Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 39 The Night Before Thunderstorm

On the edge of the plate, the tattered negative reflected a dark brown light under the orange lamp.

Lu Haiming reached out and took the roll of film, then twirled it in front of his eyes a couple of times.

"Director Chen, a few frames of unusable footage can't save an illegal building."

Lu Haiming picked up a knife and cut the steak.

Dark red blood flowed down the lines of the white porcelain plate.

Chen Yan leaned back in his chair, watching the other person's cutting motion.

"That's not a discarded film. It's the last record before the foundation of the Tianjin Clock Tower collapsed in 1982."

"At that time, a technician surnamed Liang discovered something that shouldn't have been in the cement."

Lu Haiming stopped moving, the tip of his knife resting on the bottom of the plate.

"The things are gone. The person was burned to ashes long ago."

Chen Yan leaned over and placed his hands on his knees, folded over each other.

"I reinforced the clock tower on Laochang Street by five stories. All the secrets you buried on the ground floor have been sealed off with 500-grade cement."

"Unless the entire building is blown up, no one can get these things."

Lu Haiming put down his knife and took out a wet wipe to clean his fingertips.

"What do you want? One and a half million US dollars is enough for you to make ten movies."

"I want you to watch me finish this play."

Chen Yan stood up.

"Tomorrow night. Old Factory Street. Remember to be there on time."

The elevator doors closed behind Chen Yan.

Outside the revolving doors of the hotel lobby, Zhou Man was leaning against a red Audi A8.

Su Wan stood by the roadside, the wind blowing her turtleneck sweater, her hair covering half her face.

Zhou Man took a document out of the briefcase and handed it to Su Wan.

"Su Wan. This is the original document showing your father's debts from back then, along with the property mortgage agreement."

Su Wan didn't answer.

"President Lu said that as long as Chen Yan hands over the photos and videos from back then, the Su family's debts will be wiped clean. You won't have to suffer in the mud with him."

Zhou Man handed the document forward.

"Be smart. Chen Yan is risking his life; he can't win."

Su Wan reached out and took the yellowed photocopy.

She didn't turn it over, but held the edge of the paper with both hands.

The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the empty street.

The debris was carried by the wind and fell into the grating of the drainage ditch.

"If Chen Yan wins, the debt will naturally be settled. If he loses, I have no intention of paying it back."

Su Wan turned and walked toward the Volkswagen Santana parked in the shadows.

Zhou Man stood there, watching Su Wan's retreating figure.

"You're insane. Over two million? You'll never be able to pay it back in your lifetime!"

Su Wan closed the car door without looking back.

With a muffled groan from the engine, the car drove away from the Tiansheng Hotel.

All the lights at the Laochang Street construction site were turned off.

Chen Yan stood on the springboard on the fourth floor of the clock tower, holding an electronic weather instrument in his hand.

The barometer reading is continuing to drop.

In the distance, on the foothills of the Yanshan Mountains, the clouds piled up extremely thick, their color changing from gray to black.

The air had a distinct earthy smell.

Wu Gang climbed up the scaffolding, carrying a canvas bag full of detonators on his body.

"Director Chen. Everything is buried inside. Eight load-bearing supports, all the old methods, to ensure that if the building collapses, it will contract inwards and won't damage the neighboring houses."

Wu Gang wiped the moisture from his face.

"But the weather's wrong. It's terribly stuffy."

Chen Yan looked up at the clouds.

"It's not stuffy. It's like a thunderstorm."

"Old Wu, check the wires. They need to be insulated twice."

"When it rains, the water will flood the foundation, and ordinary detonators will easily short-circuit."

Wu Gang nodded and turned to look at the figure squatting at the edge of the tower base.

Liang Qinian was wearing that faded police uniform.

He held an enamel mug in his hand, staring at the black earth beneath his feet.

Chen Yan stepped down from the scaffolding and came up behind Liang Qinian.

"Director Liang, has the evacuation area been sealed off?"

Liang Qinian turned around, his eyes bloodshot.

"The police officers have all been sent out. Both exits of Laochang Street are completely blocked. Unless the sky falls, no one can get in."

He looked at the clock tower, a structure made of wood and stone.

"Chen Yan, can you really make her appear?"

Chen Yan pulled a long lens wrapped with black duct tape from his pocket.

He mounted the lens on the rusty camera mount.

"When the building collapses, the water accumulated in the foundation will gush out due to the pressure."

"I will use a light to track that column of water. If your sister is still down there, she will see the light."

Liang Qinian shook the cup in his hand, and tea splashed onto the back of his hand.

"What happens after the miracle?"

"The building collapsed. The debts are cleared. Take her home."

After Chen Yan finished speaking, he walked towards the monitor.

midnight.

The first bolt of lightning pierced the clouds, instantly illuminating the old factory street in a blinding white light.

Raindrops fell on the dry, muddy ground, stirring up rings of dust.

In less than five minutes, the rain intensified.

Water jets poured down the eaves of the clock tower.

Su Wan pushed open the door of the makeshift house, holding a heavy black cloth umbrella in her hand.

She walked quickly to Chen Yan's side and held the umbrella over his head.

Chen Yan's camouflage uniform had been shot through and was sticking to his shoulders.

"WildBunch sent an email. They said if the scene is poorly filmed, we might not get the remaining payment."

Su Wan wiped the water from her forehead.

Chen Yan didn't look at her; her fingers were making minor adjustments to the knob on the monitor.

"Without rain, they want art. With rain, they want visuals."

"Now that there's thunderstorms, they have no reason not to pay."

The roar of a truck engine could be heard in the distance.

Two beams of light swept across the street, illuminating the clock tower that was still standing in the torrential rain.

Lu Haiming's Audi sedan was parked outside the police cordon.

Several bodyguards opened black umbrellas and escorted Lu Haiming to the construction site entrance.

Chen Yan stood up and walked to the edge of the aperture.

"Mr. Lu, you can't see a scene like this in an office building."

Lu Haiming looked at the mud and water spreading rapidly beneath his feet.

"Chen Yan, it's not too late to back down now. I can give you money to film in Hong Kong and Hollywood."

Chen Yan pointed to the red push-pull lever in Wu Gang's hand.

"The script is already finalized. It can't be changed."

A deep, muffled sound came from the horizon.

The sensation of the earth trembling traveled from the soles of my feet to my calves.

Thunder rumbled in.

Chen Yan sat back down behind the rusty camera.

He put on his headset and turned on the walkie-talkie.

"Lighting crew, get ready."

The 3,000-watt high color temperature lamp array emitted a buzzing sound of electricity in the heavy rain.

The beams of light intersected, cutting sharp angles into the wooden structure of the clock tower.

"Old Zhang, focus on that blue brick on the base. Don't blur it."

Zhang Yuan lay prone under the tarpaulin of the scaffolding, his right hand gripping the turntable tightly.

"Received. Focus locked."

Chen Yan looked at Wu Gang.

Wu Gang reached out and grasped the rusty metal lever.

His hands were trembling, but his eyes were lifeless.

Chen Yan raised his right hand, his fingertips touching the cold record button.

"Director Liang, prepare to pick them up."

Liang Qinian stood up and adjusted his police cap.

He stood in the downpour, his back ramrod straight.

Thunder roared once again over the old factory street.

The white light of lightning shone on everyone's face.

Chen Yan pressed the button.

"All positions."

"Prepare to trigger lightning."

The electrical noise in the walkie-talkie disappeared.

The only sound was the dense thud of rain hitting the metal barrel.

Chen Yan's index finger hovered one centimeter above the red start lever.

Freeze.