble you to take the coffee to Gege? You both are busy with work and you must have a lot to talk about, so let me stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on the cooking for you."


    --------------------


    [1] A shotgun wedding is a wedding which is arranged in order to avoid embarrassment due to premarital sex which can possibly lead to an unintended pregnancy. The phrase is a primarily American colloquialism, termed as such based on a stereotypical scenario in which the father of the pregnant bride-to-be threatens the reluctant groom with a shotgun in order to ensure that he follows through with the wedding.

 Chapter 158 - How Did I Become A Big Juicy Peach

    Am¨¦lie went upstairs to Yuan Ge''s office and saw that he was indeed talking to Du Jinghai about the price of cameras in a TweeChat video call. It seems that he hasn''t forgotten Yin Fenghua''s mockery about Dragon Dreams'' humble filming condition, and is probably thinking of adding a new camera position when "Qingqing" resumes production.


    However, it is clear from the conversation that Du Jinghai''s mind is not entirely focused on the issue of adding equipment to the company.


    "...¡­ Have you heard, the marketing buzz for King Guan''s new movie is all over the place and the hype is getting hotter by the day! It is said that the girls on all the major media platforms have gone crazy! Thousands of new topics and discussion groups for ''A Journey in Brocade'' have been created overnight!"


    "What''s the point of creating so many discussion groups?" Yuan Ge is quite bemused by these online marketing phenomenon.


    "The point? It''s called laying the groundwork for the final kill. The first stage is to attract as many eyeballs as possible by setting up hot discussion topics; the second stage is to follow the shooting progress, sneak photos on set, and create marketing hype; the third stage is to sell show-related merchandise and media products. The savviest group leader can make enough money to buy themselves a house with sea view every year!"


    "Really? Is it that dramatic?"


    "Of course it is! The promotion poster for this movie has already hinted that it''s a double male lead drama. And the original book has four relationship lines surrounding Chu Jiliang - three men and one woman - what a messy tangle of relationships! The role of the emperor is said to have been specially cast by ''Emperor Chung'' Warren, who is known in Hong Kong as the first man in period dramas, while the eunuch-in-chief is played by popular idol He Yuen, who did not audition for the role but parachuted into ¡­"


    "He''s the chief director''s own nephew, isn''t he? It can''t be helped, with a relationship like that ¡­" Am¨¦lie joins the discussion as she hears the two chatting merrily.


    The time flew by quickly as the three of them talked about various issues related to A Journey in Brocade.


    It was only when Du Jinghai learned that Am¨¦lie was at Yuan Ge''s house at the moment that his speech became less natural. He wished he could transform into an electric wave instantly and rush over to have a bowl of Buddha Jumping Over the Wall cooked by Am¨¦lie personally.


    When they returned to the kitchen again, Rong Qiuchen had already opened the lid of the clay pot and slightly moved the lotus leaf, allowing the steam to come out from the pot, a delicious aroma wafting through the kitchen. Am¨¦lie notices that Rong Qiuchen has also made a few simple home-style dishes to accompany this Buddha Jumping Over the Wall. Judging by the colour and aroma, this guy can really be called a master chef.


    Am¨¦lie suddenly regrets going upstairs to discuss the business matters with Yuan Ge and Du Jinghai. She should have stayed and cooked a few more dishes to show off her cooking skills properly. Although her career is important, in the end, the reason why she has been working so hard on her career is still because of Yuan Ge.


    While Rong Qiuchen is serving them each a bowl of Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, Yuan Ge is rubbing his hands together in anticipation, and Am¨¦lie is feeling more than ever that she has made a mistake. Losing the kitchen as a battleground is akin to putting the cart before the horse, and it really isn''t worth it.


    Luckily, Rong Qiuchen doesn''t want to take the credit. After tasting a spoonful of the soup he compliments, "The dish Sister Am¨¦lie made is very aromatic, the ingredients are soft but not falling apart, the soup is thick but not greasy, and the meat and vegetables have a nice aftertaste. The result almost rivals that of the imperial kitchen."


    Naturally, Yuan Ge does not hesitate to praise her either, "You Cantonese people are really good at making soups. Thank you for bringing me so many wonderful ingredients and condiments this time. You must come and cook for me more often!"


    "Nice try! Cooking is so fiddly and laborious. If it wasn''t for the fact that I thought you were spending the New Year alone and not knowing how to cook, I wouldn''t have come back and asked for trouble." Am¨¦lie replies, glancing at Rong Qiuchen and sighing, "If I had known that you had a companion for the New Year who was also a good cook, why would I have come back in such a hurry? It was enough to have him cook for you."


    Before Yuan Ge can answer, Rong Qiuchen replies with a smile, "How can my crude cooking skills be compared to Sister Am¨¦lie''s? I am afraid that once Gege becomes famous after this new film, he will be like a big juicy peach that will attract countless warblers and butterflies to compete for it. Sister Am¨¦lie, you as the producer, must stay close behind to help Dragon Dreams guard this fruit."


    "When did you change the film to ''Journey to the West''[1]? How did I become a big juicy peach?"


    --------------------


    [1] Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The novel is an extended account of the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who travelled to the "Western Regions" to obtain Buddhist sacred texts and returned after many trials and much suffering.  The monk is referred to as Tang Sanzang in the novel. Gautama Buddha provides the monk with three protectors who agree to help him as an atonement for their sins. These disciples are Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, together with a dragon prince who acts as Tang Sanzang''s steed, a white horse.. The group of pilgrims journeys towards enlightenment by the power and virtue of cooperation.

 Chapter 159 - Two’s Company, Three’s A Crowd

    Yuan Ge doesn''t quite get Rong Qiuchen''s analogy, but Am¨¦lie immediately knows that Rong Qiuchen has already understood what she was worried about. So, she decides to state her concerns more clearly.


    "Qiuchen''s analogy is very apt. You, Yuan Ge, are a big, juicy, delicious peach, but hanging in the small orchard of Dragon Dreams where no one knows about it. Now a big budget film by King Guan has placed you directly at the top of the Queen Mother of the West''s[1] peach party, and from then on, there''s no telling how many ghosts and demons from all walks of life will be vying to take a bite out of you!"


    "Come on, you two, what''s there in me to vie for? Shooting hasn''t even started yet, and I don''t even know if I can play the role well. I''m just a faceless nobody right now. If anyone really wants to covet anyone, it should be Arthur Guan. He is handsome and rich. Whether it is family wealth, social status, education or temperament, he is so perfect that it is almost unreal. Surely that must be the ceiling of high quality men, right?"


    "I don''t see why a business magnate should be compared to a scholar of great talent. Since the beginning of time, no businessman has had a reputation in history to match that of a great talent. Not to mention the fact that the real protagonist of this film is Gege. When I discussed the new script with you over the past two days, I felt that Gege''s role as Chu Jiliang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, was the soul of the film. He is a perfect character, but fate has trapped him in an emotional prison. In the past, such a role would have been highly sought after in any opera troupe. I am sure that in today''s world it would also be well received by the audiences. "


    Am¨¦lie is impressed by Rong Qiuchen''s talk. In her mind, Yuan Ge''s talent is indeed enough to compete with even Arthur Guan''s wealth, but she is unable to speak such heartfelt praise out loud as Rong Qiuchen did.


    And she herself has read the outline of the script, but she doesn''t  seem to have the same ability as Rong Qiuchen to analyse the core connotations of a character in a few succinct sentences. Could it be that all this was in fact an analysis he had heard from Yuan Ge?


    "Yuan Ge, don''t forget that we''ve signed a confidentiality agreement. King Guan''s script is forbidden to be passed on to third parties."


    "Don''t worry, Qiuchen is quite artistically gifted, I sometimes can''t figure out something and when I talk to him I get inspiration. He''ll be on the set with me anyway when filming starts. This guy has drunk with Arthur Guan and got a personal invitation from him, so this doesn''t count as a breach of agreement on my part."


    Only then did Am¨¦lie learn that Yuan Ge had taken Rong Qiuchen to meet Arthur Guan a few days ago. After getting more details of the event, she comes up with a new plan in her mind. Although this Rong Qiuchen behaves strangely, he clearly has a good insight into human nature. What worries her most now is that, as he said, once Yuan Ge''s popularity skyrocketed after playing the role of Chu Jiliang, it would be a big question whether he would continue to be a director and stay in Dragon Dreams in the future! Instead of spending her energy on fighting with this strange kid at this time, she should let him stay by Yuan Ge''s side for the time being. With his sensitivity in reading people''s minds, it seems that he can help Yuan Ge keep the various ghosts and monsters from fighting over him and keeping an eye on this juicy peach.


    Thinking in this way, Am¨¦lie''s unhappiness that night is somewhat eased.


    As it''s getting late into the night, she has to bid her farewell out of womanly reserve. Rong Qiuchen, on the other hand, can stay at Yuan Ge''s house to see off his guests without any worries, which is still quite irksome to her. However, Yuan Ge has promised to accompany her shopping tomorrow. They have been working together for so long, and being able to steal a half day of leisure still makes her very much look forward to it.


    The next day, a delicately made-up Am¨¦lie Jiang is waiting on time under the pailou[2] at The New underground shopping mall[3].


    As a rule, when a man and a woman go on a date, the woman should usually arrive a little later. Apart from the need to show reserve, women take more time to dress up than men.


    But Am¨¦lie doesn''t want to waste her time on such things. As an elite fashionable overseas returnee, it is pointless to follow such trivialities. It is enough to put on her red-soled heels and be the most striking person in the crowd, making herself unmissable with just one glance.


    As expected, at ten o''clock, Yuan Ge also appears on time and immediately notices her in the crowd. However, to Am¨¦lie''s annoyance, he is still followed by that little gooseberry that he seems unable to get rid of!


    Am¨¦lie''s high spirit is slightly dampened. She thought she had hinted clearly enough last night before she said goodbye that she was expecting a date for just the two of them. Why does Yuan Ge have to bring along this extra person!


    Yuan Ge certainly understands Am¨¦lie''s thoughts and hurriedly explains, "After hearing what you said yesterday, Chenchen did not sleep well all night and was determined to pay me back the money as soon as possible. So, he took my mother''s joke seriously and insisted that he would go with me to the old town today to sell couplets ¡­"


    Am¨¦lie thinks to herself, "You''re acting as the gooseberry on someone else''s date, and yet you''re blaming it on me!" However, she is quite amused by this bizarre "couplet selling" plan.


    "How can he sell his writing as an antique! Is he that crazy for money?"


    But Rong Qiuchen, who is carrying a calligraphy and painting tube, is insistent and does seem to take the idea seriously.


    "I say, are you sure you are okay? You think you are familiar with Beijing, but what you referred to is the Imperial Capital of the Qing Dynasty, right? The old town area has changed a lot now, with new buildings popping up every few days. Can you find Liang Yu Xuan on your own?"


    "Don''t worry, Gege. You pointed out all the changes along the way as we drove over and there are signs at all the junctions, so I''m sure I can find it."


    "If you''re so confident, then I''ll go shopping with Am¨¦lie around Xidan for a while, and you can try selling couplets at Liang Yu Xuan on your own. If it doesn''t work out, don''t be stubborn and don''t argue with the shop owner, just leave. Come and meet us at noon sharp at the roast duck restaurant on the top floor of this mall with the pailou."


    "Okay. Enjoy your shopping together and I''ll see you at the restaurant at noon."


    Yuan Ge watches Rong Qiuchen''s back as he disappears into the hustle and bustle of the crowd, and is happy to see that he is much more calm and collected than before. At least when he is in public, he is no longer hiding, afraid of people and cars, and looking like a fool who has never seen the world. If this continues, his dependence on him will surely diminish with time. On the other hand, seeing him becoming more and more like a normal person makes Yuan Ge feel a little out of sorts instead. Human inertia is indeed a terrible thing.


    Looking at Yuan Ge''s uneasy look, Am¨¦lie can''t help but tease, "You look like an old father sending his only son off to school on his first day. You''re getting too immersed in make-believe, aren''t you? Do you really think he is an ancient man who has travelled to modern times? I think this guy is very shrewd. Let''s see if he dares to pass off what he wrote as an antique. It''s a good way to test whether he''s really crazy or not. "As she says that, she reaches out to take Yuan Ge''s arm.


    "Come on, I don''t want you to go shopping with me and have him on your mind all the time."


    --------------------


    [1] The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. The popular belief is that she is the dispenser of prosperity, longevity, and eternal bliss.


    [2] A pailou, also known as a paifang, is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent''s torana through the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles and has been introduced to other East Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.


    [3] "The New" is the newest shopping centre under Xidan Cultural Square. It was formerly known as the "77th Street" underground shopping mall. After six years of renovation works, it opened to the public on 27 April 2021. The whole mall is positioned as a fashion leader and a place where youth trends take place. More than half of the brands introduced are national firsts, Beijing firsts and concept flagship shops, etc.., mainly facing the young consumer group.

 Chapter 160 - How Easy It Is To Make Money

    "How about this one? Does it look too young?" As Am¨¦lie walks out of the fitting room, the white top and red striped cardigan coupled with navy blue straight-leg jeans, she looks simple, youthful and full of Parisian flair.


    Yuan Ge''s eyes light up. He truly admires Am¨¦lie''s taste in fashion. No matter what the style is, she can easily manage it and find the perfect accessories to make it her own.


    "This outfit goes well with your new purchase. You have very good taste."


    "Then I''ll take them all!" Am¨¦lie''s face is filled with happiness, "Thank you Director Yuan for the new shoes!"


    "You''re welcome. I''m a bit surprised that they''re willing to give you a discount on C.L''s new products. It seems your previous track record in Paris was legendary!"


    "Well, I also didn''t expect that the manager of this Xidan flagship shop had actually worked under me before when I was in Paris." Am¨¦lie can''t help but feel a little pleased with herself when she hears Yuan Ge''s compliments.


    "But after all the walking we''ve done all day, especially after all the shopping, shouldn''t you be most anxious to relax your feet and buy a pair of trainers or something to wear?"


    "You know me, red-soled high heels are my favourite and most expensive collection. This hobby is the same as your collecting films as a director. How can you possibly skimp on money and effort on the things you love!"


    Yuan Ge raises his eyebrows and expresses great admiration for her mysterious womanly logic. He takes the shopping bag handed to him by the shop assistant and offers to pay for it in a very gentlemanly manner.


    "Actually, the thought of you shopping with me and giving me a gift is enough."


    After Am¨¦lie has paid for her shopping, she notices that Yuan Ge is carrying another shopping bag with the latest model of mobile phone in it. She can''t help but ask, "You went and bought this when I was trying on clothes? Don''t tell me this was bought for Rong Qiuchen!"


    "Yes, it is. He is already quite muddled in the head, and if he doesn''t have a means of contact, he could easily get lost."


    Although Am¨¦lie has always been unconcerned about how much Yuan Ge spends on himself, she can''t help but feel disheartened when she sees what Yuan Ge has done now. Deep down, she has followed a certain code of conduct for relationships between men and women. She has always believed that if there are too many financial transactions involved, she would be looked down upon by men and the relationship would no longer be pure. If she wants to be an independent woman, it is important to remain financially independent. But when she sees such an inexplicable lunatic budging into their lives, without any modern concept of independence, and spending Yuan Ge''s money as freely as tap water, without a hint of guilt, she feels righteous indignation. So, after all that trouble, the money she has saved has been spent on someone else!


    Forcing down the displeasure in her heart, Am¨¦lie tries her best to control her facial expression and says indifferently, "Even if you want to buy him a mobile phone, is it necessary to buy the latest model? Isn''t it enough to get a basic model phone that he can use for easy contact?"


    "No, that won''t do. When have you ever seen me using outdated electronic products? Men care about this sort of things. Even if Qiuchen is a bit muddled in the head right now, it''s still too humiliating for a young man to pull an old man''s phone out of his pocket. I reckon he can''t even use 10% of the phone''s functions at the moment, but he learns things really quickly, so in the long run, it''s better to buy him a new model ¡­"


    When they have finished shopping, settled down and ordered at the roast duck restaurant on the top floor, Rong Qiuchen is also led to their table by the waiter.


    "As pretty as a peach blossom in spring; as pure as a chrysanthemum in autumn."


    When Rong Qiuchen saw that Am¨¦lie had changed into new shoes and clothes, he did not hesitate to give sincere praise and handed Yuan Ge the calligraphy and painting tube at the same time.


    "I can''t believe you sold them! How much did you sell them for?" Seeing the spring couplets inside the calligraphy and painting tube turned into a tube of cash, Yuan Ge''s jaw nearly dropped in surprise!


    Rong Qiuchen holds out two fingers crossed together, clearly not meaning twenty thousand.


    "A few old couplets that have been hung and peeled off the doors, and you actually sold them for a hundred thousand yuan?!"[1]


    Although Yuan Ge feels that it is not quite appropriate to discuss the exact amount of money in a public place like a restaurant, he still can''t help but exclaim in awe.


    "Is the owner of Liang Yu Xuan crazy?" Am¨¦lie certainly can''t believe it either.


    "The owner of Liang Yu Xuan is acquainted with Professor Fu, so I briefly mentioned Lady Yuan''s name."


    "Even if they were doing my mother a favour, you can''t sell them for a hundred thousand yuan!"


    Yuan Ge can''t help but press on, asking Rong Qiuchen to tell him what has happened.


    "Gege, I found a piece of Shoushan stone from General Cave[2] in my room a few days ago, so I took the liberty of carving a private seal ¡­"


    Rong Qiuchen tells the story of selling the couplets with a slight smile on his face, "If Rong Qiuchen, the famous actor and the number one Flower of the Opera Stage, had written a couplet himself, the price he would have sold it for would have been far more than hundreds of taels of silver. Although Mr Lin had never seen Rong Qiuchen''s handwriting, the ink and paper were genuine antiques, the seal and inkpad were real, my explanation of the couplets were credible, and I knew a lot about the Qing Dynasty and Rong Qing''s past, so he didn''t doubt it and offered a hundred thousand yuan for the whole lot."


    "Ouch! I heard from my mother that Mr Lin comes from a family of calligraphers and painters from the Ming Dynasty and is definitely a connoisseur. Even he was fooled this time! A few unframed couplets with the paste on the back not even dry, and you still managed to get away with it? My mother would love you to death if she knew. Why do you bother to become an actor? You have a great future in the antique business!"


    "And from what you''ve described, instead of being ridiculed, it seems like you have sold them too cheaply. What''s going on?" Although Am¨¦lie doesn''t know much about the antique business, with a tube of cash before her eyes she has to believe it. She can''t help but feel a tinge of admiration for Rong Qiuchen.


    "As soon as I saw Mr Lin''s surprised expression and trembling voice when he made the bid, I knew the offer was on the low side. But it doesn''t matter, I just wish I could repay Gege the money sooner."


    "Who asked you to pay back the money? I''ve told you, it was me who wanted to buy those Beijing Opera dolls."


    Yuan Ge shows a wicked smile, as if he was possessed by Professor Fu, and says playfully, "Chenchen, next time you go to sell your calligraphy, remember to sell them for more money. Just think about it, Rong Qiuchen is an ancient person from 160 years ago, counting inflation, the price must have gone up at least ten times, right? These calligraphies were worth a few hundred taels back then, now they must be worth a few thousand taels of silver! Uh ¡­"


    Am¨¦lie shoves a roast duck pancake she has rolled up into Yuan Ge''s mouth to stop him from going on, "Yuan Ge, enough is enough, don''t go further and further down the path of criminal forgery! Qiuchen, don''t listen to his bad ideas and follow his bad example! Beware of being reported and getting arrested by the police again ¡­"


    --------------------


    [1] In Chinese, numbers are not measured in thousands, but in tens of thousands, and twenty thousand means two times of ten thousand. When a person extends two fingers, it usually means two, but when two fingers are crossed into a plus sign, it resembles the Chinese character for ''ten'', so when Rong Qiuchen extends two fingers crossed together, Yuan Ge knows that it means ten times ten thousand, or one hundred thousand.


    [2] Shoushan stone is the most famous agalmatolite in China, occurring around Shoushan Village near Fuzhou, Fujian Province.  Agalmatolite is a variety of pyrophyllite used by Chinese artisans for carvings in pagodas and similar objects. General Cave, also known as Tianfeng Cave, was named after a general who took possession of the mining rights during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The stone from this cave is pure, soft and is said to have spiritual quality, and is one of the finest types of Shoushan stones.. When the cave collapsed, the stone from the cave became extinct.

 Chapter 161 - Let’s Fight It Out Tonight

    Yuan Ge parked the car and led the two of them towards the Temple gate, while resuming the previous conversation. He patted Rong Qiuchen''s shoulder and said playfully, "Little Chenchen, it seems you need to further adapt to the speed and spatial sense of modern society. This is undoubtedly the closest Taoist temple to the imperial capital, and it''s just a short drive away from the city centre. And with so many skyscrapers around, how can you still expect it to stand out in the big city? To be a man in society you have to make some allowances and leave room for error in your words and actions. If you blow everything out of proportion and always present yourself as an experienced know-it-all, you''re going to get smacked in the face sooner or later."


    However the smack in the face always comes sooner than expected.


    In no time at all, it is Rong Qiuchen''s turn to pat Yuan Ge''s shoulder and say to him seriously but playfully, "Gege, it seems you still need to further adapt to the speed and spatial sense of hitting the eye of the coin."


    It turned out that they all tried their hand at hitting the eye of the coin game. Yuan Ge had tried a dozen times but could not hit the bell, but he couldn''t find any excuse to accuse the game of being unfair because Rong Qiuchen, who was holding a handful of game coins, was a few metres away from the target and didn''t miss at all, hitting the target each time causing the bell in the eye of the coin ringing continuously. The visitors around him all cheered in admiration.


    "How on earth do you manage to hit the bell without a single miss?"


    Yuan Ge studied the wrist movements and body coordination of Rong Qiuchen when he tried again to hit the eye of the coin, but he still couldn''t get the hang of it. What appears so easy to do with that guy, looks so clumsy when he does it.


    This time, Rong Qiuchen is not as honest as he usually is when asked. He winks mischievously at Yuan Ge, "Hitting the eye of the coin also requires one to learn from a young age. If you want to beat me, you''ll have to come to the temple fair every Chinese New Year to practise more often!"


    "Great! Not only will you keep me guessing, but you''re actually showing off to me. You little rebel!"


    However, soon Yuan Ge has nothing to be indignant about. As he watched from the sidelines, Rong Qiuchen turned his back to play pitch pot, and with a move called "Immortal''s Sword", he pitched all three arrows into the pot in quick succession, then he turned around and fired three more arrows, one into the pot itself, and the other two into the small handles on either side of the pot at the same time, winning the big hugging bear on the stall that was taller than a man for Am¨¦lie.


    "Sister Am¨¦lie, take it!"


    "Sister Am¨¦lie, this is for you!"


    "Gege, do me a favour!"


    ¡­ ¡­


    Soon Yuan Ge and Am¨¦lie''s hands are full of huge stuffed animals. The stallholders of pitch-pots, ring-toss and archery are all in tears.


    "Wow! You are so good at this!" Am¨¦lie starts to happily imagine how exactly she is going to place so many toys in her bachelor pad. She can''t help but giggle at the thought that even changing her shoes at the door could be done sitting on the lap of the giant bear. She is filled with admiration for Rong Qiuchen.


    "Sister Am¨¦lie, among the strong there is always a stronger. If my skills are compared to my fifth brother''s little beggar friend, they are nothing. If he were to have a go at these games, all these stallholders at the temple fair would have to go home early."


    After the game they go to a tea stand to buy drinks. Rong Qiuchen orders a covered bowl of Eight Treasures Tea made in a large copper pot for Am¨¦lie. Looking at Yuan Ge who is sipping his Beef Bone Greased Tea next to him with his head down to hide his embarrassment, Rong Qiuchen finds the man incredibly cute when he is acting childish. He orders himself a bowl of hot almond tea to keep them company in the crowded open-air tea stand. It feels as if he has instantly savoured the old taste of the New Year in his memory, relieving himself from the frost and snow of winter and a century of loneliness.


    In a trance, the scenes of his brothers laughing, linking shoulders and being spirited in the temple fair emerge before his eyes; perhaps if he turns around, this prosperous imperial capital is still the place he is familiar with, and nothing has changed ¡­


    Yuan Ge looks at Rong Qiuchen and the shifting emotions in his eyes. Although he doesn''t know exactly what is going through his mind, he presses his hand on the back of Rong Qiuchen''s hand and pats it gently to comfort him.


    Feeling the warmth conveyed by Yuan Ge''s hand, meeting the tenderness in the gaze before him, for a moment, some unrealistic wish began to grow in Rong Qiuchen''s heart.


    How I wish this gentle, kind man could be mine! Though such a dream is never something that a humble actor such as myself should wish for. Have I not learned my lesson in my last life, when I was punished for such extravagant hopes? But is it possible that in this life, fate may show me some mercy? If I don''t ask to be his only love, or to be loved passionately by him, if I only wish to be with him forever, is it possible that fate might show me some mercy?


    However, at this moment, Rong Qiuchen, who is immersed in his own world, hasn''t noticed that their exchange of feelings through their expressions is all seen by Am¨¦lie.


    "Qiuchen, let''s fight it out tonight!"


    Yuan Ge hasn''t expected Am¨¦lie to still be in the mood to party after the temple fair, and suggested going to a nearby bar for a drink.


    "Forget about it Am¨¦lie. Qiuchen can drink like a fish. When he went to Arthur Guan''s drinking party the other day, no one could get him drunk after countless glasses of all sorts of alcohol. Even Arthur Guan may not be able to beat him in a drinking contest!"


    Am¨¦lie looks unimpressed, "Yuan Ge, have you forgotten who helped you drink all the wine in the past? So quick to doubt my abilities! I''ll stake my honour as the producer of Dragon Dreams that I''ll beat this kid in a drinking contest no matter what!"


    Seeing that she couldn''t be persuaded otherwise, Yuan Ge is also a little curious - Am¨¦lie is recognized as a good drinker in Dragon Dreams, so who will win this fight? Seeing that Rong Qiuchen still looks calm and serene, not at all like he is going into battle, Yuan Ge is unsure who he should worry about.


    "Say, Qiuchen, what would you like to drink? Wine, beer, whiskey, brandy, vodka, or cocktails?"


    Am¨¦lie adjusts her feet in her heels and says confidently, "I''m not good at temple games, but when it comes to drinking, I haven''t lost to anyone yet. If you don''t think those are enough, then you name the drinks and I''ll drink every single one of them with you!"

 Chapter 162 - Volume 1 Finale - Who Do You Dream Of In Your Sleep?

    Two hours later.


    "Yuan Ge, dance with me!" Am¨¦lie shakes her long hair loose and boldly takes off her jacket, revealing a tight little black sequined dress.


    "Am¨¦lie, you''re drunk!"


    "I''m not drunk! Stop talking! Let''s dance!" Am¨¦lie grabs Yuan Ge''s hand and places it on her slender waist, which is already swaying to the rhythm of the vigorous dance music, her smooth, naked back looking dazzlingly white in the psychedelic light.


    "You''re really d...¡­"


    Before Yuan Ge can finish his words, he is dragged into the dancing floor by Am¨¦lie around his neck.


    Rong Qiuchen sits in his seat and looks at the dance floor from afar as crimson and indigo columns of light seem to pour into the floor like a waterfall.


    The sound of raucous and exciting music is pounding hard in people''s ears and minds; the smell of alcohol, sweat and perfume weaves a gaudy web of the unknown. Spinning disco balls cast splashes of colours, robotic arms move back and forth overhead, LED lights constantly change in the background and oversized screens display sexy female bodies, they fill the thick and sticky air with the illusion of a post-apocalyptic rave. In the large dance floor, which is set up to resemble an old factory, heads and arms are bobbing up and down, and bare skins are flashing in the light and shadow. Burning with alcohol and lust, the young people seem to have not a care in the world, releasing their unbridled passion and inexhaustible youth in the booming music and writhing limbs.


    Is this the type of entertainment favoured by modern men and women?


    Rong Qiuchen supports his slightly dizzy head with his hand.


    Is it the effect of the alcohol, or is he having a hard time adjusting to a place like this?


    His eyes are struggling to follow the two figures weaving through the crowded dancers, but in a trance, he catches a glimpse of Am¨¦lie''s petite and curvaceous body that has somehow pressed against the tall, straight figure in front of her. Her arms that were wrapped around Yuan Ge''s neck are now lowered, while her head is slightly tilted up and her delicate red lips pressed against his.


    For a moment, Rong Qiuchen feels like his heart has been hit by a heavy drum beat, the grotesque and gaudy scene in front of him became even more chaotic, the alcohol he has drunk tumbling through his mind like never before, while his body is shivering with cold, as if it is going to freeze into ice.


    Through the psychedelic colours, he gazes at the two figures nestled together, as distant as if they were from another lifetime. That kind of intimacy will never leave room to allow anyone else''s existence, will it?


    There was a time when he himself was used to seeing flirtatious women in those debauched or lascivious places. Rong Qiuchen understands that when two people snuggle and kiss like this, it represents not only physical desire, but also the exchange and entanglement of bodily fluids.


    Loose hair, bare skin, fervent embraces, spontaneous seductions, unbridled lust - the boldness of modern women has far exceeded that of a hundred years ago. What man of desire through the ages has been able to resist this soft, warm and sultry temptation?


    Am¨¦lie''s high heels seem blindingly red in the light, her pale skin shining brightly against the little sequined black dress. Despite their drunkenness, their gait as they dance in each other''s arms still exudes an indescribable languor and enchantment.


    Rong Qiuchen lets his eyes follow this gorgeous yet torturous scene.


    As their skin and hair touch, and they breathe in each other''s scent from such close range, there must have been an intimate warmth passing between them. Hearts are stirred by alcohol and passion, beating together in the same rhythm - but at the moment, he is just a man with no body heat, no heartbeat, and even his ability to move his limbs depended on physical contact with Yuan Ge!


    Where has this reincarnation gone wrong? Is this body of his a human or a ghost or a demon? What can such a being count on to compete for his love!


    ***


    After taking the completely drunk and almost unconscious Am¨¦lie home, Yuan Ge drives back to Moonlight Villa. He notices that Rong Qiuchen, who is sitting in the passenger seat, is particularly quiet this evening.


    He has been slouching in his seat the entire journey, arms folded across his chest, not at all like his usual self, eager to see the world and understand everything. Is this man also drunk?


    "Hey, talk to me. You stole the show at the temple fair this afternoon, and you won the drinking contest at night, so why are you all of a sudden so depressed?"


    "Is the rouge on her lips that tasty?" Rong Qiuchen speaks in a low voice.


    Yuan Ge is speechless.


    "''Upon thy cheek I lay this zealous kiss, as seal to the indenture of my love''. Did you act in this manner with the intention of making her your Lady Yuan?"


    Rong Qiuchen, who has always been fond of quoting Chinese classics, surprisingly quoted a Shakespearean aphorism. His serious attitude leaves Yuan Ge at a loss for how to answer.


    "You ¡­ What did you see?"


    "I thought I had seen enough of the world''s strange and bizarre things after all these days of study. But now I realise that the spirit and temperament of women in this world is very different from what it used to be, while the frivolity and spontaneity of men has remained the same."


    With a long sigh, as if he were a dragon stranded in the shallows, he presses his face against the cold car window, stares out at the fast-moving night scene and says nothing more.


    ***


    "You are the purest white of the snowy mountains, the deepest blue of the vast oceans, the bone etching heat of the corona centre, the virgin red of the cherry blossoms¡­"


    Am¨¦lie murmurs softly, her face flushed, not sure whether it was the alcohol coursing through her blood or the wave of emotion inspired by the passionate kiss. As if her bones have been pulled out by an invisible force, she slumps languidly onto bed, her hands raised high in the air, as if holding the elegant and delicate face of her invisible lover...


    "O Yuan Ge, you are a demon creature in human form, aren''t you?"


    She looks at the stuffed animals piled up on her bed and it suddenly hits her that she, an ever invincible drinker, has lost tonight''s contest, and to an inexplicable little boy at that!


    But so be it. There comes a time in life when you have to admit defeat for the first time. Only when you lose can you shed the heavy burden you have carried for so long, face up to your failures, admit vulnerability, let go of your reserve and express yourself freely - just like tonight, where there is finally a definite excuse to indulge that burning desire, to feel that heart-melting touch, to enjoy those broad shoulders and warm embrace ¡­


    But at the moment, in the dim light, Am¨¦lie''s eyes are full of tears.


    She has taken the initiative to make her feelings known to him many times, but Yuan Ge''s responses have always been evasive and baffling. To her, it is a love that is engraved in her bones and imprinted in her heart; but what is this love to him?


    She has always known that the man she loves is a Kuafu[1] who pursues the ultimate in everything. His talent and character are like sunlight that attracts all living creatures. Not only herself, but also that strange Rong Qiuchen, and even Chow Mingrun and Du Jinghai, who follow him willingly precisely because they are unknowingly illuminated by his light. However, he is a living artist, and such a person possesses a child-like quality - a combination of naivety and cruelty. He could be attracted to someone simply because of the coincidental overlap of dreams and reality, and he could also abandon the years of love and friendship without regard for old feelings, simply because he has drifted away from those people in his spiritual world and inner experience, couldn''t he?


    Falling in love with a living artist is like going through the most gruelling battle of your life!


    Am¨¦lie wipes off the tears from her cheeks.


    When she thinks of the heavy workload of the upcoming production of "A Journey in Brocade", of the mysterious and unpredictable big boss Arthur Guan and that equally mysterious and strange Rong Qiuchen, and of the stormy future of Dragon Dreams, her exhausted body feels even more powerless.


    There are really all kinds of demons and monsters who are after Yuan Ge. As he is thrust onto the centre stage by King Guan Entertainment, and there are brighter lights to assist him in showcasing his talent to the world, what will happen between her and him? Will they still be able to have a relaxed conversation and enjoy a romantic evening alone at R¨ºver like they once did?


    The image of the kiss in the bar still seems to be playing in her mesmerised mind, but in her ears comes the melody that has moved her in the very first place -


    My skin''s burning from your caresses


    My heart''s haunted by your loneliness


    Can we give up this pretence


    I can''t predict how it ends


    You can have my all


    My heart, my life and my desires


    I''ve bared my soul


    For your eyes are dangerous


    ¡­ ¡­


    Tell me, who do you dream of in your sleep?


    There will be times when dreams end and illusions are shattered, when rocks are broken and mountains are moved. Even if you are made of stone, in time, the drops of water will wear through it.


    I shall break through your heart''s defences!


    Am¨¦lie smiles softly. That exhilarating and palpitating fervour, that sadness of unrequited love, always resonates with her for no apparent reason, comforting her and encouraging her.


    No matter if it''s god or demon, dragon or tiger, no matter how many fierce battles lie ahead, what she has decided for herself, she will not easily let go.


    Tell me, who do you dream of in your sleep?


    I will break through your heart''s defence!


    I will possess your life, even if I crash and burn in the process!


    --------------------


    [1] Kuafu is a giant in Chinese mythology who wished to capture the Sun. In modern Chinese usage, the story of Kuafu chasing the Sun is used to describe a person who is brave and optimistic and willing to overcome all the obstacles to reach the goal.


    <END OF VOLUME 1>