radicalducati Chapter 25: The Association
Chapter 25: The Association
Liu Yu was awakened by the sunlight.
The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a ray of light shone through the gap, landing directly on his eyelids.
He squinted and turned his head to see Yan Danchen still asleep, her hair spread out on the pillow.
She was a restless sleeper, with one hand on his chest and one leg on top of his, clinging to him like a koala.
Liu Yu dared not move, afraid of waking her. He just lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind replaying the events of last night.
It's not about reminiscing, it's about confirming that this isn't a dream.
The light filtering through the curtains slowly moved from the foot of the bed to the head of the bed.
Yan Danchen's eyelashes trembled, and then she opened her eyes.
Those eyes held the bewilderment of someone just waking up, the tenderness of recognizing the face before them, and a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment.
She glanced at Liu Yu for two seconds, then buried her face in the pillow and mumbled, "Good morning."
Liu Yu smiled, reached out and ruffled her hair. "Good morning."
"What time is it?"
"I don't know, I didn't check my phone."
She lifted her face from under the pillow, squinting as she reached for her phone on the bedside table.
Liu Yu handed her her phone, and after glancing at it, she let out a wail: "It's 9:30! I have a conference call at 10!"
Then, remembering that he didn't actually have much to do today and that his schedule didn't start until tomorrow, he tossed his phone back onto the bedside table and buried his face in the pillow again.
"You startled me. I thought you were really leaving."
"Why are you leaving? My legs are still numb." Her voice was muffled in the pillow, sounding both aggrieved and funny.
Liu Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Yan Danchen lifted her face from under the pillow, glared at him, and her eyes said, "If you laugh again, I'm ignoring you."
Liu Yu stopped smiling, reached out and tucked the hair from her forehead behind her ear, and kissed her on the forehead.
She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembled, and then she snuggled back into his arms like a cat that had found its den.
The two of them just hugged each other, neither wanting to move.
The morning in Beijing slowly brightens outside the window, with the faint sounds of traffic and the chatter of middle-aged women walking their dogs downstairs.
Yan Danchen suddenly said, "Liu Yu, do you know why I agreed to your request last night?"
Liu Yu thought for a moment: "Because I'm handsome?"
She lightly punched his chest, her voice soft, "Because you've never put pressure on me. From filming in Tianjin until now, you've never said anything that made me uncomfortable, never done anything that made me feel offended. You're just there, neither too close nor too far. I don't need to guess what you're thinking, because everything is written all over your face."
Liu Yu looked down at her: "Do I wear my heart on my sleeve? What was I thinking in the elevator last night?"
Yan Danchen thought for a moment and made a light joke, "You're thinking, 'She looks so good in this cheongsam, I want to eat her up.'"
Liu Yu paused for a moment; he had indeed thought that way in the elevator. He didn't say it aloud, but just glanced at her.
"You guessed?"
"It's not a guess." Yan Danchen looked up, her eyes smiling. "It's just that your eyes light up when you look at me."
The two of them stayed in bed until almost eleven o'clock.
During this time, Yan Danchen's phone rang several times, from her agent, her makeup artist, and a media interview invitation.
She silenced her phone, tossed it aside, and continued to snuggle in Liu Yu's arms.
.....
The two of them were inseparable for three days.
We didn't go anywhere on the first day; we stayed in the apartment.
Yan Danchen was wearing Liu Yu's white T-shirt. His clothes looked like an oversized pajama on her, with the sleeves extending far out and the hem almost covering her knees.
She felt uncomfortable in her dress, so she changed into his T-shirt and walked around the living room like a little animal wearing its owner's clothes.
Liu Yu leaned back on the sofa and looked at her, feeling that he could look at this scene for the rest of his life.
The next day, after going out, Yan Danchen said she wanted to go to the supermarket. Liu Yu asked her, "Aren't you afraid of being recognized?"
She said to put on a hat and a mask, but the two of them ended up wearing baseball caps and masks, fully armed, and went to a nearby supermarket.
Yan Danchen pushed the shopping cart ahead, with Liu Yu following behind, like an ordinary young couple.
She bought milk, yogurt, fruit, bread, eggs, soy sauce, and a bag of spicy strips.
Liu Yu asked her why she bought spicy snacks, and she said she liked to eat them, but she didn't dare to eat them while on set for fear of getting pimples. Now that she's not on set anymore, she can eat them.
After returning home, Yan Danchen put on an apron and started cooking.
Liu Yu stood at the kitchen doorway, watching her chop vegetables, crack eggs, heat oil, and put things in the pan. Her movements were not very skilled, but they were not unfamiliar either.
She said that she has been cooking for herself in Beijing all these years, not because she can't afford a housekeeper, but because she feels more at ease eating what she makes herself.
On the third and final day, both of them were somewhat silent.
What time are you leaving tomorrow?
"My agent picked me up at eight in the morning."
"Where to?"
"Shanghai. There's a brand event there, two days." Yan Danchen zipped up her backpack, turned around to look at him, and then went back to Beijing.
"Then I'll wait for you in Beijing."
"it is good."
She walked over, squatted down in front of him, placed her hands on his knees, and looked up at him.
"Liu Yu, don't stay up late while I'm gone, smoke less, and remember to eat."
"Dan Chen," he called her name softly.
"Um."
I will miss you.
She didn't say anything, but she hugged him a little tighter.
On the morning of the fourth day, the agent arrived on time to pick them up.
As Yan Danchen left, she turned back to look at him at the door. Her eyes held a mixture of reluctance and relief.
She knew Liu Yu was in Beijing, and she knew someone would be waiting for her when she returned.
Liu Yu stood in the entryway, looking at the pair of slippers she had left on the shoe rack by the door. She had brought them from her own home, saying, "Next time I come, I won't have to go barefoot." Now they sat there quietly, like a little dog waiting for its owner to return.
Liu Yu smiled and lit a cigarette.
......
Two days later, I received a call from Teacher Mu Deyuan.
"Liu Yu, there's a film association symposium next Monday. Get ready to attend." Teacher Mu's tone left no room for refusal.
Liu Yu asked Teacher Mu, "Is it appropriate for me to go?" Teacher Mu replied, "Why wouldn't it be appropriate? You're a director who's made over 100 million yuan; if you don't go, who will?" Liu Yu said, "Then I'll go."
After hanging up the phone, he thought to himself, "A symposium, another symposium." He had sat in the last row at the last symposium, and he hadn't remembered a single word the leaders in the front row said; he'd been too busy texting Yan Danchen.
This time is different.
This time it's not about attending as an observer, it's about participating.
On the agenda sent by Teacher Mu, Liu Yu's name was prominently displayed in the column for young directors.
Liu Yu's lips twitched as he looked at the words.
For the next period of time, Liu Yu was taken by Teacher Mu to participate in various association activities as if he were rushing from one event to another.
Film Association, Directors Guild, Cinematographers Guild, Screenwriters Guild, Producers Guild, Television Artists Guild, Literary Critics Association... Liu Yu counted, there were more than a dozen.
There were some associations he had never heard of before, such as the China Film Performance Art Society, which he thought was only for actors.
For each association you join, you have to submit a report.
It wasn't that Liu Yu wanted to submit it; it was a requirement from the school. "As a school representative participating in industry activities, a written summary report must be submitted for archiving."
Every time Liu Yu came back from a meeting, he had to sit in front of the computer and struggle to write a report, which was more painful than writing a script.