Trembling in the Skies

Chapter 34: This Is Our Film Crew

“No!” The young girl burst into tears upon hearing the elderly woman’s words. The office worker wiped away her tears once more. When the rabbit dies, the fox mourns; crying for others is like crying for oneself. “Don’t cry. I’ve lived this long, and I’m content. You must remember that we all came into this world crying, so no matter how difficult life gets, we must always keep smiling.” The old woman, in turn, comforted the two of them. “Well said! You mentioned you’re a businesswoman—you must be a well-educated one!” Gao Fei gave the elderly woman a thumbs-up. After hearing the old woman’s words, the young girl and the office worker also stopped crying. “Thank you all. Although we’ve never met before—and our encounter in the previous scene was merely a fleeting one—you’ve all left a deep impression on me. I’m so glad to have met you here, allowing our lives to intersect in this way. Don’t be sad about my departure; you must strive even harder to live your lives. I’ll pray for you from the wax museum.” The old woman pressed her palms together and bowed several times to the group. “Thank you,” the others said in unison, expressing their gratitude to the old woman. “Young man, you’re a good kid. I have high hopes for you. You must persevere—don’t give up.” The old woman walked over and said a few words to Li Teng. “I’ve had terrible luck. I don’t know when I’ll kick the bucket,” Li Teng said, shaking his head. “Don’t think that way. If someone has a string of bad luck for a while, it just means that good fortune is about to come their way. Believe that the heavens are fair,” the old woman said, offering Li Teng a few words of comfort. Li Teng sighed and said nothing more. “And you—don’t be so impulsive. Being too impulsive will get you killed,” the old woman added, turning to Gao Fei. “With my IQ, I wouldn’t last long anyway, whether I acted on impulse or not.” Gao Fei sighed as well. “You, stop picking fights with people for no reason. Winning or losing an argument doesn’t mean much, but in the end, your sharp tongue might be your downfall,” the elderly woman and the man with glasses added. “Ahem…” The man with glasses nodded repeatedly, indicating his wholehearted agreement. “From now on, everyone should get along harmoniously, help one another, and stick together. Don’t scheme against each other or attack one another—only by uniting can we ensure more people survive,” the old woman said, addressing the group once more. Everyone nodded in agreement. “It’s about time—we should be on our way,” said the masked female director. At the director’s urging, the old woman waved goodbye to the group, boarded a bus that had come to pick her up for the wax museum, and quickly disappeared around the corner. After the elderly woman left, the atmosphere around the coffee table grew rather somber. No one spoke. The young office worker began wiping away her tears again, while the teenage girl stared blankly at the coffee cup in front of her. Li Teng continued sipping his free coffee. Half a minute later, the woman in sunglasses walked over from the far end of the street. Seeing that everyone was in low spirits and silent, the woman in sunglasses glanced at the stool where the elderly woman had been sitting. She seemed to understand what had happened, but didn’t say a word. Li Teng figured the woman in sunglasses had been to at least a dozen performances by now, so she was probably used to this sort of thing happening to the elderly woman. “Everyone from the last production is here—looks like we’ll have two newcomers today,” Gao Fei said, breaking the silence. “They’re not newcomers. I’d guess the two who are coming should be veteran actors,” the woman in sunglasses said, shaking her head. “I hope they’re two kind people,” the female office worker said. “Forget it. The more scenes you’re in, the less likely you are to be kind—kindness will get you killed faster,” the woman in sunglasses snorted coldly. “I agree. This is a film studio, and we’re all actors—only those with great acting skills can survive for long,” the man in glasses chimed in, then shot Li Teng a glance. Li Teng continued sipping his coffee, as if he hadn’t heard what the man in glasses had said. His stomach felt a little bloated right now; he’d eaten too much. Two minutes later, two more people approached the coffee table. It was an elderly woman in her fifties and a young man. The elderly woman had a fierce expression and a stocky, burly build—a stark contrast to the elegant, scholarly-looking elderly woman who had turned into a wax figure earlier. The young man beside the burly elderly woman wore a fawning expression, like a typical “kept man” you’d see in society. The two were clearly acquainted, chatting as they walked over. When they reached the coffee table, the woman in sunglasses quickly stood up and took the seat where the refined elderly woman had been sitting, leaving the two adjacent stools for them—presumably because she didn’t want to sit between the two of them. “Hello! Welcome to our film crew,” the office worker said, taking the initiative to greet the feisty older woman and the kept man. The feisty old woman shot the office lady a sidelong glance, her face a mask of disdain. “You’re just a green rookie. This is our production crew, not yours,” the pretty-faced young man retorted sarcastically to the office lady. “Well…” The office lady felt a bit annoyed and instinctively glanced at the woman in sunglasses, presumably hoping she would speak up on behalf of the group. The woman in sunglasses turned her head away, clearly not wanting to get involved with these two. The office worker turned to Li Teng again, seeking help. Li Teng, as always, kept his head down, sipping his coffee. “You two are clearly seasoned veterans; once you’re here, you’re naturally the ones in charge.” The bespectacled man, sensing the mood, quickly flattered the fair-skinned young man with a few words. “Hahahaha… You’re a smart kid—you’ve got potential.” The fair-skinned man reached out and patted the bespectacled man on the back. “Thanks for the advice, senior,” the man in glasses said with a broad smile. “Ew! Spit! There’s a fly! That’s so gross!” Gao Fei spat on the floor. The girl giggled, but when she realized no one else was laughing, she quickly stifled her laughter. “Everyone’s here. Let’s get started.” The female director walked over. “Hello, everyone. Today we’re shooting a night scene for a movie called *The Death Crew*. We’re filming a scene titled ‘The Last Train.’ Now, I’d like to briefly walk you through the performance you’re about to do.” No one spoke; they all looked silently at the masked female director. “*Death Crew* is a horror film—specifically, a ghost story.” “Today’s scene involves solving a mystery. Each actor’s identity will remain undisclosed and uncertain. Therefore, the roles to be played will be determined by drawing lots.” “An actor’s rank determines the order in which they draw lots, as well as the number of draws they get. If two actors are of the same rank, the one with more points in their account goes first.” “You’ll be playing members of a film crew—lead actors, supporting actors, character actors, cinematographers, gaffers, sound engineers, production assistants, and so on.” “This film crew is shooting a ghost movie.” “In this scene, the film crew members are heading to the bus stop together after a day of shooting to catch the bus home.” “This is the last bus of the night.” “One of the eight of you is a ghost.”