At noon, the train arrived in Yiwu. After a quick lunch at the station, I followed the express train to Hengdian.
In the afternoon at three o’clock, I finally arrived in Hengdian Town. I found a family hotel on Wansheng North Street and settled down. Then I dialed the phone number Le Yao left for me.
Le Yao might be busy with her performance, so she didn’t answer my call for a long time. I sent her a text message, telling her that I had arrived in Hengdian and asked her to pick me up quickly.
After a while, Le Yao still didn’t reply to my message. I didn’t feel like going out, so I just lay on the bed in the hotel and flipped through a magazine.
The window of my room faced west, and after a while, I saw the sunset in the dusk. The gentle sunlight lay softly on the quilt beside me, and the air was filled with a lazy scent. I yawned and fell asleep for a while.
When I woke up, it was already getting dark. Le Yao finally replied to my message. She told me to find her in the Imperial Garden inside the Ming and Qing Palace. Their crew was filming there, and several big shots were also performing today. She said she would help me get autographs.
Actually, I wanted to go, but I didn’t have much cash on me. I had to go back to get reimbursed for my travel expenses. It would be a waste to spend over a hundred yuan just to see a few celebrities. So I could only regretfully reply to her message, telling her that I would wait for her outside the scenic area.
As the sun set, there were still many extras squatting outside the scenic area, waiting for the crew’s call. Their eyes revealed a sense of numbness and longing. I could truly see the hardships of life in them. But no one is destined to live in such suffering. Unfortunately, there are still so many people struggling and suffering, like me and these extras waiting.
I squatted next to one of the extras, chatting with him to pass the time while waiting for Le Yao.
As the sky gradually darkened, I saw several crew cars driving out of the scenic area, but I still didn’t see Le Yao’s figure. I couldn’t help but wonder if this damn woman had a night scene tonight!
While I was doubting, I saw Le Yao wearing a Qing Dynasty costume at the entrance. It seemed that she hadn’t had time to change her costume. She stood at the ticket service counter, looking around.
I stood up and walked towards Le Yao. She finally noticed me and ran towards me with a smile.
Le Yao held onto my arm and said with relief, “You finally traveled back!”
I let go of her hand holding my arm and said, “Miss, please behave yourself!”
Le Yao held onto my arm again and asked happily, “Xiao Yangzi, tell me honestly, why did you come all the way to Hengdian to find this palace?”
“It definitely isn’t to be your husband.” I pushed Le Yao aside again.
“Then I’ll make you a eunuch in the Imperial Household Department.” Le Yao pinched my waist, but she still had a smile on her face and seemed to be in a good mood.
Her pinch hurt, and I sternly reprimanded her, “Stop fooling around and focus on acting and being a good person!”
“What will happen if I don’t be a good person?”
I frowned and said, “Fuck you!”
Le Yao burst into laughter and said, “Zhao Yang, I just love seeing you act all serious but saying rogue words!”
…
I accompanied Le Yao to her hotel to change clothes. The two of us strolled on Wansheng North Street. Although Le Yao hadn’t become famous in the entertainment industry yet, people still cast their gazes towards her as we passed by. I felt that it was only a matter of time before she became famous. She was not only beautiful but also had the aura of a star. Her acting skills were also amazing, at least I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing it.
At this moment, I didn’t mention the purpose of this trip to Le Yao. I always felt that it would be a difficult and mood-ruining thing for her. It was better to enjoy the ease and freedom before nightfall.
It was my first time in Hengdian, and as I walked on the street, I couldn’t help but look around at the scenery. Le Yao was only interested in some street snacks and would occasionally ask me what I wanted to eat.
As we walked towards the end of the street with the crowd, Le Yao suddenly grabbed my arm and pointed to a barbecue restaurant on the side of the street, saying, “Zhao Yang, let’s go eat barbecue.”
I looked at the crowded restaurant and said, “There are too many people. Let’s eat somewhere else.”
“Many people means it’s delicious! Don’t you know? This barbecue restaurant is very famous. When Fan Bingbing came to Hengdian to film, she queued here for more than 20 minutes just to taste their barbecue.” Le Yao dragged me towards the direction of the restaurant.
“Wait for 20 minutes! Fan Bingbing is also that silly!” I stood still and refused to move, not because I didn’t want to eat barbecue, but because I didn’t want to wait.
“She’s not silly, she’s a foodie!” Le Yao corrected me.
I still refused to move.
Suddenly, Le Yao looked excitedly behind me and shouted, “Hey! It’s Fan Bingbing…”
I instinctively turned my head, and Le Yao took the opportunity to use force to drag me into the restaurant, mocking me, “Look at your eager expression when you turned your head. Did you almost break your neck?”
“If Fan Bingbing really broke her neck, I would be happy!” I glared at Le Yao, but once again, I was fooled by her acting skills.”You’re hopeless!” Le Yao said, pushing me into a chair and going to line up to order food.
During dinner, night had quietly fallen. Le Yao and I were sipping on Sprite and eating barbecue, both of us had a good appetite. I took another big gulp of Sprite, wiped the sweat off my forehead and asked Le Yao, “I’ve eaten so much, why can’t I taste Fan Bingbing?”
Le Yao gave me a contemptuous look and replied, “Are you stupid? You’re eating barbecue, not roasting Fan Bingbing!”
I was speechless for a moment, then said, “Forget I asked…”
Le Yao smiled triumphantly at me and said, “I love seeing you helpless… Hurry up and eat, we’ll go for a walk in Dream Valley after we finish.”
…
At seven-thirty in the evening, Le Yao and I arrived at one of the scenic spots in Hengdian, Dream Valley. Once inside, we found that the night here was almost a world made of light and shadow. Despite it not being the peak tourist season, it was still bustling. Le Yao and I walked around, finally resting on a wooden bench under the Ferris wheel.
I closed my eyes to rest, not particularly fond of the hazy lights here. When I opened my eyes, I found that Le Yao also had her eyes closed.
I nudged Le Yao and asked, “Why are you closing your eyes?”
Le Yao, still with her eyes closed but with a longing expression, replied, “I’m imagining this place as a stage surrounded by lights, and I’m the star standing in the center of the stage…”
I’ve always known what Le Yao’s dream is, and how important opportunities are for a newcomer who has just graduated from film school. In terms of pursuit, Le Yao and I are worlds apart. She likes the hazy lights here, while I’m fascinated by the crystal clear city.
The Ferris wheel was still carrying all sorts of people, spinning in the air. I was somewhat entranced…
I don’t know when Le Yao took my arm and nestled into my chest, and I was lost in her rare tenderness.
“I’m very happy being with you,” Le Yao said softly, leaning further into my chest.
This time I didn’t push Le Yao away. Actually, it’s not bad letting her lean on me like this. At this moment, there was no surge of lust, only a sense of mutual dependence and warmth.
I seemed to be very dependent on this warmth, and I held Le Yao tightly. The faint scent of her perfume was inhaled into my lungs with the cool night air, and in my brief moments of clarity, I was again lost in a haze.
A warm tear fell on my hand. Le Yao held me tighter, choking back sobs as she said, “Zhao Yang… I’m really tired here, I feel so helpless… Every day I have to look at other people’s faces, afraid of the unspoken rules, afraid of the intrigue in the crew… Only when I’m in your arms do I feel secure!”
Le Yao’s words made me feel a bit scared. I myself was teetering in the storm, hardly a reliable support.
I silently comforted her, wiping the tears from her face with my hand. Apart from lending her my body to lean on, there was nothing else I could do for her.
The wind that had been blowing finally lessened a bit. Le Yao left my body, then looked at me and asked, “You must have something to tell me since you came to see me, right?”
——————-
That’s it for today, three updates. The promised 4500 flowers are far from enough. I was planning to wait until 12 o’clock to see, but the power of the computer station’s friends is a bit weak.
Tomorrow, let’s see the friends from the mobile station. I’ve finished writing a book, and only today did I suddenly realize that there are still many people reading books on the mobile station. If the mobile station’s recommendation exceeds 70 tomorrow, I’ll add another chapter. Friends from the mobile station, are you stronger than those from the computer station? Let’s see tomorrow.
Now that I know about the mobile station, I suddenly feel like I’ve found a source of fun. From now on, I’ll encourage the friends from the mobile station and the computer station to compete every day.