Chapter 51: Nazha Visits the Set

“Let’s go with this one…”

“Ox Aihua…”

“I don’t like this name. I don’t like my father either…”

…

“How can we ever face Zhengtai after this?”

“You’ve passed the test.”

“Come out of the closet, darling!”

At that, Zhou Le burst out of the closet.

Xu Tailang, played by Deng Chao, collapsed and shouted, “You people are disgusting!”

“Good. Cut.”

The entire crew immediately burst into laughter.

Everyone thought the scene was hilarious.

They had filmed it seven times. The main problem was that the actors kept breaking character. It was not just Deng Chao and Zhao Liying who kept laughing—even Zhou Le, hiding inside the closet, could not stop himself whenever he thought about what Xu Tailang would go through next.

“Keep—” Han Han had just started to say that they should do one more take when Deng Chao hurriedly stopped him.

“Director, let’s not. We finally got this one right. If we do it again, I’m afraid I’ll lose the feeling entirely.”

Han Han thought about it. The actors’ state of mind was important too.

“All right, forget it. No more takes. We’ll take the afternoon off and prepare for the night shoot. We’ll work a little overtime, and afterward I’ll treat everyone to hot pot.”

“Wonderful! The director is so generous!”

Zhou Le also breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

After all, squeezing his six-foot-plus frame into that closet had been extremely uncomfortable.

He had not come out even once during all seven takes, spending nearly half an hour inside.

His wife was lying right outside, yet he had somehow ended up like some adulterer hiding in a closet.

Just after Han Han finished speaking, however, he suddenly clapped his hands.

“Come out.”

Everyone was a little bewildered.

A chill ran down Zhou Le’s back as he stared at the closet.

“Director Han, don’t scare me. I was the only one inside just now.” He then looked beneath the closet. “Wait, was I in a bunk bed?”

The moment Zhou Le finished speaking, Nazha walked in from outside.

“Let’s welcome Nazha to the set.”

Zhou Le froze.

“Nazha? What brings you here?”

“Am I not allowed to come? After I finished filming that variety show, I returned to the country and landed in Shanghai, so I came over to take a look.”

“Of course you’re allowed. More than allowed.”

Zhou Le felt inexplicably awkward.

He and Nazha had always gotten along quite well, and now that she had appeared here, he had the strange feeling of having his diary read aloud.

Besides, in the film, he and Zhao Liying were husband and wife.

Something about it just felt odd.

Still, he was secretly rather proud that Nazha had come to visit him. Back when he had only played background roles, he had often seen other actors being visited by friends and partners. At last, it was his turn.

Nazha sat beside him while he removed his makeup.

“Why do you look a little tanned?” Zhou Le asked.

Nazha’s eyes widened. “You heartless wretch! I came all this way to visit you, and this is how you insult me?”

“No, no. I mean you look healthy now.”

Nazha glared at him. “You’re still talking?”

The makeup artist helping him burst into helpless laughter.

“But where exactly have you been filming?” Zhou Le asked.

“First Brazil, then Kenya, and finally Australia. I suppose you could call it a travel variety show.”

At that, Nazha opened her mouth, but in the end she said nothing.

It was not until they had finished removing the makeup and left the set, when the two of them were alone, that she finally spoke.

“Honestly, you have no idea how annoyed I was this time. The director kept making me put on all kinds of artificial personas, making me seem as though everyone on the crew hated me. I admit I’m not always the most socially tactful person, but there are still plenty of things I know better than to say.”

Zhou Le sighed along with her.

“Can’t you protest?”

“No. So most of the time, all I could do was complain about Sister Jiang. And I actually have a very good relationship with her.”

“Then there wasn’t much you could do. It’s all for the money.”

“Exactly. Speaking of money, I bought a house in Beijing as soon as I graduated from university. When are you going to buy one too, Le’er? I’m telling you, everyone should have a place of their own.”

Zhou Le was momentarily speechless. Then he looked around, as though searching for something.

“What are you looking for?”

“A camera.”

“What do you need a camera for? I don’t see one anywhere around here.”

“Exactly. Even without filming a variety show, you still know how to twist the knife. Could I possibly afford a house in Beijing right now? I do agree that it isn’t ideal for me to keep living at my godfather’s place, though. Why don’t you let me live in yours?”

Nazha burst out laughing.

“Who told you to twist the knife first? But I suppose you could live there if you wanted. My mother came to stay for a while back then, but she’s gone home now, and the place has been empty ever since. I only go back occasionally for a few days. Why don’t you move in when you return this time?”

“Better not. The paparazzi all know you live there. If I moved in, I’d end up trending again, and the trending topic would probably rank higher than my own name.”

“I wouldn’t mind. I don’t care what people think of me.”

“But I do, Auntie. Every time I trend, I’m just a stepping stone for someone else. What would I get out of it? Unless you hire movers for me, give me two hundred thousand, and preferably throw in a car I can use.”

Nazha was stunned. “We haven’t seen each other in so long, and you’re still this shameless? I’m a girl, not a turtle in a wishing pool!”

“Haha. Forget it if you don’t want to.”

Nazha then asked, “Did you get a new assistant? She’s quite pretty.”

Zhou Le glanced at Su Yingxia, who was following behind them with a stack of receipts, adding up the total on her phone’s calculator.

“The company assigned her to me. She’s both my manager and my assistant, and she’s very competent. She’s never made a mistake on an expense claim.”

“Wait, what do you usually buy that requires so many expense claims? And can all of that really be reimbursed?”

“Sure. Yogurt, household necessities, taxis when I go out—that sort of thing. If it can be reimbursed, why pay for it myself? Oh, there’s a yogurt brand here that’s pretty good. I’ll send some your way later.”

“Send some my way?”

“Yeah. We say things like ‘send over some milk’ or ‘send over some liquor’ where I’m from. Maybe you use a different expression here.”

Zhou Le explained it earnestly.

But talking about it only made him want a drink again.

There was not much he could eat at the moment. To keep the actors from losing their shape, Han Han strictly controlled their diets every day.

They were only allowed an indulgent meal once in a while.

“Oh, that’s what you meant. I thought you were talking about something else.”

Zhou Le: “?”

“What did you think I meant?”

Nazha said, “I thought you meant the Xinhua Bookstore, all right?”

Zhou Le looked at her. He could not shake the feeling that there was a hidden meaning behind her words.

The afternoon break was necessary because the set was being rearranged. Since the actors had nothing else to do, they gathered together to play mahjong.

Deng Chao suggested they play for a hundred yuan, just for fun.

After Zhou Le’s vehement opposition, they settled on a single cent per point.

That afternoon, Zhou Le earned eight yuan and thirty cents through tears and fury.

Once they packed up, he regretted not taking Brother Chao’s advice.

But if they played again, Zhou Le still planned to keep the stakes lower. Regret was one thing, but he could not guarantee that he would win next time rather than lose.

When it came to life, it was better to play it safe.

The night shoot involved filming a meal.

To make it as realistic as possible, Han Han filmed the scene several times. Zhou Le also had more eating shots in this sequence than anywhere else.

Not only did he have to eat, Zhao Liying had to feed him as well.

After they finally finished, Han Han announced that he would treat everyone to hot pot—eight hundred yuan per person.

Zhou Le flew into a rage.

“Han Han, you’re not human!”