Angela stood there, her mind reeling from Sparrow's revelation for a full minute before she managed to ask in amazement, "Steven Spielberg? That Steven Spielberg?!"
"Well, I don't think there's another Spielberg in Hollywood," Sparrow replied with a casual shrug.
Angela absentmindedly brought her thumb to her lips and lightly rubbed it back and forth, completely taken aback by the fact that the famous Steven Spielberg had invited her for a movie. If her memory served her right, Spielberg didn't have a lot of works in '92. Aside from《Jurassic Park》which was filmed toward the end of the year, she wondered if he was considering her for a role, possibly that of the little girl.
Shrugging off her initial shock, Angela decided not to dwell on it too much. As far as she remembered, Spielberg had acquired the rights to《Schindler's List》in the '80s, but for various reasons hadn't begun filming until the '90s. Although he had approached a number of Jewish directors, such as Roman Polanski, none had taken on the project, so Spielberg took on the role of director himself.
As a filmmaker, Spielberg had struck a unique balance between artistic and commercial pursuits. His work, whether it was《E.T.》or《Jaws》in the '80s, or《A.I.》and《Terminal》after 2000, managed to captivate audiences while maintaining a certain level of depth. But he also had a commercial sensibility. Angela had always seen him as a businessman when he stepped away from the director's chair. Business decisions were often influenced by self-interest. Although《Schindler's List》was an exception in some ways, as Spielberg was driven by artistic vision rather than just profit. By comparison, directors like James Cameron, who were willing to invest vast sums of money to perfect their creations, seemed somewhat adorable.
Angela decided to focus on the script itself. When she opened it, she froze for a moment when she saw the title. She stared at it for another minute. The words on the page were unmistakable:《Schindler's List》! A line of Hebrew text followed. Although Angela's knowledge of Hebrew was limited, she understood its meaning. It was the same line that ended the movie: "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire."
A wave of dizziness washed over Angela and she shook her head slightly to clear her mind. As far as she knew, Spielberg had owned the rights to《Schindler's List》since the '80s, but he had struggled to find the right time to bring it to life on the big screen. It was not until the '90s that he finally decided to go ahead and direct the film himself. He first approached several Jewish directors, including Roman Polanski, but was turned down. So he took on the mantle of directing himself.
Resolving the directorial aspect was only the beginning. The real challenge was securing funding. Many individuals and even higher-ups at Universal had reservations about the project and advised Spielberg to abandon it. This had led to lengthy negotiations that stretched from '92 to '93 before an agreement was reached in March of '93, paving the way for filming to begin in Poland.
As Angela's mind raced, her confidence in her memories grew. She vividly remembered watching《Schindler's List》many times in her previous life and was well versed in its behind-the-scenes details and trivia. So the question that remained was: why was this being brought to her attention now?
With a sense of determination, Angela began to flip through the script. Although she hadn't encountered them in her previous life, she recognized the iconic scenes she had been expecting. The role she was to play was that of a single mother's daughter during the harrowing Krakow Ghetto Massacre.
In this gripping scene, the mother carefully led her daughter from one hiding place to another, her steps cautious and her heart pounding. Finally, they found refuge in the basement of a house, where the daughter was able to squeeze in among the others already hidden there. The room was cramped, filled with hushed whispers and shared glances of desperation. With a heavy heart, the mother left her daughter behind to divert the attention of the Nazi soldiers searching the area.
The daughter, her spirit unbreakable by fear, could not bear the separation and silently slipped out in search of her mother. By a twist of fate, a young German boy helped her, and together they narrowly escaped the relentless search.
Angela's memory painted the scene vividly. Though brief, it had a profound effect within the movie. The script was three or four pages long, but with editing, the final cinematic rendering would probably be four or five minutes.
However, one revelation caught Angela's attention that bordered on the astonishing. Not only was Universal handling distribution, but Spielberg was the sole producer. This implied that he had successfully secured ample funding independently.
Could her seemingly minuscule interventions have significantly altered the course of time?
Chuckling at the whimsical thought, Angela brushed it aside, choosing not to dwell on the matter.1
"Uncle Sparrow, have you read the script yet?" Angela asked abruptly.
"Absolutely," her agent replied.
"In that case... should I accept this offer?" Angela inquired, her voice filled with uncertainty.
"Angela, that's a question only you can answer," Sparrow replied with a wistful smile, nodding toward the script cover as if the answer were already there. "You understand."
A contemplative silence fell over the room. In fact, Angela knew the underlying implications of Sparrow's answer. This was a movie about the Holocaust, a dark chapter in the history of the Jewish people during World War II. Although she had only a quarter Jewish heritage, inherited from her father, and had been baptized a Christian, she was still connected to the Jewish heritage in a broader sense. Perhaps that's why Sparrow extended the invitation.
"I think... I'll accept this offer," Angela finally decided, her voice calm. "I have to discuss it with my father first. And please tell Mr. Spielberg that I'm willing to take this role without any compensation!"
In doing so, she honored her connection to her Jewish roots and paid homage to her grandfather. But as she reflected on the complexity of her heritage, Angela couldn't help but smile. After all, she also carried a trace of Chinese blood in her veins.
...
"I guess I need you, baby
And every time I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you haunt me
I guess I need you, baby..."
[ The Song ]
The soothing melody and ethereal vocals filled the bedroom, gradually fading as the piano notes carried the song to its conclusion, leaving a clear final note that marked the end of《Everytime.》
"How did you like it, ladies?" The girl sitting at the piano stretched lazily and inquired with a grin. The two heads leaning against the piano on the other side, supported by their hands, swayed in tandem.
"It's rather melancholy," the older of the two remarked.
"The music is soothing, with a serene and gentle quality, but the lyrics seem a bit off," the younger one chimed in.
"Angela, why did you write such somber lyrics?" the older one asked again.
"Just a thought that crossed my mind," Angela shrugged. "Actually, I intend to revise the lyrics. In addition, I want to turn the melody into a pure piano composition. Originally, I was thinking of mixing several instruments such as piano, violin, cello, and others. But I want to simplify this song and emphasize its ethereal and fresh characteristics. This way..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the two girls sitting across from her tilted their heads and dozed off right next to the piano, snoring blissfully.
"'Alright, alright, I'll stop talking about it," Angela muttered, rolling her eyes at their antics.
Jessica and Lindsay jumped up from either side with gleeful giggles and ran over to plant a kiss on Angela's cheek, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
"You two!" Angela gritted her teeth but refrained from making any hasty moves. The two seemed to have formed an alliance; two against one made her outnumbered, especially without a handy wine bottle as a backup.
"Angela, when do you plan to reveal your identity as Miss AM to the public?" Lindsay asked, settling into a nearby chair with a mischievous grin.
"Is that a concern?" Angela replied, her expression unabashedly conveying her thoughts as she looked at Lindsay.
"Absolutely, because then I can brag to my classmates that Miss AM performed a solo song for me, and a lot of my classmates are your fans, you know," Lindsay explained smugly.
"And the day before your big reveal, she can sell the scoop to the media and make a little profit," Jessica chimed in, her laughter muffled.
"It's quite the master plan, isn't it?" Angela raised an eyebrow and clenched her fist, focusing her gaze on Lindsay.
"I was just teasing," Lindsay hastily raised her hands in defense, trying to clarify her intentions.
"Lindsay, I have enough trouble already. Just the day before yesterday, a newspaper ran a story claiming that a classmate of mine leaked that I never follow the rules in class, that I always do my own thing, and even retort to the teacher's reminders. It's annoying! If I find out who's spreading these rumors, they won't get away with it!" Angela's voice was filled with growing anger.
Although she had expected situations like this, the anger was still gnawing at her. If it wasn't 1992 and the tactics of the tabloids were as advanced as they would be later, they might have already dug up her home address and camped outside around the clock. Even now, some tabloids continued to speculate about her parents and family, insinuating that "Hide and Seek" depicted her family's real-life situation.
This took Jessica and Lindsay by surprise, they had only been making a casual joke, and Angela had initially joined in playfully. How could she suddenly react so vehemently? Their moods soured, especially Lindsay's. With her hands behind her back and her head bowed, she bit her lip, her eyes filled with tears.
"Angela, Lindsay was just teasing. Please, let's not dwell on it," Jessica, the one who had provoked the topic, tried to smooth things over.
Angela paused, noticing the hurt expression on Lindsay's face. With a wry smile and a scratch on her head, she said, "I... I'm sorry, Lindsay. I didn't mean to take it out on you. You know, I've been under a lot of stress lately..."
"You're not mad at me, Angela?!" Lindsay suddenly raised her head, her eyes strangely shining, as if something had slipped through her fingers.
Angela was not sure what Lindsay was thinking. It seemed that Lindsay was just as stunned. In Lindsay's heart, Angela had somehow taken on a role similar to that of her father. Angela walked over and gave her a tender hug and a comforting pat on the back. "It's okay, I wasn't really mad at you. You know, I've been overwhelmed lately with a new script, adapting another one, composing songs, the new movie... and what really upsets me is..."
As she spoke, Angela looked at Jessica and playfully poked fun at herself, "Jessica's over an inch taller than me now, and I'm barely half an inch taller than you!"
This caused both girls to burst out laughing, dissipating the earlier heaviness.
"Okay, enough songwriting for now. Let's do something more fun... Hey, Lindsay, how long are you going to hug me?"
"I'm going to hug you until you mend my heart," Lindsay pouted.
"Oh really? Should I stay here so you can hug me for the rest of eternity?" Angela replied, her mood brightening. But suddenly, like lightning, Lindsay sprang into action, planting a kiss on Angela's lips before giggling and scurrying away. Angela's eyes widened in surprise again, but before she could fully recover from this ambush, Jessica stealthily approached from behind, turned Angela's head, and planted a deep kiss on her lips before giggling and fleeing as well.
"Those two mischievous troublemakers!" Angela blushed with a touch of embarrassment and shot an irritated look at the two giggling culprits, though she knew better than to seek revenge. She'd be outnumbered in a one-on-one showdown, let alone a two-on-one scenario.
'Damn it! It seemed like Lindsay had been a bad influence on Jessica.'
"All right, let's do something else. I'm not really in the mood for songwriting or anything right now," Angela shrugged. "There's a promising movie premiere today. How about we go to the theater and see how it goes?"
"You mean... the fourth installment of the Genius Girl series?"
"Yes,《Leon: The Professional》!"
Angela stood there, her mind reeling from Sparrow's revelation for a full minute before she managed to ask in amazement, "Steven Spielberg? That Steven Spielberg?!"
"Well, I don't think there's another Spielberg in Hollywood," Sparrow replied with a casual shrug.
Angela absentmindedly brought her thumb to her lips and lightly rubbed it back and forth, completely taken aback by the fact that the famous Steven Spielberg had invited her for a movie. If her memory served her right, Spielberg didn't have a lot of works in '92. Aside from《Jurassic Park》which was filmed toward the end of the year, she wondered if he was considering her for a role, possibly that of the little girl.
Shrugging off her initial shock, Angela decided not to dwell on it too much. As far as she remembered, Spielberg had acquired the rights to《Schindler's List》in the '80s, but for various reasons hadn't begun filming until the '90s. Although he had approached a number of Jewish directors, such as Roman Polanski, none had taken on the project, so Spielberg took on the role of director himself.
As a filmmaker, Spielberg had struck a unique balance between artistic and commercial pursuits. His work, whether it was《E.T.》or《Jaws》in the '80s, or《A.I.》and《Terminal》after 2000, managed to captivate audiences while maintaining a certain level of depth. But he also had a commercial sensibility. Angela had always seen him as a businessman when he stepped away from the director's chair. Business decisions were often influenced by self-interest. Although《Schindler's List》was an exception in some ways, as Spielberg was driven by artistic vision rather than just profit. By comparison, directors like James Cameron, who were willing to invest vast sums of money to perfect their creations, seemed somewhat adorable.
Angela decided to focus on the script itself. When she opened it, she froze for a moment when she saw the title. She stared at it for another minute. The words on the page were unmistakable:《Schindler's List》! A line of Hebrew text followed. Although Angela's knowledge of Hebrew was limited, she understood its meaning. It was the same line that ended the movie: "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire."
A wave of dizziness washed over Angela and she shook her head slightly to clear her mind. As far as she knew, Spielberg had owned the rights to《Schindler's List》since the '80s, but he had struggled to find the right time to bring it to life on the big screen. It was not until the '90s that he finally decided to go ahead and direct the film himself. He first approached several Jewish directors, including Roman Polanski, but was turned down. So he took on the mantle of directing himself.
Resolving the directorial aspect was only the beginning. The real challenge was securing funding. Many individuals and even higher-ups at Universal had reservations about the project and advised Spielberg to abandon it. This had led to lengthy negotiations that stretched from '92 to '93 before an agreement was reached in March of '93, paving the way for filming to begin in Poland.
As Angela's mind raced, her confidence in her memories grew. She vividly remembered watching《Schindler's List》many times in her previous life and was well versed in its behind-the-scenes details and trivia. So the question that remained was: why was this being brought to her attention now?
With a sense of determination, Angela began to flip through the script. Although she hadn't encountered them in her previous life, she recognized the iconic scenes she had been expecting. The role she was to play was that of a single mother's daughter during the harrowing Krakow Ghetto Massacre.
In this gripping scene, the mother carefully led her daughter from one hiding place to another, her steps cautious and her heart pounding. Finally, they found refuge in the basement of a house, where the daughter was able to squeeze in among the others already hidden there. The room was cramped, filled with hushed whispers and shared glances of desperation. With a heavy heart, the mother left her daughter behind to divert the attention of the Nazi soldiers searching the area.
The daughter, her spirit unbreakable by fear, could not bear the separation and silently slipped out in search of her mother. By a twist of fate, a young German boy helped her, and together they narrowly escaped the relentless search.
Angela's memory painted the scene vividly. Though brief, it had a profound effect within the movie. The script was three or four pages long, but with editing, the final cinematic rendering would probably be four or five minutes.
However, one revelation caught Angela's attention that bordered on the astonishing. Not only was Universal handling distribution, but Spielberg was the sole producer. This implied that he had successfully secured ample funding independently.
Could her seemingly minuscule interventions have significantly altered the course of time?
Chuckling at the whimsical thought, Angela brushed it aside, choosing not to dwell on the matter.1
"Uncle Sparrow, have you read the script yet?" Angela asked abruptly.
"Absolutely," her agent replied.
"In that case... should I accept this offer?" Angela inquired, her voice filled with uncertainty.
"Angela, that's a question only you can answer," Sparrow replied with a wistful smile, nodding toward the script cover as if the answer were already there. "You understand."
A contemplative silence fell over the room. In fact, Angela knew the underlying implications of Sparrow's answer. This was a movie about the Holocaust, a dark chapter in the history of the Jewish people during World War II. Although she had only a quarter Jewish heritage, inherited from her father, and had been baptized a Christian, she was still connected to the Jewish heritage in a broader sense. Perhaps that's why Sparrow extended the invitation.
"I think... I'll accept this offer," Angela finally decided, her voice calm. "I have to discuss it with my father first. And please tell Mr. Spielberg that I'm willing to take this role without any compensation!"
In doing so, she honored her connection to her Jewish roots and paid homage to her grandfather. But as she reflected on the complexity of her heritage, Angela couldn't help but smile. After all, she also carried a trace of Chinese blood in her veins.
...
"I guess I need you, baby
And every time I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you haunt me
I guess I need you, baby..."
[ The Song ]
The soothing melody and ethereal vocals filled the bedroom, gradually fading as the piano notes carried the song to its conclusion, leaving a clear final note that marked the end of《Everytime.》
"How did you like it, ladies?" The girl sitting at the piano stretched lazily and inquired with a grin. The two heads leaning against the piano on the other side, supported by their hands, swayed in tandem.
"It's rather melancholy," the older of the two remarked.
"The music is soothing, with a serene and gentle quality, but the lyrics seem a bit off," the younger one chimed in.
"Angela, why did you write such somber lyrics?" the older one asked again.
"Just a thought that crossed my mind," Angela shrugged. "Actually, I intend to revise the lyrics. In addition, I want to turn the melody into a pure piano composition. Originally, I was thinking of mixing several instruments such as piano, violin, cello, and others. But I want to simplify this song and emphasize its ethereal and fresh characteristics. This way..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the two girls sitting across from her tilted their heads and dozed off right next to the piano, snoring blissfully.
"'Alright, alright, I'll stop talking about it," Angela muttered, rolling her eyes at their antics.
Jessica and Lindsay jumped up from either side with gleeful giggles and ran over to plant a kiss on Angela's cheek, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
"You two!" Angela gritted her teeth but refrained from making any hasty moves. The two seemed to have formed an alliance; two against one made her outnumbered, especially without a handy wine bottle as a backup.
"Angela, when do you plan to reveal your identity as Miss AM to the public?" Lindsay asked, settling into a nearby chair with a mischievous grin.
"Is that a concern?" Angela replied, her expression unabashedly conveying her thoughts as she looked at Lindsay.
"Absolutely, because then I can brag to my classmates that Miss AM performed a solo song for me, and a lot of my classmates are your fans, you know," Lindsay explained smugly.
"And the day before your big reveal, she can sell the scoop to the media and make a little profit," Jessica chimed in, her laughter muffled.
"It's quite the master plan, isn't it?" Angela raised an eyebrow and clenched her fist, focusing her gaze on Lindsay.
"I was just teasing," Lindsay hastily raised her hands in defense, trying to clarify her intentions.
"Lindsay, I have enough trouble already. Just the day before yesterday, a newspaper ran a story claiming that a classmate of mine leaked that I never follow the rules in class, that I always do my own thing, and even retort to the teacher's reminders. It's annoying! If I find out who's spreading these rumors, they won't get away with it!" Angela's voice was filled with growing anger.
Although she had expected situations like this, the anger was still gnawing at her. If it wasn't 1992 and the tactics of the tabloids were as advanced as they would be later, they might have already dug up her home address and camped outside around the clock. Even now, some tabloids continued to speculate about her parents and family, insinuating that "Hide and Seek" depicted her family's real-life situation.
This took Jessica and Lindsay by surprise, they had only been making a casual joke, and Angela had initially joined in playfully. How could she suddenly react so vehemently? Their moods soured, especially Lindsay's. With her hands behind her back and her head bowed, she bit her lip, her eyes filled with tears.
"Angela, Lindsay was just teasing. Please, let's not dwell on it," Jessica, the one who had provoked the topic, tried to smooth things over.
Angela paused, noticing the hurt expression on Lindsay's face. With a wry smile and a scratch on her head, she said, "I... I'm sorry, Lindsay. I didn't mean to take it out on you. You know, I've been under a lot of stress lately..."
"You're not mad at me, Angela?!" Lindsay suddenly raised her head, her eyes strangely shining, as if something had slipped through her fingers.
Angela was not sure what Lindsay was thinking. It seemed that Lindsay was just as stunned. In Lindsay's heart, Angela had somehow taken on a role similar to that of her father. Angela walked over and gave her a tender hug and a comforting pat on the back. "It's okay, I wasn't really mad at you. You know, I've been overwhelmed lately with a new script, adapting another one, composing songs, the new movie... and what really upsets me is..."
As she spoke, Angela looked at Jessica and playfully poked fun at herself, "Jessica's over an inch taller than me now, and I'm barely half an inch taller than you!"
This caused both girls to burst out laughing, dissipating the earlier heaviness.
"Okay, enough songwriting for now. Let's do something more fun... Hey, Lindsay, how long are you going to hug me?"
"I'm going to hug you until you mend my heart," Lindsay pouted.
"Oh really? Should I stay here so you can hug me for the rest of eternity?" Angela replied, her mood brightening. But suddenly, like lightning, Lindsay sprang into action, planting a kiss on Angela's lips before giggling and scurrying away. Angela's eyes widened in surprise again, but before she could fully recover from this ambush, Jessica stealthily approached from behind, turned Angela's head, and planted a deep kiss on her lips before giggling and fleeing as well.
"Those two mischievous troublemakers!" Angela blushed with a touch of embarrassment and shot an irritated look at the two giggling culprits, though she knew better than to seek revenge. She'd be outnumbered in a one-on-one showdown, let alone a two-on-one scenario.
'Damn it! It seemed like Lindsay had been a bad influence on Jessica.'
"All right, let's do something else. I'm not really in the mood for songwriting or anything right now," Angela shrugged. "There's a promising movie premiere today. How about we go to the theater and see how it goes?"
"You mean... the fourth installment of the Genius Girl series?"
"Yes,《Leon: The Professional》!"
