When Sheng Min arrived at the rehearsal room the next day, there were already a few people sitting inside. They all looked very young. There were unknown drama actors and students from the drama academy. They looked familiar, perhaps he had seen them before in school.
They were talking to each other in a friendly and tentative manner, but when they saw Sheng Min, they fell strangely silent for a moment.
"Sungmin?"
"Sheng Min..."
"Are you here to run for election?"
"That's impossible. He has so many film contracts to accept, how can he be interested in this?"
They talked in whispers, glancing at him from time to time, but did not talk to him face to face.
Sheng Min was used to being stared at, so he smiled friendly and prepared to find a seat. Someone secretly took out his phone and wanted to take a photo. A cough was heard from behind: "Confidentiality agreement, everyone, keep the plot and the personnel confidential, and it will be valid until the premiere... What? It's impossible that you only signed it for me, right?"
Sheng Min looked over and saw Deng Jing sitting alone at the back of the rehearsal room. He snapped his fingers and patted the ground next to him: "Come and sit down."
"Thank you for sharing the firepower for me." Deng Jing smiled as Sheng Min approached, "Before you came, I was already being watched by monkeys for a quarter of an hour. Now, there are two monkeys."
He is an actor that Yin Qianpin is used to using. Once he appears, most of the others will think that they are just there to run with him, and it is not unfair for them to be stared at.
His appearance yesterday really left a deep impression on Sheng Min, and the distance between them was quickly shortened: "Why are you sitting on the ground?"
As he was talking, he also sat down. Deng Jing smiled even more happily and pointed to the wall next to him: "Lean against it to sleep... You will know how boring it is when it starts."
Actually, it wasn't boring, it was just different from the rehearsal that Sheng Min had expected.
It was more like a script reading. Yin Qianpin gave each person a page of paper, which was only a small part of the script, and asked them to think about the cause and effect and the character's mood. They read a few hundred words over and over again for an entire afternoon, and he sat next to them reading. After that, they were asked to perform in front of the camera in an empty room next door, without a partner or an audience.
"It's just a joke. How can you rehearse like this?"
During the break, some people were discussing privately.
“Maybe this is the style.”
"What style? A drama director is acting like a film director. He must have been chosen long ago... Look at Deng Jing, he keeps sleeping in broad daylight."
“Didn’t they go and record it later?”
“He said he was going to record, but who knows? You didn’t go with them… Even if it wasn’t him, there’s still a big star there.” The man who spoke first was very young. He made a blind shot and thought he was very talented, but he ended up being benched. He sneered.
"Sheng Min can't be, isn't he an artist who doesn't need to be famous?"
"Money talks. It's a waste not to use such a large amount of traffic..."
At the end of the first day, one person left. A few days later, Yin Qianpin asked two more to leave. When the week was over, Sheng Min went to the rehearsal room again. There were a lot of people inside, both men and women. The only familiar person was Deng Jing, who waved lazily at him and didn't look that sleepy. "Good morning, we're going to officially rehearse today."
It started inexplicably, rehearsing scenes one by one, over and over again, but not limited to any role. He and Deng Jing were the same, playing the leading role as well as the supporting role, playing a man and even a woman, and experiencing every role.
Compared to the directors I met before, Yin Qianpin is not authoritarian and gives actors a lot of space. He does not restrict the acting method and puts more energy into polishing the script and lines. He can stop the production for an hour for a line. The assistant director calls him a nerd. After resting enough, he will drag others to continue rehearsing... ...
During the break, Sheng Min went downstairs to buy some water and called Li Xuan.
During this period, Li Xuan personally planned several game activities, which successfully increased the revenue of "Yi Yu". Although "Void Island" was also updated, it was entirely based on imitating "Yi Yu". Over time, the diversion effect became increasingly limited. Although Qi Boyuan was at a loss in attracting investment, he was relieved to see the revenue increase day by day, and felt that the burden was lighter.
Li Xuan was not as optimistic as him. He always felt that things were not over yet. However, seeing that Qi Boyuan was so anxious that his hair turned white a few days ago, he was unwilling to share a lot of pressure with him. Secondly, he knew that the company's employees were also tired. Yesterday, the turnover finally returned to the original average. He gave the company a half-afternoon holiday, except for himself. He wrote code until 6:30 and drove to the theater to pick up Sheng Min after get off work.
Recently, he was too busy, and when Li Xuan came home, Sheng Min would usually be asleep. They talked to each other in a daze, and when they woke up the next day, they had breakfast together and it was time to go to the company again.
Sheng Min loved him, so she cherished him. Apart from reminding him to eat on time, she never said a word more. She was just always happy to see him in advance. As soon as they got in the car, Li Xuan came over and kissed him. It took a while before they separated. The two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing, laughing at themselves and the other's stupidity.
Sheng Min has been feeling like someone is following her lately, so she found an excuse not to go to the restaurant that Li Xuan had booked in advance. She ordered some dishes and went home to prepare dinner together, chatting occasionally as a pastime. When she heard Li Xuan say that the revenue had picked up, Sheng Min was happy for him, but she also knew that he only reported good news and not bad news: "Li Mingge..."
Li Xuan kissed him: "Ignore him, eat."
It was a rare day of leisure. Sheng Min saw the faint blue under his eyes. After dinner, he drank half a cup of oolong to help digestion, so he urged Li Xuan to go to bed. After throwing the dishes into the dishwasher and returning to the bedroom, Li Xuan was already asleep.
He half-knelt beside the bed and looked at his tired eyes carefully. After a while, he changed his clothes and went to bed.
Li Xuan was a light sleeper, and as soon as Sheng Min leaned over, she immediately put her arms around him without opening her eyes.
"Go to sleep." Sheng Min leaned against his shoulder and kissed the side of his cheek. Li Xuan didn't say anything, but just grabbed his hand and pressed it on his heart, feeling his regular heartbeat, and Sheng Min also fell asleep.
I woke up in the middle of the night and felt an itch on the side of my neck. I raised my hand and touched the ends of Li Xuan's short hair, and Sheng Min smiled.
"Awake?" Li Xuan asked softly.
Sheng Min hummed, and Li Xuan's lips never left his skin. He explained vaguely that he originally just wanted to kiss him...
I miss you so much, he said, looking very aggrieved, as if it was all Shengmin’s fault…
She whispered softly in his ear, and the more she spoke, the less she spoke. Sheng Min simply turned her head, put her hands around his neck and kissed him. Gradually, Li Xuan's breathing became heavier. She unbuttoned his clothes with ease, and her hands slid down along his smooth waist...
It wasn't a short separation, but they were both a bit fresh. Li Xuan coaxed her with a soft voice, and Sheng Min obeyed him without any principles...
The rain stopped and the clouds dispersed. Li Xuan carried him to the bathroom to take a shower. He couldn't help himself and had another fooling around. When he returned to **du, he still felt the lingering moisture on his body. Sheng Min lay in his arms and lost her sleepiness for a while. Li Xuan asked him about the drama again.
Sheng Min then talked about the recent rehearsal, how she and Yin Qianpin had met three years ago, and how Deng Jing had an eccentric personality and really acted like a different person...
Many things had been discussed in the phone messages over the past few days, but Li Xuan still listened very carefully, always looking at him with an indulgent smile, his hand stroking back and forth along his naked back, as if he was appreciating a fine jade pipa.
Seeing Sheng Min said he was thirsty, I gave him some water.
He didn't ask Sheng Min how confident he was, nor did he ask what he would do if he was not selected in the end. After listening, he only asked him if he was happy now.
Sheng Min nodded, so Li Xuan touched his earlobe and smiled.
Last night's affair made Sheng Min a little tired today. While waiting for the phone to be connected, she thought that she should not be so soft-hearted next time and let him do whatever he wants. Even if Li Xuan acted like a spoiled child, it would not work. But as soon as she heard his voice, she forgot everything.
"You finished rehearsal?"
"Well, I just finished rehearsal and took a break. How about you?"
"Write code. We'll have a regular meeting later." The keyboard tapping sound was very regular on the other end of the phone. Suddenly, there was a pause, and then she coughed and asked him, "Are you tired today?"
“It’s just rehearsal, isn’t it…” Sheng Min said halfway when he suddenly came to his senses.
Li Xuan also felt a little awkward. He took a sip of water and said softly, "I couldn't control myself."
His apology and smile were very clear. He didn't hear Sheng Min speak, and was a little flustered: "Are you angry?"
"No."
"I'll pick you up in the evening."
"Not working overtime today?" Sheng Min swiped the screen of the vending machine and ordered a bottle of scented tea.
"It's not that urgent, go home and add more." Li Xuan said, and then whispered, "I miss you."
Here they go again. Sheng Min curled her lips and said, "In broad daylight."
"Every day has its own thoughts..." Li Xuan chuckled, "Don't you miss me?"
"I don't want to." Sheng Min said deliberately. Through the reflection of the vending machine's glass, he saw Deng Jing coming over. "Hang up. See you tonight."