Chapter 940: Meeting the Star

The screenwriter led Lin Dongxue and Tao Yuanyuan to a guest room, handed the room key to Lin Dongxue, and said, “You can rest here. The shooting starts tomorrow. You can visit the film city today, and tonight there’s a water curtain movie at the scenic lake.”

“What’s so special about projecting a movie onto water?” Tao Yuanyuan grumbled.

“Hehe, the experience is different. You should check it out tonight for the fun of it,” the screenwriter suggested.

Lin Dongxue opened the door and took a look around the suite. It was quite ordinary. Instead of turning on the lights, she pulled out her phone and took pictures of the room, a method to check for hidden cameras, which would show up as red dots in the photos.

“Wow, truly a cop!” the screenwriter praised. “But don’t worry. There are no hidden cameras here. Imagine the scandal if any of the many celebrities staying here were secretly filmed!”

“There have been plenty of incidents with celebrities being secretly filmed. It’s better to be cautious,” Lin Dongxue said.

Tao Yuanyuan said, “I want to see the script.”

“There’s a copy in the conference room. Follow me,” the screenwriter said.

The conference room was a rental space in the hotel used for meetings and events. As they entered, they saw an altar against the wall, covered with a red cloth and incense burning in front of a statue of Guan Gong. The screenwriter explained that it was for the wrap-up ceremony.

“Why do film crews worship Guan Gong? Does he oversee the film industry?” Tao Yuanyuan asked.

“Haha, perhaps because Guan Gong represents loyalty and integrity. In a film crew, honesty and cooperation are essential. Have you heard about that fugitive who acted in films, became famous, and was eventually caught? There are all kinds of people in film cities. You should be careful.”

“Careful of fugitives?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“I meant be mindful of safety,” the screenwriter said, handing them the script before excusing himself.

Despite the screenwriter’s enthusiasm, both women found his hygiene disturbing. Tao Yuanyuan, unfiltered as always, said, “That guy is so dirty. His hands are grimy, nails uncut, and his nose hairs merge with his mustache. His clothes are mismatched and filthy.”

Lin Dongxue laughed, “Indeed, he is quite unkempt. Writers often are. That guy Xin Bai is also a mess, looking like a caveman just waking up.”

Tao Yuanyuan thought of Chen Shi, “Chen Shushu used to be like that too. When I first met him, he smelled of smoke and his hair was a mess.”

“He’s much better now. Under the guidance of two women, he’s become a clean and neat man.”

“And now he’s all yours.”

“Haha, if I ever die in the line of duty, you can consider him.”

“No thanks! Why would I want an old guy? Though I do like mature men…”

Influenced by their family atmosphere, Lin Dongxue had become more candid in her speech. She loved the feeling of openness and honesty at home, where family members acted as each other’s therapists.

Tao Yuanyuan opened the script and her eyes widened with each page. She read quickly and soon finished, looking bewildered.

“What the hell is this? They’ve given Zhou Xiao a girlfriend who reports him to the police, and then thousands of cops storm in at the critical moment. What was my role even? There are pages about his childhood to make the audience sympathize with him—totally pointless! And why does my character have so many crying scenes? The motivation for escaping is visiting a sick grandmother? And two characters have been forced into the story without any relevance… Ugh, no wonder my classmates say our screenwriters are bad. They take a ten out of ten original story, turn it into a six out of ten script, film it into a five out of ten movie, and edit it into a four out of ten final product. So many great novels are turned into trash adaptations!”

“Probably the screenwriter had to make a lot of compromises.”

“Sigh!” Tao Yuanyuan threw the script on the table, then noticed something and picked it up again. “Mom, look, these lines form a vertical message.”

“I… quit… haha, poor screenwriter,” Lin Dongxue chuckled.

Tao Yuanyuan walked to the window. The view was nice, showing the bustling film city below. Actors in ancient costumes swung prop weapons at each other. Without the camera and editing, the scene looked silly.

Lin Dongxue joined her, stroking Tao Yuanyuan’s hair as they gazed out.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway. They turned to see a group surrounding a man, who was none other than star Cai Zhengkai. His eyes seemed injured, and people were frantically wiping his face with wet tissues and pouring bottled water on him.

“He’s a maniac! If Zhengkai’s eyes get damaged, can he take responsibility?”

“Has he been detained?”

“Yes, the police have taken him.”

“Zhengkai, should we go to the hospital?” asked a man in a suit.

Cai Zhengkai, annoyed, said, “Hospital? Do you want more attention? Shooting a scene is never peaceful. Damn idiots.”

The man in the suit noticed Lin Dongxue and Tao Yuanyuan in the room. “Who are you? Who let you in?”

“Hey, isn’t that Chen Yueyue?” the director asked. He had a distinctly artistic look with a skinny face, a multi-pocketed vest, half-bald head, and a big beard.

“It’s Tao Yuanyuan,” she corrected.

“Who’s Tao Yuanyuan?” the suited man asked.

“Didn’t you read the papers? She’s the inspiration for this movie.”

“Oh… oh,” the suited man responded indifferently. Like many men, his attention shifted to Lin Dongxue. “And who are you?”

“I’m her mother and a police officer. What happened here?” Lin Dongxue approached.

“Just now, when Zhengkai was getting out of the car, a bunch of fans rushed over. Then a maniac threw some unknown liquid at his face. His eyes are affected. I’m really worried! We didn’t bring bodyguards since today was just a shoot, not a public event. Who knew something like this would happen?”

“Can I take a look?” Lin Dongxue asked.

Approaching Cai Zhengkai, she was a bit star-struck. His skin wasn’t as perfect as on TV, but still, he was strikingly handsome.

He played Zhou Xiao in this film.

Lin Dongxue wiped a bit of the liquid from Cai Zhengkai’s face and sniffed it. The scent was familiar, something from daily life.

“It smells like makeup remover. It should be fine. Buy some eye drops and keep rinsing his eyes,” she advised.