Chapter 455: 455: Full of Energy

“Are you out of your mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

A scream ripped through the quiet night sky. Danny, who had been soundly asleep on the garden lawn, lifted his head and glanced at the brightly lit room on the second floor of the house. Taking a long breath out through his nose, he sighed. What now?

“Don’t you even think about it!!!!!” Jessica, reflected in the makeup mirror, looked shocked. Become a terrorist? That was a crazy idea he came up with! Sitting on the edge of the bed, Wang Yang, too, opened his eyes wide and spread his hands, “I was just telling you about methods to block off Times Square…” Jessica angrily grabbed a hairbrush and threw it at him, shouting, “Don’t even say it!!!!” She dared not show the slightest support or interest; the thought of him actually doing it was unimaginable!

“Kaka haha…” Wang Yang couldn’t help but let out a few laughs. Picking up the hairbrush and combing his hair, he said with an easy smile, “I was just brainstorming, don’t be nervous. You know I wouldn’t do anything crazy. How stupid would I have to be? Besides, we wouldn’t have enough time to set up the scene, just use CGI to clear it.”

Jessica didn’t laugh or speak; she stood up with a cold face and picked up the baby monitor from the bedside table, hurling it at him. Wang Yang surrendered with a grin, “I was wrong, I scarred your soul. Come here, sweetheart, let me comfort you.” Jessica rolled her eyes, “I want to hit you.” But she still sat in his arms, and Wang Yang held her, soothing her troubled soul and laughed, “Maybe we could get the rights to block off for filming? Haha!” With an expressionless face, Jessica said, “You’d better think about how to make time stop.” Wang Yang whispered, “I will, every time I do this …”

With a ‘swoosh’, Wang Yang kissed her lips briefly, but just as he was about to continue the kiss, he yawned, much to his dismay. Jessica, still not entranced, kissed his cheek and then got up to climb into bed, “Let’s sleep.” Wang Yang nodded, his entire body falling backwards, knowing there was much work to do tomorrow.

The sky gradually brightened, and the sun hung high in the blue sky. Some arguments weren’t so easily resolved. In the bustling office of Flame Film Company in ocean-breezed Santa Monica, there was an air of energetic busyness.

“No, these character designs still don’t work. Can’t they be cuter?”

In the conference room, looking at the character design sketches for “Robots”, Wang Yang frowned deeply. Why did they keep getting uglier instead of better? While the overall look hadn’t changed much, the main issue was that the heads and eyes looked ugly. He said, “They just seem a bit stiff, not enough spiritual energy, not youthful enough. Rodney looks at least 30 years old, like a good guy; make him 18 and more clever! And this girl, her braids and blush are too silly, she looks like a nerd, no offense. What ‘Robots’ needs is a beauty. Make them prettier.”

The Producers & Directors Chris Wedge, producer & art director William Joyce, production designer Steve Martino, and others were present. Not everyone was convinced, and right away, William Joyce argued, “Yang, I really don’t see that many problems. These robots are already too pretty! They are the lowest level of ‘scrap metal’. How can we make them pretty? We need to emphasize that they are made of ordinary parts.” He proudly introduced, “Every component in their bodies is based on a real object, like these hair…”

“William, nobody cares about that!” Wang Yang interjected as Joyce droned on, then he swept his eyes across the room before saying earnestly, “Let’s face it, as harsh as it sounds, but the truth is, when an average viewer sits in front of the big screen, or stands before a movie poster, he just wants to watch a movie. He isn’t interested in how we created it, he doesn’t care, you get it? The audience only becomes interested in them after the movie is a success. If we fail, then they really are just a heap of scrap metal! No one cares, no one knows.”

He paused, his voice softening, then clapped his hands together crisply, “So, let’s think about how to succeed first. We all need to have the right attitude and not think we are the sole givers.”

Chris Wedge sensed a bit of tension. He knew Joyce was already full of complaints, and Yang was always straightforward. He tried to mediate, “Yang, referencing real parts for the robots enhances the sense of reality. We understand your point, but if they’re too pretty, they won’t look like low-level robots.”

“Sense of reality. Every component referenced a real object, plus it’s a promotional tool, letting the audience think, ‘Wow, this is cool! This is impressive!'” Wang Yang exclaimed, then asserted seriously, “But if they collectively make an ugly robot, who would like that? Yes, the character’s look should fit the background setting, but it’s not that simple. Why does Spider-Man have to be a muscular guy? Why does Captain America have to be a muscular guy? Because they are the protagonists, no matter their background or environment, they stand out as special. So—make Rodney a muscular guy!”

He shook a sketch, continuing, “This girl, plain can be fresh and natural, not deliberately old-fashioned and silly. If she is silly, we’ll look silly. Understand? And all these robots’ eyes could be more vivid. We have the technology, please!”

“Okay,” Chris Wedge agreed with a nod, and Steve Martino and the others didn’t say much more, but they knew the style needed adjustments. Joyce’s face, however, grew darker and darker. When he had helped design “Toy Story”, Wang Yang was a naive middle schooler; now he was telling him how to draw? Joyce had revised designs several times based on feedback, yet Wang Yang was still not satisfied! Joyce couldn’t bear it anymore and, glaring at Wang Yang with annoyance, he said, “Whether they’re pretty or not, isn’t that just your personal taste?”

“No.” Wang Yang looked directly at him without evasion, he was clear about Joyce’s attitude, the old guy had always prided himself on his “Toy Story” credentials, as if he couldn’t remember this was his first time being an art director, he said calmly, “William, I understand the audience, I just want to do better.”

Joyce scoffed disdainfully, was this kid implying something? The failure of “Buddy”? (In 1997, the family comedy “Buddy” co-produced by Joyce only garnered a dismal $10.11 million at the box office. Four years later, the DVD was released with rotten ratings of 25%/29%/37% on Rotten Tomatoes.) At that moment, Chris Wedge quickly spoke up with a pleasant smile to mediate, “We all just want ‘Robots’ to be better.”

Now that the conflict had been laid bare, Joyce had no intention of staying any longer and said loudly, “I won’t change it, I really won’t change it, we’re wasting time!” He felt like he was being toyed with in circles; he and Martino had designed such beautiful drawings, only to be told they were junk, over and over again! And the person saying it wasn’t even an illustrator! His illustrations were often featured in “The New Yorker,” and made it into museums, art galleries…

“These!” Joyce, pointing at the character design portfolios on the table, said excitedly, his face flushed, “I dare say these character designs are good, they’re popular! No matter how much you change them, it’s going to be the same.”

Wang Yang, leaning forward with his chin propped on his hand, looked at the frustrated Joyce and didn’t want to speak for a moment. This was an irreconcilable conflict; someone had to compromise or leave, and that person couldn’t be him. Wang Yang emphasized seriously again, “The character design must be cuter and cooler.”

“I’m out!” Joyce removed his black-rimmed glasses, announced his decision with his eyes wide, he had made up his mind to seek collaboration with DreamWorks, Disney, Fox, Warner… Anyway, he’d had enough of Flame Films, Wang Yang was a dictator! He didn’t want to work with a company that promoted legalizing same-sex marriage any longer! He put his glasses back on, pushed back from the conference table and stood up, “Young man, my style can only be that way; I can’t meet those ridiculous demands of yours! You’re so impressive; go ahead and make some pretty robots, make a beautiful film, I’ll be waiting!”

“William!” Chris Wedge called him as he rose from his seat, but Joyce didn’t pay attention and huffed out of the conference room. With a loud “bang,” he slammed the door shut. The atmosphere around the conference table suddenly seemed awkward. Wang Yang shook his head with a smile, “If he broke the door, he’s still going to have to pay for it.”

Honestly, he had always found Joyce’s artistic style unimpressive, but because Flame & Blue Sky would do well to keep good relations with him, as he had plenty of story material, he certainly hoped to resolve the character design issue amicably. Now that Joyce had voluntarily left, Wang Yang felt relieved; he could now invite an agreeable art director to join and design cute, cool robots.

Wedge was at a loss for words. This was the first time such a significant creative conflict had erupted at Blue Sky. As Joyce’s old friend, he was very reluctant to see this situation unfold, not to mention that trying to secure the animation rights to stories like “Santa Calls” and “The Leaf Men” had suddenly turned problematic.

“Yang, this doesn’t seem like the right time, but…” Steve Martino suddenly looked troubled and, thinking Wang Yang wasn’t the type to hold grudges, candidly said, “I want to focus on ‘Ice Age 4.’ I don’t quite fit ‘Robots.'”

Wang Yang, looking at the art designer of “IA3” and co-director of “IA4,” understood that Martino’s design ideas and style did not meet his requirements, nodded and said, “OK, we’ll find someone to take over your position; you get ‘IA4’ made well.” He suddenly slapped the table with a smack! The gesture startled Wedge, Martino, and the others, only to hear him laugh and say, “Let’s look ahead, gentlemen! The journey of ‘Robots’ has just begun.”

“Wang Yang eyes ‘SNL’ actress Kristen Wiig; the two meet to discuss collaboration” — Yahoo Entertainment; “Creative strife in ‘Robots,’ Wang Yang drives William Joyce away?” — Los Angeles Times…

There was always so much news related to Wang Yang; recently, the Flame & Blue Sky’s new film project “Robots” experienced an earthquake because of “irreconcilable creative differences,” prompting William Joyce to announce his departure from the crew, no longer serving as producer and art director. Rumors were abundant that Wang Yang deliberately pushed him out: “All these character designs are trash.” It was heard that Wang Yang had demanded Joyce and his team to revise their work repeatedly for half a year, always saying “not cute enough, not pretty enough, not cool enough.” Everyone on the team was satisfied, except him.

This seemed to be news released by Joyce himself, as Blue Sky’s internal “Robots” art team had no such grievances. Character design was crucial in animation, and six months wasn’t surprising. Sure enough, Joyce accepted an interview with the Los Angeles Times: “He can indeed be arrogant and egotistical sometimes, which I can hardly bear. My departure is a good thing for both sides, he got the team situation he wanted, and I don’t have to worry about those robots anymore. I wish them smooth sailing.”@@novelbin@@

“People have not seen the perfect collaboration between Wang Yang and William Joyce, even though both are young at heart,” jibed the Los Angeles Times. As for who was right or wrong, it was all gossip; fans and detractors of Yang were, of course, divided in their opinions, believing that Wang Yang had not pushed anyone away and that he was right; others mocked Wang Yang as a self-important control freak, predicting “Robots” would end up a complete mess. However, it was worth noting that, so far, no news had indicated that Wang Yang was the producer, writer, director, or any other crew position for “Robots.”

In the elegant chairman’s office, Wang Yang glanced at Keke’s photo while working; his smiling baby was very cute and honest-looking, two months already! Goo goo gaa gaa! He laughed softly and continued with his script work. After a while, the door was knocked on rhythmically. He called out, “Come in.”

“Yang.” Mark Strong walked in holding a newspaper, handed it to him, and sat down in the chair in front of the desk, “Joyce is looking for trouble with you.”

“I know.” Wang Yang glanced at it indifferently, already aware of the issue that morning, and Jessica had angrily thrown books like “The Leaf Men” into the storeroom. He shrugged, “I can’t agree with those ugly character designs, it’s nothing, I don’t think he needs attention, just leave it at that.” Mark Strong was also somewhat puzzled by his plan, and asked, “What are you planning to do next?”

“The same as before! First, I want to see satisfying character designs and a script, the art team is reorganizing.” Wang Yang suddenly laughed, understanding Strong’s confusion. He was already meddling so much, becoming one of the producers of “Robots”. He nodded and laughed loudly, “Damn it! I’ll just take over supervising this animated film! Exciting!” Anyway, there would be a lot of free work time during the filming of “I Am Legend”, and with Blue Sky Headquarters right in New York, it was even more convenient than when he had supervised “Kung Fu Panda”. When it came to the lengthy drawing phase, the workload wasn’t that much, and Chris Wedge’s directing abilities were more than enough to ensure the film was well-made.

Mark Strong wasn’t surprised at all; in fact, Wang Yang had always been a supervisor. Now it was just a matter of making it official. With the formal participation of the ‘magic Yang’, “Robots” was something to look forward to.

“Hey, I’ve been thinking about an even more interesting idea recently, can I shoot two movies at the same time?”

This time Mark Strong was surprised, “How?” Wang Yang enthusiastically elaborated, “You know ‘I Am Legend’ might have a long filming period, and not every day is workable, nor can all the working hours in a day be used. So what good is sitting idle? If there’s another movie being shot in New York, and it also has a repressive and lonely emotional tone, then when ‘I Am Legend’ can’t be shot, I’ll take those willing and able to shoot the other movie to a different set… Haha, interesting!”

He punched the air excitedly with a rapid combination of punches and laughed, “I’m still researching whether it’s possible to arrange the time properly, it requires high coordination and precise planning from the team.”

“Crazy…” Mark Strong adjusted his eyeglasses, which glinted, and couldn’t help but smile, “You’re a genius!” Shooting simultaneously? Naturally, this would lead to more physical and mental exhaustion, risking not handling either project well and messing both up. If scheduling and execution went poorly, it might even prolong the filming of both movies and increase the costs; the advantage is making full use of time, not wasting even a second. Maybe by the end of the year, another magical movie would be ready. He asked, “Do you have any movie ideas?”

“How about ‘Infernal Affairs’?” Wang Yang grinned, both stories had repressive, lonely, helpless, bewildered, insecure, crisis-ridden, anguished, struggling, and tortured elements… there was an abundance of similar emotions flowing through both, which made them a very suitable pairing to shoot at the same time, and he was very interested in the story of “Infernal Affairs”.

Hearing this, Mark Strong pondered for a moment and also felt it was a perfect fit. ‘Infernal Affairs’ premiering at the year’s end could go for the awards season alongside ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. The problem was, as he reminded, “Are you really up for this? You’ll be very busy.” “The Green Hornet”, “Iron Man”, “I Am Legend”, “Robots”, “Infernal Affairs”…

“I won’t sacrifice normal family time, never.” Wang Yang knew this best. He sighed, reached out to stop the perpetual motion device on his desk, “Mark, actually the biggest benefit is, this idea makes me feel full of energy! I’ve found the passion I had lost.” As he let go, the perpetual motion device started spinning again. He laughed, “Like this, you either energize yourself, get moving, moving! Or you become weak, and grow old.”

Night fell over Los Angeles, and as it deepened into the still hours of early morning, a bright full moon hung in the sky while the cool breeze made the sycamore branches sway unpredictably.

“Yang, it’s late, aren’t you sleeping?” In the corridor outside the study, Jessica knocked and entered. Wang Yang was engrossed in the script and the storyboard, and typing something into a document on his computer, he lethargically replied, “Oh, you go to sleep first, I’ll be finished soon.” Jessica looked at him for a long while before Wang Yang finally looked up at her and said, “HEY, Jessie, can you get me a glass of water?” Jessica frowned, “Look at the time.” Wang Yang glanced at the lower-right corner of his computer screen and scratched his head, “Oh, I wish I could turn it back…”

“Waaah, waaah, waaah—”

The night sky grew darker, moonlight streaming through the window into the baby’s room as Keke’s cries went from tearless to soaking her little cheeks, her clear, large eyes darting about. But no matter how much she cried, those two never appeared. Downstairs in the garden, Danny was pacing the lawn restlessly, raising his nose toward the bright room on the second floor, sniffing the familiar scent and whining, puzzled by what was happening.

“Ugh!” The mournful cries from the baby monitor filled the spacious bedroom with gloom. Jessica sat on the edge of the bed, hands covering her face, occasionally letting out a miserable sigh. Wang Yang paced back and forth, his face taut, fists clenched so tightly his veins bulged. He was at his wits’ end!

The two weren’t crazy; this stemmed from a parenting method. Keke had long since learned to recognize people, naturally growing closest to her mom and dad. After waking up in the middle of the night and finishing her milk, she insisted on being held by both parents before she’d go back to sleep, or else she’d cry incessantly. While not frequent, there were times she’d suddenly cry—not because it was time to be fed, nor because she needed a diaper change, nor due to illness… She needed no reason; crying during the day was for exercise, crying at night was for clinging to someone.

When these situations occurred, everyone would ignore her, letting her cry until she stopped on her own. After a few repetitions, the bored and unpampered baby wouldn’t throw tantrums anymore. Her personality would become stronger and more independent.

Wang Yang was the one who most loved to soothe his daughter. Ever since Keke was born, up to now, two months later, he would rush to her side at the sound of her cry to sing to her, watching as she sweetly fell asleep. Now her crying shattered his heart, but all he could do was hole up in the room and watch helplessly!

“I can’t take it anymore!” Wang Yang suddenly charged out of the room, and Jessica yelled out in shock, “No! Yang—don’t!” She got up and lunged after him, nearly falling over. Taking advantage of his momentary hesitation, she clung tightly to him from behind: “You can’t, we can’t! Trust the baby, okay?” Wang Yang turned to look at her, nearly losing his mind: “But, for heaven’s sake—” Keke’s crying continued: “Wuu wuu wuu wuu—” Wang Yang turned and shook her, pleading, “Please, maybe she’s peed, and the diaper’s no good, maybe she’s hungry! Maybe there’s a mouse…” Jessica shook her head firmly: “You know that’s not true! You know it!”

“Are you insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Wang Yang roared like thunder, shaking slightly all over, and upon seeing her expressionless face, he finally couldn’t restrain himself from yelling: “Oh my God! How can you be so heartless! What kind of mother, damn it, FUCK, what the hell!!! FUCK!”

Hearing his curses, tears almost instantly welled up in Jessica’s eyes. She tucked her hair behind her ear and walked towards the bed: “Do you know how painful this is for me? Don’t I feel heartache? It’s for the baby…” For you, she sat down on the edge of the bed weakly. He was back on his busy schedule, and Keke refused to be cared for by her alone. If he had to get up every night and busy himself with work during the day, wouldn’t he be exhausted? Can’t he have a good night’s sleep? But if Keke became strong, he wouldn’t have to get up at midnight anymore. She would feed her, change her diapers, and coax her to sleep, taking good care of their daughter.

“Wuu wuu wuu wuu—” Keke’s cries still showed no sign of easing. As he saw Jessica’s eyes turning red, Wang Yang felt even more wretched. What was he doing!? He quickly went to her: “Sweetheart, I’m sorry, I lost it, I’m sorry!” Jessica stroked his extended hand and gave him a tender smile: “It’s alright, I know.” Wang Yang, while wiping away her tears, pleaded: “Can you be a little more patient? She’s only two months old, can we start implementing this when she’s three months?” Jessica shook her head: “No.”

“Aaaah!” Wang Yang’s hysteria kicked in, he hugged her and kissed her madly, then went to the wall and, like a woodpecker, banged his head against it a few times. Then he threw himself onto the bed, burying his head in the pillow and making muffled cries: “Aaaaah!”

It was like torture from hell! No matter how he raged, Wang Yang couldn’t quell his panic and unprecedented heartache that nearly suffocated him. Suddenly, he had an idea, jumped up, glanced at the baby monitor, and murmured dazedly, “Oh my God.” This feeling! This feeling of helplessness, this painful restlessness, this struggle, this fear… Stubbornly like that, he felt the emotions of “I Am Legend,” “Infernal Affairs” so deeply!

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asked, furrowing her delicate brows with a pitiful look that added a glimmer of light to the oppressive world. Wang Yang sat on the bed, holding her and gasping heavily: “I don’t know, it feels awful!” Jessica leaned on his shoulder: “Me too, it feels terrible.” They cuddled each other, silently watching the baby monitor on the bedside table, listening to Keke’s plaintive cries: “Wuu wuu wuu—” Her entertaining “yi ya yi ya” noises and laugh “oh oh hehe” seemed still to linger in the air…

The night was silent, and they could truly take comfort in their patience with their own child. Keke cried for a long time, persisting for over half an hour, until finally she cried herself tired, silent for five whole minutes! It seemed like a success.

“…We did it, the baby did it.” Wang Yang and Jessica shared a knowing smile. There was no excitement, just a deep, indescribable relief that relaxed their entire bodies. They were so tired! They shared a celebratory kiss and were about to say something when the monitor suddenly emitted another cry: “Wuu wuu.”

“Sweetheart, Daddy’s coming—” Wang Yang’s nerves instantly tensed, and he dashed out crazily. Jessica paused, then ran after him equally frantic: “Sweetheart, Mommy’s coming—” She shouted, “Just for today, tomorrow we must enforce it! Otherwise, next time she might cry for an hour!!” He agreed, “Just for today! Just for today!”

When the two of them hurried to the door of the baby’s room, all was quiet; there was no sound of crying. They stealthily entered the room, drew closer and peered into the baby’s crib, where it seemed Keke had fallen asleep. They quietly withdrew, and he whispered almost silently in her ear: “Our daughter is stronger than we think.” She linked her arm with his, rested on his shoulder, and nodded softly: “Yes, she is.”

“Won’t she cling to us anymore?” Jessica suddenly asked, a hint of sorrow in her voice. Would Keke stop being affectionate? Wang Yang kissed her hair gently and smiled: “No… She will one day, but all children are like that.” Jessica blinked her slightly red eyes, yes, all kids grow up. (