Chapter 27 Another Sea of Flowers
****
Outside the city.
After parking her car, Yu Dong started to walk towards the building as she chatted with Xia Feng on her phone.
“Have you arrived?”
“Just arrived!” Xia Feng looked at his watch and said, “You must’ve missed breakfast again, go and eat quickly.”
“I ate breakfast today.” Yu Dong smiled and said, “Now I’m on my way to talk to a film crew member about some things.”
“Oh, in that film and TV studio in the suburbs?” Xia Feng asked.
“Yeah!”
“Then didn’t you need to wake up early to get there at this time?” Xia Feng was worried. “If you don’t get enough sleep, you end up groggy and inattentive. You shouldn’t be driving.”
“How can that be? Even if you wake up groggy, after washing your face with cold water you can be lively again.” Yu Dong was disgruntled as she continued, “I’m the chief negotiator of our company, you’re acting like I’m some sleepy child.”
“Alright, you’re the best!” Xia Feng could only laugh.
“Why does it sound like you’re just humoring me.” Yu Dong grumbled.
“I’m not saying anything. Oh, the Director is here.”
“Go on then!”
“Bye-bye.”
Yu Dong was in a good mood as she ended the call, and approached the familiar crew of Director Liu.
“Hello, Manager Yu.” It was Assistant Director Wang Xin who greeted Yu Dong.
“Director Want, is Director Liu here? I brought a sample of the dubbing that he requested.” Because Director Liu’s requirements for the dubbing were particularly high, even after the contract was signed Director Liu still insisted on supervising the dubbing, hence the request for today’s samples.
“Director Liu is visiting the crew next door.” Director Wang said.
“Then I’ll wait for him here.” Yu Dong said.
“Director Liu might not come back in a while.” Director Wang shook his head as he laughed, “It’s Director Zhao’s crew next door. They end up talking for hours whenever they meet.”
“Is that so?” Yu Dong asked, “Then can I go look for him directly?”
“Yes,” Director Wang said. “If you want. I can take you there after I finish.”
Yu Dong looked at the busy crew and finally shook her head and replied: “No, no need to trouble yourself. I can go on my own.”
“OK, then be careful!” Director Wang warned her.
“Eh?” Yu Dong was puzzled, what should she be careful of.
“Director Zhao is currently shooting a suspense show. It’s supposed to be about the rise of sadistic killers, so there’s a lot of graphic scenes that are currently being shot. A few female assistants got really frightened.” Director Wang explained.
“Oh, I see. I’ll be careful, thank you.” Yu Dong replied.
Although the set was just next door, it was still quite far; Yu Dong had to walk 10 minutes to reach it.
When she arrived at the entrance, she saw several women huddling near the trash cans, pale-faced.
“Excuse me, is Director Liu in here?” Yu Dong asked a staff member standing nearby.
“Yes.”
“May I go in?” Yu Dong asked.
The staff member glanced at Yu Dong and hesitated, saying: “The scene they’re shooting right now is rather frightening, I can go call him out for you instead.”
How scary is this show? Yu Dong’s curiosity was piqued.
“It’s alright, I came all the way here already, I’d better just go to him.” Yu Dong said.
“Alright then!” The staff member pointed to a direction and said, “Both Director Zhao and Director Liu are that way.”
Yu Dong thanked the man and went in.
As she approached, she heard 2 men quarreling, their voices loud.
“I’m telling you Zhao, you’re not going to be able to distribute this.” It was obviously Director Liu saying this.
“It’s called realism, doesn’t film-making have to be logical and realistic?” Director Zhao retorted, “Do you think that a few historically accurate costumes are enough to show realism? That it doesn’t matter how you show a person dying, that the corners of their mouths showing blood is enough?”
“You dare talk back, this scene is so bloody you’ll have to mosaic the whole thing to be able to broadcast it.” Director Liu shot back.
“Then I won’t broadcast it in China, I’ll go abroad.”
Knock knock!
“Director Liu!” Yu Dong interrupted the violent discussion.
“Yu Dong?” Director Liu saw her and realized, “Oh, that’s right, I asked to see a sample of the dubbing today.”
“I brought a few samples for you to look at. If there’s a problem, please don’t hesitate to tell me, we can adjust it anytime.” Yu Dong passed the samples to him.
Director Liu nodded as he accepted them.
“Huh?” Yu Dong inadvertently saw Director Zhao’s screen and suddenly felt that the scene was a little familiar.
“Scared?” Director Liu laughs.
“No, it just looks a little familiar.” Yu Dong thought about it for a while, but she couldn’t remember where she’d seen it no matter how hard she tried.
“You’ve seen it?” Director Zhao heard Yu Dong’s response and thought it was a bit strange. The scene was arranged by the original screenwriter, it would be reasonable to say that no one should have ever seen it before.
“It’s just somewhat familiar.” Yu Dong was still struggling to remember.
Just then a slender teenager came in with a bucket of fake blood. His eyes brightened at the sight of Yu Dong, and with a sunny laugh he called out: “Sister!”
“It’s you!” Yu Dong was shocked when she saw the teenage boy.
“Sister, did you come to see me make a movie?” The teenager happily walked towards them.
“You’re making a movie?” Yu Dong was surprised.
“Weren’t you the one who recommended me to an investor?” The teenager winked at her.
Yu Dong remembered the previous events and asked, “So Alan really invested.”
“Yes!” The teenager nodded with a smile. “He also got Director Zhao to be Chief of Director and Editor Wang to help me revise the script.”
“Is this your sister?” Director Zhao asked.
“She’s the sister in the script!” The teenager laughed.
“In the script?” Director Zhao suddenly scrutinized Yu Dong and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Hello Director Zhao my name is Yu Dong, here’s my business card.” Such an excellent opportunity to get to know a famous director will certainly not be missed by Yu Dong.
“Good.” Director Zhao took her card and said, “You saved a genius, you know?”
“Eh?” Yu Dong exclaimed with wonder.
“Sister, I’ll show you my dreams.” The teenager had completely forgotten that he came to find Director Zhao and instead took Yu Dong towards the set that was currently being filmed.
Yu Dong looked at the bloody scene, and Yu Dong felt like she was transported into a morgue, the pale lights, the broken flesh. She suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
Yu Dong had a hard time listening to the teenager as talked, she very much wanted to shout HOLD, as the teenager continued to talk about the gruesome details.
Although Yu Dong had read the script on that fateful day on the rooftop, she only flipped a few pages pretending to read most of it. She didn’t read too closely and was attuned to the teenager instead.
However, listening to the teenager now, it was evident to Yu Dong that he was much happier, especially when he was talking about Editor Wang.
“You’re saying you’re in charge of making up the killing process in the script, and it was Editor Wang’s job to write the process of the police as they investigated the murders.” After listening, Yu Dong commented this.
“Yeah! There aren’t any police in my dreams, and Editor Wang noticed this, saying that my dreams aren’t realistic this way.”
2 months ago, although the teenager smiled, his eyes weren’t this bright and animated. It no longer looked like he was indifferent to the world.
“Are you still having these dreams?” Yu Dong asked.
“Not anymore.” The teenager smiled, “Ever since Editor Wang caught all the killers in my dreams, I no longer dream of such gruesome scenes.”
“What about your family?” Yu Dong remembered that his parents wanted to send him to the United States.
“I moved out.” The teenager said, “I think it ended up in everyone’s best interests that I left.”
Yu Dong was sad to hear this, but she didn’t know what to say to comfort him.
“But I prefer how my life is now.” the teenager laughed. “Director Zhao said that I was a genius, and Editor Wang likes talking to me. We talk about the story, write scripts together, and make movies together. Director Zhao says that in 6 months out movie will be shown around the world, that everyone can see my dreams.”
“Sister, did you know? Making the movie wasn’t the best part of all this.” The teenager’s face was full of satisfaction as he continued, “It was when I realized that while I’m different from most people, I’m not psychotic.”
“Yep!” the teenager nodded happily.
“Give me your autograph! When you’re famous, I’ll be able to show it off to my friends.” Yu Dong took out her notepad.
“Ha ha…” The teenager shyly signed his name.
“Qin Wang?” Yu Dong read the name out loud.
“Sister, sorry I won’t be able to accompany you the director just called me.” The teenager waved goodbye and ran back towards the set.
Yu Dong looked at the name on her notebook, thinking of the rooftop filled with flowers in her past life.
What was the name written on the bench at the place I often sat?
“Watchtower?”
wait…
“Shou Wang Terrace?”
(T/N or alternatively called Guardian Wang Terrace, the Wang part is the same character as the boy’s name, Qin Wang, the Wang can also mean fantastic)
That sea of flowers represented the fantastic life that withered and died too early. The garden accompanied Yu Dong for countless days in her previous life as she lamented on her loneliness and overwhelming work.
That sea of flowers, which was Yu Dong’s sanctuary, is now represented by the teenager’s new hopes and dreams. Perhaps one day, it can be appreciated by the whole world.
But what about the haven that belonged to Yu Dong?
That night.
[ Can you raise flowers? ] Yu Dong sent Xia Feng a text.
[ What’s the matter? You want to grow flowers? ]
[ I want to plant a few flowers on our balcony, but I don’t have a green thumb, I can’t even support a cactus. ] Yu Dong was feeling melancholic.
[Let’s go to a flower market when spring comes then. ]
[ I’ll keep it! ]
Will you be my sea of flowers?
***
I didn’t expect the teenager’s story to get resolved! That’s nice, happy ending yay.