Chapter Forty-Five: Huang Yi, Why Don't You Play the Second Female Lead?

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(Here, Black Car would first like to thank Reader 120203180126692—buddy, you really should get yourself a nickname—and also Reader “Virtue Like Water, Ultimate Emptiness” for their generous rewards. Today is a holiday, so I wish all the hardworking people out there a happy day, and a happy holiday to myself, too, a humble wordsmith. That’s all for now; there will be another chapter tonight. Thank you all for your support.)

If it had been an ordinary person, after successfully hoodwinking the “Internet Knockoff King” from Japan, he would have called it a day. But Wu Xiang was no ordinary person. Instead of returning to the capital, he immediately flew to Hangzhou, where he pulled the same stunt, with the same wager of half a million, on another man surnamed Ma!

After pulling off this deal, Wu Xiang couldn’t help but marvel at himself—why was it always the Ma family that he ended up fooling?

Still, sentimentality aside, it was time for his own film to begin shooting. However, because these two Ma-surnamed companies were so hard to pin down, even though Wu Xiang’s schemes had succeeded, the process had taken quite a bit of time. By the time he returned to the capital, it was already mid-April.

Wu Xiang went back to school to report his return, fully aware that he’d overstayed his leave and would have some explaining to do. What he didn’t expect, though, was that it would be a new teacher, Han Xiaolei, who took him to task.

“Where the hell have you been? We couldn’t reach you at all,” Teacher Han Xiaolei wasted no words, almost ready to lay hands on him, his anger barely concealed.

The reason no one could get in touch with Wu Xiang wasn’t that his old phone had broken down, but because he knew his holiday wouldn’t be enough, so he simply decided to disappear. Of course, he did call the school once before turning off his phone.

“Teacher Han, I was really dealing with something serious—something very, very important. Please believe me; this concerns my future! There was a bit of a hiccup, so, being responsible for my own future, I ended up staying away two more days,” Wu Xiang rattled off an excuse he’d spent ages crafting.

“Cut the crap, kid!” Teacher Han was clearly not buying his nonsense.

“I’m not making it up, teacher. And I haven’t neglected my studies, either. First of all, I read your book, ‘Aesthetic Analysis of the Long Take.’ Teacher, allow me to express my sincere respect—your research on the long take is truly unparalleled! That book was incredibly helpful to me. When I was filming ‘The Great Flood,’ I never even considered using long takes. I was so immature, so—”

Wu Xiang shamelessly buttered him up with flattery, made up on the spot. Although Teacher Han saw right through his ulterior motives, a smile crept onto his face despite himself.

“You little rascal, I really don’t know what to do with you. Forget it, there’s no point. I’m the one seeing you this time, not the dean, so quit making up more excuses. I’m just here to let you know that the school has submitted your film ‘The Great Flood’ to the University Student Film Festival. Everyone else agreed, and since we couldn’t reach you, we went ahead with it. If there are any events, you just need to cooperate, understood?”

“Whew!” Wu Xiang let out a long breath of relief. So that’s what this was all about. “Good grief, teacher, you should’ve said so sooner. I wasted all that breath for nothing.” His true colors showing through.

“You want a beating, don’t you!” Teacher Han laughed, raising a fist.

“Hehe, I’ll go get ready for the event, then. Goodbye, teacher!” Wu Xiang was already halfway out the door.

The University Student Film Festival—though Wu Xiang had worked in television in his previous life, he knew all about this festival. It was one of the most significant film festivals in the country, aside from the top three major awards. Its greatest feature was its close connection to college students: “Organized by students, watched by students, judged by students”—that had always been its mission.

So, Wu Xiang’s film being entered in the festival was perfectly natural. Even if he’d known in advance, he’d never have objected. Now that it was a done deal, Wu Xiang could simply reap the rewards.

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With everything taken care of, that meant he had time to focus on other matters.

What was still missing from Wu Xiang’s new project, “First Intimate Encounter”? The female lead was set, the male lead was set, even the second and third male leads were in place—only the second female lead remained.

It was the afternoon, and Wu Xiang was getting impatient. Classes should be finished by now. He wasn’t sure if the drama class had any rehearsals, but he could always ask.

No rehearsals, no special events—this was the information Wu Xiang got from Zhang Yanyan, who was relatively easy to talk to and had a good relationship with him, despite having been tricked by him before.

But as for where Huang Yi was, that required more digging. So, Zeng Hui became Wu Xiang’s next source.

“At this hour, Huang Yi should be by the small lake. Go look for her yourself—I don’t know exactly where,” Zeng Hui replied with a mischievous grin.

Wu Xiang knew the lake, but it was a large area, and finding one person might not be easy. Still, for the sake of getting the film started as soon as possible, he had to try.

As it turned out, it wasn’t hard at all. Once Wu Xiang got to the lakeside, he found Huang Yi easily—not by sight, but by ear.

“Above the vast sea, wild winds gather the dark clouds. Between the clouds and the sea, the sea-gull flies like a black bolt of lightning, soaring proudly. At times its wings brush the waves, at times it shoots straight into the clouds like an arrow, crying out—in the brave calls of this bird, the clouds hear joy.

In its cry—there is a longing for the storm! In that cry, the clouds sense a furious power, the flames of passion, and the confidence of victory...”

Gorky’s “The Song of the Stormy Petrel” was full of force and spirit, but Huang Yi’s recitation seemed a bit unclear; Wu Xiang could tell her mouth was probably full.

“So obedient!” Wu Xiang knew exactly why—clearly, the story of that miserable little Greek boy had worked.

Seeing her working so hard, Wu Xiang decided to sneak up quietly so as not to disturb her. He crept up behind Huang Yi, and then—

“Boo!”

“Ah! Cough, cough—!”

Wu Xiang’s prank startled her so much that he burst out laughing.

“Hahaha...” But soon he realized something was wrong: Huang Yi’s face was turning purple, and she was gasping for breath.

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Could it be that a pebble was stuck in her throat? Seeing her exhale more than she inhaled, Wu Xiang finally realized the gravity of the situation.

“Hold on!” He rushed around behind her, wrapped his arms around her, locked his hands just under her diaphragm, and shouted, “One, two, three!”

With a quick squeeze, there was a pop, and a pebble shot out of Huang Yi’s mouth.

“Ah, ha, ah, ha...” Huang Yi gulped in air, still shaken from the feeling that she’d nearly died. Once she’d recovered, though—“You lanky idiot! You bastard!”

She unleashed a furious barrage of punches, and Wu Xiang could barely shield his face. But he had something to say: “Stop hitting me! That’s just ungrateful—I just saved your life!”

At this, Huang Yi grew even more furious. “Go to hell! If it weren’t for you, would I almost have died in the first place?!”

She had a point. Wu Xiang, who had actually come looking for her for a reason, could only grit his teeth and bear it. “Come on! I’m not fighting back only because you’re a woman!”

Bang! Bang! ... Huang Yi even kicked him twice before she finally calmed down.

Both of them were left panting for breath—whether the one who hit or the one who got hit.

“Giggle, giggle...” Huang Yi started laughing without a shred of conscience. She thought the tall stick looked like the Patriarch Bodhi.

Wu Xiang was exasperated. “You hit me, and now you’re laughing? Is this how you welcome me back? Can we ever have a normal conversation?”

“Hahaha...” Her laughter only grew louder. “Don’t make me laugh—be serious! Where have you been these days?”

At least she showed a tiny bit of concern. Wu Xiang took comfort in that. “Let’s not talk about that now—I’m here for something. For ‘First Intimate Encounter,’ I want you to play the second female lead.”

“What?” Huang Yi was so startled by the proposal that her jaw dropped.