【Heavy rain poured down. Though it was noon, the sky was as gloomy as dusk. Puddles had already formed on the uneven pavement. In this atmosphere, even breathing felt sticky and redundant.
Pedestrians on the road walked briskly, never stopping. Chen Yijun, wearing a plaid shirt and black trousers, emerged from the intersection. He walked very slowly, looking utterly out of place in the frame.】
Zhang Jin’an held an umbrella in one hand, while his lowered hand tightly gripped a newspaper. He walked aimlessly until he stopped at a newsstand.
As he stood there blankly, a woman passed behind him. As if sensing her presence, he immediately turned around, gripped his umbrella, and hurried to stand before her.
The woman froze. Upon seeing him, a flicker of astonishment crossed her eyes, but it quickly turned into a smile.
Zhang Jin’an smiled as well.
【It was as if they had returned to several years ago, also in the rain—only this time, Chen Yijun did not say a single word. He knew that the gears of time would carry them forward, and those destined to meet would eventually find each other again.】
The rain continued to fall, and everything proceeded as usual.
The jib camera moved slowly upward from a low angle, positioning the two actors on the left side of the frame and leaving space on the right.
Zhang Jin’an and Ge Xianxu stood motionless, their expressions steady and composed. In contrast, Tang Shang, sitting in his chair, was quite nervous.
Tang Shang stared intently at the monitor, his hand gripping the megaphone trembling slightly. Finally, the desired image appeared on the screen. Without hesitation, Tang Shang raised the megaphone and shouted, "Cut! Good! That’s a wrap on the final scene!"
The previously silent studio instantly erupted into a frenzy. Everyone clapped, their joy heartfelt; the three-month-long shoot had finally come to a successful conclusion.
Hearing the cheers from the shed, Zhang Jin’an also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is it over?"
Zhang Jin’an heard Ge Xianxu ask.
"Yeah, it’s over," Zhang Jin’an smiled at her.
In this scene, they were meeting again after five years. In the original novel, the character Su Rong had short hair five years later. The stylist had suggested a wig, but Ge Xianxu felt it would look unnatural and jarring. To stay true to the novel, she had resolutely chosen to cut off her long hair.
Three months ago, Ge Xianxu had worn long dresses and had flowing long hair. Now, her hair was a bob that reached her neck, and her long dress had been replaced by a sharp suit. She truly carried the shadow of Su Rong now.
"Let’s go," Zhang Jin’an said.
The two of them walked into the rain shelter one after the other, and the staff handed each of them a towel.
Even with umbrellas, it was hard to avoid getting wet in such heavy rain.
Zhang Jin’an said thank you and took the towel.
Looking at the heavy rain isolated outside the shed, there was one thing he couldn't stop thinking about.
While he hoped Jiang Siyang would come, he didn't want him traveling in such a downpour.
"The rain is really coming down," the assistant director said, walking up to Zhang Jin’an.
Zhang Jin’an nodded. "Yeah, it’s huge." It looked as if it were trying to submerge the entire city.
"I wonder when it’ll clear up," Zhang Jin’an murmured, clutching the towel in his hand.
"Showers usually clear up quickly. But this rain really came at the perfect time—right for the final scene, a torrential downpour just like in the original book," the assistant director remarked.
Suddenly, someone tapped Zhang Jin’an on the shoulder. He turned around to see Tang Shang.
"Director Tang," Zhang Jin’an greeted him with a smile.
Tang Shang placed one hand on the assistant director’s shoulder and the other on Zhang Jin’an’s. "Congratulations, Jin’an. There are two pieces of good news."
Zhang Jin’an understood what Tang Shang was referring to and smiled knowingly. The assistant director, however, looked bewildered. "Two pieces of good news? Besides the wrap-up, what’s the other one?"
"Look at you, I told you to spend more time online. You don't know anything," Tang Shang teased the assistant director. "One is the wrap-up, and the other—the box office for *Equivalent Difference* has surpassed two billion."
As soon as Director Tang finished speaking, the surrounding staff burst into applause, offering their congratulations.
"Oh—congratulations!"
"Congrats, congrats! Looks like you’ll be winning more awards this year..."
Zhang Jin’an didn't dare take all the credit, waving his hands repeatedly. "You’re overpraising me, that’s an exaggeration."
Everyone laughed.
Just then, six staff members swarmed forward to present flowers to Zhang Jin’an and Ge Xianxu.
"Thank you, thank you," Ge Xianxu said happily as she took the flowers, which almost hid her face.
"Look at that, smiling like a flower herself," Tang Shang joked. "Ge Xianxu, you’ve changed the most over these three months. You know, when you first arrived, we were all a bit worried about whether you could pull it off. Looking at you now, your potential is immense."
"That’s all thanks to the guidance from the director and the screenwriter. I’ve learned so much these past three months and met so many lovely people," Ge Xianxu took a deep breath and flashed a bright smile. "Anyway, I won't say much more. I just wish everyone the best, and may *Hidden Shadow* be a huge hit!"
Zhang Jin’an handed his bouquet to Xiao Zhou and was the first to lead the applause. "Well said! It’s a pity Yuan Yuan isn't here. This would be the perfect time for her to act out a crying scene."
Ge Xianxu laughed. "Right, right. She’d definitely be clutching the flowers, pretending she won an award and giving an acceptance speech right here."
"Speaking of that girl Yuan Yuan, didn't she leave us tickets for her concert next Sunday?" the assistant director asked.
Ge Xianxu hurriedly asked, "Aren't you guys not going?"
When Yuan Yuan had asked in the group chat, everyone had said they were busy and couldn't make it. Ge Xianxu, Jiang Siyang, and Zhang Jin’an were all going, but not with the crew; they had tickets for December.
Seeing a few people snickering, Zhang Jin’an guessed what was going on. He chuckled softly as Tang Shang said, "Originally, we weren't going. But seeing how sincere she was—we’ve decided to go."
"To put it bluntly, we’re going to the concert behind Yuan Yuan’s back to surprise her," the assistant director added for Ge Xianxu’s benefit.
"Really? She’ll be so happy when she finds out." Ge Xianxu truly treated Yuan Yuan like a sister. Even though it had nothing to do with her and she wouldn't see a cent of the concert profits, she was genuinely delighted.
Xiao Zhou stood by, dumbfounded, and whispered, "The whole crew? Yuan Yuan is impressive, being able to get that many tickets."
Zhang Jin’an replied, "She bought some of them herself."
"Oh..."
"The rain is so heavy. Let’s pack up first and find a lobby to take photos," Tang Shang said.
Everyone began organizing the equipment. Zhang Jin’an and Ge Xianxu helped out as well. Within half an hour, everything was loaded into the cars.
The spot where the shed had stood was now an empty space again. Perhaps because of the heavy rain, it looked bleaker than when they had arrived.
Everyone got into their respective cars, and one by one, they set off back to the hotel.
Once they were in the car, the rain noticeably lightened. The sound of it tapping against the window was almost like ASMR. The sky looked like the deep gray of a wall's base, only without the Boston ivy.
As soon as Zhang Jin’an sat in the passenger seat, he piled the flowers in the back and hurriedly took out his phone.
"Why the rush?" Xiao Zhou started the car.
"I’m sending Siyang a message," Zhang Jin’an replied. "I’m afraid he’ll go to the wrong place."
Xiao Zhou laughed. "Don't worry about that. He won't come in this rain."
"Others might not, but he might," Zhang Jin’an said.
Xiao Zhou just nodded. "Fine, fine. Go ahead and text him."
Zhang Jin’an quickly sent the message about going to the hotel to Jiang Siyang. Only when Jiang Siyang replied with a "Okay" did he feel at ease.
"How long will it take to get back?" Zhang Jin’an asked Xiao Zhou.
"Normally it would take a bit over half an hour, but with the rain, it might be an hour," Xiao Zhou replied.
Zhang Jin’an said okay, reclined his seat, and began to nap to the sound of the rain.
By the time he woke up, the rain had stopped. He checked the time; over forty minutes had passed.
"You’re awake? We’re almost there, maybe a few more minutes," Xiao Zhou said.
"Oh, okay." Zhang Jin’an adjusted his seat back up and squinted at his phone.
The "Second Textile Mill" group chat was incredibly lively, with over 99 messages. More than half were from Su Zhiyang, who had also tagged him.
【Wenzhou Leather Factory Landlord Su Zhiyang】: The 2-billion pledge, hurry it up, I can't wait anymore.
【Wenzhou Leather Factory Landlord Su Zhiyang】: We’ve been chatting for so long, why hasn't Zhang Jin’an shown up yet?
【Wenzhou Leather Factory Landlord Su Zhiyang】: @Little South Mountain Tour Guide Zhang Jin’an
【Chengdu’s Strongest King Qian Shan】: Sister Gu has finally stopped chatting and started putting on a show.
【Wenzhou Leather Factory Landlord Su Zhiyang】: Zhang Jin’an, what about you? Hurry, hurry, hurry.
【Little South Mountain Tour Guide Zhang Jin’an】: I’m in a car, how am I supposed to put on a show?
【Wenzhou Leather Factory Landlord Su Zhiyang】: Then you definitely have to record it today. I’m camping out. I’ve got my phones ready—one to watch your stream, one to watch Brother Gu’s stream, and one to check messages.
【Little South Mountain Tour Guide Zhang Jin’an】: I’ve never seen you this busy when you’re actually acting.
【Little South Mountain Tour Guide Zhang Jin’an】: Wait until I get to the hotel.
【Wenzhou Leather Factory Landlord Su Zhiyang】: Wrapped?
【Little South Mountain Tour Guide Zhang Jin’an】: Yeah.
After sending the messages, Zhang Jin’an went to Weibo. Sure enough, a ton of people were tagging him. The comments under the link to Gu Yirou’s live stream were all things like: "The two-billion pledge, ahhh! Brother Gu is live! @Zhang Jin’an Big Bro, where’s your pledge?!" and "I can't wait to see him eating lemons while gaming!"
The "two-billion pledge" Su Zhiyang mentioned referred to a promise the audience had helped them come up with during the *Equivalent Difference* premiere. During the Q&A session, an audience member had asked what they would do if the box office hit two billion.
Everyone had enthusiastically offered suggestions. In the end, it was decided that Gu Yirou would wear a rainbow wig and do a "Mary Sue" makeup live stream, while Zhang Jin’an would stream himself eating lemons while playing games.
Upon hearing the audience’s suggestion for Zhang Jin’an’s pledge, Gu Yirou had immediately laughed. "After hearing yours and looking at mine, I suddenly feel like the Mary Sue thing is actually pretty good."
Zhang Jin’an clicked into the live stream and saw a bare-faced Gu Yirou wearing a rainbow wig, holding a bottle and spraying it on her face. As she sprayed, she spoke in a Northeast accent: "This one... *pfft pfft pfft*... I reckon the moisturizing effect is pretty good. It’s perfect for dry skin like mine. The price is reasonable; I went through several empty bottles of this back when I was a student..."
There were over two million viewers in the stream. Gifts were constantly popping up, and the bullet comments were flying by so fast it caused some lag. Zhang Jin’an used Xiao Zhou’s phone to log into WeChat and cleared his own phone’s background apps before the situation improved.
Gu Yirou sat at a table. Whether it was the lighting or something else, Zhang Jin’an felt like her hair was actually shimmering.
— *Brother Gu really knows how to put on a show, hahahahaha!*
— *Looking good, looking good, looking good!*
— *I have the same one as Brother Gu now!!!!!*
— *Brother Gu is so girly hh (not saying girly is bad).*
— *Brother Gu, have you paid your Gagaman membership fee yet??*
— *Brother Gu!! When is Big Bro going to do his pledge!?*
Zhang Jin’an chuckled to himself. "I have to say, that wig actually suits Gu Yirou quite well."
After applying the product, Gu Yirou leaned closer to the phone to read the comments. "Ah... you guys think this hair looks good? Fine, I even bought some colored contacts. I’ll put them on for everyone in a bit... Zhang Jin’an... I’ll go check the group chat for you guys, don't be in such a rush..."
As she spoke, Gu Yirou picked up another phone from the table and looked down to type.
Zhang Jin’an picked up his other phone to look. Gu Yirou had sent a message in the gaming group.
【Shenyang’s Number One Gu Yirou】: @Zhang Jin’an, where are you? Didn't you say you were wrapping today?
Zhang Jin’an sent a voice message back: "Later. I’m in the car watching your stream."
Gu Yirou’s voice came through the live stream: "Oh, he replied. Let me play it for everyone."
Gu Yirou held the other phone up to the camera and played the voice message Zhang Jin’an had just sent: "Later. I’m in the car watching your stream."
— *Ahhhh, it’s Big Bro in the flesh!*
— *I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead.*
— *Is that the gaming group chat!!!!!*
— *I don't know who to be jealous of right now.*
— *Looking forward to the lemon-eating gaming session, hahahaha!*
"Wait, Su Zhiyang sent a message too. Listen to this," Gu Yirou tapped again, and Su Zhiyang’s voice immediately rang out: "Brother Gu’s specialty—turning girly."
Gu Yirou: "..."
— *Hahahahaha, I’m literally howling with laughter!*
— *We fans declare that Brother Gu can do as he pleases.*
— *The idol’s actions have nothing to do with the fans.*
— *Brother Gu, do with him as you wish.*
— *Su Zhiyang: Danger.*
Zhang Jin’an couldn't help but reply to Su Zhiyang in the group.
【Little South Mountain Tour Guide Zhang Jin’an】: You’re the man, brother. You’re the only one brave enough.
【Wenzhou Leather Factory Landlord Su Zhiyang】: You flatter me, you flatter me.
"Zhang Jin’an replied. He said Su Zhiyang is the man, and he’s the only one brave enough," Gu Yirou set the phone aside and showed a bottle of sunscreen to the camera. She squeezed a bit onto her hand, dotted it on her cheeks, and said as she rubbed it in, "Well, of course. Just a few days ago, I don't know who it was that kicked their internet cable out during a live stream."
— *Su Zhiyang’s legendary live stream moment.*
— *I died laughing that day.*
— *A classic moment.*
— *LMAO.*
— *Congrats to Silly Su for being nominated for a legendary moment.*
Zhang Jin’an hadn't seen that live stream, but he knew about it because several people in the group had mentioned it. During a stream, Su Zhiyang had gotten so excited after winning a game that he accidentally kicked the cable, and the stream cut out instantly. That one kick had landed Su Zhiyang in a fan-made compilation of "Celebrity Derp Moments."
Naturally, Su Zhiyang wasn't about to take it lying down, so the two of them began bickering—one in the group chat and one on the live stream. People from the Northeast naturally have a way of speaking that hits everyone’s funny bone, and combined with Gu Yirou’s sharp tongue and her habit of rhyming every three sentences, the audience was dying of laughter.
In the end, Su Zhiyang admitted defeat. He sent a voice message saying, "Brother Gu is the best, I’ll dare to do it again next time," and then went off to play games. Gu Yirou gave a disdainful smile and continued recommending foundation to her audience.
By this point, the group had arrived at the hotel.
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Unable to be Arrogant [Entertainment Circle] | Chapter 116 | A Rainy Wrap-up | Novela.app | Novela.app
