Chapter 39

Xiao Ziyu paused, but he didn't stop writing. He finished writing the last word and said, "My master is nameless and has passed away." He looked up at Du Ruochao, "Teacher Du, is there any old friend you think of?"

"Not an old friend," Du Ruochao said thoughtfully, "but the handwriting seems familiar."

The two of them were playing dumb, and the audience around them were confused. Zhou Qilin said, "Why do I feel that Ziyu's traditional Chinese characters look better than simplified Chinese characters?"

They often sat together to read the script. Xiao Ziyu's script was densely covered with notes and marks. Although the handwriting was neat, it was a bit rigid, like that of a child who was just learning to write. It was far from being as free and unrestrained as these few paragraphs of running script.

"I haven't practiced hard pen writing for a long time, so I'm not very good at it." Xiao Ziyu turned his wrist, dipped the brush in water, washed it, and then inserted it into the pen holder. His whole set of movements was skillful and smooth, as if he washed and ground the brush frequently.

Du Ruochao kept staring at his movements in silence.

The filming went smoothly and we finished work early that day. Everyone wanted to go out for dinner and relax. Xiao Ziyu changed back into his own clothes and did not join the others in getting a taxi to the restaurant. When the director crew finished work, Director Yang waved at him, "Xiao Xiao, come here."

The rest shed, which was bustling and chaotic during the day, returned to silence, and the dark blue tarpaulin looked purple against the afterglow. There were only Director Yang and Du Ruochao in the studio. Director Yang raised his hand and turned on the ceiling light, "Xiao Xiao, sit down."

Xiao Ziyu pulled out a stool and sat down, his back straight as a bamboo, and heard Du Ruochao speak straight to the point: "Xiao Xiao, do you know the Five Kingdoms?"

Xiao Ziyu clenched his fingertips and said, "I know a thing or two. The five kingdoms are centered on Liang, and the Northern Zhao, Western Liang, Southern Shu, and Tubo are all separatist in all directions."

Du Ruochao said: "The sacrificial ceremony you performed at the opening banquet is the etiquette of Daliang."

Xiao Ziyu nodded: "It seems that Teacher Du knows a lot about Daliang."

Du Ruochao pursed his lips and said nothing. Director Yang asked, "Xiao Xiao, did you also learn this etiquette from your master?"

Xiao Ziyu couldn't say that he was actually an ancient person, so he said conservatively, "That's right."

Seeing the two of them in silence, Xiao Ziyu continued, "Daliang's history spans about 300 years, and it has experienced more than a dozen monarchs, but there are only a few years of blank time. As far as I know, that was the period when Crown Prince Yuan Heng was in power. When I read this script..."

He pondered and said, "...it doesn't sound like fabrication, but rather like historical facts."

"May I ask where Mr. Du got this from? Ziyu would like to ask for your advice."

Du Ruochao sighed softly: "I actually heard this story from my great uncle, so I have no way to verify the details."

Xiao Ziyu looked calm, but he was shocked in his heart. It turns out that he is not the only one in this world who has retained memories of his past lives!

Moreover, this person has a detailed understanding of the prince's experience. He must not be a country bumpkin, but a member of the court!

Xiao Ziyu tried his best to suppress the throbbing in his heart and said calmly, "I wonder if Teacher Du can help introduce me?"

Unexpectedly, Du Ruochao shook his head and said, "Since my aunt passed away, my uncle has become a monk and lives in seclusion, rarely seeing outsiders."

"Then can you tell me the name of the temple?" Xiao Ziyu asked urgently.

"It's useless," Du Ruochao said, "My uncle travels all year round and rarely comes back. He only shows up during the Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year... The temple where he became a monk is in Yunjing, called Qingyun Temple."

Xiao Ziyu was shocked and felt a little dazed when he walked out of the tent. Not to mention how difficult it is to find a wandering monk, there is also the question of whether the other party is willing to see him.

But seeing that this person knows so much about the history of Daliang, maybe he also knows what happened after his death.

Did Yuan Heng treat the people of Shu well as he wished in his last wish... Did his master survive?

During the dinner, Xiao Ziyu was still absent-minded. Zhou Qilin noticed his abnormality and asked with concern: "Why do you look so bad? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Nothing." Xiao Ziyu stared at the table full of red Sichuan dishes. He didn't eat spicy food, but he missed the order, so he didn't know where to start eating.

I kind of miss the garlic kale dish I had at some point in my life.

Zhou Qilin was confused: "Their spicy crayfish is delicious and strong!"

Chen Churan also said: "Brother Xiao, try it. It's really delicious. We're going to increase the weight again tonight."

"Okay." Xiao Ziyu picked up one with chopsticks and put it in the bowl without peeling it. He just smiled gently and said, "I was distracted just now."

It was already late at night when it ended, and Chen Churan was taken by his agent to have a facial massage to prevent swelling. Xiao Ziyu and Zhou Qilin returned to the hotel in the same car and separated in front of the elevator.

After saying goodbye, Xiao Ziyu did not enter the elevator, but wandered aimlessly to the bar. He felt very upset and his thoughts were a little confused, so he definitely couldn't fall asleep.

The drink menu was written in fancy foreign languages. Xiao Ziyu took one look and gave up decisively, pointing to the iced Americano on the menu to the bartender.

Midnight is a good time to drink strong liquor and have a romantic encounter. It would be too pitiful to drink bitter coffee alone. The bartender whistled at him and said in broken Chinese: "I'll give you a glass of sparkling water."

Xiao Ziyu sat in the corner waiting obediently for his drink, his eyes roaming around the place. At this time, the only people who were still staying up all night outside were night owls and foreigners, chattering in all kinds of foreign languages. A brown-haired foreigner noticed him. They stared at each other for just a second, and then the other party actually walked towards him.

Xiao Ziyu subconsciously waved his hands, trying to show that he didn't understand foreign languages, but the other party spoke fluent Chinese with a Northeastern accent: "Hey handsome, are you a star?"

Now he had to respond, Xiao Ziyu said: "I'm filming nearby."

"Me too! I'm making a movie!" The other person sat down next to him in a familiar manner. "When I saw you from over there, I felt like you looked like a star!"

Xiao Ziyu had previously followed the crown prince in receiving envoys from various countries, among whom were many dark-skinned Kucha people and tall Tatars, but he had never seen someone with light brown hair and gray-blue eyes like this.

"Hey!" the other shouted in dissatisfaction, "You look at me like you're observing a long-haired dog."

Xiao Ziyu didn't expect it to be so obvious, and said embarrassedly: "Sorry."

"You are a very shy Oriental," the shaggy dog ​​commented. "Are you here alone tonight?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ziyu's phone rang. When the other party saw that it was a video call, he said in frustration: "Ah, I was wondering how a beautiful woman could be lonely. Your prince is here."

"No..." Xiao Ziyu didn't know how to explain, so he swiped to answer the call: "Hello?"

Yuan Heng's profile appeared on the screen. The sky was still bright on his side, and the background was the sparkling river and a long bridge painted dark red.

Yuan Heng leaned against the guardrail, casually holding his phone in his fingers. The angle from bottom to top made the lines of his face look even sharper.

Xiao Ziyu knew that he was going on a business trip to Europe, which was on the other side of the earth and had a time difference of more than ten hours with Yunjing. But seeing it with my own eyes still feels incredible, which inevitably reveals the ignorance of the ancients: "Is it still daytime over there?"

Yuan Heng lowered his eyes and smiled, and it was obvious that he was in a very happy mood: "Provence, it's just evening."

However, the joy dissipated after seeing Xiao Ziyu clearly. Yuan Heng's voice dropped a few degrees: "Why are you in the bar? It should be 12 o'clock in the morning over there."

"You called me at 12 o'clock," Xiao Ziyu said, "I usually go to bed."

Yuan Heng couldn't explain his mood. The communication with the cooperative company in southern France was going smoothly. After the meeting, he didn't take a taxi, but walked back slowly along the river. The setting sun was scorching, and he called the person regardless of the time difference.

Yuan Heng didn't listen to his excuses. The camera turned to see another person. He said in a deep voice, "Who is that long-haired dog?"

"Hello, my name is Eric," the foreign guy shouted, "I understand Chinese!"

Yuan Heng changed his language, his pronunciation was not very clear, and was mixed with tongue-twitching vibrato. The foreign guy's expression became complicated. He replied a few words in his native language and raised his hands in surrender: "OK, I understand."

"What did you say?" Xiao Ziyu was puzzled.

"A certain male animal is claiming his territory," the young man fought back and ran away before Yuan Heng's face darkened further.

Xiao Ziyu looked a little confused: "What foreign language did you just say?"

"Russian," Yuan Heng said, "Stay away from these idle Russians."

"Hi, your iced Americano is ready." The bartender pushed the coffee in front of Xiao Ziyu, "Please enjoy it slowly."

"Why drink coffee so late at night?" Yuan Heng asked.

"Uh..." Xiao Ziyu frowned slightly, struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation.

Yuan Heng's eyes swept across his face twice, and suddenly asked: "Didn't you have dinner?"

Xiao Ziyu had no time to lie, so he could only say, "Didn't eat much?"

"The filming didn't go smoothly?" Yuan Heng asked, "Or did something happen?"

Xiao Ziyu sighed, as if Yuan Heng, whether he was a prince or an arrogant modern man, could always see through his thoughts easily.

"No..." He covered it up, "We had Sichuan food tonight."

"Go to the bar and order something to eat," Yuan Heng arranged.

Xiao Ziyu is socially phobic: "I couldn't understand the menu, and the waiter's Chinese didn't seem to be very good either."

"Give me the phone." Yuan Heng said.

Through the screen and the dim light opposite, Yuan Heng read the menu, and finally gave instructions to the waiter, talking for a long time.

It should be that he changed his language again, Xiao Ziyu thought absentmindedly. Yuan Heng's guttural sound was very obvious, with a slightly moist and sexy tone, which was somewhat different from his usual speaking tone.

"French." Yuan Heng said before he asked, "This is a French bar."

"What did you order?" Xiao Ziyu asked a different question.

"Scrambled egg sandwich and avocado salad," Yuan Heng said, "and a fried fish dish."

"You don't have to pay, the hotel will charge the bill to my account."

"Your account?" Xiao Ziyu asked in surprise, "Didn't the company upgrade the hotel?"

"A small-time actor with no works, do you really expect the company to pay you?" Yuan Heng insulted without hesitation, "Of course it's mine."

Xiao Ziyu nodded, and after a long silence, the salad was served. He took a bite and found it delicate and smooth, especially suitable as a late-night snack.

He had tasted enough of the salad dressing and finally couldn't help asking, "What's in Provence?"

"Lavender," Yuan Heng said, "but now is not the most beautiful time."

"When is the best time to watch it?" Xiao Ziyu asked.

"It won't take a few days," Yuan Heng said. "It will bloom extensively in late June."

Xiao Ziyu muttered again, his voice was very soft, and the words in his throat seemed to be swallowed along with the fried fish, but Yuan Heng still heard it clearly.

Xiao Ziyu said: "The wild flowers are fragrant, be careful not to be overwhelmed."

Yuan Heng: What about me?