Chapter 75
In early September, the weather in Yunjing began to turn cooler, and Xiao Ziyu officially joined the crew to film.
The filming location is in a nearby village or town. The environment is not very good, but the sky is high and the air is remote, making it very comfortable to live in.
Many fans came to the opening party, carrying cameras, gifts and handwritten letters. When they saw Xiao Ziyu coming out, they immediately screamed and rushed over.
Luo Li's not-so-thin body was immediately pushed away. He swam back like a swimmer and shouted to maintain order: "Brother Xiao, come this way!"
Going to work was like going to war for the two of them. After finally getting into the nanny car, the air suddenly became quiet. Xiao Ziyu received a thick stack of letters and felt the power of traffic for the first time.
"Brother Xiao, you are really famous," Luo Li panted, "Look at those girls, they are so fierce and aggressive, I don't know how long they have been squatting on the set."
Xiao Ziyu was a little uncomfortable: "There are so many cameras."
"Those are your fans," Luo Li explained. "Don't worry, the big fans have been connected with the company. They know what they are doing and won't take photos randomly."
After the filming of "Qing Yu'an" was completed, Xiao Ziyu had not touched the script for a while. This time his role was a supporting role and the title of the film was "Mute".
The protagonist of the story is a landscape photographer who, while collecting materials in the mountainous area, accidentally discovered that a considerable number of women in the village were not locals, but were trafficked from other places.
Some of them are mentally ill and are locked up at home, some have long been numb and are forced to take root in this sinful soil, and some have escaped again and again, had their limbs broken, and rely on leftovers to survive every day.
While collecting evidence, the photographer secretly contacted these women and was shocked to find that the widespread trafficking was inseparable from the collusion of local government departments. So they had no way to call the police or seek help. Even though they had a good family background and decent diploma, they could not escape from this small village with less than a few hundred people.
The mother of the little mute played by Xiao Ziyu is such a woman who was abducted into the mountains decades ago.
She was less than sixteen years old when she was abducted. Over the years, she gave birth to six children. Later, due to mental trauma, her vocal cords became hoarse and she could not utter a single word.
The little mute is the youngest child. Maybe it was influenced by his mother, but he has never spoken since he was a child. The human trafficker father was unwilling to spend money to raise a disabled child, so it was all up to his mother to save on food rations and raise him little by little.
The little mute was often bullied in the village. Even children younger than him would imitate adults and throw stones at him, spit at him, and say that his mother was a psychopath.
When the photographer first saw the little mute, he was pushed into a mud pit. The thin child was covered in dirt, with messy long hair and no one to help clean it up. He looked like a dirty little animal. Only his eyes were black and white, and they revealed not anger but confusion.
The photographer recorded this scene with his camera and later included it in his photo album: The first time I saw the little mute, I saw forgiveness in his eyes.
He took the little mute to the yard he had temporarily rented, helped him take a bath, and gave him something to eat, and then he found that the child seemed unable to speak.
The photographer wrote in his diary: He is not disabled, but refuses to communicate with the people in the mountains. I read Rabindranath Tagore's "Stray Birds" to him, and the next day he took me to his yard, the hotbed of evil.
Here he met the mentally ill mother of the little mute and understood the long-standing custom of human trafficking in the village. The photographer tried to return to the town to call the police, but was ridiculed by the local police station: How can you, a foreigner, interfere in the affairs of a couple in bed?
The photographer did not give up and went deep into the village to investigate on his own. He met the little mute almost every day, until one day, the men in the village discovered something.
They blocked the photographer's door with hoes, shovels and sticks.
The photographer tried desperately to protect his equipment, but was soon cornered. Just as the shovel was about to fall on his head, the little mute rushed out from nowhere...
Boom!
The shovel was stained with blood and the little mute fell straight to the ground. He had been cleaned up by the photographer these days, and now the blood was spreading from the back of his head, and he became the messy look he was when the two first met.
There was only a pair of eyes, clearly in black and white, looking at the photographer without blinking, still confused and dazed, clean and clear in the blood and mud. Finally he opened his mouth, but was unable to utter a single syllable until his eyes gradually froze.
According to the director, the reason for choosing Xiao Ziyu was because he had a pair of lively and expressive eyes, as if he could forgive everything. When actors speak on the screen, they always rely on their acting skills, not their lines.
After the opening ceremony, the intensive shooting process began immediately.
Yuan Heng is right. Although both are dramas, there are huge differences between movies and TV series. Through the film lens, the scenes and characters have an extra layer of texture, and even the slightest change in expression can be as obvious as an avalanche when magnified on the screen.
The filming in the first few days was not smooth. Xiao Ziyu knew the crux of the problem, but he didn't know how to solve it. After work, it was dark and everyone went back to rest. He walked slowly along the alley, thinking about what was wrong.
The outline of the nanny car appeared in his field of vision. Before he could get in, the cell phone in his pocket rang softly. It was Yuan Heng calling.
As soon as the call was connected, I saw Yuan Heng sitting in a brightly lit conference room. He must have just finished a meeting. He frowned and asked, "Xiao Nanzhu, did you fall into a mud pit?"
The little mute's makeup is always dirty. Since Xiao Ziyu played this role, his clothes have never been clean. His usually fair cheeks are now covered with a layer of dust, making him look a little pitiful under the dim street lights.
I failed several times today, and I'm really frustrated. But Xiao Ziyu was not good at expressing himself. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. He really became a little mute.
It is very common to encounter this situation during filming, and even many veteran artists are still troubled by the bottleneck period. Yuan Heng didn't offer much comfort. The two chatted briefly and then hung up the phone.
Xiao Ziyu returned to the RV, washed and removed his makeup, climbed onto the simple bed, and continued to think about the script.
The crew hasn't finished work yet, as there are night scenes to be filmed in the evening. At around nine o'clock, there was a commotion outside. Luo Li went out to take a look and said, "It seems someone is offering milk tea. Brother Xiao, do you want some?"
Xiao Ziyu was listless and had no appetite for milk tea: "No need to get it for me."
Hearing this, Luo Li went out to look for food. After a while, the car body shook, the door was opened, and a huge black shadow rushed in.
From the moment the call was connected, Yuan Heng felt uneasy. Although he knew it was normal and that all actors would have low periods of varying lengths, Xiao Ziyu's lost expression still made his heart ache.
There were still two meetings to be held. As soon as they were over, he asked Qi Huai to order milk tea and send it to the crew. He drove there himself, but there was no sign of Xiao Ziyu among the people who were getting milk tea.
He turned around and got into the nanny car, and sure enough, he saw the person huddled in a corner, with his long hair drooping and tangled at the ends, and he had no mood to take care of it.
Yuan Heng locked the door of the nanny car with one hand, walked towards the still surprised man, and sat on the palm-sized bed without any hesitation, squeezing the bed frame so hard that it creaked. He reached out and held Xiao Ziyu in his arms, put a straw on the milk tea and handed it to him, without mentioning the script: "The only cup of taro mashed mochi with popping beads."
The milk tea was a big cup, heavy like a bowl of porridge. Xiao Ziyu hadn't eaten dinner, but was finally attracted by the aroma. He bit the straw and took a few sips.
"Which scene are we filming today?" Yuan Heng asked.
"The part where the little mute takes the photographer to look for clues," Xiao Ziyu said in a muffled voice while biting the straw.
A TV series can go through more than ten pages of script in a day, while a movie may only have a few shots. The pressure of repeated polishing is even greater. Xiao Ziyu will not give up easily, but he is still somewhat frustrated and sighed heavily.
"In movies, you should avoid overly dramatic performances," Yuan Heng held him in his arms and said slowly, "Especially when your character doesn't have any lines, your demeanor and emotions are particularly important.
Making a movie is not like being on stage. You don’t need to interact with the audience. You have to immerse yourself in the story first and then bring the audience in. ”
Xiao Ziyu understood the reason: "I put myself in the shoes of the little mute."
“We need to not only put ourselves in the shoes of the characters, but also the environment at that time,” Yuan Heng said. “Think about why the little mute boy doesn’t speak when he is not disabled. He is different from everyone else in the village and he knows that his mother is suffering... With this logic, it won’t be strange for him to bring the photographer home later.”
The two of them hugged each other and finished working on a page of the script. They drank most of the milk tea, and Xiao Ziyu felt full and burped in an ungraceful manner.
He was a little embarrassed and complained: "Every time I'm with you, my image is gone."
Yuan Heng took the milk tea and took a few sips. He still didn't like this sweet thing. "It's okay. Others can't see it."
"Are you going to drive back later?" Xiao Ziyu yawned, obviously feeling a little sleepy.
"Are you expecting me to leave?" Yuan Heng was so angry that he wanted to pinch his nose. I drove two hours here, and just threw it away after using it, and I felt justified in doing so.
Although I was unwilling in my heart, I didn't say it harshly: "It's already twelve o'clock. Driving back is considered fatigue driving."
Xiao Ziyu really couldn't bear it, so he climbed onto the bed and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Mr. Yuan to squeeze in here."
The bed in the nanny car was less than 1.2 meters long and definitely couldn't fit two grown men. Yuan Heng lifted the quilt and lay in it, then pulled the man down and made him lie on top of him.
This posture was comfortable but not very elegant. The two of them were pressed tightly together, their skin rubbing against each other through the thin cloth, and their breath gradually became hot as they entangled with each other.
After turning off the lights, neither of them said a word, but their hearts were pounding together and neither of them could fall asleep.
After a while, Yuan Heng took the first step and put his big hand on Xiao Ziyu's waist, burning him so much that he shivered.
Xiao Ziyu was also impatient. He held his hands on his waist and barely retained some rationality: "Don't dirty my car."
The nanny car was quite precious. Yuan Heng carried the person, got out of bed, and reached out to open the car door.
Xiao Ziyu put his arms around his neck, his eyes widened instantly, and he whispered hurriedly: "Yuan Heng!"
It was completely quiet outside, and only a few makeshift rest sheds were silent. Xiao Ziyu held his breath and let Yuan Heng hold him and jump out of the nanny car lightly and walk towards the Range Rover not far away.
"My car is not afraid of getting dirty." Yuan Heng whispered in his ear.
He was determined to get his hands on it. Xiao Ziyu tilted his head and a shiver ran down the side of his neck.
Seeing that appealing to his emotions was useless, Xiao Ziyu brought out three rules: "We... agreed on this in our last life."
In his previous life, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince forced the Prince to come in a sedan chair once, but the big movement caused the legs of the sedan chair to collapse. That incident left a huge psychological trauma on Wang Jun, so much so that he lost his appetite for three days and suffered from sexual frigidity for seven days. In short, he was no longer able to survive.
Yuan Heng was also shocked at that time. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who always kept his word, agreed to three rules: no outdoor activities, no sitting in a sedan chair, and no riding on horseback.
Hundreds of years have passed. Yuan Heng put the man in the back seat of the Range Rover and pretended to have lost his memory, saying, "The wheels will never fall off."
The next morning, Xiao Ziyu woke up in the nanny car. He heard the sound of people returning to work outside. Feeling a little guilty, he pushed the chest in front of him.
Yuan Heng didn't move at all, and put his arm around his waist: "You don't have any scenes in the morning, so sleep a little longer."
Xiao Ziyu struggled to get up, determined not to let the beauty disturb his heart: "I'm going to go talk to the assistant director about the play."
Yuan Heng sat up and hugged him from behind: "Wasn't I clear enough last night?"
I don't know if it's clear or not, but it's true that they went to bed. Xiao Ziyu let himself rely on that embrace for a minute, and he didn't know who he was angry with: "Don't come to me, you're disturbing my state."
"Then let's celebrate after the filming is finished," Yuan Heng sucked his earlobe.
It is said that a country of gentleness can make people feel trapped. Xiao Ziyu sighed.
It is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. When they were filming "Maple Grove Evening", the two of them saw each other every day and didn't think there was anything wrong. Ever since I expressed my feelings and tasted the taboo, I want to stick with you every second. I don't want to hang up when we start a video call, and we can be inseparable as soon as our eyes meet.
After finally seeing Yuan Heng off, Xiao Ziyu immersed himself in the script. He no longer pondered how to portray every action and every expression, but instead tried to figure out the little mute's life experience and how a person who grew up in such an environment would react when faced with different situations.
This is his first time filming a modern drama, which is different from the usual costume routines, but it is obvious that the number of NGs is getting less and less.
Halfway through filming, "Qing Yu'an" aired its finale and became the most watched show in the same time period nationwide within half a month. Discussions surrounding Fang Jingshi remained heated and he was even nominated for several awards.
Xiao Ziyu withdrew from most interviews and programs due to lack of energy. Luo Li called it a pity but also expressed his understanding. After all, Xiao Ziyu is an actor and his works always speak for themselves.
"'Qing Yu An' has been nominated for the Xingyue Award," Luo Li said, "The company has nominated you for the Best Actor award. I think there is a high chance that you will be nominated."
Colleagues from the crew expressed their congratulations and they had a barbecue that night to celebrate together.
It was already past ten o'clock when they came out of the hotel. Xiao Ziyu made a video call to Yuan Heng, and the call was connected very quickly. Yuan Heng was dressed very formally, except for the blue-dyed square scarf on his chest that softened the sharp curve. The surrounding environment made it look like a dinner party.
"Aren't you finished yet?" Xiao Ziyu was stunned for a moment, "Then I'll..."
"It's almost over." Yuan Heng said in a soft voice. He looked up at the directors sitting around the table, his gaze light and without any emotion.
He was not impatient at all and slowly chatted with Xiao Ziyu: "How was the shoot today?"
“I saw the nominations, it’s amazing.”
"What did we have for the celebratory meal? Was it just the crew?"
"Good night, I'll be home soon."
After hanging up the phone, someone at the dinner table immediately said, "Mr. Yuan is in a really good mood. He is in a good mood to answer the phone in such a serious occasion."
Yuan Heng maintained his usual elegant demeanor, but the curve of his mouth was full of hypocrisy: "Sorry, everyone, where were we just now?"
"The company cannot do without Old Wu," an older director stood up, "Yuan Tai was built by Old Wu and President Yuan together, and you, you don't even have any shares..."
Yuan Heng's eyes turned cold. "The evidence of Wu Xianyong's violation of discipline has been sent to your mailboxes. A public trial will be held soon. If you feel wronged, you can go to court to confront him."
During the day today, the hospital once again declared Yuan Qian'an in critical condition. Wu Xianyong was imprisoned after being accused by Wen Ci, Wenhua Entertainment was shut down pending investigation, and even Huang Wei, who was kicked out of the company with nothing, was summoned again.
Yuantai is facing a major reshuffle, and the directors are getting restless. Some want to take advantage of the chaos to profit, and some want to consolidate their foundation. No one knows what Yuan Qia'an's will is, but one thing is certain: this old fox will not hand over the Yuan family's business to others.
It would be fine if the beneficiary is Yuan Ye, as he is a second-generation rich man with no ability. What if a large portion of the money falls into Yuan Heng's hands? This will be their last chance to negotiate before the will is announced.
I didn't expect Yuan Heng to be so tough. After Wu Xianyong was investigated, he took all the projects into his own hands. If no one helps, it will most likely end up like a snake swallowing an elephant.
Some directors also noticed that he was using tough tactics, so they stopped mentioning Wu Xianyong and began to show their loyalty in a roundabout way. However, Yuan Heng looked down on them and his words were like waste paper.
The banquet ended unpleasantly, and almost all the dishes on the table were left untouched. Yuan Heng drank the wine in the glass and let out a hot sigh. He returned to Yuantai in order to find Xiao Ziyu, and now he will firmly hold on to this position. As long as he is still here, no capital calculations will fall on Xiao Ziyu.
As the filming of "Mute" entered its later stages, Xiao Ziyu became thinner and thinner, but his condition was getting better and better. His already thin cheeks became slightly sunken, and many of his pants waists no longer fit him. In the play, the little mute could only wear his brothers' clothes, wearing baggy T-shirts and a gray makeup, making him look like a bean sprout.
Even the photographer couldn't bear it: "We need to make up for it after shooting this scene."
He doesn't have many scenes, but every shot of him is a classic. In the limited shots, the character of the little mute becomes more and more full-bodied and is presented to the audience from the photographer's perspective.
He changed from a child with strange behavior who was always bullied to a resolute and tenacious warrior who was untainted by the mud. His pair of black and white eyes seemed to be able to speak, conveying emotions of either confusion or relief.
When filming the final scene of Little Mute, the photographer was blocked by villagers at home, holding the camera that had collected evidence, ready to fight to the death. The little mute, who never had a sense of existence and was ignored by his father and brothers, rushed in like an angry little beast, pushing through the crowd.
“What are you doing!”
"The son of the old Tian family has gone crazy!"
"Stop him now!"
Countless hands reached out from behind him, but Xiao Ziyu did not dodge and ran forward with all his strength. There was a little dolphin bouncing up and down on his hairband, which was tied for him by the photographer himself.
The photographer did not feel impatient because he did not speak, but instead chattered to him about many things outside the mountain, and picked out this hairband at a market.
"Dolphins communicate with their companions through ultrasound," the photographer said. "Humans can't hear their voices, but that doesn't mean they can't speak."
"You are not a little mute, but a little dolphin. You just happened to be stranded here."
"Will you come with me?"
The courtyard door was pushed open suddenly, and the little mute saw the falling shovel in his eyes.
The camera zoomed in infinitely until it captured Xiao Ziyu's clear and deep pupils, which seemed to be filled with surging waves, telling a muffled secret language that no one could hear.
The next second, he rushed forward and stood in front of the photographer.
As the shovel fell, Xiao Ziyu's body fell heavily to one side, his dolphin hairband broke, his long hair scattered all over the ground, and he became a mess again.
He opened his mouth and looked in the direction of the photographer. The blood bag on his body burst. He bit the plasma in his mouth and his eyes gradually became unfocused.
He was still confused and dazed, a tear seeped out of his clear eyes, but he still couldn't make a sound. Even the death of the little mute was silent.
The telephoto lens moved alternately across the faces of the photographer and the little mute, one in astonishment, the other in confusion, and finally zoomed out to a distant village, showing that sin is silent and the mute truth is stuck in the throat.
"Pass!" the director shouted and stood up, unable to help but leading the applause. Xiao Ziyu's progress in this period is obvious to all, and he has portrayed the role of the little mute to perfection.
"Come here, Brother Xiao." Luo Li stepped forward to help him up. He was surprised to find that his wrist had become thinner. He whispered, "Brother Xiao, you can't keep losing weight like this. Teacher Yuan will be worried later."
Xiao Ziyu wiped away the tears from his eyes, and for a moment he was still unable to get out of the role. The actor who played the photographer came up to him and hugged him: "Happy wrap."
He was surrounded by the crowd, the staff were all applauding, someone brought flowers prepared in advance, and took a group photo of him during the wrap-up ceremony amid cheers.
Xiao Ziyu looked around, but did not see the familiar figure he had imagined.
Yuan Heng said that he would take him to celebrate after the filming was completed. The two haven't seen each other for almost half a month since they last separated, and the occasional video calls only make them miss each other more.
Xiao Ziyu was about to take out his phone when he saw Luo Li answering the phone: "Hey, Mr. Yuan, the filming has been completed... I'll let Brother Xiao tell you."
Probably because they were afraid of disturbing his filming, so they called Luo Li's cell phone. Xiao Ziyu took the phone and put it to his ear, then asked directly: "Hello? What happened?"
Yuan Heng paused, seeming a little helpless: "Yes, so I can't get away now."
Xiao Ziyu asked: "What's wrong?"
Yuan Heng lowered his voice, and a chaotic background could be heard from his side: "Yuan Qi'an is dead."
"What!?" Xiao Ziyu's eyes widened immediately.
Without time to tidy up properly, Xiao Ziyu simply removed his makeup and called a taxi to the hospital.
The top floor of the sanatorium was in chaos. The bodies had been taken downstairs and placed there. Most of the directors had arrived, and the ward was filled with intermittent crying sounds.
When Xiao Ziyu arrived, he immediately spotted Yuan Heng, who stood tall among the crowd. There was no expression on his face. The lines of his facial features were too sharp. There was almost no buffer between the peak of his brow and the bridge of his nose. He looked gloomy when he didn't speak.
To outsiders, it seemed ruthless and indifferent, but Xiao Ziyu noticed that his tightly pursed lips concealed a tremor.
Without caring about the eyes of outsiders, he quickly stepped forward, stood on tiptoe and took the initiative to hug this seemingly indestructible man: "It's okay."
Whether you once hated him or resented him, it's all over.
Yuan Heng pressed his back tightly and spoke in a hoarse voice: "I'm sorry that I couldn't be with you in time to finish the filming."
"What are you going to do next?" Xiao Ziyu asked.
Yuan Heng hugged his waist and said four heavy words: "Publish the will."
Xue Jinling sat on the sofa in the outer room and cried. Yuan Ye was beside her, with a look of helplessness and confusion in his eyes.
He knew from a young age that he was inferior to his older brother. Yuan Heng took three levels of exams while in school, and all the awards he has won since childhood are so many that they cannot be stored in a cabinet. He started an internship at Yuantai during the summer vacation of high school and worked on projects with the manager. After graduating from university, he was able to start his own company with ease.
That day, Yuan Heng asked him how big the studio he wanted to build and how to assemble the plates, but he actually knew nothing about it. It seemed like it had always been like this, he never thought things through thoroughly and always needed his eldest brother to clean up the mess, and no matter what he did, he could never satisfy his parents.
When he was very young, Yuan Qi'an scolded him for being stupid and not thinking without thinking. Later, seeing that he was a hopeless case, he probably gave up on him and snorted disdainfully whenever he mentioned his youngest son.
Everyone was crying at this moment. Yuan Ye thought that he probably wanted to recall the time he spent with his father, but his mind was completely blank.
Yuan Qi'an always seemed to be that cold, harsh and ambitious man. In his impression, there was no warm picture of father and son relying on each other. Instead, every time he got into trouble, it was always his eldest brother who helped to clean up the mess.
Yuan Ye stood up helplessly and walked to Yuan Heng: "Brother..."
Yuan Heng glanced at his dry and white lips and said, "Go drink some water."
Yuan Ye turned around obediently and temporarily left this depressing and pale space.
The person is gone, but the living can still pull him along. Half an hour later, the lawyers arrived and three barristers notarized the documents at the same time. After comparing them and confirming that there was no doubt about them, the final will was announced.
For a moment, the crying stopped and there was a brief moment of silence in the ward. Xue Jinling raised her tearful eyes. The nurse continued sweeping but her back was stiff. A gurgling sound came from the water dispenser in the lounge. The directors had different expressions, and they couldn't hide their concern.
Many real estate properties under Yuan Qia'an's name were handed over to Xue Jinling for safekeeping, financial products and funds at home and abroad were assigned to his youngest son, and up to 60% of Yuantai Group's shares were automatically transferred to Yuan Heng after his death.
This old fox, who had been cunning all his life, finally handed over power to the child whom he once distrusted the most and who was most similar to him.
From now on, the matter was settled. Unless Yuan Heng died, no one could shake his position in Yuantai.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
