It was almost twelve o'clock when the car drove into the city.
It was late at night on a weekday and it was raining, so there were only a few vehicles and pedestrians on the road. In addition, the overpass chosen by Zhuang Yan was not located in the city center, so although there were occasional passers-by stopping to watch outside the line set up by the crew, there were only a few of them and it did not cause much impact.
Not far from the overpass is a row of shops along the street. Most of them are closed at this time, and only a few pharmacies, convenience stores and tea restaurants are still open.
The tea restaurant was owned by a young couple. The young man was playing a mobile game behind the counter, while the young woman was leaning against the glass door, curiously peering toward the overpass. "What are they filming? Why haven't they started yet?"
In fact, when they first saw the camera, they thought of the trending search results from the previous two days and wondered if it was Song Yecheng's crew. But after looking around and not seeing any actors, they thought they had been imagining things; it wasn't that easy to stumble upon a large film crew.
It was a rainy, early spring night, still chilly outside, but the heater inside the shop was blazing. A girl, holding a box of ice cream, sipped on a spoon and wondered, "You said they didn't even have any actors? Are they just filming the scenery and not the people? Will the camera get damaged in this rain?"
The young man, his hands whirring with gaming skills, felt both helpless and amused at the words. They were about to close the shop, but the girl wanted to watch the fun, so he didn't expect her to not only watch the fun, but also worry about the camera. "Why are you so worried? I think they should hire you as the director."
"Oh, that's great," the girl said with a charming smile. Then, pretending to be a charming concubine, she spoke in a dignified yet reluctant voice, "Then I will reward you with the role of the male lead."
The young man laughed out loud, "Okay, thank you for your kindness."
As he spoke, he looked up and saw the ice cream in the girl's hand. He immediately frowned and said, "Tsk, why did you open another box? Can you show some respect to your aunt? Your stomach doesn't hurt anymore, does it?"
The girl had just finished her last bite. Upon hearing this, she quickly turned around and tossed the empty box into the trash can. She stuck out her tongue and made a face at him. Just as she was about to clap her hands and tell him to close the door and go home, she suddenly saw a few more cars coming under the bridge. "Huh? Looks like there are more people coming?"
Before the young man could react, the girl who was staring at the car door slowly opening suddenly widened her eyes and exclaimed: "Oh my god! Is that Song Yecheng?!"
Thirty meters away.
As soon as Song Yecheng stepped out of the car, he attracted countless eyes. His height of nearly 1.9 meters and perfect body proportions made him stand out even in the north where the average height is not short. No matter where he went, he would become the focus of everyone's attention.
He and Qi Xianyun's makeup and hair were arranged before they set off, and the crew also arranged for a makeup artist to wait in the nanny car nearby so that they could touch up their makeup at any time during the trip.
It was still raining at this time, but it was not heavy. Zhuang Yan took Song Yecheng and Qi Xianyun and told them the designated location, and then arranged the location for Qi Xianyun to "set up a stall" and asked them to try the effect of both of them holding an umbrella.
This scene takes place in the movie on the night when Fang Zhi was called in for a talk by his boss at the company.
After working overtime for several hours, Fang Zhi, who looked a little tired, was on his way home with his bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other, thinking about his leader's suggestion during the day - to go to the new company.
The salary increase and vacation time mentioned by his leader were not very attractive to him, but the place in the private school really attracted him.
He knew how good that school was. Every year, news about countless awards in major competitions, foreign exchanges, and top scorers in the college entrance examination and high school entrance examination came from them. It could be said that it was a golden threshold for raising children's starting point and a hotbed for cultivating high-end talents.
However, if he accepted this benefit, it would mean that he would have to take Fang Qiao with him, and if both father and daughter went thousands of miles away, Qiao Min would have to stay here alone.
This is definitely something Qiao Min cannot accept.
Qiao Min would most likely not be willing to go with them, because she grew up in the local area and she likes her current job very much. Resigning and leaving her hometown would be both a sacrifice and unfair to her.
Yes, it's unfair.
Fang Zhi's love for his daughter has repeatedly made Qiao Min dissatisfied. If she finds out that he wants to go to another place for his daughter's future, she wonders how she will react.
Fine threads of rain rustled on the umbrella, gathering into droplets that slid down the ribs and splashed at Fang Zhi's feet.
He considered various possibilities in his mind, trying to find a practical solution. He walked up the stairs on one side of the overpass with slightly slow steps, step by step to the top.
There were no pedestrians on the empty overpass, only a stall owner sitting with an umbrella guarding his stall which had not yet been closed.
This is not uncommon in every city, and many vendors will choose to set up stalls on pedestrian overpasses at night. Moreover, Fang Zhi was worried at the moment and walked absent-mindedly, so he didn't even glance at the stall when he passed by.
However, just when he had walked a few steps away, a dull and old voice suddenly came from behind him -
"Wait, young man."
Fang Zhi stopped and turned around in confusion, only to see that the black umbrella that had just passed by was slightly raised, revealing a weather-beaten face underneath.
It was an old man wearing an old gray cotton-padded jacket, sitting on a small stool, holding an umbrella in one hand and the other hand loosely placed on his knees. A bulging black cloth bag was placed at his feet, and in front of the stool was a tattered white cloth, with the four corners being weighed down by several strange-shaped objects.
A few steps away, an umbrella blocked the light, and the contents of the white cloth in the shadow could not be seen clearly. Fang Zhi's gaze fell back on the old man's face: "Call me?"
The old man raised his hand, palm down, and beckoned him: "Come."
Fang Zhi took a few steps suspiciously, and when he got closer, he finally saw the contents on the white cloth clearly - a scribbled facial outline and palm texture diagram, with words such as "face reading", "palm reading", and "eight characters" written next to it.
Fortune teller.
Fang Zhi immediately had an idea in his mind.
Because of his childhood experiences, this type of person was the one he disliked the most. So the moment he knew the other person's identity, his attitude became noticeably less polite: "What are you doing?"
"Young man," the old man said slowly, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Fang Zhi was puzzled: "Wait for me?"
The old man nodded slowly and said in an enigmatic manner, "I should have closed my stall long ago tonight, but I anticipated your arrival and waited until now."
Fang Zhi sneered disdainfully, "What? You figured out my extraordinary abilities and want to take me in as your disciple to go on a pilgrimage to the West with you?"
The old man ignored his sarcasm, lowered his eyes and smiled, saying, "They say saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I'm waiting here to tell you that a great disaster is about to happen to you."
Although the old man spoke convincingly, Fang Zhi still sneered through his nose as if he had just heard a joke: "Imprison? Because I beat you up?"
This is a well-known joke: a fortune teller predicted that someone would go to jail, and the other person beat him up so badly in anger that he was eventually arrested.
Hearing this obviously sarcastic tone, the old man was not annoyed. He slowly held up two fingers and continued what he had just said, "And they are two disasters, and both are related to close relatives."
Fang Zhi frowned, feeling a bit impatient, but still wanting to see what the old man was up to, so he said indifferently, "So? Can you help me avoid disaster or misfortune? Or show me a clear path, which mountain I can go to to worship Buddha and get a protective amulet?"
The old man shook his head and replied seriously, "Those are useless."
As he spoke, he bent down and opened the black cloth bag at his feet, and took out something tightly wrapped in newspaper: "This can help you."
Judging from the old man's gestures, he wanted to hand the thing directly to Fang Zhi, but Fang Zhi didn't take it at all. He even cautiously took a small step back. His cautious intention was obvious -
He didn't want to give the other party a chance to scam him. What if the item he got turned out to be broken and the other party insisted that he broke it? That would be a real disaster.
The old man didn't mind his reaction. He smiled understandingly, put his legs together, placed the paper package on his legs, and with one hand pulled away the layers of newspapers wrapped around it, revealing a dark red oil lamp inside.
The old man picked it up by the handle, and only then did he see clearly that it was a ceramic lotus lantern. It looked a bit like an unearthed cultural relic, and he didn't know if it was deliberately made to look old or what.
"Have you ever heard of 'Lotus Crossing the Tribulation'?" the old man said slowly, "The two disasters you suffered were both great disasters. This Lotus Magic Lamp can help you overcome the disasters and eliminate them."
This mysterious and mysterious statement was truly hilarious. Fang Zhi's face was filled with an expression that said, "I'm listening to your nonsense!" "So how much are you going to sell me for?"
There is no such thing as playing tricks without reason in this world. Anyone who does these things must do it for profit. Fang Zhi wants to see how much he plans to earn.
Unexpectedly, the old man actually shook his head and said: "The sacred object cannot be sold. The most I can do is lend it to you."
Fang Zhi was just beginning to feel a little surprised when he heard the old man continue, "Your two disasters will occur soon, no more than a month at most. I can lend you this lamp for a month, but its divine power is not inexhaustible. You are consuming divine power by using it to ward off disasters. Since we are destined to meet, I will not take advantage of you. I will charge you fifty yuan a day."
Fang Zhi finally understood. It turned out that the old man was not selling the lamps, but renting them out. He was so angry that he almost laughed: "Fifty a day, fifteen hundred a month? You really are a good person? You can just rob it, and you still give me a lamp?"
After saying that, he turned around and left without hesitation.
The old man behind him said, "Young man, if you don't avoid disaster, you will regret it."
Fang Zhi didn't even turn his head and shouted, "I'll regret it if I really rent this broken thing of yours. Forget it, sir!"
The old man sat there clutching the lamp, watching Fang Zhi's back gradually walk away until it finally disappeared at the other end of the overpass.
He finally withdrew his gaze helplessly, shook his head regretfully, put the lamp back in the newspaper, and wrapped it up carefully.
Three minutes later, under the overpass.
"No, the light is not good."
In the makeshift tent, Zhuang Yan stared at the footage that had just been filmed and shook his head.
Song Yecheng, Qi Xianyun and others watched from the side and nodded in agreement.
Because of the umbrella, the natural light above the overpass and the light from the street lamps below the bridge would be blocked by the umbrella from time to time, and the lighting technician could not light the side too strongly, otherwise it would appear abrupt. This resulted in the light in several close-up shots being flickering, and subtle expressions could not be seen clearly, and in the mid-shot it was almost impossible to see even above the neck.
"Why don't we try without an umbrella?" Song Yecheng suggested, "The rain isn't heavy anyway, and Fang Zhi has been thinking all the way, so it's not surprising to go home in the rain."
Zhuang Yan thought about it carefully and felt that this statement made sense. At least it was not contradictory to the plot. However, Qi Xianyun's assistant said worriedly, "But the temperature now..."
The temperature in the north is only three or four degrees Celsius at night, and it is a rainy day. They are not wearing thick clothes, so they will feel cold all over after just staying in the open air for a while. If they are repeatedly exposed to the rain, I am afraid their bodies will not be able to bear it.
But before Zhuang Yan could make a decision, Qi Xianyun raised her hand and pointed at her assistant: "Don't make things worse."
As he spoke, he smiled cheerfully at Zhuang Yan, "Don't pay attention to him. Isn't it normal to get caught in the rain and sun while filming? As long as the results are good, don't worry about anything else."
He and Song Yecheng are both extremely dedicated actors. They always put the filming effect first. Not to mention getting caught in the rain in temperatures above zero, even if they are asked to wade in a river in temperatures below zero, they will definitely do their best to cooperate as long as necessary.
At this moment, Jiang Que, who had been silent, spoke up, "Director Zhuang."
Several people turned their heads in confusion, and then they heard Jiang Que suggest, "Maybe we can try one person holding an umbrella and the other not?"
He gestured to the monitor and said, "From what I've seen, the lighting problem is mainly concentrated on Fang Zhi's side. Since he needs to move around constantly, his umbrella affects the lighting more. It's actually not that bad over there, Mr. Qi."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan turned back to the monitor, and Song Yecheng and Qi Xianyun followed suit. They watched the previous footage again and found that it was exactly as he said.
Jiang Que continued to explain, "Fang Zhi didn't hold an umbrella because he didn't bring one when he went out. On his way home from get off work, he was preoccupied with his own affairs, so it's reasonable that he didn't pay attention to the light rain. And Mr. Qi's appearance itself carries a certain mystery. When Fang Zhi passed by him, he was under the umbrella. Only when Fang Zhi turned around did he lift the umbrella to reveal his true appearance. These two shots create a little suspense without affecting the overall tone."
This was the first time he expressed his opinions on the filming on the set. Although he was present before, he always just watched quietly.
This is not because he does not have his own ideas, but because he has always believed that novels and movies are two different art forms. Even if the movie is adapted from a novel, the shooting and production process is a round of secondary creation. The main person in charge of this round of creation is no longer him, but the film director.
He recognized Zhuang Yan's professionalism and trusted his aesthetic ability, and was more willing to participate in the filming process with a learning attitude. Therefore, even though he was the original author and screenwriter, he always fully respected Zhuang Yan's creative space and freedom, and would not arbitrarily interfere in Zhuang Yan's work.
Today's rain was really unexpected, and his proposal at this moment was also very measured. He did not make any major changes to the original design of the banquet, but only provided a feasible compromise from the perspective of an outsider.
Listening to his calm, gentle and clear voice, Song Yecheng inexplicably felt a sense of relief. He couldn't help but tilt his head to look at him. After meeting his slightly puzzled gaze, he blinked his right eye at him in approval and encouragement.
Although Jiang Que didn't understand why, he was still shocked by the sudden wink. He quickly looked away and unconsciously raised his hand to pinch his earlobe.
Zhuang Yan was still staring at the monitor. After a moment's deliberation, he finally nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. Let's do it this way. One of us will hold an umbrella, the other one won't. Let's do it again."
Everyone returned to their positions and went back to their duties. Qi Xianyun returned to the overpass and stood guarding the stall with an umbrella, while Song Yecheng did not hold an umbrella this time. He walked from the sidewalk to the overpass with a bag in one hand and the other in his pocket.
Half an hour later——
“Cut!”
Zhuang Yan helplessly shouted to stop. This time it was not because of the lighting problem, but because the drizzle that was as fine as a cow's hair suddenly became heavier, and now it had even developed to the point of being almost a downpour.
Song Yecheng in the camera was already soaked all over, his hair looked like he had just washed, the rain seeped down his forehead into his eyebrows, and the water droplets rolling down his temples slid along his cheeks to his chin, making him look like he had just come ashore after diving into the water to save someone.
If you don't take an umbrella in such a downpour, it can't be explained by "thinking too much". It must be that you are extremely stupid, have just experienced the separation of life and death, or are following the plot in a melodramatic romance drama where "you love me but don't believe that I love you, so I have to get wet in the rain to find you to prove that I love you."
Not only that, the crackling sound of heavy rain hitting the umbrella also seriously affected the radio reception. In such an environment, conversations almost had to be carried out by shouting.
As soon as Zhuang Yan called for a halt, Qi Xianyun hurriedly stood up and covered Song Yecheng with an umbrella. Douzi also rushed to the bridge in two steps and handed him a towel.
Song Yecheng rubbed his hair, and went down the bridge with Douzi and Qi Xianyun and returned to the shed. Jiang Que took his coat from the back of the chair next to him and handed it to him. Douzi quickly took it, unfolded it, and put it on Song Yecheng.
Zhuang Yan also looked helpless. He looked at his watch and found that it was already half past two, and there were still two and a half hours until the scheduled time of five o'clock.
"Let's go to the car and change clothes and blow dry our hair," he said to Song Yecheng and Qi Xianyun. "There's only a short section left, so we can dry our clothes first and then finish filming when the rain stops."
They had just managed to capture the scene where the fortune teller took the lamp out of his bag before the rain got heavier. If nothing went wrong, the rest of the filming would be completed within half an hour, but it would not work with his clothes and hair so wet. They had to be dried until there were no obvious water stains.
After arranging the actors, Zhuang Yan turned around and surveyed the surrounding streets. After a moment, he turned back and called the stage manager. Pointing to a tea restaurant not far away, he said, "Go ask them when they close. If it's still early, take everyone there for some hot drinks and a rest. We can resume work after the rain subsides."
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