Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

"Thank you for your help, Xiao Yang."

Zhu Ling has a very magnetic, mezzo-soprano voice.

"You're too kind. You don't know, ever since we confirmed your availability for the film crew, everyone in the crew has been fighting tooth and nail to get you the job."

Yang Che grinned as he opened the back door of the car.

Zhu Ling shook her head and smiled, "Thank you."

The two got into the car one after the other.

"Sister Zhu, have you eaten?"

"have eaten."

"You didn't say anything on the phone about your requirements for the production team. We'll try our best to meet them."

"No, Xiao Yang, don't be so polite. I'm such an old man, you're making me feel uncomfortable."

Yang Che glanced at the rearview mirror and saw her smiling gently. He smiled back and said, "Don't be uncomfortable. I'm not usually this talkative. Hey, after watching 'The Legend of the Pear Garden' when I was a kid, I've always thought of you as someone I cherish. I just couldn't hold back today, so please don't take it to heart."

"Hehe, which movie have you seen?"

Zhu Ling smiled gently. She didn't find it offensive at all; on the contrary, she thought the young man was particularly honest.

"Yes, I've seen it. I saw your work in 'Walking Through Liuyuan' not long ago, and I was thinking of finding it again to read."

"That must be quite difficult to find."

"....."

The two chatted for a few minutes from time to time. Apart from discussing the role of "mother" for a few minutes earlier, the rest of the time Yang Che asked questions and Zhu Ling answered.

They only asked about his school days and filming in the 80s, without asking a single question about his personal life.

As the car pulled into the Beijing Film Studio, Yang Che felt a little dazed. Fifteen or sixteen minutes had passed in the blink of an eye.

When he got out of the car, Yang Che made a point of observing Zhu Ling and found that she didn't show any signs of disgust or relaxation, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Although they might never see each other again after filming their scenes for a day or two, Yang Che was very unwilling to leave any bad impression on the goddess.

As the two entered the courtyard shed one after the other, the courtyard was quiet at first, then became noisy as people called out "Sister Zhu" and "Big Sister Zhu," after all, this was the "dream girl" of their parents' generation.

However, after a short while, everyone consciously gave Xu Shaohua their time and space, as the two of them had not seen each other for more than ten years.

Yang Che stood aside watching the two make friends, feeling a little wistful. Even the Imperial Brother had aged; his nasolabial folds were quite deep. The sequel to *Journey to the West*, which hadn't even aired yet, still looked very youthful—well, that's all thanks to the makeup.

Speaking of which, Yang Che had seen Xu Shaohua in another time and space. It was in the winter of 2016, at a dealer appreciation dinner for a group in Shijiazhuang. Xu Shaohua was wearing a cassock and had his head shaved as he sang "Daughter's Love" on stage.

At this moment, Fan Bingbing leaned over and said, "I just found out that you chose these two. I don't know what you were thinking. Their son looks like Haibo. Do you think that's reasonable?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Che stroked his chin: "Then it doesn't make sense for Zhang Guoli to play your father."

Yes, the guest role has been changed. Originally, Yang Che asked Sister Hua for help to find someone to replace Cheng Hong as the aunt. When he made the call, Sister Hua happened to be with Deng Jie, so she decided to come and play the role herself.

After all, they had stood on the same side not long ago, and now that Fan Bingbing has been confirmed to play the role of Su Qinglian in "Ji Xiaolan", and Sister Hua has also spoken up, Zhang Guoli and his wife naturally went with the flow and did not even mention their salary, since it was only two or three scenes.

Fan Bingbing then whispered, "Brother, my parents want us to come home for dinner on Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Everyone else is in the crew, it's not appropriate for just the two of us to go home for dinner."

"That's what I said too, and then my mom said, 'Then let's go home for my birthday.'"

"Okay."

"Hehe, then I'll tell them."

Hmm... Fan Bingbing's birthday is the 9th day of the eighth lunar month, which is September 28th this year.

After a while, Zhu Ling and Xu Shaohua entered the dressing room, with Huang Haibo accompanying them to make the most of the time and ease the awkwardness, since the next two days would only be for filming scenes featuring their family of three.

Fan Bingbing is leaving the crew soon; she's going to Beidaihe to film "Canned Food Guy," it'll be a two-day trip...

Okay, this girl has made money after opening her business. And it's not just canned food; Sister Hua also got her a shampoo and an oral liquid from Longrich. They'll film it next week.

The fee was more than double that of Yuanyuan's Siemens boyfriend. Of course, Yuanyuan didn't have to share with the agency; she only needed to pay a 20% referral fee.

Speaking of Yuanyuan, the two haven't seen each other this week, but they've made up.

Because Yang Che sent her a text message three days ago.

"I've reserved two tickets for Wang Fei's Zhuhai concert. Can you go? I need to book my flight for October 8th in advance."

"How many days will you be gone?"

"......"

There was a way out, and that was it. Although we didn't talk much except about the concert because of that bit of sentimentality, we made up.

...........

Back on set, Yang Che's role on set has become almost that of a mascot. Chen Ting manages the finances, Wu Shixian and Liu Chang handle miscellaneous tasks, and he rarely communicates with the actresses about acting anymore. They do have daily private exchanges, but that's about it; he even taught her how to drive a few times...

However, Yang Che did not find it boring. As Fan Bingbing made progress, Yang Che's skills in learning from the crew were also improving. He found it interesting to be on set, and now seeing Zhu Ling wearing home clothes and hitting the quilt with a stick was even more interesting.

Some people had worried that Zhu Ling might be too reserved and wouldn't be able to portray the mother's fiery temper, but that was just needless worry.

In "The Great Qin Opera," Shuangchi, played by a man, is splattered with corn kernels in the barn. The way she closes her eyes, breathes, and trembles when the kernels splash on her face reveals her loneliness and emptiness. The later bed scene is even more exquisite! If she can portray such a scene with such passion, imagine how she would portray a shrewish woman.

There's also the bed scene between Ximen Da Guanren and the character in "Taipei Woman," which focuses on ecstasy. Ximen Da Guanren's line, "How about getting an injection?" is probably the earliest known example of sexual innuendo.

Speaking of which, in "Red and Black 2000," 49-year-old Zhu Ling and 23-year-old Chen Sicheng even had a passionate scene! Damn it! Chen Sicheng, you really deserve to die!

However, this 49-year-old woman still has a fantastic figure...