Chapter 303: A Trip
The promotional activities lasted for several days. The entire crew would fully cooperate with this promotional event to create momentum for the film. Although it was criticized by people as a bundled sale, it had to be said that their marketing strategy was correct. At least in a short period of time, it pushed the movie Black Wolf to the top of Weibo’s hot search, allowing more people to learn about this movie and also to notice this action star, Hu Qing, whose popularity was not as good as before.
This movie was first filmed in Hainan, and after the promotional activities ended, the entire crew would go to Africa for filming. The environmental conditions in Africa were harsh, and it was in a tropical region. To film there, there was no precedent in domestic films, and it was also a commercial film. There would be a large number of action scenes in the film. For this, Hu Qing had hired a Hollywood action director and a Hollywood cinematographer, just to create the best movie.
A Hollywood-configured cinematographer, as well as an action director, art director, and the well-known star An Xiayue in Hollywood. Such a lineup did indeed easily arouse the interest of the onlookers, but the investment in this film was only over two hundred million RMB. Many people questioned whether the movie could present the best effect.
But in any case, An Xiayue had come to the set after all. She had known before signing the contract that she would be following the crew to Africa. Her friends in Hollywood were all asking her why she didn’t find a bigger company, such as Chenghe, and instead had to find a has-been actor like Hu Qing.
An Xiayue had her own ideas. If it weren’t for the fact that the script was good enough, she would never have agreed. Of course, the salary was also one aspect.
“When I heard you were coming back to China to film, and it was a movie by a third-rate director, I thought you were crazy. But I know you are a child with your own opinions. I believe you won’t make a rash decision.”
An Xiayue was on the phone with her mother, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, chatting about work matters. She was eating snacks while chatting with her. People are always like this. When the work pressure is high, they like to munch on snacks.
“Mom, I just want to be as good as you.”
“But I hope you do better than me.”
“That’s too much to ask, Mom. You know, for a child star like me, it’s not an easy thing to continue my glory after growing up,” she said.
An Xiayue had acted in Hollywood movies since she was a child, many of which were supporting roles, but she had earned enough heat and popularity. American audiences were very familiar with this mixed-race child. She had also acted in many blockbusters, but after growing up, her popularity was no longer there, and the heat had dropped. It might also be that the North American audience was not interested in her increasingly oriental face, even though she was still blonde, even though she still had American blood. But abroad, racial discrimination was everywhere, just that they didn’t dare to show it too obviously.
“Yueyue, you are a good child. When you said you wanted to go to Hollywood before, we didn’t stop you. We knew you had your own ideas. This time is the same. You chose to return to your home country to develop, to play a role you’ve never played before. I also hope you are right. We have a house in Beijing. I will mail you the key. Remember to go back and take a look.”
“Okay, I will. By the way, Mom, how are Grandpa and Grandma?”
“They’re in good spirits, on vacation in Hawaii. I guess they’re living more and more in the past.”
“Hahaha.”
An Xiayue’s mother had also made a name for herself in Hollywood when she was young, even creating a world for herself, leaving her name on the Walk of Fame, and even participating in many box office blockbusters. She was a bona fide Hollywood actress. Later, she retired from Hollywood and never acted again, which was a great regret for movie fans all over the world.
“Mom, I will succeed. I promise.”
Her voice was not loud, but it was very firm, and it also expressed her determination.
Her career in Hollywood had not been booming in recent years. The movies she had participated in had very low box office, and the movies she starred in had only grossed ten million US dollars at the global box office, causing a box office loss. The only noteworthy works she had were The Twin Sisters and Pocket Money from her childhood, as well as the TV series Skyfire Agent and Red Light after she chose to act in them. The latter drama she acted in was not even the female lead.
She wanted to make movies, to act as the female lead in a qualified commercial movie, so that she could gain a firm foothold in Hollywood. Now that Hollywood had abandoned her, she could only choose to return to her home country.
Actually, her current situation was quite similar to the Hollywood Chinese star Bruce Lee in the 1970s. When he was struggling in Hollywood back then, he was not given the respect he deserved just because he was Chinese. In a fit of anger, he returned to his hometown of Hong Kong to develop, and after becoming a big hit, Hollywood took the initiative to come and ask him to make movies.
If possible, she also hoped to do the same.
“Good luck, my daughter.”
After the person on the other end hung up the phone, only then did An Xiayue put down her phone. This trip to Africa for filming was fraught with danger. If she wasn’t careful, she might even encounter lions and other wild beasts. Of course, she also had to be careful of poisonous insects and the like. But this had nothing to do with Yu Linna, who was just here to sit in. She was very idle every day, besides writing manuscripts, there was nothing else. She also had to write more autographs for the organizers to use as prizes.
“Shion-sensei, want to go swimming together?”
She knocked on her room door and went in to ask.
“No, I can’t swim.”
Yu Linna took off her headphones and replied faintly.
An Xiayue simply toured her room. It was quite clean, and there was no clutter on the desk, just a laptop. On the computer was her manuscript, and on the desk was a cup of hot coffee.
“You’re quite diligent. It’s not without reason that many people in the industry say you update quickly.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
“Let’s go on a yacht. There are some for rent here. Let’s go out to sea and play together.”
Yu Linna had originally wanted to refuse, but An Xiayue impolitely pulled her up from her seat.
“Sister Yue?”
“Come, with, me.”
She said one word at a time, her tone brooking no refusal, making it impossible to escape. If possible, she really wanted to refuse, but clearly she couldn’t.
“I don’t want to wear a swimsuit…”
“It’s fine. It doesn’t conflict.”
“…”
Alright, she lost.
…
A moment later, two blonde beauties appeared on the beach. One of the blonde girls was taller, with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a thin white hoodie over her swimsuit, from which her bikini could be vaguely seen. Below, a pair of smooth and delicate long legs made countless men’s blood boil. And the other blonde girl was petite and cute, and she wasn’t wearing a swimsuit, just a simple short-sleeved shirt and shorts. But even so, it was enough to attract attention on the beach.
An Xiayue held a hula hoop, wore sunglasses, went to the boss to rent a recreational yacht, and took Yu Linna out to play. She had suggested to Yu Linna that it would be best to wear a swimsuit if they went out to sea, but Yu Linna had stubbornly refused, so she had to give up.
“Hey, you two little beauties, are you both foreigners? You’re so beautiful. Let’s be friends.”
“Are you two sisters? You look so much alike.”
“Do you want to play together? We’ll take you.”
Occasionally on the beach, men would come over to chat them up. Yu Linna was really tired of this. Fortunately, An Xiayue was there. She was very experienced in sending these men to buy drinks, getting rid of them, and then taking Yu Linna out to sea.
After adjusting the position, An Xiayue pulled the switch and drove the yacht out to sea to surf.
“Sister Yue, you’re quite skilled.”
“I’ve been hit on a lot. Let me tell you, white people’s pick-up skills are much better than these guys. They’re too backward. But that’s also good. It’s easy to stand them up.”
The yacht went out to sea. An Xiayue drove the yacht, surfing on the sea. The yacht created waves on both sides, as if cutting the sea in half. It was Yu Linna’s first time on a yacht. She held onto her waist tightly and didn’t let go, while An Xiayue shouted happily.
“Hey, Shion-sensei, don’t be afraid! I’ll protect you! This is very interesting. You’ll like this game.”
“Before that, I just want to survive.”
“Oh, come on, this isn’t dangerous at all. Come on, let’s speed up!”
“Waaahhh!”
She held onto her waist tightly, while the other person shouted recklessly, enjoying the happiness.
After a while, Yu Linna actually felt that it wasn’t so scary anymore. Just as she had said, it was actually quite interesting. Staying with An Xiayue, she wasn’t afraid at all, as if she were being protected.
“Do you like it?”
An Xiayue turned her head and said with a smile. Yu Linna’s face blushed slightly. She lowered her head and held onto her tightly.
“Well, it’s okay.”
“Have you been to Hawaii?”
“No.”
“Next time you come, call me. I’ll take you to play fun things. But next time, you have to prepare a swimsuit. If you play on the beach, you’ll have a lot of good material. Trust me.”
An Xiayue was having a great time playing. Perhaps her usual pressure was too great. This time, being able to come out and play, to release some of it, she was very satisfied. Plus, the crew’s schedule was very tight next. They were going to Africa to film, and it was really fraught with danger there. Before that, she wanted to enjoy herself.
“By the way, is it really okay for you to drive so far? I can’t even see people anymore. This is basically completely out at sea, right?”
Yu Linna started to feel a little uneasy. Their yacht had been driving for a long time, and they had also left the crowd, completely out of the recreational sea area. She started to worry.
It was her first time out at sea. She had followed An Xiayue completely. She didn’t want anything to happen.
“You’re right. We seem to have gone too far. I’ll find a place to dock. There’s an island ahead. Let’s go there and sit… Mmm, what’s wrong with this yacht?”
An Xiayue started to fiddle with the yacht’s switch. She tried a few times, but the yacht’s speed was clearly decreasing. She hit it twice, but there was still no reaction. She had no choice but to try her best to drive the yacht to the side of the island and stop.
“Sister Yue?”
Yu Linna looked at her with a grave expression, her face quite serious, and couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
“I’m sorry, Shion-sensei. This yacht seems to be broken.”
“Huh?”
“Damn it, shit! That boss ripped me off, saying it was 400 yuan an hour. Dammit!”
She angrily smashed this damn yacht. She regretted that she shouldn’t have been so greedy for that little bit of money. This time, she had really played too big.
“It’s fine. If it were me, I might have also been greedy for that little bit of money… Before that, let’s find a place to stay first and contact the outside.”
“I didn’t bring my phone. What about you?”
“I brought it, but there’s no signal here.”
The two of them looked at each other, you at me, me at you. Finally, looking at a vast ocean and an uninhabited island, they felt that they were now in trouble.
