Huayu93: From Selling Magnetic Cards to Entertainment Tycoon

Chapter 67 Cucumber Salad with Wasabi

A few days later, Zhang Yibai assembled the crew, and filming began for "The First Time".

According to Zhang Yibai, this music video doesn't need any plot; it's just about two words—strolling around.

Wandering around campus, wandering around the city, going wherever the wind takes you. Holding hands, hugging, fake kisses, all happening along the way. If we bump into something, we take a picture; if not, we just keep wandering.

The first day was at Beijing Normal University. Li Si'an rode a 28-inch bicycle, with Zhou Xun sitting sideways on the back, one hand clutching his clothes at the waist, the hem of her floral skirt billowing in the wind before falling back down.

I rode twice along the tree-lined path, twice in front of the library, and twice under the stands.

Zhang Yibai followed behind carrying a camera, sometimes squatting to film, sometimes jogging to film, and sometimes having the stagehands push the camera track to film.

When they got tired of riding, they got off and walked. The two of them strolled hand in hand under the sycamore trees, their fingers loosely intertwined, as if they might let go at any moment, yet they never truly let go. Zhou Xun's hands were cool, but they warmed up after a while.

She would occasionally rub the back of his hand unconsciously with her thumb, without realizing it, and tilt her head to look at the things posted on the roadside notice board.

When they reached the edge of the playground, Zhang Yibai stopped to take a picture and hug her. Li Si'an pulled her into his arms, rested his chin on the top of her head, and smelled a faint scent of shampoo in her hair.

Her shoulders were narrow, her collarbone pressed against his chest, and she hung on him, as light as a feather.

Zhang Yibai called "cut," and she wriggled out of his arms, tidied her messy bangs, looked up, and smiled at him.

"Your heart is beating so fast," she said. Li Si'an said it was from riding her bike. She said "oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

The next day, we moved to the city center for filming and then strolled around. We walked the streets, browsed small shops, and leaned against the overpass railing to watch the traffic flow below.

When they reached the foot of the Drum Tower, Zhang Yibai asked them to film a kissing scene.

The kissing scenes were faked. They were facing the side of the camera, at a slightly off angle, making it look like they touched, but there was actually a gap about the width of a finger between them.

Zhou Xun's breath brushed against his lips, warm and with a hint of orange juice sweetness.

Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes were slightly curled, and a faint blue vein appeared on her neck when she turned her head to the side.

Li Si'an stared at the blood vessel for several seconds until Zhang Yibai called "cut," at which point she took a half step back.

Zhou Xun opened her eyes and rubbed her nose. "It itches," she said.

Then she continued strolling. She walked from Gulou to Houhai, and from Houhai to Yinding Bridge. Zhou Xun got tired and squatted by the roadside, teasing ants with foxtail grass.

The floral skirt trailed on the ground, oblivious to the bits of grass stuck to it. Li Si'an leaned against a nearby telephone pole, drinking her soda, tilting her head back to take a gulp, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

He suddenly remembered the entertainment news he had read in his past life. It said that actors falling in love on set and becoming couples on set was as common as eating and drinking in the entertainment industry.

He thought at the time that these people just couldn't control themselves; it was just a movie, why make such a fuss?

Now he knows, as for...

To be honest, Zhou Xun's figure is so ordinary that he wouldn't even bother looking at her twice under normal circumstances. Slender and thin, she would look like a cold dish to him.

He likes women like Tang Yun, who are tall, have large breasts, a slim waist, and long legs, and are so striking that you can't take your eyes off them when they stand in front of you.

But just now, when he held Zhou Xun in his arms, her shoulder pressed against his chest, her body heat radiated through the thin tank top, and her hair exuded a clean shampoo scent.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily at that moment—it wasn't an act.

It's one thing to look at something from afar, but quite another to hold it in your arms.

A plate of smashed cucumbers, placed far away on the table, might not even make you think of reaching for your chopsticks.

But if it's placed right under your nose, and that refreshing, appetizing aroma fills your nostrils, you might think, "I guess I'll have to try a bite."

That's how male desire works—you might think you're not into it, but once you get close and smell it, your opinion changes.

But he dared not reach for the chopsticks.

His limited understanding of Zhou Xun gained online in his previous life made him quickly retract his thoughts.

He knew Zhou Xun had a problem with her relationships—she couldn't hide them. Every relationship she had was a grand affair, like fireworks exploding across the sky.

He already has Tang Yun in his family, and who knows who might come in the future. So, it's fine to sneak a taste, but if it's like setting off fireworks and causing a big commotion, then there will be big trouble.

Even if smashed cucumber is appetizing, it's not worth it. Not to mention that Zhou Xun's smashed cucumber dish had wasabi in it.

He suppressed his thoughts and tilted his head back to finish the soda.

Zhou Xun was squatting on the ground poking at ants, her floral skirt trailing on the dusty ground, covered in a ring of dust.

"Let's go, next game."

Zhou Xun looked up and pointed at him with the foxtail grass. "What were you thinking about just now?"

"I want to make cucumber salad."

Zhou Xun paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"ill!"

Li Si'an didn't respond, stepped over her outstretched leg, and walked towards Zhang Yibai.

After filming "The First Time" was completed, Zhang Yibai notified Li Si'an to start filming "Running" the next day. Li Si'an originally thought it would be finished in one day.

Zhang Yibai had discussed it with him beforehand, saying the song was simple, just one word—run. Run on the track, run on the tree-lined path, run on the rooftop, just run. Li Si'an agreed.

The first morning went smoothly. He ran two runs against the light, but Zhang Yibai thought his pace was too fast and told him to slow down. He also told him to open his chest and take lighter steps.

"You are chasing, not running away. When you are chasing, your momentum rises; when you are running away, you shrink back."

Li Si'an stood on the track again, staring at the sycamore tree at the end of the track, and ran towards it step by step. Zhang Yibai didn't call a stop, so he kept running until he reached the other end before stopping.

"Great! That's the spirit!"

After a whole day of shooting, Zhang Yibai said at the end of the day that they hadn't filmed enough footage and that they would have to shoot for another day tomorrow.

The next day, Zhang Yibai was as energetic as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

I dragged Li Si'an to the edge of the track and field early in the morning. "Yesterday was sunny, backlit. Today it's cloudy, let's shoot something different. Running on a cloudy day is more stifling—you can't catch up, but you still have to."

Li Si'an ran two laps, but Zhang Yibai said they were both wrong.

Li Si'an squatted by the track, looking up at Zhang Yibai.

"Director Zhang, please show me the way. What does it mean to run with relentless effort? What does it mean to keep chasing even when you can't catch up? You have to tell me exactly how to run."

Zhang Yibai stubbed out his cigarette and squatted down. "Think about it, is there anything you really want, but can't reach right now?"

It's not the kind of pursuit you can catch up with after a while; it's the kind where you know you can't catch up no matter how hard you try, but you still have to keep chasing. Because you can't stop.

Li Si'an squatted there, thinking for a long time. He still couldn't figure out what "sullen feeling" meant or what "having to chase even when you can't catch someone" meant.

However, he didn't ask any more questions. He realized that Zhang Yibai wasn't shooting a music video anymore; he was shooting an art film.

The idea that backlighting is chasing, cloudy days are suffocating, and sunsets are fleeting—this is completely different from what he originally said: "Just one word, run."

But Li Si'an didn't ask any more questions. A director, once his artistic expression takes hold, you can't stop him. If you ask too many questions, he can just launch into a whole new aesthetic system.

So Li Si'an's motto was simple: persevere. He ran when told to, once wasn't enough, twice wasn't enough, three times wasn't enough. On the fifth try, Zhang Yibai called "Cut!" "That's the right one."

Li Si'an was bent over, panting, and still couldn't figure out where she had gone in the right direction.

Never mind, it's fine as long as it's over.

When it was time to wrap up, Zhang Yibai ejected the videotape, weighed it in his hand, and said with satisfaction, "This video will definitely be a hit once it's edited."

Li Si'an squatted by the track and looked up at him. "Director Zhang, why do I feel like you really like filming people running?"

Zhang Yibai lit a cigarette. "Yes, that's me. I just love filming people running. It looks good, it's energetic."

You see, in Japanese dramas they always film people running, running away whenever something happens. I always think it's great.

Have you seen *Tokyo Love Story*? There's a scene where Kanji is running on the embankment, and Rika is waiting for him at the station. He runs and runs until he reaches the station, but she's gone. That scene is really touching.

I was thinking then that in the future, when I make films, I'll make people run. Running itself creates drama.

Li Si'an squatted there without saying a word, thinking to herself, no wonder those characters in "Love Will Carry On" kept running away, the root of the problem was here.

Zhang Yibai put the videotape into his bag, then suddenly remembered something and turned around. "By the way, the girl who played the school beauty, wasn't her name Tang Yun?"

"Um."

"Not bad. She has a good sense of the camera; just standing there brightens up the scene." Zhang Yibai zipped up his bag. "This girl is nice; get to know her."

Li Si'an was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise, "No, Director Zhang, when did you film her? I didn't notice at all."

"I deliberately captured that shot of her," Zhang Yibai said, his tone somewhat smug.

He lit a cigarette and took a puff. "You were running there over and over again this afternoon, and she was standing at the end of the track. At first, she was a little reserved and kept glancing at the camera out of the corner of her eye."

Later, I guess she got so engrossed in watching you run that she completely forgot about the camera and her eyes just followed you. Wherever you ran, that's where she looked. I just squatted down next to her and tried to hide the look she was giving you.

Zhang Yibai exhaled a puff of smoke. "So natural, so good. It wasn't acting, it was genuinely watching."

He patted Li Si'an on the shoulder. "You're a lucky guy."

Li Si'an squatted there and turned her head to look at the end of the track. Under the setting sun, the track was empty, and the leaves of the sycamore tree rustled in the wind.

He ran past there so many times, but he didn't see her even once.

In the distance, Tang Yun had changed back into her own clothes—a white T-shirt, denim shorts, and her hair was down—and was squatting by the track helping the stagehands tidy up the reflectors.

Zhang Ziyi squatted down next to her, and after saying something, the two of them burst into laughter. The setting sun shone on them, gilding their hair with a golden hue.