Chapter 1
“I breached the contract first. I’m willing to accept any punishment the company wants to impose on me.”
“Geng-ge1[-ge means “older brother”. Not necessarily biological, it’s just an honorific to show respect to someone older than you / your senior.]… I’m sorry this time.” Jiang Chi took a deep drag, pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray, and spoke softly. “After I pay the company’s fine, I’ll also take something out for you, and you can keep a cut.”
That evening, right after getting off the plane, Geng Tian was bombarded by messages until he was dizzy. Then he was called to the company and scolded by a bunch of execs, big and small. When he rushed over to Jiang Chi’s place, he hadn’t even had dinner yet. With a stomach full of fire, he wanted to release his temper on Jiang Chi. But who would have thought, without waiting for him to start, Jiang Chi directly laid out the accounts.
“I, I don’t care about my share.” What he said was too hypocritical. Of course Geng Tian was angry because Jiang Chi had cut off his road to fortune. However, now that he knew Jiang Chi wouldn’t play dumb and mess with him, he calmed down inside. “Think about it yourself, isn’t it because you’ve gone too far? You even hid it from me, your agent. When the company found out, wouldn’t they come looking for you? What was the point of all this?”
Thinking about Jiang Chi taking on work behind his back, Geng Tian’s anger rose up again, and he sternly said, “It’s not because you took on a no-pay role! Does the company care about the money?! The entire team made plans long ago for your career trajectory! But what about you? Accepting a script without our agreement, and it’s even this kind of, this kind of…”
When Geng Tian thought about the movie that Jiang Chi was filming now, his expression was hard to describe.
A few months ago, Jiang Chi took on a movie privately.
It wasn’t from some nameless2[名不见经传, lit. “the name cannot be found in the sutras or the scriptures”, means that it’s unknown to the ancients, hidden and without reputation.] little indie studio. The entire production of the film, from the director to the screenwriter, all exceeded first tier3[Similar to A-list in Hollywood, where an actor or director can be ranked from A-list to D-list. Here, the director and screenwriter are described as “exceeding first-tier”, so they’re the top in the industry. On the other side of the scale, totally obscure celebrities are said to be eighteenth-tier. Jiang Chi is also a “first-tier” celebrity, but he’s playing in the minor league, basically.]. There were two male leads, and Jiang Chi played the second.
Jiang Chi exploded onto the scene and became red4[“Red” means someone who is extremely popular and of-the-moment.] more than a year ago, but he still hadn’t made it to the big screen. Geng Tian had been constantly paying attention to this for the last half year, looking for an opportunity to stuff him into a film cast. He didn’t expect him to be a male lead. If he could just show his face on the silver screen, it was already good enough.
Now he really had it. His big screen debut was a starring role with a major director. It was like being hit by a giant pie in the sky–only it was a gay art film5[The kind of “gay art film” the author is referring to here is probably like Leslie Cheung’s films in the nineties. If you’re interested, read the translator’s note at the bottom.].
To squeeze into this crew, Jiang Chi didn’t take any pay.
Originally he was a money-making pillar for the company, but now he couldn’t be drilled for oil for at least half a year. The senior executives in charge of him had all exploded.
“The money you worked so hard to save up last year! Just this one time, not only did you end up using all of it, you also offended the company! Calculate for yourself, was it worth it?” Geng Tian hated iron for not becoming steel. “You just became popular, for less than a year! This is precisely the most critical time. At this juncture, you are spending more than half a year to shoot a film that can’t be screened in the mainland6[Due to CCP censorship, this kind of film with “politically sensitive” or pornographic themes can’t be screened in mainland China, which means they definitely can’t make money from the box office. In other words, this movie is purely award bait.]! What is even in your brain…”
“Weren’t you the one who told me? No matter what, I have to make a movie to please my fans.” Jiang Chi was still calm. “A film purely for gaining prestige is quite fitting.”
“Don’t use my words to fool me!” Geng Tian spat out, “When you decided to fight for this film, wasn’t it because they picked Ye Lan for the other leading actor? You think I don’t know what was in your head?!”
Jiang Chi was startled, and a touch of embarrassment flashed across his eyes. He turned his head and coughed dryly, unconsciously pulling out another cigarette.
As soon as Geng Tian finished speaking, he regretted it. Seeing this, he changed the subject and said, dissatisfied, “I wanted to ask you earlier, why did you start smoking?!”
“It’s necessary for the movie.” Jiang Chi lit his cigarette, took a puff, and choked on it, “After… after shooting finishes7[杀青, lit. “killing green”, refers to the completion of shooting.], I’ll quit.”
Geng Tian frowned, “Pay attention to the occasion, don’t let someone take sneak shots outside. It’s not the right time yet for you to transition to a more masculine image.”
“I know.” Jiang Chi nodded, frowned a little, and slowly smoked.
Jiang Chi was only twenty-three8[Says here that he hasn’t passed twenty-three. In China, people sometimes count age from the start of the new year rather than the birthday, so it’s possible that he’s still twenty-two.] years old this year, and his face still had a youthful outline. Sitting on the sofa and learning to smoke like this somehow made people feel a bit pained. Thinking about the company’s punishment, Geng Tian’s heart softened. He sat down again, and sighed, “Everyone was worried because you got injured while filming last time. That’s why I applied for a three-month break for you. But you’re really incredible. While no one was watching you in private… Forget it, how are things going there? I’ve heard in the past that Ren Haichuan isn’t easy to deal with.”
“No, Director Ren is very good.” Jiang Chi knew that he had passed, and smiled, “I learned a lot from him in the last month, after joining the cast.”
“Then…” Geng Tian hesitated, “What about Film Emperor Ye9[Film Emperor is an honorary title for an actor who has won the Best Actor Award at a film festival. More specifically, it refers to an award-winning actor who is highly bankable and acknowledged in the industry for their acting skills. Usually, they do not reveal details about their private life to their fans and aren’t as active on social media, unlike more “internet-famous” celebrities.], you and him…”
Jiang Chi flicked the soot away, cleared his throat, and slowly said, “Film Emperor Ye is also very good, he’s quite polite to me.”
Geng Tian silently translated Jiang Chi’s words: After filming for a month, he still wasn’t acquainted with Ye Lan.
Even though he was angered by Jiang Chi acting on his own, Geng Tian felt a little sympathetic when he heard this. Jiang Chi lost so much money and time just to get closer to Ye Lan. Unfortunately, Ye Lan didn’t have any intention to open up to him.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible for them to be “polite”, after shooting opposite each other for so long.
But this was also not surprising.
Who was Film Emperor Ye.
Ye Lan, a formally trained actor, became famous when he was young. In his third year of university, he made his first movie. Relying on a good appearance and stellar acting skills, he took the Film Emperor10[Again, taking the Film Emperor means he won a Best Actor Award.] on the eve of graduation and left with two trophies. Since then, his path had been broad and level. From when he walked out of the school doors to now, Film Emperor Ye had been constantly popular for ten years, and also, had constantly dominated the big screen for ten years.
In recent years, whether it was film resources or commercial resources, Film Emperor Ye sat at the top11[The actual phrase here was “sitting and owning”. Makes him sound like a treasure-hoarding dragon lying on a pile of gold.], winning in both reputation and popularity, walking forward steadily, so big that people couldn’t even be jealous12[The actual phrase here was “the heart has swallowed/accepted it, the mouth has swallowed/accepted it”. This entire passage is basically implying that his reputation is so high and enduring that he’s beyond open criticism and envy.].
And what about Jiang Chi.
Two years after graduation and four years in the industry, he had participated in more than 20 TV series and starred in three. Most of the TV series he starred in flopped. The company originally had no hope for him. They hadn’t imagined that a period drama Jiang Chi played a supporting role in last year would become a huge hit. In the drama, the villain played by Jiang Chi unexpectedly attracted fans. With this role, he rapidly became hot. For a while, his popularity overwhelmed most of the other little fresh meats13[Young and good-looking male actors who typically star in commercial works such as idol dramas. Rather than relying on their acting ability, they’re popular because of their looks, their fanbase, and their “boyfriend power” (their ability to form a parasocial bond with their fans). As a result, they aren’t taken seriously as actors, and their careers tend to collapse after they pass their expiry date.] in the entertainment circle. Riding on this wave of enthusiasm, Jiang Chi took on a reality show, relied on his pleasing personality to increase his fans, and squeezed into the first tier in one fell swoop.
Hot was hot, but everyone knew that actors like the Film Emperor Ye, who lived at the top of the entertainment pyramid all year round, would not pay attention to Jiang Chi.
The two were simply not on the same level.
Jiang Chi, very fortunately, also had formal training, acting skills, and the willingness to endure hardship. If it weren’t for this, don’t mention working without pay, even if he paid to work, he still wouldn’t make it into Ye Lan’s film crew.
Jiang Chi understood these matters very clearly.
“I didn’t have any expectations from the start,” Jiang Chi was fairly optimistic, and smiled helplessly, “How could it be possible… But when I heard there was this opportunity, I would regret it if I didn’t go fight for it. Besides, I’m not losing out. I learned a lot of things, and…”
And he could see Ye Lan day and night. Though Ye Lan was always cold and indifferent to him, at least while they were filming, Ye Lan would always look his way.
The previous month’s scenes were mostly shot in parallel, with few scenes where they were conflicting14[Scenes shot with both of them.]. Most of them were outdoor scenes, and in many cases, they filmed separately. But in the following months, they would have a “honeymoon period”. Jiang Chi had long memorized the script. He even knew Ye Lan’s lines. When he imagined Ye Lan saying those sweet lines with deep affection, Jiang Chi felt like paying any amount of penalty would be worth it.
Looking at the red glow blooming on Jiang Chi’s face, Geng Tian felt a little sour, and waved his hand. “Forget it, I’ll deal with the company for you. Bring back a copy of the schedule from the crew, and let me see…”
Jiang Chi said firmly, “Geng-ge, it’s impossible for Director Ren to let me work on another project at the same time, and I also don’t agree.”
Geng Tian said angrily, “Isn’t it to help you make back your losses, fine, I know… Will you be on set tomorrow?”
Jiang Chi nodded. “Yes.”
…
“An outdoor scene, a night scene, if old man Ren is a little dissatisfied, that’s another day.” In the box, Ye Lan’s eyes were already red as he blocked the wine glass that was handed to him, sneering, “I have several scenes tomorrow, and I already said I wouldn’t come. I only came to play to bestow you some face… and you dare to fill me15[He’s speaking aggressively here. Rather than saying that he is giving them face, he says that he’s “bestowing” them face, kind of like a Chinese Emperor in a historical drama. And they’re “filling” him, like filling a water bottle. Basically, he’s complaining that they’re forcing him to drink.].”
The people in the box laughed, and an actress who was familiar with Ye Lan smiled like a flower, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t know you had scenes tomorrow. If we knew, we wouldn’t keep making you drink. Blame Yu Xinze, this host didn’t tell us.”
Ye Lan was good-looking, and when he was drunk, he appeared even more mesmerizing. The entire box was focused on him. A female star sitting next to him couldn’t resist putting down her image, personally pouring a glass of water for Ye Lan and handing it over. In a gentlemanly fashion, Ye Lan raised his eyebrow, took the wine glass full of water, and lifted it toward her, smiling, “Drinking this glass in your honour.”
The actress’s face flushed instantly.
It was Yu Xinze who handed Ye Lan the wine. He debuted a few years earlier than Ye Lan, and also took the Film Emperor back then. The two cooperated several times, and their relationship in the circle was relatively good. After hearing this, Yu Xinze lifted his head and chugged the wine in the cup. He leaned beside Ye Lan and said, “What are you shooting tomorrow? Is it still that glass16[玻璃 “glass”, has the pinyin bōlí, which can be abbreviated to BL. So “glass” is slang for gay.] film?”
“Yeah.” Ye Lan rubbed his forehead. “Fortunately, I don’t have scenes in the morning… or else, walking in with the smell of wine tomorrow, I would be scolded to death by Ren Haichuan.”
Yu Xinze also drank a lot. He rubbed his face, recalled with great effort, and asked, “How long have you been shooting? It’s been a month, right?”
“Almost two months now,” Ye Lan was squinting slightly under the dazzling lights in the box, “There’s still around four or five months left…”
Yu Xinze raised a brow. “Isn’t it a small production and a low-budget movie? You still need this much time?”
Ye Lan’s eyes had a hint of contended pride, and he sneered softly, “A film aiming for awards, only shooting for two to three months, who could we fool?”
Yu Xinze smiled, “N|B.”17[牛|逼, lit. “cow c***”, slang meaning “very powerful”, “epic”. The | is probably to avoid getting censored.]
“Hey! The little kid you’re acting with is named Jiang Chi.” Yu Xinze asked, “How is he?”
Ye Lan said, “Pretty good.”
Yu Xinze teased, “Little fresh meat…”
“No,” Ye Lan shook his head, “He’s not the kind of person who doesn’t know north18[Someone who has lost their common sense and internal compass, doesn’t know what’s good for them, that sort of thing. Yu Xinze is trying to find out if the fame and popularity has gone to his head.] from south after becoming a little famous. He has a good temper, he’s pretty humble, and his acting skills are okay. Ren Haichuan, that old thing, likes him, says that he’s diligent…”
“Okay, okay… too many interviews lately? What kind of official tone are you using with me.” Yu Xinze’s voice lowered, “I also heard two days ago, seems like his contract with his original company will expire next year. I wanted to ask you if this little kid is good. If the opportunity is right, I want someone to contact him to see if he’s willing to come to our side for development.”
Yu Xinze founded Timelight Media in a joint venture with his old company a few years ago. It was tepid before, but in the past two years, his resources had gotten better and better. Within one year, he had signed many artists.
“There’s nothing wrong with him.” Ye Lan said, “Otherwise, you can come to visit the crew and see for yourself.”
Yu Xinze smiled: “Isn’t it okay to just look at the photos? As if I have to meet face-to-face. I just wanted to ask about his temperament and character. I’m old now and can’t stand those unruly people.”
“Not unruly.” Ye Lan squinted and thought, “His temperament is okay, and his face structure doesn’t have any problems. It’s that long and faultless type. It can definitely haul for you, for a few years, and the figure…”
Ye Lan thought of something and smiled.
“Ohhhh.” Yu Xinze slyly smiled and handed Ye Lan a cigarette, also taking one for himself. While lighting his cigarette, he smiled ambiguously. “How rare to hear you praise a male artist like this. What’s up with his figure?”
Ye Lan took a drag, lightly bit his cigarette holder, and smiled, “The little butt is quite perky.”
Yu Xinze laughed lowly, “Are you okay, Film Emperor Ye? At any rate, you’re still the first male god19[“Male god” is how fans refer to their favourite male celebrities, who they believe are worthy of respect and admiration. “First” in this context basically means that he’s the “eldest brother” or “leader” of all the other male gods. So as the “eldest brother” of the “male gods” of the entertainment industry, he should serve as an example and he shouldn’t be making these kinds of inappropriate comments.] in the film industry. Is it appropriate to look at a little fresh meat’s butt all day?”
“It’s necessary for the film.” Ye Lan leaned on the sofa and said lazily, “Sign him, you sign him, and I can look at it every day.”
Yu Xinze glanced at him, “For real? You quite like him?”
Ye Lan puffed out a mouthful of smoke, and said, “Average, I’m just playing with you. I’m not familiar with him.”
Yu Xinze guessed the same. He saw Ye Lan leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed, and knew that he was really drunk. Seeing that it was about time, he said, “Don’t you still have to shoot tomorrow? Why don’t you go back earlier? Let me give you a ride.”
“No need.” Ye Lan opened his eyes, “Lao20[Lao means “Old”. Just a way you might call someone casually.] Jin will come and pick me up.”
Yu Xinze was helpless. He thought he had a pretty good relationship with Ye Lan, but Ye Lan was like this. As long as he touched alcohol, he would definitely not get in other people’s cars, including his.
Ye Lan looked open and laid-back. He was friends with everyone in the circle, but he always distinguished certain things clearly. It seemed that these friendships were only a necessary part of his work. No matter how good his relationships looked on the outside, he would clearly mark them as outside of his private sphere. For so many years, Yu Xinze didn’t even know the exact location of Ye Lan’s house.
Ye Lan ruffled his hair, drunkenly picked up his phone and opened the contact list. He slid to the list starting with J, blinked dazedly, and barely sent a message: I’m at Shengshi Nianhua, come and pick me up.
Ye Lan threw the phone aside, and laughed amidst the noise of the crowd, “Come on… let daddy sing you one last song.”
At the same time, at Jiang Chi’s place, Geng Tian got up and said, “These days, I didn’t know you were filming, so I didn’t assign you more assistants. Tomorrow I’ll mention it at the company…”
“No need, no need.” Jiang Chi shook his head hurriedly, “It’s enough to have Xiao21[Xiao means “Little”. Also a way to call someone casually, especially someone younger than you.] Li follow me. I won’t need them even if there’s more. Ye Lan only brought two assistants over. If I dragged over a big crowd, what would the crew think?”
Geng Tian thought about it, and sighed, “Okay, you got what you wished for22[求仁得仁 lit. “asking for benevolence and receiving benevolence”, means the fulfilment of one’s wishes.]. I won’t say anything else, act well, and in the future…”
In the future, after shooting finished, if he still wanted a chance to meet Ye Lan, it was probably impossible.
Geng Tian swallowed the second half of the sentence into his stomach. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard Jiang Chi’s phone vibrate.
Jiang Chi’s phone was placed on the table, and as it vibrated, the screen lit up:
23[I’m at Shengshi Nianhua, come and pick me up.]
T/N: After seeing that this novel was rather popular on jjwxc but still untranslated, I decided to pick it up. The story is a bit like The Star Around The Sun, but Ye Lan is more similar to the male lead from Fei Tian Ye Xiang’s Golden Assistant. Talks a bit like a scoundrel, hot-tempered, but intelligent, wily, and capable of keeping his cool in the circle.
Ye Lan is really a bit rude, talking about Jiang Chi’s butt while drunk, and calling himself “daddy”. Well, that’s his flavour.
Edit (August 8, 2022): I was a bit dissatisfied with my original translation (chapter 1-5) so I am going through and editing them chapter by chapter before continuing.
Also, as I mentioned in footnote 5, I wanted to write a short introduction about Leslie Cheung, an era-defining Hong Kong singer and actor who was publicly bisexual, who acted in gay films and films that pushed gender norms. The other day, I read a post in a BL subreddit about his movie Happy Together. Someone replied that, as a community of fans of danmei and BL, we have a responsibility to promote these classics. We have a responsibility to share our knowledge about LGBTQ+ history in Asia. I was really moved by this post because I remembered there are a lot of danmei works inspired by Leslie Cheung’s life and his movies. His movies are a huge part of Hong Kong / Chinese / East Asian LGBTQ+ culture and history. There are some popular danmei, such as Seizing Dreams by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, which make direct allusions to his movies.
I understand many people, his fans in particular, greatly appreciate his work. However, at a cultural level, and a political level, there are even more people who have exploited his suffering for their own gain. This is true generally when it comes to BL, CPs, queerbaiting, and so on, but I won’t go into that for now.
I just wanted to write about him so readers of my translation understand what authors are referring to when they mention “gay art films”, something that gets tossed around lightly in all kinds of entertainment industry-related danmei. Just as an aside, there are also other movies (such as these) that fall into this category but the characters are played by straight actors.
This first still is from the Wong Kar-wai film Happy Together, which is probably what he was most famous for. However, he didn’t part on good terms with the director, who began using Tony Leung (guy on the right, who played the villain in Shang-chi) as his male lead in movies instead. I won’t spoil Seizing Dreams for you, but this is the movie it references.
The remaining stills are from his opus, Farewell My Concubine, directed by Chen Kaige. It was the first Chinese-language film that won the Palme D’or at Cannes, and probably what cemented Leslie Cheung’s status as a truly great actor. This was also the movie I think he was most satisfied with. What makes it doubly impressive is that he had to sing Beijing Opera for the film, and he also learned Mandarin in four months to play the role! He plays a Beijing Opera singer who exclusively plays dan roles (female roles) on stage, set during the Republic of China and during the Communist Revolution. There’s a very popular danmei with a drama adaptation that I can’t remember the name of right now, that was “inspired by” this movie. Also, they totally copied Leslie Cheung’s look in the film, for the shou in the drama. (As you can see, he was deeply influential and inspired a generation of danmei writers.)
Leslie started out as an idol singer, so if you’re curious, you can also try listening to his music. He has two main eras, his early Cantopop songs before his 1989 retirement from the music scene, and his later (post-1995) albums after his comeback, which are somewhat more experimental. If you are fluent in Mandarin, my favourite album from his later period is his full Mandarin album, Printemps. In addition, he has a few English songs, such as “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, and his cover of American Pie. He also has a great 1997 cover (in Mandarin) of Teresa Teng’s classic “The Moon Represents My Heart”, dedicated to his mother and his partner.
(Passion Tour 2000, from this Tumblr post)
After Leslie Cheung came out publicly as bisexual, the paparazzi hounded him and his partner, even at his home in Canada. He was also criticized by the Hong Kong press for his last world tour (Passion Tour 2000), partly due to his genderfluid Jean Paul Gaultier tour costumes (shown above).
Although he said repeatedly in interviews that he didn’t want a tragic life like the characters he played in movies, he developed clinical depression. In 2003, he took his own life.
Rest in peace, Leslie.
- 1[-ge means “older brother”. Not necessarily biological, it’s just an honorific to show respect to someone older than you / your senior.]
- 2[名不见经传, lit. “the name cannot be found in the sutras or the scriptures”, means that it’s unknown to the ancients, hidden and without reputation.]
- 3[Similar to A-list in Hollywood, where an actor or director can be ranked from A-list to D-list. Here, the director and screenwriter are described as “exceeding first-tier”, so they’re the top in the industry. On the other side of the scale, totally obscure celebrities are said to be eighteenth-tier. Jiang Chi is also a “first-tier” celebrity, but he’s playing in the minor league, basically.]
- 4[“Red” means someone who is extremely popular and of-the-moment.]
- 5[The kind of “gay art film” the author is referring to here is probably like Leslie Cheung’s films in the nineties. If you’re interested, read the translator’s note at the bottom.]
- 6[Due to CCP censorship, this kind of film with “politically sensitive” or pornographic themes can’t be screened in mainland China, which means they definitely can’t make money from the box office. In other words, this movie is purely award bait.]
- 7[杀青, lit. “killing green”, refers to the completion of shooting.]
- 8[Says here that he hasn’t passed twenty-three. In China, people sometimes count age from the start of the new year rather than the birthday, so it’s possible that he’s still twenty-two.]
- 9[Film Emperor is an honorary title for an actor who has won the Best Actor Award at a film festival. More specifically, it refers to an award-winning actor who is highly bankable and acknowledged in the industry for their acting skills. Usually, they do not reveal details about their private life to their fans and aren’t as active on social media, unlike more “internet-famous” celebrities.]
- 10[Again, taking the Film Emperor means he won a Best Actor Award.]
- 11[The actual phrase here was “sitting and owning”. Makes him sound like a treasure-hoarding dragon lying on a pile of gold.]
- 12[The actual phrase here was “the heart has swallowed/accepted it, the mouth has swallowed/accepted it”. This entire passage is basically implying that his reputation is so high and enduring that he’s beyond open criticism and envy.]
- 13[Young and good-looking male actors who typically star in commercial works such as idol dramas. Rather than relying on their acting ability, they’re popular because of their looks, their fanbase, and their “boyfriend power” (their ability to form a parasocial bond with their fans). As a result, they aren’t taken seriously as actors, and their careers tend to collapse after they pass their expiry date.]
- 14[Scenes shot with both of them.]
- 15[He’s speaking aggressively here. Rather than saying that he is giving them face, he says that he’s “bestowing” them face, kind of like a Chinese Emperor in a historical drama. And they’re “filling” him, like filling a water bottle. Basically, he’s complaining that they’re forcing him to drink.]
- 16[玻璃 “glass”, has the pinyin bōlí, which can be abbreviated to BL. So “glass” is slang for gay.]
- 17[牛|逼, lit. “cow c***”, slang meaning “very powerful”, “epic”. The | is probably to avoid getting censored.]
- 18[Someone who has lost their common sense and internal compass, doesn’t know what’s good for them, that sort of thing. Yu Xinze is trying to find out if the fame and popularity has gone to his head.]
- 19[“Male god” is how fans refer to their favourite male celebrities, who they believe are worthy of respect and admiration. “First” in this context basically means that he’s the “eldest brother” or “leader” of all the other male gods. So as the “eldest brother” of the “male gods” of the entertainment industry, he should serve as an example and he shouldn’t be making these kinds of inappropriate comments.]
- 20[Lao means “Old”. Just a way you might call someone casually.]
- 21[Xiao means “Little”. Also a way to call someone casually, especially someone younger than you.]
- 22[求仁得仁 lit. “asking for benevolence and receiving benevolence”, means the fulfilment of one’s wishes.]
- 23[I’m at Shengshi Nianhua, come and pick me up.]