Chapter 28: Where Did Your Dreams Go?

  I'll focus on writing books, nothing else to say, thank you for your continued support!

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  "Hey, buddy, get us two whiskeys, the strongest kind, best if we can drink ourselves unconscious with one gulp!" Zhou Shaoming yelled loudly, forcing a reluctant Robert to sit down on a chair.

  "Alright sir, just a moment!" The bartender smiled knowingly and trotted off to fetch the wine.

  "You don't have to persuade me anymore, I really can't act, I'm useless, just like trash being sent to the recycling bin." Little Robert grasped his hair in agony and said with a dejected face, "Every time, I want to deceive myself that I can do it. I participate in movies and TV dramas, and then during filming, my addiction relapses. I can drop everything and run to buy drugs from someone, again and again. No one trusts me anymore, not even myself."

  Zhou Shaoming smiled and handed the wine to Little Robert, then picked up another glass himself, drinking half of it in one gulp. He wiped away the remaining liquid from his mouth, feeling a flame suddenly ignite in his throat, then rushing straight down his esophagus.

  "Your current state is because you've lost your dreams!" Zhou Shaoming said calmly, suppressing the turmoil of wine in his chest, as he gazed at Little Robert who was listening intently with perked up ears. He continued, "How should one spend their life? Is it to silently perish on a deserted road, or to march towards one's dreams, singing and riding the wind and waves? Sometimes I ask myself, and even fear touching my own fragile soul that can't withstand a blow."

  "For this film, for a $1.5 million investment, do you know how many times I failed?" Zhou Shaoming took a sip of wine and chuckled: "I went to 42 film companies, 78 rich people who had dealt with me before, but not one person looked at me favorably, they all laughed at me, pointing at me saying 'Oh my god! Look at that playboy, he's no longer rolling around in women's arms, he wants to make a movie!' Haha, this is the funniest joke I've heard all year."

  Recalling what happened not long ago, Zhou Shaoming also felt a bit heavy in his heart: "They ridiculed me, insulted me, mocked me, and told me to get out. Every time I returned home, I was exhausted to death, my soul suffered greatly. Fortunately, I have Kristina!"

  As he spoke, Little Robert smiled and nodded in response: "Kristina is a good girl, you two are well-matched."

  "I dream of one day walking onto the Oscars stage! I dream of holding up the Best Director award in front of all Americans! I dream of making a lot of money and living a luxurious life that ordinary people can't enjoy. Drinking tea in Hong Kong in the morning, watching the crowds from the Eiffel Tower at noon, fishing in Iceland in the afternoon, and playing blackjack in Las Vegas at night, oh! What a wonderful life dream!" Zhou Shaoming burst out laughing and clinked glasses with Robert who was lost in thought.

  "But dreams are just dreams, if you don't take action, it's just a fantasy! I don't want to waste my life, I don't want this one-time life to pass by in vain, unnoticed by everyone. In the brief moment between opening and closing my eyes, I want my life to be like a night-blooming flower that blooms only once, with a dazzling moment of brilliance that outshines everything else, rather than fading away quietly like plain water. I'm working hard, I'm fighting for my dreams, I'm moving forward! I don't want to watch time slip away quietly, in this dark night, I want to stretch out my hands and burst forth with the most passionate and dazzling light!" With a fierce gulp of strong liquor, the fiery passion burning in his chest, Zhou Shaoming wiped away the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and shouted loudly.

  "Daylily? Dream... " Little Robert fell into deep thought, as if he was a bit drunk. He took a big gulp of wine, and then collapsed onto the bar counter, as if he couldn't hold on anymore.

  "Little Robert, I know you have dreams too. Now, where did you throw your dreams? Shall we go find them together? Let's get it back and never let it go again!" Zhou Shaoming patiently persuaded Little Robert, trying to ignite the flames in his eyes until they erupted like a volcano.

  There was a rock band in the bar performing energetically, playing loud and depressing heavy metal songs that made people feel down, with lyrics that were all about leading people to despair, making them feel uneasy, vulgar and despicable.

  "I can't force myself, this world has no miracles, I don't want to be full of hope again and then be disappointed, the higher the dream, the harder it falls. I've tried many times, I dare not try again." Little Robert listened to the song, his face changed from excitement back to calmness, that little spark of fire gradually disappeared.

  Zhou Shaoming furrowed his brow, feeling that this environment was not conducive to guiding Little Robert, and might even have the opposite effect. So he called out to the director system in his heart.

  "I want to redeem a song that excites and moves people, an upbeat and positive song!" Zhou Shaoming shouted in his heart.

  "Exchanging for a completely suitable unpublished song requires 200 points, but you can choose random and only need 5 points, however it may be an old song that has already been published." The director's electronic synthesized female voice always sounds so annoying.

  "Alright, I'll choose randomly. Anyway, I just need a song and whether it's released or not is unimportant. What's important is that I can awaken a lost soul!" Zhou Shaoming didn't want to release an album at all. In his opinion, completing the Chainsaw Maniac was the most important thing. The movie was the most important thing!

  Unconsciously, Zhou Shaoming's blood also began to flow with the elements of film. He was no longer the original graduate of a third-rate university, at least in terms of mentality, he had grown into a qualified formal director.

  "Random selection, host spends five points!" The big wheel spun rapidly like a Ferris wheel in an amusement park before slowly coming to a stop.

  "The song 'It Is My Life', singer: Bon Jovi, release date: May 23, 2000, recording time: 1999." The electronic female voice said mechanically.

  "Great, not bad! Although it's already been created, it hasn't been published yet!" Zhou Shaoming was lucky, he called the bartender, took paper and pen, and quickly wrote down the tune.

  "What are you doing?" Little Robert looked at Zhou Shaoming in confusion as he suddenly started writing rapidly.

  "I'm writing a song to lift you up, a song to let you know that there are still miracles in this world that can help you find your dreams back!" Zhou Shaoming didn't even raise his head, just kept writing frantically on the paper with full confidence.

  "You want to change careers and write songs? You're kidding me, right? I've known you for so long and I've never heard you sing a single song. Now you think you can write one in such a short time? Please, you should just stick with directing, it's a more promising career." Little Robert gulped down a mouthful of wine, his face full of skepticism.