Director Xie, however, had no intention of explaining things to him. He simply clicked "start" again, looked at Guo Wenyuan in the video, and slowly said, "This acting skill isn't just talent; it's something that's been honed bit by bit through many film crews..."
He paused, then asked Xiao Chen, "Do you believe Guo Wenyuan's words?"
Xiao Chen said helplessly, "I'm not stupid..."
Director Xie laughed again: "Exactly, only a fool would believe that nonsense about the business world being like a battlefield. His ability to spout such blatant lies with a straight face is truly unmatched..."
"Him?" Xiao Chen asked, puzzled. "Director Xie, who are you talking about?"
Director Xie waved his hand: "It's nothing."
"I don't care about the truth, as long as we can make this movie well, that's enough."
Xiao Chen nodded: "You're right. Although President Guo is full of lies, his acting skills are undeniable. Even if Teacher Geng were to play the role, he might not be able to do it better."
Director Xie agreed with his statement, remarking, "Yes, I didn't expect that the male and female leads of this drama wouldn't spark any romance, but instead, they each sparked romance with the villains..."
Xiao Chen: "..."
☆, Chapter 98
After the audition, Chu Meibo and Song Yimian returned to Zhongjing City. Chu Meibo had to go back to class and participate in the recording of the next episode of "Traveling with History". Song Yimian went back to filming and took time to tutor Chu Meibo.
Song Yimian also realized that his acting skills were not good enough to repay Shen Huai, so he would work hard in other areas, at least to help Sister Mei get into university.
Song Yimian boarded the plane full of fighting spirit.
After seeing them off, Shen Huai and Ye Cang did not return home. Instead, they drove to the surrounding counties of Dongjiang City.
Since the Lunar New Year, Shen Huai has been extremely busy. He realized that he had indeed neglected Ye Cang somewhat, and even though Ye Cang hadn't said anything, he felt a vague sense of guilt.
So when Ye Cang said that after Chu Meibo finished her audition, the two of them would go on a trip for a few days, he agreed.
After considering various travel guides and suggestions from netizens, Ye Cang finally chose Songjing Town, located beside the Qinglang River. Songjing Town is a tourist town that has been developed in recent years. Waterways extending from the Qinglang River form a network throughout the town. With its white walls and black tiles, and shady trees, in addition to its beautiful scenery, there is also an ancient Taoist temple that is still thriving today.
Because it was a weekday, there weren't many tourists.
Shen Huai changed into casual clothes, swapped his gold-rimmed glasses for half-rimmed ones, and let down his usually neatly styled hair with hair gel, looking clean and refreshing, like a recent college graduate.
Ye Cang was wearing similar clothes, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses that almost completely covered half of his face. The lower half of his face was also completely covered by a mask. If you didn't look closely, you would hardly be able to tell it was him.
Both of them were carrying backpacks and strolling leisurely through the ancient town.
Although the two had changed their clothes, they were still very conspicuous in the crowd. Every now and then, young girls would stop and secretly look at them, taking pictures of their backs with their phones.
Shen Huai sighed and whispered to Ye Cang, "Are you really okay doing this? Won't someone recognize you?"
Ye Cang put his hand on his shoulder and said casually, "Don't worry! Absolutely not!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the young ladies who had been secretly taking pictures of them earlier hesitated and stepped forward, blushing, and asked, "Can we take a group photo with you?"
Ye Cang certainly couldn't agree. The young ladies were a little disappointed to be rejected, but they didn't press the matter further and even kindly told them about some good restaurants.
Shen Huai thanked them and prepared to leave with Ye Cang.
As they parted, the young woman whispered, "You look just like my idol. His name is Ye Cang. Do you know him?"
Ye Cang: "..."
Shen Huai almost burst out laughing, but to avoid giving himself away, he quickly pulled Ye Cang away.
Fortunately, no one else had such sharp eyes as this young lady after that, but Ye Cang was still bothered by it and couldn't get over it even when they arrived at the restaurant.
“I used to change into this outfit before, and I even went to a friend’s concert dressed like this, and no one ever noticed.”
Shen Huai poured him some tea and said with a smile, "Back then, video technology wasn't as advanced as it is now. Your fans only knew you on stage. But things are different now. Fans have so many ways to see all aspects of you. Compared to before, it's much harder for you to hide your identity."
Ye Cang wasn't actually unaware of the situation, but he had just been making a confident statement to Shen Huai, only to be proven wrong in the blink of an eye—it was too tragic.
Shen Huai didn't expose him and changed the subject with a smile.
This restaurant was the one Ye Cang found in the travel guide, and it was also recommended by the girl who had seen through his scheme. The food was indeed very good. After finishing his meal, Ye Cang put the matter out of his mind.
Because of what happened that morning, Ye Cang was still shaken, so the two of them didn't wander around the town in the afternoon. Instead, they took a ride to the Taoist temple.
This Taoist temple, named Fenghua Temple, has existed for over two hundred years. It is built on the top of Fenghua Mountain. The temple's architecture is simple and grand, and the ancient trees inside create a serene atmosphere.
This Taoist temple isn't very big; you can walk through it in half an hour, and there aren't many places to visit.
But walking through it brought a sense of peace, so the two of them didn't rush down the mountain, but instead sat down on a stone bench to rest.
Next to the stone chair was a table with a divination stick container and a pair of divination cups on it, and a cloth with facial and hand features drawn on it.
An old man in a Taoist robe, who had been sitting in a recliner behind the table, quickly sat up when he saw Ye Cang and Shen Huai sit down: "Would you two like your fortunes told or your palms read?"
The two were stunned for a moment before realizing that perhaps this chair was specifically for fortune tellers.
Shen Huai and Ye Cang used to be skeptical of such things, but now they both have a certain amount of reverence for them. Since they had nothing better to do, Shen Huai said, "Then please tell my fortune, Taoist priest."
The old Taoist priest was so happy that his beard stood on end. He handed the divination stick container to Shen Huai and said, "Silently think about what you want to know, and then shake the container."
Shen Huai did as he was told. A slip of paper fell to the ground, and he picked it up and handed it to the old Taoist priest.
The old Taoist priest took the fortune stick, took out his reading glasses from under the table and slowly put them on. He then took out a book on fortune stick interpretation and turned the page according to the fortune stick number.
Shen Huai and Ye Cang: "..."
They all thought interpreting a fortune stick was as simple as glancing at it, but it turns out you have to flip through a book? That instantly lowered their prestige by half.
The old Taoist priest practically pressed his face against the book, staring at it for a long time before looking up at Shen Huai with a puzzled expression. After several such glances, Shen Huai couldn't help but ask, "Taoist priest, is the divination result bad?"
"Hmm..." The old Taoist priest held the divination sticks, seemingly unsure how to begin. "This gentleman's face is quite auspicious, with a full forehead and a square jaw, indicating an extremely wealthy and noble destiny. However, the divination results are rather strange, with an eerie, ghostly aura..."
He thought for a moment and then asked, "What did you just ask, sir?"
Shen Huai: "Career".
The old Taoist priest was even more puzzled. He looked at it several times before cautiously asking, "Is your family's business related to funerals?"
The funeral industry is related to funeral services.
Shen Huai shook his head: "I'm an agent."
"Impossible..." The old Taoist priest gripped the fortune stick tightly, muttering under his breath, "It's impossible that you've drawn all the ghosts..."
Shen Huai and Ye Cang: "..."
The old Taoist priest couldn't interpret the divination and was too embarrassed to accept payment. However, Shen Huai knew in his heart that the old Taoist priest was quite skilled, so he readily paid the money.
The old Taoist priest couldn't just take the money for nothing, so he rummaged around in the table and pulled out a dusty, gray amulet, which he then handed to Shen Huai.
Although the amulet looked crude and dirty, Shen Huai still carefully kept it on his person, considering that it was given to him by the old Taoist priest.
At this moment, Ye Cang also became curious: "Taoist Master, I don't do divination, can you tell my face?"
The old Taoist priest had just lost face and was eager to regain it, so he nodded and gestured for Ye Cang to extend his hand.
He adjusted his reading glasses, almost touching his palm, and stared at them for a while before shakily raising his head, looking utterly devastated: "I've never seen such a strange palm reading in my entire life!!"
He scratched his head, and the once neatly arranged headband on his head was now askew, revealing his gray hair underneath.
Shen Huai felt sorry for him, but he couldn't tell the truth, so he could only pull Ye Cang away. However, the old Taoist priest stopped them.
He looked at Ye Cang with a serious expression: "Perhaps my skills are not good enough. In my opinion, you could not have lived to this year. I don't know if you have had any extraordinary encounters, but since you have survived the ordeal, you should cherish this opportunity and do more good deeds. Don't waste this chance."
His words surprised Ye Cang. He didn't know what the old Taoist had seen through, but he just nodded to indicate that he understood.
The old Taoist priest softened his expression, then seemed to remember something: "Oh right, what were you about to ask?"
Ye Cang: "Asking about marriage."
The old Taoist priest: "..."
The old Taoist priest scanned his face, then glanced at Shen Huai's face, and inexplicably felt a lump in his throat. He said irritably, "The Tao follows nature, do whatever you want!"
Then, they drove the two of them down the mountain.
-
After descending the mountain, the two continued discussing the old Taoist's teachings. Cherishing life goes without saying, and as for doing good deeds, Ye Cang has consistently dedicated 10% of his income to the development of original music since the release of his first album.
He asked Shen Huai somewhat uncertainly, "Does this count as doing a good deed?"
Shen Huai: "..."
Ye Cang sighed: "I'll take some more money and donate it to schools like Lao Guo did."
Since becoming Guo Wenyuan, Du Yuping has witnessed the despicable things Guo Wenyuan did in the past. Feeling extremely upset but helpless, he simply donated all the money to schools.
Shen Huai was about to say something when he was interrupted by a group of students walking towards him. These students were carrying drawing boards and small stools, and they looked like art students from some university who were out sketching.
The two men stepped aside to let the students pass first.
The students were chattering away, full of youthful energy.
After they had all gone far away, a very fat girl hurriedly caught up. There seemed to be a water stain on the hem of her clothes, as if it hadn't been wrung out yet.
She ran so fast that the sketchbook on her back suddenly came apart, and all the drawings inside flew out.
The girl hurriedly stopped to pick them up, and Ye Cang and Shen Huai quickly helped. Fortunately, there was no wind and the ground was dry, so they quickly gathered all the drawing paper, and Shen Huai handed it to the girl.
The girl's voice was barely audible as she said, "Thank you," but she didn't even dare to lift her head.
Shen Huai took a pack of tissues out of his bag and handed it to her, gesturing to the hem of her dress: "Wipe yourself."
The girl took the tissue, looking even more flustered and helpless. She grabbed her sketchbook and tried to run away, but she didn't notice a stone on the ground and almost tripped. Ye Cang saw this and quickly helped her up.
Are you alright?
The girl shook her head, but she didn't seem as nervous as before. She looked up, intending to apologize to Ye Cang, but the moment she saw his face, her face turned pale. She pushed him away abruptly and hurriedly ran away with her sketchbook.
Ye Cang looked puzzled: "Even if you don't thank me, you don't need to push me."
Ye Cang didn't notice her expression, but Shen Huai had seen it all. The old Taoist's words at the Taoist temple today still bothered him.
Seeing the girl's strange reaction, he couldn't help but think a little more.
However, Shen Huai did not tell Ye Cang about these things immediately. He decided to investigate and find out more before making a decision.
Chapter 99