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

Chapter VIII

A bit earlier, Hua Cheng was walking fast all over the theater. He had an insight all of the sudden and needed to discuss it with Xie Lian, but he wanted the stylist present too. So it should be before she left for the weekend. The cast was already leaving and many people stopped to talk to him as time continued to pass. Lang Qianqiu even invited him to grab a beer close by and he was really insistent, but Hua Cheng just waved him off and continued to look for Xie Lian.

In the end, it became late and he let the stylist go. Still, he was curious about Xie Lian's whereabouts. He looked everywhere for Gege and did not find him. Well, it was late Friday and Gege was quite sociable, perhaps he met with Lang Qianqiu somewhere else and they were having fun already.

Hua Cheng gave up on finding Xie Lian but spent some extra time in his office until his stomach grumbled. That was his call to end the day and he was about go out into the parking lot when he noticed a faint light coming from the auditorium. Someone must have forgotten to double check the lights. Everybody used to rush out on Fridays, but still, there would be a lecture or two about this on Monday. No leaving the lights on for an entire weekend!

He opened the theater doors very slowly, looking down while considering if the scolding would be in a "cool-but-respectful" or "angry-first-joker-then" tone. Maybe he could even play around for a bit, pretending he had to pay an enormous bill. He then looked to the stage and almost missed a step.

There was someone moving there, and he was stripping... That someone was no other than Xie Lian!

Hua Cheng quickly let himself down into the seat next to him and watched. He could hardly believe the image in front of him. Xie Lian was supposed to have left with the others for Friday night fun, he probably had a home and friends to be with. What was he doing on the theater until so late? Could he be truly practicing?

Hua Cheng could feel his heart racing. Directors usually only saw the somewhat processed interpretation of a scene, not the preparation from zero. Also, undressing on stage surely was challenging, what made it understandable that Xie Lian would want to try it out on his own first. He had to be confident to be able to show himself like that. All the preparation and acting considered, Director Hua was delighted to see such an intimate moment of an actor.

He knew how much effort and practice it involved to get the final performance perfect, what meant many nights spent pushing himself to get each word, each move, each gesture right. Even facial expressions had to be practiced in the mirror. So initially, Director Hua was feeling honestly curious and admired. This was the same type of curiosity one would get when seeing a rare creature in the wild, it was a precious, one-time-only moment.

All of this would already be fabulous if it was any other actor or actress, but this was Xie Lian. Hua Cheng was mesmerized. Since their rehearsals had barely started and were still more like a preliminary discussion, he had only seen Gege performing officially and in other plays. Okay, he had seen him over and over again, not to say he had possibly watched every single performance Xie Lian had ever made. But the opportunity to work with him, to direct him, was absolutely priceless.

He now watched as the actor stripped completely and walked in circles. The exposed body of Xie Lian emanated an aura of beauty, it almost seemed like he was glowing. He was a handsome man, but bore a feminine touch to his complexion and that was irresistibly charming. He was delicate and transpired humility and kindness. If only that last part was fake, but Hua Cheng, more than anyone else in the world, knew his purity of heart to be true, he experienced it himself. This was something that, at least to Hua Cheng, made Xie Lian almost seem like a god.

Hua Cheng's thoughts were spinning fast and memories from an old age resurfaced in his mind. At the same time, Xie Lian laid back on the bed completely naked, one arm over his head just like in the script. His features were much more mature compared to the director's oldest memories, his jawline more defined, his nose a little bit thinner, and his body... He looked like a sculpture laying at ease like that. Hua Cheng only wished he could be the one artist to immortalize this moment in a marble statue. Not because he wanted to see Xie Lian's nudity up close, but to be able to carefully analyze all his tiniest details. Every spot, every stain, from the shape of his eye lashes to a torn nail in his toes.

Hua Cheng was never so certain in his life: Xie Lian was perfect for the role. And for everything else. So graceful and handsome, at the same time so humble and kind. He was divine.

To this, a red light lit up in Hua Cheng's mind. Emotions were stirring inside his chest and could these feelings cloud his professional look at the situation? Suddenly, he felt he was intruding Xie Lian's most vulnerable and private moment. He had to show himself, but did not want to startle the actor. But what if someone else showed up and found them in this state? He, spying, and Xie Lian, naked. That's it, he needed to protect him.

Hua Cheng stood up and right then, their eyes met. Xie Lian looked like he saw a ghost, all color disappeared from his face. Clumsily, he reached for his clothes and ran for the dressing room.

As soon as he disappeared, Hua Cheng heard a voice.

It was Quan Yizhen. "Director Hua, what are you doing here in the dark? I saw the backlights were on and then I thought I saw someone with long hair running on stage, maybe it was Gege. Did you see..."

"Hey. I'm studying a particular difficult scene with Xie Lian, we'll still be here for a while." Hua Cheng did not actually think there was anyone else around, it was just an overall concern, so he was quite surprised. "What are you doing here so late? Oh, I see, you're from maintenance. Thank you for your hard work! I'm really grateful. But you should go home now and rest."

Quan Yizhen acknowledged and said goodbye, his eyes shining to be able to talk to the director in person.

***

Far from there, Jun Wu was feeling gloom as usual and thinking about Xie Lian. Everytime he was in that state, he would walk towards Xie Lian's home while planning how to make him see they were perfect for each other. It did not matter how late it was, it became therapeutic for him. This time, before he actually turned the corner at Xie Lian's street, he saw Quan Yizhen. They exchanged a look and the youth came closer to him.

"You're a friend of Lian Gege, aren't you?" Quan Yizhen actually recognized him.

"Hm, yeah. You're his neighbor, right?" Jun Wu answered back.

"I remember seeing you with him on the day his dad went to the hospital."

Jun Wu widened his eyes and felt his heart being covered by ice. Did this kid actually see what happened that day? "Oh, are you sure it was me?"

"Yes, I am. You called the ambulance and Gege was mad at you, but I didn't understand why."

The ice melted and Jun Wu was relieved if that was all he saw. "Yes, yes, that was me. But hey, what are you doing walking around? It's kinda late."

"I'm just coming back from work. Lian Gege managed to find a job for me at the theater he's performing now."

"Wow, your Gege is so cool!" Jun Wu really meant it, he knew Xie Lian had a good heart. "And do you get to see Gege everyday?"

"Most days. It hasn't been that long and he is usually busy with Director Hua, so we don't talk much." Quan Yizhen was so casual about telling things to a stranger. Maybe Jun Wu could benefit from it? The youth added, "Actually, Gege was still in there today when I left."

Now Jun Wu was startled. Xie Lian was rehearsing until this hour? That was weird. Maybe this kid could be useful, for the sake of keeping Xie Lian safe, of course. Twisted ideas started turning inside Jun Wu's mind.

"Hey, kid. Next time you see Xie Lian there this late, would you mind keeping an eye on him? We need to look after Gege, you know. He'll be famous soon. There may be people who want to do him harm. So if you see something unusual, try recording it or taking a photo and send it to me. What do you think?"

Quan Yizhen was deeply touched. Gege's friend was so considerate! His concerns were so honest! He gave him his number and went back home feeling that he retributed the favor Gege did appointing him to the job. He also wanted to watch out for Gege! Gege would be a great actor one day and this filled Quan Yizhen's chest with admiration. He was still feeling good when he laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes that night.

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Things about to get messy... let's keep going! Thanks for reading! Thank you even more if you star and comment! Everyone likes to feel appreciated once in a while ;) Have a lovely week!