Chapter 71: I'm Just a Director

  John walked out of the kitchen with a plate of fragrant spaghetti and extended his hand in a friendly manner: "Mr. Smith Zhou! I heard from Amy that you were coming to visit, we've been wanting to meet you for a long time!"

  Zhou Shaoming was surprised and delighted to shake hands with John, who didn't look handsome but like a great chef: "I've also wanted to visit you two for a long time, now I finally have the chance."

  Amy's brother Matt was lying on the couch watching TV, ignoring Zhou Shaoming's arrival, while Amy's sister Michelle ran to Zhou Shaoming's side, frowning and asked: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Smith Zhou who secretly took my sister away last night? Why didn't you take me with you?"

  "What the...!" Zhou Shaoming was just about to pick up his water and take a sip when he heard Michelle's words, causing him to slam his cup directly onto the floor.

  "Ah... Ah... This..." Zhou Shaoming looked at Judy and John, whose faces didn't change color, clearly this pair of parents had already known, while Zhou Shaoming couldn't say a word except for clutching his head.

  "Smith Zhou! You're here!" Ai Weier appeared like the wind, pulling Zhou Shaoming's arm and saying, with an exceptionally intimate and enthusiastic expression.

  "Sister is so mean! Sneaking out to play without bringing me along! Mean!" Michelle said with a pout.

  Zhou Shaoming was now like a son-in-law who had stolen someone else's daughter and came to apologize with gifts, flustered and at a loss for words, his face flushed bright red.

  "Go, go, go! Play on your way!" Ai Weier glared at her sister and chased her away. She pulled Zhou Shaoming to sit down and said to her parents: "I'm here now, ask me whatever you want!"

  Then sat on the sofa playing with her own brown hair, turned around staring at the TV without saying a word.

  Zhou Shaoming suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit off, and hastily took out the gift to hand it over to John: "Mr. John, this is Chinese tea leaves I specially bought, top-grade oolong tea, hope you like it."

  John took over the tea leaves and exchanged a glance with his wife Judy, then said lightly: "Mr. Smith Zhou, excuse me for speaking out of turn, what do you think of Ai Weiwei?"

  "Your daughter is bright and cheerful, beautiful and charming, full of the vigor of youth. To be honest, I'm very happy to be with her! In our Chinese words, it's like a feast for the eyes!" Zhou Shaoming rubbed his head, trying to think of some flattering words.

  "What is 'showing one's beauty can be a meal'?" Curious Michelle asked again while hugging her doll.

  "It's just, it's just that being by her side and looking at her beauty is enough, I can even go without eating!" Zhou Shaoming explained this sentence with great embarrassment, while lamenting in his heart that the many years of hard study had all gone to waste, as he couldn't even use an idiom properly.

  Matt turned his head and burst out laughing, saying: "Haha! You think we're going to let you have all the food just because you're Aimee? Just wait and see, I'll save the fried chicken legs for myself!"

  But Aimee burst out laughing, then quickly became serious again and remained silent.

  Judy looked at her embarrassed husband and said, "Smith Zhou, if I speak directly, please forgive me. Where did you take Amy last night?"

  "No, no, no! It's not what you think. I just took her to the lake to see the moon!"

  This is a pretty low-level thing to say.

  John's face also turned red, and he could only pretend to cough to ease the atmosphere. Then, very seriously, he said: "Mr. Smith, I think I roughly understand your intentions towards my daughter, but my daughter is still young, she's only 16 years old, and it's been only four or five days since you met her, isn't that too fast? Although we older people don't quite understand the young people nowadays, I hope you can spend more time together, get to know each other better before making a decision, okay?"

  Zhou Shaoming listened more and more, this actress seemed to have become a wife-finding mission? If Little Robert, Jeremy and others heard about it, they would definitely hold their bellies and laugh to death, while Christina would probably burst her own eardrums!

  "No, no, no, you've all misunderstood! I'm a director!" Zhou Shaoming stood up and introduced himself very seriously, pointing to himself. "I am a Hollywood director from the United States! I think Ling'er fits the image of the heroine in my movie, so I wanted to invite her to star in my film, go to Hollywood, and become a world-renowned actress!"

  "Director?" Everyone except Ai Wei'er was shocked, with faces full of incredulity, staring at each other in a daze, wide-eyed.

  Judy and John were momentarily stunned speechless, while Matt jumped up from the sofa, staring at the guy who would have been beaten to a pulp by himself last night if not for fear of waking up the neighbors. The potato chips in his mouth fell out.

  And Michelle held a doll and asked in confusion: "Director? Can directors be eaten?"

  Judy slowly came to, awkwardly picked up the water and took a sip, calming her suddenly agitated mood, before asking: "This, Mr. Smith Zhou, you want my daughter to act in a movie, not to have an affair with her?"

  "Oh, no, no, no, how is this possible! She even calls me Uncle! I just wanted to invite your beloved to star in my second film, 'The Spring of the Cowherd Class'!" Zhou Shaoming's face turned bright red, but he didn't notice Ai Weier's expression changing quietly.

  "So, what's this movie of yours about?" John asked, affectionately patting Emily on the shoulder and letting out a quiet sigh.

  "It's like this, my film tells a warm story about the love, tolerance, salvation and change between teachers and students." Zhou Shaoming took out the movie script and handed it to John, then explained it in detail.

  "Oh, this role is perfect for my daughter! She was singing solo in church at the age of 10, 'O The Heart Of God'! I still have the video from back then! Quick, Matt, go get it and show Mr. Smith!" Judy's expression changed from being nonchalant to beaming with smiles as she urged Matt on.

  "No need, no need, I believe in Aimee's strength! This time, I formally propose to the two of you, I want to take Aimee back to America and develop her career in Hollywood! I also promised her that after this movie ends, I will do my best to help her develop her music career in America and make her a world-renowned superstar! I hope you can agree. Here's my business card." Zhou Shaoming said sincerely, handing his gold-plated business card to Judy.

  Judy and John briefly consulted with each other, nodding their heads vigorously like chickens pecking at grain. The identity of the famous Hollywood director had stunned them, and they naturally also hoped for their daughter's good development. Now that the opportunity was right in front of them, how could they not agree?

  Who doesn't hope their children will have a bright future?

  "Please forgive my impertinence, as long as I can confirm that you are indeed a Hollywood director, I will agree to let you take Avril to America! I hope Smith will take good care of her this week, she's still just a little girl and doesn't understand things well, I hope you can teach her more!" John excitedly stood up and grasped Zhou Shaoming's hand, refusing to let go.

  "No problem, you can go online to check the American Lionsgate Film Corporation and then call them to consult. My first film was produced by them, their staff can prove my identity." Zhou Shaoming smiled, it seems that this audition is going to be a success!