Chapter 38
Xiao Ziyu turned the camera and Zhou Qilin's face appeared in the camera.
Xiao Ziyu: "It's the teacher who acted with me in the play."
Zhou Qilin raised his eyebrows, as if he didn't expect to see Yuan Heng, and asked with a little surprise: "Mr. Yuan?"
Yuan Heng's voice was emotionless, coming through the phone line in a lukewarm tone: "It turns out to be Teacher Zhou."
This time it was Xiao Ziyu's turn to be surprised: "You know each other?"
"A few years ago, Mr. Yuan and I were both nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards," said Zhou Qilin.
Xiao Ziyu had never heard of this award. He nodded, not quite understanding: "Oh..."
"It seems that Ziyu has no time to drink coffee today," Zhou Qilin waved his hand with a smile, "Let's make an appointment another day."
Xiao Ziyu walked slowly towards the elevator holding his phone. Yuan Heng suddenly asked, "What kind of coffee?"
"The coffee at the bar downstairs seems pretty good," Xiao Ziyu said, "Teacher Zhou invited me to go have some."
"Be careful or you won't be able to sleep at night." Yuan Heng sneered.
The elevator door slowly closed, the network was disconnected, and Xiao Ziyu's face was frozen, his mouth slightly open, with a silly expression on his face.
Yuan Heng tried hard to find some difference in that face, but suddenly remembered that the person had only been gone for a day, so what changes could there be?
He also looked at today's hot searches. The scene of Xiao Ziyu holding incense and praying was made into a refined picture. The rising sun, smoke and clouds, and his eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, making people suddenly realize what year it was.
Some people in the comments asked if Xiao Ziyu was deliberately putting on a show, but only Yuan Heng knew that was not the case. During the years when he forced the emperor to abdicate, he placed the old emperor under house arrest, but claimed to the outside world that his father was in poor health and openly interfered in state affairs.
In order to silence the gossips, around the Dragon Boat Festival, the prince would take the king to the temple to pray for several days.
Yuan Heng had no respect for gods and Buddhas. He found it very painful to face all the bald heads in the temple. The vegetarian dishes were even more bland to him, and he had nothing to do every day. However, Xiao Ziyu was always able to be patient and never missed any of the worship and sutra recitation. After the morning lessons with the monks, he would go to the Buddha's front and copy sutras for him. So much so that the prince's letters preserved in the temple later were all written by Wang Jun.
Yuan Heng was still a young man in his early twenties at the time. When he saw that handsome and successful man, he just wanted to blaspheme him. He said all kinds of good and bad things to coax Xiao Ziyu into making trouble with him in front of the Buddha, just to see him collapse and cover his face, unable to resist.
Even more outrageous was that while Xiao Ziyu was copying scriptures, he was messing around behind him, and he even called it a collaboration between the two of them, saying that the Buddha would not blame him. Often Xiao Ziyu could not continue copying halfway through, and he would have to count how much scripture paper was wet.
Yuan Heng has always been able to separate public and private affairs, but this is the first time he feels the urge to be anxious in the office. Xiao Ziyu's face on the screen moved, and the elevator arrived.
Xiao Ziyu's voice came over after realizing it: "Why did you call me?"
Yuan Heng stroked the side of his neck, as if he was savoring something, and then asked, "Why didn't you reply to my message?"
Xiao Ziyu opened the chat box and saw that Yuan Heng had sent him a message around noon. The message did not include a "thank you" but a "let me know when you get there."
He said apologetically: "I didn't make it in time because I was filming today."
Xiao Ziyu took off his coat and hung it on the hanger: "Anything else? I'm going to take a shower."
Yuan Heng paused for a moment and began to make up a story: "Yes, it's very important. I'll tell you after you change your clothes."
Xiao Ziyu was a little skeptical: "Really?"
He placed his phone on the table. Yuan Heng faced the ceiling light and felt the white light was blinding: "Adjust the angle."
How to adjust this? If it is placed flat, it will always be illuminated by the ceiling light. Xiao Ziyu held the phone upright, with the camera facing behind him, and walked behind the screen to change his clothes.
But what he didn't expect was that half a mirror appeared in Yuan Heng's field of vision.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Ziyu's blurry figure appeared in the mirror.
He took off his pullover shirt first, then his trousers. Before anyone could see clearly, his black hair fell down, covering his shoulders and back tightly.
Yuan Heng watched the glowing white figure in the mirror walking further and further away, and finally bent down and stopped in front of the suitcase. After thinking for a moment, he took out the pure cotton T-shirt, which was just enough to cover his legs as a nightgown.
There was a sudden knock on the door outside the office. It was the business department coming up to deliver the approval documents. Yuan Heng's face darkened and he hung up the phone almost subconsciously.
"They have proposed a new plan for the project that you rejected at the previous meeting," the assistant reported in a serious tone, "waiting for your approval and signature."
"Put it on the table." Yuan Heng leaned back in his chair, gritted his teeth and thought to himself that it was really a tit-for-tat thing. You scolded someone in public at a meeting, and you never know when that person will jump out and ruin your plans.
Xiao Ziyu, who was left alone on the other side, came back after changing his clothes and found that Yuan Heng had hung up the phone. He stood there in a daze and muttered, "Didn't you say it was important?"
As the weather gets hotter, the intensity of shooting gradually increases.
Xiao Ziyu noticed the gap between regular actors and stand-ins. Being a stunt double is a great test of physical strength. He can barely run through three scenes a day while maintaining his condition. However, what a formal actor consumes is his emotions. Sometimes after shooting for several days in a row, he is stuck in a certain state and needs to empty his mind before continuing with the subsequent shooting.
Yuan Heng seemed to be very aware of this situation. He called him less frequently and would occasionally ask about the progress of the filming on WeChat. If Xiao Ziyu did not respond in time, he would threaten to deduct his wages.
In his previous life, Xiao Ziyu had only been on stage and had never acted in a play. He also did not have sufficient theoretical foundation, so he started from the basics. When he played Fang Jing, he first turned himself into Fang Jingshi.
Fang Jingshi loved playing with the fan. He never let it go, swinging, flicking and playing with the fan in various ways. Fang Jingshi's most common attire in the play is a blue shirt with a dark green cloak with gold decoration. After the play, he also wanders around the set in plain clothes, looking extremely romantic as he strokes his sleeves and lifts his robe.
One time, Xiao Ziyu was thinking about the script under a tree and missed dinner time. Zhou Qilin came to call him to eat. He was stunned. He knocked his fan bones on his palms and turned around: "Brother Zhou Qi, do you want to go hunting for food? But the things in Yanyun Pavilion can't serve you well."
The red-gold glow cast a touch of beauty on the corners of his eyes, and even his plain shirt became warm, burning with the charm and playfulness of Fang Jingshi.
Zhou Qilin was stunned for a moment. He was so comfortable in so many scripts, but he actually stuttered: "No... I mean, dinner is ready."
Xiao Ziyu also realized that he had lost his composure and tried to cover it up with a joke: "I was reading the script."
But they had memorized the script so well that they knew there was no such line in it. This was Xiao Ziyu's improvisation, just like the exquisite details he designed when filming. Zhou Qilin felt like he had turned into the dull and rigorous Wei Zhouqi. He pursed his firm lips and secretly heated up the area behind his ears.
In a flash, the filming was in the middle and they were about to shoot a famous scene in the movie.
After inspecting various prefectures and counties, Censor Li Wei returned to the capital and compiled a list of local officials who had accepted bribes. This list became Wei Zhouqi's target. With it, it was equivalent to holding the handle of important officials in the court. Most of those who were greedy for bribes were not loyal, so they could be used for their own purposes by coercion and inducement.
Li Wei was always strict about state affairs, and he kept the list close to him. However, he was lustful and fond of prostitutes, and his wife was very strict with him. Therefore, after returning to Beijing, he went to Yanyun Pavilion to have fun before entering his home.
Fang Jingshi had received the news in advance and had been waiting for the emperor for a long time.
Today is the day when the courtesan of Yanyun Pavilion will appear. Wanhe had already washed and dressed up. She wore a flower ornament, a forehead pendant, a light powder on her face, and had long and slender eyebrows. She looked fresh and lovely among the crowd of beautiful girls.
Wanhe was brought up by Fang Jingshi since she was a child. He taught her singing and dancing skills step by step. She has a soft and charming voice from the Jiangnan water village. Before she showed up, the audience cheered as soon as she sang behind a gauze curtain.
Chen Churan came from a girl group and had little experience in classical dance. She didn't want to use a body double and insisted on practicing with her dance teacher over and over again, but she still couldn't get the movements right.
Director Yang is straightforward and doesn’t talk much. When he’s silent, he looks like he’s in a gloomy mood. When he gets really serious, it’s hard to resist: “No, try again.”
Chen Churan froze in place in embarrassment, his face flushed, and he blinked twice, as if he was about to cry.
"Wanhe, you can do this..." Xiao Ziyu stepped onto the stage, stood beside Chen Churan, and called her name in the play.
Chen Churan relaxed a little and handed the fan in his hand to him. Xiao Ziyu was seen holding the handle of a fan as he moved lightly with lotus steps, then he raised his forearm and slowly revealed his half-covered face, like a swan drinking water or a young deer hiding in the woods. His every move was natural and graceful. He was obviously a man, but he danced a woman's dance softly and nimbly.
"We are just shooting this scene, there is no need to do too complicated movements." This sentence was said to the dance teacher. Seeing that the other party did not refute, Xiao Ziyu continued to say to Chen Churan: "Well, I will teach you a few moves, and it will be fine if you can do them smoothly."
Wanhe is dancing behind a curtain, covered by a veil, so the audience can only see her outline. Therefore, her movements must be open and close, with a slow and fast rhythm, so as to use rhythm to arouse the other person's emotions.
The classical dance teacher watched him demonstrate it and exclaimed: "These movements are indeed more appropriate. The style looks like the dance of the Five Kingdoms period. I wonder where Teacher Xiao learned it from?"
"I just made up the moves myself," Xiao Ziyu smiled, "The whole dance is not finished yet, and it has not been named yet."
Chen Churan said: "I learn slowly, can I record it with my phone?"
"Okay." Xiao Ziyu waited for her to take out her cell phone, then played the routine again without any changes.
After Chen Churan mastered the moves, the filming continued. Xiao Ziyu noticed that although Director Yang seemed strict, he did not rush the whole process. After waiting for a long time, he discussed the script with Du Ruochao in a low voice.
After Wanhe finished singing a scene, she lifted the curtain and walked to the front of the stage, bowing and thanking the officials and scholars seated below. There were shouts from the audience, and some began to throw turbans and silver coins onto the stage. This was the rule of Yanyun Pavilion; the one with the highest bid could have the courtesan sing a song with him or her.
Li Wei did not move, and Fang Jingshi was not in a hurry either. They waited until the noisy sounds gradually died down before Li Wei took out a stack of things from his arms, handed them to the servant beside him, and presented them.
That was a stack of gold bills.
Gold notes were loan currency issued by the imperial court. With the notes, one could exchange them for gold ingots and silver coins at a bank, and their value would only increase but never decrease. However, there are very few of these bills in circulation. The fact that one could come up with such a large number of them indicates that one's family members or relatives are officials in the court, and their status and position should not be underestimated.
Sure enough, after Li Wei made his move, all the rich kids around him fell silent and watched Fang Jingshi holding Wanhe's hand and leading her to Li Wei's side.
Wan He bowed first, poured a full glass of wine for Li Wei, and said softly, "Wan He toasts to Lord Li."
Li Wei drank the wine, held the beauty in his arms, and looked more relaxed and comfortable.
Soon after, another beautiful girl came on stage to play, and cheers rang out again. When everyone was drunk, Wanhe quietly made a gesture towards this side, and succeeded.
Fang Jingshi called the waiter who was patrolling the place: "How is the Li family doing?"
The waiter was wearing a nightgown underneath his coarse cloth. "I have already delivered the letter to the Madam's room. When I came back, the Madam was yelling for the carriage to be prepared!"
Xiao Ziyu nodded, unfolded his fan, and began to sing while lying on the rocking chair: "Once we parted, we were separated by a long distance. We said it was only three or four months, but who knew it would be five or six years..."
It is Zhuo Wenjun's "Complaint Against My Husband".
Director Yang held his chin with his brows slightly furrowed. This part was not in the script. The co-actor was also a little at a loss. He stood there for a while. Seeing that Director Yang did not interrupt, he rushed into Yanyun Pavilion according to the original plot.
Fang Jingshi chanted: "It's the dog days of June, everyone is fanning themselves but I feel cold to the core."
The eldest lady of the Li family rushed in with her servants. "Li Wei, you damned coward! You come to this place of prostitution to look for vixens!"
Li Wei was squinting his eyes and sipping his tea when he was suddenly hit on the head by an embroidered shoe. Wanhe in his arms fell to the ground with a cry.
But he didn't care anymore, and got up in a hurry: "Why is the Madam here!?"
There was chaos in Yanyun Pavilion, and the patrolling waiter disappeared. Seeing that no one tried to stop her, Madam Li chased Li Wei and started smashing things in the venue.
In the chaos, Wanhe ran up to the second floor, and when she found Fang Jing, there was no sign of fatigue or drunkenness on his face. She pulled out a piece of official document from her bosom and said, "Master, I succeeded."
"Li Wei has been captured by the Madam, so he should not have time to care about where the list goes tonight."
"That's right," Fang Jingshi said with satisfaction, retracting his hand and reciting the last few lines of the poem "Complaint to My Husband," "My dear, I wish that in the next life, you will be a woman and I will be a man."
"Pass!" Director Yang shouted, which was rare. "Xiao Ziyu's on-the-spot performance was good."
"It went so smoothly!" Chen Churan also came out of his previous depressed state, "It was so enjoyable!"
The actress who played Li Wei's wife laughed and said, "I didn't feel it when I read the script, but when Ziyu recited the poem "Complaint Against My Husband" in the play, I immediately felt resentful."
"I was hit pretty hard by your embroidered shoes," the actor who played Li Wei also laughed.
Director Yang said: "If Xiao Ziyu can reshoot a writing scene, the scene will be considered passed."
Before Yanyun Pavilion selects the most beautiful courtesan, Fang Jingshi would personally write a poem and hang it on the lintel. This time he was asked to write Li Bai's "Drinking".
This kind of shot usually requires the actors to perform actions, and in later stage a special teacher will be hired to write and splice the scenes, using their hands to complete them.
Xiao Ziyu lowered his neck slightly, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, and his whole state changed: "I can try to write it."
"Zi Yu also knows calligraphy?" Zhou Qilin asked with a smile.
Xiao Ziyu was concentrating on the pen in his hand and did not respond. With his wrist suspended lightly and the tip of the pen moving, he recited "Drinking" directly.
"Grape wine, golden cup, and a fifteen-year-old lady from Wu carrying it on a fine horse."
He is a calm person, but his handwriting is free and easy cursive, and his font is unique and not influenced by any other teacher.
"Wow, Teacher Xiao's hand holding the brush looks so beautiful!" Chen Churan exclaimed in a low voice.
Perhaps influenced by her, Du Ruochao, who had been silent, also said, "Teacher Xiao Xiao, can I ask you a question, who taught you this calligraphy?"
From the tone, there was a hint of respect.
My dears, take a rest tomorrow, see you on Tuesday
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
