The Best Director

Chapter 244: Another Midsummer Passes Away

“Wow! A wedding next January? You two are really efficient!”

Joshua’s voice came through the phone, surprised, although he was the first to know about Wang Yang’s proposal plans and that he had successfully popped the question, he had only just found out they had set the date.

On the hotel suite’s balcony, Wang Yang sat in a chair, sipping from the straw in his apple juice, enjoying the breeze and the view of the endless calm blue sea and the sunset sky, smiling and saying, “Why propose if you’re not going to get married? And why get married if you’re not going to propose?” Joshua chuckled, “I was just reading the news online, and it seems like everyone thought you’d take a lot longer to decide on the wedding details.”

He said excitedly, “They’re definitely going to be shocked, your fans are going to be heartbroken, haha!”

“They’ll bless us. But isn’t next January a long time from now? I’m even finding it slow,” Wang Yang said with a smile, understanding Joshua was referring to those so-called “obstacles,” he said, “Brother, there are no obstacles. Jessica and I are not like you and Scarlett, what obstacles could there be?” Joshua, reminded of his own scars, let out a mournful sigh, “Don’t bring up Scarlett. I just want to marry Ali now, I could do it right away.”

What could be the obstacle? We’re not in the age of barbarians anymore, the law doesn’t prohibit interracial marriage, in America, 7% of marriages are interracial; even back in the 1930s, when there were ridiculous laws that ‘colored people and whites may not marry,’ the master photographer Huang Zongzhan and his wife Shanuola Babu went to Paris, France, to register their marriage, and now there’s nothing anyone can say about them.

Both felt an understanding that when there is true love, what can’t be resolved and accommodated for each other? Especially since both of them valued family and children, there were no issues with wedding plans; the only thing that caused a bit of an “argument” was the prenuptial agreement, and it was Wang Yang who lost his temper.

“Yang, should we do some kind of prenuptial financial agreement?” One morning, while having breakfast in their room, Jessica saw their news in the newspaper and came across something about a prenup, so she asked without really thinking.

Wang Yang, eating bread across the breakfast table, upon hearing this, suddenly flared up with inexplicable anger, his brows furrowing in confusion and he blurted, “What are you talking about? Of course not!” He swallowed the bread, opened his hands and quickly said, “I’ve never thought about it, not one bit! Why would we need an agreement? A marriage is meant to make two people one, that’s the beauty of it!”

“What kind of damned agreement? This much money is mine, that much is yours, this house is yours, that car is mine—then why marry at all?!”

“To be honest!” Wang Yang didn’t know why he was so angry, perhaps it was just his feelings, he exhaled and looked at Jessica’s anxious face, and said with a wry smile, “I despise those marriages with agreements! They lack even that basic trust, already thinking about divorce before starting, what are those people thinking? Oh God, why did you even mention it? It’s infuriating, Jessica, I have zero interest in any prenuptial agreements!”

He said earnestly, “When I proposed to you, I gave you everything I have; and when you accepted, I believed you did the same. Only then, we can call it our marriage.”

“Of course! That’s exactly how I feel! Yang, don’t be mad!” Hearing all this and seeing his angry expression, Jessica felt deeply moved but was afraid he would misunderstand, immediately regretting she had even brought up the subject. She earnestly explained, “Don’t be mad! You know me, how could I be interested in signing an agreement? You have many companies and each company has many shareholders, I just wasn’t sure if there was a need for an agreement.”

She shook her head with a smile, “But I didn’t mean anything else, it’s not that I don’t trust our marriage, how could I?” She shrugged and laughed, “Also, it’s my money that’s less.” After saying it, she realized the comment didn’t come off well and added, “Yang, even if you stop loving me in the future, I won’t cling on to anything, I’m not that kind of person.”

“Hey hey hey, what are you talking about? I’m really getting mad!” Wang Yang rolled his eyes, frowning, “You are my fiancée, we’re family, the closest people! Okay?” Jessica slapped her own mouth, stamping her foot in frustration, covering her face, she said, “The more I say, the more I get it wrong, I’m such a fool! What I mean is, I don’t want our love and marriage to be spoiled by these monetary matters, not the slightest! I don’t care about that…”

“`

Wang Yang reached out to take her left hand and grabbed the newspaper, glanced at it, chuckled, and tossed it aside. He looked at her intently and said, “Don’t pay attention to what those people say; there are no obstacles, no conflicts. I understand you! Even if I were a poor ghost, a terrible director, you would still love me, right?” Jessica smiled and nodded. Wang Yang caressed her fingers and the engagement ring, “No need to say it, I know.”

“Jessie, let’s not talk about prenuptial agreements,” Wang Yang patted the back of her hand and looked at her sweet smile, chuckling, “Let’s keep things the way they are now! I’ll be the breadwinner for the house, and you won’t have to worry; you just need to be happy.” Jessica giggled softly, “I will make you happy.” Wang Yang let out an “oh,” remembering the anger from just now, and apologized seriously, “Sorry, I overreacted just now.” Jessica replied apologetically, “It’s my fault for not speaking well.”…

Apart from that one argument, their discussions about the upcoming wedding were all filled with sweet laughter.

“Thanks for the ring intel, buddy; she loves it,” Wang Yang thanked Joshua on the other end of the phone, while Jessica’s voice came from inside the room, “Yang, we can go now.” Wang Yang quickly finished his drink with a gulp and stood up to walk to the bedroom, “Got to go; we’re heading out to enjoy the night view, bye!” Joshua said, “Bye!”

Sunlight splashed across the clear Li River, sparking brilliantly, with the strange peaks on both sides standing majestically. A few bamboo rafts glided slowly on the river, with boatmen in conical hats poling along and tourists seated behind, admiring the surrounding stunning scenery.

“Is the Bahamas as beautiful as this?” On one of the bamboo rafts, sitting in a chair, Natalie kicked at the waters of the Li River without expression, causing a splash, and muttered under her breath, “Are yachts as interesting as bamboo rafts!” Looking at the boatman in front, she suddenly asked in broken Mandarin, “Mr. Zhang, do you know Wang Yang? The ‘Yang’ from flying.” The middle-aged boatman, while poling the boat, chuckled naively and said, “I don’t know him, never heard of the man.”

Natalie chuckled foolishly a few times, thinking about how he always claimed he had a hundred million fans. She kicked the river water again, feeling the cool splash, and murmured, “He’s a bastard, and he’s getting married.” Taking a deep breath, she couldn’t stop the sense of loss within her; in the blink of an eye, he would be married. Be happy for him! She really could jump into this Li River now, Jessica, oh Jessica, lucky girl!

“Getting married so young, it’s simply unreasonable,” Natalie leaned against the back of the bamboo chair, looking up at the azure sky. He had always been so steadfast in love, considering her a friend from the start; she, this “fallen angel,” never had a chance at love. Well, that’s that! She pulled her phone from her backpack and dialed him directly, saying as soon as the call connected, “Hey, congratulations!”

In the Bahamas, Atlantis Hotel, in the dimly lit bedroom suite, Wang Yang, lying on the bed, wiped his forehead and opened his bleary eyes. Addressing the phone that had buzzed loudly earlier, he said, “Oh thanks, it’s the middle of the night over here, man.” On the other end, Natalie laughed, “I don’t care; aren’t you happy?” Wang Yang blinked and replied, “Yeah, it’s alright, thank you.”

Looking at Jessica sleeping peacefully beside him, he gingerly lifted the blanket and got out of bed topless, asking, “Anything else… what’s up?”

“Just realized I hadn’t sent my well wishes yet.” Natalie squinted into the direction of the sun, her eyes pierced by the bright rays, and said into the phone, “Wishing you happiness! May you and Jessie be forever joyful.” Hearing the thank you on the other end, she asked, “When’s the wedding?” Wang Yang replied, “Engagement next month, wedding in January.” Natalie kicked the river water again and nodded, “Oh! That’s quick, GOOD!”

“But I won’t attend your wedding. You’ll surely have lots of guests, you won’t miss one more. I don’t want to see that kind of moving scene; I’ll cry, can’t handle it,” Natalie said with a faint smile, repeating, “Wish you happiness.”

Wang Yang went to the water cooler and poured himself a glass, feeling somewhat odd. He drank silently and said, “OK, no problem. Natalie, I don’t quite understand… are we still good friends?” Natalie laughed airily and said, “Don’t flatter yourself too much. Alright, I won’t disturb your lovemaking any longer, bye!” Listening to the beep of the disconnected line, Wang Yang frowned oddly, then smiled faintly, silently thinking to himself, “You’re a good girl, a charming girl, but I’ve already got one.”

The world is so cruel! SHIT! Natalie snapped her phone shut with a clap, wishing she had stuck with her original dream of becoming a vet; then she wouldn’t be dealing with all these worries now. Thinking too much! She looked around at the green mountains and suddenly began to smile softly, “The world is also so beautiful!”

Raising her hands, she murmured with a laugh, “Alright, alright! This summer has been amazing.”

“`

“Miss Natalie, I suddenly remembered, is Wang Yang the one who…” The boatman vaguely recalled his daughter mentioning something about a movie being filmed here, some director, he questioned, “Is it that filmmaker?” Natalie nodded, a bit surprised, does everyone really know him? She replied, “Yes, that’s the director.” The boatman, while punting the bamboo raft, asked, “Do you want to come to see the movie being filmed? I’ve never seen him, so I don’t know where he’s filming.”

The premature leak of their wedding, media reports, and blessings from friends did not interrupt Wang Yang and Jessica’s joyful vacation in the Bahamas.

They went scuba diving at the Sapona Shipwreck site on North Bimini Island, exploring a cement bootlegging ship from the 1930s, swimming with sea turtles, stingrays, and other marine life. At Dolphin Cay, they played and swam with the dolphins. The instructor was about to teach them some basic commands and gestures to direct the dolphins, not expecting Jessica to already be familiar with them. Moreover, she naturally was especially popular among the dolphins.

Watching the dolphins circle around her, watching her joyful and radiant smile, gently kissing the dolphins, enthusiastically surfing and dancing with them, Wang Yang, standing alone in the water, suddenly felt that now, he truly understood what beauty was.

The two left a trail of unforgettable, sweet memories in the Bahamas until late August, when they returned to Los Angeles with laughter.

During this time, the last month of the summer movie season also gradually came to an end. On the North American weekly box office chart for August 15-21, the champion, not surprisingly, went to “Freddy vs. Jason,” which won with a weekly gross of $48.04 million. In the following week, August 22-28, it retained the champion’s title with $17.23 million, bringing its total North American box office to $65.28 million, already returning its $30 million production cost.

Yu Rentai achieved success again in his directing career after 1998’s “Child’s Play 4: Bride of Chucky,” which had a budget of $25 million and garnered a global box office of $50.67 million. Despite the film’s poor critical reception, such commercial films always prioritize box office results. And Wang Yang, who shocked the world with “Paranormal Activity” in 1998, which made $323 million globally on a $10,000 budget, also delivered a perfect answer in his first movie after winning the Oscar for Best Director.

“Chinese directors have been releasing influential horror movies in recent years.”

“Cinema Weekly” mentioned this trend when reporting the weekly box office and briefly commented on the charm of horror films brought by Eastern thinking.

Wang Yang, of course, needs no introduction. “Paranormal Activity” nearly scared a little girl to death, traumatized youngsters around the world, and led to demands by children’s protection organizations in Italy and other countries for its ban. Just as many media fans had speculated, “Cinema Weekly” said, “Wang Yang, at 18, got scared too; he played it a bit too big. Perhaps this is why he was eager to leave horror films and never look back.”

Yu Rentai was the Hong Kong Ghost King who lost his power in his effort to integrate into Hollywood; despite much-acclaimed success, he faced rotten tomatoes. Huang Yiyu (James Huang), who directed and wrote “Final Destination,” was also attacked by rotten tomatoes but brought forth a creative horror film loved by the youth. Another James, James Wan, received much acclaim at this year’s Sundance for his “Saw,” a horror film guaranteed to be exciting by Wang Yang. What results can it fetch in November? “Cinema Weekly” and many other professional media and horror film enthusiasts are already brimming with interest.

However, now, over the course of August’s four weeks, Chinese directors have once again dominated the theaters since 2002. Last year “District 9” stood alone, while this year’s competition was halved, with “MIT-21-TEAM” maintaining strong performance for the first two weeks and staying as the runner-up for the last two weeks.

In its third week, its box office dropped by 37%, taking in $31.76 million across 3,350 theaters; in the fourth week, the number of theaters increased to 3,380, but the box office trend dropped another 47%, claiming $16.83 million from the total weekly box office of $144 million. With four weeks of screening, its total North American box office reached $174 million. Analysts predict it could ultimately stand at $185 million.

Although it couldn’t hope to reach Wang Yang’s previous average North American box office of $240 million, the $174 million performance has already indisputably “set a new box office record for the genre.”

It not only surpassed “Gambler Ma Huali” with a global box office of only $183 million but also exceeded the $164 million North American box office of “Catch Me If You Can” at the beginning of the year. In terms of Las Vegas-themed films, it leaped to third place and has an excellent chance of surpassing the $183 million of “Ocean’s Eleven.” It has now officially dominated the box office rankings for both “gambling” and “con artist” movie genres.

Because the card counting by the MIT team wasn’t a crime, “21” wasn’t categorized as a “true crime” film; otherwise, it would have topped “Catch Me If You Can” on the charts.

In just over two weeks in overseas markets, “MIT-21-TEAM” became the box office champion in dozens of countries and regions, breaking through to 133 million US Dollars, with a global box office of 307 million.

In mainland China, it swept up 113 million yuan (approximately 13.84 million US Dollars) in 14 days, ranking fourth in the history of China’s box office. With a great film and overwhelming promotional efforts by Wang Yang, it achieved this impressive feat.

Although the summer vacation was about to end, its slowing momentum could not possibly reach the 360 million of “Titanic” or surpass the 250 million of “Hero,” but it would undoubtedly climb over the not-so-high mountain of “Life and Death Decision” at 120 million, rising to third place in mainland cinema history. However, whether it could stand on the 200 million yuan box office threshold remained an unknown.

After this battle, almost every movie-going fan and internet-savvy youth in mainland China was familiar with Wang Yang, this unprecedentedly peculiar director. However, the news of his upcoming marriage made many female fans sigh in disappointment, as their admiration for this new idol had not even had a chance to warm up!

In the even more fervent Hong Kong region, “The Genius God of Gamblers Team” also grossed 18.64 million Hong Kong Dollars (approximately 2.42 million US Dollars) in 14 days. This result ranked beyond the top 50 in Hong Kong cinematic history, far from the number one “Shaolin Soccer” at 60.73 million and the top gambling movie “God of Gamblers 2” at 52.54 million, but averaging 1.33 million Hong Kong Dollars per day in this weak market was quite spectacular, securing its stable position at the top of the weekly charts.

Two other hyped big-budget movies released at the same time – the fantasy cop movie “The Myth” starring Jackie Chan with a claimed investment of 300 million Hong Kong Dollars, and the globally explosive “Pirates of the Caribbean” – both had box offices under 8 million. Meanwhile, the comedy “Dragon Loaded” was a surprising hit, securing second place with over 10 million in box office revenue in two weeks, restoring some pride for local Hong Kong cinema.

“The Ghostbusters” swept through Taiwan, taking 118 million New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 3.62 million US Dollars), seizing the champions’ spot on the weekly charts with the same level of fervor.

As August 29th arrived, a new week began, marking the last week of this year’s summer movie season.

However, since May’s “X-Men 2” and “The Matrix Reloaded”; June’s “Finding Nemo”; July’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”; to August’s “MIT-21-TEAM,” the dazzling summer of 2003 had quietly passed.

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