Chapter Forty-Two: Settling ‘Graceful Dance in the Breeze’

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(Yesterday was truly exhausting. I slept like a rock in that black-market cab, but—I've really made it to the front page! Hahaha, thank you all so much for your support. Let me call out once again for recommendations and favorites. Black Car bows in gratitude.)

Although Wu Xiang did very much want to get to know Chen Hao right now, he obviously couldn't do it in such a way—what kind of person would that make him?

Still, while he couldn't meet the campus heartthrob in this little eatery, Wu Xiang gained something else of tremendous value.

When Zhang Jingchu stood beside the unconscious Huang Yi, Wu Xiang seemed to see Qingwu Feiyang and her friend Xiaoyu come to life before his eyes!

Yes, exactly. Zhang Jingchu's beauty was universally acknowledged, and she still had that air of innocence so rare these days. More than that, her eyes sparkled with wit and mischief—this was Qingwu Feiyang herself!

As for Huang Yi—well, she was the perfect foil, making Zhang Jingchu's ethereal beauty stand out all the more.

Of course, that was something he could never say aloud—to anyone, least of all to Huang Yi herself.

“Zhang Jingchu, I have a script right now, and I'd like to invite you to play the female lead.” Wu Xiang spoke his mind directly, wasting no time on pleasantries. He felt free to do so because Zhang Jingchu’s personality was open and forthright.

“Ah?” At those words, Zhang Jingchu was startled, but her eyes flickered craftily. “Oh, I remember now! You’re Wu Xiang from the Film Academy, the director who made ‘The Great Flood,’ right?”

“Yes! That’s me!” Wu Xiang, for the first time, tasted what it felt like to be a celebrity. It was exhilarating!

“So this is the legendary Wu Xiang—so tall and lanky!” Zhang Jingchu was indeed outgoing and candid, not one to mince words.

“Not offended, not offended…” Dark lines appeared on Wu Xiang’s forehead, but he suppressed his annoyance. “I won’t deny it—my looks may be hard on the audience, but what I want to discuss with you has nothing to do with appearances.”

“Fair enough, hehe. But as for the female lead—how much are you offering?” Simple and straightforward, this was Zhang Jingchu’s favorite part, as evidenced by the sly smile on her face.

“How much do you want?” Wu Xiang was just as shrewd when it came to bargaining.

Zhang Jingchu held up one hand.

“Five hundred?” Wu Xiang was clearly a seasoned negotiator.

“Are you kidding me?” Zhang Jingchu nearly lost her temper on the spot.

“Five thousand?” Wu Xiang made a second offer.

At that, her eyes took on the chill of an assassin.

“Five thousand isn’t a small sum. Do you want fifty thousand now?” Wu Xiang held firm to his bottom line.

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“Hey! You call yourself a big-time director and offer so little to your female lead? Don’t think I don’t know how much your first film made at the box office! You’re just trying to shortchange me. Even fifty thousand is too little!” In truth, Zhang Jingchu had been thinking of five thousand—actors’ wages weren’t high in those days, especially for newcomers in their first film. Landing a movie role at all was luck; many had already switched careers.

But the habit of haggling was deeply ingrained, so she wouldn’t give in easily. As for fifty thousand—well, that was just pushing her luck.

“What are you thinking? Fifty thousand? For that, I’d just go to Chen Hao instead.” Wu Xiang was no slouch at this game either.

“What? You know her?” Zhang Jingchu lost her confidence at once. Chen Hao’s looks were nothing to scoff at, and she was from the acting department, after all. Compared to her, a directing major, Zhang Jingchu felt at a disadvantage.

“How about this,” Wu Xiang said, spotting the crack in her armor. “I’ll give you ten thousand, meals included during filming. If you need accommodation, I’ll cover it. I plan to shoot in the capital, so you can stay at your school, and I’ll pay your travel expenses. Is that enough?”

“What about lost wages? Don’t be fooled by this little restaurant—if I bring in some customers each month, I can make two or three thousand easy!” Zhang Jingchu really knew how to do business. Wu Xiang was certain most of that income came from fleecing her fellow students.

“I’ll make up the difference, all right?” Wu Xiang finally conceded.

“Deal!” Ten thousand was twice what she’d hoped for, plus compensation and benefits on top—what more could she ask?

“All right.” At last, the most crucial female lead was secured. Wu Xiang was elated. Now, he just needed to get Huang Yi back home, so he helped her out of the restaurant—of course, not forgetting to pay the bill.

“How do I contact you?” Zhang Jingchu hadn’t forgotten about her ten thousand.

“Do you have a cell phone?” Wu Xiang hailed a cab.

“No, not even a pager. But, do you know about 0-icq?” Zhang Jingchu helped Wu Xiang get Huang Yi into the cab.

“0-icq?” When Wu Xiang heard that, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in his mind!

0-icq! That’s right! That’s Penguin! What year is it now? 1999!

“Are you daydreaming?” Zhang Jingchu gave him a little slap when she saw he was lost in thought.

“No, no, just tell me your number and I’ll write it down.” Wu Xiang hurriedly fished out his old beeper.

“So stingy for someone with money!” Zhang Jingchu grumbled silently, but still recited a string of numbers.

“Thank you! Really, thank you!” Wu Xiang kept thanking her as the cab drove away, even reminding her at the end to read the book “First Intimate Contact.”

“What a rich fool,” Zhang Jingchu muttered, thoroughly perplexed by Wu Xiang.

What she didn’t know was that Wu Xiang spent the whole ride ruminating on one word: “Penguin, Penguin, Penguin, Ma…”

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“Let me die, just let me die…” The moment Huang Yi returned to her dorm, she began to wail and lament.

Her two roommates, Zeng Hui and Dini, were utterly shocked. They’d just come back from dinner to find Wu Xiang hauling Huang Yi in. Wu Xiang was more than happy to hand her over, saving him the trouble of finding the dorm supervisor. It wasn’t that Wu Xiang lacked chivalry, but with Zeng Hui and Dini’s sturdy builds, either of them could easily carry Huang Yi upstairs.

But seeing Huang Yi’s theatrics now, could it be that she’d been faking it earlier?

“What’s with you?” Dini blurted out. “We had to haul you up here and we’re not making a fuss—why are you carrying on like this?”

A good point, but Huang Yi only cried harder, mouth stretched wide, showing off the new braces she’d just gotten. In truth, she had been faking drunkenness earlier—she had no choice. Everything she’d said before was drunken rambling; as soon as she’d thrown up, she started sobering up, so her act was pure quick thinking.

“All right, all right.” Zeng Hui, taking on her class monitor airs, first comforted Dini and then turned to Huang Yi. “What did that tall stick do to you? Didn’t enjoy your little tête-à-tête?”

“What? What tête-à-tête?!” Huang Yi, with no regard for her image, wiped her nose. At least there was no one else in the room.

Zeng Hui, seeing Huang Yi’s denials, put on a stern face. “You came back together with that tall stick, and skipped class to go out with him. Isn’t that a rendezvous? Didn’t you say you’d never get involved with him? And now you’re neglecting your studies. Huang Yi, do you remember you’re the class academic monitor?”

“Aaaah…” Huang Yi wailed again, “It wasn’t a rendezvous! I was just hungry and wanted a good meal!”

The truth was, she’d heard someone talking about Wu Xiang—how he’d taken leave to look for a female lead today. Of course, the rumor had come from someone in 307.

But she couldn’t say that—if she did, it’d be even harder to explain.

“Fine!” Zeng Hui massaged her forehead, exasperated with such stubbornness. “So you weren’t out on a date, just happened to run into each other? Then why did you pretend to be drunk? If you didn’t eat together, would he have carried you back?”

The implication was clear—they’d gone out together.

“You’re all bullying me!” Huang Yi felt utterly defeated. She couldn’t explain herself. Earlier, she’d wanted to die because she’d made such a fool of herself in front of him—besides acting so shamelessly, she’d said all sorts of embarrassing things. If he wasn’t an idiot, wouldn’t he think she liked him? And now, even her friends weren’t on her side.

No, she had to set things straight. So Huang Yi shouted, “It’s not like that! He’s just a jerk—his eyes light up whenever he sees a pretty girl! He’s an idiot, a complete jerk!”

“Right, sure, and you say there’s nothing going on.” At that, Zeng Hui and Dini exchanged helpless glances.