The Twist

During the classmate gathering, the male and female leads were egged on to dance together. In the film's story, the two had first met at a college dance. Liu Dehua and Zhong Chuhong stepped into the center of the dance floor—one in leather dress shoes, the other in high heels. After a few practice steps, they waited a moment until the music began to play. It was Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell." Blending elements of blues and country, the song was light, joyful, and heavily rhythmic—perfect for dancing the twist. "..." The two exchanged a glance. Both were somewhat nervous, but the scene had to be shot. They swung their arms, swayed their hips, rose onto their tiptoes, and began twisting on the floor. Chen Qi and Tsui Hark watched closely from behind the monitors. After just a moment, both called out in unison, "Cut! Too stiff!" "Relax a little! Make it natural!" "Take it from the top!" "Cut! You still look like zombies!" "Cut!" "Cut!" They tried seven or eight times in a row, but none of the takes looked right. Tsui Hark finally gave up and said, "Take a break! Have some drinks first!" So they switched to shooting the reunion scene instead. A dozen or so people sat together around tables with opened bottles of liquor, plates of fruit, and snacks. Liu Xuehua had a cameo in the scene as Bobo, an insurance agent. Her character relentlessly pushed insurance policies on the two leads. "Hey, why are you cursing me when we're having such a good time? Personal accident insurance? You make it sound like I won't survive today! No way, definitely not!" Liu Dehua wore a look of utter disgust. In the film, his character would end up dying on his way home after this very reunion—making his words tragically prophetic. "Then buy this one: Love Stronger Than Gold Insurance!" Sporting black-rimmed glasses, a large shoulder bag, and the prim styling of an old maid, Liu Xuehua whipped out another brochure with a flourish. "Specially designed for love-struck couples! You pay 9,999 dollars a year until your thirtieth wedding anniversary. After that, we pay you 1,314 dollars every month... And if either spouse dies, goes missing, cheats, or commits domestic violence, there's an additional payout of 200,000 dollars..." Zhong Chuhong had been told to drink real alcohol for the scene. Holding her glass, she took small sips as she listened with a smile. "All right, Bobo, we don't need something like this to prove our love." "Hongdou and I promised each other a lifetime together. We don't need your 1,314 dollars!" Liu Dehua, who had also been told to drink real liquor, chimed in. "The weather can turn in an instant, and who can foresee what happens in this world?" Liu Xuehua shook her head and packed up her materials, wearing an expression that said they were completely beyond help. "Cut!" Tsui Hark called out and asked, "How are you two feeling?" "Almost there, Director. Give me another bottle and I'll be just about ready," Zhong Chuhong said, swirling her glass. "Another bottle and we won't be able to shoot at all today! Pace yourself. Let's keep going!" They shot another scene of the classmates chatting and laughing, primarily to let the two leads relax, drink a little, and get into the right emotional headspace. Finally, after two and a half glasses, a faint flush bloomed on Zhong Chuhong's cheeks. A gentle buzz settled in, and she called out on her own initiative, "Director, I think I'm good to go!" "Can you still stand steadily?" "Of course! Huazai, come on!" Having had some alcohol, she seemed even brighter and livelier. She grabbed Liu Dehua by the hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Chen Qi added a word of encouragement: "Ahong, you don't need to stick to standard moves in a moment. Just dance however you want." "However I want?" "However makes you happy!" "Sounds good!" Zhong Chuhong blinked, took her place in the middle of the dance floor, and struck a pose. "Ready!" "Music!" "Action!" The upbeat tempo of "You Never Can Tell" rolled across the dance floor. Liu Dehua got into the groove as well, twisting his body in proper form. Among the Four Heavenly Kings, Guo Fucheng was naturally the best dancer, while the other three were roughly on par. Liu Dehua was currently taking lessons from a vocal coach at his company and had also attended dance classes, so he was hardly a novice. Across from him was Zhong Chuhong. Zhong Chuhong let loose even more. Her red dress wrapped snugly around her shapely figure as she twisted with wild abandon. A wide, dazzling smile parted her lips, and the dimples on her cheeks seemed as intoxicating and rich as the iced cognac she had just been sipping. Caught up in the excitement, she suddenly bent down, slipped off her high heels, tossed them aside, and continued twisting barefoot across the dance floor. "Ha!" She danced with growing delight. The alcohol stoked her surging emotions, and genuine laughter shone from her eyes and brow. In her past projects, filming had always felt exhausting and stressful. Only this time did it feel easier and easier as the shoot progressed. Chen Qi had tailored the script to fit her natural personality, so there was no need to force a performance; being herself was enough. "Brilliant!" Tsui Hark stared at the monitor, clicking his tongue in admiration. At long last, he was directing a true beauty, not like those oddities at Cinema City—the bald guy, the four-eyed geek, the scrawny monkey, and the short tub of lard. He couldn't bring himself to stop the camera, letting the song play all the way to the end before reluctantly calling cut. "Ahong looks gorgeous!" "Yeah, how come I never noticed it before?" "She looks gorgeous when she moves. Usually she dresses so plain." "She looks great normally, too, but she's definitely completely different once the camera rolls." The crew members whispered among themselves. Light beads of sweat dotted Zhong Chuhong's forehead as she returned to the booth. She took another gulp of liquor, her energy still soaring. She was savoring the feeling—since entering the industry, she had never enjoyed an acting experience this much. A figure walked over from nearby. She looked up with a smug expression and asked, "Mr. Chen, how did I do?" "Put your shoes on first." "Huh?" Only then did she notice that he was holding her high heels. The red heels dangled from his long, elegant fingers, swaying gently like little boats—a sight more intoxicating than the glass of brandy in her hand. Zhong Chuhong hurried to take them and slipped them onto her feet. Seeing him smile, she felt an uncharacteristic wave of bashful annoyance. "What are you smiling at?" "You danced wonderfully just now." "I know I was wonderful!" "Then keep it up... We'll be wrapping up soon. Everything went very smoothly today. We're going out to eat—want to come?" "Of course. A free meal? I wouldn't miss it," she huffed. They had begun early in the morning and wrapped by dusk, just as the nightclub was opening its doors for business. The crew dispersed, while several key members of the team found a restaurant to get together. They also invited Liang Jiahui and Shi Nansheng so everyone could get acquainted. After dinner, they went out to sing. KTV was just beginning to take off; Hong Kong's very first venue had opened only the previous year, making it a trendy novelty. By the time the gathering wound down, it was already eleven at night. Tsui Hark had his own car and left first. Even though Zhong Chuhong had turned him down clearly and they were keeping things strictly platonic, Liu Dehua still had feelings for her. He was about to ask if she wanted to share a cab when a Honda Accord pulled up to the curb. Zhong Chuhong hopped in happily, and in the blink of an eye, even its taillights were gone. "Jiahui, if you don't have money, are you not even qualified to date?" He looked downcast. "That's not entirely it. Mr. Chen doesn't have much money of his own either—he's an official dispatch from the mainland, so the money belongs to the state." Liang Jiahui understood the situation well and smiled. "These things come down to chemistry. The vibe you give off just isn't right. I've always felt Ahong looks at you like a little brother." "I'm not a little brother!" Liu Dehua protested stubbornly, waved down a taxi, and headed back to the dormitory on his own.