Chapter 241: Congratulations, Brother Nuo

The next day, Chen Nuo had no scenes, so he could rest peacefully for the entire day.

Come to think of it, in this film, his screen time was actually not as much as Teacher Kim Hye-ja's.

However, every scene he appeared in was crucial.

It was precisely the plight of Lu Lu Xiangyu that linked the entire film together.

Every step of the development and every plot twist woven into the script revolved around him.

He didn't have to worry about the Cannes judges treating him like they did his performance in *My Blueberry Nights*,

saying his screen time was too short to count as the male lead.

Thinking about that matter always made Chen Nuo angry.

Borrowing the lingering effects of the alcohol from last night, Chen Nuo slept comfortably in this Korean countryside inn until the sun was high in the sky.

After getting up, he went with Brother Brother Linghu to the restaurant booked by the film crew, and just as they finished a makeshift lunch, he received a call from Qi Yuntian.

Qi Yuntian was speaking Chinese on the phone, and his tone was a bit strange, as if he were hiding something.

"We've arrived in Daegu; we'll be there in a while."

"Uh-huh, I'll meet you at the entrance of the village."

"Alright, bring a bottle of water. Your little sister is a bit carsick; she threw up on the road just now."

"Got it." Chen Nuo yawned, then suddenly realized, "What little sister? You mean Cui Cui Xueli, right?"

"Yeah, of course it's Cui Cui Xueli. How many little sisters do you have otherwise?"

Chen Nuo took a sip of tea and said impatiently, "I don't have a single little sister, damn it. What are you talking about?"

Qi Yuntian's tone was very flat, "Before Aunt Pan went to Japan, she heard you talk about Cui Cui Xueli. Your mother seemed to really pity this little girl and told you not to hold a grudge against her. Remember that?"

Chen Nuo frowned and said, "Stop talking nonsense."

Qi Yuntian ignored him and said slowly on the phone, "Brother Nuo, I've been in Hancheng during this time, preparing to work with that guy surnamed Han to properly deal with Cui Cui Xueli's parents, right?"

"Damn it, they failed to raise their daughter properly, hit Aunt Pan, and even broke the precious necklace you gave your aunt. How could we not teach this family a lesson, right?"

As Chen Nuo listened to Qi Yuntian's rambling, the uneasy feeling in his heart grew stronger.

Because he was the same way.

When encountering something particularly interesting, especially an embarrassing incident involving a close friend, he wouldn't want to expose it all at once; he had to take it slow, build up the mood, and finally laugh his head off at the other person's panicked reaction.

He, a dignified... right, how could he let others make a joke of him?

Chen Nuo asked calmly, "And then?"

Qi Yuntian said, "Then those two really aren't human. When they saw us asking for money, they started playing the rogue. One moment they said Cui Cui Xueli wasn't their daughter and had nothing to do with them, the next they said she was unfilial and they had already severed ties with her."

"Anyway, back and forth, they just refused to pay. In the end, Han Han Zhenghao found a lawyer and made them sign an agreement to relinquish guardianship."

Chen Nuo asked word for word, "Relinquish guardianship?"

"Yeah, relinquish guardianship of Cui Cui Xueli," Qi Yuntian repeated, also word for word.

Hearing this, Chen Nuo already had a damn bad feeling that things were going wrong.

Qi Yuntian seemed to know it too, his smile growing more evident: "That Han Han Zhenghao's point is that he didn't handle this matter well before and felt very guilty. So, he wants to resolve this matter completely for you."

"If Cui Cui Xueli stays tangled up with those parents of hers, she definitely won't have a good ending. This is a perfect opportunity to let her escape the sea of misery, and afterwards..."

Chen Nuo suppressed his internal associations and interrupted, "Afterwards what? In this godforsaken place called Korea, what can happen afterwards? Find one of her relatives or friends to be her guardian? It'll all end up the same way sooner or later."

Qi Yuntian clicked his tongue in wonder, "Brother Nuo, you are so right. Hey, everyone says you scored 402 on the college entrance exam by giving it your all, but only I can be sure you were holding back. Otherwise, the top scholar that year..."

Chen Nuo coughed, "Let's not talk about the past. Get to the point."

Qi Yuntian chuckled, "Anyway, Brother Nuo, your intelligence infected me from afar, and I thought the same thing. So, when Han Han Zhenghao told me, I was also skeptical."

"Later, Han Han Zhenghao found her relatives, but none of them were willing to take her in. They all knew Cui Cui Xueli had caused a huge disaster and were afraid of being saddled with her current debts."

"And that's where the trouble started. According to the laws here in Korea, if she were sent to a juvenile welfare home, it would definitely be ten thousand times worse than it is now."

Chen Nuo cursed, "Looking for trouble where there is none, stirring up drama. I knew it. That Han Han Zhenghao guy looks sharp, but he's completely unreliable. Then what?"

"Then..." Qi Yuntian said in a low voice, "Your mom called you last night and you didn't pick up, so she called me directly to ask about the situation here, and I mentioned this matter to her roughly."

Chen Nuo remembered; when Pan Pan Chengrong called last night, he was drinking with Bong Joon-ho. Later, when he saw the missed call, he was too drunk to remember to call back.

Damn it! No way, right? Did this jerk Qi Yuntian take such a long detour just to lead to what he was thinking?

Chen Nuo steadied himself and asked, "What did she say?"

Qi Yuntian said, "Aunt Pan said that Cui Cui Xueli is already 14, and 18 is only four years away. If it really comes down to it, she'll be her guardian for these few years."

"This kind of international adoption is quite difficult for our country. But you know, in a place like Korea, with the chaebols, it seems like it's just a matter of a single word. And Han Han Zhenghao said he'd handle it."

"Aunt Pan will come to Korea in a few days to handle the paperwork. So Brother Nuo, congratulations, you have a little sister for the next four years."

Qi Yuntian and the others arrived very quickly.

After Chen Nuo and Brother Brother Linghu finished eating, they strolled slowly to the village entrance. On the way, they encountered the *Mother* film crew, chatted with Bong Joon-ho for a bit, and admired Teacher Kim Hye-ja's exquisite performance.

After reaching the village gate, they only waited about ten minutes before a black van drove along the winding country road from afar and stopped at the village entrance, not far from him.

Qi Yuntian got out of the car first, smiling and waving at him to say hello.

Then came Cui Cui Xueli.

The little girl was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and skinny jeans today. Her legs were slender and she looked quite tall. Although she was a middle school student, there was absolutely no problem calling her a high school student in the play.

As soon as she saw him, Cui Cui Xueli immediately gave a bow of over 90 degrees and said loudly, "Chen Nuo Oppa!"

As expected of someone who practices dance; her face was almost touching her knees, and she didn't get back up for a long time.

Chen Nuo heard from Qi Yuntian that this girl still didn't know things had developed this way and was still planning to save money to pay him back for the necklace after she debuted.

Little did she know, her mother had already discarded her like trash, and legally speaking, she was already an orphan.

Moreover, she wouldn't be able to debut or earn any money.

Before long, she might have to board a plane to another strange country, and apart from a short trip, she wouldn't be able to return for at least four years.

Chen Nuo could completely stop this somewhat absurd and sudden event; in fact, there was still plenty of time.

But he didn't try to persuade Pan Pan Chengrong.

Just as he understood why his cold-blooded, ruthless father, Chen Chen Bicheng—who started out as a coal boss—didn't oppose Pan Pan Chengrong's impulsive decision born of kindness.

There were many reasons.

Perhaps it was because he, their only son, wasn't around, they couldn't see each other more than a few times a year, the two of them didn't keep dogs or cats, and they didn't know how long it would be before they had grandchildren, so their hearts softened.

But more than that, Chen Nuo felt that the events of the past year had given everyone more insight into life and living.

Just like how Pan Pan Chengrong hadn't played mahjong for a month.

It was the same for him.

There were many things he was powerless to change, but if he could truly save this living life with his own hands because of his rebirth, it would be a form of solace.

At the very least, his long-standing, gloomy mood did indeed become a little lighter when he saw Cui Cui Xueli walking toward him with her head down, cautiously following behind Qi Yuntian.

Chen Nuo kept a straight face and said in a low voice in Korean, "You're so late. The director has been waiting anxiously. He was asking yesterday why you hadn't arrived yet."

Cui Cui Xueli was startled by his demeanor. Without even raising her head, she immediately began bowing repeatedly, her mouth like a broken record, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

A young man of about 27 or 28 followed Cui Cui Xueli and also bowed along with her, "I'm sorry, Chen Nuo-xi."

Chen Nuo asked, "And you are?"

The young man kept his legs together and gave a 90-degree bow, saying, "I am Cui Xueli's manager from SM Entertainment. My name is Jeon Jun-hyun. Chen Nuo-xi, nice to meet you. I am very sorry for keeping you and the director waiting."

Chen Nuo asked Qi Yuntian in Chinese, "SM Entertainment doesn't know yet?"

Qi Yuntian smiled and said, "They don't know, but Han Han Zhenghao said we don't need to worry about that; they are still signed under trainee contracts."

Chen Nuo nodded and said no more.

Cui Cui Xueli's audition went quite smoothly.

After all, this high school girl was just a bit part, a trigger to lead into the plot. There were only a few shots in total, and her lines didn't exceed five sentences, so for a child star like Cui Cui Xueli, it was a breeze.

As for the appearance Bong Joon-ho valued, just as Chen Nuo expected, although Cui Cui Xueli's looks couldn't be called stunning, wearing the high school uniform from the film, she was exactly the kind of pureness that Fatty Bong wanted.

Especially the scratch marks on her face from her mother's fingernails, which hadn't fully healed yet, made Bong Joon-ho feel as if he had found a treasure.

He even decided to give her an extra shot, letting this real scar give the character more background and depth.

The first scene Cui Cui Xueli filmed was the next evening, the part where Chen Nuo followed her.

A handsome but intellectually disabled young man sees a girl in a school skirt on his way home at night.

He immediately remembered his friends mocking him for not understanding the ways of men and women, and for never having made love to a woman.

Watching the girl walking on the road at night with her schoolbag on her back, seeing her exposed calves and soft waist, as well as the physical differences from himself, the fool muttered inexplicable words to himself, imitating the methods his friends taught him on how to pick up girls, and followed the girl's footsteps.

The camera was about one person's distance away from Chen Nuo, and the cinematographer gave him a medium close-up.

Cui Cui Xueli had finished her solo shots by this time, and Bong Joon-ho called her over to watch the monitor with him to find the feel for their upcoming scene together.

"Look, Cui Xueli-xi, this is where Chen Nuo-xi is most amazing: his eyes."

"Not just me, directors all over the world think his eyes are his most amazing feature; they truly can speak."

Bong Joon-ho pointed at the image on the monitor screen, saying with nothing but admiration.

Hearing him say this, Cui Cui Xueli watched even more intently.

In the monitor's frame, a handsome young man with a bowl cut looked ahead, walking at a pace that was neither fast nor slow, making the camera follow him at a steady, unhurried speed.

There was actually no one in front of him, because the girl he was supposed to be following was currently watching him act next to the monitor.

However, both his eyes and the direction of every step he took carried an extremely strong sense of purpose, as if there really were a girl in a skirt in front of him, making him unable to help but follow.

Yes, just as Director Bong Joon-ho said, especially his eyes.

Cui Cui Xueli had never imagined that someone could act with their eyes to this extent.

And that an actor could express so much just by relying on their eyes.

The young man in the lens—his eyes weren't just staring fixedly at one point, because his brain was different from a normal person's.

Therefore, he would suddenly have his attention drawn by other things.

He would be walking along, then suddenly look to the side, looking at a flower or a blade of grass by the roadside, or perhaps a brick or a water pipe on a wall.

He would stare at these other things for a few seconds, then suddenly look back at the girl in front of him.

Cui Cui Xueli felt that Chen Nuo's gaze was fixed on the area between the buttocks and thighs of her, a high school girl.

Although she was not in front of him, every time his eyes moved away and came back, they landed on the same spot.

Neither higher nor lower.

Cui Cui Xueli had only occasionally seen people with intellectual disabilities on the street and didn't have much of an impression of them, but at this moment, those images that had already blurred in her memory all came back to her at once.

Indeed, they are just like this.

The sense of reality brought by this performance was so intense that she had goosebumps all over her body.

Directors all over the world believe that his eyes can speak. What high praise this statement from Director Bong Joon-ho is. But now that Cui Cui Xueli is on set, she feels it is so fitting.

No, it's not just his eyes.

Cui Cui Xueli saw that the young man in the lens also had a habit of biting his hands; he would occasionally tear at the dead skin on his thumb.

At first, Cui Cui Xueli thought this action was to express the intellectual deficiency of Lu Lu Xiangyu.

But after watching for a dozen seconds, she discovered that rather than expressing an intellectual problem, it was more about injecting some childishness into the character through this form of thumb-biting, making him look more innocent and simple, while also making the person more vivid.

Because the character's dullness had already been sufficiently displayed through his vacant, neurotic eyes, the silly smile at the corners of his mouth, and his strange, half-smiling expression.

Is that so?

Cui Cui Xueli didn't understand if what she felt was correct.

In the gap after this set of shots was filmed and Bong Joon-ho called for another take, she mustered her courage and posed her question to him.

Bong Joon-ho laughed and said, "That is indeed the case, and you aren't wrong. To be able to understand to this degree at your age is already very good. However, as a Korean actress valued by Chen Nuo, this is not enough."

Cui Cui Xueli was stunned.

A Korean actress valued by Chen Nuo?

Who? Me?

Bong Joon-ho looked at her dazed expression, actually feeling a bit curious himself.

When complaining to Chen Nuo, Bong Joon-ho never expected that Chen Nuo would actually recommend a somewhat famous young Korean actress to him.

What is the relationship between the two of them?

How did they meet?

For the past two days, countless people in the crew have been exclaiming about how lucky this Korean girl is, and there has been quite a bit of secret discussion about these two questions. Although Cui Cui Xueli is too young for anyone to think anything untoward, there are truly many who are curious about it.

This includes him as well.

Cui Cui Xueli came back to her senses and said with some shame, "Director, I don't understand, I'm sorry."

Bong Joon-ho smiled and said, "Cui Cui Xueli, what you just said is only the surface. The essence can be summarized as: in Chen Nuo's world of acting, he is always performing with great restraint."

"Cui Cui Xueli, you must know that acting is actually not difficult; joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness can be expressed by the vast majority of qualified actors."

"But knowing exactly when to laugh, to what degree to laugh, and when to cry, and what kind of appearance to cry with—this is the difficult part."

"Giving the director exactly the degree they want, neither more nor less, is the essential quality of a good actor."

Cui Cui Xueli looked thoughtfully at the monitor screen as the filming began again following the clapperboard.

Looking at the young man in the lens who felt completely different from the usual Chen Nuo yet looked exactly the same, she couldn't help but say, "So, Chen Nuo is like this."

Bong Joon-ho watched the monitor without replying. It wasn't until the shot was finished and he said "cut" that he turned his head and said, "No. Chen Nuo is not the kind of good actor I just described."

"He has progressed even further than the Joker in *The Dark Knight*. In the field of performance, I think he has already reached a very high position. He no longer considers problems the way you do, Cui Cui Xueli. Nor does he satisfy the director's requirements like the kind of actor I mentioned."

"He is now, more likely, struggling with his own state of performance."

"If his state is good, he can win any film award in the world."

"If his state is bad..." Bong Joon-ho looked at Cui Cui Xueli and said, "He is just the kind of good actor I described earlier."

Cui Cui Xueli's not-so-clever brain still didn't quite understand Bong Joon-ho's words.

But there was no time for her to think about it, as the next scene—her scene with him—began.

It couldn't really be called a scene between two actors.

It was just the young man, after the high school girl died, pulling her by the legs and dragging the corpse backward from the steps outside the house up to the roof of that dark, two-story building.

Then hanging her on the railing.

In the filming, this was a complete, continuous shot from beginning to end.

On the nearly 45-degree steps, the crew had laid down a layer of wooden boards. Because of the angle, Cui Cui Xueli was already wearing safety shorts underneath, but thinking of Chen Nuo's gaze, she still felt a bit shy and nervous.

She even fantasized about whether Chen Nuo would come over to comfort her.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

She saw that during the interval while the crew prepared for the shot, Chen Nuo stayed squatting on the grass to the side all by himself.

He was biting his hands, giggling, and talking to himself.

He looked very busy, even playing and bickering with something invisible in the air.

It looked eerie and frightening.

But the crew seemed to have gotten used to it; no one disturbed him, and when they passed by, they all walked on tiptoe.

For some reason, Cui Cui Xueli's slightly uneasy heart calmed down.

"Action."

After the clapperboard signaled the start.

Cui Cui Xueli was pulled by her ankles by Chen Nuo, dragging her up the stairs.

Director Bong Joon-ho had said that her face wouldn't be seen in the shot, so she could completely use a stunt double.

But Cui Cui Xueli refused.

Since her face wouldn't be seen anyway, she kept her eyes wide open, staring at the young man in front of her who was dragging her with effort.

With her long hair dragging on the ground, she remained motionless, rubbing against the wooden boards, her buttocks and back feeling a burning sensation from the friction.

The look in his eyes as he watched her was so anxious; he was clearly very worried.

He didn't know what had happened, or why she had become motionless.

He was undoubtedly concerned for her now, wanting to save her.

This simple, innocent fool finally dragged her onto the balcony and hung her on the railing.

Cui Cui Xueli tried her best to relax her body, letting the other person handle her.

After finally being hung on the railing in a strange posture,

finally, she heard the director on set call "Cut."

Cui Cui Xueli let out a sigh of relief. Although she felt that Chen Nuo was trying his best to avoid it, her knees and elbows were still rubbed raw and bleeding from the hard, rough ground and the concrete railing, and it was very painful.

She wiped away the blood, feeling a bit worried: if they had to do it again, would these wounds show?

But when she turned around and saw the man who had caused her injuries looking at her with a blank expression, he said flatly, "The acting was not bad." After saying that, he turned and went downstairs.

Cui Cui Xueli was stunned for a long while, then suddenly couldn't help but laugh. Strangely, at that moment, her hands and feet didn't seem to hurt at all.

(End of chapter)