Chapter 400

Too bad Xuejie didn't come today.

Afterwards, everyone put the hard-won yellow fish and silver dollars back into the box and lightly buried them.

They also had Wei Lingling carefully store away the jewels and jade, to be divided later by her two brothers.

Huang Binhong's painting was hung directly in Wei Ming's bedroom—such things are better appreciated when displayed.

Before bed, Li Zhi wore the string of pearl and gemstone necklace; she followed Wei Lingling's instructions to arrange it properly before showing it off. Not only did Wei Ming, a man, stare in awe, but even Wei Lingling couldn't help swallowing hard.

That night, as Wei Ming slept, the image of that white glow haunted him, so he deliberately wandered near Xiao Hong's door—surely if Linjie heard, she'd understand his intent.

Indeed, they still had that unspoken understanding; in the late night, Linjie slipped out and quietly entered Wei Ming's room.

Throwing herself into Wei Ming's arms, she asked first: "Won't this delay tomorrow's wedding?"

Wei Ming: "Then let's get it over with quickly."

Wei Ming's speed was relative—he still spent a full half-hour, while Linjie dared not make a sound, her mouth covered, eyes glistening.

Finally, as Wei Ming pressed fully atop her, Linjie whispered weakly in his ear: "I'm going to die."

Wei Ming knew she was utterly spent—how she managed to stay silent through all that, truly a person of dignity.

Linjie rested for over ten minutes before returning; Wei Ming, however, couldn't sleep—his mind no longer held the white, now filled entirely with black: how to dispose of that old black gun.

The next day, Wei Ming rose early and woke each of the four women in turn.

Zhu Lin was going to Gong Yu's home—she was family of the bride's side—while Wei Lingling and Wei Hong Li Zhi would accompany Wei Ming to the Peace Hotel for the groom's side.

At the hotel entrance, two hand-drawn life-size standees still stood, guiding guests to the dining area; these were drawn by Ah Long himself—though cartoonish, anyone who knew them could tell they depicted the couple.

When they arrived, Zhang Jianya was already there; Wei Ming had Xiao Hong and Li Zhi assist him, as Zhang Jianya was struggling alone.

Seeing Li Zhi, Zhang Jianya's eyes went wide—even though Li Zhi hadn't taken out the pearl and gemstone necklace, her Hong Kong fashion styling and natural advantages still struck him powerfully.

Compared to such an overseas-returning beauty, domestic female stars suddenly seemed lackluster; this shock made him feel even Gong Yu and Zhu Lin paled in comparison.

They first filmed the exterior outline of the Peace Hotel and the Bund across the river, then entered the hotel to shoot inside, using the setting to underscore the solemnity of the wedding.

Upstairs, they found Ah Long already wearing his suit; Wei Ming told him to take it off and put it on again—he hadn't filmed it yet.

"Take it off? How much?" Ah Long blinked. Was he supposed to strip bare?

Wei Ming: "Just take off down to your shirt. Re-shoot the suit and tie. And don't smile—you look too dumb when you do. Save your smile for when you see your bride."

Wei Ming applied movie-making standards, demanding extreme attention to detail, and had a clear vision of the final result—so he skipped many unnecessary shots to conserve film.

At this time, there were no monitors or playback; Wei Ming had to watch the lens himself to ensure the shot met his standard.

After exhausting Ah Long, Wei Ming went to film some footage of the old man and Ah Long's parents.

Liu Bin had invested generously and borrowed two cars from the Peace Hotel as wedding vehicles; Ah Long had few relatives or friends here, so two were enough—one for the groom, one for the film crew.

The film crew's vehicle led, filming a sequence of the groom's floral car passing key landmarks of the metropolis, then Wei Ming ordered the crew to speed ahead to the bride's home.

Around the bride's home, crowds had already gathered—curious onlookers. Because the alley was narrow, cars couldn't fully enter, so they stopped at the entrance.

Just recently, another girl from this alley had married, her groom arriving on a bicycle; in contrast, neighbors felt even greater envy for Gong's daughter.

And when they inquired, they learned this wasn't even the groom yet—it was just the wedding film crew. Good heavens, getting married felt like making a movie, complete with a film crew.

Gong Yu's home was on the second floor; she and Zhu Lin saw Xiao Wei arrive from upstairs.

Zhu Lin pointed to him and said: "That one—he's his aunt's assistant. They've been staying together these past few days."

Gong Yu: "I think I've seen him before—he's from the metropolis too, right?"

"Mm."

Gong Yu: "Doesn't matter—he's going back to Hong Kong anyway."

"Auntie, Uncle Wei Ming and the others are coming up!" Gong Yu's young nephew came to announce.

"I know. Come on, let's go see how she's going to film this."

Because her sister was getting married and being recorded, the eldest sister had been staying at her parents' home these past few days; the eldest brother stayed with friends, giving up their room temporarily for the younger sister—making the filming look better.

Gong Ying had already put on her wedding dress and sat on the bed waiting for her groom; unaware of the commotion outside, she quickly covered her face with the veil upon hearing footsteps—only to be bitterly disappointed.

"Sis… Teacher Wei, why are you here?"

Wei Ming: "I came ahead to shoot some reference footage. Do as I say—hold a pose."

Wei Ming arranged Gong Ying according to the drawing Ah Long made yesterday; when he saw Gong Yu and Zhu Lin arrive, he turned the lens on them.

Gong Yu chuckled: "Don't film us—save your film."

Wei Ming: "No problem. Black-and-white film is plentiful."

Besides, he'd never seen Snow and Lin together on screen—that would be a visual explosion.

After filming enough of Snow and Lin, Wei Ming finally turned the lens on Gong Ying. She asked: "What line should I say?"

Wei Ming: "Say whatever you want."

Zhu Lin: "Wait—that's not right. You don't have audio equipment. Are you planning to dub it later?"

Due to technical limitations and the need to conserve film, movies were primarily dubbed post-production—though actors usually dubbed their own lines, since everyone could speak, unlike TV actors, many of whom couldn't speak Mandarin well.

Zhu Lin thought she was right—but in truth, Wei Ming had no intention of including any sound at all; he was shooting this as a silent film.

After intermittently filming for over ten minutes, the next vehicle arrived; Wei Ming called out the window: "Don't come out yet—wait for me to come down."

Then Wei Ming moved his team downstairs, using handheld shots and fixed cameras—but there wasn't enough time to lay tracks, so many ambitious shot ideas had to be abandoned.

Wei Ming felt slightly unsatisfied—his creativity was being restrained.

When Ah Long finally broke through the crowd and saw his bride, Wei Ming quietly switched to color film.

As Ah Long led out Gong Ying in pure white, it still stirred some traditional views in the metropolis—but this was the metropolis, one of the most modern places in mainland China; someone calmly remarked: "Foreigners get married like this—you know Princess Diana? She wore something almost identical."

"I know, I know—that's called a wedding dress."

"So beautiful! Mommy, mommy, I want to wear a wedding dress when I get married!"

"Foolish boy—wedding dresses are for girls."

Amidst the crowd's murmurs and laughter, the bride was taken away; Gong Yu, as family, boarded the bride's car, while Zhu Lin had to take a taxi with other relatives and friends to the Peace Hotel for the banquet.

On the way back, Wei Ming didn't shoot much—he'd film the wedding scene directly at the Peace Hotel.

Besides, film was limited; only the most crucial, most moving moments needed to be captured.

When Wei Ming returned, Wei Lingling and the literary youths he'd dined with earlier were already seated.

When Zhu Lin arrived, Wei Ming seated her at their table, sparking another round of exclamations—everyone had seen a big star.

Except Wang Anyi—she'd collaborated on "The Little Courtyard" and already knew Zhu Lin.

But she was curious about Wei Ming and Zhu Lin's relationship—they seemed very close.

Wang Anyi asked: "Teacher Wei, how much did you give as a gift?"

"I haven't given anything yet. Don't feel pressured about how much or little to give—we're friends, it doesn't matter."

Nearby, A Cheng said: "Yeah, and you can't compare yourself to Teacher Wei—we'd go bankrupt trying."

Except the female writer Cheng Naishan—her grandfather, Cheng Mu Hao, was a senior executive at Bank of China in Hong Kong and helped build the Bank of China Tower; her family was wealthy—but she too was curious how much Wei Ming had given his good friend.

Wei Ming patted his coat pocket: "You'll find out soon—don't blink."

When the bride and her family entered, Wei Ming sprang back into action.

Wei Lingling asked the writers at her table: "Is that Gong Yu next to the bride?"

"Mm. South Gong Yu, North Zhu Lin—truly lived up to the reputation," Tie Ning sighed, glancing between the two stunning beauties far away and beside her.

Yan Ge Ling felt she wasn't inferior either—she'd once been in a cultural troupe, but she refused to rely on her looks for success, choosing talent instead.

Upon learning Wei Lingling was American, she immediately leaned over, eager to ask about America.

After a while, Wei Ming's composition "Only Time" began playing—the entire hall fell silent, for it signaled the wedding had officially begun.

Many present had heard this Wei Ming masterpiece, never officially released in China—but hearing it at a wedding for the first time felt utterly different, instantly drawing everyone into a sacred atmosphere.

Next to take the stage was Gong Yu.

Though there was no priest, someone had to guide the ceremony; the second sister, Gong Yu, took on the role willingly—wasn't it just hosting?

Snowjie had done this before in the army—her main duty had once been stage announcer.

Gong Yu's opening drew every eye in the hall; almost no one hadn't seen "Mother, Again I Love You"—her status as the top-ranked actress wasn't an exaggeration.

Wei Ming immediately swung the lens toward her—after all, a veteran actor, utterly relaxed.