Little cutie
After seeing off the newlyweds and sponsors, Cheng Shubai hummed a song and prepared to go home.
As soon as he touched the door handle of the conference room, Xia Zhitang's script flew over and hit him on the back of the head.
Lin Jingming, who was smoking by the window, crushed out his cigarette butt and squeezed over. He asked with a forced smile, "Where are you going, Mr. Cheng?"
"Answer...answer a call!" Cheng Shubai stepped back holding the black-screened phone and accidentally knocked over two stacks of actor information.
Xia Zhitang held up his new talent resume and said, "You can't even do a wire job! Where did you pick this up from?"
"Young Master Gu." Cheng Shubai wiped his non-existent sweat. "Just like a zombie movie, the stiff limbs are the characteristic."
Lin Jingming slammed the script on the table and said, "Change all the fight scenes to close-ups to avoid full-body armor shots."
"Change it!" Xia Zhitang grabbed the red pen and scribbled furiously, "Cut the bamboo forest scene and replace it with a physical fight in the small dark room!"
Cheng Shubai took advantage of the opportunity when Lin Jingming and Xia Zhitang were discussing the script to tiptoe towards the door.
As soon as he touched the door handle, two people grabbed one arm each and dragged him back to the conference table.
Lin Jingming slapped the storyboard in front of him and said, "You draw the lighting plan!"
At three in the morning, the hotel suite carpet was covered with revised manuscripts.
Cheng Shubai was lying on his back, revising the script: "Can this line 'Prepare to die' be changed to 'Get your lunch box'?"
"How about changing it to 'Death to the Capitalists'?" Xia Zhitang stapled the thick manuscript. "What do you think, Director Lin?"
Lin Jingming was tying up a folder that was about to fall apart with his tie: "Change it to 'Post-Dubbing' in big letters."
Cheng Shubai wailed as he collapsed into the pile of scripts: "I can't do it anymore..."
"Hold on!" Xia Zhitang stuffed a mint candy into his mouth. "The last thirty pages!"
Lin Jingming kicked open the bathroom door, washed his face, and fell onto the mattress with water droplets all over his body: "Are you done with the changes? I'm going to die suddenly..."
As the morning light filtered in, Cheng Shubai was snoring on his storyboard, while Lin Jingming hunched over the printer, a red pen clutched in his hand. Xia Zhitang lay hunched over the table, his laptop screen black after an email beeped.
The cleaning lady pushed the door open and saw three "corpses", and silently hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door handle.
When Xia Zhitang was awakened by the vibration of his cell phone, Cheng Shubai was gone. The hotel curtains were thoughtfully drawn, and the room was dim.
Xia Zhitang kicked off the suit jacket that Cheng Shubai was using to cover her feet, and pressed her elbows against the scattered revisions on the carpet, the paper sticking to her sweaty skin and making a tearing sound.
Xia Zhitang squinted and found her phone, its screen lit, on the carpet. A message from Cheng Shubai flashed across it: "Mr. Li has boarded the plane. The screenwriter has confirmed receipt." She fell back onto the carpet, the back of her head hitting Lin Jingming's calf.
Lin Jingming jumped up in fright, confused for a moment, covering his head and turning on the bedside lamp.
"Is he dead?" Lin Jingming asked hoarsely, his toes hooking over his phone lying on the ground. "Is it the bomb left by Old Cheng?"
Xia Zhitang buried his face in the carpet: "Checking WeChat."
Lin Jingming kicked away the coffee cup stuck to his instep and swiped the screen twice with his thumb.
"I can still sleep for two hours." Lin Jingming poked his phone twice and threw it aside. He grabbed the water cup that someone had placed on the bedside table, gulped down two gulps, and then rolled over onto the mattress.
Xia Zhitang squinted his eyes and climbed onto the bed using his hands and feet. His knee accidentally pressed against the air conditioner remote control, and the air conditioner suddenly increased the wind speed, blowing the notice beside the pillow away.
"Turn off the lights..." She wrapped herself in the quilt, half of her body hanging on the edge of the bed and muttered.
Lin Jingming raised his hand and slapped the wall, hitting the lampshade. He then turned off the light with a snap, and the piercing light finally disappeared.
There was a sound of fabric rubbing in the darkness, and Lin Jingming also rolled into the quilt. His hot forearm reached across her waist and pulled Xia Zhitang back to the center of the bed.
Xia Zhitang closed his eyes and pushed Lin Jingming's chest randomly.
"If you make any more noise, I'll deduct your pay." Lin Jingming threatened Xia Zhitang in his ear.
Xia Zhitang grabbed his cold watch and threw it at the curtains, the metal strap catching a ray of sunlight.
As she pulled the coffee-stained pillow over, she heard muffled snoring behind her.
Amid the subtle hum of the central air conditioner, Xia Zhitang could no longer hold on and fell into a sweet dream.
Being awakened by the shrill alarm seemed like a moment after falling asleep. Lin Jingming was annoyed by the alarm and pressed his hand on the back of her neck.
Xia Zhitang raised his foot to kick someone, and his calf hit the documents spread out at the end of the bed, causing a stack of A4 printed paper to scatter all over the floor.
"Turn it off..." Lin Jingming buried his face in the pillow and put his arms across her shoulders.
Xia Zhitang touched the vibrating phone, pressed several buttons randomly, and threw it to the ground.
Light came in through the gap in the curtains, and she squinted to see that the strands of hair on the back of Lin Jingming's head were stained with paper scraps.
The two of them lay in bed for a few minutes, not wanting to move.
Lin Jingming suddenly said in a muffled voice: "You have marinated it well."
The tip of his nose brushed against the ends of Xia Zhitang's hair. "It smells like pickled fish."
Xia Zhitang knelt and pushed against his waist: "You are so rotten that you can mix rice with it."
Lin Jingming buried his head in the pillow and laughed out loud.
Xia Zhitang shook off Lin Jingming's hand, got up, and turned on the light.
Xia Zhitang curled up half of his body on the bed, picked up the mobile phone lying on the ground, and lay on the bed to look at the schedule.
"There will be a meeting in Studio 2 in two hours. We have a lighting test at 8pm and a costume review for the newcomers at 9pm..." Xia Zhitang was like an emotionless work machine, constantly reporting Lin Jingming's work schedule.
Lin Jingming suddenly took advantage of Xia Zhitang's unpreparedness and pulled her into his arms.
He rested his chin on the top of Xia Zhitang's head and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't talk."
Xia Zhitang was stunned for a moment, then began to struggle after he came to his senses.
The two rolled to the edge of the bed while struggling.
Lin Jingming suddenly reached out and picked up the scattered documents on the ground: "You stepped on the third page of the lighting diagram and left a shoe print."
"You deserve it." Xia Zhitang pushed him away, stepping barefoot over the scattered documents. "Who told you to sleep with the storyboards on the floor?"
When the sound of running water was heard in the bathroom, Xia Zhitang was using Lin Jingming's tie to reinforce the folder that was about to fall apart.
Lin Jingming clung to the door frame and shouted, "Throw my suit jacket over here!"
She picked up the red wine-stained jacket and shook it: "You've been used as a rag. Should I compensate you with a crew T-shirt?"
The sound of the shower mixed with Lin Jingming's scolding came from the bathroom. Xia Zhitang stuffed the last two pages of the revised manuscript into his briefcase amid the sound of water.
"Lend me some shampoo!" Lin Jingming poked his head out covered in foam.
Xia Zhitang grabbed a half-full bottle of mineral water and threw it over: "Wash yourself with toilet cleaner!"
When the sound of a vacuum cleaner came from the corridor, Xia Zhitang stepped barefoot into his ink-stained canvas shoes.
Lin Jingming rushed out wrapped in a bath towel: "Please give me your phone..."
"Buried in the pile of documents." Xia Zhitang grabbed the canvas bag and rushed past Lin Jingming.
She stood at the door and made a face at Lin Jingming: "Dig it yourself!" Then she slammed the door shut.
The newcomers who had kept them busy for two days finally joined the group smoothly. The young man with tiger teeth who toasted Xia Zhitang at the banquet was called Gu Zian.
Although he couldn't even hang on wires, Xia Zhitang thought he was a hardworking and studious young man.
During the breaks in filming, Gu Zian always liked to come up to Xia Zhitang and ask various professional questions. He was quite different from most of the young actors Xia Zhitang had seen who brought money into the crew.
That day, when Xia Zhitang was standing on tiptoe to adjust the angle of the monitor, Gu Zian came up under her left shoulder, holding up the storyboard and said, "Look, Sister, I marked six movement points for this over-the-shoulder shot."
"The third camera needs to move back half a meter." Xia Zhitang took the red pen from Gu Zian and crossed out two marks, "Otherwise, the railcar will be captured."
Gu Zian suddenly squatted down and imitated the camera's upward shooting angle: "How about shooting from above like this? When the explosion occurs, moving the camera this way can bring in the firelight..."
He stood up suddenly and bumped into Xia Zhitang's elbow. The two of them held up the monitor that was about to fall.
"Be careful with the equipment! Explosion scenes aren't just for show; the safe route must allow for two seconds of escape time."
Gu Zian took out a tape measure and measured the ground: "I've calculated the range of the shock wave. This radius is absolutely..."
"The calculation on paper is 30% off from the actual situation." Xia Zhitang took out the measuring tape and threw it to the props team. "Did you forget about the pyrotechnician's wig blowing off last week?"
The groundskeeper was adjusting the blower next door when Gu Zian suddenly threw his arms out to block the wind. "Look, sister! This wind speed can blow the hem of my clothes into a 45-degree arc!" The hem of his long gown rustled, "perfectly matching the rhythm of my turning and drawing my sword."
Xia Zhitang dragged him out of the wind by the back of his collar, saying, "First, learn how to prevent your hair from being blown away by the blower. Go draw three backup plans for the fifth mirror's movement."
"It's done!" Gu Zian pulled out a crumpled sketch from his trouser pocket. "I drew it last night in the RV, using the perspective method my sister taught me."
Xia Zhitang used a mineral water bottle to flatten the blueprint: "The third perspective needs to include an obstacle reference system, otherwise the actors will bump into it..."
"This one?" Gu Zian suddenly pounced on the equipment box next to him and rolled over twice on the spot. "I tried to mark the landing point with magnesium chalk!" He raised his dusty face, looking like a big dog that wanted to wag its tail to leave an afterimage.
Xia Zhitang turned his face away. "Go to position three and monitor the blast countdown. Follow the yellow plan."
"Got it!" Gu Zian shouted back as he ran, "The yellow option is to delay ignition for 0.5 seconds, right?"
When Lin Jingming came over chewing a mint candy, he saw Xia Zhitang annotating on Gu Zian's sketch. There was also a cartoon director figure drawn by a young man in the corner of the sketch.
Lin Jingming snorted coldly and walked away.
In the afternoon, when Xia Zhitang was standing on tiptoe to adjust the monitor stand, Lin Jingming suddenly rushed over and unplugged the power cord.
He swung the plug and said sarcastically, "Sister Xia, are you addicted to teaching others?"
"It's better than some people scolding newcomers until they cry." Xia Zhitang snatched back the plug and reconnected it. "Last time, the stage manager scolded her so much that she hid in the prop cabinet..."
"Want to learn how to curse accurately? I'll give you free lessons." He grabbed the notice and slammed it on the monitor. "First lesson: when you curse, stare at the bridge of their nose..."
Xia Zhitang grabbed the clapperboard to cover his face: "Second lesson, remember to buy milk tea to make amends after you scold me?"
The groundskeeper pushed □□ past, and Lin Jingming pulled her aside to avoid him. "Lesson three, keep a safe distance when teaching." His voice brushed Xia Zhitang's ears. "Like that brat just now, getting so close..."
"Want some strawberries?" Xia Zhitang suddenly pointed at the fruit Gu Zian had placed on the table. "They're quite sweet."
Lin Jingming pretended not to hear: "Let me teach you some real skills." He loosened his tie and walked around behind her. "Look at the lower right corner of the monitor. If the explosion point is offset by three centimeters, it will be exposed."
Xia Zhitang put the script against his chest and said, "You marked the location yourself last week, and now you're blaming the newbie?"
"Now I'll teach you how to fix this." Lin Jingming snatched the intercom. "Lighting team, lower the gears two gears, and the props team, move half a meter to the left..."
Xia Zhitang suddenly laughed out loud: "Didn't you teach me these things step by step back then?"
Lin Jingming paused as if stuck. He turned around and kicked the railcar: "I taught you, yet you still make stupid mistakes!"
"Yes, yes, Teacher Lin." Xia Zhitang stuffed the strawberry box into his arms. "Will you have spicy hot pot tonight to thank me?"
Lin Jingming threw the strawberries back into her arms: "Add two servings of pig intestines, and wash them clean!"
In the evening, Xia Zhitang reported to Cheng Shubai on his work with his mobile phone tucked under his shoulder, while stuffing the dirty clothes into the hotel laundry bag with one hand.
Cheng Shubai's voice mixed with the sound of keyboard tapping came: "Did the young master of the Gu family cause you any trouble?"
"Less trouble than a certain director." She paused in front of the washing machine to adjust the washing program. "At least he knew to buy milk tea for the whole crew."
The sound of a lighter flicked from Cheng Shubai's end: "His father donated three food trucks to the crew. They will arrive tomorrow."
"No wonder the props team suddenly became so generous that they didn't even complain about blowing up ten cups of coffee."
"Su Wen asked me to have tea today." Cheng Shubai suddenly raised his voice, "To ask about the last time we stayed up all night to change the plan at the hotel."
Xia Zhitang's hands trembled as he added the laundry detergent. He asked tentatively, "Are we doing a script reading?"
"I said you're mine." Cheng Shubai chuckled, "Literally, a partner."
"Are you not afraid that the Su family will cause you trouble?"
"We in the Cheng family have always been mindful of our own business." Cheng Shubai suddenly shouted into the distance, "Tongtong, stop playing with the printer!"
He changed his tone and said, "Just like you won't ask me now why I made you the executive director."
Xia Zhitang walked out of the bathroom with his phone under his arm: "We have a new couple getting caught in the rain scene tomorrow, remember to approve the ginger soup budget."
"Deduct it from Lao Lin's cigar money." Cheng Shubai suddenly lowered his voice. "You teach the Gu family normally, and I'll take care of any messes."
Car lights flashed outside the window, and Xia Zhitang caught a glimpse of Gu Zian downstairs directing the staff to move the fruit out of the trunk of the car.
The boy's sweatshirt hood was blown up by the night wind, like a jumping penguin.
"No more talking." She pressed the hands-free button and packed her makeup bag. "I have to send a notice to the newlyweds tomorrow."
"Xia Zhitang." Cheng Shubai suddenly became serious. "When the old man kicked me out of the family group chat, he said..."
"Ding Dong" Xia Zhitang's doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting Cheng Shubai's words.
"Director Xia, Mr. Gu bought cherries to distribute to the crew." The voice of Gu Zian's assistant came from outside the door.
Xia Zhitang hung up the phone, opened the door, took a large box of washed cherries and placed it on the table.
Under the desk lamp, the schedule filled with smiling faces given by Gu Zian seemed to still carry his unique vigor and enthusiasm.
The sweet cherry juice exploded in his mouth. Xia Zhitang looked at the faded red rope around his wrist and sighed.
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