Chapter 35:Â The starry sky is beautiful
After getting off the plane, they got into the car that the crew had sent to pick them up at the airport. It took a long time before they arrived near the location where the crew was stationed.
Shi Rou put her hands on the car window to look out at the scenery and turned her head excitedly to talk to Yu Nian, âThis is the first time I saw Gobi. NianNian have you been to Gobi before?â
Yu Nian nodded and recalled with a smile, âI came with my grandpa before, but I was very young at that time, probably not even ten years old. I just remember that it was very hot during the day and very cold at night, and it was desolate everywhere. My grandpa was very busy, and I played with the sand by myself, and when I came home and my grandma saw me, I was so dark that she couldnât even recognize me.â
Shi Rou covered her mouth and laughed, âI canât imagine NianNian looking dark!â She asked the driver curiously, âUncle, is there anything fun nearby?â
The driver pointed in a direction and said in unproficient Mandarin, âIf you have time, you can go over there to see. There is a Buddhist cave dug out there more than ten years ago. It is said that there were hundreds of thousands of scriptures and many artifacts, so it was directly built into a museum. It is quite small, but the things are good and priceless!â
Yu Nian thought of his maternal grandfather seeing the Buddhist caves and those cultural relics buried under the yellow sand for thousands of years. He also sighed with the same sentence â really priceless!
The car drove into the range of the crew and finally stopped. The driver jumped out of the car, opened the door, waited for Yu Nian and Shi Rou to get off, and went around to the trunk to start unloading the luggage.
As soon as Yu Nian got off and stood firm, he was slapped on the back from behind, âYouâre here?â
Yu Nian turned around and laughed first, âSister!â He looked carefully and said, âSister, you didnât lie to me; your skin is really far worse.â
âGet lost!â Yu Qing wore a big mask, and her tone was fierce, but her eyes were smiling. She threw a thick mask at Yu Nian and urged, âPut it on quickly; the wind and sand here are too strong. One breath and half a mouthful of sand in, I feel like my lungs are full of sand!â
Yu Nian put on the mask obediently, and his voice became muffled, âArenât you filming?â
âMy shots are almost done, and the schedule is not tight,â Yu Qing raised her eyebrows, âWhy, arenât you happy that I came to pick you up in person?â
Yu Nian said quickly, âOf course not. The heroine Yu Qing came to pick me up, it was my honor.â
Yu Qing read martial arts novels when she was a child, and she wanted to be a swordsman, so she forced Yu Nian to call her by this title. Listening to it now, Yu Qing herself couldnât stop laughing.
All the luggage was unloaded. Most of it was Yu Qingâs stuff; Yu Nian himself only had a suitcase and a backpack. Seeing Yu Qingâs two assistants coming over to carry the luggage, Yu Nian pointed to one of the boxes, âThereâs a bottle of hot sauce in it, do you want to take it out first?â
Yu Qingâs eyes lit up, âDamn it, I didnât take you to play for nothing when I was young!â She lowered her voice again, âLetâs be quiet, donât take it out yet and expose it to others; otherwise, this bottle of hot sauce will definitely not survive tonight!â
Yu Nian blinked and agreed.
First, he went to report to Xu Xianglan and Producer Ning, and then he greeted the crew. It didnât take long for the sky to darken.
The place where Yu Nian lived was a temporary board house with little space. Inside there was a single bed, a table for small items, and a hanger for hanging clothes. Looking out of the window, it was the bright, lonely moon and the desolate wilderness.
Yu Nian stopped wiping the table, stood and looked at it for a while, and suddenly felt that the world had become more vast.
He didnât bring many things with him, so he quickly tidied them up. When Xu Xianglan knocked on the door and came in, he took a look and said with a smile, âOh, Xiao Yuâs living habits are pretty good!â Seeing that Yu Nian was about to stand up, he quickly raised his palm and pressed it down, âYou donât have to be polite, just sit and talk. â
Yu Nian nodded, âThank you, Director Xu.â
Xu Xianglan brought a camp chair with him and found a place to sit down and talk to Yu Nian, âIf there is any inconvenience in living, just tell the crew, and we will try to fulfill it if we can.â
Seeing Yu Nian nod his head, he asked again, âHave you familiarized yourself with the script?â
Yu Nian was a little embarrassed, âIâm familiar with it, but I havenât filmed a movie before, so Director Xu may need to spend more time.â
âIt doesnât matter; as long as you study hard, I will teach you seriously. Who hasnât started as a rookie before? I didnât even know how to turn on the camera back then!â
Xu Xianglan unscrewed the thermos and took a sip of water, âYour scene can be finished shooting in this location. Letâs hurry up; after your part is finished, itâll be almost time for the crew to wrap up.â He laughed again, saying, âI calculated it in my mind. This film has been filming for more than half a year; the time is really not short, and everyone in the team is tired.â
At this time, there were faint knocks on the door; as if the person who knocked deliberately lowered their strength. Xu Xianglan opened the door, and met Yu Qing who was outside the door.
Xu Xianglanâs eyes were sharp, âYu Qing, whatâs in your bag?â
Yu Qing didnât speak.
Xu Xianglan was very tricky, âIf you donât tell me, Iâll let you NG twenty times in one scene tomorrow.â
âF*ck!â Yu Qing was very angry in her heart, but she couldnât stand twenty NGs in a row and reluctantly took out a bottle of hot sauce from her bag.
Xu Xianglan laughed loudly, âComrade Yu Qing, our entire production crew is a family that loves each other, and we are blessed to share it!â
Soon, everyone living in several temporary houses around knew that a bottle of hot sauce had appeared on the production crew! So each person shared a little bit, and a bottle of hot sauce didnât last more than ten minutes. Knowing that it was Yu Nian who brought them all the way, they all smiled and leaned over to say thank you. Yu Qing was so angry that she wanted to fight Xu Xianglan.
Early the next morning, Yu Nian got up by himself without anyone calling. The staff of the service group yawned, took him to sit in front of the makeup mirror, and said with a smile, âThe hot sauce you brought over yesterday completely saved my sense of taste! You donât even know how long itâs been since I tasted that!â
Another makeup artist named Tang Ni nodded repeatedly, âYes! I now feel that hot sauce is the most delicious food in the world!â
Yu Nian laughed when he heard it, âI should have brought a box if I knew it earlier, so maybe everyone can get half a bottle.â
âNo need. Bringing a box over is too much, NianNian!â As she spoke Tang Ni laid out a large row of makeup brushes, âLet me help you finish the makeup of the headgear first, and then we will try on the clothes, okay?â
Yu Nian smiled and nodded, âOkay, thank you.â
The whole process took almost two hours. After Yu Nian got dressed properly, Tang Ni couldnât help but take out her phone and take several photos in a row, with various filters from various angles. She sighed while taking pictures and said, âNianNian, you really look good in ancient clothes. Director Xuâs vision didnât fade; he found you, a pearl!â
Yu Nian stood in place as the pictures were taken, and was about to speak when the door was opened from the outside, and Xu Xianglan walked in. The footsteps stopped a couple of steps away from Yu Nian. Xu Xianglan looked him up and down carefully, and ordered, without turning his eyes, âBring that folding fan!â
After hearing it, Tang Ni took out a rectangular box, and a folding fan was taken out from inside.
Xu Xianglan looked at the fan and said, âThis is one of the few folding fans that I specially asked for from a senior. This time, I really spent a lot of money to use it as a prop. Donât break it!â
Yu Nian opened it cautiously, and his pupils shrank slightly.
On the snow-white fan, the word âFengyaâ was written in ink. The handwriting was like a long wind blowing snow, and there was a private seal printed on the corner with the old and clumsy words â Xiu Ning.
It was his grandpaâs handwriting.
Yu Nian breathed lightly, holding the folding fan in his hand, nodding his head, and saying, âI will be very careful.â
Wearing costumes and taking makeup photos, Yu Nian found a camp chair and sat on the sidelines to watch the filming. He also took a pen and paper to write down the notes.
Xu Xianglan saw it and asked his assistant, âThis attitude is indeed correct. Go over and ask Yu Nian if there is anything he doesnât understand. If there is anything, you can explain it to him.â
It was approaching noon, and when it was Yu Nianâs turn, Xu Xianglan didnât want to embarrass him, so he asked him to play the simplest scene first to get used to it and find the feeling.
Outside, where the wind and sand have been blowing for a hundred years, there was a dilapidated tea house, which looked as if a few more gusts of wind could completely overturn the place. A reckless man in a commoner jacket slammed the big knife with a copper ring on the table, and the wooden table made an ear-piercing âcreakâ sound as if it couldnât bear the force.
He looked to the side fiercely, âWho are you?â
Sitting in front of the square table that had been used for many years was a young man in white clothes. He didnât react and drank the turbid tea calmly. Putting down the empty rough tea bowl, he raised his eyes to look at the person who asked the question, raised his lips lightly, and smiled like a wind returning to the snow, âGu Xuanning of East Capital.â He said softly, âTell your general, I want to see her. â
âCut.â
Yu Nian sat on the long wooden bench, couldnât help taking a deep breath, and then looked at Xu Xianglan anxiously, âDirector, can I watch how it was filmed?â
Xu Xianglan laughed, âWhy do you ask so pitifully? Itâs good to be able to produce such an effect for the first time, but the movements are still a little unnatural. Itâs okay; letâs do it again. Everyone get ready!â
Yu Nian adapted to the crewâs life faster than expected, and he treated everyone with a smile. When he was not on stage, he would sit on a camp chair with a steamed bun, observe and take notes, and eat while watching.
Sometimes Xu Xianglan, Yu Qing, and the others were busy, so Yu Nian would ask those group performers who have been in large and small crews for more than ten years where and how to act, and then think about it carefully. After several times, the number of times he did NG became less and less.
Office.
Assistant Qin handed the document to Xie You and said in a low voice, âIn the past few days, Ding Zhaoxian has been fasting in the temple, and there have been no other movements.â
âFasting?â Xie Youâs hand doing signatures didnât stop, âWhat about the two people I asked you to keep an eye on?â
âVery peaceful. However, Song Ke passed away unexpectedly, and his three children are fighting for the inheritance. These two people on Ding Zhaoxianâs side had contact with Song Keâs eldest son and second son, respectively, and they should be interested in the shares held by Song Ke during his lifetime.â
âGot it.â Xie You put the cap of the pen back on and stood up, âArrange the car.â
After reaching the underground parking lot, Qin Jian stepped forward and helped Xie You open the door of the back seat. After sitting down, Xie You inadvertently saw the other partyâs hands on the steering wheel â he had never seen this person before.
Xie You pushed open the door that had just closed and got out of the car.
Qin Jian was puzzled, âPresident Xie?â Thinking of something, his face changed slightly.
Xie You shook his head slightly at him and said, âI forgot a document.â
After walking two steps back on the original path, Xie You stopped, turned around again, walked to the side of the car, and looked at the driver in the driverâs seat. He ordered, âYou drive the car out.â
The other party didnât move.
Xie Youâs eyes darkened, and his words were clear, âDrive out.â
At this time, the bodyguard who was following Xie You also noticed something was wrong and held his breath.
Xie You looked at the motionless person in the driverâs seat and sneered in a cold voice, âYou do what Ding Zhaoxian told you, understand?â
The tires rolled on the gravel, making a rustling sound. Yu Qing was wrapped in a scarf and wore a wide-brimmed hat, which almost covered her face tightly. Yu Nian was sitting in the front passenger seat, carefully looking at the icon on the upper right corner of the phone screen, âSister, will the signal get better if we go this way?â
âYes, this road is the one I remember best.â Yu Qing turned the steering wheel skillfully, âThe crew is stationed there, and there are many people. The signal is not good sometimes, and itâs very frustrating.â
After driving for a while, Yu Qing stepped on the brake and said, âItâs here. Look at how the network speed is?â
Yu Nian tried it out, and was overjoyed, âI can load the videos!â
Yu Qing nodded and put down the back of the seat, âThen play with your phone by yourself. I have a scene in the middle of the night, so Iâm going to sleep for a while. Remember to wake me up when itâs time.â
âOkay, you can sleep peacefully.â
Yu Nian was afraid of making a noise for Yu Qing, so he got out of the car wrapped in a thick coat and didnât dare to go far. By the light of the headlights, he found a stone on the side and sat down.
He thought about it, opened Weibo first, and looked through it. Xie Youâs update was still at the previous one, and there was nothing new. He went to read the financial and social news as usual, but none of them had anything to do with what he wanted to know.
Just when Yu Nian was about to quit, a piece of news suddenly popped up. Seeing the word âcar accidentâ in the title, his breath trembled, and he quickly clicked in.
The headline of the news was âghost carâ. According to reports, in the evening, a limited-edition luxury car broke through the fence of the bridge and fell into the river. After being salvaged, it was found that there was no one in the car; the driver was gone, and no body was found. After verification, the ownerâs surname was Xie, and the follow-up situation was still being understood.
Seeing the word âXieâ, Yu Nian gasped for breath. Two seconds later, he clicked on the address book with almost shaking hands, found Xie Youâs name, and dialed.
Calling.
Callingâdoes it mean that he is safe?
Taking a deep breath, Yu Nian was about to call again when the phone rang.
Yu Nian looked at the unfamiliar number displayed on the screen and tapped to answer.
No one spoke on the opposite side; only the whistling wind could be heard as if tearing the eardrums.
âIs it⦠Xie You?â
After several breaths, a slightly cold voice responded, âItâs me.â
Yu Nianâs tense muscles relaxed, and he lay on his back directly on the sand, laughing softly.
âIâm in Gobi now; the starry sky is beautiful tonight.â
Standing by the river where the car crashed, Xie You looked at the river rolling past like a cold pool and abyss, and suddenly felt that the bone-chilling coldness was dispelled and warmed up again.