Marilyn Monroe

After leaving Chinatown, Zhang Xuan, Steve, and Bucky wandered the streets for a while before heading toward the Stark Expo industrial park. The expo was about to begin.

To everyone else, the Stark Expo brimmed with a futuristic sci-fi feel, but to Zhang Xuan, every piece of emerging technology was an antique so old it could not possibly interest him.

Following behind the excited Steve and Bucky, Zhang Xuan kept thinking about what story he should tell when he met Vivien Leigh. He remembered quite a few good movies, but there were not many suited to this era. The one that stood out most was Roman Holiday, but Zhang Xuan did not want to use it. He wanted to save that film for the "angel fallen to earth," Audrey Hepburn.

After ruling out Roman Holiday, Zhang Xuan did not have many movies left to choose from. After much consideration, he settled on three films. As for which one he would choose, he would decide after meeting Vivien Leigh.

All three were classics in Hollywood history. The first, Ghost, was an undisputed tearjerker romance. Zhang Xuan believed that even if it appeared decades early, it would not lose any of its charm. The second, The Shawshank Redemption, was the uncrowned king of the Oscars. That title alone was enough to prove its status. The third, Cinema Paradiso, was a pure dream about movies, a classic beyond question.

In fact, Zhang Xuan had prepared a fourth film as well, Malèna. But thinking of the passionate scenes in the movie, he ultimately decided to give it up. America in this era had not yet gone through the *** movement, and very few people would be able to accept such scenes in a film.

As he recalled the plots of the three movies, Zhang Xuan unconsciously slowed down. A surge of people squeezed through him, and he was immediately separated from Steve and Bucky ahead. By the time Zhang Xuan came back to his senses, the two were nowhere to be seen. Everywhere he looked was a sea of colorful heads.

"Forget it. If I can't find them, I can't find them." Zhang Xuan did not care much about losing them. He found a corner and sat down, starting to organize his thoughts. He had seen the movies, but vividly recounting their plots was rather difficult for him. Left with no choice, Zhang Xuan could only prepare in advance.

"Hi, hello!"

Just as Zhang Xuan lowered his head in thought, a clear female voice suddenly rang out beside him. He looked up in surprise. The girl before him took his breath away for a moment, and he replied uncertainly, "Hello?"

The girl looked only thirteen or fourteen, yet there was none of the immaturity one would expect on her face. Instead, she carried an unprecedented maturity. Despite her young age, she already possessed a charm capable of captivating everyone.

Whether in his previous life or this one, Zhang Xuan had been a complete virgin. Aside from going out to "handle business," he spent his days in his room and had interacted with women only a handful of times. Still, he had seen plenty of beauties, including many pretty and adorable young girls. Yet in Zhang Xuan's memory, few could compare to the girl before him.

"Hello, my name is Norma Jeane Baker." The little beauty casually sat down beside Zhang Xuan, raised her brows, and introduced herself with a smile.

"Hello, I'm Alex Zhang." Zhang Xuan secretly glanced at the beauty beside him. Seeing the smile on her face, his heart stirred, and he silently marveled, What a beautiful smile!

"Everyone else is off having fun. Why are you sitting here spacing out?" The little girl crossed her legs, turned to Zhang Xuan, and asked curiously.

"I'm tired. I'm just resting for a bit," Zhang Xuan casually made up an excuse.

"I've been watching you for a long time. You've been sitting here almost ever since you came in." The little girl mercilessly exposed his lie. She leaned her small head close to Zhang Xuan's ear and spoke word by word.

"Why were you watching me?" Zhang Xuan did not want to explain himself to a little girl, so he changed the subject. Looking around, he said, "Where's your family? Why are you here alone?"

The little girl's face immediately darkened, and she said in a low voice, "I'm an orphan." Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, as though they could spill over at any moment.

"Another orphan..." Hearing her words, Zhang Xuan thought of himself, then of Steve and Bucky. A major reason the three of them had become so close was their shared background: they were all orphans. Seeing the little girl on the verge of tears, he could not help feeling a trace of sympathy. He gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and asked softly, "Then where are you living now?"

"My adoptive father always hit me, so I ran away!" The little girl hid in Zhang Xuan's arms, trembling.

Zhang Xuan was furious when he heard that. The miserable experiences of his previous life had made him especially hate parents who beat their children. He had punished such parents more than once because of it. But the results had repeatedly shown him that it did not work. The parents he punished only became worse, venting all their resentment on the child afterward.

"Then stay with me from now on!" Zhang Xuan looked down at the crystal tears slipping from the corners of her eyes and suddenly made a decision. He said firmly, "From now on, I'm your brother!"

The little girl poked her head out from Zhang Xuan's arms and looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Brother, the moment I saw you, I knew you were a good person!"

So he had just been given the good guy card? Zhang Xuan did not know whether to laugh or cry.

After holding the little girl in silence for a while, Zhang Xuan suddenly thought of a very serious question. He lowered his head to look at her and asked sternly, "Norma, how did you get here?"

"I came to see Vivien Leigh!" The moment she heard that, the little girl became excited. She wriggled out of Zhang Xuan's arms, stood proudly before him with her head held high, and said smugly, "I'm going to become a huge star like Vivien Leigh someday. I've even thought of my stage name: Marilyn Monroe!"

"Marilyn Monroe?" Zhang Xuan frowned slightly, feeling puzzled. Why does that name sound so familiar?

Right, wasn't that the name of Hollywood's sex goddess? Zhang Xuan stared in astonishment at the proud little girl before him. Vaguely, he could already see the shadow of the future Hollywood sex goddess in her!

"Vivien Leigh is here! Vivien Leigh is here!"

Suddenly, shouts rang out from afar. At the sound, people scattered throughout the expo all surged in one direction.

The little girl—no, Little Monroe—immediately grabbed Zhang Xuan's hand when she heard the shout and ran inward with the crowd.

Vivien Leigh was here? Zhang Xuan snapped back to attention as well. He had come to the Stark Expo specifically for Vivien Leigh.

In fact, it was not just Zhang Xuan and Little Monroe rushing toward the expo's central stage. Everyone attending the expo surged toward it. The roaring crowd instantly surrounded the thirty-foot-square stage, while Zhang Xuan and Little Monroe were still more than thirty feet away.

At five foot seven, Zhang Xuan was considered fairly tall among Chinese people, but before Americans raised on beef, that height was nothing special—Steve Rogers being an exception. All Zhang Xuan could see was a sea of backs of heads and hats.

"What do we do? We can't squeeze in!" Little Monroe had not developed yet and only reached Zhang Xuan's chest. She could not see anything, and even jumping would not help. She was so anxious she was about to cry.

"Brother, hurry and pick me up! I want to see Vivien Leigh!" Little Monroe turned and spotted Zhang Xuan beside her as if she had found hope itself. Both her eyes shone.

Zhang Xuan crouched down and leaned close to Little Monroe's ear. He whispered, "Little Monroe, do you want to meet Vivien Leigh up close?"

Little Monroe looked at Zhang Xuan in confusion. After a moment, she nodded. "I do!"

"Then no matter what happens in a moment, don't be surprised and don't scream, all right?"

Little Monroe found that even stranger, but she ultimately nodded with a determined expression.

"Little Monroe, here we go!" Zhang Xuan murmured. Teleportation activated instantly, and Zhang Xuan and Little Monroe in his arms vanished from where they stood. When they reappeared, they were at the very front of the crowd, only one step away from the central stage.

No one around them noticed the two who had suddenly appeared. Their attention was completely drawn to Vivien Leigh on the stage. Who would notice two extra people appearing out of nowhere?

Little Monroe nestled in Zhang Xuan's arms, her small face filled with shock. She opened her mouth to scream, but then remembered Zhang Xuan's warning. She immediately covered her mouth with both hands and blinked up at him, seeming to ask, "Brother, is this magic?"

"It's a secret!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward the stage, where Hollywood's peerless beauty stood.

PS: I just noticed the text is all crammed together again. When is Qidian going to fix this problem...