Chapter 313: Troublemaking Hands
Translator: BeetleBarker Editor: Tennesh
Why was it said to be a rec center for retired officials?
Because when it reached the sixth and seventh season, the important characters portrayed in the series were all starting to become old.
Humans’ physical constitutions had started to change during those 100 years. It had been a long-term process, not an overnight change. These changes had been more obvious in children born during the Period of Destruction. Other people had been able to see their constitutions change slowly day by day, but they still could not have been compared to people of the Old Era.
Even if the two types of people were both 100 years old, the people that had experienced the Period of Destruction right from the start would seem much older than people of the New Era. The plot for season six and seven roughly touched upon 60-plus and 70-plus years during that period. According to genuine historical video resources, during that time, many of these important historical characters had already been old, and as time passed, these characters would gradually get older. If they were to take into account the Old Era’s way of counting age, if the Period of Destruction had not abruptly descended, the majority of this bunch would already have retired. They would really be a bunch of retired officials.
Fang Zhao laughed when he heard this term. He had also wondered what would have happened had the Period of Destruction never occurred. What sort of leisurely life would he have led upon retiring?
Ultimately, his ending had been to die in battle.
Noticing that Fang Zhao wasn’t angry at all, Lu Aotian continued, "Big Brother Zhao, later on, when we go to the music center, give me your autograph. Not much, just a Diting Z Series earpiece and a few photographs. My entire family loves you, and my grandparents follow the series closely. They tell me that in the Yanzhou chapter, besides me, you are their next favorite."
"Sure." It was just signing his autograph. Fang Zhao would not decline this sort of trivial matter.
The music center here had been designed by a number of globally renowned architects. The building did not have the bright splendor of buildings of the New Era. Looking at its exterior, it seemed rather unsophisticated. It was as if the architects had used rather pious methods to suit the native topography and blend it together with the rocks, sand, hills, and earth.
Its exterior did seem crude and had an intense native flavor, but stepping in, one would find sophisticated technology all over. There were numerous teams with all sorts of different musical styles concentrated here and over 10 practice studios and concert halls, yet not a single note of a musical instrument could be heard on the first floor.
Stepping in through the main doors of the center, all one could hear was muted discussions. This was the sound of people walking on the first floor and sitting at the rest areas. On the whole, it was rather peaceful.
"Lu Ao!" Lu Aotian’s father was carrying a bag, and he took quick strides over from the level-one rest area and exclaimed, "Get down! So old, yet you behave like a two-year-old? Do you still need someone to carry you when walking? How many times have I told you?" After carrying Lu Aotian down from Fang Zhao’s shoulder, his father apologetically said to Fang Zhao, "Sorry, little kids are insensitive... Were you like this all the way when coming over from the film area?
Father Lu looked at Lu Aotian.
Lu Aotian avoided his gaze.
Father Lu’s eyebrows furrowed, and he opened his mouth to begin the lecture.
Lu Aotian leaned in to take the bag from his father’s hands before he could speak. "Dad, have you brought all the things I asked for?"
Father Lu ignored his question and even blocked his son, raising the bag out of his son’s grasp.
"This little rascal just loves giving people trouble. Fang Zhao, are you tired from carrying the little piggy all the way? You can rest for a bit over here. Now, it is the afternoon rest period; performances at the venues have not started yet."
Father Lu pay no attention to Lu Aotian’s protest at being called "little piggy," and he brought Fang Zhao to the rest area.
"If I’m a little piggy, Dad, you are a big piggy... My bag! Dad, give me my bag." Lu Aotian picked up his tiny feet and chased after them. "Big Brother Zhao promised to give me his autograph. I won’t bother him after he has signed it."
After speaking with Fang Zhao for a bit, Father Lu saw that Fang Zhao really did not seem to mind. Father Lu did not reprimand Lu Aotian as it was a public area, after all, and there were many people nearby. Later on, when they returned home, he would have a little private talk with Lu Aotian. To have the cheek to sit on Fang Zhao’s shoulders? Taking a photograph is all right, but walking such a distance and making Fang Zhao carry you? Take a look at your own weight! This little brat needs some sorting out!
"Fang Zhao, if you have no urgent matters to attend to, have something to eat with us while you sign. The refreshments here aren’t too bad, and what the performing artists eat here is more exquisite than what actors get over at the large dining hall. The taste might not be on par with the food at the gourmet city, but it definitely wins out in terms of artistic sense. These are the benefits investment firms have given them. However, only the cards here can be swiped, if you wish to eat here. People invited to the music team have the meal card for the music center. I will be using my wife’s card."
Father Lu did not seem embarrassed at all and was even a little pleased as he showed off a little. But when he thought about it, Fang Zhao was also a member of the music team and had the meal card too.
"Big Brother Zhao, look, we can do the signing here." To the side, Lu Aotian had finally gotten hold of the bag and had taken out his earpieces, and handed it over to Fang Zhao together with a pen. "There are still two more photographs. For our photo together, you just have to sign here. When I have internet access, I’m going to flaunt your autograph, hehe."
Fang Zhao took the pen, earpiece, and photographs and proceeded to sign them.
Lu Aotian handed over another two photos. "Can you help me sign these two stills too? These are for my grandma and grandad."
After these two, there were another two, then another two, and then yet another two...
Seeing Lu Aotian fishing out photographs two by two, Fang Zhao laughed. "All right, bring out all the remaining ones. I will sign them all in one go." This rascal had too many patterns.
Lu Aotian brought all the photographs and cards in his bag out. Some were for his seniors and some were for his siblings. There was even one for the classmate who sat beside him in class... Altogether, there were more than 50 pieces.
"Hehe." Lu Aotian also felt a little embarrassed and did not know what to say, so he could only smile sheepishly. He had previously lied to Fang Zhao that there were only a few pieces, but in actual fact, the scene before his eyes seemed quite excessive. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed his father’s face turning black.
Fang Zhao returned the pen and photograph cards back to Lu Aotian after he was done signing all of them.
"Heh! Thank you, Big Brother Zhao! Feel free to order whatever you want! I can swipe my mom’s card too!"
Father Lu pointed to the oval-shaped couch not too far away and said to Lu Aotian, "Lower your voice. If you don’t want to eat, go over and sleep."
Lu Aotian saw his father’s expression wasn’t too good, so he didn’t dare to be stubborn. Grudgingly, he moved over to where the couch was, but he did not feel like sleeping and he wanted to keep himself occupied, so he scanned around looking for anything fun. At this moment, he saw a Muzhou actor bringing a dog in, and his eyes glowed.
There were quite a number of actors from Muzhou’s filming team that had brought along dogs with them. These dogs were from Muzhou’s famed police dog academy, were mature, and could understand a lot of commands.
The Muzhou chapter of "Founding Era" could not have scenes without dogs. Dogs had played an important role in Muzhou all along, and there were many records left in historical resources. In the Cemetery of Martyrs, there were also many graves and sculptures of dogs.
When the police dog academy was selecting dogs for filming, the dog’s appearance, IQ, temperament, and other factors had been taken into consideration before this batch had been selected. Muzhou’s actors had also familiarized themselves with the dogs early on and now brought them along wherever they went, fostering a stronger bond so the coordination between man and dog would be even better during filming. There was no explicit rule prohibiting dogs, so whenever those Muzhou actors came, their dogs were at their sides.
Lu Aotian was both afraid of and curious about these dogs that were much larger than him, and he could not help but tease them whenever he saw them. These dogs had received training and were leashed, so even if the dogs were provoked and got mad, they would not chase after Lu Aotian or bite him, as there was a person holding them back.
And because of this, Lu Aotian got bolder. Even if his father had told him many times not to provoke the dogs, he was unable to stop his troublemaking hands.
This time, it was the same. The moment he saw the Muzhou actor bringing the dog over, Lu Aotian scurried over to it.
Father Lu was talking to Fang Zhao about the series as well as discussing other stuff, such as certain code words that people outside the cast and crew did not know. Any industry outsiders would not understand anything even if they heard, but insiders who had a few years in the industry would know right away.
Lu Aotian could be said to still be young and ignorant in the cast, so as his father, Father Lu had to take responsibility and remember and repay the help that others rendered to his son. To have been able to survive in the entertainment industry for so long, Father Lu also had his own methods. Although he was only considered a reputable actor in the showbiz circles, among netizens, he was considered quite the popular star. However, the cast of "Founding Era" had no lack of popular superstars, so with his background and contacts, he would not put on the airs of a senior when talking to a promising newcomer Fang Zhao.
Of course, when speaking to Fang Zhao, Father Lu also paid some attention to Lu Aotian. Noticing the little rascal provoking a dog again, he started to fume inside.
The actor from Muzhou had not been too familiar with Father Lu in the past, but because everyone had friends and relatives over here at the music center and frequently came over for meals, over time, they had gotten to know each other and would exchange some words when they ran into each other.
Thus, when Father Lu saw the Muzhou actor looking over, he made some hand gestures toward the other party.
Lu Aotian, this little brat, deserved to be taught a lesson he would remember.
At the moment, the unknowing Lu Aotian was staring at the obediently seated dog. In his hands, he held a straw for drinking fruit juice.
The average size of a Muzhou dog was very big so that, in the serial, more people would see how awe-inspiring Muzhou dogs were. Back in the police dog academy, the dogs that had been selected were especially impressive. Even when seated, the dog was taller than Lu Aotian by two heads.
The large dog noticed Lu Aotian when he started walking over and stared at him warily. It knew that this rascal provoked him every single time, and when Lu Aotian got close, some impatient growls formed in the dog’s throat.
Lu Aotian closed the distance and nervously extended his hands, using the straw to poke the large dog lightly.
The large dog growled and suddenly got up and rushed two steps over to Lu Aotian. As this was the length of the leash, it generally did this to scare people only and would not struggle against the leash restraining him.
Lu Aotian had also been scared by this method a few times. After a while, he had stopped being afraid anymore, and he experiencedly took a few steps back till he was just out of reach of the dog.
Then.
Thud.
Boy and dog both turned to look at the leash, and they saw the leash handle had fallen on the ground.
Lu Aotian: "..." Turn around, run!
The large dog looked at the leash on the ground, then raised its head to look at that Muzhou actor. Seeing the actor gesture, the dog chased after Lu Aotian.
Lu Aotian looked over his shoulder and saw the large dog catching up. Scared sh*tless, he shrieked and ran in the direction of his father.
How fast could those short legs of Lu Aotian’s carry him? The large dog was closing in, but it actually was not even using its full strength. Everyone around witnessing the scene knew it was teasing the child.
Father Lu got up and walked over, spreading his arms preparing to catch his son while thinking to himself, Learned your lesson this time?
Who knew that Lu Aotian would change direction, bypassing his father and running over to Fang Zhao before expertly clambering up Fang Zhao’s shoulders.
Father Lu: "..."
The large dog stopped about five steps away and twitched its nose while staring at Fang Zhao suspiciously. It took a step closer and sniffed, wary and curious. Following that, it warily turned its head toward the Muzhou actor and gave two low growls.
Black faced, Father Lu went over and picked Lu Aotian up from Fang Zhao’s shoulders and smacked him on the butt. "Let’s see if you still dare to provoke dogs in future!"
The Muzhou actor came over and picked up the leash before telling Lu Aotian while laughing, "Little friend, don’t do this next time. If a dog isn’t leashed, you might be bitten."
"Did you hear that?" Father Lu softly chided his son.
The Muzhou noticed his dog sniffing the air from time to time while taking a step closer to Fang Zhao.
"This dog is really well trained," Fang Zhao said.
Hearing praise for the dog from his own continent, the Muzhou actor was also pleased. "Of course. Our Muzhou dogs are all very smart. Besides, he even came from Muzhou’s police dog academy. This is the cream of the crop. If you want to own a dog..."
The Muzhou actor paused midway through his sentence. When he had first learned of Fang Zhao, it had not been because of Fang Zhao’s composing status. Nor had it been his because of his acting. It had been because of Fang Zhao’s dog, which had caused waves in Muzhou.
Thus, the Muzhou’s actor changed his tune. "Your curly-haired dog is rather well trained too. Why didn’t you bring him over?"
Fang Zhao replied. "He still has an assignment."
That Muzhou actor flashed a knowing smile. He guessed that Fang Zhao had surely had Curly Hair film some commercials or TV series for money. After all, that dog’s value in the global charts was right at the front. People from other continents just loved these sort of things. But at the same time, inwardly, he felt a little disdain. He just could not stand it when people from other continents treated dogs as tools to earn money.
Regardless of what he thought, that Muzhou actor did not show it on his face. He just laughed heartily. After exchanging some words with Fang Zhao and Father Lu, he left together with the dog. Just as they were leaving, that large dog raised its head to look at Fang Zhao suspiciously and sniffed before releasing a low growl.
If its specialist trainer was here, the trainer would surely have known what it was trying to say: there is the scent of a dog on Fang Zhao!
Every few days, Fang Zhao would head to the base to visit Curly Hair. Even if he changed and washed his clothing every day unless Fang Zhao specifically tried to remove the smell, a tiny bit of Curly Hair’s smell would always linger.
But that Muzhou actor did not know this and just thought the large dog was still angry with Lu Aotian. As for Curly Hair, who the Muzhou actor assumed had been left on Earth to make money, he was actually over at the Wai base working overtime.
Fang Zhao did not stick around. After talking with Father Lu, he headed over to the concert halls. He would first look at the list of each hall’s performances before deciding which one to attend.
After Fang Zhao left, Father Lu brought Lu Aotian with him to apologize to everyone seated in the first-floor lounge and to treat them to a cup of tea. It wasn’t anything expensive, just manners. There had been a bit of a commotion and some people had frowned. The Lu’s could not treat it as if nothing had happened, and Father Lu used this as a pretext so that Lu Aotian would not create a ruckus or do things like provoke dogs in future.
After the rounds, Father Lu decided to bring Lu Aotian to watch a performance.
"Why are you dawdling? Hurry up," Father Lu urged as he saw Lu Aotian walking sluggishly.
"My legs have gone soft." Lu Aotian had been scared by the dog, and strength had not fully returned to his legs. When Lu Aotian had gone one round with his father to apologize, he had beared with it and not uttered a word. But now he could bear it no longer.
"You and your troublemaking. Let’s see whether you dare to provoke dogs anymore!" Father Lu went over and picked Lu Aotian up. He had no way of being like Fang Zhao and supporting this little fatty on his shoulders, so he could only let Lu Aotian ride on his neck.
"Why did you run over to Fang Zhao when there was a problem?" Father Lu still took offense to that incident.
"I feel that Big Brother Zhao gives me a greater sense of security," Lu Aotian replied.
"Sense of security my foot... You better know who is your daddy!"
"Of course I know," Lu Aotian said seriously. "Don’t worry, I will surely provide for you when you retire!"
"...In your dreams! Your daddy is still young." Father Lu, who was in the prime of his life, simply did not want to think about retiring. He decided to put this little rascal in order when they returned home today.