Clause 9 of Chen's Directing Principles states:
The core of creating and developing a plot lies in setting up conflicts. If the inherent contradiction in the story is not strong or captivating enough, then create 'misunderstandings' to drive the plot forward.
Chen Yifei's mind flashed back to when he was a director in his previous life, secretly summarizing several principles, and a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
[Audience Expectation +3]
[Current Expectation: 32%]
The moment Chen Yifei saw these two lines flash in the soy milk, he knew he had guessed correctly.
Uncle Zhao's expression visibly stiffened.
He looked at Chen Yifei in disbelief, first bewildered, then shocked, and finally falling into a deathly silence...
"Uncle Zhao, I promised Xiaoyi to keep it a secret... But you only have Xiaoyi as your son, and you surely want him to carry on your family line... And he keeps hanging out with another boy, which really affects his studies."
Chen Yifei sighed, "Today, I even saw him sitting in the backseat of that boy's bike, laughing so happily..."
Uncle Zhao's body trembled slightly, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and his breathing became heavier.
"Alright... I understand," Uncle Zhao struggled to squeeze out a smile on his face, which looked somewhat eerie, "Thanks, Yifei."
"Oh, Uncle, I promised Xiaoyi to keep it a secret, so you can't tell him that I told you..."
"Don't worry, I understand."
After finishing the last sip of soy milk, Chen Yifei said goodbye to Uncle Zhao and left the shop.
Uncle Zhao, however, seemed not to have heard,埋头 rummaging through something in the room. After a few minutes, he pulled out a fist-sized stick from the corner and slowly sat down on the bench by the shop door.
A cold wind swept through the street, blowing Uncle Zhao's sparse hair and the sweat-stained towel on his forehead.
He sat there quietly, using the stick to support himself with one hand, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the end of the street, resembling a fierce general with murderous intent!
Chen Yifei seemed to have left the street but actually sneaked back through the alleyway. He stood under the shade of a tree at the corner, where he could see the whole shop.
After a few minutes, a three-wheeler swayed its way from the end of the road.
Zhao Yi was sitting on the side of the bike with his legs crossed, the two buckets of salt behind him completely empty. He played with the few copper coins he had just earned, his mouth curved up almost to his ears.
"Hey, earning money isn't that hard."
"Yi, of course, it's not hard for you. I'm the one who rode the bike for a whole day!" The boy in front stood up, pedaling hard and panting.
"We're brothers; there's no need to distinguish between you and me."
Zhao Yi took two copper coins from his hand and put them in the boy's pocket, "Here, this is for you."
Not far away, Uncle Zhao, who saw Zhao Yi touching the boy's waist, couldn't help but twitch his eyelid.
"Yi, I rode the bike for you for a whole day, and this is just two coins??" The boy's eyes widened, "Didn't you get twenty from the Road Management Bureau?"
"Riding a bike is a physical job, while sprinkling salt is a skilled job. Of course, I should get more."
Zhao Yi lazily replied, then leaped off the three-wheeler, squinting and smiling as he waved to the boy, "I'll see you at the usual place tomorrow... If you dare not to come, I'll beat you up every time I see you, understand?"
After speaking, he clutched the remaining eighteen copper coins in his hand and walked towards his family's shop with his head held high.
The boy on the bike angrily looked at him, but as Zhao Yi glared back fiercely, he immediately lost his courage, could only continue pedaling with a dejected look, and headed home alone.
Zhao Yi, the young bully on Cold Frost Street, was almost feared by no one among the younger generation. The cyclist who was taken advantage of for free all day could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.
"Dad, I'm back!!"
Zhao Yi strode forward with eighteen copper coins in his hand. He had never been so confident when returning home.
But for some reason, as he approached the store entrance, he felt a chill coming towards him.
The figure holding a wooden stick slowly stood up, and the atmosphere suddenly dropped to freezing point. Uncle Zhao's angry eyes locked on Zhao Yi, like a general holding a long gun, aggressively walking towards him.
"Dad... Dad?" Seeing the stick, Zhao Yi subconsciously stepped back.
"Is it him, right?" Uncle Zhao pointed at the cyclist who was panting and riding away, his hand trembling with anger. "Little brat! Instead of studying hard, you secretly do these things?!"
"If you were seriously dating a girl, I would let it go, but you find a man?"
"Can a man give you a child? Can he carry on our family's lineage?!"
"Do you want to deprive your dad of descendants?!"
Uncle Zhao scolded furiously, chasing and beating Zhao Yi with the stick, causing the latter to scream in pain.
Hearing Uncle Zhao's scolding, the neighbors on half of the street pricked up their ears.
They curiously gathered nearby and began to point and comment on Zhao Yi who was being chased, not knowing what they said to each other, but their faces simultaneously showed shock.
[Audience Expectation +1... +1... +1...]
As Zhao Yi was beaten and screamed in pain, the numbers in Chen Yifei's sight began to jump continuously.
If he could enter the theater in his mind again, he would see the dense black shadows of the "audience" watching this scene with great interest, their mouths curling into subtle smiles.
"The conflict is right... but the characters are not enough." Chen Yifei's gaze fell on the tricycle in the distance.
"Xiao Liu."
Hearing Chen Yifei's call, the cyclist who was eating melon in confusion turned around.
"Yifei, you're here too?"
"How much did Xiaoyi give you today for melting snow?"
"...Two yuan." Mentioning this, the teenager's face showed resentment. "He broke his promise. He originally said he would let me ride the bike and give me the majority of the earnings, but he only gave me this little and threatened me to continue working for him tomorrow..."
"Do you want to revenge him?" Chen Yifei looked into his eyes. "Or do you want him to never bully you again, even to avoid you when he sees you?"
"Yes!!"
"Then let me teach you..."
Just as the two were whispering, Zhao Yi had already been chased to exhaustion.
"Dad, Dad, stop! I'm not gay!" Zhao Yi finally reacted and explained desperately, "I swear, I, Zhao Yi, have always only liked women! Especially the plump and charming ones..."
The mouths of the spectators slightly opened, thoughtful.
Uncle Zhao was stunned, and his steps slowed down immediately.
"Then what's your relationship with that male cyclist?"
"We're just ordinary friends!"
"Are you serious?"
"Of course, I'm..."
"Yi!" A teenage figure pushed through the crowd, rushed to Zhao Yi like a madman, hugged his body with both arms, and used his back to shield him from the wooden stick.
Zhao Yi was stunned.
Uncle Zhao was also stunned.
"You..." Zhao Yi felt his mind go blank.
Before Zhao Yi could speak, the teenager, with red eyes, loudly spoke to Uncle Zhao:
"Hit me if you want! Don't hit my Yi!!!"
The atmosphere suddenly became deathly silent!
[Audience Expectation +2... +2... +2... +2...]