Chapter 45
Fang Shaoyi had been born with this time difference syndrome: a strange illness that n.o.body was sure could be considered an illness. Time differences caused his nervous system to collapse. The greater the difference, the worse the impact. Yuan Ye had only learned that such a syndrome existed from Fang Shaoyi. Others probably only needed one night’s sleep to recover from their jetlag, but Fang Shaoyi needed three to four days, sometimes even more. Additionally, he basically couldn’t do anything else during these few days. It was extremely uncomfortable.
However, Fang Shaoyi had chosen this career path. As an actor, he often needed to leave the country. Flying across time zones was also common. Yet, time differences were honestly a limit to his work. Thus, Ji Xiaotao always needed to schedule everything in advance prior to his flights. The days before and after the flight needed to be empty of schedules. If they were tight on time, Fang Shaoyi did his best to avoid events that needed to be attended internationally.
Only those close to Fang Shaoyi knew about this. Others only thought that Fang Shaoyi was too cold and distant, meaning that it was hard to get him to accept invitations. In actuality, it was because he couldn’t overcome his jetlag.
During their few days in Paris, Fang Shaoyi didn’t really leave the hotel room. Occasionally, when the weather was honestly too nice outside, he would call Yuan Ye to come along for a walk and to feel the breeze. The stylist left early in the morning and returned late at night everyday. How could someone part of the fashion world resist not leaving their hotel room when in Paris? He had long since made plans for these few days prior to their departure. Sometimes, Ji Xiaotao would follow the couple around, but mostly, he stayed at the hotel or went out to have fun by himself. When he found good food, he would bring some back for the other two.
Here, there was no need to be dramatic and book two rooms anymore. Besides, considering the state Fang Shaoyi was in, Yuan Ye didn’t want to leave him by himself either. Thus, they stayed together the entire time.
Since the day Yuan Ye had returned from set until now, the two of them hadn’t talked about that movie. Yuan Ye didn’t share his opinions and Fang Shaoyi didn’t bring up the topic. Yuan Ye didn’t express that he disliked this incident; his emotions were hidden under a mask. Regardless if he felt conflicted or against the situation, he was digesting these emotions himself. Fang Shaoyi had almost instantly become someone who needed special care during this period that he was overcoming his jetlag. These past few days, Yuan Ye’s tone was always careful and soft when speaking to him.
The last evening in Paris, Fang Shaoyi knew that he was pitiful, so purposefully played this up.
Under the warm yellow light, Yuan Ye was on his phone, reading the script Ning Lu had sent him. The further he got, the more he furrowed his brows. In the end, he tsk’d and quickly replied, fingers a blur.
Fang Shaoyi asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Yuan Ye told him, “Ning Lu. Dumb son. He’s already thirty-something, but still has mush for brains. He got lied to by someone.”
Fang Shaoyi c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in confusion. Yuan Ye continued, “He spent a lot of money buying a script from Shi Song, but it’s completely unusable. He himself, though, treats it like a treasure that needs to be hidden from people who want to steal it. I told him to rewrite it, so he hired a group of screenwriters. But the stuff they’ve written is poison to the eyes.”
“Shi Song?” Fang Shaoyi thought for a moment. “The one who wrote《Ten Steps in Red Dust》? Then there shouldn’t be a problem, right? Back then, when I was filming《Ten Steps in Red Dust》, I remember that you and him got along quite well.”
“Un, that’s him.” Yuan Ye scoffed and said, “There’s nothing bad to be said about Teacher Shi. He’s an experienced screenwriter. But that script was probably just something the screenwriting apprentices under him pieced together from cliches. You write a segment, then I’ll write a segment. Happens all the time. They use that stuff to scam investors after slapping the teacher’s name on.”
“He didn’t ask you to look over the script prior to buying it?” Fang Shaoyi asked.
Yuan Ye glanced at him. With a smile that wasn’t really a smile, he said, “That was when the variety show had just finished airing. I disappeared for a period of time, remember?”
At that time, Yuan Ye had taken the blame for their divorce and announced that he would re-woo Fang Shaoyi. After that, he had entirely cut off contact with the outside world to get some peace and quiet. Fang Shaoyi chuckled. Yuan Ye picked up his phone and sent Ning Lu a voice message: “Looked at it. Not good. I told you to sell this script for a bit cheaper than what you bought it for, but you wouldn’t listen. Wait for me to get back. I’ll go to your house and tell you in detail.”
Ning Lu replied very quickly. He had probably been waiting for Yuan Ye’s message: “Still no good? Master…… I’m not trying to win any awards with this or anything. As long as I don’t lose money, it’s okay if the profit is minimal. Can you lower your standards accordingly and look over it again? Treat it like a blockbuster that’s going to cast two ticket-selling actors?”
After he said this, even Fang Shaoyi laughed. Exasperated, Yuan Ye responded: “Not trying to win awards…… What are you thinking? With your trashy script…… Weren’t you planning on investing sixty million? If you want to rely on celebrities to get you sixty million in ticket sales, you aren’t even paying enough to hire them. Don’t show off your naivety to me anymore. Wait for me to get back, then we’ll discuss, honey.”
Yuan Ye flung his phone off to the side after saying this. He shook his head and added, “Guan Zhou always says that Ning Lu is getting dumber as he ages. In the past, I didn’t find it a big deal. But now, I’m a bit concerned too.”
Fang Shaoyi had eaten a bit for dinner and was now feeling slightly nauseous. He was slowly drinking tea to try and keep his food down. Now that Yuan Ye’s phone was finally out of his hands, Fang Shaoyi called out to him, “Yuan Ye.”
“Ey,” Yuan Ye responded. With a smile, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Fang Shaoyi blinked, then made eye contact and told him, “Let’s chat.”
Yuan Ye noticed something in his gaze. He paused for a moment before smiling and saying, “Okay, let’s chat.”
But what was there to chat about? It could be said that the two of them had intensely deep understandings of the other. They already knew what the other was thinking without them even needing to open their mouth. There had never been great differences between their moral values: the two of them were quite similar in certain regards. In general, they shared a tacit understanding. However, there were also slight deviances in this understanding. These deviances were decided by their environments growing up, their personalities, and how they handled different situations.
They hadn’t appeared out of the blue, but also wouldn’t eventually disappear.
At the time, Fang Shaoyi hadn’t directly told Yuan Ye that the director had other plans. One reason was because he was worried that Yuan Ye wouldn’t be able to accept the plan. Now, Yuan Ye was the only one who had been left in the dark. He felt astounded and in disbelief. Though he could understand why the director had done this, deep down, he still felt that doing things this way wasn’t open enough. However, he wouldn’t blame himself anymore. Yuan Ye hadn’t been part of the “small group” who had been in power. Thus, he hadn’t needed to force himself to compromise and find a balance. The other reason was that Fang Shaoyi didn’t know how to tell him; it was very difficult to simply tell Yuan Ye. He also wasn’t willing to talk about all the hidden ploys and maneuvers taking place in this industry. He himself was part of this environment. In Yuan Ye’s heart, when he felt resistant and suspicious of these things, Fang Shaoyi couldn’t be separated out.
Yuan Ye understood all these things. Consequently, he very sincerely stated, “I know. I can understand. I also don’t feel any negative emotions, ge. I know that everyone has their own difficulties. You don’t need to tell me.”
Fang Shaoyi was holding a cup in his hands. Using one hand, he gently twisted the cup against the palm of his other hand. Yuan Ye’s gaze was clear. It was very rare for such a clear and pure gaze to be seen in the eyes of a thirty-something adult. Fang Shaoyi said, “I’ll do my best to not make you feel conflicted.”
He hadn’t recovered from the time difference yet. Right now, his face was still pale. Fang Shaoyi was saying such things in such a state. Yuan Ye felt like his heart was beating irregularly. He hurriedly shook his head. “There’s no need. There’s really no need. Ge, this isn’t my first day being together with you. I can deal with my emotions by myself.”
This was originally a normal conversation. They chatted about those unspeakable external factors that had caused their estrangement, then discussed their individual thoughts. Everything was sincere and honest. This was the process of two hearts moving closer to one another.
Later on, Fang Shaoyi took a sip of his tea and slowly said, “I’ve been considering this since last year. In the future, I might act less and start living more……I’m not young anymore. It’s time I take a break.”
However, this caused a very big reaction from Yuan Ye. He had been sitting on the edge of the bed, cross-legged, but had actually stood up after hearing this. He glared at Fang Shaoyi and said, “……Quit joking, ge.”
“I’m not joking,” Fang Shaoyi smiled. “I’ve been acting for twenty years. A long time. I can’t spend my entire life doing the same thing, right?”
Yuan Ye deeply furrowed his brows. He only shook his head. “No. Stop talking about this.”
Fang Shaoyi placed his cup off to the side and held a hand out to Yuan Ye. Yuan Ye’s mouth twitched. He walked over and touched the other’s hand before saying, “I want a cigarette.”
Yuan Ye knew Fang Shaoyi too well. He didn’t say things without meaning them.
Because of Fang Shaoyi’s words, the atmosphere between the two of them suddenly became slightly different. Ji Xiaotao very perceptively sensed that something had happened between them ,but he a.s.sumed that it wasn’t a big deal. Either way, the two of them were often like this. It was almost a way of spicing up their romantic life.
After Director Xin and them arrived in Paris, Fang Shaoyi’s group travelled with the rest of the team to Cannes. Things would be different after reaching Cannes. The environment wouldn’t be so relaxed. They would be pulled taut from dawn till dusk. Right now, this place was basically a city just for socializing. All the moviemakers in the world were gathered here. Why else did so many celebrities try to find a way in even without an invite? This was an extravaganza, but it didn’t only contain a famed and glorious red carpet. The value of this gathering was probably difficult to a.s.sess for many people.
Though Yuan Ye had come all this way with them, he didn’t go to the actual event. Such occasions made him feel like he was suffocating. There were also a few writers that Yuan Ye knew from his writing circle here. Some had come of their own accord while others had been brought along by directors to up the numbers. While mult.i.tudes of celebrities convened to dazzle, Yuan Ye and them found a place to eat and drink. Among them, one person was watching the livestream online. He kept refreshing the pictures. Yuan Ye pointed at him and said, “You’ve got nothing better to do? Why not go watch in person?”
“How could watching in person be as festive as now?” That person scoffed. “Who’s looking at the images? I’m reading the rainbow farts that netizens are leaving.”
“Why do you care what they’re farting.” Yuan Ye couldn’t understand his actions. “Let them say what they want to.”
Yuan Ye didn’t want to get involved in these festivities. He also wasn’t interested. A while later, that person pushed his phone over and gave Yuan Ye a meaningful look. “Here, your Yi ge.”
Yuan Ye chuckled, but didn’t push the phone away. He tugged it closer to himself and used his finger to swipe at the screen. Fang Shaoyi was wearing a tuxedo and had one hand in his pocket. He was in the middle of talking to Director Wei off to the side. His head was lowered and he was smiling softly. The pictures hadn’t been taken from close up; they were just a few shots from far away. There was nothing negative to be said about Fang Shaoyi’s aura. Regardless of physique or face, he was very attractive. Netizens said that this was a textbook male G.o.d smile. They praised him to the heavens.
But after all, he had gotten divorced from Yuan Ye, then hidden this fact from the audience and filmed a variety show. These actions affected the audience’s opinions of him greatly. Though it couldn’t be said that Fang Shaoyi had never received criticisms before – n.o.body could receive zero criticisms in this world – he had relied solely on his prowess these past couple of years. He was also lowkey and didn’t cause trouble. He had been quite popular with the general public previously. The huge mess from last year caused many people to mock him for being a fake gentleman in the comments. They said that he was of poor moral character and disgusting.
This was unavoidable. He truly had done those things. He really had gotten divorced and really had filmed the variety show after his divorce. There was nothing to be said. If this were in the past, Yuan Ye probably would’ve found these comments annoying. He couldn’t handle seeing anyone saying bad things about Fang Shaoyi. But now, he had learned to let a lot more go. Thus, he didn’t care too much.
He pushed the phone back and smiled while saying, “Netizens aren’t only leaving rainbow farts. I think their praises are excellent.”
As soon as he said this, everyone else laughed. They said that he was shameless. Yuan Ye shrugged and drank his alcohol.
Fang Shaoyi had been born like this. He had always been extremely dazzling. Even in such an environment, he could still socialize with ease. Director Wei was among the best directors in China, almost G.o.dly. Fang Shaoyi had collaborated with him many times before. Some people said that Fang Shaoyi was Director Wei’s go-to male actor. This wasn’t completely false. It was true that he often saved a spot for Fang Shaoyi in his movies.
The moon hung high in the sky, nice and stable.
Such a Fang Shaoyi said that he wanted to take a break, that he had been acting for twenty years and that this was long enough.
Upon thinking of this, Yuan Ye’s fingers subconsciously twitched. He picked up his gla.s.s of alcohol and took a sip, then slightly furrowed his brows.
That absolutely wasn’t allowed. Impossible.
There were always important guides in each person’s life: their Boles and spiritual elders. To Fang Shaoyi, Director Wei was definitely one of these guides. The first movie that Fang Shaoyi had acted in at age sixteen had been directed by Wei Hua. That smile that had been filmed over two hundred times had directly raised Fang Shaoyi’s starting point in performance a whole tier. It allowed him to start in a much better place than everyone else. He had obvious talent and was also a versatile actor. Back then, Director Wei’s polishing and guidance had definitely been important too. In his later movies, the director had also helped Fang Shaoyi out a lot. From his adolescence until now, the first person Director Wei thought of when he wanted to film a movie and had a suitable character was Fang Shaoyi.
The people in this industry had cold hearts. They lacked emotions, but still, there was always pure sentiment, honest respect, and guidance with no expectation for repayment. This was possibly out of their pa.s.sionate love for film, their desire to keep even the slightest imperfections out from film. It was also possibly simply due to their admiration. This was favor. To be more dramatic, it was also grace.
“You’re still in good health? Holding up?” Wei Hua asked Fang Shaoyi.
Fang Shaoyi was much taller than him. Thus, he lowered his head and said, “I’m fine. I arrived a few days early.”
“You still don’t look that great to me.” When Director Wei spoke to Fang Shaoyi, he used a tone that indicated the intimacy between a senior and junior. It had been almost a year since they had last seen each other, but they didn’t seem unfamiliar with each other at all. “Come to my place and chat after this.”
Fang Shaoyi made a noise of acknowledgement and told him, “When we get back, I’ll go to your house for a meal. I want to eat Teacher Shi’s pancakes again. I’m craving them.”
Director Wei laughed, “Okay, I’ll tell her to make some for you.”
Before Fang Shaoyi had finished filming his previous movie, Director Wei had already sent him the script for his new movie. Fang Shaoyi had looked over it. It was a melodrama. The script hadn’t been finished yet; Fang Shaoyi had read a draft. It very much exuded Director Wei’s style and was, once again, an emotionally potent movie.
Director Wei said, “Your character is too important. You must live up to it for me. I haven’t found an actress yet. It’s very likely she’ll be a rookie. You’ll need to help her for me.”
At the time, Fang Shaoyi didn’t respond. He gazed at Director Wei, then sighed heavily and asked, “Leader, do you have a second choice?”
Director Wei glanced at him. Without even thinking, he said, “No. The script was written with you in mind.”
Fang Shaoyi didn’t answer. Director Wei asked him, “What? Scheduling issues? When do you have time? Let me know.”
It was impossible for Fang Shaoyi to lie. He only responded with, “No, it has nothing to do with my schedule. I just want to figure myself out first. Take a break and bring myself down to earth.”
“You don’t need to come down to earth.” Wei Hua waved his hands and said, “I’ve been keeping an eye on you. You haven’t floated off. I watched《Wind Wanderer》. Not bad.”
At this point, they couldn’t keep conversing. The setting wasn’t right, so it wasn’t suitable. Fang Shaoyi stopped talking. He lowered his head and softly laughed, then said, “You’ve been keeping an eye on me. The pressure is too great.”
Wei Hua looked up at him from under his eyelids. His deep set eyes had always been able to see through everything. At the time, Director Wei scolded him, “Movies are an art. That’s what you’re doing. After entering this industry, you must ready yourself to die in this industry. Moviemaking isn’t a career path. If you say it has a physical embodiment, then it does. If you say it doesn’t, then it doesn’t. Not only is it something that actually and physically exists, it’s also something that can be described as a fabricated concept. Humanity was birthed from thought. Thought creates movies. As long as you still think, you cannot retreat.”
Fang Shaoyi didn’t interrupt. Thus, Director Wei continued, “Cinephiles have no path of retreat. Look at me: I’m sixty-something, but have I taken a break?”
This wasn’t a place where they could hold a long conversation. Fang Shaoyi didn’t continue the discussion. He nodded and said, “Okay, Leader.”
Ji Xiaotao ran around in a big circle before scurrying up to Fang Shaoyi. He first nodded towards Director Wei in greeting. “h.e.l.lo, Director!”
They were all familiar with each other. Director Wei smiled at him in a friendly manner too. Ji Xiaotao quietly told Fang Shaoyi, “Big Boss, you can’t keep staying here to chat with Director Wei! Director Xin is losing face! Director Xin told me to capture you and bring you back. Which film crew are you part of?!”
Fang Shaoyi nodded. “Got it.”
After saying this, Ji Xiaotao glanced at Director Wei again. He whispered, “Director, the actors from your film crew are unhappy too. They can’t find you. What are you two doing chatting over here?!”
Wei Hua waved his hands before smiling and saying, “Okay, got it, got it.”