Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che glanced at him and exclaimed, "Wow, it's Zhuang Songlie!" He chuckled and said, "Hello, Zhuangzi. I hope 'My Sassy Girl' can also become a drink name on your menu."

Zhuang Songlie, the artsy man who stood up, was very happy: "It's my honor."

Chuang Sung-lie, a Taiwanese, graduated from the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy in 93. After graduation, he didn't direct any films but instead opened a café called "Sculpting Time" near the Wudaokou Institute of Technology. It's considered one of the earliest branded cafés in China, focusing on movies and coffee, and regularly screening films. The coffees on the menu are all named after movie titles.

It was one of the early popular spots for artsy young people in Beijing.

Of course, after "Sculpting Time" became a popular online nickname, there were no more true artistic youths among Sculpting Time's customers.

Yang Che smiled and nodded, then looked at the audience and said, "Let's leave it at that. Let's talk about the movie instead."

That being said, some viewers who were called out still asked Yang Che how he discovered it back then, what he was thinking, and what happened to the girl now, etc...

Yang Che joked, "There won't be any gifts for asking questions unrelated to the movie."

Then people stopped asking.

It's not about the gift, but about respect.

That afternoon, Yang Che and his group of four visited six cinemas in Beijing. The situation was similar at each one, and people also noticed that as time went on, the number of people in the cinemas increased.

When Yang Che arrived at the fourth cinema, the staff told him that the tickets for that day were sold out, a situation that had only happened when "Titanic" was released.

It's actually quite easy to understand. There are countless examples like this in later generations. Yang Che is the modern-day equivalent of "Dragon Pockmarked," "JDB," "Hongxing Erke," "White Elephant," and "Snow King"...

Of course, some suspected that Yang Che had set up a publicity stunt. For example, Han Bingjiang, a reporter from the newly established Daily News responsible for film coverage, asked during the last roadshow that evening: "Yang Che, was it pre-arranged for 'Legal Report' to air the episode about you saving people today?"

Yang Che looked at the younger version of Zhuo Wei who was still using his real name and sighed, "Of course not. You overestimate me and underestimate Reporter Xu."

Han Bingjiang didn't press the matter further, but instead asked about the film. After all, they were from the Xinbao newspaper and Tianjin, and weren't on the premiere's invitation list. However, after the interview, Yang Che took the initiative to ask for his business card and had Zhou Liren give him a red envelope.

After the event, Han Bingjiang divided the 300 yuan red envelope he received equally between the photographer and his underling. The underling, beaming with delight, said, "Brother Han, didn't you say that this 'hero saves the damsel in distress' scene might have been orchestrated by Yang Che? Why didn't you ask?"

Han Bingjiang's voice was gentle: "That's just wild guessing, a joke. After all, this is a crime, involving three criminals. How much power and how much money would it take to orchestrate such a scheme?"

The clueless younger brother finally realized, "Oh, that makes sense."

........

The roadshow ended at 8 p.m., and everyone didn't have dinner together. They agreed to meet at the airport at noon the next day and then go home.

Yang Che and Fan Bingbing were no exception, since they would be gone for half a month tomorrow, and Bingbing had to go home and stay with her parents for one night.

Yang Che returned to Courtyard No. 8, since Gao Yuanyuan had already been brought back by Li Xiangdong.

On the way back, Zhou Liren received a phone call from someone claiming to be a director from Phoenix TV's "Yanglan Studio" program, who wanted to arrange an interview with Yang Che.

"Thank you for the invitation, but unfortunately, Yang Che will not have time before January 15th."

The director said, "Aren't you going to do a roadshow in Hong Kong? Our program has a certain viewership among Chinese communities around the world. Please consider it."

"I will get back to you shortly, please wait."

Zhou Liren turned to look at Yang Che.

Yang Che smiled and said, "Little Zhou, you see? Selling the copyright for over 300 million US dollars couldn't save the sensation caused by this person. He actually took the initiative to interview us, even though he made us fly over there."

Zhou Liren said in a serious tone, "Brother Che, I think it's because you're too outstanding... So how should we reply?"

"Reject it."

Zhou Liren was somewhat surprised; it was Yang Lan. After waiting for five minutes, he called her back but politely declined.

They then talked about Li Xiangdong and Zhou Liren's interview with them in the military newspaper the following morning.

Li Xiangdong, who was driving, said, "Brother Che, I get nervous just thinking about this."

Yang Che found it amusing: "Why are you so nervous? It's just a chat. Just talk to them about whatever they want to talk about. You don't need to think. Anyway, even if you say something you shouldn't, it won't make the news."

"Yeah, Dongzi, say whatever you want. We haven't wronged anyone."

Li Xiangdong smiled and said nothing more.

Back at No. 8 Courtyard, Gao Yuanyuan was wearing an apron and stir-frying something, the range hood was humming, so Yang Che didn't smell it until he got closer.

"Wow, this fried sauce smells delicious."

As Yang Che spoke, he also noticed the dishes arranged on a plate next to the cutting board, and it was clear that the knife skills were not very good.

Gao Yuanyuan turned off the stove: "It smells good, doesn't it? My dad fried it. His sauce is famous in our compound. Help me out."

Yang Che quickly picked up a spatula and started shoveling the oil into the bowl.

"What's going on?"

Gao Yuanyuan pouted: "They know my boyfriend is you."

"And then, my father-in-law made fried sauce?"

"Show-off! Hey! I told you we're living together now, and when I went out today, my mom made me take the fried sauce from the fridge with me. Go wash your hands."

"Why."

Yang Che smiled and nodded; he thought it was a good idea.

After that, the two didn't talk about anything related to the movie. As Yang Che listened to Gao Yuanyuan relay some of what her parents had said about him, he inexplicably thought of Fan Bingbing's parents and sighed to himself, "People are all different, even if they are from the same family."

"Didn't your parents say they wanted to meet me?"

Gao Yuanyuan was very puzzled: "We're not getting married, so why would I want to see you?"

After dinner, the two of them cleaned up together in the kitchen. Then, someone started a fight, and the sounds of bowls and pots clattering stopped, replaced by the sound of water splashing into hot oil, with water splattering everywhere and making rapid crackling noises...

Doing chores with Gao Yuanyuan brought Yang Che a great sense of relaxation after a long day of work, as if he had entered a warm harbor.

Gao Yuanyuan didn't show much sadness about the separation, just like she was calm before Yang Che went to Hong Kong last time, though there were undercurrents inside.

By 2:30 pm the next day, the cast and crew of "My Sassy Girl" had landed at Pudong Airport, where Secretary Zhang personally came to pick them up.