Evening.
On the distant horizon of the city, there were beautiful streaks of fiery clouds in the sky.
When Yan Qing woke up, he faintly heard muffled voices from outside the room. He got out of bed, draped himself in a loose-fitting coat, and opened the door to find Wen Jueli sitting on the sofa, watching a movie. His posture was far from proper, limbs stretched out, and the light from the TV screen illuminated his face.
Yan Qing, in his slippers, sat down next to him lazily and asked, “What movie are you watching?”
As soon as he spoke, the spacious living room once again resonated with the familiar, long, and eerie humming tune, and the screen flickers—Wen Jueli was watching a movie where he was the lead actor in “The Lone Assassin.”
Wen Jueli said, “The movie has been online for a few weeks, but I’ve been busy lately and didn’t have time to watch it.”
“Oh, I see.” Yan Qing zipped his mouth shut, indicating he wouldn’t say more. As a movie enthusiast, he knew that watching suspenseful and mystery-themed movies required silence. So, he obediently sat next to Wen Jueli and kept him company.
Since he had already watched it the day before yesterday, Yan Qing’s initial focus was on Wen Jueli. Both of Wen Jueli’s hands were relaxed on his lap, and his posture remained almost unchanged throughout the movie. If it weren’t for occasional blinks, Yan Qing might have thought he was an AI robot.
After a while, he shifted his attention back to the movie itself.
[The camera angle here is excellent! I suddenly had a vision of watching movies with Wen Jueli. Sob sob sob.]
[Darn it, I’m going to get spoiled.]
[To the ladies chatting in the front: You can mute it. After all, Yan Qing doesn’t talk, and Wen Jueli won’t say anything. /doge]
The movie ended.
Having watched so many movies, Yan Qing still considered “The Lone Assassin” an outstanding film. The subject matter was strong, the script was mature, the production team was impressive, and the actors’ performances were top-notch. Yan Qing had hardly any complaints. However, after watching it twice, he noticed something he didn’t quite understand. He turned to Wen Jueli and asked, “Husband, I have a question.”
Wen Jueli pursed his lips.
Yan Qing: “It’s about the character ‘Chen Ke.’ The image he portrays for everyone is cautious and rational, but after premeditated murder, why doesn’t he clean up the crime scene? It doesn’t fit his character, and he even washes off the blood when he gets home. Isn’t he afraid of being investigated by the police?”
Chen Ke is the character portrayed by Wen Jueli in the movie.
Wen Jueli replied, “Because he regrets it.” He was surprised that Yan Qing had noticed this detail because he had suggested this acting approach himself during his time on the set. He did it based on the character’s background and the direction of the subsequent plot.
“Chen Ke, although committing premeditated murder, didn’t want to kill in the first place. But he had to do it to escape his current situation and achieve the life he aspired to. From planning to execution, it only took two days, during which he was in a daze. It was only after Jiang Ming was really dead that he woke up, realizing that even if he got rid of Jiang Ming, more problems would follow. He regretted it, so he didn’t finish the planned post-crime work. The tone of the movie has always been very gloomy.”
Yan Qing was taken aback. “He had planned post-crime work?”
Wen Jueli nodded. “Yes, there’s a shot at 47 minutes that shows a note on the blackboard. He had prepared an escape plan, but he regretted it because of a small act of kindness from Jiang Ming.”
Yan Qing suddenly understood. “So, it’s not because the police discovered him that he jumped into the sea; it’s because he couldn’t bear the psychological pressure and felt his life had no hope?”
“Yes,” Wen Jueli nodded again, “Both reasons played a part.”
[Their Q&A sounds so doting, doesn’t it?]
[!!! My thoughts were exactly the same as Yan Qing’s! I thought it was a plot bug before, deliberately making it easy for the police to find him! I didn’t expect there was so much psychological groundwork.]
[For those who haven’t watched “Assassin,” go watch it now! It’s totally worth getting into the fandom!!!]
Before formally shooting a film, Wen Jueli thoroughly reads the script, lists the characters’ life experiences from their perspectives, and approaches the story in the script with their convictions. This is why he brings each character he portrays to life so vividly.
At this point, the movie had ended, and the TV automatically started playing a new film.
This was the third movie Wen Jueli filmed when he was twenty-one.
Yan Qing said, “I remember this movie; you seemed to have been injured while shooting it and ended up in the hospital.”
Wen Jueli looked at him and asked, “How did you know?”
But Yan Qing blinked and started saying sweet words, “Because I started paying attention to you back then.”
Wen Jueli: “…”
Yan Qing thought, of course he knew. Initially, it was because of this movie that Wen Jueli ended up in the hospital, and their first meeting got postponed by a few months.
The live chat was buzzing again:
[Is this what love looks like? They can still remember something from five years ago so clearly!]
[I knew they had something going on back then!!]
Seeing Wen Jueli blush again, Yan Qing couldn’t help but chuckle. He patted Wen Jueli’s shoulder and said, “Well then, you continue watching. I’ll go make dinner, okay?”
Wen Jueli froze for a moment and then replied, “No need. I’ve been watching for a while. I’ll make dinner. How about we have potato and shrimp salad?”
Yan Qing’s eyes lit up, “I love that! Great!”
