Chapter 68 Chapter 68 The Heroine is You
Walking slowly along Broadway, Bo Wenjue took her to a jazz bar without a sign.
The moment you push the door open, you are greeted by the rich aroma of whiskey and cigars.
The dim lights cast flickering shadows, but perhaps because it was daytime, the bar was empty.
The bar isn't very big, and the style is old-fashioned, but it doesn't look cluttered. There's a small stage on one side of the bar with various instruments, including a piano.
There was a person sitting in the corner of the stage, but the lighting was dim and his appearance could not be seen clearly.
The moment the two people came in, the bartender raised his head. He glanced at them and raised the corner of his mouth under his gray beard: "Old rules?"
Bo Wenjue nodded and tapped his fingertips twice on the bar: "Another lemon mint, with ice."
After saying this, Bo Wenjue looked at Xia Nuan and said with a smile, "The alcohol content of this wine is only a few degrees. It's probably the one with the lowest alcohol content here."
Xia Nuan also smiled, this was exactly what she meant: "Thank you very much for your kindness."
However, this bartender seemed to know Bo Wenjue. Xia Nuan glanced at him and asked, "Do you know each other?"
"I used to work odd jobs here."
Xia Nuan looked at him in surprise. She remembered that Bo Wenjue's family was quite wealthy, so why did he still need to work?
Bo Wenjue smiled helplessly and said, "It can't be helped. My family stopped providing me with living expenses when I came to study abroad because I didn't study finance as they wanted, but chose musical theatre instead."
Bo Wenjue gestured to Xia Nuan to sit in the booth in the corner, which was a small corner sofa that could only seat two people.
“This location not only offers a full view of the bar, but is also secluded and comfortable.”
Xia Nuan joked, "It seems you sat here a lot back then."
The sofa creaked slightly as the body sank. The two of them drank and chatted in low voices, and the topic jumped from the history of jazz to interesting stories about Broadway, jumping very quickly.
As dusk approached, the lights on the stage in the corner came on, illuminating the figures on the stage.
He was an elderly black musician who was tuning his saxophone.
Although they were sitting in a very secluded place, they were the only two customers in the entire bar, so it would be difficult not to be noticed.
The man waved at Bo Wenjue.
Xia Nuan blinked and whispered, "You know him too?"
"Old Charlie is arguably the best saxophonist on this block." Bo Wenjue's expression showed a rare hint of embarrassment. "He taught me to play the saxophone before, but I never learned it in the end."
After a while, a few more people appeared on the stage, but they were all younger than the black musician.
The light drum beats sounded first, followed by the bass, and finally the melodious saxophone. The music flowed in the air, as if a warm current spread from the top of the head to the toes.
Xia Nuan squinted her eyes comfortably. It was the first time she heard jazz in such an occasion. Unlike a symphony, which required one to sit upright and appreciate it, it made people relax quickly.
Xia Nuan blinked and realized that she was humming along with the music.
Bo Wenjue sat on the side and looked at her with gentle eyes.
After the song ended, a few customers appeared in the bar.
Charlie waved on the stage, suddenly stood up and waved in their direction: "Want an impromptu?"
Who was he talking to? A flash of doubt crossed Xia Nuan's eyes, but the answer was soon revealed.
Bo Wenjue's lips curled up, and he suddenly leaned forward, his slightly curly hair accidentally brushing against Xia Nuan's forehead, and his warm breath brushed against her ears: "Have you ever heard of improvisational jazz?"
Without waiting for Xia Nuan to answer, he walked towards the stage.
Charlie grinned and moved to the side. Bo Wenjue unbuttoned his sleeves and his slender fingers fell on the black and white keys of the piano.
The moment his fingers touched the keys, his entire demeanor changed.
The prelude was a variation of the previous song, but in the second bar it suddenly turned to the blues style. Charlie laughed and immediately followed up with the saxophone. The bassist and drummer exchanged glances and also joined in the musical game.
Xia Nuan held her cheek and watched Bo Wenjue's fingers flying on the piano keys.
The music gradually slowed down.
Xia Nuan closed her eyes and swayed gently to the rhythm, not noticing that the sound of the piano was missing from the music.
When he returned to his seat, Bo Wenjue's forehead was covered with a layer of fine beads of sweat, but his peach blossom eyes were as black and bright as obsidian, and he was smiling deeply: "What do you think of this song? Is it suitable for listening to when you are daydreaming?"
In the next few days, Bo Wenjue became their exclusive tour guide and took Xia Nuan and Lin Dayong on a tour of New York.
The audition results should have come out today, but until now, she still hasn't received any notification.
Her nerves, which had been relaxed for a few days, suddenly became tense. No matter success or failure, she just wanted to get a definite answer.
"Xiao Xia, do you want to visit the backstage of Broadway?"
Xia Nuan filtered what she had just heard in her mind. Broadway, backstage tour—
Xia Nuan stood up and said immediately, "Of course I want to go, Brother Lin, do you have any connections?"
Lin Dayong scratched his head. "Teacher Bo just called and asked, do you want to go?"
"I'll go!" Xia Nuan said firmly. She didn't want to think about the audition anymore. Instead of waiting here, she might as well go out for a walk. Besides, that was the backstage of Broadway. Xia Nuan immediately packed up and prepared to leave.
After opening the door and taking a few steps, Xia Nuan realized that Lin Dayong did not follow her out.
A hint of doubt flashed in Xia Nuan's eyes. When he went out to play with Bo Wenjue these days, Lin Dayong was obviously more active than anyone else?
"Brother Lin, aren't you going?"
Lin Dayong shook his head. "I can't help it. I have an online meeting soon. You can go by yourself."
Backstage at a Broadway theater.
Behind the scenes of Broadway is busier than Xia Nuan imagined.
She watched all this with shining eyes. This place was the same as the backstage of the drama in China before, but also different.
Stage staff, lighting technicians, and costume designers were shuttling back and forth, and the actors were reciting their lines in the corner, busy and orderly, and everything was in preparation for the performance.
"Mr. Bo!" A man in work clothes saw Bo Wenjue and immediately trotted over. "The piano in Group B needs tuning. Would you like to come and take a look?"
Xia Nuan narrowed her eyes slightly. This was not the first actor who was so respectful to Bo Wenjue.
Is Bo Wenjue really just an actor who occasionally performs on stage? Although Xia Nuan was a little confused, she didn't intend to ask since Bo Wenjue didn't say anything.
After the rehearsal, Bo Wenjue suddenly asked, "In tomorrow night's musical, a minor character has been hospitalized with acute appendicitis. Do you want to try going on stage? The lyrics are only a few words. With your ability, you should be able to learn them easily."
Xia Nuan was stunned for a moment before she realized what Bo Wenjue was talking about. Let her act?
"Is there a B-side for this role?"
"Of course, but if—"
"No, let the B-side perform." Xia Nuan interrupted him. She looked up at Bo Wenjue and said seriously, "There's no need for me to take away other people's performance opportunities just for the sake of experience."
Bo Wenjue was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud: "Sorry, I was indeed wrong."
Xia Nuan went to the restroom during the meeting and overheard the conversation between two staff members.
"Mr. Bo is so approachable, you wouldn't even guess he's the boss."
"Yeah, which other shareholder isn't arrogant?"
This is really unexpected. No wonder almost everyone is so respectful to him. Bo Wenjue is actually a shareholder here.
As Xia Nuan walked out of the bathroom, her phone suddenly vibrated wildly. As soon as she answered it, a piercing scream erupted from the receiver.
Xia Nuan frowned and asked quickly, "Hello? Brother Lin, what happened?"
"Xiao Xia, oh my god! You did it!" Lin Dayong's voice was trembling. "Dirk Dudley just called and said personally - the female lead is yours!"
She must have heard it wrong, Xia Nuan's fingers tightly grasped the phone.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The only sound in her ears was her own violent heartbeat.
Lin Dayong was so excited that the joy in his voice almost overflowed from the receiver: "Hello? Xiaoxia? Did you hear that? Sign the contract tomorrow at ten o'clock!"
"A Hollywood contract, a leading actress! Xiao Xia, I feel like I'm dreaming right now. You don't know, when I saw this email in my mailbox, I really thought I was dreaming. But a while later, I received a call..."
Lin Dayong was still chattering, his tone rising and falling with his voice.
Xia Nuan blinked and found that there was a layer of mist in front of her eyes.
"I heard it." Xia Nuan's voice trembled slightly, so softly that it seemed as if she was afraid of disturbing a beautiful dream.
After Xia Nuan hung up the phone, her fingertips were still trembling slightly.
She took a deep breath to calm her still agitated emotions.
Just as she turned around, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of her. Xia Nuan almost bumped into it. She stopped immediately, but because she didn't stand firmly, her body swayed a few times.
Bo Wenjue reached out and gave him a slight support: "Be careful, what happened?"
The tears that just flowed out of excitement wet the corners of her eyes. Xia Nuan's eyes were slightly red, but her eyes were surprisingly bright.
Bo Wenjue lowered her eyes slightly, her Adam's apple sliding unconsciously. She really didn't know that this was very——
Xia Nuan's eyelashes trembled, and then she laughed out loud, her tone filled with uncontrollable excitement: "Lao Bo, I got the heroine role in "Poetry in the Rain"!"
The excitement and joy suppressed all negative emotions. Xia Nuan could hardly suppress the upward curve of her lips, and even her hair curled up.
Xia Nuan looked at him with a smile: "I can't believe I was actually selected."
Bo Wenjue's pupils dilated slightly, and he looked at Xia Nuan without blinking. His eyes were already deep, and at this moment they were even more affectionate.
It was as if all sound had ceased and he only saw her mouth moving.
Xia Nuan was still talking happily when she was embraced by Bo Wenjue. His arms tightened around her back for a moment, but loosened in the blink of an eye.
Bo Wenjue took a few steps back and said in a low and gentle voice, "Congratulations."
That evening, the film producer sent an electronic version of the actor's employment contract to the email address.
Neither she nor Lin Dayong noticed anything wrong, but the remuneration promised in the contract was much higher than expected.
But he was not a professional after all. In order to prevent the other party from setting any traps, Lin Dayong asked an acquaintance to find a well-known performing arts contract lawyer in the industry.
The lawyer looked through the electronic contract and said, "$50 million in liquidated damages is much higher than the industry average."
Lin Dayong said, "But if the pay is high, then it's normal for the penalty to be high in proportion."
Lin Dayong grumbled in his heart, and this was a Hollywood blockbuster movie that had passed the international approval process. Who would be so blind as to breach the contract?
The lawyer reframed his words: "Apart from the penalty for breach of contract, this contract itself has no loopholes, and there is no fraud clause. Therefore, if you are sure you want to participate in this film, you can sign it."
Xia Nuan's heart was beating wildly. She pursed her lips and stared at the contract, her eyes gradually darkening.
After the lawyer left, only Xia Nuan and Lin Dayong were left in the living room.
"Fifty million US dollars in liquidated damages, that's nearly four hundred million RMB." Lin Dayong flipped through the contract copy again and again, the paper making a slight rustling sound in his hands. "That figure is outrageous! Even the liquidated damages for Hollywood A-list stars aren't that high."
Xia Nuan pursed her lips. "Besides, the salary doesn't meet the standard Hollywood usually pays Asian actresses. Not to mention, I'm just a new actress in Hollywood."
Xia Nuan looked away from the contract and towards Lin Dayong. "Brother Lin, this is the real problem with this contract. Why are they willing to pay me such a high salary? If it's to expand into the Chinese market, then the other actress who was shortlisted for the audition like me definitely has far more resources than I do."
Lin Dayong sighed softly: "Xiao Xia, are you not going to act because of this?"
Xia Nuan didn't say anything, but her expression was calm.
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