Chapter 422: He was no longer that cowardly mute

It had been a long time since he'd filmed a period piece, and a long time since he'd filmed a horse-riding scene.

However, once Chen Nuo mounted the horse, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it still didn't feel unfamiliar.

In the first horse-riding scene, he wore armor, straddled that large black horse, and galloped for over 20 meters to meet the Demon Realm army led by the Demon Lord, his face neither flushed nor his breath short.

In the end, the pose of leaning against the horse, propped up by his sword, eyes open in death, was struck without a single flaw.

Following that, in the second scene of filming, he felt even better.

"You demoness..."

He slowly sheathed his long spear and urged the horse forward a step. The golden sunlight cast shadows on his face, making his features sharp and defined, yet his eyes held the weight of ten thousand thunderbolts.

Tang Yan, playing Dugu Ningke, stood in the wind, her silver-white cloak snapping in the breeze. Her expression was cold and detached, and though she held a sword in her hand, her gaze was fixed directly on him, unyielding.

Of course, this was the description in the script.

In reality, whether it was Hu Ge or Liu Shishi, looking at this scene on the monitor, they both felt something was off.

Jiang Jinfu muttered a sentence.

Liu Shishi pretended not to hear, but nodded silently to herself.

Helian Cang was truly Helian Cang, but Dugu Ningke was not Dugu Ningke; the impression given was simply that of a modern person in period costume. It was truly like the difference between an original and a bootleg.

Thinking of this, Liu Shishi's heart skipped a beat. What about her scenes from the day before yesterday and yesterday?

"Helian Cang." Tang Yan revealed her signature expression—which was to say, no expression at all. "If not for fate's cruel twist, I would never have wished to see you again."

Chen Nuo looked down at her from his horse, and suddenly, his spear pointed with a "whoosh" at her throat. "Stop trying to deceive me, you demoness."

Tang Yan stepped forward to meet the spear tip. "Then kill me, Helian Cang. Kill me, and go face the Demon Realm's army all by yourself."

Chen Nuo laughed, a mocking smile, his gaze seemingly filled with raging flames, his voice hoarse and cold: "You think I wouldn't dare?"

Tang Yan summoned all her acting skills, revealing a look of shock, and cried out: "Helian Cang, you will die!"

It sounds simple, but this scene only passed after being filmed over 10 times.

Next, it was time for the final scene. It was also the first scene in which Helian Cang appeared.

In front of Hu Ge, Jiang Jinfu, Liu Shishi, and the others, Chen Nuo lightly kicked the horse's belly with his heels.

That brown-black horse obediently walked forward two steps, not a bit more or less, just enough to let him expose his face to the lighting technician's illumination.

The fiery red light shone on his face.

Then, accompanied by the doggerel verse recited in unison by the extras, Chen Nuo merged into one with the youth who bore the hatred of a fallen nation and family, yet had to serve the enemy with his own body. He enunciated clearly, saying word by word: "You are Chen Jingchou? That fool who wants to restore the Chen Kingdom?"

Afterwards, he spun the long spear in his hand. "Take them down for me, dead or alive!"

As the words fell, the whole scene went silent.

"Cut," the assistant director called out.

Chen Nuo smiled at Hu Ge and the others, pulled the reins, turned the horse's head, and returned to his own team.

Just as he stopped, a man in his forties beside him whispered: "Chen Laoshi, you ride a horse really well."

Chen Nuo looked down at him, smiled, and said: "It's alright. Mostly because I fell once before, so I learned my lesson."

He didn't dismount, looking down from above. It clearly had the appearance of acting like a big shot, but the man didn't seem to mind. His expression changed slightly, and he stammered: "Chen Laoshi, I, my daughter loves your *Twilight* the most..."

Chen Nuo laughed: "Speak your mind."

The man looked up at him, cautiously saying: "... Chen Laoshi, could you help me sign an autograph?"

Chen Nuo said: "Sure."

The man was stunned for a moment, then excitedly said: "Thank you, thank you."

Whoosh.

This was a big deal.

Perhaps because everyone previously thought he had some serious illness and couldn't speak like a normal person.

In any case, seeing that he wasn't actually angry, that he would respond when others spoke to him, and that he would even give autographs.

The entire team of extras became restless, ignoring the stage manager's calls, and all crowded around.

Another man in his thirties tentatively asked: "Chen Laoshi, can you sign one for me too? My daughter also loves you very much."

Chen Nuo frowned and said: "Really?"

"Really! It's really true." The man's face turned red, and he swore to the heavens: "Chen Laoshi, I swear, if I'm lying to you, may I get hit by a car when I go out."

Chen Nuo said: "That's not necessary. But how come it's always daughters? No sons who like me?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"The boy in my house has your posters all over his bedroom, Chen Laoshi."

"Mine too!"

Chen Nuo said: "So you all want autographs?"

"Yes!"

"Is that okay, Chen Laoshi?"

"Will it be too much trouble for you?"

Chen Nuo said: "It's not trouble. Let's do it after filming."

A cheer erupted from the extras, and someone shouted loudly: "Chen Laoshi rides well, acts well, and is a good person too!"

Chen Nuo chuckled, cupped his hands, and said: "Average, average, third in the world."

A very cheesy line, but it instantly triggered huge laughter, as if it were the first time they had ever heard it.

Hu Ge, Liu Shishi, Lin Gengxin, and Jiang Jinfu stood on the other side, watching the lively scene over there.

Jiang Jinfu said blankly: "How did they start chatting? What is there to chat about with those people?"

The other three didn't speak, but everyone was thinking the same thing as Jiang Jinfu.

Chen Nuo didn't actually think there was anything to chat about, but while waiting on set, idle was idle, and he didn't mind saying a few words. In ancient terms, this was called winning over the hearts of the troops, which was exactly what Helian Cang should do.

So someone asked: "Chen Laoshi, can I take a photo with you?"

Chen Nuo nodded and said: "Sure. Take it while I'm still on the horse; the angle is more handsome."

Once this was said, almost all 30-plus people took out their phones.

Chen Nuo sat on the horse, posing for photos with them. The stage manager, who had originally wanted to maintain order, stopped talking and silently took out their phone to join the queue.

On the other side, the few people seeing this scene were even more stunned.

After a long silence, it was Jiang Jinfu again, making small talk: "Heh, this is like holding a fan meeting."

The other three didn't respond, just staring over there, their eyes complex, each with their own different thoughts.

Among them, Liu Shishi unconsciously thought of her good friend again. She didn't know why, but she felt even more uncomfortable.

Last night, during their routine nightly phone call, she said she had to film her kissing scene many times before it was finished. She was originally seeking some comfort, but the person on the other end became incredibly jealous. Following the night before last, a bigger argument broke out between the two, ending unhappily, and they were still in a cold war now.

And this scene reminded her that the person had previously told her that idols need to keep their distance from the audience so that people would be willing to spend money on them; this was an experience he had gained since his time in the Little Tigers. She felt it made a lot of sense.

However, everything in front of her left her confused again.

What was going on? Who was right?

After a while, before Chen Nuo had finished taking photos, the on-set director came over, saying: "The director watched the playback and feels we need to do it again, requesting everyone to be louder to create the atmosphere of a massive army."

But after calling out two or three times, no one paid him any mind. Seeing this, Chen Nuo said: "Alright, everyone, come back later, let's film first."

As soon as he finished speaking, within a few seconds, everyone stood back in their original places.

The on-set director was left stunned.

It was the same when filming started.

When reciting that doggerel, the roar coming from behind Chen Nuo was several times louder than the first time, feeling like over 100 decibels, startling the horse Chen Nuo was straddling.

Watching that horse snorting uneasily, its front hooves constantly pawing the ground.

As a result, the young man on the horse, like a true battle-hardened general, held the horse's mane steadily with one hand to soothe its emotions, while holding the spear in the other, staring at Liu Shishi, Hu Ge, and the others with a calm and cold gaze.

Li Guoli, behind the monitor, opened his mouth, swallowing the words he was about to shout to cut, truly not knowing what to say.

This level of improvisation was truly beyond his scope of understanding.

Even though he had been a director for over 20 years and had directed several hit dramas, he had seen many horse-riding scenes and countless scenes of male leads acting cool on the monitor, but at this very moment, he felt like a novice director, dazzled.

When he heard Chen Nuo's closing line fall with a resounding thud: "Take them down for me, dead or alive!"

"Cut."

He shouted subconsciously.

And then he fell into a dilemma.

This was only the second take.

Li Guoli wanted to do it again from the bottom of his heart.

However,

The horse pawing the ground was an on-the-spot reaction, Chen Nuo's calm soothing was an improvised reaction, and the extras' roaring was a reaction that was impossible to ask for. It felt like a moment that couldn't be replicated.

Combining these moments, not only was the beautiful youth on the horse like someone who had walked out of the script, decisive and vivid, but the few dozen extras in this shot, the sound of their unison shouting, and the emotions contained within, really felt like the script—"fanatical, full of worship."

Li Guoli really hadn't expected these 100-yuan-a-day extras to be able to perform this effect.

Therefore, with his level, if he were to call for another take and someone asked, "Director Li, how should we act? How should we improve?" and he couldn't answer, wouldn't he die of embarrassment on the spot?

He wasn't Wong Kar-wai; his skin wasn't that thick.

After hesitating for a while, he turned and asked: "Director Liang, well... I think we can pass this, what do you say?"

Liang Shengquan said: "Uh, should I go notify President Cai?"

Li Guoli nodded: "Go."

After a while, Cai Yinong, who had been waiting on the side, returned with Liang Shengquan.

Li Guoli looked at her and whispered: "I guess we have to pass it."

Cai Yinong was similar to Li Guoli at this moment; her expression was both regretful and excited. She said quickly: "Since that's the case, don't drag it out, pass it, wrap it up! It's not a loss, I don't think it's a loss! How about it? Back then I said I wanted to give it my all, and you said I was crazy. Now looking at it, do you think these 40 million-plus are worth it?"

Li Guoli felt a bit uncomfortable and looked up to ask: "From a director's perspective, my answer is yes. But from a company shareholder's perspective, I still think the risk is too high. After all, no matter how big a star is, there are times when they stumble."

"Even if it's Chen Nuo, it's the same."

Cai Yinong frowned and said: "Warner has already given the global box office statistics for *Inception* today. It has already hit 2 billion USD, the third film in history to hit 2 billion USD. Now, let alone domestically, I don't know how many people in Hollywood are lining up to ask him to film. Do you still think it's not worth it?"

"I said from a director's perspective, it's worth it. But there are still risks inside..."

Cai Yinong didn't want to listen anymore, a complex emotion surging in her heart.

She had once loved this man, and in the end, because he already had a family, she had to cut off those feelings. Currently, it seemed perhaps this wasn't a regret. Although he was very excellent as a director, as a partner, he was indecisive and lacked courage, and most of what he thought was not on the same level as her own. In the last two years, conflicts had become more and more frequent. Perhaps, she didn't know when they would part ways.

Cai Yinong interrupted: "Forget it, let's not talk about it. Time will prove who is right and who is wrong. You call wrap, I should go send flowers."

Following the director's shout of "Pass!"

"Whoo!"

Everyone on set cheered, as if they had won a battle. Those few dozen extras crowded around again, surrounding Chen Nuo, truly as if they were welcoming a general returning in triumph.

Chen Nuo felt a bit unsatisfied.

It was magical to say, but in these few days of short guest appearances, he felt his acting had reached a certain breakthrough.

Thinking carefully, perhaps it was because Li Guoli had shouted "Cut" over and over these past few days, making him redo it time and again. It allowed him to enjoy a treatment he hadn't enjoyed in a long time.

In this process, his angle, emotions, rhythm... after repeated polishing, those acting feelings that were still a bit blurry suddenly became clear. It could also be that after accumulating, he finally broke through that membrane.

In short, in this performance, he balanced the authenticity of emotion and the aesthetic of acting. This was something he hadn't achieved when filming *Return of the Condor Heroes* or *Twilight*.

If he had had this skill earlier, *Twilight* would never have been scolded so miserably.

Sure enough, Li Er was right: an idol is temporary, but an actor is for a lifetime. No matter who you are or how much you have achieved, as long as you are still filming, you will always improve.

Therefore, after taking the flowers from Cai Yinong's hands, Chen Nuo said a sincere "Thank you."

The next day, the *Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky* crew started work as usual.

She didn't know if it was an illusion, but Liu Shishi felt it seemed much quieter.

It was as if in just a few short days, someone had come and gone, but something had changed permanently.

Just like last night, she and that person had reconciled over the phone. However, she always felt that a rift, whether real or imagined, had already appeared between the two.

And those extras also seemed to have had their spirit drained away yesterday. Today, problems kept arising again and again. Under these circumstances, the day's filming was also exceptionally difficult.

Starting from 9 AM, they filmed until dark before wrapping up. You have to know, this day was August 23rd; dark meant it was already nearly 9 PM.

As soon as she got on the crew's minibus back to the hotel, she saw Tang Yan rummaging for something in her seat.

"What's wrong?" Liu Shishi asked.

Tang Yan didn't answer at first, searching for a long while before finally sitting down and sighing: "I don't know where I dropped it."

"What thing?"

"The autograph I went to get yesterday."

"Oh." Liu Shishi understood. Yesterday after Chen Nuo wrapped up, he held an autograph session on set. Almost everyone in the crew went; those who wanted photos took photos, those who wanted autographs got autographs, and it took a full two hours before they dispersed.

She also went to take a photo, but didn't ask for an autograph.

She felt that no matter what, she was also an actor. Taking a photo was one thing, but asking for an autograph was too demeaning.

It seemed Tang Yan was different from her and had really gone to ask for one.

Liu Shishi smiled inwardly; wasn't doing that just to get closer? If she really cared, she wouldn't have kept the autograph on her person.

But was it useful? Liu Shishi didn't think so.

Back then, her good friend Zhang Xinyu had spent a full few years running errands in Hengdian before waiting for an opportunity. This person was two different people on and off screen. Once he left, would he still remember who you were?

If one day there really was another chance to collaborate with him, at that time, there probably wouldn't be a need to pull strings.

Just like Zhang Ziyi. Recently, it was rumored that Wong Kar-wai was preparing a film with her as the female lead and him as the male lead. Does Zhang Ziyi need to cozy up to him? Not at all; someone would naturally match them together.

"Hello, two beauties." Lin Gengxin came up and greeted them with a cheeky smile.

Tang Yan laughed: "Yo, what's up with someone, back to their true nature again? Did the person who could keep you in check leave?"

Liu Shishi also started laughing.

Wasn't that the truth? When the person was here the past two days, this big guy was as honest as a dog, and today, once the person left, he was back to his original self.

Lin Gengxin heard Tang Yan's words, didn't refute, chuckled, and changed the subject to today's trending search on Weibo.

"... Now our crew can be considered famous."

Tang Yan asked: "Was it arranged by President Cai?"

Liu Shishi laughed: "It must be."

At this time, Jiang Jinfu came up and asked: "What are you chatting about?"

Lin Gengxin said: "Talking about our crew's trending search today."

"Oh, 'Chen Nuo went to guest star in *Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky*,' or 'Chen Nuo took photos with extras on the set of *Scar of Sky*'?"

"Is there a difference?" Tang Yan said.

"Of course there is." Jiang Jinfu sat in his seat lazily and said: "The former was mostly bought by President Cai. The latter was mostly bought by Chen Nuo himself. I looked, it's all singing his praises and sucking up to him, it makes me sick."

"Do you think he needs to?" Liu Shishi couldn't help but say.

"How could he not? As long as you're mixing in this circle, who doesn't need to? Don't think big stars don't buy trending searches. I'm telling you, they care about these things more than we do. Do you really think he's approachable? He must have planned the hype long ago. It's just to build a good reputation for himself... Do you know? Next year at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the higher-ups are planning to find him to be the chairman of the organizing committee."

"Ah? What?" Tang Yan was taken aback.

Liu Shishi was the same, turning her head to look at Jiang Jinfu, surprised: "Organizing committee? Or the jury?"

Jiang Jinfu said triumphantly: "Organizing committee. Let me tell you, this is top-secret information. If I didn't have a friend working at the SARFT, heh heh. They say that for this year's SIFF, too few big names came, and there was no international impact at all, and the higher-ups were very dissatisfied. Recently, *Inception* has been so awesome, and the higher-ups feel it brought glory to our country, so after meeting and researching, they are preparing to have him work with Director Zhang and the others to be the chairman of the organizing committee."

"Tsk tsk, if he really becomes a leader of the SIFF, who in the country wouldn't walk around him in the future?"

"So, at this juncture, he definitely has to hype it up a bit, especially since his image is his weakness; he definitely has to hype it up big time. If anyone has black material on him, I guess they'd better be careful during this period. Who knows, they might get silenced, heh heh."

Lin Gengxin had originally been listening to Jiang Jinfu's bragging with a relaxed face. But hearing this, his expression couldn't help but change drastically.

It was a coincidence that just as Jiang Jinfu was talking about the SIFF in the car, Zhang Yimou happened to be asking Chen Nuo this question at the dinner table at the same time.

And at this moment, the whole table of people were all Chen Nuo's acquaintances.

Besides Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping, there were some acquaintances he had collaborated with on *Under the Hawthorn Tree*, as well as the male lead Christian Bale, his old classmate Zhang Xiaofei whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and Miss Ni Ni whom he hadn't seen even longer. Others included Tong Dawei, and several girls from *The Flowers of War*, including a Japanese devil named Atsuro Watabe.

At this moment, everyone who could understand Chinese looked at him curiously. As for those who couldn't, like Bale, they were still eating. Watabe, on the other hand, was even more solemn than the rest of the Chinese, putting down his chopsticks, placing his hands on his knees, and looking at Chen Nuo earnestly.

Chen Nuo shook his head quite decisively: "I haven't heard of it."

Zhang Yimou was stunned for a moment, then laughed knowingly: "Then maybe I heard wrong. Come, Nuozi, let's have another. First, congratulations on your film breaking 2 billion; for Chinese cinema, it's something to sing and weep about. Secondly, thank you for coming to visit the set of our *The Flowers of War* in your busy schedule, to see your old classmate, old partner, and childhood sweetheart."

"Hahaha."

Facts proved that Director Zhang was actually a humorous and witty person; it was just that there weren't many occasions where Old Mouzi would take the initiative to liven up the atmosphere. Once he said this, everyone at the table who understood Chinese laughed.

Chen Nuo also laughed, clinked glasses with Zhang Yimou, and very readily drank the small half-cup of 91 Maotai. Sure enough, 20-year-old aged wine was different; the liquid was pale yellow, and entering the mouth, it felt like a gentle, soft line of fire, neither bitter nor spicy, feeling warm and comfortable from the mouth to the stomach.

Zhang Yimou asked: "Nuozi, tell me, how long has it been since you've seen your old classmate, old partner, and childhood sweetheart?"

Chen Nuo laughed: "Director Zhang, what are you doing? Are you planning to drink me under the table today?"

Zhang Yimou laughed loudly and said: "Nuozi, I'm just asking casually, just showing concern; I haven't even started persuading you to drink yet. You have too much guard up. Not good, not good at all."

The whole table laughed along.

Actually, Chen Nuo really felt quite touched seeing Zhang Xiaofei and Miss Ni Ni today.

It had been two years since graduation, and Zhang Xiaofei had changed quite a bit. That girl who used to be a bit shy, didn't talk much, and always wore a ponytail had now become much more confident, and her temperament was more stable.

And Miss Ni Ni went without saying. It had been nearly 7 years since he last saw her. Now, when he closed his eyes, he could still see a delicate, graceful, yet heroic little girl standing in front of him, saying generously, "Hello, I'm Miss Ni Ni." And then this little girl would squat on the ground crying in a ball, making him trick and lie for half a day before she finally broke into a smile.

And the result?

The little girl in his mind,

When she walked in wearing a cheongsam just now, her long legs swaying, her eyes full of charm, possessing both the gentleness of the Jiangnan water towns and a faint sexiness, she was exactly the same as the radiant female star in his mind.

He sighed in his heart, picked up his wine glass, looked around, and said: "Come, I'll toast everyone—to my old partners and old friends, after a long time, we can gather again today. No matter how many winds and rains the world has seen, our friendship remains, and we have a long road ahead."

At the banquet, Chen Nuo opened his heart and returned heavily drunk.

He stayed at the hotel of *The Flowers of War* crew that night, following the host's arrangements. He only remembered that Guli Nazha and Linghu helped him back to his room. Guli Nazha smelled quite nice, and she even helped him take off his shoes.

Afterwards, he was sleeping in a daze on the bed when suddenly, he vaguely heard the sound of the doorbell.

He opened his eyes abruptly, confirmed it wasn't an illusion, shook his slightly dizzy head, got up, walked over, and opened the door.

As expected, it was exactly the person he thought of.

Before the other party could speak, he said: "Come in and sit for a while, I'm going to wash my face."

He walked into the bathroom and heard the girl's voice coming from outside: "No, didn't I disturb your rest, did I?"

"No." He replied, splashed water on his face, felt his brain clear up a bit, then wiped it dry, walked out, and said to Miss Ni Ni, who was at a loss: "Sit down, what are you standing there for?"

Miss Ni Ni sat on the stool, hands on her knees, head slightly lowered, looking like she had something to say but was holding back.

Chen Nuo sat opposite her and said: "What's wrong?"

Miss Ni Ni said: "Nothing, I just... just haven't seen you in a long time, wanted to chat with you. Did I bother you?"

Chen Nuo shrugged his eyebrows at the girl and laughed: "Wait a moment, I'll show you something."

Saying this, he turned back to rummage in his backpack in the closet for a while, found something, turned back, and tossed it over.

"Catch."

Miss Ni Ni caught it instantly, looked down, and was stunned.

She held the keychain, her gaze falling on the slightly clumsy ornament on it. She stared blankly for a few seconds, and her eyes slowly lit up.

"You, you actually kept it?" Her voice changed pitch.

Chen Nuo sat back on the bed and smiled at her: "Didn't expect it, right? I actually think it's quite big and ugly, but after putting it on, I've never lost my keys. Seven years, I haven't lost my keys once. All thanks to it."

Miss Ni Ni opened her mouth, staring at him foolishly, unable to say a word.

The next second, her eyes grew hot, and tears suddenly welled up. She hurriedly turned her head away, wiping the corners of her eyes messily with the back of her hand, as if that could block the surging emotions in her heart.

Chen Nuo didn't rush her. Only after she calmed down did he say: "Actually, if you hadn't come to find me today, I would have gone to find you. I have things to do, I'm going back to Beijing tomorrow. I really wanted to ask how you've been lately. Tell me about it."

Miss Ni Ni turned her head back, her eyes red, and said: "You really want to hear? The story is very long."

"Tell me, I'm sober now anyway."

Next, Chen Nuo listened to Miss Ni Ni talk about her experiences over these years.

After *The Zhang Zhang Yaba* succeeded, the girl had originally wanted to follow their agreement from two years later and take the entrance exam to Beijing to find him. She did go to participate in the Beijing Film Academy's art exam and achieved a pretty good ranking. However, in the end, she couldn't pass the college entrance exam as dangerously as he did. In the end, she could only repeat a year.

The second year, she was a bit disheartened, and finally went to the Nanjing campus of the Communication University of China. She had just graduated not long ago.

Along the way, it couldn't be counted as smooth. With the experience of participating in *The Zhang Zhang Yaba*, she had also obtained some big and small roles in between. However, in the end, she couldn't make a name for herself, until this time, when she caught the eye of Director Zhang Yimou.

Of course, it couldn't be called bumpy either.

Miss Ni Ni talked for over half an hour, telling her experiences over these years in great detail, and finally said: "Actually, I think Director Zhang Yimou choosing me to play Yu Mo is mostly because of you..."

Chen Nuo hurriedly shook his head; he really didn't dare take credit for this. "No, no, this is your own strength."

Miss Ni Ni pursed her lips and smiled: "Alright, then let's call it my strength. Do you still remember what I said to you when we were eating roast duck back then?"

"The one about eating dozens of bowls of noodles and scrubbing the floor dozens of times?"

"Hahaha, yes." Miss Ni Ni laughed, her eyes squinting into a line, revealing two rows of pearly teeth, then her smile settled down, and she said earnestly: "I didn't expect you to do it so quickly. You're really amazing."

Chen Nuo recalled the conversation between the two back then, couldn't help but laugh, shook his head, and said: "Luck, it's all luck. By the way, after you finish filming this time, come to Beijing to play for a few days. When the time comes, I'll call Zhang Yiyi, and the three of us will gather again."

"Okay." Miss Ni Ni giggled and said: "Will your girlfriend be jealous?"

Chen Nuo chuckled: "Let's not joke in the middle of the night. Let's talk business. If you need my help with anything, just say it."

What kind of person was he?

Handling the emotions of various women and observing their words and expressions was his specialty. When they met today, he saw at a glance that Zhang Xiaofei was genuinely happy to see him without any distractions, while Miss Ni Ni clearly had something on her mind.

That was why he wasn't surprised at all that she came to knock on his door tonight.

Sure enough, under his repeated urging, Miss Ni Ni really stammered out a matter, making Chen Nuo's frown tighten the more he listened.

Finally, Miss Ni Ni said: "Actually... if it's just for the good of the film, I don't think it's anything, but I don't know, is it really necessary? I mean..."

Chen Nuo shook his head: "Don't say anymore, I don't think it's necessary."

Miss Ni Ni was taken aback: "But Director Zhang..."

Chen Nuo smiled and interrupted: "Do you think I don't understand film as well as he does?"

Miss Ni Ni was stunned, then suddenly started laughing, her laughter quite pleasant, like a small bamboo rustling in the wind.

"Then, then what do you think I should do?" Miss Ni Ni said softly, just like back then.

But he was no longer that weak and incompetent mute, saying faintly: "Wait for me to go find Zhang Yimou tomorrow and ask what's going on."

PS:

8,000 words, stayed up late again.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 423 =====