The Ninth Rule of "Chen's Directing and Screenwriting Rules" ——
Create and develop a plot. The core lies in setting up conflicts. If the inherent conflicts in the story are not strong enough or not gripping enough, then create "misunderstandings" to propel the plot forward.
Several rules that Chen Ling had secretly summarized and concluded when he was a director in his previous life flashed through his mind, and a hint of a smile flickered in his eyes.
[Audience Expectation Value +3]
[Current Expectation Value: 32%]
The moment Chen Ling saw these two lines of words in the soybean milk, he knew he had guessed correctly.
Uncle Zhao's expression visibly stiffened.
He stared at Chen Ling in shock. At first, he was dazed, then shocked, and finally fell into a deathly silence...
"Uncle Zhao, I promised Xiaoyi to keep it a secret for him... But you only have Xiaoyi as your son, and you must be hoping that he can carry on the family line for you... Moreover, he always hangs out with another boy, which will really affect his studies."
Chen Ling let out a sigh. "Today, I also saw that he was sitting on the back seat of that boy's vehicle, smiling so happily..."
Uncle Zhao's body trembled slightly, his hands couldn't help but clench into fists, and his breathing became heavier.
"Alright... Uncle knows." Uncle Zhao tried hard to squeeze out a smile on his face, which looked a bit creepy. "Thank you, A Ling."
"By the way, Uncle, I promised Xiaoyi to keep this a secret, so you must never tell him that I told you about it..."
"Don't worry, Uncle knows."
After drinking the last sip of soybean milk, Chen Ling bid farewell to Uncle Zhao and left the store.
However, Uncle Zhao seemed not to have heard him. He buried his head and searched for something in the room. A few minutes later, he took out a stick as thick as a fist from the corner and slowly sat on the bench at the entrance of the store.
A cold wind blew through the street, lifting the few strands of hair on Uncle Zhao's head and the towel on his forehead that was soaked with sweat.
He just sat there quietly, propping the ground with the stick in one hand, and his bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at the end of the street, looking very much like a general exuding a murderous aura!
Chen Ling seemingly left the street, but in fact, he secretly circled back from the alley. Standing under the shade of the trees in the corner, he could have a full view of the store.
A few minutes later, a tricycle wobbled over from the end of the road.
Zhao Yi sat on the side of the tricycle with his legs crossed. The two barrels of salt behind him had all spilled out. He played with the few copper coins he had just earned in his hand and smiled so widely that the corners of his mouth almost reached his ears.
"Hey, making money isn't that difficult after all."
"Brother Yi, it's of course not difficult for you. I'm the one who's been riding the bike all day long!" The young man in front stood up, pedaled the tricycle vigorously, and said out of breath.
"We're all brothers. Why distinguish between you and me?"
Zhao Yi took out two copper coins from his palm and stuffed them into the young man's pocket. "Here, this is for you."
Not far away, Uncle Zhao, who saw Zhao Yi take the initiative to touch the young man's waist, couldn't help but twitch his eyelid.
"Brother Yi, I've been riding the bike for you all day, and you're only giving me two coins??" The young man widened his eyes. "Didn't you receive twenty coins from the Road Administration Bureau?"
"Riding a bike is physical labor, and spreading salt is technical work. Of course, I should get a larger share."
Zhao Yi replied lazily, then jumped off the tricycle, squinted his eyes and smiled, waving his hand at the young man. "I'll wait for you at the usual place tomorrow... If you dare not come, I'll beat you up every time I see you. Got it?"
After saying that, he clenched the remaining eighteen copper coins in his hand and walked towards his own store with his head held high.
The young man riding the bike glared at him angrily, but as soon as Zhao Yi gave him a fierce look in return, he immediately cowered. He could only continue to pedal the pedal dejectedly and go home alone.
Zhao Yi, the young bully on Han Shuang Street, was almost feared by no one among the younger generation. The young man who rode the bike had been exploited for a whole day, and he could only swallow his anger.
"Father, I'm back!!"
Zhao Yi strode forward, holding eighteen copper coins in his hand. He had never been so confident when coming home.
But for some reason, as soon as he reached the entrance of the store, he felt a chill rushing towards him.
The figure holding a wooden stick slowly stood up, and the atmosphere suddenly dropped to the freezing point. Uncle Zhao's angry eyes locked onto Zhao Yi, and he walked towards him menacingly, like a general holding a long spear.
"Fa... Father?" When Zhao Yi saw that stick, he subconsciously took a step back.
"Is it him, right?" Uncle Zhao pointed at the young man who was pedaling away with all his might, and his hand was trembling with anger. "You little bastard! You don't study hard, but you secretly do these things for me?!"
"If you were having a proper relationship with a girl, that would be fine. But you actually found a guy?!"
"Can a guy give you a child? Can he carry on the family line for our Zhao family?!"
"You want to cut off your father's descendants, don't you?!"
While cursing, Uncle Zhao chased after Zhao Yi frantically with the stick in his hand, and the latter let out howls of pain from being beaten.
Hearing Uncle Zhao's angry curses, the neighbors on half of the street perked up their ears.
They gathered around curiously and started pointing at Zhao Yi who was being chased. No one knew what they were saying to each other, but expressions of shock appeared on their faces at the same time.
[Audience Expectation Value +1... +1... +1...]
As Zhao Yi howled in pain from being beaten, the numbers in front of Chen Ling's eyes started jumping non-stop.
If he could enter the theater in his mind again, he would be able to see the dense black shadows of the "audience", watching this scene with great interest, the corners of their mouths twitching with a subtle smile.
"The conflict is right... but there aren't enough characters on stage yet." Chen Ling's gaze fell on the tricycle in the distance.
"Liu'er."
Upon hearing Chen Ling's call, the young man who was riding the bike and watching the commotion in a daze turned his head.
"Brother A Ling, you're here too?"
"How much money did Xiaoyi give you for melting the snow today?"
"...Two coins." When this was mentioned, resentment appeared on the young man's face. "He went back on his word. He originally said that I would ride the bike and I would get the larger share of the money we earned. But in the end, he only gave me this little bit, and he even threatened me to be his laborer again tomorrow..."
"Do you want to take revenge on him?" Chen Ling looked into his eyes. "Or, do you want him to never dare to bully you again, and even avoid you when he sees you?"
"Yes!!"
"Then I'll teach you..."
Just as the two of them were whispering, Zhao Yi had already been chased until he was exhausted.
"Father, Father, stop hitting me! I really didn't have a gay relationship!" Zhao Yi finally came to his senses and tried his best to explain. "I swear, I, Zhao Yi, have always only liked women! Especially those plump and charming ones..."
The mouths of the onlookers opened slightly, deep in thought.
Uncle Zhao was stunned for a moment, and his steps suddenly slowed down.
"Then what's your relationship with that boy riding the bike?"
"We're just ordinary friends!"
"Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious..."
"Brother Xiaoyi!" A young figure pushed through the crowd and rushed to Zhao Yi's side like crazy. He opened his arms and hugged Zhao Yi's body, using his back to block the wooden stick for him.
Zhao Yi was stunned.
Uncle Zhao was also stunned.
"You..." Zhao Yi felt his mind go completely blank.
Before Zhao Yi could speak, the young man, with his eyes red, shouted loudly at Uncle Zhao:
"Hit me if you want! Don't you dare hit my Brother Xiaoyi!!!"
The atmosphere suddenly turned deathly silent!
[Audience Expectation Value +2... +2... +2... +2...]