Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Huh? Four students from Beijing Film Academy are playing supporting roles to one student from the Central Academy of Drama?

Of course, Deng Chao was well-liked in the group and was not ostracized. This guy was a real joy to be around, which was a rare find in the desolate Northwest.

Zhang Jingjing said, "If you hesitate for even a second on this, you're an idiot."

Lin Jidong chewed on a blade of grass: "If it were me, I'd rather not take this role in the TV series."

Wen Zhengrong advised, "Don't talk nonsense, Deng Chao. Come on, let's go find Director Yu and have a good talk. Director Yu will understand."

Deng Chao was still hesitant: "The main thing is that it's not certain yet. They just said they'd meet me first, uh..."

Seeing the disappointed expressions on everyone's faces, Deng Chao felt ashamed. He then went to find the director, Yu Xiangyuan, and almost burst into tears as he spoke.

Yu Xiangyuan was over sixty years old. After scolding him a few times for being useless, he still allowed him to return to the capital.

The CCTV production team still has some human touch.

In one afternoon, Yang Che finalized the filming plan, arranged work for everyone, and met with Li Yixiang and He Tiehong in the evening.

When Yang Che saw the two of them, he burst out laughing, much to their bewilderment. However, upon closer inspection, it seemed that the two of them did not have any scenes together in "Conquest".

The two knew each other. Li Yixiang was from the class of '92 at Beijing Film Academy, and He Tiehong was from the class of '90. They were both typical northern men who didn't talk much.

Yang Che was very polite and grateful to the two of them for coming to support him.

The two were even more polite. Regarding the play, Yang Che only gave them the script and did not give any instructions. He also did not decide who would play the eldest brother and who would play the second brother. He planned to try them both out later.

"Filming will begin within a week and be completed in three to five days."

Then I talked to them about their experiences. He Tiehong joined the Hebei Provincial Drama Troupe after graduation and only came to Beijing to work as a "Beijing drifter" in the last year or two. He helps out his old classmates and occasionally plays a minor role. He just played a hoodlum in Gao Qunshu's "Thirteen Cases of Murder".

Li Yixiang fared even worse. After graduation, apart from cotton mills, no other company would hire him. He stayed in Beijing as a struggling artist, playing a few supporting roles, but mostly as an extra.

Therefore, the two men, who were around thirty years old, were just as focused and excited about this short film as Deng Chao and Hao Lei, but as men, they tried their best to remain calm.

But Yang Che could sense it, which gave him a slightly tipsy feeling.

Watching the two figures leave, Yang Che sympathized with Chen Kaige sitting in the extended Lincoln. This feeling of being able to control other people's fate could indeed easily make one feel arrogant.

Yang Che felt this was not good and he needed to calm down, so he called Ning Jing.

Ning Jing answered the phone in a gentle tone: "What's up?"

"Damn it, where is it?"

Hengdian.

"Didn't you say you weren't leaving until the day after tomorrow?"

"Little brother, get this straight, what day is the day after tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

"Yeah, I have to go to the set first thing tomorrow morning. If I'm not in Hengdian, where should I be?"

Yang Che felt very uncomfortable, his body burning with anger.

"Hang up."

"You try hanging one up yourself!"

"Look, you're in such a hurry again."

Ning Jing paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "I wonder who's in a hurry."

"Okay, let's sleep together another day. Bye."

He hung up as soon as he was told to.

Ning Jing, who was tidying up her hotel room on the other end of the phone, was furious. She cursed him several times, and she really wanted him to sing that song, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't mind that he had called just to nudge her a bit.

Yang Che had already driven to Fengtai alone, and made a call to Gao Yuanyuan along the way.

"Yuanyuan, I need you."

Gao Yuanyuan was both amused and exasperated, but also secretly delighted. She lowered her voice and asked, "What triggered this?"

"There's nothing here. I've been very good these past few days. I spent the whole day in Tazhai today."

Gao Yuanyuan's voice was sweet and soft: "Then what should we do?"

"What are you wearing right now?"

"Hmm... a black T-shirt and a pair of white shorts."

"Where's the underwear?"

"The strawberry set."

Yang Che swallowed hard. It was a set he'd bought in Japan; it was so cute...

"Why don't you come out and get a room?"

Gao Yuanyuan's voice grew even sweeter: "Aren't you afraid of being recognized?"

"Is it still in the car?"

"Yes, in the car, I'm wearing a skirt."

As Gao Yuanyuan spoke, she squeezed the already spread-out quilt between her legs, but it was summer after all, and it was a bit hot.

Half an hour later, on the roadside of the Yungang Aerospace Compound, Gao Yuanyuan, wearing a blue floral sundress and slippers, opened the driver's side door.

"what?"

Gao Yuanyuan playfully waved the plastic bag in her hand: "Hey, I brought you two steamed buns. Go eat over there, I'll drive."

Yang Che smiled and said, "No need, I don't have time to eat these kinds of buns right now."

Gao Yuanyuan pursed her lips and glared at him, but quickly got into the back seat because an acquaintance had come out from the neighborhood.

Yang Che turned the car towards their secret hideout: "You brought steamed buns from home, and your mother didn't say anything?"

She didn't see it.

Gao Yuanyuan pouted as she spoke, "Have you invested in any new dramas these past few days?"

"No, I'm planning to film the bus in the next few days. Why?"

"It's okay..."

As she spoke, Gao Yuanyuan crouched down and got into the passenger seat.

Yang Che smelled a mixture of laundry detergent, perfume, and body odor, which smelled very nice and instantly made him feel hot. He then reached out and touched it.

"Snap"

"Is it dirty or not?"

Yang Che said in a serious tone, "I don't mind..."

Gao Yuanyuan was so angry that she grabbed his hand and bit it.

Yang Che gently pinched her upper lip...

Gao Yuanyuan lightly bit his finger and said coquettishly, "Hey, drive carefully."

It doesn't feel dirty anymore....

After a belated realization, Gao Yuanyuan opened the wet wipes in the car, wiped her boyfriend's hands, and then looked at his short nails, quite satisfied.

"Um..."

After that, the two stopped talking. Yang Che kept pressing the accelerator while driving with one hand, while Gao Yuanyuan leaned against the car window, her eyes closed and her brows furrowed.

The car drove out of the residential area and headed north along Zhengangta Road, passing the ancient Jin Dynasty pagoda, before turning onto a gravel road. Tall poplar trees on both sides of the road intertwined in the air, almost forming a continuous stretch.

Yang Che rolled down the car window, the evening breeze blowing on his face, and he exhaled a long breath.

Gao Yuanyuan slowly opened her eyes, gave him a reproachful look, and then let out a long breath and slowly straightened her body.

After driving for about 600 meters, Yang Che turned the steering wheel, and the Grand Cherokee tilted to the side of the woods, disappearing into the shade of the trees. Even if it were daytime, let alone now that it was dark, pedestrians on the road would hardly be able to spot it.

They leaned in and kissed each other on the cheek at the same time, then got out of the car in perfect unison, still able to see the familiar tire tracks when they looked down...

After some fiddling around in the back seat, it turned into a large communal sleeping area, complete with a blanket. Clearly, this wasn't the first or second time this had happened.

Yang Che turned on the car's roof light, then looked down and couldn't help but laugh, "It's even reflecting light, it looks greasy."