"I still think it's a waste of time to ask me to cast actors every day. With a handsome face like yours, starring on your own is an absolute guarantee at the box office. Why do you have to be a director?"
Yuan Ge put the director's viewfinder and light meter in his hands back into his toolbox and turned around to see Amélie Jiang leaning against the set's carved moon door, wearing her favourite 120mm red-soled high heels and a plain black double-breasted cashmere overcoat with a large dusty pink hibiscus belt tied around her waist that outlined her slender figure and added a touch of softness to her sophistication. Her makeup is always delicate and just right, impeccably elegant and sassy even through a director's discerning eye. And at the moment her almond-shaped eyes were smiling teasingly at him.
"Did I do something wrong again, Lady Producer? You have a talent for finding things to question me with."
Yuan Ge smiled, put the toolbox away in the locker, closed the door behind him, turned off the lights and walked towards her.
Amélie looked at Yuan Ge's face, his sword brows and starry eyes combined with his chiselled features, always giving people an illusion of being icy and stern. Luckily, he often smiles when he looks at her - even just a hint of a smile can be described as breathtaking, enough to make a woman lose her composure and hopelessly fall into his beauty.
But of course, she would never admit it, because Yuan Ge doesn't like to be praised for his looks, or rather, he doesn't care much for praise beyond his talent. If he knew that she could not escape the superficiality of being a "beauty worshipper" like the others, it would probably damage the mutual understanding between them. At that thought, Amélie hurried back to her senses.
"How dare I question you! I was just lamenting. Is it true that if a person is so good, he no longer cares to lead an easy life and must choose the hardest path to achieve success in order to prove himself?"
"Is Miss Jiang lamenting herself? Is it that you regret entering the showbiz industry and joining our little film company, Dragon Dreams Pictures?"
"How would I? I've already decided to follow you… I mean, follow you guys to come back to China to build our own business. We've just started out, why would I back out? Seeing you too busy to care about anything, I just want to kindly remind you that, a year ago today, we met for the first time in Zürich. Isn't it worth celebrating the very first anniversary of our acquaintance?"
Yuan Ge was taken aback momentarily at her words. He scratched his head innocently and said, "You are absolutely right. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten. Gee! We've been bumbling about together, from overseas to here, for a whole year already. Looks like I must treat Miss Jiang to a proper meal tonight to show my appreciation for her hard work over the past year!"
Amélie got the answer she wanted, her heart rejoiced, but she pretended to be displeased and said playfully, "Inviting people to dinner but still being the last to leave work? Not sincere enough I'm afraid. As punishment, I will order more wine tonight!"
"Okay, Miss Jiang, I'm willingly accepting your punishment. Tell me, where do you want to go to commemorate lost youth?"
"Well, you are not going to take me to some hot-pot place or a street stall, are you?"
"When we first came back to China, who wanted to eat hot-pot, barbecues and spicy crayfish every day? Why? Are you finally tired of those foods?" Yuan Ge said this jokingly, but he could tell that as Amélie had gone home to dress up specially for the occasion, and she must be looking forward to a formal date, "If we're going for western food, I need to change my clothes. It's too embarrassing to go out like this."
Amélie liked this man's understanding. He always seemed to know what she was thinking without her having to say it.
As she walked down the small gravel path of the old mansion, he probably noticed that it was difficult to walk on such a path in high heels, so he reached out his hand to help her without her having to ask. It was a bitterly cold winter's day, but the warmth from their interlaced hands was enough to dispel the chill. Amélie cocked her head and looked silently at the perfectly contoured profile of this man's face. She felt infinitely attached.