Chapter 431: 431 The Best Christmas Gift

“This is a playful, warm, fresh and beautiful pastoral poem, as well as a love elegy filled with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, romance, pain, and fear. Director Wang Yang has told a deeply meaningful and genuine love story.”—Score 4/4, Lisa Kennedy, The Denver Post.

“There’s no better romantic comedy than this. Tom is real, he belongs to everyone, which is why we worry about him so much; the relationship between Tom & Summer is also real. I don’t think I need to praise JGL and NP’s performance anymore—I could win an Oscar working with MY, and MY isn’t exaggerating. Everyone can find a bit of themselves in it, unless you’re that lucky person who has never experienced a breakup. Its style is incomparable; I can’t describe how much I love this film. More than ‘Firefly’? Some people prefer livelier comedies, they probably love ‘The Hangover’, but I adore this incredibly refreshing and fantastic feeling. At the end of the film, I heard some complaints, but at that time, nearly everyone in the theater was cheering for Tom and clapping. Seeing him start running, we laughed like children. It truly was MY’s best Christmas present.”—Marcus C, BFCA Community Forum.

‘500 Days of Summer’ effortlessly took the North American box office crown on December 23rd, with an opening day gross of $21.53 million from 3,351 theaters, an average of $6,424 per venue!

On the other hand, the big-budget film ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, released on the 9th, fetched $23 million from 3,616 venues/$6,363 per theater. The $207 million giant ‘King Kong’, which opened on the 14th, earned $9.75 million from 3,567 theaters/$2,735 per theater (on its first Friday, $14.46 million/$4,055). On the 21st, ‘The New Money Heist Couple’ opened in 3,056 theaters making $1,231 per venue ($3.76 million, and on the 23rd its first Friday, $1,336 per venue, $4.08 million); additionally, ‘Cheaper by the Dozen 2’ yesterday in 3,175 venues/$928 (totaling $2.94 million); ‘The Ruse’ in 1,829 venues/$1,031 ($1.88 million); ‘Munich’ in 532 venues/$2,580 ($1.37 million).

Horror! Box office websites like BOM could only describe the champion of this single-day report with terms like “terrifying start” and “astonishing opening”. It’s not because it broke many records – it’s clearly far from the first place ‘Firefly’ with $60.35 million (3,845 theaters/$15,695) – but it’s a romantic comedy made with $15 million!

Going against the grain of traditional Hollywood commercialism, it ended tragically with the male and female protagonists parting ways. And yet this quirky film now holds the best opening day average per venue for December this year, even outdoing fantasy blockbusters that hit IMAX screens…

“I knew it!” Numerous movie fans and followers, upon seeing the BOM headline “12/23/05, ‘Summer’ Woos Thousands, Wang Yang Creates Terrifying Start” and Yahoo Entertainment’s “Magical Yang Sweeps Christmas Season, ‘Summer’ Spawns Dating and Viewing Craze” news raised exclamations of astonishment, admiration, and praise once again because of that person. Joseph Gordon Levitt? Natalie Portman? Zachary Levi? Chloe Moretz? … It’s just the magical baby, Wang Yang.

In fact, there’s really nothing surprising. Earlier, a BOM survey asking “What is your most anticipated 2005 Christmas movie?” saw ‘500 Days of Summer’ win with a high 56% of the vote. Perhaps the currently hot idol director could even take the crown with another DV film, let alone now with ‘500 Days’ having comparable blockbuster promotions and overwhelmingly positive word of mouth. The $21.53 million opening day revenue even left some feeling disappointed, like the members of the American Cinema Owners Association.

It certainly frustrated the film dealers to no end – the situation from six months ago happened all over again! That’s when ‘Firefly’ took down several big-budget films, and now ‘500 Days’ has devastated its weak opponents, pressing under its weight a dismal box office, making films like ‘Munich’ truly horrifying disasters.

Source: novgo.co

If there’s any competition, Spielberg has lost to Wang Yang twice this year in a “light comedy tragedy” after their fierce comebacks, no matter whether it’s commercial blockbusters or art-house films. And in their head-to-head showdowns, the old man lost without a fight; furthermore, with DreamWorks being acquired by Paramount and Flame Film rising rapidly, the signs of changing times are glaringly obvious.

Those wanting to see ‘500 Days of Summer’ fail and Wang Yang face Waterloo are disappointed once again, and they know the disappointment will only grow. Box office tracking sites like The-Numbers and BOM have made optimistic forecasts for ‘500 Days’. Many analysts believe the season’s films are too weak, and the fame of magical Yang is too strong. Even if ‘500 Days’ were to be utterly trashed by critics, audiences would still flock to the theaters out of curiosity. And now?

“Everyone was very interested in his love life, even though the film was a story he created, but most fans felt it was a projection of his past experiences, which he admitted to.”

BOM analyst James Moore believed that this was crucial, that it was impossible to underestimate the public’s passion for gossip, especially among young people and teenagers who are the biggest drivers of box office revenues. Moore said, “Since 1998, Wang Yang has been giving us headaches right up to now; you can’t measure his films by any past standards, but it’s safe to say that this movie will hit the 100 million mark at the North American box office, and if it ends up surpassing 200 million, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.”

Perhaps it wasn’t until the first weekend’s box office or the first week’s box office figures came in that the analysts could be certain of anything. Seeing ‘500 Days of Summer’ kick off with great success, Warner Brothers and New Line were undoubtedly very pleased, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief! At least the ‘Magical Yang’ proved that his ‘directorial nerve’ was intact, and as for that ‘production nerve’… it better not be damaged, even though they still felt that there were many risks in his several grand movie plans.

“Jingle-bells, Jingle-bells, Jingle-all-the-way!” The cinema owners didn’t care too much, tidied up their slight disappointments, and merrily celebrated Christmas. The gift that ‘Magical Yang’ Santa delivered was already more than satisfactory!

For a family that had just welcomed a lovely new baby, the atmosphere on Christmas Eve was bound to be filled with joy, and everyone was gathered around the little angel. After a laughter-filled, sumptuous dinner, Jessica went to the baby room to feed Keke, then carried her back to the lively living room. Seeing chubby Keke, endearing nicknames such as “little angel”, “sweetheart”, and “pumpkin” instantly rose in a chorus, and they took out the Christmas presents they had prepared earlier to give her.

Major holidays and minor ones… compared to ordinary families, their family had particularly many holidays and naturally many gifts, so usually, there wasn’t much newness or significance. But excluding the one before her birth, this was the first Christmas gift they were giving Keke, as well as her first gift after birth, so it was inevitably grand.

“What could it be? What could it be?” In the spacious living room, there were two Santas and Danny, wearing a doggy Christmas outfit, happily walking around, making it hard not to feel the strong Christmas atmosphere. Everyone was sitting on the main and secondary sofas. Jessica held Keke while Wang Yang provided voiceover for his daughter. Mama Wang, who was the first to unwrap a gift, tore open the wrapping paper and took out a beautifully cute blue baby hat with a star pattern knitted on it, and she said with a smile, “Keke, this is a hat Grandma knitted for you.”

Wang Yang applauded and cheered “So sweet, so warm!” and then provided voiceover for Keke again, “Thank you, thank you Grandma! I love it, I can use it to protect my smart little head…”

Seeing him pause, the others, thinking he had finished, immediately cheered loudly. It was Kathy’s turn to unwrap a gift. Wang Yang held his breath, thinking, My God! Don’t they know that the director is talkative? Jessica chuckled and nudged him in the shoulder. Wang Yang smiled and continued the voiceover, “What could it be?”

Then Kathy, in keeping with the trend, gave some clothes, a lovely sweater, and some chocolate. However, the latter was more symbolic of happiness and sweetness, for obviously Keke wouldn’t be able to eat it within its shelf life, and according to the voice actor, her idea was “to be kept in Daddy’s tummy”; Mark gave her an air force officer’s badge that represented his honor and pride, also wishing her to grow up healthy and strong.

“My gift is a family heirloom jade pendant,” said Papa Wang, smiling happily as he opened the box and took out a large, flawless white jade pendant in the shape of a fish.

The fish was carved with lifelike patterns, hollowed out at the edges, with a red string threaded through its eye. The entire jade pendant was exquisite and beautiful, drawing gasps of admiration from everyone: “Wow, what a beautiful piece of jade.” Joshua curiously asked, “Is this an antique?” Mr. Wang held it high for everyone to see better and replied, “It’s at least a hundred years old, Hetian white jade, passed down since my grandfather’s time.”

“Oh my goodness!” Wang Yang suddenly exclaimed loudly, and it was no overdub! He quickly got up, lunged forward, and reached for it: “Isn’t this the jade pendant I’ve longed for since I was a kid?” He had been utterly obsessed with this family heirloom as a child, convinced that the pendant harbored some sort of superpower. He thought that wearing it, or even kissing it, would transform him into a superhero like “Jade Pendant Knight”. But the old man never let him touch it, not even for a second. Over time, he gradually forgot about it, but now!

With a loud slap! Mr. Wang smacked his son’s hand away, saying, “It belongs to your daughter now.” Wang Yang frantically tried to grab it again: “I know, let me have a look!” Mr. Wang refused to hand it over, waving the pendant around in the air: “It’s Keke’s! Keke, look at your dad! He’s like a little kid!” Wang Yang cried out: “Look at your grandpa, torturing me for 25 years wasn’t enough!”

The onlookers tried to suppress their laughter at the father and son’s playful antics. Only Joshua watched with bated breath, terrified that the pendant might suddenly fall and shatter—it was over a hundred years old after all, with America only being just over two hundred years old.

“Old man, you asked for it!” Wang Yang glared fiercely, suddenly pouncing on the elder: “Give it to me—” He wrapped his arms around his father’s neck and snatched the pendant, laughing heartily as he wore it around his neck, feeling very, very satisfied. He then asked the crowd with a smile, “How do I look, good?”

Mr. Wang shook his head with a smile, but the others cheerfully responded, “Not bad.” “Showy, but okay!” “Sweetheart, if you go out like this, it’ll become the latest fashion trend.” Jessica laughed exaggeratedly in praise when suddenly something occurred to her: “Oh, I get it now! Keke!” Joshua asked in confusion, “What?” Jessica enthusiastically explained to the crowd: “The Chinese name ‘Keke’ for HOPE is a type of beautiful white jade. Yang, why did you pick this name for the baby? You said before it was because it sounded nice, but I think this is the real reason.” Everyone understood then; Keke blinked her big eyes. So Wang Yang had harbored such a deep obsession?

“Do I?” Wang Yang pondered with furrowed brows—a coincidence, perhaps? He looked down at the snowy white jade pendant on his chest and, after the sense of satisfaction faded, he felt a tinge of melancholy. There was no superpower, after all; it was just an ordinary, ancient jade pendant, and maybe even a counterfeit… But then. He looked at his father, who raised an eyebrow knowingly, and Wang Yang laughed and nodded: “I do.”

If he could have touched this jade pendant freely as a child, would he still think about it now? It wasn’t just an ordinary pendant. “Little Yang, it contains a superpower that can make you fly.” Had the old man ever said that? Wang Yang gently caressed the pendant, smiling. Maybe.

“So Keke, do you have any Christmas gifts for Grandma and Grandpa?” Jessica lifted her daughter and kissed her cheek. Wang Yang, with the pendant around his neck, returned to his seat and surveyed the smiling crowd before mysteriously declaring, “Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?”

Despite being a smart baby, Keke was too young to understand being tickled and laughing out loud. However, by chatting, singing, and making eye contact with her, she would easily smile in response, and sometimes cleverly utter sounds like “yiya” and “aaah”.

The baby also exhibited spontaneous smiles (endogenous, mostly occurring during sleep), and the next phase she would learn is the social smile. Right now, they were treating the responsive smile as if it were social. Notably, even very young babies can sense the atmosphere around them. Hence, the couple paid particular attention to creating a warm and joyful environment. Without the need for any warm-up, when Jessica whispered affectionately, “Baby, what gift will you give?” Wang Yang’s gaze met Keke’s eyes, and she instantly curved her lips into a smile, dutifully voicing “yiya, yiya.”

“Hahaha!” “Wow! So cute!” Everyone burst into laughter, and Wang Yang’s father patted Wang Yang’s mother on the shoulder; Mark and Kathy looked at each other, filled with relief and joy. This was the best Christmas present.

Wang Yang and Jessica continued to tease their daughter, and Keke was very cooperative, making “eeh-ahh” sounds several times and smiling non-stop. Wang Yang could hardly resist play-biting her before he finally stopped. Then the couple presented their own prepared gifts to their daughter; Wang Yang gave her a new Super 8 film camera, hoping it would accompany her through a joyful childhood, and of course, he planned to give her a trendy DV camera for the next holiday. Jessica gave her a treasured bridal veil, hoping that she too would have such a happy and perfect love and marriage.

“Next is Uncle—Joshua!” Wang Yang called out mischievously, dragging out the words as he glanced at Joshua, who was forced to be the last to present his gift, while mimicking, “Uncle, what gift do you have?”

Seeing the two comical Santas and their rivalry, Jessica rolled her eyes in annoyance, but the corners of her mouth were curled up in an inviting smile.

With everyone looking at him, Joshua, who was sitting on the loveseat, scratched his head. He picked up the biggest gift box from the coffee table, and while unwrapping the colorful paper, he said with a smile, “I thought hard about it, and after asking Ali’s opinion… I didn’t know what would be the best gift, so in the end, I bought Hope some toys.” After tearing off the paper and opening the box, he took out a pink Barbie doll, then building blocks, a train set…

“You know I didn’t have many toys when I was little…” Joshua glanced at his parents and let out a long sigh, “So I was cool, but I always really wanted some toys, uh… Anyway! I hope that Hope can have more toys and be happy!”

“What toys did you always want?” Mark followed up, looking a bit puzzled. Had he overlooked something? Joshua mumbled almost inaudibly, “Anything but shell casings…” Kathy gave her husband a look that said “not now,” and they watched Joshua continue to take out puzzles and animal models from the box. Jessica’s smile was gentle as she called out, “Hey, Joshua! Do you want to hold her?” Joshua opened his arms in delight and quickly got up, “Of course! I want to hold her all day long!”

This time, he managed to take her smoothly without any objection! Joshua glanced at Wang Yang, wondering what was wrong with him, but no matter! “Oh, Jesus! She’s so cute!” Joshua looked at the chubby-cheeked Keke, feeling his heart melt, and couldn’t resist making funny faces and sticking out his tongue with “doo-doo-doo” sounds, then laughed heartily, “Haha!”

Keke, your Uncle Joshua has given a really good, really good gift. Seeing him, Wang Yang smiled; what did it matter who was the first Santa Claus? He suddenly felt that his behavior in the morning was somewhat childish…

“LA! LA! We love the Lakers! We’re going to win the Christmas showdown!” Joshua continued to make funny faces and “doo-doo-doo” sounds at her, and when Keke made an “eeh-ahh” sound, Wang Yang shouted as if he’d been shocked, “No! Warriors! Warriors!” Keke was definitely not a Lakers fan—that was non-negotiable!

Here we go again! Jessica gently shook her head while her lips still hinted at an inviting smile. (