Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

December 25, 2002, Minor Snow.

Leon Lai replied that he wouldn't be available until the end of January, so I can only stay home and write a new script. I have several Jin Yong novels, such as The Return of the Condor Heroes, to fill the gap in TV dramas, so there's no rush for now.

December 26th, Minor Snow.

I don't want to move; I'll just be a salted fish all day.

December 27th, heavy snow.

The snow is too heavy, let's continue with the salted fish.

December 28th, cloudy.

Zhuang Huai'an, have you forgotten your grand ambition to unify the Chinese entertainment industry?

How could you be so depraved! Have you forgotten the script and plan we made before? This can't go on!

December 29th, freezing rain.

The plump aunt's daughter-in-law gave birth, so there's no one to cook, and she's continuing to serve salted fish.

...

On December 30th, Zhuang Huai'an looked at the diary spread out on his desk, pursed his lips, pulled the notebook into the drawer, closed the drawer, and locked it.

Pshaw, who keeps a diary if they're a decent person?

Scumbag!

Zhuang Huai'an looked at the ice shards falling outside the window, sighed, and lit a cigarette.

Judging from the weather these past few days, old London may not be as gloomy as Beijing.

He may seem to be staying home doing nothing these past few days, but he's actually escaping from reality.

It's not that he's innocent; have you ever seen a rich second-generation heir who remains chaste?

Don't make your brother Zhuang laugh.

That's the feeling, it's so damn weird, my 40-year-old soul was touched by a little girl.

What is this?

Is an old tree sprouting new leaves or is it undergoing a metamorphosis?

Forget about the procedures, let's just use the phone directly!

Zhuang Huai'an felt inexplicably melancholic, like the melancholy of a certain day, a melancholy that just started to set in.

The brain tries to stay rational, but the heartbeat gives in first.

No wonder I can't concentrate on creating!

Very reasonable!

Having finally found a roundabout excuse for himself to be a salted fish, Zhuang Huai'an nodded in satisfaction.

As expected of you, Lao Ji. You're so good to yourself. If I could be reborn, I'd still follow you!

Having appeased himself, Zhuang Huai'an was in a great mood. He took out paper and pen and began to create, but not a script. Instead, he copied... cough, wrote a song.

The great wife-loving Prime Minister Cao once said:

I'll sing a song to express my aspirations!

It is also reasonable to express emotions through song.

After a long while, Zhuang Huai'an looked at the song he had written and began to doubt his life.

Sweet...?

I gently tasted the love you spoke of.

……

This... doesn't make much sense...

Zhuang Huai'an was furious!

Zhuang Huai'an slammed his pen down!

Zhuang Huai'an is shameful!

Old Ji, calm down! I know what you're thinking, but this is really not the time. Getting electrocuted is a minor issue, but getting shot is something you really can't handle.

Zhuang Huai'an felt like crying but had no tears left. He decided to go for a walk.

Stepping outside made me even more heartbroken.

This weather is like freezing rain slapping my face. π_π

Okay, I need to calm down (Takeshi Kaneshiro Zhuge Liang fanning meme)

Zhuang Huai'an put aside his chaotic thoughts, carefully analyzed his own feelings, and finally came to a conclusion.

It's not that our army is incompetent, but that the enemy is too brave.

Although I was reborn, my soul is very mature, which is undeniable and can be proven when I interact with others.

But that's where the problem lies.

It's simply because he had actually seen a goddess at her peak. Just look at the post-80s and pre-90s generation – which guy hadn't been smitten with her?

How can you play without nerfing this?

Of course, this hero was indeed nerfed in the mid-game version, going from a celestial being to a fat immortal.

But the developers were inhuman; they buffed it again later, even adding a defensive buff.

The white moonlight's health bar is right in your face from tens of kilometers away, plus the cinnabar mole buff...

This is an invincible aura (cheat code)!

In fact, when Zhuang Huai'an first met the young girl, he really had no intention of doing anything. Otherwise, when he was on the set of "The Story of a Noble Family," it wouldn't have been Han Sanping who stood up for the young girl; he would have rolled up his sleeves and gone to fight himself.

But she just kept moving forward.

Forget it, there's no hope. Just accept it.

Strolling to the shore of Houhai Lake,

Zhuang Huai'an watched as the sea and sky merged into one, and large swathes of icy rain pounded on the water's surface, creating ripples that mirrored the turmoil in his heart.

He suddenly realized that what so many people longed for but could not obtain, had become something he himself had to accept as a hypocritical and pretentious woman.

How laughable is Huai'an, so small!

The thought arises in an instant, and suddenly the world seems vast!

If he weren't worried about disturbing the neighbors, he really would have liked to shout out loud to get some relief.

"Hey, Director Zhuang!"

A sharp shout startled Zhuang Huai'an. Who the hell had to ruin such a beautiful moment?

He turned around angrily, but saw no one.

"Hey, here it is."

Looking down, Zhuang Huai'an saw a little radish-headed child tilting its head, holding an umbrella between its legs, and waving its hands. He immediately burst out laughing.

"Guan girl, what are you doing here?"

"I'm just taking a stroll."

The cub-like Guan Xiaotong, with the characteristic chatter of a Beijing native, unleashed a torrent of words:

"I saw you from afar, and I thought you were up to something. Director, let me tell you, you can't jump into Houhai Lake. My dad told me that years ago, this place was haunted by the spirits of many who died unjustly. It's very eerie. I heard that if you accidentally fall in, the spirit of that unjustly killed person will be resurrected by possessing the body of the person who fell into the water. You can't be one of those unjustly killed spirits!"

Goodness, he's a natural-born actor. The little guy's breathing is still unsteady, and he has to speak in fits and starts, yet he keeps talking non-stop.

"Then you should worry about yourself."

Zhuang Huai'an, indulging in his wicked humor, threatened her, "I'm an adult with strong yang energy. If the ghost of the wronged dead isn't confident in dealing with me, he won't dare to make a move. But you're just a child. Maybe he'll take advantage of this weather to leave the water, come ashore, grab you, and take your body."

"I'm not afraid! I have this!"

Guan Xiaotong lifted her coat up, and good heavens, this unlucky kid, she even carries a Bagua mirror with her when she goes out. Can you stand that?

"And this!" Guan Xiaotong put down her coat, pulled a large red cloth bag from her pocket, and said proudly, "My grandfather packed this glutinous rice for me!"

Faced with these two exorcising artifacts, Zhuang Huai'an dared not act recklessly again. He could only give her a thumbs up and say, "As expected of you, the future gossip queen of the entertainment industry, you've been a little devil since you were a child."

Zhuang Huai'an squatted down to be parallel to her, stuffed her rice bag into his pocket, smoothed out her wrinkled clothes, and asked, "Girl, did you really come out for a stroll alone?"

"How could it be fake?"

Guan Xiaotong tilted his head back, pointed to a large gate not far away, and said, "That's my grandpa's house. The old man's stove is burning too brightly, and I can't stand the stuffiness, so I came out for some fresh air."

Okay, I forgot that this is the third generation of actresses to whom Jiang Wen has played a supporting role.

"What about you, Director?" The little girl's eyes widened.

"I?"

Zhuang Huai'an laughed it off, "I just came out for some fresh air too."

"Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel so comfortable, absolutely relaxed!"

The two, one big and one small, looked at each other and burst out laughing for no apparent reason.

After taking Guan Xiaotong back to her grandfather's house and having a cup of tea with Grandpa Guan, Zhuang Huai'an declined his invitation to stay for dinner and slowly walked home.

Guan Xiaotong is Guan Xiaotong, and her family is her family.

The two were destined to meet, but that doesn't mean Zhuang Huai'an was willing to associate with her family.

Back in my study, I brewed a pot of my hometown's Gougu Nao green tea.

Zhuang Huai'an, full of fighting spirit, put pen to paper!