Chapter 5: The Gold Coin Bonanza

Chapter 5: The Gold Coin Bonanza

The night was tranquil, slipping by in silence.

After tossing and turning for half the night, Chen Bai finally succumbed to sleep around three or four in the morning. When he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

He got out of bed and, using the leftover buns from last night as his breakfast, threw on a jacket and headed out. As he descended the stairs, he glanced at his phone.

For the sake of convenience in his work, he had added the assistant he spoke with last time on WeChat. That morning, the assistant sent him a document.

Though his body had been up for a while, his brain cells were still snoozing, so he didn't touch the file just yet. He put his phone back into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his lock shop.

The day was bright, and the lock shop basked in sunlight, bathed in a warm glow. He pulled over a stool and sat down, his body melting against the counter the moment it made contact. Lazily, he sprawled on the countertop, basking in the sun.

With a bun clamped between his teeth that he gnawed on slowly, he casually rolled up the sleeve of his left arm to inspect the wound that had now healed.

It hurt a bit. The intensity of yesterday's activities was indeed a little too much, and he'd have to find a way to strike a balance going forward.

Just as his wound came into view, the sound of footsteps approached, and a shadow passed by.

Lying on the counter with half-open eyes, Chen Bai caught sight of a figure in a gray overcoat passing by.

Tall and long-legged, with his hat brim pulled down low, he was the very picture of a casual neighborhood guy. He lowered the sleeve he had casually rolled up and, though his mouth was occupied with a steamed bun, it didn't stop him from offering a friendly greeting.

The individual, with a bun clenched between their teeth, extended a hand in a gesture reminiscent of the iconic "Erkang hand," which indeed caught the attention of passersby.

The only exposed dark pupils on that face turned to look, and Chen Bai waved his extended hand, mumbling a greeting in an indistinct voice.

Objectively speaking, it was no longer early, and he didn't appear to have fully awakened yet.

The sun shone brightly, illuminating the figure slumped over the counter of the small shop, who seemed to have fused with the surface, a suspected leftover steamed bun dangling from their lips.

Strands of hair, lit by the streaming light, glowed a conspicuous pale gold. His eyes were half-lidded, the pale gray irises not quite in focus, yet he still managed an earnest attempt at a greeting, appearing as though he hadn't quite shaken off the embrace of slumber.

Rising at two in the morning to steam buns, it's only natural to be plagued by drowsiness at this hour.

Casting a couple of glances at the man sprawled over the counter and his outstretched hand, Xu Sinian gave a slight nod and echoed a "Good morning."

Upon receiving a response, the person leaning on the counter finally contentedly withdrew their greeting hand, casually resting it under their head. After taking the last bite of the bun, they closed their eyes peacefully, basking in the sunlight.

A beautiful morning begins with dozing off in the shop.

"... "

"......such obedient interplay of light and shadow, so very beautiful."

"Stay silent, snap quickly; we still need to head back after this."

The clamor of the old district gradually grew distinct, and the person who had been lying motionless on the counter stirred, faint whispers reaching their ears. Finally, they opened their eyes.

After catching up on sleep until now, my foggy mind has finally cleared and feels at ease.

His mind was clear now, but the image of the steamed bun was gone, as was the friendly neighbor he seemed to have greeted. Chen Bai looked up and saw two young girls standing by the shop door.

It seemed they hadn't anticipated his sudden awakening; the two young girls stood there, cameras in hand, their lenses still pointed in his direction, clearly capturing his image. Upon being discovered, they froze, panic setting in as they fumbled for words, apologizing repeatedly.

Chen Bai, however, was indifferent to all this. After yawning, he got up from the counter, propped his face with one hand, and with a slight smile, simply said, "Just remember to delete the unflattering photos."

His posture was relaxed, and his smile was casual. Bathed in the light, he seemed warm and genuinely carefree.

A girl hesitated for a moment before stepping forward resolutely. With a shy smile playing on her lips, she whispered, "Want to have a look? They're all really nice, no unflattering ones."

Chen Bai turned his head, graciously casting a few glances at the photograph on the camera's screen.

Another girl approached, and his penchant for engaging in conversation resurfaced. As he observed, he chatted amiably with the two young ladies.

It turns out that these two young ladies are students from the nearby university's School of Journalism and Communication, studying photography and in need of portrait subjects. They ventured out of the campus to take photos here. They were hesitant to photograph people who were awake, and just happened to spot him, who seemed to be sleeping so deeply that he might never wake up again.

Having seen the photo, Chen Bai offered his thoughts: "Fortunately, I don’t drool in my sleep."

Both girls chuckled.

They chatted happily but didn't gossip for too long; the two girls still had class and had to rush back immediately after taking photos.

After saying goodbye to the two girls, Chen Bai finally got down to serious work, picking up two jobs, and in the meantime, during his free moments, he opened the files sent by his assistant that he saw this morning but didn't have time to check.

Indeed, his assistant had compiled some information about White Moonlight for him.

The content of the book that was previously crammed into his mind was incredibly complex. The supporting character, Brother Main, was primarily engaged in a one-sided love affair with the God of Wealth, Huo, completely oblivious to everything else, thus providing no useful reference material.

He never intended to indulge in a tragic yet passionate romance with someone of the same sex; all he wanted was to expand his post-tax 120,000 yuan per meal business into something grander. To achieve that, he had to fully understand White Moonlight.

According to his assistant's recollections, White Moonlight was quiet and spoke little, a very gentle soul. Due to certain reasons, his health wasn't the best, and there was one crucial detail - he didn't like physical contact with others.

Though the assistant didn't explicitly state it, Chen Bai could infer that this "others" included Huochuan as well.

His decision to dodge during their encounter at the restaurant turned out to be the right move after all.

After flipping through a document, just as he was exiting the interface, a phone call came in perfectly timed.

It's the landlord. There's a lot of noise in the background; they must be in a crowded place.

"Little Chen, over here..."

As the person opposite him spoke, Chen Bai casually pulled a sheet of paper toward him and, grabbing a pen that still had ink, jotted down the key information.

Having just completed two trips, another assignment promptly arrived.

Someone here needs a locksmith, so they called the landlord, but the landlord is currently at the hospital with their grandchild for a vaccination appointment. Being both far away and unable to leave, the landlord asked me to step in.

The place he was headed to was just around the corner, in the old street next door.

Upon arrival with his tools in tow, and upon seeing the sheet metal crossing the street, memories of the shop owners' tales about a film crew working nearby came flooding back to him.

It seemed that the lock he was supposed to pick was right here.

Standing by the entrance, he dialed the phone number left by the landlord and exchanged a few brief words.

No sooner had he hung up the call than a tall, lanky figure burst out from the tightly shut gate not far away, immediately scanning the surroundings upon exiting the doorway.

For a moment, their eyes met, and Chen Bai was about to raise his hand to signal, but Tall and thin brother's gaze swept straight past him, landing elsewhere.

Not spotting anyone, Tall and thin brother lowered his head, pulled out his phone, tapped it twice, and while making a call, scanned the surroundings once more.

Chen Bai's phone in his pocket rang.

Not far away, Tall and thin brother, holding his phone and attempting to make a call, also noticed this, and his gaze finally returned, filled with uncertainty and suspicion. Hesitating for a moment, he cautiously asked, "…Locksmith?"

Chen Bai tapped on his toolkit.

"..."

Indeed.

He knew that the locksmith's boss had sent someone else to cover the shift, but he never expected it to be someone like this.

Hanging up the phone, Tall and Thin Brother stepped forward. Seeing Chen Bai's eyes and brows beneath his tousled hair at close range, he couldn't help but twitch his eye in disbelief. "Has your industry become so competitive now?"

Chen Bai: "Huh?"

As if struck by a great shock, Tall and Thin Brother was momentarily unable to elaborate further. Chen Bai didn't press him, instead asking where the lock needed to be picked.

Tall and Thin Brother led him to the registration desk, then proceeded in a certain direction, saying, "It's the room where we store props."

Tall and Thin Brother was part of the props team, one of whose daily tasks was to inventory the props. There were two keys for the room where the props were kept: one on him, the other with the head of the department who was above him. When he had to count the props and something came up unexpectedly, he carelessly left the key inside the room. Upon returning, whether due to someone else's carelessness or simply because of a gust of wind, the door to the room was shut.

The head's key had been lent to an actor as a prop earlier, and after its use, it too was carelessly placed back into the room, ending up locked inside with the other key. The camera crew's track was also stored within the room and was needed shortly. With both keys trapped inside, they had no choice but to call a locksmith. He asked around the nearby people for the number of the nearest locksmith shop and dialed it immediately.

In response to Tall and Thin Brother's predicament, Chen Bai could only offer consolation with a pat on the shoulder, reassuring him that such things happened all the time.

As he chatted, Chen Bai took a closer look at the film crew.

"Looking for celebrities?" Tall and Thin Brother, with his wealth of experience, knew all too well what people usually had in mind when they entered a film set. He kindly warned, "You won't see them now. The second unit is still filming, and the actors from the first unit are in their respective lounges. They can't be disturbed."

"That's not what I'm here for."

Chen Bai appreciated the young man's friendly advice. His gaze swept over the busy workers as he said, "I'm looking to see if there's any work I can do here."

He then asked, "Friend, how's the pay in your line of work?"

Tall and Thin Brother stared blankly for a moment.

After a brief silence, he finally opened his mouth, but Chen Bai couldn't quite make out what he said.

This was because a louder voice drowned out the sounds around him. Following the direction of the noise, Chen Bai saw a man nearby wearing a vest, apparently berating someone else, his face and neck flushed red.

Chen Bai felt a sense of admiration.

Despite his apparent age, this man could still project his voice with such vigor and strength.

Following his line of sight, the Tall and Thin Brother said, "That's the director. He's in a foul mood right now, don't provoke him."

Sensing a whiff of juicy gossip, Chen Bai, who was just about to yawn, instantly held it back.

It wasn't something that needed to be kept under wraps, so the Tall and Thin Brother shared. He mentioned that there was an actor in the production crew juggling multiple roles – a minor character, albeit one with scenes opposite the main cast. Due to various issues, they had fallen behind schedule. Upon their return, their performance was subpar, completely failing to meet expectations.

In a fit of rage, the director decided to replace the actor. The previous understudy already had other commitments, leaving them no choice but to hold auditions for a new replacement. As of now, they'd spent half a day auditioning people in between takes, yet hadn't found a suitable candidate.

Additionally, at a time when every minute equated to burning through real money, someone had left the key inside the prop room and walked off, leaving them unable to access it, potentially further delaying progress.

"…"

As he spoke, the Tall and Thin Brother rubbed his face in anguish.

Chen Bai patted him on the shoulder in consolation, "I'll work as fast as I can."

When he said he would work quickly, he meant it.

The lock on the locked room was a common one, requiring little effort to pick. Within a few moments, it was open.

With a click, the man who had been crouching halfway rose to his feet under Tall and Thin Brother's gaze, pulled out his phone, and smiled sincerely and brightly. "Friend, that'll be 50, thank you."

Those who joyfully receive a debt of four hundred million always laugh their truest when it comes time to collect.

Not far away, the director, whose volume never seemed to waver, finally paused in his incessant commentary, not because he had run out of breath, but because the second unit was taking a break, allowing the assistant director to come over and check on things.

The director waved him off. "What situation? None of them are any good."

The budget was set, expensive talents were unattainable, suitable ones were unavailable, and the affordable choices didn't stand out. He'd spent half the day, intermittently auditioning, only to find each one lacking something essential.

The role they were struggling with was indeed minor, with little screen time, yet crucial. It was that of a sickly but warm-hearted and cheerful neighbor of the protagonist, a character with few scenes but whose presence laced the entire series. An actor who overdid it risked appearing overly dramatic, while one who held back might fail to capture the essence.

The assistant director understood the director's vision but also recognized the harsh reality. "We'll have to make do. We can't afford further delays."

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on a figure at the end of the street nearby, asking without moving his eyes, "Is that one of the people who came for auditions today?"

"What?" The director followed his gaze, scrutinizing the individual for a moment longer before pausing. "No."

A face that leaves an impression, once seen, he wouldn't forget.

The props team had mentioned they would find someone to unlock the door; that area was where they stored their equipment, and that person must be the one coming to open it.

Then, they watched as the figure who had been crouching sideways stood up, turning slightly towards them.

Slim in stature, his bright smile was strikingly radiant.

With a swift sound, the director rose to his feet.

The payment for his troubles having hit his account, Chen Bai was about to leave with his tool bag in hand when he was suddenly intercepted by the director who popped out from the side, just as he was about to make his exit.

The director asked him if he had any interest in auditioning.

Chen Bai's interest lay solely in money; he had a clear self-awareness of his capabilities and, given the context, could roughly guess what an audition entailed.

Knowing his limits and well aware that one without the proper skills couldn't take on tasks beyond their capability, he politely declined.

Director: "All you need to do is portray a warm and cheerful patient for the audition. It's free of charge, no cost for the tryout. If you pass, I'll pay you."

Chen Bai: "Let's give it a try."

In some ways, the two of them were perfectly in sync.

Tall and thin brother and the assistant director watched the two figures depart, momentarily stunned and unable to react.

It wasn't until their thoughts caught up that Tall and thin brother remembered to enter the room to retrieve the keys, while the assistant director followed the duo who had already walked a distance away to check on the situation.

Chen Bai trailed behind the director to the other end of the street. The director pointed at the grey building enveloped by green vines, saying, "Climb to the second floor; there's a window over there, see it?"

This building was to be the home of the patient he was to portray, with the patient's room located just beyond the window. All he needed to do was ascend to the second floor, write something by the window, push it open upon seeing the female lead pass by, show her what he wrote, and then smile.

It was merely an audition, so the female lead wouldn't actually be present to cooperate; he would have to pretend she passed by on his own.

Chen Bai asked, "What should I write?"

The director glanced at the time, replying, "You can write anything, as long as you perform the action. You can start once you're ready."

Understanding, Chen Bai turned around and entered the building.

Though not fully understanding, Chen Bai felt that aside from the questionable cheerfulness, this character profile bore a striking resemblance to his ideal type, the "White Moonlight," and perhaps he could give it a shot.

The house seemed to be one of the shooting locations, with various items still piled on the first floor and the photography tracks yet to be dismantled.

He maneuvered around the clutter on the ground and ascended to the second floor, locating the room as described by the director.

As promised, a few sheets of paper and a pen were already set up by the window. Standing here and looking down, he could clearly see a group of people gathered below.

The camera was in position, the director present, and many others around, creating an atmosphere as if they were truly filming, an ambiance that could easily induce tension.

But for someone naturally sociable and bold, there's never any nervousness due to a crowd; in fact, the more people, the easier it is to shine.

Casually flexing his wrist, Chen Bai closed his eyes then opened them again, bowing his head to pick up the pen.

Below the window, at the street side, the director and the crew saw a silhouette finally appear by the window.

The appearance of the silhouette signified that the audition had officially commenced.

The sun was shining brightly today, its warm yellow light illuminating the dark wooden windowsill. The window glass, bearing streaks from recent cleaning, slightly blurred the figure standing by the window, only vaguely revealing a slender and clear outline.

The tree shadows swayed slowly, time seemed to have come to a standstill, with only the pen faintly visible behind the window moving at a gentle pace.

"..."

The slowly moving pen halted. The person standing by the window seemed to notice something, his slightly lowered brows and eyes lifting slightly as he set down the pen.

The window was pushed open, and the previously blurred figure suddenly became clear. The person by the window, his pale skin illuminated by the sunlight, looked across the street with his light gray eyes following something, then stopped, seemingly brightening for a moment.

The person standing below couldn't help but follow his line of sight, only to find that there was no one there, just piles of clutter.

The assistant director looked at the director and saw that he had indeed straightened up a bit, no longer checking his watch.

By the time they turned back around, the person leaning on the windowsill had put down his pen and was handing out a piece of paper from the window, his features relaxed and a faint smile playing on his lips.

The kapok tree shadows were mottled and tranquil, yet they strangely felt like they could hear the rustling of leaves, as if they could even catch the shape of drifting clouds.

Some people stood there like a breeze, making the air seem fresher.

All eyes involuntarily turned to the paper being handed out by the person upstairs, wanting to see what was written on it.

"Could Fortune God bestow a more abundant shower of gold coins?"

"How about having steamed dumplings on the hour tonight?"

The first sentence had been crossed out with a horizontal line, leaving only the one beneath it.

The crowd: "..."

The faint whisper of wind that seemed to be rustling by the ear suddenly vanished, taking with it that subtle sense of freshness, and in an instant, reality crashed back into focus.

Not only did they come to understand each other's simplest and most unadorned desires lurking deep within their hearts, but they also incidentally discovered what was on the menu for the other person that very evening.

Inviting them to write casually, this person truly took the liberty to improvise, showing remarkable familiarity and no sense of restraint.