With a click, Zhou Ziheng, who was facing two machines, immediately got into the state. This was a him that Xia Xiqing had never seen before.
He slammed the iron security door with his hands without saying a word, just slamming with all his strength, clenching his back teeth and lowering his eyes. The banging of the iron door suddenly made Xia Xiqing, who was standing in the corridor watching, get excited.
"Who is it? Are you fucking sick..." The door inside the security door opened, and through the iron bars, one could see A-Long rubbing his eyes. His dry and yellow hair looked like a bunch of grass in late autumn. When he saw Zhou Ziheng, his brows furrowed, and his face showed disgust. "Are you fucking sick in the head? You come here to cause trouble, do you still want to make money? Huh?"
Gao Kun clenched his fists, pursed his lips tightly, and his eyes were still half closed.
"Speak? Did you become mute after having your blood drawn?" Aaron scratched his head and put his hand on the door to close it. "I've already paid you, so stop making trouble..."
There was a loud bang. Gao Kun's fist slammed hard on the iron gate. He was like a wild animal in a zoo, glaring through the railing in extreme anger, his eyes red.
"You... you..." His voice became hoarse with anger, "It's all because of your syringe..."
Aaron was frightened by him and felt a little weak in his heart but still pretended to be strong. After all, Gao Kun was just a blood bag to them. There was nothing to be afraid of someone who was so poor that he could only sell blood.
"What do you mean? I think you are crazy because of poverty."
"I have AIDS." Gao Kun suddenly said, "AIDS! Do you know? AIDS!"
He spoke the first sentence unusually calmly, as if he was not the sick person. However, this calmness did not last for a few seconds. He kept punching the iron door with his fists, as if he could be saved by breaking it open. His whole body was trembling.
Aaron was stunned and didn't speak for a long time.
Xia Xiqing, who was standing at the side, was fascinated by what was happening, but A'long remained silent, then took two steps back and hesitated. Gao Kun slammed the door twice again, grabbed the railing viciously and spoke like a devil, "It's all your fault, it's all you who made me like this! I'm going to kill you! Open the door!"
Xia Xiqing's eyes fell on A'long, something was wrong.
Wrong performance. Gao Kun was obviously saving the situation just now.
"Cut! Aaron forgot his lines, what happened?" Director Kun called a stop while holding the intercom, "Aaron, please adjust. We just happened to be shooting a close-up of Gao Kun. It's okay. Let's go through it twice first. Don't feel pressured, Aaron."
Yang Bo showed an apologetic and regretful expression on his face. He bent down and apologized to the staff repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was really scared by Ziheng just now."
Xia Xiqing couldn't help but laugh. Zhou Ziheng was so good at getting into the role in a second. He was indeed a kid who grew up in the crew. Anyone would be scared by his aura.
The makeup artist quickly stepped forward to wipe Zhou Ziheng's sweat. Zhou Ziheng asked Yang Bo to open the door and discuss the scene with him. The two of them also exchanged their respective characters' feelings in this scene.
"It's okay." Zhou Ziheng patted his shoulder. "It's really not easy to act in a conflict scene right after you start acting. I was the same at the beginning. You will get better slowly."
Yang Bo was very grateful. Due to his appearance and personality, Zhou Ziheng was always seen as a strong and somewhat cold person by strangers. However, after this contact, he found that this was not the case at all. Not only was he not cold, he was also very gentle and patient.
"Are you ready? One more take. This time, we'll take a close-up of Gao Kun. Gao Kun, pay attention to the camera." Director Kun looked at Yang Bo. "Aaron, stand behind the photographer and watch first. You won't be scared if you watch it a few more times."
"Do I look that scary?" Zhou Ziheng joked, and everyone on the set laughed. Yang Bo's nervousness also eased a lot.
You are scary when you are angry. Xia Xiqing stood not far behind him and recalled the night when he was drugged.
"'Tracking', scene one, second take, first shot, action!"
Starting over, Yang Bo stood behind the close-up photographer, carefully observing Zhou Ziheng's performance this time, and at the same time acting with him in the back with voice. The close-up shot showed a complete perspective of A-Long. Zhou Ziheng handled Gao Kun's emotions more fully than last time, from being a little dazed at the beginning, to becoming more and more angry, to the pain and unwillingness to admit helplessness, each emotional point was carried over smoothly. His red eyes seemed to contain tears, but it seemed that there were no tears.
"Get out here! I'm going to kill you!" Gao Kun beat and kicked the man, even picking up an old mop discarded in the corner and smashing it hard on the door, "Come out! Get out! I'm going to make sure you're buried with me!" He swung the long pole in his hand at the iron door again and again. As time passed, the force of his banging on the door gradually decreased, and the last bang stopped in mid-air.
He lowered his head and clenched his teeth, causing the muscles on the sides of his cheeks to tremble. His fingers holding the mop were trembling, but he tried hard to restrain them from trembling.
"I am nineteen years old..."
Xia Xiqing's heart clenched. This line was so painful.
Aaron's voice appeared: "This... This... You, you are kidding, I, I don't know anything, don't blame me! Don't blame me, I gave you the money, you go find someone else to vent your anger!"
"Who am I looking for?!" Gao Kun rushed to the iron gate again, "Who am I looking for?"
Aaron's voice was shaking like a sieve, "I, I don't know! Go find whoever gave it to you... Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor, I don't have AIDS, don't look for me!"
Gao Kun was shaking with anger. He just wanted to tear the gauze on the iron railing with his hands, and pull the man out. He wanted to peel off his skin and drink his blood. "Come out... Come out! I want your life! I want your life!"
"Cut!" Director Kun called for a stop. "Very good, Gao Kun has done a close-up, the next take is for A-Long. The lines A-Long just said feel right. He must have that feeling of panic and fear while wanting to shirk responsibility."
Yang Bo nodded twice. Zhou Ziheng was patted on the shoulder by the makeup artist, and he turned around and bent down to let her wipe his sweat and touch up his makeup. In order to fit the role better, he specially asked the makeup artist to use a dark foundation, and even put on the marks of sunburn and rubbing on his shoulders. However, the summer in Wuhan is really hot and humid, and people start sweating after a little movement, needless to say Zhou Ziheng performed so hard.
While waiting to touch up his makeup, he looked elsewhere and met Xia Xiqing who was watching and learning not far away. He had no idea Xia Xiqing was present, but the surprise on his face was almost impossible to conceal, and the corners of his mouth lifted up in an instant.
Xia Xiqing also smiled at him. This man's emotions changed so quickly when he was acting. He had the most natural skills to conceal and cover up his emotions, but in private he was so sincere that all his emotions were so obvious.
Time was tight, and Zhou Ziheng started the third scene immediately after finishing his makeup touch-ups. The first time, A-Long's emotional transitions were still a bit abrupt, especially the moment after he learned that Gao Kun was ill.
"Your panic and fear are two separate emotions, which is wrong. Your current state is that I can't believe he really has AIDS, but on the other hand I am afraid. Not only am I scared of him, but I am also scared of this disease." Director Kun patiently explained the play to Yang Bo, and started again after he fully understood the character's emotions. Director Kun, who was a little picky about the movie, only approved it after shooting six takes.
"Sorry, sorry." Yang Bo came out of the house and glanced outside the corridor. Fortunately, the sun had not yet set. "I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time."
"It's okay." Zhou Ziheng smiled at him, "As a newcomer, you are already very good."
"Ziheng, do you know that this is my first movie?" Yang Bo was a little surprised. He originally thought that with such a small status as himself, he would never attract the attention of a popular male star like Zhou Ziheng. This even made him a little flattered.
"When I first got the cast list, I looked up everyone's information. Because I don't always act with people I know, it's better to get to know them in advance." A drop of sweat ran down his forehead, which was noticed by Zhou Ziheng. He looked up and smiled again, "I think you are very capable. I can't act in a conflict scene in my first movie."
Yang Bo now almost regards Zhou Ziheng as his idol, even though he is only twenty years old, younger than himself.
He finally understood why so many people liked Zhou Ziheng.
Xia Xiqing walked over, took one look at the expression on Zhou Ziheng's face, and immediately understood it. He praised him sincerely, "You acted really well." Zhou Ziheng was overjoyed when he heard it, but he couldn't find a proper way to express it, so he just smiled and said to Xia Xiqing, "Can you buy me a popsicle?"
"Go find Xiao Luo, I'm not your assistant." Xia Xiqing glanced at him, "What ice cream are you eating, you are a three-year-old child."
Every time these two people got together, Yang Bo felt like there was a natural barrier separating him from them, and he automatically became the background where he could only watch but not talk. He even wanted to blow pink bubbles all over their heads.
Oh my god, is he obsessed with CP? Yang Bo woke up in shock.
No wonder they have so many CP fans...
They rushed to change the scene before sunset. The filming location for this scene was a small alley at the back door of a hotel. After laying the slide rails, Director Kun briefly talked about the play, because Xia Xiqing was a newcomer after all, and the role of Jiang Tong was an introverted one.
It is more difficult to act out restrained emotions than extroverted ones. If you are not careful you will end up with a blank expression, detaching from the character and distracting people from the show.
"Are you ready?"
Xia Xiqing, who was standing at the back door of the hotel, nodded. After the sound of the board was heard, he naturally carried two large bags full of garbage and walked out of the door to the back alley. He opened the lid of the large dark green trash can and stuffed the garbage bags into it. His hands were very dirty. He looked around and found no place to wipe them. He walked slowly to a small faucet in the back alley and twisted it for a long time before some water came out.
He placed his hands under the thin stream of water and carefully washed the dirt off them.
Suddenly, he felt something hit his head hard. Jiang Tong turned around with a dazed expression on his face. The setting sun shone red on his face. Against the light, he saw a few thugs walking towards him, cursing. The leader had a can of beer in his hand. When he saw him, he started cursing, "You dumb guy, why have you been hiding from us these days?" After that, he threw the can in his hand over. Jiang Tong was so scared that he raised his hands to cover his head. The can hit his wrist, and the unfinished beer inside flowed onto his clothes.
He had just finished working at a hotel and was still wearing the hotel's white apron and white work clothes, which were loose, old, and ill-fitting, and now they were dirty.
Jiang Tong moved his mouth but didn't say anything.
Several people came up and surrounded him, "Where's the money? Hand it over consciously and I won't beat you today."
Jiang Tong frantically made a sign language gesture, and the leader kicked him in the stomach, "Sign your mother! Speak!"
"No, no money..." Jiang Tong fell against the wall, holding his stomach. He reached into his pocket and ripped it clean. He frowned and looked at them, "No, no..."
"No? I think you deserve a beating!"
"Cut!" Director Kun called for a stop. "Jiang Tong's expression is wrong. It's too stiff. You should be scared now."
Xia Xiqing stood up from the corner. The kick in the stomach just now was just a substitution. He had been worried that he would act unnaturally in this place and would be NG, but he didn't expect it was because of his expression.
"Jiang Tong has been bullied by these hooligans for a long time because of the protection fees. He should be used to being afraid of them. You just acted too calmly." Director Kun is a rare good-tempered director. "It's okay, let's do another take. Xi Qing, relax a little and put yourself in Jiang Tong's role."
Everyone was preparing for the next line, but Xia Xiqing spoke up, "Director Kun, I don't think this is right."
Even the guy who was acting as the gang leader nearby gave him a look. In China, most movies are centered around the director, who is above everything else in the crew. Many actors have had their roles cut or even had their entire careers ruined because they offended the director, so they rarely argue with the director's suggestions on the set.
But Xia Xiqing didn't plan to act much, and he wasn't worried about offending anyone.
"Jiang Tong is not a weak or timid person. If he were him, he would have died long ago. His father gambled and beat him and his mother to death since they were young. His mother was a prostitute and took in clients at home to make a living. In the end, she was beaten to death. He has been working to support himself until now. If anyone had experienced this, they would have committed suicide long ago."
Xia Xiqing's tone was calm, but Zhou Ziheng's heart ached inexplicably.
"He's not afraid, but he has no ability to resist, so he can only bear it. Just like you said, Jiang Tong has been bullied by these hooligans for a long time and has become accustomed to this kind of life. If he is used to accepting harm, it might be more realistic to act like he is heartbroken."
No one on the set, including the lighting, photography, stagehands, and actors waiting in line, expressed an opinion. Everyone knew that Kun Cheng was a director with a good personality, and they knew even more clearly that he was a stubborn director.
"I agree." Zhou Ziheng's voice broke the silence, "In fact, Jiang Tong is braver than Gao Kun. The one who is really afraid is Gao Kun, not Jiang Tong who looks weaker."
Director Kun stared at the ground with a serious expression and frowned tightly. After a long while, he stood up, looked at the sky, and then looked at the determined expression on Xia Xiqing's face. At this moment, he really felt that the person standing in front of him was not Xia Xiqing, but the real Jiang Tong.
"I give up." Kun Cheng shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a handful of hair at the back of his head with a smile. "The Jiang Tong you described is closer to this role. Very good, very good."
A fire suddenly ignited in his heart. He hoped so much that the play could fully present its essence under his direction for the audience to see.
"Yes, that's how it's shot." Kuncheng repeated excitedly, "That's how it's shot!"
Xia Xiqing also curled the corners of his mouth. He was very familiar with the expression on Kun Cheng's face.
That is the supreme desire for artistic creation.