assistirfilmes Chapter 61, Bullets
Chapter 61, Bullets
Yang Yang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the cameras retreating.
He took a step forward.
The crowd had begun to disperse.
After Gao Huan finished singing a song, the crowd dispersed like clouds blown away by the wind. Some people stayed to talk to him, some took photos and left, and some were still asking, "Who is this? Is he a celebrity?"
Gao Huan didn't answer anyone's questions; he just stood there, waiting for Yangyang Jin to arrive.
Chen Duling stood next to him, zipped her down jacket all the way up, and shrank her neck.
The wind blew from the Seine, blowing her hair across her face, which she tucked behind her ear.
Yang Yang walked up to them.
The distance between the three people was less than two meters.
Gao Huan saw him first.
His gaze lingered on Yang Yang's face for a moment, then he smiled and nodded, speaking first.
"Yang Yang".
Yang Yang was stunned for a moment, opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.
He thought about the two hours he had been left behind, about Gao Huan singing in front of so many people, being surrounded by crowds, and being chased by cameras, while he sat on the stone steps like a forgotten piece of luggage.
"You sang very well," Yang Yang said. Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
"Thank you," Gao Huan said.
The two remained silent for a few seconds.
Chen Duling stood to the side, glancing at Gao Huan and then at Yang Yang, without saying a word.
Her eyelashes were still wet with tears, and her eyes were red, like a viewer who had just walked out of a sad movie.
Yang Yang wanted to say, "You know what? I once auditioned for Xu Yi."
But he didn't say it, because if he did, it would sound like he was asking for comfort, or like he was saying that he was inferior to him.
He didn't want to talk about those things.
He just stood there, in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, in front of Gao Huan who had just finished singing, in front of the person who had taken away the role he wanted, not knowing what to say next.
Soon, Yangyang Jin arrived; she and her bodyguard were already nearby.
She was wearing a black trench coat, her hair was a little messy from the wind, and she was holding a phone as she jogged over.
When she saw Yang Yang, she paused for a moment, but said nothing and walked to Gao Huan's side.
"Brother Huan."
"Hmm." Gao Huan gestured with his chin towards the other side of the plaza. "Wu Mengzhi is over there. Go and talk to her."
Yangyang Jin glanced in that direction, nodded, and didn't ask any further questions.
She turned and walked in that direction, her steps neither fast nor slow, like a drawn knife, its sharpness hidden but you know it's very sharp.
Gao Huan turned around and looked at Yang Yang.
Are you alone?
Yang Yang nodded.
"Would you like to walk together? Do you need a ride?"
"Okay." Yang Yang paused for a moment, then said.
The three people walked out of the square.
Gao Huan walked in the middle, Chen Duling walked to his right, and Yang Yang walked to his left.
The wind blew, sending the three people's hair flying everywhere.
The Eiffel Tower in the distance lit up, looking like a lit match in the twilight.
As Yang Yang walked, he suddenly remembered something.
"Do you know someone is filming you over there?" he asked.
"I know," Gao Huan said.
"You don't mind?"
Gao Huan glanced at him.
"Is it even useful to mind? Why not use it for movie promotion?"
Yang Yang thought about it and realized he was right.
The three people walked away.
The obelisk in the square is still there, standing silently, like an old man who has witnessed thousands of years of world changes.
The fountain was still spraying water, the water droplets spreading in the air and falling back down, spreading and falling back down.
The street performer started playing his guitar again and sang a French song. I didn't know the name, but the melody was very upbeat, like someone dancing in the sunshine.
No one knows what just happened. No one knows that a young Chinese man once sang an English song here, making a girl cry and leaving a boy who had been abandoned speechless.
Only the obelisk remembers.
But it won't say.
……
When Yangyang Jin walked up to Wu Mengzhi, the film crew had already moved to a black minivan at the edge of the square.
Wu Mengzhi was standing by the car door, holding a walkie-talkie, talking to a staff member.
She saw Yangyang Jin walking over, without surprise or even astonishment.
"Hello, I am Gao Huan's agent, Yangyang Jin."
Yangyang Jin extended her hand, her tone neither humble nor arrogant, as if she were greeting an old friend.
Wu Mengzhi took her hand.
"Wu Mengzhi, the chief director of 'Divas Hit the Road'."
"Know."
Yangyang Jin smiled, a small but very professional smile. "Director Wu, did you manage to film that footage from earlier?"
Wu Mengzhi did not deny it.
"Got it."
Yangyang Jin nodded, as if confirming a question she already knew the answer to.
"So how do you plan to use it?"
Wu Mengzhi looked at her, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
She had seen too many agents come to her asking "Can you delete it?" or "Can you not broadcast it?", but Yangyang Jin didn't say those things. She asked "How do you plan to use it?" instead of "Can you not use it?"
This means that Gao Huan doesn't mind being photographed, but he does mind how the photos are used.
"I haven't decided yet," Wu Mengzhi said, which was the truth.
Yangyang Jin took out her phone from her pocket, opened a page, and handed it over.
Wu Mengzhi took it and glanced at it.
The screen displays a Weibo post with a picture of Gao Huan in the movie "The Left Ear" and the text: "April 24th, Xu Yi is waiting for you."
"The Left Ear will be released on April 24th," Yangyang Jin said. "If the footage you have is edited well, it can be used as our promotional material."
Wu Mengzhi raised her eyebrows slightly.
She didn't expect Yangyang Jin to say that. She thought the other party was there to "put out the fire," but it turned out the other party was there to "add fuel to the fire."
"you mean--"
"What I mean is, you can film it, you can broadcast it, but we want it to appear during the promotional period for 'The Left Ear'."
Yangyang Jin looked into her eyes and said, "Gao Huan singing on the streets of Paris, singing for the female lead of 'The Left Ear,' this material would be a trending topic any time it's shown."
However, if it were released around the time of "The Left Ear," its popularity would be amplified by the film itself, which would benefit both you and us.
When will your show air?
Wu Mengzhi remained silent for five seconds.
She was calculating the costs in her head at lightning speed.
"April 18th." Wu Mengzhi thought for a moment, "It's set for April 18th."
Yangyang Jin laughed, "That's perfect. You broadcast it on the 18th, and our movie will be released on the 24th."
"The footage you have, edit it into a trailer or behind-the-scenes clip, and release it before your show airs. It will help promote both of our works."
Wu Mengzhi thought for a moment.
She understood Yangyang Jin's meaning: to leverage the popularity of both sides.
The footage of Gao Huan singing on the streets of Paris would go viral anywhere, but when placed within the promotional period of "Divas Hit the Road," it wasn't just that footage that went viral, but also the show itself.
"I need to go back and discuss this with the station," Wu Mengzhi said, her tone softening.
"No rush." Yangyang Jin put her phone back in her pocket. "Brother Huan said there's no rush. The material is in your hands, we can't run away, but you need our permission."
She turned around, took two steps, then stopped and looked back.
"By the way, Director Wu, that Yang Yang—"
Wu Mengzhi's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"He's with our Huan-ge, he'll be fine. Don't worry, we'll take him back to his place."
After Yangyang Jin finished speaking, she left.
Wu Mengzhi stood there, watching her figure disappear into the square lights, and a slow smile curved her lips, feeling quite satisfied.
She picked up the walkie-talkie: "Keep a separate copy of today's footage. I'll edit it myself later."
A voice came from the other end of the walkie-talkie: "Roger that."
Wu Mengzhi glanced in the direction of the square.
Gao Huan and Chen Duling are gone, and Yang Yang is gone too.
The fountain was still spraying water, the obelisk was still standing there, and the street performer had changed his tune to French, which she couldn't understand.
She thought that the coincidences in this world are sometimes better than a script.
Gao Huan took Yang Yang back to his residence. After returning to the hotel, he took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
Her hair wasn't dried properly; water droplets dripped down from the ends, landing on her shoulders and staining her T-shirt with several dark dots.
Chen Duling sat on the bed, hugging her knees as she looked at him. Her eyes were still red, but she had stopped crying.
"What was the name of the song you just sang?" she asked.
"Paper Love".
"Did you write this yourself?"
"Hmm." Gao Huan sat down at his desk, opened his laptop, and the light from the screen shone on his face. "I wrote this last November, but I haven't posted it yet. I suddenly felt like singing it today."
Chen Duling remained silent for a while.
"Was this written for me?"
Gao Huan's fingers paused on the keyboard for a moment.
He turned his head to look at her. She sat on the bed, hugging her knees, her chin resting on them, like a child waiting for an answer.
Her eyes were bright, like stars.
"Yes," Gao Huan said.
Just one word.
There was no explanation, no setup, no prelude.
Chen Duling's lips slowly curled up.
The smile started at the corners of her mouth, slowly spreading to her eyes, and then to her entire face, like a flower blooming in time-lapse photography.
"Then you still owe me a song," she said.
"I owe you?"
"You never told me this before, but you suddenly sang it to me today."
He even said, "Dedicated to my leading lady, you have to write a song just for me, from beginning to end, exclusively for me."
Her tone was coquettish, but her eyes were serious.
Gao Huan looked at her, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up, his smile carrying a kind of indulgent "I'm happy to be unable to do anything about you".
"Okay," he said.
Chen Duling was happy.
She jumped out of bed, walked barefoot to his side, and bent down to look at his computer screen.
The screen displays a document titled "Descendants of the Sun - 11th Draft of the Script Adaptation".
"What is this?" she asked.
"The script for the new play."
"Aren't you filming 'Love O2O'?"
"This is a TV drama script that I wrote myself."
Chen Duling glanced at the title again. "Descendants of the Sun? What's it about?"
Gao Huan leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.
"The stories of peacekeeping troops and doctors aiding Africa: falling in love amidst war, and finding meaning in their professions and lives amidst life and death."
Chen Duling blinked.
"It sounds like an idol drama."
"It's just an idol drama," Gao Huan said.
Chen Duling looked at him.
His profile appeared exceptionally sharp in the cold white light of the screen; the curve of his brow bone, the line of his nose, the angle of his jaw—every angle seemed meticulously calculated.
But his eyes were warm and gentle.
She didn't know if he believed in love, but she did.
However, she may not know now that she is capable of obtaining it.
"You're a really strange person," Chen Duling said.
"What's so strange?"
"You seem like you don't care about anything, but you care about everything you write."
The songs you write, the scripts you write, the plays you act in—you care about them to death.
But you don't seem to care much about yourself.
Gao Huan looked at her without saying a word.
Chen Duling squatted down, looked up at him, and placed her hands on his knees.
"Gao Huan, do you even care about yourself?"
The room became quiet.
The wind from outside blew in through the cracks in the window, causing the curtains to billow gently.
The Eiffel Tower in the distance was still flashing, one flash after another, like it was breathing.
Gao Huan reached out and tucked her hair, which was hanging down beside her face, behind her ear.
The movement was very light; his fingertips brushed against her earlobe, and the warmth transferred to her ear, causing it to turn slightly red.
"I didn't care much before," he said, "but now I'm slowly starting to care."
Why?
"Because someone cares about me."
Chen Duling's tears fell again.
This is the second time today. She cursed herself inwardly for being so weak, but the tears wouldn't listen to her.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed. In the end, she gave up and just watched him cry.
"Then you need to care more in the future." Her voice was a little hoarse, "Otherwise, those who care about you will have a hard time."
Gao Huan looked at her, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up, as if he had been touched on something.
"Okay," he said.
He stood up, walked to the wall, and spread out the yoga mat.
Chen Duling squatted on the ground, looking up at him.
"Come here," he said.
"what?"
"I'll teach you yoga."
"Now?"
"Now."
Chen Duling stood up and walked barefoot onto the yoga mat.
She was wearing one of his T-shirts, with a neckline so low it revealed half of her shoulder and a hem that just covered her upper thighs.
Her hair wasn't completely dry; it was still damp and hanging loose.
"Stand still," Gao Huan said. "Mountain Pose. Feet together, big toes touching, heels slightly apart. Distribute your weight evenly on the balls of your feet."
She did as instructed.
It wasn't done perfectly, but she was very serious.
"Retract your shoulder blades towards the center."
She collected some, but not enough.
"Clamp it back like you're holding a pen."
She tightened it up again, and this time it was a little better.
Gao Huan walked behind her, reached out, and gently pressed on her shoulder blades, helping her push backward.
His hands were large and warm; when they touched her back, she stiffened for a moment.
"Relax," he said. "You're too tense."
"How can I relax with your hands there?" Her voice was muffled.
Gao Huan smiled and withdrew his hand. "Then you try it yourself first."
She did it.
Her movements were still not standard, but she didn't stop.
She didn't want to appear to him as someone who couldn't do anything right.
Gao Huan leaned against the wall, watching her.
After watching for a while, he suddenly remembered something. It wasn't about her, but about a passage he had read many years ago.
It was written by an online novelist.
He really liked that author, so much so that he read all of his novels.
There was one passage he remembered very clearly, something like: Every man should have at least one experience in his life where he fires all his bullets at the perfect moment.
Gao Huan always thought that line was really cool.
But now he realizes that he underestimated the weight and significance of those words.
"Gao Huan," Chen Duling called to him.
He came to his senses.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about a bullet," he said.
"bullet?"
"Yes, a billion bullets stained with blood."
Chen Duling looked at him, not quite understanding, but she didn't ask.
She continued practicing yoga, but her movements were still not standard, just like the first time she did it. However, she did it very seriously.
Gao Huan looked at her and went to greet her.
Outside the window, the Parisian night is still long.
The lights of the Eiffel Tower are still flashing, one after another, as if counting the time it takes for billions of bullets to pierce through the world.