Actresses

Chapter 66 Communication

"And there's one of your movies that left a particularly deep impression on me." Song Lin's expression was one of longing. "I often take it out to watch."

He Yuran suppressed the complex emotions in her heart and asked, "Me? Have I ever worked with Luo An before?"

She had barely finished speaking when she said "Oh" again. A movie really did flash through her mind.

"That's great, I didn't want to remember anyway," Li Luoan said calmly.

He Yuran frowned, turned around and glared at Li Luoan with a furrowed brow. Clearly, she had also remembered.

Indeed, ten years ago, a long time ago in her memory, the two of them had a cameo role in a Lunar New Year comedy co-produced by their company. Lunar New Year films were once a staple of the year-end movie season, but with the rigidification of the so-called "family-friendly anthology" template, they gradually declined in the mid-2010s. As a form of formulaic film product, Lunar New Year films also quietly disappeared. And the film in which they had a cameo role was one of the last products of the Lunar New Year film era.

If someone hadn't mentioned it, I really wouldn't have remembered. It was one of the few commercial films that Li Luoan had participated in.

"Yes, that's the one. You two played sisters in it. I watch that movie every year, especially your part."

He Yuran thought for a while. "It seems like a pretty ordinary story. Why would I need to read it so often?"

"It's anything but ordinary. I don't like watching Lunar New Year films, but I really miss that one because it was truly unconventional and contrary to the spirit of the New Year," Song Lin said earnestly.

He Yuran listened silently, and memories of that movie gradually surfaced.

In the film, she plays Zhi Xia, the older sister in a subplot family, who has a clingy younger sister named Zhi Qiu. During the Spring Festival when Zhi Xia returns to her hometown, she is forced to share a room with Zhi Qiu. Although the film is actually quite restrained, the physical language is indeed very intimate. Looking back now, He Yu Ran is not even sure if there is any room for interpretation, as if it transcends familial affection.

Moreover, she thought back carefully and realized that on set, they did exactly as the director instructed. During breaks, she and Li Luoan didn't interact much off-camera, so her memories of them were indeed vague.

Song Lin continued, "You played Zhixia, who endlessly indulged her younger sister Zhiqiu, while the younger sister rejected all men around her. Ten years ago, the creative market was relatively unregulated, and it was possible to film this kind of ambiguous and secretive incestuous relationship. It's simply impossible to film like that now. And I think you two acted exceptionally well, especially in the scene where you spent the first night in the old house, sharing a blanket—"

Before Song Lin could finish speaking, He Yuran and Li Luoan spoke almost simultaneously:

"It's ready!"

"That's about it!"

After they finished speaking, they both frowned and glanced at each other simultaneously. Their unfocused eye contact hinted at unspoken thoughts.

Song Lin almost burst out laughing. Several friends next to him also chuckled quietly.

"What are you afraid of? If there's nothing, let me finish."

He Yuran covered her head and said, "Okay, okay, you go ahead."

"In that scene, Luo'an was curled up asleep in your arms, and then there was a moment when you touched the top of her head, and your fingertips brushed against her cheek. You two even looked at each other for a moment, but you immediately looked away. If it had been a long eye contact, it wouldn't have caused any interpretation, but there was a clear sense of concern for each other and a reluctance to face each other in your eyes. But you're sisters, so what exactly are you afraid to face? What does that avoidance represent? That's the most intriguing part."

Upon hearing this, the people nearby all murmured "Wow!" "Teacher Song really knows how to talk!"

He Yuran sighed, completely at a loss as to how to resist this barrage of speculation from others.

Li Luoan explained, equally bewildered, "I don't remember this at all. If I did, it's probably because we weren't familiar with each other, and eye contact would have been awkward, so we naturally looked away. I guess the director thought that take was usable and kept it? I never imagined that ten years later someone would interpret it this way... I thought no one would watch this movie anymore. Actually, not many people watched it back then. I was quite happy that its box office was low."

He Yuran said irritably, "Maybe the root of my box office poison was planted at that time."

Song Lin smiled broadly. "Listen to me! Then there was another incident where the family wanted my older sister to go on a blind date. When Zhi Qiu heard about it, she couldn't eat. Zhi Xia was going to do something else, but the younger sister mistakenly thought her older sister was really going on a blind date. She was angry and sad, so she deliberately ignored Zhi Xia. But when her older sister tried to comfort her, the younger sister burst into tears, saying, 'Please don't go on a blind date, okay?' My goodness, who understands that!"

Someone nearby had already pulled out an online video, their voice trembling with excitement.

"Which section? Quickly find the relevant time frame!"

"I'm looking! I'm looking!"

This time, Li Luoan also covered his head.

He Yuran seemed much more composed and even comforted Li Luoan, saying, "Well, it's already happened. I told you, since we've taken the pay, it's all debt, and we have to face it."

Li Luoan said helplessly, "But my salary isn't as high as yours, sis."

He Yuran couldn't help but tug at Song Lin from several meters away: "Hey! Little sister! Luo'an called me 'sister'! She's never shown me this much respect before, even at the company!"

But Song Lin seemed not to hear, her eyes shining with a blissful light. "Then, on New Year's Eve, everyone set off fireworks together. The younger sister wrapped her arms around her older sister's waist from behind, resting her head on her older sister's back. Everyone was watching the fireworks, but what Zhi Xia didn't know was that the younger sister closed her eyes and was feeling her older sister's warmth."

He Yuran felt goosebumps rise on her skin. "I really don't remember this scene at all!"

"Yes..." Li Luoan said helplessly, "I do remember this scene. It was late at night, and I was so tired that I could close my eyes and rest while holding you."

Song Lin, completely disregarding the two women's fates, continued, "When the older sister was about to leave, the younger sister asked, 'Can you promise me?' The older sister replied, 'Promise what? You're still so young. I'll promise you when you grow up.' The younger sister said, 'My world revolves around you. When I grow up, I'll come find you.' Then, Zhi Xia returned to Beijing. This side story doesn't explicitly explain the ending for the two women, but from what I've seen in explanations and clips, everyone agrees it's a relatively old-school Chinese film about sisterly incest. What's rare is that it's in a Lunar New Year film; such sisterly relationships are very rare in movies these days, let alone portrayed with such subtlety."

Li Luoan silently drank a glass of wine and then put it down. "Xiao Song, speaking of which, I vaguely remember. When I agreed to take this role, it wasn't entirely because of the company. This sisterhood really touched me, but it's a little different."

He Yuran shook her head vigorously, "I don't remember at all. In my memory, these kinds of films are just for working, because it's just a few cameo appearances."

Li Luoan shook his head. "I don't think so. Domestic films from over a decade ago might have touched on ambiguous relationships between women, but now it's absolutely impossible. Although people always discuss feminist expressions, the stories being made have become narrower. It's hard to film a relationship that's more loyal than love, more intense than family, more exclusive than friendship, somewhere in between, but not a sexual relationship. Zhi Xia and Zhi Qiu are related by blood, depend on each other for survival, and are also possessive. No wonder Xiao Song is into them. After listening to her talk about it, I suddenly understand."

He Yuran looked at Li Luoan in front of her, feeling both familiar and unfamiliar. She thought to herself, "I didn't expect you to be so hostile. You've been reading a lot of these so-called feminist books in private these past few years, and you speak so eloquently about them."

Li Luoan added, "I didn't intentionally refuse to act—maybe intentionally, because there really weren't any scripts that moved me. The so-called female-centric stories I got were all very narrow, and often the ending was that I decided to get out of my predicament. My God, shouldn't that be the beginning of a story? It's so tiring and painful to watch. I wanted to film stories about wandering the martial arts world, conquering the world, and killing people indiscriminately, but there weren't any. Moreover, the production companies didn't need an actor like me with such a low profile; in their eyes, I couldn't bring any viewership. So neither side would choose the other. Gradually, I came to terms with it. If I don't have any roles, so be it. Anyway, there aren't many dramas airing now that I like."

"Knowing you're not retiring from the industry makes me feel a little relieved. I was originally going to ask you why you suddenly faded out of this field," He Yuran said.

"Actually, this is what we often talk about on our podcast: examples of writing about women's intimate relationships. And it's actually a movie from over a decade ago, just a side dish in a medley."

He Yuran was practically fainting; Song Lin's conversation was still revolving around that old movie.

"But to me, it's like an anchor. So every year when I go home, whenever my sister and I have a fight, I watch this movie, and I'm reminded that we actually have this kind of twin, symbiotic relationship. No one is closer to us than us, but no one tortures each other more than us either. Yet I know that my relationship with my sister won't be like the one you two imagine in the movie. That's what makes it so amazing."

He Yuran raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You have a younger sister?"

"Yes, she's twelve years younger than me. She's still a child, in the process of growing up, so she's very curious and clingy."

"No wonder you have such delicate emotions."

"Hmm!" Song Lin said with a smile, "It's not because I have a younger sister. It's because during my studies, I encounter many questions and confusions, so I need to keep learning to understand what era I'm in, what position I occupy, and then find my own life's lessons. As a woman, it's especially important to know these things."

For He Yuran, while the content of the conversation wasn't entirely unfamiliar, this was the first time she'd encountered such a high-intensity discussion about women's issues. Previously, the conversations had revolved around her as an actress, but today it felt like they were discussing a much larger group of women—a group she'd never considered before. This made the topic seem incredibly vast and unrelated to her own life. Yet, strangely, it was also incredibly captivating.

The scenes Song Lin described made He Yuran even want to go back and watch the movie again.

"Anyway... I learned quite a bit from what you all said." He Yuran finally managed to say this after a long pause, unable to think of any more sophisticated words.

Li Luoan chimed in from the side, "Song Lin, after reading the book list you gave me last time, my impression is that those books were actually written quite a long time ago, several decades ago. But from what I've observed at work, not much has changed over the years, although there are definitely more people talking about them in real life."

Song Lin laughed, "Sister Luo'an, this is actually a change."

He Yuran, listening from the side, was completely confused and casually asked, "What book?"

Li Luoan turned his head, "How about I bring the book to you later, and you can take it home and read it?"

"Sure!" He Yuran looked up at Li Luoan.

Their eyes met. Looking at the actor—or former actor—who was six or seven years younger than her, He Yuran did indeed feel a different kind of emotion for a moment.

In a corner completely unknown to Song Lin, something new was just beginning to grow.

Should I let this CP fan know? I really think Li Luoan... is quite different. He Yuran thought to himself, a mischievous smile creeping onto his lips.