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墨書 Inktalez
Mo Yan, the Princess, was quite a renowned figure in the capital. She was well-fed, skilled in martial arts, and often rode around on horseback, intervening whenever she encountered injustice. Each of these traits made her less appealing to the noble ladies, who certainly did not want their sons or grandsons to marry a woman lacking the grace and refinement expected of a lady.
As a result, while most noble daughters were engaged by the age of thirteen or fourteen, Mo Yan, the Princess, was already seventeen and still unbetrothed. It wasn't that there were no suitors; rather, those who came were primarily attracted by Prince Qirui's power. Such opportunists were looked down upon by Prince Qirui, who had no intention of compromising his daughter's happiness. Thus, unable to find a suitable son-in-law in the capital, Prince Qirui turned his gaze beyond its borders.
Yue Yunfei, somewhat foolishly bumping into Mo Yan, became her playful rival. This delighted Prince Qirui immensely. He had already decided that if Yue Yunfei hesitated to marry his daughter, he would simply kidnap him and deliver him to her bed himself. What a good father!
Fortunately for everyone involved, Yue Yunfei had developed feelings for Mo Yan. He found everything about her charming; even when she ate heartily, he merely teased her about it. In truth, he thought to himself that a hearty appetite meant good health and the potential for future children.
Thus began a series of playful interactions between Mo Yan and Yue Yunfei, their relationship growing stronger with each encounter.
“Bang bang bang—” Mo Yan pounded on the door while calling out, “Li Wei Feng, hurry up! We’re going hunting. You promised to make us Beggar's Chicken!”
Yue Yunfei beside her gently advised, “Maybe we shouldn’t disturb Wei Feng. He stayed up late brewing wine with Jiang Shi'an last night; let him sleep a little longer.”
Mo Yan pointed at the sun hanging high in the sky. “The sun is already overhead! How can he still be sleeping?”
The door swung open, revealing Elder Brother Li. “Alright already! Stop knocking! I’ve had enough sleep; let’s go.”
The three of them called for Geng Shi'an and set off from the military camp on horseback. The Marshal and Prince Qirui turned a blind eye to their antics—all for the sake of Mo Yan's future happiness!
They arrived at the riverside where Mo Yan and Yue Yunfei had first met. Yue Yunfei led Mo Yan in foraging for wild game while Geng Shi'an and Elder Brother Li gathered firewood and wild vegetables along the way. By the time they reached the riverbank with their firewood, Yue Yunfei and Mo Yan were already there cleaning their catch. Only Yue Yunfei was handling the bloody work; he couldn’t bear to let Mo Yan get her hands dirty. With nothing else to do, she went over to help Elder Brother Li start a fire.
Elder Brother Li arranged the dry wood and struck flint against steel vigorously. A few sparks flew onto the oiled paper on top of the wood but failed to ignite it. Just as he was about to strike again, Mo Yan pulled out something from her pocket that looked familiar to Elder Brother Li.
“Let me try,” she said. With a twist of her fingers and a press of a button, flames sprang forth quickly igniting the oiled paper and then catching onto the dry wood.
Geng Shi'an and Yue Yunfei returned with their game, both stunned into silence as Elder Brother Li stood equally dumbfounded. This was the second time they had witnessed an object that seemed out of this world.
“Princess, what is this thing you used to start the fire? It looks so exquisite!” Yue Yunfei asked.
“It’s a lighter,” Elder Brother Li answered.
Mo Yan laughed joyfully. “You know what a lighter is? I thought no one from Border knew about such things!”
Elder Brother Li struggled to contain his racing heart and asked, “Can I take a look at your lighter?”
Mo Yan nodded and handed it over to him. “Be careful with it; this lighter is worth a thousand taels of silver.”
"Is it really that expensive?" Yue Yunfei exclaimed.
"Yes," Mo Yan, the Princess, replied. "Things are valuable because they are rare. And as you can see, this lighter is exquisite and very useful. The Ginger Merchant Group only auctions three lighters each month, and there are many people vying for them. This one was even bestowed by the Emperor; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get it."
Elder Brother Li excitedly took the lighter, turning it over in his hands as he examined it closely. It was indeed the familiar lighter he knew, with a plastic casing and the brand name written in pinyin. Others might not understand it and would think it was just a strange pattern. Such a cheap lighter could be bought for ten yuan for a dozen in modern times, but in ancient times, it had become a rare treasure. Elder Brother Li felt a complex mix of emotions and struggled to find the right words to describe it.
"Is the Jiang Family merchant group that auctions lighters from Sanchuan Prefecture?" Elder Brother Li asked.
Mo Yan, the Princess, nodded. "That's right; it's Consort Jiang's family. Didn't they send supplies to the Border recently? The Emperor was very pleased and granted the head of the Jiang Family a title."
Elder Brother Li thought that the Jiang Family must be quite remarkable. Perhaps the head of the Jiang Family was also someone who had traveled through time? Once the war was over, he would definitely return home to meet this head of the Jiang Family.
...
Li Yishu stood beside the Porcelain Jar, finally receiving the "technical" materials bestowed by the Deity. Holding a paper detailing the steps to make Soap Opera and Soap, Li Yishu excitedly went to find Li Zhoule.
"Sister, we have methods taught by the Deity! We won't lack Soap Opera and Soap anymore."
Li Zhoule was just as happy as Li Yishu. Boys didn't value Soap Opera and Soap as much as girls did, but Li Zhoule could imagine women fighting over these two items.
Li Zhoule took a deep breath. "Li Yishu, go call Brother Wen and the others. Let's divide up the work and start making Soap Opera and Soap today."
...
Hanno and Chang Miao enjoyed a satisfying hot pot meal at a restaurant before returning home. After not writing for several days, Hanno decided to write more today. The plot of Hong Kong Entertainment Dream had progressed halfway: Yue Junzhe's fame grew as her works gained more recognition, attracting unwanted attention from gangsters who pressured her with guns in one hand and checks in the other to force her to write scripts. In the 1990s, Hong Kong's gangs were rampant, especially in the entertainment industry; many male stars were threatened at gunpoint while filming, and female stars faced even greater dangers. Yue Junzhe was relatively fortunate; at least she received compensation for her work, thanks to her social status. Scholars held a respectable position in Hong Kong society, and she had good relations with figures like Golden Giant Fang Menghua; thus, gangsters dared not offend her and treated her with more respect than they did other stars who appeared glamorous but were looked down upon by gangsters as mere actors of lower status who could be bullied at will.
As a result, the script for God of Gamblers was completed ahead of schedule.
"I want to choose the actors," Yue Junzhe stated firmly.
"That's fine," came the agreeable response. They were making movies to earn money; actors recommended by screenwriters were more likely to produce good films than those chosen randomly. Only good films could make money.
“Gao Jin will be played by Zhou Lun, and for the role of the knife, we’ll have the limitless Andy Lau. As for the knife's girlfriend, A-Zhen, I recommend Yixue Zui for that role.” Yue Junzhe confirmed that the two main characters would be portrayed by their original actors. After all, Zhou Lun’s Gao Jin was a classic among classics. However, when it came to the other two female leads, she had her own preferences and suggested Yixue Zui for the role with more screen time.
Yixue Zui had been on a great upward trajectory in recent years, starring in several of Yue Junzhe's dramas and becoming one of the leading actresses in the limitless production company. Life was getting better for Yijia, but Aunt Yi had not quit her job doing housework for Yue Junzhe. In the eyes of Yijia’s family, Yue Junzhe was both their benefactor and patron; they wanted to repay her well and solidify their relationship with her, ensuring they would never become estranged.
“No problem,” the other party replied readily. “Is there anything else?”
“For the role of Dragon Warrior, I think of Mr. Cheung.”
The other party was taken aback. “That Mr. Cheung?”
Yue Junzhe nodded. “Yes, that Brother Xiang, Mr. Cheung.”
The other party hesitated. “But our gang hasn’t collaborated with New Idea An before; I’m afraid Mr. Cheung might not be willing to join.”
Yue Junzhe smiled and said, “Isn’t this a great opportunity for collaboration? You can show the script to Mr. Cheung and invite him to join; both gangs can benefit financially. With your connections and influence, you’ll earn even more.”
After thinking it over, the other party found the idea appealing. “Alright, I’ll contact Mr. Cheung right away.”
Brother Xiang was a legendary figure in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. He was a prince of the underworld with considerable status but had an immense passion for film and acting. He debuted in the Seventies and played many movie roles; later, he established his own film company and produced several films that are considered classics in Hong Kong cinema history. In the Nineties, aside from cameo appearances, he transitioned to behind-the-scenes work as a producer, overseeing dozens of projects and dedicating his life to the film industry.
Mr. Cheung was indeed attracted by the role of Long Wu and agreed to take it on while also investing money into the film. With ample funding, the production became even more exquisite than originally planned, resulting in phenomenal success upon release, with box office numbers that made other film companies envious. In the Eighties, a film titled Brother's Debut achieved a record-breaking box office of 11.02 million dollars in Hong Kong history; however, just five years later, this record was shattered by Lucky Stars with a staggering 30.74 million dollars at the box office. Just as investors were preparing to celebrate their success, God of Gamblers burst onto the scene with over 6 million dollars more in box office earnings than Lucky Stars, claiming that year’s top spot and leaving many film companies wondering if any film could break this record.
Naturally, there were films that could do so. Yue Junzhe quickly wrote scripts for Gambler and Gambling Saint, casting Andy Lau as Gambler and Zhou Xingchi as Gambling Saint—no competition there. The box office record set by Gambling Saint broke that of God of Gamblers, finally bringing Stephen Chow's absurd style into mainstream recognition. Following this success, Yue Junzhe presented the script for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and appointed director Li An to helm it. Although Li An was still quite young at that time, he proved to be a talented director; while his version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may not have reached the original's level, it still achieved about seventy percent of its charm. The original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon captivated audiences worldwide due to its allure. Now released twenty years earlier than expected, its appeal only grew stronger with global box office earnings exceeding one hundred million dollars—making both gangs involved in its production wealthy beyond measure—and prompting more gangs and film companies to seek Yue Junzhe’s scriptwriting talents; however, they were blocked by both gangs.
“Yue Junzhe, do you think we will win an award?” Yixue Zui asked Yue Junzhe as they sat together at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California during the 59th Oscar Golden Star Awards ceremony. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had garnered even more acclaim than its predecessor and received numerous nominations for Oscar Golden Star Awards—including Best Supporting Actress—thanks to Yixue Zui’s role as Jade Fox due to Yue Junzhe’s personal bias towards her casting choice. When this nomination reached Hong Kong, Yixue Zui's market value skyrocketed; she had become a leading figure among Hong Kong actresses.
“Not likely,” Yue Junzhe replied. Although Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon received more nominations than its predecessor did, it was unlikely to win more awards overall given that racial discrimination in America during this era remained severe.
“Your competitors are formidable—especially Diane Wiest from Hannah Sisters. I think your chances of winning are slim,” Yue Junzhe comforted Yixue Zui. “Just consider this an opportunity to experience something new.”
Yixue Zui let out a long breath: “That’s what I think too. You have no idea how nervous I am; my back is soaked with sweat from my dress! Now that I know I’m here for Cameo Roles, I can relax a bit.”
Cameo Roles was a term that had definitely been learned from Yue Junzhe.
Andy Lau leaned in closer, asking, "What are you all talking about?"
This guy had naturally appeared as Tiger Chen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
"I can't possibly win Best Supporting Actor," Yixue Zui replied.
Andy Lau looked at her enviously and said, "At least you have a nomination. I'm just here for the Cameo Roles."
Director Li An chuckled and joined the conversation, "Whether we're here for Cameo Roles or not, just being here is already a greater success than for many others."
Yue Junzhe smiled and said, "Yes, Director Li An, you and your team can now be considered the pride of the Chinese community."
Director Li An responded, "The pride of the Chinese should belong to you. Without you, there would be no Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and none of our current honors."
Yue Junzhe smiled back, "The honor belongs to everyone."
The awards ceremony finally began. This year's Academy Award did not have any major winners; only Combat Squad took home five awards. Hannah Sisters followed closely behind and could have won three awards, but Best Supporting Actress was snatched by Yixue Zui, leaving them with one less.
When Yixue Zui's name was announced on stage, everyone from Hong Kong erupted in cheers, while Yixue Zui herself was stunned. Yue Junzhe nudged her awake, pushing her shoulder gently: "Aren't you going up? You're holding everyone up; the host might get annoyed with you~"
Yixue Zui stared blankly at Yue Junzhe: "Am I not dreaming?"
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