My Wandering Swordsman

The Flower Monk waved his hand and answered for Ruan Tang:

"Brother Ji, don't worry. These extras are already paid 18 yuan a day. Even if their acting isn't up to par, they'll still get 18 yuan. Besides, they can get extra pay if their acting is good. In addition, there's insurance for family emergencies. With such good treatment, who would say no?"

Liu Zi also said, "If the extras perform poorly and are docked pay, nobody will say anything."

I nodded, and only then did I feel relieved.

Instead, Ruan Tang pointed at me:

"I'm telling you, you'd better be prepared. The extras' acting skills are weak right now, but they'll improve later, and with more outdoor scenes, we might end up having to pay out of our own pockets."

I chuckled and took another swig of beer: "It's nothing, they deserve it, I'd be happy to pay for it myself."

Money is worthless; if we spend it all, we can always earn more.

Seeing my serious expression, Ruan Tang narrowed her eyes, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

......

After we had eaten and drunk our fill, Ruan Tang took out the remaining extras fee from her pocket and handed me a stack of bills.

"Here, 208 yuan, keep it."

I waved my hand and didn't take it.

"Keep it safe. We'll talk about it next Monday. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Please keep an eye on things these next few days. You can manage the money yourself. You don't need to report every single expense to me."

Ruan Tang probably didn't expect me to trust her so much, and she was clearly taken aback for a moment.

I smiled and said, "What? You've fallen for me?"

"Pooh!"

As dusk approached, everyone had been busy all day.

I gave the monk a wink.

The monk understood immediately, stood up, and said, "Sister Ruan, it's getting late, let me take you home."

Ruan Tang stood up and patted the sunflower seed shells off her pants: "Alright, alright, we're all adults, I'll just take a taxi home myself."

The monk tried to reason with her for a while, but he couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to give up.

We left the tin-roofed house.

The evening breeze, carrying a wave of heat, swept over her. Ruan Tang walked to the roadside and hailed a taxi.

The car had just come to a complete stop.

"laugh--"

A screech of brakes sounded, and a white Citroën Fukang sedan stopped right behind the taxi.

The car lights made me squint.

But the familiar paint color and model made my heart skip a beat.

My aunt's car?

Sure enough, the driver's side door opened the next second, and a slender, long leg stepped out first, stepping steadily onto the asphalt road in high heels.

I looked up along the calf.

Black suit trousers, a light blue shirt, the top two buttons undone, revealing delicate collarbones and neck...

My eyes lit up, and I beamed with joy.

"Auntie!"

I quickly went to meet him, using shouts to cover up my embarrassment.

What's so embarrassing?

Well, this is the first time I've seen her since that so-called confession. It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous or embarrassed.

However, my aunt seemed completely unfazed.

"Xiao Ji!"

As she spoke, she reached her hand over my head, just like an elder would.

I quickly stepped aside, saying unhappily, "Don't treat me like a child."

"Alright, alright," my aunt smiled and withdrew her hand, her gaze naturally falling on Ruan Tang beside the taxi, past me. "And this is?"

I introduced her, "Auntie, this is Ruan..."

Before she could finish speaking, her aunt's eyes suddenly lit up: "Oh, so it's Accountant Ruan."

"You know her?"

My aunt glared at me: "The film crew is such a tiny place, how could I not know you'd caused such a commotion? You've got your pay docked and your bonuses paid out."

As she spoke, she went to greet Ruan Tang.

My calling her "Auntie" could be heard from a great distance, so Ruan Tang naturally guessed the identity of this beautiful woman and went to greet her:

"Hello, Sister Yu, I've heard so much about you."

Without asking how Ruan Tang knew her, the aunt smiled and said, "Oh my, Ruan Tang is so pretty! Look at those little tiger teeth, no wonder Xiao Song trusts you with his work."

Ruan Tang's eyes darted around, and she smiled slyly: "Oh, not at all, Sister Yu is still the prettiest, like she stepped out of a painting. Ji Xiaosong is so famous in the group, all thanks to you, his aunt, hahaha~"

Watching the two of them chatting so intimately, I had a feeling that something was off.

Every word they said was perfectly normal and polite, but I couldn't sense any intimacy between them.

It was like two martial arts masters exchanging blows, their backs and forth, the flashing blades hidden beneath their smiles.

Just as I was about to speak, the taxi driver leaned out and said impatiently, "Are you going or not? If not, I'm taking another fare."

Ruan Tang quickly replied, "Let's go, let's go."

She nodded to her aunt: "Sister Yu, I'll be going now. Let's talk again another day."

"Okay, drive carefully." Auntie waved her hand.

The car started, and its taillights gradually disappeared into the night.

My aunt looked away and saw the three of us standing there dumbfounded. She laughed and said, "What are you standing there for? Let's go inside and talk."

A big star walks in.

The Flower Monk and Liu Zi hurriedly began tidying up the house.

My aunt waved her hand with a smile: "Don't bother, it's not like I haven't eaten here before. Sit down, I have something to say."

The two obediently sat down, sitting upright and proper.

My aunt first looked at me.

"Xiao Ji, you're the one who started this whole extras fee thing, aren't you?"

I nodded, feeling a little smug, waiting for her to praise me.

My aunt was silent for two seconds before saying, "My son Fa is not bad."

"Turning extras from outsiders into your own people takes skill. In the extras business, the worst thing is to go through the motions and slack off. This reward and punishment system is like drawing a line for them: good performances bring rewards, bad performances bring punishment. Everyone understands this perfectly, and no one dares to be lazy."

I was secretly delighted.

"However..." she suddenly changed the subject, "This method is good, but it depends on where it is used."

"The male lead in this movie is a nepotism case, the supporting actors' acting is terrible, and the script is awful... You and I both know that this movie will most likely end up gathering dust in the warehouse. Putting this on is, frankly, a waste of effort. But since you want to give it a try, fine."

I nodded repeatedly as I listened.

I understand this principle, but because we're on different wavelengths, we see things differently.

My aunt sees it from the film crew's perspective, thinking what I did was pointless and understandable. But from my own perspective, all I wanted was for the extras to get the money they deserved.

This kind of thing is worth any amount of effort.

Seeing that I didn't respond, my aunt continued, "Xiao Ji, if you really want to do it, I suggest you hand it over entirely to someone else and don't get involved at all."

I blurted out instinctively, "What's wrong?"

My aunt's expression turned serious, and her gaze swept over me, the Flower Monk, and Liu Zi:

"I hope that you... will all leave Hengdian."