Memories of Wuchu

Another Shot, Another Chance

He Di's new drama was unlike any of his previous dramas. It was a story of healing and acceptance. No romance, no action, just one man trying to accept his new reality.

It's a story about a basketball player at his peak who got injured so badly, he would not be able to play again. In fact, his injury was so severe, he could no longer walk.

The drama will be attempting to show the struggles faced by a young man who had devoted his whole life to basketball only to have it stripped away from him in a snap of a finger. It was loaded and drama-heavy, but the healing and acceptance depicted in the end made He Di accept the role.

He felt that he, too, was in need of healing and acceptance.

In a sense then, He Di spraining his ankle on the first day of their shoot in Wuchu barely affected their filming since he would be on a wheel chair for the most part of his scenes. Luckily, they already shot the pre-accident scenes back in Chengdu, and those were the only scenes which could be prejudiced by his sprained ankle.

Filming the basketball scenes went off without a hitch, He Di being quite adept at the sport. Even the accident, hospitalization, and the portrayal of the first stage of grief were done tremendously, He Di being able to easily tap on to the feelings of loss inside his heart and channel it into his acting.

The director praised him. All of the crew were in awe at his amazing talent. It was the first time they'd seen Wang He Di express such raw emotions.

Unbeknownst to them, those emotions were less because of acting, and more because of his own experience of loss.

But now, similar to how his character in the drama would begin his journey of healing and acceptance in the town of Wuchu, He Di was finding himself feeling less and less miserable as the days go by.

He could feel that Yue was trying her best to keep him at a distance, but she has also warmed up to him enough so as to treat him as her friend. Apart from the times that she would slip and call him 'Wang He Di' when she was startled, Yue was adamant in calling him Dylan, like how all the other staff members would refer to him. Her smiles were still a little strained for the most part, but sometimes, she'd smile at him genuinely and he would feel like nothing was wrong in the world. Like nothing changed between them. Like there was still an 'us' for them to speak about. But then she'd realize what she was doing and she'd quickly look away and do an overt act of keeping him in the friend zone, making sure He Di wasn't getting any ideas.

He knew it was all an act. He could feel that she still loved him, too, but he also understood why she was doing what she was doing.

As long as he can't protect her, he won't push her to admit her feelings and return to him. He'll have to make sure that nobody will hurt her ever again first.

So for now, even though it killed him just how distant Yue was being despite her being in such close proximity, he would have to settle with just being her friend.

For now at least.

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Being an impromptu part of the filming crew of He Di's new drama as said actor's other assistant exposed Yue to the fast-paced and hectic world of the entertainment industry. Her one-year stint as a hopeful actress had not made it possible to making it this far, the most she had done being only going to auditions and taking screen tests -- both activities taking place in a closed off room with only a panel in front of her.

She was at awe.

A deep sense of longing she hadn't felt in the last five years suddenly gripped her entire being so strongly. Thoughts and questions started whirring in her mind, wondering if this could have been her reality if she hadn't moved to Wuchu. If she hadn't given up her role in Meteor Garden. If she pursued a career in broadcast media.