Chapter 13
At six o'clock in the afternoon, it was getting dark and the street lights on the road lit up one by one in an orderly manner.
Tomorrow is the final scene, and Lu Zheng asked Yan Huai and He Xuan to go to the abandoned train together to get a feel for the venue in advance.
"Hey, Yan Huai." He Xuan glanced back and forth in the bushes with a flashlight, "Do you think we are a bit..."
"Not really." Yan Huai interrupted him, "This is a movie. We briefly experienced the lives of Xiang Shui and Zhao Yan, but we are not them, and we won't have their emotions."
He Xuan pushed aside the grass and continued walking, "But I think I have a little bit, just a little bit."
"But you don't like men, do you?" Yan Huai followed him. "When we were filming the intimate scene, you even threw up while holding a trash can. Now you're the only one who can't get out of the role. Do you know what a man's body is like? Can you accept sleeping with a man?"
He Xuan shook his head and said nothing.
Yan Huai continued, "A man's body is firm and hard, while a woman's body is soft, plump, and full of curves. Each has its own beauty. Don't put yourself in Zhao Yan's shoes. Continue the life you led and the people you were with in the past. Think about the price you'll pay for your impulsiveness and wake up."
The two finally made their way through the bushes and arrived in front of the abandoned train and tracks.
"Okay, let's go back." Yan Huai turned around and walked back.
He Xuan's hand holding the flashlight was shaking. He shouted, "Is it because of Shang Zhier?"
Yan Huai didn't answer, didn't look back, didn't pause, and continued walking forward.
This abandoned railway track is a bit far from the village chief's house. Yan Huai walked for more than twenty minutes before reaching the door.
The other crew members had already eaten and rested, and there were dumplings left in the pot for him and He Xuan.
Yan Huai caught fifteen and left the rest to He Xuan.
He picked up the dumplings with chopsticks and dipped them in the sauce of pickled pork and sauerkraut, which had an enticing aroma.
Yan Huai opened his phone and suddenly caught sight of 1.11 on it.
It was already the 11th. Time flew by so quickly during filming. He suddenly remembered that today was Shang Zhier's birthday. But he hadn't prepared anything here: no cake, no gifts, nothing.
Yan Huai thought he could finish filming before the 11th and rush back to the city. He even planned to give Shang Zhi a 21-piece Jaeger-LeCoultre watch with a dark blue dial and constantly spinning hands. But when he came to his senses and noticed, there was nothing.
After he finished washing the dishes, He Xuan pushed the door open.
Yan Huai pointed to the kitchen: "There are dumplings left for you in the pot. They are all yours, eat them all."
He Xuan nodded dejectedly and went into the kitchen.
Yan Huai left the living room, treading through the snow around the house, pried open the window of Shang Zhier's house, and peered in. Lu Zheng and the assistant director snored, and Yan Xuxing also had his eyes closed, wondering if he was asleep. Shang Zhier, wearing a pair of glasses, leaned against the wall and stared at Yan Huai.
"Shang Zhier, come out." Yan Huai lowered his voice for fear of waking others.
Shang Zhier and Yan Huai remained in a stalemate for two minutes. Yan Huai's hands were frozen, and he walked out of the house feeling aggrieved.
"What's wrong?" Shang Zhier pursed his lips into a straight line, still feeling angry.
Yan Huai knew that he was easy to coax, so he walked up to him and rubbed his head randomly, making his hair a mess.
Shang Zhier still had a cold expression on his face and didn't even look at him.
"Happy birthday!" Yan Huai chuckled and stopped.
Shang Zhier had a look of surprise on his face. He thought Yan Huai had forgotten again.
"Hmm." Shang Zhier hummed.
Yan Huai turned around, took out a Holly Pie from his pocket, unwrapped it, and looked up and said, "Lighter."
Shang Zhier took out a lighter and gave it to him.
Yan Huai was holding a cotton swab and a Holly Pie in his right hand, with four □□ candies on it as candles.
"My conditions are limited," Yan Huai said a little embarrassedly, "I originally wanted to treat you to French food and give you a gift. I didn't expect the filming to take so long, so I'll use this instead and give it to you when I get back."
Shang Zhier stared at the scene in front of him in a daze. Yan Huai was holding a Holly pie, the flame of the cotton swab was dancing in the wind, and the flying snowflakes fell on his fur collar, cheeks, and eyelashes, and he smiled so warmly and gently.
"Make a wish quickly," Yan Huai urged, "it will be extinguished later."
Shang Zhier clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and blew out the candle.
The two of them squatted by the wall, Shang Zhier eating the birthday cake Yan Huai had made him. It was a soft and sweet Orion pie, with a sweet and sour fruity fudge. Because it was given to him by Yan Huai, he thought it was the best cake he had tasted in over twenty years.
"A gift." Shang Zhier turned his head and stared at Yan Huai aggrievedly.
"This..." Yan Huai's brain worked rapidly, and he took out a few receipts from his pocket, "Wait a minute."
He buried his head in folding something, and within a minute, a thousand paper cranes appeared in his hands. They were very small, only the size of a fingernail. Then he folded little stars, boats, gold ingots, hearts, frogs...
"If you poke this frog on the back, it will jump very far." Yan Huai introduced it to him. He pressed the frog's back with his fingers, and it jumped to Shang Zhier's feet.
Shang Zhier poked the frog and it really jumped very far.
The gifts made from supermarket cash register receipt paper were not really very thoughtful gifts. Shang Zhier carefully put the pile of little things into his pocket. He just wanted Yan Huai to coax him, and even if he was perfunctory, he would accept it all.
"Good night," Yan Huai stood up, "Shang Zhier."
Shang Zhier felt a dull pain in his heart. He knew that this was Yan Huai saying goodbye to him again. Goodbye, goodbye, but it meant never to see him again.
After filming was completed, they really were two people with nothing to do with each other.
He closed his eyes and tears welled up in his eyes.
Through the camera, the dusk line appeared.
Xiang Shui and Xiang Zhang's workplace reported him, finding evidence of domestic violence and rape. Xiang Shui and Zhao Yan subsequently left the city and moved to a new place. The trains passed near their rented house every day, making it impossible to sleep.
The sun was scorching and Xiang Shui was sweating. Zhao Yan fanned him with a fan.
"It's so hot," Xiang Shui got up from the bed, "I'm going to take a shower."
Zhao Yan stood up and began to fold the quilt, asking, "Will the results be released today?"
"Okay, I'll check my scores when I get back to the Internet cafe." Xiang Shui closed the bathroom door.
The water washed over his body, but he was neither nervous nor anxious. He had confidence in himself. He didn't care if he failed the exam, as this was exactly what he wanted.
After taking a shower, I squatted next to the refrigerator, opened the refrigerator door, and felt the cold air blowing out.
Zhao Yan walked over and wiped his hair with a towel, suggesting, "Buy an air conditioner."
Shutting the refrigerator door against the water, "No."
The two walked into the Internet cafe along the shade, turned on a computer, and started checking their scores.
"712!" Zhao Yan exclaimed, shaking his arm towards Xiang Shui. "You're the top scholar in your city, right?"
As Xiang Shui turned on his phone, a flood of messages came in. "No, the top scorer scored eight points higher than me. I think I'm the third place winner?"
Zhao Yan said: "In ancient times, the most handsome person was chosen as the third place winner."
When the people around heard the score line, they came over, some with congratulations, some with surprise.
They left the Internet cafe and turned into a hamburger restaurant.
Crispy fried chicken, fluffy bread, and ice-cold sparkling cola—this is their little celebration.
As Zhao Yan had predicted, he failed the exam. Undeterred, he decided to pursue a career in real estate sales. Yan Huai decided to stay in a rental apartment with Zhao Yan.
The two went to the supermarket and bought shampoo, shower gel and some snacks. They carried the bags and walked downstairs to the rental house.
"To the water!"
He turned around and saw Zheng Fang and Xiang Zhang with a large group of police officers behind them.
The contents of the bag were scattered all over the ground. Xiang Shui pulled Zhao Yan and ran desperately, but the people behind him were chasing him relentlessly, shouting at him and calling his name at the top of their lungs.
The police got into the police car, and the sirens lingered for a long time.
The two ran along the path into a desolate and remote field. The weeds were overgrown and taller than their heads. They shuttled back and forth in it. Those people were still calling his name, lowering their heads to the water and muttering, "I will take revenge on them..."
Xiang Shui held Zhao Yan's hand tightly, turned around and asked, "Are you scared?"
In the distance, a train was sliding on the tracks, making a rumbling sound.
"No."
"good."
The two men held each other's hands tightly, ran with all their strength, and lay on the cold railroad tracks. There was no fear of death, only the pleasure of revenge and the excitement of impending liberation.
Zhao Yan tilted his head and kissed Xiang Shui's lips as the train sped past.
"ah-----"
Screams were heard from the crowd, and blood spilled from the railroad tracks, staining the green plants and wild flowers red.
Will there still be bright flowers and green grass here next year?
The last shot of the movie ends.
Yan Huai and He Xuan crawled out from under the train. It was pitch black under the train, and their faces and bodies were covered in dirt.
"Congratulations on wrapping up!" the crew members said in unison.
Yan Huai smiled and said, "It's finished."
He and He Xuan walked in front of the camera and began to record behind-the-scenes footage and reflections on the finale. Shang Zhier took advantage of the break to tie up the grass with corn stalks and made two simple bouquets, two bunches of lush green grass.
"You can't buy flowers here now, so just make do with this." Shang Zhier handed it to them.
The shutter button was pressed and a large group photo appeared.
Everyone dispersed, packing up the equipment and venue. Shang Zhier grabbed the corner of Yan Huai's clothes.
"Can I take another photo with you?" Shang Zhier looked up at him.
When he graduated from high school, Yan Huai was busy filming and didn't make it, so he was missing from the graduation photo. Shang Zhier couldn't even have the chance to take a graduation photo.
You and I don't even have a photo together.
Yan Huai nodded in agreement, took two steps back, and stood side by side with Shang Zhier.
Yan Huai shuffled the grass in his hand and found a small yellow wildflower in it, a very standard flower with five petals.
Shang Zhier was a little nervous and excited. In his uneasy mood, the photographer had already taken two pictures with a Polaroid camera. The dazzling flash seemed to bring Shang Zhier back to his senior year of high school.
The little regret I had at the beginning has finally been resolved.
Shang Zhier was holding the two photos in his hand and was about to put them in his pocket when Yan Huai took one out of his hand and said, "Give me one."
Yan Huai pinched the photo between his fingers, turned around and walked towards the village chief's house with Lu Zheng and the others.
Shang Zhier carefully placed the photo behind his phone. A drop of rain fell on the phone, followed by dense rain that soaked his clothes and hair.
The crew will leave the village early tomorrow morning, and most people go to bed early. After Shang Zhier came back, he had a high fever because he was caught in the rain and stayed in a room alone.
After taking the antipyretic medicine, his temperature did not drop.
Shang Zhier was in a daze and talking nonsense.
Yan Huai was still worried, so he pushed the door open from the outside, walked to the bed, and touched Shang Zhier's forehead, which was very hot.
"I feel uncomfortable." Shang Zhier murmured.
Yan Huai patted his back, "I know."
Yan Huai was just about to get up to boil some water and rub Shang Zhier's body to cool it down physically when Shang Zhier grabbed his wrist and cried, "Yan Huai, can you please turn around and look at me?"
Can you look at me?
What am I to you?
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