Work was over at 9:00 in the night, and it was still Fangcao Hutong. There was a large wattage light bulb hanging on the wall, which was dazzlingly bright, and everyone was busy cleaning up under the light.
Lu Wen stepped out of the courtyard and threw two throat-relieving candies into his mouth. The assistant came up to him and handed him water, including Pang Dahai, Evian, and refreshing functional drinks.
He took a bottle of Evian and glanced down the alley as he drank.
Shooting in and out during the day, he saw the old man picking up trash sitting under the tree all the time. Now that work was over and there were a lot of drink bottles to be collected, the old man had disappeared.
Back in the RV, Lu Wen first took off his make-up and changed his clothes. He ate dinner and snack together, and there was a night scene in the early morning. He could rest for more than two hours.
On the table were four dishes and one soup, small purple potato rolls, and a large box of cut fruits. Lu Wen had just taken a sip of the soup when he caught a glimpse of the old man he met during the day through the window.
The old man walked very slowly, his figure was a bit hunched, and he seemed to be no different from other trash pickers in the street. Lu Wen bit the flower roll and took a peek. When the other party approached, he saw that the old man was still carrying a small plastic bag with a steamed bun in it.
dinner
What to eat
Can you eat enough
Lu Wen thought for a moment that something had nothing to do with him, and looked away. He couldn't see the old man's long shadow in the night, but he could still hear the rubbing sound of the woven bag across the ground.
He put down his chopsticks, drank the remaining half bottle of mineral water, and got out of the car with the empty bottle. The old man happened to pass by the car and stopped two or three steps away to look at him.
Lu Wen asked in a leisurely tone, "Master, you just got off work, do you still accept plastic bottles?"
The old man didn't seem to like to talk, so he went straight forward and untied the woven bag. Lu Wen threw the bottle in, ignoring the conspicuous big steamed buns, and asked, "Master, have you eaten yet?"
The old man popped out a word: "No."
Lu Wen didn't hide it either: "I'm having supper, how about sharing the food with you two?"
The old man's eyes were hidden behind the lens, and he couldn't distinguish the look, but the wording made it clear that he didn't like it: "You think I'm a beggar?"
Lu Wen didn't mean that, but the non-kinship and non-caused help must be out of sympathy. He wasn't sure if the other party was willing to accept it, and he didn't want to be kind but hurt his self-esteem.
"Wow, you look very much like my deceased grandfather." He made a nonsense sentence, and after he finished the lie, he was afraid that his grandfather would give him dreams in the middle of the night, "Hey, forget about eating."
The old man suddenly changed his mind and said, "One dish is enough."
Lu Wen returned to the carriage and took down an untouched piece of slippery chicken. He thought, if the old man can appear close to the set during the day, he probably lives in this area.
"You live here?"
The old man reached out to catch it, and replied, "It's in Fangcao Hutong."
Lu Wen noticed the other person's hands. He couldn't look carefully under the streetlight, but he could tell that the skin wasn't too rough and the nails were well trimmed. He suddenly felt that it was different from other trash pickers.
The old man said without emotion/color: "Thank you, young man."
"Oh, you're welcome." Lu Wen responded, out of sheer curiosity, "How much money do you make collecting drink bottles this day?"
The old man tugged the woven bag and replied: "I don't have much money, I'm patronizing to watch you filming today."
Lu Wenshun said: "Then how do you think my acting is?"
Of course, he didn't expect an old man picking up bottles to comment. It stands to reason that he is soft on people and short on eaters. For the mineral water bottle and the slippery chicken slices, the old man should praise him.
Unexpectedly, the old man thought for a moment and asked, "Who are you playing?"
Lu Wen didn't want to have a deep conversation at first, and couldn't describe it clearly in just a few words, so he said, "It's just...a bachelor living in a large courtyard."
This movie is called "The Nest of Right and wrong", and the story takes place in this alley. In the courtyard, a girl suddenly committed suicide in her room, so rumors spread rapidly.
Some said it was due to debts, some said it was suicide for love, and some said it was actually murdered... The rumors surrounding the deceased became more and more fierce, and the neighbors who lived in the same courtyard all fell into the center of public opinion.
The irony is that instead of understanding each other, the people in the courtyard fell apart, suspected each other, and were eager to push one person to bear all the rumors.
Lu Wen plays an elementary school physical education teacher who once courted the deceased but was rejected, so it is rumored that he has a grudge for failing to court...
The old man pondered for a while after asking, and it took him a long time to give a response, but he said: "How can I understand acting like a junk picker? I don't feel how you are doing?"
Lu Wen thought he could pass, otherwise the director would not have passed, but he was not satisfied and felt that he could do better. Forget it, he ended the conversation: "It's unnecessary for me to ask you, let's go eat quickly."
The old man said again: "Ask your friend."
It was referring to chatting with Qu Yanting on WeChat. Lu Wen guessed that the old man had never studied, and said, "Although my friend can give some pointers, it's still shallow on paper. You don't understand."
The old man sneered: "You know, then 'you must do it when you know this'."
Lu Wen looked at this old face unexpectedly, the smile was really familiar, and asked, "Master, have we met somewhere?"
"Praise me." The old man said, "I can't enter the villa area to pick up trash."
Lu Wen was slightly startled: "What do you mean?"
The old man turned around and was about to go home for dinner. Before leaving, he said, "You don't live in a mansion, but like a mansion."
Lu Wen opened his mouth halfway, watching the back of the other party slowly leaving, chewing on the other party's intentional or unintentional words between his teeth... Whether the character he plays is good or evil, he is always a person in the alley. If he doesn't look like him, then he is Failure.
After this night, Lu Wen hardly left the set, and lived and ate in the RV, spending all his spare time wandering around the winding alleys.
Every day before dawn, he went to Doujiao Hutong to watch an uncle whipping his whip, an aunt with curly hair splashing face wash in front of the door, and a boy with a schoolbag swearing dirty when he jumped over a puddle.
Lu Wen observed everyone, enthusiastic, aggressive, ignorant, tired and helpless. He learned how to crush cigarette butts on the head of a stone lion, and teased stray cats at the gate of the yard with a toothbrush in his mouth. When the sky was overcast, his first reaction was to quickly put away the underpants hanging in the yard.
He disconnected himself from the Internet, the popular online dramas, the increasing number of fans and comments, entertainment headlines... It seemed that all had nothing to do with him, he was just a bachelor living in an alley.
During this process, Lu Wen and the old man often met, and the sense of familiarity came and went, and he couldn't tell clearly. He also went to the old man's house, which was simple but clean and without heating. He asked his assistant to buy an electric heater and duvet for him.
The old man didn't thank him, and said nonchalantly: "It's already spring, what's the use of you supporting me?"
Lu Wen just left the show, wearing a sportswear, handsome and energetic: "You think it's like spring here all the year round, and use it next winter."
The old man said: "Maybe I won't be here next winter."
"Look at what you said." Lu Wen smirked, "Why aren't you here anymore, you should still be able to live for ten years at your age."
The old man always smiled, and never took off his sunglasses. Seeing Lu Wen glanced at his watch, he got up from the slate and patted the dirt, asking, "Stop strolling?"
The image of Lu Wen wandering around has been deeply rooted in people's hearts, saying: "There are other arrangements today."
Back in the RV, Lu Wen took a shower first, lay clean on the bed and followed the drama, after watching two episodes, he opened WeChat and sent a video invitation to Qu Yanting.
During this period of time, they rarely communicated. Qu Yanting knew best how to keep an actor in good condition, so he rarely disturbed him.
Lu Wen also endured it all the time, maybe because it was about to be finished, like a student about to go on vacation, he was so anxious that he wanted to break out of the cage. When the video is connected, the screen is displayed clearly with a lag of one second.
"Teacher Qu!" Lu Wen struggled on the bed, "I miss you so much!"
Qu Yanting had just arrived home and hadn't changed into pajamas yet. He walked to the cat climbing frame and invited Commander Huang to join him in the mirror. He borrowed the cat to express his feelings: "It misses you so much every night."
Lu Wen was not satisfied: "Just think about it at night?"
Qu Yanting didn't answer, but stared at the phone screen to see his appearance. He lost weight, his face became more angular, his hair was thinned on both sides, and a layer of inconspicuous stubble grew on his chin.
The answers were all in those eyes that couldn't get enough of them. Lu Wen received it, and couldn't help but read a poem: "Long lovesickness, heartbreaking..."
Qu Yanting broke his power in a second: "You are sick."
Lu Wen smirked: "Fortunately you interrupted me, I really don't know the next sentence."
The wonderful atmosphere was basically ruined, Qu Yanting walked to the bedroom and said, "I ate hot pot tonight, I smell bad, change clothes first."
Lu Wen came to the spirit: "You fix the phone and change it to the camera."
"...You are my porn anchor." Qu Yanting gave him a blank look, and threw the phone on the bed, the camera was facing the chandelier on the ceiling.
"Oh, the light is too dazzling!" Lu Wen said anxiously, "Let me see what's wrong, Mr. Qu, Brother, Brother Ting, Qu Yanting... Please do me a favor!"
Qu Yanting had no choice but to lean the mobile phone upright against the bedside lamp, facing the camera sideways, and gradually turned his back as he took off his underwear one by one, a layer of goose bumps appeared on his skin.
As soon as he put on his nightgown, Lu Wen commanded, "Okay, let's take a shower next."
Qu Yanting grabbed the phone: "You're used to it, I'll wash it after talking."
Lu Wen hummed twice with the subwoofer, buzzing, before he cared about others: "Hey, who did you have hot pot with tonight?"
Qu Yanting said: "Let them be treed."
Nearly half of the online drama has aired, and the crew's promotion has to be constantly adjusted according to the situation. Rather than eating hot pot, tonight is more like a meeting between Qu Yanting, the crew's director, producer, and promotion.
He said: "The drama announcement will contact your agent again, and your personal promotion will be adjusted accordingly."
Lu Wen nodded, which might affect his mood, so he refrained from asking about the performance of the online drama, and Qu Yanting did not say anything, and changed the subject: "Are you in the RV?"
"Yeah." Lu Wen said, "Start work at four o'clock in the morning, and put on makeup at three o'clock in the morning. I can just take a nap in the car."
Qu Yanting said distressedly: "It's been so hard, when will it be finished?"
Lu Wen counted the days: "If there are no accidents, the shooting will go well next Tuesday." He wanted to share something interesting, "By the way, I met an old man."
Qu Yanting thought of Cao Lanxu and said with a smile, "Why do you always know the old man?"
"Because I won't tell you if I know a handsome guy." Lu Wen got up early and yawned tiredly.
Qu Yanting immediately said, "Go to bed early."
Lu Wen demanded: "Teacher Qu, please give me a bite before hanging up."
"I love you or the camera?" Qu Yanting said, "Save for now."
Feeling lost, Lu Wen hung up the line, set the alarm clock, and fell asleep with the blanket rolled up.
Qu Yanting stroked the blacked-out phone screen, he didn't say "I miss you", in fact he was thinking all over his heart. I filled up the car with gas in the morning, and was about to call off work early and go to the set to visit the set. When I received a call from Ren Shu, I had to focus on business first.
Going into the study and turning on the computer, Qu Yanting browsed the dehydrated data of a web drama, the number of broadcasts, the degree of discussion, the actual rate of return, and the possibility of realizing the "first online background".
He has won awards, experienced high ratings and high box office, and as a behind-the-scenes screenwriter, he has been able to treat success or failure peacefully, but this drama involves Lu Wen, and his heart is aroused again.
It was very late, and before turning off the phone, Qu Yanting left a message to Yu Nan: I have something to do next Tuesday, and all work will be adjusted separately.
Lu Wen lost three kilograms. This process fits perfectly with the character's mood changes. In the last scene, with decadent makeup, it was like a different person the moment he stepped out of the courtyard.
The lines in this scene are very long and dense, from the time he kicked open the door to speak, to the middle of the courtyard, and then out of the courtyard, walking along the long alley and cursing all the way.
The coherent long shots followed behind him, like his swear words one after another, which made people happy and slightly breathless.
Lu Wen usually swears, mostly in jest, but after being immersed in it these days, his demeanor can accurately capture the ruffian in the market. With a loud voice, he scolded every neighbor who chewed their tongues in the wall, and scolded the murderous mouths behind them.
The alleys were silent, and the rumors like a net were pierced by his trembling voice. When he walked out of the alley, he completely and disregarded his image, and finally collapsed under the sun.
Lu Wen fell silent, turned around, and forced a tear from his red eyelids.
The director stared at the close-up on the monitor, clenched his fists and shouted "Pass", cheers erupted on the set, and everyone applauded for Lu Wen's successful completion.
Beep, before Lu Wen could wipe away his tears, he heard the car horn beeping.
Not far from the entrance of the alley, Bentley stopped for an unknown amount of time, and Qu Yanting got out of the car under the golden sunlight, and waved to Lu Wen with the car keys on his hook.
At this time, the old man who picked up rags came out from a nearby alley, holding the two Coke bottles he had just picked up in his hands. He stopped and looked at Qu Yanting two or three meters away.
Then, he took off the sunglasses that almost covered his face.
Qu Yanting noticed it out of the corner of his eye, and when he looked back, he froze for a moment.