Chapter 365: Model

After wrapping up, the actors left one after another, each with their own work to continue; Luo Na De was also taken back by people sent by his father, and it's estimated he'll need to nurse his injuries for a long period.

People often say it takes a hundred days to heal broken bones and torn tendons; although not absolute, there is some truth to it.

After learning that Luo Na De had left, Charlie and the others felt much better, no longer having to worry about running into that young master.

Xiao Guo's side didn't urge them, only telling Charlie and the others to return by the week before Christmas; now Xiao Guo is filming the documentary "Old Cat," and judging by customer and netizen reactions, this lifestyle documentary is still quite successful, with high online click-through rates and some fame among cat lovers.

This documentary isn't purely about how long cats live; it also includes some cats' "health preservation ways"—what they eat daily, how much, what they do, and so on—all topics hotly discussed among cat lovers.

Although Xiao Guo didn't urge them, the Jiao family missed Zheng Tan; every few days over the past three months they called to check on his condition, and now that they know filming is done, they've been urging him to hurry back.

Zheng Tan himself didn't want to stay longer either, but Yang Yi said there were still some matters to confirm, so he asked Charlie to bring Zheng Tan back to Chu Hua Shi a few days later.

Of course, during these few days they stayed, Charlie and the others were free; as the year ended, many relatives and friends would ask them to bring back seafood or other local specialties, so Charlie and the others weren't idle.

When Charlie and the others went out shopping, they left Zheng Tan at Kong Han's place; Kong Han had his own house in this city, and during the shoot Yang Yi stayed there temporarily. Kong Han's wife remained in the capital, and after things here were settled, Kong Han would also return to the capital.

Now, in that large house, only Kong Han and Yang Yi remain, plus Zheng Tan.

Having just finished filming, Kong Han is resting these two days before joining the post-production work; at this moment, Yang Yi and Kong Han are discussing the film's score and theme song.

The score has been handed over to a professional team to produce, while the theme song hasn't been decided yet.

Zheng Tan jumped onto the coffee table and glanced at the printed sheet placed there. The sheet listed the people involved in music production, and among them Zheng Tan saw a familiar name.

The list included A Jin's band, and Zheng Tan hadn't expected Yang Yi to let A Jin and his band take part.

When Yang Yi and Kong Han talked about A Jin's band, their evaluation was quite high, especially A Jin, whom Yang Yi greatly admired; the comment was "limitless potential."

Unbeknownst to them, that young man who once sat listless and hopeless, wandering and despairing at the door of Ye Lou, has now grown to this point.

Perhaps everyone who goes out to make a living will encounter some kind of hardship, like A Jin. Just like Xue Ding, who silently ran errands as an extra for years, putting in hard work behind the scenes, as long as they get a chance, they will shine brightly.

"Oh, Hei Tan, speaking of which, A Jin and his lot are old acquaintances of yours, right?"

Here there are only Yang Yi and Kong Han, who both know Zheng Tan's background, so they also directly called him by his pet name rather than his stage name. As for the relationship between A Jin and his group and Zheng Tan, Yang Yi had looked into it earlier; he had taken notice of A Jin's band because of that year's relatively popular song "Cat's Fantasy," and when he later spoke with A Jin he learned that the band had risen to prominence in Chu Hua Shi, and that the song's creation was also thanks to a cat from Chu Hua Da Xue; besides the cat that inspired A Jin to compose the song, A Jin also mentioned Zheng Tan, after which Yang Yi did some further investigation, and that's why he finds Zheng Tan quite amazing.

Yang Yi isn't particularly fond of cats; his earlier documentary was made because of his maternal grandfather, but he had also studied cats before and had never seen any cat with such ability.

Recalling how surprised he felt when he first saw the investigation results, Yang Yi shook his head: "Nothing in the world is strange."

As they were speaking, Yang Yi's phone rang; he walked to the balcony to answer it, then went out to the airport to pick up a friend.

When Charlie and the others arrived, Yang Yi still hadn't returned.

"Your flight is on Friday, right?" Kong Han asked. Today is Tuesday, so it's not far off.

"No, we're driving back. Our car had a bit of trouble earlier, so Boss Yang had someone tow it to the shop; during that time we've been driving the car Boss Yang lent us, and now the car's been fixed, so we'll all drive back ourselves—it's more convenient." Charlie replied.

Kong Han nodded. "Exactly, bringing a cat, driving is still the most convenient, and you guys can take turns driving without getting tired."

"Indeed. Director Kong, if there's anything else you need—like reshoots or retakes—just give me a call." Charlie said to Kong Han.

According to the original plan, although this movie has finished filming, it can only be considered as completed principal photography; it still needs post-production, which will take several months, and as for release, that won't be until next summer vacation—so it's a summer-season film.

"Alright, you guys be careful."

"Okay, Director Kong, goodbye then."

After leaving Kong Han's residence, those in the car with Charlie were still discussing what they'd bought today—some for their mothers, some for their sisters-in-law, and of course not forgetting their wives or girlfriends.

"I seem to have forgotten to buy a few things," said one person in the back seat, checking off items on a list in a notebook and realizing there were still several things they were supposed to buy that they hadn't gotten.

"Let's go tomorrow anyway; there's not much left. I've pretty much finished my shopping for today, so tomorrow you guys go shopping while I head out for a stroll and take a few more photos."

"Let's bring Hei Tan along tomorrow; we definitely won't end up sending him to Director Kong's place again." Charlie said.

They weren't at ease leaving Zheng Tan alone in the house; other cats would be fine, but Zheng Tan is a special case—otherwise Charlie wouldn't have bothered Kong Han.

The others had no objections either.

So the next day, Zheng Tan followed the group as they looped around the city. Eventually they reached the seaside, where Charlie and the others wanted to take a few more photos.

Although this season you can't see girls in gauze skirts or bikinis, and there aren't many people around, Charlie and the others' enthusiasm hasn't waned.

Viewing the sea also depends on the season; some compare May's ocean to a gentle maiden. It's a nice time to go with a lover or wife, picking a dusk when the sun isn't too harsh, to be romantic by the sea.

But now it's winter, and there are five guys plus a male-gendered cat—what romance could there be? They came here just to take photos as a memento, after all Chu Hua Shi is inland; you can see lakes and rivers, but not the sea.

Many feel the sea at this time of year is rather fierce and don't like coming to see it then; but others love this kind of icy wind and surging waves that make for an awe-inspiring seascape.

Blowing in the sea wind. Charlie brushed his hair, which the wind had messed up, and said, "I've heard it'll get even colder here after a while, but for now we can still tolerate it."

Zheng Tan is short-haired, but he can also feel his fur being blown backwards; his whiskers are twitching too.

Several people struck various poses for photos here, and Zheng Tan joined in as well. But after taking so many shots, there isn't a single group photo.

"Let's find someone to help us take a picture."

The person holding the camera looked around; their gaze fell on a figure walking toward them, and they sprinted over.

"Hey, beautiful, could you help us take a photo?"

"Sure." The person didn't refuse and quickened their pace toward Charlie and the others.

When the woman drew near, Charlie and the others only then realized how tall she really was.

The tallest among the five is about 1.80 plus a bit—roughly 1.82 or 1.83 meters—but standing before this woman they felt no height advantage at all; although she wore heeled boots, the heels weren't high, so it's clear she's definitely over 1.75 meters tall.

Back when they were with the production crew, the female stars they saw all had gorgeous faces and good figures; compared to them, this woman's face seemed a bit lacking, yet oddly, even though her features aren't striking, even if she casually ties her hair in a ponytail, even if she dresses simply and plainly, overall she gives an impression that doesn't fall short of those stars—in fact she has an even stronger aura, an indescribable feeling. When she walked over just now, Charlie and the others' heartbeats unconsciously quickened a little, and Zheng Tan did too.

"Are you a model?" one person asked.

She gave a faint smile and nodded.

"Really? What's your name? I'll look you up later—I get the feeling you're a famous model." Another of the five said.

However, she had no intention of giving her name, merely saying, "I'm just a small-time model."

Probably also realizing that asking for her name had been a bit abrupt and rude, Charlie kicked the person who'd asked, then turned to the woman and handed over the camera: "Then it's up to you."

She took the camera and waited for Charlie and the others to get into position before shooting.

After snapping ten or so pictures in a row, Charlie and the others finally stopped posing.

"Thanks." Charlie said.

"You're welcome." She smiled, said that, and then turned and left.

However, before leaving, her gaze lingered on Zheng Tan for a moment—Cha Li and the others didn't notice, but Zheng Tan did. In fact, even before this woman approached, he had felt like someone was watching him; as she came over to take photos, this feeling grew stronger for Zheng Tan, and the look she gave him as she left just now confirmed it for him.

However, Zheng Tan was certain he didn't know this person; if he had met them before, he'd definitely remember. Although this person's appearance isn't striking, their overall presence leaves an impression, and that kind of demeanor is hard to imitate.

However, the person meant no harm; they were more like sizing him up.

After the person walked farther and farther away and their silhouette disappeared, Zheng Tan stopped thinking about it. As long as there was no ill intent, that was fine; as for what the person actually had in mind, if it truly concerned Zheng Tan himself, they would eventually meet.

After taking the photos, the group headed back, tidied up their things, slept well the next day, and the day after that drove off to return to Chu Hua Shi.

Meanwhile, while Zheng Tan and the others were discussing their return, at Kong Han's residence, besides Kong Han and Yang Yi, there was another person—the very woman who had helped Zheng Tan and the others take photos at the seaside.

"How about it, Li Wei? Isn't that cat nice?"

"Not bad." Li Wei said, looking at the series of photos in her hand.

The photos Li Wei held included not only Zheng Tan's but also other animals—cats, dogs, and a certain snarling goofy monkey.

Kong Han laughed upon hearing that, saying, "It's rare to hear you say 'not bad'; you seem pretty satisfied—why not just take it then?"

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let me look a bit more; I'll decide after seeing the others."

"Sure, anyway Kong Han and I both think that cat is quite suitable; the others definitely can't compare." Yang Yi said proudly.

Zheng Tan, lounging on the sofa watching Animal World, had no idea he was being watched again. (To be continued…)

ps: I'll upload another chapter tonight, keep typing, and post more tomorrow. Good night, everyone.