Chapter 235: Michael Jackson

Inside the cabin late at night, most of the passengers were already asleep. Xiang Fei rose quietly, carefully stepped over the sleeping Zhou Huimin, and headed toward the lavatory.

Outside the lavatory, a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask was leaning against the cabin wall, seemingly waiting. Seeing Xiang Fei approach, he lifted his head, revealing a pair of deep, penetrating eyes.

"Hey, Aiven." The man's voice was soft and magnetic.

Xiang Fei froze for a moment, sizing up the other man in the dim light. Those eyes... seemed familiar.

The man slowly removed his mask: "My name is Michael Jackson."

Xiang Fei was instantly wide awake: "MJ?!" He lowered his voice in an exclamation, "Oh my God, it's really you!"

The two sat down in the empty flight-attendant rest area at the rear of the cabin. Michael took two cans of cola from the small personal fridge and handed one to Xiang Fei.

"Congratulations on sweeping the four major film festivals," Michael said with a smile. "I've watched Drive My Car three times—especially that long car interior shot..." He made a gesture. "Absolutely stunning."

Xiang Fei was a little flattered: "Thank you. Honestly, your 'Thriller' MV is the epoch-making work."

The two chatted happily, ranging from music to film, from artistic creation to cultural differences between East and West. Michael talked about the new album he was preparing, while Xiang Fei shared his ideas for future film projects.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our aircraft will make a brief stop at London Heathrow Airport..."

The broadcast interrupted their conversation. Michael stood up: "Aiven, I'm getting off the plane first. Next time you come to America, remember to call me." He handed Xiang Fei a gold-embossed business card.

Xiang Fei took it solemnly: "Definitely. I'm looking forward to our collaboration."

Watching Michael's retreating figure as he left under the escort of his bodyguards, Xiang Fei still felt a bit dazed—what an extraordinary encounter on this flight.

When the plane landed at the capital international airport, the exit was already packed with media and fans there to greet them.

"Xiang! Look this way!"

"Mr. Hong Jinbao, can you share your feelings about winning the Oscar for Best Actor?"

Camera flashes flickered like a torrential downpour. On the airport's big screen, footage of Xiang Fei accepting his Oscar was playing on loop, with scrolling text below: "Pride of the Chinese people! Director Xiang Fei completes the Grand Slam of the four major international film festivals!"

Han Shanping was busy dealing with calls from various producers, while Hong Jinbao was surrounded by reporters. Zhou Xingxing stood low-key to one side wearing sunglasses, glancing from time to time at Li Bingbing, who was being interviewed.

"Xingzai," Xiang Fei walked over, "not coming with us?"

Zhou Xingxing shook his head: "Li Xiuxian's side is pressing hard, reshooting scenes for the new film." As he said this, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

At the VIP lane exit, the group was about to part ways.

"Brother Hong, sure you won't stay a few more days in Jingcheng?" Xiang Fei asked.

Hong Jinbao grinned: "Gotta go back and keep the wife and kids company! They saw me win the award on TV and were over the moon."

Han Shanping patted Xiang Fei on the shoulder: "I'll head back to the company to handle the distribution matters first, and come find you for a detailed talk later."

The most surprising was Li Bingbing. This usually brash Miss suddenly walked up to Zhou Xingxing with a flushed face and gave him a tight hug: "Take care... remember to keep in touch."

Zhou Xingxing froze on the spot, his ears bright red, stammering: "Y-you too..."

Walking out of the airport, Xiang Fei was stunned by the scene before him—on the billboards along both sides of the street were all posters for Drive My Car; in front of newsstands, people were scrambling to buy magazines carrying Oscar news; even the old man selling jianbing by the road was enthusiastically discussing the film with his customers.

"Hear about it? Xiang Fei is the first Chinese director to sweep all four major film festival awards!"

"Hong Jinbao is also amazing—the first Chinese person to win the Oscar for Best Actor!"

"Xing Ye is pretty impressive too, he won Best Supporting Actor—at least half a Best Actor!"