68 Friendly Gossip

When they left the bar, Amélie turns to Yuan Ge and says in amazement, "I can't believe that our boss Chow's appetite doesn't stop at women."

Yuan Ge sighs, "Why do you think he has chosen Yin Fenghua as our leading man."

Du Jinghai obviously senses something from this gathering as well and says, "I can't stay behind like a fool when you two are gone. They were a household name back in the days of the 'Run-Hua duo'. Now that they're back together, I'm sure there will be a rekindling of an old flame."

Amélie asks curiously, "When did you guys know that our boss Chow is into men? Isn't he supposed to be afraid of his wife? Isn't he quite a dutiful son-in-law of the Chow family? How come he still has the guts to have an affair behind his wife's back? Jinghai, since you have known him the longest, do you know?"

Du Jinghai smiles wryly, "I know nothing, honestly! Maybe I'm particularly slow at this sort of thing? I worked with Fat Chow long before Dragon Dreams was founded, and I really didn't know that he was actually a bi. I reckon, he is not truly into men. He liked it out of … how should I put it, necessity? His wife usually keeps a close eye on the women around him and probably doesn't see men as a threat, so just let him be."

He turns to Yuan Ge as he says, "Yuan Ge understands more about human nature, and sees things much deeper than a simple straight guy like me. When we were in Europe making the film 'Eve's Fallen', we didn't have many actors at the time, you and Fat Chow played a gay couple, you must have felt something then, right?"

Feeling put on the spot by Du Jinghai, Yuan Ge can't hide the embarrassment on his face and says, "Acting is acting, don't mix it up. I've never pried into Fat Chow's private life. He came to me when I was in Hollywood. All I knew was that he was there to accompany his wife for IVF treatment. I never paid any attention to anything outside of filming. This is the first time I've heard that he is a bi."

Du Jinghai shrugged disconcertedly and pursued, "You are the director of Eve's Fallen, such a profound film that explores the complexities of human nature, you know, man and man, man and woman, woman and woman - it's all messed up and confusing, so you must be able to accept gay or bi, right? And, this film 'Qingqing' we are making now is also about gays, isn't it?"

When Yuan Ge saw that Amélie was also looking at him with some curiosity, he has to give a reply, "I can understand sexual minorities, and I absolutely accept and respect whatever sexual orientation people have. When you are a film director or an actor, it's only natural to understand and delve into your characters, but that doesn't mean you have to be the same as these characters in real life, does it?"

Du Jinghai laughed, "That is because you are good. If you asked me to kiss a man, there is absolutely no way I could do it. Amy, do you remember the first time you came to see me from France? We happened to be shooting on location in Vienna, and you ended up witnessing an all-male bed scene right after you arrived. You were quite shocked at the time, weren't you? That must have been the first time you met Yuan Ge and Fat Chow, right?"

Amélie laughed as well, "Yeah, what a first impression! Yuan Ge gave me a full-on nude blast right from the start and I can never forget it ever since."

The mention of the past puts Amélie into high spirits, "Why don't the three of us go somewhere else for another round of drinks? We work so hard every day, it's such a rare night out, let's relax and enjoy ourselves. It doesn't make sense that even old boss Chow, who is obviously older than us, can go behind his wife's back to hang out with his 'gay friend' while we all have to go home and work on our own."

Seeing that Yuan Ge was about to push back, she hurriedly takes his arm, and on second thought, she takes Du Jinghai's arm as well, "Let's go, just think of it as friends catching up and relaxing."

The three of them found another relatively quiet bar nearby. Yuan Ge is preoccupied with how to collaborate with this far from ideal leading man to finish the film, but he knows that bringing up this subject will definitely spoil everyone's mood, so he just drinks quietly and buries himself in thoughts.

Amélie seems to be in a great mood and still engrosses in gossiping about Chow Mingrun, "Hey, do you guys really believe that our boss and Yin Fenghua were that popular back in the day? Why do I feel that their 'Run Hua combo' is only liked by the senior citizens. A lot of their songs seem to have become the must-haves for square dancing[1]."

Yuan Ge laughed, "Every era follows the same logic. The logic is the same. Every era is like that. Those that can become popular are bound to be to the taste of the masses, and the preferences of the elite will always be in the minority."

Du Jinghai looks at Yuan Ge and says disapprovingly, "Yuan Ge, Yin Fenghua is to the taste of the masses, and since we've chosen him as our leading man this time, perhaps it's best not to position the film as too edgy or artsy. Let's capitalise on his popularity, and put the box office first for a change. If we focus on pure art and make no money again like last time, I think that even Fat Chow would call it quits. Last time, Eve's Fallen won us an international award, but it didn't get a domestic release, he's still reeling from that."

Yuan Ge sighs, "Forget about the art. I'm worried that this male lead he has chosen might not even succeed in catering to the popular taste."

"Don't be so pessimistic. You are typical of the arty farty elite. What you don't like may just be what the market likes. Yin Fenghua made his showbiz debut early, so he must have plenty of contacts in the circle, and he is quite good-looking. Although he's not as good as Fat Chow thinks he is, I'm afraid we really can't find a more suitable candidate either."

With a few drinks down, Du Jinghai is very much in tune with this evening's gossiping mood, and the usually quiet man has turned into a talkative one.

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[1] Square dancing or plaza dancing, is an exercise routine performed to music in squares, plazas or parks of the nation's cities in China. It is popular with middle-aged and retired women who have been referred to as "dancing grannies" in the English-language media. Square dancers dance to a variety of music, mostly Chinese popular songs, both contemporary and historic.