Dreaming With My Dragon Lover - Chapter 159

Yuan Ge doesn’t quite get Rong Qiuchen’s analogy, but Amélie immediately knows that Rong Qiuchen has already understood what she was worried about. So, she decides to state her concerns more clearly.

“Qiuchen’s analogy is very apt. You, Yuan Ge, are a big, juicy, delicious peach, but hanging in the small orchard of Dragon Dreams where no one knows about it. Now a big budget film by King Guan has placed you directly at the top of the Queen Mother of the West’s[1] peach party, and from then on, there’s no telling how many ghosts and demons from all walks of life will be vying to take a bite out of you!”

“Come on, you two, what’s there in me to vie for? Shooting hasn’t even started yet, and I don’t even know if I can play the role well. I’m just a faceless nobody right now. If anyone really wants to covet anyone, it should be Arthur Guan. He is handsome and rich. Whether it is family wealth, social status, education or temperament, he is so perfect that it is almost unreal. Surely that must be the ceiling of high quality men, right?”

“I don’t see why a business magnate should be compared to a scholar of great talent. Since the beginning of time, no businessman has had a reputation in history to match that of a great talent. Not to mention the fact that the real protagonist of this film is Gege. When I discussed the new script with you over the past two days, I felt that Gege’s role as Chu Jiliang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, was the soul of the film. He is a perfect character, but fate has trapped him in an emotional prison. In the past, such a role would have been highly sought after in any opera troupe. I am sure that in today’s world it would also be well received by the audiences. ”

Amélie is impressed by Rong Qiuchen’s talk. In her mind, Yuan Ge’s talent is indeed enough to compete with even Arthur Guan’s wealth, but she is unable to speak such heartfelt praise out loud as Rong Qiuchen did.

And she herself has read the outline of the script, but she doesn’t  seem to have the same ability as Rong Qiuchen to analyse the core connotations of a character in a few succinct sentences. Could it be that all this was in fact an analysis he had heard from Yuan Ge?

“Yuan Ge, don’t forget that we’ve signed a confidentiality agreement. King Guan’s script is forbidden to be passed on to third parties.”

“Don’t worry, Qiuchen is quite artistically gifted, I sometimes can’t figure out something and when I talk to him I get inspiration. He’ll be on the set with me anyway when filming starts. This guy has drunk with Arthur Guan and got a personal invitation from him, so this doesn’t count as a breach of agreement on my part.”

Only then did Amélie learn that Yuan Ge had taken Rong Qiuchen to meet Arthur Guan a few days ago. After getting more details of the event, she comes up with a new plan in her mind. Although this Rong Qiuchen behaves strangely, he clearly has a good insight into human nature. What worries her most now is that, as he said, once Yuan Ge’s popularity skyrocketed after playing the role of Chu Jiliang, it would be a big question whether he would continue to be a director and stay in Dragon Dreams in the future! Instead of spending her energy on fighting with this strange kid at this time, she should let him stay by Yuan Ge’s side for the time being. With his sensitivity in reading people’s minds, it seems that he can help Yuan Ge keep the various ghosts and monsters from fighting over him and keeping an eye on this juicy peach.

Thinking in this way, Amélie’s unhappiness that night is somewhat eased.

As it’s getting late into the night, she has to bid her farewell out of womanly reserve. Rong Qiuchen, on the other hand, can stay at Yuan Ge’s house to see off his guests without any worries, which is still quite irksome to her. However, Yuan Ge has promised to accompany her shopping tomorrow. They have been working together for so long, and being able to steal a half day of leisure still makes her very much look forward to it.

The next day, a delicately made-up Amélie Jiang is waiting on time under the pailou[2] at The New underground shopping mall[3].

As a rule, when a man and a woman go on a date, the woman should usually arrive a little later. Apart from the need to show reserve, women take more time to dress up than men.

But Amélie doesn’t want to waste her time on such things. As an elite fashionable overseas returnee, it is pointless to follow such trivialities. It is enough to put on her red-soled heels and be the most striking person in the crowd, making herself unmissable with just one glance.

As expected, at ten o’clock, Yuan Ge also appears on time and immediately notices her in the crowd. However, to Amélie’s annoyance, he is still followed by that little gooseberry that he seems unable to get rid of!

Amélie’s high spirit is slightly dampened. She thought she had hinted clearly enough last night before she said goodbye that she was expecting a date for just the two of them. Why does Yuan Ge have to bring along this extra person!

Yuan Ge certainly understands Amélie’s thoughts and hurriedly explains, “After hearing what you said yesterday, Chenchen did not sleep well all night and was determined to pay me back the money as soon as possible. So, he took my mother’s joke seriously and insisted that he would go with me to the old town today to sell couplets …”

Amélie thinks to herself, “You’re acting as the gooseberry on someone else’s date, and yet you’re blaming it on me!” However, she is quite amused by this bizarre “couplet selling” plan.

“How can he sell his writing as an antique! Is he that crazy for money?”

But Rong Qiuchen, who is carrying a calligraphy and painting tube, is insistent and does seem to take the idea seriously.

“I say, are you sure you are okay? You think you are familiar with Beijing, but what you referred to is the Imperial Capital of the Qing Dynasty, right? The old town area has changed a lot now, with new buildings popping up every few days. Can you find Liang Yu Xuan on your own?”

“Don’t worry, Gege. You pointed out all the changes along the way as we drove over and there are signs at all the junctions, so I’m sure I can find it.”

“If you’re so confident, then I’ll go shopping with Amélie around Xidan for a while, and you can try selling couplets at Liang Yu Xuan on your own. If it doesn’t work out, don’t be stubborn and don’t argue with the shop owner, just leave. Come and meet us at noon sharp at the roast duck restaurant on the top floor of this mall with the pailou.”

“Okay. Enjoy your shopping together and I’ll see you at the restaurant at noon.”

Yuan Ge watches Rong Qiuchen’s back as he disappears into the hustle and bustle of the crowd, and is happy to see that he is much more calm and collected than before. At least when he is in public, he is no longer hiding, afraid of people and cars, and looking like a fool who has never seen the world. If this continues, his dependence on him will surely diminish with time. On the other hand, seeing him becoming more and more like a normal person makes Yuan Ge feel a little out of sorts instead. Human inertia is indeed a terrible thing.

Looking at Yuan Ge’s uneasy look, Amélie can’t help but tease, “You look like an old father sending his only son off to school on his first day. You’re getting too immersed in make-believe, aren’t you? Do you really think he is an ancient man who has travelled to modern times? I think this guy is very shrewd. Let’s see if he dares to pass off what he wrote as an antique. It’s a good way to test whether he’s really crazy or not. “As she says that, she reaches out to take Yuan Ge’s arm.

“Come on, I don’t want you to go shopping with me and have him on your mind all the time.”

——————–

[1] The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. The popular belief is that she is the dispenser of prosperity, longevity, and eternal bliss.

[2] A pailou, also known as a paifang, is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent’s torana through the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles and has been introduced to other East Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

[3] “The New” is the newest shopping centre under Xidan Cultural Square. It was formerly known as the “77th Street” underground shopping mall. After six years of renovation works, it opened to the public on 27 April 2021. The whole mall is positioned as a fashion leader and a place where youth trends take place. More than half of the brands introduced are national firsts, Beijing firsts and concept flagship shops, etc.., mainly facing the young consumer group.