Silver Linings

Chapter Ten - Slim Waist and Long Legs

[4 JUNE 2020]

⁂ ZHANG ZHE HAN ⁂

It was early morning and they were not yet in their costumes, sitting by the table in the restaurant at the inn and going over the dinner scenes. They were filming at the same location as yesterday, which meant that they were back at the Hanjie-Hongbin building for the second day in a row. They were both in the inner layers of their costumes, Zhang Zhe Han was in his black linen pants and white wraparound shirt whilst Gong Jun was in soft robes, his long legs hidden under the mint green silk.

"Try this instead." Director Ma and Director Li were sitting next to them at the low square table, demonstrating how to hold the cups and move their arms during the scene. This was both for ease of movement, but also to discuss what would look the best for the camera angle and for pulling the viewers into the scene. "If you move your right hand from the top and down, you will trap his arm under yours and leave your posture open and inviting towards the camera", Director Ma continued and Director Sing hummed in agreement.

Gong Jun instantly moved as instructed, his right wrist capturing Zhang Zhe Han's and pushed it down toward the table. Their arms were crossed and Gong Jun was holding his arm firmly in place. He found himself observing his co-star more than the actual game they were supposed to be playing. It was Gong Jun that was supposed to lead in any case and Zhang Zhe Han's part of this game of cups wasn't difficult to comprehend. He had always been coordinated and skilled when it came to movements.

At this moment, the man across him was definitely Gong Jun and not Wen Ke Xing. He almost looked a little bit embarrassed with a different type of smile on his lips and he was avoiding eye contact for some reason. He had found it fascinating to watch Gong Jun flick back and forth, wondering if Wen Ke Xing would stay longer and longer in the man as the production continued the coming months. In the end, it didn't matter to him which of them was acting opposite or alongside him—he would get through to both of them. Though Wen Ke Xing was a lot easier to read than Gong Jun. Even though his co-star's reactions were always honest, he was hyper aware of everything around him and acted accordingly to shield himself. His co-star was definitely more cautious than most actors that he had been around.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Gong Jun released the lock on his arm, clinked their cups and smiled. His co-star was still avoiding eye contact and instead looked at Director Sing for validation or further instructions on how to finetune his gesture. It's like he is a moldable sponge, just absorbing everything around him and perfecting himself.

Director Ma pursed his lips and mused, "How about you keep your right arm locked on top of Zhou Zi Shu's and instead take the cup with your left hand. That way, your arms are still crossed when you drink the wine."

Zhang Zhe Han could hear a few giggles from the ladies behind them. This drinking game was supposed to imitate the act of cross arms or cross cups which was essentially a marriage ritual. This was a brazen statement in a danmei and shown as early as in episode three was almost unheard of. It would be a wonder if they got to keep it through the censoring review and then through airing. But the three directors were meticulous in their vision of what they wanted to convey. And because they made it into a game, into a power play between the two protagonists, it wasn't in any way romantic. At least not in an obvious way.

Zhang Zhe Han liked to push boundaries—within a certain degree—and this story needed all of these gestures, undertones and double meanings to be the best that it could possibly be. And those moments were brilliant. Without them, would Zhou Zi Shu even fall for Wen Ke Xing? Would the viewer understand why they were soulmates? Or even that they were soulmates?