Now That's a Romance Lead

Hot water at the Beijing Film Studio bathhouse wasn't available every day; taking a bath meant timing it right. Today, there was hot water. That night, Gong Xue returned from her bath, shivering inside her thick military greatcoat as she dashed into her room and hugged the radiator to warm up. She had been in the capital for several years now, but winter still didn't agree with her—it was dry and bitterly cold. Once the chill left her body, she combed her hair and stood before the mirror, staring fixedly at her reflection with a smile on her lips. After a moment, her eyes began to sting. A moment later, tears rolled down of their own accord, yet the corners of her mouth remained lifted in a smile. Chen Qi's voice kept echoing in her mind: "If you keep your eyes wide without blinking, tears will flow after a while—that's external technique. At the same time, you let your emotions brew inside, recalling the feelings from that night so you gradually start to weep—that's internal technique. "An actor has to have her own distinct signature. You can start with crying scenes and become the most beautiful crier in all of China. Not the snot-and-tears bawling kind, but distinct droplets falling like pearls. And don't look sad—smile. Weep through a smile... "You still have two days. That's plenty of time to practice." If Gong Xue had ever seen a Qiong Yao drama, she would have known that this style of weeping was standard equipment for every heroine. In Qiong Yao's stories, a leading lady's morals could be warped and her acting could be shrill histrionics, but she absolutely had to cry beautifully! Chen Qi had been teaching her the star method, not the actor method. The star method was pretty great: it looked gorgeous, was quick to learn, audiences loved it, and it could win awards... "Ugh!" Gong Xue practiced for ages until her facial muscles were twitching. She rubbed her cheeks, rested for a moment, and then went right back to practicing. She had a strong drive to excel, and she'd always had a feeling that the guy looked down on her acting skills, which made her stubbornly determined to prove him wrong. *** Late December, *Romance on Mount Lu* was finally nearing its wrap. Fine snow drifted over the capital, fluttering down until the city was dusted in white. Chen Qi arrived early at the soundstage, greeting this person and saying hello to that one, before sidling up to Gong Xue and whispering, "Feel confident?" "Not at all, but I want to try." Gong Xue bit her lip, still a little worried. "Will Director Wang scold me?" "At worst, she'll just think you didn't nail the take. She has no idea what we've been plotting. If you can't pull it off, just fall back on your usual style. It's fine; you can always try again later." "Mm!" She nodded firmly. "A quick word before we start!" Wang Haowei called out. "We have one major scene and two minor scenes left. Let's aim to wrap everything today—no dragging our feet. Stay focused, everyone. If I catch anyone slacking off, don't blame me for getting harsh!" Leaders and managers in this era, no matter the industry, were all masters at ideological rallying. Having set the ground rules, Wang Haowei gave a wave of her hand, and work began. They shot the two minor scenes first, completing them smoothly, and then moved on to the scene Chen Qi had discussed. Tang Guoqiang, Zhang Jinling, and the veteran actors playing their parents were all on set. "Places, let's do a run-through first!" "Three, two, one—action!" Tang Guoqiang and the others stood to the side. Zhang Jinling wore a resentful expression; in the story's timeline, her character had not yet accepted the female lead, which would only happen after the speech about personal love versus greater love, love for the land and love for the motherland. Gong Xue wore an elegant little white blazer, her back turned, too nervous to face them. The veteran actor playing the father stood behind her, comforting, "I've heard all about it from Geng Hua. You're a fine girl. Your father may live overseas, but his heart never forgets the motherland! "Forgive me, child. Some things are easy for you young folks to resolve, but for old men like us who spent half our lives fighting battles, it's not as simple as reading the newspaper or singing a song. "We have to think it over and wrestle with our feelings. "Write a letter to your father. Tell him that for the motherland to achieve the Four Modernizations, we need national reunification, ethnic unity, and stability. I welcome him to come back and see the motherland of this new era!" "Uncle Geng..." Gong Xue slowly turned around. The veteran actor smiled. "You shouldn't be calling me Uncle now." "Then what should I call you?" "You should call me Father." "..." Gong Xue froze. Following the muscle memory from her two days of practice, her expression showed surprise first, then joy, but no tears fell. *Oh no,* she thought. "Cut!" Wang Haowei called a halt, looking puzzled. "Xiao Gong, what kind of expression is that? Are you trying to cry or laugh?" "I'm sorry, Director! I didn't get it right!" "No problem, let's do it again!" "Cut!" "Cut!" "Cut!" "Xiao Gong, come here!" Wang Haowei wasn't angry, just completely mystified. "What's gotten into you today? Did something happen?" "No." "You seem absent-minded, and your expressions are very strange. If there's anything going on, you have to tell me." "Director, I just haven't gathered my emotions properly yet. Could you give me a little time, please?" "Alright, let's take a short break!" Since they were wrapping up anyway, Wang Haowei wasn't in a rush. Gong Xue pulled her military greatcoat tight around herself and curled up miserably on a stool. She stole a glance at Chen Qi, only to see him make a helpless gesture. *This is so hard!* Head lowered, she covered her ears to shut out the world for a moment, trying hard to recall the feelings from that night. What had actually happened that night? It felt like so long ago... Ah, right. It was the day of the National Day gala. She had gone out for a walk and run into him. They had talked about acting and walked together. That path had been so quiet and secluded, and she remembered the rosy sunset glow on the horizon... For some reason, she had opened up and told him so much. About Shanghai, her parents, being sent down to the countryside as an adolescent, the backbreaking farm labor... and later becoming a performer in an army art troupe, marching dozens of li a day until her feet were raw and blistered, yet never daring to utter a complaint for fear of what others might think of her. *But it really hurt so much back then...* "Mm..." Emotions surged like a flood, crashing wave after wave through her mind and heightening every sense. Suddenly, the feeling was there. Though she couldn't put it into words, she knew it was exactly what Chen Qi had described. "Director, I'm ready!" "Are you sure?" "Yes!" "Alright, once more!" The veteran actor fed her the cue just as before: "You shouldn't be calling me Uncle now." "Then what should I call you?" "You should call me Father." "..." Gong Xue looked up, her gaze hesitant and fluttering like a startled rabbit's. Then a faint smile curved her lips, yet right from those eyes, pearl-like tears fell with soft plops. "Wait!" Wang Haowei involuntarily leaned back so she could tilt her view up and see more clearly. From her vantage point, Gong Xue's face seemed to have transformed into some precious jewel, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant. She was certain no viewer could fail to fall in love with this image. She even felt a pang of regret: *Ah! If only this had been an actual take!* "Father!" With that final release of emotion, the scene instantly reached its crescendo. "Good!" Wang Haowei shouted with hearty vigor and was the first to clap. Amid their astonishment, everyone on set couldn't help whispering among themselves. Previously, none of them had known what the heroine of a romance film was supposed to look like, but in this moment, they all felt she should be exactly like this—so lovely, so gentle, captivating even when crying! "..." With a flush lingering on her cheeks and her emotions still stirring, Gong Xue felt, for the very first time, the sheer exhilaration of delivering a performance. She glanced over at a certain someone. And for the first time, that certain someone showed genuine admiration, giving her a thumbs-up.