Chapter 508: The One Who Experienced Metempsychosis in the Imagined Landscape
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Famous?
“Famous, are you inside?”
Numerous angular diamonds gradually blurred, and when they became clear again, they had turned into countless teardrop shaped drops of water on the mirror. Zhang Zian knocked on the door to the bathroom and kept calling Famous’s name.
Famous was summoned back to reality. It suddenly came back. It had almost lost itself in its maze of memory again. Having successfully played certain roles in movies, Famous had won the audience’s heartfelt affection and felt a great sense of accomplishment. Famous was obsessed and enjoyed such a feeling. Since Famous had to play so many fictional characters in movies and be another dog in real life, it had gradually lost itself, forgetting its identity, and why it even existed.
“Coming!” Famous cried, looking at itself in the mirror for the last time. In that moment Famous thought that it was looking at a different dog. It shivered. Maybe to other people, that dog was a superstar, but that dog was a nightmare to Famous.
“Famous, are you okay? You’ve been in the bathroom for a long time, and the second half of the movie is beginning immediately,” said Zhang Zian with concern from outside the door.
After a moment of turmoil, Famous calmed itself down. It had already gotten its memory back and decided not to run away. Famous smiled at itself in the mirror and said softly, “Goodbye, brother.”
The dog in the mirror also smiled at Famous and said clearly, “Goodbye.”
The long lasting nightmare that had been haunting Famous finally ended.
Famous jumped off the sink and opened the bathroom door. Water drops were still on its head and neck.
“I’m fine, I just washed my face,” it explained lightly.
Since Famous was safe and sound, Zhang Zian smiled sheepishly. “I know. But just now, I suddenly felt a little flustered, as if you had gone some place far away. This feeling was quite strange. If I didn’t come to see if you were safe, I wouldn’t have been able to ease my mind.”
Famous was silent for a few seconds and denied it. “No, I’ve been here the entire time. I never left. I just…couldn’t find a towel after washing my face.”
“Oh, it doesn’t look like there is a towel in here. You can use the hand dryer. Would you like to dry your fur under the dryer?” said Zhang Zian, pointing to it in the bathroom.
Famous shook its head. “No, I’m fine.”
“Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?” Zhang Zian still felt it would be safer for Famous to blow dry its fur now that winter had arrived.
Famous ran to the leather sofa, and answered without turning its head. “It doesn’t matter. We’re staying indoors for a while to see the second half of the movie anyways.”
Zhang Zian looked at the bathroom again and closed the door.
As Famous and Zhang Zian returned to their seats one after another, Richard fluttered its wings and cried, “Told you! It was only sh*ting in the bathroom, where else could it have went? And you insisted on checking it out! Did you want to watch? You’re so perverted!”
Damn it! You b*tchy bird! I don’t have a rope with me today, but I’ll hang you when we get back to the pet shop, thought Zhang Zian.
Fina also said scornfully, “Even though you’re a man, you’re even more foolishly sentimental than a woman is.”
“Your Majesty, if he wants to be a woman, I can help him there.” Snowy Lionet evilly looked at Zhang Zian’s pants.
Just when Zhang Zian was about to sternly stop their crazy ideas, the lights in the screening room were dimmed, and the second half of the movie began. The elves all stared at the screen attentively. Now, nobody would listen to whatever he was going to say. He had no choice but to bite his tongue, sit on the sofa, and wait for the second half of the movie to finish. Famous also jumped into its seat and laid down quietly. The leather sofa was soft and expensive, but was incomparable to the sofa in that luxurious office.
As a prelude to the main plot, the first half of the movie had moved slowly. But when the second half of the movie began with a military vehicle carrying a troop of armed policemen and police dogs towards the wild western border of China, the atmosphere and scores suddenly changed. The plot finally reached its climax. When the border guards were trapped in the snowy plateau with a scarce amount food, and had no way to communicate with the outside world outside of dispatching the police dogs to trek through the snow for aid, even the elves in the cinema felt the tension of the movie.
The police dogs ran through the wilderness covered in snow and ice. Famous was in the front, while Red Dragon and Prince were running behind it on its left and right side. The three dogs formed the shape of an arrow. The sun was half set and crimson. It was sinking below the horizon on the western plateau. Darkness and despair were about to cover everything.
The camera zoomed in on the three police dogs, and even the reflection of the sunset could be seen in their eyes. Through this scene, the audience could clearly feel the firmness and perseverance in Famous’s eyes, while the look in the eyes of the other two police dogs were rather ordinary.
Later, the tension overwhelmed the audience in the scenes where the police dogs had to cross the dangerous minefield and then were ambushed by the lethal Tibetan Mastiffs.
Time always passed very quickly when watching a good movie.
The police dogs finally arrived at the headquarters of the garrison. After giving the precious help letters from the trapped police officers to the sentinels, the police dogs collapsed onto the ground. The trapped police officers were rescued in time. The police dogs received the highest level of recognition at the assembly hall. First Class Merit was given to the police dogs collectively, while Lightning, the police dog played by Famous, also received Second Class Merit individually.
Three police dogs sat side by side on the stage. The moment the camera light flashed to take pictures of the dogs, the movie ended. A lot of behind the scene footage, along with the closing credits continued to play on the screen. The lights were still dimmed, and the elves were enjoying all of the funny bloopers.
Famous was also still watching the screen, looking for its own name. However, Famous didn’t see its name in the closing credits. It was silently dejected. It looked at Zhang Zian and said, “The director said that our names would be in the closing credits.”
Zhang Zian responded to its gaze and nodded. “He did.”
“But no, neither of our names were on the screen,” Famous pointed out.
“Because I asked Director Feng not to put your name there, at least for now,” Zhang Zian explained calmly. “There is still a while before the film is officially released. I want to wait for you to recover your memory, then we can put your real name in the credits.”
Famous murmured, “My real name…”
“I know that ‘Famous’ is the name that you have given yourself temporarily. But you want your real name to appear in front of a national audience, don’t you? So, I asked Director Feng to wait, and he agreed. In any case, the film needs to go through several stages, like post production, reviewing, and scheduling before its release. You don’t need to worry. You’ll have enough time to remember your real name.”
Famous lowered its head and said in a deep, husky voice, “Famous, or any other name, is just a term to address me. It doesn’t matter which of my names actually appears on screen.”
“No! It does matter!” Zhang Zian’s sounded especially serious. “This is the movie you’ve played in. I was practically useless at the studio, but you were different. I know that you’ve been performing diligently on the set without complaint and have even risked your own life. Although I have limited abilities to appreciate the arts, it seems to me that this is a great movie that will not only be likely to succeed in the box office, but is also carrying a heavy social responsibility. It’s a movie that can become a classic. You, the star of the film, have the right to leave your name—your real name—in the history of film.”
“My real name…my real name…” Famous was incredibly emotional by that point. It had worked in many films. However, in the closing credits of those movies, it was always the name of the other dog that had appeared on the screen. It would be the first time Famous used its own name for a movie.
Famous’s name had a very important meaning to itself. Names had nothing to do with fame or fortune, but it represented Famous’s very existence. From now on, Famous was no longer one of the eighteen understudies, it was no longer number 13, and it could finally use its real name proudly.
“Yes, your real name,” Zhang Zian asked gently, “Famous, have you remembered your real name?”
Famous raised its head. It was so glad that it washed its face before. The water drops would cover up its tears perfectly.
“I have. My name is Famous,” it said, with a lump in its throat.
Zhang Zian was surprised. Previously, he thought that he had figured out Famous’s real name because there were few well known dogs with excellent acting skills in film history. And among those dogs, there were even fewer German Shepherds. So, it was very easy to guess Famous’s identity. However, when Famous said that its real name was Famous, Zhang Zian could not help but doubt his own intelligence.
Just as he was about to ask further questions, in the corner of his eye, he noticed that the closing credits on the screen had almost reached the end. He held back his questions and kindly reminded it, “Famous, you should go ahead for the curtain call.”
Famous nodded, jumped off the sofa, and went to the front of the screen. The entire movie finished and the ceiling lights turned back on. Famous bowed deeply in front of everyone. “I am Famous, thank you for watching my movie!”
Although the elves didn’t understand why Famous wanted to emphasize its name, they were impressed by Famous’s excellent performance in the movie, and they all spontaneously gave it a round of applause. Technically, the elves were either clapping their paws or flapping their wings. Zhang Zian’s actual clapping was the loudest among all of the applause.
“Oh! Famous, you’ve done a great job. There’s nothing more I can teach you!” yelled Richard.
Fina nodded reservedly, “You’re really good. In my opinion, your performance has completely surpassed that of the old woman’s from Cleopatra.”
D*mn! Aren’t you afraid that Elizabeth Taylor fans will send you death threats? Zhang Zian couldn’t help but complain to himself.
“Meow! Because I was busy watching your movie, I forgot to eat my snacks! Just play the movie again, okay?” Snowy Lionet said annoyed. It had planned to ignite sparks of love with Fina by sharing snacks from the same food container. Since it had forgotten to eat the snacks, it had missed a great opportunity!
“Forget it. There are others who will watch the movie in this room this afternoon. If you want to watch it again, wait until the official release date of the movie.” Zhang Zian brushed off Snowy Lionet’s idea.
“Man! What a bummer!” Snowy Lionet glared at him.
Stroking its whiskers, Old Time Tea smiled and said, “I agree with what everyone has said. Famous, you’re very good at acting. Not only have you brought a fictitious character to life, but you have also preserved the national interests of our country. Although you are relatively unknown right now, you will soon slowly become more popular. I’m looking forward to the day when you’re a big shot locally and abroad.”
“Meow! Famous, your performance was excellent!” Galaxy looked at Famous with its silver-grey eyes. “And you acting skills will only get increasingly better in the future!”
When all the elves had expressed their thoughts, Zhang Zian stood up from his seat and bowed to Famous deeply. “This is the best movie I have ever seen. Thank you, Famous, for letting us have the privilege of watching it.”
Famous gazed at him and said a moment later, “No, it’s me who should thank all of you. Thank you for letting me know who I am again.”
Richard flew over and landed on Famous’s back and said, “Yes, next time you have a new movie to shoot, remember to bring me with you. I also want to be in a movie! After you become a big star, you can ask the crew to obey all of your requests, can’t you?”
“Meow! I also want to be in a movie, a romance movie with Fina!” Snowy Lionet also rushed over to consult with Famous about the details of filming a movie. The most important thing was how they were to shoot the sex scenes…
Everyone circled around Famous, whom they deeply respected, and kept asking it all kinds of questions. Just when Zhang Zian was about to say that no one would watch sex scenes with cats, his cellphone suddenly rang.
[Navigation Elfin]: Congratulations! The likability of the Reincarnated Dog has been promoted to the friendly level! Unlocking its real name!
[Game Tips]: Pet Properties
[Known As]: Reincarnated Dog
[Rarity]: Elite/Epic Level
[Characteristics]: Everything the Reincarnated Dog experiences in its heart is real.
[Unlock Origin]:
It was an ordinary German Shepherd that had no name and its family background was a mystery. Accidentally, it was selected as one of the eighteen understudies of Rin Tin Tin, a big star in film history. Because of its incredible talent and its similar looks to Rin Tin Tin, this dog replaced Rin Tin Tin in shooting most of the thrilling and popular scenes, including but not limited to fighting against the dangerous black bears and leaping over cliffs.
Because it was the 13th understudy that had been selected, people called it 13 on the set. However, its real name remained unknown throughout history. 13 not only played a lot of roles in movies, but it even successfully played another dog most of its life. 13 almost became an Oscar winner, which was the highest glory for human filmmakers.
It had played countless roles, but it had also lost itself. People thought that the dog they saw on the screen was Rin Tin Tin and gave their applause and flowers to Rin Tin Tin without hesitation. But actually, it was probably 13 that these people were infatuated with.
Under the blessing of the Strength of Faith, 13 had become an elfin in this world, possessing the ability to gain insight into the minds of others and to enter the world of Imagined Landscape of other elves.
[Unlock Real Name]: The Stand-in Dog for Rin Tin Tin!
Zhang Zian was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped to the ground. It turned out that his guess was wrong. Famous was not Rin Tin Tin, but was one of its understudies. Famous was not Rin Tin Tin, but was even better than Rin Tin Tin—Famous dared to perform the scenes that the other was to afraid to do, and it even played Rin Tin Tin in real life!
After a moment’s thought, he finally realized why it was Famous instead of Rin Tin Tin who had turned into an elfin.
Imagine this: if all the martial arts moves of a movie star were done by his understudy in the movie, who should be the one to receive the praise? The movie star or his understudy?
He put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Famous who felt embarrassed being surrounded by the other elves. Zhang Zian smiled in silence. He had no intention to take Famous out of the spotlight. When the movie was officially released, Famous would definitely become a big star. It would be surrounded by crowds of reporters and fans, and it would enjoy the troubles also brought by fame. Famous could learn how to deal with those troubles in the future. Fame was what Famous deserved.
Everyone enjoyed the movie that day very much. As soon as they returned to the pet shop, they began to enthusiastically discuss what movie they should watch the next time.
Famous sat down next to Zhang Zian’s recliner, watching everyone discuss passionately, feeling more relaxed than ever. Although the layout of the pet shop was simple, Famous did not miss that luxurious and spacious office or the materialistic and dissipated Hollywood.
Famous had finally reached its inner peace, because this pet shop was its home, and these elves and Zhang Zian were its friends and family. Could there be anything more comfortable than being with its family?
Gradually, Famous, who was at ease, fell asleep.
“Famous, are you tired?” Famous opened its eyes and saw Old Time Tea’s friendly smile.
“No. I just took a nap.” Famous shook its head.
Famous sat side by side with Old Time Tea on the door steps to the Temple for the Righteous Cat and the Chivalrous Dog, looking at the jungle and the intense colors of the setting sun among the mist of dusk.
“Old Time Tea, please continue telling your story. What did you just talk about?” Famous said.
Old Time Tea tilted its head to look at Famous and smiled, “I was talking about the story of Replacing the Prince with a Palm Civet, which was a famous legendary tale that supposedly happened in the Song Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, his Concubine Liu conspired with a eunuch to replace the infant born to Concubine Li with a Skinned Palm Civet cat. Liu slandered Li for giving birth to a monster and Li was banished to the Cold Palace to live in solitude. After the death of Zhenzong, Emperor Renzong came into to power. Justice Bao Zheng handled the wronged fate of Li and cleared her name.”
Famous said emotionally, “I would also like to tell you a story, Old Time Tea. It is also a story about replacing something stealthily. But unlike your story, mine will take place in the United States, which is in the other hemisphere, probably a few years later. Would you like to hear my story?”
“I have been hoping to hear it,” Old Time Tea said, stroking its whiskers. “Famous, before you tell your story, I would like to ask you one question. Your eyes were dull as if covered by dust before, but now, your eyes are as clear and pure as the eyes of a newborn child’s. Is it because you have recovered your memory?” Old Time Tea had alertly captured the difference in Famous’ expression.
Famous also laughed. Sure enough, Old Time Tea’s sharp eyes would never not notice anything. “Yes, I have. And that’s the story I wanted to tell you.”
Old Time Tea nodded happily, “Well, in that case, let me share with you some words that will benefit both of us. Do good deeds without asking for rewards. And never forget why you embarked on your journey, and that our mission will always be accomplished eventually.”
Just as Famous was about to thank Old Time Tea, it heard a soft meowing coming from behind it.
