The Best Director

“Yang & Jessica, in Love!”

The cover of the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times featured a kiss between Wang Yang and Jessica, with a lush tree behind them and the bright sun pouring through the leaves. The photo was incredibly artistic and professional, and their passionate embrace was captured with crystal clarity— there was no doubt about it, this was a fact. The Los Angeles Times reported, “As the rumors of the amazing Yang and Natalie Portman make headlines, his real girlfriend finally surfaces: the leading lady of ‘High School Musical’ and the recently just as rapidly rising star, Jessica Alba.”

The paparazzo who took the photo, Cole, said, “I’ve been following the amazing Yang for several months now. I spend more time with him daily than even his family does. I have to apologize to my wife and son, but this is my job.” When discussing this particular photo, Cole was proud, saying, “This is one of my greatest shots. Right when the amazing Yang and Jessica were embracing, I told myself, ‘Wait, don’t spook them’; then they immediately started kissing, and I adjusted the camera and lighting to capture it from the perfect angle. When I got the shot, I was so excited that I couldn’t control myself. Buddy, months of effort—it wasn’t wasted at all.”

Speaking of Wang Yang and Jessica’s reactions, Cole said, “They looked so sweet together. After I revealed myself, the amazing Yang was very generous and asked me to take some good shots; Jessica was a bit shy. But soon after, they both got angry, as if they were annoyed by my presence. But still, that being said,” Cole spoke with professionalism and sincerity, “this is my job.” As soon as the article was published, it was like a thunderclap on a clear day. The entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times saw a surge in sales, and the news quickly spread online. In less than half a day, it seemed like everyone knew about it, especially the fans of ‘High School Musical’ and Wang Yang and Jessica, who went absolutely crazy.

Despite Wang Yang being 19 and Jessica 18, dating was perfectly normal for them. Yet, those sending their blessings were few; many fans seemed unable to accept it. They had only just fallen for a new idol, and in the blink of an eye were informed, ‘You have no chance’, how frustrating!

Online, the official ‘High School Musical’ message board, fan sites, and school forums were suddenly flooded with debates: “Yang and Jessica dating?! Oh my god! No way, they’re totally mismatched!” “Jessica is not good enough for Yang! She’s just a pretty Barbie doll, she can’t even compare to Natalie! I’d accept Yang with Natalie, but him with Jessica, I’m disappointed!”

These comments were relatively mild compared to many harsher ones: “Jessica beautiful? Not at all, her lips are so thick; her chest so small, she’s like a child who hasn’t grown up yet!” “They’ll break up soon!”

Of course, Wang Yang also became the target of the male fans of Jessica, who were all disappointed that the pure and sweet “Gabriela” had fallen for someone else, and not just any other, but that young and wealthy “phenomenon director”. Jessica, why are you also so vulgar?!

In fact, not only fans and moviegoers but also many in the media were skeptical about Wang Yang and Jessica’s romance. They weren’t as unreasonable as fans, but analyzed the situation calmly. The Los Angeles Times, while being the first to report on it, also commented, “Clearly, during the filming of ‘High School Musical,’ the two developed feelings for one another, which is easy to understand given their ages. One being ‘the youngest billionaire, superstar director’ and the other ‘America’s new sweetheart’ seem like a perfect match, but reality is no fairy tale. In the fast-paced, tempting world of Hollywood, how long can their love last? We can only wish them luck!”

The following day, Daily Entertainment, the gossip paper that had first created the remote scandal between Wang Yang and Natalie, wouldn’t miss this attention-grabbing topic. Its headline read, “June 2, 2000, The Insider reveals Yang and Jessica have already broken up!”

The commentary in the article suggested that cultural differences played a part; mainly, unless they continued to make movies together, it was very likely they would be apart for long periods, which is a common reason many Hollywood couples break up, especially for young people aged 19 and 18. Their relationships often stem from impulsive feelings, which can fade over time when there are other potential partners around, so then it’s goodbye.

“The start of a romance is always filled with passion and sweetness, but it might not last long before it comes to an end. Today, our office was betting on how long Yang and Jessica could stay together. One colleague said two years, and he was met with collective hisses from us—that’s too optimistic! Many others said a year, but I think it’ll be game over in about half a year. Still, let’s call it a year for my best wishes. If by next year on June 2nd, you see the headline ‘The Insider Reveals Yang and Jessica Have Broken Up,’ don’t be surprised; we saw it coming.”

Glancing at the “Daily Entertainment” in her hands, Jessica sat on the couch frowning, with the Labrador Danny lying at her feet, and Joshua sitting on the other side with a giggly face. Jessica scanned the paper again, then disdainfully tossed it onto the coffee table, her voice tinged with displeasure, “Joshua, why are you showing me this? It’s so boring.” Joshua shrugged with a smile, “Nothing much, I just find it quite interesting.”

“Interesting? What’s interesting about it?” Jessica snorted coldly, hugged a pillow close, and closed her eyes, too lazy to pay Joshua any more attention. She felt a bit moody and annoyed inside—she thought she could count on everyone’s blessings, yet these past few days had been filled with doubt and even insults, with everyone saying she and Yang would soon break up. Their relationship was good! Indignantly, she said, “I don’t care what others say, they don’t know anything.”

“I do,” Joshua said seriously, his voice solemn, “Jessica, honestly, I think there’s a grain of truth in what the papers say.” Jessica’s eyes widened as she interrupted, “No, there’s no truth to it at all!” Joshua spread his hands and continued despite her interruption, “You and Yang are doing well now, but you know, I’ve been in love three times, and just broke up again the other day.” He sighed resignedly, his voice laden with weariness, “I know how fragile relationships can be—one day it’s all good, the next, you’re suddenly breaking up.”

Jessica laughed mockingly, “Joshua, don’t talk like that. Your three flings weren’t serious, unlike what Yang and I have!” She grinned sweetly, her voice dreamy as she said, “I know his feelings and my own. We’re in love, getting married…” She suddenly stopped, looked away, and muttered, “Why am I even telling you this?”

“Married?” Joshua exclaimed, mouth agape, “You’re already thinking about marriage?”

Jessica rolled her eyes and didn’t answer him—of course, she wouldn’t admit she’d already thought about raising children. Meanwhile, Joshua kept repeating “Marriage, marriage, marriage?” Annoyed, Jessica tossed a pillow at him, startling Danny into jumping up as well, and she said angrily, “What’s wrong with thinking about marriage? Isn’t that what life is about? Love, marriage. If Yang and I don’t get married in the future, it’ll be because we’ve broken up. Is that what you’re hoping for—that Yang and I split up?”

“No, I don’t hope for that,” Joshua shook his head seriously. He took a moment before saying, “Jessica, I just think that Yang is a bit… um, scary!” Jessica’s brows furrowed as she heard Joshua continue, “A year ago, Yang was a nobody; I clearly remember renting furniture with him, and I was exhausted from moving stuff. Then, he suddenly became the youngest director, the youngest millionaire; and now, he’s about to be the youngest billionaire! All in one year; in another year, who knows what he’ll become?”

Jessica nodded silently, “Yes, I am proud of him; he’s an amazing person.” She smiled faintly, “But no matter what, he is still Yang, and that’s not scary.” “Isn’t he ‘the most popular man’ you mentioned?” Joshua shrugged earnestly, “I just think, there will definitely be a lot of girls pursuing him, you wouldn’t know how crazy those girls are since you don’t go to parties.” Jessica looked puzzled, “When did you start going to parties? Those girls? What parties?” Joshua scratched his head, “Uh, just normal parties among classmates.” Jessica glared at him sternly, “Don’t you dare start doing drugs or smoking pot, or I’ll kill you!”

Joshua quickly waved his hands, saying, “NO, of course not! Healthy parties!” His eyes shifted as he added, “Of course, Jessica, there’s also the possibility you might dump Yang; who knows if you might end up liking Jack all of a sudden? Who can predict the future!”

“I’m done talking; I’m going to walk the dog.” Jessica no longer wished to discuss the topic and stood up, clapping her hands, “Danny, come!” Danny immediately jumped up from the ground and followed behind her, tail wagging. Looking at her picking up the dog leash and leaving the hall with Danny, Joshua took his gaze back and picked up the “Daily Entertainment” from the coffee table to look at it, his brows gradually furrowing. Break up in a year? He gazed at the photo on the paper of Yang and Jessica holding hands with smiling faces, murmuring to himself, “Buddy, if you hurt my family, I won’t let you off; I’ll punch you until you’re down looking for teeth…” After a moment, he suddenly added, “Can I even take Yang? He knows Kung Fu from China…”

Jessica led Danny down a tree-lined path in the community, flanked by lush trees, with leaves occasionally falling to the ground, but such beautiful scenery couldn’t lift her spirits. For some reason, Joshua’s words kept echoing in her mind, along with a few online comments that said, “She is just a pretty Barbie doll,” and a voice that made her feel uncomfortable, “Wang Yang, what do you want to get? A female best friend who can share stories and talk about interests and hobbies?”

That day, she intended to sincerely apologize to Rachel but witnessed the scene where Rachel scolded Wang Yang. After that incident, she clearly felt that Wang Yang and Rachel had grown distant. She didn’t care about this because she was confident that she could be the best girlfriend. Later, Wang Yang had talked to her about literature and many strange things, but she didn’t understand them, nor was she interested. What interested her was things like cooking, taking care of pets, sports… She thought it was okay, everyone has different interests, Wang Yang could talk literature with Rachel and sports with her.

But now, Jessica felt somewhat insecure. Couldn’t Rachel understand sports? She was the worst at acting, often failed to understand Wang Yang’s thoughts, and frequently stumbled like a fool… Thinking about these things, a lot of pressure suddenly built up in Jessica’s heart, and she sighed with vexation, Am I good enough? Would she and Wang Yang break up within a year?

“Yang?” Jessica suddenly blinked, gazing at a tall figure in the distance about to cross the wooded path, wearing a blue-gray coat, with black hair, an all too familiar profile. He hadn’t noticed her below and continued walking to the right. She couldn’t help shouting loudly, “Yang!” Danny wagged his tail excitedly, straining to rush toward Wang Yang.

Hearing the familiar shout, Wang Yang stopped his steps and turned his head to look. Seeing it was Jessica, he smiled and waved, walking over to her.

Danny was sprinting ahead, causing Jessica to stagger as she quickly followed. She and Danny reached Wang Yang, and she asked, puzzled, “Yang, why are you here?” Wang Yang took the leash from her, smiling, “Let me do it, it’s been a long time since I walked a dog.” She nodded, then released her grip, and Wang Yang led Danny forward, with Jessica walking beside him.

The two strolled down the tree-lined path, without the harassment of paparazzi, the tranquility and comfort were so much better than their date the day before yesterday. Wang Yang glanced at Jessica and said while walking, “I just finished viewing a house for rent nearby, then was checking out the surroundings, and was about to call you when I ran into you.” Jessica was startled and said, “A house?” Wang Yang nodded and smiled, “I’m thinking of moving to this area, just a few hundred meters from your place so we can jog together every morning.”

Wang Yang had been thinking about this for a long time, and now that their relationship was known to the whole world, there was no need to be concerned about anything. Moving closer to Jessica meant they wouldn’t have to spend one or two hours driving each time they met, they could have sweet dates every day. Thus, he contacted a real estate agent in this community yesterday and came to view a place today, which was quite nice.

Seeing that Jessica was a bit silent, Wang Yang asked, “What’s wrong, don’t you like it?”

“No, of course not!” Jessica quickly shook her head, smiled at him, and said, “I’m really happy that we’ll be able to see each other every day.” If it had been a few days before, she would have been ecstatic, but now, she felt a bit uneasy, just like the books say, if they saw each other every day, would it rapidly deplete the “life force” of their love?

Wang Yang looked at her intently and could immediately tell she had something on her mind. He shifted the leash to his left hand and pulled hard to slow down Danny’s pace. With his right hand, he grasped hers and said softly, “Jessie, what’s wrong? You seem very unhappy.” Jessica gave another sweet smile and said, “Yang, I’m fine. By the way, what did you think of the house you saw just now?” Wang Yang didn’t respond to her question and looked into her eyes, smiling, “You can’t fool me, have you forgotten what I do for a living? Director. I can tell who’s acting just by watching.” Jessica laughed, then said again, “Really, I’m fine.”

“Is it because of those boring voices?” Wang Yang asked, recalling their conversation from last night, Jessica seemed a bit upset about the external negative views on their relationship. Seeing her smile become more forced as Wang Yang asked, he knew he had guessed right and said, “Please! Don’t worry about what those people say. Break up within a year? What do they know? They don’t know anything!”

Hearing him say that, Jessica couldn’t help but smile faintly. She had said the same thing—who knew about their childhood antics? Who knew about the path they’d taken since reuniting last year?

“Jessica,” Wang Yang’s expression turned serious as he looked at her. “Why are you worried? Tell me, what are you worried about?” Jessica avoided his gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then admitted, “Yang, I’m afraid I can’t keep up with you. You move too fast; whereas I’m just an ordinary girl.” Wang Yang was stunned, having not expected her thoughts to be like this. He said helplessly, “So, you think I’ll fall for someone else, or do you think if I become some shit ‘youngest billionaire,’ you won’t like me anymore?”

Jessica frowned and shook her head lightly. “No! Yang, I’ve never thought that.” Wang Yang asked, “Then do you have confidence in our relationship?” Jessica nodded slowly and said, “Yes, I do.”

“I’m not that amazing,” Wang Yang knew her concerns were not yet alleviated, and after thinking for a moment, stopped walking, looked into her eyes, and said, “Jessica, do you know why I made up my mind to shoot DV films in the first place? On one hand, it was because making movies is my dream; but on the other hand, it was because of you.” Jessica’s eyes widened, and her heartbeat sped up. He confessed, “Back then, my thinking was actually very simple. If I became, say, a real estate salesperson, we would drift apart and end up in two different worlds. I was only afraid of not being able to keep up with you, and that’s why I’ve gotten to where I am now.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it, Wang Yang then smiled and said, “If I still have a dream, you are my dream.” Jessica’s heart was beating fast, and the earlier irritations were fading with her heartbeat. She asked playfully, “Not Natalie?” Wang Yang grinned widely and shook his head vigorously, “No, not Natalie, I don’t know her; it’s you, Jessica, just you.”

Seeing Jessica’s face brimming with a happy smile, Wang Yang repeated the earlier question with a laugh, “Do you have confidence in our relationship?”

Jessica nodded emphatically without hesitation and laughed, “Of course!” She suddenly felt full of confidence in the future. The messy thoughts from before were cast aside. She believed in Yang and in herself to be the best girlfriend, and in the future, the best wife! Looking at Wang Yang, she laughed and said, “But Yang, even if you became a real estate salesperson, I think we would still be together.” There was a hint of shyness on her face as she asserted with a determined smile, “Being with you is also my dream.”

“Then we’ve both achieved it,” Wang Yang laughed, looking into her passionate eyes, her sweet face suddenly moving him to kiss her. Jessica also leaned in proactively, and the two continued their previously unfinished passionate kiss.

In the heat of their kiss, Wang Yang’s arms were wrapped around Jessica, but he suddenly noticed something was wrong: “My hands?” And then it hit him. He blurted out, “Damn, Danny!” Jessica was also stunned, saw his empty hands, and cried out, “Danny!”

The two looked around and saw Danny, dragging his leash, had run far ahead of them.

Jessica shouted to it with a laugh, “Stop, you naughty boy!” Wang Yang laughed and said, “Alright, I’m turning into Superman now!” He roared, shouting, “Danny, freeze!”

Danny glanced back at the two of them laughing and running towards him, its ears twitched, and then it bolted off again.