The people close to us always stay with us, no matter the circumstances. They might be our family, our lovers, or our children. No matter who they are though, they have to be cherished. They are the ones that make our short life wonderful.
Qin Guan soon fell asleep on the soft mattress.
The next morning, he felt completely refreshed. He went into the cafeteria with a yawn and kindly turned down a Western breakfast. Wu Junru, who was the warmest person among the Hong Kongers, greeted him. "Hi, handsome! Why don't you have something to eat? We'll get to work soon, so..."
Before she could finish her words, Sister Xue entered in casual clothes. "I got them. Quick!"
In the simple lunch box she was holding were wontons. She had also gotten a bag of fried pork buns with sesame and spring onion.
It would be a pity to visit Shanghai and not try the authentic local breakfast. The small crystal-clear wontons were floating in pork bone soup. One could even see the red shrimp inside. The oily buns were crisp, but when one bit into them, their juices flowed out.
Zhou Xue, who had just gotten up and entered the room, carried her delicious food to another table and set it down unceremoniously. By the time Qin Guan came back to his senses, he realized there were only three wontons and one bun left for him. That was a miserable breakfast.
"Make yourselves at home! Try these! They are authentic Shanghai buns!"
Zhou Xue's smile scared Qin Guan. His struggle was nothing for an experienced love warrior like her. This was obvious through their cooperation.
Her performance was getting better and better. The powerful woman finally bared her fangs and claws and revealed the real acting power of an level star. She was Qin Guan's equal. Everyone around them cheered them on.
They were an inspiration for others. In less than a week, they finished all their scenes in Shanghai. The crew packed up while Director Chen contacted his associates in Beijing.
The last scene would be shot in a yard by the Beijing city moat. The prop team had already completed the archaistic set.
It was a shabby warehouse, a lot like plant 798, that stood stubbornly by the frozen moat. Inside it were old cotton-padded jackets, military coats, enamel mugs, old food tickets, thick sweaters, red stars... All characteristic features of the era, that reminded people of a newly-awakened China that had been short on resources. The memory of each hero and heroine was buried there.
Qin Guan was wearing a thick green sweater, a grey coat, a pair of old glasses and a military cross-body bag.
"Ha! What's this? What a handsome boy!"
Qin Guan went inside, bending his neck a little. He looked like the director of a disciplinary school.
When he spotted the iron stove, which was the only source of warmth in the room, he rushed over to it. He took some cinder dust out of the stove with an iron hook to make the flames burn more fiercely.
"Who made this coat? The cotton inside is tied in knots. It can't keep me warm!"
Zhou Xue was rubbing her hands in front of her chest, not caring about her image. "You should be content with what you have. Look at me! They got me a scratchy sweater!" she countered Qin Guan's complaint.
Qin Guan turned around to look at her and lowered his head with trembling shoulders. Zhou Xue's hair looked like instant noodles. It was so bad that one could hardly bear to look at it. She was also wearing a red sweater and a messy purple skirt that made her look like a bumpkin.
"Ha ha!" Qin Guan burst into laughter. Suddenly, he felt a small hand on his sideburns. It was Zhou's hand.
Worried, Qin Guan stepped back unconsciously.
"Don't move! You have some cotton batting on your face!" Qin Guan stopped. Her small cold hand touched his face like a feather. It paused in his hair and then suddenly covered his face.
Qin Guan tried to move his head away, but the hand wouldn't leave. He looked up into Zhou's big almond-shaped eyes.
They seemed reluctant to betray anything. Her meaningful gaze confused Qin Guan, even though he had experienced a lot of things in his life.
Sensing the ambiguous atmosphere, he stood up to leave. Zhou retracted her hand just in time.
"Look! I was not messing with you!"
Qin Guan looked down at the fine white cotton ball in her hand. His poor IQ did not allow him to think properly.
"I didn't expect the cotton in this shabby coat to be this white. It looks as romantic and airy as a spring dandelion."
Zhou's voice got lower and lower. Its hoarseness made it sound really sexy.