"I'm looking for Cheng Yaoyao." As soon as these words came out, Liu Yue's hot heart was poured with a basin of ice water.
Liu Yue looked the young man up and down and asked tentatively, "Are you looking for Cheng Yaoyao? Who are you to her?"
Liu Yue had developed a good eye for movies over the years, but she couldn't tell the identity of this young man. He was dressed in ordinary clothes, but his appearance and demeanor were outstanding, and he was more stable and reserved than his peers.
The young man looked around the crew and did not answer immediately. Liu Yue asked tentatively, "Are you an actor from the crew next door?"
The young man just repeated: "Excuse me, do you know where Cheng Yaoyao is?"
Liu Yue's face suddenly darkened. She was beautiful and had acted in two movies, so she was the focus of men's attention wherever she went. However, the young man in front of her was so far away that he ignored her.
Liu Yue crossed his arms and said, "Cheng Yaoyao is not here!"
The young man said, "You just said that this is the crew of "Tiao Tiao"."
Liu Yue was secretly angry, but said sincerely, "Our crew is divided into two groups for filming. Cheng Yaoyao is in the Lion Grove group. Do you know which way is Lion Grove?"
The young man looked at her calmly, his eyes seemed to be able to see into people's hearts. Liu Yue's heart was a little trembling. But the young man just said thank you, picked up his bag and turned away.
As they watched his tall back go away, the other girls started to talk in unison: "Liu Yue, why did you lie to him? Lion Forest is only a few hours away from here!"
Liu Yue felt a little guilty, and said stubbornly: "This guy's origin is unknown, and he's a young man. How can we just let him into the crew to look for someone?"
"Isn't he Cheng Yaoyao's partner?"
"No, Cheng Yaoyao's partner is a country boy. The guy just now is also an actor, right? I don't know which film studio he is from."
"Are we really going to let him go? What if Cheng Yaoyao finds out..."
"Yes, what if he has something urgent to ask Cheng Yaoyao?"
Liu Yue said irritably, "Alright, alright! If he really has something urgent, he will definitely come back! Why didn't you remind him just now?"
The others had just been there to watch the fun, but after hearing Liu Yue's words they felt guilty and went their separate ways.
A young man carrying a military green luggage bag was walking on the streets of Suzhou. His tall stature was particularly eye-catching in the south. This young man was Xie Zhao. He did not go to Lion Grove, but came to Guanqian Street, the busiest street in Suzhou.
Guanqian Street is the busiest place in Suzhou, with a variety of signs hanging along the street, and the aroma of shengjian and soup dumplings wafting from the dim sum shop on the second floor, whetting your appetite.
Xie Zhao walked into a noodle shop next to Xuanmiao Temple. The shop was deep and had wooden signs on the wall that listed the dishes they served: Fengzhen noodles, fresh meat soup buns, various small steamed buns, pure vegetarian steamed buns, fresh meat stews, etc.
Xie Zhao ordered two bowls of Fengzhen noodles and a few side dishes, and sat down at a table in the corner. Not long after, an unremarkable man in a blue work suit sat down opposite him and pushed two hot pots over to him: "I'm exhausted from waiting in line."
“Pot stickers are everywhere.”
“It tastes better when it’s cooked and eaten right away!”
After exchanging the secret code, Xie Zhao looked up at the man in front of him: "Huang Liu?"
"Are you the third brother that Monkey introduced?" Huang Liu was also looking at Xie Zhao and smiled: "You are too young."
Xie Zhao said: "Just call me Xie San. Let's eat first, it's my treat."
The signature dish of this century-old restaurant is Fengzhen noodles. Several kinds of fresh halved meat side dishes are greasy and the hot aroma hits your nose. Huang Liu swallowed his saliva, unable to refuse the white noodles, and picked up the chopsticks to eat them greedily. Anyway, this kid is willing to treat me, so I'd rather eat it!
Xie Zhao picked up a hotpot sticker, dipped it in a little vinegar and took a bite. The hot and delicious gravy splashed in his mouth. The skin was thin and chewy, and the bottom was crispy. The chewing was full of fragrance. "Which store is this hotpot sticker from?"
"Ah?" Huang Liuzheng, with his mouth full of noodles, stared at Xie Zhao in a daze without reacting.
Xie Zhao held half of the pot sticker and repeated, "Where did you buy this pot sticker?"
"..." Huang Liu stretched his neck and swallowed the food in his mouth, and said blankly: "Xuan Miao Temple West Gate Dim Sum Shop. This hot pot stickers are the most famous. You have to find someone to line up in advance and buy and eat them right away."
"Hmm." Xie Zhao stuffed the pot sticker into his mouth, swallowed a few mouthfuls, and picked up the noodles to eat. He was already hungry after the long journey.
The two men ate without saying a word. They finished two bowls of noodles and a table of side dishes. They ordered two more baskets of fresh meat soup dumplings and finally a pot of tea to help digestion. Huang Liu slumped in the chair, holding his belly, holding a toothpick in his mouth, and was so satisfied that he wanted to hum a song. How long had it been since he had eaten so much?
Huang Liu was talking about this and that while squinting at the young man opposite him. Xie Zhao sat upright with his shoulders straight, playing with a small teacup in his hand, with no emotion on his face. He even asked a few questions about where to find good silk and delicious snacks in Suzhou, and he actually took the initiative.
After introducing Xie Zhao to which store sells the best duck egg powder and hair oil, Huang Liu finally lost his patience. He drank a cup of tea and tried to test him: "You were introduced by Monkey, and I don't treat you as an outsider. Let's be honest, I can afford this amount, how much do you have this time?"
Huang Liu casually put his hands on his face and counted quickly. Xie Zhao remained unmoved: "You don't have the final say. I want to see your superior."
"..." Huang Liu smiled, "I have the final say!"
Xie Zhao stood up and said, "Come back to me after you have discussed it."
Xie Zhao carried his luggage and walked out of the noodle shop without looking back. Seeing his figure disappear into the crowd, Huang Liu chased after him: "Hey hey hey!"
The two of them walked at a distance, and were inconspicuous in the busy street. Huang Liu said with a sore tooth, "How do you know I'm not in charge?"
Xie Zhao's eyes flashed with a smile, but he didn't answer. A spoiled brat once said that the most direct way to tell a person's status is to treat him to a meal. Huang Liu's eating manner clearly showed that he had eaten the previous meal but not the next, so how could he be the manager?
Huang Liu glanced around and whispered, "Follow me!"
Huang Liu turned around and left first, and Xie Zhao followed him a few meters behind. The two of them disappeared on the street one after the other.
The weather was cold, and the butter solidified quickly. The yellow sauce solidified in the glass bottle, which was very tempting. Director Rong and his friends had eaten crab roe tofu at noon, and they were all overjoyed to receive a whole bottle of butter. Director Rong directly hid the two bottles of butter in the drawer.
The screenwriter pretended to be serious: "Yaoyao, I won't give you any extra drama even if you give me a gift!"
"I'm just afraid that you'll add more drama to my role." Cheng Yaoyao retorted bluntly.
Upon hearing this, the scriptwriter exchanged glances with Director Rong and the others, feeling somewhat embarrassed: "Yaoyao, this play is art. Sometimes for the sake of art, some small sacrifices are inevitable..."
Cheng Yaoyao narrowed his eyes and turned to Director Rong: "Director."
Director Rong coughed a few times and said with a smile, "Yaoyao, this is it. We have already held several meetings for your matter. We will use metaphors to present this intimate scene, but there are a few long shots and borrowed shots that you still need to do yourself."
The assistant director quickly added: "Don't worry, you won't be hurt! They are all shot with substitutions. And the naked actors are all male actors, you won't be photographed."
Cheng Yaoyao stroked his chin and fell into thought.
In the 1970s and 1980s, China had already produced a number of excellent directors and films, and a variety of bold plot shots emerged one after another. At that time, some privileged classes could always watch the full version of the movie, which was called censorship. When these movies appeared in front of the public, many shots would be deleted.
In the original script of "Tiao Tiao", there is only one boat scene. This scene is a climax of the whole plot and also the most important turning point. Desire is an indispensable core in literary works. Cheng Yaoyao knows this truth, and she also knows that the director and screenwriter have made their best efforts.
Cheng Yaoyao bit his lower lip and said, "Is this really a borrowed position?"
"I promise." Director Rong laughed, "When have I ever lied to you? You didn't want to film the kissing scene, so didn't I delete it?"
Cheng Yaoyao finally agreed: "Okay then. Just borrow the position."
As they were talking, the script supervisor came to report on the work. Seeing Cheng Yaoyao, he was surprised and said, "Yaoyao, why are you here? Someone just came to see you, and I thought you were out."
"Looking for me? What young man?" Cheng Yaoyao asked.
The script supervisor said, "He is tall and very handsome."
"It's Xie Zhao!" Cheng Yaoyao jumped up in surprise, "Where is he now?!"
"It was almost an hour ago," the script supervisor said. "I heard him at the door looking for you, so I asked him to come in. Why didn't he find you?"
"No!" Cheng Yaoyao turned around and was about to go out anxiously.
Director Rong hurriedly said: "Don't worry! It may not be Xie Zhao!"
"It must be him! I know it's him!" Cheng Yaoyao believed in his intuition.
Cheng Yaoyao's face was flushed, and her eyes were sparkling. Director Rong knew that he couldn't persuade her, and was afraid that she would run away like this, so he could only coax her: "If it's really Xie Zhao, he will definitely come to find you. If you run away like this, the two of you will get separated."
Cheng Yaoyao pondered for a moment and thought it made sense, so he said, "Then I'll go wait at the door. If he can't find me, he won't go far!"
The assistant director and the screenwriter looked at each other in bewilderment and asked, "Who is this he you are talking about?"
Cheng Yaoyao poked his head in from the doorway: "He's my crush!"
The pretty face flashed by the door and disappeared again. The screenwriter clapped his hands and laughed: "Where did this treasure come from? It looks exactly like Shen Jiqiu!"
Director Rong held the teacup proudly and said, "If it weren't for the baby, would I have traveled thousands of miles to the countryside to invite him?"
The assistant director said pertinently: "It's a pity that his mind is not on the movie."
Director Rong slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! I finally managed to get her to focus on the movie, but Xie Zhao is such a dishonest guy. He came out halfway through to disrupt the morale of the team! No, no, quickly find someone to keep an eye on Cheng Yaoyao and don't let her run away from the crew!"
Director Rong didn't need to tell me that the crew had a strict access control, and the guards guarded the door tightly, so people could only go in but not out. Especially these young girls, without the director's permission, they were absolutely not allowed to go out.
Cheng Yaoyao tried to persuade the security guard for a long time, but he refused to give in. Sister Meng came to tell Cheng Yaoyao what the director said, and persuaded Cheng Yaoyao to go back: "Yaoyao, Brother Xie has come all the way to see you, so he will definitely not leave. You should go back first."
"I won't leave. I'll wait a little longer. Maybe he will come soon." Cheng Yaoyao refused to leave.
She lay on the iron railing, looking out. The crew was staying in a small garden that was not open to the public. There were few people around. After waiting for a long time, only a stray cat ran by.
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