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

Chapter 591 Bloody Yellow Dragon
"For a film crew of over a hundred people, having a unified vision is extremely important. So, for me, the first scene is the most important; I hope this scene can showcase the tone of the entire film. After the first cut is developed, I will have the cinematographer, lighting technician, art director, and actors all come and see it, because I want everyone to understand what I want."

—Quentin Tarantino, March 26, 2004, The Hollywood Reporter: The Director's Mind Behind Kill Bill Vol. 2

……

……

It's the same room.

On 35mm Kodak film, the interplay of light and shadow filled every corner of the room, the dark shadows were everywhere, and the rough graininess shimmered slightly in the air.

All of this looks like it was filmed 30 years ago.

The film made a soft clicking sound in the projector, the gears turning, projecting this seemingly dusty image onto the white screen.

There, Quvenzani, who had fallen to the ground in fright, scrambled to her feet and hurriedly righted the stool.

The man from the East sat opposite her, staring at her without moving an inch, not even blinking.

The horrifying gunshot wound snaked from his right cheek to his ear, and when the light shone on it, it looked like a centipede.

Then he spoke.

The centipede then came to life, trembling slightly on his face.

He said a sentence in Chinese.

Quvenzani paused for a moment, then looked flustered.

Chen Nuo's eyes narrowed slowly, her lips tightened, and she switched back to English in a slightly stiff, colloquial tone, saying slowly, "You're lying to me. You can't even speak our language... You're a lying little girl. You don't know Hong; you just guessed correctly before."

"No, I didn't!" Quvenzani waved her hands frantically and took a few steps back.

"What does she look like?"

'She, she… ah, I remember now!' Quivenzani's eyes darted around, and she suddenly looked up, staring straight at the man, and said in one breath, 'She had long black hair, and was about five feet five inches tall—'

She gestured with her hand, "—It's very beautiful."

Chen Nuo remained unmoved and coldly asked, "Anything else?"

“And, I don’t remember,” Quivenzani said hurriedly. “I swear to God, I really saw her! She even spoke to me! Hong, yes, I heard her say that she was tied up!”

Chen Nuo raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a cold smile, and parted his lips slightly, about to speak.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the room.

Hey, hey, hey.

Quvenzani abruptly shut her mouth, ran to a corner of the room, and hid behind the curtains.

Chen Nuo glanced at her, then slowly walked to the door.

"squeak--"

He opens the door.

Two burly white men with unshaven beards stood at the door, wearing long gray wool coats covered in dust, each with a Colt revolver slung over their waist, and messy light-colored beards on their faces.

The burly man in front of him, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, squinted and peered into the house past Chen Nuo.

"I heard you brought a little black boy here?"

As he spoke, his tone was mocking and disgusted, and he smirked, revealing a few yellowed teeth.

“You filthy slut,” he exhaled a puff of smoke, chuckling as he continued, “didn’t the receptionist tell you that we don’t welcome that kind of thing here?”

Chen Nuo said calmly, "No."

"Then I'll tell you now, we don't welcome black people here. Do you understand? Now I'm giving you two choices: either hand her over, or you get out with her."

Chen Nuo didn't even blink. "She's in the room. You can go in and take her away."

"You're smart to know what's good for you, Chink Chinaman." The burly man blew smoke into Chen Nuo's face, then shoved him in the chest. With a flick of his head, the burly man behind him swaggered inside.

But the camera didn't go in.

It paused at the doorway, pointing directly at Chen Nuo's face.

He didn't turn his head.

His face remained expressionless.

In fact, he has shown very little facial expression since he appeared on screen.

This is not unexpected.

Once a person's right cheek has been pierced by a bullet, the expressions they can make in their lifetime, aside from frightening children, are probably few.

However, fortunately—

Besides the gunshot wound, he also had a pair of deep black eyes.

It was as deep as the summer night sky, or as deep as the sea at night.

If you don't look at it, you'll think there's nothing inside.

But when you gaze into them, you'll discover that their eyes hold everything.

The camera slowly zoomed in, giving Chen Nuo a very close-up, showing his upper body from the chest up.

The light reflected a cold gleam in his pupils, captivating everyone sitting in front of the screen.

At that moment, a girl screamed from inside the room.

"let me go."

"No! I don't want to!"

"Help! Help me!"

A flicker of emotion flashed in his seemingly empty eyes. He lowered his head and lit a cigarette.

Then she raised her head, and the ripples in her eyes disappeared.

He stared blankly at the wall in front of him.

From the side of the camera, through the half-open wooden door, you can see the burly man who just went in grabbing a struggling little black girl.

"No, I don't want to! Let me go, waah, let me go! Save me, please, save me!"

The burly man, a cigarette dangling from his lips, grabbed the girl by the neck, shook her twice, and said menacingly, "Little black devil, you better behave yourself, or I'll blow your head off right now. You hear me?"

The little girl was clearly frightened. As the burly man dragged her toward the door, she didn't dare to struggle loudly. She could only bury her head in her chest, curl up into a ball, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You're smart to know what's good for you." The burly man waiting at the door blew another puff of smoke in Chen Nuo's face. "Chink."

Amidst the swirling smoke, Chen Nuo suddenly spoke up: "Where are you planning to take her?"

"This is none of your business," the burly man said with a sneer. "Looks like you've forgotten what I just said. Mind your own business."

At this moment, the sea became turbulent again.

"Oh~~~"

In the screening room, which had been occasionally noisy, someone finally couldn't help but let out an "oh".

But the others remained silent, their eyes fixed on the image on the wall.

This is an extremely subtle expression.

Because no matter what you say, an eyeball is an eyeball; an eyeball cannot speak.

If a person's eyes seem to be speaking, it can only mean that the skin and muscles around their eyes are making subtle facial expressions that give their eyes emotion.

Even if most people in the screening room understand this principle and won't boast like those mindless fans, at this moment, who would say—this is nothing special?
On the contrary, it is precisely because they are experts that they understand the difficulty involved.

The eyes on the screen burned silently, as if nothing had happened, yet everything was happening.

That wasn't anger, nor was it pity.

Rather, it was a deeper, more ancient emotion, like a fire buried beneath the dust, quietly burning beneath those dark eyes.

This made everyone hold their breath, anticipating what would happen.

At first, it felt like my expectations had been dashed.

Even as the girl was being pulled past him by the burly man, he still didn't make a move.

until,

The dark-skinned girl, who had been silently weeping, suddenly turned around and uttered two very awkward pronunciations: "tianjiao!"

At this moment,

The camera returned to that previously blank and silent face.

Then, everything changed.

The man's eyes widened suddenly, his lips parted slightly, and two golden lights flashed in his deep, star-like black eyes—like fire emerging from the ashes.

“Wait,” he whispered.

The two burly men stopped in their tracks, turned around with cold faces, their expressions showing impatience and provocation.

Chen Nuo didn't even look at them, but stared intently at the little girl. "What did you say? Say it again."

Quvenzani timidly looked up and repeated in strange Chinese pronunciation: "Hong... Tian... Jiao".

"How do you know her name?" Chen Nuo asked, emphasizing each word.

Quvenzani said, "She told me herself that more than six months ago, she..."

"Hey! I said, you fucking—"

The burly man in the lead shouted impatiently.
But the story was only half-finished—

The man, who had been motionless, suddenly moved.

Like a bolt of lightning that has been unleashed.

First came a groin kick, striking the burly man squarely in the crotch. The man screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Nuo stepped forward, grabbed the wrist of the second burly man who was reaching for the gun handle, and thrust his whole body forward, delivering a headbutt that slammed into the man's forehead with a loud "thump!"

"Agh—!" The second burly man let out a blood-curdling scream.

Before he could react,

Chen Nuo's hand had transformed from a palm into a knife.

A precise palm strike,

It struck him squarely on the Adam's apple.

"Click——"

A very soft, crisp sound. The man's scream stopped abruptly, and he collapsed to his knees, clutching his throat and making hoarse noises.

This series of movements was clean and efficient, flowing smoothly like clouds and water, so fast that it was almost impossible to blink.

More importantly, there were no warning signs before the outbreak.

There was no eye contact, no dialogue, not even the background music that was about to play in the film. The sudden violence erupted abruptly against this blank backdrop, causing every viewer in the theater to involuntarily hold their breath.

After that, Chen Nuo didn't say another word.

He reached out and grabbed the little girl's hand, went into the room, and began to quickly pack his things.

His movements were clean, calm, and almost without any unnecessary pauses. The sheets were torn off, the clothes were rolled up, and with a quick tightening of his belt—in just a few seconds, he had bundled everything into a pillow-shaped bundle and slung it over his shoulder.

Then, he took the little girl's hand, turned around, and walked out. When he reached the door, he stopped, raised his foot, and kicked the burly man on the ground who was drawing a gun from his waist in the chin.

boom!
With a muffled thud, the burly man instantly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Chen Nuo bent down, pulled the Colt revolver from his waist, and turned to leave.

The other burly man who had been struck by the slap was now lying on the ground, his hands tightly clutching his throat, his face flushed, and his breathing rapid like a bellows.

Seeing Chen Nuo approach, he struggled to lift his head, his eyes filled with fear and pleading. Chen Nuo's gaze lingered on him for two seconds, then she didn't speak, pulling Quvenzani along the other end of the corridor away quickly.

Just as the camera followed their backs as they moved—

Screen switching.

The camera returned to the burly man on the ground. His previously pained expression suddenly changed, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

He suddenly rolled over, and with a flick of his wrist, he drew the pistol from his waist.

"boom--!"

The moment the gunshot rang out, the camera cut to a mid-range shot.

Half of the burly man's head exploded instantly, white bone fragments and brain matter mixed with blood mist shooting into the sky. In the dim light of the oil lamp, the pink and white intertwined for a moment, which was both cruel and eerie, yet also somewhat beautiful.

The camera angle changes again.

Without lingering, Chen Nuo tucked the gun back into its holster and pulled Quvenzani downstairs.

Walk to the middle of the stairs.

He suddenly shoved Quvenzani aside, and in the blink of an eye, he had the gun back in his hand.

He pulled the trigger with one hand and cranked the hammer with the other—standard cowboy gun-drawing technique. No doubt, on the Montana ranch, the fastest cowboy could draw his gun in 0.2 seconds. Chen Nuo had only practiced with him for a few days; it was all just for show. But in the movie, he looked like an invincible war god.

Then—bang bang bang.

The three gunshots rang out almost in unison.

Three plumes of blood mist suddenly erupted in the lobby on the first floor.

The arms or legs of the three burly men with guns exploded simultaneously in a cloud of pink blood, as if Chen Nuo had just fired something like an RPG instead of a gun.

The three of them collapsed to the ground, clutching their bloody, mangled wounds and groaning loudly.

Chen Nuo didn't look at them again, reached out and pulled Quvenzani up, and walked quickly towards the hotel entrance.

Several horses were tethered to the wooden posts outside the gate.

"Can you ride a horse?" Chen Nuo asked in a low voice.

Quivenzani's face was a mixture of excitement and nervousness, with a few drops of blood splattered from who-knows-where. She shook her head, her voice trembling slightly: "No... I won't."

Chen Nuo didn't say anything more.

He lifted her onto the saddle in one swift motion, then followed closely behind, his movements clean and efficient, his movements fluid as if he had actually fought Qing soldiers on a Chinese battlefield.

A night breeze stirred, and the oil lamp flickered.

From afar in the town, the sounds of dogs barking and people talking could be heard.

In the dark of night, the gunshots had already alerted the entire town.

Lights were on in many houses, and men were pushing open doors and looking out into the street with oil lamps in hand.

Chen Nuo immediately drew his gun.

boom!boom!
Two gunshots were fired.

The reins of the other two horses at the inn's entrance were broken. Startled, they neighed, reared up, and scattered in all directions.

At this moment, Chen Nuole tightened the reins and whispered, "Giddy up!"

The sound of hooves suddenly rose, and the two men on horseback galloped along the dusty town road, rushing straight into the deep night.

……

The film has reached the bottom.

The projector's reel spun rapidly.
It emitted a series of clicking sounds as it spun aimlessly.

The projectionist stood up, flipped the power switch, and the entire projection room instantly fell silent, with only the slight hum of the machine cooling down.

Quentin stood up, picked up the microphone again, and said with a strange laugh:

"This must be the fastest first scene I've ever filmed—could anyone have imagined this before? Twenty-seven shots in one day. Robert, did you ever think of that?"

Photographer Robert Richardson, an old man with a full head of white hair and metal-framed glasses, shook his head and smiled, "Quentin, if you had told me before we started shooting that I could shoot twenty-seven shots in a day, I would have thought you were crazy."

Quentin made a face, squinted exaggeratedly, and said, "And these shots are fucking awesome."

Robert nodded and chuckled, “Yes, and it’s fantastic. I must say, your decision to send Quvenzani to Montana to spend some time with Chan beforehand was absolutely brilliant. She seems so relaxed and natural around him. Chan takes care of her like a real child. He can sense her emotions and guide her with his own. And Quvenzani—my goodness, this girl is a miracle—she just effortlessly keeps up with Chan’s pace. Quentin, it’s all so perfect. Our filming is progressing at an unprecedented pace, so why don’t we speed things up a bit?”

Quentin laughed and said, "Robert, that's what I think too. But I think we can observe for a couple more days to see if what happened yesterday was just a coincidence."

Now I want to tell you that the clip you just saw was the first scene we filmed yesterday.

What I wanted to present in this film was the atmosphere of cruelty and romance coexisting, the delicate balance between violence and emotion, the suffocating silence, and the sudden burst of flames.

I hope our work will be a Western film with a soul. It will be bloody and tragic, yet full of human warmth. Ten or twenty years from now, when people talk about Westerns, they will definitely mention this one.

He turned his head, looked at a corner of the crowd, and smiled, "Miss Ayase—especially you, I hope you will remember this and find this feeling when the time comes."

When the director said her name, Haruka Ayase was momentarily dazed, but quickly came to her senses.

That's right.

She did indeed arrive here, joining the cast of this globally anticipated film, about to make her Hollywood debut.

“Yes, I know, Director, I will do my best,” she said immediately, standing up.

Quentin laughed and said, "No need for so much formality."

"Yes, I understand." Ayase Haruka bowed again.

Quentin laughed heartily, and everyone in the room joined in.

Ayase Haruka's face turned red instantly.

On one hand, it was her instinct. After all, she was Japanese, and bowing was almost a reflex.

On the other hand, a vague thought had been swirling and churning in her mind, distracting her and causing her to embarrass herself. It had suddenly popped into her head after she watched that jaw-dropping clip.

That's a name.

The name she had suggested earlier was more fitting, more distinctive, and more in line with what she had just seen in the movie.

But the name flashed by so quickly, like someone whispering it in her ear before vanishing into thin air. She tried to grasp it, but couldn't remember it at all.

What is it?

Ayase Haruka felt as if a cat's claws were scratching at her heart.

Quentin, oblivious to the Japanese actress's absent-mindedness, continued speaking into the microphone:

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Now it's time for a ten-minute Q&A session. Please feel free to ask any questions, comments, doubts, or anything else you'd like to know about the segment you just saw. I'll answer them one by one."

After a brief silence, many hands suddenly went up.

……

"Director, what's with that joke? Why is it that shape?"

“I saw that in a Hong Kong martial arts film. I asked Chen, and he said it was indeed in the Chinese style.”

"I see, it certainly looks impressive."

……

"Director, why is there firelight in Chen's eyes?"

"That was the lighting. Dear Eileen, I had the lighting technician find the right angle. By the way, is your cold getting better?"

"Much better. It's such a pity I wasn't there yesterday. That scene was absolutely amazing."

"Hahaha."

……

"Director, why is Chen so skilled in action movies? He doesn't seem to have filmed any action movies before, but his performance in the clip just now was simply amazing."

A woman stood up and asked, somewhat excitedly.

She is the film's costume designer—Anna Sherman.

Anna's words immediately resonated with many people, and everyone started discussing them.

"Yes! I was there when he took down those two big men. I thought he was Bruce Lee."

"That's definitely Chinese Kung Fu."

"Perhaps Jacky Chen taught him."

"And his movements when drawing and firing his gun were just too practiced."

Quentin laughed and said, "I asked him that too. He told me it was related to his first film, and like his riding skills, he also learned some skills from the instructors in the movie. As for shooting, he learned that from the cowboys on his ranch."

Anna Sherman exclaimed in surprise, "So, can I describe Chen as a kung fu master?"

Quentin laughed and said, "You could say that."

……

Ten minutes passed quickly amidst the cacophony of questions.

At Quentin's gesture of silence, the screening room fell silent again.

He checked the time and was about to adjourn the meeting and tell everyone to prepare for the start of filming today when suddenly, from the corner, a woman's voice burst out with joy and uttered a string of incomprehensible gibberish.

He looked at her in surprise and asked, "Miss Ayase, is there anything else you need?"

Ayase Haruka was startled, snapping out of her reverie. She stood up, her face flushed, and bowed deeply for the second time, saying, "I'm sorry, Director. I just thought of something. I'm so sorry, so very sorry."

Quentin observed her expression and asked, "What are you thinking about? Is it related to the movie?"

Ayase Haruka hesitated for a moment, then said, "I... I suddenly thought of a name. It's the one you asked us to think about together last time, Director Quentin..."

Quentin crossed his arms and said with great interest, "I understand. Don't be nervous, tell me about it."

At this moment, Ayase Haruka seemed to recall the scene she had just seen, and the man in the scene.

She swallowed hard, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "Bloody Yellow Dragon."

(End of this chapter)