Crossover Actors - Chapter 4

Qu Yanting couldn’t remember the last time someone had called him “brother.” He stopped what he was doing and turned back, confirming, “What did you say?”

 

Lu Wen, trying to show sincerity and regain some face he had lost at the airport, said proactively, “There’s no need for secrecy in our film crew, right? My name is Lu Wen, and I play the male lead.”

 

Qu Yanting was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID “Teacher Zeng Zhen,” he frowned slightly.

 

Qu Yanting immediately swiped his card to open the door and walked into his room.

 

“Hey,” Lu Wen said, “you haven’t answered me yet.”

 

Bang, the door of room 6206 closed.

 

Lu Wen’s trailing voice was cut off, dissipating in the hallway. He stood there dumbfounded, feeling just like he did earlier that day, staring blankly at the exhaust of a Porsche.

 

“Are you kidding me?” He muttered to himself, “Well, anyway, I’ll find out during the script read-through tomorrow.”

 

Inside the room, Qu Yanting didn’t turn on the light. The flashing light from his phone screen was piercing in the darkness. He walked to the living room in the dark and sat on the sofa, letting the phone ring.

 

He timed it perfectly, waiting until the call was about to end before swiping to answer.

 

The surroundings were pitch black and silent. Zeng Zhen’s voice came through the phone, clear and resonant, his tone warm and affectionate: “Xiaoting, it’s Teacher. Were you already resting, is that why it took you so long to answer?”

 

Qu Yanting leaned against the sofa, holding the phone in his left hand while his right hand traced circles on the armrest. He said, “I’m sorry, Teacher. The phone was in the bedroom, and I didn’t hear it.”

 

Zeng Zhen chuckled, “No problem. I invited you to dinner at the beginning of the month, but you didn’t come. What have you been busy with lately?”

 

Qu Yanting replied, “I’ve been busy with a web series.”

 

Zeng Zhen sighed, seemingly helplessly, “You’re giving yourself a hard time. You could be making films, but you insist on doing a web series. Once you’ve made up your mind, no one can change it.”

 

“Teacher, thank you for your concern,” Qu Yanting said. “Thank you for being willing to guide me, but I want to try different things.”

 

Zeng Zhen asked, “Do you find me too meddlesome?”

 

The sound of Qu Yanting’s finger circling sped up, the friction heating his fingertips. He explained, “Teacher, please don’t take it the wrong way. This script was tough to write and isn’t ideal. I’m investing my own money and taking the risk myself, just treating it as a hobby.”

 

Zeng Zhen laughed again, “I’m just teasing you. Whether it’s a hobby or an experiment, I’m only giving you some advice.”

 

“Thank you, Teacher,” Qu Yanting said.

 

Zeng Zhen continued, “I played tennis with Director Zhang today. He mentioned your web series and said you asked him to review the script.”

 

Qu Yanting replied, “Yes, there were some parts that needed changes, but nothing major.”

 

“I heard about it,” Zeng Zhen said. “I figured you’d be joining the crew soon, so I called to ask you to come by before you leave.”

 

Qu Yanting said, “Sorry, Teacher. I’m already in Chongqing.”

 

“Really?” Zeng Zhen said, “Why the rush?”

 

Qu Yanting answered, “Handling things early minimizes the impact on filming. We’re starting in a couple of days, so I decided to come early.”

 

There was a ten-second silence on the phone before Zeng Zhen said, “Take care of yourself and don’t overwork.”

 

Qu Yanting’s fingers finally relaxed, his fingertips tingling as he stretched his hand flat. He responded, “You and Master take care too.”

 

After hanging up, Qu Yanting sat in the dark for a long time before getting up. He walked with light, agile steps like a cold, emotionless, nocturnal cat.

 

As he walked, he unbuttoned his shirt, then unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. Entering the bathroom, he threw his clothes, which smelled of hot pot, into the laundry basket. Only after his shower did he turn on the light.

 

Dressed in silk pajamas, Qu Yanting slipped into bed. He wasn’t sleepy despite not having any black coffee. He pulled his laptop onto his knees and typed the words “Script Revision Outline.”

 

The sound of typing and the ticking of the clock blended seamlessly, both unceasing.

 

The suite had five rooms in total. The bedroom curtains were not drawn, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the vast sky and the surging Jialing River.

 

The night, like a reverse ink painting, faded from pitch black to light gray as dawn approached.

 

Qu Yanting’s body, stiff from staying up all night, was sore and numb. He didn’t even have the strength to stretch. He closed the laptop, placed it beside his pillow, and slid under the covers to sleep.

 

He was slender yet proportionate, occupying half the bed. Lying on his side, his chin was tucked into the blanket.

 

In the hallway, Sun Xiaojian pressed the doorbell frantically, with the force of a police raid. The door suddenly opened, and Lu Wen, wrapped in a robe, looking both sleepy and furious, said, “It’s only 5:30. Going to the park to practice tai chi?”

 

Lu Wen had a notorious case of morning grouchiness. At its mildest, he’d grumble; at its worst, he’d throw a fit. Even in elementary school, it was so bad that the nanny never dared to wake him, often causing him to miss the first period and fall behind in his studies.

 

Sun Xiaojian entered without a change in expression, dragging three suitcases into the walk-in closet.

 

After hanging up three robes, he couldn’t help but stick his head out and say, “Superstar, including the one you’re wearing, you brought four robes?”

 

Lu Wen, lying on the bed, recited like a mantra, “Gray robe for waking up, black robe for nighttime, white robe for after a bath, and this one is for sleeping.”

 

“No wonder you’re a superstar,” Sun Xiaojian said. “You make something that can be done with a pair of boxers so complicated.”

 

After organizing the luggage, Sun Xiaojian went to the bathroom to run hot water and squeeze toothpaste. The script lay scattered on the ottoman at the foot of the bed, so he went to tidy it up, fanning Lu Wen’s feet in the process.

 

Lu Wen’s script was full of notes. Opening it, you’d find cartoon characters doodled on the blank spaces, with a note after the male lead’s name saying “the most handsome in the show.” One page even had all the periods blacked out.

 

Sun Xiaojian sighed, “We have a script read-through today. It wouldn’t be good for the director to see this.”

 

 

### Chapter 4

 

Lu Wen sat up, his robe slightly open, revealing the faint outlines of his abdominal muscles. He said, “Then I’ll sit at the back.”

 

“I came to wake you up at 5:30 just so you could sit at the back?” Sun Xiaojian sounded like a mom determined to get her son into Tsinghua University. “You’re the legitimate male lead. You need to showcase yourself more so Director Ren remembers you for the next project, understand?”

 

Lu Wen let out a cold laugh. He hadn’t seen his father in two months, not even a phone call. Even his own father couldn’t remember him, so how could he expect the director to?

 

But he did remember something and was no longer sleepy. He said, “Last night in the hallway, I ran into the guest staying across from me. Guess who it was?”

 

Sun Xiaojian guessed, “A beautiful woman.”

 

Lu Wen rolled his eyes, “It was the person Director Liu picked up at the airport yesterday.”

 

Sun Xiaojian was shocked, “What a coincidence!”

 

Lu Wen got up to wash, with Sun Xiaojian following him, asking, “What do they look like? Do they know who you are? What’s their name? Are they a celebrity? What role are they playing?”

 

It was like a complex math problem, and Lu Wen only knew the answer to the first question. He replied, “Looks… definitely not a nobody.”

 

“That’s it?” Sun Xiaojian asked, “You didn’t talk?”

 

Talking about this made Lu Wen angry, “I started the conversation, and he pretended not to hear.”

 

Sun Xiaojian asked, “Did you tell him you’re the male lead?”

 

“Of course I did,” Lu Wen said, “and then he went straight back to his room.”

 

Sun Xiaojian, with his strong sense of empathy, was indignant, “Ignore him. He’s probably someone with connections, who joined the crew with financial backing and thinks he’s something. You’re the male lead, who’s afraid of whom?”

 

With a toothbrush in his mouth, Lu Wen worried, “He won’t try to add scenes for himself, will he?”

 

“Don’t worry,” Sun Xiaojian said, “the head writer is the biggest investor and won’t allow that.”

 

Lu Wen sighed in relief, “The head writer is great.”

 

The script read-through was held at the hotel booked by the crew. Lu Wen left early and arrived before the other actors, with only the staff setting up name tags and bottled water in the conference room.

 

Read-throughs weren’t one-time events. They might happen multiple times during filming, sometimes reading the entire script, sometimes just a key scene, all depending on the director.

 

Lu Wen’s seat was close to the director. In school, he always sat in the back, slouching as he pleased. Now, he had to sit properly.

 

Actors arrived one by one, exchanging brief greetings, knowing there’d be plenty of time to socialize at the opening banquet. Several directors and the camera crew also arrived, filling the conference room. Ren Shu sat at the front.

 

Lu Wen’s gaze swept over everyone, three times in total, confirming that the man from room 6206 wasn’t there. Unless due to uncontrollable circumstances, attendance was mandatory, so he couldn’t be sleeping in his hotel room.

 

Unless his role didn’t require his participation.

 

Lu Wen thought, “Joined with backing just to be a minor character?”

 

Ren Shu spoke up, “Let’s start promptly.”

 

Lu Wen withdrew his gaze and opened his script—titled “The First Night.”

 

In the script, he played two roles, a pair of twins with contrasting personalities. The older brother, Ye Shan, was steady and introverted, while the younger brother, Ye Xiaowu, was reckless and mischievous. The brothers were opposites but complemented each other.

 

After their father’s death, their mother took Ye Shan and Ye Xiaowu to live in Chongqing. Though life was hard, the three supported each other. The story began in their senior year of high school and extended into college.

 

Lu Wen, a restless and impatient person, had finished reading the entire script in one go.

 

He felt a strong connection with Ye Xiaowu, in terms of personality, behavior, and even dreams.

 

He recalled the audition day. There were two scenes: one where Ye Xiaowu got caught skipping school and delivered a long, convoluted speech, testing his dialogue skills; and another where Ye Shan looked at a photo of their father, without any lines, testing pure acting.

 

For the first scene, he played it naturally. For the second, he pretended to look at a photo while thinking of his deceased mother, and muddled through Ye Shan’s part.

 

The read-through lasted all day, and everyone became increasingly fatigued. Lu Wen, reciting double the lines, lost his voice before noon.

 

During a break, Lu Wen closed the script and lay down on it, his eyes drooping, his gaze falling on the cover. Below the title “The First Night” was the name of the head writer—Qu Yanting—with numerous strokes forming the characters.

 

Swallows filled the courtyard, reading it conjured an image.

 

Lu Wen couldn’t resist drawing a small swallow next to “Qu Yanting.”

 

In the bedroom of suite 6206, Qu Yanting’s phone rang continuously. He was finally woken up, slowly turned over, and saw a faint light outside the window.

 

The persistent ringing made him frown in annoyance as he reached for his phone by the pillow.

 

The caller ID showed a single character: “Ruan.”

 

Seeing this, Qu Yanting’s frown relaxed. He propped himself up against the headboard, answered the call, and smiled gently as he heard the voice on the other end.

 

After listening to the chatter on the phone, he responded, “I miss you too. See you tomorrow.”

 

 

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燕落满庭 (Yàn luò mǎn tíng) Yan(swallow) from Qu Yanting’s name

 

“Swallows fill the courtyard” or “Swallows descending upon the courtyard.” It evokes a picturesque scene where swallows are gracefully flying or settling in a courtyard, often used to describe a serene and beautiful environment.