Chapter 27 He could even fall for Jing Yitong, for…
Fang Xin's heart pounded as he made his bold guess. This was a thought he had never dared to have before, after all, he had always thought, how could Jing Yitong possibly like him?
Even he himself had to admit that Jing Yitong had always taken good care of him as a younger brother since childhood. Although there was no blood relation between them, their relationship was probably deeper than that between biological brothers.
But Jing Yitong's words were too suggestive. People only crave more time and space alone with someone they deeply value or like. Fang Xingu understood this perfectly, because that was what he had just been thinking: if only there were no one else on this trip, only him and Jing Yitong.
Fang Xin stared intently at Jing Yitong, wondering if he might actually hit the jackpot and find that Jing Yitong liked him too, even if only a little.
He could fall for Jing Yitong, so why couldn't Jing Yitong fall for him?
This also explains why Jing Yitong is always different in front of him. Perhaps it's not because Jing Yitong treats him like a younger brother, but because... he likes him?
Fang Xin kept recalling the clues from the past, but in fact he could not deduce many details, because at the important juncture of high school, they took two completely different paths.
Jing Yitong took the art exam, starting intensive training in his second year of high school and only returning to school in the second semester of his third year to catch up on his academic subjects. Fang Xingu was a year younger than him, and he chose the traditional college entrance exam route, crossing the single-plank bridge with thousands of other high school students, spending his days and nights in the classroom.
In college, life was relatively freer, but Jing Yi went to study in Beijing, while Fang Xin stayed in Shanghai. The two places were more than a thousand kilometers apart. It wasn't that far, as it only took a few hours by high-speed rail or plane, but they still couldn't be together all the time.
At that time, Fang Xin had already realized that his feelings for Jing Yitong seemed to be different, and he also cautiously reduced his contact with Jing Yitong.
Jing Yitong, on the other hand, seemed to treat Fang Xin as no different from before, and would sometimes invite Fang Xin to visit the film set, but Fang Xin did not visit very often.
After going through many twists and turns, although they still ended up in the same circle, their work interactions became strangely close to zero. Most of their contact came from holidays when they returned to Jiangcheng, but they would soon go their separate ways again.
Fang Xingu was thinking quite seriously, but his gaze remained fixed on Jing Yitong. Jing Yitong felt uneasy under his gaze and a sudden, inexplicable tension rose within him. He raised his hand and turned Fang Xingu's face towards him: "What are you daydreaming about? Watch the movie properly."
Fang Xingu's head was forced to turn ninety degrees before he realized that he had been daydreaming for so long. Looking at Jing Yitong, the person he had imagined, he felt a little embarrassed and replied dryly, as if he had been caught doing something wrong, "Oh, okay."
He tried to turn his attention back to "The Polar Messenger," but his mind was a complete mess and he couldn't concentrate no matter what he did.
He was afraid that he was just imagining things, but he was even more afraid that he was underestimating the person he liked and would miss out on the opportunity.
Sitting next to him, Jing Yitong was clearly not having an easy time either. Whenever Fang Xin turned his head, he could see Jing Yitong's hands nervously and forcefully pressed against his legs.
Did his probing just now scare Fang Xingu?
Recalling the strange expression on Fang Xingu's face just now, Jing Yitong couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was never indecisive and always made decisions decisively, but when it came to matters of the heart, he lost his usual decisiveness and became hesitant and indecisive.
Because the person he likes is Fang Xingu, who has treated him like an older brother since childhood, and what's more, Fang Xingu likes girls. He knows very well that once he confesses his feelings, the result may be that the two of them can't even be friends anymore.
Both of them had their own ulterior motives, and they didn't know how much of the movie they watched. Fortunately, they were both very familiar with this classic romance film, and they knew the plot even without thinking.
Winnie, the female lead in "The Polar Messenger," is a photographer who, on her way to Antarctica to photograph birds, encounters Abel, the male lead, who is on his way to report to an Antarctic research station.
Abel is a scientist who is quickly attracted to Winnie's carefree, optimistic, and romantic personality. Winnie also develops feelings for Abel's calm and reserved nature, and the two soon fall in love.
However, Abel needed to be stationed in Antarctica for long-term scientific research, while Winnie preferred to track bird tracks around the world. The two, with completely opposite personalities and work, eventually had an irreconcilable conflict, which ended with Winnie leaving Antarctica.
From then on, Abel resumed his monotonous and routine life. This uninteresting man remained rigorous and serious in his scientific research, but a trace of nostalgia would often appear on his numb face, and he would often stare blankly at a bird necklace—a gift from Winnie.
Just as the long polar night in Antarctica was about to begin, Abel needed to stay at the research station to spend the winter. That day, he received a letter from Kenya. He opened the letter as if he had a premonition, and found that the sender was indeed Winnie. The letter also included several photos of birds that Abel had never seen before, all of which Winnie had taken herself.
Even through the words, Abel could almost see Winnie's bright eyes as she took these photos, just like always.
As the polar night descended and darkness slowly fell, Abel's heart shone with light.
As the polar night passed and a sliver of light appeared in Antarctica, Abel went out to greet the first supply ship. But to his surprise, the first person he saw was Winnie, who was standing on the deck waving to him.
The story itself is not particularly complex, but it has become a classic, mainly due to the excellent acting of the two lead actors and the masterful cinematography of director Landot. Whether it is the emotional changes between the male and female leads or the mysterious and beautiful scenery of Antarctica, everything is vividly portrayed under his lens.
As the movie ended, perhaps because Jing Yitong was beside him, Fang Xingu's focus after watching "The Polar Messenger" turned to a strange angle: "Don't you think foreigners are just more open-minded? Winnie and Abel got together after knowing each other for only four or five days." He and Jing Yitong had known each other for twenty-four or twenty-five years, and they still might not have a happy ending.
Jing Yitong pondered for a moment and said, "This doesn't discriminate based on nationality, does it? Perhaps when feelings are right, things will naturally fall into place?"
Fang Xin felt a pang of jealousy, thinking, "Could you give me a chance, so we can naturally become a couple?"
However, he never had a good feeling about Winnie and Abel's relationship: "Although it's an open ending, I don't think they'll necessarily have a happy ending. Their personalities are too different. Although they can complement each other, their work conflicts are irreconcilable."
Winnie's free-spirited nature, in particular, destined her to wander and explore forever, making it impossible for her to stay in one harbor.
Jing Yitong had a different view: "Actually, it was Abel who changed more in this relationship. Although Winnie went to Antarctica to find him in the end, I think if these two were to have an ending, it would definitely be Abel following in Winnie's footsteps and leaving his comfort zone."
Although they disagreed, they both found the exchange quite interesting. In the end, Fang Xingu remarked, "Could you put in a little more effort and try directing a movie by director Landot in the future?"
"...We were talking so well, why did you provoke me?" Jing Yitong said with a smile. "Well, that's difficult. Director Landot is in poor health and has already retired."
Although Fang Xingu liked "Polar Messenger," he didn't really pay much attention to these kinds of things, let alone foreign entertainment. He said with some regret, "Okay."
It was lunchtime, so the two went to a restaurant for dinner. This time they went to the à la carte restaurant on the fourth floor. The environment there was quieter than the buffet restaurant they had been to before. But because of this, considering that there would always be noise while they were filming the show, they had been eating in the restaurant on the second floor before.
Perhaps because most of the passengers were still in bed and couldn't get up, and it was getting late, the only two people dining in the entire restaurant were them.
But the service on board was still excellent. A melodious piano tune came from the restaurant. Fang Xin looked in the direction of the sound and found a staff member sitting in front of the grand piano in the center of the restaurant playing.
The deep, melodious tune echoed in the restaurant. When the piece ended, Fang Xin Gu and Jing Yi Tong applauded the performer, who smiled and bowed slightly to the only two listeners before sitting down to continue playing.
The two looked away, and Jing Yitong sighed, "I've almost forgotten how to play the piano."
Fang Xin Gu and Jing Yi Tong learned piano together when they were young, but Jing Yi Tong only learned it casually as a hobby to accompany Fang Xin Gu. Later, as his studies became more demanding, he stopped touching it. After he became an adult and started acting, he never touched the piano again, naturally forgetting everything he had learned before.
Fang Xingu teased him, "You probably can't even play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' anymore."
Jing Yitong tapped the table: "You're underestimating me a bit. I can still play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'."
Seeing Fang Xin's ambiguous smile, clearly indicating his disbelief, Jing Yitong simply stood up, walked to the piano, and exchanged a few words with the performer. The performer stood up with a smile and gave his seat to Jing Yitong.
Fang Xin said that Jing Yitong couldn't even play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," which is indeed a bit of an exaggeration. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is a must-learn piece for piano beginners, and Jing Yitong is no exception. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" was the first piece he learned. Although he hadn't played it for many years, he could still play it by relying on muscle memory.
Jing Yitong pressed the piano keys and smoothly played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." He then proudly gave Fang Xingu a simplified version of the prince's salute.
Fang Xingu found it both funny and speechless. He walked over to Jing Yitong and said, "Luckily, there are only two of us tourists here. Otherwise, if others saw you taking the performer's spot, they would think you were a piano master about to unleash your ultimate move, but you just played 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' instead."
"What's wrong with 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'? It's suitable for all ages," Jing Yitong said, trying to sound serious, but he couldn't help but burst out laughing. "If there wasn't no one else here, would I have the nerve to come out and embarrass myself?"
Fang Xin sat down casually below the stage, but still looked up and gave Jing Yi a thumbs up: "At least you can still play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' which is commendable."
Jing Yitong seemed emboldened by his praise: "Teacher Fang, please request a song, and I'll show you another one."
"I advise you to quit while you're ahead."
Jing Yitong simply gestured, urging Fang Xingu to quickly choose a song. Fang Xingu pondered for a while, not wanting to make things too difficult for Jing Yitong, and hesitantly asked, "Can you still play 'Wild Rose'?"
“Wild Rose…” Jing Yitong’s eyelids flickered slightly. “I think I haven’t forgotten it. I’ll give it a try.”
Jing Yitong closed his eyes and pondered for a while. Memories of "Wild Rose" flooded his mind like a tide, and his fingertips quickly flowed out a light and cheerful melody on the piano keys.
This is Schubert's composition for Goethe's "Wild Rose," a light and lively melody that has become widely popular.
Ke Jingyi's rendition of "Wild Rose" seems to differ somewhat from the original. The structure is more complex and the rhythm is faster, which results in a greater difficulty in playing the piece, even though the musical layers are indeed richer.
Jing Yitong hadn't played the piano in a long time, and he struggled with the complex parts in the middle, making a few mistakes in his haste.
Just then, a pair of slender, fair hands reached out from the side and took over some of the high notes that Jing Yitong couldn't reach. The performance, which was originally a bit strained, became much easier with the help of these hands.
When Jing Yitong saw the hands, he was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized what was happening. His smile widened, and he even moved aside on the piano bench to give the "kind person" who had offered his help a more spacious area.
Seeing this, Fang Xingu, the "kind-hearted person," smiled helplessly and eventually sat down next to him.
This unique version of "Wild Rose" was adapted by Fang Xin, but he was still young at the time and had a shallow understanding of music. He adapted "Wild Rose" purely to show off his skills to his mother.
But this level of arrangement was hardly pleasing to his professional violinist mother. Ying Zhen immediately understood Xiao Fang's thoughts and gave him a good scolding, criticizing him for being too eager for quick success.
Fang Xingu was unconvinced at the time, but after being exposed to more musical works, he realized that no matter what form of music it is, technology is just a means of expressing emotions. No matter how good or top-notch the technology is, it is only to better express the emotions behind the music, and it can never supersede the expression of emotions.
It was only then that Fang Xingu realized how immature his previous adaptations were, and that simply showing off his skills wasn't enough to become a Liszt. For many years afterward, he was too embarrassed to look back at his earlier works.
However, he was indeed proud after he finished adapting "Wild Rose" at the beginning, and even dragged Jing Yi along to sing the song he had adapted.
However, for Jing Yitong at that time, such a complicated musical score was indeed very difficult to play, so Fang Xingu simply changed it to a four-hand version, and the two little ones often got together to play it for fun.
So when Jing Yitong asked him to choose a song, he immediately thought of "Wild Rose".
Fang Xin thought Jing Yitong would play the original version of "Wild Rose," since the original version is simple. However, Jing Yitong started by playing his own arrangement of "Wild Rose." Jing Yitong didn't quite understand this piece when he was learning the piano as a child, let alone now that he hasn't touched a piano for many years.
Fang Xingu couldn't bear to listen any longer, so he helped him out.
The two sat side by side at the piano again, playing a four-hand duet. But things were different now; they were both grown up. It was too cramped for two adult men to sit on one piano bench, so they had to press close together. Their four hands flew across the black and white keys. Occasionally, Jing Yitong would play a wrong note and bump into Fang Xingu's hand, which would make Fang Xingu glance at him several times.
When the short song ended, Fang Xingu was still a little dazed. He withdrew his left hand, which had been bumped by Jing Yitong several times, and then realized that their thighs, which were pressed together, could feel each other's body temperature. Fang Xingu moved to the right imperceptibly, trying to create some distance between himself and Jing Yitong.
Unexpectedly, Jing Yitong suddenly leaned closer, startling Fang Xingu so much that he almost fell off the stool, his bottom missing half of the seat.
Fortunately, Jing Yitong reacted quickly, grabbing him and pulling him back.
Jing Yitong half-huddled him and asked, "What are you doing? Want to fall on your butt?"
Fang Xingu practically collapsed into Jing Yitong's arms. In this moment of relief, he inexplicably recalled his earlier conjecture before the movie started. He felt like he was on fire, feeling both embarrassed and ashamed that he had even made such a connection—
He was actually starting to wonder if Jing Yitong had done it on purpose just now.
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Author's Note: Jing Yitong: I support bold hypotheses, but careful verification is essential. [pat on the head]
Fang Xin Gu: You should first verify whether I'm straight or not [cheek resting on hand]
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