novellhall Chapter 8 Oda: I don't understand
Chapter 8 Oda: I don't understand
When they arrived at the airport, there was still half an hour before landing, so the two waited at the arrival gate. Tian Xiwei couldn't stay still; she kept running to the nearby shop to look at dolls, and then she would come over to check the flight information, muttering, "Will Haochun not recognize me? I have a new braid today."
"If you jump twice more, people on the plane will be able to see you."
Just then, the flight arrival announcement sounded. From the crowd, a figure in a beige coat slowly walked out, dragging a small suitcase—it was Liu Haochun.
She looked around nervously until she saw him and Tian Xiwei, at which point her eyes lit up and she quickened her pace.
"Haochun!" Tian Xi called out and rushed over with her arms outstretched.
Liu Haochun put down his suitcase, hugged her, and his nervousness eased considerably. He smiled and said, "Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year!" Tian Xiwei held her hand tightly. "Aren't you afraid to fly alone? My mom wanted to see me off, but I told her it wasn't necessary, I know the area very well!"
Liu Haochun shook his head: "It's okay, I'm just a little dazed after getting off the plane."
"Come on, let's go to the hotel to drop off our things first, then I'll take you out to have some fun." He picked up her suitcase. "It's still early, let's put our luggage down and then go ride the Yangtze River Cableway."
"Great!" Tian Xiwei responded immediately, "I haven't sat like that in ages!"
At that time, Chongqing had not yet become a popular tourist destination, and the Yangtze River Cableway was not considered a popular attraction; it was mostly locals who rode it.
They hadn't been waiting long after buying their tickets when it was their turn. The carriage wasn't crowded; most of the passengers were locals, along with a few tourists carrying cameras.
Tian Xiwei pulled Liu Haochun to stand by the window, pointing to the river view outside: "Look, that's Chaotianmen. My dad used to take me here on a boat ride..."
Liu Haochun pressed her face against the glass, looking intently. "She looks better than in the photos," she whispered.
"Of course!" Tian Xi said with a hint of pride, "Later, when we go downstairs, I'll take you to eat the brown sugar glutinous rice cakes next door, they're super delicious!"
"Brother Feng, come look!" Tian Xi called out to him, turning around slightly. "That ship is huge!"
He looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Liu Haochun also turn his head. The three of them huddled together, watching the cargo ship slowly sail by on the river. Tian Xiwei chattered and guessed where the ship was going.
After getting off the cable car, Tian Xiwei indeed pulled Liu Haochun to a roadside stall and bought three servings of hot brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, coated with soybean powder and brown sugar syrup.
"Eat quickly, it won't taste good when it gets cold." Tian Xiwei handed a portion to Liu Haochun.
Liu Haochun took a bite, her eyes crinkling into a smile: "It's sweet, and delicious."
"Right?" Tian Xiwei's mouth was full of noodles. "I've been eating this since I was a child."
I followed them around, listening to their conversation, and occasionally taking a couple of photos for them. Tian Xiwei's laughter was like a silver bell. Liu Haochun didn't talk much, but he could always keep up with Tian Xiwei's pace.
"By the way, Haochun," Tian Xiwei suddenly remembered something, "are you ready for the scene where we're arguing after the New Year? Brother Feng said that scene is quite difficult."
Liu Haochun nodded: "I've read the script several times, and I'm a little nervous."
"Don't be afraid, I'll get you into character!" Tian Xi patted her arm. "Just like when we played beanbag toss last time, just pretend I really made you angry."
Liu Haochun smiled and said, "Okay."
As darkness fell, lights began to illuminate the riverbank across the river.
"Let's go back, it's time for dinner." He stood up.
"Hmm!" Tian Xiwei pulled Liu Haochun to his feet, tossing the sunflower seed shells into the nearby trash can. "What are we having for dinner? I want hot pot!"
"You just ate glutinous rice cakes, aren't you afraid of the spiciness?"
"Don't be afraid! I'm from Chongqing!"
Liu Haochun chuckled and nodded, "I want to eat too."
"Okay, let's have hot pot." He agreed with a smile.
After dinner, Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun were arranged to share a room that evening, and neither of them objected.
The next morning, the film crew resumed their usual busy schedule. As soon as he arrived on set, he pulled out a stack of red envelopes from his bag and handed them out to everyone he met: "Wishing you good luck on your first day of work and a Happy New Year!"
The staff members accepted the gifts with smiles, saying "Thank you, Director Lin," and the atmosphere immediately warmed up. Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun ran over and extended their hands.
"Here you go, for the two leading actors." He gave each of them one, the red envelopes being slightly thicker than the others.
"Thank you, Brother Feng!" Tian Xiwei immediately opened the package, saw crisp new banknotes inside, and grinned, revealing her two little tiger teeth. "I'm rich!"
Liu Haochun also opened the envelope, whispered "thank you," and carefully stuffed the red envelope into her bag.
The first two days of filming were mostly transitional scenes, not very difficult, and both actors were in good spirits. Tian Xiwei remained relaxed, and Liu Haochun became increasingly natural, occasionally even bantering with Tian Xiwei in front of the camera, making everyone on set laugh.
On the third day, the main event took place. Shi Miao made a birthday wish, hoping that her brother Shi Fen would "disappear," only to discover that her brother had become her best friend's brother.
This scene is the turning point of the entire film, demanding a high level of acting skill from Tian Xiwei. From the resentment when blowing out the candles, to the shock of seeing her "brother" walking with her best friend at school the next day, to the ecstatic joy after confirming that her brother has really "disappeared," and finally the sense of loss that wells up when she is alone.
In just a few minutes of filming, several emotional shifts need to be executed, and every micro-expression and every movement must be precise.
Before filming began, he specifically instructed Tian Xiwei on the scene: "Remember, Shi Miao's feelings for her brother are very complicated. She hates him and finds him annoying, but she can't live without him."
"When I made the wish, I was full of anger, and I felt relieved when he disappeared. But when I actually saw him become someone else's brother, I felt empty. The emptiness was not sadness, but the bewilderment of suddenly having no rival."
Tian Xi nodded, seemingly understanding, "I know, it's like being both happy and unhappy, right?"
"That's roughly the idea, but it has to be acted out so the audience can see it." He picked up the script and pointed to a section.
"For example, here, when you see Shi Fen greeting Hao Chun, he's clutching his backpack tightly, his eyes are wide open, but the corners of his mouth are secretly upturned. That's a secret thrill. When you get home and see that his room is empty, you have to be stunned for two seconds, then jump up and laugh. But you suddenly stop laughing halfway through and your eyes drift down. That's disappointment."
She listened attentively, nodding vigorously: "Okay, I'll give it a try."
But once they were in front of the camera, the problems became apparent.
The first scene: making a birthday wish. Tian Xi's eyes were slightly closed, her brows were furrowed so tightly that her expression seemed angry, but there was no long-suppressed resentment, it was more like she was simply unhappy.
"Cut!" After calling a halt, "Weiwei, relax. Shimiao doesn't really hate her brother, she just feels wronged and angry because he always bullies her. It's like holding your breath, not just forcing a frown."
Tian Xi took a deep breath and tried again. This time her brows weren't as furrowed, but she blew out the candles too forcefully, her expression contorted, lacking the delicacy of a young girl.
"Again."
It took five or six takes before the scene of making a wish was finally acceptable.
The next day at school, Shi Miao saw Shi Fen walking with her best friend and even carrying her friend's schoolbag. According to the script, Shi Miao should first be shocked, then secretly smile, with a hint of smug satisfaction that "he's finally not bothering me anymore."
But when Tian Xiwei saw him and Liu Haochun walking over, her eyes widened and her mouth opened so wide it could fit an egg. She stood there stunned for a long time without reacting, let alone secretly smiling.
"Cut!" He said with a hint of helplessness. "Weiwei, after the shock, you need to do something subtle, like raising your hand to cover your mouth or shaking your shoulders. That's to suppress laughter."
"I'm nervous," she whispered, her palms sweating.
"Don't be afraid, just pretend it's true. For example, if I suddenly stop opposing you and start trying to please others, wouldn't you feel a little smug?"
"Um……"
"Express that bit of smugness."
After three more takes, they finally captured a satisfactory shot. Her eyes widened, then she quickly lowered her head, her shoulders trembled slightly, and a half-open smile lingered at the corner of her mouth.
The hardest part is coming home to find her brother's room empty. As required, Shi Miao pushes open the door, sees the empty room, is stunned at first, and then realizes that her brother has really "disappeared." She will jump up with joy and even roll around on the bed.
But as she laughed, her movements slowed down, and finally she sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes vacant, her fingers unconsciously picking at the sheets—a sudden wave of despondency washing over her.
Tian Xiwei was so excited at first that she jumped up as soon as she opened the door, rolled around on the bed several times, and laughed so loudly that she completely forgot her disappointment later.
"Cut!" he shouted quickly. "It's not to make you truly happy, it's just that temporary feeling of relief that Shi Miao gets rid of him. There needs to be a process of letting go later."
"I can't stop," she said, getting out of bed, a little frustrated.
"That's because you've never truly lost anything." He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Think about it, even though he would steal your candy when you were little, he would tilt the umbrella towards you when it rained, hide your comic books, and be the first to rush to your aid when you were bullied."
"I keep these things in my heart every second, but I don't usually talk about them. So when he really 'disappeared,' my first reaction was relief, but I would soon remember those good things and feel empty inside."
Tian Xi lowered her head slightly, remained silent, and fiddled with the bed sheet with her fingers, as if she was thinking about something.
"Try again, but slowly." He patted her on the shoulder.
This time, she pushed open the door, her steps a little slower. Seeing the empty room, she first stood in the doorway, her eyes widening little by little, then slowly grinned, raised her hand to cover her face, and her shoulders began to tremble.
It wasn't laughter, but rather a mixture of disbelief and excitement. She walked to the bedside, reached out and touched the empty pillow, then suddenly squatted down, hugged her knees, and burst into laughter. The laughter wasn't loud, but it conveyed a sense of cathartic release.
Just then, her laughter slowly subsided. She lowered her hands from her knees, her gaze falling on the bedside table, where Shi Miao's favorite hair clip, which Shi Fen had secretly hidden, had once sat. The hair clip was still there, but the person was gone.
Her shoulders slumped slightly, her head slowly lowered, and her fingers traced names on the sheets. Gone was the excitement from before; only an indescribable silence remained.
"You passed!" The voice carried a hint of relief.
Tian Xi raised her head slightly, her eyes a little red. She didn't say anything, but just nodded at him.
But that's not all. The next scene is even more difficult. When Shi Miao sees her "brother" being nice to her best friend, helping her with her homework and buying her snacks, she feels jealous and disappointed.
According to the script, she was supposed to deliberately bump into him, saying, "Can't you watch where you're going?" with a hint of provocation in her eyes. But when she turned to leave, she would slow down, her shoulders would slump, revealing a sense of grievance that she herself was unaware of.
Tian Xi tried a few times, but either she bumped into him too hard, making him seem really angry, or she turned around too quickly, completely losing the feeling of disappointment.
"I can't act it out..." She stood in front of the camera, her eyes reddening. "I don't understand why I should be sad?"
He told everyone to rest first, then watched her from a distance, knowing that Tian Xiwei was only scratching the surface; it wasn't enough. He needed to think of a more practical way, perhaps one that would allow her to truly experience it?
Just as he was pondering this, Zhou Ming walked over and said, "This girl has a high level of comprehension; with a little more practice, she should be able to succeed."
"Hmm." He looked at Tian Xiwei, who was drinking water in the distance. "We need to make her truly understand that feeling of both love and hate."