NABC Chapter 16 Zhao Xiaogu's Low Point
Chapter 16 Zhao Xiaogu's Low Point
Zhao Liying remained silent.
She sat there quietly, eating the plate of stir-fried vegetables in front of her, like a transparent person.
Gao Huan noticed it.
He glanced at Zhao Liying, then turned to look at Li Xue.
Li Xue was discussing the filming plans for "Brotherhood of Blades" with Lu Yang when she felt Gao Huan's gaze and turned around.
Gao Huan gestured to Zhao Liying with his eyes.
Li Xue understood instantly.
She put down her chopsticks and turned to Zhao Liying: "Liying, what have you been filming lately?"
Zhao Liying looked up: "The Journey of Flower is almost finished filming."
"The one with Wallace Huo?"
"right."
"Yeah, that drama is good." Li Xue nodded. "What are your plans after filming wraps up?"
Zhao Liying hesitated for a moment: "It's not decided yet."
This is the truth.
She does have a few proposals under discussion, but none of them are good projects.
She has basically given up on Heru now.
She wanted to switch agencies, but her contract was still with Hairun, so leaving wasn't so easy.
Li Xue looked at her and softened her tone: "Liying, if you have time, come to the company and let's chat."
Zhao Liying was stunned for a moment.
What does that mean?
Dig her up?
She glanced at Gao Huan, then at Li Xue, her mind racing.
Li Xue didn't wait for her answer and continued, "Xiao Huan often mentions you, saying your acting is good."
Zhao Liying was stunned for a moment.
Gao Huan often mentions her?
She hadn't spoken a single word to him before today, so how could Gao Huan possibly have mentioned her?
She looked at Gao Huan.
Gao Huan happened to be looking at her too.
Their eyes met briefly in the air.
Gao Huan nodded slightly to her, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Zhao Liying opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back.
She didn't know why Gao Huan was speaking well of her.
She wasn't even sure if what Li Xue said was true.
But one thing she was certain of: Gao Huan had deliberately invited her to this dinner party.
Because Li Xue said, "Xiao Huan often mentions you."
This statement cannot be false.
Li Xue had no reason to lie to her.
So, Gao Huan really did mention her behind her back.
Why?
Zhao Liying couldn't understand it.
She had no connection with him before today, and she wasn't even sure if Gao Huan knew who she was.
But Gao Huan did mention her.
Not only did he mention her, he also asked Li Xue to invite her out for dinner.
On the surface, this meal was arranged by Lu Yang, but in reality, it was an opportunity for her.
Upon realizing this, Zhao Liying's heart skipped a beat.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the thought, and kept her expression unchanged.
"Thank you, Mr. Li," she said. "I'll definitely come after filming wraps up."
Li Xue nodded and didn't say anything more.
……
Zhao Liying had to leave first.
When she left, Gao Huan stood up and saw her to the door.
The two stood in the dimly lit corridor of the restaurant, neither of them speaking.
After a few seconds of silence, Zhao Liying spoke first.
"Thank you, Teacher Gao."
Gao Huan looked at her: "What are you thanking me for?"
Zhao Liying bit her lip: "Thank you for having Mr. Li call me over."
Gao Huan did not deny it.
He looked at Zhao Liying and said calmly, "Sister Liying, things aren't easy for you right now, but things will be better next year."
Zhao Liying was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
"The Journey of Flower will be a huge hit," Gao Huan said. "It will be a hit beyond your wildest imagination. Trust my judgment."
Zhao Liying stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.
His smile looked forced.
"Teacher Gao, are you a fortune teller?"
Gao Huan smiled too, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth: "More or less."
Zhao Liying's heart skipped a beat when she saw his smile.
Whether Gao Huan's words were true or not, they made her feel kind and comforted.
Although he seemed to be talking nonsense.
"Teacher Gao," Zhao Liying took a deep breath, "is there something you want to tell me?"
Gao Huan glanced at her and then said a few words.
He spoke slowly, each word like a nail driven into Zhao Liying's heart.
"After you go back today, Heru will post some things online."
"Don't respond, don't explain, and don't post on Weibo."
"Silence is the best form of retaliation."
"Everything will be different when 'The Journey of Flower' airs."
"If you want to switch companies in the future, Hesong's doors will always be open for you."
Also, if you ever come across a TV drama script you really like, I'd be willing to play the second male lead for you.
Zhao Liying stood there, unable to utter a single word.
She didn't know what to say.
Every word Gao Huan said struck a chord with her.
He Ru didn't tell anyone about her situation, but Gao Huan knew.
She wanted to change companies, but she didn't tell anyone, though Gao Huan knew.
"Thank you," she said, then turned and left.
After taking a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Gao Huan.
Gao Huan was still standing in the corridor, the warm yellow light shining on him, illuminating half of his face while the other half was hidden in shadow.
He doesn't look 22 years old.
Zhao Liying took a deep breath, turned around, and walked into the elevator.
……
After seeing Zhao Liying off, Gao Huan returned to the private room.
Yangyang Jin had already brought over her coat and was standing to the side waiting.
"Brother Huan, Ms. Xue is talking to Mr. Cai at the door. She told you not to worry."
"Um."
Gao Huan put on his coat and picked up his phone.
There is an unread WeChat message on the screen.
Yangyang has blonde hair.
The time was five minutes ago.
"Brother Huan, the final script for the blind girl is more profound than the original, and the amount of dialogue is not reduced at all. Sister Shi should be able to feel the changes after she receives it."
I discussed it with Director Lu several times before we finalized the deal!
Gao Huan's lips curled up slightly.
Sister Yangyang has been with him for over two years, and she's becoming more and more organized in her work.
He doesn't need to worry about these details; she can handle them herself.
He locked the screen, put his phone in his pocket, and followed Yangyang Jin out of the restaurant.
Li Xue stood at the door, saying goodbye to Lu Yang.
Seeing Gao Huan come out, Li Xuechong nodded to him: "Xiao Huan, you did well today."
"It's alright," Gao Huan said.
How did you come up with the idea of the blind girl in "Brotherhood of Blades"?
Gao Huan thought for a moment and said, "It was just that I had an understanding of the character and it suddenly came to me."
Li Xue glanced at him but didn't ask any more questions.
She knew Gao Huan too well.
This person never has a sudden inspiration.
Every word he said and every action he took was carefully considered.
He thought very deeply and far ahead.
But when he doesn't want to talk, you can't get anything out of him no matter how hard you ask.
"Let's go." Li Xue turned and got into the car.
Gao Huan stood there, watching Li Xue's car merge into the traffic, and then walked towards his own car.
Yangyang Jin followed him, got into the car, sat in the passenger seat, and glanced back at him.
"Brother Huan, I've discussed the script with Director Lu several times. Could you take a look and see if it's okay?"
Gao Huan leaned back in his chair and nodded: "I trust you to handle things."
Yangyang Jin smiled, a very happy smile.
She had been by Gao Huan's side for more than two years, and this was the highest praise she received.
I trust you to handle things.
It's not "You're great" or "You've worked hard".
It's simply "I'm at ease".
But Yangyang Jin knew that this was Gao Huan's style of praise.
It's not flashy or sentimental, but it's genuine and down-to-earth.
The car drove away from the hotel and merged into the nightscape of Beijing.
Yangyang Jin, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke up again: "Huan-ge, why did you want to see Zhao Liying today? Her recent news hasn't been very good."
Gao Huan did not answer.
After a few seconds, he said something.
You'll find out next year.
Yangyang Jin glanced at him but didn't ask any more questions.
She's been following Gao Huan for so long, and she's learned one thing.
Gao Huan said, "You'll know next year," and he really did know next year.
Asking beforehand won't help.
……
On the way back, Liu Shishi sat in the back seat, watching the city night view rushing past the window.
Cai Yinong sat next to her, scrolling through her phone.
"Shi Shi," Cai Yinong looked up, "what do you think of Gao Huan?"
Liu Shishi thought for a moment and said, "That's good."
What does "挺好" mean?
"Well..." Liu Shishi thought for a moment, "He doesn't seem like someone his age. He's too mature."
Cai Yinong nodded: "I think so too. What he said today didn't seem like something he came up with on the spur of the moment at the dinner party; it seemed more like he had planned it out in advance."
Liu Shishi did not respond.
She was thinking about something else.
Gao Huan just said something to her in the corridor.
"The hardest part is that she can't see, but she knows everything."
This sentence kept circling in her mind.
For a moment, she felt that Gao Huan wasn't talking about Zhou Miaotong.
He was talking about something else.
But she couldn't figure out what it was.
Back at the hotel, Liu Shishi took a shower, changed into her pajamas, and sat on the bed.
My phone vibrated.
It's a WeChat message from Yangyang Jinfa.
"Sister Shishi, the final version of the script has been sent to your email. Please check it."
Liu Shishi was stunned for a moment.
Final version?
So fast?
She opened her email, downloaded the attachment, and opened the document.
Turn to Zhou Miaotong's section.
She read three lines and froze.
Zhou Miaotong is blind and lives as a blind woman in a brothel.
She stared at the line of text for several seconds, then scrolled down.
Zhou Miaotong's lines in the script have not been reduced.
Not a single word was missing.
However, a large number of action and facial expression descriptions were changed to a blind person's version.
Previously it was "she looked at Shen Lian", now it is "she listened intently in the direction of Shen Lian".
Before, it was "her gaze followed him"; now it is "she imagines him through his voice".
Before, it was "she looked into the distance," now it's "she listened to the sounds coming from afar and imagined what the distance looked like."
The lines are exactly the same.
But the character's entire demeanor has completely changed.
She transformed from "a weak woman passively waiting to be saved" into "a complex woman who perceives the world with her ears and heart."
Liu Shishi put down her phone, leaned against the headboard, and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
She recalled what Gao Huan had said at the dinner party earlier that day.
"A good actor is not afraid of difficulties."
He wasn't spouting grand principles.
He was taking attendance.
Zhou Miaotong's role was changed to a blind woman, but her lines were not reduced.
The difficulty has actually increased.
Because the art of the blind is never expressed through words.
In breathing, in micro-expressions, in every detail of the body.
But Liu Shishi is not afraid of difficulties.
She is a professional actress.
What she fears is that the role won't be interesting.
The character Zhou Miaotong is now very interesting.
It's so interesting that she can't wait to go to the film set.
Liu Shishi picked up her phone, opened WeChat, and found Gao Huan's chat window.
My finger hovered over the screen for a long time before finally being lowered.
She didn't know what to say.
Thank you? That's too light.
Why are you helping me? It's inappropriate.
Goodnight? That's so strange.
So she didn't post anything.
She turned off the light and lay down in the darkness.
Before she closed her eyes, a thought flashed through her mind.
Zhou Miaotong is blind.
This setting was given to her by Gao Huan.
It's not just about the role she's playing, but also a reminder to her.
Some things are not that we can't see them, but that we don't want to see them.
Liu Shishi turned over and buried her face in the pillow.
She didn't cry, but her eyes were a little sore.
After a long time, she whispered in the darkness, "Thank you, Gao Huan."
The sound was so soft that she almost didn't hear it herself.
Outside the window, the night in Beijing was as dark as ink.
The lights of the China World Trade Center in the distance are still on, like a sleepless sea.
……
Meanwhile, in another corner of the city, Gao Huan was driving back to his apartment, looking out at the night view.
My phone vibrated.
He glanced down at it.
Yangyang Jin's WeChat account.
"Brother Huan, the script has already been sent to Sister Shi. The version about the blind girl is much more complex than the one she originally saw. The number of lines hasn't changed at all, but the play has completely changed its flavor. Do you really think she can play it well?"
Gao Huan's lips curled up slightly.
He did not reply to the message.
Because he doesn't need to reply.
Whether Liu Shishi can play Zhou Miaotong well is not a problem with Liu Shishi, but with the script.
The script gave her room to improvise, and she was able to handle it.
This is Liu Shishi's talent as a method actor.
That was her fate.
The car was parked downstairs at the apartment building.
Gao Huan opened the car door and got out.
A cool night breeze was blowing.
He walked into the building and pressed the elevator button.
Before the elevator doors closed, he recalled Zhao Liying's expression in the hallway earlier that day.
That kind of "Are you a fortune teller?" look.
He couldn't help but laugh.
He's not a fortune teller.
He was simply given a second chance at life.
The elevator arrived at the floor and the doors opened.
The corridor was quiet except for the sound of his footsteps.
He swiped his card and went inside.
The room was quiet, the curtains were drawn, and only the bedside lamp was on.
Naza is not here today.
I just thoroughly explored Meng Ziyi's abilities.
Gao Huan took off his coat and lay down on the bed.
The light shadows on the ceiling swayed slightly.
He closed his eyes and went through the day's events in his mind.
Lu Yang's gaze, Cai Yinong's tentative tone, Liu Shishi's calm smile, and Zhao Liying's hesitant expression.
And that sentence.
"A good actor is not afraid of difficulties."
Gao Huan opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.
He was thinking about something.
Some people and some things don't need to be defined.
Just like Liu Shishi said "Thank you" in the dark.
Nobody heard it.
But Gao Huan knew.
He heard it.
As Gao Huan was thinking, his phone suddenly vibrated.
It was a video call from Nazha.
He answered the call.
On the screen, Nazha's face suddenly appeared close, her eyes sparkling, her lips upturned, looking like she had just won the lottery.
"Gao Huan! Gao Huan! Gao Huan-ge!"
She called his name three times in a row, her voice so shrill it almost pierced the receiver.
"Mmm." Gao Huan leaned his phone against the bedside table and lay on his side watching her.
"My dad came to Beijing for a follow-up check-up today! Guess what the results were?"