Chapter 68

If it were only Deng Lijun and Wu Cheng at home, Wu Cheng believed he would definitely not be able to resist eating her up completely, just as she would pinch him in anger and say, "You’re not small at all, are you!" In fact, he had already grown up.

Although his actual age was only thirteen, his soul was very mature, and with the benefits brought by his穿越 (time travel), his body was no different from that of a normal sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy.

However, it was obvious that this thought could not be put into practice, because there were still two women waiting for them to have breakfast outside! Wu Cheng could indulge with her for a while, but he could not stay in bed for a long time. Otherwise, it would be a small matter to attract their attention, but it would be a big problem to cause Deng Lijun’s ‘displeasure’. Although Wu Cheng felt she was somewhat moved, she was too shy. If it were just the two of them, she might have half-heartedly given in, but there were still two others outside!

Therefore, apart from taking some verbal and physical advantages, Wu Cheng could only sigh in longing. Her slightly resentful appearance made Deng Lijun blush and pound his chest continuously.

Wu Cheng got up, dressed, and went out. Deng Lijun let out a light sigh, gazing blankly at the ceiling, feeling somewhat helpless. From Wu Cheng’s previous response, she understood that he had the same thoughts about all three of them. This thought made her somewhat hesitant.

She was a woman with a sound mind and naturally did not want the person she liked to have feelings for others. But now, Wu Cheng not only liked others but also openly showed his affection. However, they were all unwilling to give up his gentleness and did not want to escape from his gentle trap.

In her eyes, Wu Cheng was a very unique boy. He had the maturity and intelligence that other boys of his age lacked. He was calm and confident, with unique insights and talents... His unique aura was particularly attractive to women, as evidenced by how easily they were drawn to him.

Moreover, he was especially gentle to them. From his eyes, she could see something very special when he looked at them.

She did not know what that something was, but she could feel that behind his clear eyes, there was both heartache and bitterness, as well as comfort and joy, and a careful protection, as if they were his most precious treasures.

It was this look that made her fall in love with him without realizing it, even becoming intoxicated by it.

The feeling of being cherished as a treasure was the main reason for her hesitation. Would other men treat her like this?

Even if they were willing, they would not have this kind of默契 (chemistry) and reassurance, she thought.

Throughout her life, she had seen more of men’s desires, so when she saw Wu Cheng’s deep but clear eyes, she could not help but be attracted to him.

"Jie, are you not getting up yet?"

Just as Deng Lijun was gazing blankly at the ceiling, Lin Qingxia walked in and said with a smile.

Deng Lijun waved her over, gesturing for her to sit on the bed, and then said, "Axia, what do you think about love and Xiaocheng?"

Lin Qingxia was somewhat surprised, then somewhat embarrassed, then somewhat helpless, and finally somewhat reluctant. In the end, she lay down on the bed like Deng Lijun, gazing blankly at the ceiling.

"Jie, to be honest, I don’t know either."

Deng Lijun sighed lightly and said, "Then tell me how you feel now!"

Lin Qingxia looked at her, then fell silent for a moment, and said, "I can’t explain it clearly. I used to think that love was a matter between two people. If I liked him and he liked me, we could be together. But now... sometimes I don’t even know what I’m doing. I know that when a third person is involved in a relationship, it’s already wrong, but I also feel that it’s not a big deal, and I don’t think he’s betraying me. Jie, am I crazy? Why do I have such strange thoughts?"

"Axia, do you feel that Xiaocheng looks at us with a special gaze?"

"Eh? Jie, you have this feeling too?" Lin Qingxia asked in confusion. "Every time I see the way he looks at me, I have a very strange feeling, as if he has known me for a very long time, making me feel inexplicably heartbroken, as if I can see from his eyes that he has a deep concern for me. That feeling makes me want to be cherished by him."

"It seems we are both under his spell!" Deng Lijun said with a bitter smile.

Lin Qingxia also smiled bitterly. "But he does have the charm to make women fall for him! Even if he were penniless, with his unique aura, there would still be women willing to be with him. Not to mention, he is now a young, wealthy, and talented man."

The two women lay on the bed in silence.

After a long while, Deng Lijun suddenly laughed lightly, surprising Lin Qingxia.

Deng Lijun propped her head up and looked at her, smiling. "I think the most frustrated one now is not us, but Azhi. Think about it, Xiaocheng was practically ‘picked up’ by her. Logically, she was the first to meet Xiaocheng and had the best chance to win him over. But she couldn’t get past that mental barrier, and now it’s turned out like this. Do you think she can be any less frustrated?"

Lin Qingxia laughed at this but then sighed. "Actually, it’s not her fault. Azhi is gentle, traditional, and virtuous. How could she date a child? As you said, Xiaocheng looked like a ten-year-old back then. Even we wouldn’t have thought of it!"

Deng Lijun suddenly exclaimed and then messed up her hair. "Forget it, let’s not think about it. Enjoy each day as it comes! Life is unpredictable, who knows what will happen in the future!"

"..."

Lin Qingxia was speechless, not knowing what to say.

...

At breakfast, Deng Lijun asked the three of them, "In July, I’m going to hold a concert on Day Island. Do you have time to come and support me?"

Zhao Yazhi thought for a moment and said apologetically, "I’m afraid I won’t have time. The TVB martial arts drama ‘The Book and the Sword’ should start filming then. You know, TVB dramas are always filmed and broadcast simultaneously, so the schedule is very tight. I probably won’t be able to make it, sorry!"

Lin Qingxia said, "I’ll have to see if my schedule can be adjusted. It’s hard to say right now!"

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I have plenty of time and will definitely come to support you."

Deng Lijun smiled and said, "Then you can’t go back on your word!"

In fact, this was what she wanted. Having Wu Cheng alone was enough.

After breakfast, the two busy people went to catch their flight. Wu Cheng and Zhao Yazhi saw them off until the plane took off, and then Wu Cheng had time to read the newspaper.

...

As he had expected, today’s front pages of almost all newspapers were dominated by the red carpet event Wu Cheng had organized, except for a few newspapers close to Golden Harvest.

In terms of publicity, Eastern Dragon had gained a significant advantage.

However, after reading the content of the newspapers, Wu Cheng’s heart sank a bit. Indeed, many newspapers were comparing ‘The Odd Family’ to ‘The Five Lucky Stars.’

The result of this comparison was obvious: ‘The Odd Family’ was completely defeated by ‘The Five Lucky Stars.’

Fortunately, many people gave positive feedback on the action scenes in ‘The Odd Family.’

Mr. Jin Yong of the Ming Pao even commented on this, saying that if the upcoming TVB drama had such action scenes, he would be reassured.

As a result, Shaw Brothers directly called Wu Cheng, asking him to send a stunt coordinator, which left Wu Cheng speechless. Was TVB short of stunt coordinators?

Back at the company, Chen Jianxun presented the box office results from the previous night. ‘The Odd Family’ was shown in 53 theaters, grossing 490,000 HKD. ‘Half a Catty’ from Golden Harvest was shown in 31 theaters, grossing 290,000 HKD. In terms of box office, ‘Half a Catty’ was clearly defeated.

However, if you looked closely, the two films were actually quite evenly matched.

In terms of word of mouth, ‘Half a Catty’ was not bad, typical of the Xu style, making people laugh from start to finish, but with a touch of bitterness in the laughter.

This was another charm of the small characters in Hong Kong.

‘The Odd Family,’ on the other hand, benefited from its action scenes, making it very engaging to watch.

Seeing these box office results, Wu Cheng smiled. Indeed, having more theaters was a significant advantage! However, whether he could laugh last was still uncertain, as ‘Half a Catty’ was not a bad film.

Moreover, the Sing Tao Daily directly pointed out that the high box office of ‘The Odd Family’ was due to the large number of theaters. In fact, when calculated, ‘Half a Catty’ was not much worse.

The Urban Entertainment News, on the other hand, praised ‘The Odd Family’ to the skies, calling for it to break the box office record set by ‘The Five Lucky Stars.’

The next day, the box office of ‘The Odd Family’ continued to rise, as did that of ‘Half a Catty,’ but the gap between the two widened. ‘The Odd Family’ grossed 1.68 million HKD in two days, while ‘Half a Catty’ grossed only 910,000 HKD, a significant difference.

This was not surprising, as the 17 theaters of the Feilong chain were showing ‘The Odd Family’ all day, while Golden Harvest’s theaters were still showing other films.

Seeing this, Xu Guanwen asked Zou Wenhui to increase the screen time for ‘Half a Catty.’ Without hesitation, Zou Wenhui transferred screen time from other films to ‘Half a Catty,’ but it did not help much. The gap between the two films continued to widen, with no signs of narrowing.

Although he knew that ‘Half a Catty’ was already performing well, Zou Wenhui could not be happy and scolded Wu Cheng fiercely.

What was even more infuriating was that Wu Cheng, at great cost, launched a lottery event in the third week, pulling back the audience who were planning to watch ‘Half a Catty.’

The lottery was simple: draw a prize with the movie ticket. The grand prize was a car, the second prize was a refrigerator, and the third prize was a television... There were countless consolation prizes, including pots and pans, with a total expenditure of 500,000 HKD.

Such a grand gesture left Zou Wenhui speechless.

After all, 500,000 HKD at that time could buy three or four apartments, or even a small villa in a less desirable location.

But this kid used all that money for this event. How could it not be infuriating?

...