Chapter 446: The Dragon's Descendant 2

The weather outside was nice, with the warm spring sun—perfect for an outing, not for going to work.

Since this area was desolate, they had to drive into the city to eat.

The three arrived at a Western restaurant, walking along stone pathways lined with carefully arranged landscaping, making the place exceptionally beautiful—just eating here lifted their moods considerably.

High-end restaurants always do this—make the scenery beautiful—and this one was chosen by Liu Xiaoli, who loved gardening and was a person of refined taste.

They entered the restaurant and sat by the glass window, where Liu Tianxian ordered a steak for herself.

There weren't many diners here—it was, after all, a high-end venue.

"You know how to eat this now, right?" Liu Tianxian cut a piece of steak with her knife and fork, glancing at Fang Hong beside her.

She remembered four years ago, when Fang Hong still needed her to cut his steak for him—on the cruise ship to the United States. Time really flew.

Liu Xiaoli sat across from them, eating daintily, not joining their conversation, but still listening.

"Of course I do—I've always known how." Fang Hong said.

Liu Tianxian cut off a piece of beef, put it in her mouth, and asked: "Then why didn't you know before?"

Fang Hong leaned closer, whispering: "Back then, I was trying to win you over. I still remember how virtuous you looked cutting steak—it made my heart flutter."

"So you've been lying to me all along," Liu Tianxian elbowed him, unimpressed by his sweet talk.

But she still felt warm inside hearing that last part—deeply pleased.

"Don't keep saying 'lying'—I just used a little trick." Fang Hong sounded quite proud—he'd won her, after all.

"You're not honest at all. Tell me, how many girls have you fooled with this trick?" Liu Tianxian's tone turned stern, aiming her small knife at him.

"I never fooled anyone else—only you." Fang Hong explained.

"So you think I'm easy to fool?" Liu Tianxian pushed back.

"Your IQ? Fooling you would be a waste of effort," Liu Xiaoli suddenly chimed in.

"Hahaha!" Fang Hong couldn't help laughing.

"Mom!" Liu Tianxian pouted, squirming in her seat—her mom was way too sharp-tongued.

"I didn't say anything wrong. Your IQ really doesn't need fooling—look how sincere little Fang is toward you," Liu Xiaoli dismissed her daughter's pouting and complimented Fang Hong.

"I'm not talking to you anymore," Liu Tianxian shoved a large bite of steak into her mouth, looking utterly aggrieved.

Fang Hong was hunched over, eating his steak and smirking.

But Liu Tianxian spotted it—she punched his arm twice with a "bang bang."

Fang Hong winced, rubbing his arm and looking at her.

He didn't say: Why are you hitting me when it's your mom who insulted you?

But Liu Tianxian just "hmphed," turned her head away proudly—hitting this man made her feel much better!

Liu Xiaoli watched it all, siding with Fang Hong: "Let's ignore her. Drink this borscht."

She handed him a bowl of soup as a gesture of comfort.

"Thank you, Auntie," Fang Hong said.

"Why keep calling me 'Auntie'? You and Xixi are already married—you should change your title." Liu Xiaoli said.

"Thank you… Mom!" Fang Hong felt awkward—unaccustomed to calling someone else "Mom."

At first, he'd been uncomfortable, and Liu Tianxian hadn't been used to it either.

"That's better," Liu Xiaoli was satisfied.

Fang Hong still felt a bit shy about the new term; he lifted the bowl of soup to drink—when he heard two sharp "cough cough" sounds beside him.

"Here, you drink it," Fang Hong handed the bowl to Liu Tianxian.

Liu Tianxian accepted it triumphantly, glancing smugly at her mother, looking playfully mischievous.

Seeing her daughter's expression, Liu Xiaoli nearly wanted to tap her head with chopsticks.

Liu Tianxian took a sip of the soup, then fed it to Fang Hong: "You drink too!"

Fang Hong opened his mouth, and Liu Tianxian spooned it in, then cut several pieces of beef and placed them on his plate, urging him to eat more.

They might fight and tease each other, but Liu Tianxian still took care of his daily meals as always—making sure he ate well, afraid he'd go hungry.

Being henpecked was actually quite happy—she cared about what he ate, wore, and whether he was cold or warm, afraid he'd be hungry or chilled—and that was exactly why Fang Hong was willing to be controlled.

After dinner, Liu Xiaoli went home—the filming of Gravity would continue at night; this drama required shooting all day and night.

Since there was no outdoor shooting, it was very convenient.

The reason filming moved so slowly was to polish Liu Tianxian's acting—this role was difficult for her.

"Come on, come on—I bought some snacks, take them and eat!" Liu Tianxian held up a large bag filled with snacks and treats.

She'd asked her Assistant to buy them, specifically to reward everyone.

"Thank you, Sister Fei."

"Thank you, Sister Yifei."

"."

Liu Yin, Li Anran, and dozens of other crew members gathered around, picking through the snacks.

Of course, this one bag wasn't enough—there was also a large crate; Liu Tianxian was very generous in this regard.

Previously, everyone had called her by her full name, but after getting familiar, they all called her "Sister"—after all, she was the Principal's trusted partner; calling her "Sister" wasn't inappropriate.

"Guo Dao, catch!" Liu Tianxian tossed a piece of beef jerky to Guo Fan.

Guo Fan caught it at once, glanced at the elegant packaging—probably costing dozens of yuan per bag—and tore it open without hesitation: "Are you bribing me? I'll tell you straight—I'm not that easy to bribe. If I don't nail this crying scene today, we'll shoot it again tomorrow."

"You must keep your original intention and strive for perfection—don't cut corners for me," Liu Tianxian laughed.

"Hahaha," Guo Fan chuckled.

Although Liu Tianxian had needed hundreds of takes for her scenes, no one criticized her or complained—they were extremely tolerant of her. Simply because her personality was genuinely good—at least better than the Principal's. The higher the Principal's position, the harder it became to truly connect with anyone.

As Gravity continued filming methodically, the Oscars ceremony opened on April 2.

In previous years, it was always in February or March, but this year it was pushed to April, possibly because of Moonlight.

And this movie hasn't left theaters yet—it's still screening; even with just tens of thousands in daily box office, it continues to run stubbornly without closing.

This movie has been screening for at least half a year.

But recently Moonlight has become extremely popular and is a hot Oscar contender.

At the Oscar ceremony venue, Hollywood superstars gathered, dazzling on the red carpet, under the spotlight, bare-chested and half-naked, men thieves and women prostitutes.

Yu Xian also attended this Oscar ceremony; on the glittering red carpet, he held the slender waist of a European-American beauty.

This beauty is Dakota Johnson, a typical European-American beauty.

She's the actress who starred in Fifty Shades of Grey; the two have been involved, and no one knows if Guo Biting will be heartbroken if she finds out.

Their appearance signaled that Fifty Shades of Grey Part Two is in the works.

They're preparing to shoot the second part of this movie, but not in the first half of the year—likely in the second half, still in planning.

Because such a film isn't cheap to produce; they need to accumulate funds first.

Fortunately, Don't Breathe was already released on March 12 and has been screening for over half a month, with outstanding box office results.

Still riding the wave of a dark horse, it earned $26.1 million in the United States alone—more than double its estimated box office—and topped the charts, holding first place for three weeks straight.

Mainly because there haven't been any major blockbusters during this period.

Its global opening weekend totaled $39.13 million; after three weeks, it reached $94.19 million, and surpassing $100 million is just a matter of time.

This movie is rated R, with an IMDb score of 7.1!

By rating standards, it's capable of a breakout—films scoring between 7 and 8 are easiest to explode at the box office; those above 8 are mostly in the art-house category.

Unless a film balances commercial appeal, it's hard to achieve high box office—The Great Conquest of Heaven was pushed up by Fang Hong.

Even a terrible film like The Great Conquest of Heaven, rated only 6, earned 522 million yuan in box office—terrible plot, but still visually appealing.

If not for Fang Hong's interference, this movie could have made a billion.

From Vegas to Macau also earned 314 million.

Whether it made a profit is unknown, but even if it did, it probably didn't make much—actor fees alone consumed a huge sum.

The Oscar ceremony continued; after the red carpet, all celebrities sat inside a massive theater—the theater wasn't luxurious, but awards were being presented on stage.

Every time an award was given, the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause; they joked and teased like they do domestically.

Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay was accepted by the film's director, Barry Jenkins, a Black man whose name is credited as the screenwriter.

Originally, I only gave him revisions and polishing; Fang Hong didn't take credit because the film's subject matter is sensitive—Black homosexual themes—and having a Yellow-skinned person from faraway China write it would feel unnatural and invite suspicion.

Ideological aspects are hard to explain.

When the presenter announced that the Academy Award for Best Picture went to Moonlight, the audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

Yu Xian stood up in his tailored suit, heart racing, and strode quickly onto the stage under the gaze of Hollywood superstars and global live audiences.

He had fewer concerns—he was the Producer, and had always stayed in the United States; as long as he avoided ideological issues, he was fine.

This aspect required particular caution.

"3q3q."

Yu Xian took the Little Golden Man from the presenter's hands, faced the microphone, and saw the guest seats filled with Black and White faces, but very few Yellow-skinned people.

The guests' expressions weren't uniformly welcoming—some wore disdain, clearly looking down on him; others were indifferent; some admired him—it varied.

He was used to it, and added: "I'm thrilled to receive this award. To complete this film, I thank every person involved in its creation—your perseverance brought this movie into the world and earned it this award. Thank you!"

The applause was sparse—not everyone was enthusiastic, because this film won not for its merit, but for political correctness.

"Most importantly, I thank Mr. Hong. Without him, there would be no me today. I am deeply, deeply grateful." Yu Xian raised the Little Golden Man high, then walked backstage to give interviews.

Every winner has an interview segment, and this interview is broadcast globally.

A group of reporters immediately surrounded Yu Xian; one White reporter asked: "Oh my god, Yu, how do you feel about winning?"

"I feel great, very happy," Yu Xian replied.

The reporter asked: "Who is this Mr. Hong you mentioned? Do you have his full name?"

"I can't reveal that—I can only say he's a descendant of the dragon." Yu Xian teased.

"Descendant of the dragon" was a joke Fang Hong made when he first came to the United States, and Yu Xian still remembered it.

"Descendant of the dragon—that means Chinese. Are you saying you're Chinese, not American?" the reporter deliberately asked.

"I've always been Chinese. I never claimed to be American," Yu Xian didn't avoid the question.

After all, he wasn't a celebrity—he worked behind the scenes; moviegoers watch films—who cares who made them?

Some people already curse him online—it's normal; once you gain a little fame, you're bound to be talked about.

"As a Chinese person, isn't it inappropriate for you to win an American award?" the reporter asked again.

"What's inappropriate? I make films in Hollywood for global audiences—what's the problem? Are you practicing racial discrimination by making films in America? Isn't America supposed to be open and inclusive?" Yu Xian shot back.

The reporter was left speechless.

To say "no" would deny their own values of freedom and democracy; to say "yes" would make them resentful that a Chinese person won a major award on their soil.

Besides, Moonlight, which he contributed to, was already a sensitive film.

(End of chapter)