Chapter 77 (Flashback) I haven't followed up yet...
Under Jing Yitong's pleading gaze, Fang Xingu crossed his arms in front of his chest, raised his head, and feigned modesty: "Beg me."
Jing Yitong readily complied, clasped her hands together, and bowed to him devoutly, saying, "Please."
Fang Xingu chuckled softly, "Alright, I'll definitely write it for you when I have the chance."
Fang Xingu said this, but in his heart he was thinking that this set visit should be a good opportunity. He would ask Jing Yitong about the life and background of the character "Qin Zhe" and observe Jing Yitong's expressions on set. When he got home, he could write a song for Jing Yitong's character.
The black Toyota drove smoothly towards an abandoned factory in Ancheng, where Jing Yitong's film crew, "Us Without Tomorrow," was recently filming.
As the Toyota turned into the passage, the two saw Jing Yitong's agent, Song Kan, pacing anxiously back and forth, constantly checking his watch. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw their car approaching from the intersection.
Jing Yitong turned off the engine and got out of the car, asking him, "What are you doing wandering around here?"
As an agent, Song Kan manages more than just Jing Yitong, and he doesn't usually follow Jing Yitong around every day when she was still an unknown.
However, since "Qin Zhe" was Jing Yitong's first serious role, Song Kan was worried and decided to come to the set for a while to ensure that there would be no problems with Jing Yitong's filming.
Yesterday, Jing Yitong said he wanted to borrow his car to pick up his family from the airport to visit him on set. Song Kan thought Jing Yitong meant he wanted him to help pick them up. But when he woke up in the morning, he found that his car was gone, obviously driven away by Jing Yitong.
Song Kan's face darkened: "You, a student, drove out to pick someone up by yourself, and it took you so long to come back. How could I not worry? — And most importantly, you were driving my car!"
Jing Yitong: "It just snowed, and the road conditions aren't great, so I definitely have to drive slowly—after all, it's your car, and I don't have the money to take responsibility if it gets scratched or bumped."
As the two were arguing, the passenger door opened and a person crawled out. Song Kan's gaze instinctively fell on the person. He had only wanted to take a look at Jing Yitong's appearance, but he was stunned the moment he saw Fang Xingu's face.
He stammered as he asked Jing Yitong, "Are they your family members?"
"Yes, my younger brother."
Song Kan quickly walked up to Fang Xingu, extended a hand to him, and introduced himself: "Hello, I am Jing Yitong's agent, my name is Song Kan."
Fang Xingu felt that Song Kan was being a bit too enthusiastic. He glanced at Jing Yitong, wanting to ask what was going on with this guy, but Jing Yitong just shrugged. Considering that this guy was Jing Yitong's manager after all, Fang Xingu still politely replied, "Hello, Brother Song, my name is Fang Xingu."
The next second, Song Kan pulled out a business card and handed it to him: "This is my business card. Are you interested in acting in a movie or something?"
Jing Yitong: ...
Fang Xin Gu: ...
Eighteen-year-old Fang Xingu hadn't undergone any embellishment, but his appearance was still exceptionally striking. His slender and tall figure made him stand out from the crowd. Song Kan only needed one glance to judge that this was definitely a face suited for the big screen, and his restless heart couldn't be contained at all.
Jing Yitong stepped forward, laughing and crying at the same time, and slapped Song Kan's hand away: "What are you doing? You're an agent, not a talent scout. Don't scare my brother."
Fang Xingu wasn't intimidated. He'd heard similar things countless times since he was a child. But he still took a few steps closer to Jing Yitong without making a sound, and then politely declined Song Kan's offer: "Sorry, Brother Song, I don't plan to compete with my brother for a job for the time being."
Jing Yitong put his arm around Fang Xingu's arm from behind and said to his agent, "Did you hear that!"
After saying that, without waiting for Song Kan's response, he took off a mask and put it on Fang Xingu's face to cover his outstanding features, and led the people towards the film crew.
Song Kan reluctantly withdrew his hand, then sighed deeply as he watched the two figures disappear, as if he were deeply saddened to see a pearl covered in dust.
When the crew saw that Jing Yitong was accompanied by a boy, people kept asking him curiously, "Why did Yitong bring someone with him today?"
Jing Yitong patiently explained, "He's my younger brother."
"Oh my, this child is really handsome. No wonder he's your brother, he has such good genes."
Although Fang Xingu was wearing a mask and his bangs covered his brow bone, the staff member's words were not flattery. It was simply because Fang Xingu's eyes were bright and sparkling, and he was always smiling when he was with Jing Yitong, which made his eyes have a beautiful curve, making people unable to help but take a few more glances.
Jing Yitong agreed to everything, his smile carrying a hint of pride, but he made no attempt to explain that he and his younger brother were not related by blood at all.
The two walked further in, and Fang Xingu was arranged by Jing Yitong to sit down on a small stool.
Fang Xin could feel the gazes cast by strangers around him, whether intentional or not. Although none of them were malicious, he was still a little reserved and could only sit obediently on the small stool, his long legs awkwardly pressed together. He held his knees together, his hands were placed properly on his thighs, and he blinked at Jing Yitong.
Jing Yitong was completely charmed by his cuteness and stuffed a bunch of snacks and a thermos into his arms. Fang Xingu opened the thermos and saw that it was filled with steaming hot sweet milk tea.
Jing Yitong is currently controlling her sugar intake to maintain her figure, so she keeps her distance from this calorie bomb. This cup of milk tea was obviously prepared in advance for Fang Xin Gu.
Having figured this out, Fang Xingu happily picked up his thermos and took a sip.
Jing Yitong watched him drink milk tea, resting her chin on her hand, imagining the sweet scent lingering on Fang Xin's lips and teeth.
After a while, he said, "I'll be filming later. You can sit here and watch, or you can walk around. If you need anything, just ask my agent. If you feel cold, you can go back to the car."
"good."
Jing Yitong was quickly called to do makeup and styling. The story of this movie is set in the 1990s, so the makeup and styling were not complicated. Before long, Jing Yitong reappeared. He was covered in black powder, his eyebrows were made more angular, and he was dressed in a worn-out cotton coat. He looked drab, but when he saw Fang Xingu, he still waved and greeted him.
When Fang Xingu saw his appearance, he thought he looked a bit like the dirty children who had come back from playing wildly in the fields when they were kids, so he suppressed a laugh and waved back.
Today, Jing Yitong was filming in Group B. There weren't any big stars around, so the atmosphere on set was more relaxed and lively. Jing Yitong first went to talk to the director before starting today's filming.
Fang Xin Gu sat on a small stool, watching nervously. "Us Without Tomorrow" was an original script. Fang Xin Gu only knew that it was a movie about juvenile delinquency, but he didn't know the specific content or the character "Qin Zhe". He only knew that he was a villain and probably the suspect.
But at this moment, Fang Xin looked at the actor who was acting with Jing Yitong, who was dressed in new clothes and leather shoes. He looked at "Qin Zhe" arrogantly, and the lonely "Qin Zhe" looked like a pitiful little guy who was being bullied.
Fang Xin, carrying this preconceived notion, felt pity for "Qin Zhe" even before seeing any background or context of the plot.
Unexpectedly, once filming began, Jing Yitong instantly got into character, punching the man in the suit to the ground and then repeatedly punching him until the man coughed up blood. Qin Zhe, looking fierce and menacing, his face radiating savage rage, vented his anger on the man in the suit before pulling out a dagger and plunging it into the man's chest.
Fang Xingu stared in disbelief, his eyes wide open. Was this really his gentle and refined older brother?
Just then, Song Kan strolled over and sat down next to him: "So, how was your brother's acting?"
Fang Xingu nodded: "Mm!"
Both of them were just extras, rarely getting any minor roles, so their acting skills weren't really apparent. But today, this short scene surprised and delighted Fang Xin.
He didn't know if he had a bias towards Jing Yitong, but he felt that with his brother's acting skills, he was bound to win an award next year... If he didn't win an award, it would mean that the judges had no taste!
“The talents I’ve chosen are excellent. Given time, they’ll definitely soar to great heights,” Song Kan said admiringly, looking at Jing Yitong. Then he couldn’t help but turn to Fang Xingu. “Are you really not interested? You’d definitely have a bright future if you came to act.”
At this moment, Jing Yi had just finished filming a scene and was squatting behind the monitor listening to the director's analysis. His expression was very serious, but his eyes had returned to their usual gentle look, and he could even smile and talk to the staff. It was surprising how quickly he had come out of character.
Given Jing Yitong's age and experience, he is not an method actor, but rather someone who relies entirely on his acting skills to quickly enter and exit a role.
Fang Xin thought to himself that if it were him, he definitely wouldn't have been able to do what Jing Yitong did.
He shook his head and refused again: "Brother Song, please don't focus your attention on me."
At this moment, Song Kan was unaware that his efforts were completely misdirected; he simply shook his head and remained silent.
Jing Yitong filmed two more takes and passed smoothly. He ran back in high spirits, and Fang Xingu looked at him with a smile: "Brother, I take back what I just said. Even if I come to compete with you for your job, I definitely can't beat you."
Jing Yitong laughed heartily: "It seems my acting skills have been recognized by you."
Fang Xingu nodded: "You're like a different person as soon as filming starts. Your aunt and uncle should support you on this path. You're very suitable to be an actor."
Jing Yitong drank a few sips of water and sat down next to him. He seemed quite open-minded: "It's normal that my parents don't understand me. I don't blame them."
After all, what parents could accept their only son, who should have inherited the family business, suddenly deciding to take the art exam and become an actor? In any case, Jinghong and Songjiao couldn't figure it out even after thinking about it for three years.
Fang Xingu was also very curious. He and Jing Yitong had been inseparable since childhood, and he believed that there were no secrets between them—except, of course, his crush on Jing Yitong.
But he had never heard of Jing Yitong having any preference for the acting profession before, not even mentioning it. So why did he suddenly decide to go for the art exam in his second year of high school?
Fang Xingu lowered his voice and asked him, "Brother, why do you want to be an actor?"
Upon hearing this, Jing Yitong stared at Fang Xingu for a long time, so long that Fang Xingu thought he would never get an answer from him, before he slowly said, "I just find it very interesting. It helps me escape some emotions that I dare not face and release the pressure in my heart. I really like this profession."
Fang Xingu didn't realize the deeper meaning in Jing Yitong's words. He was simply captivated by the light in Jing Yitong's eyes and was genuinely happy for him: "It seems you've found your 'passion'."
After Fang Xingu finished speaking, he couldn't help but think of his own routine life and sighed, "When will I be able to find my 'passion'?"
Jing Yitong ruffled Fang Xingu's fluffy head: "Who cares about 'passion'? Most people may never find their true 'passion' in their entire lives, so instead of searching for it, let's just enjoy the present moment."
Will you never find your true passion in your entire life?
Six years later, Fang Xin sat on the soft sofa in his studio, his wandering thoughts finally coming to a stop.
Fang Xin thought that perhaps he had already found his "passion" long ago, but he had never realized that all these years, the only person he had ever deeply loved was Jing Yitong.
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Author's Note: This flashback sequence just keeps going on and on... I'll force a conclusion and put the rest in the present tense [cat emoji]
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