Chapter 78: In the North

The party was relaxed, and the conversation flowed pleasantly.

Cameron Diaz asked Gilbert about his recent plans, "After *Speed*, what do you intend to do next?"

"Let me think..." Gilbert rubbed his chin and said, "I might take a vacation in China."

"China?" Cameron Diaz frowned. "What's there to see? You'd be better off going to the islands!"

"You don't understand," Gilbert replied with a nostalgic tone, "It's a longing that never disappeared!"

To the people of his former homeland, he was already an outsider. How could that not make him feel sentimental?

Nevertheless, he was curious about what life in China was like in the 1990s.

Unlike the long and difficult journey for people to come to North America, it was now relatively easy to travel there from North America.

Gilbert submitted a visa application to the embassy, and once they learned that he was going as a tourist, and that he was a well-known Hollywood director, he received fast approval.

The embassy staff warmly said to Gilbert, "We welcome Mr. Ladrani to visit China."

With the visa in hand, Gilbert took his cousin, Ellie, and headed off to China for a vacation.

Their first stop was the capital. Unlike the modernized city it would become decades later, the capital was still filled with the spirit of the era.

After exchanging U.S. dollars for RMB, Gilbert and Ellie strolled through the familiar yet foreign streets.

A tall and small pair of foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes attracted the attention of the locals in the capital.

Especially the taller one, who surprisingly spoke fluent Chinese, which amazed even the knowledgeable people of the city.

Gilbert took Ellie to visit the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and even climbed the Great Wall at Badaling.

He had brought his camera and took many photos as a way to commemorate the trip.

They also indulged in local specialties like Peking duck and hotpot, and the taste nearly brought tears to Gilbert's eyes.

Next, based on his memory, he asked for directions and found the Beijing Film Academy, his alma mater in his past life.

It was from this place that he had ventured out, worked tirelessly, and ultimately became an internet film director.

This place was the starting point of his filmmaking dream. Without this school, neither the old him nor the present him would exist.

Given his status as a foreigner, and perhaps because the film school's management wasn't as strict at the time, Gilbert and Ellie easily entered the campus.

It was near the summer break, and students were rushing around, worried about their final exams.

The sight of two foreigners drew some glances and whispers, but no one had the courage to stop them from wandering.

"Cousin, how is this place different from USC where you studied?" Ellie asked curiously as she observed the young Chinese students with wide-eyed interest.

"They're pretty much the same. Both are arts schools, though USC might be more comprehensive," Gilbert replied.

"Are there any famous movies or directors from here?" Ellie asked.

Because of Gilbert's influence, Ellie had started to take an interest in the film industry. Before he bragged about it, she hadn't even known a country existed across the Pacific.

She didn't even know whether they had movies there.

"Didn't you see the sign outside? It's a film academy. Do you think they have directors or not?" Gilbert teased.

"They definitely aren't as good as you, Cousin, or I would have heard of them," Ellie said proudly.

Gilbert was a bit embarrassed. He knew that several directors who would become famous in the future were already making a name for themselves, such as the "National Master."

Since they operated in different circles, it was hard to compare.

Soon, their aimless wandering was cut short as the campus administration caught wind of two foreigners walking around. The dean of academic affairs, Li Jiancheng, quickly found them.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?" a young woman, standing next to a middle-aged man in his forties, asked in English.

Hearing this, Gilbert turned around and replied with a smile in Chinese, "You can speak Chinese, I understand it. My name is Gilbert Ladrani

"Ahem," the middle-aged man spoke, "May I ask who you're looking for?"

"I'm sorry," Gilbert extended his hand and shook the man's hand. "I'm a film director, and I've heard your school is famous, so I came to have a look."

"A film director?" The man looked at the young Gilbert with disbelief.

But considering that he was a foreigner, it made sense. After all, some people are just prodigies.

"Yes," Gilbert didn't explain further and instead asked, "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

The man suddenly realized and quickly introduced himself, "I'm Li Jiancheng, the dean of academic affairs, and this is one of our students, Tian Fang."

"Nice to meet you," Gilbert nodded and then turned to Tian Fang. "Your English is pretty good, although there's a bit of an accent, but communication won't be an issue."

Hearing this praise from a foreigner made Tian Fang very happy.

"Since you're a fellow filmmaker, why don't I show you around the campus?" Li Jiancheng offered.

"That sounds great, lead the way."

Li Jiancheng then instructed Tian Fang, "Go inform the cafeteria to prepare a nice meal for our foreign guests at lunch."

Tian Fang ran off to the cafeteria to deliver the message. Despite her outdated appearance, she had an undeniable sense of innocence.

It had been a long time since Gilbert had seen someone like that.

Li Jiancheng then invited them again, "If you're not too busy, would you join us for lunch?"

"Sure! After walking all morning, both Ellie and I are starving," Gilbert gladly accepted.

What followed was a guided tour by Li Jiancheng, which was much better than the random wandering Gilbert and Ellie had been doing.

Li Jiancheng assumed Gilbert didn't know the history of the film academy, so as he showed them around, he explained the school's history, its famous alumni, and some noteworthy Chinese films.

At this time, the influence of the Western world had exposed the Chinese to the gap between the two.

Having a foreign director like Gilbert tour the campus was an honor for the academy.

Tian Fang soon found Vice President Zhu Zhijun and informed him that the dean, Li Jiancheng, was showing a young American director around the campus.

"An American director?" Zhu Zhijun asked, frowning. "What's his name?"

"Gilbert Ladrani..."

"Ladrani? That's an odd name."

Worried that Gilbert might be some kind of spy, Zhu Zhijun quickly called for verification.

Back then, it wasn't easy to verify things online, so everything had to be done through phone calls.

After several rounds of calls to various departments, including foreign affairs, they confirmed that there was indeed a Hollywood director named Gilbert Ladrani who had just turned 23 this year.

He had indeed applied for a visa to travel to China.

With this confirmation, Zhu Zhijun felt reassured. But he still wondered why this young American didn't visit other tourist spots and came to their film school instead.

Thinking that his friend, Tian Congming, who knew a lot about Hollywood, might be interested, Zhu Zhijun called him over so they could all have lunch with the foreign guest.

"Old Tian, there's a Hollywood director here, named Gilbert Ladrani. Want to come take a look?"

"Gilbert?" Tian Congming was startled. "You mean that Gilbert?"

"Is he that famous?" Zhu Zhijun asked curiously.

"Famous? Do you know what the American media calls him? A once-in-a-century filmmaking genius."

"Wait for me, I'm coming right over."

Luckily, Gilbert didn't overhear that. If he had, the praise of being a "once-in-a-century filmmaking genius" would have made him blush a little.

.....

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