Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

Hong Kong International Airport is older than Lu Xun remembered.

In 2003, the expansion of Terminal 1 at Hong Kong Airport was not yet completed.

There was a long queue at customs, and the air was filled with the cold air from the air conditioner and the smell of dampness.

Liu Yifei followed behind him, looking around like a kitten entering a new territory.

"There are so many people," she whispered.

"Are you Zhou Xun? Why are you quoting other people's lines?" Lu Chen thought to himself, speechless.

"Stay close to me."

The person Yang Shoucheng had arranged to pick him up was waiting at the exit. He was in his forties, tall and thin, wearing a dark blue suit with the King's badge pinned to his collar.

"Mr. Lu? I was sent by General Manager Yang. Just call me Awei." Awei glanced at Liu Yifei. "And this is?"

"My assistant," Lu Chen said.

"You're the assistant." Liu Yifei glared at him, then gave Awei a sweet smile.

"I'm an investor, my surname is Liu."

Ah Wei paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Hello, Miss Liu."

On the way, Lu Chen looked out the window at the street scene and the densely packed signs.

Double-decker bus, red taxi.

The buildings are so close together that they seem to be squeezed together; you can reach out and touch the air conditioner unit of the building across the street.

Liu Yifei peered out the window, her eyes sparkling.

"This is Hong Kong? Just like in the movies."

"Older than in the movie," Lu Chen said.

"Old things have a certain charm," she said, turning to look at him. "Have you been here before?"

"No."

"You're lying."

Lu Chen didn't speak.

He has indeed been here, countless times in his past lives.

The hotel was arranged by Yang Shoucheng; it was the Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay, a three-star hotel, not luxurious but clean.

Lu Chen booked the next room for Liu Yifei.

"Can't we have just one room?" She stood in the doorway, tilting her head to look at him.

"no."

Why?

"You are fifteen years old."

"So what if I'm fifteen? I'm not a child."

"You are it."

"The land has sunk!"

"Go in." He pushed her into the room.

"Pack your things first, I'll pick you up at 7 PM."

"Oh." She stood by the bed, then suddenly turned around. "What are you wearing tonight?"

"That suit you wore during the roadshow, what's wrong with it?"

"For a formal meeting like this, you definitely need to dress formally." She took a box out of her bag.

"I bought you a tie."

Lu Chen hadn't even had a chance to say "Isn't that unnecessary?"

I paused for a moment when I saw the box being handed to me.

When did you buy it?

"Just bought it." She opened the box; inside was a dark blue tie. "You always wear this black suit during your promotional tours; this tie goes perfectly with it."

Lu Chen didn't speak. He took the box, his fingers touching hers, and they both paused slightly.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." She turned her face away, her ear tips slightly red.

"Investors can't let their partners dress too shabbily."

Lu Chen looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing." He put the box away. "Wait for me when you're done."

"knew."

Lu Chen returned to his room, spread out his luggage, and tidied it up briefly.

He washed his face, changed into a clean shirt, then sat on the edge of the bed and took out his phone.

Han Shangping didn't come to Hong Kong, but he gave him a contact number before he left.

Lu Chen dialed that number.

"Hello, Mr. Yang, this is Lu Chen."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then a laugh.

"Lu Sheng? President Han told me about you. Come to my house tonight to talk."

After saying that, he gave Lu Chen an address.

Lu Chen hung up the phone, glanced at his watch, and saw it was 5:30 PM.

He picked up the dark blue tie, stood in front of the mirror, and tried to tie it.

It's tied crookedly.

He took it apart and started over, but then it was tied crooked again.

Just as I was struggling with my tie, there was a knock on the door.

"Lu Chen, are you ready?"

Liu Yifei stood at the door, having changed into a white dress with a white down jacket over it. Her hair was down, and she wasn't wearing a hat.

The fifteen-year-old girl stood at his door, like a bright and beautiful flower.

Lu Chen looked down at himself.

The shirt was buttoned all the way up, and the tie hung crookedly around his neck.

"Your tie isn't tied properly." She noticed it immediately.

"Won't."

She sighed, went into the room, tiptoed, and deftly ran her fingers around his neck.

Lu Chen looked down at her and could smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair.

"From now on, when you go to these kinds of occasions, you'll need to learn how to tie your own tie."

"You'll teach me?"

"It depends on my mood."

She tied her tie, stepped back, and looked at it. "All done."

Lu Chen looked down at it.

His tie was neatly tied, and the dark blue suit paired with his black coat made him look much more energetic than before.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." She turned her face away.

"Investors can't let their partners dress too shabbily."

Lu Chen looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing."

He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Let's go, investor."

"Don't ruffle my hair!"

"Didn't you say seven o'clock? It's only six-thirty now."

"Go and scout out the location beforehand." She stated matter-of-factly, "Investors need to understand the venue in advance."

Lu Chen looked at her but didn't expose her.

"Okay, let's go."

As night falls on Victoria Peak, the lights on both sides of Victoria Harbour are reflected on the sea, creating a scattering of starlight.

In a private mansion halfway up the mountain, Albert Yeung sat behind a mahogany tea table, pouring tea into a cup from a purple clay teapot.

He was wearing a dark blue silk Tang suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he exuded the composure unique to old-school Hong Kong tycoons.

This is the real old-school style.

The young man sitting opposite him seemed rather interesting to him.

When Han Shangping called, Albert Yeung was discussing the overseas distribution contract for "The Medallion" with his lawyer.

Han Shangping said that a newcomer from the mainland was coming to Hong Kong, and he hadn't originally planned to meet him.

But Han Shangping said one thing on the other end of the phone: "This young man is different."

So he gave him half an hour.

Now the person is sitting across from me, wearing a black jacket, with a girl beside him, and he's very quiet.

"I had someone look into your film." Albert Yeung put down his teacup, his tone casual, as if he were chatting about everyday things.

"The box office is over 20 million." He paused.

"I've been making films for over twenty years. Your film was a critical and commercial success in mainland China, but people in Hong Kong might not recognize it."

Lu Chen didn't reply, and waited quietly.

Albert Yeung observed this and sensed something was amiss.

He had read Lu Chen's information before he came.

Twenty-one years old, a sophomore majoring in directing at Beijing Film Academy.

He wrote, directed, and starred in a movie with no celebrities or intellectual property, and made 20 million yuan at the box office with a budget of three million yuan.

Such a resume might be a stepping stone in some evaluation criteria, but it's not enough to impress the bigwigs of Hong Kong Island.

"Han Shangping said you brought something. What is it?"

Lu Chen took out two pieces of paper from his bag and placed them on the table.

One of them is the offer price for the sale of the Hong Kong and overseas distribution rights of "Crazy Stone".

Blank.

The other one is a handwritten memo with only three lines.

Albert Yeung glanced down at the price list and chuckled.

"Leave the price blank? You want me to fill it in? Aren't you afraid I'll fill in 500,000?"

"I'm not afraid," Lu Chen said.

"Because you can't."

Albert Yeung's gaze returned to his face, slowly sweeping around it.

"You certainly know how to pick your time to talk," Albert Yeung said, lighting a cigar.

"CEPA was just signed, and everyone is thinking about how to collaborate and how to open up overseas markets, but you're coming to me with a low-budget project."

"Blockbusters can be seen everywhere, but a blockbuster made by a new mainland director with three million won't be seen by overseas buyers." Lu Chen looked at Albert Yeung straight in the eye.

Albert Yeung didn't reply, his gaze shifting downwards to the handwritten memo.

Three lines of text.

—A few suggestions for Zhang Guorong.

—Regarding Anita Mui's treatment plan for cervical cancer.

—Olaparib, a new anticancer drug and a PARP inhibitor.