MMB Chapter 45 "Lost in Thailand"
Chapter 45 "Lost in Thailand"
Early November, time flies.
"Ice Love Song" has been filmed for one-third of its length, and Director Mo is very satisfied with the current progress.
He was holding a glass, drinking as he wandered around the film set.
"It's really good. The person you recommended is indeed reliable. You can come pick them up after I finish filming here."
Qin Chuan was satisfied with this statement, but his recent thoughts had wavered. To be specific, he didn't know that his next movie would be "Home Alone"—because his younger brother gave him the script, and after careful consideration, he thought the name was good and changed the original movie title.
Qin Chuan is a typical imaginative person and a quick shooter. He was very self-satisfied when he first came up with this idea, but now he is becoming anxious and uncertain as time goes by.
Does this kind of film even have the right environment in China? Would adults bring their children to the cinema to watch a story where the young lead actor outwits adults?
You should ask your younger brother.
So today Qin Chuan came to Director Mo's film crew. Unbeknownst to him, Luo Jinnian has become his spiritual support for cultural and entertainment works.
At that very moment, Luo Jinnian was on the phone with the deputy editor-in-chief of "Renming Literature," who thoroughly enjoyed "Lost in Thailand."
From its theme, plot development, and the humanistic concern in the ending, this work is especially relevant because it deals with the topic of "Chinese New Year," which is of great concern to ordinary people in contemporary society.
A migrant worker traveling during the Spring Festival travel rush.
The journey home was a bit unlucky, but in the end, luck was on my side.
The veteran editor who saw the script immediately gave it to the deputy editor-in-chief, who was also a veteran of manuscript review and had a particularly keen sense for stories needed by the times.
They immediately decided to change the publication date of this novella; you can't have such an excellent Spring Festival travel novel not being released during the Spring Festival travel rush, can you?
These days, the phone is just for talking about this.
Watching his younger brother busy, Qin Chuan felt like he had been relegated to the sidelines, waiting for the call to end in a desolate state.
Since he had nothing better to do, he casually picked up his younger brother's manuscript on the table. He had been busy lately—his family was pressuring him to get married and go on blind dates—and hadn't read Luo Jinnian's works for a while.
"What path is this...?"
Fortunately, the small print next to it had the pinyin: jiong
The character "囧" (jiǒng) didn't first come to the attention in the movie "Lost in Thailand." It was first discovered in 2008 on various online forums, where it was found to resemble an octagonal eyebrow plus a wide-open mouth, which resulted in a helpless face. It then began to spread like wildfire.
However, what truly propelled this word to become a "hot word of the year" was the movie "Lost in Thailand".
Xu Zheng imitated the foreign film "Airplanes, Trains and Cars" and created China's first blockbuster Spring Festival travel comedy, which also made the Chinese people collectively recognize the Chinese character "囧" (jiong).
Migrant worker Niu Geng was seen trying to bring 10 kilograms of fresh milk through security, but was stopped because liquids are not allowed on board.
He chugged the whole thing down in one go, leaving the boss, Li Chenggong, dumbfounded, while director Qin Chuan patted his stomach and laughed so hard he couldn't catch his breath.
The characters' personalities were established right from the start.
Luo Jinnian finally finished his phone call, and Director Mo, who had been watching him closely, called him over to continue filming.
Qin Chuan felt that he had come with some purpose, but he couldn't remember it at all when he laughed, so he decided to just enjoy reading the manuscript.
I thought it was already hilarious, but then one funny scene after another unfolded.
Niu Geng's mouth is like it's blessed. He just said, "This plane can't fly," and the plane turned back because of heavy snow. He said, "The train has to stop," and the train stopped running because of a building collapse. Even a bus got stuck in traffic.
Boss Li Chenggong avoids him like the plague, and the annoyance he gets every time they meet by chance is also very entertaining. The combination of a fool and a normal person is always a timeless comedy pairing.
After a long and arduous journey, it was already late, and the two had very little money left, so they had to find the cheapest inn in the countryside to stay in.
The guesthouse was shabby and dilapidated, with small and cramped rooms and rather unclean bedding. To make matters worse, all the rooms were already full, with only one single bed left.
With nowhere else to turn, Li Chenggong, who always valued his dignity, reluctantly had no choice but to squeeze onto a small bed with the honest and simple Niu Geng to rest.
After turning off the lights and lying down, the exhausted Niu Geng quickly fell into a deep sleep, completely ignoring Li Chenggong beside him who looked disgusted and was fidgeting. Niu Geng slept very casually, stretching out his body without any restraint, and soon he was sprawled out, taking up most of the bed, and habitually sleeping naked.
After falling into a deep sleep, he kept making various small movements. First, there was a loud and rhythmic grinding of his teeth, which made Li Chenggong's scalp tingle.
Li Chenggong, who was used to a life of luxury, had never suffered such humiliation. He curled up in the corner of the bed, barely daring to breathe, his face filled with despair.
Unable to bear it any longer, he had no choice but to go outside into the corridor for some fresh air.
When he returned, he groggily went to the wrong room, climbed into a bed in the dark, and fell asleep immediately. He was suddenly awakened by the voice of a woman beside him, and realized that a young woman was staying in the room.
To make matters worse, the woman's husband happened to come to "check on her," and in a moment of panic, Li Chenggong had no choice but to hide barefoot on a clothes rack with his shoes in hand.
After being caught, Li Chenggong stammered, "Would you believe me if I said I went into the wrong room?"
This plot is perfect for a movie; it's so vivid, it's like it was designed specifically for filmmaking.
Qin Chuan thought about it and realized it made perfect sense. Who doesn't have kids causing a ruckus during the Spring Festival? The Spring Festival travel rush, a long-standing social issue, is a perfect fit for this!
But wouldn't that delay the time it takes for my younger brother to leave home?
Unexpectedly, before he could even bring it up, Luo Jinnian took the initiative to talk about it during a break after his performance.
"You're stupid. Even if both movies become huge hits, my family problems won't be solved so easily."
In fact, Director Mo had already realized this problem, but Luo Jinnian did not expect that Uncle Qin really thought things were so simple.
"Besides, putting everything else aside, it's November now, and the Spring Festival season is in February. How much time do you have left to shoot your movie? You also need to guarantee the quality of your movie."
As a lesson, Qin Chuan lowered his head.
So my little brother's problem is really that difficult?
"But you don't need to worry. After filming 'Ice Love Song,' Director Mo will start filming his next online movie. As long as I'm acting, that middle-aged woman will give me a lot of face."
That's even too much of a favor; the middle-aged woman has become much more sensible since her release from prison.
"But we can't just leave the problem like this."
"I have my own ideas. Why don't you tell me your thoughts on the script for 'Lost in Thailand' first?"
"I want to film, I want to film right now."
Qin Chuan said honestly.
"When I first started writing this story, I was thinking of making it for Uncle Qin. The colors are bright and the relationships between the characters are clear. This is a qualified commercial script."
returning a Favour many times more.
This was the beginning of Luo Jinnian's way of repaying Qin Chuan. In fact, after filming and editing "Ice Love Song" into a movie, there were only a few days left before the Chinese New Year.
Instead of wasting a film like "Home Alone," it would be better to make a good film like "Lost in Thailand."
"Then you have to promise me that you'll be the lead in 'Home Alone'."
Luo Jinnian smiled. Uncle Qin was such a good person.
"Of course."