Chapter 161: Night View
Back inside the house, Gu Wanrong happily ate the Tangyuan in her bowl, her mind filled with little thoughts.
She hadn’t expected to successfully arrange all ten items of the New Year set for the first time: manicure, beauty treatment, buying new clothes, New Year goods, Spring Festival couplets, giving red envelopes, New Year’s Eve dinner, playing cards/Mahjong, sugar oranges, and fireworks!
If the essential oil massages done daily at home counted as the beauty treatment.
Today is the happiest New Year’s Eve I’ve ever had.
As she ate, Gu Wanrong suddenly began to chuckle secretly. With crinkled eyes, she looked left and right at the people around her, feeling nothing but joy.
The clock hand passed 2:00 AM. After finishing the first meal of New Year’s Day, the excitement gradually faded, and yawns began to spread from one person to another.
“Tangyuan have been eaten, Jiaozi have been eaten, and the New Year’s vigil is over. Sleep, sleep!” Butler Liu called everyone, ushering them toward their respective rooms to rest.
Butler Liu’s hand even pushed the back of Gu Wanrong, who didn’t want to go to sleep. Gu Wanrong insisted stubbornly, “I think I’m in a ‘carbon coma’.”
“Carbon coma… you should hurry up and wash up for bed too.” As Butler Liu spoke, she pushed Gu Wanrong into her bedroom without using much force and closed the door behind her.
The bedroom door that had just been closed was opened again. Gu Wanrong poked her head out and shouted at Butler Liu’s back, “Goodnight, see you tomorrow!”
After speaking, as if afraid Butler Liu would nag her again, she immediately shut the door.
By the time Gu Wanrong lay on her soft and comfortable bed, waves of warmth came from under the covers. It turned out Milk Tea had curled into a ball and was fast asleep inside.
Smoothing Milk Tea’s fur, she carefully moved the cat to the side of the pillow.
“Milk Tea, Happy New Year. Stay healthy and safe in the new year.” Gu Wanrong whispered this softly before closing her eyes to sleep.
Milk Tea, in the scent that made it feel at ease, didn’t show the slightest sign of being startled and continued to sleep deeply.
The next day, near noon, Gu Wanrong finally opened her eyes and woke up.
Going downstairs to the living room, she found everyone looked like they had just woken up not long ago. After all, they had slept too late the previous night.
There were no tasks, no work, and no need to study. The entire day was her own time to dispose of as she pleased. Those who liked games played games, those who loved reading read, and those who followed dramas followed dramas. Everyone was leisurely and comfortable.
Gu Wanrong claimed a spot and started binge-watching a drama.
In the drama, the female lead, burdened by a blood feud, met her “white moonlight” male lead, only to discover that the male lead’s biological father was the culprit behind her family’s massacre.
Beneath high red walls on both sides, the female lead turned her back and left resolutely. The male lead’s eyes were red, and his lips trembled, but he couldn’t say a single word to ask her to stay.
The plot was melodramatic, but the actors played it vividly. Gu Wanrong expressed: I am basic, and I love watching this!
“Hiss—” Gu Wanrong’s brow furrowed slightly.
As the background music played and the scene of the two leaving while holding paper umbrellas appeared, why did it look so familiar? It was as if she were hallucinating a classic scene from another heart-wrenching blockbuster!
These red walls, this palace gate, the grass at the foot of the wall, and these palace lanterns… Director, you didn’t just film in the same place from the same angle, did you?
“This was built in Hengdian as a 1:1 replica of the Forbidden City. Basically all domestic palace dramas are filmed here; it’s normal for it to look familiar.”
Tong Shenwu heard her, leaned over to take a look, recognized it immediately, and explained to Gu Wanrong.
Gu Wanrong nodded in understanding. “No wonder I always feel like the backgrounds in many dramas appear more than once or twice in other shows. So Hengdian has a ‘Forbidden City’ for filming.”
What she didn’t say was that since she was little, she had always thought these palace dramas had the same sets because they were all actually filmed in the real Forbidden City, and that some places looked dilapidated because the film crews couldn’t repair them.
“Like that very popular time-travel drama with the braids, and the one about the ‘look-alike’ concubine—they’re all filmed there.” Tong Shenwu knew the domestic film and television industry perfectly and added, “It’s not just palace dramas; other shows are the same. One scene is filmed from various angles over and over again.”
“Why not change to a new place? The audience can really get pulled out of the story! For such a big project, even building a new set ourselves would work.” Gu Wanrong didn’t understand; she was greatly confused.
The shows she watched that looked familiar were all large-investment, well-funded productions. Why couldn’t they put more effort into these places?
At the very least, for things like a palace gate with peeling paint, she already knew where it was even with her eyes closed…
“Emm…”
Tong Shenwu lowered her head slightly, staring straight up at Gu Wanrong with a “Kubrick Stare,” and pulled an evil smile as she said, “Who said these crews have a lot of funds? These funds are actually too little.”
Her imitation of a “vicious white lotus” made Gu Wanrong burst into laughter.
Amidst the joking and playing, the plot had progressed to the next stage. Gu Wanrong quickly rewound to the previous position and continued watching with Tong Shenwu.
Gu Wanrong secretly planned that maybe she should just build a film city specifically for her needs. Gao Zhimei still had a palace drama she hadn’t filmed yet. Since she was so disgusted by the recycled sets, her own company’s drama shouldn’t be filmed in the Hengdian “Forbidden City.”
The night view of City C, with its unique charm, attracted countless tourists from other places. Since it was the Spring Festival, the city government had decorated everything anew; it was bound to be even more lively and beautiful.
Thus, after dinner in the evening, the seven of them got up and decided to drive out to view the night scenery.
They drove on wide, flat roads. From the few vehicles at the start to the heavy traffic near Jianan Road, they realized that the area was even more crowded and bustling during the New Year.
Eh~
The crowd is exactly what makes it festive~
The several cars they drove were no different from other cars on the road, all moving as slowly as snails. The cars nudged forward inch by inch, swaying from the beginning of the road to a parking lot nearby.
As if sharing a telepathic link, the group stepped on their brakes in unison, parking their respective vehicles steadily in the parking lot.
There was no other way; with the traffic jams, ultra-long red lights, and ultra-short green lights, it was truly unbearable to sit in the car!
After walking out of the parking lot, the cool river breeze blew on everyone’s faces. They strolled leisurely along with the bustling crowd.
The group’s outstanding appearances and the elegant aura they radiated with every gesture caused passing pedestrians to turn their heads and stare. The scenery was beautiful, but the people were even more so.
As they walked, they found a teahouse with an open view. They filed in and ordered tea and pastries. Beside their ears were the sounds of melodious music being performed live.
In the midst of this noise, they found a peaceful place.
They quietly appreciated the shimmering waves and the ten thousand lights reflecting each other.
Not long after, a burst of warm applause suddenly came from nearby.
Everyone looked toward the sound out of curiosity.
On the long viewing platform of this teahouse, a small flower bed built of bricks and stones divided it neatly in two down the middle, and Gu Wanrong’s group happened to be sitting on the right.
Gu Wanrong turned her head to the left and looked toward where the sound came from. It turned out to be several leaders wearing administrative jackets inspecting the work of the scenic area and cordially greeting the grassroots public.
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