Chapter 98: My Blueberry Nights

Before the crowd from the BBS could arrive, Chen Nuo had already pulled Liu Yifei away.

But the Film Academy was such a small place; after leaving the pyramid, they had nowhere else to go, so they could only walk along the quiet, secluded path next to the library.

Unexpectedly, Liu Yifei, who had been studying here for four years, was looking around with a fresh, curious expression.

Chen Nuo couldn't help but ask, "You've never been here before?"

Liu Yifei gave a soft "Mm" and said, "No, I rarely stay on campus. Now that I'm about to graduate, I realize there are so many places I haven't walked through; everything feels so unfamiliar."

In his later life, on Weibo, Chen Nuo had seen many netizens say that Liu Yifei's skin was excellent and that she was beautiful even without any makeup.

At this moment, with Liu Yifei just inches away, Chen Nuo really wanted to tell those friends who could only drool over her photos: You were right, the truth is exactly that.

Her skin was truly excellent.

From Chen Nuo's angle, he could see her face looked like a flawless piece of white jade; he couldn't see any large pores or blackheads. Her straight jawline was tight and smooth, as if she had received water-glow injections from twenty years in the future.

Chen Nuo also noticed that her taut earlobe had a tiny piercing, like a drop of dew on a pure white lilac petal. Not only was she bare-faced today, but she wasn't even wearing earrings.

Liu Yifei didn't know why she hadn't wanted to wear makeup when she left the house today. In any case, she felt there was nothing to dress up for; she wasn't going to see anyone else—she was going to see Chen Nuo.

At this moment, feeling Chen Nuo's gaze, Liu Yifei suddenly realized there was no one around. For some reason, she felt a sudden flutter of panic and somewhat unnaturally tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "What are you looking at?"

Chen Nuo asked curiously, "Did you get even fairer after going to Japan?"

Hearing this, Liu Yifei remembered those unhappy things and couldn't help but puff out her cheeks. She had a bit of baby fat, and this action made her face look like a steamed bun.

Liu Yifei gave a "Hmph" and said, "Because I was training from morning till night over there. I didn't even step out the door or see the sun, so of course I got fairer. Sigh, sometimes I really want to give up. The reason I came back so early this time is because I'm just so tired. I regret transitioning; actually, being an actress was fine. Chen Nuo, don't you think?"

Chen Nuo nodded and said, "Yes."

Liu Yifei sighed slightly, "But the contract is already signed, so it's too late to regret it. By the way, Chen Nuo, are you really going to the United States to film Director Wong Kar-wai's movie?"

Chen Nuo said, "Yes."

Liu Yifei looked at him cautiously and said, "But they don't think highly of you."

Chen Nuo chuckled.

Liu Yifei was truly a kind girl. It wasn't just that they didn't think highly of him; after the news of his collaboration with Wong Kar-wai broke, domestic film critics were almost unanimously pessimistic.

Logically, a 19-year-old Berlin Best Actor winner paired with a Cannes Best Director—this kind of powerhouse combination should be highly anticipated regardless of the circumstances.

Whether it was for the sake of hype or something else, the current public opinion was the exact opposite.

The famous Sina Blog film critic "A Glimpse of Old Color" was the first to publicly express pessimism on their blog:

"Wong Kar-wai plus Chen Nuo looks beautiful, but sorry, I have to pour a bucket of cold water on everyone. In my view, their failure is almost certain. Why would Wong Kar-wai choose such a green Chinese actor as Chen Nuo to break into the Western market? To date, besides martial arts actors, has any other Chinese actor succeeded in Hollywood? We all know the answer is no. Wong Kar-wai has been dazzled by the Silver Bear trophy."

After "A Glimpse of Old Color," almost overnight, Sina Blog was filled with negative expressions.

The more tactful ones felt there would be a clash of cultures, and like "A Glimpse of Old Color," they believed that a Hong Kong director plus a Mainland Chinese lead could never succeed in the West.

And the more direct ones began to question Chen Nuo himself.

For instance, when Chen Nuo went online last night, he saw a film critic called "Bear Breaking Corn" who had posted a review with over 200,000 clicks, rambling on for nearly 10,000 words about how he had already become arrogant.

"Looking at the two films Chen Nuo has released so far, whether it's 'The Zhang Zhang Yaba's House' or 'Perhaps Love,' we can see that he lacks experience working with excellent actors. Don't mention to me that there are actors in 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'; Liu Yifei isn't even qualified to call herself an actress. Those who understand Wong Kar-wai's films know that his style is about the collision between people—including the collision of emotions, relationships, and even eye contact."

"I don't know where Chen Nuo gets the confidence to think he can rely on a Chinese face to collide with blue-eyed, blonde people. As far as I know, he hasn't even left the country yet, his college entrance exam score was only 400-something, and his English might not even be passing! I estimate he can't even communicate, so how will he act with the other party, and how will he portray the relationships between people in a Wong Kar-wai film?"

"I assert here that Chen Nuo is ruining his own future. I can already see him falling to pieces from his high-and-mighty throne of Best Actor."

Under this review, the most liked comment was: "Young people always have to take a few falls to grow; I hope the blogger can be a bit more tolerant."

Following that were:

"The leaders of the Film Academy don't care about this; they only want fame. Chen Nuo has been ruined in their hands."

"Watching him play the mute, it's practically intentionally uglifying the Chinese people. I hope he collapses soon and quits the entertainment industry."

"A male vase. Blogger, you lose if you take it seriously. Rumor has it the Berlin award was bought."

"Watching 'Perhaps Love' made me cringe. Please, Chen Nuo, stay away from Xixi. Who is Wong Kar-wai? Never heard of him."

"I just want to see him return to school dejected." The overwhelming comments on the internet even permeated into reality. The teachers at the Film Academy had originally unanimously agreed he should go, but after returning this time, Qi Yuntian told him there were already some discordant noises.

Regarding this, Qi Yuntian was very angry, but Chen Nuo felt fine.

Compared to the professional anti-fans he had in his previous life, these people could only be considered primary school-level anti-fans who had just graduated from kindergarten.

He wasn't afraid of a scandal; perhaps he would become even more popular after one.

Chen Nuo smiled at Liu Yifei and said, "Yes, no one thinks highly of it. But like you, the contract is signed, so I have to act. So, let's work hard together. You sing in Japan, I film in America, and together we'll use facts to prove to them that they were wrong."

Liu Yifei tilted her head, not knowing what she was thinking, then revealed a faint smile, "Mm, let's work hard together."

The two walked in silence for a while. Liu Yifei kicked a small stone in front of her and asked, "Has your visa come down? When are you leaving?"

"Not yet, I'll submit it in a few days."

"Where are you filming? LA?"

"No, it's New York."

Liu Yifei suddenly hopped forward two steps, her tone becoming a bit more cheerful, "New York is closer to Japan."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Yes, New York is closer. By the way, you've been training in Japan for so long, have you learned a word or two of Japanese?"

Liu Yifei said, "Of course I have. I'm going to release an album in Japanese later. Do you want me to teach you a couple of phrases?"

Chen Nuo put on a mysterious look, "Sure. But for Japanese, I only want to learn one phrase."

"What?"

"No."

Chen Nuo thought he might be the first person in the world who dared to make such a joke with Liu Yifei.

But not only did she understand it instantly, she didn't get angry; instead, she giggled and said "Eh~~" before saying, "You're so bad, I'm ignoring you. Do you know? My Japanese teacher is named Yoko Yamashita. She's very pretty and very gentle, but she's over 30 and still unmarried. Because her boyfriend isn't good to her, and Japanese men are all very chauvinistic..."

Today in Beijing, it was rare to be free from the winter haze. In the deep blue sky, there were only a few wisps of clouds, and the warm sunlight spilled boundlessly over the earth, causing the remaining snow under the trees by the road to slowly melt.

Chen Nuo and Liu Yifei walked on the small path in the campus. The wind from the melting snow was a bit cold, but they didn't seem to feel it at all. Beside the road was the Film Academy library. Looking in through the rows of windows, one could see the students inside burying their heads in books, preparing for final exams.

Liu Yifei whispered about the various trivial matters she had experienced in Japan over the past few months. Chen Nuo listened very carefully, asking a question or two from time to time. No matter what he asked, Liu Yifei would answer him very seriously and carefully.

There was a quiet, gentle atmosphere between the two, just like that night, that phone call that lasted 1 hour and 7 minutes.

Chen Nuo suddenly remembered something and said to Liu Yifei, "By the way, I have a roommate who really likes you. Can I call him later and have him come over so you can sign an autograph for him in person?"

Liu Yifei was stunned for a moment, then revealed an extremely brilliant, toothy smile, which made Chen Nuo feel a bit dazed, pulling a scene from the filming of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' out of his memories.

That was at the bottom of the Passionless Valley; Li Xiaolong Maiden had smiled just like that, and she said, "Guo'er, you've finally come."

But the next moment, Liu Yifei wasn't like the cold Li Xiaolong Maiden. There was a bit of smugness and playfulness in her eyes as she said, "I don't easily give autographs to others. If you want me to agree, there's one condition: you must reply to my text messages from now on."

"... Then can you send a few more words?"

"But I don't know what to send."

"Then I don't know what to reply either."

"Chen Nuo! You're so annoying, I'm not signing for him anymore."

"Whatever you have, come at me; don't hurt the innocent."

"Stand still and let me hit you once."

Chen Nuo stood still, and Liu Yifei hit him on the arm, not too hard and not too soft. "Hmph, then I'll think about what to send."

A smile appeared in Chen Nuo's eyes: "Okay."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 99 =====