QT: LAC Chapter 26: Second World (12)

Chapter 26: Second World (12)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Sulo

 

When he received the message, Bai Duan was calm. He looked at it for three seconds, then put down his cell phone and continued to pick up the sculpture to finish his work.

The texter wanted to make him suspect that Fu Shaohua’s old friendship with his ex-girlfriend had revived, but Bai Duan had no similar concerns. He trusted Fu Shaohua, not only because of his subconscious but also because he had been together day and night for several years. Since he did not believe and doubt his lover, then there was no need to go to the cafe to ‘catch him in a green hat.’ This calm demeanor was entrusted to him by Fu Shaohua.

Of course, although there was no doubt that Fu Shaohua had gone off the rails, Bai Duan still felt a little unhappy, believing that all the people who knew their lover was carrying his ex-girlfriend behind his back would have such a miserable psychological feeling, which was just a petty fight of jealousy. Bai Duan remained motionless, and soon Fu Shaohua returned to the villa. As usual, he untied his tie and took off his suit jacket as he entered the door and changed his clothes from elegant to casual.

Seeing that Bai Duan was carving the jade piece, Fu Shaohua frowned slightly and sat down beside him. “How many times have you told me that carving such fine things takes too much out of your eyes? Don’t carve for too long. Be careful to not get dizzy, even I can’t see it clearly.”

Bai Duan swept his eyes over him silently, feeling that Fu Shaohua’s emphasis was on the last sentence.

“Do you like it?” One of the pair was handed to Fu Shaohua. Bai Duan wanted to know his lover’s opinions. This pair was carved base on him and Fu Shaohua; they were naturally exquisite and perfect.

Fu Shaohua was a public figure, not suitable for wearing rings, although modern clothing could not match the classical taste of jade, Bai Duan deliberately narrowed it down a little, turning it into a pendant that would hang around his neck; it was not against the codes.

“Very good-looking.” Fu Shaohua praised him for playing with his jade amulet. “Giving it to me?”

“It’s not finished yet. I’ll give it to you when it’s done.” Bai Duan took the jade back, carefully placed it on the flannel cloth on the desktop, then picked up his mobile phone and handed it to Fu Shaohua.

Fu Shaohua knew the unlock code of Bai Duan’s mobile phone. They had never defended against each other. Of course, they never quietly checked each other’s privacy. Fu Shaohua held Bai Duan’s mobile phone with an indescribable face but was quite skilled in unlocking the screen, the next second, a clear picture was reflected in his eyes. He frowned and looked up at Bai Duan. There was no confusion in his face. Instead, he said with slight vinegar (jealousy), “You are really popular.”

Bai Duan was blank and innocent, “What?”

“Aren’t you?” Fu Shaohua shook his mobile phone. “These people really took great pains to smear me and drive me away from you.”

Bai Duan said nothing to Fu Shaohua for a little bit, “Now, in this case, shouldn’t you be busy explaining, rather than fighting because of jealousy?”

“What’s the explanation for that?” Fu Shaohua put down the mobile phone. “The situation is in front of us. Molly found me, either voluntarily or under instructions – I think the latter is more likely – she apologized to me and told me that she had always loved me, but I was too unhappy to get out of it. She could not endure life without hope. That’s why she did something wrong. She hoped I could forgive her.” Fu Shaohua shrugged, “I asked her if she regretted it. She said that she regretted it very much. She wanted to save me for a long time, but had no face to see me.”

“… And then?” Bai Duan’s tone was calm.

Fu Shaohua smiled, “Then, I said, ‘I wish I had regretted it,’ and then I left.”

Bai Duan, “….”

“Speaking of… Why are you so calm?” After describing the process of meeting his ex-girlfriend, Fu Shaohua realized that the wicked man was not satisfied with his complaints. “Should you not be so angry at this situation that you ask me to make sure I would never meet her again, and then drag me to bed, or even shut me up in a dark room?” With that, Fu Shaohua showed a trace of expectation. “Listen to your eldest brother, you want to imprison me?”

Bai Duan’s ears turned red, embarrassed, “Hearing from the hearsay, I never thought so!”

“… Really?” Fu Shaohua’s tone of voice was full of deep regret.

In fact, he knew he had been photographed but let the matter go. He wanted to try to play a compulsory game. Unfortunately, his lover trusted him very much, and the degree of melanization was not high, which made him unhappy and regretful.

Although he didn’t know what Fu Shaohua was thinking about, Bai Duan still felt very uncomfortable. He stood up, took the flannel bag and walked quickly to his collection room, while Fu Shaohua was reluctant to follow behind him, and continued to nag, “Are you going to show me that you don’t care about me at all and won’t be jealous of me?”

Bai Duan looked indifferent, “Well, yeah.”

“… It’s sad.” Fu Shaohua frowned. He stood at the door of the collection room and watched Bai Duan put away the jade amulets. Suddenly, he looked serious. “I met her for a reason.”

Bai Duan’s movements stopped.

“I don’t have any feelings for her personally, but the other Fu Shaohua, you know what I mean, still has a bit of persistence.” Fu Shaohua sighed softly, “Now that I have taken up his body, I have to help him fulfill his wish and asked his ex-girlfriend if she regretted it. It was my task. Since she invited me, I’ll push the boat along the river and save time.”

“Un.” Bai Duan answered with disdain, “But what’s the meaning of asking? If you hadn’t succeeded, and you were still the tepid little actor, she probably wouldn’t regret it.”

“That’s alright with me.” Fu Shaohua laid out his hand carelessly. “As long as I asked, she answered, and said she really regretted, so my goal was achieved.”

“You are really perfunctory…” Bai Duan pulled the corners of his mouth up.

“No way, my origin is such a good fool, and there was no retaliation. Since he didn’t ask for it, I’m too lazy to do much.” Fu Shaohua’s Mandarin was mild, but suddenly he said, “Although I can ignore the resentment between her and myself, I can’t take the initiative to provoke her and frame her at the behest of others. I have to find out who gave this gift to me,” he said, holding Bai Duan’s hand as he turned and walked back.

Bai Duan had long been accustomed to Fu Shaohua’s image of unwilling to suffer losses, but also let him toss and turn. Although only an actor, Fu Shaohua had an extraordinary ability to collect information, always through inexplicable means to detect all kinds of secret news, and Bai Duan had gradually become accustomed to this from surprise and shock.

As for the follow-up of the incident, Bai Duan did not continue to pay attention to it, nor did Fu Shaohua see the ex-girlfriend, Molly, again. Only when Bai Duan was chatting with Big Brother Bai did he hear that Molly’s family undertook a messy project, which almost ruined their family’s fortune. They rushed out to marry their daughter to sell her. Unfortunately, the young lady was not happy after her marriage, and now she was extremely haggard. 

She was once a popular candidate for the young master of the Bai family. She often went to the Bai family to please Mother Bai. To see her now, it was a real turn of events.

For this news, Big Brother Bai just talked to his brother like it was a joke, and Bai Duan also listened casually, without making any superfluous associations at all. As for Fu Shaohua, he had nothing to do with this matter. At this moment, he was invited to participate in a film in a foreign country as a male protagonist.

Since Fu Shaohua entered the international arena, he had been nominated for several international awards. Although he regretted his defeat, in the end, he gradually gained a particular reputation and status in the international film arena. But all the directors who cooperated with him praised him, saying that his failure to win the prize was not a lack of strength, but lack of luck. However, luck was somewhat conservative. When one went through a period of bad luck, one or two good things would happen.

Then, Fu Shaohua’s good news came.

He was invited to join the cast as a leading actor by internationally renowned directors, and the scripts were naturally excellent, but the subjects involved were more sensitive, such as racial discrimination and homosexuality. Because of the content of the script, the director hoped that the hero of the film could be played by pure Chinese or Chinese-American actor. After thousands of choices and auditions, Fu Shaohua succeeded in winning the role through five passes.

And the film did not disappoint him.

Although the film could not be fully released in China due to content problems (1), it set off a wave in the international arena. All the audience who watched the film could not help but be deeply attracted by it. Following the director’s exquisite camera language, they experienced this period of bright, gentle, sometimes depressing stories, indulging in them and unable to extricate themselves.

At the same time, they also remembered the film’s hero, the skilled Chinese actor, Fu Shaohua.

Well-known directors had a relatively accurate understanding of the scale of the material and the psychology of audiences and judges. Soon, good news came from many international awards, including, of course, the best actor. Many celebrities at home and abroad congratulated Fu Shaohua on his entrance to this heavyweight award, but few thought that he would really win the award, even the more rational fans thought this. After all, Fu Shaohua’s status in the world was still slightly shallow, and it still needed some time to accumulate.

However, at a time when everyone had little hope for it, the awards ceremony was a big surprise. Such international awards were always influenced by factors such as history, politics, and social environment. In other words, they tended to choose safe, mainstream, and non-controversial films. Therefore, although the film about homosexuality and racial discrimination was nominated, it was also the most popular candidate to win the award, but ultimately failed to win the best film award to another film.

To compensate for the loss, or to calm the dissatisfaction of fans, after a thorough study of Fu Shaohua’s almost flawless acting skills, the jury recognized his performance, ignored his deep-rooted drawbacks, and awarded him the honor of the best actor.

For a moment, the public was in a state of uproar. The title of the International Film Emperor fell on Fu Shaohua without warning. Even he was confused.

Although there were also some controversies about Fu Shaohua’s ‘compensatory’ award, this was the norm after each award ceremony, at least in addition to seniority, no one really questioned Fu Shaohua’s acting skills. After winning the honor of the International Film Emperor, Fu Shaohua basically climbed to the top in the film and television circles and had been put on the altar by the domestic media.

Fu Shaohua was not the first Chinese actor to win this award, but he was the youngest and had a great future. When he returned home, he was greeted by media reporters who were so gorgeous that they almost illuminated the night into day with the flashing lights and countless fans who were cheering and even crying with joy.

Bodyguards and airport security guards had been prepared for a long time and quickly organized to maintain order on the scene, while Fu Shaohua was accustomed to such a big scene, skillfully responding to the media’s questioning, occasionally smiling at fans.

When asked about future arrangements, Fu Shaohua kept silent for a moment, “In recent years, I have been too busy to accompany my lover. So, I think I will focus more on my lover and family in the future. He has been supporting me, and I hope I can get something in return.”

This reply shocked the journalists and fans who were present – they never thought that Fu Shaohua, who won the international film emperor laurel, had no intention of continuing to show his ambitions and shoot more excellent films, instead… he was going home?!

There was a moment of silence among the boiling crowd, but Fu Shaohua did not seem to notice at all, “I joked with him long before I attended the awards ceremony, saying that if I could win the award, it would show that I had made achievements in my career and was qualified to stand beside him. At that time, I would publicize our relationship and propose to him – he promised.”

A reporter responded immediately and asked questions quickly, “So now you want to propose to her in public, don’t you?” 

“No, I can’t make such a hasty proposal. What’s more, his personality is somewhat restrained, and his family education is more rigorous. He probably doesn’t want me to make such a big show.” Fu Shaohua smiled softly, his eyes were full of sweetness and joy. He looked at the camera and said in a serious voice, “I know he must be watching it on the computer right now. I just want to tell him that I’m back and ready to fulfill my promise. Are you ready?”

All present: “….”

Despite the preparation, the dog food was still choking.

1. I believe many of you know about China’s content blocks. China does not allow any homosexuality novels, manhua, movies, or any type in their country. You can be fined, arrested, or thrown in jail for years if you are found to have distributed, written, filmed, etc. any of these media types to ‘promote’ homosexuality.