"Of course I am not ashamed of you, Joann. Why would you ever think that?"
"Meaning you're proud that your wife's naked picture is free for the world to see?" Joann countered in a tone that was filled with incredulity.
By then, Xu Jing had caught up to his wife's train of thought so he added, "Of course I am not proud of that. In fact, I am horrified by this article, and I find it detestable that they would do something like this but my complaint lies more with the industry practice than yourself.
"Joann, I am proud of you, I cannot be more proud even if I try."
Joann leaned into her husband's chest and she asked, "Then, why did you…"
This time Xu Jing got what she was trying to say quickly. "Because certain things are meant to be between husband and wife."
"Thank you," Joann whispered. As her husband's heartbeat drifted into her ears, she felt comforted and protected. Then certain thoughts filtered into Joann's mind.
If she had not volunteered to do the sex scene herself, then this would not have happened. Furthermore, from what Xu Jing had said, Joann could deduce that even though he did not once bring it up, he was affected by her decision to volunteer for the sex scene without consulting him. 'Certain things are meant to be between husband and wife' was his exact words.
Joann felt surfeited by guilt and she said, "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"For all this." Joann waved her hand at the room.
"It's okay. This is hardly your fault."
"Even so, I'm sorry."
Xu Jing smiled and put her arms around his wife. Joann in turn snuggled deeper into her husband's embrace.
The apology came several months too late but it was better late than never.
The couple did not say anything else after that and only stood there holding each other, enjoying the other person's silent company.
After sufficient time had passed, Joann asked, "By the way, Xu Jing, what do you plan to do with all these tabloid?"
"Hmm…" Xu Jing scratched his chin. "Actually, I wasn't kidding earlier. I plan to use them for redecoration but instead of the living room, I was planning to redo our bedroom. I was going to tear out every single one of your pictures and paste them on the walls and ceiling so I can wake up every morning being surrounded by my beautiful wife."
Joann smacked Xu Jing on his chest and the man winced exaggeratedly from the pain, and the conflict between them melted away like snow on the first day of spring.
Just like how a fractured country would come together during a natural disaster, there was nothing that brought a family together better than an outside conflict.
Xu Jing was not the only one of Joann's family member who lent a helping hand because the next day, Joann woke up to a wonderful surprise by her bedside. There was a copy of the day's newspaper and on top of it was a post-it note written in Xu Jing's handwriting. "Read this," it said.
Similar to the one on the tabloid, it was also a review on the movie, Bringing the Nation's Husband Home. However, not similar to the tabloid, it was a fair and acceptable review of the film.
It praised the writer for their ability to fit a thousand chapter long webnovel into a one and a half hour movie, the authentic range of emotions that was displayed by the actors as well as the gorgeous sceneries used in the movie.
After that, it talked about the movie's shortcomings as well. The reviewer mentioned how the ending felt rushed, something that could be rectified with the upcoming sequel. The reviewer also commented on how certain plot points appear to be overly saccharine and emotionally manipulative.
At the end of the article, there was a short paragraph that seemed to directly address the attack piece found in the tabloid even though it was not stated explicitly. It talked about how casting Joann in the main female role should not be construed as a fatal to the film simply because of her age. An actor should be judged according to their ability and not their age.
The role of an actor was to sell the story and Joann did marvelously in her role and that was what all the viewers should be concerned about. This was a movie, not a biography on the actor's life so her age should not have even come into question. She looked the part and did manage to sell the part.
The article proceeded to praise Joann for her acting skill and professionalism. It noted how the sex scene was her first since she entered the business and it was done tastefully and not overly raunchy.
The reviewer then praised the director for casting Joann on the merit of her ability and not on something superficial like her age. It praised the director for not succumbing to the ageist culture that ran rampant in the entertainment industry. The movie, Bringing the Nation's Husband Home was enjoyable for what it was but it shone particularly for this anti-ageism sentiment.
The article actually was also indirectly calling Joann old but like many messages, the method of delivery had a huge effect on how the message was received. Unlike yesterday, Joann felt validated for her work and it was a good feeling to have. It had worked wonders in flushing out the bad mojo from the incident that happened yesterday.
Joann appreciated the wonderful review and she wanted to share the good feeling with her husband. She turned to look and realized his half of the bed was already empty. 'Xu Jing probably had left for work already,' Joann thought to herself.
Joann turned back to the article and tried to look for the byline. If it was written by someone she knew, she would call to thank the reviewer in person. She found the byline and Joann couldn't have been more familiar with the name.
"Of course I am not ashamed of you, Joann. Why would you ever think that?"
"Meaning you're proud that your wife's naked picture is free for the world to see?" Joann countered in a tone that was filled with incredulity.
By then, Xu Jing had caught up to his wife's train of thought so he added, "Of course I am not proud of that. In fact, I am horrified by this article, and I find it detestable that they would do something like this but my complaint lies more with the industry practice than yourself.
"Joann, I am proud of you, I cannot be more proud even if I try."
Joann leaned into her husband's chest and she asked, "Then, why did you…"
This time Xu Jing got what she was trying to say quickly. "Because certain things are meant to be between husband and wife."
"Thank you," Joann whispered. As her husband's heartbeat drifted into her ears, she felt comforted and protected. Then certain thoughts filtered into Joann's mind.
If she had not volunteered to do the sex scene herself, then this would not have happened. Furthermore, from what Xu Jing had said, Joann could deduce that even though he did not once bring it up, he was affected by her decision to volunteer for the sex scene without consulting him. 'Certain things are meant to be between husband and wife' was his exact words.
Joann felt surfeited by guilt and she said, "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"For all this." Joann waved her hand at the room.
"It's okay. This is hardly your fault."
"Even so, I'm sorry."
Xu Jing smiled and put her arms around his wife. Joann in turn snuggled deeper into her husband's embrace.
The apology came several months too late but it was better late than never.
The couple did not say anything else after that and only stood there holding each other, enjoying the other person's silent company.
After sufficient time had passed, Joann asked, "By the way, Xu Jing, what do you plan to do with all these tabloid?"
"Hmm…" Xu Jing scratched his chin. "Actually, I wasn't kidding earlier. I plan to use them for redecoration but instead of the living room, I was planning to redo our bedroom. I was going to tear out every single one of your pictures and paste them on the walls and ceiling so I can wake up every morning being surrounded by my beautiful wife."
Joann smacked Xu Jing on his chest and the man winced exaggeratedly from the pain, and the conflict between them melted away like snow on the first day of spring.
Just like how a fractured country would come together during a natural disaster, there was nothing that brought a family together better than an outside conflict.
Xu Jing was not the only one of Joann's family member who lent a helping hand because the next day, Joann woke up to a wonderful surprise by her bedside. There was a copy of the day's newspaper and on top of it was a post-it note written in Xu Jing's handwriting. "Read this," it said.
Similar to the one on the tabloid, it was also a review on the movie, Bringing the Nation's Husband Home. However, not similar to the tabloid, it was a fair and acceptable review of the film.
It praised the writer for their ability to fit a thousand chapter long webnovel into a one and a half hour movie, the authentic range of emotions that was displayed by the actors as well as the gorgeous sceneries used in the movie.
After that, it talked about the movie's shortcomings as well. The reviewer mentioned how the ending felt rushed, something that could be rectified with the upcoming sequel. The reviewer also commented on how certain plot points appear to be overly saccharine and emotionally manipulative.
At the end of the article, there was a short paragraph that seemed to directly address the attack piece found in the tabloid even though it was not stated explicitly. It talked about how casting Joann in the main female role should not be construed as a fatal to the film simply because of her age. An actor should be judged according to their ability and not their age.
The role of an actor was to sell the story and Joann did marvelously in her role and that was what all the viewers should be concerned about. This was a movie, not a biography on the actor's life so her age should not have even come into question. She looked the part and did manage to sell the part.
The article proceeded to praise Joann for her acting skill and professionalism. It noted how the sex scene was her first since she entered the business and it was done tastefully and not overly raunchy.
The reviewer then praised the director for casting Joann on the merit of her ability and not on something superficial like her age. It praised the director for not succumbing to the ageist culture that ran rampant in the entertainment industry. The movie, Bringing the Nation's Husband Home was enjoyable for what it was but it shone particularly for this anti-ageism sentiment.
The article actually was also indirectly calling Joann old but like many messages, the method of delivery had a huge effect on how the message was received. Unlike yesterday, Joann felt validated for her work and it was a good feeling to have. It had worked wonders in flushing out the bad mojo from the incident that happened yesterday.
Joann appreciated the wonderful review and she wanted to share the good feeling with her husband. She turned to look and realized his half of the bed was already empty. 'Xu Jing probably had left for work already,' Joann thought to herself.
Joann turned back to the article and tried to look for the byline. If it was written by someone she knew, she would call to thank the reviewer in person. She found the byline and Joann couldn't have been more familiar with the name.
