Chapter Thirteen: Father and Son at Odds

  On February 15, 1999, the last day of the lunar calendar in 1998, Zhang Chengyuan's father, Zhang Donghu, finally returned home, nearly a month later than Zhang Chengyuan had expected. However, Zhang Donghu, who was worried about his son, had entrusted a colleague to send back some money earlier, which would serve as Zhang Chengyuan's living expenses and the cost of purchasing goods for the old Chinese New Year.

  The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a traditional holiday in China. It is said that the Korean Peninsula's ethnic groups have been celebrating this festival since the Silla Dynasty, copying it from the Tang Dynasty of China. This tradition continued until the Japanese colonial period in Korea. Due to Japan's "Japan-Korea unity" assimilation policy, which aimed to eliminate the entire Korean culture, Koreans were banned from celebrating their own holidays, and the Spring Festival disappeared from the Korean Peninsula. After Japan's defeat, South Korea did not restore the Spring Festival at the national level until 40 years later, in 1985, when it reappeared under the name "Seollal" or "民俗日".

  This year's Seollal is the first one after the Korean government officially restored the holiday. As a result, it has received great attention from the Korean people who highly value traditional culture. Jang Dong-hu, who claims to be a direct descendant of the Jang clan and attaches great importance to family tradition, would not miss this significant holiday even if he is far away across the ocean. If he weren't so busy with work and couldn't take time off, he would have returned home earlier.

  According to Zhang Donghu's own claim, the ancestors of the Korean Zhang family were descendants of a certain Zhang surname attendant official who married into Goryeo during the Yuan dynasty Mongol princess, and the family was also a two-class noble class during the Joseon Dynasty era, with a more noble bloodline than ordinary Koreans. Unfortunately, times have changed, and now they have fallen, and by today, only two people are left in this branch of the Zhang family, Zhang Donghu and his son. Even their ancestors' graves were destroyed in the war, and they can't even find them to worship.

  Zhang Chengyuan was deeply skeptical of this, because the memories left to him by his predecessor clearly told him that both parents were from an orphanage, so how did his father Zhang Donghu know so much about their ancestors? Since Zhang Chengyuan temporarily had no interest in understanding these things, he put his doubts at the bottom of his heart.

  The father and son finished their dinner on the last day of the lunar calendar in a cold and quiet manner. Zhang Chengyuan took out the contract he had discussed with Park Hyeon-ryeol and handed it to his father to look at. Zhang Donghu originally thought it was something like a report card from school, but when he took a closer look, he was shocked and asked: "This is an artist's contract, why are you showing it to me? Are you trying to become a performer for the masses?"

  Although Korean stars are popular among young people, their status is not high in the adult world. Some traditional people even look down on them, especially those who think they are from noble families. That's why it's difficult for top female stars to marry into wealthy families! And it has become almost impossible for male stars to marry a rich girl.

  Zhang Chengyuan said faintly: "Yes, I want to be a star."

  Upon hearing Zhang Chengyuan's affirmative response, Zhang Donghu was extremely angry and immediately opposed it, saying: "No way! I absolutely do not agree with this!"

  Zhang Chengyuan's expression didn't change, calmly and firmly saying: "Father, this is my carefully considered choice, please think it over."

  If it were more than half a year ago, Zhang Donghu would have picked up the spoon by the bowl and smashed it on Zhang Chengyuan's forehead. Now, seeing Zhang Chengyuan's calm and serious expression, he didn't know why, but he couldn't bring himself to scold his son. He stared at Zhang Chengyuan for a few moments, suddenly realizing that his son had finally grown up, and compared to his previous timid appearance, this current demeanor was more comforting to him.

  Zhang Donghu sighed and said: "Cheng Yuan, have you thought it through? Being a star isn't that easy."

  "I'm very clear about this and have made sufficient mental preparation."

  "Since that's the case, then let's have a good talk between us father and son tonight. As long as you can convince me, I'll sign this contract."

  "Please first show me the reasons for your opposition."

  "You're still young and easily bewildered by superficial glamour, unaware that being a star is only glamorous on the surface, but in reality, it's extremely tough."

  Zhang Chengyuan said, "I know this, but there's no gain without loss. If you want to get something, you have to pay a price. However, your son is now physically strong and full of energy, so even if it's bitter or tiring, I can bear it. Besides, haven't I been suffering all these years?"

  "You wouldn't have run away to commit suicide if you could really take it," Zhang Dong thought to himself. Although he complained in his heart, he also knew that times had changed and didn't know where his son had learned the skills of physical training and willpower, which had indeed made him much stronger now. He nodded reluctantly and continued: "As a star, even if you work extremely hard, what you get is far less than what you put in. The money you earn not only has to pay high taxes but also be squeezed by economic companies at will. Often after working for five or six years, you still can't afford to buy a cheap house."

  "Compared to ordinary office workers who can't afford a house even if they don't eat or drink for ten years, being a star at least allows me to buy a house after a few more years of hard work. As for the fear of being exploited by economic companies, this is a matter that depends on the individual. My head is still very clear and I won't blindly sign an unreasonable contract just to become a small-time celebrity, putting my fate in the hands of unscrupulous people. If you're worried, then help me review it carefully, take a close look at the contract in your hand and see if I've been cheated."

  "Even if everything you said is right, being a star isn't something you can just decide to be. Every year, countless people give up everything to become stars, but only one in ten thousand succeeds. And what's with this Logosfilm advertising agency? How can they guarantee that you'll become a star? If not, then struggling in the entertainment industry is no better than selling roasted sweet potatoes on the street!" Zhang Donghu saw that he couldn't persuade Zhang Chengyuan and became somewhat enraged, pointing at the contract and shouting loudly.

  "Father, since there are advertising companies that can offer me favorable conditions to sign a contract with them, it means I have the potential to succeed in the advertising industry. I also believe that my current external conditions are no less than those of most film and television stars, what I lack is only acting skills and experience. However, I am still young, and I believe that through hard work in the future, I will eventually succeed."

  Zhang Donghu: "You just want to be a star that much? Is it because being a star is so glorious?"

  "Father, being a star may be glamorous, but I don't care about that. What I care about is that being a star makes money faster and easier than other legitimate ways of making money, and it doesn't require us to invest our own original capital." - Zhang Chengyuan

  "Did I tell you to go make money? As long as the money is enough for use, that's all. Happiness in life isn't just about money."

  "If you gave me enough money to spend, who would be idle and have nothing to do but work? My appetite is so big, if I don't go out and earn money, I'll starve to death soon. Also, without money, how can I have enough travel expenses to return to my hometown and investigate the situation in Wangwu Mountain; without money, how can I stand on my own in this world... I really need money too much, although I also want to say 'view wealth as dirt' like in my previous life, but now without these dirt, I would wither away early. Zhang Donghu, my old dad, you have to understand me, a poor guy!"

  After a long silence, Zhang Chengyuan said: "Father, in today's world, if you don't have enough money, you won't have enough power, and you can only be bullied by others. In the past, I was weak and thin, often insulted and beaten, and had endured enough humiliation. Although no one of my age dares to be rude to me now, it's impossible to guarantee that this will always be the case in the future. Now I just want to take a gamble and change my own destiny, please father can fulfill me." In order to move his father, Zhang Chengyuan did not hesitate to use his past misfortunes as an example, hoping that Zhang Donghu would soften his heart.

  "Chengyuan, your father and mother never expected you to be successful or famous. We just hoped that you could grow up safely and live an ordinary life like the people around us. However, now that you've grown up and have your own thoughts, I don't want to force you. Since you're so determined to choose this path, I can only support you. But I have one condition."

  "Please go on!"

  Zhang Donghu didn't directly state his request, but instead asked first: "I remember the scores from the monthly exams a few months ago were: September, 53rd in the whole grade; October, 21st; November, 5th; so what ranking did you get for the semester?"

  Zhang Chengyuan said indifferently, "First place, what's the point of asking about this." Zhang Chengyuan had no interest in school exams whatsoever. If it weren't for giving his father some comfort, he wouldn't have bothered to put on a show of "gradually improving his grades through hard work". If he wanted to, he could have gotten first place in the monthly exam from the very beginning. With his innate talent and divine insight, it would be as easy as taking something out of his pocket for Zhang Chengyuan to become the top student at an ordinary high school.

  "First? First?! My son is actually the first in the whole school, it's really an ancestral blessing, God bless! After being overjoyed for a while, he continued: "You want to shoot an advertisement, I temporarily support you, but you must guarantee that your academic performance will not drop below the top ten in the grade, can you do that?"

  Zhang Chengyuan smiled lightly in his heart and said solemnly, "It's settled!" To Zhang Chengyuan, Zhang Donghu's condition was simply non-existent.