FYN Chapter 35, First Time with Old Hen Soup
Chapter 35, First Time with Old Hen Soup
Gao Huan put the thermos aside and leaned back in his chair.
"Um."
"Why did you answer?" Chen Yao looked up and stared into his eyes.
Her eyes weren't big, but they were bright, and they held a long-hidden expectation that she was unwilling to admit.
Gao Huan did not answer immediately.
He thought for a moment and said something that surprised Chen Yao.
"Because the role is good."
Chen Yao smiled helplessly, his face full of a sense of "I knew you would say that."
"Can't you come up with a different excuse?"
"It's not an excuse," Gao Huan said. "I read the script, and the second male lead's character is interesting."
There is a strong dramatic tension between you and your character.
Mr. Cai asked me if I would be willing to play the male lead. I said I didn't have time, but I could play the second male lead.
She asked me who I wanted to team up with, and I said you.
He spoke very casually, as if he were describing the dishes in today's boxed lunch.
But the words "I said you" felt like a needle, gently pricking Chen Yao's heart.
It doesn't hurt.
But it's acidic.
Chen Yao lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the zipper pull of her down jacket.
She wanted to ask him.
Are you doing this for the role, or for me?
But she didn't dare. Not because she was afraid the answer wouldn't be what she wanted, but because she was afraid the answer would be.
She was afraid that if he said "for you," she wouldn't know how to respond.
"Do you know?"
Chen Yao spoke softly, as if afraid of being overheard by the staff next to her, "President Cai asked me, 'Gao Huan specifically requested that you act opposite him in 'Wu Xin: The Monster Killer,' are you two very familiar with each other?"
Gao Huan looked at her but didn't reply.
"I said, 'Yes, we're very familiar.'" Chen Yao looked up, a faint smile on her lips. "She didn't ask any more questions."
The studio fell silent for a moment.
In the distance, someone was moving props; the wooden planks hit the ground with a dull thud, like some kind of ancient timer.
Gao Huan knew what Chen Yao was talking about.
Cai Yinong is not stupid.
A popular male actor specifically requested to play a couple with a new female actor, and this was done on his own initiative when he could have made no request at all.
In the adult world, the phrase "very familiar" translates to "having a relationship".
When Chen Yao said "very familiar," she wasn't answering Cai Yinong's question.
She was telling Gao Huan: I didn't hide anything.
I didn't say "we're just friends," I told the truth.
But I didn't say much; I only said the two words you wanted me to say.
Gao Huan was silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"Was the soup you made that day delicious?"
Chen Yao's fingers stopped.
She didn't expect him to bring this up.
That happened this summer.
Naza got upset for some reason and blocked him on WeChat, saying "break up".
Gao Huan neither coaxed nor questioned further, and just left it as it was.
About a week later, Nazha added him back, saying it was a "fake breakup," and spoke as if nothing had happened.
But during that week, Chen Yao thought she was his girlfriend.
She went to his apartment and stayed for three days.
For those three days, it rained heavily in Beijing. She didn't go anywhere; she just stayed on the sofa, watching him read the script and listening to him make phone calls. Occasionally, he would look up at her, and she would smile.
On the evening of the third day, the rain stopped.
Gao Huan brought out a clay pot from the kitchen, placed it on the coffee table, and lifted the lid. It was old hen soup.
He said this was the first time he had ever cooked soup for a woman.
Chen Yao took a sip, and it was so hot that tears welled up in her eyes.
She couldn't tell if it was because of the heat or something else.
She still remembers the taste of that bowl of chicken soup.
It was a bit too salty, there was too much ginger, and the chicken was overcooked; it fell apart at the touch of chopsticks.
But it was the best soup she had ever tasted.
It wasn't because of the taste, but because he said it was "the first time".
Naza has never done it.
Mencius also did not have this idea.
She was the first.
Chen Yao's eyes reddened, but she held back her tears.
She's not the kind of girl who cries in front of others.
"It's delicious," she said, her voice a little hoarse.
Gao Huan looked at her, offering no comfort or tissues, simply sitting quietly opposite her, as if waiting for her to process her emotions.
Chen Yao took a deep breath and looked up.
"Gao Huan."
She called me by my full name.
This is a ritual among them.
Every time she calls out a name, what she says next is always serious, without any pretense, and leaves no room for perfunctory remarks.
"Um."
"I know Nazha is your girlfriend. I also know that what she said about breaking up before was a lie, and you two didn't really break up."
Gao Huan remained silent.
"But I still want to thank you."
Chen Yao's voice was a little choked up, but she still spoke clearly, word by word, "Because you were willing to take the second male lead role for me."
Gao Huan opened his mouth, wanting to say "It's not for you," but he didn't say it.
Because it would be a lie if said out loud.
He accepted the second male lead role in "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" because the role was good, but he specifically requested that Chen Yao play his co-star. Even he couldn't convince himself of that reason.
Chen Yao continued, speaking faster, as if she was rushing to finish her sentence before running out of courage.
"But I also need to make this clear to you."
She stood up, causing the chair to slide back half a step, making a slight scraping sound.
"As long as Nazha is still your girlfriend, I will not be with you."
I won't be "the other one".
"It's your business whether you seek out Meng Ziyi or someone else. But I can't."
She looked into his eyes, those bright eyes glistening with tears, but without hesitation.
"I don't want the position of a lover."
If I'm going to do it, I'll be the official girlfriend.
Otherwise, let's just be ordinary friends.
After she finished speaking, she smiled.
That smile was tinged with tears, but it was beautiful.
Gao Huan leaned back in his chair and looked up at her.
The studio lights shone from behind her, giving her a fuzzy, glowing edge.
She stood there, like someone standing at a crossroads.
It's not that I don't know where to go; it's that I know where to go, but it seems like he's not on that road for the time being.
"What do you want to say?" she asked.
Gao Huan was silent for a few seconds, then stood up.
He was much taller than her; when he stood in front of her, she had to look up to see his eyes.
"You've lost weight," he said.
Chen Yao was stunned for a moment.
"The last time I saw you, your face was round. Now your chin is pointed."
Chen Yao finally couldn't hold back her tears and they fell.
"Gao Huan, are you sick? I'm talking to you about something serious. You said I've lost weight."
Gao Huan's lips curled slightly, giving off an expression that said, "I know I'm changing the subject, but I just don't want to continue."
"You need to eat properly; your body is your own responsibility."
Chen Yao wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and sniffed.
"Leave me alone. If you don't answer me, I won't eat."
"Then you'll starve to death."
"Gao Huan!"
She called his name, her voice making a small ripple in the studio. Several staff members glanced over, then quickly looked away.
Gao Huan looked at her and the slight smile on his lips disappeared.
"I heard what you said."
Chen Yao looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
But he didn't.
That's all he said.
Chen Yao waited a few seconds to make sure he wouldn't say anything more, then nodded.
The movement was very light, like some kind of ritual.
I've laid this out here. Whether you listen or not is your business, but I won't go back on my word.
"I'm leaving." She turned and walked out, but stopped after a couple of steps and turned back.
"Those three cars cost over 30,000 yuan. The money was deducted from your supplementary card."
Gao Huan was stunned for a moment.
"Nazha taught me that. She said when it comes to spending money, you shouldn't be polite."
Gao Huan opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Chen Yao had already turned and left.
Her pace was neither fast nor slow, the hem of her down jacket swaying gently with each step. After a few steps, her shoulders slumped slightly.
It was as if, after confirming that she had moved out of his sight, she could finally stop pretending.
Gao Huan stood there, watching her figure disappear through the entrance of the photography studio.
Yangyang Jin walked over from the side, still holding the unfinished cup of milk tea in her hand.
"Brother Huan, Yao Yao is crying."
Gao Huan didn't reply, turned around and walked back to the rest area, where he sat down on a folding chair.
The goji berry and polygonatum tea in the thermos had gone cold. He unscrewed the lid and took a sip. It was cold and had a faint medicinal taste.
He took out his phone, opened WeChat, and found Chen Yao's chat window.
They haven't had many chat logs lately, and most of them are about work.
Script, announcement, schedule.
The last piece of news is from this summer, in Beijing, on a rainy day, and in a pot of old hen soup that simmered all afternoon.
She posted a picture of a clay pot with the caption, "I've finished the soup you made."
He replied with two words while he was recording a song in the studio.
"Is it good?"
She replied with a single word.
"Um."
Gao Huan stared at the messages for a few seconds, then locked the screen and put his phone in his pocket.
Yangyang Jin squatted down beside him, carefully watching his expression.
"Huan-ge, aren't you going to see her off?"
"If she doesn't want me to deliver it, then I won't."
Yangyang Jin sighed, stood up, and took her thermos to refill it with hot water.
Gao Huan leaned back in his chair, his mind still replaying Chen Yao's words.
"I don't want to be a mistress. I want to be the official girlfriend."
She said this with tears in her eyes, but without hesitation.
She was serious.
It was much more serious than when he told Chen Duling on the set of "The Left Ear" that "we can date for half a month," just as serious as when Nazha cried on the phone and said "I'm yours for life," and just as serious as when Meng Ziyi asked on the yoga mat, "Have you ever thought about letting me be your girlfriend?"
Chen Yao's seriousness is unconditional.
She won't say, "Break up with her and I'll be with you," she won't say, "Give me a promise and I'll wait," she won't say, "As long as you're good to me, I don't care about anything else."
That's right.
What I want is a formal title. If not, we can be friends.
It wasn't a threat, it wasn't leverage, it was her bottom line.
Gao Huan took a deep breath.
He recalled the first time he met Chen Yao.
That was at the entrance of the Beijing Film Academy. She was wearing a white dress, her hair was loose, and she looked aloof and clean.
She called him "senior brother," and he nodded.
At that time, he had no idea that he would cook a nourishing chicken soup for her a few months later, nor did he know that she would cry in front of him and say, "I want to be your real girlfriend."
But he knew one thing.
He heard what Chen Yao said and remembered it.
But he can't give it to me right now.
Gao Huan stood up, picked up his embroidered spring knife, and walked towards the photography studio.
Lu Yang was adjusting the camera position when he saw Gao Huan coming over and waved.
"Is the night shoot ready?"
"Um."
"Is your condition okay?"
Gao Huan gripped the hilt of the knife, the brass buckle digging into his palm, the slight stinging pain bringing him back to his senses.
"OK."
Lu Yang glanced at him but didn't ask any more questions.
The lights dimmed, leaving only a small patch of light filtering through the prop curtains in the studio.
Gao Huan stood in the darkness and closed his eyes for a moment.
The image that flashed through my mind was the moment Chen Yao turned and left, her shoulders slumping.
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
He is now Shen Lian.
Shen Lian will not be distracted by any woman other than Zhou Miaotong.
In Shen Lian's heart there was only a knife, a name, and that person who seemed to never look back at him.
What a coincidence.
He has a similar side to him.
His mind is only on his career and the bodies of female celebrities.
……
December 3, Hangzhou, Xiaoshan Airport.
Zhang Ruonan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the departure hall, clutching her boarding pass in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white.
On the runway outside the window, an airplane was taxiing, and the roar of its engine came through the glass, muffled, like someone beating a covered drum in the distance.
Today she wore a white turtleneck sweater with her newly bought light khaki wool coat over it.
For this trip to Beijing, she tried on seven or eight outfits in front of the mirror in her dorm room. In the end, Shen Meng made the final decision, saying, "This one is the one. It's youthful yet has a bit of an older sister vibe."
Shen Meng stood next to her, wearing a pink down jacket and carrying a white canvas bag, looking down at her phone.
"Why are you so nervous?" Shen Meng didn't even look up. "Someone else bought the plane tickets, booked the hotel, and sent a car to pick you up. Just treat it as a vacation."
Zhang Ruonan glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Shen Meng wouldn't understand.
Shen Meng's family has assets worth hundreds of millions, and she has been to more places than Zhang Ruonan has seen on TV.
But Zhang Ruonan is different. The last time she flew was when she was twelve years old, when she went to Guangzhou with her mother to visit her aunt. She was in economy class, by the window, and she watched the clouds the whole way. She thought the clouds really looked like cotton candy.
This time it was business class, but next to her name printed on the ticket was an identity she never dreamed of.
The female lead in Gao Huan's new song "Confession Balloon" MV.
The message arrived on the evening of December 1st.
That day, Zhang Ruonan was doing her homework in her dorm when her phone vibrated. When she opened it, she saw it was a private message from Weibo.
"The red dot notification comes from a verified blue V account, Gao Huan Studio."
Her heart skipped a beat. Her first thought was that it was a marketing account, and her second thought was that it was a scam.
My finger hovered above the screen for several seconds before I finally tapped it.
The private message was brief: "Hello Zhang Ruonan, I am a staff member of Gao Huan's studio."
During the cover song event for "Unfortunately, If Only", your video was selected by Gao Huan, who invited you to participate in the recording of the music video for the new song "Confession Balloon" and play the female lead.
If it's convenient, please send me your contact information via private message, and we will arrange for someone to connect with you.
Zhang Ruonan read the private message three times, then took a screenshot and sent it to Shen Meng with the caption: "Is this real or fake?"