That black board was covered with photos of Ye Chu.
Many, many photos. Some looked familiar, but most were completely unfamiliar to me; I'd never seen them before. The only thing I was certain of was that they were all of Ye Chu.
Ye Chu during filming, Ye Chu memorizing the script, Ye Chu eating a boxed lunch, Ye Chu rehearsing lines with others, and even a few pictures of Ye Chu pretending to be a corpse with her eyes closed—it's unclear when these pictures were taken.
The contents on the whiteboard were neat and orderly, arranged like soldiers in formation. The photos on the blackboard, however, were chaotic and disorganized, lacking any discernible order or sequence. The only common thread was that Ye Chu looked beautiful in all the photos. Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness; playfulness, laughter, anger, and resentment. Aside from a certain documentary filmmaker, it's unlikely anyone else in the world could capture such nuanced and captivating portraits of everyday life.
In an instant, I broke out in a sweat.
It seems that the Taoist priest has discovered a shocking secret.
No, no, no, the important thing is that the person who holds this secret is looking at me right now!
In that instant, I, Old Zhao, wished I could chop off my own pig's trotters. Serves you right for being so rude! Serves you right for having such a foul mouth! Serves you right for having such a rude foot!
Ye Chu stood up. Aside from filming, I had never seen such a rich array of expressions on her face: shock, bewilderment, confusion, emotion, disbelief, and finally, a blank expression.
"Um, Xiao Ye." I swallowed hard, and for a moment I wanted to jump off the building.
Almost instantly, Ye Chu made a "shh" gesture at me.
I immediately remembered that Shao Guangji was still outside the door and could come in at any moment!
The Taoist priest was terrified. The incident itself wasn't so bad, well, it was actually a little scary. But the most fatal flaw was its incredibly awkwardness; if handled poorly, it could create a huge mess.
After a brief pause, Ye Chu quickly stepped forward, pushed me aside, and gently flipped the board back over.
The blackboard turned into a whiteboard again.
After finishing this task, Ye Chu went to the back to make sure that the photos on the blackboard were not missing or misplaced; then she turned back to the front to check the information on the whiteboard to make sure that they were not moved or messed up.
After checking, Ye Chu tiptoed back to the coffee table, grabbed a tissue, and carefully wiped the areas of the board that she and I had just touched. I guessed she was probably wiping away fingerprints. After doing this, Ye Chu stuffed the tissue into her pocket.
Throughout the entire process, I, Old Zhao, just stared at her, dumbfounded, completely blank. Besides watching her, I, Old Zhao, didn't know what else to do.
Ye Chu cleaned and examined my crime scene as if it were a murder scene, then pulled me back to the sofa and made a "shh" gesture to me.
Actually, even without her reminder, I wouldn't have said anything. What could I say? Tell Shao Guangji, "I know your earth-shattering secret, but how I found out is none of your business?"
Ye Chu and I sat on the sofa, looking all respectable, just like we had been a moment ago. The only difference was that Ye Chu no longer looked at her phone, and I dared not look at the whiteboard anymore.
Shao Guangji finally finished chatting with the director of photography, returned to the room, and sat down opposite Ye Chu and me.
Ye Chu wore a polite, forced smile—just like she always did with Shao Guangji—and began asking him all sorts of questions. Shao Guangji, in turn, remained impatient, as if he couldn't wait for Ye Chu to leave.
The two sat in front of the black and white board that held a huge secret, as if nothing was amiss, discussing matters as if neither of them knew what secrets lay behind the white board three meters away.
I, Old Zhao, sat to the side, dumbfounded for a few seconds, then suddenly remembered that I was also an actor. I quickly and skillfully portrayed a state of boredom, even yawning a few times.
While yawning, I, Old Zhao, suddenly thought, who says that only actors have good acting skills in this world?
---------
Our conversation with Shao Guangji ended, and he saw us to the door.
Under the dim corridor lights, Shao Guangji frowned and said to Ye Chu, "Get some rest. Tomorrow is your last day of filming, so don't delay the crew's shooting."
Ye Chu smiled and said, "Understood, Director."
Shao Guangji looked at me again, as if he had just realized that I was also a person: "Old Zhao, you've finished filming today, congratulations."
I chuckled and replied, somewhat irrelevantly, "Same to you, same to you."
Ye Chu and I left the dormitory at the film studio side by side, walking under the streetlights. To avoid being photographed and causing a pathetic scandal, we both maintained a social distance, making us look like we weren't close. It wasn't that I was trying to be virtuous; it's just that in this industry, anything can become tainted.
We walked in silence for a while, and I finally couldn't help but speak up: "Ye Chu..."
Ye Chu asked, "What's wrong, Uncle Zhao?"
What's wrong? What do you think is wrong?
I said, "What do you think about what just happened?"
Ye Chu remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "A mistake, or a mistake that's about to disappear."
What kind of logic is this?
Ye Chu noticed my question and lowered her head, saying, "Since Director Shao isn't saying anything and is keeping it so well hidden, it proves that he knows it's a mistake. He'll figure it out himself after filming wraps up."
I understand now, Ye Chu is pretending not to know. After filming wraps up and she leaves the crew, Shao Guangji won't be able to find her, and this grudge will probably fade away.
Actually, this is the best way to handle our film. If the lead actor and director are at odds, it could be a disaster for the film. It's an awkward situation no matter how you look at it, so it's better to pretend you don't know and just let it slide.
Having been in the industry for a long time, we tend to turn a blind eye; that's how everyone does it.
I couldn't help but say, "Um, Ye Chu, actually, Lao Shao and his wife don't have a very good relationship. They've been separated for a long time, and they're just talking about property—"
I admit, this is my personal bias. Shao Guangji and I are both men, and I subconsciously side with him. I find it quite regrettable that a secret is known to both parties, yet both have to pretend not to know. What kind of utter nonsense is this?
There are plenty of open marriages in the entertainment industry. Take Su Ge's parents, for example; they have illegitimate children all over the place. Otherwise, how did Mai Zhenye get the title of "Second Uncle Mai"?
Ye Chu sighed and said after a long while, "Uncle Zhao, if you didn't always speak like this, I would feel that you are insulting me."
I was getting a little angry too, but then I remembered that Ye Chu had just helped me clean up my mess, so I couldn't bring myself to get angry at her. I could only say, "Who insulted you? I didn't tell you any jokes about Hengshi. I was just saying it casually. If you're angry, I won't say it anymore."
Ye Chu smiled and slowly said, "I don't know what Director Shao is thinking, but I will never do such a thing again. That would be letting down my fans, my company, and myself."
Again?
I shuddered. I suddenly remembered, what was Yang Huanyi's husband's name again?
I swallowed hard. "Yezi, well, actually I didn't ask you to do that. What I meant was, after Lao Shao and that guy get divorced, do you want to talk to him?"
Ye Chu shook her head: "What's there to talk about? The fact that he won't say anything proves that he knows this shouldn't have happened. A person like him will never admit his mistakes. Even if he meets me again someday in a different capacity, he won't bring up this error. This matter is over forever, and he will never let anyone know."
A cool night breeze blew by, and I shivered. I understood what Ye Chu meant. Shao Guangji was incredibly arrogant and would never admit to having fallen in love with the leading lady of his own film before his divorce. This past would be buried deep (if it weren't for my own meddling), and even if Shao Guangji did become single again and met Ye Chu again, it would be a completely different story.
The secret of the blackboard will forever remain buried in my heart. No one else but Shao Guangji, Ye Chu, and me will ever know it.
I, Old Zhao, have been a blabbermouth for half my life, and now I know this secret! Oh, heavens, why are you doing this to me, Old Zhao?
Ye Chu looked at me and tentatively asked, "Uncle Zhao, you won't tell anyone about this, will you?"
I gave a wry smile. I said to Ye Chu, "I'll tell you a secret."
"Um?"
I said, "Actually, the reason I made up jokes from different places is because of something that happened when I was young."
Ye Chu didn't reply, but her face was full of question marks.
I said, "I was born in Haiya, which is only one character different from Haicheng, but the two places have developed very differently. When I was young, I had a lot of comedic talent. I went to a big production team to try to get a role and met a group of directors and investors from Haicheng, Beijing and Ruguan."
I chuckled. "They wanted me to tell jokes in my hometown dialect, to be funny and silly, to insult my hometown, so I could get the role. I did it."
A hint of pity flashed in Ye Chu's eyes.
I burst out laughing and said, "But in the end they didn't give me that role! Hahaha! You're so stupid!"
Ye Chu paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, “They really are stupid. Luckily, I’ve never met anyone as brain-dead as those directors and investors. It feels like if these people shook their heads, fountains would shoot out of their ears.”
I suppressed my smile and said to Ye Chu, "This is my secret. Uncle Zhao is telling you now so you can rest assured. I will take this to my grave; I won't even tell my most important wife and daughter, or my best brother."
Ye Chu was slightly surprised: "Uncle Zhao, thank you. But why...?"
"Sneaking through the director's room isn't some great feat; I should be thanking you." I laughed. "Old Shao is my brother, and you're my, uh, junior. I won't let you two down."
Ye Chu looked at me with a mixture of belief and doubt. I knew that Dao Ye's big mouth image was deeply ingrained in people's minds. Apart from my dear old ghost and dear little ghost, no one in this world believed that I, Lao Zhao, was a reliable and good person.
I laughed: "Director Shao, this isn't something to be proud of. It won't do the film any good if word gets out."
"The Heavenly King is a film for all of us," I concluded.
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I asked Ye Chu, "If Shao Guangji were to get divorced one day and pursue you again, what would you think?"
Ye Chu gave a disgusted look: "I really can't imagine what it would be like for Director Shao to pursue anyone."
I imagined it for a moment, and even I found it a bit hard to imagine. I shook my head and said, "I'm not asking him what to do, but what you think."
Ye Chu pondered for a moment and then shook her head: "I don't know. Actually, I think we're overthinking it. Maybe Director Shao doesn't have those feelings for me; he's just using my photos to find shooting angles."
After saying that, we arrived at the entrance of the residential area where the Yinzhou Film and Television Base dormitory building was located. Ye Chu then left. I watched Ye Chu's figure disappear into the distance without hesitation, the dim yellow light of the streetlights casting a long shadow on her.
I suddenly remembered listening to my little darling take online courses. There was an old professor in the course who lectured in a particularly captivating way. I, Lao Zhao, still remember a sentence she said during her lecture. She talked about "life's endless regrets flowing eastward like water," saying it was a rhetorical question: "Why does water always flow eastward, and why do people always have endless regrets?"
Why does water flow eastward forever? Why do people have endless hatred?
I don't understand that sentence. Old Zhao isn't exactly a cultured person; he sometimes can't even spot typos in the script.
Now, recalling those words, I suddenly understand. I don't know if Shao Guangji will harbor resentment for this, but the Ye Chu River will indeed flow eastward forever without hesitation. As for me, a passerby standing on the bank, I can only sigh a couple of times at the river and that's it.
And so, I, Old Zhao, returned to my room, feeling utterly stifled. Suddenly, I remembered what that old geezer Ouyang had said: if you have something bothering you, just write it in your diary. So I, Old Zhao, wrote this entry in my diary, recording this earth-shattering gossip, this whole inexplicable affair.
As I write this, dawn has broken. Before dawn, I'll burn this stack of diaries to ashes with a lighter. Nothing happened on this film set. No director encountered his muse who pretended to be deaf and dumb, no Taoist priest carelessly flipped through someone's blackboard or whiteboard, and no lead actor could clean up a mess even if Mount Tai collapsed before him. There was just a group of people filming their "Heavenly Emperor."
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