Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Xiangshan Film and Television City.

Yang Chaoyue and Jiang Yang were extras in the "Go Fighting!" crew the day before they were to act alongside Huang Lei.

After the two finished their audition, they had lunch with the other extras in the hexagonal pavilion at the dining square. Jiang Yang glanced at Yang Chaoyue's long, snow-white legs that were shining from the cold and said, "I'll buy you a warm set of clothes this afternoon."

"It's unnecessary. I brought thermal underwear in my bag and I'll change into it in a bit. There's no need to waste the money," Yang Chaoyue waved his hand in refusal.

"Since the company will reimburse you and it won't deduct from your salary, why are you trying to save this money?"

"The company's money is your money, Yang. I'm not the clueless factory girl I was a month ago. You can't fool me."

Since the topic had come up, Yang Chaoyue simply stated it directly:

“I talked to that extra auntie before. Actually, Canxing didn’t reimburse our travel expenses, but you knew I wanted to fly, so she specially paid for her own flight to bring me here, lying to me that Canxing would reimburse her, just to protect my pride…”

At this point, Yang Chaoyue's eyes reddened: "Brother Yang, you've been good enough to me, I really can't keep wasting your money."

Jiang Yang was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Yang Chaoyue actually found out that the airfare wasn't actually reimbursed by Canxing. He's gotten smarter now.

Actually, Yang Chaoyue's statement is not entirely correct.

The reason he bought a plane ticket to come here was simply because he wanted to fly.

It's on sale, and with the short flight, it won't cost much. Most importantly, I can get some attributes from Yang Chaoyue, so why not?

I never expected Yang Chaoyue to have such a vivid imagination.

Having built up the atmosphere to this point, Jiang Yang didn't want to ruin it, so he seized the opportunity to further exploit Yang Chaoyue's personality traits: "Have you really understood my good intentions?"

"I understand! But I'll pass on buying clothes. The production team will provide period costumes tomorrow, so I'll just wear thermal underwear underneath. Once I've saved up enough money to buy my dad a new phone, I'll use the rest to buy clothes, my own."

"Okay, I won't buy clothes this afternoon."

Jiang Yang unzipped his briefcase and took out an English textbook: "Don't go anywhere this afternoon. Just stay in the hotel and memorize vocabulary. You'll have a dictation test tonight."

Yang Chaoyue's gaze froze.

Looking back on the past two weeks, every time Jiang Yang gave her a dictation test and she couldn't write the words, she would be scolded mercilessly.

Who goes out to film a movie and carries teaching materials for their employees?

Yang Ge really cares about her academic performance.

Yang Chaoyue gets a headache just looking at English words: "Brother Yang, I suddenly think we should go shopping at the mall this afternoon."

"Didn't you say you didn't buy clothes?"

"Just browsing, no buying."

"Isn't that just pure torture? Memorizing vocabulary words, and I'm not allowed to go anywhere!"

Inside the hexagonal pavilion, only the voices of Jiang Yang and Yang Chaoyue could be heard.

The other extras stopped chatting, quickly shoveled their boxed lunches into their mouths, and left as soon as they finished.

The man in his early thirties next to Jiang Yang shifted his position, turning to the side, making a rustling sound as he squeezed the pickled vegetable bag, trying to keep his back to Jiang Yang and Yang Chaoyue, preferring to avoid seeing them.

He's been single for a long time and has spent a lot of money pursuing women. The girls he's met on blind dates don't even give him a second chance when they see his receding hairline.

Originally, I wanted to offer some advice to Jiang Yang as someone who had been through it all, just to vent my frustration.

It turned out that the young couple were very much in love.

The girl was pretty and even bought lunch for the boy. Knowing that he liked chicken legs, she put them in his lunchbox.

When will I ever have a beautiful girl treat me like this?

It's so annoying to look at.

They're now openly discussing booking hotel rooms.

Are young people really this good at having fun?

You booked a hotel room just to memorize English vocabulary? I'm almost embarrassed to call you out on it!

Out of sight, out of mind. Eating somewhere else is less appealing than listening to gossip about other film crews.

Yang Chaoyue looked at the extras in the hexagonal pavilion. In just a short while, most of them had already finished eating their boxed lunches and left. "Extras are really busy. Even their mealtimes are rushed. Everyone has a tough time."

Yang Chaoyue's backpack was much heavier than Jiang Yang's briefcase, and it contained cotton-padded clothes, which had been kept in the rehearsal room.

After Jiang Yang finished rummaging through the food in his lunchbox, he noticed that Yang Chaoyue still had more than half of it left uneaten.

It looks like he has a good appetite.

I suddenly realized that Yang Chaoyue has quite a big appetite.

During the audition, they ate half a bowl of noodles, and afterwards, they cooked another bowl of noodles at a noodle stall at the alley entrance.

I can still eat a whole boxed meal now.

No wonder when Yang Chaoyue was signed, after learning that the company would provide meals, it was clear that Yang Chaoyue was very satisfied with this condition.

"Take your time eating. When you're done, wait for me in the dressing room. You'll change clothes there in a bit. I'll go to the rehearsal room to get your bag." Jiang Yang closed his fast food container, got up, and left.

"Wait for me, Yang-ge, I'll go with you."

Yang Chaoyue followed Jiang Yang's steps: "After leaving the film studio, can't we go shopping?"

Seeing Yang Chaoyue's pleading eyes, Jiang Yang ultimately couldn't bring himself to force Yang Chaoyue to study.

The young lady was here for the first time, and she worked very hard on her audition. She deserves to relax a bit.

"Alright, on the way to the hotel, I'll take you for a walk. There's an antique-style street nearby that sells trinkets like wooden swords and hairpins. Want to check it out?"

"Yes!" Yang Chaoyue nodded immediately.

"You should also be able to find vendors selling Mishan steamed buns, which are a specialty of Xiangshan. They also have wheat pancake rolls and roasted taro. Want to try some?"

"miss you!"

"There are many stalls selling seafood noodles on Penglai Road..."

"I want some too!"

Eat eat eat, you know how to eat.

What a foodie!

"We'll pass Yongjin Square, where there's a large shopping mall with clothing stores..."

This time, before Jiang Yang could finish speaking, Yang Chaoyue interrupted, "I'm not buying new clothes!"

When Yang Chaoyue returned to the rehearsal room, he showed no signs of nervousness. He pushed open the door, grabbed his bag, and left.

Next, I arrived at the makeup and styling area and skillfully pushed open the door.

The warm air blowing in his face made Yang Chaoyue's hair fly wildly.

The previous makeup assistant was not inside, and the broken light strip on the makeup mirror had been repaired.

There were two young girls, wearing name tags for makeup assistants. One of them was tidying up the makeup table, making sure the cosmetics, wigs, and other props were clean.

Seeing Yang Chaoyue come out, another person sat on the sofa near the door, sketching on a drawing board, customizing the makeup style for tomorrow's guests.

Seeing the door open, both of them looked at Yang Chaoyue. The one sitting on the sofa put down his drawing board and asked, "Who are you?"

"Extra." Yang Chaoyue noticed that the makeup assistant was a new face, and she subconsciously felt a little nervous.

"Extras are not allowed..."

"Director Kang sent me."

"Director Kang?"

"Assistant Director, Kang Wen," Yang Chaoyue's voice suddenly rose.

The words fell.

She could clearly see the expressions on the two makeup assistants change from rejection to friendliness.

Yang Chaoyue wanted to ask, "May I come in?"

She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, closed the door behind her, and stepped inside. When she saw that the two makeup assistants not only did not stop her, but even stood up and stopped what they were doing, and smiled at her, she was surprised.

Yang Chaoyue's heart beat faster and faster.

What Yang Ge said really worked.

Revealing your identity directly can solve many troublesome problems.

But after taking only one step, he heard a loud bang from behind the door.

It didn't sound like the edge of the door hitting the door frame; it sounded more like the door panel hitting something.

"Yang Chaoyue, are you trying to get yourself killed? I'm speechless!" Jiang Yang covered his forehead, took a step back in embarrassment, and felt a dull pain in his forehead.

"Brother Yang, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, it's my fault."

Yang Chaoyue hurriedly tried to check if Jiang Yang was injured.

He is clumsy in his work, but his apology is sincere.

Jiang Yang waved his hand impatiently: "Go change your clothes, don't catch a cold."

"I'm sorry, Brother Yang."

"Alright, alright, I didn't mean to blame you. Hurry up, you're exhausted. Let's go to the hotel to sleep together in a bit."

……

After leaving the dressing room, Yang Chaoyue put the chiffon dress, which was covered in mud, into a plastic bag, carried it in her hand, and prepared to take it back to the hotel to clean it.

She was wearing a cotton-padded coat and trousers, with a large cotton-padded jacket on top, the cuffs of which had loose threads.

Canxing booked a hotel for the two of them; it was a small inn called Shunhua Inn, costing 120 yuan.

Hotels around the film studio are already quite expensive, so how good can the accommodations be at this price?
Jiang Yang plans to pay for a nicer room himself.

However, after he told Yang Chaoyue about this idea, he regretted it. He should have just taken her to the four-star hotel on the Golden Coast.

Yang Chaoyue insisted that he should not spend more money and insisted on staying at Canxing Hotel, which would reimburse his expenses, so that he could at least go and see the place first.

Fine.

Let's take Yang Chaoyue to see him first.

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to simplicity.

After living in a luxurious apartment in Shanghai for a month, most people wouldn't want to stay in such a basic hotel.

"Is your forehead alright, Yang-ge? It looks all red. Should we go to the hospital to get it checked out?"

"My forehead is fine, my bones are strong."

"Then I'll go to the pharmacy to buy you medicine."

"No need, it's fine now." Jiang Yang's tone was somewhat impatient.

He opened his phone's map to check the exit.

You can exit the film studio from either the west gate or the main gate. The west gate is a special passage for film crews, which is the road you take when you arrive by bus. If you have a work badge from the production crew, you can use it. It's also close to the hotel, but the area along the way is quite desolate with no shops.

As previously agreed, I would take Yang Chaoyue to explore the bustling streets and markets nearby.

A young girl like Yang Chaoyue, coming for the first time, will definitely find it very exciting.

Walk out through the main entrance.

The first thing you see is a street lined with people dressed in ancient costumes, selling traditional-style souvenirs in the style of Yiwu.

Stalls displayed various styles of wooden swords and hairpins, and signs for Hanfu rentals ranging from fifty to one hundred yuan per day were everywhere.

Many girls chattered excitedly as they bought these small items or negotiated with shopkeepers to rent Hanfu for photos.

Yang Chaoyue, however, showed no sign of stopping.
"Aren't you interested?" Jiang Yang asked.

Yang Chaoyue shook his head, glancing at the shop signs along the way.

"Chaoyue rice buns are a specialty of Xiangshan. Why don't you try them?"

"Next time, next time."

Yang Chaoyue quickened his pace and darted ahead in an instant.

This puzzled Jiang Yang.

What are you doing?
Yang Chaoyue had clearly been very interested when the topic of visiting the antique-style street and eating Mishan steamed buns came up earlier.

Despite the aroma of seafood porridge wafting from the seafood stalls on Penglai Road, Yang Chaoyue did not stop to stop.

Yang Chaoyue stopped when they arrived at Yongjin Plaza, which has a large shopping mall. He stood at the entrance of the mall and looked inside. As if he saw something, he said to Jiang Yang, "Brother Yang, wait for me!"

Jiang Yang followed Yang Chaoyue's gaze and saw a clothing store.

Knew it.

A girl's words are like a deceitful devil.

They say they won't buy clothes to save money, but when they go shopping, their eyes light up and they can't walk away as soon as they see a clothing store.

Just right.

Jiang Yang had originally intended to give Yang Chaoyue a new set of clothes.

She had worn that red cotton-padded jacket for countless winters; the threads were coming undone and pilling.

Jiang Yang took out his wallet, looked at it, and saw that he still had about a thousand yuan left, which was enough.

But as he stepped inside, he discovered that Yang Chaoyue had not entered the clothing store.

It was a pharmacy next to the clothing store.

"What is she doing at the pharmacy?" Jiang Yang was a little stunned, as if he suddenly understood something.

Yang Chaoyue kept looking around, apparently searching for a pharmacy.

Jiang Yang suddenly remembered that Yang Chaoyue had accidentally closed the door and bumped her forehead, and then said he wanted to go to the hospital, but Jiang Yang refused.

Earlier, after leaving the makeup area, Yang Chaoyue said he was going to the pharmacy to buy medicine for him.

I casually said no, my tone a little impatient.

Yang Chaoyue didn't dare to mention it again.

But once outside, I had no interest in shopping.

I had high hopes for the antique-style street, but I lost interest in even taking a stroll through it.

I had no appetite to sample the local specialties of Xiangshan, such as steamed buns, wheat pancakes, and roasted taro.

Passing by the food stalls and smelling the seafood congee, I had no intention of stopping at all.

"Brother Yang, I got the medicine!"

Yang Chaoyue carried the medicine and jogged out of the pharmacy. When he passed the clothing store, he didn't even glance at the exquisite clothes inside.

Approaching Jiang Yang, he placed an ice pack on Jiang Yang's forehead: "This is a disposable ice pack from the pharmacy. It's for the area where you were hit, the doctor said."

"Didn't I tell you we didn't need to buy medicine?" Jiang Yang took the ice pack and looked down at the water droplets condensing on it.

"You've got your head stuck in a door and you still haven't bought medicine?" Yang Chaoyue said worriedly.

Jiang Yang was stunned when he heard this.

It's true that they care about themselves, but it sounds like they're cursing.

Yang Chaoyue took out all the medicine from the bag: "This is aloe vera gel to reduce inflammation. You should apply it to your forehead. This is ibuprofen for pain relief."

"You've even bought ibuprofen, acting like you're about to die. How much did it cost in total?" Jiang Yang asked.

Yang Chaoyue took out the receipt and glanced at it: "108 yuan."

That's outrageous! This little bit of medicine costs 108. No wonder there are two pharmacies within a mere 50-meter stretch of the main street in later generations.

“These medicines are unnecessary, I’ll transfer the money to you.” Jiang Yang took out his phone.

"No need, boss, I did it, so I should pay for it myself."

"The money has been transferred to your bank card."

Jiang Yang had Yang Chaoyue's bank card account number saved on her phone. Seeing Yang Chaoyue's evasive manner, she knew she would refuse the money directly: "I appreciate the sentiment, but if the employee has to pay for such a small amount, how will the company grow in the future?"

"Ok."

Yang Chaoyue looked at the text message notification on his phone that the money had been deposited into his bank card, but something felt off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

She knew that Jiang Yang didn't mean to blame her.

"Chaoyue, you really don't plan to buy any clothes?" Jiang Yang asked.

"Not buying."

"Let's go, the hotel that Canxing booked for us is on this street, just around the corner."

"Okay," Yang Chaoyue replied, and followed Jiang Yang outside.

As they walked out of the shopping mall, Jiang Yang noticed that Yang Chaoyue still looked worried, glancing at his forehead every now and then.

Jiang Yang sighed, "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you. I won't take the ibuprofen. When we get to the hotel, I can apply aloe vera gel, okay?"

"Let's apply it now, in case you forget when you get to the hotel."

When the topic came up, Yang Chaoyue became noticeably more energetic: "Brother Yang, your brain is very important. I'm really afraid you'll get your brain slammed in a door."

"Okay, okay, go ahead and apply it. I'm really impressed by you."

Yang Chaoyue took out the aloe vera gel, squeezed it into his palm, spread it evenly, and was about to raise his hand to Jiang Yang's forehead.

But she found that Jiang Yang had already bent down to her.

That handsome face with its three-dimensional features and well-defined contours was right in front of me.

"Apply it carefully, this stuff is cold, and it'll be hard to wash off if it gets in your eyes," Jiang Yang warned.

"I know!"

Yang Chaoyue reached out and touched Jiang Yang's forehead.

Jiang Yang's head and Yang Chaoyue's little hand both twitched back slightly.

Jiang Yang was simply jolted awake by the cold.

Yang Chaoyue's earlobes were slightly burning.

The boss has a really good-looking face, but sometimes he does inhuman things.

For example, she could memorize two units of vocabulary in the hotel in the afternoon.

Studying is so painful.

I get a headache just looking at English words.

I really wish I had a Doraemon memory bread to cover my vocabulary book. Jiang Yang would eat a slice when he needed to give me a dictation test, and then just throw it away when he didn't.

……

The hotel that Canxing booked for the two of them was just around the corner.

The faded LED lightbox reads "Hua Shun Hotel," but the character "社" (she) looks like the paint has peeled off; if you don't look closely, you might mistake it for "Hua Shun Traveler."

The glass door was covered with yellowed A4 paper with the words: "Hot water available 24 hours a day."

Jiang Yang showed no intention of going in: "No need to go in, right? I'll take you to the Gold Coast Hotel; it's much better quality than here."

"How much is the Gold Coast Hotel?" Yang Chaoyue asked.

"Two rooms, each around 300 yuan, not expensive."

“300 isn’t expensive. 300 is equivalent to several days’ wages at the textile factory!” Yang Chaoyue frowned upon hearing the price. Jiang Yang wasn’t short of money and saw no need to force himself to endure hardship: “300 has its value. It’s more comfortable to live here than here.”

"You stay at the Gold Coast Hotel, I'll stay here, that way we can save at least 300," Yang Chaoyue suggested.

"Oh well, we're all staying here. How could I leave you here alone? If something happens to you while I'm not around, who will make money for me?"

After saying that, Jiang Yang pushed open the glass door and went inside.

Yang Chaoyue followed with a grin.

The front desk is a vintage-style desk, and a handwritten room status board hangs on the wall, with small magnetic red flags marking vacant rooms.

Many of the hotel rooms are rented out on a monthly basis and are also the residences of many extras.

After swiping their ID cards, the two went upstairs.

Canxing booked two single rooms facing each other for the two of them. After Jiang Yang swiped his card to open his room, he heard Yang Chaoyue behind him fiddling with the doorknob with his room card: "Brother Yang, how do I open it?"

Jiang Yang asked, "You've never booked a room before?"

"This is my first time," Yang Chaoyue said somewhat nervously.

"Put the room card on the sensor area, then turn the doorknob to open it," Jiang Yang instructed Yang Chaoyue on how to open a room.

Following Jiang Yang's instructions, Yang Chaoyue affixed the room card to the sensor area on the door.

With a beep, Yang Chaoyue curiously turned the doorknob and pushed open the door: "It really opened, it's so high-end."

The room is by the window, and the curtains are very good at blocking out light.

Yang Chaoyue pressed the large switch on the wall, but the light didn't turn on: "Is there a power outage?"

"Insert the room card and turn on the power," Jiang Yang said, pointing to the card reader on the wall.

Yang Chaoyue swiped the room card into the card reader next to him. After the power was turned on, the room lit up: "Wow, this is amazing..."

Jiang Yang glanced at the facilities in the room.

Upon entering, there is a 1.5-meter single bed with a very thin mattress.

There is a tin desk made of engineered wood next to the bed, with cracked edges and cigarette burn marks.

There is a wooden chair with peeling paint in front of the desk.

The bedside table was a small, chipped tea table with a kettle and an ashtray on its corner.

The windows are old-fashioned aluminum alloy sliding windows, and the tracks are covered in dust, requiring brute force to move.

Luckily it's winter now, otherwise that hole in the screen window wouldn't keep out mosquitoes in the summer.

Jiang Yang felt relieved to see the furniture, which looked like it had been found at a second-hand market.

The rental apartments in the Fuli residential area of ​​Shanghai weren't exactly luxurious, but compared to this place, they were significantly better. Yang Chaoyue definitely wouldn't be used to living here.

"Chaoyue, look at this place, are you comfortable with it? If not, let's go to the Gold Coast Hotel..."

Jiang Yang had barely finished speaking when...

Yang Chaoyue stepped inside, put down his old backpack, and exclaimed, "Ah, I can stay here! There's even furniture and a private bathroom! It's much better than my old factory dormitory!"

"I shouldn't have asked so many questions."

I thought Yang Chaoyue would compare this place to the rental apartments in the Fuli residential area of ​​Shanghai, but I didn't expect him to compare it to factory dormitories.

However, Jiang Yang didn't forcibly take Yang Chaoyue to the Gold Coast Hotel, since Yang Chaoyue wanted to save him money, and his intentions were good.

If Yang Chaoyue is used to living here, how could the boss not be?

Jiang Fan activated his attribute ability to confirm that there were no hidden cameras filming in the room, which put him at ease. He then took out an English textbook from his briefcase and placed it on the bed: "Memorize two units of vocabulary, and we'll have a dictation test tonight."

"Didn't you say we were going to double the vocabulary by reviewing four units of words?" Yang Chaoyue asked, puzzled.

"Oh, right, thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot."

Jiang Yang's tone suddenly turned serious: "Memorize four units of vocabulary, and we'll have a dictation test tonight!"

"I shouldn't have asked so many questions!" Yang Chaoyue regretted it deeply.

"Call me if you need anything. You can call or knock on my door. I'm in the room across the hall."

Jiang Yang turned to leave, but Yang Chaoyue called out to him, "Wait a minute, Brother Yang."

She handed Jiang Yang the aloe vera gel she was selling: "You need to apply this; your forehead is still red."

"Actually, you'll be fine after one night's sleep. This thing is just a placebo effect."

"You need to apply it. You have to listen to the doctor. You're so smart..."

"Okay, okay, I'll apply it."

Jiang Yang gave a perfunctory agreement, otherwise Yang Chaoyue would say that he had his head caught in a door again.

"By the way, Chaoyue, if you get thirsty, go out and buy some water. Don't use the kettle in your room." Jiang Yang took the aloe vera gel, stuffed it into his pocket, reminded Yang Chaoyue, and then returned to his own room across the hall.

The facilities in the room were almost identical to those at Yang Chaoyue's place.

My arms are sore and my head is tired.

I took off my shoes, got into bed, threw back the covers, and fell asleep immediately.

A system notification sounded in my mind:
[Under your care, Yang Chaoyue's English vocabulary has improved, and you have received feedback that your English vocabulary has also improved.]

Is Yang Chaoyue memorizing vocabulary?

Well, so good.

As if suddenly remembering something, Jiang Yang took out the aloe vera gel that Yang Chaoyue had bought for him from his pocket and casually rubbed it on his forehead.

One night passed quickly.

As dawn broke, Yang Chaoyue slowly woke up. Beside his pillow were his English textbook and several pages of draft paper, covered with dense handwriting from the previous day's memorization and recitation of English words.

I checked my phone and found it was already 6:30.

The alarm clock went off half an hour ago, but it didn't wake her up.

Because I stayed up late last night.

Before falling asleep, I was so nervous about the actual filming today, and that I would be interacting with the MC guests of "Go Fighting!" on camera that I couldn't fall asleep.

After washing up in the bathroom, I noticed that the faucet had an old-fashioned spiral valve that separated hot and cold water, and the hot water temperature was barely warm, about the same as body temperature.

After regaining some composure, Yang Chaoyue remembered.

"Oh no, I haven't bought breakfast for Yang-ge yet!"

In the past, back in Shanghai, she was the one who woke Jiang Yang up every day and bought him breakfast.

Going to buy breakfast now might not be enough time, because we need to gather at the filming location of the TV crew at 7:30 am for costume changes.

Yang Ge pays me such a high salary every month, teaches me acting, and teaches me high school knowledge. It's only been a month, and I've already forgotten to do even small things like buy breakfast.

Will Yang be disappointed in me?

It's okay to go to the shoot on an empty stomach, but I can't let Yang Ge go hungry because of my negligence.

I wonder if there are any breakfast shops nearby.

I hastily splashed water on my face to speed up the washing process.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Jiang Yang's voice: "Chaoyue, get up."

"Oh no, oh no, we can't hide it anymore."

Yang Chaoyue, not bothering to shake the water droplets off his hands, opened the door and saw Jiang Yang standing outside, dressed neatly.

She said apologetically, "Brother Yang, I haven't had time to buy breakfast yet."

"It's okay, I bought it. Eat it while it's hot."

Jiang Yang stepped into the room, sat on a folding chair covered with plastic tape, and placed several steaming plastic bags containing breakfast on the peeling desk.

"Yang-ge, you're up so early today?"

"Otherwise, am I supposed to wait for you to wake me up? I'd go hungry then. You must have been too nervous to sleep last night, right?"

Yes, yes.

Yang Chaoyue sat on the plastic stool next to Jiang Yang and then realized that the breakfast Jiang Yang bought was different from the usual steamed buns, fried dough sticks and soy milk.

The first bag contained round, snow-white rice cakes, their surfaces marked with the fine lines of a steamer cloth.

"What is this?" Yang Chaoyue asked curiously, noting that it smelled like sweet fermented rice.

"Mishan steamed buns, also called rice steamed buns, are a non-material cultural heritage snack from Xiangshan that you can't find anywhere else. Give them a try."

"OK!"

Yang Chaoyue took a bite; it was slightly chewy, with a subtle sweetness of cane sugar. After swallowing, he could still taste the lingering aroma of rice on his tongue.
"It's delicious!"

"Try this one too."

Jiang Yang opened another bag.

Inside was a golden-brown rolled-up wheat flour pancake, with the cross-section revealing fillings such as vermicelli, shredded egg, and stir-fried dried eel, wrapped in oil paper, with dark brown sauce seeping out from the bottom half.

It smells like a Shanghai-style fragrance.

Take a bite, and the filling will leak out from the other end.

Yang Chaoyue bit through the chewy pancake, his taste buds experiencing the smoothness of the vermicelli inside and the fluffy scrambled eggs.

Suddenly, she bit into a crisp water chestnut, her eyes widened, and she nodded repeatedly, full of energy, saying:
"This is delicious too. What is this? I've never had it before. It's like a jianbing guozi, but the taste is a little different."

"Wheat cake roll, a type of jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) from Xiangshan."

"Wheat cake roll..."

This is the first time I've tasted this flavor, but the name sounds somewhat familiar.

Seeing that Yang Chaoyue was enjoying his meal, Jiang Yang opened the third bag. Inside was a rough, brown paper bag folded in half, with sugar stains seeping from the edges and translucent oil spots burned into the bag.

The taro inside the paper bag, with its skin still on, was roasted until it developed tiger-stripe patterns, revealing grayish-white taro flesh through the cracks. It smelled crispy and fragrant, with a faint earthy aroma.

Yang Chaoyue took a bite, the hard, smoky shell revealing the steaming, soft, sticky taro flesh. He even lost the ability to distinguish between retroflex and alveolar consonants when he spoke.
"Delicious! It's drizzled with brown sugar."

"You've never had this before, have you?"

"I've never eaten this before, what is it?"

"Roasted taro." Jiang Yang smiled when he saw Yang Chaoyue enjoying the food.

"Brother Yang, aren't you going to eat?"

"I ate on the way."

Jiang Yang took out his phone and glanced at the time: "We're a bit late. Let's head towards the film studio and eat as we go."

"Okay!"

Yang Chaoyue followed Jiang Yang out of the hotel, munching on roasted taro with brown sugar on her upper lip, when she suddenly remembered something.

I've never tried these three snacks before: rice mountain buns, wheat pancake rolls, and roasted taro. Why do their names seem so familiar?

Isn't this the snack that Jiang Yang promised to buy for her when he took her shopping at the film studio yesterday?

I remember there was also seafood noodles.

At the time, she kept saying she wanted to eat it, but after leaving the film studio, she was only focused on finding a pharmacy to buy medicine for Jiang Yang and had no time for this.

Back at the hotel, I spent almost all my time memorizing vocabulary words, and I would eat instant noodles for dinner.

I didn't expect Yang Ge to get up early and buy it for her.

Yang Chaoyue felt moved and, as he pondered, his pace slowed involuntarily.

Jiang Yang, who had walked a few steps away, turned back and urged, "Are you acting like a big shot? Walking so slowly, hurry up, do we need the boss to urge us?"

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Yang Chaoyue walked quickly to Jiang Yang's side, his mouth still sticky with taro powder, and looked up at Jiang Yang.

When she got emotional, she couldn't help but blurt out a few words in Yancheng dialect: "Boss, you've really treated me well."

"What?"

Jiang Yang frowned: "Calling me ugly? You're going against the grain."

Realizing he was speaking in dialect, Yang Chaoyue switched to Mandarin: "I mean, you're really good to me, you're really not ugly, it means you're really good."

"Really? You didn't curse me?" Jiang Yang asked suspiciously. He had heard Yang Chaoyue cursing him behind his back quite a few times before.

"Really not!" Yang Chaoyue said firmly.

The Yancheng dialect is a skill that Yang Chaoyue has maxed out and can no longer improve, so Jiang Yang has no way to get this attribute from Yang Chaoyue.

So much so that when Yang Chaoyue occasionally spoke Yancheng dialect, if it was a bit complicated, he could only guess.

Jiang Yang didn't talk about it anymore, but urged Yang Chaoyue to eat faster and quickened his pace.

In winter, it gets light late.

When Jiang Yang went out to buy breakfast earlier, it was still dark, but now it was just getting light, and there was a light frost on the ground.

I originally wanted to buy Yang Chaoyue a bowl of seafood noodles, but unfortunately none of the seafood stalls were open at the time.

Now, however, several of them are in operation.

I don't know which film crew's production manager is, but he's haggling with a food stall owner to buy a batch of frozen ribbonfish to load onto the crew's truck for daytime scenes.

I only buy the small ones because the big ones don't look like the fish from ancient times.

After walking for a while, we came to the antique-style street ahead.

At this time of day, the antique-style street is nowhere near as lively as it was yesterday afternoon. Most of the shops are closed, except for one prop shop that has opened for business, with its lightbox lit up.

Yang Chaoyue had finished her wheat pancakes and roasted taro. After swallowing the last bite of rice cake, she quickly caught up with Jiang Yang. A splash of yellow on the street made her a little stunned: "Brother Yang, I think I saw the emperor."

"where?"

"That's it!"

“I see it.” Jiang Yang squinted and looked. “It looks like Emperor Qianlong.”

At the entrance, there was a stove set up by the roadside. The uncle in charge of cooking was stir-frying rice cakes in an iron wok. He called out to a man in his early thirties wearing a dragon robe and a Xia Dynasty crown next to him: "Your Majesty, would you like to add squid tentacles and shrimp to the stir-fried rice cakes?"

Is it free to add?

"Of course it costs money. Squid tentacles are two yuan, and shrimp are three yuan."

"It's so expensive, I won't add it." The man flicked the prayer beads around his neck.

The boss laughed loudly, "Are you an emperor? You can't even spare this little bit of money. Adding some ingredients will make it taste even better."

"I'm no emperor at all, just a bunch of actors. Hurry up, pack it up and take it to the set to eat. We've been up all night, and we're still not done filming."

As Yang Chaoyue passed by, he stared in disbelief at the scene.

Even Jiang Yang felt it was very abrupt.

A moment later, a group of people wearing vests rushed out of the main gate of the film studio and shouted to the prop shop next door, "Boss! Do you have any bronze spray paint to make bronze swords? We need it urgently!"

More and more crew members wearing name tags are coming and going.

Extras like Jiang Yang and Yang Chaoyue, rushing to film scenes, come in waves.

Everyone looked rushed.

Along the way, Yang Chaoyue even saw Sun Wukong and the Teletubbies eating steamed buns on the same tricycle.

"Brother Yang, these extras are all working so hard."

In the morning at Xiangshan Film and Television City, there are no tourists, only extras working hard to make a living.

I used to work as a factory girl in a textile factory. Every day I operated a sewing machine, spinning yarn and combing cotton. It was physically demanding work.

Now it seems that acting is the same.

The difference is that acting offers the hope of becoming famous and changing one's destiny, while being trapped in that textile factory means one's future is predictable, and one will never be able to help one's father share the burden of the family.

"Brother Yang, I will definitely help you make lots and lots of money in the future, and I won't waste the effort and money you've spent on me."

Jiang Yang laughed and said, "When will you help me make lots and lots of money?"

"The day my head rolls to the ground," Yang Chaoyue said firmly.

Jiang Yang's lips twitched: "Which day?"

"The head landed... the person landed on the ground... the head landed on the ground... what did that member say again..." Yang Chaoyue was a little flustered.

"Don't say it, it's kind of scary."

Jiang Yang interrupted, saying, "To stand out from the crowd."

"Yes, to make a name for oneself!"

"You've suffered because you're uncultured."

"Yes, yes, I want to study hard and become a college student in the future."

Yang Chaoyue's steps became lighter.

She looked around at the busy extras: "Do you see this many extras in Hengdian in the morning?"

“There will only be more. Hengdian is large, there are many productions, and the competition is fierce. Xiangshan is smaller, and there are fewer rules for accepting roles.” Jiang Yang didn’t explain further.

Anyway, Yang Chaoyue will feel it later.

It's too difficult to expect Yang Chaoyue's acting skills to improve by leaps and bounds like his; not everyone is as gifted as him.

It doesn't matter. When I have the resources in the future, I'll force Yang Chaoyue into the Hengdian film crew.

The artists I raise, I pamper.

While we're at it, let's really take advantage of the stats.

Near the main entrance, a middle-aged woman had set up a stall early in the morning, selling hand warmers, Red Bull, and compressed biscuits for 5 yuan a pack.

Many extras were picking and choosing what to buy.

As Jiang Yang passed by, he heard the boss shout, "Are you playing a corpse or a passerby today? If you're playing a corpse, bring two more packs of hand warmers, it's cold lying on the ground!"

Jiang Yang glanced at Yang Chaoyue's legs; he was wearing cotton-padded trousers.

Who knows, just to look good, he might audition with bare legs again, getting goosebumps all over his thighs from the cold. Yang Chaoyue is definitely capable of doing something like that, risking his life for his career.

Yang Chaoyue hurriedly walked into the gate of the film and television city, only to suddenly realize that he had lost Jiang Yang.

She looked around in a panic, took out her phone to call Jiang Yang, only to find that Jiang Yang was standing by the stall behind her.

Looking at Jiang Yang's slightly bent back in the morning light, I suddenly choked up.

She watched as Jiang Yang carefully selected the hand warmers, pinched them to test their thickness, and gestured to the stall owner to ask him something.

The morning mist swirled around him, and his breath condensed and dissipated in the cold air.

The shop owner was buying her hand warmers.

What a great boss.

Yang Chaoyue was slightly stunned and stared for a while.

He made a silent vow in his heart.

This morning, I had to do a good job as a guest extra playing a female beggar.

This time, she was determined to seize this lifeline, and she would never let go, even at the cost of her life. (End of Chapter)