Chapter 30
As painful as losing bones.
And it was true that only those who had experienced this pain before knew what it felt like.
Ever since Yuan Ye had arrived on set, he acted quite different from before. He could outright say whatever he was feeling in his heart. This was probably because he had already confirmed in that Fang Shaoyi still felt something for him. Now that he had an understanding of the situation between them, he no longer needed to tentatively test the other at every turn.
Now that their conversation had already reached this point…… Only individuals understood their own emotions.
On set, Fang Shaoyi was still “Sen Cha”. Director Jiang hadn’t said that they didn’t need to exclude him anymore, which meant that he still needed to keep experiencing the feeling of being bullied. This was to ensure that his gaze and mannerisms when he was being excluded and made fun of during filming would be more natural, more like these acts happened every day.
Yuan Ye thought to himself we can act this out simply through acting technique. We don’t need to experience this anymore.
During lunch, Ji Xiaotao was late to pick up their food, so there were no boxes left. He was shocked, “What era is this? Such things still exist?”
Someone else had delivered Yuan Ye’s food into his hands. He told Ji Xiaotao, “Just order some more food to eat. How pitiful.”
“My goodness,” Ji Xiaotao was in utter disbelief. “Ye ge, look at the people on this film set. Aren’t they too in character? They aren’t even delivering our food to us anymore. How many times has it been?”
There was no pressure for Yuan Ye and Fang Shaoyi to eat from the same bento. He told Ji Xiaotao, “Order a pizza for me. The two of us can eat some after, too.”
Ji Xiaotao mumbled and grumbled while ordering takeout. He thought to himself next time, I definitely have to get Geng ge to reject Director Jiang’s movie invites. We can’t accept them. This director knows how to play too well. He could play us all to death.
There was one other person as pitiful as the two of them. While ordering, Ji Xiaotao also ordered a serving for Yang Siran. His a.s.sistant had been called back, so now it was just him on set. Geng Jinwei had also told Ji Xiaotao to look out for him in advance. If nothing was needed, he could just let the other do whatever he wanted. Either way, he would be finished filming in a few more days.
Ji Xiaotao normally looked out for Yang Siran only when necessary. Most of the time, though, he didn’t bother the other. In all honesty, these types of young artists didn’t even have as much standing in the company as Ji Xiaotao. After all, Ji Xiaotao was Fang Shaoyi’s a.s.sistant. It had to be said that he was a good person. If this were anybody else, they might not even take care of rookies like Yang Siran at all.
The scene they needed to film in the afternoon wasn’t easy. Yang Siran wore sweats while sitting on set. When they filmed in the afternoon, he would need to take off his pants. The scene today was one where the lock of Sen Cha’s store had been broken into. The money in his drawers had all been stolen. In a fit of despair, he had come charging into his landlord’s house. At the time, his landlord had been taking his afternoon nap and was only wearing a wifebeater and boxers. After Sen Cha suddenly pushed the door open, he jumped in fright and shot up from the couch to grab a pillow and cover himself.
It wasn’t known yet if Yang Siran could successfully portray the pitiful look of a timid and ashamed youth shyly hiding himself.
When Ji Xiaotao gave him the pizza, he also told Yang Siran, “You don’t need to be nervous or shy. For artistry, it doesn’t even matter if you strip naked.”
Yang Siran was a bit embarra.s.sed. He nodded and said, “I know. Thanks, Xiaotao ge.”
This scene was comparably easy to act. A performance requiring a burst of emotion was fairly simple for talented rookies. More bottled-in emotions that needed a less obvious approach were much harder for them. For this scene, neither Fang Shaoyi nor the director explained much to Yang Siran. They wanted to see how he would act it out himself first.
Yuan Ye walked over to the director’s side, carrying a slice of pizza. The director scolded, “Don’t stand next to me and eat. Can’t you be a bit more thoughtful? You didn’t even give the director any, but now you’re eating next to the director?”
Yuan Ye hurriedly ran back and carried the box over. There were still two slices left inside. He gave them all to Director Jiang to eat. Yuan Ye said, “How could I have known that you eat this kind of food too? If I had known earlier, I would’ve brought you some earlier!”
“I really don’t, but the bentos are honestly too disgusting,” the director took a bite and said while chewing.
Yuan Ye scooted in next to the director to look through the monitor. In it, Yang Siran was in the middle of taking off his pants. Fang Shaoyi was talking to him. The director was holding onto the walkie-talkie in his other hand, preparing to yell action in a bit. Yang Siran was sitting on the couch in his underwear and hadn’t laid down yet. He bit his lips and appeared a bit shy. The director furrowed his brows. Yuan Ye said, “The kid’s bashful. Let him take it slow.”
Fang Shaoyi stood in front of Yang Siran; his back was facing the camera. He suddenly turned around and made a hand gesture, then said, “Wait a moment.”
The director said into the walkie-talkie, “What’s wrong?”
“What’s the issue, Shaoyi ge?” The clapper loader asked.
Fang Shaoyi told him, “Wait a moment for me, please. Sorry.” Then, he bent over and said something to Yang Siran. Yang Siran put on his pants and followed him off camera.
Fang Shaoyi led Yang Siran to the dressing room. Ji Xiaotao came over and purposefully told Yuan Ye, “Ye ge, my ge led a little boy away!”
Yuan Ye finished his pizza and dusted off his hands, then very seriously said something completely incongruous, “Guess your ge’s in the midst of a delightful spring breeze. On one hand, his ex-boyfriend is chasing him all over the film set. On the other, he’s flirting with his rumored younger boyfriend. Tsk, this life.”
Fang Shaoyi led Yang Siran away for approximately twenty minutes. When they returned, Yang Siran was much more relaxed. He bowed at everyone and said apologetically, “My apologies. I’ve wasted everyone’s time.”
n.o.body knew what Fang Shaoyi had taught him during this time, but Yang Siran seemed to be completely different from before. He did whatever he was told to do and stopped being so awkward about everything. Ji Xiaotao kept sneaking secret glances at Yuan Ye to see how he was doing, but Yuan Ye’s expression was completely calm. Ji Xiaotao couldn’t tell anything from it.
This scene was theoretically easy, but still took many takes. As long as they couldn’t pa.s.s the shot, Yang Siran wouldn’t be able to keep his pants on. His two long, pretty legs were in plain sight for everyone to see. Even though he immediately pulled his pants up when the director yelled cut, it was honestly still pretty alluring.
Yuan Ye thought to himself that Geng Jinwei was honestly amazing at picking out people. This one might become a prime moneymaker in the future. It was a pity that Fang Shaoyi’s company wasn’t primarily invested in promoting celebrities through online popularity. Otherwise, this kid would definitely be able to become popular much quicker.
Smoking wasn’t allowed on set. Yuan Ye didn’t have any cigarettes in his pocket. He felt around and ultimately pulled out one of Fang Shaoyi’s cough drops to eat.
At the end of the day, this was still a very formal scene. The two of them didn’t even come into physical contact with each other. In the past, Yuan Ye had even been on set while Fang Shaoyi had filmed more intimate scenes. Though he couldn’t say that he didn’t feel anything watching these, he truly wouldn’t overthink anything. This was Fang Shaoyi’s job. In this regard, there was no need to be dramatic. As long as nothing was overly intimate, it didn’t matter to what extent things got. Besides, Fang Shaoyi himself wouldn’t accept the invitations to those types of films. He had always maintained a certain sense of moral character. These past few years, Fang Shaoyi had never filmed any kiss scenes. He also refused to act in movies that required extremely intimate scenes.
After they pa.s.sed this take, Yang Siran put on his pants and lowly thanked Fang Shaoyi again.
Fang Shaoyi shook his head at the other. He didn’t say anything.
He still had a scene to shoot at night. Fang Shaoyi needed to change outfits and also get a different makeup look. Yuan Ye cheerily chatted with another worker on set. When Fang Shaoyi came back, he flicked Yuan Ye on the head. Yuan Ye looked up at the other. Fang Shaoyi crooked his finger at him before leaving.
Yuan Ye told the person he was chatting with, “My leader has given me an order.”
He jumped up and chased after Fang Shaoyi. Fang Shaoyi brought him into the little barber shop – the one he owned in the movie. Fang Shaoyi rested a hand on the back of his neck and gently pushed him to the little sink inside to rinse his hair. Yuan Ye finally thought to ask after his head was completely wet, “What are you doing, ge?”
Fang Shaoyi held the showerhead in one hand while gently brushing Yuan Ye’s hair with the other. He softly said, “Your hair’s getting long. I’ll buzz it for you.”
“Ah.” Yuan Ye was extremely cooperative. He bent over to allow Fang Shaoyi to rinse his hair, then casually grabbed a towel to dry it off. He sat in the chair.
The two of them made eye contact in the mirror. The next scene wouldn’t be filmed here. There were plenty of people walking to and fro outside, but n.o.body else was in this little shop. Fang Shaoyi held a buzzer in his hand. He smiled at Yuan Ye in the mirror and asked, “How many millimeters?”
Yuan Ye grabbed a haircut cape from off to the side and handed it to Fang Shaoyi so the other could put it on for him. After, he said, “Up to you.”
He had never cared much about his hair. If you gave him a buzzer, he would even be able to shave his own head. Because Fang Shaoyi liked to feel the stubble on his head, he decided to be selfish and shaved the hair really, really short.
Halfway through, Yuan Ye burst into laughter first. While looking into the mirror, he noted, “You might as well shave me bald.”
Fang Shaoyi was quite pleased with his handiwork. He said, “This looks nice.”
Yuan Ye hadn’t considered it a big deal in the first place anyways. He let the other do as he wished.
It was quiet in the small room: only the sound of an old-fashioned buzzer could be heard. Yuan Ye kept his gaze on Fang Shaoyi in the mirror. From start to finish, Fang Shaoyi’s head was lowered. He was very carefully shaving Yuan Ye’s head. This scene was warm. There was a silent, suggestive ambiguity connecting the two of them.
That day, Yuan Ye didn’t head back early. He stayed on set waiting for Fang Shaoyi to finish filming. When he finished, it was already almost nine. The weather was great. There was only a hint of wind, which felt really comfortable when it blew past. The two of them didn’t take a car back to the hotel. Instead, they slowly walked.
When they pa.s.sed a small supermarket, Yuan Ye walked in and bought a pack of cigarettes. He lit one. Fang Shaoyi didn’t say anything.
Cigarette dangling from his lips, Yuan Ye glanced at Fang Shaoyi, then called for him, “Ge.”
Fang Shaoyi made a noise of acknowledgment.
Yuan Ye suddenly asked him, “Do you like young ones or old ones?”
Fang Shaoyi froze first, before bursting into laughter. He reached a hand out and rubbed the hair he had just buzzed for Yuan Ye today. “What are you trying to ask?”
Yuan Ye answered, “Just, I suddenly felt old today.”
Fang Shaoyi’s eyes were still filled with warmth. He told the other, “When I was young, I liked the young ones. Now that I’m old, I like the old ones.”
There wasn’t a single problem with his answer. As expected from Fang Shaoyi, who was always immaculate. Yuan Ye took a puff of his cigarette, then pointed at Fang Shaoyi and said, “You’re too cunning.”
That day, the two of them casually strolled down the street, slowly walking along the side of the road. Sometimes, when they encountered a bench, they would sit down too and share a conversation about some random topic. This feeling was quite nice. Fang Shaoyi told Yuan Ye that during the day, he had led Yang Siran away because he had noticed that the other had bruises on his legs. This wouldn’t look good on camera, so he had taken the other to get some concealer applied.
Yuan Ye squatted on a nearby rock stump, cigarette dangling from his mouth as he stared at Fang Shaoyi. He shook his head, “I’m completely uninterested in that.”
Fang Shaoyi laughed and asked him, “Is that so? I thought Teacher Yuan was feeling a bit jealous.”
Yuan Ye narrowed one of his eyes, looking up from under his eyelid at Fang Shaoyi suggestively. The cigarette was dangling from his mouth, so both his arms were resting on his knees. This was a very improper position, but also very rebellious. It was very attractive as well. Like this, Yuan Ye stared at Fang Shaoyi, asking him, “If I said I wasn’t, would you believe me?”
Fang Shaoyi c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. Slightly teasing, he joked around with what Yuan Ye had just said, “But he’s young.”
Yuan Ye jumped off from the rock stump. He was only one step away from Fang Shaoyi. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and scoffed. When he spoke again, it was with that carefree and unafraid tone unique to Yuan Ye——
“When you first got together with me……I was only seventeen.”
“Now you’re trying to rile me up with a twenty-something year old. I honestly don’t feel threatened at all.”
“He’s young? Who could be younger than me?”
The author has something to say:
Uncle Yu: Who could be more youthful than me?