Chapter 37: Secret Talks with a Renowned Director (1)
“You’re mistaken. I’m not Du Juan’s daughter.”
Ye Tianxin went out on a limb and guessed that the Du Juan this super director had referred to was in fact Madam Du.
She had such a beautiful name, Du Juan, so why did the proprietor at the noodle shop call her “Madam Du?”
“Oh, it’s my mistake.”
Jin Xin appraised Ye Tianxin from head to toe. On her face, which was devoid of makeup, he noticed ruby red lips, white teeth, black, luscious, naturally shaped brows, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that shone like the stars in the galaxy, radiating rays of brilliance. Her simple cotton dress with a floral print was extremely old-fashioned. Despite all that, however, she appeared elegant and very relaxed.
“Auntie Du should be in the shop. Please follow me inside!”
Jin Xin and Ye Tianxin stepped into the bookshop.
Jin Xin was stunned when he entered the bookshop and looked around. It was obvious from his reaction that he hadn’t expected Du Juan to be living out her days in a place like this.
On second thought, he felt that this was exactly something he should’ve expected from Du Juan!
She wasn’t exactly a conventional person.
Ye Tianxin pushed open the wooden door, causing the wind chime hanging behind it to make a melodious sound.
“Excuse me. Please wait here for a moment while I go find Auntie Du.”
Holding her bag, Ye Tianxin went through the bookshop to the yard at the back. Du Juan was basking in the warm spring sunshine, reading a book.
“Auntie Du, you have a visitor waiting outside.”
“Oh, really? I’ll go take a look.”
Du Juan put her book down on the chair and walked into the bookshop.
Seeing Du Juan, Jin Xin smiled and said, “I say, Du, so this is where you’ve been living in seclusion? Shutting out the big bad world, smack in the middle of a city! If you hadn’t taken the initiative to call me, I would’ve assumed that you’d taken off with a man!”
Looking resentful, Du Juan glared at Jin Xin. “Master Jin, why do you still like spouting rubbish? I called you because I wanted to inform you that we can start shooting the movie ‘Red Cherry’ because I’ve found a young girl who’s perfect for the role of Cherry. You just met her. What do you think?”
Du Juan pulled out a bottle of chilled beer from the fridge and handed it to Jin Xin.
Jin Xin replied, “She does have Cherry’s spirit. However, I’m not sure if she’d be able to successfully portray her. As you know, Cherry is a multi-faceted character with a wide range of emotions. She wouldn’t do justice to Cherry’s cleverly written script if she couldn’t act out the character’s depth and breadth of emotions.”
Du Juan was silent for a short while, deep in thought, then she replied, “Her childhood is similar to Cherry’s. In fact, from a certain perspective, you could say that she would practically be playing herself in the movie. Also, I asked someone to find out on my behalf how she fared in her first interview at the film academy. Apparently, they’re calling her a rare discovery. They say she’s a promising young talent who’s been blessed by the heavens and is destined to become an actress.... Master Jin, I finished the script a long time ago for this film, but I’ve held back on shooting it because I couldn’t find a suitable actor to play the part of Cherry. But now that I’ve found the perfect person for the lead part, I want to proceed with the production of the film. I want to see this movie completed and screened to the world while I’m still alive.”
Jin Xin retrieved a packet of cigarettes from his bag. He extracted one stick and placed it between his lips, but just as he was about to light it up, he had second thoughts and silently put the cigarette back in the packet.
“Our esteemed screenwriter Du, I’m fully aware of how much you value this script. Years ago, when I had wanted to start shooting this movie, you steadfastly refused, and now you’re suddenly pushing for me to start shooting this movie as soon as possible. How do you expect me to find an investor to fund this movie with such notice?”
By the looks of the script, “Red Cherry” was an art film, not a profitable commercial film.
So, even with both of their strong reputations, the odds of them finding an investor were low.