Xie Lian's artistic side| Colors of the Heart ~ Hualian AU

Chapter VII

The main actors gathered for the next two weeks to learn the stage dynamics Director Hua envisioned, delimit places and briefly discuss the most important scenes. These were the people and moments Hua Cheng wanted to retain the organicity the most, so they would only rehearse for real next month. He would give suggestions about costumes, lighting and sonography to a few members of the staff, as the cast was getting comfortable to each other. Some of the furniture to be used was already there as it would help to set up the atmosphere.

Everytime Xie Lian would call the director "San Lang", everyone had a funny look on their faces. Lang Qianqiu even asked him why he was calling director Hua like that, to what Xie Lian could only sort of explain, since not even him could understand exactly why he was doing it.

On the last day of the week, during the morning practice, Xie Lian was startled when he read the script. There would be a scene under fading light where he would have to strip and lay in bed naked. Reading this he felt uneasy. That would be the first time he would do that on stage. Actually, not only on stage, he had not stripped in front of anyone else before. It was perfectly doable, he was an actor after all, but he felt he had to give it a try alone first, when no one was around.

Yes, that would be a good strategy, so he could add small details to his mental preparation, such as the temperature of the stage or the feeling of the mattress against his naked body when he laid down, and this would certainly make him more confident.

He waited until everybody was gone. He had to dodge Lang Qianqiu, who wanted to go out for a drink, and by the time he managed to evade him, everyone had left. The theater was dark and empty. He paid attention before and learned where he could turn only the backlights on, setting a faint illumination on stage.

He let go on the bed still with his clothes on and laid back, his arms supporting his head. His mind started spinning. The past days had been so exciting. The plot of the play was really good, the cast was friendly, the staff was willing, and there was San Lang.

Director Hua Cheng felt so distant from his reality at first, so when Puqi challenged Xie Lian to audition, he did it for his honor, although he did not think he would actually get the role. Now that he got it, he realized that Puqi's bet changed his life. She deserved a treat, so he messaged inviting her for coffee tomorrow morning.

And then there was the actual working with Hua Cheng.

He was handsome, elegant and pleasant. He had clever insights and a unique approach to directing, Xie Lian had never seen anything like this before. He surely paid Xie Lian a lot of attention, but that is what a director does to his leading actor, nothing out of the ordinary. The whole "calling him San Lang" thing felt oddly intimate. But, in fact, he was secretly enjoying sharing a different connection with him. Maybe it was even... special?

Xie Lian sat on the bed as a new thought occurred to him. He was thinking too much about director Hua. Was he enjoying a bit too much getting special treatment? What if that meant something else for Hua Cheng?

He let his hair loose from the bun and took off his shirt. He felt uneasy all of the sudden, not because he was stripping on stage, but because his heart tightened. Although he liked the thought of Hua Cheng treating him differently, he was not sure he could retribute the feeling. At least, not yet. His previous experience with Jun Wu showed his parents were not going to digest the news easily. On one side, he worried about his father's health, and on the other, he still needed their financial help.

He kicked his sneakers, removed his pants and underwear and paced around the stage for a while, immersed in thoughts. Perhaps he had to control his own feelings not to end up frustrated, or even heartbroken. But one does not control his own feelings just because one wants to. Hm... that's it. He would secretly treasure San Lang's special treatment but he would not show any affection in return. This would draw a safety line for both of them. Good.

He felt the stage floor with his bare feet and his body was now getting used to the temperature of the theater. All sorts of associations were still flooding his mind, as usually happened when he was jittery about something, but that was not the whole point of being here.

He laid on the bed again and covered his face with one arm, as he was supposed to do in the script. Trying to follow a different train of thought, it now started to feel liberating being naked on stage. It made him think of an alternative universe where he could do as he wished without caring for other people's opinion. If he had nothing holding him back, it would be so refreshing acting careless. Of course, it could draw the attention of people like Jun Wu, but that was assuming he would actually cause an impression on anyone.

His naked body turned on the bed and he inhaled deeply. It felt empowering, showing himself like that to the world. This would be an interesting experience, he was really keen on seeing how he would come out of it.

He was getting a little too immersed in the naked moment, when a movement caught his eye.

Atop the red corridor between empty seats,someone was watching him.

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How do you feel after reading this? My heart certainly raced imagining it. Tell me your thoughts and emotions <3 and have a great day!

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