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

Chapter 489 Rest Day

Just like Grandpa said, the fish soup at his house was indeed delicious and very nutritious.

After simmering for a long time, some of the fish meat dissolved into the water, and the soup was milky white with specks of green scallions floating on top. When you scoop a ladle of soup into your mouth, you immediately feel an extreme freshness. The rich, smooth, and fragrant fish soup slid down your throat into your stomach, leaving a lingering aroma in your mouth and nose.

Chen Nuo didn't know his grandfather's name, but he knew that his grandfather also had the surname Chen.

During occasional conversations up and down the stairs, he learned from Grandpa Chen that he was among the oldest residents of the public rental housing complex, having moved in in the early 90s when the building was first completed. Of those who moved out, some had passed away, and he was now the longest-lived resident in the entire building, knowing everyone in the neighborhood.

"Here, scoop some fish."

"Grandpa, no need, I'll just have some soup."

"No, we're already here, so eat more. I can't eat this much by myself... Oh, right, Jun."

"What's wrong, Grandpa?"

"I feel like Ah Jun, you look like a celebrity."

"what?"

"I can't remember who it is right now. You always wear a mask, and I thought you had a scar on your face. But you're so handsome, why are you wearing a mask? No wonder you can't find a girlfriend. If you were willing to take off that mask, there would definitely be girls who would want to date you."

"Grandfather..."

"What? Work is work, and making money is making money. You need to balance work and rest. Having a girlfriend won't interfere with your work."

"No, Grandpa. Can you smell anything?"

Grandpa twitched his nose, and his expression changed: "Oh dear, it really does smell!"

A minute later, an old man and a young boy stood at the door of the room next door.

Grandpa Chen started knocking on the door.

dong dong dong.

"Aqi!"

dong dong.

"Are you home, Aqi?"

dong dong dong.

"Aqi—!!!"

There was no sound from inside the room, but the strange smell was getting stronger and stronger as it seeped out from under the door.

Suddenly, the door of a neighboring house opened, and a man with a flat nose and a wide mouth poked his head out. "Uncle Chen, are you looking for Aqi?"

Grandpa Chen said, "Yes, Kun, can you smell gas? It seems to be coming from Qi's room."

The man sniffed and said, "I just saw Aqi go back. She should be cooking. She's fine, don't worry, Uncle Chen."

“No, no, how could cooking rice have such a strong smell?” Grandpa Chen said. “My wife died of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

"Huh?" The man named Ah Kun's expression changed. "You mean..." he said, preparing to open the security gate.

Unexpectedly, a shrill woman's voice suddenly came from inside the house: "You bastard! If you dare to meddle in that vixen's business, you'll die right here at the door! You disgrace your mother! All you do is look at women and never go out to make money! Zhou Bingkun, you damned bastard, you..."

Ah Kun glanced awkwardly at Chen Nuo and Grandpa Chen, and gave a sheepish smile, "Um... my wife is a little unhappy... I... never mind."

The door slammed shut.

"Alright, alright, you shut up, you old hag, I'm not going, okay!"

Even after the iron gate closed, the woman's furious voice could still be heard from inside:
"That vixen, let her die, why bother with her? Always dreaming, wanting to be a star, yelling and screaming in the house like she's possessed, it's driving me crazy! Does she think she's Maggie Cheung? She's got a screw loose! The sooner she dies, the better."

Grandpa Chen's face darkened, and he said, "Jun, Kun is afraid of his wife and doesn't dare to discipline her, so now we can only rely on you."

Chen Nuo blinked hard and said, "What do you mean, Grandpa?"

Grandpa Chen said, "Of course we should break down the door and save her quickly. Aqi must be burning charcoal inside. That's how my wife died of poisoning back then. Only you can save her now."

Chen Nuo paused for a moment, then twitched his body and turned to leave.

Grandpa Chen suddenly grabbed his sleeve, "What are you doing? Ah Jun, aren't you going to save people?"

Chen Nuo struggled but couldn't break free, and dared not use force, so he said helplessly, "Grandpa, this is an iron gate, how can I save it? Even if I break my shoulder, it won't help! The most important thing now is to call the police and get them to come and rescue us!"

“Officer, once the officers arrive, we can collect Ah-Qi’s body. Ah-Jun, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Ah-Qi was such a beautiful girl; it’s such a pity she died like this. Her parents went to the countryside these past few days and haven’t come back yet. If they come back and see their daughter dead, what do you think they’ll think? Parents burying their children—they won’t be able to go on living.”

Chen Nuo sighed.

During this period, he worked with Ann Hui on a film. Although he didn't watch much of the footage, Ann Hui is truly a master at "drawing people into the role." The punch he landed on Jim Chim is the best example; if he hadn't held back at the last moment, he almost really swelled up Jim's face.

Hearing Grandpa Chen's poignant words, Xie Jiajun, as a member of Xie Jiajun's group, felt a pang of sympathy.

He glanced at the iron gate and said, "Alright, Grandpa, you go call the police. I'll try to break down the gate."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Chen beamed with joy: "Ah Jun, you're such a good person, you're sure to be rich and powerful in the future, with good fortune and great success!"

……

Chen Nuo took two steps back, took a deep breath, sprinted forward, and leaped into the air—

"ah!"

There was a bang.

The door remained firmly in place.

Chen Nuo felt a little dizzy and her arm hurt a little.

"Good job, Ah Jun! Just a couple more tries and you'll be able to open it."

Chen Nuo shook his head, took two steps back, and yelled "Ah!" again.

He rushed forward quickly.

boom!
Chen Nuo clutched his shoulder and said, "No, Grandpa, I can't break it open! This door is really made of iron!"

Grandpa Chen said, "I know it's iron. But keep it up, Ah Jun! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda! You seem to have a lot of strength, try again!"

boom!boom!
"Grandpa, I really can't go on anymore. If I keep crashing, I don't know if Ah-Chi will die, but I'm sure I'll die myself."

“Ah Jun, what are you saying? You’re so tall and strong, you can definitely break it open! If you do, Grandpa will let you continue drinking fish soup. When Grandpa was as young as you, this kind of door could be opened with just a breath…”

"Enough, Grandpa, stop talking!" *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"Grandpa, I really can't handle this anymore. I need to call the police. I'm too exhausted..."

Just then, a pleasant woman's voice rang out: "Grandpa, what are you doing?"

Chen Nuo turned around, clutching his shoulder, and saw a woman with long, flowing hair, about 27 or 28 years old, standing in the corridor, holding a bottle of soy sauce in her hand. Her face was bare, and she was looking at him with surprise.

Imagine, about seven years ago, this woman, along with a group of young people, stood outside Wong Kar-wai's Jet Tone Films, sticking a piece of paper with her name and phone number on it, along with a lipstick mark, onto her car window. Her heavily made-up appearance made her look like a hostess from some nightclub.

Now, the woman, wearing a long white dress and with her hair casually tied up in a bun, stands in this long corridor...

Don't say it.

She really does resemble Zhang Manyu from Wang Jiawei's movies, whose features are as faint as smoke.

Chen Nuo knew why he, who had always had a bad memory, could remember this woman's appearance and name so clearly, even after so many years.

Because at that time, he unknowingly stepped into the world of film. The way those young Hong Kong people who wanted to become actors were desperate for a chance really left a deep impression on him. Although he was sitting in the car at the time, his face was calm, and he didn't say anything.

Grandpa Chen stammered, "Ah, Aqi?"

The woman nodded and said, "It's me, grandpa. Why did you break down my door?"

"No, Ah Kun said you were cooking something in the house, right?"

"Yeah, but there was no soy sauce, so I went downstairs to buy a bottle. Ugh, why does it smell so strong? Maybe the fire on my stove went out..."

"Yes, yes, yes, hurry back inside and check, it's really scary!"

"Okay, Grandpa," the woman replied, hurriedly took out her keys, opened the door, and went inside.

Grandpa Chen breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered that there was someone else beside him. He turned around, smiled apologetically, and said, "Ah Jun, are you alright? It was just a misunderstanding, haha, hahaha... Come on, let's go back with Grandpa and continue drinking fish soup."

Unfortunately, fish soup is just fish soup, not the super-duper long-lasting magic medicine that Yang Ying once fed him. Even though he drank his fill of Grandpa's fish soup and ate a lot of fish, Chen Nuo still felt like his whole body was falling apart when he woke up the next morning.

Fortunately, after filming non-stop for almost a month and finishing the first two episodes, today I can finally rest, wander around the set, and chat with Zhang Yimou.

So even though I was influenced by Xie Jiajun yesterday and banged on the iron gate like an idiot, it didn't affect my work.

Ann Hui is still filming the second installment.

Although his scenes are finished, the scenes of the other characters are not yet filmed.

For example, the first female supporting role, Zeng Jie, played by Gulnazar.

This is the story of a former heiress whose family originally lived in mainland China. However, due to mismanagement, their business went bankrupt, leaving them with a huge debt. Her father committed suicide, forcing her to flee to Hong Kong with her younger sister and mother. In the second episode, her creditors came knocking, kidnapping her sister and demanding repayment. Forced to return to the game, she was left with no choice but to play again.

For example, Francis Ng, who plays a crucial role in the bloodshed of the fourth episode and is the game participant number 249, will make a brief appearance in the first episode before launching his own storyline in the second. In short, this former gangster is framed by his brothers and is subsequently hunted down by his former organization. With nowhere else to turn, he is forced to enter the game in hopes of winning the prize money and fleeing overseas with his mistress and son.

There's also Wong Chi-wah, the police officer who started investigating the game because of his brother's death. He will gradually become involved in the investigation of the game's organizers.

In short, the purpose of casting Ann Hui was not just to film him, but more importantly, to use her delicate style to build a group portrait of the various characters in "The Eagle Catches the Chickens" in the second installment.

Based on the past two weeks of collaboration, Chen Nuo feels that he made the right choice in selecting this person.

Unlike Zhang Yimou's grand and sweeping style, Pang Ho-cheung's quirky and unconventional approach, and Johnnie To's clean and efficient style, this female director's style is refreshing and gentle, telling stories about human nature and humanity.

The director of the third episode was none other than Zhang Yimou, who had arrived early.

He went there today to discuss with Zhang Yimou how to film the third installment.

After a good night's sleep, I got up at 8 o'clock, washed up, opened the door, and prepared to go out for breakfast before calling Linghu to pick me up.

But then they noticed a small lunchbox hanging on the security bars outside his house, with a note tucked inside.

I touched the lunchbox; it was still warm, so it must have been hung up not long ago.

Unfolding the note, one could see it written in neat traditional Chinese characters: "Grandpa told me about yesterday's events. Thank you for knocking on the door for me. I've been waiting for you for a long time, but you haven't come out, so I won't disturb your rest any longer. This is the breakfast I made this morning; please try it."

Chen Nuo took it off and opened the lid to take a look.

The color is not very bright, but it is edible.

……

……

"The script for your play is really well written. I heard from Xiao Peng that many of the elements in it were your ideas, is that true?"

"Haha, no, it was all brainstormed and discussed by everyone."

"Really? The sugar figurine game in this third episode... it's so unlike Hong Kong, isn't it? Does Hong Kong even have sugar painting? What, there are sugar figurines being made and even a dragon spinning around outside the elementary school here?"

"Haha, this game is indeed my idea."

“Interesting, very interesting. But this style doesn’t seem quite suitable for filming in mainland China. I was wondering why you suddenly set up a branch office in Hong Kong and invested so much money in building a studio. Now I see. It feels like you’re planning to set up a dedicated export base, Nuozi?”

"Actually, I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I'm just focused on doing this one drama well."

"Making such a big fuss over this one drama... doesn't it seem like overkill?"

"Haha, that's a bit of an overreaction."

"Now that you mention it, Nuozi, I suddenly feel a lot heavier responsibility on my shoulders. If we don't break even, you can't blame me, right? Haha, hahahahahahaha..." Zhang Yimou laughed heartily, his cheerful laughter echoing in the office.

After laughing for a while, his expression suddenly turned serious. "Nuozi, actually, I've been thinking about the script for the third episode for a long time. I think we should do it this way or that. What do you think?"

"Yes, that's good. I'll listen to you, Director Zhang."

……

Chen Nuo didn't laugh along with Director Zhang; instead, she gave him a cold shoulder, mainly because she was afraid that Director Zhang would just let the whole show pass by with a laugh.

Has Zhang Yimou ever directed a TV series?
No.

Zhang Yimou isn't a god; he's made films like "A Simple Noodle Story" and "The Amazing Story." If he approached it with a casual, playful attitude, who knows what would have happened? For the sake of maintaining their friendship, Chen Nuo had to keep a straight face, preventing Director Zhang from smiling.

He absolutely did not want the third installment of "The Eagle Catches the Chicken" to end up on par with "A Simple Noodle Story".

Although the title that Yau Nai-hai and Wai Ka-fai gave to this third episode was as strange as "Three Guns," it was called—

A man holding an umbrella.

Ps:

4000 words.

I'm taking a day off with Nuo Ge. ^_^
(End of this chapter)