Oma was dizzy from Huang He’s boasting. Although Leng Zhiruo’s translation was a bit difficult to understand, Oma grasped the basic meaning. The man in front of him claimed to be a sort of astrologer or prophet.
He predicted that Oma would become the President of the United States, and that it was his destiny. This made Oma feel a mix of excitement and amusement.
The excitement stemmed from a faint, underlying ambition within him, a voice that asked, “Are the mighty and noble born superior to others?” But he also found it ridiculous, wondering if this Chinese man took him for a fool, believing such outlandish prophecies.
“I know you’re skeptical, but that’s alright. How are your father in Kenya and your brother?” Huang He asked with a smile. Oma was startled. How did this man know his father was from Kenya and that he had a brother?
“Are you investigating me illegally?” Oma asked angrily.
“I don’t need to investigate you. I just need to take one look, and I know everything about you!” Huang He said calmly.
“Mr. Huang, if you expect me to believe your words based on these past matters, then you are mistaken!” Oma stated firmly. “Unless God tells me something, I won’t believe anyone’s so-called prophecies!”
“Alright, let’s not discuss this further. But I believe you’ll be interested in finding me in the future. Here’s my business card. This number is only valid for the next two weeks, as I’ll be returning to China after that.”
“I won’t find you!” Oma said resolutely.
“Don’t resist me so much. I won’t harm you; on the contrary, I need your help, as you are the Son of Destiny!” Huang He placed the business card into Oma’s palm and continued, “In the state senator election next week, you will win with 62.73% of the votes and secure a position as an Illinois State Senator.”
After Huang He finished speaking, Oma looked at him with some hesitation. He suddenly felt a sense of dread, and Huang He seemed rather intimidating. He no longer wanted to stay, so he quickly drove away from Li An’s villa. However, he clutched the business card Huang He had given him tightly in his pocket.
The state senator vote would begin tomorrow, and the results would be known in a week. By then, he would know if this Chinese man was a prophet.
Of course, Oma didn’t have even 1% faith in Huang He. But what if, just in case?
………………
“Brother-in-law, you were just messing with the lawyer, weren’t you?” Leng Zhiruo asked curiously after Oma left.
“Fifty-fifty,” Huang He smiled.
“What do you mean?” Leng Zhiruo was a little confused.
“I dreamt about him!” Huang He chuckled. “Once, I dreamt of a scene more than ten years in the future where this Mr. Oma, having become the President of the United States, was describing his past to reporters.”
“I thought it was just a dream, but I didn’t expect to meet the real person. So, I said what I saw in my dream. Whether it’s true or not, who knows!”
Of course, Huang He was talking nonsense. This wasn’t a prediction; it was future history. But Huang He couldn’t possibly say that. After much thought, the only plausible explanation seemed to be a dream.
Some might question why Huang He didn’t find an opportunity to speak to Oma privately about these matters.
While that might seem sensible, the problem was that Huang He didn’t speak English. He needed someone to translate for him, and among all translators, who could be more trusted than Leng Zhiruo?
Therefore, he had to rely on Leng Zhiruo’s help.
“Brother-in-law, your dream had a black person in it!” Leng Zhiruo looked at Huang He strangely, her gaze implying suspicion about his preferences.
“What do you know? Great figures throughout history always have extraordinary experiences. Perhaps your brother-in-law is the Chosen One!” Huang He said with a grin. In situations like this, metaphysics was the only way to explain it.
After all, compared to revealing his rebirth, metaphysics was more believable.
“Did you chase away that lawyer, Oma?” Li An emerged after seeing Oma depart.
“No, Mr. Oma said he had something to attend to and left in a hurry!” Huang He smiled.
“It’s good that he left. That guy isn’t simple, and I don’t like him!” Li An said calmly. It was almost 6:00 PM, and the backyard barbecue was ready. Everyone gathered in the backyard. Even the bodyguards, holding both their guns and skewers, praised the Chinese barbecue style and declared Huang He the best owner they had ever met, vowing to protect his safety with their lives.
“By the way, Mr. Li, after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you’ve taken over a year off. Do you have any new film plans?” Huang He asked with a smile.
“Yes, I have two scripts in hand. Could you help me see which of these two is better?” Li An, recalling Huang He’s previous evaluations of his films, became interested and wanted to know Huang He’s assessment of these two scripts.
To be honest, Li An himself was unsure which script he should direct.
“That would be great, I’m open to anything!” Huang He grinned. Li An glared at Huang He and then turned to go into the house. After a moment, he took out two scripts and placed them before Huang He.
Huang He glanced at them and saw that one script was titled Brokeback Mountain, and the other was Memoirs of a Geisha.
Without hesitation, Huang He tossed Memoirs of a Geisha to the ground and even stomped on it forcefully.
“What are you doing?” Li An asked, displeased.
“You can’t touch this. Anyone who touches it will have their parents die!” Huang He said with a grin. “You dare to film something Japanese, Mr. Li? Aren’t you afraid of your ancestors’ graves being dug up?”
“Why are you so narrow-minded? Can’t we separate artistic works from historical grievances?” Li An retorted.
It wasn’t unreasonable for Li An to think this way, as the idea that art is borderless was prevalent in the art community. Moreover, Li An himself graduated from Carnegie Mellon, and Taiwan’s attitude towards Japan was well-known. Therefore, Li An wouldn’t see anything wrong with filming a movie called Memoirs of a Geisha.
In fact, Li An was relatively fortunate. Some native Chinese actresses who starred in this movie truly disgraced China’s reputation.
And they were playing Japanese prostitutes. Don’t tell me geishas aren’t prostitutes, but artists. If you consult Japanese cultural writings from a hundred years ago in the Edo period, geishas were high-class prostitutes, similar to the famed Eight Beauties of Qinhuai.
Chen Yuanyuan even graced the emperor’s bed. Does that disqualify her as a prostitute?
“Okay, okay, can we set aside nationalistic sentiments and discuss this purely from a cinematic perspective?” Li An asked with a wry smile.
“Fine!” Huang He picked up the script, flipped through a few pages quickly, then threw it to the ground again and stomped on it a few more times, making Li An’s eyebrows twitch.
If Huang He weren’t a billionaire, Li An would have already kicked him out.
In reality, Huang He didn’t need to read it. He knew exactly what this was. However, at this stage, the film was still in script form, and theoretically, Huang He shouldn’t know about its existence. Making comments without reading it would seem too contrived.
“What has this script done to offend you now?” Li An asked helplessly.
“Nothing, I just felt disgusted by a few Chinese names on it. I’ll issue a ban when I get back. Anyone who dares to film this movie will find themselves unable to make a living in China’s entertainment industry!” Huang He declared imperiously.
“I said, don’t bring nationalism into this. Can’t we just talk about the film itself?” Li An repeated.
“If this movie isn’t released in mainland China, and if Chinese people aren’t cast in it, and if it’s all Japanese women, then I certainly won’t bring up nationalism!” Huang He stated. “But with several Chinese actresses as the main characters, I’m surprised. Why would a Japanese film about Japanese geishas cast Chinese actresses?”
“It’s simple. The movie is targeting the Chinese market and wants to be released in China, so it needs to cast a few Chinese actresses. Naturally, I have to bring up nationalism!”
“You’re mistaken. This movie wasn’t made by Japanese people; it was financed and produced by Spielberg. These three actresses were chosen because they are the most well-known Asian actresses in Hollywood. Their combined presence is a guarantee for box office success!” Li An explained.
“Oh, if it’s for box office success, then this movie is even more doomed!” Huang He said without hesitation. “If this movie’s box office in the United States exceeds 60 million US dollars, then I’ll admit defeat.”
“If it can reach 60 million dollars, then it’s considered successful, as the cost is only around 10 million dollars!” Li An chuckled, while Huang He wore an expression of disdain.
“Mr. Li An, if you don’t want to have a stain on your career that you can never shake off, then you can take on this movie!” Huang He advised. “This is destined to be a film that pleases no one. Americans won’t like it because it contains no elements they enjoy. Chinese people won’t like it because it depicts Japanese prostitutes. Japanese people will dislike it even more because why should a group of Chinese people play the prostitutes of Great Japan?”
“Why would you get involved in a film that cannot please any of the three countries?” Huang He questioned.
“Alright, then let’s talk about the other one!” Li An fell silent, then picked up the script for Brokeback Mountain and said.
“This is a movie made specifically to win a Nobel Prize. Don’t you need a Best Director award? Relying on this will definitely get it for you. As for box office numbers, don’t have too many expectations, but it will definitely gross more than Memoirs of a Geisha!” Huang He said drily.
“It’s the Oscars, what are you talking about, Nobel Prize!” Li An cursed.