"Perhaps her look suits the character," I suggest. "Lucy, the woman she plays, is someone that wasn't popular in China but gains popularity and self-confidence in the United States."
"But still she would be considered ugly in China. Is this world weird or what? As soon as the Americans hired her, all these Chinese magazines started wanting her to appear on their covers, and companies have come looking for her to do advertisements. The media also praise her for being a Chinese beauty." May spits in disgust.
No sooner does May finish her complaint than Iron Egg, Beibei's former journalist lover, asks the American investor why they hired Do Little. "Any Chinese person could tell you she is just plain ugly," he says.
May confides in me. "I just gave Iron Egg a hongbao containing five hundred yuan. He agreed to use the word ugly to describe Do Little. We have to cei her in public."
Peter smiles at the question. He speaks calmly as if he was preparing for the question for a while. "Do Little is very Oriental, a little Mongolian, a little Vietnamese. Her natural style reminds me of a rural village in the morning, cool, with the faint smell of earth. She certainly makes a unique impression that I don't see in many other Chinese actresses. The success of the TV series shows that we did the right thing."
Do Little speaks for herself. "I leave whether I am beautiful or not to my audience. But I want to say that I'm natural, not plastic. Unlike some actresses, I don't need an eye job, a boob job, or a nose job to elevate my beauty. I'm no fake." Do Little looks into May's eyes as she speaks, reminding everybody that May has had several rounds of plastic surgery. As all eyes turn to May, she storms out angrily.
I find myself liking Do Little. It's her confidence that makes her beautiful. I also secretly wonder: I am judging China like another American.
After Do Little, the journalists' attention goes to Vivian. Rumor has it that Vivian got the role simply because she has married Peter's cousin, John.
Unlike first-rate stars, who often avoid family issues, Vivian enjoys talking about her private life to the media.
"I have to speak English at home. How unlucky I am compared to those girls who have Chinese husbands. But I have no choice."
It is funny to hear Vivian pretending to be unlucky when everyone knows that speaking English is a status symbol.
"Why no choice? You could divorce your American husband and marry a Chinese man. Then you could speak only Chinese. There are half a billion Chinese men out there waiting for you," a journalist says, challenging Vivian.
Iron Egg jumps in. "I've heard on the grapevine that you always wanted to marry a white man. You never dated Chinese. Do you think you're above your fellow Chinese?"
Vivian's face changes, "That's not true. I'm a traditional Chinese wife."
"I've heard that you first met your husband in the Kunlun Hotel disco five years ago – and that you chased him all over Beijing and pleaded with him until he promised to take you to America." Iron Eggs has exposed Vivian's old secrets. And the thought that Vivian frequented the Kunlun Hotel disco suggests that her interest may have been professional rather than personal. Chinese tabloids are notoriously scandalous.
It's clear to me that Iron Egg must have been bribed by Vivian's enemies.
Vivian loses her self-assurance and yells at Iron Egg. "Ridiculous! John chased me like a love-sick puppy!"
The journalists all laugh, including Iron Egg. They've got what they wanted, a perfect quote from Vivian.
Seeing Vivian tricked by the ill-willed journalists, J acts low-key and speaks cautiously.
J talks about how she came from an out-of-work family in a northeast province and managed to be accepted into Beijing Drama Academy. She was discovered by the Chinese director promoting Rémy Martin brandy in a Western-style department store, where she worked part-time while studying.
Now the producers hope she will be the "next big thing," both in China and abroad.
"What will your next project be?" one of the journalists asks her.
"You should ask my agent," she says.
At that point, a man in a white suit steps forward – he is wearing sunglasses even though everybody is inside. As soon as he opens his mouth, everyone knows he talks with a Hong Kong accent.
"Gemenr," he says – the Beijing slang sounds funny coming from this Hong Kong man, and some of the journalists in the audience laugh – "we will take J to Hong Kong, where we hope to develop her career in a number of areas."
One of the journalists pipes up: "Have you spoken to the producers of the James Bond films? They love Asian women these days."
The agent waves his hand dismissively. "In keeping with her training at the Beijing Drama Academy, J wants to stay in touch with Chinese drama projects. She is not going to totally sell herself out to foreigners. She is already considering a role in a new Hong Kong film called No Tomorrow Anymore. We are sure it will be a big hit."
"J has been bought by the Hong Kong triads," I hear a female voice among the journalists, loud enough to be heard, low enough to be unrecognized.
It's said that many movie stars are controlled by Hong Kong mafias. Is J one of them? Or is it just a rumor from J's enemy? In any case, it makes J more mysterious and controversial, which is not necessarily a bad thing for a rising star. Being an entertainment journalist, one needs to follow gossip and enjoy the spread of rumors. I feel lucky that I mainly cover political and social issues, which means that I don't need to write anything about today's conference. As I am thinking this, Lulu speaks. "I'm pretty. I've got so many journalist friends. Niuniu, do you think I should change my job and become an actress? It's certainly glamorous!"
"Can you act?" I ask. "Can you lie without blushing? If you can sleep your way up and still tell the public that you're a traditional Chinese woman, I suppose you can pass the test."
Lulu sighs. "Then, I'm doomed to fail."
HONGBAO: A red envelope, normally containing money, used as a gift for friends and relatives on special occasions; often referred to in Hong Kong as lai see.
CEI: To beat and attack someone; a popular slang among the young uneducated people in Beijing.
GEMENR: Beijing slang for mate or buddy.
38 The English Patient
Yingyu, or English, is big in China. After China 's entry into the World Trade Organization, the whole nation was motivated to learn English. First-graders are offered English classes in school. Seniors in big cities get together every morning in their English corner to practice. Even state leaders like to drop English words into their speeches or sing songs in English to impress the public.
English workshops make millions of bucks, especially those TOEFL, GRE, LSAT, GMAT preparation classes. Every teacher there is a millionaire. The biggest English-teaching millionaire of the lot is Li Yang, whose English language course is called Crazy English. He teaches students to learn English by screaming out English phrases at the top of their voice!
What these courses are selling is not only English but also meiguo meng, the American dream. Everyone wants to learn English to get a job, preferably at a waiqi, or foreign company, or to get the chance to study in the United States.