30 Ceres surprises Richard (2/2)
The three people still arguing in the living room watched her walk to the door. They stopped as she turned around and told them where she was going.
”Do you want me to go with you?” Richard stood up, as if ready to follow after her.
”No, no. You stay put. I won't be long,” An Ning told him and shut the door.She heard their argument resumed and shook her head, smiling.
Moira greeted her somewhat nervously. An Ning suddenly remembered what happened the other night. How to explain the strange phenomena of a so-called monster attacking them. An Ning decided to be honest.
”It was really and truly a drone,” An Ning said, anticipating Moira's question. ”Not a monster but a drone. Somebody obviously dislikes me enough to send me a very expensive one to either hurt or frighten me.”
”Do you have any idea who sent it?” Moira was touchingly worried about her. ”It was really scary, An Ning. That thing looked so real.”
”I have an idea who it might be but I'm not sure just yet,” An Ning said. ”I'm sorry for scaring you like that.”
”No, No. You were so brave and so courageous. An Ning, you were terrific.” Moira's eyes were shining with admiration.
”I was scared stiff.But I didn't want to die so I had no choice but do something. What if it had harmed the baby? Don't worry, the police are already looking into it,” she said, again anticipating Moira's question.
”Poor Du Lu was really shocked, you know.”
”Oh?” An Ning was somewhat surprise. ”What about?”
”He wanted to sort of change your opinion of him after what happened with that girl but he was really shook up. I mean, you should have seen him afterwards. He wanted to be a movie star and be a hero but the reality was too much for him,” Moira said, somewhat scornfully. ”I stayed the whole night massaging his ego. It was bizarre.”
”What does it matter what I think of him? I don't even know him.”
Moira burst into a delightful peal of laughter.
”Poor Du Lu. He was all this and that. How many awards he's won. How the fans loved him. It got so boring I told him my tooth ache and I needed to see a dentist.”
An Ning laughed.
”Is he really that ridiculous?”
”Apparently. Speaking of the devil,” Moira said sotto voce as the door opened and Du Lu walked in.
Du Lu stopped in his tracks when he saw An Ning.
”I thought you'll be at home still resting.Does Richard know you're here?”
”I'm only like five feet away from the penthouse, you know,” An Ning said dryly.
”Hmnn...What's that you're having?”
”Chocolate cake.”
”You're eating the whole thing?” Du Lu was shocked. ”Is that even good for the baby?”
”Do you want some?” An Ning offered.
”I don't really like sweets...what the heck! Give me a slice then,” Du Lu was eyeing the cake somewhat greedily.
”Do you want some as well, Moira? Why don't you join us? Can you give me another glass of this tea? Thanks. What about you, Du Lu?”
Du Lu ordered unsweetened tea. Moira sliced the cake and the three of them sat around a table and enjoyed the treat. An Ning was starting to relax, listening to Moira and Du Lu bicker back and forth.
”What's a famous person like you doing in the neighborhood?” An Ning asked. ”Aren't you supposed to be out somewhere shooting something?”
”Your partner asked me to mind the store so I'm doing just that. Besides, I just finished doing a TV commercial so I'm in between jobs at the moment.”
”I thought you were shooting that movie about a ghost boy?Wasn't that all over the papers? They said that's gonna be your first horror movie, right?”
”Yup, didn't want to do it but was sort of forced into doing it.I don't particularly like horror movies.”
He started talking about the conflict that suddenly arose between the movie's producer and the director concerning the project. As can be expected, it was mostly trivial concern made into a mountain by excitable people in the entertainment business. In other words, the director wanted to rewrite the story because he thinks it sucks while the producer wanted to cast his nephew, a complete neophyte, in the role of the ghost.
An Ning's attention started to drift away.
”So, why aren't you out there somewhere shooting it?” Moira asked.
”We didn't get the permission to shoot it in the location we wanted. We were assured the government already okayed it but it seemed they changed their minds at the last minute.”
”Where's this location at?” Moira said.
The bell rang and Richard came in. Du Lu was still telling his story. Moira scooted out of her chair when she saw Richard.
”You were gone a long time. I started to get worried,” he told An Ning. ”An Ning?”
An Ning was looking blankly at him. Then she smiled.
”We were enjoying the cake.Du Lu didn't want me to eat all of it so I offered him some.”
Du Lu sputtered in protest. An Ning laughed while Moira looked amused.
”Where are you going?” Richard asked, surprised when An Ning stood up and walked to the door.
”I need to talk to Matt about something. I think I know where that thing we were talking about with Mom is. I figured it out just now.”
She walked out. Richard was stunned then chased after her, talking to his phone. Moira and Du Lu watched them curiously from inside the store.