The literary era since 1979

"Whoosh", the bathroom door was opened and hot air slowly came out.

Keiko Matsuzaka was wearing a white bathrobe, standing in front of the mirror, humming "Sunset Song" while applying body lotion on her fair and rosy skin with her hands. She glanced at her inadvertently, and the deflated lubricant made her face suddenly red.

He threw the lubricant into the trash can and walked barefoot into the bedroom. He saw the floor was in a mess, with clothes everywhere. The muddy bed had already exposed their attraction to dialects, but he, who had just been rushing in and out, was nowhere to be seen.

However, for someone like Keiko Matsuzaka who knows the dialect inside and out, this is obviously not a big deal.

After tidying up for a while, she walked towards the small study not far away with a smile.

The light seeped out secretly from the crack in the door, and at the same time there was a "crackling" sound of keyboard typing.

Buwang Fangyan spent so much time and energy observing and investigating all the work links and operation processes of the undertaker. Combining the collected first-hand and second-hand information, Fangyan finally wrote a new "Departures" that is different from the original movie.

A "Departures" that incorporates the core concepts of "Breaking Hell".

At the end of the story, just as the hero and heroine were having a fierce conflict over "whether to quit the job of undertaker" and were even on the verge of divorce, the hero suddenly received a call. The body of their father, who had abandoned them and their son because of cheating, had been left exposed in the rental house for many days.

When he died, he was alone and his body had already started to stink.

The male protagonist has always regarded this irresponsible father as dead, and is very reluctant to collect the man's body out of filial piety. However, his wife, the female protagonist, who has always been prejudiced against undertakers, asks him to work not as a son, but as an undertaker.

In the process of personally collecting the body for her father, her resentment towards her father who abandoned his wife and children gradually disappeared, and was replaced by respect for the deceased and relief from fatherly love. The heroine's prejudice and misunderstanding of the hero as a mortician also slowly dissipated in the process.

The conflict between the couple was completely resolved when the heroine took the initiative to hand the hero the makeup tools necessary for burial.

A perfect happy ending!

Looking at the computer screen, Fangyan put the last period on the script, then stretched his body and let out a deep breath.

When writing something like this that is related to life and death, the thing I fear most is not the pressure of writer’s block, but the drastic mood swings, or even depression.

Every time this happens, I always unconsciously have the urge to smoke, and I fumble around on the table for a while, but find nothing.

Just when I was dozing off, Keiko Matsuzaka brought me a pillow in time, and handed me cigarettes and a lighter very tacitly.

"Are you looking for this?"

"Well, I suddenly want to have one."

Fangyan smiled knowingly.

"I clearly remembered that you should have quit smoking, why did you start smoking again recently?"

Keiko Matsuzaka put her arms around his waist from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder, and said in a gentle voice, "Did you encounter any difficulties with the script?"

Fangyan shook his head. It had nothing to do with his creation. It was mainly caused by what he saw and heard in the funeral home these days.

"I also feel that you've been frowning more and more since you went to observe and research undertakers." Matsuzaka Keiko pressed his head with both hands, massaging it carefully while saying, "Even just now in bed, you made me suffer more. I've never seen you so hard before."

Fang Yan turned his head and saw the dense strawberry red marks on her body, with a hint of pity in his apologetic eyes.

"right……"

"I don't blame you."

Keiko Matsuzaka put a finger between his lips and asked lovingly, "How are you now?"

"I still feel a little uncomfortable."

Fangyan originally thought that Johnston's reminder was completely unnecessary, but in the end he still underestimated his own sanity.

Facing the cruel environment and corpses for a long time, I felt depressed, fearful, dull, and irritable...

The whole person will be exhausted both physically and mentally, and may even have some psychological problems, but the good thing is that the negative emotions are released. However, just like residual poison, although physical fatigue and disgust can be recovered quickly, psychological ones are not so easy and require some time.

"What should we do? Should we go to the hospital?"

Keiko Matsuzaka said worriedly.

"No, just rest more and enjoy yourself more."

Fang Yan sighed: "I still underestimated the heaviness and horror behind the profession of undertaker."

"Then you can stay in Japan for a while longer, so you can spend more time with me."

Keiko Matsuzaka breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's exactly what I thought."

Fangyan suggested that they go on a spontaneous trip. Japan is not that big anyway, so they might as well go around and take a drive to relax.

"Great, I've wanted to have a trip like this for a long time!"

Keiko Matsuzaka recounted the travel routes that she had planned countless times in her mind.

Fangyan smiled without saying anything, and everything was in action. He pulled Matsuzaka Keiko into his arms with his backhand and let her sit on his lap.

Keiko Matsuzaka glanced at the computer and was surprised: "Is the script finished?"

"This is just a rough draft. It will need to be revised and improved later. If nothing goes wrong, it will be done by the time I leave Japan."

Fangyan smiled.

"Can I see it?"

Keiko Matsuzaka's eyes were full of anticipation.

Fangyan moved the mouse and pressed the print button. The next second, the printer next to him made a "clicking" sound.

"Once the script is finalized, I plan to use it as a blueprint and write a novel with the same title."

"You want to kill two birds with one stone?"

Keiko Matsuzaka understood what he meant.

"Yes, I've suffered so much to create this subject, and I must squeeze every last drop of value out of it."

Fang Yan laughed and said, "Otherwise, wouldn't all my suffering these days be in vain?"

"Hearing you say that, I'm a little worried. Will I end up like you when we're filming?"

Keiko Matsuzaka cast a questioning look.

"If you are deeply immersed in the play, it might be like this."

Fangyan reached into the bathrobe and stroked the smooth back.

"If, I mean if I end up like you, you have to fly to Japan to cure me."

Keiko Matsuzaka gave a sly smile, "No room for rejection! It's a deal!"

"How could I ignore you!"

The two embraced and kissed passionately, during which Fangyan enjoyed the unique "welcome" which was quite warm. After a long while, Matsuzaka Keiko finally relaxed and panted, "What now?"

"Good medicine tastes sweet. It's certainly much better, but it's still a little short of that."

Fangyan moved his face closer again, deciding to use his remaining courage to pursue the enemy.

………………

Just as Fang Yan and Matsuzaka Keiko's travel plan was reimbursed by Kadokawa Pictures and they were preparing to set off from their first stop, Tokyo, the filming of In the Mood for Love, which was being shot in Thailand, was finally completed after more than two months, a full month longer than the original plan.

Gong Xing is not planning to hold a wrap party in Cayman, but to return to Hong Kong first and then gather all the crew members for a dinner to reward them for their hard work for nearly half a year. So, today, Zhu Lin, Zhang Guorong, Wang Jiawei and others boarded a flight back to Hong Kong.

Zhu Lin sat next to her, and heard her lazy and tired voice:
“Phew, the filming is finally done!”

"Xiaoxiang, our filming has been overtime for so long that we have already missed the Cannes Film Festival. Is this really okay?"

"Iwako and I had calculated that we could catch the last train to submit to the Cannes Film Festival, but we didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Gong Xing sighed helplessly.

"It's all my fault. If I had done fewer NGs during filming, I would have been able to speed up the filming process."

Zhu Lin felt very upset.

"Don't ever say that."

Gong Xing smiled and shook her head. The person who was first responsible for the slow shooting of In the Mood for Love was naturally her, the director and producer. But the second person responsible was definitely not Zhu Lin, but Wang Jiawei, who was called "the fighter who grinds the altar" in the local dialect. This guy was really good at grinding tofu!

Even though he was personally in charge, director Wang Jiawei still couldn't change his nature. He tortured the actors and the crew at the same time.

But then again, if he had not personally directed the project and had allowed Wang Jiawei to continue doing this, it would not be as simple as half a year to wrap up In the Mood for Love. It cannot be said that Wang Jiawei would shoot the film until the end of time, but it would definitely take at least one or two years.

Not to mention the time cost, how much money will be invested! Overspending is inevitable, and it will be a huge overspending!
No wonder Fang Yan insisted on letting her be the director instead of Wang Jiawei taking the lead alone.

"Xiaoxiang, what should we do now?"

Seeing her frown slightly, Zhu Lin felt anxious and worried.

"It's okay. In fact, Iwako had anticipated this situation before filming In the Mood for Love."

Gong Xing comforted him, "So we prepared two plans. If it's early, we'll attend the Cannes Film Festival, and if it's late, we'll go to Venice."

Zhu Lin opened his mouth, feeling very surprised.

"Ya Zi told me that the Venice Film Festival has a huge advantage over Cannes."

Gong Xing said that a film that wins the Golden Lion Award for Best Film in Venice can, under certain conditions, be awarded the Volpi Cup (Best Actor or Actress) or the Marcello Mastroianni Award (Best New Actor Award), which means that a film can win the Golden Lion and other actor awards at the same time. This is different in Cannes and Berlin, which have always maintained the tradition of "sitting in a row and sharing the fruits."

"Isn't that..."

Zhu Lin was so shocked that he covered his mouth.

"It's just what you think."

Gong Xing blinked his smart eyes and said, "If In the Mood for Love is successful, based on your performance in the movie, you will definitely be eligible to compete for the Best Actress Award. Moreover, you are a new face on the international film stage, so you also have a chance to win the Best New Actor Award."

Zhu Lin felt as if a stone had fallen into her heart as clear as water. With a "plop" sound, her calm state of mind was broken.

"When I return to Hong Kong, I will discuss the follow-up work of In the Mood for Love with Yanzi."

Seeing her best friend's excited face, Gong Xing felt happy and excited too.

It took Zhu Lin a long time to completely calm down his inner excitement.

"Speaking of which, after filming In the Mood for Love, maybe I won't work with Wang Jiawei again next time."

Gong Xing spoke in a whisper that only the two of them could hear.

"Director Wang is indeed the most bizarre director I have ever seen in all my years of film career."

Zhu Lin was stunned at first, but he understood why she said that.

"Yes, just like Yanzi said, this guy is a genius. He has his merits in composition, photography, camera movement, etc. I have gained a lot from working with him on In the Mood for Love for half a year. However, given his shooting habits, he can only be fully utilized if he is the chief director."

Gong Xing took a sip of orange juice.

"To be honest, I was not willing to accept Director Wang's role. It was too painful and torturous."

There was a hint of resentment in Gong Xing's tone.

“But I have to say that you and Guo Rong’s acting skills have really improved a lot while filming under his guidance.”

Gong Xing advised her to take Wang Jiawei's role, and she should accept it, as it would be of great help to her future acting career.

"But for the next play, let's change someone else."

Zhu Lin hummed, then said hesitantly, "I really can't bear the pressure of filming two movies directed by Director Wang in a row."

Gong Xing said playfully, "Okay, how about I ask my agent to pick a light-hearted comedy for your next movie?"

"Xiaoxiang, thank you."

Zhu Lin was deeply moved and held her hands tightly.

"There's no need to say thank you between us."

Their eyes met, and Gong Wei smiled with a hint of apology, "But I'm afraid I don't know if I can still take care of you forever."

Zhu Lin was puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

Gong Xing said that if nothing unexpected happens, Fang Yan will most likely be transferred back from the Hong Kong Joint Publishing Company to serve as the editor-in-chief of People's Literature.

Zhu Lin exclaimed, his face full of surprise.

Gong Xing sighed, "Yanzi said that although the literary world today seems to be more prosperous than in the early 1980s, it is popular culture that is in power. It is not that popular culture is prosperous, but serious literature is declining, just like a normal person's two legs, suddenly one leg is longer and the other leg is shorter, and he becomes a cripple. That's why Yanzi, a doctor, was transferred to see patients and prescribe medicine to see if serious literature can be revived."

"That's right..."

Zhu Lin looked disappointed, but when he heard that Fang Yan would be the deputy editor-in-chief of Renwen Press, he tried to force a smile: "Congratulations!"

"Thank you. In the future, our work focus will most likely shift from Hong Kong back to the mainland."

Gong Xing was still worried about her close friends like Zhu Lin and Gong Li staying in Hong Kong where they were unfamiliar with the place.

Zhu Lin was shocked. "So you're going back to the mainland and won't be coming back?"

Gong Xing patted her shaking hands and said, "Don't worry, we will of course come back to Hong Kong often. Here we have friends like you, our company, and our common film career. I also plan to take this opportunity to make more joint films between Hong Kong and the mainland."

Zhu Lin pursed his lips, but his thoughts were already drifting to who knows where. (End of this chapter)