Reborn: Changing Fate
Secret Talks with Famous Directors

“You're wrong. I'm not Du Juan's daughter.”

Ye Tianxin took the risk and guessed that the Du Juan that this super director was referring to was actually Lady Du.

She has a very beautiful name, Du Juan, so why would a noodle shop owner call her “Mrs Du?”

"Oh, it's my fault."

Jin Xin assessed Ye Tianxin from head to toe. On her face, which was without makeup, she saw pomegranate red lips, white teeth, black eyebrows, beautiful, naturally shaped, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that shone like stars in the galaxy, emitting rays of brilliance. Simple cotton dresses with floral prints are very old fashioned. Despite all that, however, she appeared graceful and very relaxed.

“Aunt Du should be in the store. Please follow me inside!”

Jin Xin and Ye Tianxin stepped into the bookstore.

Jin Xin was stunned as she entered the bookstore and looked around. It was clear from his reaction that he had not expected Du Juan to live out his days in a place like this.

On second thought, he felt that this was something he should have expected from Du Juan!

He is not a conventional man.

Ye Tianxin pushed the wooden door open, causing the wind chimes hanging behind her to make a melodious sound.

"Excuse me. Please wait here for a while while I go look for Aunt Du. ”

While holding his bag, Ye Tianxin went to the bookstore to the backyard. Du Juan was basking in the warm spring sunshine, reading a book.

"Aunt Du, there are guests waiting outside."

"Ah, really? I'll go see it.”

Du Juan put his book on the chair and walked to the bookstore.

Looking at Du Juan, Jin Xin smiled and said, "I said, Du, so this is where you live in seclusion? Close up a bad big world, hit in the middle of the city! If you don't take the initiative to call me, I'll assume that you went with a man!"

Looking annoyed, Du Juan glared at Jin Xin. “Master Jin, why do you still like spitting out trash? I called you because I wanted to tell you that we can start filming the movie 'Red Cherry' because I have found a young girl who is suitable for the role of Cherry. You just met him. What say?"

Du Juan took out a bottle of cold beer from the fridge and handed it to Jin Xin.

Jin Xin replied, “He does have the spirit of Cherry. However, I'm not sure if he will succeed in playing it. As you know, Cherry is a multi-faceted character with a variety of emotions. He wouldn't be fair to a cleverly written Cherry script if he couldn't portray the depth and breadth of the character's emotions."

Du Juan was silent for a while, deep in thought, then he replied, “His little time is similar to Cherry. In fact, from a certain point of view, you could say that he will play himself in the film. Also, I asked someone to find out on my behalf how he fared in his first interview at the film academy. Apparently, they call it a rare discovery. They say she is a promising young talent who has been blessed by heaven and is destined to become an actress…. Mr. Jin, I've long since finished the script for this film, but I postponed filming because I couldn't find a suitable actor to play Cherry. But now that I have found the right person for the lead role, I want to continue the production of the film. I'd like to see this film finished and screened to the rest of the world while I'm still alive.”

Jin Xin took out a pack of cigarettes from her bag. He took out one stick and placed it between his lips, but when he was about to light it, he thought twice and quietly put the cigarette back into his wrapper.

“Our esteemed screenwriter, Du, I am fully aware of how much you appreciate this script. Many years ago, when I wanted to start shooting this film, you flatly refused, and now you suddenly pushed me to start shooting this film as soon as possible. How do you expect me to find investors to fund this movie with such a notice?”

Judging from the script, “Red Cherry” is an art film, not a profitable commercial film.

So, even with their strong reputation, the chances of them finding investors are low.

“I'll fund it myself,” Du Juan said.

That's the script. She had chosen the female lead herself, and she did not want investors to interfere with her film.

Most importantly, he did not want investors pushing actors into mismatched films and degrading the overall quality of the film.

“How will you fund it?”

Jin Xin felt that Du Juan had gone a little crazy. The film has a lot of city scenes in it, which means it won't be a cheap movie and requires a lot of funding. Furthermore, and this is the single most important point of all, the film will not be a box office hit, as the story is about the lives of characters who represent only a fraction of the population!

“I plan to mortgage my real estate property. I've done a rough estimate and hope I can collect almost 50 million dollars from my assets.”

Du Juan, after thinking it through seriously, has concluded that the only way he can have the most control over how the film is produced is if he himself is the film's biggest investor.

“No way, Du Juan. You'reinsane. Don't you even realize what kind of movie this is? It doesn't matter how good the script is. l If no one goes to the movies to watch a movie, you will lose everything.”

Du Juan laughed softly at Jin Xin. “Our life in this world is short, only a few decades. Money and assets are just material things, things we don't have come into this world and things we won't be able to carry with us when we die, so it doesn't matter to me if I lose everything.”

"Well, I still have to think about it."

Although Jin Xin said that she still needed to think about it, she had already thought of the list of potential actors in her head. Which actor is suitable for the male lead?

He had met Ye Tianxin at the entrance of the shop before. From what he saw about her, he estimated her height at least 1.7 meters. If he was going to be the female lead, then the male lead would definitely be no shorter than 1.8 meters, though, because they couldn't possibly make the male lead stand on top of a box while filming a scene of him and Ye Tianxin together!

"I just found out that you're gonna agree to do this."

Du Juan stood up. Although she was no longer a young woman in her early twenties, she still yearned for the beautiful past of her youth whenever she thought about it.

“I'll be back now. As a director, I personally have to supervise a lot of things related to the production of the film. As for the female lead, are you sure she has the acting skills to do so? We need real actors, not ornamental vases. On the big screen, a woman who lacked acting skills was like a wooden beauty. It had a bad impact on the film and made it tasteless.”

Jin Xin did some calculations in her head. If he added his assets to Du Juan's investment, would that be enough money to fund the production of the film?

Fortunately, the female lead was a beginner and would not be able to charge a large sum for her role. Therefore, maybe they only hire beginners for the film.

"Why don't you stay and have dinner with us and try what Ye Tianxin and his grandmother cooked for us for dinner tonight."

"All right then."

Jin Xin didn't think it would make much of a difference if staying here with them for a while longer than straight back.

Returning to the courtyard, Du Juan noticed that Grandma and Ye Tianxin had finished preparing the food and were ready to start steaming it.

“Mrs, Tianxin. I have a friend who will join us for dinner. Is that okay with you?”

Grandma nodded and replied, "Of course."

As the maid chef, Ye Tianxin, wearing an apron, stood to the side and waited for instructions, her profile was partially lit by lights on it. There he was, standing to the side, and the lights on it, like excellent stage supports, covered it with a golden luster.

Immediately, the scent of tempting food came out from the kitchen, causing Jin Xin, who was sitting in the bookstore, to involuntarily salivate.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened.

Du Juan walked to a nearby store to buy beer. As far as he was concerned, today was a day of celebration, so he closed the bookstore earlier than usual.

He and Jin Xin went to the bookstore and entered the small house in the back. There, they saw a simple round table covered with a checkered tablecloth and four folding chairs propped up around it.

Grandma had prepared the traditional Jiameng cuisine, commonly called the "Eight Great Bowls".

Knife tip meatball. The combination of lean and fat meat is chopped together with tofu and various flavorings before it is formed in the palm into a small triangle, one end thicker than the other end. The triangle is then placed in a ring following the contour of the inside of the bowl, the thinner end facing inward. Then, the middle of the bowl is filled with a layer of vegetables, such as dried lily petals, black mushrooms, and carrots, before being put in a steamer.

Dragon eyes. The pork belly is sliced thickly and smeared with cooked red bean paste before rolling into a roll of meat. Crushed brown sugar is sprinkled in a bowl, and into this bowl, rolls of meat are placed in three rows. Then, the cooked glutinous rice is spooned onto a roll of meat.

Eight large bowls refer to eight different types of steamed food.

Spicy and sour.

So, eight monstrous sized bowls were placed on the dining table. Under the lights, they looked very delicious.

“Mistress, did you and Tianxin make all these wonderful meals? You must have worked so hard!”

Du Juan's gaze fell on a plate of crispy beans. She concluded that Grandma was indeed a wise person and only someone as kind as Grandma was able to raise a good and beautiful girl like Ye Tianxin.

“No problem at all. Come on, you guys, please come and taste the food.”

Sitting beside Du Juan, Jin Xin poured a glass of beer and handed it to Grandma.

Grandma repeatedly shook her hand, saying, “Please help yourself. I don't drink.”

“Yes, please help yourself, Sir. My grandmother did not drink at all.”

Jin Xin took out a piece of Dragon Meat with her chopsticks and placed it in the bowl in front of her. His flesh was perfectly steamed, and shattered the moment he picked it up. In his mouth, he could feel the smooth and fragrant glutinous rice and the flabby red beans. Many layers of perfectly balanced flavors and textures are simply amazing.

“Mistress, you're a great cook. You can stay and open a restaurant here in Capital City.”

Hearing Jin Xin praise her grandmother for her cooking skills, Ye Tianxin was overjoyed, even more so than if she was the one Jin Xin praised. “Uncle, my grandmother is unlikely to open a restaurant,” she said. “Managing a restaurant is exhausting.”

Du Juan glanced at Jin Xin with satisfaction as if saying, “See what I mean? The person I'm heading to is a very nice person.”

Grandma was very grateful to Du Juan for his kindness of letting him and his granddaughter stay in the store. But, since he was simple and honest, he would not be able to calm down until he returned Du Juan's kindness.

That was why Grandma continued to persuade Jin Xin and Du Juan to eat food, eight large bowls, which she made herself. However, he does not use his own chopsticks to serve them, knowing that the people in town do not like being too familiar with each other.

Jin Xin glanced at the floor and noticed that the previously dilapidated floor was now becoming tidy and clean due to Ye Tianxin's excellent cleaning job.

Ye Tianxin had moved a few flower pots and placed them in every corner of the house. Under the brilliance of the lighting, these flowers looked lively.

"Tianxin, what are your plans for the future?" Jin Xin asked.

"To be accepted into the Capital University," Ye Tianxin replied sweetly.

Capital University?

Stunned, Jin Xin looked at Du Juan and suddenly doubted Du Juan's decision to make him the lead. If Ye Tianxin was determined to be accepted into the Capital University, should they consider choosing her for the role?

"Do you have a profession that you are interested in?"

At first, Ye Tianxin's goal was simply to be accepted into Capital University. He didn't think much about what profession he wanted to pursue, the reason being that, with his score, he couldn't be picky about what field he would specialize in. However, now that Jin Xin had a question, she suddenly recalled someone she had seen on TV. At the time he thought it would be an excellent choice in his career if he could do a good job and be given a chance.

“I want to be an office of foreign affairs.”

Ye Tianxin imagined herself as a representative of her country, standing in front of a press conference and elegantly and knowingly answering questions from people about her country.

Jin Xin looked at Ye Tianxin. His eyebrows were perfect, and his eyes were filled with energy and spirit. Once seeing a girl like that, and it was impossible for anyone to dislike her.

In fact, at that moment, Jin Xin found herself thinking that she hoped this girl would succeed in everything she wanted to do in life.

"Tianxin, your ambition is commendable," Du Juan said, looking at Ye Tianxin seriously. “When I was a child, my biggest dream was to become a writer, because that way I could sell my words for money and break free from the restrictions imposed by my family on me. Today, I'm a writer, and I have to decide how I want to live my life. Tianxin, do you know what I would be if I didn't have that dream when I was young? I will be a neighbor girl who marries a man at eighteen and gives birth to her children. I'm going to have a bleak mechanical life like my mother's. Fortunately, one book changed my destiny and made me the Du Juan I am today, not Mrs Du.”

Jin Xin rarely heard Du Juan's memories of the past before. Although he had known Du Juan for decades, he had always been silent about his past.

So why would Du Juan share his past now?

“So, Tianxin, don't be afraid. Just follow your heart. Dare to dream and then move on to make it happen. One day, you will realize your dream. One of the most terrible things a person can do is not having the courage to dream. If you are too afraid to dream, how can you be brave enough to do what you want in life?”

In fact, Jin Xin completely agreed with what Du Juan said.

Dare to dream. Dare to make it happen.

Only then can change occur in one's life.

One should not aim to be someone who busies themselves doing other things throughout their life and never achieves anything.

And, despite achieving nothing in their lives, this person amuses himself by claiming that a simple life is the best life a person can have.

Nodding, Ye Tianxin replied, “Yes, I know. I will do my best and work hard.”

He would change his destiny, step by step.

Little by little, he changed his life.

Seeing his grandmother, Ye Tianxin decided to make sure that his grandmother lived to old age….

This dinner was very important for Jin Xin and Du Juan.

At this dinner, Jin Xin decided to choose Ye Tianxin as the female lead at “Red Cherry.”

In Ye Tianxin, he saw the unique qualities Cherry— possessed - kindness, beauty, intelligence, and determination.

After dinner, Du Juan took the initiative to clean up and told Ye Tianxin and her grandmother to rest and relax.

Du Juan could see that Ye Tianxin, who had been awake since this morning, was very tired.

“Tianxin, you should go and rest. I'll make dinner."

But Ye Tianxin felt guilty for leaving Du Juan to do the cleaning and replied, "Miss Du, let me do it."

“Then, let's do it together.”

Du Juan and Ye Tianxin stood side by side in the sink and washed the dishes together. Jin Xin took out a slim compact camera from her shirt pocket and took a photo of them standing together in the sink from behind.

But after taking one shot, he wanted to take more.

“Tianxin, Du Juan.”

The two women standing in the sink turned around in unison, looking confused on their faces.

After Du Juan helped Ye Tianxin tidy up, he left the shop with Jin Xin.

Jin Xin commented, “Then, you told me that you have a daughter. When I saw Tianxin at the entrance of the store earlier, I thought she was your daughter. They are very similar from the back. In fact, looking at the photos I took of her, their faces were also very similar.

Clicking to open the photos, Du Juan looked at it once and said, his voice filled with yearning, "Perhaps because all beautiful people look alike."

That said, he let out a very long breath. “Sometimes, I wish she was my daughter. I also thought about what my own daughter would be like if she was still alive. Probably similar to Tianxin…. It's a shame, but I'm not someone destined to have a family.”