Mo Yushen didn't refuse again, put it in his bag, and said, "Thank you, Grandpa."
Grandpa Mo then took out a few more boxes of tea, saying, "You can brew some tea to drink when you're on set."
Mo Yushen glanced at his grandfather, whose words carried a hidden meaning. He knew Mo Yushen was going to the film set, but didn't ask him a single question about it being related to his sick leave.
Mo Yushen asked, "Where is Grandma?"
Grandpa Mo pointed upstairs: "In the study, busy with some kind of fan ranking thing for Jiajia."
Mo Yushen: "..."
After sitting for a while, Mo Yushen looked at his watch.
Grandpa Mo understood that he meant he wanted to leave. "Go ahead and get busy. I heard the film crew doesn't get a holiday during the Lunar New Year, so you don't need to come back to have New Year's Eve dinner with me and your grandma. Come home for dinner after the New Year."
Today, Chairman Mo announced the gift of shares, but only to Mo Lian, and only half of the shares, which is tantamount to exacerbating the father-son conflict between him and Mo Yushen.
Old Master Mo understood Mo Yushen's feelings; Mo Yushen certainly didn't want to see Chairman Mo, so they decided to eat their own New Year's Eve dinner.
Grandpa Mo added, "Go visit your mother when you have time."
Mo Yushen nodded.
Grandpa Mo couldn't help but bring up his sick leave, saying, "Yu Shen, what you're doing is risky and risky."
Mo Yushen: "Winning is all that matters. High risk brings high reward."
Grandpa Mo, "Isn't half of it because of Jiajia's illness?"
Mo Yushen didn't reply, but instead poured hot tea for his grandfather.
Grandpa Mo sighed softly.
He used to think that it wasn't a bad thing that Mo Yushen had an emotional vulnerability. With someone caring about his well-being, he could learn to reciprocate.
Now, he can't comment on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Mo Yushen put down the teapot. "While she still knows who I am, what I'm doing, and what our relationship is, I want to spend more time with her. Maybe in a few months, she won't even know who I am anymore. At that point, being with her will be meaningless."
Even if he defeats Mo Lian, the Mo family will still belong to him alone, so what difference will it make?
No one shared that success with him.
Chapter 41
Today's filming was completed early, probably because it was too cold. The actors were in good condition, and most of the scenes were filmed in one take. The entire shoot was finished at 2:30 pm.
Teacher Shang joked, "Your survival instincts made your acting skills explode."
It's -10 degrees Celsius outside today. It's damp, cold, and windy. Since it's an outdoor shoot, we can't wear too many layers, and everyone's shivering from the cold.
I forced myself to get it right in one take.
After wrapping up, everyone returned to the studio and lined up to get hot water.
Xi Jia had been outside for most of the day, and when she came back, her hands and feet were so numb that she could barely hold a pen. Afraid that she would forget again, she could only grit her teeth and keep writing.
Zhou Mingqian then assigned tasks, including setting up the scenes. The forecast said it would snow on New Year's Eve, so they would be filming night scenes, and then more snow scenes the following day.
The next few days will be the main event.
Zhou Mingqian spoke through a megaphone, "Drink some hot water to warm up, then get to work in ten minutes." It's too cold; working together will make it faster.
Xi Jia also put down her notebook and joined them.
She was discussing some prop details with the props team leader, speaking while wearing a mask. After talking for a while, her eyelashes were covered in frost.
Yu Anquan, fully armed, filled a hot water bottle and delivered it to Xi Jia.
It's windy right now.
The wind in Beijing in winter is so strong it's despairing, especially in the suburbs where there's no shelter whatsoever.
Yu An retreated, against the wind.
Even wearing such a thick down jacket, the cold wind still penetrated through.
"Sister Xi Jia. Here, put it in your pocket."
Xi Jia didn't answer. "And what about you?"
Yu An pointed to her arms, "I have one. I bought two at the supermarket yesterday." It was really cold today, so she ran back to the hotel to get a hot water bottle during a break.
Xi Jia smiled, "Thank you." She took it and tucked it into her down jacket. A warm current flowed from her stomach, making her feel much better. Yu Anzhi was like medicine to her right now. Like the warm sun in winter.
It was too cold outside, and the sand and dust were blinding, so Xi Jia asked Yu An to go to the studio.
Yu An shook her head; she wasn't afraid of the cold.
Her boss, Zhou Mingqian, was personally directing the work outside; how could she sit inside and enjoy herself?
Xi Jia and the props team leader were busy with something, so Yu An didn't disturb them and stood next to Zhou Mingqian.
Zhou Mingqian turned his head and said, "What are you doing here? You're getting in the way. Go inside."
Yu An didn't leave, but took a few steps to the side.
She wasn't cold at all, though she shivered occasionally. She received her salary yesterday, a little over 15,000 yuan after tax.
It was much higher than she had expected.
On set, she didn't have to pay for food, drink, or lodging.
I've paid back the money I owed my friend.
Zhou Mingqian gave her another red envelope, saying it was his personal year-end bonus. She had only been working for a month, how could she accept a bonus? She didn't take it.
Zhou Mingqian: I have plenty of money, why not take it if it's free?
I insisted on giving it to her.
She accepted it. Six thousand six.
Having a stable job and money in your pocket automatically keeps you warm.
Seeing that she hadn't left, Zhou Mingqian turned off the loudspeaker and asked her, "What did you give Xi Jia that you were sneaking around with?" She placed it in front of her, but he couldn't see it clearly.
Yu An: "Hot water bottle."
Zhou Mingqian nodded and asked, "Is it warm?"
Yu An: "Yeah, it's much warmer than hand warmers or anything like that."
"Buy one for me too."
"..."
Zhou Mingqian turned on the loudspeaker and continued giving instructions. He noticed a detail that seemed off, so he went to find Xi Jia; everything was based on Xi Jia's script.
Xi Jia was discussing with the props team leader, "We'll put that black and white TV on the right side, so that when the two of them wrestle and collide, the force will be enough to knock the TV to the ground."
Xi Jia asked the equipment team leader, "Black and white TVs, I heard you've bought quite a few?"
The props team leader said, "That's right. Director Zhou has high standards, especially for prop details." He was worried that the actors wouldn't be able to get it right in one take. If the TV broke during filming, and the lines or emotions weren't right, then they would have to reshoot, and naturally, they would have to replace the TV with a perfectly intact one.
When the topic turned to black and white televisions, Xi Jia vaguely felt she had seen them somewhere before. Her mind was hazy, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Xi Jia, come here." Zhou Mingqian shouted loudly through a megaphone, two meters away from Xi Jia.
This time she can't make excuses anymore, saying she can't hear it.
Xi Jia turned around, her eyes narrowed slightly. A violent maniac. A lunatic!
Zhou Mingqian scoffed. Ever since the meeting this morning, when President Fu announced that Mo Yushen had relinquished her producer title, this woman had become arrogant and disrespectful.
I didn't even glance at him for a whole afternoon.
For the next two months, Mo Yushen will be stationed on set. Won't she take advantage of his kindness and bully people?
Xi Jia stood still, showing no intention of coming over.
“There are some changes that need to be made,” Zhou Mingqian said expressionlessly.
Xi Jia walked over unhurriedly and asked in a cold voice, "Where?"
Zhou Mingqian pointed to the corner that was being built, "It's too rough, not aesthetically pleasing, and doesn't look good on camera." He then shared his thoughts.
Xi Jia: "Then let's do it your way."
The props team leader looked at Zhou Mingqian, blinked, and was a little incredulous. He had been in Zhou Mingqian's team for almost six years and had never seen Zhou Mingqian discuss these things with the screenwriter.
Zhou Mingqian has always made decisions without consulting anyone. Of course, he also has the confidence to produce impressive results.
From then on, no one would argue with him.
It's rare for someone to consult with Xi Jia about even the smallest details, like today.
Zhou Mingqian instructed them, "It's been windy and snowing these past few days, so make sure it's sturdy and safe."
"Don't worry, no problem."
We were busy until dark before we finished work.
Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, and everyone is discussing how to have the New Year's Eve dinner, seeking Zhou Mingqian's opinion.
As for the New Year's Eve dinner, we'll have to make do.
Zhou Mingqian: "We film in the morning, make dumplings together in the afternoon, watch the gala in the evening, and then we have a night scene to film in the early hours of the morning. Please bear with us."
Yu An was the happiest, finally not having to spend the New Year alone. Cooking was her specialty, and she could also make dumplings, prepare the filling, knead the dough, and roll out the wrappers.
She volunteered: "Director Zhou, I'll cook the New Year's Eve dinner tomorrow. Six dishes, plus dumplings."
Zhou Mingqian looked her up and down. "You can't just brag."
The crew has more than 300 people. Even if some of them live nearby and go home for the Chinese New Year tomorrow, there will still be at least 220 or 230 people.
She even shamelessly claimed she was going to cook six dishes.
This little assistant drank too much milk tea, and his brain was so sticky with sugar that he started talking nonsense.
"Are you frozen stiff?"
Yu An: "I'm not stupid. I'm not bragging. It's true."