Chapter 280: The Surrogacy
After finals were over, Tao Manni and the girls insisted on taking Yun Xiangxiang on a girls’ night out.
Yun Xiangxiang couldn’t refuse them, so she asked He Wei to reserve a KTV room. Tao Manni and the girls agreed to it, not wanting to ruin the celebratory mood.
But they insisted on paying for their own shares. They dragged Yun Xiangxiang here. They couldn’t take advantage of Yun Xiangxiang by asking her to treat them to a session in a high-class place like this.
Yun Xiangxiang would always bring some gifts back for them every time she went somewhere. She would also bring them breakfast whenever she came to class. Aside from taking down the notes and recording the lectures, Tao Manni and the girls didn’t do much, save for the film festival. They thought they owed Yun Xiangxiang.
Yun Xiangxiang respected their choice. Since the girls said they would work part-time over the summer vacation, Yun Xiangxiang let them do whatever they wanted.
Yang Qi and the boys came too. They got a party room and sang all night. He Wei came to pick Yun Xiangxiang up in the morning.
“I got a magazine interview for you in Paris. And we can go to S.Q. to talk about the endorsement for their makeup,” He Wei briefed Yun Xiangxiang about this month’s work. “The selection for “Flying Sky”‘s female protagonist starts this August. Most of our company’s actresses would take part. So will those from other agencies. Even amateurs will give it a shot.”
“I see. There’s enough time,” Yun Xiangxiang nodded.
If the filming for “First Love” couldn’t end by then, Yun Xiangxiang could still take a few days off and come back for the selection.
Yun Xiangxiang went back home to catch a nap before asking Yun Lin, who was playing with the cat. “Little Lin, I’m going to Paris for some film work. Do you want to go with me, or do you want to go home?”
The summer vacation would span for a long time. Yun Xiangxiang had to plan for her little brother.
“I’m following you,” Yun Lin didn’t hesitate.
Yun Xiangxiang mulled it over, “I’ll be there for my filming work, so I might not have time for you.”
France wasn’t like China. It was an unfamiliar place. Yun Xiangxiang was worried that Yun Lin might find it hard to adapt.
This filming was different from the time she went to New York for a promo video. She was filming a film now. And she had to do it fast so that she could come back in August for “Flying Sky”‘s selection.
Yun Lin remained silent.
“You have to tell me what you think. I can’t read minds. If I make the wrong arrangements, it will upset you. I don’t want anything to get between us,” Yun Xiangxiang spoke gently.
“If I go back home, Sister Qianqian will have to go with me. Only Sister Ai Li will be by your side. Brother Mian’s not there either. I’m worried about you,” Yun Lin spilled his thoughts.
Yun Xiangxiang was touched. So the boy was worried about her safety. She patted Yun Lin’s head, “You’re thinking far ahead.”
“I can go with you. Little Lin’s foundation is solid. I’ll just need to get someone to help him with his training,” Song Qian walked over.
Song Qian didn’t change the instructor for Yun Lin because it would be inconvenient for a guy to come to and from Yun Xiangxiang’s home. She was one of the best female martial arts practitioners in the Song Family too. It would not be easy to swap the allocation of others since they had their own business.
Now that Yun Lin had a solid foundation and was going back to his hometown, Song Qian wasn’t worried about him. With how easily Yun Xiangxiang attracted trouble, Song Qian would worry if she only brought Ai Li.
“Then I’ll be going back home,” Yun Lin was missing his brother and his friends back in his hometown.
He only put it aside because he was worried about his sister.
Now that everything was settled, Yun Xiangxiang called her parents. They were hoping she would come back during the summer break since it had been a long time since she was home. But they were disappointed by the news their daughter had for them.
Feeling her parents’ disappointment, Yun Xiangxiang felt guilty. “I’ll be back in August. Remember to bring Little Lin and Little Ting here for vacation time, okay?”
Only then did her parents feel slightly better. They reminded their daughter about the things she should look out for.
The instructor Song Qian called her and accompanied Yun Lin on his way home. They took the things Yun Xiangxiang bought in El Dorado with them.
Yun Xiangxiang then took one day to send all the gifts to everyone else’s home herself. Some of them might not be in Beijing right now, but their homes were.
The day before Yun Xiangxiang would leave for Paris, Milled released an official announcement, confirming Yun Xiangxiang’s part in his new film, “First Love.”
Huan Yu, of course, promoted it actively. This was Yun Xiangxiang’s first chance to appear on the global stage. They were helping her lay the foundation of making her a more valuable actress.
The Clouds were both elated and dejected. They were happy about Yun Xiangxiang going global. They were proud of her.
But they were worried that they might not be able to watch this film of Yun Xiangxiang’s.
“If the reception in France is outstanding, the company will introduce it to the local market,” He Wei wasn’t worried.
All foreign films could be introduced to the local market, as long as they did not have any sensitive elements, such as violence, sexual content, and gore.
If someone introduced it back locally, the film would air, of course. If the introducer were the company, they would rake in a lot of profit if the box office was high.
Yun Xiangxiang thought about the plot of “First Love” carefully. Save for the male protagonist being a maniac. The film didn’t have any other sensitive elements.
And the country had its fair share of maniacs. This kind of content would pass the review easily. The film didn’t have any supernatural or incestual elements.
But she couldn’t tell her fans about this conjecture. This was just her guess. She didn’t want her fans to be disappointed.
If “First Love” was introduced and garnered great reception from the audience, it would only benefit Yun Xiangxiang. China’s film industry was in a rising momentum.
Many foreign film companies wanted to get a share of the Chinese market, so they would get some Chinese actors to play a role in their films to appeal to that audience.
If they noticed that Yun Xiangxiang could boost the box office in China, the film companies would be more willing to provide more chances for her.
If she showed her strength, more role would also come her way.
Hou Cang finally posted a status on Weibo at night. It was an answer to everyone’s burning question. The boy he saved was his son. He stopped at that.
The media outlets, fans, and netizens were outraged. Most of them condemned Hou Cang.
“Ai, you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Song Meng lamented as she was getting ready to go to Paris with Yun Xiangxiang. “I put my faith in Hou Cang. He’s the rare kind of actor who has no scandals!”
Yun Xiangxiang was inexplicably disappointed.
But the matter wasn’t over. Xu Lei registered a Weibo account and posted a text wall at midnight.
Xu Lei said that the child belonged to her and Hou Cang, but they got a surrogate mother to carry it. She and Hou Cang were together since they were only nobodies. They had supported each other for years. But even after getting married for more than ten years, the couple wasn’t blessed with a child. Hou Cang was nearing forty years old too.
Many doctors told Xu Lei that she was infertile. Xu Lei was desperate. She downed pills after pills to conceive. She almost destroyed her body and mind for that. When she knew about surrogate mothers, she forced Hou Cang to get one, threatening him with a divorce.
But the gods played a cruel joke on her. Just as they were preparing for their child’s birth, the supposedly infertile Xu Lei was pregnant.
Since Xu Lei had a weak constitution, she couldn’t take care of the baby. That responsibility fell upon the surrogate mother’s shoulder. After Xu Lei gave birth to her child, the child faced several life-threatening situations. When everything was settled, they tried to take their other child, but he had already bonded with the surrogate mother.