The date had reached April 28. In the past two days, Wang Yang had once again visited three movie companies, all to no avail, and Artisan Company hadn't contacted him either, though this was something he had expected.
Today was destined to be a hectic day. Wang Yang had finished distributing pamphlets in the morning and went to try his luck at another movie company in the afternoon. This company, called "Think Films," had watched his movie from start to finish. The film buyer was scared into a cold sweat, but after some thought, they still didn't dare to take the risk.
Since Think Films had arranged the meeting for late in the day and its headquarters were quite far from Jessica's home, when Wang Yang left Think Films, he didn't even have time to go home for a shower or to change his clothes. He went straight to Jessica's with a briefcase containing a gift to attend her birthday party.
As dusk approached evening, Wang Yang finally arrived at Jessica's neighborhood without being too late. It was a high-end community, with a wide central avenue lined with large houses with front and back gardens, and shaded by trees—an absolutely first-class Los Angeles neighborhood.
"Hi, Jessica, I'm near your house now, but I don't know where to go from here." Wang Yang surveyed his surroundings and said with an embarrassed laugh into the phone, "Um, okay, I seem to be lost. So, I'm at a crossroads, there's a small fountain in the middle, some benches nearby, and some trees around..."
"The fountain? Oh, I know where that is!" Jessica laughed clearly, sounding in high spirits. She said, "That's very close to my house, but stay where you are. I'll come and get you, just wait a moment."
"Alright." Wang Yang put away his phone and sat down on a bench next to the small fountain, taking in the scenery around him. After a little while, he saw Jessica approaching from a corner, smiling and waving at him, quickening her pace as she moved.
She was dressed exceptionally beautifully today, in a pink checkered women's dress, her brown hair floating as she ran. She came up to the bench, smiled at Wang Yang, and showed off her bright white teeth: "Hi, Yang!"
Wang Yang stood up, looked at her, and complimented, "Wow, Jessica, you look really beautiful today." He laughed and added, "Happy Birthday."
"Thank you." Jessica smiled, twirling her hair and beaming, "I'm very glad you could come."
When Wang Yang took something wrapped in colorful paper out of his briefcase, she paused, then realized it was a gift. She covered her mouth with her hands, her face showing delighted surprise: "Oh, my God..."
Wang Yang said with a "Ding ding ding" sound, holding the gift out to Jessica, and said with a smile: "Is Miss Alba present? This is your birthday gift, please sign for it."
"Oh, my heavens..." Jessica took a deep breath, receiving the gift as if it were a treasure. She exclaimed, "Wow! Incredible. Yang, I've received another birthday gift from you. This is the second one." She smiled and said, "You know? The first birthday gift you gave me was also the first birthday gift I received from a friend besides my family."
Hearing her say that, Wang Yang felt a bit embarrassed and guilty. The first gift? Those "wife cakes" weren't made by him at all; he had just grabbed them as a gift on a whim, and he also remembered that there were ten cakes in the box, Jessica had eaten three, and he himself had eaten seven... He hadn't expected that they would mean so much to Jessica...
As for this second gift, while it may have been special, it was also something he had given without much thought. Wang Yang gave a dry laugh and said with a hint of nervousness, "See if you like it?"
"Sure, let me see what it is." Jessica's full attention was on the gift, and she did not notice his awkwardness. She smiled as she unwrapped the colorful paper; it seemed to be a book. Full of curiosity and anticipation, she took it out. It wasn't a book, but rather a large notebook made of many A4 pages.
On the very top page, in large pencil letters, was "Ranger." She casually flipped through, and to her surprise, this whole pile of A4 paper was filled with pencil writing and some pencil drawings scattered about—some of weapons, others of people, and some were frame-by-frame pictures. Although the drawing skills were average, it was clear that they seemed to be movie storyboards.
Jessica was stunned as she looked at it. It took her a while to realize what the gift was. She looked up at Wang Yang, her voice filled with disbelief, "Wow, no way!?" She looked back down at the paper and continued with a sense of wonder, "A script manuscript! Ranger? Yang, is this your script?"
Wang Yang touched his head, his eyes shining with a hint of pride as he looked at the script, much like someone admiring their own child, and said, "Yes, it's a bit of a mess of a story, but I hope you'll like it."
He didn't have the money to buy an expensive gift, so he thought about giving something meaningful and unique. After some consideration, he chose this script. The content of this script did not come from future movies in his mind. Every stroke was his own original thought. Influenced by old Master Wu since he was young, he had always been very interested in martial arts. He was also influenced from a young age by Marvel's superheroes, enjoying Superman, Batman, Captain America, and the like. This script told the story of a martial arts superhero in a modern city.
He had been writing this story since middle school and had continued up to now, experiencing mental maturity, a wealth of knowledge, and a deepening understanding of film. The script, too, had been continuously revised and supplemented. You could say that the content of that whole pile of paper, regardless of its quality, would be more than enough to make twenty movies. Years of his effort were all in these manuscripts.
That's why he had made a copy of the script, and then he gave the original to Jessica.
"Of course, I love it, I really love it!" Jessica kept flipping through the thick stack of A4 paper, her eyes shining as she looked at it and murmured, "Wow, this gift is such a surprise... It's the best gift I've ever received..."
Listening to her thanks, Wang Yang felt a bit ashamed, so he said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Jessica, I think this script will someday be made into a movie, and by that time, you will play the lead actress. In fact, that is my real gift. But the prerequisite is, you're willing to be the lead actress."
"What?" Jessica's heart skipped a beat and she stopped flipping through the pages. She remembered the words they had said as children—that once they grew up and became a director and an actor, and then... was there a special meaning behind Yang's gift? Holding the script, her big eyes stared unblinkingly at Wang Yang, her heart racing fast, and her voice became unusually soft, "Uh... maybe, maybe I can give it a try."
However, Wang Yang didn't have any special meaning in mind as she thought. He laughed and nodded, saying, "Good, that's a relief! At least I don't have to worry about not finding a lead actress, haha."
Jessica just smiled, seeing that he had nothing more to say, and with an "Oh", she added, "OK, then follow me, my house is just up ahead."
Her house was also a large one with front and back gardens. Colorful balloons hung from the trees and mailbox in the front yard, and several long tables covered with tablecloths and laden with various foods were set up on the lawn. There were many people in the yard, middle-aged folks bustling about, young people chatting, and children running around joyfully. It looked like the party had quite a few invitees.
"Hey, buddy, welcome to my place!" Joshua, who was on the lawn, came forward eagerly the moment he saw Jessica returning with Wang Yang. He gave Wang Yang a high-five, DV camera in hand, capturing footage. He smiled at Wang Yang and said, "Make yourself at home; I'm going to keep working on my film. It's a documentary titled 'The Real Life of Jessica at 17', cool, huh?" He then walked away to continue filming, followed by a large white dog. Jessica introduced the dog as their Labrador Retriever named Danny.
"Hey, Jessica, who's this?" At that moment, several young men and women approached, white and black, all looking curiously at Wang Yang.
Jessica glanced at Wang Yang and introduced him to the group with a smile, "This is Wang Yang, my good friend. He's a director." Wang Yang nodded to them and said, "Hi, everyone."
The young people all exclaimed in surprise, "Wow," sizing up Wang Yang. A director so young?
Next, Jessica introduced some of her friends to Wang Yang. Elijah Wood, a short white man and the star of 'Flipper, the Dolphin', whom she had naturally met on set. Wang Yang looked at his youthful face, finding it very familiar; after some thought, he realized this guy would be acting in 'The Lord of the Rings', playing the role of the Hobbit, Frodo Baggins.
Then there was a tall, strong young white man, Jack Frank, who also happened to be studying to become a director, and a student at the prestigious UCLA. It was said that he played a great game of basketball, a swingman, and through his friendship with Elijah Wood, he knew Jessica. Wang Yang was a bit puzzled and took a few more glances at Jack, could this be the "Jack" Joshua had mentioned?
There were John, David, Winters, Eileen, Michelle, and others. Some were Jessica's neighbors, others were classmates from drama school.
After everyone had gotten acquainted, Jack Frank seemed to suddenly notice the stack of A4 paper in Jessica's hands and asked curiously, "Wow, Jessica, what's that you're holding?"
Jessica smiled briefly and said simply, "A script, a birthday gift from Yang." She didn't want to delve into the topic, feeling some joys she did not wish to share with others. She turned to Wang Yang and said, "Yang, come with me, let me introduce you to my family." She excused herself from her friends and led Wang Yang towards the backyard.
"A script?" Jack Frank muttered frowning, watching their laughing backs as they walked away.
Wang Yang first met Jessica's mother and her grandmother. Her mom, Kathy, was a very charming and beautiful middle-aged white woman, very warm and obviously well-educated. According to the information in Wang Yang's own mind, Kathy came from a Canadian family of Danish and French descent, no wonder they had such a beautiful daughter like Jessica; Jessica's grandmother was a kind and friendly old lady, who kept smilingly watching him.
Then Jessica found her father, Mark Alba, in another part of the lawn. A man of Mexican descent, he was tall with an energetic face and a crew-cut hairdo. Although he was a real estate businessman now, he still carried the authoritative air of a former Air Force officer all over him.
With one hand clutching a script and the other wrapped around her father's arm, Jessica looked at Wang Yang with a delighted smile and said, "Daddy, this is Yang, he was my classmate back in San Francisco, a really, really good person."
"Uncle, hello." Wang Yang extended his hand to Mark Alba, somewhat surprised to see Mark's gaze so unfriendly... Could it be that all former military men had a certain kill aura about them?
Mark Alba glanced at Wang Yang a few times, shook his hand firmly and said flatly, "Hello, welcome to our home."
After the introductions were over, Jessica let go of her father's arm. Holding the script Wang Yang had given her with both hands, she said, "Yang, make yourself at home, I'll go put this present away!" With that, she walked toward the house, leaving her father and Wang Yang staring at each other.
Seeing Mark Alba's stern face constantly staring at him, Wang Yang felt a little uneasy. Suddenly, Mark Alba with a frown asked, "Yang, are you Jessica's boyfriend?" Wang Yang was momentarily stunned and said, "No, no, how could that be." He shook his head and started to laugh, "Uncle, you've misunderstood, Jessica and I are just good friends."
"Oh!" Mark Alba nodded thoughtfully but was actually quite puzzled. If he wasn't Jessica's boyfriend, then what did she mean by introducing him so grandly? It had been a long time since his daughter had clung to his arm like that, except for when she had pleaded to attend performing arts school in the past.
Jessica hummed a tune and cheerfully walked into the house. Just as she was about to go up to her room, her grandmother stopped her. The elderly woman asked with a smile, "Jessica, is Yang your boyfriend?" Jessica was taken aback and said, "What? Grandma, you mean Yang... No." Her lips curled into a slight smile as she said, "Just a good friend!" Then she went upstairs carrying the script with a thud.
Not him? The grandmother chuckled to herself.
Back in her room, Jessica let out a sigh of relief and laughed to herself a few times. She placed the script on her desk and randomly flipped through a page. Looking at the words and drawings, she smiled and gently ran her fingers over them, wondering when Wang Yang would be able to make this movie.
After chatting with Mark Alba for a few moments, Wang Yang, who was told to "do as he pleased," didn't wander around aimlessly but strolled across the lawn instead. After an afternoon of hustling, his stomach was quite empty. He went over to the table with food, picked up a doughnut, took a bite, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh, my God! This is so sweet."
As he ate, he looked at the children chasing each other on the lawn, wondering if little Mary, who always carried a DV camera around, was there.
At that moment, Jack Frank casually walked over, picking up a doughnut as well. After glancing at Wang Yang beside him, he struck up a conversation, "Hey, Yang." Wang Yang greeted him back, and Jack asked, "Yang, that script, it isn't one you wrote, is it?"
"Jessica's script?" Wang Yang nodded and replied, "Of course, it's my manuscript."
Jack Frank bit into a doughnut and burst into laughter, giving Wang Yang a thumbs up, and said, "Buddy, that's not a bad idea, not bad at all! The gift is both affordable and unique, but it's just a bunch of paper, right?"
Wang Yang just shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to respond. What was this guy trying to say? That his gift was lousy? That his screenplay was worthless? Whatever, as long as Jessica liked it.
By now, Wang Yang was certain that Jack Frank was definitely not Jessica's boyfriend; it was apparent from the way she had treated him just now. However, Jack seemed to be one of her suitors, and it looked like Jack was now trying to show him who's "boss."
"By the way, Yang, I heard from Jessica that you are a director?" Sure enough, Jack Frank went on to ask another question.
"Well, you could say that," replied Wang Yang, not keen on chatting with this guy and just wanted to send him on his way.
Jack Frank raised an eyebrow, his face tensing up with nervousness and solemnity. He hesitated before asking, "Do you have any released works?" Wang Yang, looking at the children in the distance, softly said "No, not yet," and Jack immediately breathed a sigh of relief before quickly asking, "Where did you study?"
"I didn't go to school."
"How did you meet Jessica?"
"We were classmates."
Jack Frank nodded as if enlightened, thinking to himself that there was nothing to worry about—it was just an old classmate. He then turned his gaze back to Wang Yang and said, "Speaking of which, can I ask you a question?" Wang Yang couldn't help but roll his eyes, impatiently saying, "Please, buddy, you've already asked quite a few questions." Jack, unfazed, asked, "What are you working as now?"
"McDonald's part-time service crew, occasionally handing out flyers," Wang Yang replied truthfully, amused as he watched him, asking, "There, you satisfied, pal?"
Service crew? Handing out flyers? Hearing Wang Yang's words, Jack Frank couldn't help wearing a smug expression. Ha, a small-time, no-prospect handyman, how could he compare to a student from a prestigious school! Why do all sorts of people dare to call themselves directors these days? He whistled and said, "That's it then, carry on eating." After saying this, he patted Wang Yang's backside and turned to leave with a hearty laugh.
Wang Yang couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. This guy still wanted to pursue Jessica, yet he didn't know that Jessica detested "A-grade students" who looked down on others with arrogant attitudes like his.
As he ate his doughnut and watched the children and the Labrador retriever Danny play fetch, Wang Yang's face beamed with a smile, entranced. Suddenly, his shoulder was gently tapped, and he heard a "Hey." Turning his head, he saw Jessica standing behind him, pretty as a picture. She smiled and said, "Yang, how's the doughnut? Is it good?"
"Delicious. It's sweet and flaky, top-notch doughnut," Wang Yang praised, looking at her cheerful expression and couldn't help but express his surprise, "Oh, you didn't make it, did you?"
Jessica wished she could say yes and accept the compliment, but the doughnut wasn't her work, so she could only shake her head with a smile, "No, my grandmother made them." Wang Yang took another bite and said with a laugh, "Wow, well, thank my grandmother for me."
"Yeah." Jessica, looking at the laughing children opposite, asked, "Yang, do you like kids?" She had noticed that kind of smile on Wang Yang's face earlier, a smile that only appeared on those who truly loved children.
With a smile, Wang Yang nodded and looked towards the kids, saying, "Kids, dogs, 'Tom and Jerry'—whenever I see these adorable things, I just can't help but stop in my tracks." He chuckled again and teased, "Of course, some kids are quite naughty, just like the kid in 'Home Alone,' they give you a headache and make a total mess. When I encounter such kids, that scares me."
"Me too," Jessica glanced at Wang Yang, feeling as if she understood a bit more about him, laughing, "I also like kids, dogs, 'Tom and Jerry'; I don't like 'Home Alone,' haha!"
"However, from what I've observed, those kids aren't troublemakers, hehe, I really want to join them," Wang Yang said with a laugh.
"Oh, you can't join them just yet," Jessica said with laughter and evident excitement, "Ms. Miranda has arrived!" She waved her hand and walked towards the house, "Yang, come with me."
"Wow, OK." Wang Yang finished his doughnut and wiped his hands with a napkin before following Jessica into the house.
※※
In the living room, on a pale blue fabric sofa, Ms. Miranda was reading the script for 'Paranormal Activity'. She was a middle-aged Caucasian woman dressed in a black suit and wore rimless glasses, exuding the air of a professional woman.
Jessica sat beside her, eyes filled with anticipation; while Wang Yang sat on a small sofa opposite, waiting quietly.
In truth, Miranda reviewing the script was just a formality. Every year, countless young people go to film companies with their screenplays, trying their luck, but the film companies are not interested. Only a very few fortunate ones get their scripts noticed, but what of it? The film company would just pay you some money, buy the story, then find professionals to do it themselves—you are nothing.
This is mainly because just by reading a screenplay, it's impossible to judge what the movie will look like once it's filmed, let alone its market value. It can be said that a newcomer's script is practically worthless.
After looking over it for a while, Miranda noted the screenplay was professionally written, which at least showed that the writer had a professional foundation and wasn't just messing around. She raised her head to look at Wang Yang across from her and asked, "Yang, Jessica told me that you have already approached many film companies, is that right?" Jessica also looked toward Wang Yang.
Wang Yang nodded and said, "Yes, I've approached quite a few companies already, but it seems no one appreciates my movie." Having said that, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.
This was quite normal, full of passion while entering a film company, only to leave with a face full of dismay, Miranda had seen many such young people. Then she asked, "Can you tell me which film companies they were?"
"Of course, let me think." Wang Yang recounted from the beginning, "Fox Searchlight, Paramount Classics... they rejected me over the phone; the ones that arranged meetings with me included New Line, Dimension, Summit, Artisan, Think..." He listed over a dozen film companies in one breath.
Miranda suddenly furrowed her brows, she closed the script, looked at Jessica, and shook her head saying, "Sorry, Jessica, I can't be of any help to Yang." Jessica immediately exclaimed, "Oh God," her face filled with disappointment and urgency, "Why?" Miranda explained to both of them, "I have some connections with Mr. Robert from Dimension Films and Mr. Ullman from Think Film Company. But, you know, they've both rejected you." She spread her hands helplessly and added, "Sorry."
Jessica looked distressed and asked, "Miranda, is there really no other way?"
"It's nothing, Jessica." Wang Yang smiled reassuringly at her and turned to Miranda, saying politely, "Thank you, Ms. Miranda, I understand."
Miranda nodded silently, after a moment of thought, she said earnestly, "But forgive my bluntness, Yang, I think a DV movie is not very realistic. So many film companies have rejected you, it's not without reason." She said seriously, "Actually, you have a decent appearance, you could consider acting – you know, a lot of film sets are in need of Chinese actors." What she was implying was to suggest he stop wasting time.
Chinese villains? Thieves? Con artists? Characters with foul mouths? Wang Yang chuckled and shook his head, rejecting her suggestion, "No, I'm not good at acting."
"Come on, Miranda!" Jessica laughed, a bit displeased, "You haven't even seen Yang's movie, how do you know it's not realistic? That movie is really scary and exceptional."
Although Jessica's tone was a bit harsh, Miranda wasn't offended, and she gently patted Jessica's hand, whispering, "Jessica, I'm just an agent, it's not my place to declare whether a movie is good or bad. All I can do is offer recommendations, but the companies I could recommend have already rejected Yang."
"It's alright, it's alright!" Wang Yang waved his hand generously with a smile, not that he wasn't at all disappointed, but his expectations had been low from the start.
Because any film company will inevitably consider the film itself in the end. Those distribution managers don't care who recommended you, if it's good, it's good; if it's not, it's not. The market isn't set by them, and if they were to release a film to accommodate an acquaintance, causing the company to incur losses and their reputation to suffer, they'll be out of a job as well.
So, getting recommended and making a self-recommendation are virtually the same. Of course, in terms of patience and tone, it might be a bit better – at least they would watch the entire movie before telling you "no."
"Sorry, Yang." Jessica looked regretful, she really wanted to help Wang Yang, this was the birthday gift she truly desired.
"Hey, everyone, are you done talking?" Jessica's mother, Kathy, entered just in time, smiled at them, and said, "Jessica, everyone's waiting for you outside."
Wang Yang stood up with a smile and said, "Come on, Jessica, don't keep everyone waiting too long." Jessica collected her emotions and with a smile got up, saying, "OK, time for fun!"
※※
"Happy birthday to you... happy birthday to you... happy birthday dear Jessica, happy birthday to you..."
In the courtyard adorned with colorful lights and balloons, everyone was gathered around a long table, which had a three-tiered birthday cake on it. All were smiling happily, softly clapping to the beat, singing the birthday song together, and watching Jessica standing in front of the cake. The Labrador named Dans circled around them incessantly, his tongue hanging long.
"Jessica, make a birthday wish quickly!" Joshua was holding a DV camera, continuously capturing the party's moment, and now that it was the highlight of the birthday party, the wish and candle blowing, he certainly wouldn't miss it.
"Hmm." Jessica pressed her hands together, looked around at the people, her father's affectionate gaze upon her, her neighbor's friendly stares, her friends' cheerful expressions, the adorable yet annoying Elijah Wood, the uninvited Jack Frank, Eileen whom she studied acting with... and Wang Yang, who was smiling at her with well wishes.
Jessica smiled slightly, closed her eyes, and prayed sincerely, "Oh God, my wish is for my family, my friends to continue to be healthy and happy; to land a role in a movie and stop failing auditions; and, please let Yang's movie be noticed by film companies, have a smooth release, and then become a big box office hit... maybe I'm asking for too much..." She then thought and added silently, "Never mind, kind Lord, please grant my wishes..."
After making her wish, she opened her eyes, puffed out a breath, and blew at the 17 candles stuck atop the cake, quickly extinguishing all of them in a few puffs, then breaking into a delighted laugh.
"Happy Birthday, Jessica!" Everyone clapped enthusiastically, sending their blessings to the 17-year-old Jessica.