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

Chapter 485 Infantry
Have it?

How can you say there is?

As soon as he said it, Pang Ho-cheung regretted it.

But Peng Pang is Peng Pang; whether it's his brain or his hips, he's always a quick shooter. He immediately adjusted his tone and said naturally, "...It does seem to be a little bit."

When put together, they seem to form a single sentence.

However, Pang Ho-cheung noticed out of the corner of his eye that Johnnie To next to him smiled at him.

Old Ghost.

Pang Ho-cheung cursed inwardly again.

Then he said, "Okay, let's try shooting another version in ten minutes. Brother Nuo, Sister Hong, you two take a ten-minute break, and then we'll do it again. Hey you, hurry up and arrange for some cleaning up and rearranging of the plates."

"Okay, director." An assistant director in charge of props responded and left.

Kara Hui said, "Then I'll go out and prepare too."

"Okay, Sister Hong."

Then I saw Chen Nuo leave with Kara Hui.

Pang Ho-cheung finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Some onlookers were still there, so he waved his hand and said, "Send it all away! Nothing to do here, hurry up and leave!"

A production assistant in his fifties, with a grin on his face, stepped forward and said, "Director, could we watch the playback again? We didn't get enough of it just now."

Pang Ho-cheung frowned, a hint of displeasure in his eyes. This man was a veteran of Milkyway Image, and although he was a bit annoyed, he couldn't say it directly. He could only force a smile and reply, "We'll watch it later. Hurry up and get to work."

The production assistant remained, grinning, and said, "Let's watch it one more time, director."

At this moment, Johnnie To spoke up calmly: "What are you looking at? Ah Tak, why don't you go home and look at your wife? If you want to see it, then see it. You've already paid, haven't you? Let's go."

As soon as he said that, the room fell silent. The stagehand, who was working for Ade, chuckled and turned to leave. The others also dispersed without a word.

The corner suddenly became quiet, with only Peng and Du and their respective assistants remaining.

Pang Ho-cheung sat back down in his chair, looked at the monitor, and remained silent for a moment.

After about ten seconds, Johnnie To suddenly said, "Xiang, if you're feeling uncomfortable, just think about how many people want to sit in your seat, and you'll feel better."

Pang Ho-cheung laughed and said, "Officer To, I'm not feeling unwell at all. You must have misunderstood."

Johnnie To chuckled and said, "To tell you the truth, I didn't see anything particularly interesting in that scene either, just like you."

"You don't need to say anything, Inspector To, I'm really fine."

"Xiangzai, I'm telling you this not to comfort you, but I just didn't see it. But I don't think it's a big deal."

As he spoke, Johnnie To put his fingers together and made two parallel lines in the air. "You see, people are all parallel lines, and it's the same for directors and actors. Like this, we're here, and they're here, so far apart. Even though we're filming together now, we're still on our own frequencies. We're probably thousands or tens of thousands of kilometers apart. In this situation, either you have to get closer to them, or they have to get closer to you. That's called working together."

Pang Ho-cheung nodded.

"But cases like yours are very rare. He's won three European Best Actor awards, two Oscars, and is also an executive producer. It's impossible for him to come to us, so we have to go to him."

"Did you see that just now? He was already completely immersed in the role. I'd heard Wang Jiawei mention it before, but seeing it with my own eyes, I realize just how amazing it is. In all my years of acting, I can count the number of actors with this kind of talent on one hand. And there aren't even a single one this young. No wonder he's achieved so much. It's all a gift from God; you can't just envy him."

"So it's really nothing. You can learn a lot in this process, Xiangzai. Like in that scene just now, Wang Jiawei could definitely see it. But you couldn't. But if you film his scenes and get close to his frequency, you might be able to see it after filming."

“Xiangzai, you’re lucky. If I were twenty years younger and sitting in your position, I might not be Johnnie To today, but Wong Kar-wai.”

"You think Wang Jiawei was born Wang Jiawei? He was nurtured by good actors."

……

Filming resumed ten minutes later.

Huang Zhiming, the cinematographer who worked on films such as "Running Out of Time" and "Infernal Affairs," is the director of photography for this series, and he will personally perform all of the male lead's scenes.

"Go early, don't keep A-Yuan waiting too long."

"understood."

In this retake, Chen Nuo didn't rub her eyes or turn around. All her original expressions and actions were deleted, leaving only her complex gaze as she stared at the plate in front of her.

"Mom, when are you going to quit your job?"

"Quit what? What am I supposed to do if I quit? What will happen to the money you were scammed out of? Who will pay the monthly interest?"

Chen Nuo raised his voice a few decibels and said, "I earn the money myself, and I pay it back myself."

"You pay it back yourself." Hui Yinghong put on her shoes and turned around, saying, "Don't move after you finish eating. Leave it on the table for me to wash when I get back... I buy plates every month. I'm leaving."

Click.

The door closes.

Pang Ho-cheung suddenly understood.

Aside from Kara Hui's inappropriate smile,
Compared to the first time, this scene on the monitor didn't seem as "dramatic" as before, but it had a strong smell of dust.

Although during the pre-shoot communication process, everyone agreed that the initial scenes depicting daily life must capture a realistic sense of life in order to allow the audience to immerse themselves in the story.

Before filming, Pang Ho-cheung was full of confidence. After all, he was a director who had made several films and even won a screenwriting award.

Shooting everyday life?
Anyone can do that.

But now he realizes that if his plays have five parts realism, it can be called lifelike; if they have seven parts, it can be called exceptionally lifelike. But in reality, life is reality, and reality is life. There's no such thing as a five-part or seven-part difference.

As someone who once suffered from cerebral palsy and endured heartbreak and being deceived by friends, Xie Jiajun is unlikely to have a delicate and sensitive heart. How could he possibly survive if he spent all his time wallowing in self-pity and acting like an artsy young man?

If his mother gives him money to buy his daughter a birthday present, he might be touched for a moment.

But rubbing his eyes and crying, plus clenching his fists in anger?
It must be impossible.

So the first time you do a movement, it's all just acting.

The purpose of the performance is to explain to the audience.

Just like when a writer writes a novel, sometimes a dialogue is completely superfluous; it's written only to explain things to the reader.

In reality, no one will explain it to you.

Can't understand?
Then I'll just be a loser.

This kind of messed-up world where you can be knocked out at the drop of a hat, that's what life is all about.

……

"CUT, received!"

……

Once a plate is broken, it can never be put back together or become a plate again.

But people are different.

Even the most broken person can continue living if they are willing.

Xie Jiajun's profession is an infantryman.

It's not the kind with guns, and it's not the uncensored kind.

They are the most basic deliverymen who have existed in Hong Kong since the 50s.

In this day and age, if this script hadn't been written by a Hong Kong writer, it would have been absolutely impossible to give the protagonist such a profession.

Infantry delivery workers, unlike cyclists or motorcyclists, carry takeout orders through the streets and alleys every day, delivering food on foot to customers. They represent the lowest-paid segment of the takeout workforce. Their monthly income isn't even enough to cover food, let alone save money to pay off debts. And how could they possibly ask their mothers to quit their jobs?
Xie Jiajun knew he had to find another way.

"Making money is easy." Lin Xue, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, stood in the alley behind the tea restaurant. Her apron was filthy, and her face was greasy. "There are so many racecourses in Hong Kong. You can become rich just by winning a few races."

Chen Nuo blinked hard and stammered, "But, but, I don't know how to gamble."

Lin Xue spat, wiped the oil off her face, and then wiped it on her apron. She said, "If there's anything you don't know, Uncle can teach you. But betting on horses is risky, so you should think it through."

"I..." Chen Nuo looked conflicted.

Lin Xue laughed and said, "Actually, if there were no risks, everyone would be rich. Why would it be your turn? To tell you the truth, Ah Jun, this time, a brother of mine used his connections to get exclusive inside information about a show tomorrow."

Chen Nuo was taken aback: "What inside story?"

Lin Xue smiled, leaned closer with a mysterious look, and said, "Do you know about 'Flying Dragon'?"

"Flying dragon?"

Lin Xue nodded and said, "Yes. Feilong, this horse has lost five races in a row recently, and it always came in last in every race. Do you know what the odds are in the horse racing book today? Come here, let me tell you."

Chen Nuo leaned over, and Lin Xue covered his ears and began to mutter.

His expression underwent a noticeable change in rhythm at this moment, as seen in the close-up shot. His eyes blinked faster and faster, more forcefully, and his head trembled slightly.

Finally, Chen Nuo turned his head, opened his mouth wide, and asked through his messy hair, "Uncle, really?"

After Lin Xue finished speaking, she exhaled a smoke ring: "It's definitely not a 100% chance of winning." As she spoke, she patted his shoulder, "Ah Jun, life is a gamble. Whether you can win or not depends on your own judgment. Your uncle won't make decisions for you."

"I."

Chen Nuo uttered a single word and then tightly shut his mouth.

In the footage, his eyes flickered, slowly hardening, and his cheeks bulged out from clenching his teeth.

……

"CUT! Received!"

……

"Okay, okay, we're done filming, let's go." Several young men wearing work badges began to remove the roadblock tape at the entrance of the alley. One of them, a young man with a bunch of pimples on his head, looked up and saw an old woman with white hair standing in front of him. He couldn't help but advise, "Grandma, we're done filming, the person has already left, you should go now."

"Huh?" The old woman looked at him blankly.

"It's over! They're gone! Don't wait up! Go home and have dinner, grandma!" the young man with acne shouted.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Upon hearing his shout, the old woman didn't react much, but the crowd that had been observing scattered like birds and beasts, leaving in droves. A cacophony of chatter and noise filled the air; some spoke Cantonese, and many others Mandarin.

"I've waited so long and haven't seen anything. I don't even know where they came from. Sigh."

"It's okay. I heard they're going to the horse farm in Sha Tin to film tomorrow, so let's go a little earlier."

"Hey beautiful ladies, where are you from?"

"We're from Hong Kong. Who are you?"

“I knew it as soon as you spoke Cantonese. Haha, beautiful ladies, my name is Ah Fai, everyone calls me Handsome Fai. Did you two come here specifically to see Nuo Zai?” “Yes.”

"Actually, I have a friend who works in this show. Would you like me to introduce you so you can meet him on set?"

"real or fake?"

"Hey everyone knows I, Handsome Hui, never lie. Why don't you believe me? Let's find a place to eat and chat, shall we?"

The conversation reached the alleyway. A short man with a flat nose and small eyes saw two graceful figures leaving with a young man with dyed yellow hair and flashy clothes. He immediately showed his displeasure, leaned close to the young man with acne, and whispered, "Brother Can, we're working on the film set. Why aren't any pretty girls looking for us?"

The pimple ignored him and continued talking to the old woman. This time, he leaned even closer and said loudly, "Grandma, Chen Nuo has left. You should leave now."

"What do you mean?" The old woman heard clearly this time and said in a loud voice that was completely out of character for her appearance, "I'm going to buy some snacks. I've walked this road for decades. You bunch of scoundrels blocked the road. I've been waiting for ages, and you're telling me to leave?!"

Huh? The acne-ridden youth paused for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh and quickly left with his companions.

the next day.

At 9 a.m., the start time for work, Acne arrived at the racecourse in Sha Tin on time, and was immediately taken aback upon arrival.

After meeting up with the short guy, the two of them stood with their companions at the entrance of the racecourse hall, staring in disbelief at the bustling crowd behind the road closure cordon.

Is this...is this really in Hong Kong?

"What's going on here?" the short guy muttered. "Brother Can, have you ever seen anything like this before?"

"No." Acne was equally confused.

As a security guard in the industry, he has worked in the Hong Kong film industry for seven or eight years, worked in many film crews, and participated in many large-scale productions. He has met many of Hong Kong's top stars.

Based on his common sense, it would be impossible for such a large group of people to gather when domestic celebrities or Hong Kong film crews are shooting on location.

Because Hong Kong is such a small place and there are so many celebrities, everyone is used to it. For ordinary celebrities, when they're eating at a restaurant, the public might not even look up at them, let alone pay attention to them.

To be honest, similar scenes can only be seen with some foreign celebrities. For example, not long ago Tom Cruise came to promote Mission: Impossible, or the Korean Running Man came to Hong Kong to film on location, and there were similar scenes of crowds, but there were definitely not as many people as there are today.

The short guy stood on tiptoe and peered over the police line. "Brother Can, do you think those two pretty girls from yesterday came today? Did they get tricked by that bastard Hui last night?"

The pimple-faced man ignored the short guy. Seeing that the crowd hadn't thinned out at all in the ten minutes since he arrived, and had even grown larger over time, he couldn't help but feel a little panicked. "Wei, do you think they'll rush in?"

The shorter man panicked a bit when he heard this, and comforted himself, "It's impossible, the police are here, let's finish filming quickly and leave, nothing will happen." As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced over, "...Hey, Brother Chan, it seems like they've already started filming inside."

If you have acne, take a quick look back.

Sure enough, although the crowd had formed a circle around the venue, obscuring what was happening inside, the sound engineer, wearing black headphones, could be seen standing on a platform, holding a microphone high in the air. The main lights were already on, and the lighting technician was standing nearby, controlling the direction of the lights.

"It's really started."

……

……

"Second place, horse number six [Little Magic Treasure]."

"Third place, horse number four [Extreme Speed ​​Dragon]."

"Fourth place, number three horse [Good Fortune and Prosperity]."

"Now we're moving from the straight section into the curve section, and the gap between the top three and the ones behind is getting bigger and bigger."

The commentator's voice came from the television and entered the horse racing hall, exciting the crowd and eliciting shouts from all directions.

"Yes, charge! Faster!"

"Number Six, charge!"

"Go for it, number one! You can do it!"

"Hurry, Flying Dragon! Don't stop!"

Men, women, young and old, all seemed to be in a frenzy, holding their purchased lottery tickets and cheering for the horses they supported.

The camera slowly pans across the crowd from left to back, giving Chen Nuo and Lin Xue a close-up shot.

"Charge! Charge! Flying Dragon, charge!" Lin Xue shouted, waving her arms as she worked up a sweat.

Chen Nuo stood quietly to the side, his hands still, but his eyes blinked incessantly. The muscles in his eyebrows, mouth, and cheeks twitched slightly, the veins on his neck bulged, and his lips opened and closed repeatedly, as if he were trying to say something, but no sound came out. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and slid down his cheeks.

"Charge! Charge! Charge..." Lin Xue's shouts grew more and more urgent.

At this moment, the TV commentator's voice suddenly rose in volume: "The speed of the Extreme Dragon is gradually increasing, closely following the second-place Little Magic Treasure! It has overtaken it, overtaken it! Now, the only horse ahead of the Extreme Dragon is number one, the third-place winner!"

The television screen displayed a dazzling array of images, with horses galloping across the landscape.

Switching back, Lin Xue's voice rang out again: "Charge!!!"

The camera focused on Lin Xue, who opened his mouth wide and shouted hysterically.

Beside him, Chen Nuo remained completely still, his features seemingly frozen, his eyes no longer blinking. Instead, his left eye suddenly became bloodshot, looking particularly frightening.

Not only that, but as he watched television, his eyes quickly filled with tears, which then welled up and spilled over.

Just then, the commentator on TV said, "The third-place finisher has crossed the finish line first! Speed ​​Dragon is half a body length behind and takes second place, while Little Treasure is third!"

Lin Xue stood there dumbfounded, seemingly unaware of what had happened, her gaze vacant, as if she were frozen in place.

Beside him, Chen Nuo's tears streamed freely down her face.

His left eye was now bright red, as if it had been stained with dark red blood, or as if it had just been washed in the lava of hell.

……

This is the result after taking the film three times.

As soon as Pang Ho-cheung yelled "Cut!", Gulnazar rushed up with a bottle of water.

"Charge! Charge! Quickly!"

Chen Nuo didn't act coy.

The first time, he just splashed water on his face, and then accidentally got water in his eyes. Later, he thought it would be better to put some soapy water in, making his eyes red, so that people would think that sweat had gotten into his eyes. But Xie Jiajun didn't have time to rub them, so he got conjunctivitis, which shows how focused he was when betting on horses.

These little acting touches were purely inspired on the spot. Chen Nuo doesn't know if he could have come up with them again if he had to do it all over again.

He looked up, rinsed his eyes with mineral water, and felt a little better, but when he looked in the mirror in Gulnazar's hand, his eyes were still bloodshot.

Pang Ho-cheung and Johnnie To then walked over.

Chen Nuo turned his head and asked, "How is it?"

Pang Ho-cheung said, "I think we can accept the goods. But boss, do you want to go to the hospital to get it checked out? Your eyes... the results look good, but they're really scary."

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "That's just how my eyes are, I have very active tear ducts. I'll go take a look."

I went to the monitor, first watched the footage I had just taken, and then reviewed the footage I had taken throughout the day.

In the scene, Xie Jiajun ultimately couldn't resist the temptation. He stole his mother's savings card, withdrew cash from the bank, and added it to the money he had painstakingly saved. He then followed Uncle Xue to the horse farm, hoping to turn his life around.

But in the end, they fell into an even deeper hell.

This blood-red eye, in close-up, looks like proof of hell.

The entire process was filmed on location.
They had already made appointments with the Hong Kong government or the Jockey Club.

The only thing I didn't expect was—

Who says Hong Kong people don't love watching a spectacle?

Chen Nuo closed one eye, turned his head, and asked with a smile, "What do you guys think?"

Pang Ho-cheung and Johnnie To haven't said anything yet.

Lin Xue suddenly gave him a thumbs up and said, "So sharp."

……

……

Lam Suet and Kara Hui are not considered stars in Hong Kong.

Especially compared to the name Chow Yun-fat.

Lorraine Eisner didn't want to be a star, but Chen Nuo eventually communicated with Johnnie To and gained his approval.

However, for the role of the "mysterious man in black" in the script, Johnnie To insisted that a star must be cast, and the bigger the star, the better. This idea was also supported by Pang Ho-cheung, and in the end, Lori Eisner nodded in agreement after hearing Johnnie To's reasons.

Therefore, Chow Yun-fat became the exception in this star-less lineup.

In the end, Chow Yun-fat proved that paying him a staggering HK$200 million for a cameo was absolutely worth it. After two days of filming, everyone agreed that probably only Chow Yun-fat in all of China could hold his own against Chen Nuo's character, Xie Jiajun, in terms of height, appearance, presence, and charisma.

In the storyline, Xie Jiajun, who had lost all of his mother's savings and was too ashamed to go home, met him at the subway station. After playing a game of drawing cards, Xie Jiajun won HK$2 and received a phone number.

The man in black told him that if he wanted to participate in a game that could change his life, then he should call this number.

This is the filming that took place during the two days Chow Yun-fat visited.

After Chow Yun-fat left, Chen Nuo spent another day filming the remaining part of the first half of the first episode.

After returning home, Xie Jiajun first returned HK$2 to his mother.

After a night of agonizing, he dialed the number the man in black had given him the next day. Finally, on a road next to Victoria Harbour, he got into a van and was knocked unconscious by a burst of poison gas.

With the story now complete, the first episode of "Eagle Catches Chickens," which can be considered the prologue, is finished. Now, let's get to the main event—the game begins.

Almost all the filming will be done in a studio in San Po Kong.

The entire production crew breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they are all veterans in the industry, they haven't seen a crowd of onlookers while filming in a city like Hong Kong for at least ten years, and probably for at least twenty years.

At the Jockey Club, in Sham Shui Po, and on Nathan Road, during the first three or four days of filming, large crowds of onlookers came every day, which put considerable pressure on the entire crew.

Many people feel that if it were them, they would definitely want to go out and meet, sign autographs, and make a splash, since this is a rare occurrence in Hong Kong.

Any celebrity should give Hong Kong citizens, who rarely have the chance to be fans, some face.

But this person, let alone going out to meet, has disappeared without a trace as soon as he finishes work these past few days.

Rumor has it that in order to find the feeling of Xie Jiajun, this person has not stayed in hotels during this period, but has rented a public housing unit in Sham Shui Po, where he lives with his incredibly beautiful assistant.

It sounds absurd.

However, over these three days, everyone in the "Eagle Catches Chickens" crew felt that this person might actually be capable of doing it.

(End of this chapter)