Down
Qi Yaoguang arrived at the audition venue in his red luxury car. Sister Liu told him to get out first, saying she would be back in a few hours. The huge audition room was crowded with people; the floor was wooden, reflecting the light streaming down from the ceiling. Two-meter-high mirrors lined the walls, reflecting many familiar faces as they adjusted their expressions. The five judges' seats were arranged behind a table, with a large wooden chair in the center, covered with a soft white leather animal-patterned rug.
He glanced at the nameplate on the table; it was immediately clear who the chair was reserved for. Suddenly, someone came out from the side door, told them some things to note, and then gave them the theme for the audition, telling them to prepare well. Qi Yaoguang stared at the word "loneliness" written on the paper, his eyelashes lowered in thought.
Someone patted him on the shoulder. He looked up and realized it was a stranger.
"Hey bro, how about we team up? This play can't be done by one person anyway. I see everyone else has partners, and we're all all alone. How about we team up? Don't worry, I definitely won't hold you back!"
Qi Yaoguang glanced around. Indeed, as he'd said, everyone else had already found partners and were in pairs, leaving virtually no room for choice. He then looked at the man in front of him; thick, dark eyebrows stood out prominently, wide and long, while his eyes were narrow, almost slits, giving him a somewhat comical appearance. He nodded slightly, as if in agreement. The man chuckled and began to speak to him:
"You know, this director is pretty strange. He doesn't let you act according to the script, he just gives you two hours and tells you to find a partner and improvise a scene on the spot. How is he so talented?"
What are you trying to say?
Qi Yaoguang could tell there was a hidden meaning in the man's words. The man chuckled twice as usual, touched his face a couple of times, and tried to negotiate with him:
"Well, I'm not very bright, I can't think of any of those random things. Ugh, just the word 'lonely' is completely incomprehensible to me. I've looked around and I think you're the smartest person standing here! Look, could you give me a hand? I promise I'll act my best!"
He squinted, scrutinizing the man intently, secretly observing his facial expressions until he achieved the desired result, at which point he slowly and deliberately spoke:
"You really will listen to everything I say?"
The man nodded vigorously.
"I'll listen! I'll listen to everything you say!"
He smiled, a cryptic glint in his eyes:
"That's good."
He did indeed have a well-thought-out plan, and he did indeed lack someone who would completely obey him. With all the right conditions—timing, location, and people—he had everything he needed to be happy about.
But she's not here.
Qi Yaoguang was struck by this sudden thought, and his joy was immediately pulled down again, making a dull sound in his chest.
Yes, she's not here. It's just that she's not here.
But he had no time to dwell on those emotions. He had to start rehearsing and preparing. He had to seize this springboard and single-mindedly rush forward to where he wanted to go.
Gu Mengzhu spent two hours at the amusement park, playing all the rides she wanted and eating all the food she wanted, before taking the subway back to her rented apartment. The apartment was quiet and dark because the lights weren't on. She patted her face, forced a smile, and told herself to perk up before turning on the light. The room instantly brightened, and she could see everything inside.
Interestingly, the light was cold. Gu Mengzhu shook her head, feeling like she was bewitched. She took off her coat and sat on the edge of the bed, propping her phone up on the bedside table to video call Chen Luo. When Chen Luo saw the person on the screen, she was startled and immediately cried out:
"No way, you're doing illegal work? Your face is all thinner than usual. What are you doing that you've gotten yourself into this state?"
She glanced down at her clothes, then rubbed her arms and explained:
“I just had a fever, and I was filming until the early hours of the morning. I endured it for a few days and that’s how I ended up like this.”
"Wow, you're back! If this keeps up, someone's going to die sooner or later!"
Gu Mengzhu forced a smile and said weakly to the person on the other end of the phone:
"OK."
Barely happy, not really. Chen Luo frowned as she looked at her.
"Hey, you're not kidding me, are you? Don't play me. You're suddenly saying you want to come back."
"I want to eat braised pork trotters with rice. I'll make some garlic chili sauce and pour it over the pork skin and fat. I love the skin and fat. The lean meat isn't good. I'll save it to mix with pickled cabbage and eat with rice. When my eyelids start to sweat, I'll have a bowl of soybean and bitter melon soup to cool down and quench my thirst. Then I'll eat rice. The meat rolls are salty, so I'll eat a few more bites. I'll be full quickly."
What do you want to say?
"I want to go back."
Seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, Chen Luo pressed on again:
"You're really coming back? You're really, really coming back? By train, not dreaming of flying!"
Gu Mengzhu nodded repeatedly, and Chen Luo laughed.
"Okay, I'll come pick you up!"
Her tone was light and cheerful, as if she wished this person would take the train back that very night.
"And another thing, I really miss sugar gum trees now."
Upon hearing this, she immediately made a face as if she had seen a ghost:
"Nostalgia? Are you crazy? You have no idea how stinky those tung oil trees are. I feel like throwing up every time I pass by them. I think you've lost your mind from that fall up north; you can even say things like that in your sleep."
Someone was laughing and chuckling, while Chen Luo kept rambling on on the other end of the phone:
"When you come back, stay at my place first. We can find a place to live later once we've saved up some money. Also, Fang-jie misses you a lot. When you come back, she'll definitely give you a job, so don't worry."
"Um."
She sniffed and blinked rapidly a few times.
"I'm staying at your place, Brother Sheng, you don't have any objections, right?"
"He has plenty of friends, he can live in a doghouse if he wants. Besides, is it his place to complain? Kick him out!"
"Wow, the tigress is showing her power!"
"Hey, honestly, why did you come back? You don't seem very happy."
I miss you.
Chen Luo had known her for years, and seeing her like this, he knew something was wrong. He asked if it was some troublemaker again. Gu Mengzhu snorted and shook her head.
"No, don't always blame him. Ultimately, it was my own choice to come back. When I left, I said I would leave if I wanted to. All the reasons were just my own. Besides, being an extra is not easy at all. I'm spoiled and can't handle it."
"Actually, this place, Shupu, is a place where people fawn over the powerful and look down on the weak. Living here, sometimes I feel, is even less dignified than busking and cheating people out of money. But countless people live like that, dreaming, hoping that one day their dreams will come true. I don't have their dreams, nor do I have their perseverance. The gap between heaven and earth makes me very sad when I see it. Moreover, from beginning to end, I've felt that I can't stay in a place like this that doesn't respect ordinary people. So, I'm coming back."
“However,” she looked up as if thinking of something, then smiled at Chen Luo on the screen, “it will snow here in the vertical bunk area, so I probably won’t be able to see it after I go back.”
"It's alright, I have connections up there, I can help you summon the Thunder God to make it snow."
"Tch, crazy."
While Gu Mengzhu and the others were chatting, Qi Yaoguang had already rehearsed their script and was waiting to audition. He stood with his newly acquainted partner, observing how others performed their plays. He watched as some were downcast because of unemployment, some because of unrequited love, and some because of separation or death. He looked and looked, realizing that his own script wasn't actually that outstanding. However, the woman sitting in the middle chair would certainly not disappoint him.
Finally, it was their turn to perform. He and his partner moved a table and chairs to set up the scene, bowed to the judges, and the performance began. He and "him" were arguing because of their different ideals. They were once close friends, but one changed careers to make money, while the other endured poverty for his ideals. Now, "he" had specifically found his home and was showing off everything he now possessed.
"You have no money and no one left, so what are you still persisting in? You are smarter and more talented than me. If we team up, what money in this world can't we earn?"
"Think about your own parents. They're so old, and they're still waiting for you to take care of them! Your ideals are important, but aren't your parents important? Can ideals put food on the table? Don't end up not being able to support your ideals, and having your parents support you instead. I'm doing this for your own good, out of consideration for our friendship of over ten years, and I'm here today to give you a wake-up call! What's the point of talking about ideals if you don't have money? Think about it yourself. Don't wait until your parents are sick and then go to the hospital window and say, 'I have no money, can I use my ideals as collateral?' You'll be laughed at!"
After venting his anger, "he" left decisively, leaving the other man alone in the room, hesitant. The bright moon hung in the sky. He moved a chair to the window, gazing at the moon, repeatedly muttering, "I have no money. Can I mortgage my ideals?" But as he repeated it, he seemed to see again, in that place where moonlight streamed and flowers bloomed, a lonely shadow sitting there, and tears welled up in his eyes.
I miss you, even in these short few days.
His once taut body gradually slumped, his voice grew softer and softer, as if he had nothing left to say. His figure, with his back to the judges, remained motionless in the same posture, while the bright moon hung high in the sky.
Soon, Qi Yaoguang stood up and, together with his partner who had come over, bowed again to the judges. Their performance was over, and the five people in front of them nodded to each other, seemingly extremely satisfied. Then, he saw everyone applaud, the applause echoing in the empty room, one after another, even more enthusiastic than at an awards ceremony. But amidst this deafening applause, he suddenly felt a sense of hypocrisy. The smiles on their faces, the congratulations from those around them, were all filled with the stench of insincerity and money. He had once been accustomed to this smell, but now he couldn't stand it anymore. So he also put on a hypocritical smile, made an excuse, and left the room.
The night air was fresh, it turns out. It's a pity the moon wasn't high in the sky.
He knew the moon was about to leave. He also knew it was time for him to go.
Qi Yaoguang walked through a wooden corridor toward the gate, only to bump into an acquaintance. The man called out to him, and he turned around, calling out, "Sister Mei." Sister Mei, holding a list and a pen, along with several bundles of clothes, was pleasantly surprised to see him.
"It really is you, little one! It's been so long!"
"Yes, it's been a long time."
"Why are you back again? I thought you had retired from the entertainment industry and I would never see you again."
"It's not that I've thought it over and over, but I still feel that this place is the best, and it's the easiest to make money here."
"If only it were that easy. Little kids like you still have a chance. You're good-looking, so you'll never have to worry about food. But for older people like us, we're disliked everywhere we go, and we have no hope of getting ahead."
She sighed deeply, looking somewhat disappointed. Qi Yaoguang stared at the pile of costumes, then suddenly remembered something and begged someone for help.
"There aren't any period dramas coming up. But we're going shopping tomorrow afternoon. What? You want a nice outfit? Just tell me, with our friendship, I'll definitely pick one you like. It's just that this place isn't close to where you are, so if you really want it, you'll have to come and pick it up yourself."
"It wasn't me, it was a friend of mine."
"Friend? What friend? With your temper, you haven't thought of me in all these years. It's strange that you can make friends with me now."
Seeing that he didn't speak, Su Hanmei's eyes slightly twitched upwards, and she immediately figured it out:
"Oh, looks like it's your girlfriend."
Qi Yaoguang lowered his head and didn't speak, as if he was embarrassed.
"Tell me, what's your body type?"
"Not tall, a head shorter than you, and a little thinner. As for shoes, they're about the same."
"That's a very vague statement."
"I know Sister Mei is capable, I'm well aware of that."
He then proceeded to praise her repeatedly, making Su Hanmei beam with joy.
"Alright, got it. That mouth of yours is as sharp as ever."
"Thank you. I'll transfer the money to you now, and I'll treat you to dinner later."
Having accomplished his task, he said goodbye to her and hurried towards the subway station. A few stops later, he arrived at his destination. The train doors were slowly opening, and he squeezed through the crowd of people getting off the train.
Stay; you have a reason to stay.
With that thought in mind, Qi Yaoguang clenched his fists and ran towards the rented room.
Inside the room, Gu Mengzhu was rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for something.
"That's strange, I clearly remember having it."
She touched a cylindrical object with her fingers, exclaimed in surprise, and stretched out her arm to pull it out from the very back of the cabinet.
"I have a pen, paper, and envelopes. That's great."
She lowered her head and scribbled something on the bedside table, then pulled back the mattress, found a red envelope, emptied the card inside, and put it back into an envelope.
Where should I put it?
She thought about it again and again, and finally stuffed the envelope into the person's pillow.
"This place is so run-down, no one should be going to steal from it now."
With everything finished, she patted her slightly hungry stomach, picked up the keys from the cabinet, and prepared to go out for a meal. It was already quite dark, the moon hadn't come out, and the streetlights were dim, so Gu Mengzhu could only see everything vaguely as she walked. As she walked, she bent down and kicked at some pebbles on the street, her mind no longer on food.
It's so late, looks like he's not coming back.
Feeling as if someone was following her, she quickened her pace, trying to shake off the unknown person. The man quickly became agitated and shouted to stop her.
"Hello!"
Gu Mengzhu was startled and turned around in surprise. The wind rose and the clouds dispersed, the moon came out, and she brushed the strands of hair that had fallen onto her face to the side, using the moonlight to see the man's face clearly.
"I'm back."
As the moon casts its shadow and the spring breeze rises, he smiles in the rustling of the trees in the night.
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