Immersed in the act - chapter 2

Jiang Jing and Zhou Qinghe tried for three days, but Director Li wasn’t satisfied, and his face got red day by day. Finally, his anger broke. With a swipe of a pen, he rented a small house with one bedroom and one living room in the filming location B, packed them in, and ordered them, “You two will live together here. Live like a lover. When you two find the feeling, we will start shooting!”

Jiang Jie, played by Jiang Jing, was a man who had been drifting north (m.no permanent residence) for several years, he had a good job and a woman. His boss exuded him, his work was robbed by his friend, his girlfriend abandoned him, and he got into a low point of his life. Just when he felt confused about his future, Wu Shuwen played by Zhou Qinghe appeared.

Wu Shuwen was a young man who just graduated. He was looking for a job to pursue his dream. He happened to meet Jiang Jie and wanted to find someone to share a room with him. So he moved in, and the two began to live together.

In the process of getting along, Jiang Jie drew a kind of precious tenacity from Wu Shuwen. He began to regain the upward vigor of the year and started to cheer up again. Wu Shuwen also got a lot of valuable experience and help from Jiang Jie. When he was lost, that mature man took care of him.  So the feelings arose, and the two were attracted to each other. Everything got better, Jiang Jie had found a good job again and Wu Shuwen’s dream had also come true. He could sing his favorite songs on stage. He wanted to clarify his feelings with Jiang Jie, but at that moment, he died in an accident. The feelings were left before they could be said. Many years later, Jiang Jie became a family man, took his children to see his old friend, and placed a bunch of lilies in front of Wu Shuwen’s grave.    

Director Li asked Jiang Jing and Zhou Qinghe to read the script every day and put themselves in it. At first, the two were awkward, but later they got better. The house they lived in was just as small as in the script. Director Li also found a guitar for Zhou Qinghe to let him feel Wu Shuwen’s dream. Jiang Jing and Zhou Qinghe lived in that small house. They cooked their own food. The two men went through a lot of hardships before they made something that could be palatable. They would eat together and watch TV under the guidance of Director Li’s remote monitoring, walk downstairs together to buy vegetables, take a shower and sleep together, and even give each other a goodnight kiss every night, just to cultivate the ambiguous atmosphere.     

In that place where they seem to be isolated from their original life and without a camera, they really become Jiang Jie and Wu Shuwen in the script. In the process of getting along, they found the meaning of life from each other and couldn’t look away. When Director Li was inspecting their work on a video, he happened to see Zhou Qinghe come out of the kitchen with vegetables. He looked at Jiang Jing with a smile in his eyes and said, “Come out for dinner.” 

Jiang Jing  immediately turned his head to him and answered, “Okay” A warm smile had subconsciously appeared on his face. Director Li looked at the eyes of the two and suddenly clapped his hands, “Okay, you are all ready. We can shoot.” Two months already passed.

This time the filming was exceptionally smooth, Jiang Jing and Zhou Qinghe were able to enter the scene very quickly, and each time they were able to get the shot right in one or two takes. Sometimes when watching the two of them talk and look at each other in the camera, everyone in the crew felt that they must be lovers who loved each other deeply. There was an inexplicable ambiguity surrounding them.

Even if they weren’t in their roles, Jiang Jing and Zhou Qinghe would also involuntarily look for each other. When their eyes meet, they smile, as if they relaxed. People in the crew  often saw them sit together reading the script and discussing the plot, sitting together for a meal, and after dinner, they also walked side by side. The feelings were good. They forgot the hardship of trying to fall in love.

The two protagonists were in good condition, and the shooting was faster than expected. Director Li was relieved and was worried again. He looked at the two getting along, and had an unpleasant feeling. “These two, are they immersed in the act?“

It was late in filming that day, and Zhou Qinghe fell asleep in the chair. Jiang Jing had another scene to film. When he came down to rest, he saw him like that. He shook his head, squatted, took off his shoes and socks, and brought him a blanket to cover him. His eyes were soft and gentle.

Director Li walked by with a cup of tea, and was startled. Then he touched his forehead, called Jiang Jing aside, and looked at him from head to toe.