Chapter 376: Let the Bullets Fly

On the plane back to China, Chen Nuo opened James's script.

This was the second script Chen Nuo had seen recently.

The first one had encountered some difficulties.

What difficulties?

Money.

Quentin contacted the six major film companies, but none of them reached the budget he wanted.

From Disney to Fox, summarizing through Quentin's complaints to Chen Nuo, the general situation was like this:

An executive looks at the director, looks at the cast, looks at the shooting plan.

Then—

60 million? Sign it immediately.

70 million? Small problem.

80 million? Needs discussion.

90 million? A bit difficult.

One hundred million? Very difficult now.

110 million? Sorry.

Although, but... either you modify the budget, or we'll cooperate next time.

Although what?

Although your cast is good.

But what?

But your subject matter is too niche, and you, Quentin Tarantino, haven't filmed any box office champion movies either.

A cost of 110 million means the global box office must sell at least 300-360 million to break even.

Your equally powerful cast's "Inglourious Basterds" only sold 300 million, so of course we have to question this.

What's more, "Inglourious Basterds" was about killing Nazis, changing ways to kill the Jewish enemy Hitler, which makes us Jewish descendants feel excited just thinking about it.

This time?

A history of the counterattack of Chinese laborers, Chinese people on American soil killing a group of white people?

Sorry, really can't give that much money.

And Quentin Tarantino?

If he didn't have a weird temper, he absolutely wouldn't have announced that he would only film 10 movies in his life just when his career was getting on the right track.

Thus, you aren't willing, and I'm even less willing.

The current situation is that both sides are deadlocked like this.

One word: Wait.

Wait for what?

Of course, wait for "Inception" to be released.

Summarizing again according to Quentin's words, it's that those dog-raising film companies of the six major Hollywood studios are all masters who won't scatter eagles until they see rabbits.

Everyone wants to see how his original commercial film as the male lead performs outside of "Twilight."

By then, everyone will have a scale in their hearts. "Inception" now has so many halos on it, so is its box office performance lower than expected, in line with expectations, or exceeding expectations?

Once the data is laid out, these people will naturally weigh it, and decide what to do about the 110 million budget Quentin wants—nod directly, continue to bargain, or simply withdraw capital and leave.

So, even if everything goes smoothly, the start time for Quentin's new film will have to be in the second half of 2011.

Chen Nuo indeed had plenty of time to go "jungle-clearing."

As a result, after finishing the script on the plane, Chen Nuo found that James's script was indeed a bit wild.

The script title was "Drop." This word can be understood as water, or it can be understood as falling, or giving up, but no matter which translation, he hadn't heard of it.

However, after finishing the script, he understood why James had given his first feature film this name.

Because this movie was full of sex, drugs, gun abuse, and various forms of violence; it could be said to be the movie with the largest scale since his acting career began.

A proper B-movie.

To be released domestically, at least 2/3 would have to be deleted; in other words, it was impossible to be released domestically.

Chen Nuo was quite surprised.

Originally, he had thought that this playboy descendant of a wealthy family would make a flashy and extravagant movie.

As a result, he didn't expect that once he made a move, he would be heading toward the "lower three roads" of American society.

When a young illegal Chinese immigrant came to New Orleans, a port city filled with drug trafficking and violent incidents,

he was like a drop of "water," "dropping" into the boiling oil pan of the American bottom-layer society. When those countless dregs rose up, the final "giving up" became inevitable.

The so-called "Drop" had three meanings in one.

Basically, before finishing the script, Chen Nuo decided to take this role.

Not because of the house, nor because of returning a favor,

the reason was very simple,

he had seen too many movies in China exposing the ugly side of society, from "Blind Shaft" to "A Touch of Sin," from Jia Zhangke to Lou Ye, including "The Zhang Zhang Yaba's House" as well.

The bottom layer of China under the lens had long been turned upside down and placed bloody in front of the whole world.

This couldn't be said to be wrong,

however, looking at Hollywood, movies that directly poked at the festering sores of American society were pitifully few.

This wasn't right.

Most movies in Hollywood that exposed the scars of their own society were lukewarm water wrapped in artistic coats, or commercial popcorn movies.

There were few who dared to film the real filth and stench of American society, and those that were filmed probably couldn't find any theaters to show them in the "freedom of speech" United States.

But this time it was different.

Under the current political background, James Pritzker, wearing the halo of his family and a bet that he would either succeed or die, with his craziness coming up, who dared not buy it? Who dared not arrange screenings for him?

Even if he made it clear that he wanted to use the fig leaf of American society as a rag... so what?

Smart people probably would only watch coldly.

The most wonderful thing was that whatever happened, whatever big waves were caused, it couldn't be blamed on his Nuo brother.

If there's a problem, please find the director.

He was just making a friendly appearance.

Don't believe it?

Then go check it.

See if he didn't take a single cent of salary.

When time came to the evening of December 15th, "Let the Bullets Fly" held its global premiere at the Beijing Olympic Sports Center.

In this premiere, Chen Nuo walked the red carpet in the second-to-last batch. The one who pressed the finale after him was the iron triangle of the three major leads.

Although he refused to do any finale, he couldn't win against the director and was arranged in the second-to-last batch, walking the red carpet alone to accept the baptism of the flashlights.

The fans were enthusiastic, with shouts of his name everywhere, screams one after another, but this time he didn't cause any trouble like at the Hundred Flowers Awards. He didn't stay in the fan area for long either, just waved simply, walked the red carpet quickly, and then went straight to the interview area to accept interviews.

As the most watched Chinese-language film of 2010, the number of media outlets that came to the scene today was countless.

Three layers inside and out, densely packed, besides the reporter groups from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, there were even media from Japan and South Korea.

Chen Nuo saw the ones with NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation and KBS Korea Broadcasting System tags among the twenty or thirty microphones held in front of him by staff.

Under the arrangement of the organizer, reporters' questions followed one after another, thrown out one by one.

However, not a single one was about "Let the Bullets Fly."

The reason was very simple.

When a shocking piece of news came from across the ocean this morning.

Even if the "Let the Bullets Fly" with a gathering of Chinese film big names was released tonight, even if the three major film emperors Jiang Wen, Ge You, and Chow Yun-fat gathered together, even if today's first-line little flowers and fresh meat like Chen Kun, Liao Fan, Zhao Wei, Huang Xiaoming, Xia Yu, Yuan Quan, and Jaycee Chan would all arrive, even if Japanese and Korean stars like Choi Min-sik and Teruyuki Kagawa would also arrive tonight,

they still had to let the headline position go.

"Ah!!!"

On the morning of the 15th, early in the morning, a scream came from the 322 dormitory of the Beijing Film Academy.

Making the other three people who were sleeping in on Saturday immediately full of complaints.

"Weiwei, what are you screaming for?"

"Holy crap, what time is it, don't you sleep?"

But Dilraba didn't make a sound, wrapped herself in the quilt, turned over, and continued to sleep.

But the next second, a sentence from Bao Wei made her open her eyes again immediately.

"Chen Nuo is going to host the Oscars!!!"

After a short silence, Yang Zi stretched her head out from the mosquito net, "Really or fake, fake news, right."

Bao Wei said somewhat excitedly: "I don't know either! I just went on Weibo and saw the hot search. I haven't looked at it carefully yet! Scared me!"

"Don't get excited, it's mostly fake." Xu Xiyang's lazy voice came, "Just like that something a while ago, I guess it's just media talking nonsense to attract attention. Think about it, it's impossible."

Yang Zi also said: "That is, I also think so, Chen Nuo isn't any host, how could the Oscars invite him."

Bao Wei said: "Don't rush, let me see, why is it impossible? I just think it's possible. Didn't he host that comedy show two days ago? Maybe he was spotted by the Oscars... Wow, Xiao Di, what are you doing, you stretched your head out and didn't say anything, you scared me."

"Nothing... I just... I just looked, I'll continue sleeping." Dilraba felt embarrassed and shrank her head back again.

Although she had already taken a few months of the company's 2000 yuan low-income allowance, half of it was sent back home, and she still couldn't bear to change her phone, still using that Nokia, which couldn't go online, otherwise she would definitely have checked it herself like Yang Zi.

Sure enough, after about ten seconds, Yang Zi almost simultaneously screamed with Bao Wei.

"It seems to be true!"

"It's the official news just released by the American Oscars!"

Whoosh.

With this, no one in the dormitory could sleep anymore.

Dilraba also put on her pajamas and got out of bed, curiously leaning over to Bao Wei's laptop to look.

It was the official account of Sina Entertainment, released at 9:05 in the morning, probably just after they got to work.

"Verified: At 8:00 PM on Friday, December 14th (Eastern Time), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) officially announced that our country's actor Chen Nuo will serve as the host of the 83rd Academy Awards. This is the first time in Oscar history that an Asian has been invited to be a host, and it is the first time a Chinese actor has served as the host of this most watched film event in the world! This award ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on February 27, 2011, and will be broadcast live across the US by ABC."

Below was also an official picture of the 2011 83rd Oscar award ceremony.

With this, the whole dormitory went quiet.

Several people were looking at that Weibo post with quite a few words. After a while, Xu Xiyang said: "That, this definitely counts as creating history, right."

Dilraba's mood was very complicated at this moment.

On one hand, she still felt she didn't have much sense of belonging to the Huanxin company.

On the other hand, she now indeed had a feeling of shared honor in her heart.

This made her really very contradictory.

The other three girls in the dormitory were all discussing it chattering away, but she didn't have the mood to join in at all.

And after she finished washing up and came back, her phone suddenly rang.

Picking it up to look, it was her agent Tang Qing.

"What's wrong, Brother Tang."

"Are you at school?"

"Yeah. Is there anything?"

"Oh, it's like this, company welfare, the premiere of 'Let the Bullets Fly' tonight, two complimentary tickets were allocated to you, and you might be able to see Chen Zong then. Do you want them?"

"Ah?"

Dilraba's brain buzzed.

"Ah what, do you want them?"

"Yes!" Dilraba immediately agreed.

"Okay, then I'll send them to you later. Wait for my call."

"Okay, thank you Brother Tang."

After hanging up the phone, Dilraba sat on the stool in a daze, watching the three roommates still discussing.

She thought about it and felt it was better to ask directly.

"That............"

Once she finished speaking, the three girls looked at each other.

After a while, Bao Wei coughed lightly and said: "Then Xiao Di, who among the three of us do you want to accompany you?"

Dilraba asked: "See who among you wants to go."

Xu Xiyang asked: "Xiao Di, you said, it's possible to see Chen Nuo, right?"

"My agent said so."

Once the three girls heard this, they stopped talking again.

After a while, Bao Wei said: "Haven't I told you? I'm actually a fan of Nuo. Xiao Zi, Yang Yang, let me go, okay? You want me to do anything for you, it's all fine. I'll cover the meal and water delivery for this semester, how about it?"

Xu Xiyang smiled and said: "Xiao Wei, to tell you the truth, I'm also a fan of Chen Nuo. I can also deliver meals and water, and I can also help you wash clothes."

"You! You aren't, why haven't I heard you say that before?"

"I always have been, I just didn't want to say it."

Yang Zi suddenly said: "Yang Yang, Xiao Wei, like this, let me go, I'll give you 2000 yuan each. How about it? 3000?"

In the same dormitory, no one was embarrassed to take money, so in the end, it was decided by drawing lots.

The result was that Xu Xiyang drew it.

This made Dilraba feel a bit awkward, because after a few months of school, among the three roommates, the one she was least familiar with was this girl who looked beautiful and pleasant, didn't talk much, and liked to read books.

However, she felt embarrassed to say anything at this moment.

Tang Qing sent the tickets over in the afternoon. They were two inner-field tickets for the premiere at the Olympic Sports Center, the kind that weren't for sale to the public.

The movie started at 10 PM, and it was quite close from the Beijing Film Academy to the Olympic Sports Center, but Dilraba and Xu Xiyang still set off at eight.

Arriving at the Olympic Sports Center and sitting down, seeing that huge screen set up on the lawn not far away,

Dilraba really felt that she had opened her eyes; there was actually a movie that could make a premiere look like a concert, and she couldn't help but exclaim: "How much money must this cost, it's too wealthy and overbearing."

Xu Xiyang didn't respond, suddenly saying: "Xiao Di, do you know that Xiao Zi has always wanted to join Huanxin? This time she spent 8000-plus to take a set of art photos, actually, she just wanted to use them to submit a resume to Huanxin."

"Ah?" Dilraba was shocked. She knew about this and also marveled that being a star meant having money, that art photos cost 8000-plus, if it were her, she would be reluctant. As a result, she didn't expect it was for this purpose.

Xu Xiyang looked at her appearance and smiled again, saying: "I'm the same actually, I didn't tell you, I also went to take a set, it cost 10,000-plus."

Dilraba was dumbfounded, looking at Xu Xiyang, not knowing what to say.

"Actually, at that time, Yang Zi didn't let you join Huanxin, and told you to go to Tang Ren and Huayi and such, it wasn't out of good intentions, she was afraid you would compete with her for the quota to go to Huanxin."

Dilraba remembered the conversation she heard at the door, and with her long-standing suspicion confirmed, she became calm instead, looking at Xu Xiyang suspiciously and saying: "Yang Yang, why do you want to say this?"

Xu Xiyang smiled and said: "On one hand, I want to thank you for bringing me here, on the other hand, I want to tell you that Yang Zi and I have actually passed the first round of interviews for the Huanxin company, and we are going to the second round tomorrow. The interviewer at the Huanxin company also agreed to respect our school's current regulations. As long as we pass the final round, we can wait until we are juniors to sign the contract."

"But, I don't have any confidence in this round of interviews. If, I mean if we see Chen Nuo later, and if there is a chance, can you... let me chat with him alone for a while?"

Dilraba looked at Xu Xiyang; she didn't understand what this beautiful and delicate girl meant by these words.

She had a vague idea in her heart, but she really didn't dare to believe that Xu Xiyang meant that.

No, is she that bold? And, Chen Nuo?! Is it possible?

"Do me a favor, okay? Yang Zi isn't as good as you think. And you are so innocent and kind, if we are in the same company in the future, I will help you a lot."

Dilraba hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Okay. But Xiyang, you... are you going to..."

She hesitated and didn't finish, but Xu Xiyang seemed to guess her meaning and nodded generously: "That's right, I just want to try if I can be 'subtly ruled' (sexually exploited)."

"Ah?" Dilraba was shocked by her roommate's boldness once again, and stammered: "But... but he is, he is..."

"I know, Chen Nuo, right. However, he is also a man, he has a girlfriend, which just shows that he also has physiological needs. Let's try, otherwise how can you let me compete with people like Yang Zi."

The way Xu Xiyang said this was something Dilraba had never seen before. For her, topics that were hard to speak about were, in this girl's mouth, like discussing what to eat, terrifyingly calm.

"The key is that I thought about it and thought about it, and there is only this one way. Besides this, I can't think of any other possibility. So, you can look down on me, but, Xiao Di, I only beg you to give me a chance. Okay? I will repay you later. I swear."

Xu Xiyang's words made Dilraba's heart truly chaotic.

However, what made her feel a little relieved, and also a little disappointed, was that until the movie started, no phone call was made to her, and she didn't see anyone.

Then, accompanied by the singing of "Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient road, the grass is green to the sky," she saw a very good-looking back of a head on that huge screen 26 meters wide at the scene. It couldn't be seen who it was, only from the short hair on the back of the head could it be seen that it undoubtedly belonged to a man.

The man had his back to the camera, lying on the railroad tracks very hard, listening to some sound.

He should be listening to the sound of a train, but he listened several times and didn't hear anything.

So he lifted it up and dug his ears.

His movements were heavy, making people feel a kind of indescribable strangeness.

Dilraba couldn't say where it was strange, but suddenly a very concrete character image appeared in her heart.

This person, seems a bit dull, oh.

This feeling couldn't be described in words; she couldn't even analyze which movements made her have this feeling. Anyway, when the back of the head on the screen tilted, as if doubting something, she had such an impression in her heart.

And then, the man turned his head abruptly.

A dirty face appeared on the screen.

In an instant, Dilraba held her breath unconsciously, staring blankly at the screen with a pair of beautiful large eyes—

On that dirty face, the features were three-dimensional as if carved, the brow bone was high, the eye sockets were deep, the bridge of the nose was straight, and the arc at the corner of the mouth carried a rough and wild masculine flavor.

It made her suddenly remember that when she traveled to Xinjiang when she was a child, at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, she met a shepherd herding sheep.

He was riding on a horse, herding a large flock of sheep, with a face flushed red after being blown by the wind and dried by the sun in the golden sunlight. At the same time, his eyes hid the vastness of the desert and the wildness of a wild horse, looking both simple and dangerous. 【376-

It made her suddenly remember that when she went traveling in Southern Xinjiang as a child, at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, she met a shepherd herding sheep.

He was riding on horseback, driving a large flock of sheep, his face flushed red from the wind and sun under the golden sunlight. At the same time, his eyes hid the vastness of the desert and a wild-horse-like rebelliousness, looking both simple and dangerous.

The young shepherd made the even younger Uyghur girl's heart race, a memory unforgettable to this day.

Just as Dilraba Dilmurat held her breath, in fact, Xu Xiyang beside her, as well as many others, were just like her—surprised and excited.

Because many in the audience tonight had come specifically for this person. However, no one had anticipated that at the very beginning of the film, the director would give them such a surprise.

The face on the screen froze for a second, then his pupils dilated slightly, as if he had seen something surprising, causing his expression to change from blank to vivid.

This transformation of his possessed a peculiar infectious quality, making every audience member instantly curious as well. What exactly did he see?

Only a very few realized that this was exactly what the director wanted.

Through this bit of curiosity, they were drawn into that absurd yet real world.

And so the movie began.

……

When the train pulled by white horses came roaring through the valley, the feeling in Chen Nuo's heart was completely different from the three thousand audience members in the hall.

He had a point of reference in his mind.

That was the *Let the Bullets Fly* from his past life.

Although a long time had passed and he couldn't remember it too clearly, he generally knew that the structure of the first 20 minutes of both versions was largely the same.

It wasn't until the plot advanced to where Little Six fell into the trap set by Chen Kun and Jiang Wu, and the innocent, simple, and foolishly impulsive Six began to confront the two villains in court on screen,

that Chen Nuo discovered the differences.

Damn it, this was him watching himself act, and he actually felt a bit uncomfortable. Would you believe how absurd that is?

Really. He hadn't been too moved after watching the entire *Zhang Yaba House*, but at this moment, seeing Little Six on the big screen using a knife to dig into the jelly noodles, he couldn't take it anymore and looked away.

That bastard Jiang Wen is indeed a hundred times more badass than Zhang Yimou.

As a result, when he turned his head, he saw Jiang Wen looking at him with a complex and inexplicable expression.

"What's wrong?" Chen Nuo was a bit confused and asked with his eyes.

Jiang Wen leaned his head over and said, "I think I've been screwed by you this time, what should I do?"

What to do? Just deal with it.

Chen Nuo really felt it was inexplicable. Who did he screw? What kind of talk is this? Did he just drink half a catty?

"Did you see it?"

"Did you see it?"

"Was there only one bowl of noodles?!"

"Was there... only one bowl of noodles!"

The ghostly wailing and screaming on the screen finally ended, and Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze returning to the screen to see himself dying miserably in Jiang Wen's arms.

Dying with eyes wide open, really.

So miserable, really so miserable.

Chen Nuo felt his heart being pressed down by something again.

Honestly, if this were a novel, he would definitely have dropped it.

What the hell am I watching?

I spent money to be entertained, not for you to be all artsy-fartsy.

He couldn't help but lean over to Jiang Wen's ear and say, "Brother, I think you went a bit too far with this scene."

Jiang Wen turned his head instantly, looked at him deeply, and said, "Brother Nuo, it was your acting that went too far."

Damn it, isn't that how you wrote the script?

If I didn't act like that, would a normal person stab themselves to dig out jelly noodles?

Fortunately, after passing this point that made people feel a bit uncomfortable, the plot returned to the right track, and the entire 2-plus hours could be said to be done in one go, playing out like mercury flowing on the ground.

Jiang Wen, he truly is Jiang Wen.

……

Sure enough, the media reviews the next day were also full of praise.

Tencent Entertainment: *Let the Bullets Fly* constructs a unique world full of absurdity and reality. Jiang Wen uses witty narration and biting satire to vividly display human nature, power, and desire, with every actor contributing a brilliant performance; it is worthy of praise.

NetEase Entertainment: The film's plot is tightly paced, the dialogue is exquisite, and the four Best Actors collide with dazzling sparks through their masterful acting, interpreting their roles with profound depth. The lead actress, Hearing Tong Liya, a fresh graduate from the Central Academy of Drama, also left a deep impression on us with her beauty and purity.

The Paper: *Let the Bullets Fly* contains sharp allusions to social reality, from class solidification to the numbness and awakening of the masses, revealing profound problems amidst laughter and scolding. This is a 120-minute film without a single dull moment. It is worth it for anyone to walk into a cinema.

Sina Entertainment: A feast traveling between absurdity and reality. The film *Let the Bullets Fly* is not just a carnival of visuals and dialogue, but also a fable about the deep-seated contradictions in Chinese society. Highly recommended.

Mtime: *Let the Bullets Fly* is a film with strong Jiang Wen style. He uses a unique narrative method and strong visual impact to tell a story full of black humor and profound meaning. The plot is tight and exciting, the dialogue is sharp and humorous, and the actors' performances are absolutely brilliant.

Because Chen Nuo was truly too tired the night before, he didn't wake up until nearly noon the next day.

Hearing Tong Liya was clinging to him like an octopus at this moment.

He had a bit of a hard time grabbing his iPhone 4 from the nightstand without disturbing her, and began scrolling through Weibo.

Seeing so many media outlets giving rave reviews one after another, Chen Nuo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Don't forget, his purpose in appearing in *Let the Bullets Fly* was to return the favor for Jiang Wen's guest appearance in *The Message*. Therefore, he sincerely hoped that Brother Jiang would do well.

However, fate plays tricks on people; after reshoots, his *Twilight 3* successfully passed censorship in the US, received a PG rating, and caught the last train of 2010, setting the global simultaneous release date for December 30th.

As a result, it would be unavoidable to have some minor friction with *Let the Bullets Fly* when the time came.

But it didn't matter; after all, that would be the second half of *Let the Bullets Fly*'s theatrical run.

As long as the first half had good reviews and made enough at the box office, then let the friction be friction; it wouldn't be a big deal.

So, he really cared about this matter and checked his phone the moment he opened his eyes.

Seeing that several major media outlets were unanimous in saying the movie was good, he felt reassured, threw the phone under the pillow, and prepared to go back to sleep.

As a result, when he lowered his head, he saw that Hearing Tong Liya had already woken up.

The woman was lying slightly on her side, revealing her exquisite collarbone, her long black hair scattered messily on the pillow, with a few strands lazily sticking to her fair neck.

The morning light spilled in through the gap in the curtains, falling on her half-open eyes, her long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly, her eyes clear yet carrying a bit of the mist of just waking up.

Looking at this dazed and cute appearance, she had indeed been worn out by him last night.

It was also true; he hadn't tasted meat for nearly three months, and suddenly encountering a dance major girl, he accidentally found himself wanting to practice all the scenes he had imagined in his head during this time.

As a result, it got out of hand; Hearing Tong Liya's flexible body happened to be able to take the tossing, from the head of the bed to the foot, and then to the floor, not even sparing the bathroom.

And I have to say, those long legs of hers, trained from dancing, were truly never tiring to play with.

The final result was that he came twice, and she...

I can only say, fortunately, this was at her place, and there were spare sheets and covers, otherwise, how to sleep at night would have been a problem.

Noticing his gaze, Hearing Tong Liya also raised her eyes, the two looked at each other for a while, and suddenly both laughed together.

"You're so bad, last night, hmph hmph, aren't you afraid..."

"Afraid of what? Didn't you say you were in your safe period?"

"Yes, but... what if."

"There are no 'what ifs'."

"I'm asking you, what if there is one?"

"Then we'll have it."

"Liar."

"I'm serious."

Regardless of whether it was true or not, Hearing Tong Liya was clearly quite satisfied with this attitude.

"Forget it, I won't argue with you. Hey, I heard the child you had with Sister Bingbing is especially beautiful? When will you bring her back to China? I really want to see her."

That's right, whether it was Fan Bingbing or Gao Yuanyuan, they all made Chen Nuo keep it a strict secret, not to go around talking about it, to prevent trouble at home and hurting himself.

However...

Yesterday, after the first time finished, when the two were chatting, Hearing Tong Liya asked, and he said it naturally, appearing particularly heartless.

Although there was inevitably some fuss afterward.

But fortunately, the woman seemed mostly curious and surprised, and didn't show too much other emotion.

That was Chen Nuo's feeling.

But in reality, Hearing Tong Liya hadn't closed her eyes for a moment all night until dawn, and felt like she had just closed them when she woke up, which is why she had that look of being unable to open her eyes earlier.

She was moved by the man's trust, but at the same time, there was still an indescribable sourness and unease in the bottom of her heart.

Even after a night of self-persuasion, it was still hard to let go.

In the harbor she relied on, not only had another ship docked, but she also...

Thinking of this, Hearing Tong Liya felt another sharp pain in her heart, her nose felt sour again, but she didn't want to show it, so she quickly changed the subject and said, "Were you just looking at the movie reviews?"

"Yeah."

"What do they say?"

"All good things, and some talking about you, saying you're full of charm and stunningly beautiful. Hehe."

"Ah? Me? Then, what do they say about you?"

"Ah, the few I read didn't mention it."

"What? How is that possible! Let me see."

After reading Chen Nuo's Weibo on his phone, Hearing Tong Liya was first surprised, then thoughtful, and then said, "Look at what they say on Douban."

As a result, as soon as Chen Nuo opened Douban, he immediately let out an "Ouch."

What the hell is going on?

*Let the Bullets Fly*?!

The dignified *Let the Bullets Fly*?!

6.5 points!?

Fuck, is there some mistake!

Could it be paid trolls? Was Jiang Wen's movie ambushed by someone?

This was Chen Nuo's first thought.

However, who would do such a thing?

Jiang Wen spent five years sharpening his sword, and it was a new film produced by various parties; anyone with a brain knew it was absolutely unstoppable. Therefore, slightly larger film companies in the country had deliberately avoided the current release window of *Let the Bullets Fly*.

Now, the only films released in theaters at the same time as *Let the Bullets Fly* were things like *The Great Master: Invincible* and *Happy Marathon*.

They were all obscure small productions, just companies trying to steal a bit of business, betting on *Let the Bullets Fly* having a bad reputation, and then seeing if they could eat some leftovers.

That was all.

Honestly, compared to *Bullets*, they weren't even in the same league, and these film companies couldn't possibly have the guts to go to war with both Jiang Wen in the mainland and Emperor Group in Hong Kong.

Then what exactly is going on?

Chen Nuo steadied himself and began to read the short reviews on Douban.

"Is Chen Nuo crazy? Why act like this? How did this pass censorship? Last night when I saw him digging into the jelly noodles, I almost threw up, and I couldn't watch the rest of the movie at all. 3 stars."

"A psychopath acting in a way that kept me awake at night; sorry, Chen Nuo, you were too realistic this time. The movie is good, but it really left me with psychological trauma. 3 stars."

"Hahahaha, is this Jiang Wen's comedy movie? Too stimulating, I can't handle this kind of stimulation, didn't finish it, walked out. 1 star."

"The poster said something about laughing non-stop, but after seeing Chen Nuo crying and screaming while digging into the jelly noodles, and then dying, I really couldn't laugh afterward. I only had one thought at the time: I want to see Chen Kun die! But he lived for so long, it was really frustrating. Didn't even want to watch it. Fortunately, I stuck it out to the end; the movie is still pretty good. 4 stars."

"What was Jiang Wen thinking, why turn a perfectly good comedy movie into such a nauseating plot. Sorry, 3 stars."

"Don't go see it, don't go see it, don't go see it; those with weak psychological resilience shouldn't go see it, especially don't bring children. Remember, remember. Now my ears are filled with Nuonuo asking if it's only one bowl of noodles. 3 stars."

Chen Nuo was more and more surprised, and his heart grew colder as he read.

Fuck.

How does this feel like a car crash?

No, what is going on?

He went to repay a favor, God, and it only got a 6.5 rating?

What will Brother Jiang think when he sees this Douban rating and these comments?

What to do, what to do?

Hearing Tong Liya had been leaning beside him, watching along with him, and the girl clearly didn't realize his heavy mood, and still said quite satisfiedly, as if she were Sherlock Holmes solving a case: "I told you, how could it be? Like me, when I was on set before, I saw the playback of this scene on the monitor, and I couldn't take it either. After all, the sound system is different, and the screen is bigger, it made me feel so uncomfortable, it made me..."

"Almost dropped the book, right?" Chen Nuo interjected coldly.

"Ah, dropped the book? Yes, something like that. Anyway, I didn't dare to watch that part; if it weren't for Brother Fat sitting next to me, I would have wanted to plug my ears. I really think you screamed too miserably."

"……"

Hearing Tong Liya hadn't slept well all night, her spirit was poor, and she didn't notice Chen Nuo's expression, continuing: "I think those ones you just read were probably paid articles bought by the director and the others, otherwise how could they all be good reviews? At least if it were me, I would definitely talk about that part of yours. Isn't it supposed to be a comedy movie? And they said the whole thing was full of laughs... anyway, I would definitely feel cheated."

Chen Nuo listened with a face as dark as water, and just as he was about to retort, his phone screen suddenly went black; a call was coming in.

It was none other than the person he hadn't figured out how to face yet.

But looking at the flashing name, he had to answer.

He steeled his heart and answered.

"Ah, Brother Jiang, what's up?"

"Brother Nuo, still sleeping?"

"Yeah, sleeping. A bit tired yesterday. What's up, tell me."

"You're really still sleeping?"

"Yeah, why would I lie to you?"

"Hehehe, alright. I wanted to discuss with you, talk about the reviews we're getting online now."

Chen Nuo let out a yawn and said: "What's wrong, oh, is it full of praise?"

"Hehe, full of praise, you... forget it. Can't blame you, can only blame me, blame me for knowing there are tigers in the mountain but still heading towards the tiger mountain; Xiao Wu warned me, but I... damn it... you keep sleeping, we'll talk when you wake up. No rush."

"Alright, then I'll keep sleeping. Bye."

"Bye! Bye!"

Listening to Jiang Wen hang up the phone while gritting his teeth, Chen Nuo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing Tong Liya could tell something was wrong from listening to the call, and couldn't help but ask cautiously: "What's wrong? What did the director say?"

"Nothing much, wanted to discuss something with me."

"Ah, discuss... then have you figured out what to do?"

Chen Nuo didn't answer, but glanced sideways.

Hearing Tong Liya was overly concerned, and her body, lying on her side on the bed, propped itself up, causing the quilt to slide off, exposing a pair of long, slender, snow-white legs.

At the same time, half of a rounded buttock peeked out from the top, the curve full and firm, her waist tapering into a curve, the waist-to-hip ratio extremely stunning, making him unable to look away the moment he saw it.

They were old acquaintances, so Chen Nuo didn't stand on ceremony, rolled over and pressed back onto the dancer, let out a low hum, and his whole body felt like it had sunk into a soft and hot cloud, so comfortable his scalp felt numb.

"Figured it out... let the bullets fly for a while longer."

PS:

Added for 1,500 monthly votes, wrote an extra 4,000 words in one go.

(End of chapter)