Chapter 107: Nothing Is Harder to Bear Than a Beauty’s Favor

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(Thanks once again to Leeson, Xüji, and Long Shao for your generous rewards, and thanks as well to Chunqiu Churen for the reward. Many thanks, truly!)

This was utterly shocking. When a goddess-like woman, in a setting and situation like this, said, “Would it still not do, even if it were for my sake?”—could the meaning have been any clearer? And besides, there probably was not a man alive who could bring himself to refuse her outright.

Would Wu Xiang agree? Would he go to Hollywood with Zhang Ziyi? Did his parents know? Did Hai Qing know?

“Well, I… I mean, right now, I… this…”

It was obvious that Wu Xiang was trying desperately to refuse, yet for the moment he simply could not bring himself to utter the crucial word.

Morally speaking, a man who already had a girlfriend ought to refuse immediately when faced with such a situation. But throughout history, in every country and age, very few people had ever managed to do that. The histories recorded no more than ten such men. By contrast, those who failed to refuse and simply let things take their course had left behind countless romantic scandals for people to relish and discuss.

Perhaps this was the innate failing of men. Faced with a woman so beautiful, a goddess like her, a man really would… Was Wu Xiang preparing to leave behind one of those romantic scandals himself? He truly did not want that!

Even if there had been no question of going abroad, even if this had been nothing more than a matter between a man and a woman, Wu Xiang still could not agree, because his heart belonged to Hai Qing.

Zhang Ziyi did not know, but Wu Xiang could not pretend that he did not. There was already someone in his heart, and that person was so lovable, so content with ordinary domestic life. It was true that Hai Qing fell short of Zhang Ziyi in many respects, and as a man reborn into this era, Wu Xiang understood that better than anyone. Yet Hai Qing’s homely way of living, her little-wife manner of refusing even a luxury-brand handbag, and even her domineering habit of giving him a few playful punches whenever she pleased—all of it made it impossible for Wu Xiang to accept Zhang Ziyi.

Still, Wu Xiang found it difficult to sever this thread of affection with absolute decisiveness. He understood Zhang Ziyi’s feelings perfectly, and he also understood how much courage it had taken for her to say those words so openly.

Zhang Ziyi had done nothing wrong. She did not know about his relationship with Hai Qing. In other words, Wu Xiang now had an excellent opportunity to become the man envied by the entire nation. He could keep both women at once. He even had plenty of excuses: I am merely fulfilling the love of two women. If I refuse, I will only break their hearts…

There were countless such excuses, all too easy to come by. Wu Xiang could think of a whole pile without even trying. But he could not do that!

Perhaps it was because of Hai Qing. Perhaps it was because he could not go to Hollywood. Perhaps it was because of something else entirely…

Whatever the reason, he could not do it!

At last, after a fierce inner struggle, Wu Xiang made up his mind. He would refuse this breathtakingly beautiful woman before him.

But just then, she spoke first.

“What are you thinking about?” Zhang Ziyi asked in return.

Unexpectedly, there was a rather playful smile on her face. She laughed and said, “What I meant was that if the two of us went to Hollywood, at least we would have each other for company and could look after one another. If I went alone, I would be a woman by myself—wouldn’t that be dangerous? You’re reading too much into it. Just look at you. You must be at least six foot one.”

“Oh, six foot one and a half,” Wu Xiang replied. He was no longer stammering.

“See? You’re just the right height. You could be my bodyguard. Hee hee…”

“Well, yes. I do look the part.”

“You really aren’t going?”

“If I went, I probably wouldn’t be much use. Everyone over there plays with guns.”

“Look at you, such a coward. Are you scared?”

“Hey, don’t provoke me. I’m telling you, with my temper, I…”

“Hee hee hee…”

The two of them began chatting again like old friends, as though the deeply significant conversation they had just shared had never happened at all.

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“You two seem to be getting along rather well. Could it be that you two… oh?” Qin Hailu returned and made a suggestive expression, as if implying that something was going on between them.

“Who’s with him?” Zhang Ziyi immediately denied it.

“Yes, yes. I’m Xiangzi, and she isn’t Huniu,” Wu Xiang said modestly.

“Hahaha…”

Qin Hailu found it amusing. In fact, she had deliberately gone out earlier to leave the two of them some time and space alone. Judging by the result, it seemed to have worked—though naturally, that was merely Qin Hailu’s own opinion.

After dinner, they naturally returned to the hotel where they were staying. But Zhang Ziyi suddenly decided to share a room with Qin Hailu, leaving Wu Xiang no choice but to see the two of them into a taxi.

“If you can’t make it in Hollywood, you’re welcome to come back at any time. I can help you!”

Those were the words Wu Xiang had in his heart, but he could not bring himself to say them.

The entire farewell was perfectly ordinary. Zhang Ziyi did not even look at Wu Xiang more than once. Yet for some reason, he felt that she was still paying attention to him.

Perhaps it was only an illusion. Perhaps he was simply too full of himself. Zhang Ziyi would soon become an internationally renowned star. Why would she care about him in any particular way?

That left Wu Xiang unable to say anything. He had neither the opportunity nor the reason to speak.

In truth, Wu Xiang was uncertain about several things. Even though he was a director, he felt that Zhang Ziyi had just delivered an outstanding performance—so flawless that even he, as a director, could not find fault with it.

Forget it. He already had Hai Qing. Why should he greedily ask for more?

Indeed, the innate failing of men.

Wu Xiang blamed himself, still searching for the cause within his own heart.

Instead of returning to the hotel, he suddenly remembered that Hong Kong’s night scenery was supposed to be beautiful, and he had never actually seen it. The last time Hai Qing had come, everyone had eaten until they were stuffed, so naturally no one had gone out to look at the city. This time, he might as well take a look. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he might even run into some future Hong Kong star with genuine potential. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he discovered one himself?

With that thought in mind, Wu Xiang wandered through Hong Kong beneath the neon lights…

Perhaps this road was destined to be a lonely one. Wu Xiang did not encounter any frustrated Hong Kong stars, and in the end he simply flew back to the capital according to his original plan.

As soon as he returned to the capital, Wu Xiang had no time to think about Zhang Ziyi anymore. He had won a Golden Horse Award this time, which gave him a reason to accept media interviews—and this was an excellent opportunity for publicity.

Publicity for what?

Naturally, for Director Guan Hu’s film, *Get on the Bus and Go*.

“Director Wu Xiang, congratulations on winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Original Screenplay. Could you tell us how you feel?”

“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude—to everyone who has supported me all this time, and to all the movie fans who have supported me. Then…”

It was the sort of thing anyone could say.

“We heard that you were injured earlier. It seems your arm still hasn’t fully recovered.”

“That’s right. I fell off a horse in Inner Mongolia.”

“Was it during the filming of your new movie?”

“Yes! It’s a major period drama.”

“When will audiences be able to see it? Could it be released this year?”

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“That probably won’t be possible this year. The earliest would be next year.”

“Oh dear! The New Year holiday season is almost here. It seems a little unfortunate that there won’t be a film from Director Wu this year…”

The reporter had chosen his question very cleverly.

“It isn’t quite true that there won’t be one. There is a film, but I’m not the director. I’m the producer.”

“Ah, that’s wonderful. Producer is fine too. I’m sure many movie fans are eagerly anticipating Director Wu’s new film. What is it called, and when will it be released?”

“It’s called *Get on the Bus and Go*, and it will be released on December 22 this year.”

And so on…

As soon as Wu Xiang returned, he accepted an interview with an extremely clear purpose: publicity. No one explicitly said, “This is an advertisement.” He did not openly announce that he was promoting anything. He was merely accepting an ordinary interview.

In reality, however, this was the best kind of advertising—subtle enough to avoid seeming like an advertisement, yet clear enough for everyone to understand the intention behind it. Soft advertising like this was highly effective in those days.

Not only was it effective, it was also cheap. One had to remember that Wu Xiang was now a major celebrity: a young, famous director. Although none of his films had yet topped the annual box-office charts, and none had won prestigious artistic awards such as Best Director, he was surrounded by news and attracted enormous public attention.

It should be said that interviews were often influenced by hidden arrangements. For instance, if you wanted me to report on something, wouldn’t you have to pay me?

Although this was not yet standard practice, it was becoming increasingly common. Journalists with principles were growing rarer by the day. But interviewing Wu Xiang was different. You could not ask him for money. You had to ask whether he even had time to grant an interview—and you had to prepare the questions carefully in advance. That was entirely normal.

Therefore, using Wu Xiang’s fame to promote the film was the cheapest possible approach. Advertising cost a fortune in those days. Commercial slots had already begun to be auctioned off, and even places such as bus shelters were far from inexpensive.

From a cost perspective, then, many media outlets would come to Wu Xiang in the days ahead. He would have to repeat those same statements over and over, while making sure not to use exactly the same wording each time. The meaning had to remain identical, but the phrasing had to vary. That required genuine skill.

Fortunately, Wu Xiang had studied literature. He was more than capable of handling this sort of thing.

This was part of a producer’s work. In fact, there were many different kinds of producers. On a Hong Kong television series, for example, the producer wielded enormous authority. He formulated the entire shooting plan: which director would film a particular scene, which actors would be used, and so forth.

Film production had its own version as well. Take the famous *Gone with the Wind*. Three different directors worked on it at various stages, but the producer never changed. In reality, the film was made by David O. Selznick himself. The directors were little more than puppets, though he was called both the producer and the studio head.

What Wu Xiang was doing now was more akin to the work of a publicity producer. This was another kind of producer—one who did not quarrel with the director—but it was still extremely busy, because he had to come forward and promote the film. After all, he was the biggest name attached to it.

With the release scheduled for the New Year holiday season, the commercial operation surrounding *Get on the Bus and Go* had already begun in full. There was less than a month left. As the film’s publicity producer, Wu Xiang had to give it everything he had. If the box office turned out poorly, no one else could be blamed.

Yu Dong was sparing no effort in promoting the film. Hadn’t they said from the beginning that Wu Xiang’s name had to be emphasized? But Wu Xiang had made it clear that he was not the director. How, then, could they highlight him?

The words “Produced by Wu Xiang” stood out dramatically on the poster for *Get on the Bus and Go*. Just how prominently? Those four words alone occupied one-fifth of the entire poster!

One had to remember that Wu Xiang was not even one of the leading actors. More importantly, he had not made the film himself. He had merely invested in it.

It was shameless. Truly, utterly shameless!

But Wu Xiang probably had no idea that, when it came to shamelessness, this did not even rank particularly high.

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