The Best Director

Miraculously, Best Director did win, and with sixfold odds, she pocketed $500—enough to buy several pairs of pretty new shoes! And today, playing a supermarket promotional scratch card, she also hit a $100 voucher. It seemed she should try her luck with Powerball next.

What numbers should she pick? While pondering, Evelyn opened her bookmarked page to Wang Yang’s blog. Winning money and her idol winning an award and setting a wonderful record had her in high spirits. She hadn’t known before that the youngest Golden Globe Best Director was 33 years old, but now it was 22. It was the comments about Jessica falling and some about breaking up that made her angry—she couldn’t comprehend what the ridiculers were thinking.

“I can’t stand it! They want such a sweet couple to split up.” Evelyn muttered internally. She had already sent messages of support on Jessica and the miraculous Wang Yang’s blogs. She wondered if they had replied.

The webpage opened to a familiar, sleek design. Of all the celebrity blogs, her favorite was Wang Yang’s—not just because she was a fan, but also because his articles and posts were interesting, often containing “famous quotes,” and he was fond of replying to comments. His updates were frequent and his insights into sports were often on point, unlike some celebrities whose writing was painfully boring. He truly deserved the title of being among the first-generation bloggers.

“Huh!” Evelyn noticed a new post at the top, updated some time earlier in the evening, titled “Think It’s Funny or Cool? Join In!” She looked curiously at the image on the screen—was that Wang Yang lying on a park garbage can? What was this all about?

Clicking for the full post, she saw a prompt showing dozens of images loading. Scrolling through the first few images that had opened, Evelyn let out a stunned “oh,” her mind struggling to grasp what was happening. There before her were a series of photos of Wang Yang lying face down with his back to the sky on various surfaces: a park path, a long bench, steps, a Hummer…

“Wow, how did he manage that!?” Evelyn chuckled out loud as she saw him lying across the fork of a large tree, finding it both funny and cool. She read his accompanying text: “Hahaha, I love this! Lying down on everything in this pose is so much fun, it’s like a new extreme sport! What should we call it? Want to play? Come join in! I’ve already created a group!”

Should I give it a try? Evelyn surveyed her surroundings with interest—the floor, the bed… She was tempted to take a few photos and upload them to her blog, thinking it would be pretty cool! She continued reading: “Lying on your bed is fine, but that’s no fun; lying on the floor lacks creativity, right? Give it a shot, let’s start a new craze! But please be careful!!! I fell off a tree today while posing.”

Scrolling to the bottom, Evelyn decided to read the comments first before slowly admiring the rest of the photos.

The comments were filled with exclamations. Joseline wrote, “Have you lost your mind, Wang?” Nina commented, “Extreme sport? Maybe so, will people join?” Abel wrote, “Looks fun! I’m in!” There were also many guest users: “This… is too hilarious!” “Oh my god! I’m more surprised by this than you winning the Golden Globe!” “You look ridiculous, just like your girlfriend!”…

With a tap, Evelyn left a comment: “I’ll play! I’m going to lie on the desks in my school classroom!”

“What is this madness!? Ha ha—” In front of the screen, Natalie couldn’t stop laughing. Was this his way of expressing love? The next photo she saw made her spit out her drink in laughter. Is this the Best Director? Would the judges burst a blood vessel if they saw this photo?

The photo showed Wang Yang lying on his stomach atop a pile of pointy trophies like MTV awards, clutching the Golden Globe Best Director trophy in one hand and an Oscar statuette in the other, propping himself up on the floor. The caption read: “I love these trophies, they’re so cute! So I’m gonna love them my way!!!”

“Hahaha—” Natalie clutched her spasming stomach, roaring with laughter. Was he… F***ing these trophies? Crazy! She continued scrolling through each photo, laughing at each one until she reached the last image and its final message: “Feel free to share! Dear journalist friends, you can publish these pictures but do not alter my captions, especially not the last one! Thank you!”

Looking at the final photo, her smile turned serene. If Jessica saw these photos and still felt insecure or unhappy, Natalie thought she might just make that call herself because that would mean Jessica really had issues.

Closing the page with a click of the mouse, Natalie sighed with a hint of melancholy.

“Yang…” In her spacious bedroom, Jessica looked at each photo displayed on her computer screen with a teary-eyed smile, feeling overwhelmed by indescribable emotions—moved, happy, in love, sweet as sugar… With trembling lips, she slowly reached the last photo and froze. It showed a girl wearing a purple dress lying on the floor with the caption, “I love this girl!”

After a few seconds, she burst out laughing, feeling like sunlight had illuminated the gloom, dispelling every trace of darkness instantly.

“Yang!” Jessica wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, stood up, and hurried out of the bedroom toward the downstairs study, calling out with a joyful chuckle, “Yang, I saw it!…”

In the brightly lit study, Wang Yang was sitting in a swivel chair, staring at the computer screen, contemplating a crucial matter of “acceptance.” If Natalie’s psychological insight was right, he felt some pressure; he had never imagined being so significant in Jessica’s heart, not just the beloved boyfriend, but also the person “for whom she must prove herself…”

Wang Yang muttered, “Long-Legged Uncle…” and couldn’t help but shake his head and smile. Where did his stress come from? It wasn’t material, it wasn’t a lack of love for her… it was just that he increasingly felt that he ought to do something. That important moment was approaching step by step. It wasn’t about worrying whether Jessica would agree, but he didn’t know if he was really prepared. That change for them wasn’t as simple as a shift in titles, it was about moving on to the next phase of life.

But he terrifyingly discovered that he now enjoyed that busy life, young, full of energy, passionate about his career… everything was good, and he just never tired of constantly going at it, trying all sorts of movies. The occasional weariness would vanish as soon as he turned his head, and he would continue on. He didn’t know if it was the same for others, or if it was a problem? But being busy each with their own things and love fading away is a reason many people break up or divorce.

What he now thought was, is there a right or wrong in such a lifestyle, one where you’re busy with your career and neglect the people around you, or to say, there just isn’t enough time to perfectly handle both ends?

Everyone has the right to choose and pursue, Downey chose a mess of a lifestyle with drugs, alcohol, parties, etc., more than a decade ago, and now he deeply regrets it and has chosen a sober, warm life with children; Paris Hilton is an IT-Girl, living the noisy life of nightclubs, but she seems very happy and enjoying it; Tom and his wife find Los Angeles too bustling and are preparing to move to Vancouver…

Is it right that how you like to live, that’s how you should live? But what if your preferences hurt the family and people who have always supported you, or even if you don’t have their support? Like Downey, is it to choose being forsaken by all or to stop and turn back?

Thinking about these things, Wang Yang couldn’t help furrowing his brows, as if there were no answers, just a choice. Some chose number 1, some chose number 2, moving towards different roads and lives.

If he was to say what he was interested in shooting now, apart from “MIT-21-TEAM,” it might just be about this. What kind of stories or themes? Wang Yang’s gaze drifted toward the bookshelf and the multitudes of books, and he got up and walked over. No matter how busy he was, he always read a bit every day, and he ordered the new books on The New York Times bestseller list every month, and he kept them even if he didn’t read them.

Standing in front of the bookshelf, Wang Yang glanced at the titles of these books, one after another, some he had read, some he kind of read, some he only read the introductions of… His gaze suddenly stopped on a book he had read, “The Devil Wears Prada”. He blinked his eyes and smiled thoughtfully as he picked up the book, “‘FUCK-YOU, Miranda, FUCK-YOU…\'”

This book was about a young girl named Andrea who had just graduated from college and entered a fashion magazine to work as the assistant to the editor-in-chief. It turned out that the editor-in-chief Miranda was a devilish boss. In Miranda’s world, there were only two kinds of people: those who could be used, who she needed to look up to; and those who needed to look up to her, most of whom she treated with disdain.

It is said that this is based on author Lauren Weisberger’s personal experience. She wrote with a satirical tone, endlessly describing the many, many stories of how Miranda was sour and abusive to her subordinates, as well as various happenings in the fashion world and the workplace.

Wang Yang quickly flipped through the book, remembering the story that had not faded from his memory.

Andrea was a bright person. She quickly became familiar with Miranda’s temper and the rules of the game and gradually became an efficient assistant. She followed Miranda to Paris, Milan, and other places for work, attending various fashion events and turning into a little devil. But at the same time, due to her hectic job, her own life became a mess, her boyfriend left in disappointment, and her family blamed her. She was turning into another Miranda, facing alienation from everyone.

Finally, she had enough of losing herself and living the life of someone she disliked, enough of the fear for the future and Miranda’s nastiness. She made a resolute decision to quit her job and, in the end, said to Miranda, “FUCK YOU, Miranda, FUCK YOU.”

Actually, the future would see a movie adaptation of this novel with the same title, and naturally, there were some differences in characters and story between the two, since a movie is not a TV series. Because of the film’s length, certain aspects of the story had to be omitted or featured prominently; it wasn’t possible nor necessary to include every detail of how the devilish Miranda tormented her, as Lauren Weisberger described indignantly.

This story was actually well-suited for a traditional structure: Andrea starting out green, becoming mature, struggling painfully, having a sudden realization, and then the conclusion.

However, Wang Yang felt that the future movie “The Devil Wears Prada” lacked explosive force; even that classic “FUCK” was missing. Although the theme was obvious, it didn’t leave a profound impression, lacking interest and dragging on too much. Most of the time, it seemed like a runway show, quickly coming and going, featuring lots and lots of fashion brands and figures from the fashion world, and then it was over.

He knew that from a commercial market perspective, many female audiences would enjoy such a runway show, enchanted by the fashion illusions in the movie, chatting about handbags and clothes… He didn’t want that. These were just the skin of the story, they should serve the core, not become the core.

Of course, the original book could not simply be transposed onto the screen. The author’s deep resentment towards Miranda resulted in a vague portrayal of the character’s inner world and trivial plot points. Nevertheless, it was indeed a very good subject, possessing commercial movie qualities while also discussing worthwhile topics; Miranda and Andrea were two roles filled with tension, with much room for performance in their scenes together and their inner conflicts.

In the future movie, Andrea was portrayed by Anne Hathaway, and Anne did a good job, constrained only by the limitations of the script that didn’t allow her emotions to burst through. Wang Yang thought about this as he closed the book. Could Jessica play this role well? If he were to make the film, in any case, the story had to have a climax and explosive force. So when it reached the stage of sudden realization, it wouldn’t be enough for Andrea to just calmly face it. She would have to throw out all her inner rage!

The character underwent several transformations, starting out like a naive country girl newly arrived in the city, clumsy and foolish, acquiescent to Miranda and her colleagues, meek and self-effacing. Then, under the belief of “work hard, prove yourself,” she learned and grew, becoming a fashionable beauty, confident, knowing how to rise in the ranks, suppress colleagues, and use others, increasingly devilish.

After alienation from everyone, she was lost and in pain, doubting and reflecting on herself, reevaluating her life and job, strongly disliking both herself and Miranda, impatience and anger rapidly accumulating; finally, because of a certain incident, the fuse was lit, and she made a choice—to give up her current bustling life and return to her former tranquility. She was Andrea, but she would never be the Andrea she initially was.

Mastering four levels of change required consummate acting skills, and so, Jessica… Wang Yang slapped his forehead hard, cursing himself, “FUCK-OFF!”

Was there really a touch of disbelief deep in his heart, that he didn’t think Jessica could perform well after moving away from the teen dance theme? Why? Influenced by those roles in his head that she had never taken on?

But she hadn’t acted in “Idle Hands”; she had boarded a different train; and whether or not an actor can perform well often depends on the director on set. He didn’t need her to turn Andrea into an Oscar Best Actress, as long as it was passable, and it made her happy, that was enough.

Moreover, when the role itself required a “you’re too pretty” type of actress, what would Jessica think if he told her “you’re not suitable for the part”? What kind of recognition was that?

Wang Yang shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly. Why was he even considering filming this theme? But as he thought about it, he actually became interested in shooting the story, to speak about the issue of life choices. The production of the movie wasn’t going to be challenging. Once the script was finalized, apart from casting the main actors, he wouldn’t have to worry about the rest of the pre-production work. The executive producer would arrange everything, waiting for his command to “Start shooting!”

“MIT-21-TEAM” was scheduled to start shooting in early February, planning to complete filming within 1-2 months; if preparations went swiftly and smoothly, they could move on to shooting “The Devil Wears Prada” by April…

As Wang Yang was thinking about the schedule, he suddenly heard laughter and calls drawing closer: “Yang, Yang!” He saw Jessica come bounding in happily, barefoot like an exuberant rabbit.

“What’s up?” Seeing her smiling face, Wang Yang instantly felt a sense of relief wash over him, as if a heavy stone had hit the ground. It seemed those photos had worked! He smiled and said, “You saw my extreme sports?” Jessica, still smiling, approached him and without a word, wrapped her arms around his neck, tiptoed, and kissed his lips.

“Mmm…” Wang Yang lowered his head to kiss her while his right hand, still holding the book, encircled her waist, and his left hand gently stroked her hair. Gazing into her affectionate eyes, he continued kissing her soft lips.

The two kissed passionately for a while before they parted, gasping for air. Jessica planted another deep kiss on his cheek, still clinging to him, and said with a tender laugh, “I saw it, I love you!” Wang Yang crinkled his nose smiling, “Me too. Did those photos look cool?” Jessica also crinkled her nose, laughing, “No! Lots of people were saying ‘Magic Yang has gone crazy!’, you fool.”

“I don’t care about those people; I only care about…” Wang Yang touched her forehead with his, swinging her slightly from side to side with his arms around her waist, and said warmly, “Jessie, don’t mind those idle voices, they hate you, no matter what you do, those nasty people will always attack you.” Jessica smiled and nodded in agreement, and Wang Yang gave her a peck on the lips, then added with a laugh, “Also, if you think I’d be bothered by falling, then you don’t understand me at all, how much I enjoy it!”

“No, I know you don’t mind.” Jessica quickly shook her head, her eyes softening, and she let slip what was in her heart, “I just feel like I’ve embarrassed myself, like a clown, I ruined that perfect day.” She was a little down as she frowned and sighed, “If it had been some other girl by your side…”

“What are you talking about, madam? What are you saying?” Wang Yang’s shocked expression broke in as he laughed, “What are you talking about? What’s going through your head? What other girls, Paris Hilton? Without you, standing there would be meaningless, understand!?” Jessica’s teeth flashed as she smiled, and Wang Yang continued earnestly, “Tell me, who convinced me to grow up to be a director, you! Who motivated me and believed in me when I was down in the dumps, you! Who painted that apartment wall with me, you!”

Jessica’s smile brightened, her heart racing…

Wang Yang, touching foreheads with her, looked directly into her sparkling eyes and went on, “Who said ‘Miranda, FUCK-YOU, I want to make a movie with Yang’, you! Who said ‘Yang, wait… I’m a bit scared’, you!” She playfully punched him as he laughed, “Who said ‘I want to have the baby’, you! Who is with me every day, taking care of my life, cooking, organizing, going to the supermarket to buy things… all you! Who said ‘I’m by your side’, you!”

“Please, what in the hell has gotten into you these last few days, what crappy thing are you thinking about?” Wang Yang exclaimed in exasperation, although Jessica’s smile only grew wider, Wang Yang let out a sigh, “Tell me, how old were we when we met? At what age did we get together? How many years have we been in love? How many fights have we had, how many physical fights? How many times have we made love? Don’t you know whether I love you, whether our relationship is good or not?”

Jessica looked into his eyes, stuck out her tongue, and smiled, “I was wrong.”

“Of course, you were! Now I’m giving you two choices. First, we drive to the beach right now and throw all those Golden Globe awards and whatnot into the ocean! To hell with the perfect day!” Wang Yang laughed softly, “Second, kiss me! Then it will still be a perfect day.” Jessica tiptoed up and pecked his lips like a dragonfly touching water. Wang Yang, with a smile, bit her lip gently, rocked his forehead against her, left and right, and said with a laugh, “You’ve made a good choice! You clever demon—!”

Jessica was so immersed in bliss and joy, she could think of nothing else; her heart had a single refrain ringing non-stop, “Yang, I love you.”

“Sweetheart, I’m preparing to make a new movie, not about card counting.” Wang Yang said with a smile, wanting to further brighten her day. He released her from his arms and lifted the copy of “The Devil Wears Prada” that he was holding, saying, “This one.” Jessica was stunned for a moment; she hadn’t read the book, but she’d read the synopsis, and the protagonist was a young, beautiful girl! Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest as she looked at him wide-eyed, “You mean?”

“Hmm, the leading lady suits you,” Wang Yang nodded but did not outright say, “You take the lead!” He felt that saying so might make it seem as if he was making the movie and casting her just to console her, which would not satisfy her desire for recognition and might even worry her. So before she could start worrying in that direction, he shrugged and said with a smile, “Lately, I’ve been pondering a question, about work and life…”

As he spoke, he sat down in the swivel chair behind his desk, seriously sharing his thoughts and understanding. These were indeed what he had been considering these days, so he spoke logically and eloquently. Jessica, increasingly convinced by his words, dispelled the notion that the film was being made just to comfort her.

“My current thinking is that every lifestyle is simply a matter of choice. Miranda chose to be aloof and alone but in a superior position; Andrea chose her original self, chose family and friends, but a simple, happy life. There’s no right or wrong, only choices.”

After speaking, Wang Yang threw “The Devil Wears Prada” onto the table, then pointed at it, smiling at Jessica who was sitting opposite him. “Buying the adaptation rights shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve decided that I must buy it, no matter how much others offer, I’ll always outbid them by at least one Washington—let’s see who’s crazier!”

Jessica laughed, filled with a surge of excited joy. She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands, smilingly asking, “Then can I play Andrea? How can I play her?”

“I’ve said it, you’re a hundred percent suited for the role in terms of appearance and temperament,” Wang Yang spread his hands, a serious look on his face as if discussing work. “However, I need to see your current acting skills. This role is not easy. Jess, I decided to adapt this novel, and undoubtedly it has a lead suitable for you, but you know, when I’m in casting mode, I won’t lower my standards just because you are Jessica, understand?”

Under his half-serious, half-joking words, Jessica’s anxiety gradually subsided. She chose to believe and confidently nodded with a smile, “Hmm, I’ll land the role!”

“Then let’s start auditioning right now,” Wang Yang said with a laugh, standing up. Jessica widened her eyes, confusion and nervousness arising again, she said urgently, “But I haven’t prepared! I don’t even know the details of the story…” Wang Yang looked at her irritably and retorted, “When you go to an audition, do you get the script? I have my own judgment standards and methods. Come on! Show me that very silly, very rustic demeanor—the most traditional kind of country Catholic girl!”

“OK!” Jessica took a deep breath, stood up, and walked a few steps, thinking about when she had just moved to that wealthy neighborhood in Los Angeles, among the community kids, she and Joshua were the embodiment of silliness and rusticity… but what she needed wasn’t that feeling of anger, she needed that cautious, not wanting to draw any attention sort of foolishness! That’s how Andrea must have felt when she first entered the magazine office, not wanting to attract attention.

Watching her serene and silent demeanor, Wang Yang nodded approvingly. Actually, this stage wasn’t much of a challenge for Jessica, who naturally had a bit of a silly, cute, and mischievous personality. With a bit of old-fashioned dressing and makeup and temporarily removing that sexiness, it wouldn’t be hard to perform well in this aspect. He clapped his hands together and said with a smile, “Good, CUT! That was superb! You’ve got the temperament!”

Hearing his praise, Jessica immediately broke into a smile and cocked her head, grinding her teeth she said, “Are you saying that I’m a fool?” Wang Yang nodded with a laugh, “Yes, what? Are you going to hit the interviewer? Please!” He said earnestly, “Now, give me some looks of anger, that kind where you’re holding back rage, but can’t let it out…”

When Jessica thought of the bullying she had faced, and how he had been wrongfully fired, the malicious comments of the last few days… her heart filled with anger, her fists clenched tightly, imagining Paris Hilton in front of her, she wanted to swing a punch, but she couldn’t!

“Wow, Jess, you look really scary!” Looking at her slightly twitching mouth and narrowed eyes, Wang Yang evaluated and praised her—her delivery was quite impressive! But he could see that perhaps this was no longer acting; naturally, he didn’t want her to become another person blinded by anger. He thought he would need to properly console her later.

But for now! Wang Yang nodded thoughtfully, a serious expression on his face, “You also have that temperament… I’ve almost made my decision because I know your presence on film and your acting abilities in other areas.”

Even though Jessica felt it seemed rather hasty to only evaluate her so briefly, he indeed understood her performances and what her everyday life was like, so she didn’t trouble herself further. Her heart was pounding painfully as she asked, “What decision?”

“The decision is, you need to be mentally prepared,” Wang Yang said with a grave look, while Jessica, suppressing her smile, knew it had to be her. She said with a laugh, “Yang, you’re trying to scare me again, aren’t you?” Wang Yang rolled his eyes laughing, spread his arms to embrace her, drawing out his words, “Jessica… you’re the lead actress! We’re going to make a movie together again!”

“Really?!” Jessica exclaimed breathlessly, and though it was expected, hearing him say it outright still sent a buzz of excitement through her, causing her to jump up and pounce on him!

“Oh—!” Wang Yang, well-prepared, held her steadily, preventing them from falling to the ground. Jessica wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, shouting excitedly, “It’s wonderful! We’re going to make a movie together!” Wang Yang hugged her as they spun around, looking into her upturned black eyes, he said laughing heartily, “We’re back to 1998! But you’ve put on quite a bit of weight!”

Jessica pursed her lips and kissed him, feeling even happier than that year, and said with a laugh, “So have you!”

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PS: I am deeply moved, thank you all for your rewards, monthly tickets, recommendation votes, and birthday wishes, wow, thank you so much!