Chapter 27: The Tables Turn

Gigi Leung failed to win the Best New Performer award.

She lost to Wakin Chau, whose winning work was "The Kid."

This is truly the greatest regret of an acting career, as one only gets to be a newcomer once in a lifetime. For instance, no matter how legendary a man might be, if he never won Best New Performer because he lost to some obscure singer, that fact would haunt him even twenty years later.

The live performance of "Ten Years" was a great success, and the applause from the audience was thunderous.

Regardless of whether you accept it or not, newcomer Lin Jianlu’s first album was a genuine smash hit in Hong Kong. "Ten Years," in particular, was beloved by the locals—it wasn't the lead single, wasn't heavily promoted, and the music video hadn't even aired yet. Yet, ever since the album hit the shelves, this song seemed to have struck a chord deep within the hearts of the Hong Kong people, hovering steadily in the top five of the Golden Melody Charts. No matter who held the number one spot, it never fell out of the top rankings.

The locals dubbed it a "Lin-style ballad," considering it a cut above "Dusk" and "Love Is Just a Word."

When the ceremony concluded and everyone began to leave—some calling friends for drinks, others shouting about who was going to pay for the night—Lin Jianlu found Gigi Leung outside. The unhappiness was clear on her face.

However, he didn't coddle, coax, or console her. He simply started grumbling to himself, "What a lousy awards show. The grand Hong Kong Film Awards, and they only pay a performance fee of 20,000 HKD? How stingy!"

Gigi couldn't help but laugh at this. In turn, she immediately came over to comfort him, "It's good enough that they're paying you at all! Many people perform as a favor and don't take a dime. You actually took money? You might ruin your reputation!"

Lin Jianlu replied, "It doesn't matter! I don't act in movies anyway, so I’m not afraid of them withholding awards from me!"

Gigi thought about it and realized he was right, and she couldn't help but smile happily. Yet, after the laughter faded, she was clearly still unhappy.

However, at eleven o'clock that night, Lin Jianlu was already asleep when his phone suddenly rang. He answered in a daze, and on the other end, Gigi sounded both annoyed and amused, with a hint of playfulness, "Wow, you lied to me! Sister Ge was just comforting me, and when I specifically asked, she said you didn't take any performance fee at all!"

Lin Jianlu sighed helplessly, "Sigh... if you're this naive, why are you even in show business? I'm hanging up!"

He hung up the phone and drifted back into a sound sleep.

Early the next morning, carrying a large suitcase filled with vacuum-packed Hong Kong delicacies, a HSBC card with a balance of about 110,000 USD, and a heart full of longing for the capital, he boarded his flight before eight o'clock.

"Oh, my dear mother, I’ve missed you to death!"

"Get the hell out of here!"

After being away for forty days, he was already thrilled just to see the Nanluoguxiang alley again, let alone his dear mother. But Mother Lin wasn't buying it. She dropped her spatula, grabbed a magazine from the desk where Comrade Lin Guodong was grading papers, flipped through the glossy pages, and slapped it into her son’s chest. "I took time off just to make pancakes for you, you little brat. Look at this yourself! You’re asking for trouble, Lin Jianlu. One of these days I’m going to break your legs!"

It was a classic, full-color fashion magazine.

He opened it to the page Mother Lin had marked. There were two photos in the middle, facing each other. On the left, he was sitting side-by-side with Rene Liu, very close, both beaming—looking exactly like a young couple in the throes of new love. On the right, he was standing face-to-face with Gigi Leung in an alleyway, a streetlamp-like light shining down on them from above. She was looking up at him—it was warm, romantic, and artistic.

The headline, however, was sensational: "Lin Jianlu’s Secret Affair Exposed: New King of Mandopop Two-Timing!"

What the hell!

The tabloids were truly ruthless!

The photos were obviously real, and they certainly weren't taken by paparazzi. They were promotional shots he had intentionally taken during the filming of his music videos. There had been many taken at the time, supplied to various fashion magazines in Hong Kong and Taiwan for publicity. Anyone in the industry could tell at a glance that these were professional studio shots; they had nothing to do with a secret affair.

But at this moment, putting two similar photos together did look suspiciously strange.

More importantly, these small mainland magazines were incredibly fast!

"Mom, do you believe these are real, or do you believe I’m the reincarnation of Qin Shi Huang?"

"Get lost! ...Go wash your hands and eat while it’s hot!"

Oh, I see. So it was just a warning shot. I knew it—the old lady’s brain was too sharp. Could she really link these photos to a "secret affair"? It was obviously fake at first glance! She must have seen right through it.

She was probably just worried that after her son went out and became a "King of Songs" or a "Superstar," and with all the neighbors saying, "Your little Lu has become a big celebrity," he might get big-headed and lose his grounding. She had to keep him in check!

Now that she saw him, it was fine—he was still as thick-skinned and cheeky as ever.

So, she raised her voice high but let the punishment fall lightly.

He ate the pancakes while they were hot, and she had even bought a pound of braised pork knuckle to go with them.

"Mmm, this is so good, Mom!"

"No kidding, it's Tianfu Hao braised pork knuckle! Six yuan a pound!"

"No, I mean the pancakes you made, they're delicious!"

This top-tier flattery was too much for Mother Lin; she couldn't help but laugh. "Just eat! You've had a silver tongue since you were a kid! Hurry up and eat, there's more. I need to finish making these so I can get back to work, or they'll dock my pay!"

"Let them dock it, they never pay you on time anyway!"

"What do you know! Just because it’s a little late doesn't mean it won't come at all. Our factory is a state-owned enterprise; you think the state is going to stiff us on these few pennies? It’ll be soon. They’re paying every other month this year, and they say they'll make up the rest next year!"

"Heh... you're an accountant, Mom. You can fool others at the factory, but do you actually believe that?"

"Shut your mouth! You talk too much!"

She quickly made five large pancakes, using over a pound and a half of flour. Looking back, she saw that he had already finished the first three and polished off over a pound of pork knuckle. Mother Lin paused for several seconds, a rare look of maternal tenderness crossing her face. She reached out and patted her son’s head. "How long has it been since you’ve had a full meal out there? Aren't you afraid of burning your tongue?"

"You're telling me! One meal today, none tomorrow. Sigh! Gotta make that money!"

Mother Lin felt a pang of melancholy, sighed, and started untying her apron. "Eat, it's all yours! Don't worry about the pan, I'll wash it when I get off work." As she was leaving, she asked, "Now that you're back, you're not heading out again, are you?"

"Hard to say. If there’s money to be made, I have to go." Lin Jianlu put on a brave face. "It's fine, Mom. What’s a little hunger and cold? As long as I can make money, these are just minor details!"

Mother Lin leaned in closer. "Son, you were out for forty days this time. Did you really make money? Everyone says you're a big star now and must be making a fortune. Give me the bottom line—can you really make tens of thousands a month?"

He was halfway through the fourth pancake, the meat was gone, and he was nearly full, so he slowed down. Lin Jianlu looked up. "That 80-square-meter apartment in Fangchengyuan? I’ve earned you three of them!"

"Heh..."

Mother Lin froze for several seconds, then suddenly said, "Well, then starving a few times was worth it! ...I'm off!"

...

At three in the afternoon, Lin Jianlu couldn't help himself. Despite the roaming charges, he pulled out his phone and sneakily dialed the New Otani Hotel, quickly getting transferred to Rock Records. "Hello, Mr. Zhang? It's Lin Jianlu..."

"This is Mr. Xue."

"Oh, you're out? That was fast!"

On the other end of the line, Xue Zhongding's voice was filled with exhaustion. "Director Zhang came over to bail me out, asked some friends for favors, and even wrote a letter of guarantee before they let me go! ...Ah Lu, can you please not ask me to bring these things for you in the future? Mainland customs are way too strict. If there's a next time, I don't think I'll be getting out!"

Lin Jianlu felt unusually embarrassed and gave a couple of "hehe" laughs. "I know, I know! As if there’d be a next time. I was just testing it out. You’re from Taiwan, so I thought they’d be a bit more lenient! It’s just personal items, right?"

In reality, it wasn't a big deal.

When he was in Japan for promotions, he didn't want Ge Fuhong to know, so he secretly sent Xue Zhongding, who was also on the trip, to buy him some videotapes from local Japanese shops.

Things like "Continuous Sensual Pleasure Through Bodily Fluids" or "Ooh! If You Stop Time, You Can Have Unlimited Sex!"

Lin Jianlu couldn't read the titles, and he didn't watch that stuff. He had no interest in those actresses. But even if he didn't watch them, he could give them to others!

He had a great use for them!

If he had a grudge against someone—for instance, Old Man Gao in the east wing—he’d sneakily slip a tape into his house. Then, he’d go over to visit and act surprised, "Oh, Old Man Gao, you’re really young at heart, aren't you? You like watching these? That one with... well, the one where they're all naked. What do you call it? Porno. Yeah, porno. You like watching pornos!"

The effect, well... it would be enough to make the guy lose his appetite for at least a day.

Of course, getting this stuff into the country was difficult. Lin Jianlu would never carry them through customs himself, but it didn't matter; he had Old Xue! He was a Taiwanese compatriot! If he got caught, he could just say he had trouble performing and needed these to stimulate his quality of life...

Old Xue was obedient. A high-level record company manager, usually seen in a suit with his hair perfectly coiffed, actually went and bought them for Lin Jianlu. Japan to the Peninsula? No problem. Peninsula to Hong Kong? No problem. Hong Kong to the airport? No problem. When the plane landed in the capital, Lin Jianlu told him to hang back and stay away, so he watched helplessly as Xue was nabbed by airport customs...

"I'll treat you to a meal another day to help you get over the shock!"

"That won't be necessary. But since we're back, what about the music video for 'Flower Field Mistake'..."