Chapter 72

　　Zheng Xin efficiently replaced Wen Lin’s assistant agent. This time it was a young man named Tang Shao who had just entered the company and studied under Zheng Xin. He was very enthusiastic about his work and attached great importance to Wen Lin’s affairs, perhaps because had been instructed by Zheng Xin.

　　The first time Wen Lin went to see a psychologist, Wen Jianing accompanied him. While Wen Lin was talking to the doctor alone, Wen Jianing and Tang Shao were waiting in the lounge outside.

　　Tang Shao had a jumpy personality, and he couldn’t sit still. He soon got up and told Wen Jianing that he was going out for a stroll.

　　Wen Jianing nodded and stayed alone to wait.

　　This lounge was originally small in size, but because there was a full-length glass mirror on the side, it looked as if the room was twice as large.

　　Wen Jianing sat on the sofa, facing the full-length glass mirror. Reflected in the mirror was a beautiful young man. Because of his profession, he looked exceptionally well-dressed and stylish, with a pair of big black-rimmed glasses on his face.

　　He sat in a casual posture, with his back leaning on the back of the sofa chair. His legs were naturally apart, and his body was slightly tilted with one arm leaning against the arm of the sofa.

　　But he suddenly thought that if it was Ke Xinhang, he probably shouldn’t be in such a posture. He straightened his back, with his legs close together, and his hands on his knees, looking a little restrained. The black-rimmed glasses on his face were also removed, and his bangs slightly covered his eyes. Because he was not confident, he liked to block the view when communicating with others.

　　He often looked in the mirror, but he didn’t have many opportunities to look in the mirror in a small space like this. No one talked to him, no one distracted his thoughts, he opened his mouth and said to the person in the mirror, “Are you Ke Xinhang?”

　　The words spoken were particularly loud in a closed room.

　　Wen Jianing suddenly came back to his senses, raised his hand and put his glasses back on. He was thinking about what he had just said, why did he say that?

　　He accompanied Wen Lin to see the doctor once, and then entrusted it to Tang Shao, while he set out to prepare for the movie’s location shooting.

　　The movie’s location had already been explored by Lu Jinlang. It was in a secluded village in the north, while the other location was in a university. This was supposed to be the first scene of the film, but it will be shot at the end.

　　In order to facilitate shooting, the crew simply rented a small yard in the neighbourhood to store the camera equipment and costume props. The rest of the crew usually goes back to the nearest five-star hotel in the city.

　　Wen Jianing had his own room, but most of the time he stayed in Lu Jinlang’s room.

　　The first part of the scene at the first location was shot in the evening. Wen Jianing had to climb out of the fence of a house’s yard. Jian Jun waited for him outside and reached out to pick him up.

　　Because it was summer in the movie, Wen Jianing wore a cartoon T-shirt with knee-length shorts underneath, and his legs dangling on the wall.

　　Jian Jun stretched out his hand and told him to jump.

　　He shook his head.

　　Jian Jun smiled, “It’s okay, you can jump.” The smile was gentle and kind.

　　Wen Jianing looked at him, took a deep breath and jumped into Jian Jun’s arms.

　　Jian Jun couldn’t stand firm, and he fell to the ground. Wen Jianing lifted his head from his shoulder and brushed his cheek against the side of his face. His skin was smooth and soft. Jian Jun was still in a daze when Wen Jianing had stood up and reached out to pull him to his feet.

　　Under the light, Wen Jianing was gasping slightly, and his lips were bright red. Jian Jun looked at it and turned away from him.

　　Jian Jun knew that he was not a homosexual. He hadn’t had any thoughts about men since he was a child, and he had a girlfriend in college, although they broke up later. But he just couldn’t help feeling strange to Wen Jianing. If he had to investigate this feeling, it was because Wen Jianing made him feel a sense of gender ambiguity. This feeling was not because of Wen Jianing’s speech and manners, but from the physical contact between two people, and there was a lot of physical contact in this movie.

　　Jian Jun felt that he was being distracted, but this kind of distraction did not make him happy, because it affected his acting.

　　Jian Jun was still a little absent-minded until he was eating a box lunch at noon the next day.

　　Wen Tinghuan didn’t know what he was thinking, and said to him, “If there is any problem with acting, just ask Xinhang. He is your senior and he will teach you.”

　　Now Wen Tinghuan and Jian Jun are close, Wen Tinghuan found that Jian Jun was an obedient child. Wen Tinghuan slowly started to like him and really wanted to help him.

　　Jian Jun actually had some confusion in his head, and he couldn’t figure out his thoughts. As a result, he went to Wen Jianing’s room that night. He knocked on the door outside, but there was no movement in the room.

　　When he gave up and turned to leave, he saw that the door of the next room opened, and Lu Jinlang and Wen Jianing came out one after another.

　　Wen Jianing saw Jian Jun standing at his door, so he asked, “Is there something wrong?”

　　Jian Jun was taken aback for a moment, and then asked, “Are you guys going out?”

　　Wen Jianing was wearing a coat, and it seemed that the two of them were going to go out.

　　Lu Jinlang nodded, “A friend made an appointment to meet up.”

　　Since this was the case, Jian Jun was embarrassed to say anything more. He said to Wen Jianing, “It’s okay, let’s talk about it tomorrow when shooting.”

　　Wen Jianing responded okay.

　　When he saw Jian Jun leaving, Lu Jinlang said to Wen Jianing, “Do you think he will be too deep in the play?”

　　Wen Jianing glanced at him strangely, “I don’t think so. What’s there for him to get too deep into?”

　　Lu Jinlang smiled, “Just asking.”

　　They went out so late. In fact, Lu Jinlang accepted an invitation from an old friend. That person was the director who made the movie ‘Duel’ and his name was Xie Ruoming.

　　Had it not been for Xie Ruoming’s movie, Wen Jianing would not have won the Best Actor Award. He had always been very grateful to Xie Ruoming. At that time, he came to the stage to accept the award. The first one on his thank-you list was Xie Ruoming.

　　Xie Ruoming had good personal relationships with him and Lu Jinlang, but he and Lu Jinlang were not close.

　　Wen Jianing still remembered he would occasionally have supper with Xie Ruoming in the evening. Xie Ruoming would mention Lu Jinlang, saying that he and Lu Jinlang were worthy of socializing, and he thought they would become friends through this drama.

　　But after all, they didn’t become friends at that time. When he thought about it now, there was probably still a somewhat competitive mindset at work. He always competed with Lu Jinlang, and Lu Jinlang probably also had this mentality in it, so the relationship between the two could be described as ordinary, but maybe not even ordinary friends.

　　If Wen Jianing hadn’t become like this, there would be a huge gap between Lu Jinlang’s status and status, probably Lu Jinlang would never have had this kind of thoughts about him.

　　Tonight, Xie Ruoming originally contacted Lu Jinlang alone.

　　Xie Ruoming, who was also in this city, heard that Lu Jinlang was filming here, so he called him to go out for a drink. The address was in a famous local music bar. There used to be a resident singer in the bar and now she had become a top-line female singer in the country. The bar then had become so famous that many tourists from outside the city liked to come and sit in the bar and have a drink.

　　Wen Jianing was brought by Lu Jinlang together. Lu Jinlang had always been happy to support him in his career. He would definitely not let Wen Jianing miss this opportunity to meet with a big director and established personal relationships.

　　Although Xie Ruoming himself was well-known in the circle, he was rarely on camera. If he was alone, he would definitely be sitting in the bar lobby watching the singer’s performance. Today, considering it would inconvenience Lu Jinlang, he specially asked for a relatively hidden small private room. The private room was not completely separated from the outside. Although it was partitioned so that people passing by couldn’t see it clearly, they could also hear the performance of the singer outside as they sat in the private room. If he chose the right angle, he could still see the direction of the stage.

　　Lu Jinlang and Wen Jianing entered one after another, one wearing sunglasses and the other wearing a cap, neither of them was recognized.

　　Xie Ruoming first saw Lu Jinlang, stood up and shook hands with him, then smiled and invited him to sit down. Then Wen Jianing entered the private room.

　　”This is…” Xie Ruoming didn’t recognize Wen Jianing at first.

　　But even if he could recognize him, he was not familiar with Wen Jianing. Maybe he wouldn’t even call the name Ke Xinhang correctly. He spent most of these years with his wife and daughter in New Zealand. He didn’t pay much attention to the domestic entertainment industry, nor was he interested in watching hot news online. His biggest hobbies were painting and travelling.

　　So he didn’t even know the relationship between Lu Jinlang and the young man in front of him.

　　Lu Jinlang took the initiative to introduce Xie Ruoming, “This is Ke Xinhang, the actor in the movie I direct now.”

　　Xie Ruoming quickly reached out to shake hands with Wen Jianing, and at the same time, he was looking at Wen Jianing. He seemed a little surprised that Lu Jinlang would choose such a beautiful actor.

　　Sometimes when a director chose an actor, he cared more about the character than the appearance. The reason was that a too beautiful actor was easy to be regarded as a vase and that their appearance would distract the audience’s attention. So the audience would not pay attention to the actors’ acting skills.

　　Wen Jianing was a little excited when he saw Xie Ruoming, but he concealed it well. He shook Xie Ruoming’s hand hard, and said, “Hello, Director Xie.”

　　Xie Ruoming was a gentle person. Although he initially expected today’s gathering as a private gathering between him and Lu Jinlang and didn’t understand the purpose of bringing an outsider, since everyone had already arrived, Xie Ruoming also gladly accepted and invited the two people to sit down and ask them what they drink.

　　Lu Jinlang glanced at the wine list and said to Wen Jianing, “You’d better not drink. You haven’t eaten much for dinner.”

　　Wen Jianing nodded and ordered a non-alcoholic drink.

　　Xie Ruoming looked at the two of them and understood a little bit in his heart. In the past, Lu Jinlang had never deliberately concealed his sexual orientation in front of Xie Ruoming. But this was the first time he showed up in front of him with someone.

　　The bar environment was not noisy, but soon a singer began to sing English songs with soft tunes. The lighting was also soft and warm, haloed with golden circles of light. This environment was very suitable for chatting. Obviously, Xie Ruoming invited Lu Jinlang out to chat. Two old friends met by chance in a different place.

　　Wen Jianing didn’t speak much. If he was the person he was, he would have a lot to talk to Xie Ruoming, but this kind of an occasion was obviously not suitable, and Xie Ruoming might not have anything to say to him.

　　In the beginning, what both of them talked about the most was the movie Lu Jinlang was shooting now.

　　Xie Ruoming was curious why Lu Jinlang became interested in making movies.

　　Lu Jinlang said, “If you act a lot, you can’t help but want to make a work by yourself, without being influenced by others, it is a complete expression of the work in your head.”

　　Xie Ruoming smiled and raised his glass, “For the desire to create.”

　　Lu Jinlang clinked with his wine glass.

　　Xie Ruoming looked at Wen Jianing again and asked Lu Jinlang, “Is this the actor you personally selected?”

　　Lu Jinlang nodded, “The best newcomer at the Academy Awards this year.”

　　”Oh!” Xie Ruoming suddenly recalled, “It was you, I thought I had seen you somewhere and couldn’t remember about it for a while.”

　　Xie Ruoming was still paying attention to such large-scale awards as the Academy Award, but he hadn’t watched the film ‘Springtime Dream’ directed by Cao Songquan, so Wen Jianing didn’t leave any deep impression on him.

　　Now that Lu Jinlang took the initiative to mention it, he also remembered.

　　Xie Ruoming instantly changed his outlook on Wen Jianing. At first, he thought that the young man in front of him was just a newcomer Lu Jinlang deliberately selected for the movie. He even had a little doubt when he discovered the subtle relationship between the two people, but now he heard that the other party was the best newcomer at the Academy Award, he immediately began to believe in Lu Jinlang’s choice. Because the professional judges of the Academy Awards would not award such a gold medal to an actor with only a good-looking face, he must have his own excellence.

　　At this time, Xie Ruoming even felt that he should go and watch ‘Springtime Dream’.

　　He had a few words with Wen Jianing, and the atmosphere became more harmonious and natural.

　　After talking for about half an hour, Xie Ruoming mentioned a name while drinking the wine in the glass in front of him, “It’s a pity what happened to Wen Jianing.”

　　After finishing the filming of ‘Duel’ that year, Xie Ruoming went back to New Zealand and had not produced any new works over the years.

　　Wen Jianing died unexpectedly at the Academy Awards. Although he was nominated, he was absent from the award ceremony because his wife was sick and hospitalized. He didn’t have a chance to come back until Wen Jianing was buried.

　　It was the first time Xie Ruoming mentioned him since they sat down and talked to Lu Jinlang about Wen Jianing.

　　Lu Jinlang reacted plainly to this as always, but the person he was talking about looked at the glass in front of him, looking a little startled.

　　People like to say “It’s a pity about Wen Jianing”, but in fact, even if there was no Wen Jianing, the world would still go on, and batches of newcomers would emerge in the entertainment circle. A memorial activity was specially prepared for him in the second year, but perhaps the next time someone would think of Wen Jianing’s death would be the tenth anniversary. Or would it be the fiftieth anniversary next time? No, probably not many people would recognize him in fifty years.

　　When Xie Ruoming and Lu Jinlang talked about Wen Jianing, Lu Jinlang always said Wen Jianing was a good actor, but that was all. Xie Ruoming tried to get them to understand each other better, but he didn’t succeed. By now, Wen Jianing was no longer there. Xie Ruoming mentioned him again, and all that was left was just a sigh.

　　However, as soon as Xie Ruoming mentioned the name Wen Jianing, Lu Jinlang turned his head and looked at the person next to him. He seemed to be a little baffled as he pressed his finger against the edge of the wine glass.

　　Xie Ruoming hadn’t found anyone to say these words for many years. Now that he saw Lu Jinlang, he couldn’t stop saying, “At the filming time, he was always so serious, and he also enjoyed acting. If he is still alive, he probably can achieve more than that.”

　　How much more can he achieve? If Wen Jianing was not dead, ‘October Fireworks’ will be his movie, and although he might not have had the chance to win another Academy Award, Lu Jinlang’s international award might have been his.

　　No one knew if Lu Jinlang was willing to admit it or not, but now he just hummed and said softly, “He should have a better future.”

　　Xie Ruoming kept on lamenting.

　　Wen Jianing sat aside and listened in silence. His fingers kept rubbing the rim of the cup. He wanted to hear more from Xie Ruoming, because he hadn’t remembered the past for so long that it was slowly starting to fade away.

　　Suddenly, Lu Jinlang stretched out his hand to hold his hand, and at the right moment, changed the subject, and asked Xie Ruoming, “Do you have any plans next?”

　　Since Xie Ruoming had returned to China, he probably had new ideas. He had rested for so long, and it was time to plan a new movie.

　　When he heard Lu Jinlang’s question, Xie Ruoming smiled and asked him, “What? Do you have any plans?”

　　Lu Jinlang was very picky about the movie now, as long as he said he wanted to rest, no one could force him out to shoot, but he was still a little interested in Xie Ruoming’s movies.

　　”I have a long post-production after the filming of this movie,” Lu Jinlang explained.

　　Xie Ruoming waved his hand, “It’s not urgent, the preliminary preparations are still very long. I just have a preliminary idea, and I haven’t found a suitable person to write the script.”

　　Lu Jinlang picked up the wine glass and touched him, “Remember to notify me when the time comes.”

　　Xie Ruoming said, “Definitely.”

　　Wen Jianing knew that Lu Jinlang had shifted the topic to Xie Ruoming just now, and Xie Ruoming himself could not continue to talk to Lu Jinlang about Wen Jianing endlessly. His mood was a bit depressed for a moment.

　　Lu Jinlang, who was holding Wen Jianing’s hand, might feel it.

　　After chatting with Xie Ruoming for the night, Lu Jinlang saw that it was already late, so he left with Wen Jianing, as they had a filming task tomorrow morning.

　　Lu Jinlang drove the car when he came out. He didn’t ask Lu Yunan to come with him. When he went back, he switched to Wen Jianing who didn’t drink.

　　On the way, Wen Jianing looked a little quiet.

　　Lu Jinlang stretched out his hand, gently stroked his head, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

　　Wen Jianing looked a little puzzled. He glanced at him and said, “Nothing.”

　　After drinking some wine, Lu Jinlang was a little emotional, and said to him, “Are you uncomfortable to hear director Xie mentioning Wen Jianing today?”

　　”Why should I feel uncomfortable?” Wen Jianing asked him.

　　Lu Jinlang said, “Because you used to admire him so much, now you feel bad?”

　　Wen Jianing shook his head, “No, I’m not. Then what about you, what do you think of him?”

　　Lu Jinlang was silent for a while, and said to Wen Jianing, “You asked me this question in the past.”

　　Wen Jianing said softly, “Really? When?”

　　Lu Jinlang raked his hair with his fingers, and let the hair slide out between his fingers. He then said, “More than once, why did you mention him again and again?”

　　Wen Jianing said, “Because I don’t want to forget him.”

　　”Xinhang,” Lu Jinlang called his name. He had always been gentle, but the influence of alcohol must have wiped it out. He said, “I don’t think Wen Jianing is an obstacle between us now.”

　　Wen Jianing didn’t drink, but at that moment, he felt like some alcohol was rushing to his head. Those words made him have the urge to say, “You’re wrong, he will always be there, for life.”

　　Lu Jinlang withdrew his hand.

　　Wen Jianing stopped the car on the side of the road and said to Lu Jinlang, “Because I am Wen Jianing.”

---

Notes:
YAS!!! When reading this series for the first time, I’m really scared this chapter will never going to happened and they are just going to forget everything about Wen Jianing

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