Chapter 140: Deep Mountain Visit

The cast and crew of "Qing Hong" are filming in a remote mountain near Gui Shi.

The conditions during filming were still quite harsh.

It's said that when several lead actors emerged from the mountains, they had all lost a noticeable amount of weight.

But to be fair, Gao Yuanyuan's costume in this film was quite good.

She looked gentle and lovely, her short hair neat and tidy, perfectly matching the image of a literary young girl…

After arriving in Gui Shi, Cheng Chen went through several transfers and finally boarded a rural bus bound for the filming location.

Although it was deep winter, the mountains remained lush and green.

From inside the bus, gazing into the distance, he saw mist swirling around the high peaks, like a fairyland.

Cheng Chen's hometown was northern Hui Sheng, a flatland region where high mountains were rare.

He couldn't help but watch the window with interest, thinking Xiao Shuai the director really knew how to pick locations.

After reaching the small town, Cheng Chen did not immediately contact Gao Yuanyuan; instead, he walked around the town.

As he strolled, he recalled scenes from the movie in his mind—the sensation of wandering through these mental landscapes was strangely vivid.

It was four in the afternoon, and the sky had begun to dim slightly.

Villagers sat at the village entrance, holding bowls of food and chatting idly.

They looked at him with curiosity, seeing his backpack and clothing, so different from their own.

"You're here to film, right?"

A man holding a bowl smiled and spoke to Cheng Chen directly.

The dialects of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan were not vastly different; Cheng Chen had spent time in Rongcheng in his previous life.

So although the man's accent was thick, Cheng Chen could still understand him.

Cheng Chen stopped, walked over to his side, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to him with a smile:

"Pretty much—I'm here to visit the set."

The man took the cigarette, inhaled deeply through his nose, but didn't light it; instead, he tucked it behind his ear.

Although he didn't understand what "visit the set" meant.

He guessed Cheng Chen was connected to the film crew that had come into the mountains earlier.

The man smiled and said:

"You won't find them—they went into the mountains two days ago and are said to be staying there for a while.

It's getting dark soon; you're a stranger here—you'd never find your way up the mountain now…"

Here, the man stopped speaking and merely smiled at Cheng Chen.

Cheng Chen immediately understood his meaning, emptied the entire newly opened pack of cigarettes into the man's hand, and said:

"Then could you please guide me? Take these cigarettes—you can smoke them. I'm going to the set to see a friend.

I left in a hurry and didn't bring much cash, but once I get to the set, I'll have my friend pay you.

Consider it compensation for your trouble taking me up the mountain, haha."

The man opened the cigarette pack, glanced inside, then paused to think before saying:

"I can do it, but don't forget what you just said—um, three hundred…"

The man held up three fingers.

Cheng Chen feigned hesitation and said:

"Three hundred's a bit too much—it's just guiding. If you insist, I'll go up myself."

"No, no! One hundred then—one hundred's the absolute minimum."

The man hurriedly spoke, alarmed at the thought of Cheng Chen going alone.

"One hundred… still a bit too much."

"Not much at all—recently, our village's Lao Zhang took a man into the mountains.

That city guy gave him two hundred yuan—so one hundred's already way too little."

"Alright then…"

Cheng Chen nodded.

Hearing Cheng Chen agree, the man forgot his meal, rushed home with his bowl, and as he left, he reminded him:

"You promised—don't go back on it. If someone else offers to take you up, don't accept."

"Okay, I understand."

The man glanced at Cheng Chen, then sprinted home.

Cheng Chen wasn't really concerned about the three hundred yuan.

He'd seen too much on his travels—money stirs the heart.

Back when he first left home to work, highway banditries on buses weren't uncommon.

Back then, laws were weak and enforcement lax.

Often, when buses reached remote stretches, large groups would block the road with kitchen knives and steel pipes.

These people only wanted money—when this happened, you just handed over your valuables.

Physical violence was rare.

The movie "Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots" by Uncle Benshan includes a scene about highway robbery—exactly this phenomenon.

Some people, exploiting their disabilities, would set up iron chains across roads.

When trucks passed, they'd pull the chains up and demand tolls…

So when this man offered to guide him for money, Cheng Chen felt no strong reaction.

Though he disapproved of such practices, he ultimately chose not to take the extreme step of refusing outright.

After all, he still had to climb the mountain, where the path was rugged, and without someone familiar with the terrain to guide him, finding the film crew would be extremely difficult.

But he didn't let the man name any price and just hand over the money.

When money is paid too readily in such matters, the other party is bound to see you as a fool.

After all, this was his territory—if he thought you were a fat lamb, he'd raise the price on the spot.

By then it would be too late; human greed is endless.

When the man returned and saw Cheng Chen still waiting right where he'd left him, he let out a sigh of relief.

But he didn't show it on his face; instead, he feigned complaint:

"You've really messed me up—I got scolded to pieces by my wife when I got home.

I only made a hundred yuan guiding you into the mountains; I got ripped off."

In reality, that hundred yuan was enough for his whole family to spend in town for a month.

Oh, by the way, Cheng Chen had also thrown in a pack of Soft Zhong cigarettes.

And all he'd given up to guide Cheng Chen into the mountains was an hour or so of his time…

"Then let's get going."

Cheng Chen didn't respond. If he'd taken the bait,

the man would've tried to hike the price again.

Seeing he'd thrown his charms at a blind man, the big man grumbled under his breath and walked obediently ahead to guide Cheng Chen.

Indeed, as the man had said, the mountain path was rugged and hard to traverse.

Even Cheng Chen, who exercised daily, found it taxing.

The old saying goes: "Seeing the mountain doesn't mean you've reached it"—the man had long pointed to another peak, claiming that was their destination.

Yet after climbing for an hour, Cheng Chen still hadn't arrived.

At this point, he crouched halfway up the slope, gazing at the orange-yellow sky in the distance.

On the halfway point of another peak, a few scattered households lived, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

Unlike the vibrant energy of spring or the golden hues of autumn, this was the unique scenery of winter in the mountains.

After resting a while, they walked another hour and a half along the path before Cheng Chen finally reached his destination.

A village hidden halfway up the mountain.

From afar, Cheng Chen spotted familiar film equipment.

As he drew closer, he saw it was indeed the crew of "Qing Hong."

As Cheng Chen approached, a crew member blocked them.

"Sorry, we're filming ahead—please don't come any closer."

Cheng Chen was about to speak when the crew member suddenly cried out:

"Cheng… Cheng Chen!"

This familiar scene made Cheng Chen feel he'd seen it somewhere before.

"You're Cheng Chen!"

The crew member pointed at Cheng Chen, still buzzing with excitement.

The Heavenly King of the entertainment world—he'd just run into him in this mountain hollow.

It felt like a dream.

The guide stood confused between the two.

Seeing how thrilled the crew member with his badge was, the big man wondered inwardly:

Had he just guided some big shot into the mountains?

At this moment, the big man nearly regretted his decision—he felt he'd lost out on three hundred yuan.

Cheng Chen clearly noticed the change in the man's expression. He smiled at the crew member and said:

"Brother, I'm Cheng Chen. I came here to visit the set—do you… do you have a hundred yuan I could borrow for emergency?"

Holy shit, did I hear that right?!

Cheng Chen—the big star!

He's asking me for a loan!

The crew member felt this wasn't real.

"I do—I've got it! Not just lend it—give it to you outright is fine!"

The crew member pulled out a wallet from his pocket; the stacks of red and green bills made the big man beside him gape.

He couldn't help swallowing hard.

"Big brother, sorry to trouble you—here's the agreed payment."

Cheng Chen handed the money to the big man.

"This…?"

The big man had just been calculating how to raise the price—and now Cheng Chen had already put the money right before his eyes.

Well, better to have something than nothing.

Still, this city guy was really stingy.

After taking the money, the big man trudged gloomily down the mountain.

Cheng Chen pulled out a hundred yuan from his own pocket and returned it to the crew member.

Seeing the man's puzzled expression, he explained what had just happened.

After listening, the crew member was furious:

"The people down the mountain are exactly like that—our script supervisor got screwed because he missed the ride."

He asked villagers to guide him up the mountain, and they directly swindled him five hundred yuan.

Although they had no obligation to take us up the mountain, and we understood how difficult the climb was.

But they were truly gouging us—still, Professor Cheng is impressive; he actually haggled with them and saved a lot of money!

By the end, the staff couldn't help but look at Cheng Chen with admiration.

Indeed, awesome people are great at everything they do!

As they walked and chatted, they soon arrived at the location.

At this moment, a night scene was being filmed, roughly the plot being:

Qinghong had taken a liking to a factory worker named Xiao Gen.

But the beautiful romance in the daughter's heart was, in her father's eyes, the greatest obstacle.

Qinghong's father began closely monitoring every move his daughter made.

He was determined to destroy this relationship at any cost.

To cut off his daughter's romance, Qinghong's father treated her like a prisoner under guard.

He followed her to and from school every day, fabricating sick leave slips to minimize her contact with the outside world…

Director Xiao Shuai was now seated behind the monitor, his head shaved clean.

He wore black-rimmed glasses and stared intently at the monitor.

This director, how to put it, had a unique style—he especially emphasized attitude toward both actors and crew.

In his view, the highest level of filmmaking was "capturing the air, capturing the scent"—that was extraordinary.

And the factor determining this was attitude.

He once said:

"What attitude do you bring toward your film, your characters, your country, your society, your people, your values?

If you have all the technical skills, but your attitude collapses, then you are nothing."

In fact, all Sixth Generation directors held their own unique attitudes toward film.

Like Zhang Yuan, Wang Chao, Lu Xuezhang, Lou Ye, Jia Zhangke, and one more client.

Some pursued the essence of imagery obsessively.

Others fixated on realism, focusing on grassroots populations.

Still others firmly walked the commercial path.

They could hardly collectively construct a unified cinematic spirit like the "Fifth Generation."

Thus, they were a generation resistant to categorization.

Their most typical trait was "rebellion and reflection."

Among them, the most rebellious was undoubtedly Lou Ye, the banned-film king whose films were banned one after another.

This director who made Young Master Zhou shine, like his name suggests, forever dwelled in darkness.

Of course, Sixth Generation directors often fell into confusion.

Why, despite winning countless awards, were they always relegated to obscurity?

Like Director Xiao Shuai, he could never escape the margins of China's film industry…

Seeing the set in active filming, Cheng Chen quietly blended into the crowd and did not ask the staff to notify anyone.

Cheng Chen himself also wanted to connect with Sixth Generation directors, to make one or two art films and experience the feeling of "Qingdi."

But right now, there was certainly no opportunity.

He had to earn money first, then consider other things.

Still, among the Fifth Generation, Guo Shi's films might be worth considering…

As Cheng Chen was still pondering, the set suddenly rang out with Director Xiao Shuai's call: "Cut!"

The day's shooting for "Qinghong" was complete; wrap.

As soon as filming ended, a man walked straight toward Cheng Chen.

"Mr. Cheng, hello, I'm the producer of 'Qinghong,' my name is Yang Lin—welcome to the set, you've had a long journey."

Yang Lin knew Cheng Chen had arrived because the staff member had run over to inform him.

As for the production company behind this film, it was no ordinary outfit—it was Xinmei Group.

Xinmei had invested in China's first true digital film, "Polar Rescue."

"Initial Evolution"

Later, it invested in numerous acclaimed films, such as Chen Ase's "The Orphan of Zhao."

Gu Zhangwei's "The Most Love," Chen Kexin's "Wuxia" and "The Promise."

Lu Chuan's "The King's Banquet," and many other major films.

Many of these works won major domestic and international film awards.

Beyond film investment, it had also moved early into cinema exhibition.

Last year, it co-founded China's first cinema chain with China Film Group.

It had ranked first in China's cinema box office for three consecutive years, holding a substantial share of China's film market…

Cheng Chen shook the man's hand and smiled:

"Director Yang, you're too kind. All of you filming deep in these mountains—truly, that was hard work. Today, I've witnessed the dedication of filmmakers."

As Cheng Chen chatted with Yang Lin, Gao Yuanyuan, who had just finished shooting, spotted Cheng Chen and was startled.

Then her joy spilled over her face; Cheng Chen smiled and nodded to her.

Director Xiao Shuai also walked over and shook hands:

"Cheng Chen, I've long admired your name. If you weren't so famous and valuable now, I'd have invited you to act in my films long ago…"

……

——————Digression——————

Recently, my family members were hospitalized for surgery, and I've been busy at the hospital; combined with writer's block, it's been painful. I'll sort out my thoughts tomorrow when I have time. Thank you all brothers for your voting support, and welcome to add ** for communication. Thank you for your support.