The romantic scene between the hero and the heroine began.
Qin Guan and Zhou Xue looked into each other's eyes, conveying meanings that words couldn't express. Their eyes spoke for them, expressing their doubt, slight anger, and incomparable loss.
As Zhou Xue was about to get lost in Qin Guan's attracting eyes, the lights dimmed. Suddenly, she left in a hurry, as if relieved of a heavy load. Qin Guan was left standing in the dark, the lone sombre light highlighting his expressive eyes.
An assistant standing by with a thick pile of paperwork felt attracted to his gloomy eyes.
When she sighed, no one knew if it was over Qin Guan or his character.
"Cut! Perfect!"
The director brought everyone back to reality.
"You all worked hard. Go get something to eat. We could film two more scenes afterwards. The rent for the circus field is unbelievably high!"
"So is the hotel. I think prices here are much higher than in Hong Kong."
"Hong Kong and the mainland are pretty much the same..."
No one objected to the director's arrangement. People from Hong Kong were accustomed to such high-intensive work.
Unlike their Chinese peers, who shot scenes slowly one by one, Hong Kong filmmakers could finish a 40-episode TV series in one week. Time equaled money. In an era when films were being produced left and right, it took them only three days to finish a film.
Besides, they were shooting in Shanghai. The Shanghainese were very business-oriented. Back in the old times, most merchants from South China gathered in Shanghai, which everyone called "the bellwether of the Asian economy". Even ordinary citizens inherited and passed on these fine traditions.
That might explain why the manager of the field was currently walking up to them with a strict expression on his face.
"Will you be working till late at night?"
"Yes, our contract states that we will be charged by the day."
"I know that, there's no need to remind me. Let's talk about the extra payment for the labor workers."
"Labor workers? What do you mean by that?"
"Hey, don't go back on your word now. If you work at night, the gatekeeper has to be present."
"Of course, but he is in charge of the gate. How does that relate to us?"
"It does! Under normal circumstances, the gatekeeper would only check on the facilities once. If you are working here though, he will have to keep an eye on your crew. He will be up all night."
The man talked with the assistant director patiently. In the end, the director had to promise that he would pay the extra money.
"If I knew that you would be burning the midnight oil, I wouldn't have rent it out to you. I have to pay the janitors..."
"Okay."
"The security personnel that works the night shift..."
"Okay."
The assistant director was happy to see the cunning man leave. He felt as if countless flies were buzzing around his head. The manager left the bustling set to meet with his own team.
"How did the negotiation go, Lao Han?"
"I did it. They will pay the extra fees."
The Shanghainese cheered in low voices. They dared not raise their voices, because they were afraid of being heard by the people inside.
"People from Hong Kong are so nice!"
"They are too careless with contracts. We have to work overtime. We deserve that money."
"Yes. One should be careful what they sign."
They criticized the crew happily, just like the cunning manager, before they disappeared in the dark with the money.
The crew finished their lunch boxes in a hurry. Their simple lunch had been bought from a cheap nearby restaurant. The rice, meat and vegetables had only cost 10 yuan.
The stars had originally planned on dining out together, but they had been defeated by the expression in Director Chen's eyes and the lunch boxes brought by Sister Xue.
The Shanghai bouilli was a must for any carnivorous animal.
Zhang Xueyou opened the jar and saw the steaming pork. The crystal red pork looked like transparent jelly and shook slightly as Sister Xue set the jar down on the table.
A sweet smell hit everyone's noses. The large pieces of streaky pork, which were soaked in a secret sauce made of ice sugar, lay before them like tantalizing beauties.
The white, glutinous southern rice and vegetables were a perfect match for the sweet pork.
"It's wonderful!"
Zhou and Zhang were too lazy to move. They just sat down across from Qin Guan, took out some disposable chopsticks and buried their faces into their lunch boxes.
No speaking was allowed during meals; no talking during naptime.
The old saying was always obeyed in China. People had no time to pay attention to other things when there was delicious food before them.
As Qin Guan focused on his food shamelessly, he felt a touch on his leg. Huh? Maybe one of the guys kicked me accidentally. Qin Guan didn't take it seriously. He explored his jar with his chopsticks and found the last piece of pork. How lucky!
The romantic scene between the hero and the heroine began.
Qin Guan and Zhou Xue looked into each other's eyes, conveying meanings that words couldn't express. Their eyes spoke for them, expressing their doubt, slight anger, and incomparable loss.
As Zhou Xue was about to get lost in Qin Guan's attracting eyes, the lights dimmed. Suddenly, she left in a hurry, as if relieved of a heavy load. Qin Guan was left standing in the dark, the lone sombre light highlighting his expressive eyes.
An assistant standing by with a thick pile of paperwork felt attracted to his gloomy eyes.
When she sighed, no one knew if it was over Qin Guan or his character.
"Cut! Perfect!"
The director brought everyone back to reality.
"You all worked hard. Go get something to eat. We could film two more scenes afterwards. The rent for the circus field is unbelievably high!"
"So is the hotel. I think prices here are much higher than in Hong Kong."
"Hong Kong and the mainland are pretty much the same..."
No one objected to the director's arrangement. People from Hong Kong were accustomed to such high-intensive work.
Unlike their Chinese peers, who shot scenes slowly one by one, Hong Kong filmmakers could finish a 40-episode TV series in one week. Time equaled money. In an era when films were being produced left and right, it took them only three days to finish a film.
Besides, they were shooting in Shanghai. The Shanghainese were very business-oriented. Back in the old times, most merchants from South China gathered in Shanghai, which everyone called "the bellwether of the Asian economy". Even ordinary citizens inherited and passed on these fine traditions.
That might explain why the manager of the field was currently walking up to them with a strict expression on his face.
"Will you be working till late at night?"
"Yes, our contract states that we will be charged by the day."
"I know that, there's no need to remind me. Let's talk about the extra payment for the labor workers."
"Labor workers? What do you mean by that?"
"Hey, don't go back on your word now. If you work at night, the gatekeeper has to be present."
"Of course, but he is in charge of the gate. How does that relate to us?"
"It does! Under normal circumstances, the gatekeeper would only check on the facilities once. If you are working here though, he will have to keep an eye on your crew. He will be up all night."
The man talked with the assistant director patiently. In the end, the director had to promise that he would pay the extra money.
"If I knew that you would be burning the midnight oil, I wouldn't have rent it out to you. I have to pay the janitors..."
"Okay."
"The security personnel that works the night shift..."
"Okay."
The assistant director was happy to see the cunning man leave. He felt as if countless flies were buzzing around his head. The manager left the bustling set to meet with his own team.
"How did the negotiation go, Lao Han?"
"I did it. They will pay the extra fees."
The Shanghainese cheered in low voices. They dared not raise their voices, because they were afraid of being heard by the people inside.
"People from Hong Kong are so nice!"
"They are too careless with contracts. We have to work overtime. We deserve that money."
"Yes. One should be careful what they sign."
They criticized the crew happily, just like the cunning manager, before they disappeared in the dark with the money.
The crew finished their lunch boxes in a hurry. Their simple lunch had been bought from a cheap nearby restaurant. The rice, meat and vegetables had only cost 10 yuan.
The stars had originally planned on dining out together, but they had been defeated by the expression in Director Chen's eyes and the lunch boxes brought by Sister Xue.
The Shanghai bouilli was a must for any carnivorous animal.
Zhang Xueyou opened the jar and saw the steaming pork. The crystal red pork looked like transparent jelly and shook slightly as Sister Xue set the jar down on the table.
A sweet smell hit everyone's noses. The large pieces of streaky pork, which were soaked in a secret sauce made of ice sugar, lay before them like tantalizing beauties.
The white, glutinous southern rice and vegetables were a perfect match for the sweet pork.
"It's wonderful!"
Zhou and Zhang were too lazy to move. They just sat down across from Qin Guan, took out some disposable chopsticks and buried their faces into their lunch boxes.
No speaking was allowed during meals; no talking during naptime.
The old saying was always obeyed in China. People had no time to pay attention to other things when there was delicious food before them.
As Qin Guan focused on his food shamelessly, he felt a touch on his leg. Huh? Maybe one of the guys kicked me accidentally. Qin Guan didn't take it seriously. He explored his jar with his chopsticks and found the last piece of pork. How lucky!
