Huayu: This director specializes in promoting young actresses.

Chapter 10 Junko Eating Houttuynia cordata

He gently wiped away her tears, his tone softening considerably: "Silly girl, I did that so you could act well."

"You're lying!" Tian Xiwei didn't believe him and snuggled closer into his arms. "You just don't like me anymore..."

It seems that this girl really put her emotions into it. Although she lost control during the scene this afternoon, the genuine grievances and disappointments she conveyed were exactly what he wanted.

Gently patting Tian Xiwei's back, he waited until her sobs subsided before slowly explaining, "Don't cry, listen to me. Hao Chun's parents aren't here; she's alone in another city. I promised her mother I'd take good care of her. It's my responsibility, understand?"

Tian Xi buried herself in his arms and gave a muffled "Mmm".

"And also," he cupped her face, making her look at him earnestly, "that feeling of grievance and sadness you had this afternoon, didn't it feel especially real?"

Tian Xi paused for a moment, then nodded, remembering the nervousness she felt when she saw him handing an apple to Liu Haochun.

"That's exactly how Shi Miao felt back then. Your brother suddenly became someone else's brother and ignored you. You must have felt so bitter and heartbroken, just like you did just now. Now that you understand that feeling, when you film that scene again, don't you know how to act it out?"

Tian Xi blinked slightly, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, but no more falling. She thought about it, and it seemed to be true; the feeling of being "robbed" was more effective than any amount of acting practice.

"But..." she still hesitated, "You were so nice to her just now, and I just felt uncomfortable."

"Silly girl." Lin Feng took something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Look what this is?"

It was a pair of dark blue gloves with a small tiger embroidered on them, the same style as Liu Haochun's gloves, only the pattern was different.

"I prepared it for you a long time ago." He stuffed the gloves into her hands. "I was planning to give them to you as a reward after you finished filming your scene this afternoon, but you ran away."

Tian Xiwei gripped the gloves, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she looked up at him: "Really? You bought these especially for me?"

"Otherwise what?" He flicked her nose. "How could I possibly forget you?"

"I thought you were ignoring me and didn't like me anymore..." she muttered softly, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

"How could I?" Lin Feng's tone softened. "I watched you grow up. You've always followed me around calling me 'Brother Feng' since you were little. How could I possibly ignore you?"

"Then you promise!" Tian Xiwei held up her little finger. "Pinky promise!"

"Pinky promise." He reached out and hooked his finger with hers.

"Pinky promise, never to change for a hundred years!" The two recited it together. After they finished, Tian Xiwei burst into laughter through her tears, buried her face in his chest, and snuggled against him. "Then I forgive you."

"Alright," he patted her back, "Rest for a bit, I'm going back to the set. I'll treat you to something delicious tonight."

"Hmm!" Tian Xi nodded slightly, carefully stuffing the gloves into her schoolbag, and finally a smile appeared on her face.

Back on set, Zhou Ming immediately came over: "How are you? Are you alright?"

"It's okay, just a little tantrum. Once you get into the mood, we can reshoot that scene tomorrow, and it should be okay."

Liu Haochun also came over, a hint of worry on his face: "Brother Feng, Weiwei, she..."

"You're just in a bad mood, you'll be fine in a bit. Let's continue filming your scene, don't let it affect you."

"Okay." Liu Haochun nodded.

The rest of the afternoon's filming went smoothly; Liu Haochun was in good form and got it right in just a few takes.

After finishing work in the evening, I took Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun out for dinner. We chose a small, home-style restaurant in an old street. The restaurant wasn't big, but it was very clean. The owner was a cheerful auntie who greeted Lin Feng as soon as she saw him, "Little Lin, you're here again!"

"Auntie, I'm here again today to try your signature dishes," she replied with a smile.

"No problem! Order whatever you want!"

Taking the menu, he first asked Tian Xiwei, "What would you like to eat?"

"I want shredded pork with green peppers! And steamed pork ribs with rice flour!" Tian Xiwei immediately ordered the dishes, all of which she had loved since childhood.

"Okay." She then looked at Liu Haochun, "What about you? Is there anything you don't eat?"

Liu Haochun shook his head: "Anything is fine, I'm not picky."

"Then I'll order you a light pork soup, and some 'ants climbing a tree' (a spicy stir-fry)." After telling the owner the order, I also added a serving of tofu pudding. "Another serving of tofu pudding, please."

The dishes were served quickly. "Eat up," she said, serving each of them a bowl of rice.

Tian Xiwei couldn't wait any longer. She picked up a big mouthful of shredded green peppers and pork, mixed it into her rice, and ate it with gusto.

She didn't forget to put a piece of pork rib in Lin Feng's bowl: "Brother Feng, have some of this. This pork rib is steamed until it's very tender."

"Um."

Liu Haochun ate very politely, picking up some of the meat broth and then tasting a bite of "ants climbing a tree" (a Sichuan dish), nodding: "It's quite delicious."

"Try this tofu pudding." He pointed to the bowl of tofu pudding. "It's a little different from the tofu pudding you have back home; you have to dip it in sauce to eat it."

Liu Haochun looked at the bowl of chili oil dipping sauce, a little hesitant: "Won't it be too spicy?"

"I'll make you a non-spicy one." He picked up a small dish, poured in some soy sauce, added some pickled vegetables and chopped green onions, but no chili peppers. "Try this."

He scooped up a piece of tofu pudding with a spoon, dipped it in the saucer, and handed it to Liu Haochun.

Liu Haochun cautiously took a bite. The smooth texture of the tofu pudding, combined with the salty and savory flavor of the soy sauce and the crunch of the pickled vegetables, tasted quite good. Her eyes lit up: "Mmm, it's pretty delicious."

"Right?" Tian Xi raised her head slightly, her mouth still full of rice. "This is how we eat tofu pudding here. It's much tastier than any sweet or salty version!"

"It does have a different flavor." Liu Haochun smiled, then scooped up a piece of tofu pudding for himself, dipped it in the sauce just like he had done, and ate it slowly.

On her way back to the hotel after dinner, Tian Xiwei put on the tiger glove, looking at it every now and then, a smile always on her lips.

The next morning, during the filming of the crucial scene depicting Shi Miao's emotional shift, Tian Xiwei seemed to suddenly have an epiphany.

From the way she pursed her lips and glared at her "brother" when he smiled at her best friend, to the dejected look on her shoulders as she turned away, to the blank look on her face as she unconsciously fiddled with the hem of her clothes when she was alone, every expression and every movement exuded a genuine energy. Even Zhou Ming muttered to himself behind the monitor, "This girl has figured it out."

"Cut! That's a wrap!" When the call to stop came, Tian Xiwei's eyes were still shining, with a hint of excitement from finishing the performance, and she gave him a victory sign.

During the lunch break, just as the crew's boxed lunches were being distributed, he went out for a bit and came back with a plastic bag containing freshly baked dried tofu and sweet potato noodles, glistening with oil and coated with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

"An extra treat!" He handed the food to Tian Xiwei. "It's your favorite, with extra pickled radish."

"Wow! Brother Feng, you're so great!" Tian Xiwei immediately put down her lunchbox, grabbed a skewer of sweet potato noodles, and started eating. Even though it was so hot she was gasping for breath, she couldn't bear to let go. "This is the taste!"

He then took out two more skewers without chili and handed them to Liu Haochun: "Here you go, they're not spicy, want to try some?"

Liu Haochun looked at the skewer of grilled tofu, which was covered with a layer of crumbs, and asked curiously, "What's this?"

"Zhe'ergen, also known as fish mint, is a popular ingredient here to enhance the flavor."

"Is it good?" Liu Haochun asked hesitantly, holding the bamboo skewer.

"Absolutely delicious!" He picked up the spicy skewer in his hand, took a big bite, and the fishy aroma of houttuynia cordata mixed with the spiciness of chili peppers exploded in his mouth. "You'll know once you try it."

"Yes, yes, yes! It's super delicious!" Tian Xiwei's mouth was stuffed with sweet potato noodles as she mumbled the agreement, nodding vigorously. "It's even more fragrant than meat!"

Liu Haochun was tempted by what they said, and carefully took a small bite. The taste of houttuynia cordata was a bit pungent, with a slightly earthy smell.

She chewed slowly, trying to figure out what was so delicious about it, but the fishy smell became more and more obvious. Unable to bear it any longer, she covered her mouth and ran to the nearby trash can to vomit.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" She frowned, took a sip of mineral water to rinse her mouth, and turned to glare at him and Tian Xiwei. "Feng-ge, you guys are lying! It doesn't taste that good! It has a weird flavor!"