Chapter Forty-Nine: Can't We Be Together?

From the very beginning, when the music video for "Ten Years" was shot, Lin Jianlu had been somewhat tied in the media of Hong Kong with Leung Wing-ki. Lin Jianlu never denied the rumors, and Leung Wing-ki did not either; in fact, whenever Lin Jianlu arrived in Hong Kong, she would immediately rush over, displaying an intense eagerness. She showed no intention of treating the rumors as false or playing along.

However, a circle of insiders and old friends didn’t really care much about this association. Someone like Leung Wing-ki, even if she was clearly favored by Ge Fuhong, was only given some career support out of respect for Ge Fuhong, but no one really paid much attention to her in everyday life.

So when they first met, Huang Zhan even dared to make crude jokes. If Lin Jianlu hadn’t firmly stopped him, Leung Wing-ki would have been forced to drink that night, or else it would have become awkward and might have offended the whole group, narrowing their social prospects. But Lin Jianlu’s intervention made Huang Zhan understand, and he basically stopped joking about Leung Wing-ki. His teasing was always friendly, and there was no more pressure to drink or any such unpleasantness.

Not only did he get it, but word spread, and the entire circle understood. Such a beautiful and innocent young girl, whether on set or at events, was basically left alone by the older men in Hong Kong’s entertainment scene, even the most lecherous of them.

Lin Jianlu was the only man in the Chinese entertainment industry holding a diamond record, and with his debut album achieving such immense success, he exuded a rising, promising aura. Within just a few months, he had made many solid friends in the Hong Kong-Taiwan circle. If he decided to protect a girl, he had the stature to do so with dignity.

Yet Lin Qingxia was less accommodating in this matter. She was fine in other respects, happily drinking and having fun with friends, but when it came to Leung Wing-ki, she completely ignored Lin Jianlu’s attitude and directly confronted her. She repeatedly disregarded Leung Wing-ki’s presence, flirting openly with Lin Jianlu as she pleased. As time went on, seeing that Lin Jianlu often brought Leung Wing-ki along to various occasions only fueled her boldness.

Being a woman herself with exceptional qualities, and with the two frequently exchanging flirtatious banter and sharing intimate drinks, Lin Jianlu found it hard to manage her. For example, today, when the opportunity and setting were right, she easily sidetracked Lin Jianlu and engaged Leung Wing-ki in a one-on-one duel. The young girl was quickly overwhelmed, embarrassed, and forced to drink obediently.

Even though Leung Wing-ki couldn’t really outplay Lin Qingxia, in her drunken haze she still clung tightly to Lin Jianlu’s waist, refusing to let go.

When Ge Fuhong came to personally escort her home, she wouldn’t release her grip. Eventually, Lin Jianlu had no choice but to lift her in his arms and get into the car with them to accompany her home.

Lin Qingxia laughed and gave Lin Jianlu the middle finger from the car window.

In the car, whether truly drunk or not, Leung Wing-ki kept nestling into Lin Jianlu’s embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck, slurring repeatedly, “Lu, I really like you! Will you be my boyfriend? I’m so good, I’ll love you more than those older women!”

Lin Jianlu was amused but helpless, and Ge Fuhong sitting beside him could only shake her head in resignation.

She was still too young and didn’t yet understand the ways of the world.

...

Lin Jianlu stayed in Hong Kong continuously until the end of July.

In fact, as long as he hadn’t left, there was no shortage of work. If he was willing to accept, his schedule could easily be filled with commercial performances, TV show appearances, film cameos, and so forth, all within Hong Kong alone.

Moreover, if he showed even the slightest wavering, at least ten film scripts ready to start shooting immediately would be handed to Ge Fuhong—Hong Kong’s entertainment scene, with its small population and talent pool, is very profit-driven and highly values squeezing every bit of commercial potential from anyone, emphasizing versatility across film, TV, and music. Lin Jianlu was so popular and handsome that not taking roles would be seen as a waste.

Even just showing up as eye candy would be welcomed by directors throughout Hong Kong!

But he declined all of them.

Instead, he made time to play mahjong with Lin Qingxia, Shi Nansheng, and Zhang Aijia for an entire afternoon. The three ladies enjoyed it despite all losing, and a few thousand dollars’ worth of winnings kept them happy, so it was worth it.

Oh, and he also had dinner with Guan Zhilin.

Initially, he wasn’t interested in Guan Zhilin despite her extreme beauty, and he avoided contact. But after their last tea meeting and talk, his impression of her changed drastically.

That led to the second meeting.

Well, how to put it, this woman had lived a glamorous life, shining brilliantly, but after turning thirty, she suddenly felt a deep, genuine weariness for the fleeting splendor of life—a sentiment Lin Jianlu could easily resonate with.

This time, they weren’t caught by the Hong Kong media.

...

On July 28, Lin Jianlu finally flew back to his beloved capital city.

It happened to be the hottest sauna-like days of summer.

“Hey, the big star’s back!”

It was summer break, and the courtyard in Nanluoguxiang was filled with children—almost everywhere. It was so hot most had hidden indoors to enjoy fans; otherwise, the street would be noisy with kids fighting.

The two sisters from the Gao family were sitting at home under a large ceiling fan watching TV. Hearing the commotion outside, they rushed out, eyes wide, scrutinizing this familiar yet strange neighbor.

“Hey, Xiao Lu, where are all your rumored girlfriends? You didn’t bring any back?”

“How could I bring them back if I want to flirt with you?”

“Shut up!”

That shut down Gao Wenwen, her face flushed, but their gossiping continued with laughter. Someone asked, “The magazines say you’re dating Lin Qingxia, right? Hey, hey, is Lin Qingxia really that pretty?”

“Pretty!”

“Who’s prettier, her or Guan Zhilin?”

“Both are pretty!”

“Then who are you actually dating?”

“Haha, why choose? Can’t I date both?”

“Eh...yeah right!”

“If you know I’m bluffing, why ask?”

You see, the public sentiment differs. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, whether it’s Rene Liu or the one-year-newcomer Leung Wing-ki, they’re all quite well-known and beautiful, including Su Huilun. People enjoy hearing rumors about them and Lin Jianlu; the audience loves it and spends money on it. But for Lin Qingxia and Zhang Aijia, it’s just the usual “May-December romance” or “affair” gossip. They are older women, and after twenty years of rumors, people lose interest. Returning to the mainland, names like Su Huilun, Leung Wing-ki, Rene Liu, and Chen Shuhua don’t have as much influence. Only Lin Qingxia and Guan Zhilin are widely recognized as the most beautiful.

So when news surfaces that Lin Jianlu has rumors with these two, people get really excited!

Even during dinner that evening, Lin’s mother was picking apart the topic, but her perspective wasn’t that of gossip.

“That lot won’t do! They’re way too old, almost older than me! If you bring one back home, I’ll break your legs! You’re the only one in our family, and if you pick someone that old who can’t have kids, our family line ends!”

Lin Jianlu was helpless. “Mom, have you started reading those tabloids too?”

“Do I need to? When our child becomes a big star, do you think the women at the stationery factory don’t know the news? I don’t have to read it; they tell me everything!”

She counted off on her fingers like precious treasures, “Leung Wing-ki, the movie actress; Rene Liu, the singer; and Su Huilun, she’s even older than you by several years! Then there’s Lin Qingxia, Zhang Aijia, Guan Zhilin, Chen Shuhua—they’re all no good! Way too old! Oh, and Zhang Aijia is already married, right? That’s even worse! No breaking up marriages!”

“Actually... they can all have children!”

“Get lost! Listen here, Lin Jianlu, I’ll tolerate you talking back on some things, but if you mess up finding a wife, you won’t even need me to step in; your grandfather will thrash you half to death!”

Great! Grandpa had been invoked—the most serious warning possible!

Lin Jianlu’s witty remarks instantly died on his lips.