Chapter 16
Before that afternoon's filming began, He Zheng explained the scene to Xia Xingcheng himself.
He said, "I don't know if you've realized it or not, but this scene is very important."
Xia Xingcheng wordlessly rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants.
He Zheng asked him, "How long has Fang Jianyuan known Yu Haiyang?"
Xia Xingcheng raised his eyes and answered, "It's been several days."
He Zheng said, "Are you aware of the change in his attitude before and after the scene?"
The script in Xia Xingcheng's hands was already crumpled. Recalling both the previous and future scenes, he replied, "He began to care more about Yu Haiyang, and somewhat avoided him."
He Zheng rubbed his hands, the pads of his fingers slightly yellowed by cigarette smoke, leaning lazily against the grocery store counter and watching Xia Xingcheng who was sitting behind it. "He was moved by him. But take care to note that it's only infatuation. He hasn't fallen in love yet."
Xia Xingcheng raised his head and looked at He Zheng, expression serious.
He Zheng said, "We can push this scene to the back and shoot it later, but if you can't express this subtle difference in his heart, there's nothing to be done. I don't think you'd be able to get in the mood if we shoot the latter parts first."
Xia Xingcheng looked down and said, "I'm sorry."
"No no no," He Zheng said. "You don't have to be sorry, just get into the role properly. You did well in the last two days, but today you're out of shape."
Xia Xingcheng lifted his hand and braced his jaw in the hollow of his palm, fingers resting on his lips. There was nothing he could say. He couldn't possibly let He Zheng know that the reason he was in the wrong mood was because of the fact that he had gone out to play last night and even slept with a woman.
He Zheng continued, "People can be moved by many things, be it other people or whatever else. Cute children, beautiful women, even kittens and puppies–if your instincts are moved, your line of sight will constantly chase after them, you'll want to talk to them, get close to them, touch them; but Fang Jianyuan is aware of the matter at hand, therefore he tries to reject his instincts, he'll avoid him, but at the same time, his line of sight will unconsciously chase after Yu Haiyang, he keeps his distance from Yu Haiyang, but he'd still want to get close to him. This can be shown through small details."
Xia Xingcheng earnestly listened and nodded. His face had been recently applied with makeup, and he looked soft and delicate. When his expression was focused for a length of time, a sense of university student-like purity will unknowingly appear.
In the beginning, the reason why He Zheng chose Xia Xingcheng for the role of Fang Jianyuan was because he was drawn by the look on his face, which made him feel like he'd met his old friend.
Right now, He Zheng was quite patient. After all, he had chosen Xia Xingcheng himself, and he didn't feel that he picked the wrong person. He raised his hand and gave Xia Xingcheng a pat on the shoulder. "Consider these details, there's no harm in thinking it through. How would you fully show Fang Jianyuan's feelings in front of the camera?"
He Zheng uttered these words and left.
Xia Xingcheng watched his back as he walked to the corner of the film studio where Yang Youming was sitting and resting. When He Zheng reached Yang Youming, he said something to him, and Yang Youming glanced at Xia Xingcheng's direction. Not long after, he raised his head and spoke to He Zheng.
The distance was too far and Xia Xingcheng didn't know what the two men talked about, but he saw Yang Youming finally smile. He felt that they were maybe talking about him.
He Zheng had said that today's shoot was not out of the ordinary, but in actuality, it was the scene where Fang Jianyuan's heart shifted for the first time.
•••
His mother wasn't home today.
The worker who delivered the grocery store's goods carried more than a dozen crates of drinks and beer and placed them on the floor. Bewildered, Fang Jianyuan hastily took count of the stocks, signed the order form, and saw the worker off.
Alone in the grocery store, he carried the newly delivered crates into the back room where the store's goods were stored.
The first floor originally only had one window in the room, and a greater part of it was covered by a pile of stacked goods. As a result, the whole room looked especially dark.
Fang Jianyuan had not turned on the lights, and there was no air-conditioning in the room either. He neatly stacked the crates, and a short while later, sweat was dripping down his cheeks and neck, and his clothes were soaked through with sweat.
When he placed a crate of beverages on top, he accidentally bumped into a nearby shelf, and a bag of sugar fell from it.
Fang Jianyuan bent down to pick it up, then stood on his tiptoes to try to put the bag of sugar back where it came from.
Yet his reach fell short.
Suddenly, another hand plucked the bag out of his hands and placed it on the high shelf.
Fang Jianyuan jumped from fright and turned around abruptly, his back knocking into the shelf, and saw Yu Haiyang who had quietly appeared behind him.
Yu Haiyang smiled down at him. "How many more are left? I'll help you."
Fang Jianyuan glanced at the goods on the floor and said nothing.
Yu Haiyang was wearing a neat, smooth shirt, and had a vaguely cool and refreshing smell of cologne on his wrist. Although Fang Jianyuan did not answer him, he raised his hands and unbuttoned his cuffs one by one, then slowly undid the buttons of his shirt from top to bottom.
There was a close-up of Fang Jianyuan's expression, his eyes following each slow turn of Yu Haiyang's hand. He didn't know what aspect of an adult man undressing would attract him so much, while it captured his full attention, he was also confused.
Yu Haiyang shed his shirt and hung it up on the edge of a nearby shelf. Under the shirt were the graceful lines of a male body, from the arms to the chest to the lower abdomen that disappeared into his waistband, every inch of muscle was just right, smooth and good-looking.
Fang Jianyuan's right hand unconsciously grasped the shelf behind him.
The camera lens portrayed Yu Haiyang's body in great detail, implying something that was clearly suggestive. In a sense, this was what was caught in Fang Jianyuan's line of sight. At the age of 18, one's body started to physically mature, and it awakened a new period of sexual enlightenment that he had formerly never thought of nor had anticipated before.
Yu Haiyang bent down to carry the crates.
Fang Jianyuan's vision still pursued him, and when Yu Haiyang straightened up, he hastily turned his eyes away with a frantic expression on his face, stooping down to start moving the crates again without even remembering to thank Yu Haiyang.
There was another close-up of Fang Jianyuan's expression. For Xia Xingcheng, at this age, if he couldn't truly immerse himself into his role and the character's frame of mind, it was almost impossible to convey the complex mood by solely relying on his acting skills alone.
'Gradual Distance' was a movie that depended entirely on a great amount of close-ups of the face and body's expressions. There were no inner monologues, and every emotion had to be expressed through the eyes and the body's movements.
The final product was what He Zheng, in his capacity of a director, wanted to convey to the audience, while Fang Jianyuan's capacity as an actor served to express what He Zheng wanted him to express.
He Zheng would only mention whether you should be moved, or enamored, or sad, yet won't tell you that your hand should furtively tighten up while grasping the shelf when waiting for him to look at you, avoiding his gaze right away, or when your tears should flow.
The innermost feelings are reflected in one's facial expression and all over your limbs, and everyone is different. Perhaps, only when Xia Xingcheng has completely entered the role of Fang Jiangyuan will he be able to alter his interpretation. When Fang Jianyuan's soul occupies Xia Xingcheng, a natural reaction would surface, and he wouldn't need anyone to tell him how he should act anymore.