Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 397 Even the boss makes such good pornographic films.

Cassian began a new life in the nights of New Orleans.

Every night, he would drive his old Chevrolet through this humid and bustling seaside city.

However, New Orleans at night is fraught with danger, especially for an outsider like him.

Robbery, brawls, shootings, drug trafficking—these were all commonplace for him. He could only live cautiously, trying to avoid those dangerous neighborhoods and crowds.

In this situation, a strip club he frequently passed by caught his attention.

A huge poster was displayed at the entrance of this strip club.

Charlize Theron plays a stripper who leans against a steel pipe, wearing a tight black leather halter dress that reveals her long legs and deep cleavage, her waist bending softly into an alluring arc.

Her gaze was cold and defiant, fixed straight ahead, a slight upturn at the corners of her lips carrying a hint of cynical laughter. The poster's background was a dark red neon light, which accentuated her fair skin and her tousled blonde hair, making her appear like the most dangerous yet most alluring flame in the night.

Every time he passed by here, he would slow down and carefully observe the woman in the poster.

……

When Gulnazar first stood behind James Pritzker and watched the monitor with him, she was a little worried that the chubby director would scold her.

However, she later discovered that as long as she didn't speak or make a sound, the director wouldn't bother her.

She knew it was because of her boss, so she felt perfectly justified staying behind the monitor. This was her first time working on a film set, and she was incredibly curious about everything.

This is not,

She discovered that the footage the director saw on the monitor was vastly different from reality.

The girl from Xinjiang had never studied acting, let alone directing; she had no idea what cinematic language was.

She simply felt that the images on the monitor were more visually appealing and allowed her to better understand what the people on camera were acting.

Like now.

The photographer held the camera very close, giving the man a huge close-up.

His facial features were displayed entirely on the monitor screen.

The dim light shone on it, revealing every subtle change.

Oh my god.

Gulnazar watched for a while, then touched her face with her hand. As expected, it was frighteningly hot.

She really didn't expect that her boss could make such good pornographic films.

That's awesome.

"Looks like the boss does this kind of thing quite often, doesn't he?"

"What are you saying, Nazha? Don't overthink it!"

"But that's clearly it, otherwise how could he act so convincingly? That expression, tsk tsk, so lewd."

"That's acting!"

"But acting skills must also come from life."

Gulnazar was having a mental conversation when suddenly the chubby director turned around and said to her, "#%￥@￥#！@！#！@。"

James said a long string of words, but Gulnazar didn't understand a single one.

However, she guessed that the director was probably praising her boss's acting.

Gulnazar quickly smiled and nodded, "Yes, I think so."

The director smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

Gulnazar thought the director was really friendly, and immediately gave him a thumbs up with a smile.

"Cut!" the chubby director said into the walkie-talkie, then waved to her and said, "Follow me."

Gulnazar understood what he was saying, and although it was a little confusing, she still followed along.

When Chen Nuo heard "CUT," he knew that this take was definitely not going to be a success.

After a few days of working together, he became increasingly clear about James Pritzker's directing style.

Clearly, he's done too many dark comedies before, so he prefers actors with more exaggerated performances. For example, he's more like Jiang Wen than Wang Jiawei.

In that scene just now, his acting was too much like Wong Kar-wai.

So that's definitely not an option.

He closed his eyes, preparing to readjust his mind.

Suddenly, James's voice was heard: "Chen, look, I've brought you a helper."

Chen Nuo opened his eyes and saw James walking over, with Gulnazar following behind him.

He asked, somewhat puzzled, "What?"

"Your beautiful assistant. Haha, I think she should be able to help you get into the zone. She's already agreed. I was originally going to ask Janice or Charlize, but neither of them came today. So, come on, give it a try."

Darius Congee, listening from the side, just wanted to cover his forehead and let out a long sigh.

Sure enough, the foolish, spendthrift director didn't listen to a word he said that night.

Do you really think he's one of those amateur actors from those garbage short films you made before? You need such a clumsy method to help him get into character?
What a joke! When he first started out, he knew nothing, but his pantomime performance almost made Hong Kong's best director cry out to God.

This is an insult.

Darius Congee looked at Chen Nuo, thinking that the young man would be very angry.

But Chen Nuo, a 40-year-old veteran, only frowned slightly, looked at James, then at Nazha, and said, "Thank you, no need, take her back."

……

In the dark room, Gulnazar closed her eyes, a thin blanket covering her body, outlining her slender figure.

Her breathing gradually quickened, her chest rose and fell slightly, and her hands, hidden under the blanket, moved lightly.

The girl's lips parted slightly, emitting low breaths, her brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently, her mind filled with the images she had seen on the monitor during the day.

It was a pretty face.

Whether she looks good or not is not important. What matters is the emotion expressed on her face, which is like a hand that pulls out many threads, tugging at the heart of a young girl.

The man's eyebrows were slightly raised, his eyes were half-open and half-closed, and his eyelids trembled slightly.

His nostrils flared slightly with his rapid breathing, his lips parted slightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily before tightening into a straight line.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and slid down his temples.

As she gradually recalled the scene she had seen that morning, Gulnazar's hands began to move faster and faster.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes abruptly, her legs involuntarily tensed, her back arched, and her whole body trembled several times.

A few seconds later, she seemed to have all her strength drained away and collapsed onto the bed.

In the darkness, she opened her eyes, and the man's face gradually faded away.

Instead, I felt an overwhelming sense of shame.

"What are you doing, Nazha? It's so embarrassing. It's embarrassing during the day, and it's embarrassing now," she muttered.

Yes, during the day, when she vaguely followed along back and forth, and then it suddenly dawned on her that she guessed what the director wanted her to do, she felt extremely embarrassed and wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

And now...

Gulnazar argued, "It's not my fault, it's because the boss acted so well."

She immediately frowned again: "Just because you act well, does that give you the right to act like this? Do you know that's called fantasizing?"

"I know."

"Do you even know that these are things only men do?"

"I know."

"If you know everything, why did you still do this? What are you thinking, a young woman like you?"

Thinking what?
Gulnazar looked at the ceiling. She was eighteen years old this year, but she had always been precocious. She had been dating since elementary school. Although it was just holding hands and such, to be honest, she was not unfamiliar with matters between men and women.

But she didn't know what she was thinking.

But I couldn't help it, I really couldn't help it.

The first take was fine.

Watched it a second time!
I don't know if it was because she went on the trip herself, but the second time she watched it, it was really different from the first time. She felt like she was actually there, and unconsciously she put herself in the story.

So much so that, even after all this time, the expression on the man's face remains indelible in her mind.

Gulnazar bit her lip, thinking bitterly, "How can you blame her? If it's really shown in theaters, I don't believe I'm the only one who'll react this way."

And this is just the beginning; it seems there are even more revealing scenes to come.

Sigh... Gulnazar is starting to worry.

What will we do then?

Originally... people were planning to quit.

……

……

From the moment the strip club appeared, the film truly began to get into its main story.

During the script reading, Chen Nuo kept imagining the scene of Cassian and Angel's first meeting, and how he could make the audience feel the irresistible allure of Angel in Cassian's heart.

But when he walked into the private dressing room of that strip club with a pizza box and met Charlize Theron, he realized he had overthought things.

Faced with such a beauty, it seemed he didn't need to think too much.

He only needs to follow his body's instincts and dance with the other person in front of the camera.

The camera was behind Chen Nuo. He knocked on the door and then pushed it open.

At the entrance was a messy single dressing room, where a blonde woman in a white robe was sitting in front of a mirror applying makeup.

Chen Nuo's voice trembled: "Hello, Miss Angel, here is your Chinese food."

Charlize Theron looked at him in the vanity mirror, frowned, and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm a food delivery driver." Chen Nuo leaned against the door, head down, barely daring to breathe.

Charlize Theron turned halfway around and leaned against the vanity.

A silk robe was casually draped over her body, open in the front, revealing her black lace bra, her high, full, rounded breasts, her flat, firm abdomen, and the thong that was so narrow it was almost invisible.

She wore dark red nail polish, and her long, slender fingers held a cigarette between them. She took a light puff, blew a smoke ring into the air, and said, "Bring it in."

The camera followed Chen Nuo inside.
They only filmed his back, so they couldn't see his expression, but from his stiff steps and posture, they could tell that he was very careful and nervous.

Theron looked at him directly, as if she had seen something amusing, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Come here, boy, let me see you."

"Ah, I, I'm sorry..." Chen Nuo stammered.

Charlize Theron's smile widened, and she stood up, exposing her entire body to the camera.

Chen Nuo looked up and immediately placed his hand on the lunchbox, remaining motionless, as if his whole body had been frozen.

Theron slowly walked up to Chen Nuo and looked the deliveryman up and down.

Darius Congee's camera moved to the side.

The veteran cameraman captured Chen Nuo's stiff profile and Theron's aggressive gaze through the viewfinder. The two figures formed a strong contrast in the dim light, and a subtle tension filled the air.

Chen Nuo stood there with her head down, her hands gripping the edge of the lunchbox awkwardly, as if she didn't know how to deal with the situation.

At this point, the conversation unfolded like a probing game between hunter and prey.

Theron circled him, her high heels clicking on the floor. "What's your name?"

"Ka, Kassian."

"No, I'm asking about your original name. Where are you from? Japan? China?"

"China."

"what's your name?"

“LEE YANG”.

"Leon? Okay, Leon, I'm going to perform on stage soon, want to grab a drink?"

"I...I still have to...go to work."

"It's okay, you can come after get off work. We're open very late."

Charlize Theron leaned slightly closer to Chen Nuo's face, a meaningful smile playing on her lips, her eyes filled with a hint of teasing and control, like a hunter eyeing its prey.

Chen Nuo clearly held his breath, and when Theron got close to him, his greedy gaze swept down her face, lingering on her slightly open collar before quickly moving away, as if afraid of being discovered for his inappropriate behavior.

Clearly, in James's script, this boy is not the boy seduced by the female teacher Hannah in "The Reader"; he has a more naked desire.

In the end, Theron was the only one left in the room.

A burly white man with a crew cut pushed open the door and asked, "Angel, have you seen him? How is he?"

The glamorous stripper from a moment ago now stares intently at a point in the air, as if deep in thought, before finally saying, "Yes, he's very suitable."

The burly man laughed and said, "Then it's up to you."

After that, every day after work, Cassian would go to a strip club to watch Angel dance until it closed. Meanwhile, Jenny, the restaurant owner's daughter, went to the basement and knocked on his door, but no one answered.

……

……

That evening, Chen Nuo planned to stroll around the area below the hotel to think about how to film the next day's scenes.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw that Theron, who lived across the street from him, was also coming out.

Unlike his casual attire, Charlize Theron wore a black low-cut dress with a beige cashmere trench coat over it, and carried a limited-edition Chanel bag. Her famous short blonde hair was meticulously styled, making her look like a superstar who had just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine.

Upon seeing him, Theron was visibly taken aback.

"Hello, good evening," Chen Nuo greeted politely.

Theron smiled and said, "Good evening. Are you going out too?"

"Yes, let's go for a walk."

"walk?"

"Yep."

"I usually only go out for a walk when I'm walking my dog."

"So where are you going now?" "My manager came over today, and I'm going out to find a place to have a drink with him."

"Oh, have fun."

"Thank you."

They talked as they walked, but after reaching the elevator, neither of them spoke again.

This aimless exchange was a completely new experience for Charlize Theron. She looked at the man's young face through the glowing elevator doors, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

These days of filming are definitely among the most memorable in her more than ten years of film and television career. She originally thought that apart from the performances on stage that required practice, playing a role like Angel would be too easy for her.

However, every day during this period was not easy for her.

At that moment, she suddenly felt a surge of impulse and wanted to talk to the man who had bought her house again, so she invited him, "Chen, would you like to come with me?"

Chen Nuo shook his head and said, "Thank you, but no thanks."

If it were a Chinese woman, she definitely wouldn't have pressed the issue further, but Theron asked with a puzzled look, "Why? You don't have anything else to do, do you?"

Chen Nuo truthfully replied, "I'm sorry, I need to think about tomorrow's scene."

Charlize Theron's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Tomorrow's scene? You mean? Our sex scene?"

"Yes."

"Wait, wait a minute, you wouldn't... never have filmed a sex scene before, would you?"

"I did film it, but..." Chen Nuo shrugged.

“Okay, I get it, haha.” Charlize Theron laughed. “Want my advice? Don’t overthink it, just let things take their course.”

Seeing the boy's worried expression, Charlize Theron's mood immediately improved.

Finally, there's a scene you can't handle, isn't there?

"Ding!" The elevator arrived at the first floor.

"Bye-bye, Chen, good luck, good night."

"Good night."

Theron smiled at him, waved casually, and walked towards her assistant, bodyguard, and manager who were waiting in the lobby.

Chen Nuo sighed behind her.

Look, this is the confidence that comes from years of navigating the world.

The most daring scene he's ever filmed since his debut was the one with Gao Yuanyuan, which was ultimately cut quite a bit by Zhang Yiyi.

Apart from kissing scenes, he has never filmed a single bed scene.

This is absolutely unacceptable for an actor from an art-house film background.

Tomorrow, he will begin his first real sex scene since his debut, and it will be the kind that is full of passion, where he will have to portray all the passion and love of the male lead.

This is definitely a completely new challenge for him.

Look at Charlize Theron, still in the mood for drinking?
He couldn't sleep at all because he was thinking about having to take his pants off tomorrow!
……

……

When filming began the next day, Gulnazar was kicked off the set.

Not just her, everyone except the director and cinematographer was kicked out.

"Ugh."

Gulnazar sighed deeply.

She stood outside the house, tiptoeing to peer inside, as if she could actually see something that way.

At this point, everything was actually ready in the dimly lit room.

In this apartment in Angel, the lighting designer gave the room a soft yellow light, giving everything a special texture.

At this point, Angel confronted Cassian.

She wanted him to help her transport a batch of goods from the dock to the city every Thursday.

“No one will notice you.” Theron, wearing a silk robe, touched Chen Nuo’s face with her fingers. “Everything will be fine. Don’t worry.”

Darius Congee stared intently through the viewfinder, making sure the camera slowly zoomed in, gliding past the edge of Angel's bathrobe to focus on Chen Nuo's face, capturing every subtle change in his expression, while the dim lighting in the background accentuated the ambiguous and dangerous atmosphere between the two.

On Chen Nuo's face, several emotions progressed layer by layer.

First came surprise, then fear, then doubt, and finally, everything coalesced into greed and desire.

Here, the experience of the masked boy really helped him a lot.

Those Mexicans, Ecans, Guatemalans... these illegal immigrants struggling in the mud of New Orleans, their cowardice, their greed, their cruelty and their desires, were all reflected on his face at that moment.

His eyebrows shot up sharply, and as Theron's hand brushed across his face, his lips parted slightly and then quickly tightened, all in a fluid, rhythmic motion. Then, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he said with difficulty, "No, I'm not sure, Angel. I'm just... I'm just a deliveryman."

"..."

"CUT!"

When James called Kawhi Leonard, his heart was bleeding.

After that day, he began to agree with Darius Congee's views.

Indeed, some actors are beyond words. He even brought people over to offer help, and what happened? The second time, they gave him a flawless performance.

This time too.

Seeing the change in Chen Nuo's expression, James realized that he really was an American country bumpkin.

He never imagined that one day he would see actors of this caliber performing in the stories he had written on his monitor.

Only the creators truly understand the immense sense of accomplishment this provides. It's like Mao Ni seeing Lu Han in *Fighter of the Destiny*, Tang Jia San Shao seeing Xiao Zhan in *Douluo Continent*, or the newspaper vendor seeing Wang Heli in *The Great Feng Night Watchman*.

James was overjoyed at that moment, only regretting that there was no one around to share it with him.

So when he saw Charlize Theron forget her lines, he yelled "Cut!" and immediately flew into a rage, cursing, "Charlize, WTF, what are you doing? Did you fucking lick someone's ass last night? FUCK YOU! SHIT, you son of a bitch! You ruined a great performance, do you even know that?!"

Charlize Theron was completely stunned by the criticism.

Although the alcohol last night and her opponent's performance did momentarily sway her, preventing her from continuing her lines in time.

But she is Richards Theron!
Which director has ever used such foul language to insult her?
“James! What are you saying!?” Theron screamed.

James was absolutely furious, to the point that he couldn't keep up the artsy act anymore. He revealed his true nature as a powerful figure who would make anyone disappear at the slightest provocation. He didn't care about any Oscar-winning actress and yelled furiously, "Fuck your mother, you South African bitch! I'm talking to you! If you dare say another word, believe me, I'll make sure you can never act in a movie again!"

Charlize Theron was so angry at James's appearance that she was trembling all over. She instinctively wanted to leave the set and even immediately told her agent, who was waiting outside, that she wanted to terminate her contract!

However, Theron suddenly remembered the man's surname and the immense power his family currently wielded in America.

Her face turned deathly pale instantly, her eyes quickly reddened, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. She then lowered her head, burying her face in her hands, and began to sob, clearly overwhelmed by immense fear and humiliation.

Oh open!

What's the point of filming this?

Chen Nuo was actually taken aback by James Pritzker.

Although he knew this guy was a cold-blooded animal, he just pretended to be one.

But to yell like that and even threaten someone's life after just one mistake is going too far.

He made up his mind that he would never again play the role of someone who tries to win over women.

James clearly didn't mean it that way. After announcing a short break and using the walkie-talkie to call Charlize Theron's assistant and makeup artist in for touch-ups, James simply called him aside and comforted him, "Chen, I know I was a bit too much just now, but you saw it too, she was completely out of it. I really need this scene to be perfect. Can you do it again later? I believe in you. You can do it, right?"

What else could Chen Nuo say? He could only nod.

Filming resumed an hour later.

No one knows what Theron's agent from CAA said to her, but Chen Nuo saw the woman who was being called an idiot and went to apologize to James instead.

Then she came over and apologized to him.

Chen Nuo felt quite uncomfortable.

Indeed, how many people can truly stand up after being bullied?
Thinking of this, he sincerely comforted me, saying, "Actually, many directors have bad tempers. I've been scolded to tears before. You don't need to take it to heart."

Theron's blue eyes stared intently at him, then she pursed her lips and said, "Thank you."

……

……

“No, I’m not sure, Angel. I’m just… I’m just a delivery driver.”

Chen Nuo said in the video.

James clenched his fist tightly behind the viewfinder. Great, just as perfect as before.

Similarly, This time, Theron quickly grasped the feeling.

She laughed like a blonde, blue-eyed, seductive vixen, tenderly stroking Chen Nuo's chest and whispering, "No, you're not just a deliveryman, you're a man, a real man. Lion, you're a lion, aren't you?"

Chen Nuo's chest heaved, and finally, he nodded forcefully.

The next scene,
Chen Nuo, being such a noob, was completely on the defensive. With Theron writhing on him and a camera nearby, he really couldn't think any further.

It feels like no matter how much I think about it, it will just end up resembling a Japanese film. Fortunately, Charlize Theron is different. From "Two Days in the Valley" in 96 to "The Devil's Advocate" and "The Reindeer Game," she definitely has plenty of relevant experience.

Chen Nuo, on the other hand, lost a lot of points. In this scene, he was just like a small boat, drifting with the waves.

Even after the performance was over, he couldn't quite remember what he had done.

All they did was kiss and touch; everyone was naked in front of each other, and their pants were off.

Besides that, I've really forgotten.

He can only wait until the film is released to watch the finished product and slowly savor its memory.

……

……

In the storyline, Cassian thus joins the ranks of drug dealers.

Logically, this should have made his life more comfortable.

But that wasn't the case. In order to better control him, Angel made him start using powder.

During this performance, Chen Nuo couldn't find the right feeling. In the end, he had to get himself completely drunk before he could follow Darius Congee's camera and spin around in the same way.

If the plot had progressed to this point, in the end, whether Cassian was caught by the police or died, it would have just been an ordinary B-movie.

However, James Pritzker then took the plot to an even greater climax.

Without a doubt, this artsy young man has absolutely no intention of making things easy for the audience.

Next, feeling that he was being watched by the police, Cassian wanted to find a helper to transport goods with him.

He thought of Jenny.

Cassian approached Jenny, but Jenny wanted to persuade him to leave his life. Cassian pretended to agree, but took advantage of Jenny's love for him, luring the girl into becoming addicted to drugs with him.

Afterwards, Jenny dropped out of school without telling her father and became his assistant, as well as a member of the drug addicts.

In one frenzy after another, the once pure and innocent girl transformed into a grotesque creature, neither human nor ghost. Finally, one morning, when Chen Nuo awoke from his daze, he discovered that the girl had been dead beside him for an unknown period of time, her eyes open, her face blue and purple, with flies stuck in her eyes.

This scene was actually arranged after the initial intimate scene between Chen Nuo and Janice Man.

After filming this scene, Janice Man shot a few more shots before leaving and returning to his home country.

The scene in the morgue where Janice Man finished filming.

Chen Nuo didn't perform, but he still came to the scene.

The actor playing Jenny's father, the Chinese restaurant owner, is a veteran Chinese-American actor who starred in Jurassic Park and won a Tony Award. His name is Wong Wing Leung.

He stood in the police station's morgue, where Janice Man lay on a cold metal table, her makeup pale and lifeless.

Huang Rongliang's hands trembled as he murmured, "My daughter... my Jenny..."

The police officer stood aside and said, "Mr. Li, we did our best, but she died from a drug overdose. There were no other clues at the scene."

Huang Rongliang suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, "No clues? How could she have become like this! She's only 19! It must be that deliveryman, that Cassian!"

The officer shook his head: "Cassian has disappeared. We suspect he is dead."

Huang Rongliang was stunned, as if all his strength had been drained, and slumped into the chair.

This is Janice Man's last scene after filming wrapped.

After filming this, Chen Nuo began filming the later story with Charlize Theron.

The film ends with Cassian escaping to Angel after Jenny's death.

At this point, the woman realized that Cassian had become a problem and could potentially get her into trouble.

So when he went to the dock to deliver the last shipment, he was shot and his body was thrown into the Gulf of Mexico, disappearing forever into the humid, dark night of New Orleans.

……

"CUT!"

"Filming wrapped!"

Finally, at the abandoned dock where James took Chen Nuo before filming began, James shouted, and the main filming phase of "DROP" came to an end.

Chen Nuo, who had just been shot in the forehead, got up from the cold ground and wiped the blood off his face.

Before he could even regain his footing, he was violently bumped into by James Pritzker, who was running over.

James's large belly pressed against him, slapping his back forcefully.

"Great job, man! You were incredible!"

"That last look in your eyes set me on fire!"

"What were you thinking just now? Can you tell me? Why were you behaving like that... omg, I really can't put it into words." James said, spitting as he spoke incoherently.

Chen Nuo was not surprised that James could see that he had indeed used empathy.

He is indeed.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to convey the film's central theme—drop—through just his eyes from a dying person.

What is a drop?

In Chen Nuo's understanding, it is the sense of powerlessness felt by countless illegal immigrants in New Orleans whose last glimmer of hope inevitably drips and dissipates in the darkness.

Therefore, he had to imagine something that resonated deeply with him in order to express that sense of powerlessness and despair from the inside out.

He thought for a moment and then said truthfully, "When I died."

(End of this chapter)