The Best Director

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Wife-Cake!?

Joshua, Jessica, and Rachel were all stunned, and Wang Yang innocently nodded. They all “oh-ed” in unison. Jessica’s face wore an odd expression as she awkwardly twirled her hair; Rachel had a playful smile on her face; and Joshua, the instigator, scrunched his brows but then burst into laughter, saying with amusement, “Dude, are you kidding me? Wife-Cake? Haha, you must’ve made that name up on the fly!”

It was him who had insisted on asking! Wang Yang grumbled internally, but after saying it out loud, he felt there was nothing to be embarrassed about—it was just the name of a cake, right? So he replied with an easy smile, “No, it’s not a joke. That’s what the cake is called, Wife-Cake. Funny name, isn’t it?”

Meanwhile, Zachary Levi, who was still tidying up in the kitchen, looked over, intrigued, and asked loudly, “There’s a cake called Wife-Cake? How interesting, does the name mean something? Why is it called that?”

Wang Yang shrugged and shook his head, “I don’t know. There must be some legend or story behind it, but I’m not familiar with it.” He then shared the knowledge he had about “Wife-Cake”: “This cake is a kind of celebratory cake, like wedding sweets or chocolate. The newlyweds give them out to relatives and friends during their wedding.” Seeing Jessica looking around unnaturally, he wondered if perhaps he was sharing too much…

“A celebratory cake, huh? Is it for wives to eat?” Zachary voiced from the kitchen, before his eyes lit up and he said with a laugh, “Hey, is there also a Husband-Cake?”

A cake for wives to eat?! A thought struck Joshua, and it was his turn to feel a bad premonition. He turned to look at his sister Jessica, who was gazing at the ceiling as if indifferent, but Joshua, having grown up with her, keenly noticed her slightly upturned lips—she was hiding it; she must be extremely happy right now!

In fact, Jessica was not just extremely happy; her heart was thumping wildly, and her mind couldn’t help but race with wild thoughts. Wife-Cake? Why had Wang Yang chosen this cake as a birthday gift for her back then—was there a special meaning to it? At that moment, those memories she had deliberately avoided but never forgotten came flooding back.

It was also an April day, her birthday. Like today, she had picked out a pretty new dress before school, a pristine white sundress, and had her mother help her dress up. Then, full of expectation, she arrived at school, having mentioned her birthday to Wang Yang before; she hoped to receive a gift.

Wang Yang was the only person in the class who knew it was her birthday. Despite wearing her new dress, no one paid her any attention. She sat in her seat, anxiously waiting for Wang Yang to arrive, and then he showed up.

She suddenly remembered it vividly, even Wang Yang’s expression and demeanor became crystal clear. He was carrying a bag of something, shaking it towards her with a “clang clang clang” sound, then he took out a paper box and opened it. Inside the box were many cakes. He said with a smile, “Jessica, this is my birthday gift to you. I made these cakes especially for you, all by myself! How about it, excited?”

She really was excited; it was her first birthday gift from a classmate, and it was handmade! She nodded with both excitement and joy, saying “thank you,” and then Wang Yang said, “Try one.” So she did, taking a bite. It tasted sweet and was very smooth. She smiled and said, “It’s delicious.”

Wang Yang propped his head with one hand on the table, grinning at her as he said with pride, “Of course it’s delicious; I made it! Eat more if you like it; this is my first time making a gift for someone by hand.” As he spoke, he picked up a cookie and started eating it, then laughed again, “These cookies were originally called ‘wife cakes,’ but since I made them, I have the right to name them. Let’s call them ‘Jessica Cakes’ instead.”

“Wife cakes?” Jessica asked quietly, her face flushed with shy redness. Her heart back then carried even more bashful insecurity than it did now.

Then, Wang Yang said earnestly, “Yes, originally called wife cakes; they’re for gifting to wives. How about you be my wife?” Jessica stared at him with wide eyes, speechless. He burst out laughing again, “Look at you, Jessica, like a statue! It’s okay, that wasn’t a confession, just a joke, haha!”

“Oh,” Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, yet she felt a bit disappointed.

“What, you want to be my wife?” Wang Yang could see her disappointment and shrugged, “Come on, we’re too young to be in love. In ‘Cinema Paradiso,’ even when Dodo and Elena were that old, their families opposed their romance; we can’t do anything reckless. We’re good friends, aren’t we?” He chuckled again, “If you want to be my girlfriend, let’s wait until we grow up and become a director and an actress; by then, surely no one will object.”

Jessica shook her head shyly, “I didn’t.”

“That’s good then.” Wang Yang suddenly hushed, whispering, “Right, did you do the weather observation homework for science class this week? Let me copy it.” Seeing the hesitant frown on her face, he hurriedly hushed, “Shh! Don’t let others know, or I’ll be doomed. Jessica, I know it’s not right, but it’s just weather observation; oh, whether it’s sunny or raining, what’s the temperature? Come on, I’ve been busy preparing the cookies for you all week; where would I find the time to record? Quick, quick!”

So, moved and scared, Jessica handed over her science notebook to Wang Yang.

Later, she always remembered what Wang Yang said about “growing up.” When she was about to move to Los Angeles, she left a farewell letter confessing her feelings and they promised each other to strive to become a director and actress, and to meet again in Los Angeles when they grew up.

She didn’t know if Wang Yang still remembered what he had said back then; maybe those words were just a joke, but those wife cakes were really sweet!

Those memories just quickly flashed in her mind, and Jessica strove to keep her voice calm as she said, “Wow, ‘wife cakes,’ what an interesting name. Uh, I’ll try hard to learn how to make them…”

Joshua, realizing he had botched things, quickly coughed to break the awkward atmosphere, “Oh, so that’s the name. Alright, let’s watch TV!” He walked over to the sofa, grabbed the remote, and started furiously pressing the button to increase the volume. The TV suddenly became very loud, filling the room with sound.

At this moment, the ABC channel’s news anchor suddenly wore a grave expression and spoke in a serious tone, “Viewers, we have some latest bad news. Today in Springfield, Oregon, a school shooting occurred. A 17-year-old student at Springfield High School, Kip Kinkel, went on a rampage today with a semi-automatic rifle in the classroom, resulting in 2 student fatalities and 22 injuries. Although Kip Kinkel has now been arrested, during the negotiation process, his biological parents, agitated, rushed into the classroom and were tragically shot dead by their son.”

“Oh, God! Heavens, how could this happen…” Everyone, including Wang Yang, Jessica, Joshua, Rachel, and Zachary, was shocked upon hearing this news. They immediately clustered around the TV, each with a face full of sorrow and grief as they began to watch.

The television screen showed images from Springfield High School, and the news anchor continued, “It is understood that Kip Kinkel was expelled from Springfield High School yesterday for bringing a gun to school illegally. This is the third school shooting incident this year. The first occurred on March 24, when two boys from an elementary school in Arkansas, expelled from the school, used rifles to shoot teachers and students, resulting in the deaths of 1 teacher and 4 girls and injuries to 10 others. The second incident took place on the 19th of this month, when an honor student named Jack David from Tennessee shot and killed a classmate in the school parking lot.”

“The frequency of school shootings forces us to ask ourselves whether we care enough for our students? A campus should be a sanctuary, not a battlefield. Additionally, school psychology experts remind us that to prevent a continued copycat effect, schools and parents should pay close attention to their children in the coming period and give them enough care…”

The atmosphere in the room turned tense; the laughter that had filled the air vanished without a trace, and everyone frowned deeply in concern. The girls, Jessica and Rachel, couldn’t stop repeating, “Oh, God, oh, God…” in distress.

Suddenly, Joshua turned his head to look at Wang Yang with a suspicious expression and said, “Dude, you aren’t going to suddenly grab a gun and go on a killing spree at USC, are you? I think you’re a dangerous person.”

Wang Yang was taken aback by the comment, and Jessica, unable to contain her anger, shouted, “Joshua!! Shut up!!” She picked up a pillow from the sofa and threw it at Joshua. Wang Yang quickly grabbed her, trying to stop her and said, “It’s okay, Jessica. I’m fine.” He looked at Joshua and frowned, “However, Joshua, that joke is not at all funny. I think you should know that this is a serious matter and not something to joke about casually.”

Rachel too stared angrily at Joshua, saying, “You’ve not only hurt Yang but also the memories of those who unfortunately passed away.” Zachary also shook his head, saying, “That sort of comment is terrible.”

“Joshua, apologize to Yang right now,” demanded Jessica, her eyes nearly flaming with anger. The school shooting and Wang Yang getting expelled were both very serious matters; how could anyone make jokes about them? Not only did she feel embarrassed, but she was also enraged!

“OK, I spoke out of line, I apologize!” Joshua grimaced, reluctantly saying, “Sorry. I didn’t mean it, I was just worried that you were getting extreme ideas, that’s a kind of concern…”

Jessica, through gritted teeth, said, “What kind of attitude is that? How can concern be expressed like that?” She quickly apologized to Wang Yang personally, “Yang, I’m sorry, Joshua is just a kid in his rebellious phase. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying. Don’t take it to heart.”

Wang Yang gave her a reassuring smile and said, “I won’t. I know Joshua didn’t mean any harm, and it’s good that he apologized.” He picked up the remote control to turn off the TV and stood up, clapping his hands and smiling, “Come on, let’s forget those sad things. I’ll show you something cheerful.” Saying this, he walked toward the bedroom, with Rachel and Zachary getting up to follow him.

Jessica glared at Joshua and whispered sternly, “I won’t let you off the hook. We’ll settle this after we get home.” With that, she quickly followed the others.

Once in the bedroom, Wang Yang switched on the computer and started playing the movie footage they had shot a few days earlier. Watching it like it was his own child, he wore a satisfied smile and said to everyone, “These were all shot the day before yesterday, today’s footage isn’t uploaded yet.”

“Oh my gosh!” Jessica was utterly fascinated as she watched. Even though the segments were disjointed, unedited, and not entirely understood by her, just the act of watching filled her with joy and anticipation. She stared at the computer screen without blinking and murmured, “This is filmed so well…”

Then, the female lead Mel appeared in the video, followed by the male lead Kevin. Zachary Levi immediately started to shout and cheer, “Haha, that’s me, that’s me! Wow, seeing myself on a computer screen feels really great!” Rachel nodded with a smile and said, “Yeah, it feels good.”

Glancing at Rachel, envy briefly flickered in Jessica’s eyes. Damn it, why wasn’t it her on the computer screen?

“It’s blurry and shaky—it’s making my head spin…” Joshua, standing at the back, cast a few glances and commented disdainfully, but no one paid him any attention, not even Jessica, who was too engrossed in the screen to bother scolding him. Joshua dug in his ear and walked away, disinterested. What was the big deal, anyway? It was just shot with a DV camera—he could do that too!

He stepped out of the bedroom and suddenly noticed the DV camera on the coffee table in front of the sofa. His eyes lit up, and he walked over to pick it up before heading back to the bedroom doorway and yelling, “Hey, guys, look over here!” Holding up the DV camera, he laughed and said, “Look, I’m a director too!”

Everyone glanced back at him, chuckling and shaking their heads, then turned their attention back to the screen. As Wang Yang clicked through the footage with a mouse, he said with a laugh, “Joshua, you could film this. We could use it as a behind-the-scenes feature for the movie.”

Not wanting to miss a second of the footage, Jessica momentarily turned and scolded Joshua, “Be careful. Don’t mess it up and erase Yang’s footage from today!”

“Please, as if I would do that! I’m not an idiot,” Joshua retorted without looking, as he walked around with the DV camera, striking various filming poses and calling out, “Doesn’t this look cool?” But no one paid him any heed, and after a while, he found it dull and left the bedroom with the DV camera in hand.

Not long after, just as Wang Yang was about to play the next set of footage, suddenly, a shout of “Ah” from Joshua came from outside, followed by a “thump,” which seemed to be the sound of Joshua falling to the floor.

“What happened!?” Wang Yang, Jessica, and the others frowned and quickly went to see, only to find Joshua indeed lying face down on the living room floor, holding his forehead in pain from the knock, while the DV camera that was supposed to be in his hand lay on the floor a meter away from him.