108 A Mouse’s Vision

Hui Yin woke up when she heard the flight attendant announcing their arrival.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The local time is 1 PM and the temperature is sixteen degrees centigrade..."

She yawned, pulling down her eye mask.

Hui Yin was exhausted from reading her script, and trying to immerse herself in Gao Mei. There were only two days left before the filming, and Hui Yin wanted to be well prepared before then.

It was midday, the worst time to arrive. As they came out of the plane, the air was heavy and smelled thickly of diesel.

Wide plasma screens of arrival and departure times hung on the wall of the airport. The tiles gleamed silvery white, and people were milling around, lining up at the check-in desk with suitcases while soft classical music played in the background.

After Hui Yin picked up her luggage from the baggage claim, she raised herself on her tiptoes to look at the hoard of people waiting behind the railing in the arrival gate.

There was guy wearing an oversized pale pink sweater who stood apart from the crowd, his face hidden underneath a white fedora hat and dark sunglasses. He held up a large grainy picture on one hand, waving at her.

Hui Yin laughed when she saw it. It was a portrait of Lin Huiyin, the outstanding poet and the first female architect of modern China.

Hui Yin approached the guy and clicked her tongue in mock disapproval.

"If you're trying to be inconspicuous, you failed."

Liu Jun laughed.

"Was it the pink sweater?" he asked. "Or the portrait?"

"I think it was the fedora."

They chatted with each other as Liu Jun led her to his car. The reason why Hui Yin hastened her flight to Shanghai was because when she sent a message to Liu Jun asking him if he could teach her how to dance, he had told her that he was currently in Shanghai for a concert.

Since the filming location was set in Shanghai anyway, Hui Yin decided that coming early shouldn't be a problem for her.

She had watched several online tutorial videos on how to dance, but Hui Yin still couldn't understand it.

She needed a tutor.

"The concert's already over, so I'm just resting here prior to our flight to Malaysia. Before anything else though, Miss Hui..."

He stopped, and gave her an exaggerated bow.

"Congratulations on becoming an idol."

Hui Yin pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Do your fans know that you're crazy? And just call me Hui Yin."

"No, I'm going to call you Mou Ye [1]."

"..."

Hui Yin was speechless. What the heck is with that nickname? She was a fragile and delicate girl, ah! Just what does this male singer see her as? Empress Wu? [2]

Liu Jun's manager drove the car, and he engaged Hui Yin with meaningless small talk as they braved the rush hour traffic on the highway. It seemed that his manager was already resigned on his artist delivering strangers to his door, since Liu Jun was a very friendly person.

"Mao Ye, if you don't have a place to stay..." Liu Jun prompted, twisting his body in the passenger seat to look at her.

Although he was leaving Shanghai soon, he could let her borrow his place.

Liu Jun had a penthouse in the city, with a small dance studio where he practiced his choreography whenever he had reason to visit Shanghai.

The manager rolled his eyes when he heard him, thinking that a mouse's vision is indeed only an inch long. Not only was his artist a fool for letting a new friend he just met enter his home, he was also unaware that a single man and a single woman living in the same place could be considered improper.

Was he trying to ruin this girl's future?

Hui Yin's thoughts were running along the same line as Liu Jun's manager.

This guy...he was exactly the type of person that fuels the rampant scamming industry in the country.

If Hui Yin was a Mao Ye, then Liu Jun was definitely a Lao Hao Ren [3]!

[1] 某爷 (Mou Ye) – For a manly girl, where "爷" means "lord" in Chinese.

[2] The only female emperor in the history of China.

[3] Chinese girls usually say "You are a good guy" when rejecting a guy's proposal. The guy who always gets rejected is called "老好人"/LaoHaoRen. Also known as 'man with no enemies' or a 'good old boy.'