South to Jiangnan

Outside the small auditorium, Chen Qi was teaching Fu Mingxian a game. "Are you ready?" "Ready!" "Then I'm counting... One, two, three, wooden man!" He whipped around. About ten meters away, a line was drawn on the ground. Fu Mingxian started from this mark, tiptoeing forward, and froze nervously the instant his call rang out. "You moved!" "Did not!" "Then why were you swaying?" "I—I—the wind blew me!" Chen Qi did not bicker with a child, turning back around to keep counting: "One... two... three... wooden man!" This game was ancient, known by different names in different places. In his past life, when he played it, it was called "Red Light, Green Light, Stop." He went easy on her on purpose, pretending not to notice the several times she wobbled. He waited until she drew closer and closer, tapped him on the back, and dashed back at what she believed was the speed of light—only for her little short legs to hold her back. Chen Qi closed the distance in a few long strides and caught her in his grip. "You cheated!" Fu Mingxian cried out. "You did that on purpose! You knew I couldn't outrun you! Let go of me, let's play another round!" "There are no do-overs in life, Xiao Ming!" "Who are you calling Xiao Ming?" "Then what should I call you? Xiao Xian?" "That sounds awful! I have a nickname..." Fu Mingxian rolled her eyes and said smugly, "But I'm not telling you!" "All right, Xiao Ming!" "Don't call me Xiao Ming!" "Understood, Xiao Ming!" "Humph!" Chen Qi looked back to see Jiang Shan carrying her schoolbag, walking toward the residential quarters. She didn't even look him in the eye, offering only a cold scoff. "Shanshan, no afternoon classes again?" "Yep!" "Have you eaten? Want me to treat you to a restaurant?" "No need!" "Going hungry isn't good for you." "Don't trouble yourself! Mind your own business!" Jiang Shan cast a sidelong glance at Fu Mingxian, paying particular attention to her clothes. Normally she considered herself quite fashionable, but compared to someone who truly came from Hong Kong, she felt completely rustic. *Brother Xiao Chen, my foot—men are all big pig trotters!* Chen Qi was left with a face full of attitude and could only shake his head. Women truly were beyond reason. "Mama!" Just then, several people emerged from the small auditorium. Fu Mingxian sprinted over and tattled, "He's so mean! He kept calling me Xiao Ming!" "Pfft!" Shi Hui could not help a chuckle, stroking her daughter's head. "He was only teasing you... Xiao Chen, just call her Zhizhi. Her pet name is Zhizhi." "Got it, Auntie! Are you all finished chatting?" "Yes, it was very fruitful today. It's about time for us to head out." Fu Chi deliberately walked over and shook hands with him again. "We'll spend a few days touring the capital with Zhizhi before heading back, so we won't come to Beijing Film Studio to say goodbye. When the spring flowers bloom next year, we'll see you again in Hong Kong!" "You'll still have to come once more to screen the film for Liao Gong," Chen Qi reminded him. "Oh, right, right! Look at that—all that melodrama just now for nothing!" Everyone laughed together. In the winter chill of Beijing, it almost felt like spring had blossomed. Holding their daughter's hands, Fu Chi and Shi Hui waved goodbye, climbed into the car, and drove out through the gates of Beijing Film Studio. Wang Yang kept waving until the taillights were out of sight before lowering his hand, his face filled with nostalgic longing. Chen Qi knew that the old man was not just longing for that fine couple, but even more for those burning years of passion in the past. Not just the old man—even Chen Qi felt a distinct sensation welling up inside: *Battling against heaven brings boundless joy; battling against humanity brings boundless joy!* *** By this point, Gong Xue had "seen through" that television drama crew. They dragged their feet far too much! Or put another way, they were striving for absolute perfection. Chen Qi had accompanied Yang Jie to look at actors several times. The candidates for Bao Zheng included Bao Guo'an (Cao Cao), Li Po (Dong Zhuo), Feng Enhe (Station Chief Wu), Tong Chao (Commander Lei from *Wreaths at the Foot of the Mountain*), Lü Xiaohe, and others. Yang Jie had her own aesthetic demands: the face had to be fleshy and definitely broad; the actor couldn't be too short; his skin was best with a natural dark complexion; his eyebrows had to be thick; and he had to project an aura of unforced majesty and incorruptible integrity. For Gongsun Ce, she actually auditioned Chen Daoming. Chen Daoming had just been assigned as an actor to the China Television Production Center; he was twenty-five years of age, cultured and fair-skinned. As for Zhan Zhao, Chen Qi recommended Wang Qun. The Iron Triangle of the Taiwan version of *Justice Bao* was deeply ingrained in public memory, but he had nowhere to look for them. Close enough would do—it was only six episodes, what more could one ask for? But Yang Jie was exacting. Auditioning one after another, she had only finalized Wang Qun as a lead, solely because he genuinely knew martial arts. Chen Qi also recommended Ge You, Xie Yuan, and Zhang Guangbei. The first two were bit players, while Zhang Guangbei had the dumb luck to land a supporting role as one of Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, and Zhao Hu. Brother Yunfei was moved to tears of gratitude; he had never imagined that a chance acquaintance would actually get him onto a damn set. There was no suitable role for Zhu Lin. She couldn't play an imperious princess, nor could she play Qin Xianglian. When it came to queens, empresses, matrons of great households, intellectuals, or scientists, she could simply stand there and look the part. One could hardly imagine her weeping with two children in tow, off to search for Chen Shimei. And then there were the endless meetings studying how to shoot the series. Even if all the actors were selected, they would have to undergo collective training to learn the etiquette and institutions of the Song dynasty, learn who Bao Zheng really was, and write character biographies—standard practice in this era. So Gong Xue followed Chen Qi's advice. She couldn't afford to waste time... no, rather, she needed to make an efficient choice. *Woo, woo!* *Rumble!* On a train bound for Shanghai, Gong Xue stared blankly out the window. The scenery rushed past, much like her restless heart. Right after Fu Chi and Shi Hui left, Yang Jie came looking for Chen Qi, saying she wanted to head south for casting. Post-production on *Tai Chi* only had technical details left, so Chen Qi had a few days of free time and agreed to accompany her—mainly because he wanted to visit the *Shaolin Temple* crew to check on Li Lianjie's condition. *Tai Chi* was scheduled for a Spring Festival release in Hong Kong, and the team would travel there for promotion, so he probably wouldn't be home for New Year's. Gong Xue therefore took a few days off to return home and visit her parents first. Thus, Yang Jie, Wang Chongqiu, Chen Qi, and Gong Xue ended up on the same train together. Yet Gong Xue was torn inside: *Should I invite him over to my house, or shouldn't I? If he comes, how do I introduce him? What if my parents object? And what if he's unhappy about it?* Her habitual overthinking flared up again. "Give me the mugs, I'll wash them!" "Let's go together. Don't do it all by yourself!" Chen Qi had bought several packs of instant noodles at the Overseas Chinese Store to bring along. It was the first time all four of them had eaten them, and every mouthful had been bursting with savory aroma. In this era, instant noodles were an affordable luxury food that ordinary people couldn't easily get. Most were imported; domestic ones were extremely rare, packaged in paper bags containing two liang of noodles for fifteen cents, and required grain coupons to purchase. Chen Qi and Wang Chongqiu carried the four enamel mugs off to wash them. Yang Jie looked across at Gong Xue, still trying to persuade her: "Our shoot will start soon. We'll definitely be filming next year. You're a natural fit for Qin Xianglian. Why not reconsider?" *Definitely filming next year...* Gong Xue pressed her lips together and said, "Director Yang, I really can't spare the time. You see, I won't even be able to go home for the New Year, which is why I had to come back early." "Ah, what a shame! You're such a great match!" Yang Jie said with deep regret, "The great upheaval created a talent gap in the artistic world. Actors are either too old or too young, with the middle generation completely hollowed out. If you don't take the role, I'll have to lower Qin Xianglian's age." "Why can't you raise it?" "The older ones aren't pretty enough. I cannot tolerate an unattractive lead actress in my productions; that's my pursuit of classical aesthetic beauty." Yang Jie spoke with utter conviction, then smiled. "Chongqiu has long understood this habit of mine. He didn't know how to shoot beauties before, but now he knows how to capture them on camera." "You two have such a good relationship. How many years have you been married?" Gong Xue asked casually. "About eleven years now. Back then he was only twenty-six, and I was already forty." "Oh... how old did you say?" "I was divorced before. My ex-husband works at Beijing Film Academy. I remarried at forty; there's a fourteen-year age gap between us," Yang Jie said, not minding in the least. "Huh?!" Gong Xue blinked in astonishment.