Chapter 103 – Finding Home Wraps Up

Returning to work this time was much more relaxed than before. Everyone was genuinely happy to see that Xiao Fang had put on some weight. After all, seeing such a well-behaved actor starve himself like that made all the young women on set feel distressed. The wrap-up work went smoothly. Xiao Fang went to work every day well-fed and content, which was an absolute joy.

Moreover, Xiao Fang was always ready to help out. When he had free time, he would pull out dried fruit from his pocket and nibble on it like a little squirrel, earning him the title of the crew’s cutest mascot. From time to time, a young woman would ask to pat his head in exchange for feeding him. Of course, Xiao Fang spinelessly surrendered—with the exception of Director Zhang.

“Why not me?!” Director Zhang protested, sporting a messy bird’s nest of hair. Xiao Fang gave him a look that said, You know why, and the women all chimed in with their explanations.

The real reason was that if Fei Xiangnan found out, a spanking was absolutely unavoidable, and that really hurt!

As May approached, Xiao Fang began filming his final scene at the studio. It was the part where the protagonist, after all he had been through, returns to his hometown.

Xiao Fang, playing the protagonist Gu You, returned to the residential building from his memories. His expression revealed a sense of unfamiliarity with the surroundings, yet his eyes held a kind of urgency. He licked his dry, chapped lips and slowly walked up the stairs, his hand resting on the somewhat rusty railing.

One step, two steps, he moved extremely slowly, yet he used all his strength.

“Your son did well on the college entrance exams! When are you having the celebration banquet? You have to let me know. I need to make my brat learn from him, or he’ll have a tough time with his own exams.”

“Of course, of course, you’ll definitely be there, no problem.”

The voices of two aunties talking drifted down from the stairs above. Gu You’s expression froze for a moment. Then, just before they passed him, he spun around abruptly, pressing his body against the railing. His face showed an undisguisable fear and self-loathing. He lowered his head, almost pathologically trying to hide himself.

To outsiders, however, it just looked a little strange. The two aunties merely glanced at him before leaving.

The camera zoomed in. Beads of sweat were visible on Gu You’s forehead, and his body was trembling uncontrollably. His fingers gripped the railing so tightly that the tips were turning white. It wasn’t until the women had been gone for a while that Xiao Fang managed to compose himself, his gaze once again fixed on the stairs ahead.

The stairwell was quiet, so quiet that only Xiao Fang’s breathing could be heard. He hesitated, his steps becoming uncertain.

As if struck by a thought, Gu You suddenly turned and headed back outside. He stopped just as he was about to rush out the door.

“Just… one look,” Gu You muttered to himself. He raised a hand and roughly wiped his face, as if it were still perpetually dirty. He turned back and went up the stairs, one step at a time.

“Old Gu, let’s go. We need to put up the flyers early today. The sun’s too strong, and your high blood pressure has been acting up lately.”

Faintly, Gu You heard the voice he had replayed thousands of times in his memory. In the space of a breath, Gu You finally started to run…

Director Zhang watched Xiao Fang’s expression with a satisfied nod. This was the effect he had always wanted—the expression of someone who had experienced darkness and then saw the light.

“He acts very well,” an elderly man, nearly seventy, said as he walked up to Director Zhang, looking at the monitor in front of him.

Director Zhang nodded. “You’re here. I thought you wouldn’t have time today.”

The old man shook his head. He looked extremely gentlemanly, a stark contrast to the scruffy Director Zhang. He took a silk handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his eyes. “I came just to see this scene. Young man, I wasn’t wrong about you.”

Director Zhang smiled, not getting carried away by the praise, and nodded calmly. “I wrote it with the intention of making it a success.”

“May I meet that actor?” the old man asked, expressing his thoughts very directly.

Director Zhang agreed without hesitation. He caught sight of Xiao Fang and waved him over. Xiao Fang took a sip of water from Ma Rui and jogged over.

“Director Zhang, what’s up? Do we need to reshoot?” Xiao Fang was very serious and responsible when it came to work. His face was flushed from the heat, but there was no trace of impatience.

“No need, this was perfect. An old friend of mine wants to meet you. Just call him Old Mister. He came just to see this final scene.” Director Zhang’s introduction was casual, but it was clear this old gentleman’s status was not simple.

Xiao Fang politely greeted the old gentleman, who shook his hand courteously.

“Your name is Xiao Fang, right? You acted very well. You’re a very good actor. I hope my grandson can come home this way one day.” The old man spoke very directly, much like Director Zhang.

Xiao Fang was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly controlled his expression and offered his best smile. “He definitely will.”

Xiao Fang’s reaction also surprised the old man for a second, then he broke into a very pleasant smile. “Seeing your smile, I feel like my grandson really can find his way home. I haven’t had this feeling in a long time. Thank you.”

Xiao Fang’s mind couldn’t help but construct an image of the old man’s lonely life after losing his grandson. A deep sense of sympathy for the old man welled up in his heart, and he launched into a seamless stream of effortless comfort, a skill that rivaled his rainbow farts.

However, the old man didn’t stay long, as he seemed to have urgent matters to attend to. But today, he had firmly committed this young actor to memory.

Having spent so much time with Xiao Fang, Director Zhang had long seen through his true nature. “You feel particularly sorry for this old man, don’t you?”

Xiao Fang nodded honestly.

Director Zhang let out a snort, looking at him with an all-knowing expression. “He’s not some lonely old man waiting at home for his grandson to return. If you were to collect rent from all the villas he owns, one a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year wouldn’t be enough.”

This analogy successfully dispelled all of Xiao Fang’s misconceptions.

“…Next time, let’s use a different analogy.”

***

When Finding Home finally wrapped, Xiao Fang had a great time with the crew before heading back. Since the crew was generally down-to-earth, they chose to have barbecue and beer, which was perfect for the weather. Considering Xiao Fang’s fame, the group still booked a large private room to eat.

After a few rounds of drinks, the group started bragging and talking nonsense. Among them, Ma Rui drank the most. Xiao Fang knew he had been pretending to be calm these past few days, but he was actually hiding something he couldn’t talk about. Xiao Fang didn’t expose him, but he did privately ask about Que Jiang’s whereabouts. On the phone, Fei Xiangnan had mentioned casually that he was on a mission abroad and couldn’t be contacted for the time being.

It was no wonder Xiao Ma looked so down. Xiao Fang didn’t bring it up, trying not to disturb him after he had done his work, letting him think things through on his own.

After drinking a fair amount, Xiao Fang got up to get some fresh air. The rooftop was the least crowded place and a good spot for a breather. When Xiao Fang took the elevator up, someone was already standing there: Director Zhang.

The wind blew through Director Zhang’s bird’s nest hair, turning it into a moving bird’s nest.

“Director Zhang, you work in the media, for goodness’ sake. Can’t you be a little less scruffy?” Xiao Fang said as he walked over to remind him. He leaned against the railing himself. The night wind was refreshing.

Director Zhang was smoking a cigarette and waved his hand dismissively. “The work is the art. Why do I need to be so artistic? People shouldn’t live so constrained. If you have to be what others think you should be, how tiring would that be.” Director Zhang took a deep drag from his cigarette and then exhaled.

Xiao Fang envied his carefree attitude. It was something he didn’t have.

“You’re right, but not everyone has that kind of freedom,” Xiao Fang said, looking at the neon lights in the distance, chatting calmly with Director Zhang.

Director Zhang laughed and handed Xiao Fang a cigarette. Xiao Fang took it but didn’t smoke, just holding it between his fingers. In the past, he would smoke when he was annoyed, but now he rarely did. Xiao Fang glanced at the cigarette pack Director Zhang was about to put away and said with a chuckle, “Lovebird Cigarettes?”

Director Zhang smiled casually. “It’s a habit. I’ve always smoked this. Back in college, when my dorm mates were so poor we were eating instant noodles, we smoked this. Slowly, I got addicted. It saves money and trouble.”

Xiao Fang smiled in understanding. “Smoking this is good. It shows you haven’t forgotten where you came from.”

Director Zhang looked at Xiao Fang through the smoke. “Xiao Fang, you’ve worked hard these past few months. You… were really amazing!” Director Zhang made an extremely exaggerated gesture, and Xiao Fang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Director Zhang took issue with that. “Don’t laugh. I rarely praise people. To put it bluntly, I thought with your status, you would definitely use a body double. But you endured it, starving and slimming down. If you had gone to that other crew back then, I wouldn’t have found such a good actor.”

A director’s acknowledgment of an actor is the best gift for that actor.

Xiao Fang found a sense of belonging in this acknowledgment. It was the greatest reward for his hard work. “Thank you for acknowledging me.”

Director Zhang didn’t like this kind of formal interaction at all. “I only speak to strength. This isn’t some mutual flattery for business. Let’s just talk like real people.”

That night, Director Zhang and Xiao Fang talked for a long time—about the creation of this work, about how he didn’t look for a directing job for three years after graduation, writing this script in a basement under pressure from his family and society.

Xiao Fang had gone through the same thing back then, but he didn’t talk about it now. The present was the present, a present with Fei Xiangnan and his family.

“Xiao Fang, in the future, if I can still afford you, I’ll hire you,” the director, who would become world-famous in the future, made a promise on an ordinary night.

For a companion with the same ambitions, Xiao Fang agreed without a second thought.

Then he raised his hand, made a fist, and held it out. “Here’s to a successful wrap for Finding Home.”

Director Zhang raised his fist and bumped it against Xiao Fang’s. His eyes, aided by the alcohol, were a little moist. “Yeah, it’s a successful wrap. You’ve worked hard.” Director Zhang admired Xiao Fang from the bottom of his heart.

“You too. All these years, you’ve worked hard.”

Director Zhang’s eyes slowly widened, then he concealed all his stories. Everything transformed into an ordinary smile. “Yes, we’ve all worked hard.”

***

When Xiao Fang wrapped filming this time, there were noticeably more family members to pick him up compared to the last. Xiao Fang had given Ma Rui a heads-up, and Ma Rui, being a very sensible third wheel, took the company’s funds and went back by high-speed rail.

Xiao Fang packed his luggage and came out. Standing outside was a dapper Fei Xiangnan, holding a large bouquet of flowers. Beside him was Xiao Xu, holding Lang Lang. In the car, Nuomici was dozing off.

Xiao Fang pulled his luggage and jumped into Fei Xiangnan’s arms. Fei Xiangnan effortlessly lifted him up.

“Congratulations on wrapping,” Fei Xiangnan’s deep, doting voice sounded in his ear.

“Congratulations on wrapping, brother,” Xiao Xu said, holding Lang Lang and leaning in.

“Aowu!” Lang Lang, in his arms, also let out a cry.

Xiao Fang felt that at this moment, he possessed the greatest happiness in life.

“Tonight, we’ll have hot pot at home to celebrate wrapping up!” This was the most romantic thing the foodie Xiao could think of.

As soon as the words were out, the other two males in the family simultaneously showed expressions of extreme rejection.

Sure enough, happiness never lasts more than three seconds!

“I don’t care! Hot pot! Hot pot!” Xiao Fang clung to Fei Xiangnan’s body, swaying like a koala.

“Aowu! Aowu!” Lang Lang, who was always on his side, cooperated perfectly with his cries.

The scales in the minds of the two contemplating males gradually balanced.

“…Alright then!”

Xiao Fang immediately jumped off Fei Xiangnan, picked up Lang Lang, and gave him a big kiss. It seemed the happiness of hot pot had to be maintained with his son’s help!

After resting at home for no more than two days, Xiao Fang had to continue with the variety show from last time. Only this time, he wasn’t going alone; Fei Xiangnan was coming with him. As for the punishment for weaseling out of the spanking last time, Xiao Fang was about to feel some serious pain!