SA Chapter 89 (Part 2) – Maze City, Complete~

{Please read the original translations on SurrealSkyTranslations instead of supporting TL aggregator sites. Thanks!}

     Rong Xu’s voice contained a trace of unconcealed gentleness and faint fatigue. He gently stroked his old classmate’s hair as if earnestly coaxing a crying child.

     This was completely different from the last two shots!

     Previously, the Xue Jiazhe presented by Rong Xu only recited his line to Tan Yangxuan with a gentle appearance. He knew in his heart that he wasn’t qualified to be a teacher, but he also didn’t care. Thus, he had casually ignored Tan Yangxuan’s words. But now…… when he touched Tan Yangxuan’s hair and spoke those words in a self-deprecating manner, everything seemed to have changed.

     Xue Jiazhe didn’t really have a sociopathic personality. He had emotions and feelings of affection. Thus, he understood the need to comfort those who were exhausted.

     Of course, a drunk person definitely wouldn’t be able to listen to his words, only grasping a few main points: “Really, I’m not stupid, of course I can be a professor. Come, Jiazhe, have another cup! Let’s drink another cup. If we’re not drunk, I won’t leave!”

     With that said, Tan Yangxuan picked up the thirteenth bottle of beer and downed it into his stomach. As soon as he finished drinking, he suddenly collapsed onto Xue Jiazhe and fell asleep, snoring loudly. There was no longer any trace of the heroic appearance when he said “Not drunk, won’t leave.”

     Xue Jiazhe put the glass of alcohol down with a calm expression, pushed the person off of him before tidying up the table, then finally…… grabbed Tan Yangxuan’s collar and dragged the entire person from the window sill into the bedroom. He expressionlessly dragged the person onto the bed and removed his shoes before pulling up the blanket. After a moment of deliberation, he pulled the blanket off again and opened the closet to look for a set of pajamas.

     The camera followed along beside Rong Xu, recording the glass specimen bottle hidden deep inside the closet. The right hand prop inside was extremely realistic as it floated in the center of the bottle of formalin^[1], glowing with a faint green shine.

     With this, the longest continuous shot was complete.

     For the film, only the final piece of this scene remained to be shot.

     Bo Xiwen was still lying on the bed as a backdrop, but the cameraman was squatting in the closet to film Rong Xu from the inside out.

     On the screen, the cold and handsome young professor looked around for a while before appearing to have found something. In his hands was an extra set of pajamas. There was no expression on his cold face. 

     After taking out the clothes, he looked down towards the camera as the corner of his lips slightly curved upwards, revealing a smile without a trace of warmth.

     Then, the door closed.

     And the scene descended into darkness.

     Maze City was officially complete!

     Because the final scene was a night scene, everyone waited until nightfall before completing the shooting. When it was finished, it was already 9:30 in the evening, but no one felt tired or exhausted. As soon as it ended, everyone’s eyes brightened with excitement, and laughter filled the set.

     Rong Xu sat in the dressing room and allowed the makeup artist to help remove his makeup. While removing makeup, the artist sighed with emotion: “Rong Rong’s face is truly so good for applying makeup. Good skin and three-dimensional facial features. I don’t know if we’ll have a chance in the future to work together again.”

     Rong Xu had a good relationship with all the staff members, so this makeup artist’s tone was also very casual.

     Hearing this, Rong Xu smiled lightly: “There will definitely be another chance, Sister Zhao.”

     Everyone joked around a bit longer, and when Rong Xu finished removing his makeup, Bo Xiwen also finished removing his.

     Noticing Rong Xu, Bo Xiwen was momentarily taken aback and he stood awkwardly on the spot, unmoving for a long time. Seeing this, Rong Xu contemplated for a bit and then understood the other party’s meaning. He smiled and stepped forward, saying: “The last scene was just a convenient addition. Thank you for cooperating with me, Bo Xiwen.”

     Bo Xiwen gave a soft “en“, but avoided making eye contact with Rong Xu.

     Soon, Director Yuan came over and brought everyone to their final crew banquet together.

     During dinner, Rong Xu also downed a few glasses of alcohol. After all, since there were no more scenes to be filmed the following day, everyone drank their fill. Considering that Rong Xu had released “Lost Wings”, which opened a path for him to potentially double as a singer in the future, they only poured him a few drinks and didn’t really force him to drink in abundance.

     As for Director Yuan, Bo Xiwen, and the others, most had already collapsed onto the table and had to be supported back to the hotel by the assistants.

     Rong Xu and Luo Qian walked towards the hotel together and ran into many of the staff members along the way. Everyone greeted him happily. Several staff members even took out their cell phones to take a group photo and then asked for autographs. Rong Xu accepted all of them.

     On the serene path, the stream of people gradually dwindled, and only the cool June evening breeze blew about, blowing away one’s frustrations.

     Luo Qian hugged her small bag and asked curiously: “Xiao Xu, why did you suddenly touch Bo Xiwen’s head at the end? I was so shocked. I didn’t expect you to add this movement without warning…… but the effect was pretty good. Director Yuan was very satisfied and also didn’t call any more NGs.”

     Rong Xu raised his gaze and said with a smile: “Isn’t it enough that Director Yuan is satisfied?”

     Luo Qian nodded: “En, as long as the director is satisfied, I, too, think that’s good enough. It truly was better than the previous two takes.”

     The two chatted for a while as they entered the hotel. Luo Qian confirmed with Rong Xu regarding the next evening’s flight before parting ways at the elevator.

     After Rong Xu returned to his room, he washed up a bit, and because he was tipsy from drinking some alcohol, he quickly fell asleep. When he next opened his eyes, it was already noon.

     With his left hand propping himself up on the large soft bed, the youth gradually woke up. Two of the buttons on his pajamas were loose and the clothes slid down with his movements, revealing a significant amount of his tender white shoulders. Rong Xu lowered his gaze and stared at the blanket quietly, seemingly yet to have regained awareness, until…… his phone suddenly began vibrating crazily.

     His heart seized for a second and Rong Xu was instantly completely awake. He quickly picked up his phone, and suddenly saw more than 30 missed calls!

     “Qin Cheng, why did you suddenly call me so many times……en, I’m still in Xiangshan, flying back to B City this evening, why…… You, wait, I don’t quite understand what you mean, I just finished yesterday. But, in two weeks, I’m joining another crew to film a work directed by Director Xu Sheng……”

     A man’s deep, magnetic voice came through the phone: “Hengdian and Xiangshan are very close. Should I have an assistant drive over to pick you up?”

     Rong Xu asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: “…… Can (it) really finish filming within two weeks?”

     Qin Cheng said in a hushed voice: “It’s just the audition.”

     Rong Xu didn’t reply to this statement. He laid back down on the bed and buried himself in the soft pillows, laughing softly: “You’re not giving me any time to rest, aren’t you afraid I’ll be exhausted?”

     “I believe in you.” 

     Just one phrase, “I believe in you”, made the smile lingering on Rong Xu’s lips deepen.

     Qin Cheng having Rong Xu participate in the audition indicated that there were definitely not many scenes for that role, and Rong Xu would be able to finish filming all (the potential scenes) within two weeks. Moreover, he had said that he ‘believes in Rong Xu’, that is to say, he believed Rong Xu wouldn’t constantly NG, believed that Rong Xu would not be pressed for time (if he took up this film), and perhaps also believed in his own ability to take care of his beloved youth.

     From outside the window came the sounds of bird calls as they echoed through the hills. Rong Xu’s eyes drooped, and the corners of his lips curved up: “Tonight, I want to see you.”

     In Hengdian Film and Television City, a certain tall, handsome man suddenly paused his footsteps, his right hand holding a cell phone and his eyes trembling slightly.  A smile quietly  appeared on his face. A while later, he said in a low voice to the person on the other side (of the phone): “Okay.”

     A minute later, Qin Cheng’s assistant set out directly from Hengdian World Studios and drove towards Xiangshan.

{Please read the original translations on SurrealSkyTranslations instead of supporting TL aggregator sites. Thanks!}

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Footnotes:

Brief description of Formalin: an aqueous solution of formaldehyde gas, generally used for preserving tissue samples, disinfecting surfaces, etc. Has a really strong smell 😦 colorless/light green/yellow in color. Formalin is a fixative, which means it prevents tissue breakdown and rot, and hardens tissues for easier processing. Hemoglobin (in red blood cells) gets converted to a tan color Hematin which is why preserved tissues are that weird green brown color. If you sit in an anatomy lab for a while, you’ll smell like it the whole day QWQ

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“HENGDIAN AND XIANGSHAN ARE VERY CLOSE” – Qin Cheng

TL note: No mountains high enough, no rivers wide enough to keep QC from RX

If you’re interested in pictures of these popular tourist attractions, the official English seems to be: Xiangshan global studios/Xiangshan Film and Television Town & Hengdian World Studios

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