nucmednet Chapter 62, The Eve
Chapter 62, The Eve
April 21st, night.
Spring in Shanghai is coming to an end. The wind carries a damp warmth, and the leaves of the plane trees have turned from light green to dark green. The palm-sized leaves flutter in the wind under the streetlights, like a flock of butterflies that have lost their way.
Gao Huan leaned back on the sofa in the room, the laptop screen in front of him lit up, the document open, the script of "The Nameless" had been revised to the sixth draft.
He's been spending a lot of time on this movie script lately because if he stops, he'll start thinking about other things.
He thought about the way Nazha looked at him lately, about Meng Ziyi's unread voice message, about Chen Yao saying "I want to be your real girlfriend," and about Liu Shishi's heartbeat when she leaned against his chest in room 1003.
One after another, like ripples on the Seine, one circle barely dispersed before another begins.
My phone vibrated.
He picked it up to look at it. On WeChat, a red number was lit up in the upper right corner of Dudu's profile picture.
Dudu: [Huan-ge, are you asleep?]
Gao Huan's lips curled slightly as he typed.
Gao Huan: [No. Aren't you doing promotional work? Why aren't you resting so late?]
The other party replied instantly.
Dudu: [Just got back to the hotel, my legs are about to break.]
I ran three races today, one in Beijing and two in Tianjin. My butt hurts from sitting in the car so much.
Gao Huan: [Thank you for your hard work.]
Dudu: [Can you say a few more words?]
Gao Huan: [Thank you for your hard work, Dudu.]
The other end sent a long string of ellipses, followed by a cat rolling its eyes emoji.
Looking at the meme, Gao Huan recalled how she had spoken to him in the same tone on the set of "The Left Ear" last year. It was cautious, a little tentative, yet undeniably affectionate.
Back then, she wasn't "Dudu" yet; she was "Chen Duling," the girl in the crew who wore a school uniform and had a ponytail, and who would blush whenever she saw him.
Dudu: [Huan-ge, let me tell you, the entertainment industry is really too complicated.]
Gao Huan's fingers paused for a moment.
Gao Huan: [What's wrong?]
Dudu: [Today in Tianjin, a media outlet asked me, "You and Gao Huan get along so well on set, is there something special between you?"]
I was completely stunned and didn't know how to answer.
Gao Huan leaned back on the sofa and thought for a moment.
Gao Huan: [So what was your answer?]
Dudu: [I said, "We are very good friends, and he has taught me a lot."]
Gao Huan: [It's good.]
Dudu: [But I don't think the reporter is very satisfied.]
She later followed up with another question, "Do you still keep in touch privately?"
I said, "Yes, we are friends."
Then she wrote a bunch of things in her notebook, with a strange expression on her face.
Gao Huan: [That's how reporters are.]
If you don't say anything, they'll make it up.
They will take your words out of context.
So what they say isn't important; what's important is that you don't let them influence you.
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
Dudu: [Huan-ge, have you ever been asked this question before?]
Gao Huan: [Hmm.]
Dudu: [So what was your answer?]
As Gao Huan looked at the words, he recalled that a few days ago on the set of "Love O2O," a reporter asked him, "Do you still keep in touch with Chen Duling?" He replied, "Yes, she is a very good actress."
When asked by the reporter, "Is there any possibility that you two could develop into a romantic relationship?" he replied, "I'm focused on my work right now."
There was neither denial nor admission.
Ambiguous, just like him.
Gao Huan: [I said we're friends.]
Dudu: [And that's it?]
Gao Huan: [Then he started making things up himself.]
The other side sent another long string of ellipses, followed by a string of "hahaha".
Dudu: [You really are something else.]
Let me tell you, I encountered something even more outrageous today.
A reporter asked me, "Do you think Xu Yi is a scumbag?"
I said, "No, he's just a bit confused."
Then the reporter asked, "Do you think Gao Huan is a scumbag?"
I almost didn't react at first. Why would he ask such a question?
Gao Huan looked at the line of text, and the corners of his mouth curved up a little wider.
Gao Huan: [So what was your answer?]
Dudu: [I said, "Gao Huan is not Xu Yi, I have no comment."]
Gao Huan stared at the screen for two seconds.
Gao Huan: [You've grown up.]
Dudu: [What do you mean? Was I very young before?]
Gao Huan: [It is a little small, no, you wouldn't have answered like this before.]
Previously, you would most likely say "I don't know," then blush, and then run away.
There was a long silence on the other end.
Dudu: [You talk like you know me so well.]
Gao Huan: [We filmed one show, which took several months, what do you think?]
The other side fell silent again.
Gao Huan could see the words "The other party is typing" flashing and disappearing at the top of the chat box, flashing and disappearing repeatedly.
Finally, a line of text was sent.
Dudu: [Huan-ge, do you think I can handle the final press conference tomorrow?]
Gao Huan knew what she was worried about.
Tomorrow is the final press conference before the release of "The Left Ear". All the main creators will be there, and the media will be swarming in. The questions will be even more tricky than in the past few days.
As an actress who came from humble beginnings, it's normal for her to be nervous, as she had never experienced anything like this before.
Gao Huan: [Yes, you are stronger than you think.]
Dudu: [How did you know?]
Gao Huan: [Because I've seen you on set go through thirteen takes without breaking down.]
The other side sent three laughing emojis.
Dudu: [That time was because you were watching me. I don't get nervous when you're not around.]
As Gao Huan looked at those words, something inside her was gently touched—a slight swelling feeling, the kind of feeling that comes from knowing you're cared for.
Gao Huan: [Then tomorrow, pretend I'm watching you from the sidelines.]
Dudu: [You weren't even there.]
Gao Huan: [In my heart.]
The other side remained silent.
This silence lasted longer than before.
Then she sent a voice message.
Gao Huan clicked on it.
Her voice was soft and a little hoarse, as if she had just cried or was about to cry, but her tone was smiling.
"Brother Huan, you really are something else."
That was the last sentence; it wasn't finished.
Gao Huan listened to that sentence and repeated it three times.
Her voice echoed in the room, like a small, warm ripple, spreading out in circles, hitting the walls and bouncing back, bouncing back and spreading out in Nazha's ears.
Dudu: [The movie comes out on the 24th. Huan-ge, will you go see it?]
Gao Huan: [Yes.]
Because of the need to speed up the filming process of "Love O2O", Gao Huan was absent from all promotional activities for "The Left Ear", but his fans "Happy Star" have already generated 250 million yuan in pre-sale box office revenue.
Dudu: [Then you should tell me your thoughts after you watch it.]
Gao Huan: [Okay.]
Dudu: [Don't say "it's okay."]
Gao Huan was amused, but also surprised by Nazha's rapid progress in yoga.
Gao Huan: [Then what should I say?]
Dudu: [Says, "Dudu acted so well, I want to book the whole theater for her."]
Gao Huan: [Dudu acted so well, I want to book the whole theater for her.]
Dudu: [You said it, you can't go back on your word. I've already taken a screenshot.]
Gao Huan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
He remembered that Yangyang Jin had done something similar, taking screenshots of what he casually said and saving them, saying, "This is evidence."
Girls seem to like doing this kind of thing: capturing fleeting, potentially forgotten moments on their phones, like butterfly specimens, which won't fly away once framed.
Gao Huan: [No regrets.]
Dudu: [By the way, Huan-ge, the day after tomorrow is the 24th. Are you nervous?]
Gao Huan: [What are you so nervous about?]
Dudu: [You have another movie coming out. Aren't you nervous?]
Gao Huan thought for a moment.
Was he nervous? He recalled that when "The Coffin in the Mountain" was released last year, he shouted at the premiere that he had a small goal of 100 million yuan, which was taken as arrogance by reporters.
Later, the box office really did break 100 million, 200 million, and 500 million.
He wasn't nervous at that time because he was confident.
This time was no different; although fewer points were injected, it was still cheating.
He replied again: "A little."
Dudu: [Really? You get nervous too?]
Gao Huan: [I'm human too.]
Dudu: [I was way more nervous than you. I was so nervous last night that I dreamt everyone left the premiere and I was the only one left sitting on stage.]
Gao Huan: [And then?]
Dudu: [Then you came. You said, "Let's go, I'll take you home." And then I woke up.]
Gao Huan stared at the line of text, his fingers hovering over the keyboard for a long while.
He wanted to say, "Then I'll treat you to dinner," but he'd already said it. On the day filming wrapped on *The Left Ear*, she tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, then turned and walked away without looking back. Did he chase after her? No. He stood there, touching the spot where she'd kissed him; it was wet, he couldn't tell if it was from tears or the warmth of her lips.
Gao Huan: [Next time we meet, I'll take you home and we'll cook together.]
Dudu: [You said I wanted to drink your chicken soup again.]
Gao Huan: [Okay.]
Dudu: [You're not allowed to bring anyone else.]
Gao Huan's fingers paused for a moment.
Gao Huan: [Okay.]
The other side fell silent again.
Then a short message came through.
Dudu: [Huan-ge, I miss you.]
Gao Huan looked at the line of text but did not reply immediately.
He recalled the moment on the set of "The Left Ear" when she first said "I like you," her voice trembling like a reed bent by the wind.
He said, "We can date for half a month."
He finished filming in less than two weeks.
In the days that followed, she would occasionally send messages, saying things like, "The weather in Xiamen is so nice today," "I've been learning to swim lately," or "I saw a cat today that looks just like you." She never said, "I miss you."
I talked about it today.
Gao Huan: [I miss you too.]
The other party did not reply immediately.
About half a minute later, a message came in.
Dudu: [Goodnight, Huan-ge.]
Gao Huan: [Goodnight, Dudu.]
Gao Huan put his phone on the coffee table and leaned back on the sofa.
He misses her.
He imagined her biting her lip during a NG take on set, him holding a cup of milk tea and looking at him, and her hooking her little finger with his on the banks of the Seine, asking, "Will you miss me in the future?"
But he also knew that he wasn't just thinking about her.
He also thought about how Nazha's hair flew up when she danced, how Meng Ziyi smiled triumphantly when she left a lip print on his abs, and how Liu Shishi breathed softly when she leaned against his chest and said, "I don't seem to dislike you."
That's just the kind of person he is.
Because they lack love, they want whatever anyone gives them.
Like a tree with shallow roots, it stretches desperately in all directions, grasping at every bit of soil it can.
It wasn't greed, it was fear.
He was afraid that one day when the wind came, he wouldn't be able to stand steadily.
Gao Huan picked up his phone and sent a message to Yangyang Jinfa.
Gao Huan: [The movie "The Left Ear" is released on the 24th. Please book a screening for me. Give it to the people at my studio.]
Yangyang Jin replied instantly.
Yangyang Jin: [Okay, Huan-ge, what size bag?]
Gao Huan: [Central hall, about one hundred people.]
Yangyang Jin: [Okay. By the way, Huan-ge, should we get tickets for Xiao Zhang? She's all alone in Beijing right now, it's kind of lonely.]
Gao Huan thought for a moment.
Gao Huan: [Leave two photos for her; she might have friends coming over.]
Yangyang Jin: [Okay.]
Yangyang Jin posted another message.
Yangyang Jin: [Huan-ge, Xiao Zhang is studying really hard, do you want to talk to her?]
Gao Huan looked at the line of text and hesitated for a moment.
Gao Huan: [Tomorrow. It's too late today.]
Yangyang Jin: [Okay. Goodnight, Huan-ge.]
Gao Huan: [Good night.]
Gao Huan put her phone on the coffee table and turned off the light.
The room darkened, with only the light from outside seeping in through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a thin white line on the ceiling.
He closed his eyes.
The voice message Dudu had just sent was still in my mind—"Huan-ge, you really are something else."
He caught the half-sentence she didn't finish.
She wanted to say, "You are someone I really can't let go of."
But what she said was, "You really are something else."
He didn't say it out loud.
Some things, once spoken, can never be taken back.
He's not afraid of not being able to get it back. What he's afraid of is where to put it after he gets it back.
The wind blew in through the cracks in the window, causing the curtains to billow gently. The Oriental Pearl Tower in the distance was still flashing, one beat after another, like a heartbeat.
Gao Huan turned over and buried her face in the pillow.
The pillow smelled of laundry detergent, but it wasn't hers.
He thought, "The Left Ear will be released the day after tomorrow. She'll be on screen, wearing a school uniform, with her hair in a ponytail, and smiling sweetly."
He would be in the audience, watching her.
Not as Xu Yi, but as Gao Huan.
The person who knelt down to shield her from everyone's gaze when she had a nosebleed.
The person who said, "We can date for half a month."
The person who didn't try to stop her when she left.
Gao Huan kept his eyes closed, but the smile on his lips remained.
……
April 24th, Beijing.
The first day of the theatrical release of "The Left Ear".
Zhang Ruonan sat on the sofa in the apartment, hugging a cushion, staring at the television.
The television was off, the screen was black, reflecting her own face—small, with a pointed chin, and a faint bluish-gray tint under her eyes; she hadn't slept well last night.
She has been out of school for almost a month.
After returning from France in mid-March, she withdrew from her studies.
The counselor asked her, "Have you thought it through?" She said, "Yes, I have."
Her mother cried on the other end of the phone, saying, "You're not even going to university, what will you do in the future?"
She said, "Mom, I will take the entrance exam for Beijing Film Academy. It's an arrangement made by the company."
Her mother said, "Do you think you can just pass the exam whenever you want? The company told you to drop out, and you dropped out so quickly? Do you really have to go for the Beijing Film Academy?"
She didn't answer again, because she knew one thing.
If she hadn't dropped out of school, hadn't come to Beijing, and hadn't been closer to him, she might have remained just an ordinary girl scrolling through Weibo in Hangzhou for the rest of her life.
She didn't want that.