Chapter 63
Top-tier stars had that kind of power — just co-starring in a film together was enough to crash Sina’s servers.
The CP fans had thought the concert reunion was already a once-in-a-lifetime gift. Before they’d even finished digesting enough sugar to last them two or three years, an even bigger, sweeter treat fell straight from the sky.
Just look at the title — Want to Remember. It was clearly a romantic art-house film! What else do love stories do besides, well, love? Hand-holding! Hugging! Kissing! Doing it!!!
Director, stay sharp — make sure you include all the essential romantic scenes!
The CP fans were celebrating like it was New Year’s, while both solo fanbases were somewhat anxious. Their idols were going all in like this, and they had no idea what to expect. Putting aside box office for a moment — if the film turned out to be garbage, that would be genuinely embarrassing.
Then again, if it did flop, at least both sides would flop together. They could always trade insults and shift the blame onto the other! Yeah! That was the plan!
The Yiren and Yumeiren had reached their first unspoken understanding.
While the online buzz raged on, Shen Juanyi and Zhao Yu had already finished their script reading sessions with the production team. Apart from the leads, most of the supporting roles went to newcomers. Some actors who’d previously turned down the project came scrambling back once they heard two top-tier stars were attached — but Yue Li turned them all down without mercy.
She truly experienced what it meant: You ignored me when I needed you; now you can’t reach me when you want me!
In early August, Want to Remember officially began filming.
This wasn’t just the leads’ first film — it was also the director’s first film. Just thinking about it was thrilling. On the day of the kickoff ceremony, the media nearly packed the small stone-paved square at the filming location.
The early scenes were shot in a rural village in the south, a well-known tourist resort. The aesthetic was reminiscent of a Miyazaki film — lush greenery and rustic simplicity. It was high summer, rice paddies stretched everywhere, a sea of vibrant green that from the observation deck looked like paint on a canvas.
Shen Juanyi and Zhao Yu stood next to the young actors playing their teenage selves. Yue Li had put real care into casting — the two child actors bore a striking resemblance to them. Standing together, they looked like a family of four.
A photographer even shouted at them: “The four of you, look this way — let’s get a family portrait.”
Shen Juanyi leaned over and muttered to Zhao Yu: “Do I really look old enough to have a son this big?”
Zhao Yu: “Let me give you my dad’s favorite saying.”
Shen Juanyi: “What?”
Zhao Yu: “When I was your age, you were already old enough to run errands to the store.”
Shen Juanyi: “…………”
After the ceremony, the media gradually left. Since the crew had booked the location exclusively, the small village wasn’t open to visitors — only the locals remained. Once the press was gone, the countryside returned to its peaceful quiet, the air filled with the fresh scent of plants and flowers.
In the flooded rice fields, a big yellow ox was plowing. Wild ducks and birds rested on the ponds covered in water hyacinths. Children chased a big yellow dog across the fields, running wild.
Most of the early scenes focused on the child actors, but to help Shen Juanyi and Zhao Yu get into character, Yue Li told them to wander around, soak in the rural atmosphere, and find that stripped-down, grounded state of being. After all, both had grown up in the city — everything about the countryside felt novel to them.
Shen Juanyi watched the kid actors for a while, then eagerly went over to Zhao Yu, who was reading the script under a sun umbrella. “There are big white geese over there! I’ll take you to see them!”
Zhao Yu wasn’t interested. “What’s so special about big white geese? I’m not going.”
Shen Juanyi grabbed her wrist without argument and hauled her up from the lounge chair. “Director Yue told us to look around and soak in the countryside — remember?! Besides, white geese are beautiful! Today I’ll show you the poetic scene of ‘white feathers float on emerald water, red feet stir the clear waves’ in person!”
Zhao Yu reluctantly let herself be dragged along, shuffling behind him with a hand shielding her eyes from the sun. As they crossed the little stone bridge, Xiao Shi called after them: “Juanyi-ge, where are you guys going?”
Zhao Yu turned and answered for him: “We’re going to see the geese.”
Xiao Shi gave an “oh” and turned back to watch the kid actors perform. A curious local villager nudged his arm. “The geese’ll bite ’em — tell ’em to stay away.”
Xiao Shi: “Huh?”
The villager: “Bite! Big geese bite real hard!”
Xiao Shi: “…”
What was that about?!
He scratched his head and turned to look — they’d already crossed the stone bridge and were far away.
Back in the city, this sweltering heat would’ve made life unbearable without air conditioning, but here, the summer breeze rustling through the trees brought a refreshing coolness. The babbling brook flowed over smooth, glittering pebbles that sparkled in the sunlight.
Zhao Yu followed the stream for a few steps, then couldn’t resist — she took off her shoes and socks and stepped barefoot into the water. The cool current rushed over her ankles, carrying away the last traces of summer heat.
Holding her shoes and socks, she happily splashed around in the water, then looked up at Shen Juanyi. “It feels so nice.”
Shen Juanyi glanced at her feet — whiter than the pebbles beneath them — then casually looked away.
The stream led straight to the pond with the white geese. Zhao Yu waded through the water all the way there, while Shen Juanyi picked up a stick from the ridge and dragged it through the stream, leaving a long ripple behind.
In the pond, seven or eight white geese paddled lazily, their long necks stretching gracefully. Shen Juanyi brandished his stick excitedly and pointed ahead. “Geese! Geese! Geese! Hey!”
Zhao Yu gave him a deadpan look, then took out her phone to snap photos of the geese. With the blue sky, green trees, white geese, and the rural landscape, the composition was beautifully refreshing.
She opened a photo-editing app, applied a filter to the pictures, and sent them to the family group chat.
— Old Zhao: Where’s my youngest on vacation? Beautiful scenery — next time bring your mom and me along, okay?
— Jiang Lei: Can you think about anything besides your kitchen? Our youngest just started filming her new movie — she’s working, not on vacation! Don’t bother coming home tonight! Sleep in your kitchen!
— Zhao Yu: Hahahahaha, this is a resort. I’ll bring you two next time I’m on break!
— Jiang Lei: Don’t wait till next time. How long are you filming there? Your dad and I will come visit you.
— Zhao Yu: No visitors allowed right now — the crew booked the whole place.
……
She stood in the stream, pants rolled up, happily chatting with her parents. Meanwhile, Shen Juanyi, who’d been clowning around on the ridge trying to tease the geese, suddenly called out in a panic: “Zhao Yu! Zhao Yu!”
Zhao Yu looked up impatiently. “What now?”
Shen Juanyi pointed ahead. “Are they charging at us?”
Zhao Yu: “?”
She turned to look. The leisurely geese from moments ago were now spreading their wings and charging straight at them with furious momentum.
Shen Juanyi swallowed. “Do goose bites hurt?”
Zhao Yu let out a shriek and turned to run.
She was still in the stream, her feet on slippery pebbles. Running was painful — every step jabbed her soles. Shrieking and limping, she scrambled toward the ridge.
The seven or eight geese had already closed in. Shen Juanyi stood in front of her, swinging his stick fiercely, grabbing her wrist and hauling her out of the water while screaming and fighting off the geese.
Neither of them had any idea how formidable rural geese could be.
The flapping of wings whipped up gusts of wind. Feathers and grass blades flew everywhere. Several geese lunged straight at Shen Juanyi. He swung his stick wildly with one hand while shielding Zhao Yu with the other, getting pecked multiple times on the arm and howling in pain.
Zhao Yu clutched the back of his shirt and hid behind him, screaming for help.
Pandemonium ensued.
A villager plowing with his yellow ox nearby heard the commotion and rushed over to chase the geese away. The geese finally stopped their assault, strutting back with the air of victors, heads held high.
Shen Juanyi’s arms were covered in red, swollen peck marks. Hissing in pain, he crouched down and anxiously asked Zhao Yu, who’d collapsed onto the ridge, “Did you get bit?!”
Zhao Yu’s hair was a mess, her eyes red with panic. She started pummeling him. “Shen Juanyi, are you insane?! Why did you have to tease the geese?! Didn’t you know geese bite?!”
Shen Juanyi didn’t dodge, just hissed in pain. Seeing the injuries on his arm, Zhao Yu was caught between fury and worry.
When she’d worn herself out, he grinned goofily, took her wrist, pulled her up, then jumped back into the stream to fish out her shoes and socks — which she’d dropped in the chaos.
Thankfully, a stick had blocked them, or they’d have been washed away by now.
Both shoes and socks were soaked. Holding one in each hand, he walked back onto the ridge and crouched down in front of her as she was tying up her hair. “Hop on.”
Zhao Yu huffed. “Why? I can walk on my own!”
Shen Juanyi turned his head. “There are lots of pebbles and prickly weeds on the ridge. How are you gonna walk back barefoot? Hurry up, don’t waste time — I’m in agony here. Let’s get back and see a doctor.”
Zhao Yu glanced down at the red marks on her feet from the pebbles, then looked at the broad back in front of her, his shirt fluttering in the breeze. She pouted — and silently climbed on.
Shen Juanyi tied her shoelaces around his wrists, looped his hands under her knees, and gave a little bounce.
Then he stood up, steady as a rock.
The last time Zhao Yu had been carried like this was when she was in elementary school, going to the amusement park with her parents.
His hands only reached her knees, but his steps were solid. Zhao Yu lifted her upper body slightly, trying to avoid pressing her chest against his back — but in this position, contact was inevitable.
Only a thin T-shirt separated them. Whether it was the summer heat or the fierce battle with the geese, every touch sent scorching heat through the fabric.
Zhao Yu turned her head to look at his arm — covered in peck marks of all sizes. She stared for a moment, then reached out and gently touched one.
Shen Juanyi hissed.
Zhao Yu asked, “Does it hurt a lot?”
Shen Juanyi’s voice was pitiful: “Yeah T_T”
Zhao Yu: “Serves you right!!! Messing with geese for no reason! ‘Goose, goose, goose — curving necks singing to the sky’ — you were singing a song of pain, you idiot!”
Shen Juanyi: “…T_T”
Back at the filming site, the script supervisor got a call from a local villager and almost thought he’d misheard: “What? Our actors got bitten by geese???”
He looked around: “Which two actors?”
Xiao Shi, who’d been playing games: “…?”
He suddenly had a bad feeling.
He looked up in horror at the villager who’d poked him earlier.
The villager shrugged helplessly: “See? I told ya the geese’d bite ’em — ya just wouldn’t listen.”
Xiao Shi: “…………”
Mastering the local dialect was clearly very important.