Chapter 82
Since "Our Struggle" is a love story, the emotional drama between the male lead Tan Qiu and the second male lead Huo Mingzhou is the focus of the whole play.
The drama is set six or seven years ago, just two or three years after the passage of the same-sex marriage law. The remote village in the play, located at the end of a road project connecting all villages, had just received the news of the same-sex marriage law. For a time, homosexuality was considered abhorrent and a heinous crime. It was in this environment that the two protagonists fell in love.
As the first scene started, Ou Jing was going to film a direct confrontation between the two protagonists, which could be said to be a point that would break through the defenses of both of them.
While the staff were busy setting up the show, Ou Jing called He Tong and Ye Yuze over to talk about the play.
"The character of Tan Qiu, an orphan, has always struggled to study. Although he vaguely knew he had same-sex attraction, he had never considered a romantic relationship. Through previous interactions, he had already developed a vague affection for Huo Mingzhou, but he was still a bit clueless about love. So this scene had a huge impact on him, suddenly confronting a deep, hidden desire that had been lurking within him, forcing him to confront it.
Huo Mingzhou is a very calm and proactive character with a clear understanding of himself. He previously dabbled in social circles at school, but he rationally realized that his situation made it difficult for him to find a long-term relationship on campus. Graduation and breakup were inevitable, so he's remained single. Currently, he's focused on his entrepreneurial endeavors. While he has feelings for Tan Qiu, he's not planning to pursue her at this stage. This scene captures the throbbing sensation of his calm rationality being shattered, laying the groundwork for his subsequent actions.
After saying that, Ou Jing patted He Tong on the shoulder and said, "Alright, let's use all four machines together and try to get through it in one go. I'm afraid you'll catch a cold if I pour a few more buckets of water on you."
He Tong smiled as he drank the ginger sugar water and said, "I've prepared some warming magic this time, so I'll be fine."
A prop from the other end called out, "Teacher He, come over here and try to fetch some water."
He Tong walked over, grabbed the well rope and pulled it up twice to indicate that there was no problem.
Although the village in the play has running water, in order to save water bills, families with wells in their yards still often use well water. In this scene, He Tong draws a bucket of well water and pours it directly on the head.
Of course, they didn't actually use well water during filming; the bucket was filled with warm water mixed with props, and then lowered into the well for He Tong to pull up. They had to pour water several times to avoid missing a single take, and they kept water boiling on the stove in the house.
Another prop also said: "Teacher Ye, come and try stepping on this hoe and see if it works?"
Ye Yuze went over to adjust the position of the hoe with the props. He would have to step on the hoe and knock it over, and there was a shot where he almost got hit.
There was no real risk of being hit. A rope was tied to the hoe handle, and a bodyguard was watching closely, holding the rope and pulling it away if it hit him. The rope would be removed later.
After everything was ready, He Tong and Ye Yuze tried out the movements first, and then the filming officially started.
He Tong stripped off his clothes, leaving him in just a pair of loose boxer briefs. Ye Yuze also took off his jacket, leaving him in a light short-sleeved shirt and trousers. Fortunately, the sun was strong at noon, and there was no wind, so it wouldn't be too cold for a while.
◆
Tan Qiu, holding a stack of books, knocked on the somewhat worn iron door.
At this time, Huo Mingzhou in the yard inside the gate was drawing water from the well.
Tan Qiu knocked on the door twice but no one answered. He then found that the door was not locked, so he gently pushed it open and walked in.
As soon as he entered the door, the tall, muscular figure by the well caught his eye.
Tan Qiu's eyes couldn't help but widen slightly, and he stood there in a daze, but his gaze was involuntarily glued to the wheat-colored figure.
The next moment, Huo Mingzhou, with his back to the gate, raised the bucket and poured water over his head.
The clear well water washed over his strong body, leaving streaks of water on him, and reflected the sunlight, making him seem as if his whole body was glowing.
Tan Qiu's eyes widened as he watched, his mouth unconsciously opened slightly, and a light blush appeared on his fair face.
Huo Mingzhou raised his head and shook off the water droplets on his face and hair. He noticed someone at the door out of the corner of his eye, so he turned around slightly and reached out to push his hair back.
"Tan Qiu? Why are you here?"
His voice was like a sudden thunder, waking up the stunned Tan Qiu. Tan Qiu shuddered violently and quickly dropped his eyes.
"Um... I asked a friend to help me buy some books, maybe they can help you..."
Tan Qiu lowered his head slightly, his eyes drifting left and right.
"I'll put it on the table over there..."
He looked up at Huo Mingzhou, who was wet, then quickly turned away and took small steps along the wall.
However, he was distracted and stepped on a big hoe placed against the wall after taking only two steps.
"ah!"
Tan Qiu was startled and quickly stepped back, but he retreated too quickly and his foot slipped, and he was about to fall backwards.
As he fell backward, he watched the thick hoe handle coming towards him. He subconsciously closed his eyes, shrank his body, and raised the book in his hand to block it.
However, he didn't actually fall to the ground.
At the critical moment, Huo Mingzhou, who was at the well, threw away the bucket and rushed over, hugged Tan Qiu who was leaning back, and at the same time reached out to grab the handle of the hoe.
"Are you okay? Did you twist your ankle?"
Huo Mingzhou pushed the hoe aside and asked with concern, lowering his head.
Tan Qiu opened his eyes and looked at Huo Mingzhou with some timidity.
Huo Mingzhou couldn't help but tremble when he met his gaze that was a mixture of confusion and happiness.
The two of them stared at each other intently, their eyes locked tightly together, their bodies pressed together as they slowly relaxed from tenseness...
There was only each other in their eyes. Everything else seemed to no longer matter. They just wanted to stare at each other forever.
Suddenly, there were a few dog barkings outside the door.
As if the spell was broken, both of them straightened their bodies again at the same time.
Tan Qiu frantically struggled to free himself from Huo Mingzhou's embrace, lowering his head and saying to himself, "I'm sorry... ah no, thank you, I'm fine. I'll put these books on the table, I hope they can help you. That's it, I won't disturb you from taking a bath."
As he spoke, he hurriedly put the stack of books in his arms on the stone platform at the foot of the wall, turned around and walked away quickly, even a little clumsily as he walked.
Huo Mingzhou was stunned by the series of words and couldn't get a word in.
He didn't come back to his senses until everyone had left. He frowned slightly and raised his hand to touch his hair again.
When he put down his hand, he couldn't help but stare at the hand that had just hugged someone for a long time, and the expression on his face softened unconsciously.
◆
As soon as Ou Jing called out "Cut", Ye Yuze outside the door turned around and walked in towards He Tong.
Xiao Zheng, who was watching nearby, immediately ran over to cover He Tong with a thick bath towel. Lingling also followed with clothes and a thermos cup.
He Tong quickly wiped the water off his body, went into the changing room in the corner of the yard and changed into dry clothes. After coming out, he took the long cotton coat handed to him by Lingling and put it on first, then took two sips of ginger sugar water from the thermos.
Seeing Ye Yuze coming over, He Tong stuffed the thermos cup into his hand and urged him to drink a few sips. He then took the other long cotton coat that Xiao Zheng had gone back to get and put it on Ye Yuze himself.
Ye Yuze held the thermos cup without moving, pointing to the chair next to him and said, "Hurry up and blow dry your hair."
He Tong responded with a smile, went over and sat down to let Aya blow his hair.
Ye Yuze then drank a few sips of ginger sugar water and put on his clothes.
After watching all the replays, Ou Jing clapped his thigh happily and said, "These are the two protagonists I imagined! After the filming is finished, I really want to treat Lao Yu to a meal."
After he finished laughing, he ran over to He Tong with a smile: "Xiao He, while you're in a good mood, hurry up and do the next one."
The next shot shows Huo Mingzhou tossing and turning at night and unable to sleep. Finally, he thought of Tan Qiu and felt liberated. Then he compromised with his heart and decided to pursue Tan Qiu.
This plot doesn't actually connect to the previous one; a lot more happened in between. It's just that Ou Jing felt the emotions of the two scenes were more coherent, and filming them together would be better. Of course, the actual scene wasn't filmed; the meaning was hinted at through subtle camera language.
After blow-drying his hair, He Tong stood up and joked, "Director Ou, the way you arranged the opening scene makes me feel like I'm on a small movie set."
Ou Jing also laughed: "Do you want me to edit a short film just for you after we finish filming?"
He Tong was suddenly amused: "You really don't need to bother with this. I think my fans and Ye Ge's fans can cut out flowers."
Ou Jing smiled and shook his head, then turned to look at the next venue.
The next scene was shot inside the house. This courtyard was Huo Mingzhou's home, and the props team had already set it up. Now all the lighting had to do was set up the lights.
Everything is ready, and the assistant director comes over to invite He Tong.
Ye Yuze also followed He Tong in.
The room was not very spacious, so Ou Jing and the cameraman only set up two cameras.
Ou Jing asked He Tong to look at the frame and said, "First, turn over a few times. Then, with your back to the camera, do some movements under the blanket. In the middle, pull the blanket down a little to show some shoulders. Finally, turn over and lie on your back for a close-up of your face. Then turn towards the camera to show the inner drama of making the decision later."
He Tong nodded to show that he understood.
At this moment, Ye Yuze, who had been standing silently by the side, suddenly said, "Clear the place."
When he said this, Ou Jing and the assistant director were both stunned.
Although the set is usually cleared when filming intimate scenes, this one is really not a big deal. However, since the big boss said to clear the set, then let's do it.
In the end, only Ou Jing, the cameraman and Ye Yuze were left.
He Tong took advantage of the fact that there were only a few people around and pulled Ye Yuze aside for a kiss before filming began, under the pretext of trying to get a feel for it.
Then he took off his long cotton coat, lay down on the bed, covered himself with a blanket, and gathered his emotions.
The camera was facing the back of the person on the bed, clearly capturing the slowly undulating side lines.
This shoot went smoothly. Although it was late afternoon, the lighting was dim indoors, and the lighting technician created a soft, gentle moonlight filtering into the room.
Ou Jing watched the replay and was very satisfied. He was about to ask someone to come in and collect the equipment, but he heard Ye Yuze say, "Delete that close-up."
Ou Jing was stunned and turned to look at him: "This close-up is very good, very touching, why did you delete it?"
Ye Yuze insisted: "Delete it and reshoot it. Don't take close-ups of the face."
He Tong leaned against him and burst out laughing.
Ou Jing was stunned for a long time before he reacted. He said with a mixture of laughter and tears, "You can't do this. If you don't allow us to shoot now, what about the sex scene later?"
He Tong laughed for a long time before saying, "Director Ou, you can take some close-ups instead of full-face close-ups."
Ou Jing argued for a long time, but in the end he couldn't stand up to the two investor fathers. He could only sigh and ask the cameraman to delete the close-up of his face, and then asked He Tong to take a close-up of only his chin and neck.
While watching the replay, he secretly changed the meal he was planning to treat Yu Zheng to from a big hotel to a night market stall.
The author has something to say: Thanks to the little angel "Yan Qianluo" for the nutrient solution~~
Thanks to the little angel "a fat and quiet" for the nutrient solution~~
Thanks to the little angel "wxxz" for the nutrient solution~~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
