Chapter Fifty-Three: Bestowing Upon You Great Fortune

How should one interpret the words, “Go die for me”? Did it mean that if he were to jump, Huang Yi would give him a push from behind? Or had she already sensed the truth in his heart, since it was “die for her,” not for someone else…

Across two lifetimes, Wu Xiang had never spoken so earnestly to a woman, but he hadn’t anticipated such a disheartening outcome. To be honest, he’d been impulsive at the time, and later his rational mind would scold him. He was a man reborn, after all—what beautiful woman couldn’t he charm? Looking at the entertainment industry, there were plenty more attractive than Teacher Hai, so why was he so eager to end his bachelor days?

He couldn’t figure it out. In the end, Wu Xiang concluded that impulsiveness was a demon—yes, impulsiveness was a demon…

Though Huang Yi had proven a tough nut for Wu Xiang to crack, he was still the director and she was still the actress. Thus, the grand campaign to urge her weight loss continued, albeit with fewer outbursts from Huang Yi. She now worked quietly, and the atmosphere between them had grown somewhat heavy.

It was at this point that someone approached Wu Xiang on their own initiative.

“Mr. Wu Xiang, may I invite you to dinner? I was referred by Teacher Han Sanping. My name is Yu Dong.”

It was an unfamiliar call, but when Wu Xiang heard the name, he immediately paid attention. Yu Dong—now, that was no ordinary person. He was destined to become a major figure in the entertainment industry. How could Wu Xiang possibly turn him away?

“Keep practicing. I’ve got some business to attend to,” he tossed out, then left.

Truthfully, Huang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn’t know how to face Wu Xiang anymore. In fact, at that moment, she truly wanted to… but she was too shy, and nearly hated herself for missing the opportunity!

Wu Xiang, unaware of Huang Yi’s regrets, had already arrived at the rendezvous—a café. He met Yu Dong, not yet thirty, and, to be fair, rather handsome.

“Hello, Mr. Wu. I’m Yu Dong. This is our first meeting, so…” Yu Dong was quite enthusiastic, but Wu Xiang didn’t let him finish.

Wu Xiang smiled and said, “I know who you are. By seniority, I should call you senior, right?”

“Hm?” Yu Dong was a little flattered to hear this. His current status was hardly illustrious—just a leave-of-absence employee at Beijing Film Studio, while Wu Xiang was the rising legend of the industry. Their positions could not be compared.

“I’ll call you Brother Yu, then. I’m from the Northeast, that’s how we address each other there,” Wu Xiang said, simply to bridge the distance between them.

“Alright, Brother Wu, I came today to talk about—oh, by the way, you know that China Film has been reorganized, right? … Oh, you know? Good, good. Well, I wanted to discuss… me and a few friends, um…”

To Wu Xiang’s surprise, Yu Dong was talking in circles, never quite stating his purpose.

Wu Xiang chuckled and decided to help him out. “Brother Yu, I have a pretty good idea what you want to say. You’re asking about my latest project, how it’s coming along?”

“Oh, yes, yes.” The reason Yu Dong was so hesitant was simply embarrassment. The young man before him was no ordinary person; he could negotiate terms with Han Sanping—“Third Master”—while Yu Dong had been nothing more than a subordinate. Besides, Wu Xiang’s aura and bearing rivaled those of the biggest directors. Most importantly, he was so young—far too young.

Wu Xiang went on, “You want to distribute my new film, right?”

“Yes.” Now that things were clear, Yu Dong’s tone became normal. “And not just distribution—I can help with operations: publicity, distribution, overseas markets, all sorts of things.”

Now that Yu Dong was candid, Wu Xiang laughed. “Brother Yu, I’m already handling the operations myself. Don’t misunderstand—my press coverage has nothing to do with my movie.” Wu Xiang, sensing Yu Dong’s assumption, quickly clarified. “I’ll focus my publicity online, and the arrangements are nearly finalized. With my current reputation, interviews and such shouldn’t be hard to secure. Plus, I’m quite familiar with Third Master, and our previous collaboration was pleasant. So, in terms of distribution, can you outperform Third Master?”

Wu Xiang spoke frankly. Hearing this, Yu Dong relaxed. “You’re right; I can’t do better than Third Master. My resources are indeed fewer, but I can offer valuable supplemental support. For theaters, I can reach companies Third Master can’t. You might not know, but the number of cinemas is increasing rapidly. Back in ’97, there were fewer than ten operational theaters in the capital, but in the past two years, that number has doubled. Most importantly, I can help with the Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan markets—something Third Master can’t do much for.”

Clearly, Yu Dong had prepared thoroughly, but Wu Xiang, knowing the inside story, smiled and asked, “Brother Yu, may I ask, how much capital does your company have? Is there any risk that you might not deliver on your promises?”

“There is!” Yu Dong answered bluntly. “Our company is newly established, so our capital is negligible compared to someone who can donate eight million—it’s nothing.”

“You’re very honest!” Wu Xiang almost wanted to applaud his candor.

Yu Dong sighed, sounding a bit dejected. “Does that mean we have no chance of working together?”

“No!” Unexpectedly, Wu Xiang said this outright, and Yu Dong’s eyes lit up.

Wu Xiang smiled and continued, “Not only will we collaborate, I’m going to grant you a tremendous fortune.”

“A tremendous fortune?” Yu Dong was baffled.

“Let me finish,” Wu Xiang said, calming Yu Dong’s excitement. “I can let you handle my new film, but as you said, your role would be supplementary—details we can discuss further. As for the tremendous fortune, it’s not my film, but someone else’s. Do you remember the award-winning movie from the College Student Film Festival, ‘The Mountain, The Man, and The Dog’?”

On hearing that title, Yu Dong was totally confused. How could he not know that film? It was the worst-selling release from Beijing Film Studio—oh, wait, now called China Film Group—this year. Yes, it won awards, but only a single copy was sold.

“I remember,” Yu Dong replied truthfully.

“It didn’t sell well, did it?” Wu Xiang’s smile signaled Yu Dong not to bother lying—it was pointless.

“Exactly.” Yu Dong still couldn’t understand—Wu Xiang had just spoken of “tremendous fortune,” only to mention a money-losing film. Was there any connection?

Wu Xiang saw Yu Dong’s confusion and stopped beating around the bush, smiling brightly. “The tremendous fortune is that film, ‘The Mountain, The Man, and The Dog.’”

“What?” Yu Dong could swear to Third Master that this was the most unbelievable thing he’d heard all year.