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

Chapter 589 If we had been together back then

Before filming began, Chen Nuo wasn't exactly nervous, but he still took it quite seriously.

After all, for these few seconds of footage, the Tiny Times crew not only applied for the location half a month in advance, but also strived for authenticity, mobilizing a large number of extras. Before filming, it took more than an hour just to adjust the lights, move the actors around, and arrange the crowd.

And what about him?
Now, in order to film a movie, all I do is starve myself thin and make myself look haggard, with a stubble beard and greasy hair. Basically, I do whatever makes me look ugly. It's been a long time since I've sold my face.

If the photos aren't taken well, for example, if the face is stiff, the person walks with their arms and legs moving in unison, or the person is overly pretentious, wouldn't that be very embarrassing and a waste of everyone's time?

So, while sitting in the car, he mentally went over how he should act out the scene several times. For example, how to open the car door, how to get out of the car, how to walk, and so on.

However, when he heard Director Guo's "Action!", he immediately forgot how he had rehearsed the scene in his mind.

He instinctively pushed open the car door, stepped on the ground, and leaned forward slightly.
He then got out of the car, straightened up, and straightened the hem of his suit jacket.

As he buttoned up his shirt, he glanced blankly toward the main console.

At this moment, the extras playing reporters and fans around him were all doing their jobs. Flashbulbs were going off like crazy, some people were calling his name, some were waving posters, and screams and shouts were going off one after another, just like he was walking the red carpet at a premiere.

Their gazes met briefly before returning to each other.

Then, he lowered his head slightly, composed himself, and stepped forward along the red carpet.

……

At this moment, the people gathered around the monitor were all stunned.

Logically, the scene should have ended there, but Guo Jingmin only realized what was happening after Chen Nuo had walked out of the main lighting area. He quickly picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Cut!"

The set was completely silent.

Guo Jingmin quickly added, "Ask Brother Nuo if we can do another take?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie, followed by the assistant director's slightly amused voice: "Brother Nuo said it's okay."

Guo Jingming immediately straightened up and said in a suppressed excited tone, "Okay! Then everyone take a five-minute break, and after five minutes, everyone take your positions, and we'll do it again!"

"OK."

At this moment, the people around them also came to their senses.

Dilraba looked around and saw that Sister Mi and Sister Jie seemed to be in the same boat as her, and then she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Producer Angie Chai shook her head and exclaimed, "It flows like clouds and water, like drinking fine wine. Even if we only filmed this one take and only saw these few seconds of footage, I feel that my trip from Taiwan was well worth it. No wonder she is a three-time Golden Horse Award winner, she truly lives up to her reputation."

Huang Wei, the film's costume and art director, added, "I had this feeling when I was styling him. No matter what clothes he wore, they all looked great on Mr. Chen. I was really torn and thought about it for a long time before finally choosing this Brioni suit paired with a Saint Laurent black silk shirt."

Photography director Che Liangyi also came over at this time and happened to hear the last sentence. He immediately replied, "Mr. Chen has become much thinner now and has a very cool temperament. This outfit suits him very well. The only problem is that I always feel that something is missing in the photos. Without the Harry Winston that Mr. Chen always wears on the red carpet, it is still a bit of a shortcoming."

Angie Chai laughed and said, "Alright, Yi, we've already discussed this issue, so it's best not to bring it up again. Time is too tight, there's nothing we can do about it."

Director Guo, who had been reviewing the footage on the monitor, looked up and asked, "Brother Yi, do you think there's anything that needs improvement?"

“I… I think the camera position for the next shot could be adjusted. Those college students we found at the last minute were too into it,” Che Liangyi said with a smile. “I understand how they feel when they meet their idols, but they’re actually stealing the spotlight in front of the camera. So, it would be better to move the camera back a little and blur them out of focus, so the picture will be cleaner.”

"Okay, let's do one take like this from now on." As always, Director Guo readily agreed. "Any more?"

Che Liangyi shook his head and said, "No more."

Then he added, "Actually, even though it was just one scene, I was still the cinematographer who filmed Mr. Chen. Now I only have one thought: no wonder Darius Congee won an Oscar for filming Mr. Chen's movie."

"How so?" Chai Zhiping asked with a smile.

Che Liangyi thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to explain. I can only say that it's a feeling. Some actors, once they get into character, can give us a feeling that allows us to shoot some scenes that even amaze us."

Dilraba bit her lip tightly, afraid that she would laugh out loud.

Huang Wei said, "I understand what you mean, Brother Che. I feel the same way. Just like that scene, when Mr. Chen glanced at the camera, there was no focus at all, but it instantly made people feel like they were there, being watched by him. It's amazing."

Che Liangyi said, "That's exactly what I mean. That's why I said Darius Congee's level might not be that high."

"Who knows, Brother Che, if you made a movie about Mr. Chen, you could win an Oscar, right?"

"Haha, no, no, I wouldn't dare."

Listening to these Taiwanese people discussing Chen Nuo's acting skills, Dilraba couldn't help but laugh more and more, and even felt a special kind of pleasure.

While filming, although these people were very polite and courteous to her face, she overheard what they said about the mainland actors behind their backs once.

This is Huang Wei, who said that Director Guo doesn't understand movies at all, and that filming is like going to a cheap supermarket, buying one thing after another without being picky. She also said that Sister Mi's face is ruined by plastic surgery, and that she can probably only make these kinds of PPT videos for the rest of her life. She also said that Dilraba is just a pretty face actress who was taught by the Beijing Film Academy!
And Che Liangyi is even more outrageous. Now he's here to "Oscar" and "stunningly beautiful," but when Huang Wei was slandering them, he actually chimed in, saying that their whole team looked like a fraud gang that swindles money from book fans...

Who could stand this?
Although Dilraba knew that Huang and Che were both experts brought in by Angie Chai, the godmother of Taiwanese idol dramas, she was still quite angry when she heard these words.

And now,
The girl felt a real sense of vengeful pleasure, and a faint smile finally appeared on her lips.

Then, to cover it up, she turned her face to the side.

To her astonishment, the woman who had been standing next to her was gone, replaced by a stranger.

Huh?
Where's Honey?
……

……

An hour later.

Sister Honey sat in a car driving through the night, smiling as she looked at the man beside her.

Although the gorgeous costumes have been removed, the clothes she's wearing now...
The May night breeze was slightly chilly, but the heater in the van was on just the right temperature.

Underneath her short skirt, most of her two long, slender, white legs were exposed. Feeling tired, she took off her high heels, revealing her delicate ankles and toes painted with dark red nail polish, which looked particularly alluring under the soft light.

This reminded Chen Nuo of a copy of "Men's Health" magazine that he had accidentally seen in his hotel room a couple of days ago. His old classmate happened to be the cover star of that issue and had taken quite a few nice photos.

Looking at the woman now dressed in designer clothes, even her bag is a limited edition, Chen Nuo has to say something fair: regardless of whether she's had plastic surgery or not, Yang Mi now certainly has the looks to charm a whole bunch of young men and women.

He didn't look at it much, and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, otherwise I really wouldn't know how to get there."

Yang Mi laughed and said, "Don't be so polite with me."

Chen Nuo said, "Haha, just being polite."

Yang Mi laughed and said, "Actually, since I've been living in the US for so long, I probably don't know how crazy our fans are in China these days. Someone even wrote down the license plate number of my old car, and I was followed by paparazzi for two whole weeks. If I hadn't had nothing else to photograph, I would have been finished. When I found out about it, I immediately bought a new car and changed the license plate, and things got a little better. The Rolls-Royce you were in this time has been targeted by paparazzi for a while now. Mainly because it's red, there aren't many of those left in all of Shanghai, so it's too easy to spot."

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "I see. Then I'll take the Jetta next time."

Yang Mi laughed and asked, "Where did you get this Jetta?"

"I plan to buy one next time I go back to China."

"Haha, all you do is talk nonsense all day long. By the way, where do you live? I'll give you a ride."

"No need. Just find a place to drop me off up ahead, and they'll come to pick me up. It's almost 4 o'clock, you should go back and rest too."

After Chen Nuo finished speaking,

Yang Mi's eyes darted across his face, she smiled, and without saying much, nodded and said, "Okay."

After a while, the brand-new Alphard pulled up at an intersection and stopped. Chen Nuo put on a baseball cap and a mask and got out of the car.

The Alphard then sped away.

He stood there, looked at the road signs beside him, sent the address to Qi Yuntian, then put his phone in his pocket and waited.

Have you ever seen the streets of Shanghai at 3 a.m. in 2013?
This was also the first time Chen Nuo had met him.

Shanghai at this time seemed like a completely different city compared to ten years later, but it had undergone tremendous changes since he came here in 2005 to film "Perhaps Love".

He was staring blankly at the night sky, which was divided into segments by the streetlights, when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Someone behind him exclaimed, "Wow!"

He was startled and turned his head to look.

Yang Mi laughed so hard he bent over, "Hahahaha, so you can be afraid too."

He found it both amusing and infuriating. Looking around, he neither saw the Alphard nor the group of people who had surrounded the woman earlier. He asked in surprise, "Why are you back?"

Yang Mi laughed and said, "It's nothing. I couldn't sleep anyway, so I came to find you."

Just as Chen Nuo was about to speak, a text message came in. He glanced at it and saw it was from Qi Yuntian. Qi Yuntian said that the paparazzi and fans who had followed his car after filming hadn't been shaken off yet, and that he should wait a while or take a taxi back to the hotel.

After replying with "OK", he looked at Yang Mi.

The woman said with a smile, "Is the car almost here?"

He shook his head and explained the situation.

Yang Mi exclaimed "Ah!"

Just then, a taxi stopped beside them, and a driver in his forties leaned out from the driver's seat and called out, "Handsome guy, beautiful lady, where to?"

Before Chen Nuo could speak, Yang Mi interjected, "We're not leaving."

The taxi driver looked a little disappointed, stepped on the gas, and drove away.

Yang Mi turned her head, smiled nonchalantly, and asked, "Want to walk for a while?"

Chen Nuo rubbed his nose, glanced at his watch—3:13—and said, “Okay.”

The two of them immediately started walking slowly forward at the intersection of Fuxing Middle Road.

A gentle night breeze blew, and the streetlights swayed among the sycamore leaves, casting dappled light and shadow at their feet.

"Are you really leaving tomorrow?"

"correct."

"I thought you were just putting them off. You've only been back a few days?"

Five days.

"Is everything done?"

"more or less."

Chen Nuo thought about it.

Jack Ma met with her, and the investments from Sina and Alibaba were secured. She also met with a certain leader in Shanghai.

Qi Yuntian met with Li Jing. It was already decided that the characters in "Tiny Times" would fight against the Dragon King in "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon." As for "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," he decided to take it one step at a time and decide later.

He also personally made the decisions regarding the foundation.

The future focus of the anonymous charity foundation he founded will be on children's education in impoverished areas.

how to say?

Everyone says that educational equity is the bottom line, so he'll just do his best within that bottom line.

Therefore, the first project plans to allocate two million US dollars to build three Hope Primary Schools in Liangshan, Sichuan, and the border area of ​​Yunnan, and to establish a Future Scholarship to support impoverished children who are admitted to university. Building primary schools is actually part of Chen Bicheng's expertise. This also gives Chen something to do, preventing him from constantly traveling to Vietnam.

Aside from these official matters, there are also personal matters.

Xia Yehe saw it,
Tong Liya and Wen Yongshan, both very busy people these days, also had a brief meeting in Shanghai.

Gao Yuanyuan didn't see him, probably because she was still angry. There's nothing we can do but wait until he finishes filming.

Then there's Liu Yifei.

He really didn't expect that the performance of that damn "Liu Rushi" would have such a huge impact, it was simply outrageous. He didn't have time to go back to Beijing, and he didn't even come to Shanghai, saying that he would talk to him after he finished his work.

really interesting.

Yang Mi asked, "What's wrong? Judging from your expression, you don't actually have some kind of problem with Liu Yifei, do you?"

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "How did you guess so accurately?"

Yang Mi laughed and said, "Didn't we hear rumors a while ago that you broke up with her and got together with that Japanese girl? I almost believed it. Now, is it true or not?"

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "Is that even a question?"

Yang Mi chuckled and said, "That's not necessarily true. Who doesn't like young girls? People like us are all old and nobody wants us anymore."

Chen Nuo turned his head and deliberately looked him up and down before saying in a serious tone, "He does look a bit old."

"What did you say?" Yang Mi said incredulously.

"Hahahaha." Chen Nuo laughed, "Serves you right for scaring me!"

Yang Mi exclaimed, "Wow, Chen Ge Shen, you're really too petty!"

"You only found out today?" "I really didn't realize it before."

The two walked along, chatting and laughing.

As I approached the intersection, a group of about five or six people suddenly walked towards me. They were all young men and women, dressed quite fashionably.

He spoke very loudly; even fifty meters away, he could be heard clearly on the street in the early morning.

"Really? I don't believe it!" a girl exclaimed shrilly.

Another man scoffed, "Why wouldn't you believe it? People in the group have seen it with their own eyes."

"Impossible! How could Nono be that kind of person!"

"What kind of person? It didn't say he cheated. He and Liu Yifei probably broke up a long time ago, right?"

"But how could he possibly be with Yang Mi!"

"Hey, they didn't say anything else, they just said he got into Yang Mi's car."

"Exactly. What's the relationship between Yang Mi and Chen Nuo? They've been good friends for so many years. Even if those gossip reporters dared to write about it, no one would believe it."

"Oh, what a pity, I really wanted to see him in person."

"Yeah, I heard he's going to the US to film again soon. Seriously, should we go to the US to see him together?"

"Ah? Is that okay?"

“Why not? I’ve added his fan group in the US on WeChat. I’ll ask them where they’re filming, and we can go together and maybe we’ll be able to see him.”

"Really? Americans use WeChat too?"

"Are you an idiot? I was talking about Chinese people and international students in the US!"

A group of people walked over while discussing something.

Suddenly, they saw two motionless figures standing in the shadows by the roadside. A girl screamed in fright, and the others were also startled. One of the men even said, "Holy crap."

Neither Chen Nuo nor Yang Mi spoke.

Meanwhile, Yang Mi, who wasn't wearing a mask, huddled behind him.

The group stared at it for a few more moments before walking over.

Chen Nuo's heart finally settled down, and he joked, "Yang Ge Shen, what's wrong? Why are you so timid?"

Unexpectedly, there was no sound from behind. Yang Mi did not speak.

He was about to turn around to see what was wrong.
But suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around his waist, and at the same time, a warm and soft body pressed against his back.

He froze.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

"you say……"

A soft voice sounded from behind him.

"What would things be like now if we had been together back then?"

If a female friend suddenly said this to you, probably out of 10,000 men, 10,001 would be at a loss for words.

But Chen Nuo was different. Especially in his previous life, there were too many people around him who coveted his good looks. Almost every woman had ill intentions towards him and would always approach him secretly under the guise of friendship. Therefore, such sudden attacks were commonplace for him.

He could even, in that split second, think about why the other party would do such a thing.

He paused for only a second before asking, "What's wrong, Yang Ge Shen? Did you break up with your boyfriend? You can tell me about any relationship problems, and I'll give you some advice."

Not only was her soft body against his back, but Yang Mi's face also seemed to be pressed against his back. When the woman spoke, he could feel her warm breath on his back, tickling him and making him want to scratch it.

Yang Mi's soft voice drifted over, "I've liked someone for a long time, but I feel like he doesn't like me back. What should I do?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then hesitated before asking, "Is that person surnamed Liu?"

"What?" Yang Mi asked in surprise.

The woman clearly hadn't expected him to say that, and she turned her face away, the warmth disappearing.

However, to be honest, Chen Nuo wasn't pretending to be stupid. After all, he didn't pay much attention to this old classmate, and considering the time, this woman really should be dating someone, getting married, and having children.

So how could it not be that she had a fight with someone and came to him seeking comfort and a backup plan?

So he asked again, "Is that Liu Kaiwei's name?"

"What are you talking about!" Yang Mi's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, and she immediately let go of him. "Where did you see this nonsense? Those rumors are all rubbish. Liu Kaiwei and I are just ordinary colleagues. We filmed a movie together, but that's all. We have no relationship whatsoever!"

Chen Nuo turned around and smiled, "Really? Well, I thought it was true."

Yang Mi glared at him angrily and said, "You should read less of these gossip tabloids. They're full of nonsense. Those paparazzi will write anything to get clicks."

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "That's because you're becoming more and more popular, so people are writing about you. Otherwise, why wouldn't anyone write about me? Right... Okay, let's go, let's walk a few more steps."

So the two of them started walking forward again.

This time, Chen Nuo took the initiative to start a conversation and asked about Yang Mi's work.

But Yang Mi seemed uninterested in talking about himself, and instead asked, "You really walked for months and got this thin, just to make this one movie?"

"correct."

Yang Mi stopped and stared at him in a daze.

However, the woman didn't do anything this time. She just paused for a few seconds, then continued walking forward, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

"We graduated more than three years ago, right?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"In these three years, I feel that everyone in our class, not just me, has been quite busy. When we first graduated, we would chat in the QQ group. But now, although we have WeChat groups, fewer and fewer people are talking in them. Zhang Xiaofei mentioned a class reunion in the group before, but not many people agreed. I think that now, the only person who can still work this hard for a movie is you."

Thinking about it, it's truly terrifying. How can someone like you exist in this world? Why did I ever end up renting a place with you?

Chen Nuo said, "So you're planning to ask for the rent back? Dream on."

"Ha ha ha ha."

They both laughed.

The slightly awkward atmosphere vanished just like that. So, you have to admit, actors have thick skin!

"Seriously, Chen Ge Shen, I'm truly impressed. In our entire class, in the entire school, and even in the whole country, is there any actor more successful than you? No one, right? But you still work so hard, why do you do that? Do you really want to win an Oscar that badly?"

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "It would be a lie to say I don't want to. But whether it's possible, I don't know. I can only say I'll try my best. If it doesn't work, then I'll just consider it experience for next time."

"You've already been nominated for Best Actor twice. If you get nominated again for this film, that'll be your third time," Yang Mi said in an ambiguous tone. "Three nominations for Best Actor at the Oscars..."

After saying that, she paused for a moment, then said, "It's too unreal."

Chen Nuo was about to say that being nominated three times was unrealistic, but Daniel Day-Lewis's was unrealistic.

But at that moment, his phone rang.

It was Qi Yuntian calling, asking where he was. Chen Nuo looked around for a moment, told him where he was, and then hung up.

Yang Mi asked, "Did they come to pick you up?"

"Okay. I'll take you back first."

Yang Mi shook his head and said, "No need. My car is nearby, I'll just send a WeChat message and they'll be here."

Chen Nuo nodded and said, "Oh."

The two stopped walking and stood under the streetlight, falling silent as they spoke.

After a while, Yang Mi asked, "What exactly happened between you and Liu Yifei?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then picked out the key points and gave a brief explanation.

After listening, Yang Mi didn't laugh or gloat at all. Instead, she nodded as if she understood and said softly, "I see. Then give me her phone number, and I'll introduce her to a psychologist."

Chen Nuo was somewhat surprised and laughed, "You know a psychologist?"

Yang Mi turned her head, gave him a deep look, and smiled, "I couldn't get out of character back then either, and this doctor helped me a lot."

Chen Nuo laughed and asked, "What movie? Tiny Times?"

Yang Mi paused for a moment, then her expression suddenly changed, and she said fiercely, "Speaking of this, don't think I don't know. When you were doing the reshoots today, you were probably laughing your head off, weren't you? Did you think our shots were really stupid and childish? Huh?"

"Hahahaha-"

Upon hearing this, Chen Nuo suddenly recalled what he had seen before and couldn't help but laugh so hard he bent over.

He was literally laughing so hard he was about to go crazy.

Just a few hours earlier, after finishing his own scenes, he was called by director Guo Jingming to film a background shot, in which he walked across the red carpet and Yang Mi, Dilraba Dilmurat, and Amber Kuo looked up at him with infatuated expressions.

It has to be said that when he saw Yang Mi and Dilraba making those kinds of expressions together, the scene looked really surreal on the monitor. He wanted to laugh right after watching the replay, but with director Guo Jingming next to him seriously commenting on the composition and lighting, he could only hold it in, almost suffocating from holding it in.

So at that moment, he didn't care whether it was disturbing the neighbors in the middle of the night and burst out laughing.

Yang Mi, who had been glaring at him angrily, suddenly burst into laughter along with him.

……

After standing for another five minutes, the two chatted idly, talking about some embarrassing moments in their acting careers. Yang Mi talked about how she amazed the audience with her performance of "The Power of Love" at the 2013 New Year's Eve Gala, making people all over the country laugh. Chen Nuo also talked about how he was fooled by Quentin Tarantino's fake script for almost a year. The two of them laughed heartily.

Finally, a red Rolls-Royce appeared at the alley entrance.

"They're here." Yang Mi stood on tiptoe to take a look.

Chen Nuo asked, "Are you sure you don't need me to take you?"

"Really, no need. I'll make a call and they'll be here. You can go now," Yang Mi said confidently.

Chen Nuo said, "Then I'm really leaving?"

"Well, let's go."

The car pulled up and stopped beside him.

Chen Nuo opened the door and sat inside.

The car door closed automatically, and just as it was about to shut, Chen Nuo suddenly heard Yang Mi call his name.

He rolled down the car window and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yang Mi stood under the streetlight. From this angle, her face looked sharp and natural. She asked, "When will you be going back to China next?"

"It'll probably be winter by then."

"Will you be back when the first snow falls in Beijing?"

"The first show? When?"

"October, I guess."

Chen Nuo calculated the time and said, "It should be possible."

The girl smiled and slowly said, pausing after every two words, "Then, how about we go to Shichahai together sometime?"

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Okay."

Yang Mi's lips instantly curled up at a 30-degree angle, her voice rose, and her words flowed smoothly: "Okay, it's settled then! I wish you a safe journey tomorrow. When you get to the set, put on your best performance, film well, and win the Oscar in one go! Then you'll trample Daniel Radcliffe underfoot and punch Sean Penn!"

"Hahahaha." Chen Nuo laughed again and said, "Thank you for your kind words. Well... I also wish you good luck in practicing your singing during this time, and that you won't sing off-key again in 'The Offering of Love,' and you'll get your revenge!"

"You're the one who's off-key! That was a mistake, okay? I'm singing really well now!" Yang Mi waved with a grin and said, "Go on, go on, I'm not saying anything more, bye-bye, go back and get some rest."

"OK, bye-bye~" Chen Nuo waved.

Qi Yuntian then stepped on the gas, and the Rolls-Royce slowly drove forward.

As they were about to leave the alley, Chen Nuo looked back.

Under the dim yellow light, a figure was still standing by the roadside, but no car came to pick her up.

(End of this chapter)