In truth, for something like this, all it took was a few people to take the lead; everyone else would simply be swept along.
It was like an uprising—once someone raised an arm and shouted the call, most people would just follow the crowd.
As they were talking, Assistant Director Matthew walked over from that side.
“Disperse. Remember tomorrow morning—gather your friends and classmates.” Qin Xuan kept watch and had them leave first, acting just like a secret agent.
The crowd dispersed, but as they left, they all shot Matthew hostile looks. This was the man who had bullied them the worst, treating them like livestock.
But now was not the time for conflict. They could only endure it for now and wait until tomorrow morning to act.
“Shit, are you gathering here because you want to stir up trouble again?” Matthew knew there was hostility in their eyes the moment he saw them.
His speech sounded awkward and his pronunciation was somewhat unclear; after all, he was American.
But if one listened carefully, he could still be understood!
“We’re just bonding a little. That’s not against the law, is it?” Qin Xuan stood up.
“Of course it’s not against the law. But if you’re thinking of making trouble, this time we won’t let it go as easily as the last few times,” Matthew said sternly.
Those words made the eyes of the people still there blaze with anger.
Qin Xuan did not want to bother with him. He merely nodded faintly.
That indifferent attitude made Matthew even angrier. Thick-tongued, he snapped, “Did you hear me clearly?”
“I heard my family’s dog barking. I’m leaving,” Qin Xuan said to Shen Ao and the others.
Those who had not yet left immediately burst into laughter. Comparing an American to a dog felt immensely satisfying.
Matthew seemed to have suffered a tremendous insult. He pointed angrily. “Shit! Don’t think I don’t dare touch you just because you’re the chief’s man.”
Previously, he had gathered manpower to cooperate with the lighting team in setting up the lighting array; after all, it had been a major project.
However, Qin Xuan still ignored him and had already walked far away.
“What are you laughing at? No one gets off work today until the job is finished,” Matthew roared at the remaining people.
“Idiot,” Zhang Linke cursed under his breath.
This uprising was brewing beneath the surface, and the leadership knew nothing about it. After all, there were no real channels of communication between them and the grassroots.
No one went to report it, either. There was simply no benefit in doing so, because those people were all outsiders.
Many people had already begun contacting their friends and relatives.
That evening, Qin Xuan was staying with eight other people in a temporarily built work shed. It had specially made bunk beds, and the conditions were extremely crude. There was no air conditioning, nor even an individual electric fan—only the kind of ceiling fan that went “whirr, whirr” as it spun above them. It was unbearably hot.
The space was cramped, and the air did not circulate well. Qin Xuan could not stand the conditions, so he got up and prepared to go out.
Just then, Wu Guoqiang came in wearing a tank top, holding a mosquito coil which he lit. “Xiao Xuan, where are you going?”
“I want to go out for a walk,” Qin Xuan said.
“Xiao Xuan, I heard the chief talking about you with someone today. He thinks quite highly of you. If there’s a chance, you can go follow the chief. Your prospects will be much better that way. There’s no future in following me. People like us eat one meal without knowing where the next will come from.”
Wu Guoqiang spoke with him about plans for the future.
People like them only earned money when there was work. If there was no work, there was no money. They were temporary hires who moved from job to job; sometimes, it was normal to go months without work.
“He’s from Hollywood. Aren’t you afraid I’ll go abroad?” Qin Xuan asked.
“Hollywood is exactly where it’s good. There’s plenty of work, and the pay is high. Your future would be limitless.” Wu Guoqiang placed the lit mosquito coil in a dish.
People in China still yearned for the outside world.
“I don’t know if he’ll want me. I’ll try my best!” Qin Xuan did not mention that he had long since rejected Wang Bide. Instead, he chose to go along with his uncle.
After all, his uncle still had expectations for him. It would not be good to hurt his feelings.
“Come back early if you go out.”
Liu Yifei had also finished a day of filming and was on her way back to the hotel.
Outside, the lights were dim and scattered. She held her phone to her ear and was on a call. “Mom, are you coming over tomorrow? How did the talks go?”
“I’ll tell you when I get back. How is your filming going?” Liu Xiaoli asked in return.
“It’s going great. Let me tell you, I ran into someone today. He fell asleep in my seat,” Liu Yifei said, sounding very lively.
“Who? He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Liu Xiaoli asked worriedly.
“Of course not. He didn’t know it was my seat, and he even apologized to me. I gave him some fruit to eat, too. He even said thank you to me, and then he spaced out. It was pretty funny.” Liu Yifei sounded quite pleased with herself, her little mouth chattering away, though it was hard to say what exactly was so funny.
“You still need to be careful. Don’t associate with strangers,” Liu Xiaoli reminded her, afraid her daughter might run into a bad person.
“I know him. He’s the assistant to the lighting team’s chief. He was the one who set up today’s lighting array. The chief even said he was very impressive.” Once Liu Yifei started talking, she did not stop.
As she was chatting, she had already reached the hotel entrance. She also saw a familiar figure from behind, standing with both arms crossed, head raised as he looked up at the hotel building.
She stepped forward, her pupils widening in surprise. “It’s you?”
“Hello, Teacher Liu.” Qin Xuan was also rather surprised. His expression relaxed; every time he saw this girl, he could feel that kind of vitality from her.
“Hello!” Liu Yifei replied, then shouted into the phone, “Mom, I’m not talking anymore. I ran into someone I know.”
Qin Xuan saw that she had already changed out of her costume. She was wearing a beige sleeveless top, her two slender, fair arms exposed.
On her lower half, she wore ripped jeans, giving her a somewhat casual air. She looked fresh and bright.
Liu Yifei lowered her head and put her phone into her bag, then asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m thinking about how to get inside to stay.” Qin Xuan pointed at the hotel.
“You don’t have a place to stay?” Liu Yifei looked puzzled.
This was one of the hotels where the crew was stationed. Those staying inside were either actors or people from Hollywood and Hong Kong.
“I do, but the conditions are too poor. I’m not used to them.”
“Oh, I see. Then just stay here. This place is semi-open. Aside from certain floors, the rest is open for business,” Liu Yifei said casually.
Apart from the crew’s floors, which were closed off, all the other floors of the hotel were open. This was to avoid being disturbed by certain fans and reporters.
Qin Xuan looked embarrassed.
Liu Yifei lowered her voice a little, looking mysterious. “You don’t have money, do you?”
Qin Xuan smiled awkwardly. He had originally thought she was a bit naive, but it turned out she was quite smart.
“Teacher Liu, I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”
“Hey, hey, come back.” Liu Yifei took several hundred-yuan bills from her bag and stuffed them into his hand, saying frankly, “Here. Go stay inside.”
“This doesn’t seem right…” Qin Xuan stared blankly at her, then looked at the money in his hand.
“It’s fine. Take it. Once you’ve rested well, just remember to use the lights to make me look pretty.” Liu Yifei lightly patted his shoulder, then waved goodbye.
Clean and decisive, without taking even a single cloud with her.