I rolled my eyes and said, "Look at what you're saying, as if a big director would ruin your film."
Jin Shaoyan said, "Alright then, if it's convenient for Miss Wang, please return to the film crew tomorrow. We'll finish filming the local scenes and then go to other locations to shoot."
I asked, puzzled, "You guys?"
Jin Shaoyan said matter-of-factly, "Yes, this is a project that our company has been focusing on for the past six months, and I'm personally overseeing it." I knew this guy was just making excuses to create favorable conditions for himself. When you're in a strange place with long nights, it's easy to get involved with someone.
Seeing my eyes darting around, Jin Shaoyan knew his trick had been exposed, and blushed as he said, "Then this agreement..."
Li Shishi picked it up and looked at it again, but she was still not reassured. Jin Shaoyan understood that, in my words, this was all his own doing, so he could only say, "Or you can not sign it for now, and we can talk about it after you've joined the crew."
After much deliberation, Li Shishi finally wrote her name in the lower right corner of the paper: Wang Yuannan.
Jin Shaoyan feigned ignorance and said, "I only realized today that Miss Wang has such a beautiful name. May I call you Xiao Nan from now on?"
Li Shishi stood up, smiled politely, and said, "Yes, Mr. Jin."
Li Shishi was waiting for me at the door. Jin Shaoyan said dejectedly, "She still won't forgive me."
I followed him to the door and said, "We don't have time to chat now, let's talk later. Don't rush, let's take it one step at a time."
Jin Shaoyan handed me the half-empty bottle of red wine and whispered, "Give this to Brother Ying and the others. When you have time, come with me to visit Grandma. She doesn't know what's going on with me now, and she often deliberately talks about how good you are to me."
I walked downstairs with Li Shishi, my hands behind my back. In the car, Li Shishi said, "Don't you feel it? He seems different again?"
I deliberately said casually, "What's the difference? That's how businessmen are; they'll rush out and give you a fake smile when they see something profitable."
Li Shishi smiled calmly: "Is it really profitable? If you invest 50 million to make this kind of film, you'd be lucky to recoup 30% of the cost unless a miracle happens."
I glanced at her and gave an awkward smile. So, being too smart isn't always a good thing for a woman.
"...Cousin, are you hiding something from me?"
"...No, really no. When you first came, I did want to peek at you taking a shower, but ever since your cousin-in-law nailed the hole in the toilet shut from the inside, I've given up on that idea!"
Li Shishi: "..."
The next day I got up early and went to Hua Rong's place. Tang Long's bow was finished, and I needed to let him take a look. This archery competition was no ordinary one; these two archery masters wouldn't be shooting at targets from a great distance like ordinary people. I felt this would be the most dangerous competition ever, so the weapons couldn't be taken lightly.
I parked my car at the entrance of the alley, but then hesitated. I realized it was still early, and this young couple had been separated for so long. I wondered if they had done anything "excessive" last night, and it seemed a bit inhumane to disturb them so early.
I stood at the gate, straining my ears to listen inside. Suddenly, I heard a man shouting from within. My heart skipped a beat. Could there have been domestic violence so soon? I quickly knocked on the door, and Hua Rong called out loudly, "Come in!"
I pushed open the door and saw Hua Rong dressed casually, practicing boxing in the courtyard. His white fists danced like blurs, his movements incredibly agile. Beside him, Xiu Xiu watched with a smile. When Hua Rong saw me, he stopped his boxing, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, and said with a smile, "Good morning, Xiao Qiang."
I said with a grin, "You guys got up so early?"
Xiuxiu blushed and said, "He was here before me."
I peeked into the room with a shifty grin and saw a brand-new double bed against the wall. I immediately started to despise Hua Rong for his two-faced ways. I nudged him hard and said slyly, "You're something else!"
Hua Rong asked blankly, "What?" He followed my gaze and immediately understood, blushing as he said, "That is..."
I waved my hand: "No need to explain, no need to explain, I understand." I whispered a few words to him, and Hua Rong's eyes lit up: "It's done? Let's go take a look!" He said and walked towards the door. Xiu Xiu called out nervously from behind: "Where are you going?" Hua Rong didn't turn his head and said: "To see some friends."
This makes me envious of the carefree and magnanimous nature of men in ancient times, who viewed women as mere appendages. "You slept with Xiuxiu, and now you don't even bother to say goodbye before leaving the house." Would Baozi and I dare to do that? In fact, after every intimate moment with Baozi, I have to fight off sleep and chat with her about the future. I remember once we even imagined our son growing up, getting married, and having children, and Baozi, from a first-person perspective, told me how she raised her grandson…
Hua Rong jumped into the car, with Xiu Xiu following closely behind, constantly saying, "Come back soon," "You shouldn't be drinking," "When did you two become friends?"...
I felt incredibly embarrassed sitting in the driver's seat, as if I had become an accomplice to Chen Shimei (a notorious traitor). I said to Xiuxiu, "How about... we go together?"
"Okay, okay." Xiuxiu pulled on the car door without saying a word, but ended up grabbing the lock. I told her, "Try it from that door, the lock is rusty, and I threw away the key."
Along the way, Hua Rong and I were a little awkward, and there were many things we couldn't talk about. So, I could only chat with Xiu Xiu about things from the past with "Ran Dongye." From what Xiu Xiu said, this guy surnamed Ran was rather withdrawn. Apart from liking to raise pigeons, he didn't talk much even to his own parents.
I tentatively asked her, "Since Xiao Ran is so reserved, why do you still like him?"
Xiuxiu blinked her eyes at Hua Rong and said, "That's because you don't understand him. He's actually a very studious person. He can recite all the poems by poets before Liberation, and he plays the guitar very well." I said gloatingly in a voice so low that only Hua Rong could hear, "Brother, you're going to be busy from now on."
Xiuxiu placed her hand on Huarong's shoulder and said gently, "After he woke up, I found that he was much more cheerful."
I said, "So, do you prefer him as he was before or as he is now?"
Xiuxiu said without hesitation, "I will love him no matter what he becomes."
Hua Rong and I both got goosebumps at the same time.
I looked in the rearview mirror and said, "Xiuxiu, what do you do for a living?"
"I used to teach English at the Children's Palace, but I don't do it anymore."
I knew she was probably fired from her job because of Hua Rong. I was going to talk about her job, but Xiu Xiu suddenly remembered Hua Rong and said, "By the way, your boss came to our house last night and said that since you're better, you're welcome to come back to work anytime."
Hua Rong asked me in a low voice, "What do I do?"
"The messenger—that's the post station official from your time."
Hua Rong said, "I can do this job. Just buy me a horse."
I said with a dark face, "Do you know how much a horse costs these days? You might as well drive a Mercedes to collect scraps than deliver messages on horseback."
Xiuxiu asked Huarong, "What do you think? Are you going to go back?"
I spoke first: "Why go back? Let's go to our school, and you too. I'm about to start an English class."
Xiuxiu said, "I teach English, so what do I do on winter nights?"
I said, "He teaches underworld slang."