After an eventful weekend, the next week passed by in a flurry of classes and training for Wu Suo Wei. He walked into his film appreciation class, just making it in time before the professor entered. He struggled to find an empty seat until Xiaoshuai signalled that there was a spot next to him in the second row.
Because the golden duo, Chi Cheng and Guo Chengyu, had joined this course, class attendance had increased. Many girls wanted to get close to them. They were comfortably seated in the back row, observing the room.
Wu Suo Wei, visibly a bit sweaty from his earlier run, checked himself to see if he smelled bad. Shuai handed him a handkerchief.
Chengyu noticed the pale-skinned Xiaoshuai, looking extra cute in his baby blue turtleneck sweater and white jacket. Meanwhile, Chi Cheng also noticed the usually dishevelled Wu Suo Wei wiping his sweat away, looking red and flushed in his oversized NASA hoodie and Sony headphones.
The duo whispered to each other, wondering why those two juniors seemed so close.
"Do you think they are… together?" Chi Cheng asked.
Chengyu stared at the second row again and determined, "No, they don't look like that kind of pair. Close friends. Dorm friends, I guess?"
"Hmm." Chi Cheng continued to observe the two xuedi (juniors).
"Ahh, don't tell me you are interested! Which one?"
"No, just curious about the headphones. He was the delivery boy from that night."
"Eh? Really? That troublemaker? That guy was hilarious!"
"Settle down, everyone. I want you all to divide into 4-5 member groups and create a short film by the end of the semester. The best one will be sent to the Beijing Film Festival," Professor Zhou announced, sending a buzz through the class. Many were eager to join the same group as the handsome duo seated in the back row.
"Chi Cheng, now's your chance to showcase your hidden talent, bro!"
"Chengyu, don't let idiots into our group like you always do."
"When did I… tsk."
"Fine, this time will be different. Chi-ge, promise, no trouble-makers from our club."
The classroom lights dimmed, and a short film started to play.
A whiplash of images changed across the frame. The main character, Hero, was chasing someone through the alleys. Sometimes it was up the hill and downwards, shot across Chongqing. There was minimal dialogue, and Hero expressed his grief, intensifying as he navigated through different streets. Hero was joined in the chase by others. Some were cheerful, some were awfully angry, and some people were crying the whole time. Hero changed his stance each time he met someone new. He was woefully stoic until he reached a new place across the bridge. It was an empty green park. Nobody was there except him, and he felt lost. Finally, he uttered the word he could not bring himself to call. He called out for his mother, who had passed away on the sidewalk from a heart attack while babysitting his kids in the park. Hero let the silent tears fall and didn't mind when the others who had followed along gave him hugs and comfort to share his grief.
The last scene showed Hero finally being able to bring flowers to his mom's tombstone and perform the ritual.
Watching this play out struck a chord for Wu Suo Wei. He looked pale and almost sick. He stopped his thoughts from wandering too much to the dark edges of his mind.
"The film uses such a nice perception versus reality style of filming. On the surface, it is an action movie, but beneath it lies the truth. Hero was devastated, racked by guilt for leaving his elderly mother unattended, and finally letting go of all that baggage to revisit his mother's grave. Each frame is deliberate and purposeful."
The Professor continued. "If you approach storytelling first, your framing will be easier. Perception versus reality. There's an English word, 'Persona'. Can anyone explain what it means?"
Most of the students avoided eye contact to evade the question, so Xiaoshuai had to raise his hand. English was his strong suit. "Persona means like a social mask. People behave differently with different people and in different situations. It's the compromise between the individual and society's expectations."
"Hmm, well said. You, sit down."
"For your end-of-term short films, you have to work on the personas of your characters. Their outer and inner selves. Here's the best assignment for the midterm. Watch a movie of your choice, and you have to show movie tickets as evidence. Present a report in terms of dialogue, set design, cinematography, and anything you liked about the film. Present it."
A lot of the students started whining at the mention of the report.
"Sir, this is an optional class. Don't give us more work to do, please," a burly-looking guy requested of Professor Zhou.
"Look, I know. I will have to evaluate you, but the report doesn't have to be on paper. You can verbally present. Anything creative is welcome in my class. I know this class feels unnecessary to you, but it's important to understand culture, the art of storytelling, and the brands you wear. Everything and everyone has a story to tell, right? So, I just want this class to be your creative exploration. You are still welcome to switch between this class and the botany or philosophy optionals. I am not stopping you."
The students started to whisper amongst themselves as the class got dismissed.
I think I will create a choreo for the report, Wu Suo Wei thought to himself and jotted down bullet points in his notepad.
"Dawei, I have to head to the library. There's an anatomy reference book I want to find. Bye-bye."
"Bye bye."
Wu Suo Wei put on his headphones and casually walked out of the class in his usual hurried manner, just as an intense pair of eyes followed his every little movement. Chi Cheng was curious about Wu Suo Wei.
"Chengyu, next class, you can ask those two juniors to join our group project."
"Eh? Can you repeat it?" Guo Chengyu grabbed Chi Cheng by the shoulder as they strolled out of the classroom. "The Chi Cheng, asking for those two nerds to join our group? Is the sun rising from the west today or something?"
"Shut up. Anyway, I just want to avoid freeloaders. I am serious about creating a short film."
"I know, buddy, I am just kidding. You do seem very interested in that delivery guy. I know he is your ideal type."
"As if you were not staring at his pale friend."
"Okay, FINE, I am interested, okay? He was the guy who saved my Laolao (Grandma), so obviously, I want to know who he is. Let's both call it casual curiosity."
The duo nodded in agreement. There is another phrase, curiosity killed the cat. These two were not cats but roaring tigers of Beijing, soon to be tamed by love.
Early evening, Wu Suo Wei rushed straight to the ice rink for practice. The Regionals were coming, and he needed to practice his jumps well. He changed into his black training gear, a spandex top with thermals and slim-fit trousers, giving him a streamlined silhouette.
Wen Zhuyan and Sang Zhi often practised together in the rink. They guided Wei with his jumps much better than Coach Xu did.
After doing a couple of practice rounds and warm-ups, Wu Suo Wei asked his nagging question. "Zhuyan-ge, don't mind me asking, but is it scary performing together? I can never trust anyone to lift me on ice."
"Ahh, you rookies don't get it. I think I was like that, but Sang Zhi and I have been training with each other for a long time. She trusts me on ice and off of it." Zhuyan then looked towards Sang Zhi, where she was drinking her water. His ears turned bright red.
"Senior, Pro Wen Zhuyan, you are literally blushing."
"I AM NOT. Shh."
Zhuyan whispered, "Okay, fine! We have been dating for a while, but Coach Xu has no idea. He has a bizarre no-dating-no-distraction rule. No scandals whatsoever."
"Okay, your secret is safe with me… I never heard a word."
Wu Suo Wei took another gulp from his water bottle and lay on the ice, wondering if he could trust someone completely like that. Not really. Not after his idiotic high school relationship. He was done. He quietly observed the skating pair, last year's national winners, idly chatting and smiling at each other affectionately.
He sighed deeply and focused on his first love, the ice and the frost. He got up, put on his skating gloves, and mentally prepped his mind to conquer his only agenda for today. To absolutely perfect his Salchow jump. Back inside edge, sweeping motion of the free leg before the jump. His technique needed finesse.
After half an hour, the couple left the ice rink, leaving Wu Suo Wei in the empty rink. But peace was short as the daredevil Coach Xu arrived and did not leave Wu Suo Wei alone.
After two hours of practising alone, Wu Suo Wei was starving to death. Coach Xu had hounded him about his ending posture after the jump. It was still wonky and not clean enough. He would get deductions.
Wei walked out of the rink completely beaten. He pulled his hoodie closer to feel warm. He noticed a punk smoking in front of the rink doors. His hair was still damp from the quick shower he took in the locker area.
"Wei! (Hey!) You cannot smoke here. There's a sign at this door, bro."
"Why do you care?" This guy was built like steel. He looked slightly foreign. Frosty blond tip hair and tattoos covered his left hand.
So Wu Suo Wei tried speaking in English. "No Smoking sign there!! GO AWAY!!"
Instead of listening, the burly guy shoved Wei down, spat next to Wu Suo Wei, and then dropped the cigarette next to Wei's left foot.
"Cao ni ma! (F*** your mother!)" The punk cursed.
Bile rose in Wu Suo Wei as he took a video instantly and then shared it with Coach Xu just as he was picked up aggressively by the punk. Wei did not overreact as there was a CCTV recording right at the top right corner of the ice rink door.
"Shabi! (Stupid c***!) How dare you smoke here? I will get you to clean this shit tomorrow. What's your name? Give me your ID!" Coach shouted
The tattoo guy glared at Wei, etching his face into memory, before he turned and cowardly ran away.
"Wu Suo Wei, are you okay? Go rest up! Same time practice tomorrow."
"Yes, coach."
He picked up his discarded gym bag, lugged it over his shoulder, and walked towards his dorm slowly. He looked up at the dark sky. Not a single star was visible. He had a hectic day. He made his way to his dorm room.
"Wei bro, wanna play League?" Chen Rui asked, but Wei had already crashed face-first onto his bed, too beaten to answer no to the invite.
Xiaoshuai smiled and continued making notes in his tidy notepad from his thick anatomy book. Shuai had already planned to move out next semester to a rental flat near the campus so he could focus better, but looking at Dawei, he was hesitating now to move out of the dorm. Wu Suo Wei had become a great friend pretty fast, and his tenacity and honesty had already won over Xiaoshuai's otherwise guarded heart.
At the Serpentine House.
"Chi Cheng!!"
"What?"
"Are you not bothered that I spent last weekend night at some other guy's house?" Wang Shuo asked as he gleefully played with Chi Cheng's snakes. He was the one who introduced his ex-boyfriend to the world of snakes.
"I am not bothered, and don't irritate Xiao Cu Bao. He has just recovered."
"You're educating ME about snakes? Hilarious." Wang Shuo let the snake slither down his left arm and towards Chi Cheng's bicep.
Chi Cheng was casually lounging on his couch, taking a puff of his smoke. His mood had been alternating.
"When are you going home?"
"Already? What, you don't want to be alone with me anymore? Too dangerous for you, am I?" Shuo flirted aggressively and straddled Chi Cheng.
"Yes. We are already done, but you are the one who keeps hanging around."
"Shuo, face the reality, got it? The only reason I tolerate your pihua (bullshit) is because of our friendship. Now get the f*** off me." Chi Cheng lightly shoved Wang Shuo off of himself.
"Chi Cheng! I thought we were back together. We do this. We break up and get back together!!"
"Not after what happened. I tried to forget the stunt you pulled with Chengyu."
Chi Cheng took another deep inhale of his cigarette and looked away. His eyes turned slightly red, trying to contain his anger and remind himself that this guy used to be his first love.
"We slept together and hung out like any casual relationship. But I cannot go back to how we used to be. You fucked it up, Shuo."
He said it in a low, gravelly tone, as if each word pained him, but he had to say it out loud.
"Chi Cheng! You cannot dump us!" Wang Shuo shouted and picked up a glass of water, smashing it against the wall.
"Gun! (Get lost!)" Chi Cheng snarled.
"You cannot let go of ME, Chi Cheng." Wang Shuo then gripped Chi Cheng's arm as a last resort.
"I know it won't be easy, but I want to start trying. You should also move on."
Wang Shuo's eyes shifted, the rage vanishing instantly as he calculated his next move. He was not ready to move on, but for now, he would pretend to do so for Chi Cheng's sake. He would be back. First love always wins, right? So, he picked up his jacket and left the house quietly.
Chi Cheng walked out to his balcony and gazed towards the stars. He never thought this day would come when he would finally get off the seesaw of this relationship he shared with Wang Shuo, but he needed to. It was time to move on. Maybe he could finally stop feeling awkward around his best friend, Guo Chengyu.
After a couple of uneventful days of skating practice and regular classes, Wu Suo Wei decided to visit his grandparents on Sunday. His grandma had mentioned on the call that they got rush group orders on holidays. Wei figured they might be short-staffed. His dorm friends had also gone home for the weekend, as this was the last holiday before term examinations for most students.
Xiaoshuai and Wu Suo Wei were packing their bags alongside each other. While Shuai was super neat and organised, Wei was tossing his clothes into a duffel bag.
"Oh, Dawei, I was going to ask you about something regarding the film appreciation class. You remember the golden duo, senior guys?"
Wei nodded curiously. Obviously, he remembered the black-dressed guy, Chi Cheng. The one with the intense, glaring eyes.
"So, Guo Chengyu approached me in the lab this afternoon."
Shuai remembered one detail that said everything he needed to know about this Xuezhang (Senior) Chengyu. He wore a flashy beige silk shirt with three buttons undone and a flashy diamond ring on his index finger. He reminded Shuai of the fox Nick Wilde from the Zootopia movie.
"Anyway, he asked if we might be interested in joining his group for the short film."
"What, really? Why us?" Wu Suo Wei was surprised, for sure.
"I don't know. He said he wanted to work with juniors this time who would actually put in effort. He didn't want any brats on this project. He knows we are both scholarship students, by the way. Maybe that's why."
"I mean, I get it. I also hate freeloaders in a group assignment. Had to deal with them in my high school."
The two contemplated for a bit. The hesitation came from the fact that their university was infamous for weird hazing and bullying incidents, too.
"I am going to ask around my friends a bit before confirming. What do you think? Also, those two are insanely rich. That means filming will be easier. Guo Chengyu mentioned they already own a lot of filming gear, and Chi Cheng has good knowledge of cameras."
"Oh, well, that's good to know. But yeah, ask around a bit more. We obviously do not need another Wen Chao type of trouble."
"Agreed, Dawei. Okay, I will go now, it's getting late!! Bye-bye!"
Jiang Xiaoshuai picked up his suitcase and left the dorm. Wu Suo Wei put on his headphones and leisurely headed out of the dorm towards the downtown subway. He needed a vehicle to make the to-and-fro of the journey from his university and the noodle house easier.
He got on the subway.
The train rocked gently as it moved underground.
(Next station, Caishikou Station.)
The mechanical female voice echoed through the carriage.
It had taken him nearly forty-five minutes from Haidian campus. Wu Suo Wei stretched his stiff legs. The familiar exhaustion settled in, the kind that only came after skating and a long ride home.
He gazed out the window, fatigue catching up to him. He needed his home-cooked meals. Beijing always sparkled in bright light at night, yet there were surely many days when the bleakness set in because he had never enjoyed cities that much. He grew up in Harbin, where people created their own ice fridges and whatnot. Less chaotic, more structured, and obviously far more beautiful than Beijing.
…
"Xiaowei, how long will you stay this time?" His grandpa asked as they sat down for dinner that night.
"Laolao, enough, I cannot eat a lot. I have to watch my weight."
His grandmother still piled his plate with greens, rice, and steaming hot wontons.
"Three days. We get a short break before exams." Wu Suo Wei was starving and easily finished his bowl clean before asking for a refill. He loved spicy prawns as well.
"It's the 15th tomorrow. You will visit the hospital with us, right, Xiaowei?" His grandma asked him tentatively, as if she was gauging Wei's reaction. However, they had been through this many times now, and Wu Suo Wei had learned to rein in his feelings a bit better.
"Of course I will go. We should get her favourite flowers, lilies, too!"
"Ahh! Great idea, Sunzi (Grandson). Let's do that."
"Laoye (Grandpa), don't worry, I will get them first thing in the morning. I will buy some fresh fruits too!"
His grandparents smiled at each other timidly, as if they were saying, we are blessed with a really good kid.