thefictionvixens Chapter 42 Two Family Rules
Chapter 42 Two Family Rules
This time, Apocalypse is a French song, similar to "Les Champs-Élysées" that Judy just sang. The lyrics are incomprehensible to most, but catchy and easy to remember, and the melody is incredibly addictive. It seems that the French really like this kind of tune.
This song has a soothing and gentle style, a simple yet powerful rhythm, and highly repetitive lyrics, making it easy to hum along to.
Zik judged that it was most likely a French nursery rhyme.
While it's a good thing that the Apocalypse cheat has returned, what the heck is this nursery rhyme?
Can a song with such a youthful style, especially one in a less common language, be released on an album? It really makes me unsure.
If he went to Casablanca and told Neil that this was his latest masterpiece, a children's exclusive disco aimed at the French-speaking region, Neil would probably slap him on the head and scold him for being ridiculous.
Zeke felt this was something Neil would do...
When the blonde girl saw that Zeke was standing still, staring straight at her, seemingly lost in thought, she assumed that he was infatuated with her and had other ideas.
She gently woke Zeke, and mustered her courage to whisper, "I'm free today, want to go see a newly released movie together after school?"
"Oh, what a pity, I have to pick someone up from the airport today."
After regaining his composure and hesitating for a moment, Zik politely declined.
This well-behaved girl is indeed gentle and proactive, and has a sweet and charming appearance, but he really has to go to the airport to pick up Marco in the afternoon. They had already made an appointment, and he couldn't break his promise.
Furthermore, the French song that Apocalypse had sent was still stuck in his head; he had the lyrics and melody, but he couldn't put it down on paper yet and needed to brush up on his French. He had no time for romance.
Thanks again, Bey~
Qi Ke politely said goodbye, flirted with the girl, and then ran off, heading straight for the school library.
He carefully selected books from the bookshelf, borrowing several introductory French books and guitar beginner tutorials, and even picked up a thick French-English bilingual dictionary.
He was full of energy at that moment, learning French, practicing musical instruments, and thinking about writing lyrics, all of which were more interesting than chatting and dating.
Hmph, women will only slow me down the speed at which I make money!
During the afternoon French literature class, Zik barely listened to the lecture, focusing instead on flipping through the dictionary and translating the lyrics line by line from the lyrics in his mind.
He quickly confirmed that "Mon petit chou" was definitely a French children's song, with lyrics full of intimacy and affection, roughly meaning: My little baby, my sweetheart, I love everything about you, I love you with all my heart and soul, and other tender declarations.
He scratched his head, unable to think of any use for this soft, saccharine children's song for the moment. It was neither suitable for a disco dance floor nor for mainstream pop charts.
But on second thought, he still attributed the credit for the new song to Judy. If she hadn't deliberately played a prank on him by teaching him fake swear words, he wouldn't have been prompted to inquire about French and subsequently unlock the new song. So, despite her ill intentions, she ended up doing something good, hehe.
American high schools dismiss students early in the afternoon, with the main classes ending around 2:30 p.m.
At the public high school that Zeke used to attend, 3 p.m. was the fixed time for sports teams such as football, basketball, and baseball, or club activities such as band and drama club.
This French-language elite school is a completely different story. Campus club activities are almost non-existent. This period is the time when the American elite education system values the development of soft skills the most. The children of wealthy families flock to various places to take private talent classes, etiquette classes, or participate in social activities.
Students who have already entered the entertainment industry rush to film sets to shoot movies, attend events, and go to recording studios to record songs.
From afar, Zeke saw the tomboy Judy get into a shuttle car with the Disney logo. Christie told him that she was going to do promotional work for the last movie under her contract with Disney, called "The Castle," which was going to be released during the Christmas season and was still in the promotional period.
After saying goodbye to Christie, with whom he had already become quite familiar, Zeke tossed his backpack into the passenger seat and got into the car.
This Mercedes might seem impressive to the average person, but in the parking lot, it's only considered average; there are plenty of luxury cars that are far more expensive.
Even so, many younger students were whistling nearby, their eyes full of envy.
Most of these children are not yet of driving age and can only travel to and from school by yellow school buses. Families that can afford to attend this school are all very wealthy, and most of them own property near the school. In the United States, unless they live extremely far away, parents generally do not drive their children to school every day.
As Zik hummed that catchy French nursery rhyme to himself, he drove toward the airport.
Before long, Marco arrived, looking excited and travel-worn. Marco had also brought a large bag of things for Zik, homemade food prepared in advance by Zik's parents, which would take care of his dinner for the next few days.
Upon seeing the brand-new Mercedes, Marco naturally couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"Holy shit! It's a real Mercedes! Zik, you've really struck it rich, doing incredibly well in Los Angeles!"
"Tsk, what's this? Just a little perk from the company. Get in the car." Zeke snapped his fingers.
There happened to be a flea market near the airport, so Qi Ke stopped his car and picked out a flip-top desk. He needed a desk specifically for doing his homework and writing songs.
I don't know why, but he felt a strange sense of familiarity when he saw this flip-top desk, and bought it for only twenty dollars.
They drove back to the cliffside cabin, and together they carried the desk into Zeke's bedroom. Marco stood in the spacious, elegant house with its unbeatable view, utterly amazed. In his eyes, it was nothing short of a mansion.
"Ahem, Marco, even though we're good buddies, let me make this clear first: there are two rules for this house that you must follow."
"What is it?"
"It's very simple, just two rules: First, there can't be any chairs in the house. Second, I won't charge you a penny for rent or utilities, but you'll be responsible for taking care of all the ornamental plants." He gestured towards the terrace with his chin.
"Cool, no problem. I'll take care of all the watering, pest control, harvesting, and drying. But why can't there be chairs?" Marco had just seen those things and remarked that they were quite valuable.
"Well, that's how it is..."
When Zik explained Larry's idea that bringing a girl home meant you could only sit on the bed, Marco was overjoyed.
"How do you even think of that?! It's incredible! How come I never thought of that before?!"
"Hehe, the previous tenant taught me this. You'll be meeting him soon, Larry Harris, the vice president of Casablanca. He'll help you get a job. Those ornamental plants were also left by Larry; just bring them to him regularly when they're ready."
"Then wouldn't we be considered Larry Harris's confidants?" Marco's eyes darted around, and he immediately grasped the subtle meaning behind it.
Larry Harris's entrusting this batch of "personal stock" to Zeke, a newcomer he had only recently met, was essentially a test and a gesture of goodwill.
It's like telling him: I've handed you my weakness, and I trust you completely now.
"That's not wrong, anyway, our good days have arrived..."
"Aren't the girls in Los Angeles pretty?" Mark asked with a mischievous grin.
"So hot, and dressed so scantily!"
The two quickly burst into laughter, filled with anticipation for a happy future together.
The reason there was a second house rule was that Zeke had figured out why Larry had let him move into this house.
He specifically inquired about the market at school today and found out that one of the boys' mothers is a well-known real estate agent.
The rent for cliffside cabins in these remote locations isn't very expensive, usually under two hundred dollars a month.
It's like Larry paid him a monthly salary of $200 to be cheap labor to take care of the Western leaves on his terrace. This way, Larry not only saved himself the effort of tending to the plants, but also got a constant supply of free leaf cigarettes.
The value of these crops once they mature far exceeds the mere rent, not to mention that the rent is reimbursed through the company's accounts, which is practically free.
Larry may seem calm and honest, but he's actually quite shrewd and made a very good deal.
However, Zik didn't lose out either, as he subcontracted the work to Marco again.