Chapter 209 They ran away already?

Fu Yingzhou was passionately and intently proposing, but what was Shi Shi doing?

A true woman never lets anything hold her back! She's joined the production team.

Jiang Haichao's "Peace Wish" has started filming. The script for "Peace Wish" is very well written, perhaps influenced by Shi Shi's "Red Actress". Or perhaps it is to give a voice to opera performers, as the protagonist of this script is an opera singer from the Republican era.

The male protagonist was sent to an opera troupe by his parents, who had eight sons. Some might wonder, shouldn't they have sold a girl instead? Isn't that blatant sexism?

However, the premise is that the male protagonist's parents had a total of fourteen children: ten sons and four daughters.

The daughters have all been sold. The reason for selling the youngest son this time is to pay for a wife for the third son.

The day the protagonist was sent to the opera troupe, he didn't cry or fuss like the other children. Instead, he smiled when he saw his own bed. His parents, who were counting their money, watched him laugh without a care in the world. They cursed him, calling him an ingrate, saying that even if they didn't sell him, they wouldn't get any filial piety from him.

The male protagonist looked at his parents as if they were strangers, his calmness unlike that of a six-year-old child. He said…

"It sold for more than the fourth sister in the brothel. She should be happy."

He wasn't even born when his three older sisters were sold; he only remembers his fourth sister…

His voice was young but tinged with sorrow. His parents were speechless, choked by his words, and left grumbling.

From then on, the male protagonist began his arduous apprenticeship in the opera troupe. Every day he had to get up before dawn to practice, stretching his legs and warming up his voice. If he slacked off even slightly, he would be punished by his master. But he never complained and always gritted his teeth and persevered.

What kind of hardship is this? It's not hardship at all.

In the opera troupe, he met a group of friends. They practiced together, ate together, and slept together. Although life was hard, it was also warm.

Then chaos struck... The Japanese invaders stormed the city. The master refused to perform for the Japanese, and his head was chopped off by the Japanese and hung on the theater's signboard.

Several of his fellow apprentices have already graduated, but at this point, only the male protagonist is capable of taking on the main responsibility.

Looking at the thirty or so people in the opera troupe, the male lead dressed up as a character in the play and performed a play for the Japanese soldiers. He could no longer distinguish whether he was the character in the play or himself.

The master's head had already been placed in the coffin along with his body. On the day of the funeral, his fellow disciples didn't let him go. After all, he had gone against the master's last wishes.

I'd rather die than kneel before that bastard!

From then on, he had nightmares every night, always feeling that his master's head would appear beside him on his pillow, a bloody head, staring at him and asking, "Is this play something you absolutely must try?"

At first, he tried to convince himself that actors should perform, to show that he had a clear conscience. Clearly, this didn't work.

He became addicted to opium. He met the second male lead in the opium den.

A person who changed his life.

The second male lead is a member of the Communist Party who is secretly working in the underground. The male lead cannot imagine what kind of faith could make a person addicted to drugs yet still remember to save his country.

In the end, to protect the underground Communist Party, the protagonist staged a grand performance for the Japanese army. The fellow apprentices he had saved with his voice were all blown to ashes along with the opera house.

On the way to escape, the second male lead stood outside the city, seemingly sensing something.

Even though the explosion was far enough away that I couldn't hear it anymore, I still felt a pang of sympathy.

After joining the cast, Shi Shi devoted herself wholeheartedly to the project. She carefully studied the script, tried to understand the male lead's state of mind, and strived to choose the right music to match.

Fu Yingzhou: ...

If he hadn't been so sure of Shi Shi's character, he would have thought she had run away from her wedding!

Seeing Shi Shi so fully immersed in her role on set, Fu Yingzhou felt both helpless and heartbroken. He decided to visit the set and surprise her. When he arrived, Shi Shi was discussing the soundtrack for the film's climax with Jiang Haichao and hadn't noticed him yet. Fu Yingzhou stood quietly to the side, watching Shi Shi's focused expression, and couldn't help but be captivated.

Jiang Haichao went off to do his work. Shi Shi looked up and saw Fu Yingzhou. She was taken aback at first, then a surprised smile appeared on her face. "Why are you here?"

She walked quickly to Fu Yingzhou's side. Fu Yingzhou smiled and said, "I came to see my Director Shi, and by the way, how long are you planning to stay here and run away from this wedding?"

Shi Shi playfully stuck out her tongue, "It's all for work, isn't it? I need to work hard to earn money to support you!"

Fu Yingzhou wasn't fooled by her sweet talk and said seriously, "Please tell your uncle and aunt when would be a good time for my parents to visit."

Filming is currently taking place in Kyoto. While Shi Shi is busy, she shouldn't be unable to spare a day or two. She nodded: "I still have to do the audition and voting later. How about tomorrow? I'll talk to my parents when I get back and then let you know what I think."

"Okay. Shall we listen to your work?"

Shi Shi: "That's right, I wrote three songs as the theme song. Please vote for the most suitable one."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and pointed to Jiang Haichao, who was directing the film.

"Brother Haichao still has two more scenes to film, and we'll wrap up soon."

Seeing that Shi Shi was indeed very busy, Fu Yingzhou seized the opportunity to make his presence felt: "I'm no longer the first person to hear your work."

You weren't always like that; any one of your songs could be listened to by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

It's impossible to tell the truth.

"No one else has this; it's a love song I tailored to you with my whole heart."

That's true. The song Shi Shi wrote for Fu Yingzhou wasn't released to the public. They only listened to it when they were together.

Once, he was playing "Let Him Land" in his car. Liang Zhan heard it, glanced at the song title, went back to search for it but couldn't find it, so he came back to ask him. When he said that only he owned it, Liang Zhan's face was incredibly smug.

After agreeing to many humiliating treaties, Shi Shi finally saw Fu Yingzhou off.

The audition began. Shi Shi projected the three songs she had prepared onto the big screen.

Red Horse

If Dream

The Stage

Looking at the three songs above, Jiang Haichao said to Shi Shi, "Director Shi, could you please tell us about the connection between these three songs and the movie? If we know the entry point, we can be more empathetic when we vote."

Shi Shi nodded and began to introduce herself.

"The first song, 'Red Horse,' depicts a romantic scene of spring in Jiangnan, with profound meaning, symbolizing the pursuit of a better life and freedom. This song also addresses the male protagonist's wish. He was sold to a theatrical troupe when he was young. When he finally became famous and wanted to go to the brothel to redeem his fourth sister, he learned that she had been sold to Jiangnan again."

"Seeing his condition, his senior brother could only comfort him, saying that Jiangnan was a wonderful place. In his words, Jiangnan was a paradise on earth, free from war, bullying, and harsh winters. He always thought he would have the chance to see it with his own eyes. But he never had the chance before he died. When Director Jiang wrote about this place, he also used the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan to capture the theme and express the protagonist's longing for peace."

"What do you all think of this song, 'Red Horse'?"

Shi Shi clicked the mouse, and a soft female voice came out.