Break Up Right After Same-sex Marriage Is Legalized - Chapter 1

Today, we are filming a scene in the snow. This scene is the final scene of the movie, and it is also my wrap-up scene.

The relevant crew members started preparing early.

At the filming location—

People passing by the filming site couldn’t help their intense curiosity and kept peeking over. Even if most passersby recognized the actors, they wouldn’t come over to interfere. They just took photos from a distance. Occasionally, some who wanted to get closer were blocked outside the boundary by the staff.

A snow scene is not like a rain scene, which can be completed through convenient artificial means. The director has very high requirements for authenticity and is extremely nitpicky. Therefore, he had been paying close attention to weather information since the early stages of filming.

The weather was currently transitioning between autumn and winter. This scene was originally supposed to be filmed in Harbin, but Director Chen suddenly noticed a weather forecast suggesting that around early December, there would be a heavy snowfall in Liu City. After discussing with the crew, the director decided to wait half a month for this snow and film the other parts first.

As for why he chose to wait, it was because Liu City has a commercial street that is feasting with lights and looks magnificent at night.

Even as the bitter winter approached, this commercial street remained as lively as ever, with heavy traffic and flashing neon lights. Standing in the middle of it and looking out, one felt that the hurrying pedestrians must all have incredibly exciting lives.

Presumably, this was the effect Director Chen wanted.

Thus, my wrap-up scene was delayed by half a month.

During these vacant two weeks, I didn’t have much work. I only filmed one commercial and one magazine spread. For the rest of the time, I didn’t leave the crew. I stayed in the hotel flipping through scripts brought by my manager, honing my acting skills, practicing lines, and picking out a suitable role for my next project.

Time passed extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was time for filming, and the heavy snow in Liu City arrived as scheduled on a quiet morning, silent and punctual.

The film Director Chen is shooting is a commercial film with a simple and easy-to-understand name: “Citywide Ultimatum.” The story is well-told with touching elements, which is the director’s consistent style.

The character I play is the third male lead, who follows the male protagonist to help him solve problems, assists in the development of the leads’ relationship, and pushes the plot forward. After taking over the relay when the male lead dies, the female lead leaves in sorrow, and the antagonistic second male lead goes to prison, he serves as the final point of the story, reminiscing about the past.

For a third male lead, the weight of the role is quite good.

In this scene, I need to walk alone on the street at dusk, heading forward with my head down during a heavy snowfall, then look up toward the front. The final shot needs to freeze on my eyes.

This year is colder than previous years, which is why a snowy day appeared in Liu City in December.

Right now, the snow is falling in flurries. It isn’t particularly dense. White flakes are accumulating bit by bit on the ground, forming a thin layer of first snow. As soon as pedestrians leave footprints, they are covered again by the overlapping layers.

The bone-chilling winter wind blows in gusts.

To look good on camera, I cannot show signs of shrinking away even if it is cold. Fortunately, the overcoat is quite thick, enough to withstand the severe winter wind without looking too bulky.

The staff began to prepare, and Director Chen was searching for the most suitable direction and angle.

I stood by the street, warming my hands with a disposable paper cup filled with hot tea. I looked down at the white snow covering my shoes, recalling the plot to brew my emotions.

This is my personal wrap-up scene with no other actors involved. However, Hu Zeliang, who plays the male lead, also quietly arrived at the scene.

Hu Zeliang is in his early thirties. Although he hasn’t won a Best Actor award, he already has many well-known films to his name. He entered the industry earlier than I did and has been immersed in this circle for ten years. His acting is quite good.

Because of our characters and the plot, he and I had many scenes together and are fairly familiar with each other. Perhaps due to his naturally social personality, he came to the filming site this afternoon, saying he wanted to observe. I’m actually not quite used to his enthusiasm, but he said we have a fated connection, so he wanted to come and see. Since his scenes aren’t until tonight anyway, it wouldn’t be a delay.

He and the actress playing the female lead are very experienced, both have taught me some acting techniques and experiences. When acting with me, he is always generous with his guidance. He is a fine senior.

Therefore, I didn’t refuse his kindness again.

At this moment, he was standing right next to me, looking at the cup in my hand. He asked me: “He Zhi, what are you drinking?”

“Hot tea.” I said.

“It looks good. I want a cup too.”

I felt a bit helpless, remembering that he had just refused his assistant’s tea: “The tea Xiao Zhang offered you just now came from the same pot.”

Hu Zeliang: “Maybe what’s in someone else’s hand smells better?”

“That is an illusion.” I said with certainty.

He smiled and didn’t speak, looking down to play with his phone. Not long after, his assistant, Xiao Zhang, brought the tea over again.

Seeing that the crew was almost ready, I seriously adjusted my emotions and stopped paying attention to anything else.

In a moment, Director Chen called for the staff to move out of the shot, saying that after another brief preparation, filming would begin.

Hu Zeliang said “Good luck,” then, without waiting for my reply, he carried his hot tea and walked out of the frame.

Director Chen adjusted the equipment and walked over.

“Xiao He, just act according to what I told you before.” Director Chen lit a cigarette. “Although this scene has no dialogue and relies solely on movement and gaze for support, it shouldn’t be a problem for you. You are a rookie actor with great potential.”

I smiled: “Thank you for the affirmation, Director Chen.”

I am an actor who started halfway, not from a professional academy. When I first started acting, I groped my way through everything on my own. Most of the time, I performed by immersing myself into the character.

Perhaps I have a bit of talent in this area, or perhaps my empathy is stronger. Over the past two years, I have been praised by several directors and actors I’ve worked with.

However, acting is not that simple. There are too many elements to consider in front of the lens. Performing with immersive substitution helps stay close to the character, but it makes it easy to appear too reckless and difficult to snap out of the role.

Therefore, I have taken related courses to learn acting techniques.

Currently, it is quite satisfactory.

This scene is very simple. After everything ends, the third male lead lives on aimlessly. He doesn’t go to work, and hasn’t even left his rented room, like a walking corpse. Until one day, he sees the snow falling outside the window, so he silently tidies himself up, goes out looking as bright and clean as an ordinary person, and wanders alone on the busy street—even though there is only stagnant water in his eyes.

Then, at a certain moment, he suddenly looks up, and emotion gradually appears in the depths of his eyes.

Because he remembered the past.

From beginning to end, he is out of place with the surrounding hustle and bustle of the crowd.

Director Chen finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on a nearby trash can, and said to me: “Let’s begin.”

Then he turned and walked out of the frame.

I handed the paper cup to a staff member. At the moment Director Chen shouted “Action,” I entered the state and walked silently forward along the street.

Snow drifted on the street. I knew that the red and yellow lights in the shops would turn into rounded, fragmented spots in the lens, blurring the passing pedestrians, like in a dream, and like a scene just before disappearing.

Dreamlike and lonely.

Director Chen said to express a sense of melancholy and yearning, as if looking through time and space via the snowy street, seeing the past and the present, realizing that things have changed and people are gone.

I followed Director Chen’s requirements. The moment I looked up at the camera, I suddenly thought—

Mr. Wei and I haven’t seen each other for over a month.