01
The summer she first arrived in Boston, Jian You had a mild allergic reaction because she wasn’t used to the new environment. Her face would always flush a faint, inopportune red, and a small, itchy, painful rash broke out on her collarbone, the most noticeable spot.
It was right after she closed Yun Chu’s Moments feed that she decided to see a doctor. The doctor discussed her condition with her in fluent English, but it went in one ear and out the other. All she caught was, “Don’t scratch, apply the ointment frequently, eat less spicy food, and drink more water.”
Then he prescribed some medication, and she paid the expensive medical bill.
She walked out of the hospital and sat on a bench, counting the cash she had on her and the scholarship money in her bank account. After counting it over and over, she felt she had to get busy. So, she called the professor in Boston that Zhang Chenyao had introduced her to.
That same night, she flew to Hollywood to intern on a film set.
The allergy didn’t improve just because she’d changed locations. In fact, it worsened with her ever-increasing workload, to the point that she developed a fever when the seasons changed in early autumn. She forced herself to stay with the crew all morning until the director finally couldn’t stand it anymore and waved her off, telling her to go back to the hotel and rest.
Before she left, he earnestly advised her in broken Chinese, “Jian, your health is your most important asset!”
Jian You just smiled.
The place she was staying wasn’t far from the set. She pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt and walked back slowly. The fever had left her weak and unsteady on her feet. Just as she was about to reach her hotel, she received a call from back home.
“Director Jian, what have you been busy with lately?”
“…Filming.”
“Have you missed us?”
“…”
“Alright, I’ll stop joking around.” On the other end was her class monitor. Ever since starting university, he’d had a grand goal: to pass the civil service exam after graduation and stay in Bei City. Having an “iron rice bowl” was better than anything. He had just passed his interview two days ago and was waiting for his physical exam, which was why he had the free time to call Jian You.
“Didn’t you ask in the class group chat for people to keep an eye out for actresses in their thirties?” the monitor said. “I happen to know a director who’s casting right now. The ’13 performance department sent over a collection of works from younger students of that age. You might find what you’re looking for. Should I email it to you?”
Jian You pushed open the hotel door and said, “Okay.”
The cold air from the hotel lobby hit her, and she felt dizzy for a second. She added, “Thanks for the trouble.”
The email soon arrived, crossing thousands of miles, but Jian You didn’t check it. She first took a hot bath, changed into a nightgown, and then pulled open her collar to apply ointment to the allergic rash. The smell of the cream was unpleasant, stinging her nose.
In the vast room, only a single floor lamp was on, enveloping her in its warm yellow light. She took her medicine while opening her laptop. The moment she went to look at the file, she dazedly realized that ever since the monitor had mentioned it was work from the ’13 performance department, an idea had been lingering in her mind.
She thought she could control it by not deliberately thinking about it.
But before clicking open the file, she finally had to face it. She thought, That Yun Chu is also from the class of ’13, right? Will her work be in there? She seems like the type to join in on the fun-boisterous and always looking for a good time.
Would it be there?
A moving Yun Chu.
What’s the difference between Yun Chu on camera and the girl in her bed that night?
Jian You set her water glass on the table. Her finger slid across the touchpad for a moment before she opened the collection of works. It was a long list of files, each person’s work labeled with their name and sorted alphabetically by the first initial.
The cursor scrolled down.
No Yun Chu.
It wasn’t surprising. Someone who never lacked for fun wouldn’t be short of this one bit of excitement. Jian You randomly clicked on a video and began to watch, her expression blank.
The ointment on her rash was starting to work, itching intensely, as if tiny ants were gnawing at the wound. She finally picked up her phone, opened WeChat, and searched to add a friend. The profile card that popped up read: “Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Gives Up.”
She opened her Moments.
Xiao Chu Xiao Chu Never Gives Up: New semester! It’s that time of the semester again to be a good person! Even though I haven’t done anything yet, let me first show everyone this new semester’s beauty! 【Selfie】【Selfie】【Selfie】
Jian You smiled.
The next day.
Jian You’s allergic symptoms began to improve.
A week later, she had fully recovered.
02
Casting for Kissed the Deep Sea began in early spring.
At that time, a spring rain had just fallen in Boston. It was the season when all things come to life. Tender buds sprouted from the withered trees lining the roads, and raindrops fell slowly, releasing the fragrance of the earth. Everything was thriving.
It was a realistic story set in a foreign country. A small portion was to be filmed in China, which she had entrusted Zhang Chenyao to oversee, while the rest of the scenes were in Boston. The protagonist was a young woman in her thirties who, while on a spring outing, was unintentionally taken hostage and drawn into a robbery.
Casting had been going on for three months, and now only the female lead remained undecided.
Jian You’s hastily assembled team was still in the process of gelling. Because the female lead had yet to be cast, disagreements arose in yesterday’s meeting, which ended on a sour note. The producer had given her an ultimatum-if she didn’t cast the lead soon, he would.
Everyone had read Jian You’s script. It was aimed at winning awards, so everyone coveted the role of the female lead.
“I won’t let them send someone over.” Jian You walked through the harbor holding a black umbrella. The rain falling by the sea carried a salty, damp chill. A ship was setting sail from the ferry dock, its sails fluttering in the wind. “But because the lead isn’t cast, the process has indeed been delayed.”
“You’re just too stubborn,” Zhang Chenyao chided her from the other end. “It’s not that I don’t want you to be strict, but sometimes you can’t demand perfection. Actors need to be coached.”
“I know.”
“I heard there’s someone named Chen Shuangxu? She’s in the performance department at the same school as you, doesn’t she fit the requirements?” Zhang Chenyao asked. “I’ve also seen her work in the student club. She’s very talented. If you don’t use her, recommend her to me.”
Jian You watched the churning sea in the distance, pursed her lips, and said, “Let me think about it some more.”
Zhang Chenyao pressed, “Think about what?”
Jian You slowly drew her gaze back and looked down at the tips of her shoes. After a moment, she said softly, “Actually, there’s a more suitable candidate, but I don’t know if she’d be willing.”
Zhang Chenyao raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
An image of Yun Chu appeared in Jian You’s mind. The girl’s hair had grown longer recently. She’d permed it into curls, thick and dense like seaweed, beautiful in the sunlight. Jian You couldn’t help but lift the corners of her lips. “A younger schoolmate,” she said.
“From the Film Academy?”
“Mhm.”
“Well, that’s simple. Tell me who it is, and I’ll go ask for you.”
“…She’s signed with an agency. It has to go through their official channels.” Jian You hailed a taxi and closed her umbrella. “I’ll contact them. I won’t trouble you, Teacher.”
Zhang Chenyao said, “That works too. Although I’m rushing you to make a decision, you should still follow your own pace. Don’t be careless with any part of the process. Let me know when you’ve set a date to start filming. I’ll bring you and your Teacher’s wife to witness it.”
Jian You’s eyes curved. “Okay.”
After hanging up, Jian You did something she regrets to this day.
She remembered seeing Yun Chu post on her Moments a couple of days ago: I’ve clearly signed with an agency, so why hasn’t anyone asked me to act yet? I really wish a famous director would find my agent and give my vanity a huge boost.
She wasn’t a famous director, but she could offer her a job now.
So, she had her assistant contact Mangosteen Entertainment’s film department and extend an audition invitation to Yun Chu in the production’s name. She didn’t sleep well that night, tossing and turning as she thought about many things.
She thought that if Yun Chu wasn’t willing to fly to Boston, she could go back to China. She’d book a table at a restaurant Yun Chu liked-that Sichuan place Yun Chu had been frequenting recently would be perfect.
She thought about what the first thing she would say to Yun Chu should be.
She thought that if Yun Chu didn’t bring up that night, she wouldn’t either. They could have a fresh start, beginning as friends, growing closer by working on a film together, and becoming part of each other’s lives.
She finally fell asleep at dawn and woke up to a message from her assistant.
Mangosteen Entertainment had rejected the audition invitation.
“There’s no room for negotiation,” the assistant said. “They rejected it very bluntly. They said their artist has no plans to act in films at the moment and asked us not to contact them again.”
Jian You stared at the words. Her heart, which had been filled with fantasies, instantly became empty. A bitter wind seemed to rush in. She couldn’t help but frown, and it took a long while before she sluggishly realized that her heart was aching.
She thought, Why does my heart ache?
As she thought, she typed back, “I understand.”
Sunlight streamed through the curtains, spilling warmly onto the wooden floor. Spring had fully arrived in Boston; everything was warm. She typed again: “Contact Chen Shuangxu for a third audition.”
The part of Chen Shuangxu that most resembled Yun Chu was her eyes. Especially when she wore a mask and her eyes curved into a smile, it would leave Jian You in a daze.
Later, during filming, Chen Shuangxu got to know her better. She knew Jian You looked at Yun Chu’s Moments every day and had also seen photos of Yun Chu. Chen Shuangxu let out a meaningful “ah” and said, “I think I know why Director Jian chose me.”
Later, when Yun Chu debuted, although she was a nobody, Chen Shuangxu was famous. Even without any press releases, there were still people who said Yun Chu looked like Chen Shuangxu, listing all sorts of similarities.
Chen Shuangxu’s fans were naturally unhappy. They flooded Yun Chu’s social media tags, telling the “flop” not to leech off their idol’s fame. Yun Chu’s side rejected these comparisons, and eventually, it was only mentioned occasionally by passersby.
Later still, Jian You and Yun Chu watched Kissed the Deep Sea together. On the giant screen, the masterful cinematography was even more apparent. Under Jian You’s lens, even when Chen Shuangxu was in ragged clothes and at her lowest point, her beauty was breathtaking.
Yun Chu suddenly remembered what happened before, nudged her shoulder, and said, “You know, they all used to call me a mini Chen Shuangxu.”
Jian You looked at Chen Shuangxu on the big screen and shook her head. “She’s the mini Yun Chu.”
She turned to look at Yun Chu. Although neither is a substitute for the other, and I distinguish clearly between Chen Shuangxu and Yun Chu, she thought, in my heart, Yun Chu came first. No one can compare to her.
Yun Chu’s eyes curved into a smile. She leaned in and kissed her on the lips, again and again, until her own face turned red. Then she covered her face and said, “Don’t stare at me like that, you’re making me blush.”
Jian You reached out to touch her face and smiled too. “It’s already red.”
She thought, Girls are so cute. When you see the person you like, you think your heart can’t possibly flutter any more than it already is, but then she does one little thing, and it flutters even more.
Including herself.
03
【Director, that Manager He who came to the studio last time about investing in the new film is back. The condition is the same as before: as long as you participate in Little Tricks for Love, the money will be transferred immediately.】
【Also, I’ve gotten the proposed guest list for Little Tricks for Love that you asked for last time.】
【Image】
Jian You tapped the image open.
The types of proposed guests were quite diverse: a voice actress, a CEO, a photographer, and an actress.
The actress’s photo was clearly not an official headshot, but a candid street photo dug up from somewhere. She was standing on a bustling street wearing sunglasses, her lips red and her teeth white.
Yun Chu.
Jian You silently repeated her name in her mind, then looked up at the vivid, lively Yun Chu on the screen and typed, “Tell him I agree.”
The reason she had bought a house in Qingyao Alley was that she had seen the photos of Yun Chu’s grandmother’s courtyard that Yun Chu posted on her Moments. She thought a courtyard like that was lovely and that she should buy one to live in when she returned to the country. It was fate that she ended up living next door to her grandmother.
Yun Chu didn’t know this, so Jian You was surprised when Yun Chu ran in that night with the wind and snow.
Fortunately, her on-the-spot reaction was quick enough. She called out to Yun Chu before she could climb back over the wall. Her acting was also superb, as natural as if she had never met Yun Chu before.
Then Yun Chu sat down in her courtyard.
God knows how she managed to keep the conversation going. She tried hard to suppress her wildly beating heart, even wishing the night would last longer, even hoping the old lady next door would kick Yun Chu out for good so she could take her in.
But alas, it didn’t happen.
She took the dog for a walk to calm down. She walked in that alley for a long time, thinking, So this is where Yun Chu grew up. Yun Chu has seen every blade of grass and every tree here. Maybe Yun Chu was the one who drew the chalk drawings on the wall at the end of the alley.
She found it novel. After returning home, she added Yun Chu on WeChat.
She liked one of Yun Chu’s Moments.
Openly and honorably.
As a friend.
Although at the time, she didn’t know that Yun Chu had immediately changed her contact name to: Wifey.
