After that scene, Chi Siyuan remained in the classroom to film the following sequences with the other extras.
His character, Xia Qinglang, initially tried to learn about Yu Xiang from the other students. He soon discovered that the real Yu Xiang seemed quite different from the person they described. Growing increasingly curious, he sought Yu Xiang out again and made an effort to understand him.
While Chi Siyuan began filming, Xu Xishuang moved to another location: a small alley borrowed temporarily for his scenes opposite the veteran actor.
The older actor's surname was Zhang, so Xu Xishuang called him Brother Zhang, as was customary. Brother Zhang played Yu Xiang's father, an irredeemable scumbag. Ever since Yu Xiang's mother died, the man had spent his days drinking, smoking, and gambling, using Yu Xiang as a punching bag for every emotion he felt.
The horrific scars on the back of Yu Xiang's neck came from one drunken episode when his father had gone berserk, brought a kettle of boiling water from the kitchen, and poured it directly over his son's nape.
Everything about Yu Xiang's current personality was the result of this man's cruelty. The other children in town knew about his father and knew nobody would stand up for him. That was why they dared bully him so openly, ensuring that Yu Xiang suffered profoundly both at home and at school.
Yu Xiang had been beaten since childhood. He knew he couldn't overpower his father, so he never tried to fight him. Whenever his father got drunk and began raging, Yu Xiang used whatever means he could to avoid him.
Naturally, Xu Xishuang felt considerable pressure acting opposite such an experienced veteran. But that was nothing compared to the pressure he felt from Yan Yushan, who had chosen to supervise Xu Xishuang's scenes instead of filming Chi Siyuan's.
Xu Xishuang understood that his scenes were more difficult, so it was reasonable for Yan Yushan to oversee them. Yet the man's stare felt unusually intense today. Xu Xishuang could practically feel his back burning. Even Brother Zhang teased Yan Yushan, telling Director Yan to stop staring at his 'son' before he frightened Xu Xishuang.
After hearing this, Yan Yushan moderated his gaze slightly. Xu Xishuang finally felt able to breathe and quickly entered character as filming began.
Yu Xiang was doing his homework in his bedroom. His exercise book was battered and torn, having been ripped to pieces and trampled under countless feet. He had retrieved it from the trash himself and painstakingly taped it back together.
He'd barely written a few words when he heard his father's heavy footsteps in the hallway. Yu Xiang stiffened. He quickly put away his homework, switched off the desk lamp, locked his door, and crawled beneath the covers.
Before long, someone began pounding violently on his bedroom door, the wood rattling with every blow. Each time his father struck it, Yu Xiang trembled under his blanket. Listening to the curses from the other side, he couldn't stop a tear from escaping. But he wiped it away quickly, closed his eyes without expression, and tried to sleep. Tomorrow, the bullying would resume at school.
Outside, his father finally seemed to have exhausted himself from shouting and pounding on the door. Still swearing, he returned to the living room chair. He intended to order some more food on his phone, but discovered he didn't have enough money. After a moment's thought, he got up and approached a locked cabinet in a small room. He stared at it drunkenly, then fetched a hammer from another room, smashed the lock, pulled out a stack of cash, and left the house with a roar of laughter, ready to go drinking again.
Hearing the commotion, Yu Xiang realized his father had gone. He slipped out of his room and stood in the living room for a while. Suddenly remembering something, he widened his eyes and hurried into the room where his father had taken the money. He opened the cabinet with its smashed lock and stared trembling at the empty space inside.
His father had stolen this month's living allowance!
Before they died, Yu Xiang's grandparents had worried most about their underage grandson. They knew their own son was rotten to the core and utterly unreliable, so they'd secretly given all their savings to Yu Xiang. Yu Xiang had entrusted the money to their neighbor, Granny Liu, collecting a monthly allowance and hiding part of it at home.
Yu Xiang's father had tried making trouble at Granny Liu's house before. But she had two sturdy, strong sons, and each time he went, he returned thoroughly humiliated. Eventually he stopped trying to intimidate her and instead beat Yu Xiang at home, forcing him to surrender his allowance.
Yu Xiang had never imagined that one moment of carelessness today would give his father the chance to take his entire allowance for the month.
He pressed his lips tightly together. He knew his grandparents hadn't left him much money, and he had to make it last until he became an adult. How was he supposed to survive this month?
“Good. Cut.”
Yan Yushan signaled to Xu Xishuang. Xu Xishuang remained motionless for a while, needing time to emerge from Yu Xiang's emotions.
The scene had drained him emotionally. He sat off to the side watching silly short videos for quite some time before recovering his good mood. He still remembered Doctor Xu's advice: stay cheerful, take more vitamin C, and increase his physical activity appropriately.
Xiao Wang had made him a bowl of homemade chilled jelly dessert. Xu Xishuang gave him a thumbs-up, but when he tried to ask for a second bowl, Xiao Wang stopped him.
Yan Yushan called Xu Xishuang over to shoot a few additional shots, and he complied. While Xu Xishuang worked, Brother Zhang sat nearby and smiled at Yan Yushan. “Doesn't this kid remind you of yourself back then?”
“I remember you were about this age when you started taking on more challenging roles,” Brother Zhang said. “Xiao Xu isn't even twenty yet, is he? He has such a promising future.”
Yan Yushan watched Xu Xishuang through the camera. The young man was like a piece of uncarved jade, radiating exquisite beauty. Yan Yushan wanted to polish and nurture him, hold him up so more people could see him, let his beauty astonish the world and be admired by everyone. Yet at the same time he wanted to keep him entirely to himself, so he would belong to no one else.
By the time Xu Xishuang finished the additional shots, Chi Siyuan was nearly done too. That concluded the day's filming. Chi Siyuan ran over excitedly, catching Xu Xishuang before he could return to the hotel. Slightly breathless, he asked, “Senior, may I come see you again tonight?”
Xu Xishuang nodded. “Mm.”
Behind them, Yan Yushan slowly frowned. ?
