Volume One: Days in the Shantytown - Into the Fray, Bare and Unashamed (Part Two)

Pei Sefei sat beneath the table, her chin resting on the back of her hand, her expression melancholy. On the table stood her favorite pot of lilacs. Soft sunlight slipped cautiously through the window, unwilling to disturb the girl who looked as wistful as the flowers.

"Xiao Fei." A gentle voice came from behind her. An old man with snow-white hair stood in the doorway, leaning on a cane. Pei Sefei turned and managed a smile. "Grandpa." He walked over slowly and stroked his granddaughter's hair. "Xiao Liu told me everything. Ah..." "Grandpa!" Pei Sefei threw her arms around him and could not hold back her sobs.

Neither grandfather nor granddaughter spoke. Apart from the sunlight, the only thing filling the room was Pei Sefei's broken weeping. At last, she stopped crying. After letting it all out in her grandfather's arms, she felt much better. She wiped her face and smiled. "I'm all right now, Grandpa. You're so busy, and you still have to worry about me. I'm sorry..."

The old man waved a hand. "You're my granddaughter. No matter how high an office I hold, I'm still an old man. An old man's happiness is having his children and grandchildren gathered around his knees, enjoying family life in his later years. It's a pity I can't be with you every day. If anyone should apologize, it's me. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to wonder whether every fine young man you meet has an ulterior motive. Ah!"

He let out another heavy sigh, and decades of hardship seemed to settle on his face all at once. Pei Sefei hugged him tighter and gave a little laugh. "Xiao Fei would never blame you, Grandpa. You're my great hero!" The old man smiled fondly, then hesitated. "Xiao Fei..."

The moment Pei Sefei saw his expression, she knew what he was about to say. She covered her ears and whined playfully, "I'm not listening! I'm not listening! Grandpa wants to Guan Xiao Fei at home again, so Xiao Fei can't hear a word you're saying!"

The old man gave a helpless, rueful smile. "You stubborn girl. You've been like this since you were little. Even after you get hurt, you refuse to change your ways. Ah, if this is the line of work you want, I won't interfere. But what happened this time is only the beginning. The world of fame and fortune shows every face of human nature. Are you ready to bear it all?"

"Don't worry, Grandpa," Pei Sefei said firmly. "I made my choice, and I'm going to stay on this path."

The old man nodded sadly and said no more.

As soon as he left, the resolve vanished from Pei Sefei's face, replaced by desolation. She reached out and gently cupped a flower bud. Someone's face rose in her mind. Ah, I thought you were different. But you're just like all those other people who approached me with ulterior motives... A bitter smile appeared on her lips, one she had worn many times before.

Star World was the largest entertainment newspaper in City X. As the leader of the city's fashion scene, Star World had its pride. Its staff could not be bothered to report on minor stars or interview small companies. Yet small companies that did not know their place kept sending invitations, most of which went straight into the shredder.

Xiao Ying was a new editor at Star World. A graduate of a prestigious university, she had beaten more than thirty other candidates to land the job.

As the newest employee, she handled the editorial office's daily odds and ends, including those tedious invitations.

Most of the invitations were extravagantly designed in the hope of catching the editors' attention. Xiao Ying had been there for only a little over ten days, but she had already seen plenty of them. Today, as on every other day, she finished her work, gathered the discarded documents, and prepared to feed them into the shredder. Among them was a thick stack of invitations.

The shredder hummed away. Whole sheets went in; strips like tiny fish came out. Everyone else in the editorial office had gone home. Bored, Xiao Ying leafed through the pile, and one unusual invitation caught her eye.

What made it unusual was how plain it was. Among all those lavish invitations, this one, made of stiff white paper, stood out like a crane among chickens. Xiao Ying could not resist pulling it out. She opened it and stared in astonishment.

Luo Company Film and Arts will hold a press conference at 7:30 tonight at the City-State Grand Hotel. At that time, we will announce our collaboration with Mr. Wolslo, winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Director. We hope you will attend!

Wolslo, the Golden Lion Award's Best Director! If the news was true, it was absolutely worth covering. Xiao Ying gripped the invitation. The editorial office was empty. Should she go to the editor-in-chief? What if it was fake? After all, she had never heard of Luo Company Film and Arts.

Her heart began to pound. Clutching the invitation, she knew she had found an opportunity.

At the City-State Grand Hotel, Luo Qian had rented a conference room for the press conference. It was expensive, and all the money he had spent over the past two days made him wince. Still, these were only assets in the Lower Realm. He could take them or leave them; even if he lost them all, he would not care. What galled him was that little Pei Sefei did not believe him. Luo Qian shook his head. He wanted to wash his hands of the whole affair, but that was not his style. He saw things through. Fine. Once I've settled this, I'll never contact her again.

Reporters had begun arriving one after another. Luo Company Film and Arts had no reputation to speak of. If not for Wolslo's name, probably no one would have come.

Of course it had no reputation. Luo Qian had registered the company at the last minute, just before signing the contract.

By the time Xiao Ying arrived, the press conference was about to begin. When the hotel staff heard she was an editor from Star World, they arranged a seat for her in the front row. With her press pass hanging around her neck, she sat down uneasily.

At the appointed time, a young man emerged from backstage. He stood on the platform and smiled with confidence. "Good evening, everyone. I'm Luo Qian, spokesperson for Luo Company Film and Arts Company. Thank you for coming tonight. For certain reasons, Mr. Wolslo cannot attend this press conference in person. But I can tell you that our contract with him is worth two billion yuan!"

The room erupted. This was big news—unquestionably big news! Reporters from papers large and small knew they had been right to come. Camera flashes crackled without pause, and questions flew at Luo Qian like hand grenades. He pressed both hands downward. "Quiet, please! I'm not making this up. In accordance with the contract, we've already transferred the funds to Mr. Wolslo's account. We've prepared copies of the contract for you to examine."

The promise to reveal details of a confidential contract stirred the reporters up even more. Hotel staff distributed the photocopies they had prepared to every reporter. Xiao Ying sensed that something was amiss. Why reveal a contract that should have remained confidential? Instead of crowding around the man onstage and firing questions at him like the others, she studied its terms carefully.

She read through page after page. Nothing seemed wrong.

Was I mistaken? Xiao Ying had faith in her judgment. She kept reading.

There it was! Xiao Ying found what she had been looking for. Alongside a flicker of satisfaction came profound shock. A scandal—an international scandal, without question!

Xiao Ying stood with the contract raised in her hand and called out, "Mr. Luo, is it true that you've hired a Golden Lion Award-winning director to make pornographic films?"

"..." Every reporter froze. They had not had time to examine the contract closely. None had noticed that it stipulated Wolslo must make pornographic films for broadcast on pay channels in Europe and America. The hall fell so silent that a sparrow's chirp could have been heard. The news had stunned them all: a Golden Lion Award-winning director making pornographic films!

Not erotic films. Pornographic films! Naked, unadulterated pornography!

Across the vast lands of China, a world-class scandal had finally broken.

Luo Qian straightened his bow tie and answered with a smile. "This young lady has a sharp eye. That's right. We've spoken with Mr. Wolslo. He intends to use the three hundred million US dollars we're providing to build a porn empire spanning Asia, America, and Europe!"

"And what's more!" While everyone was still reeling, Luo Qian dropped another bombshell. "Mr. Wolslo has decided to write, direct, and star in his pornographic debut himself. The script will draw on true stories involving Mr. Wolslo and numerous actresses. You'll find all these details in the contract. Want to see a Golden Lion Award-winning director bare it all? Want to witness a world-class director's performance of passion? The Golden Lion Director and the Rumored Actresses: The Untold Story, exclusively from Luo Company Film and Arts. Stay tuned!"

"That concludes today's press conference. We've prepared a sumptuous dinner for you all..."

Dinner? Who had time for dinner? With news this huge, they had to work through the night to get it out. It would shock the world!

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Far away in Africa, where he was preparing his art film, Wolslo stared at the contract in his hands and roared in disbelief.

"What's impossible about it? It's not the first time I've worked a little immortal magic. What's changing one contract?" Luo Qian strolled down the street, pleased with himself. On the giant screen of a shopping center beside him, a Li-Ning advertisement was playing: Li-Ning. Anything is possible!