Chapter 26
There was an old television in the living room that they had never touched since they moved in. Bored, Gu Mengzhu squatted down and started fiddling with it. Luckily, the television wasn't broken; after pressing the power button a few times, the screen lit up. There was no remote on the coffee table, so she rummaged through drawers and cabinets, searching for it while listening to the television's sound, finally finding it in a drawer.
"I don't watch the news, I don't watch variety shows, I don't watch cartoons, and historical dramas... well, I don't like them..."
She absentmindedly pressed the remote control. The images on the TV changed rapidly, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until they finally closed.
"Open for business!"
As soon as he entered, Qi Yaoguang excitedly shouted. She was awakened by the shout, opened her eyes with difficulty, and asked in a hoarse voice, still groggy from just waking up:
"How much?"
"eighty."
She glanced at the bright white sky outside, checked the time on her phone, and after calculating for a while, slowly spoke:
"You stayed there for almost ten hours, and you only got eighty for the whole day?"
"I've heard from others that this is basically what life is like for extras. If you can join a union, the pay will be better, but even if there are jobs, you won't get a chance. Plus, there are too many people, so now you have to take cash roles just to make ends meet."
As he took off his coat and shook the snow off his clothes, he saw her yawning with glazed eyes and asked softly:
"Tired? Why aren't you asleep? You didn't wait up for me all night, did you?"
Gu Mengzhu stared at the melting snowflakes on the floor and gave a curt "humph" without any politeness:
"How could that be? I was just woken up by you."
"Yes, well, I'm so solly."
Qi Yaoguang blinked mischievously twice, but he couldn't hide the two dark circles on his face. Just looking at them made her feel sleepy again.
"You didn't get any rest all night?"
"I secretly squinted for a while when filming scenes with the lead actors."
"I'm actually looking forward to seeing you play the lead role one day."
"What, you want to see me at the height of my glory?"
He sat down next to her, his head heavy, leaning against the edge of the sofa. Gu Mengzhu made way for him, looking disgusted.
"You're overthinking it. I'm just hoping that when you're successful, you'll pay me back a little more interest."
"Don't worry, you'll get your share."
"Is it cold when filming night scenes?"
"It's not cold when it snows, it's when the snow melts. The snow fell sparsely for most of the night, and standing next to the flashlight, I wasn't cold at all."
"Go take a shower. If you catch a cold, you'll have to pay the hospital 200 after earning 80."
After speaking, she closed her eyes again, her mind becoming hazy, and her thoughts soon ceased. When Qi Yaoguang came out of the shower, he saw someone's deep sleepy face. This feeling was rather subtle, making him unconsciously squat down on the ground to ponder, looking at her from left to right.
Hmm, I didn't drool.
He chuckled twice, his hair still wet, but he looked somewhat disappointed.
It's a pity we can't wait until she wakes up and laugh at her.
She stirred a few times, startling him so much that he jumped up from the ground. She didn't open her eyes, but he remained frozen in shock until she turned over and went back to sleep, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Whew, that almost scared him to death.
Qi Yaoguang dared not carry her into the bedroom. This woman was a light sleeper; she would wake up at the slightest movement. Although she wouldn't get angry when she was awake, her low mood was frightening. He had been having a good time these past few days and hadn't been so idle as to deliberately provoke her. He dried his hair in the bathroom with the door closed, then spread another blanket on her before going back to the room and lying in the warm bed.
"Wow, it smells so good! Is it cooking?"
He slept long and woke up right at dinnertime. She was adding salt to the soup when she saw him and greeted him happily.
"Lotus root soup. Luckily I bought some starchy ones, they're really good!"
"Ah, there's soup to drink!"
Qi Yaoguang yawned to shake off his drowsiness and peeked into the soup pot.
"I added a lot of ginger, drink more of it to ward off the cold."
After hearing that, he immediately turned around and went to brush his teeth.
At the dinner table, Gu Mengzhu asked about things on set. She was somewhat regretful that she hadn't been able to get a chance to act despite being there for so long.
"There's not much to say. You just squat on the ground and wait for ages, without even a chair, and no phone to play with. You just look up at the sky to kill time. When filming starts, you just follow instructions and walk around behind the lead actor. It's hard to say if you'll even get a chance to show your face, and you don't get a single line. Plus, you can't leave until the lead actor finishes filming. You have to wait for the casting director to call you back together before you can go."
Is it bitter?
"How could that be?" He gnawed on a bone, biting the meat twice before tearing it into his mouth. "Just boredom."
Do you want to go back?
"You want to go back? Then I'll go with you."
"Forget it, it's too much trouble."
She lowered her head and slowly drank the soup in her bowl. He looked at that shiny black head, scratched his neck a couple of times, and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Around 5 a.m. the next day, Qi Yaoguang woke Gu Mengzhu up. She opened her eyes groggily, but was blinded by the bright light and forced to close them again.
What are you doing?
Seeing that it was still quite dark outside, she was holding back her anger even when she spoke.
"Any work to do? If not, you can sleep a little longer."
She hurriedly got up.
Didn't you sleep last night?
"I dozed off for a bit, but I'm not really sleepy."
The two packed their things and went out. He glanced at the small handbag at her waist and teased her. She yawned profusely and replied:
"There are umbrellas and water inside, in case it snows or rains."
"There's an umbrella and water, and they don't even have breakfast, do they?"
He smiled at her, and Gu Mengzhu squinted and glanced at him:
There are cookies, but I won't give them to you.
"Wow, that's stingy enough, I like it."
When they arrived at the meeting point, it was still dark, with only the streetlights casting their glow. A considerable number of people were already gathered there, their faces showing signs of sleep deprivation.
"Everyone who's shooting period costumes today, go change with the costume team. Hey, you there, remember to collect all their phones later, make sure to check them. Men over here, women over there."
"Did you hear me? What are you still looking at? Stop standing there like an idiot! Get to work!"
The leader's shout jolted everyone awake, and the horn blared relentlessly around the temples, giving everyone a headache. The morning air was bitterly cold; icy vapors clung to their faces, and the road, bathed in the silvery moonlight of the night, was chilling to the bone. Gu Mengzhu couldn't help but shiver a couple of times before finally joining the group.
Once inside the dressing room, she knew nothing. She just watched as several people huddled together, heads down, picking out clothes, with no one speaking up or in charge. She could only stare blankly, looking around. Outside, the weather was below freezing, but people had to take off their down jackets to put on the thin summer clothes. She was so cold that she shivered uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.
The costume was dirty and had a faint sour smell. She forced herself to put it on despite the goosebumps, and soon her arms started to itch. She rolled up her sleeves and saw that they were indeed red.
"Is this your first time here?"
Gu Mengzhu looked up and saw a tall woman with long black hair. Her voice sounded high-pitched, and she looked older than Gu Mengzhu. Her lips were chapped from the dry weather.
"Um."
"No wonder, I noticed you weren't wearing any protective gear. Just bear with it, you'll remember next time. And those shoes, they stink! Ugh, I don't dare wear them, I'd get athlete's foot if I didn't put a plastic bag over them all day. I happen to have some extra, I'll give you two."
She accepted it with tears of gratitude, thanking him repeatedly, and before long she forgot how cold the room was.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and put your clothes on. Oh dear, aren't you afraid of getting cold? This awful weather, catching a cold would be terrible. But it's good that it's winter now; summer is the real hardship! In the vertical bungalows, I've heard of people dying from the heat, but I've never heard of anyone freezing to death."
Seeing that she had come to her senses and put on her clothes, the older woman pointed to the next cubicle:
"Get dressed and head over there. We're filming period dramas, so we need to get our costumes done. Go on, go on. Oh, this girl, she doesn't know anything."
Gu Mengzhu felt embarrassed by what she was said and didn't dare to look up. After thanking her softly, she shuffled towards the cubicle, only to find another long line. She had no choice but to wait patiently. After a while, another staff member came with a basket, shouting for people to hand over their phones. Without her phone, the wait felt even longer.
A young girl with long braids walked over, staring straight at them with her big, dark eyes. Her innocent and shy demeanor suggested she was a recent graduate, her face brimming with naivety. Carrying a heavy makeup case, she opened a separate line for them and timidly called out, "Please come and line up."
Her voice was soft, and she wasn't very tall. She called out to others, but no one responded. Gu Mengzhu, preoccupied with watching, noticed the girl's face flushed red with panic. She snapped out of her daze and walked straight towards her. As soon as she left, the people around her immediately understood and quickly moved to stand in front of her. The girl gave her an apologetic look, and Gu Mengzhu returned the smile, indicating it was no big deal.
The period costume makeup and hair took a long time, and by the time it was her turn, she was already swaying and drowsy. The young girl carefully helped her with her hair; some stray hairs were too short to comb up on either side of her face, so she used a few black clips. Gu Mengzhu wasn't used to someone being so close, so she shrank back slightly before straightening her back, her eyes darting around, finally staring blankly at her knees.
Wait, what's that red dot over there? She clearly remembered that it was white when she first put it on.
A fresh drop of blood rolled twice on her clothes before seeping in as a small red plum blossom. She stared intently for a long time before realizing that the little girl was injured. Blood was dripping from her pinky finger, but the girl was completely unaware. She patiently waited for her hair to be finished, then got up to find her handbag in the corner. She had quite a few things in it, and after searching for a long time, she finally found a row of band-aids.
"Little sister, your finger is bleeding, are you alright?"
The girl paused, staring blankly at her bleeding finger. She blinked rapidly, pondered for a while, then hid her hand and slowly replied:
"It's alright."
She handed the item over, and the little girl glanced at her in a flustered manner before reaching out to take the band-aid.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. Keep the rest for later."
She thanked her shyly, and Gu Mengzhu smiled before turning to find the rest of the group. Qi Yaoguang was already waiting there. Seeing her approach, he waved to her, and she quickly ran over.
"What's going on? Are we going to film?"
Her voice was somewhat excited; the sun had already risen, shining brightly on her eyes.
"No, don't worry."
He pulled her to sit on the steps. Several other people were sitting nearby, seemingly also waiting. Someone lit a cigarette, the smoke billowing out and shimmering golden in the sunlight. There was no wind, yet the smoke drifted around thanks to buoyancy. The tiny red specks attracted attention, and as if infected by a virus, everyone in the circle pressed their lighters and lit cigarettes.
The strong smell of nicotine filled the air. Gu Mengzhu covered her nose in disgust and turned her head away from the acrid white smoke. Someone shook the cigarette in their hand, then put it in their mouth, took a big drag, and finally tilted their head back to exhale. The ash drew a dim arc in the air and scattered in the cracks of the floor tiles. She glared at the ash, cursing silently in her heart.
So what are we waiting for?
Someone with a cigarette in their mouth asked the man.
"Let's wait for the big names to arrive. What are we waiting for? This person has been late more than once or twice. Let's just wait."
"Isn't the director going to do anything about it?"
He twitched his fingers and flicked the soot onto the ground again.
"Mind your own business. Even if you gave him the guts, would he dare? This movie is basically made for one big star. Even the director has to bow and scrape to him."
The two spoke softly, yet their voices were loud enough for those nearby to hear. But what did it matter if they heard? What did it matter if they resented? That's just how the world is; bending low and low, all that's left is numb acceptance. Gu Mengzhu and Qi Yaoguang, who had been listening intently, turned away when their gazes shifted towards them, exchanging awkward smiles.
"ah!"
Not knowing what had suddenly gotten into him, she was so startled by the shout that her shoulders twitched and her eyes widened as she looked at him.
"I feel so lonely, so isolated, so miserable!"
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, swayed seductively from side to side, turned towards her, and then lowered his head to her shoulder.
"Desolate? If you feel desolate, then go die!"
She pressed her index finger against his temple and forcefully pushed his head away from her shoulder.
"Hey, do you know you're instigating Zisha to break the law?"
“I know, but if you’re so afraid of dying, why should I be worried? At most, I’ll just be humanitarian and let you keep the 50,000 yuan; consider it my funeral gift!”
"Wow, that's so heartless. Why not add another two hundred dollars to bribe the Ox-Head and Horse-Face guardians? That way, life will be easier for them down there."
"Forget it, I'll just burn myself in the process. Go away, go away."
She waved her hand, indicating that she didn't want to be disturbed. Qi Yaoguang pouted, looked at her with a wronged expression, and smacked his lips in an exaggerated manner.
"oops!"
"What are you doing now?"
"I'm so sleepy, I really want to go to sleep."
He lowered his voice and yawned, his eyes half-closed. Gu Mengzhu was infected by that yawn; a wave of sleepiness suddenly washed over her, only to dissipate as a puff of steam from her master's long exhale.
"Don't talk about me, I'm sleepy too."
They waited and waited, not knowing how long it would take. She slapped her mouth and yawned, and he took the opportunity to lean his head closer, his eyes narrowing into slits. She was too tired to resist anymore, so she gave in, and finally their heads rested together, almost forming a heart shape. The two of them rested close together, and before they knew it, they had both fallen asleep.
After much anticipation, the big star finally arrived, and the crew, eager to get to work, were all shouting loudly. Qi Yaoguang was startled by the noise and woke up. He turned to look at her, but his gaze unconsciously fell on her lips, moving upwards until he could even see the fine hairs on her face. He found them somewhat cute and wanted to reach out and brush them aside. Her hair still smelled nice, and he greedily inhaled it several times, being very careful not to wake her. Less than half a minute later, he suddenly snapped back to reality, as if finally realizing that his actions were perverted, and regretfully turned his head away, taking a deep breath.
The set started to get busy, and he woke up the sleeping person to tell her to get ready.
"Bring a few men in armor, extra fifty each, no skinny ones."
Gu Mengzhu rubbed her eyes and straightened up. She saw the person next to her suddenly stand up. In her dazed state, she could only see a figure gradually receding into the distance.
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