PDLP Chapter 18 The Deal Between Directors
Chapter 18 The Deal Between Directors
It's Saturday again.
The ice blade cut steadily into the ice surface, gliding out a long, slender arc.
Luo Jinnian kept his center of gravity low, his left leg pushed off the ice powerfully and decisively, and his right leg followed suit, allowing him to glide out close to the ice surface. His posture was relaxed but surprisingly stable.
When he switched feet, he was too lazy to lift his leg, and the tip of his blade dragged across the ice, spitting out a string of fine white foam.
As he glided around the bend, he suddenly accelerated, leaning forward slightly. His arms were not deliberately outstretched, but simply hung casually at his sides, causing the hem of his coat to flutter slightly in the wind.
At the end of the straight, he lightly touched the ice, trying to do a half rotation—but he only managed a small half rotation before landing, splashing ice crystals from the bottom of his blade. He chuckled to himself, pushed off with his feet, and slid away again.
The man in the jacket outside the venue took off his sunglasses.
"Wow, he's so handsome!"
This person is none other than the director of "Ice Love Song," a legend in the domestic film genre, and the culprit who assigned the task of teaching Luo Jinnian to ice skating to a middle-aged woman.
Director Qin Chuan chimed in from the side, "Fine, go ahead and take it. To be honest, it's a miracle you even managed to get a minor actor with that script."
"That was sent over by the girl's mother. I'd only seen her picture before. Wait... why are you in such a hurry? I'm casting actors, why are you more enthusiastic than I am?"
On the field,
Two children, completely unaware of the conversation between the famous directors, are talking about pairs figure skating.
"Just three steps?" The boy looked down at his shoes.
"Yeah, just three steps." The girl put her hand on his shoulder. "It's not difficult."
The music starts, three beats slow, steady and clear.
With "The Blue Danube" playing in their headphones, the two children earnestly and awkwardly danced a waltz on the ice.
Luo Jinnian gently placed his right hand on the lower edge of the girl's shoulder blade, while his left hand loosely grasped hers. The girl placed her other hand on his shoulder, her fingertips slightly clenched.
The boy took a small step forward with his left foot, landing heel first and then rolling to his toes, while the girl instinctively stepped back with her right foot. Both of their bodies dipped slightly at the same time—the most basic rise and fall of a waltz.
The boy slid his right foot to the side and brought his left foot to the side, while the girl's left and right feet gently touched each other on the water's surface like two leaves.
The boy and girl simultaneously pulled their feet back, slowly raising their center of gravity and completing a small undulation.
Their steps were so small that they hardly seemed like dancing.
However, he hit every beat perfectly.
As they turned a corner, the boy tried a quarter turn, and the girl traced a shallow fan shape along his shoulder and toes—after the turn, they looked at each other, their lips unconsciously curling up slightly, before quickly pulling back and continuing to stare at their feet.
The song was coming to an end. As they finished the last three steps, they both stopped simultaneously.
The boy raised his head first, and the girl followed suit.
Eyes facing each other.
No one spoke. The girl's ear tips slowly turned red, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
The lights shone down from above, reflecting in each other's pupils, sparkling brightly.
"Is it alright?" The boy's voice was still a little breathless.
"Not bad." The girl smiled, pursing her lips. "Want to try again?"
No wonder people say that artists are passionate; even Luo Jinnian, who prides himself on being rational, couldn't handle this atmosphere.
"Okay. Let's do it one more time."
Today is Saturday. Luo Jinnian arrived at the ice rink in the morning. Because she hadn't eaten breakfast and had done strenuous exercise, she got hungry very quickly at noon.
Teacher Xiaofei waved, wanting the bodyguard to bring out the food.
But then the director's assistant rushed out three lunchboxes as if his feet were greased.
The two kids each got one portion, and I got one portion myself. We sat down and started eating.
"Aren't you going to give me one?"
Qin Chuan felt that he had paid the wrong person his salary.
"Take it yourself." The assistant wolfed down his food, barely able to speak.
When the famous director sat down with his lunchbox, he saw the girl put a very fragrant piece of pork belly into the boy's lunchbox.
"Eat more, you're still growing."
The food in the director's mouth instantly lost its flavor.
"Are you going to eat or not? If not, stop shoveling food around." The assistant deeply resented her boss's behavior of just shoveling food around without actually eating.
"I have no appetite..."
As soon as Qin Chuanguang finished speaking, the piece of fatty and lean pork belly that he was most craving was taken away.
"Who the hell told you to grab my meat?!"
"You're the one who said you had no appetite."
The assistant chewed on the meat, his face full of innocence.
Qin Chuan's face darkened, and after glancing at his niece who was still serving food to the boy, the food in his mouth tasted even worse.
So, do you have an appetite or not?
"If you don't have an appetite, I won't give you any." Qin Chuan glared at his assistant and took a big bite of the meat in the lunchbox.
Hehe, I knew it! How could anyone not have an appetite after tasting such delicious food?
The assistant felt he had done his boss another favor, but unfortunately, the boss didn't seem to be grateful.
Never mind, I'll eat my fill first.
After finishing her meal, the girl took a garment, also without a brand name, out of the trunk and placed it in a brown bag, and handed it to Luo Jinnian.
This was originally a birthday gift that Fei Yuxi had prepared for the boy, but she wanted to give it to him now and then buy him another one on his birthday.
When Fei Yuxi first met the boy, she noticed his clothes, which were clearly torn but he was still wearing them.
She always saw the boy wearing his school uniform, and if the ice rink hadn't provided professional clothing, she thought he would definitely have gone ice skating in his school uniform.
The boy was so handsome, yet he didn't have a single piece of clothing to wear. Fei Yuxi felt a pang of heartache when she thought of the bruises on the boy's back that she had unexpectedly seen.
I'm such a useless teacher.
"I can't accept it."
The previous Costten shirt was for professional use, so what's the big deal about getting another one?
"This is a gift from your teacher. If you don't even accept a gift, you're not allowed to call me 'Teacher Tip' when I teach you skating in the future."
"Then... Teacher Xiaoxi?"
Seeing that the girl was biting her lip and about to cry, Luo Jinnian dared not joke around anymore and changed his clothes in front of her.
Fei Yuxi cried, but she was faking it. She looked at herself with satisfaction at the tall, slender, and handsome young man:
"My apprentice is so handsome."
After reluctantly bidding farewell to the boy, Fei Yuxi asked the director with a serious expression.
"Uncle, what did you talk about with that man in sunglasses just now?"
"secret."
The renowned director, determined to remain mysterious, had no choice but to confess under his niece's smiling gaze:
"The guy wearing sunglasses is the director of the skating movie that his mom got him a job in, I think it's called something like 'Ice Song'."
"I've already discussed it with the director. Once he finishes filming, we won't tell his mother. We'll just lend him to me so he can seamlessly film my scenes."
Looking at the boy outside the car window, Fei Yuxi smiled and waved. Once he was out of sight, she wiped the smile off her face and said in a cool, slightly aloof voice:
"I don't care what you want to do, you have to make sure he has meat and vegetables three times a day, and he has his own money to buy what he wants, understand?"
"Niece, the reason I brought him to the film crew was actually for your sake. Think about it, once he's on our set, you can see him every day, right?"
Fei Yuxi thought for a moment, then said sweetly:
"Uncle is so kind. I'll ask Dad to invest more in your movie."
The famous director wanted to laugh, but something felt off. Oh well, at least his niece had accepted him.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Looking at the handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes reflected in the roadside puddle, Luo Jinnian shook his head narcissistically.
He was already good-looking, but wearing the clothes that Teacher Xiaofei gave him made him look like he was ripped out of a comic book.
An electric scooter had stopped in front of him without him noticing.
The middle-aged woman sat in the car, her eyes gleaming like a hawk's. Her pale face and fixed gaze on the boy seemed to have locked onto its prey.
What is he/she doing here?
It was as if they were the only two people left on the street. Luo Jinnian also looked up and stared at her coldly.