My Wandering Swordsman

My aunt took me to a local restaurant for a meal. The food was decent, ten times better than the offal that the monk Hua took me to eat.

How should I put it? I always feel a bit awkward when I eat.

The restaurant's decor, ambiance, and even the surrounding diners... everything about it seemed out of place with my aunt.

Even when my aunt led me in, the whole restaurant was quiet for a few seconds.

She stood there, like a white lotus suddenly plunged into a muddy pond.

However, the owner seemed to recognize the aunt and casually handed her the menu. Of course, there was not much interaction between the two; it was just the distance between a restaurant owner and a regular customer.

I looked at my aunt's profile. She seemed to have little appetite, sitting quietly in a daze, like someone cut out of a magazine. What's that saying? "Her eyes were lowered, she remained silent, and I felt a pang of pity for her."

The sense of unease I felt grew stronger.

My aunt's financial situation... seems worse than I imagined. Logically, she's my aunt, and I shouldn't be making these assumptions about her, but some things are just as they are, and you can't help but overthink them.

"What are you thinking about? Eat your food." My aunt suddenly looked up and saw me staring blankly at her, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, oh." I quickly shoveled down a couple of bites.

I didn't eat much; I was already quite full just looking at people.

After dinner, my aunt paid the bill and drove me back to Hengdian World Studios.

By the time the car stopped outside the tin shack, it was completely dark. My aunt didn't linger; she got out of the car and left immediately.

I watched the car lights disappear into the distance, sighed softly, and silently pushed open the door of the tin shack.

On the canopy bed, the monk lay on his back, while Liu Zi lay on his side on the other, motionless, whether truly asleep or feigning death, it was unclear.

Seeing me push the door open and come in, the flower monk groggily opened one eye:

"Oh, you're back."

As he spoke, he didn't press further and casually tossed a bottle of beer over.

Without holding back, I gulped down several large mouthfuls, which dispelled much of the bad luck I had experienced that day.

To be honest, living with that frivolous monk really got me hooked on alcohol.

Hearing the noise, Liu Zi also propped himself up and sat up.

"Liu Zi, how's your injury?" I asked.

He smiled and said, "It's nothing serious, just a minor cut. The wound isn't deep. I put some gentian violet on it, and it won't hurt tomorrow."

I nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

"Brother Ji, is Yu Weiwei your aunt?" The Flower Monk suddenly asked with a serious expression.

Seeing his serious expression, I nodded slightly.

Seeing my certainty, the monk and Liu Zi went completely mad, their four eyes filled with disbelief.

"Holy crap! So you're here just to experience life, huh?"

what?

This is where the story begins.

The monk said, "The extras who took us to the hospital this afternoon all said that Miss Yu Weiwei is a rising star in Hengdian, a big star, and a workaholic! Not only in this drama, but she's also the leading lady in several other dramas at once, and she's kind and approachable..."

Liu Zi chimed in, "Absolutely! Absolutely! I, Ma Xiaoliu, didn't believe it at first, but seeing it today, I never imagined such a person truly existed in the world..."

"...A true goddess!" they both exclaimed in unison.

My lips twitched. What do I say about these two? Are they fans of my aunt or just perverts?

"Do you know her? Is she famous?"

"Know her my ass!" The Flower Monk shrugged. "How could I possibly know her? She's the female lead, what am I? But who doesn't recognize her face? The stills from 'Jianghu Night Rain' were hanging in all the theaters in Hengdian for two months back then."

"Then what are you two so amazed about?" I said irritably. "You don't even know who she is, you're just amazed by her looks, right?"

The Flower Monk chuckled: "It looks good, but more importantly, we brothers have kept our jobs."

He patted me on the shoulder: "Having connections is really great, huh? The crew's assistant called this afternoon, saying we'll continue filming tomorrow. Brother Ji, you've got some really strong backing!"

I pursed my lips and didn't reply.

A powerful backer? I always felt that my aunt's strength seemed forced. There were too many mysteries surrounding her, too many things I didn't understand, but she was unwilling to talk about them, and I couldn't force her to.

However, what the flower monk said still surprised me.

I didn't hold back when I dealt with the Crown Prince today. Logically, that bastard should be in the hospital for at least half a month. The male lead is gone; what's the point of filming tomorrow?

The flowery monk put his arm behind his head and smacked his lips:

"I heard that tomorrow's scenes will feature other characters, as for the eldest prince... we'll talk about that later."

It turned out to be the case.

I said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

If the production crew wants me to go, then I'll go!

My aunt really woke me up today. Hengdian World Studios is the busiest place in the world; you can run into all sorts of people. There's no better place than here to find that woman with three moles on her butt.

As for the issue of wages, I've already made up my mind about the matter with Director Niu, but now is not the time to turn against him.

......

The next morning, the three of us arrived at the filming location before dawn, as usual.

As soon as Fang Gang entered, he ran into Assistant Director Wang.

When he saw the three of us, his eyes glared at us menacingly, and the flesh on his chin was trembling. I reckon if it weren't for his aunt and the law behind him, this guy would have probably wanted to tear us apart alive.

Liu Zi instinctively shrank his neck, looking a little scared.

The monk and I didn't seem to care much.

Barefoot people aren't afraid of those wearing shoes; what can he do to us?

I naturally wouldn't give this person a friendly look, so I went inside with a cigarette dangling from my mouth. Seeing this, the Flower Monk snorted and dragged Liu Zi inside as well.

"This guy is full of bad intentions, let's ignore him," I advised.

Liu Zi was a little uneasy: "Brother Ji, he's a director after all. What if he gives us a hard time?"

The Flower Monk patted Liu Zi on the back of the head:

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"Exactly, what's there to be afraid of!"

The three of us walked into the courtyard with our heads held high.

Unlike that morning, many extras actually came to greet us when we arrived.

"Good morning, Brother Ji!"

"Brother monk, your bald head looks even more energetic today!"

"Why don't you three take a nap? Next time, just let me know when you're in line, and I'll help you."

"..."

Everyone greeted us with smiles, some offered us water, and others even gave up their seats so we could cut in line. We were treated like celebrities.

The Flower Monk was somewhat flattered:

"Don't be shy, everyone. We're just three extras."

I didn't reply, but my back straightened up even more without me realizing it.

Because someone let others queue up, the process was much faster today.

The makeup was done in less than an hour.

When it was time to collect the uniforms, we were stopped by someone just as we reached out our hands.

This person had a film crew sign around their neck, but they neither distributed clothes nor maintained order; they just stood upright in front of the pile of costumes.

"Don't move, I've picked out outfits for the three of you."

As he spoke, he tossed three sets of clothes at me.

When I received it and took a look, my face immediately darkened.