hollywood billionaire

Chapter 124 The Hug at Fisherman's Wharf

"You've come to San Francisco, and you still eat In-N-Out?"

Walking on Jefferson Street by the pier, Han Yi's trench coat was rattled by the refreshing sea breeze from Alcatraz Island.He looked at Zhao Youzhen, who was holding a double-layer cheeseburger beside him, and was eating very happily, and shook his head with a helpless smile.

"Isn't San Francisco California?" Zhao Youzhen said vaguely while chewing on the juicy beef patty in his mouth.

"Yes."

"What's the difference between that and eating in Los Angeles?" Youzhen sucked her finger, "They're all local delicacies."

"I can't tell you."

Han Yi put his hands into the pocket of the Burberry windbreaker, pondered for a moment, and finally asked the question that had been settled in his heart for a whole day.

"Have you had a fight with dad?"

"Great callback."

Zhao Youzhen was stunned for a moment in doubt, then his frown quickly relaxed, and following the movement of the corners of his eyes, he raised an arc representing a narrow smile.

"Greatest comedian of all time." Han Yi spread his palms out on both sides of his body and shrugged, "Is it time to tell me now? If you want."

"Want to know?" Zhao Youzhen raised his eyebrows.

"If you don't tell me, how would I know?" Han Yi made a pun.

"It's not a quarrel..."

Zhao Youzhen first wanted to imitate Han Yi and put his hands into his jacket, but found that his slightly thin sweater did not have such accessories, so he put it in the back pocket of his jeans.She paused here, struggling for a long time before speaking slowly and hesitantly.

"It may be more appropriate to describe it as severing ties."

"Ah?" Han Yi was taken aback, his voice raised a lot.

"Severing the relationship...what's the situation?"

"He first asked my mother to call me and asked me to go back during the summer vacation. I said that I found a full-time job here and couldn't go back to Seoul for the time being. Then...he called me himself."

"and then?"

"Then, of course, it's for me to arrange a task." Zhao Youzhen smiled self-deprecatingly, "Have dinner with several fourth-generation sons of the group, play golf with the offspring of a senior partner of Kim&Chang, and, Ah...and President Jin's child, how can you forget President Jin?"

Han Yi's expression was tense, and he nodded silently, indicating that he was listening carefully.

"I told him, Dad, I have a really great job over here, a music company."

"He said, don't think I don't know what you're doing. Every time I have a holiday, I find all kinds of excuses to stay out and not come back. It's been two years. This time, I have to go back."

"I said, Dad, there is really no way."

"He said, you can't help it, I have a way. Come back this summer, listen to the arrangement, and act as if nothing happened. If you don't come back, you will bear the consequences yourself."

"I asked him, what are the consequences?"

"He said, don't forget who paid your tuition fees in the United States... In English translation, it means almost the same as son of a bitch."

"Then...how did you reply to him?"

"I say……"

Zhao Youzhen took his left hand out of his pocket and gave Han Yi a middle finger.

"You really said that?" Han Yi gasped.

"No, that's what I said in my heart." You Zhen curled her lips, and went down at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Then you should go back, just meet a few more friends." Unsurprisingly, Han Yi chose to use jokes to cover up his true emotions, "Otherwise, the next semester's tuition will be gone."

"I won't!"

Zhao Youzhen's reaction was unexpectedly fierce. She crumpled the unfinished cheeseburger together with the greaseproof paper, and threw it into the trash can that was about to be piled up by the side of the road with a bang.

She looked at Han Yi with a firm and cold voice.

"If you want me to do this kind of thing for tuition fees, it's better to kill me directly!"

"Otherwise..." Han Yi pointed at himself, hesitating to speak.

"No, Yi, I can't...God, that's why I don't want to tell you."

Zhao Youzhen supported her forehead, a complex expression of shame, embarrassment, confusion and pain emerged on her face, and only by yelling in English in a low voice could she ease the depression in her heart at the moment.

"I know you are rich, but I have the courage to share this today, not to ask you to help me. I don't... don't want this kind of pity, and I don't want you to use your..."

"My what?" Han Yi tried to make the atmosphere more relaxed, raising his eyebrows, "A checkbook?"

"Yes, that's right, your checkbook...and your kindness, your tenderness." Zhao Youzhen found that if he communicated in English, he could squeeze out many difficult words like toothpaste. It's my own battle, and I'm not ready for anyone to get involved."

"That's why I didn't say it, take it easy."

Han Yi pressed his hands down, and his voice was as soft and gentle as possible, helping Zhao Youzhen to calm down.

"How long has this happened?"

"One week."

"You're pretty good at hiding things."

"Because, I have to repeat, this has nothing to do with you, Yi." Zhao Youzhen sighed, "I can digest it myself, why use my pain to punish others? I know I am not an optimist, But I hope...at least when you see me, you are happy."

"Since the day of Xiannong soup, I have told myself that this is the last time. Damn, I don't know why I am today..."

Maybe the scenery on the Dangdang car is too charming.

"sorry."

Apologizing like a mosquito, Zhao Youzhen lowered his head dejectedly, and walked forward quickly.

"What I'm going to ask you next, I don't presuppose a position, and I don't force you to find an answer."

Han Yi hurried two steps and walked side by side with Youzhen.On their left is the most beautiful sunset in San Francisco for a long time, and it is also the most gorgeous piece of inland sea, but Zhao Youzhen's pace is too fast, neither of them have time to savor the silent gift from the bay area carefully.

"However, let's assume that if he did..."

"No need to assume, he will do it, I know my own father too well."

"Why are you so sure?" As an optimist, Han Yi always likes to look for the silver lining behind the dark clouds, "Even if you use the worst case scenario to speculate, he will still want you to graduate and get a degree, won't he? You said it yourself, he feels that a certificate from a prestigious school can give you a higher value...no matter what the value is."

"But if I don't live according to his plan, the value will return to zero." Zhao Youzhen fiddled with the hair that was blown by the sea breeze a little irritably, "He needs to test my obedience, or use the method of reshaping this The word is more appropriate. His investment will only be useful if I am willing to obey."

"This is a game. Since I will not show my weak side, of course I know that he will not."

"Okay, he did this, and he won't pay you any more tuition fees." Han Yi stretched out his hand, stopping Zhao Youzhen from going faster and faster, as if he felt that if he could speed up, he would be able to leave all these troubles behind, he strengthened Asking tone, "What are you going to do?"

"I've been thinking about this question for a long time."

I don't know if it's the cold or some other reason, Zhao Youzhen seems unable to stand still, she tightly purses her lips, leaning against a light blue tall street lamp with a signboard "Do not drive on the track", the soles of her feet are unconscious. Tapping the ground lightly.

"What I was thinking at the beginning was, can I ask my relatives to borrow some first... But our relatives are all in Namwon. Most of them have not been in contact with us since we moved to Seoul, and those who can still talk to each other are fine. Money. And even if you are willing to borrow it, it is to curry favor with my dad and make him owe him a favor."

"What's the second way?"

"International Student Loans."

"And this thing?" Han Yi opened his mouth, "I thought only local students could apply for student loans."

"I thought so before, until I searched." Zhao Youzhen stared blankly at the children queuing up to buy drinks at the hot dog shop by the pier, and his voice seemed to float from another dimension, "They only provide loans For students who are two years away from graduating, I qualify for that, but ... I have no credit score in the US, and they can only give me a loan of $[-] at most. A lot of institutions are like this."

"Twenty thousand dollars." Han Yi repeated, "How much is your UCLA tuition?"

"Forty-two thousand dollars a year for international students."

"It's not even halfway there yet."

"Yeah, half of it hasn't arrived yet." A gust of sea breeze blew, and Zhao Youzhen cupped his hands and breathed the heat, "Besides, if I find a loan from an institution, if there is a record, there is no way to find a second one. "

"What's the interest rate?"

"14.75% per year, pay off in ten years."

"14..." Han Yi was speechless, "Borrow [-], and pay back more than double."

"Yeah, so this method actually doesn't work."

"Then what are your final plans?"

"My opinion is……"

Hearing Han Yi's question, Zhao Youzhen stopped all small movements, stepped on the street lamp with his right foot bent, and put his hands behind his back to hold the lamp post, letting his height drop a little.Then, he raised his face slightly, with a hopeful light in his eyes.

"Let's take a year off from school and work hard. If the annual salary is [-] US dollars, nothing else is counted. One year's savings should be enough."

"Eighty-five thousand dollars, don't you count taxes?"

Han Yi looked at her helplessly.

"Federal personal income tax, state personal income tax, FICA and California insurance tax, combined, the money that can really get to you every month is only five thousand dollars." Han Yi counted her expenses with his fingers, "Food, Transportation, necessities, and rent, forget it? Can you save $[-] a year?"

"Just for your Atrium, isn't the monthly rent more than 2000?"

"It's definitely impossible to live there again." Zhao Youzhen replied in a low voice, "I checked, and there are apartments under $800 in many places."

"Like where?"

"Your side." Zhao Youzhen swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "South Central."

"You're a girl who looks like this and lives in South Central?" Han Yi couldn't believe his ears, "Do you want to die?"

"I have a car." Zhao Youzhen's rebuttal became weaker, "Be careful..."

"Leaving that aside, how long is your lease at Atrium?"

Zhao Youzhen opened his mouth, unable to speak.

Because her contract with Atrium will end at the end of this year.

For seven months, the liquidated damages are two months' rent.Moreover, you also need to bear the loss of the apartment.

What loss?
Rent and other maintenance costs until a new tenant moves in.

"Let's face it, Yoo Jin, you won't be able to pay for tuition in one year."

Han Yi looked at her with burning eyes.

"UCLA should only suspend school for a maximum of one year. What are you going to do after one year, drop out?"

"If you want to keep your student status, you can only suspend school for one semester." Zhao Youzhen hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth, "If you suspend school for a year, you need to reapply for admission."

"That means, you might be rejected, right?"

"Normally not, as long as the GPA is above 2.0, it's fine, but the academic advisor said that you must remain enrolled in the future, and if you suspend school, then..."

"Maybe you have to drop out of school, don't you?"

"……Yes."

What else did Zhao Youzhen want to defend.

"But you know, Yi, my academic performance..."

"You know what our company policy is, and you wrote the job advertisement yourself."

Han Yi stared at Zhao Youzhen intently, and said word by word.

"Undergraduate degree or above."

"That is, we will not accept students who have dropped out of college."

"Not only HMG, Universal, Sony, Warner, which big group would want someone who didn't get a bachelor's degree? This is the real world, not a garage in Silicon Valley, Yujin."

Zhao Youzhen stared blankly at the extremely serious Han Yi, feeling that the sea breeze blowing suddenly became so cold.

"Walk with me."

From this sentence, Han Yi began to try to take the initiative in today's conversation.He hooked his hands, signaling Zhao Youzhen to follow behind.

They walked through the hot dog shop called The Dog House, bypassed the long line of Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop, and walked to the observation deck of Pier 41.

At tourist attractions with pleasant scenery, there are always street singers with folk guitars and microphone stands. An elderly black uncle stands at the northwest corner of the viewing platform, leaning against the setting sun, for three or two coins and Tourists smile and chant.

"I've sat here since daybreak,

Until night falls.

Watching the boat sail in slowly,

Watching them go far away..."

"I'm not kidding, Yoo Jin. A policy is a policy, and a rule is a rule. I can't break it, and neither can you."

Han Yi knew that he had to speak very seriously in order to change the mind of this unspeakably stubborn girl.

"I'm happy to work with you, and I'd love to offer you a chance to start your career, but it's all on a fair basis. If you don't have the basics that a team player should have, then it's very difficult. Unfortunately, I..."

"You don't want me anymore?"

Zhao Youzhen's voice was very thin and soft, but it exploded in Han Yi's ears like thunder.He suddenly turned his head and looked at Zhao Youzhen who was following behind him.

Han Yi has never seen Zhao Youzhen show such an expression, like a deer caught in a hunting trap in the forest, desperately dragging the broken leg that is still bleeding, and looking at the man who is walking step by step with a shotgun in fear. Dominator, let out a silent whine.

Of course, this kind of demeanor is fleeting. The moment Han Yi turned his head, Zhao Youzhen tried his best to return to normal state, trying to maintain the stability of the facial muscles. She folded her hands in front of her body and even raised a smile Smile softly to represent yourself that all is well.

"I don't mean anything else, just to confirm."

"Leaving home in Georgia and coming to San Francisco by myself.

I don't know why I live,

wonderful things,
It never seems to come..."

"Youzhen, you..."

In Yingjing's lyrics, Han Yi put on a straight face, wanting to continue to speak harshly.However, his heart throbbing violently to the point of pain made his expression quickly change into a gentle appearance like the inner bay of the Golden Gate Strait after a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to let you know how serious this is, and how ridiculous your decision to carry it alone is...do you know how much money I have in my bank account right now?"

Zhao Youzhen shook his head, wanting to say something.

"I don't know!" Before the girl uttered the first syllable, Han Yi spread his hands first, and said with a smile, "This is the crux of the problem! To me, this tuition fee is nothing at all, I am not Doing what I can, need to lower my quality of life or change the trajectory of my career to help you. To me it's like... the driver in front of the drive-thru is short of a quarter, and I happen to have it, you know what I mean?"

"But, with you, it's not about money."

Zhao Youzhen spread his hands flat, put them on a line, and held them up to Han Yi's eyes.

"I wish we had a relationship like this, not... like this."

Raising the left hand, lowering the right hand, Zhao Youzhen said so.

"Why do you think that if I lend you money, our relationship will not be like this?" Han Yi also put his hands on the same level and gave her a warm look.

"Because I will owe you a debt." Zhao Youzhen replied seriously, "Economically, and humanly."

"But Yujin, isn't human relationship based on debt?"

Under Zhao Youzhen's puzzled eyes, Han Yi spoke eloquently.

"When we provide help to others, we may not think of asking for return when we do that, but it does not mean that this kind of debt does not exist. It is self-evident, implicit, implicit, and even often It was not properly resolved.”

"Think about it, you introduced Billie Eilish and FINNEAS to me, and helped me successfully sign a contract with them. Just this incident, do I owe you a huge debt of favor?"

"But no, ah... Chirp! It's different..."

Clutching the gun pad of the trench coat draped over his shoulders with both hands, Zhao Youzhen stared blankly at Han Yi who only had one short sleeve left.

"are not you cold?"

"I'm so hot, the sun is too strong."

Wiping away the sweat that didn't exist on his forehead, Han Yi continued.

"Think about it, if Bi Li becomes the number one on Billboard's singles chart in the future, a single song can earn millions of dollars. So will you help me and HMG's career more, or will I lend money to You helped pay for your tuition more? On top of that, it’s not about remembering who contributed more, or whose actions are more deserving of awards!”

"I just want you to realize that human relationships are closely connected, and all our actions will have a chain reaction on the people around us. Even if you don't want to, you still owe me a lot At the same time, I owe you a lot."

"The more you owe, the closer you are. The more you owe, the more inseparable you are. Isn't that good?"

"not good!"

Although he was still shaking his head, Yuzhen's movements were already much lighter than a few minutes ago.

"I don't want to be inseparable."

Obviously, on the balcony there, he had made up his mind to be independent, self-reliant, and strong, let him look at him at the same level, and even look up occasionally with admiration, and then...

Now, you have woven such a comfortable and comfortable net above your head, how can you let me continue to fly upwards?
In that case, it will be impossible to escape.

"All the artists are with you, Manager Zhao." Han Yi shrugged, "Where else do you want to go?"

"I want to jump into the sea."

Zhao Youzhen walked forward to the end of the viewing platform at Pier 41, leaning on the crooked wooden railings that were not in a straight line, overlooking the magnificent sunset in the Bay Area, this is a kind of experience that can make any experienced traveler All breathless experience.

The setting sun fell over the Golden Gate Bridge, and the sky turned into bright colors of champagne pink, amber orange and lemon finance, smearing lingering brilliance on the water and skyline.

Seabirds with outstretched wings hover above the crowds, and waves lap gently against the clam-strewn pedestals at the bottom of the pier.On the slope not far away, the Dangdang car just now was slowly splashing crisp bells in all directions, climbing up the steep mountain road.

Sea lions are an integral part of the San Francisco experience, and groups of these chubby, adorable creatures frolick on the floating boards the city has placed between Piers 39 and 41.At this moment, most of the seals were gathered on the north side of the floating board group. There were only two young seals who looked like young couples, cleaning each other's already wet hair on the floating board closest to Han Yi and Zhao Youzhen.

"I sit on the pier and pass the time,
Powerless to change anything.

Everything in the world stands still,

I can't live according to other people's wishes,

Also choose to stand still in place. "

"so cute."

Zhao Youzhen squinted his eyes, looking at the couple of seals who began to pat their bellies cheerfully.

"They don't care if they are in debt or not."

Han Yi walked up to Youzhen, and interrupted abruptly.

"You comb my hair, I help you comb, and occasionally grab some sardines for each other."

"Okay, you."

Zhao Youzhen glanced at his companion on the right with a smile, and found that he was sniffling secretly, trying to pretend to be calm in the increasingly cold sea breeze.

"It's cold."

Yuzhen poked Han Yi's arm and asked softly.

"No, it's hot." Han Yi turned around, faced Zhao Youzhen, and drew a semicircle on his face, "Look, it's ruddy."

Zhao Youzhen carefully observed Han Yi's frozen red cheeks and nose, and nodded silently.

Immediately, she pinched the gun pad, opened it to both sides, and then took a step forward, closing her arms, covering Han Yi in the trench coat that belonged to him.

along with herself.

"I'm a bit cold too, so both of us will be warm."

Both were wearing sneakers, Zhao Youzhen's chin could just rest comfortably and naturally on Han Yi's shoulder.

She tightened the windbreaker again, covered Han Yi's stiff back, and breathed like blue in his ear.

"I cherish you, Yi. As a partner, as a friend, as my... more and more important family."

"I don't want you to feel like you're a trash can for my negativity, instead I want you to be an amplifier for all my joy."

"That's why sometimes when bad things happen, I distance myself because I just want to bring out the best in me."

"Maybe it's too early to tell, but..."

"You mean the world to me and I am so lucky to have you in my life."

Hearing this sentence, Han Yi's hands firmly pressed on Zhao Youzhen's back.

"Sit here and don't move.

this loneliness,
Always refuse to leave me.

wandered two thousand miles,
Just at this pier,

Finding a place where I can call myself a writer. "

In the soft melody of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", in the eyes of tourists around, the tranquil sea in the Bay Area reflects a young, energetic, loving couple. Fiery, companions who share a trench coat in the most silly of ways.

The observation deck at Pier 41 is full of lovers cuddling each other.

"Maybe these two things are the meaning of my coming to you?"

"It's easy to share joy and happiness, but it takes a lot of hard work and understanding to share each other's pain. I hope we can do more of the hard but right things together, even if sometimes they seem out of reach, or they will make us lose our lives." One or the other feels out of place. But what does it matter? We can get through these ups and downs together and come out stronger on the other side."

After the words fell, Han Yi had a clearer answer to the speculation that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

She, not Bi Li, is the future superstar of the world music industry who has formed a close and unbreakable cooperative relationship with him.

"The other side?" Zhao Youzhen's arm became stronger, "Which side?"

"The brighter side."

After finishing speaking, Han Yi's right hand moved up a few inches, touching the back of Zhao Youzhen's head.

"Now, are you willing to accept my proposal, Yujin? It's like an artist's advance payment, anyway, one day you will pay me back."

"I'm willing to accept...but not in the form of artist advances."

Zhao Youzhen left Han Yi's arms, and in just a few minutes, the warmth in her chest was enough to support her for a long time.

"Based on the normal interest calculation, I will pay you back on a monthly basis."

"Let me see... the national average interest rate for this month is 3.393%, okay?"

"Row."

"That's good." Han Yi stretched out his hand, "Take out your wallet."

"What?"

"It doesn't cost money to apply for a loan."

"Oh." Zhao Youzhen held back his laugh, and pulled out Goyard's printed wallet from his jeans.

"First, the application fee of $20."

"Give."

"Loan Processing Fee, $20."

"here."

"Loan processing fee, $20."

"...a lot of projects."

"Late fee, $20."

"Late payment fee?" Zhao Youzhen's eyes widened, "I paid it all."

"When you paid the processing fee, you hesitated for a few seconds."

"Okay, that's all for you." Yuzhen stuffed the entire wallet into Han Yi's arms childishly, and acted so angry that he didn't care about it at all. "That's all the cash, and the rest are in the card."

"Understood, then swipe the card."

Han Yi put the wallet into his trouser pocket very naturally, and strode out of the pier.

"Where to?"

"Eat, I'm hungry." Han Yi hooked his hands at her, "I lost that cheeseburger just before I finished eating it, do you want another one?"

"want!"

Standing on the spot with her chin in her mouth, Zhao Youzhen laughed happily and wantonly for a while, then ran towards the man who was patiently waiting for her under the golden sunset.

(End of this chapter)