The day before the second episode started, Oliver Yuan went to the city where they were filming. Their second location was to go to Inner Mongolia, to the grasslands.
After getting off the plane, Oliver Yuan dragged his suitcase directly to the crew, which was in a village more than 100 kilometers away from the city. On the way, the taxi driver kept telling him about the stars who came to film this time. It was rare to see such a large number of people in such a small place. The driver asked Oliver Yuan what he was doing here. Oliver Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I'm here to do odd jobs."
The driver looked at Oliver Yuan in the rearview mirror, shook his head and said, "You don't look like that. You look good, and you look like you're here to film a movie."
Oliver Yuan smiled and said, "No, I hate cameras."
Lucas Fang had to go out to record the show, so he had to catch up with the progress of the rest of the crew in advance. Sometimes he had to shoot day and night, and the people who acted with him had to catch up too. Everyone was very tired. It was precisely because this person was Lucas Fang, and his identity was there, no matter whether others had any thoughts in their hearts, they would not show it on the surface.
When Oliver Yuan arrived, Lucas Fang was sitting next to the director, watching the playback on the monitor. The director was explaining the scene to a young actor, and Lucas Fang sat there silently, listening and drinking hot water.
"You have to get your emotions together and cry when you need to. No one can face this kind of scene - your relatives and friends die one by one in front of you - it's impossible not to cry in this kind of scene," said the director.
The young actor is a newcomer who was chosen by Director Xin to film a movie for the first time. He is a little confused about the character he is playing.
The director told him: "Although he is a dull person who is not good at expressing emotions, this does not mean that he is cold-blooded and indifferent. He cannot face everything with the same face."
The young actor nodded, as if he had heard it. He looked a little embarrassed and smiled awkwardly: "Director, I'm afraid I can't cry."
The director had a serious expression and frowned as he said to him, "You have to cry. If you can't cry in this kind of scene, you'd better not do the film. This is not about love, this is about life and death. Your whole family died in front of you, and you say you can't cry? Then you are just you, not the character in the play."
Oliver Yuan had actually been here for a while. He was standing not far behind them, but he didn't walk over or say anything. He sat on his suitcase, with his legs propped up on the ground, listening to the director's instructions. He actually wanted to hear Lucas Fang's words, but Lucas Fang simply didn't say a word while holding a hot water cup. Oliver Yuan used to love listening to Lucas Fang's words and watching him film.
Some people are born to do this job. As long as they are in the play, they are shining and charming. Lucas Fang is such a person.
The young actor left, and the director watched the monitor playback again and asked Lucas Fang: "What do you think?"
Lucas Fang said nothing, but just shook his head slightly.
The director sighed, smiled helplessly and said, "Just work it out slowly. His image is too good, but he just can't act."
Lucas Fang also laughed: "There is no actor that Director Xin can't train. There is no one who can't act here."
The director shook his head and said, "That's true. I can shoot anyone in a year. But it takes too much time. I have to polish it together. There are only new actors who can be polished. There are only one or two people who can't act. Who do you let polish it with? Yaohua was so embarrassed just now."
Lucas Fang didn't say much, and took another sip of water to moisten his throat. He lowered his eyes and said, "Everyone has this stage, and everyone gets through it this way."
Oliver Yuan smiled silently in the back. Lucas Fang is still Lucas Fang. People have different backgrounds, different mindsets, and different attitudes. Although Lucas Fang is a big star, he never shows off his status in the crew. He doesn't talk much, but it's not because he looks down on anyone. He just doesn't like to talk much. As long as the young actors come to ask him something, he can tell them.
This may seem simple, but it is rare in this circle. This is the most realistic circle, where people flatter the powerful and trample on the weak, and rely on their status and resources to speak. Lucas Fang may seem distant because his expression is always cold and indifferent, but he does not put on airs, nor does he disdain to trample on anyone, and he will never put on an attitude of looking down on others from a high place.
They are all movie emperors, but there is a gap in character between them.
Later, it was Ji Mia Xiao who saw Oliver Yuan first. He had just gone to get medicine for Lucas Fang and went out of the village to buy some things. He also bought a bowl of soup for Lucas Fang and also brought some for the director, producer, and photography director.
He was a little surprised to see Oliver Yuan and called out, "Brother Ye?"
Lucas Fang and the director both turned around. Oliver Yuan smiled and raised his arm at them. He asked Ji Mia Xiao, "Can you not raise your voice so loudly every time you see me?"
"I couldn't control myself," Ji Mia Xiao went over to share the soup and cakes he brought for the director and the others, then asked Oliver Yuan in a low voice, "How did you get here, Brother Ye? Call me and I'll pick you up!"
Oliver Yuan said, "No, I'll just take a taxi and come. I have to record again tomorrow anyway, so I'll come a day earlier and wait."
Lucas Fang just looked back at him twice, but did not stand up and walk over. He continued to sit next to the director and talk. The director was drinking soup and talking, Lucas Fang nodded and continued his talk.
Lucas Fang didn't come over until they finished talking about the play. After not seeing each other for a week, he didn't seem excited to see Oliver Yuan, and his face didn't show any unnecessary expression. Ji Mia Xiao handed him the thermos, which was still steaming when he opened it. The director and his friends all had ordinary lunch boxes, but Lucas Fang brought his own lunch box.
The two of them didn't talk to each other, and Ji Mia Xiao felt a little awkward. He asked Oliver Yuan, "Brother Ye, have you eaten yet? How about you eat some bread? He has a cold, so he wants to drink some soup to help him sweat."
Oliver Yuan nodded and said, "I've eaten, don't worry about me."
Ji Mia Xiao said again: "Brother Ye, give me your things and I will arrange a room for you."
Oliver Yuan glanced at Lucas Fang. He really had a cold, and his nose was a little red. He asked Ji Mia Xiao: "Are you staying here tonight?"
"Well, I've always lived in the village. It's too far from the city, so I won't bother going there anymore."
Oliver Yuan gave him the suitcase and Ji Mia Xiao took it. Oliver Yuan had nothing in his hands, so he stood aside and watched Lucas Fang drink the soup.
The scene was a bit funny, all three of them were standing, but no one was talking. Ji Mia Xiao occasionally said a few words, and the other two hardly even looked at each other. Oliver Yuan didn't know what he was doing here. He didn't think too much before coming here. Anyway, he had to record the show tomorrow, and he couldn't come from two places every time. Since he was acting, he had to act more realistically. But now that he was standing with Lucas Fang, he felt that he shouldn't have come here.
With the camera in front of them, they can still talk. Without the camera, they have nothing to say.
Lucas Fang only drank half of the pot of soup. He had already drunk two cups of hot water before. He really couldn't drink any more and filled his stomach with water. That afternoon, Lucas Fang filmed when he had scenes to watch, and went to sleep in the car when he didn't. Oliver Yuan squatted next to the director and listened to him and the screenwriter arguing. He had met this director before. Oliver Yuan had followed the crew when Lucas Fang filmed his scenes before. He was quite familiar with this director and the screenwriter.
The two of them held their own opinions, discussing whether the third male lead should die or not. Oliver Yuan squatted beside them smoking, passing them a cigarette from time to time, and he found it quite interesting.
"Xiao Yuan, tell me something." The director suddenly called him. Oliver Yuan was stunned and laughed: "What am I talking about? I haven't even read the script. I don't even know the background."
Director Xin looked at him, raised his eyebrows in dissatisfaction: "Aren't you always the first one to read the script for Lucas Fang's plays? What are you afraid of? Tell me, I want to hear what you think."
Oliver Yuan paused for a moment while exhaling cigarettes, then shook his head and said seriously: "Director Xin, I really haven't seen this."
Lucas Fang's last collaboration with Director Xin was four years ago. At that time, they had to polish the scenes and modify the scripts on site every day. Oliver Yuan participated in most of the time. He and the director often had the same ideas and often argued with the screenwriter. Oliver Yuan was straightforward and said what he thought, not afraid of offending others.
The screenwriter teacher laughed at the side: "Hey, you two, please stop fooling around. I think you two are not getting along. Just be nice and don't do anything weird."
The people in this circle are all shrewd. Those who don't know what's going on can't survive in this circle. Lucas Fang's work schedule this year is so tight that he doesn't have a single day off. He lives on the set and never goes home. Oliver Yuan doesn't come to visit him.
Director Xin and screenwriter Liu are a close partner, and have been working together for nearly 20 years. Lucas Fang's father has a close relationship with them, so whether it is from Fang Han's side or Lucas Fang himself, these senior screenwriters and directors look at Lucas Fang and Oliver Yuan like an elder looking at a nephew. They dare to say that if it were another young couple, they would not say a word.
Oliver Yuan nodded, said, "I'm listening! Teacher Liu!"
The director smiled and said to him: "Teacher Liu is doing this for your own good, don't be annoyed."
"No, no," Oliver Yuan shook his head quickly, "How is that possible?"
Ji Mia Xiao put Oliver Yuan's stuff in another room next to the room they lived in, in a courtyard, but the other room was only for storing things, there was no bed. Usually he and Lucas Fang each had a single bed, but tonight he gave the bed to Oliver Yuan and went to squeeze into someone else's room.
Oliver Yuan looked at the two rooms and said nothing more. He couldn't go out and sleep with others. If people knew about it, they might say that his assistant had taken over and squeezed him out. Then don't be so hypocritical and say you're going back to live in the city. You've already done something. Everyone is tired. Don't mess around now.
So Oliver Yuan nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Mia Xiao."
At night, Lucas Fang and Oliver Yuan lay on their own bed, neither of them saying a word. Oliver Yuan could hear Lucas Fang coughing in a muffled voice, and his voice became hoarse after coughing for so long.
Oliver Yuan took out his cell phone and sent a WeChat message to Ji Mia Xiao: Did he take his medicine at night?
Ji Mia Xiao replied to him: I gave it to him, but I don’t know whether he ate it or not!
Ji Mia Xiao: Otherwise you can ask him!
Oliver Yuan replied: Yeah.
Oliver Yuan put his phone down and stuffed it under his pillow. He turned over and faced the wall, not looking at Lucas Fang. He cleared his throat and said, "Brother Yi, did you forget to take your medicine?"
"I ate." Lucas Fang spoke after a few seconds, and asked him in a hoarse voice, "Did I disturb you to rest?"
Oliver Yuan frowned in the dark, put his arm over his head and said, "No, I just feel that you are uncomfortable."
After that, the room fell into silence. No one spoke or coughed. Oliver Yuan could not hear Lucas Fang coughing. He wanted to turn over, but he felt that it was too quiet now and turning over would make too much noise.
After a long time, or maybe it felt like a long time but was actually only a few minutes, Oliver Yuan heard Lucas Fang speak again. His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of mockery in it, and in such darkness, it could wear away a layer of heart like sandpaper through the ears--- "Can you still feel whether I am in pain or not?"
"Can you?"
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