Chapter 37: Never Mind I Asked

The sky was completely dark by the time Shen Xici returned to the rental house. He didn’t turn on the lights; only the streetlights and neon signs shone in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a long, slanted shadow from the wooden chair by the window onto the floor.

In the darkness, Shen Xici stood at the doorway for two minutes before reaching out to flip the switch.

The lights came on.

He had already returned the clothes he wore during the day to the old lady. After changing his shoes and tossing the keys into the tray, Shen Xici skillfully washed his hands, disinfected them, and measured his blood pressure, blood oxygen, and temperature. He listened with a stethoscope, confirmed everything was normal, and then shuffled in his slippers to the water dispenser to pour himself a glass of water.

Two cups, one white and one gray, sat side-by-side. Shen Xici’s fingertips, suspended in mid-air, curled slightly before he picked up the gray cup to get water.

On the dining table, the sandwich and the apple and orange had all been eaten. Shen Xici pulled out a chair and sat down. He took a boiled egg from the plate, cracked it, and carefully peeled the shell.

When he woke up this morning, he had a premonition. When he saw the breakfast laid out on the table along with a signed blank check, for a moment he couldn’t quite distinguish the emotions in his heart.

Was it to thank him for saving his life? It felt a bit like saving a cat, and after the cat recovered, it left behind some dried fish and a bag of gold coins before leaving in the night.

Shen Xici finished the sandwich, leaving the remaining two boiled eggs on the plate, reluctant to touch them.

After a whole day, the egg had gone completely cold and had a very faint, fishy smell. Shen Xici swallowed it bite by bite with warm water, thinking that he could save the last boiled egg for tomorrow morning. After he finished it, he couldn’t continue being sad.

Having someone wait for him at home, having someone by his side day and night, was just too easy to get addicted to. So much so that with Sheng Shaoyan gone, it was like going through withdrawal. There was a pain like unraveling a cocoon thread by thread.

The crew’s finance department was very efficient. Shen Xici wrapped on the 18th, and on the afternoon of the 20th, his pay arrived in his account, not a cent short.

Counting the zeros in his account balance, Shen Xici experienced the joy of being hit by money. After experiencing it, he immediately went to transfer the funds, sending all two hundred and seventy thousand yuan into the same account, and then continued to tidy up the house.

He had already asked someone from the crew to help ship the chair he had custom-made by the old carpenter back to Ningcheng along with the props and equipment. The remaining clothes, bedsheets, blankets, and various small items, he planned to stuff into his suitcase to save on shipping fees.

Opening the wardrobe, clothes of various lengths hung neatly on hangers. Among them were a few pieces that, as soon as his eyes touched them, he could immediately recall what Sheng Shaoyan looked like wearing them.

The phone on the bed suddenly rang. Shen Xici came back to his senses and saw the name displayed on the screen. He answered the phone resignedly, “Grandpa He.”

“Where did you get so much money?”

Shen Xici dodged the question. “I found a job, this job—”

“You’re just a junior in college. What kind of job lets you earn so much in one or two months while still going to school? Xici, tell me the truth.”

It was just like his previous life. In his last life, after Shen Xici received his two hundred thousand yuan payment, Grandpa He’s call had come as soon as the money was transferred.

With the experience from his past life, Shen Xici didn’t try to gloss over it again. He answered honestly, “I took a leave of absence from school. I participated in an actor’s audition for a film crew. You know Director Wan Shan, right? It’s his movie. I played a supporting role and just wrapped filming the day before yesterday.”

The other end fell silent, and Shen Xici didn’t speak either. After a long while, Grandpa He’s voice came through the receiver. “Were you happy, filming?”

Shen Xici’s eyes stung, and he almost shed a tear. He curved his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and answered seriously, “I was very happy, really. My life might be short, but I got to experience someone else’s life, and it felt like my own life became a little longer. And, because I acted, many people liked me. They all said I acted very well.”

“Good, good, as long as you’re happy.” Grandpa He heard the choke in his voice and softened his tone, speaking to him gently. “Back then, when the debt collectors came to the village and learned that your father had died, they wanted to find you to pay off the gambling debt. But for you to be able to walk out of that home, to walk out of that remote village, it must have been harder than I could imagine. Xici, you’ve really suffered too much. I paid off that money for you because I wanted you to be free, to do something you want to do, something that makes you happy.”

His throat was so sore he couldn’t speak. Shen Xici knew the other person couldn’t see him, but he still nodded in reply. “I know.”

“Did you think I was going to criticize you for not studying properly and taking a leave of absence on your own?” Grandpa He laughed. “How can life be calculated like that? In a few short decades, if everything you must do at every stage is set in stone, what’s the point? Alright, why are you still like you were as a child, not even daring to cry out loud, just silently shedding tears?”

When Shen Xici was little, he often didn’t have enough to eat. One time, he was so hungry he ran to Grandpa He’s house. Once there, he didn’t know how to start, what to say, and just kept crying. Later, Grandpa He somehow figured it out, gave him a bowl of congee, and fried an egg for him.

Shen Xici spoke, “How do you know everything?”

“I’m a fortune teller, of course I know!”

Grandpa He was the fortune teller who had given him his name and read his fate. His official name was He Shi. He had moved from some unknown place, had no wife or children, and kept a large yellow dog to guard his home. The villagers all said that fortune tellers revealed heavenly secrets and would suffer heavenly retribution, the “five hindrances and three deficiencies”—no parents, no spouse, no children, destined to be alone. The more accurate Grandpa He’s predictions were, the more the villagers feared him. When there was no particular reason to, they would subconsciously walk far around his courtyard.

But he loved going to see Grandpa He. When he was very young, he sensitively realized that his parents were different from other people’s parents. They didn’t seem to care about him at all. Even for meals, it was Grandpa He who went to his house and, with a mix of persuasion and intimidation towards Zhuo Suli, ensured he no longer went hungry often.

He couldn’t understand it back then. He would walk out of his house and just keep going without a destination. Grandpa He would follow him quietly, walking a long way with him, through the ridges between the rice paddies, across the small stream, and stopping at the gravel beach by the river. When he turned around, a lifelike grass-woven rabbit was presented to him. To cheer him up, Grandpa He had been weaving it all along the way. That grass-woven rabbit, he hid it under his pillow and slept on it for a long time.

Shen Xici repeatedly assured him that after paying back the two hundred and seventy thousand, he still had thirty thousand in living expenses, which was enough, and that he would be able to start earning money again soon. Only then did Grandpa He not insist on returning the money.

After hanging up, Shen Xici did some calculations. The rent in Ningcheng was four thousand a month. With a deposit and three months’ rent paid upfront, he would have fourteen thousand left. The crew would reimburse his return plane ticket, saving him a large expense. If he was frugal, he could last a few months without any problem.

There wasn’t much stuff. Shen Xici had almost finished packing. He went to the kitchen and made himself a plate of fried rice, carried it to the coffee table, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV. At least the sound of the news broadcast would make the house feel less quiet and empty.

While waiting for the fried rice to cool, Shen Xici felt something hard bumping against his leg. He reached down and picked it up. Tucked into the crevice of the sofa cushion was a—script?

A week ago, when he went to the emergency room of the county hospital to visit, Director Lu, whose foot had been sprained when pushed by Zhong Yue’s bodyguard, had given him a return gift. He said since he couldn’t give it to anyone else anyway, he might as well let him take the script back, to prop up a table leg or cover instant noodles. The paper of the cover felt very smooth. Just as he was looking for something to do, Shen Xici casually opened the script.

An hour later, the fried rice on the coffee table was already cold. Shen Xici finished the last page and, without hesitation, picked up his phone and dialed the contact number Director Lu had left him.

“This number does not accept real estate agents, advertisers, or renovation companies,” a weak voice came from the receiver, sounding like someone who had stayed up for several nights and was about to collapse. “I said I’m not interested, why haven’t you hung up yet?”

Shen Xici spoke, “Director Lu, do you remember, in the emergency room of the Sui County hospital, you gave me a script?”

“You’re Shen Xici?” Something was knocked over on the ground, and Lu Jieming fumbled around while repeatedly saying, “I remember, I remember! Of course I remember! Why are you calling me? You paid my medical bills last time, right? I’ll treat you to a meal next time I have a chance!” He then grew wary. “You’re not calling to—”

“No, you don’t need to pay back the medical bills,” Shen Xici stated his purpose. “I just read the script you gave me. This script isn’t the complete version, it seems to be only a fifth or a quarter of the content, right?”

Lu Jieming: “Right, it’s only twenty percent of the content. I’m still revising and polishing the remaining eighty percent. What’s up?”

Shen Xici said directly, “The male lead role, I want to play it. Do you think that’s possible?”

Lu Jieming banged his forehead against the wall and muttered, “So this isn’t a dream?” He stammered a bit. “I saw you on the trending list, you’re super popular! You really want to be in my movie?” He immediately thought of something else. “If you act in my movie, will your manager agree?”

Shen Xici paused for a moment. “He’s not my manager.”

Lu Jieming understood. They had had a falling out.

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Jieming paced back and forth in his cramped rental room, walking in circles for who knows how long. When he saw Shen Xici on the trending list, Lu Jieming had recognized him at once. After all, it was hard not to remember that face. He had also watched all of Shen Xici’s behind-the-scenes footage. Although none of it was official footage, he could still tell that his acting was very good, not raw at all. Had his luck finally turned? Shen Xici completely outshone those students from the film academy!

Lu Jieming didn’t hesitate any longer. “Okay!” he stammered. “But, I don’t have money. Do you?”

Shen Xici: “I don’t have money either. How much more do you need?”

Lu Jieming laid it all out for him. “I’ve raised a total of two hundred thousand in investment. The day I came back to Ningcheng, a rich kid almost hit me with his car. I was fine from head to toe, but he insisted on compensating me. So I asked him if he wanted to invest in a movie. He was just standing on the side of the road, and he transferred two hundred thousand to me right there.”

After saying that, Lu Jieming did some quick calculations. “Besides this two hundred thousand, I’m still short by about sixty million.”

“…”

How much?

Shen Xici: “Never mind I asked.”

“Wait!” Lu Jieming quickly stopped him. Every little bit counts. “For the future famous director and future famous actor’s film career! Come on, let’s put our heads together. How much do you have?”

Shen Xici looked at his account balance: “Fourteen thousand, eight hundred and three yuan.”

Silence spread.

Lu Jieming hesitated, then said, “How about, you also never mind you asked?”