DP Chapter 24
by VolareGu Wenyu lived in a villa with a garden in the suburbs, giving off a reclusive vibe.
As Xiang Yiye entered the courtyard, he saw Gu Wenyu, casually dressed and wearing a straw hat, standing by the flower rack, tending to the plants under the sun.
Upon seeing his guest, he took off his hat and amiably invited him inside.
In the living room on the first floor, sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the rosewood coffee table. The housekeeper poured hot tea, and Xiang Yiye handed her the gift he brought, saying, “It’s ink from Yanyuzhai.”
“You’re thoughtful. Stay for the Yuanxiao festival lunch,” Gu Wenyu said with a slight smile, instructing the housekeeper to put the gift in the study.
For the first half hour, the two simply drank tea and chatted casually, mostly about mundane domestic matters unrelated to acting.
Gu Wenyu spoke calmly and serenely, without a strong desire to lecture. His face was filled with peace and wisdom. Upon hearing that Xiang Yiye had argued with his family, he praised Xiang Yiye’s courage while also acknowledging Father Xiang’s good intentions.
“Why do you like acting?” Gu Wenyu asked.
Xiang Yiye was momentarily unable to answer. Gu Wenyu said, “It’s alright. That’s a broad question, and there doesn’t necessarily have to be an answer. Young people should focus more on practice.”
The conversation gradually shifted to the main topic. Gu Wenyu asked Xiang Yiye, “How did you like the script I sent you? Did anything impress you? No need to mention the name, just act out a short scene.”
Xiang Yiye chose the segment that resonated with him the most and performed it.
Gu Wenyu watched his performance in its entirety, without interrupting. Afterwards, he accurately identified the source of the scene: “It’s from ‘Hypothermia,’ isn’t it? You performed the last part. Although I’m getting on in years, my memory still serves me well.”
“Hypothermia” was a movie with a magical feel, full of metaphors. The protagonist was an outdoor sports enthusiast who had set the goal of climbing Mount Everest before the age of 50.
A lofty ideal can inspire people, but due to differences in views, the protagonist did not associate with mainstream outdoor organizations. Instead, he formed his own small team.
During the ascent of Mount Everest, his teammates retreated one by one in the face of various obstacles, leaving only a few. The protagonist watched his last close friend slip and fall, and eventually, he himself slowly closed his eyes on the snowy mountain at an altitude of over 7,000 meters.
In the time span from the onset of hypothermia to loss of consciousness, the protagonist had a dreamlike monologue, filled with complex emotions, which was the final uplifting part of the film.
Xiang Yiye was a little nervous after finishing the performance, waiting for Gu Wenyu’s evaluation. However, Gu Wenyu did not immediately comment. Instead, he asked him to perform another scene from something else.
After watching the second performance, Gu Wenyu said, “The execution is very complete, and the details are well handled. But…”
Xiang Yiye focused his attention, knowing that the key point was coming.
“I think you’ve focused too much on imitating me. Being a shadow of another actor might allow you to perform well in one or a few plays, but it won’t allow you to perform well in all of them,” Gu Wenyu said.
With such a shining example before him, it was difficult for Xiang Yiye to remain unaffected. He lowered his head and softly said, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, it’s also my fault for limiting you. Take it slow, let’s go back to the simplest methods first. Wait for me a moment, I’ll go to the study to get a script,” Gu Wenyu said.
“I’ll get it for you,” Xiang Yiye immediately stood up and said.
After he brought the script, Gu Wenyu said, “Alright, the next thing to do is to read the script. I’ll listen to you read, without acting, without any emotion. Just read it aloud, and don’t think about what emotions to put into it.”
Xiang Yiye didn’t quite understand the reason for doing this, but he obediently did as he was told. He opened the somewhat old script and began to read the lines. Before long, he was interrupted by Gu Wenyu again.
“There’s still too much emotion. Yiye, have you ever listened to the radio? Imagine you’re a machine that recognizes text,” Gu Wenyu said.
Xiang Yiye adjusted his breathing and started reading from the beginning, slowing down his pace and gradually finding his groove.
For the next hour, all Xiang Yiye did was read the segment from “Hypothermia” back and forth countless times. Actually, he already knew the lines very well, but it was the first time he had faced the text so directly without thinking. In the end, he didn’t even recognize the words anymore.
When Gu Wenyu felt it was enough, he told Xiang Yiye to find his feeling again, saying, “Grasp the core emotion, and let your lines flow out naturally like a stream.”
Xiang Yiye put himself back into the situation, but still couldn’t quite grasp it, feeling a sense of disorientation as if he had been broken apart and reassembled.
But Gu Wenyu said, “It’s much better. Yiye, you haven’t been acting for very long, and to be so experienced is beyond my expectations. This shows that you are naturally suited for this. But it’s too experienced. In other words, it’s too disciplined. Discipline is certainly good, but you’re young now. Over time, it’s easy to lack the tension to break through the current state, and it’s also easy to become tired.”
This point accurately hit the nail on the head. Xiang Yiye had been acting for many years and had a lot of understanding of acting, but it was too messy. He still needed a process of eliminating the false and retaining the true in order to form his own system.
“I will try to understand more,” Xiang Yiye said. “Teacher Gu, I see that you are giving me film scripts. Are you using the standards of film to demand from me?”
“Do you find it difficult?” Gu Wenyu said.
“I’m worried that I won’t be able to meet your expectations,” Xiang Yiye said. He couldn’t possibly get a movie role with his current status.
“If you meet your own expectations, you will also meet my expectations,” Gu Wenyu said. “Let’s stop here for today, it’s time to eat.”
As he sat down at the dining table, Xiang Yiye learned that Gu Wenyu wasn’t the only person in the villa. His wife had passed away from illness a few years ago, and now he lived with his daughter.
As the meal was approaching, the housekeeper went upstairs to call Gu Wenyu’s daughter, Gu Ying, countless times, but she didn’t come down.
“Yingying is still sleeping,” the housekeeper said.
“Never mind her, let’s eat first,” Gu Wenyu said to Xiang Yiye. “She’s been working on her creations with an upside-down schedule these days, and she often doesn’t wake up until the afternoon.”
“Is Little Ying a writer?” Xiang Yiye asked. He could see that Gu Wenyu doted on his daughter. At least he was tolerant enough when it came to her schedule. When he went home on vacation, Father Xiang couldn’t stand him sleeping in the most. He had to get up at 7 o’clock no matter what, and even more so if there were guests.
“She’s a screenwriter,” Gu Wenyu said. “She’s only a few years older than you. When she comes down, you can get to know each other, maybe you’ll get along. It’s a good thing to make like-minded friends.”
Xiang Yiye nodded. Speaking of friends, he thought of others, and said, “Are you and Xie Lei also friends?”
Gu Wenyu said, “We have a nodding acquaintance. Xie Lei is a genius, and geniuses are destined to be lonely. It’s not easy to be his friend. I have a good private relationship with the vice president of the Art Association. The last time I went to the art exhibition, it was more for his sake.”
“It’s not easy to be a student of a genius either,” Xiang Yiye said.
Gu Wenyu knew who he was talking about, and couldn’t help but say, “Did Xu Chuo tell you something?”
Xiang Yiye was originally a little dazed, but realizing that Gu Wenyu might know some inside information, he said, “He didn’t say anything, but I can feel that he and Teacher Xie Lei seem to have some conflicts. Perhaps you know the reason?”
This was what he had made up. In his previous life, Xu Chuo indeed stopped contacting Xie Lei after going abroad, but currently the two were still harmonious. Xiang Yiye apologized to Gu Wenyu in his heart. He shouldn’t be deliberately trying to get information, but as long as it was about Xu Chuo, he wanted to know everything without missing a word.
Gu Wenyu pondered for a moment, his tone taking on a hint of seriousness as he said, “I haven’t personally confirmed the specifics, so it’s not good to spread them. But here’s a word of caution: if Xie Lei asks you to borrow money recently, don’t lend it to him under any circumstances. Same goes for Xu Chuo’s side, you and him are close, so be sure to persuade him as well.”
With the conversation at this point, Xiang Yiye knew that he couldn’t get any more details. He could only come to one conclusion, which was that Xie Lei was currently very short of money. And judging from Gu Wenyu’s tone just now, he was short to the extreme, and might even borrow from unfamiliar younger people.
What would make a poor artist need so much money? Xiang Yiye couldn’t figure it out for a moment.
As they were finishing their meal, Gu Ying came downstairs. She had messy, bird’s nest-like hair, a slender figure, pale lips, and dark circles under her eyes from staying up late for long periods of time. She wasn’t shy, and after greeting the two people at the dining table, she pulled up a chair and sat down, eating the small meal that the housekeeper had prepared for her.
Xiang Yiye could feel that Gu Ying was staring at him. He didn’t consider himself a narcissistic person, but he was starting to feel a little misunderstood by her gaze.
Gu Ying noticed his unease and said, “Sorry, it’s a professional habit. I like to observe people to accumulate material.”
Xiang Yiye didn’t mind, and curiously asked, “What did Little Ying see?”
Gu Ying stared at him for half a minute, saying with a serious expression, “I see that you’re a gentle and handsome young man. If I ever write a suitable role in the future, I’ll definitely call you to play it.”
Xiang Yiye: “…Okay.”
After lunch, Xiang Yiye sat in the living room for a while. Gu Wenyu was in the study, saying he wanted to write a few words for him.
Gu Ying was still at the dining table. While eating, she was still chatting with Xiang Yiye from across the room. Not paying attention, she looked down and saw that the end of a strand of her hair had fallen into the soup next to her.
Then Xiang Yiye saw her take off her head of beautiful hair and put it on the table next to her, revealing a clean and bright bald head. She said towards the kitchen, “Aunt Yuan, is there any more soup? This bowl has hair in it, I can’t drink it.”
Gu Ying turned her head and saw the look of shock on Xiang Yiye’s face, and said, “Uh, well, what… don’t they say that a bald head is the highest standard for testing a beauty? I also wanted to test it. What do you think, does it suit me?”
Xiang Yiye didn’t quite understand, but tried to understand, saying, “It’s a different style, very unique.”
Gu Ying laughed heartily, “You believe that? I have leukemia.”
Xiang Yiye was shocked and looked away, saying, “Sorry, I didn’t know…”
Gu Ying saw his somewhat flustered look and said, “What’s there to be sorry about? I didn’t tell you either. And why are you looking away? Do you think this is ancient times? If you see a girl with a bald head, you have to marry her? But if you’re willing, and you can get past my dad, then sure, I don’t mind a May-December romance.”
Xiang Yiye immediately said, “Little Ying, you’re very beautiful and a very good person, but I’m sorry, I have someone I like.”
“Really not tempted?” Gu Ying said, “All my inheritance will be yours after I die.”
“You should focus on getting treatment, Little Ying. I hope you live a long and healthy life,” Xiang Yiye said seriously.
Gu Ying was stunned for a moment, then said, “You’re such a little prude, I was joking. I was testing you for my dad, to see if his students are morally upright.” After she finished speaking, she immediately shifted her interest and started gossiping about Xiang Yiye’s love life.
If Gu Wenyu hadn’t come out in time, Xiang Yiye’s orientation would have been exposed by her. Gu Wenyu presented a large calligraphy piece with the words “Mountains Stop, Rivers Flow,” the cursive script flowing and unrestrained.
As he was leaving, Xiang Yiye saw the way Gu Wenyu looked at Gu Ying, and realized that it was not only love and care, but also a hint of sadness and pity.