Day: November 15, 2024

The little kid also wants to save face, so Gu Lizhou accepted the offer of an annual subscription to watch the performance.

Thus, the two empty nesters in Room 303 gained an additional entertainment activity before dinner each day.

Fearing they’d get bored of watching flips, Zhong Weishi added a variety of commercial performances, including Wing Chun,¹Lit. Singing Spring Boxing. It is a concept-based martial art, a form of Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial arts style characterized by its focus on close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, rapid-fire punches, and straightforward efficiency. yo-yo, playing with diabolo,²Diabolo or also known as Chinese yo-yo. This object is spun using a string attached to two hand sticks (“batons” or “wands”). spinning top, and the Thomas Flair…

Thanks to him, Gu Lizhou even dreamed at night about sitting in the corridor watching someone play with diabolo.

Beside him, an old man fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan.

Although everything besides the flips and martial arts was so terrible that it made you want to throw rotten eggs, Gu Lizhou still gave face and clapped, “Good—”

Zhong Weishi tugged at his clothes and turned around, smiling at him.

The boy’s eyes curved into two small crescent moons, and the arc of his smile was contagious.

This smile…

The dream ended.

Gu Lizhou stared at the ceiling for a while, then got up to change clothes.

“Hey, Old Gu, you’re up ah. Help me send those two boxes on the table to the film crew later,” Cao Zhiheng said as he packed his things. “My dad’s been complaining about stomach discomfort these past few days, so I’m taking him for a gastroscopy to see what’s going on.”

“Oh, is he alright?”

“He’s fine when he eats and drinks, just has occasional dull pain. I’m guessing it’s gastritis.”

“En, do a checkup to rest assured.”

Gu Lizhou glanced at the things on the table. They were already packed in a cardboard box, with a sticky note indicating the address and recipient.

Next to it was a temporary staff card, probably something needed to enter the film set.

“Have you been to the Film and Television City before? It’s pretty big. The ‘Capital City’ crew is over in Area A. Anyway, once you’re inside, you’ll see signs, and if worse comes to worst, just ask someone,” Cao Zhiheng said as he bent down to tie his shoelaces.

“I’m not retarded.” Gu Lizhou said.

Cao Zhiheng chuckled, “I’m just worried you’ll get lost. You absolutely have to deliver it before noon ah. They need it tonight, the props team will start setting the scene this afternoon.”

“En,” Gu Lizhou nodded. “Mission guaranteed.”

When Cao Zhiheng left, he took the car with him. As Gu Lizhou was having breakfast downstairs, he called for a Didi,³Brand of taxis you can call in advance, similar to Uber. and just as he put down his chopsticks, the car arrived on time.

The driver, a man wearing sunglasses, complained even before he got in, “Aiyo, this area’s full of potholes. The road’s really not good to drive on.”

It was currently the rainy season, and it rained continuously for several days in Yucheng. The Xicheng District looked like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, too miserable to see.

Today, the weather finally cleared up, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of damp grass. However, the roads were still slick, and mud had splattered on Gu Lizhou’s sneakers.

It was the same in the Film and Television City.

Private cars weren’t allowed inside, so Gu Lizhou had to sit by the roadside, holding the two large boxes, and make a phone call.

Across from him was a huge set resembling the streets of old Shanghai, where a film crew was shooting. A group of extras was holding protest banners and shouting loudly.

Even though he was separated from the crew by dozens of meters, he was still moved by the intense atmosphere.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the boy at the front of the crowd looked a bit familiar in profile.

“Bang, bang, bang—” Several gunshots rang out.

The boy’s knees went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, his face hitting the muddy surface without any cushion.

Gu Lizhou’s heart tightened.

There was no protective on the ground, and the shot was done in one smooth take.

It looked painful just watching it.

The boy quickly got up, wiped his face, and moved aside.

Suddenly, a man wearing the exact same outfit as the boy appeared in front of the camera.

Surrounded by a group of staff members adjusting his clothes, this person knelt down on the ground.

After the second “action,” that golden face slowly fell toward the ground.

The camera lingered on a long close-up of his face.

When the director called “cut,” everyone cheered, and two makeup artists ran over to clean the lead actor’s face from the mud.

Gu Lizhou’s gaze followed the little stand-in among the crowd, watching him sit alone in a corner, scrubbing his face with bottled water.

Gu Lizhou looked up at the cloudless sky and inexplicably let out a sigh.

The entertainment industry really is cruel.

In fact, every circle is cruel.

There are only a few opportunities.

The rest can only continue to work hard in places where others can’t see.

After a series of five or six phone calls, someone from the film crew finally picked up.

“Sorry ah, we were busy just now. My phone was on silent, so I didn’t hear it. Where are you? I’ll come over and get it.”

Gu Lizhou gave his location, and as soon as he put down the phone, he saw a flamboyant figure leaning on a railing across the street, waving at him.

The scorching sunlight poured down, reddening the boy’s cheeks, and even the strands of his hair gleamed with light.

Droplets of water ran down his chin, slipping into his collar. The outfit, identical to the lead actor’s, accentuated his tall, slender figure.

That smile—it perfectly overlapped with the one Gu Lizhou had seen in his dream that morning.

Zhong Weishi raised both hands above his head, waving them back and forth, still holding the protest flag.

Because the crew had set up barricades for the shoot, he could only stand ten meters away and watch. When their eyes met, Zhong Weishi was unexpectedly enthusiastic.

“Are you here to watch me film!”

“…” It seemed like the retard’s problem couldn’t be changed.

Gu Lizhou let out a laugh. He walked over at a leisurely pace. “Yeah, are you the stand-in for the lead today?”

“Ah, I’m the stand-in for the second male lead,” Zhong Weishi, seeing someone he knew for the first time on set, was a bit excited, though not dumb enough to think Gu Lizhou actually came to watch him act. “What brings you here?”

Gu Lizhou pointed with his finger. “Helping a friend deliver some stuff to the crew. That was you up front earlier ah?”

“En.” Zhong Weishi nodded and smiled, showing no embarrassment despite his minor role. He shook the water from his hair. “One take! Handsome, right!”

“Handsome.”

Gu Lizhou noticed that Zhong Weishi had a small scr4p3 on his temple. He pulled out a semi-transparent band-aid from his wallet and handed it over. “Need one?”

Zhong Weishi wanted to say he couldn’t put it on yet since he had several more scenes to shoot, but his right hand instinctively reached out to take it. “Thanks ah, you’re just in time.”

Gu Lizhou smiled slightly, “You’re welcome.”

Hearing the assistant director calling for people, Zhong Weishi quickly dropped a “See you later!” before rushing off, as energetic as a young cheetah.

In a trance, Gu Lizhou seemed to see a reflection of his younger self in Zhong Weishi.

The sun overhead grew more intense.

Gu Lizhou lit a cigarette, squinting slightly as he watched that figure running tirelessly.

Many of the actors had messy hair and makeup, but Zhong Weishi’s long, agile limbs and energetic presence, along with his striking appearance, made him stand out in the crowd.

One scene was a gunfight, and the little cannon fodder played by Zhong Weishigets shot and fell directly from the second floor, landing on a dirty cushion.

When he got up, he held his lower back and kept rubbing it.

It looked like it hurt.

Gu Lizhou suddenly recalled Zhong Weishi’s embarrassed expression when he returned the new clothes to him.

“These clothes… I feel like I don’t really need to wear something so nice…”

He had really wanted to say at the time: ‘They definitely suit you.’

Unfortunately, he never saw him wear that T-shirt again.

Later that afternoon, Gu Lizhou received a call from the police station, informing him that Zhang Gou had been caught, but since they couldn’t reach Li Yuqin, they needed him to come down to the station for further details.

That visit ended up taking several hours.

Back at 303, Gu Lizhou was exhausted, collapsing onto his bed like a dead dog. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

Zhang Gou had confessed to his fraudulent activities, but he had spent all the money he scammed on anchor rewards and his remaining assets only added up to not more than 5,000 yuan.

Zhang Gou, an orphan since childhood with a low level of education, was a typical example of someone who lacked discipline and was greedy for money and lustful.

When the police entered the room, they were almost knocked out by the stench inside. Zhang Gou was in the middle of a heated chat with a female anchor on a video site. She was halfway through a sultry dance when the police cut the video.

“I really don’t have any money! Just shut it down. Anyway, I’m just one person. I don’t need to feed anyone else! It doesn’t matter where I stay. But seriously, I have no money left!”

Gu Lizhou had to say “murder is against the law” countless times before he could suppress the urge to strangle him on the spot.

300,000 yuan wasn’t a small amount of money. His mom would be devastated once she found out that none of it could be recovered.

She was the kind of person who would rather hide and cry in private than confide in others. She might even fall into depression over this.

They have to find a way to return the money to her.

He absentmindedly fiddled with the buttons on the remote control, his thoughts in disarray.

The money itself wasn’t the issue; the problem was how to return it.

It would be best to have someone else pretend to be a police officer and pass it on behalf of her.

Just then, another short knock sounded outside the door.

“Anyone home?”

“Wanna watch me do some Cat’s Cradle⁴It is a game involving the creation of various string figures between the fingers, either individually or by passing a loop of string back and forth between two or more players. ah?”

Gu Lizhou’s eyes curved into a smile, and his entire body seemed to come alive. “Sure!”

Zhong Weishi had been excited at first when he heard Zhang Gou was arrested, but when he learned the 300,000 yuan was gone, his expression immediately darkened.

“Do you know which streamer he rewarded?”

“Why, are you thinking of getting the money back from her ah?”

“Try and see.”

“The police already contacted her. Not long after the call, she deleted her account. She’s from out of town, thousands of miles away. Where would you even begin to look?”

Zhong Weishi was deeply disappointed, but after hearing Gu Lizhou’s plan, his eyes widened in disbelief. “You want me to impersonate a police officer to deceive someone ah? Isn’t that illegal!”

Gu Lizhou let out a ‘yo’, “So you actually know what the word ‘illegal’ means ah?”

“Of course. Last time, I swore to the heavens at the police station that I wouldn’t do bad things anymore. I’m not going.” Zhong Weishi said.

Gu Lizhou said, “You’re delivering money, not scamming people. It’s not illegal—it’s basically just cosplay. Besides, isn’t that your thing anyway?”

Zhong Weishi shot him a glance. “I’ve got a proper job.”

Gu Lizhou remained unbothered. “I’ll give you 200.”

“My appearance fee is 300 per job,” Zhong Weishi said, standing firm.

“Don’t push your luck ah.”

“500.”

“Despicable.”

“800!”

“….” Gu Lizhou gritted his teeth, barely holding back the word ‘shameless’ out of his throat.

After receiving his advance payment, Zhong Weishi was overjoyed, doing several fancy flips from room 303 all the way to the end of the corridor.

Gu Lizhou couldn’t fathom where someone could find so much energy to burn. He felt tired just lying around all day.

Ah, youth.

When Zhong Weishi flipped back, his head was drenched in sweat, and the band-aid on his temple was soaked, barely sticking to his skin.

Gu Lizhou felt uncomfortable just looking at it and hooked his finger.

Zhong Weishi walked over. “What’s up ah?”

When Gu Lizhou raised his arm, Zhong Weishi instinctively flinched back. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t move.”

Gu Lizhou peeled off the band-aid on Zhong Weishi’s temple and replaced it with a new one.

His fingertips were slightly cool, with a faint smell of smoke.

His action was unexpectedly gentle.

Zhong Weishi felt a bit dazed.

It was the first time in his life someone had ever put a band-aid on him, and it was a guy!

The proximity was so close, the atmosphere was hard to define whether it was strange or ambiguous. In short, it was subtle…

It made one unconsciously hold their breath.

He even thought, somewhat inappropriately: If this were a scene in a TV drama, the next step would probably be a kiss!

“Work is so exhausting, and you get hurt so easily. Have you thought about switching jobs?” Gu Lizhou’s voice was soft, like sunlight, delicate and gentle.

“I just like filming.”

Zhong Weishi looked up, meeting Gu Lizhou’s deep, dark eyes. He even noticed a tiny mole hidden beneath his eyebrow.

Alright, this was definitely fvcking ambiguous!

Gu Lizhou had double eyelids too, but it was unlike Zhong Weishi’s slightly drooping, peach-blossom eyes.

His eyes were narrow, long and slightly hooded, giving off a lazy and nonchalant vibe, always making him seem like he hadn’t fully woken up. But once he was fully awake… you’d realize his gaze was sincere and focused, as if he could see through every little thought.

Just like now.

Zhong Weishi blinked nervously a couple of times and quickly looked away.

“Your health is the most important.” Gu Lizhou smoothed out the band-aid and flicked Zhong Weishi’s forehead with his index finger. “All done.”

Zhong Weishi let out an ‘ow’, rubbed his forehead, and then touched the band-aid. After thanking him, he turned and left without daring to look back.

The setting sun bathed the sky in a warm orange-red hue.

Gu Lizhou watched the slender figure walking away and hooked his lips.

No matter how cruel the world may be, it can’t stop those determined steps.

Because there is always light ahead.