Chapter 28: Parents All Love Their Own Children

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chinese-American Director New Star Once Expelled from University for Racial Discrimination!”

Seeing this news on Yahoo was like watching “Paranormal Activity” again; everyone was shocked. The news reported that the Chinese-American director new star, Wang Yang, who had recently ignited a nationwide “Paranormal craze” and created a box office miracle, was a freshman at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts just over four months ago, but was expelled due to racial discrimination. Reporter interviewed the official spokesperson for University of Southern California, James Grant, who confirmed this news.

This news, like a depth charge exploding, instantly stirred up the calm sea into churning waves.

On internet forums, movie fans expressed their confusion, and black moviegoers were angrily declaring that if this was true, they would never again step into a movie theater to watch any film related to Wang Yang or Lionsgate.

The news also appeared on NBC’s Evening News broadcast; although it was only briefly mentioned, in that moment, every family in America watching the program became aware of the incident.

Jessica, is that true?” Mark Alba, sitting on the fabric sofa and furrowing his brow in distress the moment he saw the news, his stern face darkened as he turned to Jessica beside him and asked, “That guy is a racist? He discriminated against black people?!”

Sitting in the middle of the sofa, Jessica stared blankly at the TV screen; my God! The very thing she had been worried about had still come to light. Damn it! Just when Yang was enjoying his success, would this false case come out to cause trouble? She frowned and thought, momentarily lost in thought.

Jessica, Jessica!” Mark Alba called out a few times, but Jessica remained unresponsive, his expression turned increasingly grim; could it be that Jessica was also kept in the dark? Kathy, sitting on the far left, shook her daughter, and Jessica finally snapped out of it, looking around, she asked, “Oh! What were you saying?” Mark Alba asked again sternly, “Jessica, is it true? Is Yang a racist? Didn’t you know about this before?”

Jessica leaned weakly back on the sofa and shook her head, “No, Dad, I knew about it before. But…”

“What?!” Mark Alba was stunned that Jessica knew about it before?! He collected himself and couldn’t help but angrily rebuke, “You knew and you still stayed with him!? Jessica, what on earth are you doing?!”

His anger had been building up for several days now; lately, Jessica had been going out to play and watch movies with that Yang, not coming home until the middle of the night; he was a Catholic and naturally felt angry about it, but then he thought his daughter was growing up and starting to date was normal, so he did not interfere too much, only advising her to be safe on the road.

But now, his daughter was actually dating someone of questionable character? He could no longer contain his dissatisfaction. He always hoped his children could grow up healthy and happy and later have successful careers; to provide the best environment and education for Jessica and her brother, he had retired from the military, switched to business, and strived to bring the family into upper-class society, no matter how hard and tiring the work was.

And Jessica had been sensible from a young age, giving him peace of mind; but in the end, his daughter was dating someone who called Mexicans “dirty janitors”? How could he not be angry?

No, not that! Dad, listen to me…” Jessica called out helplessly, her emotions in disarray, she was already extremely worried about Yang’s situation, and now her father was adding to the chaos. She couldn’t help but cover her forehead, closing her eyes, unable to speak.

Mark, calm down,” Kathy intervened, looking at her distraught daughter, she softly asked, “Jessica, tell Mom, what exactly is going on?”

Jessica took a deep breath and shook her head, “Yang is not racist, he’s been wronged.” Then she explained everything clearly. She glanced at Mark Alba and continued irritably, “Dad, Mom, Yang has helped me a lot when we were kids. And you both met Yang at my birthday party, you know what kind of person he is.” She laughed, “Does he look like someone who goes around saying ‘nigger, nigger’? He’s not that stupid!”

Kathy sympathetically exclaimed, “Oh, Lord! That poor child, he shouldn’t have to endure all this.” Jessica looked at her mother with gratitude and nodded, “Yeah, but Yang has pulled through, and now he has achieved tremendous success. But this thing has come up again…”

Mark Alba, however, was not as quick as his wife to believe in Wang Yang, he thought for a while and said, “Yes, Yang is a very mature person, but mature people are often better at hiding themselves, better at sweet talk. A person who can earn tens of millions in a few months is not so simple.” He looked at Jessica and spoke in a fatherly tone, “Anyhow, until this matter is cleared up, Jessica, you better not see Yang anymore.”

Jessica rolled her eyes helplessly; she knew her stubborn father wouldn’t easily trust Wang Yang, Joshua took after him in that regard. She looked at Kathy, then at Mark, and said earnestly, “I believe in Yang, and I won’t break off with him just because of this damn incident.” It had taken her so long to reconnect with Yang and get to know each other again, and now that their relationship was getting better, breaking off? What a joke!

Seeing her father’s eyes grow increasingly wide with stubbornness, she decided to say it all in one go, “Moreover, Yang and I are not in a romantic relationship; besides, who I’m with is my prerogative.”

Mark Alba gave a few angry chuckles and said, “Freedom? Yes, you have your freedom.” He snorted coldly and declared with righteous indignation, “But you’re not yet of age; legally, I have the right to be the guardian of my daughter. Familially, I can’t let my daughter be with some bastards. I can still control you.”

Mark, let’s talk this out calmly,” Kathy interjected, soothing the father-daughter conflict, and said gently to her daughter, “Jessica, don’t argue with your dad. You know we both love you.”

I know, I certainly do,” Jessica sighed several times, thinking that her dad was just looking out for her best interests. She didn’t want to fight either and apologized to Mark, “My fault, Dad; I shouldn’t have been so harsh. But I really trust Yang; he’s a good man.” She stood up from the sofa, “I’m going upstairs.” Having said that, she walked toward the stairs.

Watching her stomp up to the second floor, Mark Alba and Kathy exchanged a look, both somewhat helpless. Mark Alba spread his hands with self- deprecating humor, “It seems someone is all grown up and ready to toss this old guy into the trash.” Kathy smiled and patted his hand, consoling, “Mark, Jessica is a sensible child. She has her own judgment; you don’t need to worry so much.”

Beep—Beep—The number you are calling is busy…” In her room, Jessica frowned as she put down her phone and walked back and forth irritably. She checked online discussions about the issue on her computer, and seeing the insults and curses hurled at Wang Yang made her feel terrible; she couldn’t bear to look anymore. She picked up her phone again and redialed Wang Yang’s number, still to find it busy…

Wang Yang’s phone had been buzzing all night. After receiving calls from Zachary, several high school mates, and others, his parents’ call came through. Holding the ringing phone, he paced around the hall, looking utterly frazzled. Clenching his teeth, he pressed the answer button and said calmly, “Hi, this is Wang Yang; he can’t take your call at the moment, please leave a message.”

Yang, such a big thing has happened! When were you planning to tell me?! Wang’s father’s voice was very angry. He sighed, “You’ve disappointed your mom and me so much; we got this news from the television! My son made a movie? My son was expelled from college? What’s all this about! I know you’re there, tell us what’s going on immediately, your mom and I are dying with worry.” Then, Wang’s mother’s voice came through, anxiously, “Yang, are you doing alright now? You’re worrying your mother to death.”

Dad, Mom… I’m doing very well, no need to worry about me.” Wang Yang, hearing their concerned tones, suddenly lost the mood to joke around. He reassured them with a few laughs, then detailed the events leading up to the situation, saying, “After that, I took the refund money from the school, the living expenses and return fare you gave me, along with the money I’d earned from part-time jobs, and made a DV film. Then, I was lucky enough that Lionsgate took a liking to the movie… And then, the news of my expulsion from USC was exposed today.”

He recounted the events with ease, not mentioning the difficulties or setbacks at all. Those things were in the past—why bring them up and make his parents worry? They only needed to share in the current joy.

There was silence at the other end of the call for a moment. Wang’s mother praised him lovingly, “Yang, you’re very strong; your mom and dad are very proud of you.” She also reproached, “But it was wrong of you to keep these matters a secret from us. When there’s a problem, it should be discussed and solved as a family.”

Wang Yang didn’t say a word. He knew his parents’ love for him, but he felt he was already an adult and should be independent, not relying on his parents for everything; besides, there were some difficulties that he needed to face alone— it was his responsibility to resolve them. He smiled and said, “I’m just afraid you’ll drag me back to San Francisco, and I really don’t want to inherit the restaurant.”

Yang, even if you wanted to, I wouldn’t give it to you. The restaurant is mine; what would I do if I gave it to you?” Wang’s father joked, making Wang Yang smile, then he suddenly let out a sigh and said, “Do you think we don’t know what you want to do? You want to make movies, that’s your dream, and your mother and I are both aware of it. Would we stop you? If you need money to make a movie, even if I have to sell the restaurant, I’ll make sure you can make your movie. But you didn’t tell us. I know you make it sound easy, but you must have gone through a lot of hardships. Why didn’t you tell us? You’re our son!”

Wang Yang’s eyes moistened slightly, and his heart felt very warm. He had completely misunderstood his parents; there was no conflict or irritation, only warm and comforting family affection. He couldn’t help but say, “Dad, Mom, thank you!” Wang’s father and mother both smiled and said, “There’s no need to thank your own family.” Wang Yang smiled and wiped his nose, pretending to be boastful, “You really don’t need to worry. I’m fine, and I’m about to get a lot of money soon, maybe even become a millionaire. Whatever you want to buy, I’ll buy it for you.”

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That’s enough. We’re doing just fine, there’s no need for you to buy anything for us,” Wang’s father replied dismissively, then indignantly added, “But, I can’t stand to see my son being wrongly accused and bear these undeserved blames!” Wang’s mother also said, “Yes, Yang, what are you planning to do now?”

It’s no big deal, just need to clarify things,” Wang Yang deliberately kept the tone light and said, “As long as I get interviews with some of my former teachers and classmates, everyone will know what kind of person I am.” Of course, that required others to believe him.

Wang’s father, however, knew the situation was not as simple as his son made it out to be, and asked gravely, “Yang, should we just file a lawsuit?”

Wang Yang shook his head, “No, there’s no need for that at the moment.” Even though with the wealth he was about to have, hiring a good lawyer and winning the lawsuit were very possible, doing so wouldn’t wash away the controversy, and might even backfire. Right now, what he hoped most was that the private investigator hired by Lionsgate would come up with some new evidence.

After talking with his parents for a long time, Wang Yang finally eased most of their worries before ending the call. As soon as he hung up, before he could finish pouring himself a glass of water, his phone rang again with another incoming call.

Wang Yang looked at the caller ID on the screen and answered the call, laughing, “Hey, Rachel? If you’re calling because of the news, I say ‘I’m fine, don’t worry about me,’ then I hang up; if not, then let’s continue talking. It’ll help me avoid more of those earlier types of calls.” Rachel laughed crisply and said, “No, I called just to say ‘good evening.'”

OK! Do you know? I just finished talking with my parents, wow, it’s unbelievable. I thought it was going to be a mess, but I was wrong. They love me so much…” Wang Yang said sentimentally, walking back to the sofa with his glass of water. Rachel spoke softly, “Every parent loves their child, Yang.” Wang Yang took a sip of water and smiled, “I know. I just thought they didn’t understand my pursuits. But they do, they’ve been encouraging me silently, supporting me. When I was a kid, my mom knew I liked to watch movies, so she took me to the cinema every day…”

Doo—doo—The number you have dialed is busy…” Jessica tossed her phone onto the mattress irritably. She had been trying for over an hour, dialing every so often, but she still couldn’t get through to Wang Yang’s cell. Frowning, she paced around the room. Suddenly, she strode over to the bed to pick up her phone and grabbed a set of keys from the table before heading downstairs.

Thump, thump, thump—as Jessica quickly descended the stairs, Kathy, who was watching TV on the sofa, glanced at her and noticed the keys in her hand. “Jessica, are you going out?” Jessica nodded and walked towards the door. “Yes, Mom, I’m just going to Yang’s place for a bit; I’ll be back soon.” At that moment, the Labrador, Danny, circled her feet. She smiled and said, “Danny, move aside, I don’t have time to play right now.”

Mark Alba sat on the sofa with a stern face, discontentedly saying, “What time is it? It’s after nine o’clock!” He frowned, as if asking himself, “What’s happening now? My daughter is going out, and my son still isn’t home.

Just then, the sound of the door unlocking came from the entrance. Danny dashed over, and in came Joshua, who had spent the evening at a classmate’s house. Twirling his keys in his hand, he greeted with a smile, “Hey, everyone!” He then excitedly said to Jessica, “Jessica, just now I told Ronnie and the others, ‘Guys, I know the director of ‘Paranormal Activity’.’ They were all freaked out, haha, so cool! Oh, they want to meet Yang. I need to ask if Yang agrees, but I can’t get through to his cell at all, don’t knowwhat’s up.” He looked at Jessica approaching and asked, “Do you know?”

Just look it up online and you’ll know.” Jessica hurriedly put on her shoes and walked out the door.

Joshua scratched his head in confusion: “What’s going on?” It was then that Mark Alba asked loudly, “Joshua, where have you been all evening!?” Joshua was taken aback, unclear why his father was so upset, and replied, “I was… at a classmate’s house…”

Of course, Wang Yang couldn’t receive calls from Jessica or Joshua because, after he finished talking with Rachel, he received several calls from friends, and then Jon Feltheimer called again. He said he had contacted a media outlet with close ties to Lionsgate for a phone interview to clarify the facts first. Jon had nearly become Wang Yang’s agent. So, Wang Yang took an interview with the ‘Los Angeles Newsday,’ clearing up the actual events and answering some questions from the journalists.

After the interview, Wang Yang leaned on the ragged couch for a while, rubbing his temples. Dealing with these matters was truly more exhausting than handing out flyers on the street at noon. However, before this, he was more distressed over how to appease his parents than the racial discrimination case. But now, with the support and understanding of his family, half of his worries dissipated; everything else seemed minor in comparison.

As he lay half-reclining on the couch, about to drift off to sleep, suddenly the doorbell rang.

Who could it be at this late hour? Wang Yang rubbed his eyes and got up to look through the peephole. He froze for a moment. It was Jessica. In a chic white outfit, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders, her large eyes stared through the peephole, filled with faint anxiety.

Jessica… Wang Yang’s heart skipped a beat, touched. He knew she must have seen the news and was worried about him so she had come over. He opened the door and smiled at her, “Hi, Jessica.”

Hi…” Seeing him standing there, Jessica’s suspended heart quietly settled, and a sweet smile appeared on her face. She twirled her hair and, looking at Wang Yang, explained, “I tried calling your cell, but it always said ‘line busy, line busy,’ so I came over.”

Wang Yang slapped his forehead and laughed, “Oh, it was just non-stop calls; I didn’t realize I had so many friends.” They both shared a laugh. He saw Jessica standing cutely at the door, neither coming in nor leaving, so he asked with a smile, “Coming in?”

Mmm.” Jessica nodded and walked in.

The next day, the ‘Los Angeles Newsday’ published Wang Yang’s interview; then Yahoo re-posted it online. As for Wang Yang’s “misleading” statement, some believed him, but most people didn’t. The common sentiment was that the University of Southern California was a prestigious institution; how could it possibly falsely accuse you? Hence, on internet forums, the fans’ attitudes towards Wang Yang didn’t change much, and for many, it worsened, believing Wang Yang refused to admit his fault and rejected the opportunity even others gave him to make amends.

Naturally, Jon Feltheimer wasn’t willing to let the matter end there. Lionsgate promptly contacted media in San Francisco, and the ‘San Francisco Chronicle’ interviewed several teachers from Wang Yang’s high school, Lincoln High School, along with a few college students from San Francisco who were his classmates. They all had good things to say about Wang Yang.

Wang Yang’s physical education teacher said, “He plays basketball quite well. He’s a very smart point guard with good stamina who knows how to play smart. If he had wanted to join the school basketball team, he could have had the chance to play at places like North Carolina or Duke—I have always believed that. Racism? No, his personality is very outgoing. You know, he’s the kind who really enjoys participating in activities and helping others. He has good relations with his classmates.”

Now a college student, John Jones—who is Black—said, “Man, let me tell you, Yang is a good guy. He couldn’t possibly be racist. I vouch for him with my skin color.”

Even though Wang Yang’s high school teachers and classmates all spoke up for him, their testimonials were not enough to completely convince the public. Of course, many people were beginning to believe Wang Yang was innocent, but there were still many who felt Lionsgate and Wang Yang had bribed the media and witnesses.

The stance of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was ambiguous. They hadn’t called or said they were canceling the invitation, as if this incident wasn’t happening; or perhaps, the incident could make their program more topical and get more ratings. Of course, if Wang Yang went on the show, he could express his thoughts to the audience and perhaps gain a lot of support.

…

And the other party involved, Terrence Ben, also began giving interviews. He complained to the media, saying, ‘That day, Wang Yang was like a madman, beating me non-stop. I could have sued him for assault, but I didn’t. I forgave him. But now he continues to lie.'” Terrence Ben’s shameless face somehow succeeded in deceiving some people. They all rushed to the official website of “Paranormal Activity” to leave messages, demanding that Wang Yang issue a public apology or else they would boycott Lionsgate’s movies and so on.

Just when Wang Yang and Lionsgate were at a loss, a major turn of events happened, delighting everyone who cared about Wang Yang!

Four days had passed since the media exposure of the “dismissal incident,” and Wang Yang’s originally scheduled trip to Chicago on Sunday was also canceled. It wasn’t that The Oprah Winfrey Show had canceled their invitation, but because on that very Sunday, the “Los Angeles Times” suddenly published a piece of news “Chinese-American director newcomer didn’t lie!” and their official website released a video clip.

It turned out there was a man named “Ian,” who suddenly contacted the “Los Angeles Times,” claiming to have a video that recorded the incident as it had unfolded. He wasn’t a student at the University of Southern California; he was just a tourist who happened to be visiting on that day, filming the campus scenery with his DV camera, and accidentally caught the dispute between Wang Yang and Terrence Ben.

He said, “When it happened, I was watching from a distance. I thought it was just a typical school fight and was interested, so I filmed it with my DV. Then I saw a teacher break them up, and I went on to film other parts of the campus before going home. I had no idea Wang Yang would be expelled. I only learned about it in the last few days from the TV, and vaguely remembered that I might have filmed that segment, so I looked through my footage, and indeed, I found it.”

From what I saw, the Chinese-American director wanted to leave. He didn’t say a word; but Terrence Ben kept provoking him, saying some pretty ugly things. Buddy, the one who was being racist wasn’t Wang Yang.”

The video on the “Los Angeles Times” website was somewhat blurry but still discernible. From a distance, Terrence Ben could be seen blocking Wang Yang, who tried to walk away, but Ben ran up again to block him and started pushing and shoving, uttering racist slurs, though the audio was faint due to the distance; then, Wang Yang suddenly knocked him down with a few moves and began to punch and kick Terrence.

With the release of this video, the truth was clear, and naturally, the fans stopped making trouble. Many people who had previously criticized Wang Yang also expressed their apologies and turned to criticize Terrence Ben and the University of Southern California.

The media also changed their tune, beginning to question the University of Southern California’s review process, condemning how they had rashly expelled a student in a highly irresponsible manner. Now it was the University of Southern California’s turn to issue a public apology. The official spokesperson, James Grant, seriously told the media that it was a grave mistake they had made. They would expel Terrence Ben and had reversed the expulsion of Wang Yang, welcoming him back to study at the University of Southern California.

In the news reports on the television screen, Wang Yang, vindicated, was in a very good mood as he said into the reporter’s microphone, “I had some very happy times at the University of Southern California, but then that unpleasant incident happened. I don’t want to mention it anymore. I also don’t want to pursue anyone’s legal responsibility. Terrence Ben got the punishment he deserved, and I got my innocence back; that’s enough. It was just a foolish farce which should come to an end.” When asked about whether he would return to the University of Southern California to continue his studies, he said with a laugh, “Maybe, but not now. I need to go to Chicago to record The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Haha!” Jessica looked at the television, her face beaming with pride as she said to Mark Alba with a laugh, “Dad, you see what I said? Yang is a good guy!”

Mark Alba helplessly kept quiet, having nothing to say.

The whole controversy happened in less than a week, and although during that time black movie fans said they would not watch Wang Yang’s movies, “Paranormal Activity” didn’t suffer much at the box office. It took in $31.2415 million in its fourth week, continuing to hold the top spot at the box office.

Wang Yang along with Jon Feltheimer and Zachary Levi were also on their way to Chicago, preparing to record The Oprah Winfrey Show on Wednesday of this week.

P.S.: I am so touched that everyone cast so many votes so quickly—truly shedding tears of gratitude! With your support, nothing can stop me! No more words now, I’ll just focus on writing to repay everyone.

Also, please don’t throw haste tickets at me, as I often revise and supplement the previous day’s chapter (like chapter 27 started at six thousand words and now after revising, it’s at seven thousand, the update times can be quite erratic, some might think I am constantly skipping updates, doesn’t matter anymore), and then re-upload it, so as not to use up everyone’s haste tickets unnecessarily—best save them.

In addition, regarding the update frequency, although I post a chapter every day, the word count is around six to seven thousand; I don’t think that’s slow… For a detailed explanation, you can check the relevant section of my work. I have other things to do during the day, so I update very late every evening, please forgive me for that. I’ll find a solution. Alternatively, you can stay up late, or just read it the next morning, that’s fine too.

Moreover, some readers say I care too much about votes—it’s like the title of this chapter: Parents all love their children, and this work is my labor of love. I’m happy to receive constructive feedback, but if someone comes to cause trouble, I will get upset; that’s a natural human reaction.

Finally, as usual, I ask for your recommendation votes!