Chapter 28

This scene was set in the Republican era. They gathered at the filming location early in the morning. By the time the crew had set up the lighting, lunchtime was long over. After breakfast, the group finally had time to work on their makeup and hair. The makeup and hair for the extras were relatively simple; the men got a quick haircut, and the women braided each other's hair. That completed the look for the scene. Gu Mengzhu swung her two braids from side to side. Qi Yaoguang, wearing a black student cap, stood not far away, glancing in her direction, and chuckled softly.

This person is definitely making fun of her.

She glared at him fiercely, then turned away, intending to avoid seeing him altogether. The costume department was moving things, and she glanced at them with interest. There were several large boxes, presumably filled with clothes.

"Come over here and get your uniforms!"

Someone shouted loudly. Gu Mengzhu let down her braid, rubbed her face to clear her head, and then joined the queue with them. When it was her turn, the girl distributing the uniforms clearly brightened up:

"Hi!"

Seeing her confusion, Xu Zhilu glanced at her apologetically and whispered a hint:

"Thank you for the band-aid last time."

She suddenly realized:

"Oh, that's nothing. How's your hand?"

"It's all alright now, thank you."

The girl smiled shyly, but her eyes were bright and clear, shining even under the gray clouds.

"Hurry up!"

The people behind were getting impatient and urged them on.

"Excuse me." She quickly took the clothes and walked away to make way for the other person. "Let's talk again sometime."

Xu Zhilu nodded.

Gu Mengzhu took off her coat and changed into her costume. As usual, she shivered from the cold as she emerged from the public restroom. The overcast sky, even without snow, was chillingly cold. She breathed on her hands to warm them and looked around for someone. Soon she saw a familiar face, dressed in a neat student uniform, standing tall and upright under a tree stripped of its leaves, hands in his pockets. His thick, dark eyebrows made him appear even more spirited. "A howling wind, a vast sky, students serving their country in a desolate battle." She stared, silently reciting a cheesy, doggerel poem, her heart pounding in her chest.

Wow, impressive! It's true what they say, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse.

She shook her head and sighed. They were all from the same place, so how come other people's features were perfectly proportioned, while hers were just a mess, haphazardly smeared together by Nuwa and then slapped across her face, resulting in a haphazard and excessively perfunctory appearance.

While she was lost in thought, Qi Yaoguang found her and immediately strode leisurely toward her. Noticing his gaze, Gu Mengzhu quickly lowered her head, frantically looking left and right for a place to hide, but before she could take a step, he grabbed her.

"Why are you hiding?"

She was forced to look up and meet his gaze. His expressionless face seemed to be furrowing his brow, and he looked more serious. She was so flustered that she lowered her head again.

"Nothing, I was just sweeping up some trash."

He then looked down at the ground and asked in confusion:

"I didn't see any trash. When do you work part-time as a 'sweeper monk'?" (冇——no, 咩——what)

"None of your business. What are you doing here for no reason?"

"No, you seem quite refined, so I came over specifically to take a look."

Gu Mengzhu rolled her eyes and retorted:

"You're not bad either, you're a proper person."

He raised an eyebrow:

"Now you look like a human being, what were you like before?"

"Tarzan, the ape-man." (The word "ape-man" is a slang term for someone who is an ape or man.)

Qi Yaoguang chuckled, slung his arm over her shoulder, and turned her head to speak:

"Ah, to be honest, I really admire your clear-cut love and hate personality. You won't suffer losses, that's good, that's good."

"Die, you!"

She shrugged off his outstretched arm and walked away quickly, unwilling to see this annoying creature again. The brief surge of emotion she had felt earlier vanished instantly, leaving only an unspeakable, involuntary outburst of annoyance.

Filming began. Gu Mengzhu, having no access to such advanced material as a script, couldn't understand what they were supposed to be acting out. She only knew they were divided into male and female teams, to film two different scenes. The male extras' scenes started first. She stood on tiptoe, bored, and glanced at the scene. She saw the male lead being pushed out, his arms held up. The students who had been waiting rushed forward and surrounded him, chattering like crows. The atmosphere instantly became lively. Amidst the cacophony, she couldn't hear what they were saying, her gaze fixed on one person.

He seemed both inconspicuous and conspicuous, standing there talking to others, his voice unrecorded, his face perhaps even missed by the camera. She stood so far away, unable to hear anything, yet just seeing him made her feel that he was neither arrogant nor humble, like a soldier about to go to battle, determined to forge a bright path towards revolution with his pen and tongue.

His acting seems to have really improved.

Gu Mengzhu smiled, like a homeroom teacher standing by the window, proudly listening to the incessant reading aloud in the classroom, her eyes sparkling with admiration like tiny stars. However, the atmosphere soon changed, and harsh words bombarded the quiet film set like shockwaves.

"What are you standing there for? It's your turn to take pictures. Squat down, the camera will scan you soon, you idiot! Who hired this guy? Can't he even read the room?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?! Is this a performance for you? Are you trying to steal it? Are you the one who's supposed to be in the scene? What's it to you? What are you posing for? You're delaying the whole crew, you idiot! Drag him off and get someone else!"

The atmosphere was terrifyingly heavy. Qi Yaoguang, who had been standing straight, now followed the others and bent slightly to avoid becoming the next target of embarrassment. Gu Mengzhu's smile vanished. She felt as if her eyebrows were about to freeze from the cold air, so she silently turned her eyes away.

This director has quite a temper.

She silently prayed for the extras while worrying about her own fate.

The cursing continued for a long time, and the filming was not going smoothly at all. The longer it dragged on, the more frustrated and exhausted everyone looked at each other. Finally, lunchtime arrived, and Qi Yaoguang emerged from the crowd to find her. She was standing by a stone pillar waiting for him. In the sub-zero temperatures, his forehead was covered in sweat, and seeing this, she couldn't say anything comforting.

Gu Mengzhu took out tissues from her backpack and let him wipe the sweat from his head.

The two of them focused on eating, remaining silent. Just then, someone came over with a half-eaten boxed lunch, blocking the sliver of sunlight that peeked through the clouds above them.

"You, when filming starts, go to the front and make a brief appearance. The director said the newcomers are too clueless, but I think you're pretty good-looking, your shots should look good. After filming, I'll have the casting director give you a raise. But remember this, don't cause any trouble!"

His surprise was palpable; his mouth was half-open in a grin, and he even forgot to swallow his food, standing up and nodding repeatedly in thanks. She also stood up, looking at them with a bewildered expression, but a smile unconsciously crept onto her face, genuinely happy for him.

As soon as they finished eating, Qi Yaoguang couldn't wait to go over there to wait for work to begin. Gu Mengzhu, excited, ate more than usual and was now leaning against a red wooden pillar, dozing off with her eyes closed. Her consciousness gradually blurred, her head tilted to one side and drooped down. She lost her balance slightly and stumbled, almost falling down the steps. The voices around her kept coming, but they only became more and more sleepy. She kept her eyes open and felt sleepier and sleepier. Finally, she caught a glimpse of a stool in the corner of her eye.

stool!

Her mind jolted, suddenly becoming a little more alert. Her head was no longer capable of any rational thought; she mustered all her strength and groped her way towards the stool. If, a split second before sitting down, she could still sense a slight unease from the astonished looks of those around her, now, settled in her seat, her overwhelming drowsiness and comfortable position rendered her completely incapable of considering what danger meant.

She was fast asleep, a contented smile on her face. But a nightmare was creeping closer, and soon it was standing beside her.

"Hey, what are you doing sitting here!"

She was woken up by someone pushing her and then lifted up.

Gu Mengzhu raised her eyelids and saw the stubble around the man's mouth. He was unkempt and looked sloppy. She frowned in disgust.

Is this your stool?

"Do you deserve to sit here? You're not worthy! Get out of the way!"

She finally snapped out of her daze from the deafening voice and apologized in a panic:

"Sorry, I thought no one was around, so—"

"roll!"

As she uttered the word "get lost," she quickly looked up towards Qi Yaoguang's direction. Thankfully, they were busy filming and oblivious to the commotion. The man seemed about to say something more offensive when a sharp, piercing female voice shot out like a needle:

"What's all the noise about? What kind of behavior is this? Is this how you film a show?"

The man abruptly stopped speaking, shrinking back like a quail, then chuckled and apologized. The woman wore a purple mink coat, the fluffy collar clinging tightly to her neck, looking very warm. Underneath, she wore a fitted cheongsam, which she wore with great elegance, her gait graceful and poised. Her bearing clearly indicated she was a well-bred daughter. Gu Mengzhu couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Although she couldn't see her face clearly, she vaguely sensed the woman's aura—the confidence that came from someone who had made a name for themselves in business—making her不敢直视 (不敢直视 - dare not look directly at her). The woman seemed to notice the faint gaze, smiled faintly, and then turned and walked away.

The man followed, pulled out a stool and carried it to the monitor. He picked up the walkie-talkie and started cursing at someone again. Gu Mengzhu peeked over and saw that he seemed to be the assistant director from the next group; he was terrifyingly fierce.

How did you end up in the next group?

She smacked her head twice in frustration, then hurriedly ran back to her own territory.

The scenes with the male extras were still being filmed, but it seemed to be going much more smoothly than before. Gu Mengzhu watched for a while, then got bored and started playing with her phone. It wasn't until a figure appeared on the screen that she looked up, wondering:

Didn't they say we can't bring our phones this time?

It was that young woman from the makeup team with the long braid from last time. She was holding two pieces of clothing and looking down. When she saw the person look up, she quickly handed over the clothes.

"This is the dress I mended. They just threw it away because it was torn. I even added a pattern—yellow daisies. Don't worry, I washed it very clean. And the material is actually quite good, although not as good as the main actors' clothes, it's still very nice. Thanks to your band-aids last time, I haven't had a chance to thank you. This is a combination I've been thinking about for a long time, and I think it looks pretty good..."

Perhaps because of nervousness, she rambled on and on, leaving Gu Mengzhu confused and struggling to find the key points. After a while, Xu Zhilu stopped talking and stared at her feet. Following her gaze, Gu Mengzhu saw the shoes she had changed into because they were too cold.

Xu Zhilu smiled and exclaimed happily:

Ah, you have a pair of white sneakers, how perfect!

"This, is this okay for you? Please accept it."

In an instant, she felt an overwhelming sense of kindness, like a freshly dried cotton ball, fluffy and soft, filling her heart, making her want to scream inside:

Oh, this girl is so cute!

Gu Mengzhu took the clothes and hugged them tightly to her chest. The delicate scent of jasmine slowly wafted into her nose, reminding her of the smell of sunshine. The two sat down side by side and chatted during their free time.

"I remember you were in charge of makeup, right?"

"Actually, I'm just a junior assistant. You could say I do odd jobs. Besides, everyone on the crew does everything, and sometimes I even have to move props."

"Oh, it seems that it's not easy either."

She seemed to be in a much better mood. Xu Zhilu secretly observed her expression while tentatively speaking:

"Um, you can't sit on the chairs here. Anyway, it's best not to sit, because you never know which bomb will explode. Some people are easy to talk to, but some are devils. If you lose the bet, the consequences will be dire."

"I see. Actually, I can count the number of movies I've acted in on one hand. Back when I was on set, I never even saw a chair. I'd get up so early and not be fully awake, I'd just find a place to sit."

"No wonder."

A cool breeze blew by, and Gu Mengzhu instinctively hugged her clothes tighter. Xu Zhilu smiled, looking at the clothes in her hands like a loving mother:

"It's still too cold now. You'll look really good wearing it in the summer."

She touched her clothes, somewhat hesitant:

"Wouldn't it be too eye-catching if I wore it?"

Xu Zhilu blinked rapidly twice, tilted her head to one side, and thought for a while:

"Actually, as a background character, you might not even get any shots, and the lead actor's costume is far superior to this. You don't necessarily have to wear it during filming. Find a sunny day, go to the grass, wear a hat, pick a flower, and smell it under a tree as the wind blows. Blue sky, green grass, pink flowers, white clouds, and you—it would definitely be beautiful."

"Haha, you talk like a poet."

She buried her face in her arms for a while before finally deciding to confide her wishes to someone she had only recently met:

"Actually, I wanted to be an actor, but unfortunately there was no way to do so, and I ended up working odd jobs on a film set out of nowhere. Later, I found that being a stylist seemed like a lot of fun, so I worked and studied at the same time. But my appearance isn't that great, and I feel like I'll never have the chance to show my face on camera in my entire life."

Her voice sounded melancholic, as if she had already accepted her predetermined fate, but a hidden resentment lingered in her eyes. Gu Mengzhu patted her shoulder:

"If you can't be an actor, then be a screenwriter. After all, one is acting in reality, and the other is acting in your mind. Life is a stage, but there's a limitation: you can only act out your own script. I just think you have a lot of vivid imagery in your speech, so you should be quite suitable to be a screenwriter. But this is just a suggestion, so take it with a grain of salt. As for what you want to do, of course, it depends on what makes you happy."

She nodded without replying, then turned her head to look at the pillar in the corner, her gaze unfocused, as if she were deep in thought.

Not long after, someone came and called her:

"Hey, what are you standing there for? Go touch up the makeup for the extras. What brings you here?"

"They're here!"

Xu Zhilu jumped up, dusted herself off, and waved goodbye. Gu Mengzhu nodded in understanding and waved back. Then, she heard the group leader shouting and rushed over. Halfway there, she forgot she hadn't changed her shoes and hurriedly ran back. She put her clothes in a clean bag and covered them with her handbag on the ground.

The actual filming hadn't started yet. The director was using a walkie-talkie to check the footage and make adjustments, while the assistant director held up a megaphone to have the female extras practice their blocking for a while. Gu Mengzhu, fidgeting with her braids, stayed obediently in her position. A few meters away stood two actresses in makeup; they looked familiar, but she couldn't remember their names. The lead actress had short hair, and the second actress wore a headband; both were tall and beautiful, standing out in the sea of ​​women.

Bored while waiting, she looked around and spotted a young makeup artist touching up someone's makeup in the distance. The brushes were moving so smoothly, it looked like she was painting, and she even glanced at them a few more times out of curiosity.

A shout of "Action!" pulled her back to reality. She quickly joined the others in surrounding the female lead and the second female lead, listening attentively to their speeches and nodding in agreement from time to time. Seeing a girl scribbling on a notebook, she couldn't resist leaning over to take a look. Their eyes suddenly met, and then they both lowered their heads, trying hard to suppress their laughter.

Gunshots rang out, and the hurried footsteps of enemy troops approached. The female students who had been gathered immediately scattered with a cry of "Whoosh!" and took advantage of the chaos to hide among the crowd. They were not afraid of the enemy's swords and spears, nor were they afraid of the cold prison, but they wanted to preserve their strength, not be captured, and keep the seeds of revolution alive so that the raging fire could burn away all the decay and suffering on this land.

Gu Mengzhu filmed similar scenes several times, and the filming went relatively smoothly. After a few takes, only the scenes between the male and female leads remained, with a few foreground and close-up shots in the background. Qi Yaoguang mingled among these people, having changed his clothes and slicked back his hair. A pair of round-framed glasses made him look like a rigid bookworm. They sauntered into the classroom that had been set up beforehand, seemingly to discuss something.

Gu Mengzhu had been waiting by the pillar. But as darkness fell, the only light coming from the lamps illuminating the area. The recent heavy rains had caused many people to slip and fall on the streets, and the casting director, fearing an accident in the dark and difficulty explaining to superiors, simply ordered the remaining extras to gather, collect their pay, and prepare to leave. She figured his scene wouldn't end so quickly, so after collecting her wages from the casting director, she didn't wait any longer. She took a quick look from her tiptoes, grabbed her bag, and went home.

It was very late when Qi Yaoguang finished work. The sky was as dark as ink, and a light drizzle even began to fall on his way back. His nose was red from the cold wind, and his toes, hidden in his shoes, were gradually losing sensation, making each step feel like walking barefoot on ice. He tried to keep his hands warm in the pockets of his down jacket, but to no avail; they had begun to stiffen and swell.

It's so cold.

His breath transformed into a thick white mist in the long night, and his heartbeat quickened slightly due to the low temperature. He looked up at the sky and found that there was no moon tonight; the sky was terrifyingly dark and terrifyingly lonely.

He was starting to miss her.

So, braving the biting wind, he simply started running, heading towards the brightest light in the distance, unable to wait a moment longer. Back at the door of his rented room, he wiped the sweat from his brow. His keys were safely in his pocket, but he lied to himself, saying he hadn't brought them, and insisted on knocking on the empty wooden door. He insisted on knocking, insisted on waiting for her to open the door, insisted on making her rush over, and then loudly proclaim to her:

"I'm back!"

Gu Mengzhu paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded:

"Yes, welcome back."

His heart warmed, pounding even more sharply in the warmth of the room. A gurgling sound drifted from the kitchen doorway, as the smiles before him seemed to intensify. He followed the gradually spreading aroma, entering with delight and anticipation.