DP Chapter 46
by VolareXiang Yiye felt that Tao Muya’s previous job was more stable. Xie’s is a large company with more intense competition. Tao Muya would have to start as an intern, with low wages and no security, not to mention being exploited.
Tao Muya insisted on going: “I just want to venture into a bigger place. Young people should dare to face challenges, as my brother said.” She often mentioned Tao Mujia’s words, making it seem as if he was still vividly alive.
Xiang Yiye stopped trying to dissuade her. Over the past few years, Tao Muya often shared her difficulties at school and work with him, seeking his advice, but he was, after all, not her brother.
After hanging up with Tao Muya, the agent called, excitedly telling Xiang Yiye that the movie “Barnyard Grass,” in which he starred last year, had been nominated for an international film festival.
From the afternoon onwards, his phone didn’t stop ringing. Friends and colleagues who knew the news sent Xiang Yiye their congratulations.
The agent worked quickly to adjust his schedule,Processing、Determine，Finished、Determine. Xiang Yiye and the “Barnyard Grass” crew flew abroad together.
Throughout the film festival, Xiang Yiye’s favorite part was watching the film with other audience members in the screening room.
As a member of the core creative team, he occupied the creator’s position, but sitting in the audience allowed him to see the audience’s reactions firsthand, which was a very rewarding experience.
“Barnyard Grass” centered on the decline of the Li family, a large feudal family during the Republic of China era, showcasing the joys and sorrows of the Li family’s descendants and the irreconcilable conflicts between them and their parents.
Xiang Yiye played Li Yaoting, the second young master of the Li family. Li Yaoting had an elder brother, so he didn’t need to bear the family business. The old master also pitied him for the early death of his birth mother, indulging him to the point of spoiling him. Therefore, Li Yaoting, in his youth, caught fish, shot birds, and removed tiles from the roof. As he grew older, he frequented brothels and supported actors, a complete and utter A playboy.
If Li Yaoting had relied on his ancestors’ legacy and lived his life muddleheadedly, it would have been fine. But when he turned twenty, his elder brother died unexpectedly, and the responsibility of carrying forward the family business and continuing the family line fell on him.
Li Yaoting insisted on being rebellious to the end. He insisted on attending military school and becoming a soldier, favored the sensitive and taciturn He Baopu, a family servant who grew up with him, and even wanted to escape the Li family with him. In the end, he was trapped in place by the old master through both soft and hard tactics, becoming a caged bird.
Before his condition became terminal, the old master secretly poisoned He Baopu’s food. Although it didn’t cause death, it made Li Yaoting hate his father even more.
The old master valued the family line. Li Yaoting was forced to start a family but secretly adopted a boy who had no Li family blood as his son, preparing to tell the old master the truth before he died. In the end, he still softened and concealed it, acting as the only filial son at the grand funeral.
As the film neared its end, Li Yaoting was over fifty years old, with few close people around him. He donated the family business and went alone to an ancient temple in the deep mountains to become a monk.
There were occasional sighs from the audience, mostly from Chinese viewers. Xiang Yiye was also seeing the finished film for the first time and felt that the effect exceeded expectations.
His gaze was forward, not noticing that there was someone in the darkness behind him, watching the screen while also watching him.
In the evening, the film festival’s organizing committee held a reception, and Xiang Yiye chatted with a film critic and found they were very compatible.
The film critic was an American with blue eyes and brown hair who had some understanding of Chinese culture. He said, “There is a hint of patricide in ‘Barnyard Grass,’ mainly reflected in Li. He could have escaped the family and won over his father, but he compromised again and again, and in the end, even gave up telling the truth.”
Xiang Yiye asked, “Do you think the old master won?”
The film critic said, “Yes. Except for finally entering Buddhism, Li lived his life according to his father’s plan, didn’t he?”
Xiang Yiye said, “I don’t think anyone won. Only time won.” Li Yaoting devoted his life, and the Li family did not continue as the old master had wanted. In this war between father and son, no one got what they wanted.
The film critic was thoughtful and said, “Or perhaps… only fate won?”
They then branched out and talked about other things. Gu Ying’s script had already found investors and had just been approved. The director and other key members were also almost finalized and were about to enter the preparation stage, but they had not yet found a suitable artistic director.
The film critic was very interested in Gu Ying’s story and said that he knew some friends who might be able to brainstorm and provide suitable candidates together.
Then he looked around and waved to the other end of the long table filled with wine glasses and candlesticks: “Xu!”
Xiang Yiye looked into the distance and saw a person in a white shirt and a dark blue suit vest, holding a wine glass in his hand, slowly strolling over.
Compared to four years ago, Xu Chuo was too thin, almost to the point of looking gaunt.
The surrounding noise faded away, and past memories flooded into his mind, frozen at this moment by Xiang Yiye himself.
The film critic was about to speak when Xu Chuo said, “No need to introduce us, Ken, we know each other.” Saying that, he took a glass of champagne from the table, handed it to Xiang Yiye, and said in Chinese, “Xiang Yiye, long time no see.”
The liquid in the glass lightly shook. Xiang Yiye avoided the stem in the middle, pinched the base of the glass, took it, and took a sip. He politely raised his glass and responded in Chinese, “Hope you’ve been well, Xu Chuo.”
Knowing that they had known each other for a long time, Ken seemed even more excited than they were and even showed off his out-of-tune Chinese: “Xu, is this what you said before… meeting an old friend in a foreign land? Shouldn’t you give each other a hug?”
Xiang Yiye politely declined: “That’s not really in line with Chinese customs.”
“If I hugged him, his fans would tear me apart,” Xu Chuo laughed, gently touching Xiang Yiye’s glass. “The brooch you wore on the red carpet this morning was very beautiful.”
At the film festival’s opening, he wore a Dress to walk the red carpet and accepted photos from the media. The brooch was a white camellia inlaid with pearls.
Ken’s wife also had research on jewelry. He asked what kind of brooch it was.
“Just an accessory, provided by the brand,” Xiang Yiye said lightly. As he spoke, he saw Yu Le, another star of the movie, nearby and greeted him.
Yu Le walked over, and Ken quickly recognized him as the actor who played He Baopu in “Barnyard Grass.”
He Baopu came from a scholarly family. He was abducted to another place at the age of nine, wandered into the Li family, and worked as a family servant for more than twenty years, always wanting to find his relatives and return to his hometown. He and Xiang Yiye, who played Li Yaoting, were childhood sweethearts and had a deep emotional connection.
After a while, the director also came over, and the topic quickly shifted to him and Yu Le.
Ken asked them which scene was the most difficult and, not afraid of a lively situation, asked the director if Xiang Yiye acted better or Yu Le acted better, saying that they couldn’t both be good.
The director seriously played dumb, and Yu Le and Xiang Yiye modestly deferred to each other.
They discussed in a harmonious manner, and Xu Chuo couldn’t get a word in. He held his wine glass and drank by himself, occasionally looking up at Xiang Yiye.
Several years had passed, and the boyishness in Xiang Yiye had faded a little. His temperament had become more reserved and stern, like pebbles lying at the bottom of a stream gradually being washed into angular shapes. Only when he stood next to his colleagues did his expression shed its indifference and formality, and restore the vividness in his memory.
However, that vividness was no longer for him, Xu Chuo thought.
As the reception was about to end, Xiang Yiye didn’t even say goodbye, just nodded to Xu Chuo, turned around, and left the hall with his colleagues, laughing and talking.
Xu Chuo took out his phone to call the driver, asking him to drive the car to the door.
Xiang Yiye did not return to the hotel immediately, but changed his outfit, called the accompanying photographer, and took a set of street photos to use for publicity after returning home.
Yu Le also followed along. He had a youthful appearance and a lively personality, and often came over, putting his arms around Xiang Yiye’s shoulders to take group photos.
Relying on the fact that pedestrians on the street couldn’t understand Chinese, Yu Le recklessly rampaged: “No way, Teacher Xiang, we’ve even filmed scenes of rolling around in bed, and you’re still so shy…”
He said it exaggeratedly. The fact was that the intimate scenes between the two in “Barnyard Grass” were implicit and far from rolling around. The surrounding photographers and others had expressions they couldn’t bear to look at.
Yu Le said, “But promoting a CP like this seems more real. Male-male CPs are very popular. Teacher Xiang, your popularity is so high, give me a little bit, no objections, right?”
Xiang Yiye said, “Easy to say, Teacher Yu, as long as you don’t come back later with the CP fans extracting purity and stepping back on me.”
Yu Le opened his mouth and laughed: “How could that be…”
Xiang Yiye turned his head and saw the car driving slowly on the side of the street, seemingly having followed them for a long time. The back car window was half-open, and a figure was hidden in the darkness.
“Let’s finish the shoot early and go back to rest. Everyone has been busy all day,” Xiang Yiye urged.
Xu Chuo had been following them, following them to the hotel where Xiang Yiye was staying. Along the way, others also noticed that they were being followed and wanted to come over to ask, but Xiang Yiye pulled them back.
Xiang Yiye didn’t see clearly who was sitting in the car, nor was he interested in knowing. After returning home, various interviews poured in. After “Barnyard Grass” was released in Taiwan, he had to rush to attend the premiere.
When he had free time, he recalled that he had met Xu Chuo abroad a few months ago, but it was just a leaf falling on the water, lightly skimming past.
After that, several well-known domestic directors sent Xiang Yiye scripts, but he wanted to focus on Gu Ying’s script first.
After Gu Ying’s death, she and her works received a lot of attention, especially her posthumous work that was currently in preparation. Currently, actors were being publicly selected inside and outside the industry. Xiang Yiye had participated in several auditions and was one of the main candidates.
After “Barnyard Grass” was nominated for an international film festival, gossip spread that Xiang Yiye was about to play the male lead in Gu Ying’s posthumous work. It was unknown if the entertainment accounts were trying to set the rhythm, but Xiang Yiye himself had not received definite news.
Public opinion initially stood on his side, saying that he had solid acting skills and that it was the popular opinion that he should play the role. But soon, a large number of press releases came out, revealing that he was a closed disciple of Gu Wenyu, and that it was impossible for this role to be given to anyone else from the beginning. The wind direction suddenly changed again, and fan fights could always be seen on Weibo.
Xiang Yiye didn’t have that deep of an obsession about whether he could play the role. He didn’t lack resources and hoped to see Gu Ying’s script be properly produced.
Gu Wenyu had said to Gu Ying in front of her sickbed that he would help her oversee every aspect of the production.
Gu Ying’s script involved the private affairs of some relatives in the family. When she wrote it, the relatives had a lot of opinions. Gu Wenyu was not very supportive at the time, but after his daughter’s death, he resisted the pressure from his family, invested his own money to gather people, and also agreed to play an important role in it.
Xiang Yiye also wanted to contribute, so in addition to auditioning, he also paid close attention to various preparatory works.