Golden Assistant 41

  

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This is so long overdue... first, work has been so stressful these few months. Then, my laptop died on me and had to be sent for repairs, AND THEN my data got completely erased :')

Bad luck do come in threes....

Me after completing this chapter because it's almost twice as long than the others :) 

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Enjoy Chapter 41!

(unedited - pls lmk if there are any errors!) 

Chapter 41 - Your Family's Zhouzhou Has The Best Character

A few days later, Zheng Xiaocong asked Lu Zhou for a meeting to help choose a script for him. Zheng Xiaocong’s company was opened in a villa, and it was only nominally affiliated with one of the largest domestic film and television companies - he had his own social connections.

Zheng Xiaocong was not there, so the vice president talked with Lu Zhou for a while. When Lu Zhou introduced Xiao Yi as his agent, the vice president smiled and said: "Isn't this that..."

"Right right." Xiao Yi shook hands with him and said, "Xiao Yi."

"Not bad." said the vice president, "You have foresight."

Xiao Yi laughed. Lu Zhou had already repeatedly advised him in earnest, if he was servile and flattering again, he would just...... Xiao Yi found that Lu Zhou was unable to control him now. If it was like before, he could still be fired, but now even that continuously used trump card was ineffective, so Lu Zhou could only turn the threat into a "if...... just......" sentence as if spoken by a primary school student. As for the result, he left it without any suspense and allowed Xiao Yi to think about it himself. 

When Lu Zhou was reading the script, Xiao Yi and the vice president made small talk and said with a smile: "He has rested for a while, and wants to make a comeback."

"This year's movie box office is an economy bubble." The vice president replied, "To be honest, I didn't expect Teacher Lu Zhou would want to film a movie."

"The intensity of filming a TV series is too high." Xiao Yi said, "I'm afraid Brother Zhou will be overloaded."

Lu Zhou said: "How about this, we will take the script back and have a look at it first, then I will give you a reply in a few days."

The vice president said: "Get in touch anytime."

Xiao Yi brought back three movie scripts, which were all stated to start filming this year. Of course, for all movies and TV series, every film and television company would claim to be making a high quality production at huge costs and would never say that they would be making a bad film to fool the audience. No matter how impressive their boasts were, they could not be trusted, but the three scripts did have something in common —— the lack of a male supporting role.

All companies wanted to support their own newcomers. Lu Zhou who had not signed a contract with any company, did not even need to think about being the lead. He could only be the supporting actor for the newcomers from these companies.

In the past, Xiao Yi would have definitely died of anger, but Lu Zhou was not even concerned about this matter.

"I've even acted as a corpse before." Lu Zhou said, "Why would playing a supporting role matter? We don't even know if they would want me or not."

Xiao Yi said: "But these three supporting roles are too...... hey, how much is the remuneration?"

Lu Zhou said: "Eight hundred thousand, not more than one million." 

*This is in china RMB, approx 124K USD*

"What!" Xiao Yi roared angrily.

Everyone in the restaurant looked at Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi immediately covered his face with the menu. Now not only did Lu Zhou had to hide his face while he was out, but Xiao Yi himself had to be fully prepared too. Because he had only gotten popular recently, he was not afraid to be mauled by fans, but he still had to be careful about the media.

Now that Lu Zhou had no company backing, who wouldn't pick on Lu Zhou? If he was caught with Xiao Yi, it would an explosive scoop. Xiao Yi had suggested to go home several times, but Lu Zhou was not afraid and said: "I've been a coward for so many years, and finally have a chance to create my own scandal, what are you afraid for?"

So, Xiao Yi and Lu Zhou both wore sunglasses, baseball caps, and sportswear. They sat in a high-end restaurant drinking afternoon tea and reading scripts. If it was only Lu Zhou himself, then it would have been okay, but it was suspicious to have two people dressed like this. They were even wearing couple sunglasses and the same brand of clothes. It was almost like some underground organization was concealing their activities. 

Fortunately, there were only a few people here, and most of them were bosses of various financial companies. Even if someone was to discover Lu Zhou, an uncle in his 50s or 60s would not come over to tug on Lu Zhou's clothes and ask for an autograph.

Under the cover of some flower pots, Xiao Yi read the three scripts. The first was a historical drama, a bewildering legend which told the story of a scholar who met the Queen Mother of the West and eloped with one of her fairies. The script was magnificent, it was filled with various mystical dangers and special effects. The scholar was the protagonist, and Lu Zhou's role would be a knight who came to support the lead.

The second script was an urban romance drama. It was about a couple who had faked their marriage in order to buy a house. It was originally a marriage for pretense, but when they were trying to divorce, there were many obstacles. The parents and leaders of both parties all came to persuade them, and trouble accumulated into one large pile. No matter how they tried to divorce it just did not work. What was an even more pain in the ass was that the female lead was pregnant at that time, and it was her real lover's baby in her belly. After a turn of events, it was discovered that the honest, earnest, and motivated boyfriend that she had always believed in was a scum, and the husband who was sloppy and not engaged in honest business was a good man, so the female lead broke up with her ex-boyfriend and ended up together with her fake husband.

Xiao Yi laughed as he read the script, and thought the screenwriter was very funny. The scene where the female lead could not afford to buy a house and did not have a Beijing bank account, and her entire family pooling some money to help her with the down payment so that she could stay in Beijing, was both humorous and sad. In this story, the male lead was the husband, and Lu Zhou would play the scumbag who looked like an honest hardworking man, but ended up being a scum who cheated in the end.

The third script was a Hong Kong-produced gunfight drama, in which a policeman who had been missing for many years reappeared and stole his own files that had sank to the bottom many years ago from the police station. The colleagues who had pursued the case were all killed by the police. More and more people got involved in the case, so an expert detective came to the rescue and finally found the policeman. The policeman of the past had become the smuggler now. After a fight between the two sides, of course, the smuggler died.

"All three are good scripts." Xiao Yi said, "Two villains, one supporting role."

Lu Zhou and Xiao Yi looked through the scripts, and after reading them, Lu Zhou said: "I won't consider the first one."

"Why?" Xiao Yi asked.

Lu Zhou said: "The first one might want to look for Li Changzheng to play the protagonist Qiao Yu. I don't want to be the supporting role for Li Changzheng, and furthermore I'll have to be hyped by their company again."

"Didn't you want to raise their company's own newcomers?" Xiao Yi asked again after flipping through the script.

Lu Zhou said: "Don't listen to the speculations. With Li Changzheng around, can they use a newcomer? Li Changzheng will be the supporting role for the newcomer? This is a joint venture for several companies, and Li Changzheng will definitely be stuffed in."

Xiao Yi said: "The remaining two are villains."

Lu Zhou was silent for a moment, and said: "Which one do you like? Both aren't good things."

Xiao Yi replied: "Actually, both of them are very sad. The first one has a small cost. Maybe the box office will explode......"

"You can just say which one you like." Lu Zhou said.

"Zheng Changrong." Xiao Yi said, "I like Zheng Changrong."

Lu Zhou: "Well then it's that one."

Xiao Yi said: "Because Zheng Changrong's hands are stained with blood, his emotions are very real, and his experiences will garner sympathy......"

Lu Zhou waved his hand and said: "Say no more. Pay the bill!"

Xiao Yi finished the rest in his heart, saying If someone else was playing this kind of gunfight movie, I wouldn’t even watch it, but you wearing a police uniform, a black windbreaker and a Kazakhstan military uniform and hired back as a killer by an arms dealer......

Ah! The world is so beautiful!

Xiao Yi accompanied Lu Zhou to go sign the contract. Lu Zhou made some requests for the script, but the screenwriter did not change anything in the end. One month later, the actors were decided. The other party was half popular and half unpopular, and had acted in a few films before, but was a little out of trend. Lu Zhou signed the movie and got a RMB800,000 remuneration. If it was compared to a TV series, it would only be equivalent to one and a half episodes, but the movie would even take a whole month to shoot. It was simply not what it used to be.

 If you're reading this anywhere else, it has been stolen from https://daisyktranslations.blogspot.com/ 

Please read from original site.

After joining the filming crew, the director came to Beijing for a meeting. Lu Zhou knew the director. Although he had not collaborated with any of them, but he also knew the screenwriter, producer, and executive producer of the crew. The industry was only that big. During the meeting, the room was filled with various Hong Kongers and others not understanding each other in Cantonese. Xiao Yi was dizzy from listening to them, and did not even know which scene the martial arts instructor and coordinator were talking about.

Making a movie was more complicated than making a TV drama. It seemed like the screenwriter, director, and producer were having a quarrel. In that moment, Xiao Yi was afraid that the movie would not be made. Fortunately, the director surnamed Huang was still very polite.

"Come come come." Director Huang said, "Oh, Lu Zhou ah, I didn't expect you to take this role. It's great. With you here, my whole being is relieved."

Lu Zhou smiled and said: "It's time for me to start acting again. Director Huang, memorizing the script has recently become a shortcoming for me, so I will bother you to bear with me at that time."

"No problem——! No problem——!" Director Huang waved his hand and said, "You are willing to act, I can't ask for more!"

While waiting for the filming to commence, Lu Zhou and Xiao Yi were at home practicing the script. Zheng Changrong had a few lines, and most of them focused on highlighting various insidiousness, betrayals, and acting gloomy and cold. Xiao Yi looked at it and wondered whether this character was a little off, it seemed a little bit so. It was obvious that the screenwriter liked this sort of perverted villain. Although he did not appear much, when he did it was all in a cool and tyrannical way. But for an arms dealer, was it really okay to earn sympathy points like this? The screenwriter was ridiculous......

Lu Zhou still could not memorize the lines, but he seemed to be very confident because the lines for movies were short and concise unlike the many love and slow-paced verses in TV dramas. Xiao Yi sometimes did not quite understand when he read the movie script. Many words had dual or even triple meanings, especially puns. He had to stop to ask Lu Zhou why the character said this at that time.

Lu Zhou: "I used to think that I had left the industry, but when I turned around, I found that the industry was always there."

Xiao Yi: "What does it mean?"

Lu Zhou: "Means to pretend to hide, but not able to keep the pretense in place. After hearing this, even you'll understand."

Xiao Yi: "......"

Lu Zhou thought for a while. Xiao Yi did not bother him, and then Lu Zhou said: "Desolate, wanting to hide but can't hide, wanting to wash his hands off this, reality forces him to run non-stop, there's a sense of fatalism in the desert. "

Xiao Yi read up to the scene before the final ending. Detective Hu Ying chased after Zheng Changrong. Zheng Changrong's car overturned and he fled into the sandy desert on foot. Hu Ying chased him all the way in the desert. In a gunfight, Zheng Changrong finally died under Hu Ying's hands.

"Will you go to Italy to shoot?" Xiao Yi said, "There are so many luxurious and dazzling sceneries! I haven't been there yet!"

Lu Zhou: "Italy? Baoding* has a slot for you."

*a prefecture level city in Hebei

Xiao Yi: "......"

Lu Zhou: "Only twenty-six million investment, what Italy? I'm not the protagonist. You really want to follow and enjoy."

Lu Zhou thought for a while, and said to Xiao Yi: "I know that since I took this first step, I can never look back anymore, I'll either die in your hands or in my own hands."

Lu Zhou stared at Xiao Yi silently, with sadness and helplessness in his eyes.

"Very good!" Xiao Yi shouted wildly, "See, you can remember this."

Lu Zhou said: "The feeling is wrong."

Xiao Yi said: "It's fine to act according to your understanding, this is great!"

He had felt the aura that Lu Zhou showed in that instant, it was Lu Zhou! It's Lu Zhou! But it was not the Lu Zhou he had known before!

Lu Zhou got up. He shook his head and did not speak, then went to take a glass of water. Xiao Yi said: "The appearance of yours just now, I literally saw pity...... No no, you'll definitely be more loved than the protagonist."

"Don't say that!" Lu Zhou faced Xiao Yi and said, "Supporting actors can't snatch the protagonist's scenes. If you become famous for yourself regardless of the overall arrangement, and show off your acting skills to deliberately snatch the protagonist's scenes, this is very unprofessional. The viewers will praise you for being handsome in the show and you'll be famous, but the people in the industry will understand and they will bother you."

"Oh." Xiao Yi said, "Really?"

Lu Zhou drank some water and leaned against the dining table, pondering for a moment. Xiao Yi said: "I just realized that the current you is not the you in the past."

Lu Zhou said: "Because Zheng Changrong is acting as Lu Zhou this time. When you saw me acting in the past, it was Lu Zhou who was acting as someone else."

Xiao Yi vaguely grasped Lu Zhou’s meaning. No matter who he had played in the past, he used his soul to change and conform to that character, but now he used his own self to pull the soul of the character in and integrate it with his being. 

"Director Guo mentioned before." Lu Zhou said, "There are three ways to act. One is to assume that you become the role. The other is to assume that the role becomes you."

"What about the third way?" Xiao Yi asked.

"The third is by tailoring the inner world." Lu Zhou casually said, "You are you, and the role is the role. You and the role are fused with each other, and an independent person who is not necessarily consistent with the script is derived."

That afternoon, Lu Zhou had not spoken nor read the script. He paced about at home. Xiao Yi checked through the script. In it, Zheng Changrong had a total of 27 scenes, and most of them were fighting scenes, with less than 80 lines.

"This shooting should be finished in a few days." Xiao Yi said. "It's just the trouble of running around on location."

Lu Zhou said: "You're dreaming, our scenes will have to take at least two months."

"Shooting 27 scenes will take two months?" Xiao Yi said dubiously, "Even if you film one scene every two days, there's still leftover days."

Lu Zhou said: "There are even shows that have more than 300 scenes that had filmed for ten years. Why don't you say that the director shot one scene per week? Can a TV series shoot ten scenes a day and more than 1,000 scenes in three months?"

Xiao Yi felt that this was actually quite good. If Lu Zhou was filming a scene all day, the lines would surely be drilled in slowly. Lu Zhou repeated the lines several times and still forgot at times, but this time he was no longer irritable.

In the evening an investor called, and Xiao Yi's heart sank after hearing the reason.

"The character needs to be changed." The other party said, "Especially Zheng Changrong."

Xiao Yi said: "Why does it need to be changed again?"

"Xin Hongkai* requested it." The coordinator said, "Maybe the lines and scenes have to be adjusted. The protagonist will change parts of it. If the protagonist's scenes changes, the supporting roles must also be adjusted accordingly."

*the protagonist of LZ's drama

Xiao Yi glanced at Lu Zhou. Lu Zhou did not know what they were talking about, but he stopped and looked at Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi had an ominous premonition.

Xiao Yi: "We have to discuss then decide on this."

The coordinator said: "This......"

Xiao Yi said: "The script has already been written, and now it's going to be abruptly changed. Is Xin Hongkai even more famous than our Lu Zhou? Lu Zhou is already a supporting role for him. Isn't it good for everyone to respect each other?"

Lu Zhou: "......"

The coordinator: "This, Mr. Xiao, don't be angry. I will discuss it with the screenwriter. You should know, we also find things very difficult when we are suddenly asked to add a supporting actress in."

Xiao Yi said: "The quality of the movie is there, right? Everyone is just generating income for their boss. I hope things will not be constantly changing. Once filming starts, it would be very troublesome."

The coordinator was male, and he did not say anything after hearing that. He said: "I understand I understand, I will try to communicate this."

Xiao Yi hung up the phone and looked at Lu Zhou with an alarmed expression on his face.

"Did you offend someone?" Xiao Yi said.

"No." Lu Zhou was a little surprised and said, "Very good, you would actually say this."

Xiao Yi replied: "Well...... if there is no problem, I will be the bad guy in the future, and you can be the good guy."

Lu Zhou laughed and said nothing. Xiao Yi asked: "What should we do in this situation?"

"Nothing." Lu Zhou said, "I've no solution either. I'll call the producer later, you don't have to worry."

Xiao Yi said: "Why would they want to change the script so suddenly?"

Lu Zhou said: "Although they signed me on, they obviously can't let my role stand out. It's best to seem disappointing and stupid so as to bring out the protagonist's heroism."

 If you're reading this anywhere else, it has been stolen from https://daisyktranslations.blogspot.com/ 

Please read from original site.

After dinner, Xiao Yi made ice cream for Lu Zhou, while Lu Zhou called the producer.

"Hey, Teacher Xiao." Lu Zhou said with a smile, "I'm Xiao Lu, ah ha ha ha yes yes, my agent is a child, he's ignorant, I have already taught him a lesson!"

Xiao Yi did not know to laugh or cry, and he fed Lu Zhou a large scoop of ice cream. Lu Zhou shivered as he ate the ice cream, and said: "Okay okay, I'll see how the amended script goes. I'll take a break these few days and wait for the screenwriter!"

"Yes yes." Lu Zhou said.

Lu Zhou hung up the phone and said: "Fuck."

Xiao Yi said: "The script needs to be changed?"

Lu Zhou: "A malicious action."

Xiao Yi: "Look for Brother Xiaocong?"

Lu Zhou: "Zheng Xiaocong only gave a few million to make a lot of money. It's useless to find him."

Xiao Yi: "Shall we bring capital into the team?"

Lu Zhou: "A villain supporting role, bring what disgusting capital in!"

Xiao Yi and Lu Zhou looked at each other for a while, then Xiao Yi asked: "Is there anyone else who refused to change the script? The enemy's enemy is a friend. I guess the screenwriter definitely doesn't want to change the script too."

Lu Zhou thought for a while. He called someone from Zheng Xiaocong's company and asked for the screenwriter's phone number. Xiao Yi then gave the screenwriter a call. The screenwriter was a girl and had a worse temper than anyone else. Once she heard Xiao Yi's voice, she said:" Don't call me anymore! I'm not done with the changes! If you rush me again, just write it yourself!"

Xiao Yi immediately said: "Don't get agitated! We are allies! We also don't wish to change the script, if we can, we will try not. I am Xiao Yi, Lu Zhou's assistant......"

Screenwriter: "Oh? Wait wait, are you that Xiao Yi?"

Xiao Yi: "Yes."

"Ah——" The screenwriter screamed over the phone, "You are so cute! I really like the songs sung by you!"

Peach blossoms popped out of Xiao Yi's head as he said: "Thank you, thank you, I am flattered......"

Lu Zhou: "......"

So Xiao Yi started gossiping with the screenwriter about the audition program team. After talking for a long time, he finally hung up the phone. Lu Zhou said: "What about the script?"

Xiao Yi had completely forgotten about that, and immediately picked up the phone to call again. Lu Zhou grabbed the phone with his hand and shouted: "You retard!"

Xiao Yi: "......" 

However, it did not take long for the screenwriter to remember this herself. She called Xiao Yi to discuss about the issue and made an appointment to go to the company for a meeting the next day. Xiao Yi was most afraid of meetings, but it was related to the script and he had to go.

On the next day, the director and producer were all there, but the male protagonist’s agent did not come, and Xiao Yi did. He thought that this would have offended everyone, the one who asked for the change did not come, but the one who did not want any change came. Although Lu Zhou was already a little out of the market, his remaining prestige was still there, and since it was about his own role, the producer was not in a position to comment much.

The screenwriter sat down and immediately said: "I can't change it anymore. Why don't you find someone more qualified than me."

Xiao Yi: "......"

The director said: "Don't have such a big reaction, what solutions do I have? Don't always use your boss to suppress me."

Screenwriter: "I'm not using the boss to suppress you. You changed the front parts of the script, but it doesn't make sense at the end! The entire logic is messed up!"

Xiao Yi thought Being so fiery at the beginning doesn't seem so good...... Could they be gentler?

The director said: "Come on, let's start all over again."

Screenwriter: "I wrote this all in accordance with the requirements of the meeting, and not even my mother would recognize the things that I've written. You still want to start from the beginning?"

The director said: "Add in the part where the female supporting character will appear, and Xin Hongkai's part can be ignored for now."

Both went on to bargain and quarrel for a long time. Xiao Yi realized that the director did not want to change the script as well, and in the end, someone was stuffed inside. Fortunately, Lu Zhou's parts were mostly unaffected, they just changed from the suicide after awakening from his wrongs to being shot by the male protagonist.

After he emerged from the meeting, Xiao Yi had a meal with the screenwriter and chatted for a while. He read through the script and found that it really could not be changed in the middle. Most of the situations were linked to one another, and if one change was made, it would be easy for all of them to fall out of logic. The final result of the male protagonist's request for a change in the script and the investor's request for the additional supporting actress, was that the hero and the heroine would look like a bunch of retards.

Screenwriter: "Yeah, Xin Hongkai that horse face, he ruins whatever he acts in. I didn't want to write anything when I heard that he was about to accept this role."

Xiao Yi said: "This should be acted by our family's Lu Zhou."

Screenwriter: "Yeah! Just let him work hard. Hey, I hope he adjusts his state quickly. He is the most suitable for the male lead, with a male protagonist face, and good acting skills."

The screenwriter and Xiao Yi smirked and ridiculed the male protagonist. When they left, they exchanged their phone numbers and said that they would have to meet up and chat together in the future. Xiao Yi simply admired the screenwriter. After reporting once he had returned home, Lu Zhou just snorted and continued to go through the script with him.

Xiao Yi said: "The screenwriter in this group is really good."

Lu Zhou said: "They have their own workings, so there is no need to thank her specifically."

Xiao Yi: "But she likes you very much."

Lu Zhou put the script away and said: "The screenwriter and director, they have different feelings about actors as compared to investors, producers, and fans. Investors will evaluate you according to the box office, and fans will see if you're popular. The main producers will not care much, the only criteria for evaluating you are your acting skills and professionalism."

"If your professionalism is good, as long as you don't overdo it, they won't care how bad your personality is, especially the screenwriters. They love the characters that they have written and hope to match the characters with the most suitable actors." Lu Zhou said, "In fact, ultimately it's the same. No matter how much negative news are out there about an actor, no matter how unbearable it is to be stepped on, as long as he can act well and the role can impress the public, fans can forgive him even if he marries a few wives or cheats a few times. Of course cheating's still bad, don't show that expression...... Look at you...... Is there a necessary connection between good acting skills and cheating? Hahaha, you've learned all your logic from dogs. It’s difficult for people with poor moral characters to film a good show. Your family's Zhouzhou, my character is the best......"

"That...... can you remember your lines?"

"I don't know, let's play it by ear, I hope God won't give me a hard time."

"......"

 If you're reading this anywhere else, it has been stolen from https://daisyktranslations.blogspot.com/ 

Please read from original site.

Immediately afterwards, there were endless meetings for nearly a month. On the day of the launch for the filming, Lu Zhou and Xiao Yi attended the launch ceremony. It was very low-key, only the male protagonist’s agency organized fans to join in. This was the first time Xiao Yi saw Lu Zhou as a supporting role. Lu Zhou was standing at a corner, wearing a shirt and shorts with leather shoes and sunglasses, chatting with Xiao Yi from time to time. The male protagonist Xin Hongkai and the female protagonist presided over the ceremony.

Fans at the front shouted Xin Hongkai's name. Lu Zhou and Xiao Yi stood under the scorching summer sun and were all sweaty and slimy. Lu Zhou seemed to have been completely forgotten.

"Your fans aren't here." Xiao Yi said.

"They're all hired." Lu Zhou whispered.

Xiao Yi browsed Weibo. Lu Zhou did not sign with a brokerage company, and was temporarily affiliated with Zheng Xiaocong's studio, so no one helped to hype his news. The headlines on Weibo were all about *Zhang Xinran's new drama.

*In case you have forgotten, she was LZ's ex gf. 

However, there seemed to be a lot more news about Lu Zhou these days. There was one stating that he would be participating in another blockbuster historical drama and acting in a rivalry with Zhang Xinran. Xiao Yi was unable to make heads or tails of it, and said: "No one looked for me though."

Lu Zhou said: "It's just pulling me in to make a hype, don't worry about them. They're borrowing Zhang Xinran's and my past to stir up some news."

Xiao Yi asked, "Do you want to respond?"

Lu Zhou waved it off. It seemed that he had become accustomed to this state. The filming started on that day. Xiao Yi thought he would have to go to Hong Kong, and could go do some shopping. However, Lu Zhou did not have any outdoor scenes in Hong Kong. The whole filming was in the studio of Zhongying, and others like under the highway in Baoding, Hebei, Tianmo Film and Television City in Longbaoshan, and several scattered locations.

Up until the day before the show started, Lu Zhou was still reading the script.

He did not do anything in the past few days, and did not even browse Taobao. He shut himself up at home and recited lines to himself. He could recite properly every time he tried to do so casually, but when he went all out and released his emotions, the lines were stuck.

"I have worked hard for the boss for so many years!" Lu Zhou roared, "In exchange for a body filled with injuries, a title for being shameless! What about you! You......"

Lu Zhou faced Xiao Yi and pointed.

"You you you……"

"Do you think you are different in his heart?!" Xiao Yi stepped forward and roared, "You are just another dog he raised!"

Lu Zhou: "......"

"You're almost better than me." Lu Zhou sat on the sofa helplessly. Xiao Yi kissed him on the lips, and walked away to start on this own chores.

"I have worked hard for the boss for so many years!" Lu Zhou suddenly appeared in the kitchen and roared.

Xiao Yi was so frightened by Lu Zhou that he almost had a heart attack. He continued cutting vegetables with a funny expression* on his face, and the corners of his mouth twitching .

*it's exactly this expression below that the author wants to relay.

"I have worked hard for the boss "

Lu Zhou finally laughed during one of the lines, and shook his head.

Xiao Yi was unable to help Lu Zhou theorize the script. He could only accompany him, just like what the script stated. 

"It's not that I defeated you." Xiao Yi said, "Zhangrong, you destroyed yourself. You can't get out, you can only stay in the dark forever."

"Defeated myself?" Lu Zhou sneered, "How easy it is to say? Do you know what I have experienced over the years? I......"

Lu Zhou looked at Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi thought for a while, and sighed: "The ups and downs, I was once brilliant, and I was tranquil, ah!"

"The new force is unstoppable!" Xiao Yi said, "Does this sound like a movie line?"

Lu Zhou laughed loudly and said: "When my dad named me Lu Zhou, this must be what he thought of. When I was young, my friends called me Old-timer Lu Zhou, because my feelings were very impulsive since I was a child. Just reading a text is too much."

"Brother Zhou, the first time I went to see your SNS record, when I knew of your name." Xiao Yi said, "I thought it sounded good, it sounded so good, it felt free, just like a boat, going upstream and downstream, after a thousand sails passed by. Laughing and looking upon and what not, feeling unafraid of stormy waves."

"You're flattering me." Lu Zhou did not know to cry or laugh, "Everything is good in your eyes."

Lu Zhou shook his head. Xiao Yi sat at the dining table and made tea for him. Lu Zhou took a sip, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said in a deep voice, "You know the injustice, unwillingness and anger that fate has imposed on him. Do you know what have I experienced these few years? I have worked hard for the boss all these years! In exchange for an injury, a title for being shameless! What about you! You are just another dog he raised! After I die, you will be the next me......"

"Very good." Xiao Yi said.

"It's still not right." Lu Zhou said, "I can remember the lines, but I can't represent the character. In fact, after I hit my head, it's not that I can't remember the lines at all. What I'm missing is the way of thinking that allows me to understand the characters based on the lines...... Don't worry about it, let's talk tomorrow. I've finally memorized it, let's hope it won't get stuck."

Xiao Yi asked: "What do you mean?"

"It's......" Lu Zhou thought for a while. He gestured with both hands and explained to Xiao Yi: "The lines are just a bridge, a bridge between me and the character. What the lines are saying is not the most important thing, the key is that with my problem of forgetting the lines, it ruined the bridge in the middle, so I can't find the sense for the show. I can memorize the lines by rote memorization, but now I always feel that there's a layer of separation between me and the character."

Xiao Yi could not help but to feel a little upset. Lu Zhou originally had a very good memory. Whatever he had acted he would pass it in one shot. After his memory was impaired, he could recite only three and a half lines for almost a week, and he would get stuck every time he released his emotions.

Now that he had memorized the script, the issue had already been solved, but it only treated the symptoms rather than the root cause, because there was a problem with the incorporation of the role.

First, he could put the character aside and memorize the lines mechanically, then try to find the feeling again. Generally speaking, this was still a right approach. Now they only hoped to quickly memorize the lines and allow the character to merge with it.

Lu Zhou asked: "I'm going to take a bath, do you want to do it tonight?"

Xiao Yi said: "The filming is going to start tomorrow, let's take a break first? I'm fine, I'm afraid you'll be tired."

Lu Zhou said: "After your shower, go to bed and wait for me."

Xiao Yi: "......"

Lu Zhou asked again: "Bathe together?"

Xiao Yi said: "I'll clean up the things first."

Xiao Yi washed the cups and plates, and Lu Zhou showered in the bathroom downstairs. Xiao Yi went to the bathroom upstairs to bathe. After washing up, he went down and read the script again. When he passed the piano in the living room, he gave it a glance.

Lu Zhou bought a piano back purely for decoration. He did not know how to play any musical instruments, and had no knowledge of music theory. He was plenty busy with acting every day. This piano costed more than one million yuan, and he did not know why he even bought it. Xiao Yi had also roasted him that he was crazy, and that rich people liked to spend money in weird places.

He opened the piano. The piano was tuned once shortly after he had bought it back, then Lu Zhou did not care about it anymore. Xiao Yi was not a musician, he did not develop any feels for it either, and only felt that it was so-so. But when he recalled Lu Zhou's serious yet funny expression just now, he pressed the piano keys. 

Lu Zhou usually found the piano to be noisy, and told Xiao Yi not to touch it. Xiao Yi habitually did not touch it, but today he suddenly felt like playing it.

He pressed three keys at the same time, and the chord rang.

Immediately afterwards, the music from the three chords was like a gigantic, vibrant tree that sprouted in the quiet night and grew wildly, like lightning and anger in the violent winds, trembling violently. The entire night was long and silent. Only a world tree grew out of this small house, supporting a vast and magnificent spiritual realm without warning, causing the living room to vibrate and roar amidst the sound of angry music.

The sky and the earth were cracking, the sea was flooding, the roaring thunder and the gentle moonlight intertwined, but it was fleeting and got swept into the deep dark sea by the raging tides.

Lu Zhou had taken a shower, his hair had not been wiped, and he came out wrapped in a bathrobe and stood in the living room.

Xiao Yi had completely immersed himself in the role of Zheng Changrong. He wanted to play a song for him, regardless of whether the movie would use it or not——

——That was the sense of hopelessness , the feeling of falling into the darkness and into the abyss. He took Lu Zhou's soul and fate and fell into a tragedy overnight, struggling with the melting fire of hell and moral condemnation. Thousands of mountains collapsed, thousands of flames burst, and beyond the dark clouds there was a beam of bright moonlight casted.

As if facing an unfair trial, he walked in the sunlight, but his heart was trembling and fearful. He hoped to destroy his present self, that one connected to the filthy soul. He screamed wildly in the torrents and whirlpool of destiny. He reached out, but could not come ashore.

Lu Zhou took a deep breath. All the notes seemed to hit him hard inside.

Accompanied by Xiao Yi’s swift performance, the magic of music instantly built a bridge between Lu Zhou and Zheng Changrong. It crossed the obstacles of the two souls, like the hands of the Creator, connecting the irrelevant despair in this world, unconventionally blending them together. If it was said there was no god in the world, this was a god. This giant hand seemed to have melted thousands and thousands of souls. All living creatures had to tremble in the irresistible power of the godliness of music! The stormy movement in this bleak world destroyed all hopes in the past, and smashed the unattainable future with one claw. Zheng Changrong was terrified. He knew that his soul had fallen, and the punishment that would follow would be arriving imminently. He turned to flee, but there was nowhere to escape. He ran wildly in the dark and shouted. It was a dying struggle of wind and lightning, and as the music was pushed to the top, the sound of shaking was like dawn in the vast desert when Hu Ying caught up with Zheng Changrong and ended it all with one gunshot.

Lu Zhou looked shocked, and then realized something. He immediately closed his eyes, and concentrated on silently reciting his lines.

Xiao Yi did not realize that Lu Zhou had walked to his side. He was immersed in Zheng Changrong's inner world. That shot brought a loud bang, shocking the whole world and instantly collapsed, revealing the dawn of a new era. Zheng Changrong failed. He did not get his redemption and died in despair. In the darkness, everything gradually subsided. The symphony movement that followed was a majestic and sorrowful tune. It gradually sank into the polluted land, as green buds gradually bloomed.

The tide of music receded gently, sweeping away all traces, and Xiao Yi gradually calmed down.

Lu Zhou: "......"

Xiao Yi was puzzled: "Sleep? You want to do it?"

Lu Zhou roared: "No——! Again! Quick! I found the feeling! I, your daddy is going to Nirvana! Quick ah! Who the hell are you——! Yo must be an angel sent by God to save I, your daddy!"

Xiao Yi: : @ _ @?

#Raw word count: 9330

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