Chapter 71: A Strange Smell

While the film crew was scouring the area looking for them, Song Changfeng and Aofeng were admiring the flowers in the Imperial Garden.

It was the middle of winter, and a few plum trees in the garden were in full bloom. The reds were vivid, the whites pristine, exuding a delicate and refined beauty. If it started snowing now, it would perfectly recreate a classic scene from a historical drama¹.

Aofeng stood tall beneath one of the trees, waiting for Song Changfeng to take his photo. The cold elegance of the plum blossoms above, paired with the imposing presence of the German Shepherd below, gave off an oddly touching contrast of strength and tenderness.

Aofeng hadn’t been interested in taking photos at first, but just now, Shen Doudou had called using Wang Xiuyun’s phone for a video chat. The kid was already on winter break and had planned to visit Aofeng at the Training Base today. But when he got there, he found out Aofeng had gone to the Tongcheng Film and Television Base to shoot a movie.

Seeing the ancient-style city walls on the video, Shen Doudou’s eyes went wide, his mouth forming a perfect “O.” He immediately wanted his grandma to take him to visit Aofeng. It wasn’t that far, but Shen Doudou had a slight cold, and they hadn’t packed anything, so they couldn’t make the trip. To cheer him up, Song Changfeng promised to take more photos of Aofeng and send them to him. Only then did Shen Doudou reluctantly agree.

As noon approached, Song Changfeng checked the time and decided to head back to the set. He was currently acting as Aofeng’s manager, which meant he also got a share of the boxed lunches. Aofeng didn’t get a lunchbox, but Director Cheng had given them a daily meal allowance of two hundred yuan, which was equivalent to four or five days’ worth at the base. With benefits like this, it was no wonder everyone was scrambling to get into the industry.

Aofeng thought to himself, if he weren’t already a prospective official staff member, maybe he’d consider breaking into showbiz too. If he weren’t still technically a student and free to take on outside work, he probably wouldn’t even be allowed to participate in this kind of filming. Then again, Aofeng wasn’t entirely sure whether those restrictions for public employees applied to police dogs.

Watching Aofeng deep in thought, Song Changfeng’s lips curved into a faint smile. He always felt like Aofeng spent every day pondering something.

“Wait! Hold on a second!” A voice called out excitedly from around a nearby corner. Aofeng’s ears twitched, and he immediately turned his head toward the sound. Wasn’t that the same guy who had stopped them at the gate earlier?

The man ran over, still out of breath, and blurted out, “You… you need to give me that… that package!”

Song Changfeng was usually easygoing, but he wasn’t without a temper. He still remembered the man’s condescending attitude from earlier. And now, even though it was clear he’d wrongly accused them, he was still acting so aggressive.

“What package? Didn’t you say it was just a prop for me to cozy up to people? I threw it away,” Song Changfeng replied coldly.

Xiao Hu broke out in a nervous sweat, bowing repeatedly as he spoke. “Big brother, I was wrong just now. I was petty and rude and looked down on you! Please don’t joke with me, alright? That package is really important to me!”

His groveling caught Song Changfeng off guard. Flustered, he quickly said, “No need for that, comrade. The package is right here. Take it.” He pulled out the small parcel and handed it over.

Xiao Hu let out a long sigh of relief and bowed again. “Thank you, big brother. I was in the wrong earlier. I sincerely apologize!” He’d been terrified by Director Zhang’s reaction. As soon as the director found out the person was still in the garden, he had the entire crew stop what they were doing. Aside from a few lead actors, everyone else was sent out to search.

But the garden was huge and full of tourists. Even though Song Changfeng had a dog with him and stood out, they still couldn’t find him. Now that he finally had, maybe Director Zhang would calm down?

Xiao Hu pulled out his phone and called Director Zhang to report that the package had been found. But the response wasn’t what he expected. After giving a few brief instructions, Director Zhang hung up, leaving Xiao Hu standing there awkwardly.

“Sir, since you helped Director Zhang find the package, he wants to thank you in person. Would you mind coming with me for a moment?” Seeing that Song Changfeng and Aofeng were about to leave, Xiao Hu quickly spoke up.

Song Changfeng shook his head. “That’s not necessary. It was just a small favor. We’ve got something else to do now, so we’ll be going.”

Xiao Hu looked like he was about to cry. “Please, just come with me for a moment! I already screwed things up earlier, and Director Zhang was furious. If I mess this up again, he’ll definitely fire me!”

Aofeng watched his flustered expression and couldn’t help but grow curious about this Director Zhang. He must have quite the temper. Still, this guy was laying it on a bit thick. He messed up, so why should Song Changfeng take the fall for him? Acting arrogant one moment and groveling the next… not exactly the best character.

Then again, he really had picked the right person to guilt-trip. Given Song Changfeng’s personality and his sense of professional duty, he was someone with a strong moral compass. People like that were easy targets for this kind of emotional blackmail.

As they walked back toward the set, Aofeng couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved. Thank goodness he wasn’t human. Hopefully no one would try to emotionally manipulate a dog… right?

“Director Zhang, here’s your package. This is the extra who brought it to you,” Xiao Hu said with a forced smile as soon as they saw the director. He handed over the small parcel with both hands and introduced Song Changfeng.

Director Zhang snatched the package and inspected it thoroughly, inside and out. Once he confirmed it hadn’t been opened, he finally relaxed a little.

He looked up at Song Changfeng and immediately noticed his upright posture and commanding presence. This man didn’t look like just any extra. And the German Shepherd beside him didn’t seem ordinary either.

“What’s your name, sir?”

“Song,” Song Changfeng replied.

“Mr. Song, this package you delivered is very important to me. To show my appreciation, would you be interested in taking a role in my production? Any part below the fourth male lead is yours to choose,” Director Zhang said with a warm smile.

Song Changfeng smiled back and shook his head. “No need, Director Zhang. I appreciate the offer, but we’re only here for a few days. We’ll be leaving soon.”

Director Zhang looked surprised. “Are you heading off to shoot somewhere else?”

Song Changfeng gave a faint smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He could clearly sense the probing in Director Zhang’s words, though he couldn’t figure out why the man would test a stranger he’d just met. Moreover, from Song Changfeng’s observations, Director Zhang appeared unusually thin and haggard. Aside from the heavy smell of cigarettes, there seemed to be another strange odor on him, but the smoke was so overpowering that it obscured the subtler scent.

Out of the corner of his eye, Song Changfeng glanced at Aofeng. If it was a scent like that, Aofeng should be able to pick it up. Sure enough, Aofeng was currently staring intently at Director Zhang, his nose twitching slightly as he sniffed carefully.

His nose told him that besides the strong smell of cigarettes and sweat, there was also a faint milky scent on Director Zhang. It was very light, likely lingering from a day or two ago. However, the milky scent was different from the natural fragrance that clung to someone like Shen Doudou. This one seemed to be mixed with various other fragrances, and the longer he smelled it, the more unpleasant it became.

Meanwhile, Song Changfeng exchanged a few more casual remarks with Director Zhang before suggesting it was time to leave. After questioning him for a while and concluding that Song Changfeng truly had no idea what was in the bag, Director Zhang finally had Xiao Hu escort them out.

As they walked out, Song Changfeng casually remarked, “Being a director must be tough. Director Zhang looks exhausted. Has he been working a lot of night shoots lately?” He had picked up this kind of industry lingo after joining the crew.

Xiao Hu replied offhandedly, “Nah, we haven’t had any night shoots this month. The latest we go is nine or ten o’clock.”

“Then your crew’s working conditions are pretty good. Director Zhang looks so thin though. Is he sick or something?”

Prompted by the question, Xiao Hu recalled what Director Zhang used to look like and said, “Now that you mention it, he does seem to have lost a lot of weight over the past month. His temper’s gotten a lot worse too. Do you think he might have liver problems? I heard people with bad livers tend to be more irritable.” Xiao Hu speculated with an air of seriousness.

“Heh, maybe. You can leave us here,” Song Changfeng said.

After Xiao Hu left, Song Changfeng asked Aofeng, “Did you smell something strange on Director Zhang?”

Aofeng nodded.

“Knew it. You smelled it too,” Song Changfeng muttered to himself. “So what exactly is that scent? And what’s in that package? Why was Director Zhang so nervous?”

His mind was full of questions. The package was so small, and when he’d felt it earlier, it seemed like whatever was inside had been wrapped several times. He couldn’t tell anything from the outside.

But Director Zhang’s attitude was highly suspicious. He was overly concerned about the package, checking it repeatedly and subtly watching Song Changfeng’s expressions. Later, he even tried to test him with his words, as if trying to gauge his intentions. All signs pointed to one thing: whatever was in that package was far from ordinary.

But what could it be?

Aofeng was wondering the same thing. That faint milky scent… what exactly was it?

Leaving the Little Imperial Palace, they returned to the old-fashioned, nostalgic “Old Street,” where Cheng An and his team were filming. Their timing was perfect. The morning shoot had just wrapped up, and lunchboxes were being handed out. When the staff saw Song Changfeng returning with Aofeng, they quickly called him over to get his meal.

Song Changfeng received a lunchbox, a side dish container, and an apple, then took Aofeng to a quiet spot by a flowerbed. He pulled out a can of food and some homemade dog kibble from his backpack, mixed them together in a bowl, and pushed it toward Aofeng. The two of them began eating together. Song Changfeng had originally wanted to give Aofeng the chicken leg from his lunchbox, but it was drenched in greasy sauce² and didn’t look healthy, so he ended up eating it himself.

After finishing their meal and resting for a bit, the assistant director suddenly came over to find Song Changfeng, saying the director needed to see him.

Song Changfeng assumed Aofeng had more scenes in the afternoon. But when he met Cheng An, the director looked troubled and asked if he could do a quick cameo as a police officer in the film.

A police officer playing a police officer? Aofeng was amused. What’s there to act? Just be himself! Clearly, Director Cheng An was trying to get the most out of his resources. But Song Changfeng was a formally employed officer³. Aside from documentaries or public service programs⁴, he probably wasn’t allowed to appear in a TV drama.

Sure enough, Song Changfeng awkwardly turned down Cheng An’s request. However, he offered to coach the actor playing the police officer, helping him come across more convincingly.

Cheng An’s face immediately lit up, and without wasting a second, he called over the actor playing the cop and asked Song Changfeng to guide him on his movements and bearing.

Aofeng watched coldly from the side, feeling like he had seen right through Cheng An’s little scheme. Maybe from the start, Cheng An had only wanted Song Changfeng to help coach the actor. But afraid of being rejected, he first made a more difficult request. Once Song Changfeng turned it down, agreeing to the second one would seem like a favor.

So sneaky! A hundred and forty pounds of man, with a hundred and thirty pounds of cunning.

Translator’s Notes