Huayu: This director specializes in promoting young actresses.

Chapter 9 The Crying Little Field

It was just getting dark when they finished work. The night market near the film set was bustling with activity. He noticed that Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun looked listless. "Want to go to the night market? Buy some food?"

Tian Xi responded listlessly with an "Oh," while Liu Haochun's eyes lit up and he nodded slightly.

The night market was brightly lit, filled with the aroma of fried skewers and the sweet scent of roasted chestnuts, mixed with the vendors' shouts. He walked in the middle, with Liu Haochun on his left and Tian Xiwei on his right.

Liu Haochun could clearly sense the difference in aura between the two people beside him. With a hint of curiosity, he kept glancing at the roadside stalls, while Tian Xiwei kept her head down, her usual excitement gone.

"What would you like to eat?" Liu Haochun was asked first.

Liu Haochun glanced at the grilled cold noodles stall next to him and whispered, "That looks pretty good."

"Boss, one order of grilled cold noodles, less spicy," he called out to the stall owner, then turned to ask, "Anything else? Those roasted chestnuts over there look pretty sweet."

"May I?"

"Of course." I bought a bag, peeled one open, and handed it to him. "Try it."

Liu Haochun took it, took a small bite, and nodded: "It's quite fragrant."

Tian Xiwei watched silently from the side, then turned to her and asked, "What about you? Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I don't want to eat," she said sullenly.

"Really not going to eat? Then that cold noodle place you said you wanted to eat last time is just up ahead."

"Let's go take a look." Her voice still lacked energy.

When buying cold noodles, he specifically told the vendor, "Less chili, more sugar." Then he turned to Liu Haochun and said, "You can't eat too much spice, this is just right."

Liu Haochun took the cold noodles and said "thank you." Tian Xiwei took hers, ate a couple of bites, and put it down, her eyes glancing at him and Liu Haochun every now and then, her lips tightly pursed.

Along the way, he took good care of Liu Haochun. When he saw her staring at takoyaki, he bought her a serving. When they passed a scarf stall, he would remind her, "It's cold at night, do you want to buy a scarf?" He even told the vendor when buying fried skewers, "Don't make these spicy, give them to that little girl."

He would only stop to buy Tian Xiwei if she said, "This seems alright."

On the way back to the hotel, the three of them didn't talk much. Tian Xiwei walked at the back, her footsteps heavy and carrying an indescribable sense of sullenness.

Liu Haochun walked ahead, carrying the snacks Lin Feng had bought for him. He would occasionally look back, his eyes filled with a hint of doubt.

Upon arriving at the hotel entrance, Tian Xiwei said, "I'm going up first," and turned to run towards the elevator.

"What's wrong with her?" Liu Haochun asked.

"It's nothing, I'm probably just tired." He smiled. "Go upstairs and get some rest, we have filming tomorrow."

The next morning's filming didn't include Tian Xiwei; instead, it was Liu Haochun's scene where he "had Shi Fen as his older brother." After his wish came true, he saw Shi Fen showing concern for him, experiencing a surge of joy that went from envy to ecstasy.

Liu Haochun was in exceptionally good form. When "Lin Feng" handed her a peeled orange, her eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, yet she also looked a little embarrassed. Her fingers nervously gripped the strap of her backpack, and she portrayed the excitement of "suddenly getting what she had always dreamed of" with realism and subtlety.

"Cut! Perfect!" After calling "cut," he clapped, a rare occurrence. "Haochun's acting in this scene was superb; his emotions were perfectly on point!"

Liu Haochun blushed and whispered, "Thank you, Brother Feng."

He pulled a pair of rabbit-shaped gloves out of his bag and handed them over: "I just bought these at a store on my way here. It's getting chilly, so your hands won't get cold while filming."

The gloves were pink with two fluffy bunny ears on them, they were especially cute. Liu Haochun took them, his eyes widening in surprise: "Thank you, Brother Feng!"

"Me too!" Tian Xiwei's voice suddenly came from the side. She had arrived at some point and was standing at the edge of the set, clutching the script in her hand.

He glanced at her and said, "Don't you have gloves? The ones your mom brought you last time were thicker than these."

"I don't care! I want it!" Tian Xiwei's voice was a little sharp.

"Stop fooling around, this is for Hao Chun." She frowned. "If you want it, I'll buy it for you in a few days."

"No!" Tian Xi stomped her foot, her eyes a little red, turned around and ran to the shade of a tree next to her, her back to everyone, doing something unknown.

Liu Haochun, holding the gloves, looked a little lost: "Brother Feng, how about we give them to Weiwei?"

"No need, she's just throwing a tantrum." He waved his hand. "Let's keep filming."

At lunchtime, the crew ordered boxed meals consisting of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish. He carried his meal to Liu Haochun and sat down next to her, giving her the tomato and egg stir-fry from his own meal, knowing that Liu Haochun liked it.

"Eat more, you must be tired from filming this morning."

"Thank you, Brother Feng." Liu Haochun lowered his head, shoveling food into his mouth, but his eyes glanced at Tian Xiwei in the corner.

Tian Xiwei sat alone on the steps at the very end, a boxed lunch in front of her, untouched. She just stared at the lunchbox, her eyes fixed on it, her cheeks puffed out, as if she was holding something back.

"Brother Feng," Liu Haochun whispered, "Is Weiwei alright? Should I go and call her over?"

"Don't worry about her." Lin Feng scooped up a spoonful of soup. "She'll be fine on her own in a bit."

The two chatted while eating, and when they talked about the afternoon's filming, Liu Haochun was a little nervous, so Liu Haochun told her what to pay attention to. They laughed occasionally, and the atmosphere was quite warm.

The scene filmed in the afternoon was where Shi Miao witnessed her best friend and "brother" interacting intimately. Seeing her brother, who used to always argue with her, now helping her best friend carry her schoolbag and explaining problems to her, a wave of jealousy and loss washed over her, making her feel incredibly heavy even when she was walking.

Before filming began, he specifically instructed Tian Xiwei on the scene: "Remember that feeling, like someone has taken something from you, and you feel both bitter and aggrieved inside, unable to express it, but unable to hide it on your face."

Tian Xiwei didn't speak, but just nodded, her eyes red, as if she had just been crying.

As the clapperboard fell, Tian Xiwei walked over with her schoolbag on her back and saw "him" handing an apple to Liu Haochun and then smiling as he ruffled her hair.

According to the script, Shi Miao should have stood there stunned, her eyes slowly darkening, her steps halting, and her fingers tightly gripping the strap of her backpack.

Tian Xiwei did stop, and her eyes darkened, but the emotions in her eyes were too intense—not just disappointment, but also a hint of grievance, and even a sob in her voice. She looked at "him" and Liu Haochun, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long time.

"Cut!" Lin Feng called out. "Weiwei, you've gotten a little carried away. Don't get so agitated. Try to control yourself."

Tian Xiwei ignored him and just stared intently ahead.

"One more."

Filming resumed, and as she walked over and saw what was happening, she suddenly shouted, "What are you doing?!"

The voice was urgent and loud, with a sobbing tone, completely unlike the lines in the script.

"Cut! Weiwei, what's wrong?"

Tian Xiwei didn't say anything, but tears welled up in her eyes. She covered her face and ran back to the hotel.

"This..." Zhou Ming was a little confused. "What's going on?"

"Film other scenes first, film Hao Chun's solo shots, I'll go check it out." He hurried towards the hotel.

When he arrived at Tian Xiwei's room, he knocked on the door, but no one answered. He turned the doorknob; it wasn't locked.

Pushing open the door, I saw Tian Xiwei lying on the bed, her head covered by the blanket, her shoulders shaking, crying her heart out.

He walked over and gently patted her back: "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Tian Xiwei didn't move and cried even harder.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and continued patting her back: "Are you too tired from filming? Or do you feel like you're not acting well? It's okay, we'll take it slow, no rush..."

Before she could finish speaking, Tian Xiwei suddenly threw off the covers, threw herself into his arms, hugged his waist tightly, and cried even louder.

"Brother Feng..." she choked back tears, soaking his clothes, "Don't you like me anymore? Do you like Liu Haochun now?"

Looking down at the little girl in his arms, who was sobbing, her eyes were red, tears were hanging on her eyelashes, and her face was full of grievances.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" He was a little helpless, yet also a little sorry for her, and patted her back. "How could I not like you?"

"Then why are you always so nice to her!" Tian Xi looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, her nose red like a wronged little rabbit. "You buy her food, you buy her gloves, you eat with her, but you ignore me... You weren't like this before!"

She became increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, and her tears fell even harder: "Do you think she's better than me? Do you think she's a better actress than me, so you like her...?"