Little Mandou said dejectedly, "My surname isn't Man—"
I laughed too. The studio was huge, dimly lit, and the floor was covered with tracks. Above, there was a large circle of scaffolding for overhead shots, and soundproofing tubes and umbrellas were everywhere. Most of the palace inns and similar scenes in TV dramas we see are actually filmed in places like this. I looked around until I was dizzy, so I simply asked Xiaomandou, "Where are Xiaonan and the others filming?"
Xiao Mandou asked in confusion, "Who is Xiao Nan?"
"Wang Yuannan".
Xiao Mandou asked in surprise, "You know her?"
I laughed and said, "Nonsense, how do you think your CEO Jin and I met in the first place?"
Xiao Mandou was clearly oblivious to all of this and asked in a low voice, "A love triangle?"
I had no choice but to tell him something, because I could tell that Xiaomandou was suddenly very wary of me. He probably thought that I, who had just experienced a breakup, had come to the film set to seek revenge.
Finally, relieved, Xiaomandou said to me ingratiatingly, "So you've come to see our director?"
I said, "I'm not looking for your director, I'm looking for her—" At that moment, I saw Li Shishi. I saw this girl dressed in a theatrical costume, sitting in the corner resting, with two small electric fans on either side blowing on her, making her hair flutter, making her look like a white-haired witch.
Xiao Mandou laughed and said, "That's our director."
I asked in surprise, "Where's your previous director?"
Xiao Mandou said, "Our production team has only had one director since it was established."
"...The guy you filmed the documentary with—he has even more pockets than you, isn't he the director?"
Xiao Mandou pointed: "You mean our assistant director, right?"
I glanced at the direction he was pointing and saw a man with a large pocket and a man with a slicked-back hairstyle squatting face-to-face some distance away. Both men had extremely serious expressions, as if they were discussing strategy or something. With such a responsible assistant director, how could they not produce a good show?
But I'm also quite curious, when did Li Shishi become a director?
Just then, Da Mandou picked up a round chess piece from the "blueprint" in front of him and slammed it down hard, shouting, "Checkmate! A checkmate after the fact, let's see if you survive!"
I was dumbfounded. So the two of them were playing chess?
Xiao Mandou explained with a smile, "From the day the crew was formed, Ms. Wang has been personally involved in almost everything, including the plot, so we're used to calling her the director. Everyone else has something to do, but Director Hu has been quite free."
Li Shishi hadn't noticed me yet, and sitting there she launched into a directorial tirade: "How many times have I told you, don't put the mirror there—that's where the toilet is!"
Chapter Ninety-Six Ordinary People
I quietly walked up behind Li Shishi and patted her on the shoulder. Without turning her head, Li Shishi said, "What is it? Speak!"
"Director Wang, I've found you a body double for the sex scene..."
Li Shishi suddenly turned around and smiled, "Cousin, it's you?"
I picked up a small electric fan and blew it on myself, laughing as I said, "Director Wang is pretty cool."
Li Shishi said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do, I'm the only one doing all the work." Then she called out again, "Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, what's the next scene?"
The slick-haired man playing chess with Da Mandou took out his notebook, glanced at it, and exclaimed, "First encounter with Emperor Huizong of Song—the horse-laying move!"
I asked, "Who will play Emperor Huizong of Song?"
Li Shishi said, "Anyone can play the role. He won't show his face in this play; he's just a microcosm of royal power."
...Only Director Li could come up with the idea of filming "The Legend of Li Shishi" without Emperor Huizong showing his face.
Li Shishi asked me with a smile, "Cousin, would you like to act out a scene as Emperor Huizong of Song?"
I quickly waved my hand: "Forget it, haven't I done enough things that don't require me to show my face?"
Just then, a young man, probably a recent art school graduate, ran out dressed in a royal robe, his face smeared with sallow makeup, and wearing a crown. Li Shishi told the photographer, "Give him two shots of his back in a bit, and then take a picture of his crown after he sits on the bed."
I whispered, "That can't be right. He was wearing an imperial robe when you first met him?" Although I'm not an expert on this or that, I do know that there really isn't an emperor who would dare to wear a dragon robe to a brothel.
Li Shishi casually said, "It's just an ideology; others don't know who he is."
...What were they saying? I didn't understand a word. How can this film look good? I'm not watching it!
I squatted down in front of Da Mandou and the others to watch them play chess. Da Mandou laughed and said, "How about it? Director Li is pretty amazing, isn't he? His ideas are definitely masterful."
It was clear that Da Mandou wasn't being sarcastic. After all, his profession was documentary filmmaking, and judging from his demeanor, he hadn't done anything besides playing chess since joining this crew. Jin Shaoyan initially agreed to make this film to appease Li Shishi and me, deliberately choosing someone like him. But by sheer luck, it gave Li Shishi a lot of room to grow. Now I understand why she specifically requested to continue working with Da Mandou—if Feng Xiaogang or Zhang Yimou had directed this film, would she even have a place?
I said, "It's not right for you to be idle like this. Does your boss, Mr. Jin, know about this situation?" After two meetings, I felt that Da Mandou was a good director who was dedicated to art. It seemed unfair to let him be idle like this.
Da Mandou said, "Our boss Jin said that my current task is to deal with the reporters who come to visit the set so that Director Wang can concentrate on filming. In a few days, there will be a large-scale documentary for me to make."
Just as I left, the prop master returned from the restroom. He and Da Mandou made up the three of them, and they expertly started playing "Dou Dizhu" (a card game). Li Shishi didn't use a single one of the costumes he designed, but they weren't wasted either; they were all lent to "The Secret History of Ximen Qing 2"...
Just as I stepped out of the photo studio, the phone rang. I answered it, and a weak, dying voice said, "Xiao Qiang, take me with you..."
I asked, puzzled, "9527?"
With a sob in his voice, Qin Hui said, "I'm not going to live! Get me out of here!"
I asked, "What's wrong? Is there a water or power outage?"
Qin Hui said, "It's good that the water and electricity are cut off, come quickly!"
I said impatiently, "I'll go tomorrow." Qin Hui wanted to say something, but I hung up the phone.
What's with this kid hiding comfortably in my little villa?