Chapter 40: The Lead and the Supporting Role

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, early in the morning, Su Aijun arrived at Liuli Temple Alley, where Fang Mingyuan was already dressed and waiting for him.

"Uncle Su, everything is arranged?" Fang Mingyuan asked eagerly.

Su Aijun pinched his nose and smiled, "Of course, for Xiao Mingyuan's request, special treatment is a must! I have already inquired about his family and given them a heads-up. Shall we go now?" This time, since it was a personal matter, Fang Mingyuan did not get the privilege of being chauffeured in a car. In 1984, the use of official cars for personal matters was still relatively rare in China.

The two of them took a car to the August First Film Studio, found the dormitory building, and walked through the narrow corridor to a room at the end.

"Knock, knock!" Su Aijun knocked on the door.

"Coming!" A man's voice came from inside, and it was Chen Xiaoer. The door opened, revealing Chen Xiaoer's bald head, which could be considered his trademark.

"Comrade Chen Xiaoer, I am Su Aijun from Fengyuan Jiaotong University, as we agreed." Su Aijun introduced himself.

"Oh... you're here, please come in, please come in!" Chen Xiaoer smiled and ushered them in.

After the formalities, Chen Xiaoer asked straightforwardly, "Comrade Su, what brings you here?" Two days ago, he had received a notice from the leadership of the August First Film Studio, saying that a distinguished guest would visit and that he should not make any plans for the day and wait at home. But... how could an employee of Fengyuan Jiaotong University be called a distinguished guest by the leadership? However, the name was correct; the leadership had mentioned Su Aijun.

"It's not that I have something to ask you, but he does." Su Aijun pointed to Fang Mingyuan.

"Ah?" Chen Xiaoer was even more confused. This little boy looked to be about seven or eight years old. At first, he thought Su Aijun had brought his child, but it turned out this was the main person. But what could a seven or eight-year-old child want from him?

"Uncle Chen, I watched your sketch on this year's Spring Festival Gala, and it was truly amazing! Could you sign for me? It would be even better if you could get Uncle Zhu's signature too. And if you could help me get Grandpa Chen's signature, that would be even better!" Flattery was always Fang Mingyuan's strength in this life.

"Ah? Ah, sure, no problem!" Chen Xiaoer smiled. In 1984, fans asking for signatures was not unheard of, but it was not as crazy as in later years. Chen Xiaoer was not unfamiliar with it. This made the relationship between them a bit closer. However, if it was just for a signature, it seemed a bit much to involve the leadership of the August First Film Studio. Who was this child? Although young and dressed simply, his manner of speaking and dealing with people was quite mature, unlike most children who would be very nervous and unable to speak when meeting strangers. It seemed he was not from an ordinary family.

"Uncle Chen, actually, disturbing your rest during the New Year is really unavoidable. First, I will be returning to Shaanxi Province soon after the New Year. Second, I'm afraid you might have new tasks after the New Year, making it hard to contact you. This time, I mainly want you to look at this sketch script." Saying this, Fang Mingyuan took out a notebook from his bag and handed it to Chen Xiaoer.

"A sketch script?" Su Aijun and Chen Xiaoer exclaimed in unison, completely surprised.

Chen Xiaoer looked at Su Aijun, who also had a surprised look, and Su Aijun smiled awkwardly, "Comrade Chen, I didn't know beforehand that this child wanted to see you for this."

Chen Xiaoer was even more puzzled. How could an adult bring a child to see him without knowing what the child wanted? Was he too indulgent? Or was this child's tutor? Having lived in Beijing for a long time, he knew that many high-ranking families still had private tutors. If that was the case, he could not treat the child rudely. Many people might not be able to help you advance, but they could easily trip you up.

He opened the script—*The Lead and the Supporting Role*! The script was detailed, not only with dialogues but also with annotations for the actors' movements and expressions.

Chen Xiaoer initially browsed through it casually, but the more he read, the more moved and excited he became. By the end, he slammed the notebook shut, "Wait here for a moment!" and rushed out of the room like a streak of smoke.

"What's he doing?" Su Aijun was completely baffled, wondering why the host would leave the guests at home and run out.

"Probably to find Uncle Zhu!" Fang Mingyuan said confidently. *The Lead and the Supporting Role* was a peak work by Chen Xiaoer and Zhu Laomao, unforgettable and endlessly回味. If this script couldn't move Chen Xiaoer, Fang Mingyuan would go find some tofu silk and hang himself on the armrest of the sofa.

With the host gone, Fang Mingyuan couldn't wander around the room, so he sat in a chair and looked around. The apartment was a one-bedroom with no kitchen or bathroom, and it was clear that the owner was not well-off.

After about ten minutes, Chen Xiaoer, drenched in sweat, rushed into the room with Zhu Laomao, handed him the script, and said, "Look, look, what do you think of this sketch?"

Zhu Laomao was also drenched in sweat, but being more composed, he nodded to Su Aijun as a greeting before flipping through the script. Chen Xiaoer stood behind the chair, leaning over, and his head was close to Zhu Laomao's.

Zhu Laomao's reaction was not much better than Chen Xiaoer's. After reading a few lines, he couldn't help but read the lines aloud, and Chen Xiaoer naturally joined in.

Chen: "A supporting role only gets to show half a face! How can that be right?"

Zhu: "You can move the half-face scene to the other half."

Chen: "What about this half of my face?"

Zhu: "Don't use it!"

Chen: "All on this side?"

Zhu: "Yes!"

Chen: "That would make it a two-faced role! One side is shameless, the other is two-faced."

...

Zhu: "Look, even in this outfit, I can still be an underground worker! And look at this one. He's a spy who has infiltrated our army!"

...

Chen: "I always thought only someone like me could betray—never thought—never thought—that you, Zhu Laomao, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, could also betray the revolution!"

...

Fang Mingyuan was inwardly amazed. The acting skills of these veteran actors were indeed not comparable to those of later generations. Although it was their first time working together and they did not add any acting movements, the lines already had the flavor of a future stage performance.

Su Aijun, however, was laughing uncontrollably, and by the end, he was even holding his belly in laughter!

"How is it, Laomao, isn't this sketch great?" Chen Xiaoer said excitedly, "I think it's good enough for next year's Spring Festival Gala!"

"Great, great, it's like it was tailor-made for us!" Zhu Laomao was also very excited. For an actor, getting a well-written script tailored for them was a rare and precious opportunity.

"Who wrote this script?" Zhu Laomao's question made both Chen Xiaoer and Su Aijun look at Fang Mingyuan.

Following their gazes, Zhu Laomao couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise...

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