The Best Director

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

No way, someone you know? Wang Yang was a bit startled. There are several movie theaters in this area, and it was a surprise to bump into an acquaintance. But there wasn’t much to be happy about; he didn’t want to encounter any classmates from the University of Southern California right now. The accusation of racial discrimination had already made him a pariah, nearly all his classmates hostile toward him, and he had no desire to entangle himself with those people.

However, the girl’s voice was unfamiliar to Wang Yang; he couldn’t recognize who it was. Using the light, he took a look at the girl. She had chestnut-brown, slightly curly hair and an obviously mixed-race Latin complexion, with a beautiful and charming face that seemed familiar, but she wasn’t a classmate from the University of Southern California nor from his high school; he had no memory of her. He nodded, puzzled, “If you’re talking about Wang Yang, that’s me.”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe it!” When Wang Yang replied, the girl’s face lit up with joy. Covering her mouth with her hands, she was beyond excited, “Yang, I can’t believe we’re meeting again. Oh, my goodness, how can this be? This is just unbelievable!”

Seeing her extremely excited, Wang Yang was even more bewildered. Could she be a long-lost old friend? He couldn’t think of who the girl might be, so he could only ask dejectedly, “Wait, who are you?”

The girl paused for a moment and then smiled, her sweet smile making even Kate Winslet on the big screen pale in comparison. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear playfully, “You don’t recognize me? Haha, I suppose that’s normal. I have changed a lot since I was little; on the other hand, you, you’ve pretty much stayed the same after growing up, just like what I imagined.”

“Let me think…” She said after growing up? So, we knew each other as kids? Indeed, it was a moment of reunion. But Wang Yang racked his brain, thinking about all the playmates and classmates from his childhood, yet he couldn’t recall anyone like her. However, the more he looked at the girl, the more familiar she seemed. Where had he seen her before?

Suddenly, an image flashed through Wang Yang’s mind—Nancy’s pole dance from “Sin City,” that waist, those legs… My God, absolutely tantalizing! And the girl in front of him bore a striking resemblance to Jessica Alba, the actress who played Nancy!

Wang Yang couldn’t help but jump, blurting out, “You’re Jessica Alba?!”

“Oh, Yang, you still remember me!” Jessica’s eyes sparkled with surprise and curiosity, “How did you recognize me?”

Jessica Alba, one of the sexiest women of the 21st century, even acclaimed as the owner of the world’s most beautiful face, she was the epitome of an “angel face with a devilish body.”

Although she was just a girl who had not yet had her 17th birthday, her nascent allure was already apparent; in her acting career, she was still an unknown actress, having played only minor roles in some TV series. This information was what Wang Yang’s memory of actresses told him. And when she asked how he recognized her, he couldn’t very well say that he had seen her movies from the future!

Wang Yang didn’t know how to continue, because he truly couldn’t remember the events of his childhood with Jessica, so he fumbled, “Er, I just recognized you, you looked pretty much like what I had imagined you’d become after growing up.”

“Really?” Jessica looked incredulous, rolling her eyes, “How could that be? I was so ugly as a kid. Oh, with thick lips, buck teeth, a frail body, always covered in dirt, it was terrible…” She covered her forehead, seeming uncomfortable with the memories.

Thick lips? Buck teeth? Covered in dirt? How could those words be connected to a sex symbol? But as Wang Yang listened, an image of a small girl began to slowly materialize in his mind, becoming clearer and clearer. It was back in the second grade, which would have been in 1989 when a transfer student, a skinny, timid, brown-skinned little girl suddenly joined the class, and her name was Jessica Alba.

Back then, Jessica was just an ugly duckling and extremely shy, hardly ever speaking up. Although awkward, her brown skin inevitably brought her various troubles; the white kids in the class liked to pick on her, somebody easy to bully, not just with words but sometimes even hitting her, causing her to need her father to accompany her to school.

No child wanted to sit with her, and her classmates would either bully her or avoid her. Back then, Wang Yang didn’t have many friends in the class either, but the white kids didn’t dare to bully him—anyone who tried would get badly beaten—so the teacher paired Jessica with him, asking him to look after her.

Wang Yang himself was a victim of racial discrimination, so he naturally wasn’t so idle as to bully Jessica. In fact, he carried out the task entrusted to him by the teacher very well. He stood up for Jessica against the bullies, enacting a “hero saves the beauty” scenario. It went without saying that the two quickly became good friends, gradually becoming close enough to share secrets and talk about anything.

Memories flooded in like a tide. Wang Yang remembered he had shared his dream of becoming a director with Jessica, and then, under his encouragement, Jessica shyly revealed her own dream of becoming an actress.

But after not even half a semester had passed, Jessica hurriedly transferred schools and left without saying goodbye to him. At first, Wang Yang did miss the ugly duckling a bit, but as time went by, he forgot about the little girl, and had their reunion not happened today, even if he saw Jessica on the big screen later, he wouldn’t have recalled these past events.

The once ugly duckling, oh my God, who would’ve thought she would turn into a big beauty when she grew up! Truly, girls change so much as they grow up; the Creator really works wonders! Wang Yang sighed, and couldn’t help but smile. Back then, to encourage Jessica, he had said, “Jessica, you are an ugly duckling now, but you will turn into a beautiful swan! Believe me, you must become an actress! Then, when I become a director, I can cast you as the leading lady in my film.”

Who could have imagined that the childish words of the past would come true today? Jessica had transformed from an ugly duckling into a swan, and she had become an actress who would undoubtedly be a star in the future; and he would have become a director, if only he hadn’t been expelled by the University of Southern California…

“Seriously though, how did you recognize me?” Jessica asked curiously; she still couldn’t believe Wang Yang’s “guess.”

Indeed, a lie often needs more lies to maintain it. Wang Yang shrugged his shoulders and reluctantly said, “It’s the truth, I just recognized you. I always knew that the ugly duckling would one day become a swan.” He repeated the encouraging words he had said in the past.

“Wang Yang, thank you! I have always remembered that sentence.” Jessica’s tone became very tender, her eyes brimming with emotion as she sincerely said, “It encouraged me to move forward, to become confident, to become brave. So I am very, very grateful for the help you gave me in the past.”

Um, what should I say? Were those words from back then only meant as encouragement? Did I truly never imagine you would turn into a swan? Well, sometimes a kind lie is good for both others and oneself, otherwise things can get really bad. Wang Yang wouldn’t make that kind of foolish mistake, so he smiled and said offhandedly, “It’s nothing, gold will always shine…”

To skip over this topic, he purposely asked, “How have you been these past years? Is your health okay?” He remembered, Jessica as a child was quite frail and often sick, so much so that during the short time she attended his school, she had been hospitalized several times.

“Oh, thanks for asking.” Jessica smiled and flexed her arm in a show of strength and said, “I’ve become really strong now and finally managed to stay away from the hospital.” Then, excitedly she continued, “You know, Wang Yang, I’ve become an actress now, and have played some roles in ‘Camp Nowhere’ and ‘Flipper, the Dolphin.’ Have you seen them?”

Er, Wang Yang felt a bit embarrassed and said, “It seems I have not.”

“Heh, it’s alright.” Jessica smiled sweetly and asked, “How about you, how have you been these years? And also…” She hesitated for a moment, but still asked, “Do you still have your dream?”

“Yes, of course I do. Becoming a director is my lifelong pursuit!” Wang Yang immediately responded, his ambition to be a director allowing no room for doubt! To avoid looking inferior to Jessica, he proudly said, “Actually, I got accepted into the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, majoring in film and TV production, it’s just that…” Suddenly he realized, God, he had been expelled…

Surprised, Jessica exclaimed, “Wow! The director program at USC, that’s prestigious! Wang Yang, you really haven’t let me down!” She laughed happily, hearing Wang Yang’s “it’s just that,” and then furrowed her brow, asking, “It’s just what? What happened?”

“Hey, guys, can you stop talking, please? This is a movie theater!” At that moment, an audience member sitting behind them complained loudly, leading several other annoyed viewers to criticize Wang Yang and Jessica. Titanic was at its climax—what were they arguing about?

“Sorry, sorry!” Wang Yang and Jessica hurriedly apologized, declaring they wouldn’t talk anymore, which calmed the audience down. They looked at each other, Wang Yang with a self-deprecating smile and Jessica sticking out her tongue teasingly. She leaned over and whispered, “Wang Yang, after this movie, let’s go have a drink at the coffee shop and have a good chat, okay?”

Wang Yang nodded, “Yeah, sure.”

And so, they both turned their gazes back to the big screen, seemingly watching the film in silence. Yet their thoughts were already far from the cinematic tale unfolding before them.