Screen Partner

Chapter 2

Xu Zheyi, after his contract ended, began searching for work.　

The bank’s compounding interest was crushing him. He had to find a stable and well-paid job in order to cover his debt payments on time each month, which was not easy for him. Unfortunately, he had no work experience after graduating from college except for acting in the entertainment business.

After handing out a large number of resumes that resulted in nothing, and with his payment deadlines looming two weeks from the present, Xu Zheyi picked up the contract(for the GV). At that exact moment his agent, Xiao Ji, called.

“So, what do you think about it?”

Xu Zheyi did not answer. After working with him for years, Xiao Ji knew that such a silence represented an agreement.

“This is a big company, they have a lot of money to give and you don’t have to worry that they will owe you money,” he said. “I’ve seen this series of GV, and they’re different from the usual. The filming is very high quality.”

Xu Zheyi scoffed. High quality GV or not, doesn’t it still have an anal sex in it? The mere thought of being penetrated, and by a stranger no less, made him nauseous to the point of vomiting.

“You take the script and the contract and look them over again. In a couple days I will arrange for you and the director to meet. There may be a screen test, and if neither side has any problems, then you can sign the contract.”　

“… A screen test?”

“Besides you, there are three other candidates there,” he explained, “The meaning of that screen test is to assign you to a compatible partner based on the results, but I don’t think it’s easy to speculate on the Japanese mind. Be prepared for anything.”

Xu Zheyi understood the meaning in Xiao Ji’s words, and could not help but swear inwardly. He did not expect that those gay adult videos were so popular with the public.

“I’m probably going to know who’s on the list, so I’ll try to send you the names later,” promised Xiao Ji.

Xu Zheyi silently ended the phone call. His mind was a total mess, and it left him feeling very irritable. He picked up the script again to read it. Although he tried reading through it several times, he could not even bring himself to go on. It was only by thinking of the money that he could eventually force himself, reluctantly, to read.

The project, which belonged to the «Boyfriend» series, featured two GV actors who were satisfied by their sweet interactions and lovemakings. This series of films set a staggering sales record in Japan. The main target base was not only gay men looking for more romance, but also specifically for the rotten female group1. For those reasons, this series of films emphasized romantic aestheticism, rather than focusing on sensory stimulation.　

For this year’s overseas plans, the company’s main focus was two Taiwanese couples. Their biggest selling point would be the true feelings between lovers and affectionate physical interactions.

Xu Zheyi opened the script and found that all of the characters were replaced by ABCD, which meant that none of the actors were currently fixed. He was a little bit conflicted inside. He didn’t know whether to fight for the top or bottom. After all, playing the bottom role meant being penetrated, but if he chose to act as a top then he would have to penetrate a man. The thought of his genitals going deep into someone else’s butt made Xu Zheyi want to give up right there.

The script was also very embarrassing. Since it was taking the form of a documentary, the whole film was divided into three parts. The first and second part of the film included both couples; it started off with an interview of each couple, and then it followed the day-to-day relationship between the two people going through their daily routine, and then the highlight of sex.

The third part had all four people go to the seaside for a date, and to play beach volleyball. In the evening, although they were obviously four Taiwanese men, they would don yukatas and light Fairy Sticks2 and then finish it off by heading to bed with their respective partners.　　

However, when he got to the character profiles for the script, Xu Zheyi was quite surprised. The brief overview was only part of the character introduction, each character’s information took up four pages—even their favorite food was marked out. To have created four fictional characters with such depth out of thin air, those hard working Japanese filmmakers would not lose to anyone.

How each couple met was also laid out in the script. Characters A and B initially hated the mere sight of each other, and while they were trying to look for each other’s flaws, they discovered their good points and eventually fell in love. As for characters C and D, it was the predestined love at first sight.　　

From the list of names provided by Xiao Ji, Xu Zheyi searched the internet for the other three actor candidates and found that one of them was actually an adult video star. He already had a lot of experience in the exchange between Chinese and Japanese, but it was difficult to know  the person’s attitude just from the photo.

The next actor looked very good; he had shot a few GVs and his eyebrows were very fine—apparently he was a bottom. The last name on the list was familiar to Xu Zheyi. He was called Ah Li, a magazine model, and could be counted as his junior. Compared to the other two, he was barely within his tolerance.

Xu Zheyi turned on his computer and popped in the included disc from a previous «Boyfriend» series film that was included with the paperwork. After only five minutes, he could no longer handle it, jamming the eject button until it stopped.

He really could not watch the men talk and talk about love. Every word of affection they spoke, every bit of eye contact, it all made him think of Ming Ban, and that made him reflexively feel disgusting.

Xu Zheyi knew that he had a psychological problem, but he did not know what to do about it. He was not too positive; he had to find an outlet for his twisted hatred towards Ming, or else one day he would go mad.