Page 108
This does sound somewhat familiar. There seems to be a game in the past world that has this skill. What is it called, the art of mansion?
It is worth mentioning that the time in the secret realm is eternal and fixed. Time itself will flow, and plants will grow and die, but there is no rising and setting of the sun and the moon, and it will never stop in the summer afternoon.
Such a secret place is very new to Lingye, and of course, it is new to any human being.
But to Gaia, it may just be commonplace.
After all, if human thoughts and beliefs can create secret realms, there must be many more vast secret realms in past history, such as Takama-ga-hara, Yomihira-slope, or Lingxiao Palace, Xitian Lingshan, Yahweh Paradise, Mount Olympus, Asgard, and so on.
Gaia must have seen all of these, witnessed their birth, and witnessed their demise. In the long river of time, they are like splashes of colorful bubbles, sparkling in the sun, and then suddenly shattered at a certain moment.
Only Gaia will stand there until the end of the life of this planet.
A few days passed quickly, and it had been a week since Ling returned to school. School life is always fulfilling, and time passes by inadvertently.
It was another Saturday, and Ling took advantage of being at home all day to visit the estate's gardener, Kosuke Ueki.
"Miss, would you like to plant some plants?"
"Well, actually I want to set up a garden."
When he heard Lingye say this, Ueki nodded and agreed. This was his job as the gardener of the manor hired by the Oshima family.
It sounds like a lot of work to set up a garden, but Ueki doesn't mind. He is a gardener and likes to deal with flowers and plants.
"Is the young lady planning to have a birthday party?"
Ueki thought that the garden that Reiya mentioned was a place to set up a party. This was a common thing for wealthy families, and the Oshima family had held it before.
After saying this, Lingye remembered that her birthday was indeed coming soon. Her birthday was in January, which was more than a month away.
She didn't think it was necessary to hold a birthday party. First, after Mr. and Mrs. Oshima passed away, the families who had come to the party in previous years might not come again. In addition, Ling didn't think there was any point in such a party.
It would be better to have a small-scale ordinary birthday party. Just invite Sakura, Tomoyo, and some classmates who are close to each other in class. There doesn't need to be too many people, and there is no need to make special arrangements.
Chatting casually, Ueki followed Lingye and walked towards the manor forest and lake.
At some point, though, Ueki suddenly realized that something was wrong.
What appeared in front of Ueki was a river, which looked like a tributary of the manor lake. However, he had been in the Oshima family for more than ten years and had been to every corner of the manor. He had no recollection of such a place.
Moreover, is the weather so good today? Why is the sun so bright? It doesn't look like the weather in late autumn or early winter, but it's suddenly hot. This temperature is already summer, right?
"right here?"
"Well, this is it."
Ueki Kosuke didn't say much. The young lady had a secret, and most people in the manor were aware of it. As for what the secret was, Butler Jianye knew it, and Miss Maria might also know it, but others didn't know.
However, Ueki did not have the idea of figuring it out. He was just the gardener of the Oshima family. His entire job was to trim and maintain the greenery of the manor and serve the head of the family.
"I see. Do we have to cut up all the lawns?"
There is a lush green meadow on the river bank, without any signs of human development. It grows naturally, as if no one has set foot on it for years or even decades.
"Shovel the lawn? Why? Can't you just plant something?"
Ling also asked this question, which made Ueki a little unsure of how to answer. But it was not surprising that a young lady who had never done any housework would ask such a question.
"Of course, such wasteland cannot be planted directly. It needs to be reclaimed into fields first. However, if it is used as a garden, part of the grass can be retained."
After all, this lush lawn looks really beautiful, and it would be a pity to clear it all away.
Lingye then realized that the desire to build a garden was in conflict with nature itself. It was human beings using their so-called aesthetics to transform the natural ecology and forcefully imprint their own traces on nature.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
She is not Gaia, standing outside the long river of time and space, without joy or sorrow, good or evil. She is just a human being, and naturally inherited the arrogance and selfishness of humans, always wanting to make everything convenient and pleasing to herself. This is the weakness and advantage of humans.
"So, what plants are you going to plant, young lady?"
"Well, I don't have any particular preferences. I just plant some flowers that can bloom in the summer."
Ueki looked up at the sky and nodded. "There are many flowers that bloom in summer, such as roses, morning glories, trumpet creepers, pomegranates, jasmine, etc. Of course, the most representative ones are lotus flowers. I think it would be a good idea to plant some lotus flowers in this small river."
"Well, let's do as Mr. Ueki says." After all, when it comes to gardening, Mr. Ueki is the professional, and as an unprofessional, I should just accept it with an open mind. "I prefer the scent of jasmine. We can plant more and leave a piece of open space. I plan to have someone build a house there later."
That is the mansion in the "mansion art".
Ling also likes jasmine. The patches of jasmine flowers are pleasing to the eye, and the rich fragrance is like a dream. No wonder it is called the flower of dreams.
Speaking of which, Ling still hasn’t figured out whether the first line of Angela Chang’s song “Flowers in Dreams” should be “the only pure white flower in dreams” or “the only pure white jasmine flower.” After all, Angela Chang’s pronunciation is not very standard.
There probably isn't a chance to figure it out.
Ling also entrusted the design and renovation to Mr. Ueki. Of course, he didn't do it all by himself, he was the overall person in charge.
The other person in charge is Nadeshiko.
There is no way, this secret place is actually attached to the necklace, and it usually needs someone to hold the necklace to open it. Ling also has to go to school, and the only people in the family who know Ling and Gaia's identity are the butler Jianye and Nadeshiko.
The housekeeper has a lot of things to do, but Fuzi is the most convenient.
It wasn't a tiring job. To open the secret realm, she didn't need spiritual energy or magic. She just needed to hold the necklace as a fixed coordinate of the secret realm. She said she was helping to take care of the plants, but in fact, she could go fishing or read a book by the river.
"I'm counting on you, Aunt Nadeshiko."
"It doesn't matter. In fact, I like that secret place very much as well."
Nadeshiko, who was asked by Lingye, took the necklace that opened the secret realm. She was happy to do such a thing. She was not a person from this world, and that was a secret realm outside the world dimension. It was a good match, wasn't it?
Lingye actually wanted to ask about this, but couldn't.
Sakura has told her several times that her father has been asking her about her mother.
This was natural. No one could remain indifferent when his wife, who had been dead for seven years, reappeared. Moreover, she was the person Fujitaka still held in the deepest part of his heart.
However, Sakura was asked by Nadeshiko to keep a secret from her father, which made her feel very embarrassed.
Ling didn't know what Fuzi was thinking, but she felt that such delay was not a good thing.
If possible, she hopes Sakura can grow up in a home with both a father and a mother.
Ling also lost her parents. Even in her previous life, her parents were still alive, but she was no different from an orphan. So she knows the feeling of loneliness.
If Sakura could get her family back, which she had never experienced and would never be able to experience, she would be happy even if she just watched from the side. That would definitely be a happy thing.
She remembered hearing this line in the past, but she had forgotten where it came from.
[I wish that after me, God will allow all the relatives in the world to stay together.]
What I have not been able to achieve and will never be able to achieve, I hope to at least be able to watch others achieve it.
Chapter 138 Suruga Bay
In the restaurant, Director Qianxiang quickly stuffed meat and vegetables into her mouth. Her movements were not too rough, but her speed was indeed very fast.
The three girls opposite him just stared at him. Although they were the ones being treated, they hardly touched their food.
"Director, you're the one treating us to dinner." Sakura couldn't help but speak up in the end.
After being reminded by Sakura, Asaka stopped eating with his chopsticks, but it might be because he choked because he ate too fast. He quickly took a sip of the fruit juice.
"Well, I've been so busy these past few days. Matsumoto is really unreliable. I haven't eaten since this morning. I'm starving."
Asaka was obviously trying to find excuses for herself. Having said that, he felt a little embarrassed when he saw that the dishes on the table had been almost completely eaten up by him. After all, he had agreed to treat others to a meal, and it was a bit inappropriate for him, as the host, to buy up all the dishes on the table.
He called the waiter again and ordered some more hard dishes, including beef, mutton, fish and shrimp. He was so generous.
"By the way, Sakura, isn't it time for you to find an agent?" Asaka, who was taking a break from drinking a drink, suddenly thought of Sakura.
Previously, it was Sakura's father who signed the contract with the entertainment company as her legal agent, but as her popularity gradually increased, it was foreseeable that there would be more and more matters to attend to. New script invitations, advertising notices, and even variety shows, etc. As a university professor, Fujitaka Kinomoto had a hard time keeping up with all of them.
Sakura signed a contract with an entertainment company under the Sanmu Group, and participated in the TV series directed by Asaka as a child star artist under the company. Generally speaking, whether Sakura has an agent is a matter of the Sanmu Group, and has nothing to do with Asaka as a director. He said this a bit beyond his authority, but Sakura knew that it was Director Asaka who cared about her.
"The company told me that there will be an arrangement soon. I heard that the name of the appointment is Miss Dazhong."
"Daishu? Ah, your name is Daishige Masami, right?"
"Yes, that's the name. Does Director Asaka know him too?"
"I've heard of her. She has a good reputation in the industry." This is not the first time Asaka has worked with Mimoku Entertainment. The agents of their company know each other a little. "Although Ooshige Masami is a newcomer who has not been working for five years, I heard that she cares about the artists. The artists she has managed in the past have given her very good reviews."
Not only that, I heard that she depends on Miss Dazhong for everything, including food, drink, defecation and urination. I heard that there are people who rely on their parents, but I have never heard of people who rely on their managers. If you are not patient and kind, you really can't deal with such an artist.
"Former artist? Did you terminate the contract later?"
"Well, the star has entered the classroom."
"Scared?" This was something Sakura had not expected, and she didn't know how to respond. Tomoyo and Ling were also surprised, and then they remembered that a celebrity had a fight in a bar not long ago and someone was seriously injured, which was a hot topic in the news.
"It's nothing. This is a common thing in the industry. You'll get used to it. No, you three should not get used to it. That incident was entirely due to the artist's personal reasons and had nothing to do with Miss Dazhong herself. Anyway, if she is the manager, there should be nothing to worry about."
The relationship between an agent and an artist is not one-to-one. Generally, an established agent will be responsible for several artists at the same time, unless the artist in charge is a big name. However, the company is not very confident about new agents like Masami Ooshige, and usually only one person will be responsible for the agent until he has accumulated experience, and then he will be allowed to sign multiple artists.
Oshige was unlucky. The first artist she had worked with was put in jail after three years. Even if it had nothing to do with her, her resume would not look good. And Sakura was the second person she was responsible for. Even for her own future and reputation, she should have taken better care of Sakura.
"Come to think of it, Miss Dazhong is going to be your artist, probably because of the Christmas concert, right?"
Asaka had previously mentioned to the three of them separately about the Christmas concert to thank the movie and TV audiences. Sakura, Reiya, and Tomoyo all had no objection, so the relevant preparations were put on the agenda.
With the TV series' ratings as a backing, Sanmu Group has already begun pouring resources into the promotion. Although it is in the name of a fan meeting, they are also serious about the concert. From setting up the scene to pre-announcements, Sanmu has invested a lot of resources.
Of course, Asaka didn't believe that the reason why Princesses Oshima and Daidoji were not in the show was because of the good ratings.
"Ms. Daishige was originally supposed to be in charge of singers in the company. The reason for letting her take over is probably because of the concert. If the response to this concert can meet expectations, Sakura, you can also try to develop in the direction of a singer next."
"Singer? Me?" Xiaoying was dealing with the shrimps that had just been served. She forgot about peeling the half-shelled shrimps when she heard him say, "I can't do it. I can't sing well."
She is not Tomoyo and Reiya, and she does not have the singing skill lit up.
"Unless you are tone-deaf, no one is born with a bad singing voice. It's just that they haven't practiced. Especially for children, as long as they have professional guidance and more training, there will be no problem."
As artists, there is no barrier between actors and singers. As long as they are professionally trained, they can guest star in each other's roles in most cases.
Xiaoying is not a professional singer, but as a child singer, there are no high requirements. As long as she can sing and stay in tune, it's fine. Of course, clearer and more delicate is better.
"Speaking of concerts, well, today is mainly about this." After filling her stomach, Director Asaka finally thought of the business. "You guys get ready. We need to take a photo shoot this Saturday."
"Photography? Are you a model?"
"Yes, that's about it. It's also for the Christmas concert, and it's used as a pre-promotional poster."
Actually, as models, there was nothing that the three girls needed to prepare. Because it was a thank-you concert for the TV series, the costumes they wore were of course props from the TV series, and the crew would prepare them. Director Asaka just informed them so that they would know about it in advance.
“Where was the filming location?”
"seaside."