novellhall Chapter 26 The Clown Who Jumps Over the Beams
Chapter 26 The Clown Who Jumps Over the Beams
At 5:15 PM, at the entrance to the Cultural Center Square on the red carpet, a cacophony of camera shutters clicked, and flashes rose and fell in the twilight.
Celebrities, directors, and producers arrived one after another, and the shouts of reporters and fans continued.
As a black Mercedes slowly drove in, the crowd of reporters on the perimeter stirred.
"This is Li Jiaxin's car, Lin Dong uses it. Lin Dong is here!"
The celebrities who had just stepped onto the red carpet all turned around. Lin Dong opened the car door, straightened up, adjusted his suit, and looked towards the other end of the red carpet.
He then bent down and reached into the car. Li Jiaxin placed her hand on his, and the moment she stood up in her high heels, flashbulbs started rolling.
"Lin Sheng! Over here!"
"Miss Li! Look here!"
"Jiaxin! Jiaxin!"
The two walked side by side down the red carpet, Li Jiaxin taking his arm. The train of her dark green evening gown trailed across the red carpet, its side slit revealing glimpses with each step.
Upon reaching the autograph board, Lin Dong took the marker from the hostess and wrote the two characters "Lin Dong" on the board in cursive script, with crisp and clean strokes.
Li Jiaxin signed her name next to him, slowly and deliberately, with a dignified and composed demeanor.
When she entered, she didn't look at the reporters on either side, but simply leaned her head slightly against Lin Dong's shoulder.
Inside the Cultural Center Grand Theater, crystal chandeliers illuminated the entire hall with a golden glow.
The front row seats were already mostly occupied. When Lin Dong casually sat down next to Li Jiaxin, he glanced to his left and saw that Xiang Yeqiang was already sitting there.
"Lin Sheng!"
"Xiang Sheng".
The two shook hands.
"I just spoke with Chairman Wu," Xiang Ye said in a low voice. "He said he's arranging for you and Chen Long to present the award for Best Actor tonight. That's quite a prestigious arrangement; Chairman Wu has put a lot of effort into it."
Lin Dong smiled, "Then I'll take the chairman's favor into account."
Just then, Andy Lau walked over from a distance and bent down to greet him.
"Lin Sheng, Xiang Sheng."
"Wah Jai." Lin Dong shook hands with him.
Andy Lau leaned closer and lowered his voice, "I just saw Brother Chenlong backstage. He asked me to pass on a message that he'd like to chat with you for a bit backstage before the awards ceremony."
"OK."
Just then, Wang Jing squeezed in, his face beaming. "Mr. Lin! A reporter outside asked me if the post-production promotion for 'Prince of Dark Horse' should start early. I said of course—Mr. Lin invested 30 million in this film, so it has to be big-budget!"
"Fatty, stop bragging," Xiang Ye forced a laugh and scolded. "You're just worried that Lin Sheng won't have enough money to spend."
"No way! I'm just making the most of what I have!"
Amid laughter, Wang Jing squeezed back into his seat.
Li Jiaxin was about to whisper something to Lin Dong when she caught a glimpse of another group of people entering the red carpet entrance—Zhou Xingchi was walking in front, dressed in a black suit with his hair neatly combed.
His female companion, wearing a white halter-neck evening gown and with slightly curled long hair, obediently followed beside him; she was Zhang Baizhi.
Zhang Baizhi's eyes searched the room, and when he saw Lin Dong, his eyes lit up. He took a step forward, but then he saw Li Jiaxin's cold gaze.
His eyes were telling her, "I don't allow you to come over here, otherwise it will look bad for everyone."
She stopped in her tracks.
It was at this moment that Jiang Wen came to Lin Dong's side.
He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in "The Soong Sisters".
"Lin Sheng!" He reached out and shook hands firmly with Lin Dong. "Finally caught you. Speaking of that matter—I called Third Master as soon as I got back to Beijing."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"Third Master smiled as soon as he heard your name." Jiang Wen lowered his voice. "'Lin Dong? You mean that Hong Kong boss who voted for 'Devils on the Doorstep'? Tell him to come over right away. I'll be waiting for you in Beijing anytime.' — His exact words."
Lin Dong's lips curved slightly. "Director Han, you're too kind."
"It's not just politeness," Jiang Wen waved his hand. "I've dealt with him for so many years, I know his attitude well. I genuinely want to talk to you about this. Set a time, and I'll personally pick you up from the airport when you arrive in Beijing."
"Okay. I'll leave once I've finished what I'm doing."
Just as Jiang Wen was about to speak, a short, stocky figure squeezed out from the crowd.
Zeng the Shorty. He was short, had a loud voice, and a neck so short it looked like his shoulders were supporting his head.
When he squeezed in front of Lin Dong, Li Jiaxin subconsciously stepped back half an inch.
"Lin Sheng—this is incredible!"
He tilted his head back, grabbed Lin Dong's hand tightly, and showed no intention of letting go.
"Look, the moment you arrived, all the female celebrities in the room stared wide-eyed. I've been standing here for ages, and nobody's even glanced at me!"
He started laughing first, and his laughter was very loud.
Lin Dong didn't laugh; he just felt disgusted.
He pulled his hand back, took out a handkerchief, and slowly wiped his fingers. One by one, from his thumb to his little finger, right in front of Zeng the Dwarf.
Zeng the Shorty's smile froze for half a second. The fat at the corner of his eye twitched, then he forced a smile again. He took half a step forward, his chest almost brushing against Lin Dong's sleeve.
"Mr. Lin, let me tell you—I have a script, a comedy, the kind that's guaranteed to be a hit. A few million will be enough. If you're interested, let's work together, I guarantee you'll make a fortune—"
He extended three short, stubby fingers and lightly touched Lin Dong's chest.
"—Trillion!"
Lin Dong took a step back.
This step back wasn't too much; it was just enough to restore a normal social distance between him and Zeng the Dwarf.
But the step back, coupled with the fleeting look of disdain on his face, accurately conveyed one message—don't touch me.
"You should talk to Mr. Chen from my company about investing in projects."
"President Chen? Chen Xinjian?" Zeng the Shorty waved his hand dismissively. "It's pointless to talk to him. I'll talk to you. We're brothers, it'll be settled in a few words. Let's have a drink after this is over—"
"I don't make friends with people who don't know their place." Lin Dong's voice wasn't loud, but he enunciated each word clearly.
He looked at Zeng the Dwarf, and the perfunctory smile on his face completely disappeared, replaced by an undisguised and clear disdain.
The guests who were exchanging pleasantries nearby all lowered their voices in unison.
Xiang Yeqiang was chatting with a producer when he heard this. He paused for a moment and glanced over in their direction.
Zeng the Dwarf's smile finally crumbled.
His lips twitched, and the layers of warmth he had built up peeled away, revealing the anger and embarrassment beneath.
He took a half step back, raised his chin slightly, and pointed his nostrils at Lin Dong.
"Tch, what's with the airs? He's just a nouveau riche. He'll be worthless the day he goes bankrupt. Now he really thinks he's some big shot?"
Before he could finish speaking, a voice interrupted him.
"Who do you think you are?"
It's Li Jiaxin.
She took a step forward, the hem of her dark green evening gown swaying gently with the movement.
Her chin was raised higher than Zeng the Dwarf's, but it was completely different from Zeng the Dwarf's bluffing head tilt—her posture was from above, as if she were someone who was tall enough to look down on someone who was not worth her attention.
"Does he really think he's a big shot just because he's been in the game for thirty years? Some people spend their whole lives doing that—"
A smile that was utterly contemptuous crept onto her lips.
"—In the end, he was just a clown."
Zeng the Shorty's face turned a deep liver color. "You—"
"Zeng the Shorty," Xiang Yeqiang said calmly, but his gaze was deep. "Lin Sheng is a strategic partner of Yong Sheng. Now, are you saying that I, Xiang Yeqiang, have no foresight?"
"Xiang Sheng, that's not what I meant—"
"Then what do you mean?" Jiang Wen pressed directly.
He took a step forward. Standing in front of Zeng the Dwarf, it felt like a mountain looking down at a mound of earth.
Zeng Aizi's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He looked at Xiang Yeqiang—Xiang Yeqiang was expressionless. He looked back at Jiang Wen—Jiang Wen's eyelids drooped down by half an inch, his gaze like that of someone looking at a cockroach that had smudged the carpet.
He dared not reply to anyone.
The purplish-red color on his face changed from red to white, then from white to gray. He forced a half-hearted smile, which looked worse than crying.
Then he stepped back—one step back, then another, turned and pushed through the crowd, his short, stocky figure flashing through the gaps in the people before disappearing.
Li Jiaxin withdrew her gaze and gently patted Lin Dong's hand. "Ignore him. He's just a clown."
Lin Dong turned to look at Xiang Yeqiang. "Mr. Xiang, thank you."
Xiang Ye waved his hand dismissively. "Mr. Lin, everyone sees that you're making movies in Hong Kong. Some people are just being tactless. In the future, just tell me about these kinds of things."
Jiang Wen also said to Lin Dong, "I've seen plenty of people like this. If you don't give them face, they'll think you owe them something. Don't spoil them, just confront them head-on."
Lin Dong smiled outwardly, but inwardly he had already sentenced the short man to death.