Yuan Ke was a realistic director but also one who loved his works deeply.

After hanging up, Rong Xu turned back to focus on promoting Silent.

More than half a month of continuous promotion made the already thin youth look even more slender. After departing from the UK and crossing the Atlantic, they arrived on the U.S. East Coast.

In the bustling metropolis of New York, the Silent crew had just gotten off the plane when they were greeted by a grand reception.

Director Xu hadn’t expected fans to come greet them overseas; the elder was stunned for a long while. He just turned to Xiao Zitong and said, “What’s going on? So many fans came to see us?” Before he finished, a loud shout rang out from the crowd: “Rong Rong! Rong Rong! Rong Rong!!!”

Clear and standard Chinese echoed in a foreign land. Director Xu took a closer look and realized that most of the dozens of fans who came to welcome them had black hair and eyes — they were East Asians.

Rong Xu didn’t expect his fans to organize such a reception. When fans want to find out something, they always have a way. For example, they knew that the Silent crew finished promotion in the UK two days ago and were coming to New York to participate in a talk show recording. They checked the flights in those two days and easily found several round-trip flights between the UK and the US.

However, there were nine flights from the UK to the US over those two days.

From afar, Rong Xu saw a petite and delicate female fan waving a sign with the words “Rong Rong.” There were shadows under her eyes; she seemed very tired but there was a bright light shining in her gaze as she looked at Rong Xu.

She probably hadn’t rested well for a long time.

Perhaps she had been waiting at the airport since the night before.

Not knowing what emotions stirred inside, Rong Xu went over and signed autographs briefly for everyone, reminding them to be careful on their way home. After a group photo, he looked seriously at the fans who were about to cry with excitement and said sincerely, “If you don’t take good care of yourselves, I will be very upset.”

The fans were stunned for a moment, and when they came back to their senses, Rong Xu and the Silent crew had already left the scene, his back facing them, raising his right arm to wave lightly twice.

Tears fell directly at that moment.

“QAQ How can my Rong Rong be so kind and gentle! Sob sob sob sob!!!”

The reception was just a small episode. The next day, the Silent crew participated in a talk show recording.

For Americans, they had no idea how popular Rong Xu and Xiao Zitong were in Huaxia (China).

Xiao Zitong aside, all her starring films had only been released domestically, never abroad. Among Rong Xu’s four publicly known works, Ambush, Vie for Supremacy, and Lost City were only shown in China, while only Black Clouds was released worldwide simultaneously.

Not every American cared about what was happening on the other side of the Earth. Many only recognized Rong Xu because of Black Clouds. They didn’t know Xiao Zitong at all. But they recognized Director Xu Sheng because Xu had directed many films released in the US seven or eight times, making him an old friend of the American public.

Therefore, on this talk show, Director Xu naturally became the center of attention. The host frequently spoke with him. When the host looked at Rong Xu and smiled, addressing him as a “handsome Huaxia man,” it was often used as a talking point.

The host meant no harm; he wanted to give Rong Xu exposure and make the audience remember him. But this also implied that Rong Xu’s fame in China hadn’t carried over internationally, and he urgently needed a work that would help him break out overseas.

Black Clouds was only the beginning; there were many big stars in that film, so audiences might not remember him specifically.

Silent hadn’t been released yet, and as an art film, its box office was not expected to be very high.

What came next was that Rong Xu chose to work with an American director.

In late November, one week before Silent’s premiere, Director Xu and Xiao Zitong left the US, but Rong Xu stayed behind.

At breakfast one morning at the hotel, Xiao Zitong pushed her luggage into the dining room and sat down beside Rong Xu. At this time, Rong Xu was chatting and laughing with Luo Qi. Seeing Xiao Zitong arrive, he smiled faintly and nodded to her.

Xiao Zitong said, “You just finished Silent and have been promoting two films. How long has it been… Are you really going to shoot another movie already?”

Upon hearing this, Rong Xu put down his glass and turned to look at Xiao Zitong.

Under the bright light, this clear and beautiful young actress looked at him seriously and smiled wryly: “I plan to rest for half a year… at least three months. Actually, filming Silent was quite easy. It’s mostly drama, no action scenes. But promoting the movie is exhausting. I still haven’t adjusted my jet lag this past month, and now I have to go back to China.” Pausing, Xiao Zitong spoke softly, “Rong Rong, aren’t you tired?”

Taking a few months off would hardly count as slacking in the industry; Xiao Zitong was the norm, while Rong Xu was truly a workaholic.

Hearing “Rong Rong,” Luo Qi next to him paused slightly, seeming to notice something unusual.

But Rong Xu didn’t detect anything odd. He smiled and shook his head: “I’m a man. It’s just work; I can handle it. Unlike you, Sister Zitong, you’re a girl. Last week on that variety show, you said you had your period? Your stomach hurt so much, but you still had to play games. I’m much more relaxed. You should take a good rest for a few months.”

Looking into the boy’s sincere and clear eyes, Xiao Zitong’s lips moved but she still didn’t say anything.

She could see that Rong Xu truly cared about her and wasn’t just being polite. But it was exactly this considerate yet unintrusive care that made her feel even warmer and more convinced… Rong Rong was just too adorable! How could such a cute person exist in the world?!

After breakfast, Director Xu and Xiao Zitong left the hotel for the airport.

For them, the promotion of Silent was over for now. Many variety shows they had participated in were not live broadcasts and would air over the next week, giving Silent some exposure. They only needed to rest at home and recharge, and then seven days later, when Silent officially premiered, they would do roadshow promotions.

But for Rong Xu, there was no rest time.

Just as Director Yuan and Xiao Zitong said, two days later Rong Xu had to go to Washington for an audition.

The movie he was auditioning for was a new film by the famous American director Clemens Holt, called Three Thousand Two Hundred Miles. Unlike Clemens’ usual big-budget films, this one had a relatively modest budget of fifty million dollars but attracted widespread attention from the American media.

Clemens, aged 32, was a well-known rising star director in the US. He shot his first film at 21, which became an instant hit, grossing three hundred million dollars.

Since then, Clemens’ films had never declined. Each new one was more thrilling than the last, making him the most admired director among American youth. He had also been nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Director.

Perhaps because he was still too young and lacked experience, Clemens had never won an Oscar. But he did win the Berlin Film Award once, and last year one of his commercial action movies grossed an astonishing 9.6 billion worldwide, becoming a huge hit.

Though he was a purebred American, Clemens Holt had a very close relationship with Huaxia (China). He spoke fluent Chinese, and with his golden hair and blue eyes, his striking features made him look every bit a star. On top of that, his films always combined strong visual impact with emotional resonance, which earned him great popularity among Huaxia audiences.

Among all Hollywood directors, Clemens’s Chinese was the best. The reason was simple: as a teenager, he followed behind the veteran director Liu Lao, starting out as an assistant director, gradually becoming a deputy director, and finally taking on full directing duties and making his own films.

This time, Clemens chose to collaborate with Rong Xu because he wanted to make a film related to Huaxia.

After filming Zhuang Hua Luo, Rong Xu received a call from Liu Lao, who personally recommended him to Clemens.

On the phone, Liu Lao briefly said that Clemens wanted to make a film with a Chinese male lead, so he showed him the script and thought Rong Xu was suitable. Liu Lao didn’t have to say much; Rong Xu understood that Clemens must have asked him for good Chinese actors to recommend, and Liu Lao had passed this opportunity on to him.

Rong Xu really needed a film that could take him to the global stage.

Silent wasn’t enough; in Zhuang Hua Luo, he was only the third male lead.

Black Clouds had great impact, but Rong Xu didn’t gain much from it.

Three Thousand Two Hundred Miles was undoubtedly the best chance.

This was a Hollywood commercial action movie full of Clemens Holt’s signature style, and also a road movie. Rong Xu would play the male lead who kidnaps the female lead, taking her on a wild road escape that spanned 3,200 miles across much of the United States.

The film required a lot of action scenes, and the male lead needed to speak fluent English.

Although Liu Lao recommended Rong Xu to Clemens, Clemens wouldn’t sign him immediately, which led to the current situation.

Two days later, Rong Xu and Luo Qi flew to Washington, D.C. This capital city was not as luxurious or bustling as New York but had a unique American charm. Just after arriving at the airport, the crew picked Rong Xu up and took him to the set.

Since this was a road movie, the shooting locations naturally couldn’t be in one place. Clemens Holt disliked special effects and insisted on shooting all scenes on location for non-sci-fi films. That morning, a brown-haired, green-eyed female host even reported on TV that Clemens’s new movie had rented an entire highway in the U.S. just for filming.

Luo Qi was a bit nervous seeing an American film crew for the first time. She sat up straight in the car, while Rong Xu leaned back comfortably in the soft seat, turning his head slightly to look out at the shimmering Potomac River nearby.

A pure white marble obelisk reflected in the blue water, rippling gently in the breeze.

In his past life, Rong Xu often came to America—he could say he spent at least three to four months a year there because he came to Hollywood to act.

In that world, China’s entertainment industry was not as developed as America’s, and Hollywood held over 80% of the world’s entertainment resources. At the end of their careers, stars from nearly every country would come here to leave their handprints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But things were different now.

Hollywood was still Hollywood, but Huaxia was no longer what it used to be.

Clemens Holt’s father was a famous Hollywood director, yet Clemens chose Liu Lao as his mentor. This showed how highly Huaxia cinema was regarded globally, able to rival Hollywood.

So many Hollywood stars and directors spoke Chinese—this was a sign of Huaxia’s powerful national strength!

Rong Xu’s gaze swept over the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument outside the window. Looking at this ancient city, the corners of his mouth curved into a meaningful smile.

Though in his past life he often went to the Hollywood studios in Los Angeles, he hadn’t come to Washington much. But he noticed the city was somewhat different from his memories. America was still a nation of immigrants, with many different skin colors on the streets, but the atmosphere was not the same.

It felt more equal.

At least compared to his past life, certain racists no longer dared to openly discriminate against Asians and Black people because they no longer claimed to be the sole superpower.

Time passed quickly. When the car entered a busy urban area and took a few turns, it finally stopped in front of a dilapidated small building.

Rong Xu and Luo Qi got out.

Luo Qi stared blankly at the gray-black walls and the trembling roof tiles, wide-eyed as if she couldn’t understand what was going on.

A crew member smiled and explained, “We’re building the set for a scene where a few people in the slums decide to rob someone. Clemens wants to shoot this scene first, so…” He paused, then laughed, “So today’s audition will also take place here.”

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