Chapter 137: Pass The Review
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
She could not see the next scene, so Ruan Yesheng had to reread the cherry-feeding part several times.
But from that scene, you could tell Gu Ru had put in clever thought.
This was a suspense film, so the mood was thick with mystery. Both female leads had their hands tied by a mysterious person, so they could only feed each other with their mouths when eating.
Just like how many twisted killers have neurotic habits, like always eating a certain flavor of fruit candy, biting their nails, or listening to classical music. This mysterious person had a fetish for eating bright red fruits. Every time he showed up, this person would eat red fruit, which became a symbol of this mysterious person.
In this scene, when questioning the two, the mysterious person brought cherries to eat. When he left, some were still left in the bag on the table. The blood-like red color stood out sharply against the messy surroundings.
If they were just feeding each other under normal circumstances, the whole scene would look strange and out of place. It definitely wouldn't pass review. Even if it got filmed, it would be forced to get cut.
But if the scene was set up with a different setting and plot logic, where they had no other way but to do this, then even if there’s a bit of cherry-feeding, that logic would water it down. The censors and audience would find it reasonable and wouldn’t think anything was off.
What’s interesting is, that’s only how the censors and regular viewers would see it.
People who can read between the lines would catch the hidden ambiguity. There could’ve been many kinds of food used in the film, but Gu Ru just had to make them eat cherries.
Ruan Yesheng felt Gu Ru did that on purpose, but since she hadn’t seen the full script yet, she couldn’t say for sure.
“How is the script?”
Xi Mo’s voice came from beside her, pulling Ruan Yesheng’s drifting thoughts back.
Ruan Yesheng leaned on the sofa, hugging a pillow, and turned her face to look at Xi Mo.
Xi Mo walked over with two cups of steaming tea and handed her one.
“Only a small part. I finished it in no time.” Ruan Yesheng blew on the misty steam from the tea, her tone filled with regret.
Xi Mo sat down beside her, lowered her eyes, hugged a pillow too, and slowly sipped her tea.
Through the big floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, the bleak winter scene outside could be seen clearly. The cold wind made the garden trees sway. The sky was gray. Fine rain hit the glass, covering it with a thin fog.
The warmth inside the room stood in sharp contrast to the cold outside. And the warmth from the tea in her hand made Ruan Yesheng feel an extreme sense of comfort.
Ruan Yesheng looked closely at Xi Mo’s side profile.
It was delicate, still carrying that usual proud and distant look. But as Ruan Yesheng looked at her, her heart felt warm.
Ruan Yesheng looked carefully at Xi Mo's profile lines.
Delicate, still with her usual aloof pride. But when Ruan Yesheng looked at her, her heart felt warm.
Being able to stay at Xi Mo’s house, and curl up on the sofa drinking tea with her—this was probably the kind of comfort Ruan Yesheng never dared to dream of before. Since college, she had been chasing that distant light, one that always seemed out of reach, never daring to get too close.
Now, she had finally gotten a little closer to Xi Mo’s world, even if it was just by a bit.
Maybe because she sensed Ruan Yesheng staring, Xi Mo also turned her head and casually asked, “What did you think about the cherry-feeding scene?”
Ruan Yesheng smiled and said, “It will definitely pass review.”
Xi Mo: “…”
“Did you ask Director Gu when she’ll send the rest of the script?” Ruan Yesheng had a trace of hope in her eyes.
“I already messaged her. She’s probably busy and hasn’t replied yet,” Xi Mo said. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
“I feel like... I don’t dare disturb her.” Ruan Yesheng shifted on the sofa, scooted a bit closer to Xi Mo, and leaned near as she spoke.
“When you were filming “Sound Of Steps”, I remember you two got along well.” The living room was too quiet. Besides their voices, there was nothing else. Xi Mo felt oddly uneasy, so she turned on the TV and said, “Why are you acting so distant now?”
An ad was playing on the TV, and the sound broke up the stiffness in the air a little.
“Back then, Director Gu treated me really well. Everyone did.” Ruan Yesheng thought back to the time filming “Sound Of Steps”. Though it was long ago, that warmth still stayed in her heart.
Back then, she was still young and green, still studying at the film academy, yet she got cast as the female lead. Normally, with that kind of background, it’d be hard to convince anyone. But many seniors in the crew were very cooperative. Gu Ru, especially, was very patient. She explained the scenes to her over and over and shot them again and again.
As time passed, “Sound of Steps” slowly became a classic. When some film critics get nostalgic, they always say it was Ruan Yesheng who made Sound of Steps.
But Ruan Yesheng knew it was that crew who made “Sound of Steps”.
It was a crew filled with warmth. Even after she left the industry, some friends from that team still kept in touch with her, like Zhang Zhiyin.
“But I didn’t contact Director Gu for years. If not for this new movie, I wouldn’t even know when I’d ever get the chance to talk to her again.” Ruan Yesheng added with some emotion, “She’s so busy now. Time changes a lot of things. It’s not like it was back then. I’m just not sure anymore.”
“Relax. Once we join the crew, we’ll be hanging around Gu Ru every day.” Xi Mo flipped through the TV channels carelessly and said, “Gu Ru has a weird temper, but unlike many big-name directors, she doesn’t put on airs. She can easily talk to people she admires.”
As she said that, Xi Mo paused and glanced at Ruan Yesheng. “Gu Ru admires your acting. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have invited you again to play the female lead in her movie.”
Ruan Yesheng heard the comfort hidden in her words and smiled as she asked, “Do you admire me?”
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng explained, “I mean my acting. What do you think? Do you admire it too?”
Xi Mo met her eyes and said, “Your acting has always been good.”
“But you still didn’t say you admire it.” Ruan Yesheng hugged the pillow tighter in her arms.
Xi Mo: “…”
After a while, Xi Mo’s gaze dropped to her tea. She stared at the rising steam and quietly said, “I admire.”
“Thank you.” Ruan Yesheng’s eyes sparkled as she smiled at her. “I feel a lot better now.”
Xi Mo looked up and stared at her. She felt that smile had a youthful feeling to it, a bit childish too, and something warm quietly settled in her heart along with it.
…It was very cute.
Xi Mo flipped through channel after channel, none of them catching her interest. She looked down at her phone and saw that Gu Ru had finally replied.
Gu Ru’s reply said, “I’ll talk to both of you together, it’s easier that way.”
At the same time, Ruan Yesheng also got a message notification. She saw that Gu Ru had pulled both her and Xi Mo into the same chat group.
Gu Ru was the first to speak. “You both read the script I sent over, right?”
Xi Mo replied: “I did.”
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng followed up right after. “Hello, Director Gu. I’ve already read it.”
She used to feel a bit nervous chatting with Gu Ru in private, but now that Xi Mo was also there, she suddenly felt much more at ease.
Gu Ru’s profile picture was a simple white cartoon duck, with a sharp look in its eyes. Reading messages from her while staring at that duck felt like being soul-stared by Gu Ru herself.
Gu Ru opened straight to the point. “Want to see the next scenes?”
Xi Mo replied with an ellipsis.
But Ruan Yesheng played along. “Really want to. It cuts off right at the cherry-feeding scene. It’s killing me not knowing how it continues.”
“Mm, Ruanruan really knows how to talk. Xi Mo, learn from her. Don’t just send an ellipsis to brush me off,” Gu Ru said, satisfied. “If actors want to see it, then viewers will too. That’s the most basic rule. If you’re not even interested when you’re filming it, how do you expect the audience to buy tickets? Who are you trying to fool?”
Back when Ruan Yesheng used to chat one-on-one with Gu Ru, she never got called by name. Gu Ru always just got to the point. But now that there were three people in the group, Ruan Yesheng noticed Gu Ru still called her Ruanruan, just like she did long ago. Her eyes felt a little hot.
Time really had changed many things, but in this regard, Gu Ru hadn’t changed at all.
Xi Mo was close with Gu Ru and had nothing to hold back. At first, she wanted to directly ask what the emotional tone of the film was, but she felt it was a bit too sensitive. So she went with something more indirect. “Why did you arrange a scene where the two female leads feed cherries to each other using their mouths?”
Gu Ru said, “When you're hungry, you have to eat something. There were only cherries on the table at the time.”
“Why did it have to be cherries? They could’ve eaten something else. This script is yours. Whatever you put on the table is up to just a few words from you.”
Gu Ru stood firm about visuals. “This movie has to look pretty. It also needs contrast with the setting. They were trapped in an abandoned classroom. Everything around them was dull and broken. Only the rich red of cherries could bring out that strong color contrast. And watching people eat cherries looks nice. Now try two women feeding each other big white buns with their mouths. You tell me. Is that a pretty sight?”
Xi Mo: “...”
“That makes sense.” Ruan Yesheng backed her up again. “Cherries are the only choice.”
She was really thankful, to Director Gu and to the cherries.
Gu Ru even gave her a shout-out. “Ruanruan, you’re right on track.”
Xi Mo got a little stubborn at that. “The mystery person likes eating red fruit. Every time he shows up, he eats red fruit. You could’ve had him bring in a red apple instead. Red apples have a more forbidden and eerie feel. They would fit the symbolism even better. Why must it be cherries?”
Gu Ru looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with you today, Xi Mo? Why are you hung up on the cherries?”
Xi Mo: “...”
Ruan Yesheng watched from the side, almost laughed, and quickly took a sip of tea to hold it in.
Gu Ru went on. “I already put red apples in another scene. I can’t use them again. Cherries are the best for this one. They mean something.”
Ruan Yesheng could more or less get what that meaning was.
Gu Ru’s films always had hidden messages in the details. Cherries stood for something suggestive. She felt even more certain Gu Ru did it on purpose. She wanted the two female leads to feed each other with their mouths.
But she couldn’t ask Gu Ru about it right now. Once filming started and Gu Ru walked them through the scenes, the truth would come out naturally.
Gu Ru had things to do and no time to keep chatting. She said, “I’m heading off. You two go over what I sent. Try to feel out the roles and the story. I’ll send out parts of the script here day by day. If you have thoughts, let me know right away. Later, before filming starts, come to Beijing for the table read. No skipping, no excuses. I’ll tell you the exact date later.”
Making a movie and having to chase script updates like a web novel. Gu Ru was such a handful. In her fans’ eyes, she was mysterious and a genius. If they saw how she really acted behind the scenes, that image might just fall apart.
Xi Mo was used to Gu Ru’s quirks. She said, “Alright.”
Ruan Yesheng replied, “Understood, Director Gu.”
Gu Ru didn’t say anything else. Before she left, she renamed their group chat to: “Everything For Passing Review.”
Then she vanished, just left that duck icon behind in the message log, still staring with that sharp, soul-piercing gaze.
Ruan Yesheng: “...”
Xi Mo: “...”
“Director Gu is still the same.” After a moment, Ruan Yesheng chuckled. “Now I feel a lot better.”
“She’s just like that.” Xi Mo answered.
The two sat on the couch, falling into silence again.
“What do you want to watch on TV?” Xi Mo asked Ruan Yesheng.
"At this time of day, there's nothing I feel like watching." Ruan Yesheng suggested, "How about we watch Zhang Zhiyin’s variety show? Let's go back to season one. I missed a lot of episodes. We're going to her show in a few days anyway, so might as well do a bit of homework."
Xi Mo opened a video platform app on the TV, went to the variety show section, and found ‘Me and My Dear Friends”. While scrolling through the episodes, she asked, "Which one do you want to watch?"
Each episode had a guest highlight under it. Ruan Yesheng glanced over and said, "Watch the one Shen Qingbie filmed in the Northeast."
Xi Mo gave her a look, then clicked on it.
This episode was filmed in a remote village in the Northeast. A few celebrity guests were split into groups with Zhang Zhiyin and stayed with local families. Shen Qingbie and Zhang Zhiyin stayed in the same house.
Other than the guests, the locals all spoke with heavy Northeastern accents.
After just a short while, Ruan Yesheng started giggling. The teacup in her hand was shaking. Xi Mo, on the other hand, had a straight face, silently staring at the screen.
The family Shen Qingbie was staying with had a good-tempered sister-in-law. That sister-in-law sat in the yard, minding her kid while teaching Shen Qingbie to say a widely known Northeastern phrase: “Banged muh bender on the lip ‘n scuffed it raw.”
*northeastern dialect idiom which says: Kneecap tripped on the curb and the skin scraped off. Usage: to describe a real fall or to describe a clumsy person. Made it like that so it looks like it's accented. Northeastern dialect’s word for kneecap and the tones are different and usually words end with’ -er ’ compared to the standard Chinese so Shen Qingbie was struggling.
Shen Qingbie sat on the bench, wide-eyed and innocent, tripping over her words as she tried to follow: “Ba… buh… benduh… on the lip… s-scuffed… r-raw…”
The baby in the sister-in-law’s arms had chubby cheeks and was still at the babbling age. He puckered his lips, trying to copy Shen Qingbie: “Buh… buh-buh…”
On the screen, the sister-in-law laughed while helping Shen Qingbie correct herself: “No, no, it’s the ‘hit’ kind of bang, not just buh. It’s ‘bender’. You have to add that -er sound. ‘Bender on the lip ‘n scuffed it raw’.”
When Xi Mo saw this, she turned to Ruan Yesheng, and asked, “What does that even mean?”
Ruan Yesheng was hugging a pillow, almost falling over laughing on the couch. Xi Mo was scared she would spill her tea, so she quickly took her cup.
Ruan Yesheng was hugging the pillow and was about to fall down on the sofa with laughter. Xi Mo was afraid that she would shake out the tea, so she quickly took the cup from her.
Ruan Yesheng's shoulders trembled slightly, and she smiled with her eyes curved, saying, "Bender’ is what we call knees in Northeastern dialect, and lip is the curbstone on the side of the road, the step that is higher than a part of the road. The whole sentence means that a person fell down from the step on the side of the road and scraped the skin on his knee."
Xi Mo hummed, indicating that she understood, and continued watching.
On TV, Shen Qingbie took a long time to learn, but she finally got it. She was very happy. While doing chores, she kept muttering over and over: “Banged muh bender on the lip ‘n scuffed it raw”
Later, she accidentally fell down. She even used what she learned and shouted at Zhang Zhiyin, "Zhiyin, hurry and get me some iodine to disinfect it, Muh bender got scuffed raw!”
Xi Mo: “…”
Later on, Shen Qingbie fell into the water. The weather was very cold, and she kept shaking from the cold. But the clothes she washed before hadn't dried yet. That sister-in-law had no choice but to give her a set of small floral cotton-padded jacket and pants to keep her warm for now.
So that’s how the classic scene came to be, with Shen Qingbie wearing a thick floral cotton-padded jacket, squatting on the ground, pitifully peeling corn.
That floral jacket made her look extra bulky. Shen Qingbie squatted there like a floral penguin who came to travel in the Northeast.
Ruan Yesheng laughed and said, "Shen Qingbie is the most popular in this episode. Before this, she always looked very quiet and elegant, but in this variety show, she was really silly. It was a big contrast from before. Netizens liked it a lot. They’re all hoping she’ll come back for season two as a guest."
Xi Mo looked at the TV. The corners of her lips seemed to curve up a little, and her eyes also bent a bit. But she still forced her face straight, not letting herself really smile.
In the variety show, because that sister-in-law taught Shen Qingbie to speak Northeastern dialect, as thanks, Shen Qingbie taught her a few Shanghai phrases.
But one of them got censored by the show with a “beep” sound. Zhang Zhiyin’s face turned red. She quickly covered Shen Qingbie’s mouth and said, “Qingqing, don’t say that one. It can’t pass the review.”
“What did she say?” Xi Mo was curious and asked Ruan Yesheng.
“I don’t know either.” Ruan Yesheng flipped through the show and saw a behind-the-scenes clip with the title, “What exactly did Qingqing say?”
Ruan Yesheng clicked to watch, and it was the clip where Shen Qingbie taught Shanghai dialect.
The line that got beeped out was: “Cenna, is your brain broken?!*”
*册那(Cè nà) - is a Shanghai dialect curse word, originally more vulgar but eventually became a toned down venting word like ‘damn it’ or ‘holy crap’. 脑子瓦特啦! (Nǎozǐ wǎtè la!)‘- Is your brain broken?!’ is an internet buzzword originated in Shanghai.
Xi Mo: “…”
No wonder it couldn’t pass review in the main episode and had to be cut and put into the extras.
Ruan Yesheng almost laughed into Xi Mo’s arms. She, Xi Mo, and Shen Qingbie all grew up in Shanghai, so of course they knew this well.
Xi Mo could only hold onto Ruan Yesheng and said, “Are variety shows like this nowadays?”
Ruan Yesheng held back a bit, but her eyes were still full of honey-like smiles. “I’m not so sure either. I’ve never been on a variety show before. The recording in two days will be my first time. But Zhang Zhiyin’s variety show has this kind of style. It’s more relaxed and feels more like real life.”
As she spoke, she teased Xi Mo again, “Someone like you, a Movie Queen, of course can’t go on this kind of show. If you do, fans will feel like you lost your status. A lot of them won’t like it. But I’m just a small actress. It’s fine.”
That part was true.
In the film circle, actors who reach the top almost never go on variety shows often. At most, they guest for one or two episodes. Of course, there are a few exceptions who show up on variety shows a lot and change into variety show regulars. But without surprise, these few always get criticized by some fans, saying there’s no need to lower themselves like that.
There’s an unspoken chain of contempt in the circle. It’s kind of funny. The top is movies. If some young male star or pretty actress suddenly becomes a movie actor, their fans get so excited they could beat drums and bang gongs, like their idol just got covered in gold.
But for those regular variety show people, even if many find their faces familiar, they often still look down on them.
No one knows who made that rule.
“Who says you’re a small actress?” Xi Mo frowned.
“Then what do you think I am?” Ruan Yesheng blinked and asked with a smile.
Xi Mo turned her eyes away and didn’t say anything.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Xi Mo quickly used the chance to stand up and said to Ruan Yesheng, “The guards and house helpers from the other building are here. I’ll introduce them to you.”
Ruan Yesheng quickly stood up too.
Xi Mo went to open the door. Outside stood a few people. Four guards and three helpers. They greeted Xi Mo.
Xi Mo was well-mannered, not the least bit arrogant. She was very polite to them and introduced Ruan Yesheng. Ruan Yesheng stood beside Xi Mo, nodded at each one, and greeted them with a smile.
The head guard was tall and had a proper face. He looked at Ruan Yesheng, clearly surprised and happy. “Miss Ruan, so the friend Xi Mo said was coming over, is you?”
Ruan Yesheng looked carefully at his face and recognized him. She smiled and said, “Mr. Two, it’s been years.”
The guard she called Mr. Two scratched the back of his head shyly and said, “I didn’t think Miss Ruan would still remember me.”
Xi Mo looked at the two and asked, “You knew each other before?”
How come Ruan Yesheng knows everyone, even people in her own house?
Ruan Yesheng looked at Xi Mo and said, “Of course I do. Back when you were in college, Mr. Two was one of your bodyguards. I used to see him a lot.”
Mr. Two said gratefully, “Miss Ruan is really thoughtful. Our job as bodyguards is like part of the background. Even if people see us, they don’t remember. I didn’t expect Miss Ruan to still remember me now.”
Xi Mo asked Ruan Yesheng, “Why do you call Zhou Wenxu Mr. Two?”
Ruan Yesheng smiled sweetly and said, “Didn’t I tell you before? Back in college, your bodyguards worked in turns. This one today, that one tomorrow. Our classmates didn’t know their names, so we gave them numbers. Mr. Zhou’s number was two. When I talked to him, I didn’t know his name yet. I slipped and called him Mr. Two. Mr. Zhou thought it was funny and said I could keep calling him that.”
“Yes, yes.” Zhou Wenxu nodded again and again. “It was really hot that time. Miss Ruan even bought me ice cream.”
Xi Mo glanced at Zhou Wenxu. “How come I didn’t know?”
Zhou Wenxu scratched his head again and said, “You were in the piano room playing. I couldn’t disturb you, so I stood outside. Miss Ruan came to look for you. She saw you were practicing and didn’t go in, but she bought you a honey lemon drink that you like.”
“That honey lemon drink that got sent in that day was from you?” Xi Mo found out the truth after so many years. She stared at Ruan Yesheng and said, “I thought it was Zhou Wenxu who bought it.”
“Actually, it wasn’t bought,” Ruan Yesheng lowered her head and admitted honestly. “I made it myself. But I was afraid that if you knew I made it, you wouldn’t want to drink it, so I told Mr. Two to say it came from a drink shop.”
Xi Mo looked at Ruan Yesheng and said softly, “It tasted good.”
Author's Note:
Director Gu, you're so gay[.
Aiya, Muh bender hurts! Everyone, leave a score and comment muah muah so it’ll heal [.
