Chapter 00237: Training
# Training
Chapter 237
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 237: Training
"Ah Zhen, have some food before you go!"
"No time, I have to catch the bus!"
Early in the morning, Chingmy Yau scrambled out of her house in a flustered hurry, a small bag slung over her shoulder, her face filled with panic.
Today was her first day on set.
She had been so excited the night before that she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
By the time she finally dozed off, she overslept—and the journey from her home to the Clearwater Bay film studio was a long one.
Beep beep!
A car suddenly pulled up in front of her.
The window rolled down, and Chen Qi, sitting in the back seat, waved at her.
"Get in!"
"Ah, Teacher!"
Chingmy was pleasantly surprised and quickly climbed into the car.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared down the messy little street.
Many neighbors witnessed the scene, sparking gossip.
"The Chous are really something, giving their daughter away as a concubine at such a young age!"
"But that doesn’t look like a rich man’s car. The wealthy ride in Mercedes or Rolls-Royces, not this kind of junk!"
"Shut your filthy mouths! You rotten-hearted old hags! I’d sooner send your mothers off as concubines than my Ah Zhen! Don’t you know anything? She’s filming a movie! She’s going to be a big star!"
Luckily, Mrs.
Chou arrived just in time to chase away the gossiping women.
As she watched the car disappear down the street, she silently prayed—Ah Zhen, you have to make us proud!
Chingmy, blissfully unaware of the drama, sat happily in the car and asked, "Teacher, why were you near my house?"
"I was heading to the studio too and took a shortcut. Why are you so late?"
"I overslept!"
She scratched her head sheepishly.
Her once-thick, unruly hair had been styled into a neat, soft wave, giving her a sweet and obedient look.
She grinned.
"If I hadn’t run into you, I was planning to take the bus."
"Alone?"
"I’m already 13!"
"Thirteen is still a kid..."
Chen Qi thought for a moment.
"Fine for the mornings, but sometimes we film late at night. It’s not safe for you to go home alone. If we have night shoots, you can ride back with me. I’ll drop you off."
"Really?"
Chingmy’s eyes lit up with joy.
"Thank you, Teacher! You’re so kind to me."
"If something happens to you, we’ll have to pay compensation!" Chen Qi had a knack for ruining the mood.
Sure enough, the little girl’s enthusiasm deflated.
She pouted and turned away, refusing to speak.
As the car drove through Hong Kong’s bustling streets, buildings of all kinds passed by outside the window.
Suddenly, she spotted a restaurant—one that had been in the news recently for its delicious steak rice.
It was all the rage now.
Too bad she’d never tried it.
She lowered her head, then stole a glance at Chen Qi.
His eyes were closed, lost in thought.
She hadn’t interacted much with mainlanders before.
People always said they were poor, backward, and even mean.
But Chen Qi shattered that stereotype.
He was more impressive than most Hong Kongers—he even managed to hire Americans for his film! And he was good-looking too.
"Teacher, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"How old are you?"
"None of your damn business! Focus on acting. If you mess up, I’ll yell at you!" Chen Qi snapped without opening his eyes.
Tch!
Chingmy stuck her tongue out at him and sulked the rest of the way.
---
Ed Harris and Amy Madigan proved to be true professionals.
After arriving in Hong Kong, they quickly adjusted and got into the swing of things.
Their attitude was excellent—no diva behavior whatsoever.
In stark contrast were the two child actors.
Chen Qi had never heard of them, but according to Jessica, they were somewhat famous in the U.
S. and highly skilled.
Skilled? He hadn’t seen evidence of that yet.
But they were definitely high-maintenance.
Both kids had guardians in tow, constantly complaining about the food, accommodations, and filming conditions.
Chen Qi told Tsui Hark to shoot their scenes first and get them out of the way as soon as possible.
At this point in time, the only Hollywood child star Chen Qi knew of was Drew Barrymore—but she was probably busy filming E.
T. with Spielberg.
No way she’d come to Hong Kong.
The Orphan was primarily in English, with some Chinese mixed in.
The American actors had no issues.
Liu Xuehua spoke English too.
The real challenge was Chingmy Yau, but her lines could always be dubbed later.
This particular scene involved Esther being sent to an international school, where she was bullied by her classmates.
The mean girls snatched away the Bible she always carried and tried to tear off the ribbon around her neck—a ribbon that wasn’t just for decoration but hid the scars underneath.
This, of course, triggered Esther’s fury.
She screamed like a banshee, harboring deep resentment, and the next day, she pushed one of the bullies down the stairs...
The bully was played by Yuen Kit-ying.
Chingmy, dressed in a white dress, knee-high socks, and shiny little shoes, her soft hair cascading over her shoulders, clutched the Bible in her arms, looking the picture of innocence.
"You grab the book, and it accidentally scatters everywhere. Then you try to pull off the ribbon around her neck... She naturally pushes your hand away and starts screaming."
"Scream as loud as you can. Put everything into it!"
"Got it!"
Tsui Hark gathered the girls for a rehearsal to avoid wasting film.
"OK, show me how you’d do it!"
He stepped back, leaving the space to Yuen Kit-ying and Chingmy.
Yuen Kit-ying, playing herself, roughly snatched the book, sending pages flying.
Chingmy dropped to her knees to gather them, only for Yuen to sneer, "Why are you wearing a dog collar? Let me take it off for you!"
She reached out.
Chingmy swatted her hand away and screamed—
"Ahhh—!"
"Cut!"
Tsui Hark frowned.
"Not sharp enough. Not angry enough. Again!"
"Ahhh—!"
"Cut!"
"Cut!"
After several takes, Tsui Hark still wasn’t satisfied.
Chingmy’s voice was hoarse from screaming, and she started coughing.
With no other choice, he sighed.
"Take a break first."
Then he turned to shoot the scenes with the two foreign child actors.
"..."
Chingmy bit her lip and watched from the sidelines.
Though their guardians were pains in the neck, the two child stars were undeniably skilled.
They might not fully understand the roles, but their ability to mimic was impressive.
"OK!"
"Perfect!"
Tsui Hark even shot the scene in one take, thoroughly pleased with the result.
He gave them a thumbs-up.
They kept filming until one of the guardians suddenly intervened.
"NO! NO! This workload is far too much for children! They need a break immediately!"
"..."
Tsui Hark glanced at Chen Qi, who could only sigh. Damn Americans.
Their child stars are overprotected, but their child laborers might as well be dogs.
They had no choice but to let the kids rest and return to filming Chingmy’s scene.
She was visibly nervous now, unsure if she could pull it off.
Seeing this, Chen Qi quietly pulled Yuen Kit-ying aside.
"Ah Ying, have you ever been in a fight?"
"All the time! I’m the boss at school—I’ve got tons of followers!"
"Then when we shoot, grab her ribbon with one hand and her hair with the other. Really yank it—put some force into it."
"Really? I can bully her for real?" Yuen’s eyes gleamed.
"It’s for the scene. Don’t go overboard and rip her hair out."
"Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of experience."
Yuen Kit-ying practically bounced with excitement.
Chen Qi shook his head. This girl’s a real delinquent—rebellious through and through.
Even her preferences are fluid, liking both boys and girls.
Huh?
He glanced at Tsui Hark and couldn’t help but grin. Actually, she’d be perfect for one of your movies!
(End of Chapter)