Chapter 46

Xia Hou Zhongying walked out of the gate of Silai Company, turned around, and quietly looked at the company's logo for a while. He gently shook his head, sighed inwardly, and his expression was somewhat disheartened.

How many times had he failed? Even he couldn't remember. The weather in South Korea in November was already a bit cold. Xia Hou Zhongying pulled up the zipper of his jacket to block the cold wind that was blowing through the gap in his collar, and quietly walked towards the nearby bus stop.

It had been more than a month since the report meeting held at the school. In this month, Xia Hou Zhongying had encountered countless rejections, at least once a day, sometimes even more. He had almost visited all the large and small clothing companies and photography equipment companies in Seoul.

No company would believe that a few children could successfully shoot a movie, especially children who had never learned any professional knowledge before.

The more polite companies at least treated Xia Hou Zhongying, listened to what he had to say, and then smiled and said they would consider it. The less polite companies didn't even let Xia Hou Zhongying step into their premises. As soon as they heard that a child wanted to shoot a movie and was seeking sponsorship, they directly had the security guards drive him away.

What was the effect of his efforts over this month? It couldn't be said that there was none. At least one photography equipment company agreed to rent them the equipment they needed at half price.

Another achievement was that Xia Hou Zhongying had thickened his skin. He could even wait for days at a company to see the head of their public relations department, completely ignoring the people who pointed and laughed at him.

Thinking about this, Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't help but smile bitterly.

The day after the report meeting, the newspapers that attended the movie preparation report meeting only left a small section in a very inconspicuous corner, briefly mentioning the content of the report meeting. In summary, it was that a few students from Kent School were preparing to self-fund and shoot a micro-movie, and had received support from the school. If one didn't read every word of the entire newspaper carefully, almost no one would notice it.

The news of students self-funding and shooting a movie caused a temporary sensation among schools. Some supported it, some mocked it, and some were indifferent, treating it as a fun topic. After a few days, the news gradually faded. Now, if no one deliberately mentioned it, probably few people would remember it. It was far from Xia Hou Zhongying's ideal effect.

Riding on the success of the movie report meeting, Xia Hou Zhongying started seeking sponsorships the next day. In the first week, he was full of confidence, going out every day with high spirits, and the crew members waited for him back at the studio every day with high hopes. However, each time he returned, seeing him shake his head, the crew members' initial encouragement and support gradually turned into silence, and they didn't even know how to offer words of comfort.

Xia Hou Zhongying also changed from being full of confidence to putting on a forced smile. In the morning, he still pretended to be very confident when he went out. But whether anyone believed him, even he himself wasn't sure. No matter how confident he pretended to be, the crew members could feel the bitterness in his smile, but they didn't want to say it out loud.

In this month, everyone could see how hard Xia Hou Zhongying had been. Not only did he have to worry about sponsorship, but he also had to attend classes during the day, go to director training classes in the evening, and write scripts at home, often staying up late into the night, getting less than five hours of sleep each day. After more than a month, Xia Hou Zhongying had lost several pounds and looked much more haggard.

However, even so, Xia Hou Zhongying did not show any sign of giving up. He kept encouraging everyone to study their acting courses diligently and not to be distracted by other things, assuring them that everything was under control.

The crew members were heartbroken for Xia Hou Zhongying but deeply regretted that they couldn't help him at all. They felt distressed and could only study harder to live up to Xia Hou Zhongying's expectations.

Zheng Xiuyan no longer quarreled with Xia Hou Zhongying. She really didn't want to add any more burden to him.

Jin Taeyeon would feel heartache, but in front of Xia Hou Zhongying, she always smiled and encouraged him.

Lin Yoon-a, when facing Xia Hou Zhongying, was no longer as carefree and had become more mature.

On Zheng Xiujing's birthday, even though her brother Xia Hou Zhongying was distracted while singing the birthday song, she didn't mind.

When Zheng's mother saw the haggard Xia Hou Zhongying, she didn't say anything, but in the evening, she made a few more dishes that he liked.

Xia Hou Shang, when he saw his son come home, would nod in satisfaction and say, "Not bad, acting like a man."

During this month, Xia Hou Zhongying had not thought about asking his father for help. But every time he thought of his father's words, "Since you've grown up, you should take responsibility," his stubbornness would kick in, and he would grit his teeth, vowing not to take another cent from home until he succeeded.

At the bus stop, after waiting for about ten minutes, the bus arrived. Xia Hou Zhongying got on, found a seat, and took out the script he had written a few days ago from his bag. He stared at the cover, "Green Apple Paradise," his eyes unfocused and filled with confusion.

"Can I really make it?" Xia Hou Zhongying thought blankly. After a minute or so, he suddenly clenched the hand holding the script, deforming it, and his eyes became sharp again. He said to himself, "I can."

Xia Hou Zhongying returned home relatively early that day. Seeing his father, Xia Hou Shang, sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a newspaper, he was momentarily stunned. Why was his dad back so early today? After greeting his father, he headed to his room.

"I'm going to a cocktail party tonight. Do you want to come?" Xia Hou Shang looked at Xia Hou Zhongying. After a month of constant setbacks, regardless of how much he had accomplished, he had matured and become more steady, no longer as impulsive as before. Xia Hou Shang nodded inwardly, thinking that doing things could indeed shape a person.

"Dad, I won't go. You go by yourself," Xia Hou Zhongying said with a bitter face.

"Hey, kid, don't always wear that deadpan face. It's ugly," Xia Hou Shang chuckled. "Work and rest should be balanced. Do you understand?"

"Dad, I really don't have the mood," Xia Hou Zhongying said with a bitter face.

"Alright, come out with me to relax. Otherwise, I'm worried you'll fall ill and die before your movie even starts. Who will help me have a grandson then? You used to love following me to drink at parties. Is a little setback enough to make you depressed? Have some ambition. When I was your age, I had it much harder. At least you don't have to worry about not having food to eat," Xia Hou Shang said with disdain.

"Alright, I'll go," Xia Hou Zhongying said with a bitter smile.

He indeed used to love following his dad to various parties to drink. However, in the past month, due to worrying about sponsorships and the movie, and having to study various knowledge constantly, he had no mood or time to go to parties. After some thought, he realized that staying at home wouldn't solve any problems, so he might as well go out for a drink and relax.

Xia Hou Zhongying went back to his room, took a shower, changed clothes, and put the script inside his jacket before going downstairs to find his dad.

Since he started writing the script, he had developed the habit of carrying it with him at all times, in case he needed it. Sometimes, when he passed by a company, he would directly barge in to seek sponsorship. When people saw him suddenly pull out the script from his jacket, they were both amused and exasperated. This kid was really obsessed with seeking sponsorships.

The only half-price rental of equipment from a photography equipment company was also obtained this way. The fat boss of the company couldn't bear to see the child's pitiful state and, like giving alms to a beggar, offered him a half-price deal, which made the entire crew very happy.

Getting into his dad's car, they soon arrived at the party venue. It was a private cocktail party. After entering the club, Xia Hou Shang left Xia Hou Zhongying alone and went to chat with others. Xia Hou Zhongying didn't mind, found a waiter, took a glass of red wine from the tray, and sat down on a sofa in a dark corner, drinking slowly by himself.

No matter how high-end the club, there would always be such a place, convenient for those who didn't want to be disturbed to do some underhanded things. This was what was known as a noble cocktail party.

Although Xia Hou Shang didn't mind Xia Hou Zhongying drinking, it was illegal for minors to drink in South Korea. Xia Hou Zhongying's appearance clearly showed he was underage. The people attending the party generally had good manners and wouldn't say much, but Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't be too arrogant, or it would make people uncomfortable. So, when he attended parties in South Korea with his dad, he would always hide in a corner and drink by himself, avoiding any interaction with others.

After a few sips, his mind involuntarily drifted back to the movie, his eyes unfocused, gently swaying the wine glass in his hand, and occasionally taking a small sip out of habit.

"Hey, you're not old enough to drink, why are you stealing alcohol?" As Xia Hou Zhongying was lost in thought, a woman's voice suddenly came from beside him.

Xia Hou Zhongying looked up blankly at the woman speaking to him. Due to the dim lighting, he couldn't see her face clearly at first. After a few seconds, his eyes gradually focused, and he finally saw the woman's face clearly.

Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't help but frown. The woman seemed familiar, but he instinctively knew he had never met her before, which left him puzzled as he stared at her blankly.

She was a very beautiful woman, mature, alluring, and sexy, probably around 24 or 25 years old, Xia Hou Zhongying thought.

The woman also held a glass of red wine. Seeing Xia Hou Zhongying staring at her blankly, she didn't mind, took a sip, and then sat down next to him, asking, "Why aren't you answering me?"

"Big sister? Do we know each other?" Xia Hou Zhongying finally came to his senses after the woman asked her second question and asked in confusion.

The woman gave Xia Hou Zhongying a surprised look and replied calmly, "No, we don't."

"Right, I don't think we know each other either," Xia Hou Zhongying nodded lightly and said, "I'm sure I've never seen you before, but you seem familiar. It's really strange."

The woman's lips twitched, feeling both amused and exasperated. This boy was really peculiar.