Screen Partner

Chapter 30

Almost immediately, once the five of them entered the arrival hall, they were caught up in a whirlwind and dragged into a van by the staff. Without a delay they drove all the way to Odaiba.

“Is this a kidnapping?” Xu Zheyi asked, dumbstruck, as he was handed a bento lunch by a staff member.

“I’d rather this was a kidnapping,” Ah Li lamented. The thought of filming again was depressing, and he was already looking very downcast. Xu Zheyi patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him1.

Until now, Xu Zheyi could not determine whether the pills he was given were placebos2 or not. More than likely, he had probably determined deep down that the drug was not actually effective, but he would rather die than acknowledge that fact.

Men’s genitals always seemed to be more honest than their brains.

He could not stop himself from glancing at Ruka, but then he quickly turned back. After a few seconds, he was once again unable to resist the urge, and turned to look at him again.

Xu Zheyi did not know what he was doing, he just suddenly wanted to see him.

Xu Zheyi had to admit that after he realized he liked Ruka, the hormones within his body multiplied madly and increased exponentially. He felt somewhat effeminate, yet erotic. He did not even recognize himself.

Since it was winter, night fell early. Even though it was only seven o’clock when they arrived at their destination, the sky was already dyed black. Xu Zheyi gazed at the night scene in front of him. In the darkness, Tokyo Bay looked like a black mirror, perfectly reflecting the jewel-crowned Rainbow Bridge.

In spite of the cold wind blowing against his forehead, that night scene was worth a look.

Following the script’s instructions, he and Ruka first greeted the audience in simple Japanese before the camera, then expressed their feelings of excitement and happiness in Chinese. They were simply documenting the course of events on film. They slowly walked to the platform that housed the famous Bell of Happiness in Odaiba3. The two men hit the bell at the same time, and then stopped filming there. The next scene they had to shoot was when they rode the ferris wheel.

Xu Zheyi was not sure if it was because it was a weekday, but there were not many people on the road.

Xu Zheyi and Ruka walked shoulder-to-shoulder; there was no other point of contact. Even so, the feeling that came through Xu Zheyi’s layers, that included a thick down coat, caused him to feel itchy once again. In that ambiguous and delicate atmosphere, he heard Ruka ask him, “Why did you look at me just a moment ago?”