Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Hao Lei was so upset that he cried until his voice cracked.

The passengers in the carriage looked at each other, and then, disregarding the arrangements, began to peek around. Zeng Jian thought this scene was good and natural, so he started taking pictures.

Yang Che then shouted "Cut!"

He walked over to Hao Lei, who was already lying on the grass, and squatted down beside him: "Can we continue filming?"

Hao Lei coughed twice, then said, "I'm sorry, I didn't do well. Let's do it again."

"Okay, Brother He, be careful when you slap him, don't make it too red and swollen, then it'll be hard to slap him again."

He Tiehong almost choked on his breath; was this even human language?

Everyone behind the scenes remained silent.

Even so, we continued filming.

This time he performed much better, he wasn't as strong, and then he was dragged into the bushes.

After a moment of silence, Yang Che said, "Let's do it again. Don't act like that. You've been speaking calmly the whole time, saying you still have money... until you're dragged into the bushes, you let out a mournful cry, and then you stop talking."

Hao Lei asked, puzzled, "How could a woman remain calm in a situation like this?"

Yang Che really wanted to say that he had encountered it, but it was difficult to say that.

"Yes, you are a bus driver, and you have undergone training to handle various emergencies..."

Seeing Hao Lei's puzzled and furrowed brows, Yang Che changed the subject and began to deceive him: "I want to demonstrate a principle: in the face of madness, reason is weak and powerless, so I need your reason here."

Hao Lei's expression instantly brightened, and he nodded with pursed lips: "Okay, director."

Looking at Hao Lei's expression, Deng Chao, who was in the carriage, felt a pang of heartache for no apparent reason.

It would have been much easier to show reason. Hao Lei, with clear eyes, said that she still had money and so on, but the lust-driven robbers didn't care about that and dragged her down into the potato field.

The landowner was still squatting by the roadside watching when the film crew gave him 500 yuan.

Because the potato vines need to be pulled up and rearranged, a vague image can be created.

Of course, Yang Che wasn't a pervert and wouldn't ask Hao Lei to strip naked; he only needed Hao Lei to change into a tattered shirt.

Before changing, Yang Che confirmed with her again, "Is everything alright?"

Hao Lei found it particularly strange: "It's not like it's revealing."

Yang Che didn't say much, but just told someone to cover up the fence so she could change her clothes.

Take another picture.

Having held his breath for a minute, Deng Chao was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at everyone in the carriage.

"You guys just watch!"

Most of the passengers lowered their heads, while the husband in the couple made a move to get up, but was pulled back by his wife. After a couple of tugs, the husband finally lowered his head.

Deng Chao looked disappointed and stopped waiting. He strode away, staggering over the roadside ditch and across the field ridges, before kicking Li Yixiang in the butt. Li Yixiang stumbled, his bag slipping from his hand, and then angrily turned around and started fighting.

Yang Che acted as the action choreographer, so he knew all too well what real beatings and being beaten were like...

Of course, Yang Che also directed the rape scene. He Tiehong knelt behind Hao Lei without touching him, hmm. Pushing a cart, otherwise how could you see his ragged clothes, how could you see his beautiful yet sorrowful face...?

Deng Chao's blood pack on his thigh burst, and he was kicked in the head, causing him to pass out.

When he woke up again, his hair was disheveled, there was blood at the corner of his mouth, his eyes were lifeless, and his clothes were tattered, revealing that Hao Lei, who was wearing a red bra, had accidentally stepped on his hand.

Yang Che intended to make the shot of Hao Lei looking at the passengers as he got on the bus into one of the posters, so he filmed many, many different expressions.

Anger, indifference, sneer, disappointment...

They kept shooting until the lighting was wrong, and it was already 5:30. Although it was still bright outside and Hao Lei was in great shape, Yang Che still called for manual work.

Today's performance was already exceptional.

At this moment, Yang Che was no longer as fearful and uneasy as he had been at noon, and was in a very good mood.

When I returned to the hotel, lamb skewers were already being grilled in the open space outside, with two barbecue chefs standing inside the long grill.

He Tiehong leaned closer, grinning, and said, "I can't leave just for these lamb skewers."

Li Yixiang, whose scenes had also wrapped up, grinned, clearly indicating that none of them planned to leave.

That's true. They said it would take two days to film, so let's stay for two days, just in case we need to reshoot.

Hao Lei then walked up to Yang Che and said, "Director, I'm a little tired, so I'm going back to my room."

Yang Che nodded: "I'll have Yang Tao bring you some food later."

"Thanks."

After saying that, the girl walked away.

The chubby boy, Yuanhang, walked over and said, "Brother Che, I've gone back to Huairou. I'll come over again first thing tomorrow morning."

"Let's talk after we finish eating."

"I used to travel with Shang Hua."

"Then let's take some skewers back with us."

"Okay, thanks, Che-ge."

After the sun set, people who had gone back to their rooms to wash up sat on small stools in the open space outside the hotel, eating skewers and drinking beer, with laughter and noise filling the air.

Young people always have boundless energy. Even though they got up early today, and even though it was hot and tiring all day, they are still full of energy.

Deng Chao, in particular, is quite outgoing. In the last two or three days, he and Zeng Jian have become quite familiar with each other.

He just seemed to be avoiding Yang Che.

"Brother Che, look."

Yang Che looked in the direction Gu Yibing was pointing and saw a slender crescent moon in the sky, closely accompanied by the bright Venus. The moon and stars complemented each other, creating a beautiful scene. This was a conjunction of Venus and the moon.

Lin Mu muttered, "When the moon and Venus are in conjunction, a great war will break out beneath them."

Yang Che tugged at the red star on his chest: "Where the red flag shines, feudal superstition is not practiced."

Despite his words and jokes, Yang Che still looked up several times.

That night, Yang Che slept soundly on his hard bed with the fan blowing.

The next day at breakfast, Hao Lei came over to greet him. Yang Che noticed that her voice was a little hoarse and that she had two bandages on her arm.

Yang Che, who was peeling an egg, gestured for her to sit down: "How did you sleep?"

Hao Lei smiled and said, "That's good. Director, I want to ask you a question."

"What?"

Hao Lei, resting his chin on his hand, said, "Hmm...you studied art, so you must have drawn nude models before. How come you asked me three times about that scene yesterday where there was no nudity?"

Yang Che swallowed the egg and then drank a mouthful of millet porridge.

"Even artists need to ask multiple questions when hiring nude models."

"What I mean is that you seem to be avoiding this topic."

Yang Che finally understood what she was trying to say. After a pause, he decided to give her a brainwashing: "Although both are essentially about selling one's body to make money, they cannot be discussed together."

Nude models are used to accurately grasp the structure, proportions, and modeling principles of the human body. The nude state can clearly show the direction of the bones, the attachment points of muscles, and the transitions of joints. For example, if I want to draw the same person in different poses, showing the S-shaped changes of the spine and the state of muscle contraction and relaxation, I can only draw by looking at his nude body. It is absolutely impossible to complete the drawing with clothes on.

Nude or sex scenes in movies are mostly unnecessary, serving only to attract audiences and cater to the director's whims. To claim they are art, to advance the plot, is simply a display of the creator's incompetence and shamelessness. This is especially true for Chinese films; for Chinese audiences, the highest expression of art lies in leaving room for interpretation and metaphor—for example, being alluring without being vulgar, seductive without being seductive, and using the spirit to guide the form.