Ah Zhen

First came an imitation class, followed by physical training and voice coaching. Experiencing professional training for the first time, even at the most basic level, left the young girls bubbling with excitement. Based in Hong Kong, Great Wall blended practices from both sides of the border. For instance, just like in the mainland, this training provided a modest daily stipend—mainly for travel expenses—as well as a free lunch. In the blink of an eye, noon arrived, and everyone headed to the cafeteria together. The left-wing studio was strapped for cash, so the food was mediocre at best. Next door, the Shaw Brothers studio also had a cafeteria with equally lackluster meals, though in their case it was due to Shao Yifu's legendary stinginess. Rumor had it that a film crew once requested twenty dollars to buy a hundred pan-fried buns, only to be flatly rejected by Shao Yifu on the grounds that the company cafeteria sold steamed buns for a mere ten cents apiece—why waste an extra dime? "Ugh, the food here is awful!" Even with other people sitting in the cafeteria, Yuan Jieying couldn't care less. Carelessly poking around with her chopsticks, she finally fished out a morsel of meat and said, "What do you guys think? Isn't it terrible?" "It is a bit plain," Zhu Yin whispered. "I think it's fine. We eat like this at home all the time." Holding a steamed bun in one hand and picking up vegetables with her chopsticks in the other, Qiu Shuzhen ate contentedly. "No way! If we had to eat this at my house, my little brother and sisters would burst into tears." "Oh? How many younger siblings do you have?" Zhu Yin asked. "Two younger sisters and one younger brother. Annoying as hell all day long." "Then I've got it better than you. I only have one older sister, and she's ten years older than me," Zhu Yin said with a smile. Both of them turned to look at Qiu Shuzhen. Feeling quite self-conscious, Qiu Shuzhen lowered her voice and said, "There are seven kids in my family. I'm the fifth." "Whoa! Seven?!" Zhu Yin's family ran a bakery, while Yuan Jieying's family was in business and even better off. Having grown up running wild and rebellious to the core, Yuan Jieying directly plopped her piece of meat into Qiu Shuzhen's bowl. "Here, you eat it!" "I don't want it!" Stung in her pride, Qiu Shuzhen dropped it right back. "Just eat it when I tell you to!" "Why should I eat it just because you tell me to?" "Because your family is poor!" "You!" Qiu Shuzhen glared, deeply insulted. Yuan Jieying had no intention of explaining herself and glared right back. Caught in the middle, Zhu Yin trembled with fright, pleading meekly, "Don't fight, you two! Fighting is bad, and the teachers are watching!" "Hmph! I'm not going to stoop to arguing with a kid!" "You're a kid too! What gives you the right to talk down to me?" "I'm a whole year older than you! And let me tell you, I'll definitely be the one chosen in the end! Didn't you see? Most of Teacher Chen and Director Tsui's attention was on me!" Qiu Shuzhen puffed up with pride again. Furious, Yuan Jieying slammed down her chopsticks and stormed off. Zhu Yin continued to tremble. "Young girls are just brimming with energy. Ah, to be young again!" From upstairs, Chen Qi watched with an amused, nostalgic gaze. Turning his head, he said, "I'm leaning toward Qiu Shuzhen. Yuan Jieying doesn't fit the part in any way, but she's well suited to play the classmate—bullying her in the movie, only to get pushed down the stairs. "Zhu Yin is too young; she doesn't have that edge. She can be another classmate." "Works for me. My thoughts exactly." Tsui Hark nodded. He was only doing gig work here and had no obligation to give it his all, yet his sense of responsibility toward filmmaking made him eager to dive in anyway. Fortunately, Chen Qi's ideas aligned with his for the most part, avoiding many potential clashes. *** "Fifth Sister!" "Big Sister is back!" "We're so hungry! We want food!" That afternoon, Qiu Shuzhen took the bus home. The moment she stepped through the door, the two younger siblings left at home swarmed her. Holding the lunchbox high above her head, she called out, "All right, all right, stop making such a racket! I brought food!" She set the packed leftovers from the cafeteria onto the table. With a cheer, her little brother and sister dug right in. After washing her face, she lay down on her small bed, feeling a wave of exhaustion. The bed was barely a meter wide and just over a meter long, barely enough for one person to sleep on. Both her parents were working-class laborers. Previously, nine people had crammed into this single flat—everyone knew how brutally tight housing was in Hong Kong. Things were slightly better now that two older siblings had gotten married and moved out, but it was still terribly cramped. Qiu Shuzhen was no fool; she could tell Teacher Chen had been paying special attention to her. If she got picked, she would be acting in a movie, and she had heard that acting paid very well. When that time came, she could buy a pretty dress, get gifts for her parents, and buy delicious treats for her brothers and sisters... She sat bolt upright, instantly revitalized with boundless drive. Even if Teacher Chen favored her, she still had to work hard. Facing the mirror in the room, she began to replay the morning's lessons over and over again. "Legs up on the sofa, pressed together, head tilted..." She remembered every single key point Chen Qi had explained. Without a sofa, she pulled over two wooden chairs and went through the exercises, looking utterly comical to any outside observer. "Fifth Sister, what are you doing?" "Have you gone crazy?" "I'm striving for the sake of our whole family! Clean up the room after you finish eating—all you ever think about is food!" Qiu Shuzhen snapped back, before resuming her practice. *** After training proceeded like this, the two filler girls were eliminated by the fourth day, before the week was even up. Chen Qi, Fu Chi, and Tsui Hark agreed unanimously that the role could be given to Qiu Shuzhen. On the fifth day, the classes concluded. Qiu Shuzhen's parents were summoned to the office. They walked in nervously, finding both Fu Chi and Chen Qi present. Fu Chi smiled, shook their hands, and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Qiu, your daughter has been officially cast in *Orphan* as the female lead. We invited you here today to discuss her contract." "Really?!" "Thank you! Thank you so much for giving her this chance!" Both parents hastened to express their gratitude. Her mother couldn't help asking, "Mr. Fu, since Ah Zhen is playing the lead, how much will her salary be?" "Five thousand dollars!" Fu Chi cut straight to the point. Hearing five thousand, her parents lit up with delight, only for their brows to furrow deeply a moment later. Wages in Hong Kong were already quite high; an ordinary working-class person could earn around two thousand Hong Kong dollars a month. Five thousand was barely more than a single month of their combined wages. "Mr. Fu, isn't that a bit low? I've heard movie actors make a lot of money—tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands!" "Do you know Brigitte Lin?" "Yes! Of course!" "She's a major star from Taiwan, yet her quote for a film in Hong Kong is only two hundred and fifty thousand. Actresses have always been paid less, and Ah Zhen is still a child with zero experience. We also have to bear the cost of her training. So, how much were you expecting?" "Well..." Hesitating, her parents paused before putting on an appeasing smile. "Still, five thousand really is a bit on the low side. The two of us can make that working for a month." After much back-and-forth haggling, Fu Chi finally relented: "Fine, fine—fifteen thousand dollars. Not another word, or I'll recast the role!" "All right, fifteen thousand is great!" "Thank you, Mr. Fu!" Qiu Shuzhen had been present the whole time, listening in on every word. Far from feeling like she was being sold off, she was thrilled at the prospect of earning money for her family, her small face flushed with excitement. "Don't thank me just yet. We also have an additional clause..." Fu Chi gave Chen Qi a subtle nod. Chen Qi strolled over and said with a smile, "Ah Zhen, let's take a walk outside. Your parents still have other matters to discuss." "Okay!" Qiu Shuzhen stood up obediently and followed him out.