NOVEL NEXT Chapter 450 - 450 Where is Good?
Chapter 450: Chapter 450 Where is Good?
“Su Lin, take a good look, those guys are the foolish and barbaric humans. They love watching us the most. Ah, there comes a Chinese-American, see him? He must be saying, ‘So cute, so cute’…”
Under the azure sky, the panda enclosure at San Diego Zoo was both tranquil and bustling. The entrance was shaded by lush bamboo, with verdant leaves swaying in the wind, offering a delightful hue that cheered the spirit. A long line of visitors, adults and children alike, queued up enthusiastically. The children ranged from a few years old to babies less than a year old sleeping in strollers, and even month-old infants sucking on pacifiers, all eagerly awaiting a glimpse of China’s cuddly national treasure.
Four giant pandas called this place home: Bai Yun, Gao Gao, Mei Sheng, and the 5-month-old panda cub Su Lin (2005-8-2).
Compared to the Giant Panda Base in Chengdu, Sichuan, the panda playground here was much quieter, but the advantage was that it was built to allow people to get a closer, clearer view of the adorable pandas. Su Lin perched on a large tree branch, gazing innocently at the tourists behind the railing. She had recently learned to climb trees, still wobbling as she walked because she still relied on her mother Bai Yun’s milk. She merely played with bamboo like a toy, so visitors couldn’t see her voraciously munching on it, but Su Lin was still the superstar of the show.
The worldly Bai Yun idly munched on bamboo by the pond while Gao Gao lazily ambled about the lawn. Mei Sheng acted aloof, sitting by the fake mountain’s large rocks with his back to the crowd. The sight left the visitors snapping photos and chattering joyfully.
“Oh, oh, oh, there’s also a beautiful Latina next to him. She’s definitely saying, ‘So cute, so cute’ too!” Wang Yang voiced Bai Yun in a rough tone, while Jessica gave him a charming side-eye and playfully interrupted, “But they really are so cute.” Wang Yang looked at her, then at Keke in the blue stroller beside them, “You know, the cutest thing in the world is…” He slowly wrapped his arms around her, reaching to touch her radiant smiling face, and laughed, “Yes, you both. They are pandas, but you both are my panacea.”
“…You are too.” Jessica leaned against his shoulder. He was the type who’d get uncomfortable without dispensing sweet nothings from time to time, tossing out lines that could be classic movie quotes. She had grown accustomed to it, but each time it was just as sweet. He was also her all-healing panacea.
Since there were quite a few people around, they didn’t indulge in a deep kiss fueled by their ignited passion, knowing this anniversary honeymoon would offer many more opportunities. Jessica bent down to pick up Keke, laughing as she said, “I wonder how Youka is doing.” Wang Yang replied, “I don’t think there is a need to worry; giant pandas are treated with the highest regard.” As Jessica lifted Keke up, supporting her head, she kissed her, then mused, “What does that matter? It might not be happy.”
“You’re right, maybe it just had its heart broken, or it realized it can’t fly and is feeling down… Life is too complicated,” Wang Yang nodded, looking at the roly-poly Su Lin and said with a smile, “It will find its own panacea, don’t worry. Hey! Do you want to know the meaning behind Su Lin’s name?”
Jessica looked at him with great interest, and Wang Yang began to explain, “Su Lin was the first giant panda to arrive in America and also the first living panda to ever leave China. In 1936, a New York fashion designer named Ruth Harkness traveled to China to fulfill her late husband’s dream; he was a zoologist and explorer who hunted pandas, but he died of illness in Shanghai. Then, with the help of a Chinese assistant named Yang Kunting, Ruth captured a young panda in Sichuan. Thinking it was female, they named it ‘Su Lin,’ after Yang Kunting’s wife…”
Wang Yang continued telling his story like a tour guide, recounting how Ruth brought Su Lin to San Francisco and the frenzy the panda caused… but sadly, Su Lin died of illness before reaching two years of age. He shrugged helplessly and said, “Back then, people didn’t understand the habits of the giant panda, they didn’t even know pandas ate bamboo, and they tried to feed it milk and branches. After Su Lin died and was dissected, everyone found out it was actually a boy.”
“Oh! That’s terrible,” Jessica frowned in commiseration, and Keke seemed to sigh for the past as well, “Ya, ya.” Jessica’s smile returned as she praised him, “Dear, you know so much.” Wang Yang nodded, pointing in the direction of the zoo office, “Yes, I was just asking the lady guide there.” Jessica immediately burst into laughter, amused, and Wang Yang, raising his eyebrows, laughed too, as Keke swung her little fists, joining in with happy laughter, “Wo, wo!”
Soon, the lady guide returned from the restroom. She held a small megaphone and enthusiastically shared the current situation and history of several pandas in the park, and the story of the new member Su Lin was indeed as Wang Yang had described.
“Look, baby, do you see those? Those are pandas, from China,” Jessica said in a soft voice to her daughter after the laughter. Keke straightened her neck, sucking on her little hand, her big eyes lively as they darted about, and it was uncertain if the pandas were within her sight, but her expression showed wonder, “Yi ya.”
As Wang Yang watched the beautiful scene before him, his heart was filled with warmth and happiness, yet this too became a problem, a happy worry, because of “I Am Legend.” He had almost immediately realized that it was impossible to immerse himself in an apocalyptic, lonely, depressive atmosphere while producing “I Am Legend”; he would not find the same sense of feeling as during “District 9” again, and the atmosphere on set would also struggle to match the film, unless he did like “Heath” Ledger – leave his wife and daughter and lock himself away for a month, and then not contact or see his family throughout the filming process. That might just do it.
Wang Yang believed that Jessica would naturally not support this and would never leave him, but was this really the right thing to do? Such a torment of nerves came at a cost, as seen in past reports about “Heath” Ledger driving himself mad and then relying on sleeping pills, a degree that reached medication abuse. Wang Yang also believed that no matter how crazy he got, he could recover, not to mention the bulk of the loneliness and depression in “I Am Legend” stemmed from loss, and embracing his family again would instantly revive him.
But even with a thousand reasons, it was not acceptable – he didn’t want his family to be unhappy, and he didn’t want to miss a single day of Keke’s growth. Moreover, he wasn’t an actor; he was a producer and director with many more responsibilities, and couldn’t cut off from all related duties for the sake of feelings, so the feasibility of embracing solitude was zero.
Wang Yang knew he could only settle for the next best thing, or rather, this was the optimum solution. That’s what he did, fully embracing happiness! He would contrast this against the solitude he imagined and felt during fainting spells in his dreams to achieve the desired effect.
It’s a bit amusing when you think about it, he still hadn’t decided whether the story of “I Am Legend” would take place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York. This would directly determine the filming location. The original novel is set in Los Angeles, “The Last Man on Earth” was set in Rome, Italy, “The Last Man” was in Los Angeles, and Mark Protosevich’s first draft of “I Am Legend” was set in San Francisco, which Warner Brothers later changed to Los Angeles. Then when Akiva Goldsman rewrote the script, he wanted to move it to New York.
In fact, right now, before starting to prepare the shooting site, any location change is feasible, because the story can happen in any city, including San Diego.
But the city has a significant impact; all the background in outdoor shots and all scene shots will give the whole film a different temperament. Each of the three major cities has its own characteristics—so which one to choose? Wang Yang had already met with Akiva Goldsman twice, to discuss and consult on the plot of “I Am Legend,” naturally leading to the issue of location. Goldsman strongly recommended New York, where the Big Apple City is more likely to showcase a deserted feeling.
“Yang, from what I see, Los Angeles looks deserted at three o’clock in the afternoon; but New York, at any time, is always deserted! It has a more interesting way to show a world emptied by a great wind.”
At that moment, in Wang Yang’s office, Goldsman was quite excited and anxious. Previously, Warner Brothers had rejected the idea of relocating, simply due to production costs. Not only were the taxes in New York not any lower than in Los Angeles, but the logistic supplies being far from Hollywood would also add to the expenses, especially for a blockbuster. WB’s plan was to shoot in the studio, but the exact details would be discussed after the director was confirmed. Suddenly the “I Am Legend” project was packaged and sold to Flame Film.
Goldsman was actually very happy about this, as it’s well known that production costs are not a concern for Wang Yang—money is no object! The bigger the investment, the higher the box office! The miraculous Yang also agreed that on-site shooting could give the film a natural, authentic, barren feeling, something audiences need to relate to as intensely as possible, something that studio filming simply cannot provide. Yet, Goldsman could see that Wang Yang was more inclined towards San Francisco as the location; but the apocalyptic temperament of San Francisco wasn’t much different from Los Angeles. Relaxed and sunny California just didn’t have New York’s oppressive sense of emptiness.
“I agree…” said Wang Yang. From an off-site perspective, his own ranking indeed was San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York. Hometown was more suitable for living—he could more conveniently and effectively manage other producer films, company work, and even attend NBA games to watch the Warriors instead of the Knicks.
But Goldsman was right. After shooting “The Devil Wears Prada” in New York, Wang Yang had a clearer sense of the charm of the city’s streetscapes. Its buildings are tall and densely packed, especially the skyscrapers of Manhattan that are so dense it’s suffocating. Walking down the broad avenues feels like walking in a canyon, an experience that California cannot offer. Imagine Times Square with no one around, yet the LED screens continue to flash images. Neville looking around, the sense of emptiness and desolation presented would be incredible!
From what Wang Yang saw of the WB version of “I Am Legend,” he knew that the shots in New York were indeed very impressive, even though they didn’t have the ability to use the real Times Square. But with places like the high-line railroad of the Central Station, a few blocks of Fifth Avenue, and Washington Square Park, they had enough to construct a desolate world after the apocalypse. Meanwhile, New York could give that impression of cold winter weather—the rain and snow invisibly intensified the oppressive atmosphere, something the sunny beaches and beauties of California didn’t have.
Whether in California or New York, a decision had to be made by February in order to start preparations, and because of the blocking and clearing nature of the filming locations for “I Am Legend,” choosing the shooting site was a big issue. Regardless of the city or whichever location they were able to secure clearance and filming permits for, like the Golden Gate Bridge or the Brooklyn Bridge, it wasn’t possible to shoot a whole day at once—it would inevitably be a piecemeal job, putting together the entire scene from bits and pieces.
Perhaps only on the weekends, or specific days like Tuesdays or Wednesdays, at specific times like 1:00 to 5:00 a.m., which is why the WB version ended up taking over six months to film.
Getting support from the authorities is very challenging, with New York being the most difficult and San Francisco the easiest. As the hometown hero, Wang Yang could more easily persuade the government, and the discontent of the public affected would be minimized.
In New York, Wang Yang and Flame Film really didn’t have much influence, so that’s where the benefits of collaborating with large companies came into play. According to the agreement, Warner Brothers would provide support and help with production resources. Besides, Wang Yang had already sent Michael Tadross an invitation to produce; Tadross had extensive networking and lobbying experience. It was his role as middleman that allowed the WB version of “I Am Legend” to successfully persuade the New York authorities to secure filming permits to shut down many busy areas.
If the film was to be shot in New York, Tadross would play a significant role. Anyway, the projected shooting time for “I Am Legend” was quite lengthy, probably taking half a year as the WB version did. Wang Yang didn’t want to make this decision lightly.
Will Smith didn’t particularly care about the choice; whether San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York, he would bring his family and children to the city to complete the performance. He had been looking forward to collaborating with Wang Yang for quite some time.
“I think I saw the miraculous Yang!” At the exit of the Panda Area, the line of tourists was still long when suddenly a young kid of about ten excitedly shouted, “It’s him, it’s him! Mom—can I go talk to him? I want a photo!” People immediately began turning heads, and many joyfully took out their cameras to snap pictures—click, click! Today they could see not only the giant pandas but also Miraculous Yang and his family! Several kids had already joyfully rushed towards them.
Dressed in casual, youthful clothes, Wang Yang was pushing a blue stroller with Jessica walking beside him, carrying a water bottle and handbag. They were laughing and talking as they walked towards the next animal exhibit. Suddenly, seeing the kids rushing over, they stopped with a smile and patiently fulfilled the requests for photos… (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)