“Oh.” The driver didn’t say much more on that topic, and instead asked, “From your accent, it sounds like you’re from Su Province?”

“I’m from Huaicheng.”

“Huaicheng, I know. Why don’t you Huaicheng folks go to Suzhou? There are a lot of film crews shooting in Suzhou too. There are also plenty of people here in Hengdian who often go to Suzhou for film crews.”

“Are there really that many shoots in Suzhou? I didn’t know that. I just knew that Beijing and Hengdian have a lot of filming.”

“There are gardens in Suzhou, you should know about the Suzhou gardens. Nowadays, when they shoot period dramas or Republican-era shows, they like to film in Suzhou. But Hengdian is developing rapidly now—lots of film crews for movies and TV dramas are shooting here. There are also lots of tourists, and many people like you come here to be actors.”

“Are there a lot of celebrities too?”

“Lots, way too many. I’ve been driving a taxi here for a year, and I see celebrities every day. If you want to see celebrities, just wait outside the nicer hotels, or at the scenic spots—there are film crews shooting in the scenic areas almost every day. Aren’t you here to be an extra? Then you’ll have a chance to act with celebrities.”

The driver was very talkative, chatting away for over ten minutes, and soon the taxi arrived at the entrance of the “Hengdian World Studios Actors’ Guild.” Henry Clark was coming to the new guild for the first time, but he didn’t need to look around to know which entrance it was—the building was at the intersection of Film Avenue and Huaxia Avenue, heading northwest.

There were four long lines stretching out from the entrance, about a hundred or two hundred people. Needless to say, all these people, like Henry Clark, were here to get their actor’s certificate. So Henry Clark didn’t hesitate and picked a relatively shorter line to join.

In front of Henry Clark was a young man with a buzz cut, about 1.7 meters tall, a bit stocky, probably in his twenties, with a face full of acne, fiddling with his phone.

Henry Clark waited in line for a while. Many people here had come with friends, chatting and laughing in the queue. Henry Clark felt a bit envious that others had companions—at least they could talk to each other and feel more confident wherever they went. Unlike himself, all alone, with no one to ask for advice.

But relationships are built over time. Before coming, he had already decided to make more friends in Hengdian.

Clearing his throat, Henry Clark suddenly asked the young man, “Are you here to get an actor’s certificate too?”

The young man looked up and grunted, “I arrived the day before yesterday. You too?”

“I got here yesterday. I came alone. What about you, did you come alone too?”

“Yeah, I wanted to come and give it a shot.”

“My name is Henry Clark, I’m from Huaicheng. What about you?” Henry Clark introduced himself.

“Charles Young, from Qufu.”

“Charles Young, have you found a place to stay? Where are you living?” Henry Clark asked.

Charles Young replied, “I rented a place over on Denglou Road, 200 yuan a month. Where did you rent?”

“I’m in Yatang Village. I met an extra in a QQ group, he quit and transferred the place to me. It’s less than 300 a month, not bad.”

“Yatang Village is nice, really close to the old guild and also close to town. I wanted to rent in Yatang Village before, but it was a bit expensive—cheapest was over 300. You’re lucky.” Charles Young said enviously.

Henry Clark smiled, “Isn’t Denglou Road the one right in front of the old guild? You’re the closest to the old guild.”

“But it’s far from town.”

As they spoke, the two of them took out their phones, opened Gaode Maps, and started checking their locations. Where Charles Young lived was only about a li away from where Henry Clark lived, both not far from the old guild. But Charles Young’s place was much farther from town, while Yatang Village wasn’t too far from town.

“I’m planning to buy a second-hand bicycle in a few days. Otherwise, it’s inconvenient to get around. The tricycles and taxis in Hengdian are too expensive—just going out costs over ten yuan. At this rate, no matter how much money you have, you’ll burn through it.” Charles Young complained.

Henry Clark could relate. The taxi he just took cost him twenty yuan, even more expensive than in big cities. The tricycles here are the same, starting at ten yuan. An extra’s daily wage is only forty, a featured extra gets seventy, just enough for a few rides.

“How much is a second-hand bike? I want to buy one too.”

“Not expensive. I asked at a shop on Wansheng Street—good mountain bikes are just over four hundred, and regular second-hand bikes are a bit over a hundred.”

“That cheap? Where is it? I plan to go buy one after I get my certificate.”

“No point buying now, you don’t know your way around. My idea is to get familiar with Hengdian first, then buy a bike.”

“How do you get familiar? By taking taxis? If you buy a bike now, you can ride around and get to know the place in no time.” Henry Clark thought Charles Young was being a bit stubborn.

After Henry Clark said that, Charles Young understood, “You’re right. After we get our certificates, I’ll take you to buy one. Then let’s go wait for roles at the old guild together, how about it?”

“Sure.”