Chapter 34: The Roommate Has Changed

On the film set, inside an antique-style bedroom.

"The yellow flowers are in the field, the west wind blows tight, the northern geese fly south..."

In front of the camera, Zhang Yuan—his face painted pale by the makeup artist—held a precious sword, dancing erratically around the room, his movements so unsteady it was unclear where the blade was pointing.

The scene depicted the character Liu Chunjiang, played by Zhang Yuan, falling into madness due to a lovesickness that had become a physical ailment.

This was also his final scene on the set of *The Story of a Noble Family*.

"Who dyed the frost-covered woods with intoxication at dawn? It is always the tears of the departed."

Zhang Yuan swayed unsteadily, his hand trembling slightly as he held the sword, causing the tip to quiver in the air, slicing through the atmosphere with rhythmic, mournful cries.

These lines were from the Yuan Dynasty play *The Romance of the Western Chamber*, specifically the "Farewell at the Pavilion" segment, which tells of a parting between lovers.

The characters of Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying in *The Romance of the Western Chamber* were very similar to Zhang Yuan and Xu Lu's characters, except that Zhang and Cui eventually found happiness together, whereas Liu Chunjiang met the opposite fate.

Since *The Romance of the Western Chamber* was originally a Yuan Zaju (variety play), these lines were less like dialogue and more like lyrics for singing.

Although Zhang Yuan's dialogue skills had improved significantly, this was his first time dealing with singing, which led to several NGs.

"Cut!"

Finally, Director Li Dawei shouted, leading the crew in a round of applause.

"That's a wrap! Congratulations to Zhang Yuan on officially finishing his shoot! Flowers!"

This was a custom of the crew: they would present flowers to all the main actors upon their wrap to express gratitude.

Zhang Yuan accepted a bouquet of orange-red Clivia from a production assistant, a flower symbolizing nobility, integrity, and poise.

"Everyone, let's take a group photo for the memory," Li Dawei called out, gathering the leads together.

Zhang Yuan waved toward a distance: "Camera brother, lighting brother, everyone come join us!"

Many people take wrap photos, but few are willing to call out to the crew. Usually, staff members have to separately ask the leads for a photo to keep as a souvenir; most people had never seen someone as proactive as Zhang Yuan.

【Received thanks from Li Erzhu, Camera Skills +1!】

【Received thanks from Huang Fan, Prop Making +1!】

...

Zhang Yuan's wrap photo consisted of three full rows of people. After the command to "say cheese," his colleagues shook his hand one by one, bidding him reluctant farewells.

"Yuan, without you, playing cards tonight won't be any fun," Kou Zhenghai said, patting him on the shoulder.

*Right, because no one will be there to feed you easy wins or lose money to you anymore,* Zhang Yuan thought.

"Brother Yuan, wipe your sweat." Shu Chang held out a pack of tissues and handed one to him. "You acted really well just now."

"Thank you." Zhang Yuan pulled a few stems from his bouquet as a return gift and handed them to her.

Shu Chang held the flowers with both hands, bowing her head to catch their scent.

But just then, a bouncing figure darted between the two: "Zhang Yuan, I want some too!"

Liu Xixi snatched the remaining bouquet, sniffed it, and then said with a bitter face, "It doesn't smell good!"

*You thought the smell of horse manure at the zoo a few days ago was fine, but you say flower fragrance doesn't smell good...* Zhang Yuan doubted this girl's sense of smell.

"If it doesn't smell good, give it back to me."

"No way! Whoever grabs it, keeps it!" Liu Xixi tossed her hair and ran off.

Shu Chang watched her best friend's retreating back, feeling a bit unsettled.

Zhang Yuan and Liu Xixi might not understand, but as a literary-minded girl, Shu Chang knew that besides nobility and humility, Clivia also symbolized devotion in love.

With more than half of it snatched away by Xixi, how could there be any devotion left?

In the afternoon, Zhang Yuan left the crew alone; others still had scenes to film and couldn't be delayed.

Two hours later, the bus pulled steadily into the Beijing Long-Distance Passenger Station.

After transferring through several buses, he finally returned to the vicinity of his rented room.

Zhang Yuan didn't go inside immediately; instead, he found a nearby bank and inserted his card into an ATM.

Li Dawei had told him that on the day of the wrap, he would notify the finance department to transfer his salary to his card.

【Balance: 60,259】

His salary for *The Story of a Noble Family* was 50,000 yuan, which Zhang Yuan found quite satisfying.

After all, the male lead, Chen Kun, only made 500,000 yuan, and he was already famous, used by the crew as a brand name.

It wasn't like later eras where a male lead might earn tens of millions while a third male lead earned only a hundred thousand; the gap wasn't that massive yet.

Compared to his 3,000 yuan salary from *Conquest*, Zhang Yuan's income had increased more than tenfold.

In this era, 50,000 yuan was enough to buy a new apartment of over a hundred square meters in a county town.

Including the 10,000 yuan reward from Gao Qunshu, his balance was over 60,000, though he had spent several thousand treating the crew to dinner a few days ago, which made his heart ache a little.

Carrying his "fortune" of sixty thousand, Zhang Yuan first looked for a real estate agency.

The conditions of the room he shared with Zhao Jin were truly poor, and he had long wanted to move. Now that he had money, it was naturally on the agenda.

Being in Beijing in this era, buying a courtyard house (*siheyuan*) was a must, but not right now. However, not buying one didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the lifestyle first.

Zhang Yuan gave the agent his requirements: inside the Second Ring Road, a courtyard house, co-living was acceptable, but the environment had to be good and the tenants clean.

He wasn't in a hurry and told them to take their time searching.

After finding a noodle shop to fill his stomach, he went to a mall to pick up some new clothes. He didn't want to be mistaken for a laborer again, like when he first arrived at the *Story of a Noble Family* set.

After changing into brand-new sportswear and sneakers, he immediately felt much more energetic.

Zhang Yuan didn't buy foreign brands; instead, he supported domestic goods and chose Erke. At that time, the brand was still new, having been founded only a year or two prior.

Having finished his shopping, seeing it was nearly five o'clock, he finally returned to the shared house.

He pulled out his keys and opened the door, but as soon as he stepped inside, Zhang Yuan was slightly stunned.

The room was much cleaner than before!

"Zhang Yuan, you're back?" came the voice of his roommate, Zhao Jin, from behind. He was currently holding a bucket and a mop, intending to mop the floor again after having just swept it.

"Oh, you've changed your ways?" Zhang Yuan was surprised. His roommate had always been quite slovenly, the kind of "lazy dog" in a college dorm who could stay in bed for a week straight.

Sweating profusely from his work, Zhao Jin glanced at Zhang Yuan, feeling immense envy.

Tall, handsome, and fair-skinned, paired with a neat set of sportswear, he looked as vibrant as if he had just stepped off a university campus.

Compared to him, Zhao Jin felt like someone who had just been fished out of a field—unfit for display!

"Dinner together tonight?" Zhao Jin snapped out of it, setting aside his inferiority complex.

"Sure, my treat."

"No, you've treated me many times before. This time, it's my turn."

Zhang Yuan was very surprised. Had this guy actually changed?

Indeed, ever since seeing him on the *Story of a Noble Family* set, Zhao Jin's mindset had shifted.

If his previous success could be explained by luck, then his ability to navigate such a large production and earn the respect of other actors could only be attributed to skill.

Recalling Zhang Yuan's methods, he had followed suit: starting by befriending the extras' leaders, offering cigarettes, providing water, being polite, and asking for contact information.

To his surprise, it actually worked. When the leaders saw a kid who was respectful and observant, they conveniently handed him more work.

A few days ago, he had even landed a small role with a single line in a minor production, which paid him an extra 30 yuan, leaving him overjoyed.

Now, he no longer had to sit in the cold waiting for work; every night, he would call a few familiar leaders, and nine times out of ten, he'd find something to do.

Now that he was earning money, he understood how to conduct himself, and his mindset had improved.

With a better mindset, his life became more proactive; not only did he clean the house frequently, but he even kept himself looking neat and tidy.

【Received thanks from Zhao Jin, Hearing +5!】

Looking at the attribute sent by the other man, Zhang Yuan thought to himself that no wonder this kid used to love spreading gossip—it turned out his hearing was extraordinary.

Not refusing the gesture, the two of them found a small mutton hotpot shop.

With cabbage, mutton, frozen tofu, and peeled garlic, they began to chat.

"Looking at you, you must have earned quite a bit lately," Zhang Yuan said, sizing him up. The other man was much more generous with his spending than before.

He used to frequently scrounge off Zhang Yuan's steamed buns.

"Hehe, last month I broke my personal record for a Beijing drifter—I earned 1,350 yuan!"

"Not bad!"

"How much was your salary this time?" Zhao Jin asked with a smile, taking a sip of wine.

"Fifty thousand."

*Pfft!*

The high-quality grain liquor sprayed all over the cement floor.

Originally, Zhao Jin felt he was part of the "high income" group among background actors and had been quite proud lately.

But upon hearing Zhang Yuan's salary, a long-lost sense of despair resurfaced in his heart.

*I don't even make as much as his change...*

He felt that if he were a bicycle, Zhang Yuan was an imported sports car. He was standing there proudly pedaling, while the other man could cover two miles with a single press of the gas.

His appetite, which had been quite good just a moment ago, vanished instantly.

*I'd have to work for three years to earn that much!*

"By the way, I plan to move out," Zhang Yuan said, laying out the matter of renting a place so the other could prepare.

Zhao Jin nodded, saying nothing much. He knew this day would come; he just hadn't expected it to come so soon.

The night passed without incident, and morning arrived.

It was only eight in the morning when Zhang Yuan received a call from the agent.

They had found a house that met his requirements...