novelraw Chapter 352: The Third “Visit”
Chapter 352: The Third “Visit”
Chapter 352: The Third "Visit"
Gu Zhiyuan gazed at the never-ending river of car headlights flowing below the building.
The wind was strong.
The iron railing at the rooftop's edge rattled and clanged.
Half of his body leaned out over the railing, his posture swaying precariously.
A black entourage van screeched to a halt below the old building.
Lin Wan hurriedly got out of the car. Looking up and seeing that teetering figure on the rooftop edge,
her heart instantly clenched, and she instinctively almost cried out in alarm.
"Wait." Jiang Ci, beside her, suddenly reached out to stop her,
his voice lowered to a whisper, his sharp gaze locked onto the figure on the rooftop. "Look at what's in his hand."
Lin Wan followed his pointing finger and focused her gaze, only then realizing that Gu Zhiyuan wasn't intent on ending his life.
Instead, he was gripping a long clothes-drying pole, sweating profusely as he... tried to reach a piece of paper stuck outside the guardrail.
That piece of paper was wedged in a gap between a drainpipe and the wall, fluttering in the wind.
It was a lottery ticket.
He had saved his meal money to buy it, his only hope for the entire month.
Lin Wan's gasp of alarm caught in her throat.
Right at that moment, a freak gust of wind swept past.
The piece of paper was lifted, tumbled in the air, and then plummeted into the traffic below, vanishing from sight.
Gu Zhiyuan's forward-leaning posture froze.
He held that position for a long time.
Then, he withdrew the clothes-drying pole.
His movements were sluggish.
He turned his head back in despair and collided with the gazes of two people bundled up tightly.
The woman's eyes held embarrassment.
The man's eyes were calm, revealing no discernible emotion.
Gu Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment.
He recognized the man's silhouette.
The shame and anger of having his pathetic secret exposed ignited within him.
The last trace of color drained from his face, his entire body tensing like a drawn bow.
"Had your fill of the show?"
His voice was dry and hoarse.
"Here to watch the joke? Or looking for a King of Bad Movies to launder your dirty money?"
Lin Wan was choked speechless by this wave of malice.
Gu Zhiyuan no longer looked at them, turning to walk towards the rooftop exit.
Every step carried the intent to drive them away.
"Get lost. You're not welcome here."
He snarled, his tone full of resentment.
He pulled open the iron door leading to the stairs, only to find the two had no intention of leaving. Instead, they followed him.
Gu Zhiyuan's home was on the top floor.
He used his key to open the door.
As the door opened just a crack, a wave of sour, rotten odor assaulted their senses,
a fermented mix of instant noodles, sweat, and mildew.
Lin Wan instinctively took half a step back, her stomach churning.
The lights inside were off, the room dim.
The floor was covered with instant noodle containers, discarded manuscript papers, and empty liquor bottles.
The only navigable path was a narrow trail trodden from the doorway to the bed.
Lin Wan looked at this mountain of garbage, unsure where to step.
Jiang Ci, however, seemed not to smell the odor, showing not even a hint of disgust.
His steps avoided the liquor bottles and waste paper on the floor,
that composure seeming like an instinct etched into his very being,
a survival skill honed through countless days crammed in Hengdian background actor dormitories.
He deftly stepped over an overflowing trash can, righting it in passing to prevent the soup from spilling,
then, in the center of the room, dragged out a small folding stool from the pile of clutter and sat down calmly.
Gu Zhiyuan watched his fluid movements, the prepared sarcasm getting stuck in his throat.
He had expected to see disgust.
But all he saw was calm.
A bizarre sense of adaptation to this environment.
Gu Zhiyuan silently turned on the light.
The dim, yellowish light illuminated this pigsty.
Leaning against the doorframe, he put his guard back up and let out a cold laugh.
"The great Film Emperor visiting my doghouse. Want to experience life playing a beggar? Or want me to make a poison capsule film that loses everything for you, so you can taste what it's like to fall from the clouds?"
Jiang Ci ignored his provocation.
He pulled a script from his backpack and placed it on the greasy, low table.
The cover had three handwritten, crooked large characters — "King of Extras".
"I want to act in this."
Jiang Ci looked up, his gaze above the mask exceptionally clear.
"And you have to be the director."
The cold smirk on Gu Zhiyuan's face froze.
He stared at the script for over ten seconds, then snorted with derision, thinking this was the biggest joke in the world.
He walked to the corner, took out a box of instant noodles from a carton, and slammed it heavily onto the script.
"I quit that long ago."
His movements carried a self-destructive finality.
"Now I only film weddings and supermarket openings. Eight hundred a gig, good work, no haggling."
"Get lost."
Lin Wan finally couldn't hold back and wanted to speak.
But Jiang Ci stood up.
He wasn't angry, nor did he look at the box of noodles.
His gaze went past Gu Zhiyuan, landing on the wall.
There hung a yellowed, curling-edged old poster.
The poster showed a man's lonely back. Below it, a line of small text: Fifth Youth Film Festival Best Director — Gu Zhiyuan.
That was his only award-winning work.
It was the beginning of his directing career, and also its end.
"So it's not the person who died, but the director named Gu Zhiyuan."
Jiang Ci's voice was very soft, yet each word pierced Gu Zhiyuan painfully.
Gu Zhiyuan shuddered violently, the last trace of color draining from his face.
Something in those murky eyes suddenly shattered.
He looked up and stared at Jiang Ci, his lips moving soundlessly, unable to utter a single word.
Jiang Ci met his gaze, looked at him calmly for a second,
then finally withdrew his gaze, took Lin Wan's arm, and turned to leave.
At the doorway, he stopped but didn't turn around.
"The script stays here."
He took a few banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the shoe cabinet.
"I'll pay for the noodles."
"I'll come again tomorrow. If by then, you still think you're cut out for filming weddings, I'll find someone else."
Having said that, he pulled open the door and left with Lin Wan.
The iron door slammed shut behind them with a "bang".
Only Gu Zhiyuan remained in the room.
He stood rigidly in place, his chest heaving violently.
"Madman..."
He cursed under his breath.
He stared at that old poster on the wall until his eyes ached.
He didn't know how much time passed before he slowly walked to the coffee table and moved the box of noodles aside.
He picked up that copy of "King of Extras".
Just as his fingers touched the cover.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A violent pounding came from outside the door.
A shrill voice pierced through the door panel, echoing through the room.
"Hey, Gu! Open up! I know you're in there!"
"If you don't pay the rent tomorrow, get out with your garbage!"
The landlord's cursing was like a rusty sledgehammer, completely smashing his already teetering self-respect.
Gu Zhiyuan's fingers trembled violently.
He lowered his head, his blurred vision falling on the opened script.
Every word on that page now felt like a branding iron, searing his soul and making it tremble.
[Scene One, Take One.]
[Setting: Rental Room.]
[Characters: Chen San, Landlord.]
[Landlord (O.S.): Hey, Chen! If you don't pay the rent tomorrow, get out!]
Reality and the script overlapped at this moment in the most cruel way possible.
The script in his hand suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.