My Darling Chapter 7 Part3

My Darling (我的曼达林) — Chapter 7.3
by

The author’s screenwriter background really shines through in this update.

Jian Bianlin has always thought about Chu Jian and tried to support her in ways that she never even knew about. The one he has wanted has only even been Chu Jian, so sometimes, that just means being unchivalrous. 

Chapter 7.3 — Your Eyes that Stir Me (3)
Jian Bianlin was thinking that no, this wouldn't do, that he needed to say a few more words to explain things a bit more clearly.

Chu Jian, though, had already run away from there&h.e.l.lip;

Back in the van, Chu Jian really had nothing to do, so pulling out her nail clipper and file, she began tr.i.m.m.i.n.g her nails. One sound of clip. Another sound of clip. But no matter what she did, she still felt fl.u.s.tered.

She lowered her hands and threw a look at that main door. Then bowing her head, she continued tr.i.m.m.i.n.g away.

Soon, Tong Fei, bringing Lin Shen along, arrived and stepped into this van that held only Chu Jian inside. Although Lin Shen's character would not have any scenes until they were filming in the remote mountainous areas, given that this was such a big, important drama and he was still new and inexperienced, it was a necessity that he join the production team and cast beforehand. Tong Fei pulled out a can of cola from the refrigerator and tossed it to Lin Shen. "Check it out, and view it as your motivation. When you make it big, we can also have a van like this, O future Teacher Lin."

Giving a reserved smile, Lin Shen lowered his head and, with a crack, opened the can. "In this drama, Teacher Jian and I are brothers that can go through life and death for each other. If there's a chance, could we rehea.r.s.e some scenes together ahead of time?" This young hunk who had not yet risen into popularity was quite professional and dedicated in his work.

"His schedule is extremely full. In between, he still needs to find time to shoot some ads and record some shows and programs, so rehearsing scenes ahead of time definitely will not work." Tong Fei deliberated, "You go do a good job memorizing your lines, and do the things that you should be doing first. In particular, when it comes to your charater's bio, you should go and carefully consult the screenwriter. Every time Jian Bianlin gets the bio for the main character, there are just a thousand or so words written on it, but he can fill in tens of thousands of words in between. Treat this character as if he really is you. From the little clues in the screenplay, pull out what this character's growing and maturing process was like and what shaped him to be who he is. Gradually, this character and you will become one. Only if you can do this just like Teacher Jian will you not get nervous when rehearsing scenes with him. At the very least, you need to be as dedicated in your work as he is."

Lin Shen listened earnestly to this long explanation and instruction. Chu Jian also tuned in to it. This was actually the first time Tong Fei had spoken about the things that went behind him as an actor.

"You should appreciate and treasure this opportunity to work with Teacher Jian. He's an especially upright person, and the range of characters he plays is wide." Once the praises started coming from Tong Fei, they would not stop. "I remember, the way he approached interviews before he became popular and the way he approaches them now are completely the same. In fact, now that he’s made it big, he's been even more levelheaded and cautious when it comes to his words and actions. With the type of person that Teacher Jian is, Lin Shen, you need to learn as much as you can from him. There are too many people whose heads get swollen after they become popular."

Lin Shen smiled shyly. "I've been watching Teacher Jian's past interviews lately, and I really particularly admire him."

Their dialogue of "Teacher Jian" this and "Teacher Jian" that caused Chu Jian to feel terribly weird and awkward. "Can you two stop with the praises?"

"You're still embarra.s.sed? So what if we praise him? I even want to worship him! I, Tong Fei, have never tried to ride a man's coattails in my entire life. Who would have thought that I would end up hanging on to your man's coattails? He's intentionally kickstarting Lin Shen's career for him, and he's doing that truly, purely to help us. I am not at all clueless to this fact, and in fact, I am very clear on it. It is totally because you are one of the shareholders of our production company."

Chu Jian was taken aback for a moment. She previously had not thought about this to that level of detail and had simply a.s.sumed that Xie Bin truly did think highly of the resources in Tong Fei's company. However, now that Tong Fei mentioned it, she realized that it was true. What resource could their production company possibly possess that Xie Bin coud not do without?

Chu Jian mused upon this whole matter for a moment, and then, in a very delayed reaction, she was touched.

Hugging Chu Jian around the neck, Tong Fei said in idle chitchat, "I ran over for a look just a little while ago. Jian Bianlin is really overturning previous perceptions of him. When you just read the script, you don't really realize the extent of it, but once you see it live, you totally understand. An actor known for being detached and reserved has suddenly taken on the role of a manly man who is just bursting with male hormones&h.e.l.lip; That's going to have double the impact!"

It's just&h.e.l.lip; a love scene.

Chu Jian, who only a moment ago had been so touched that her heart had melted, started to feel downcast again.

Relishing in Chu Jian's misfortunes, Tong Fei teased, "I read the original novel that the drama is based on. There sure are a lot of intimate scenes. Xie Bin's company is going to be going public, so having a few big, explosive dramas is a must. This can also be considered Jian Bianlin's repayment to Xie Bin."

Chu Jian did not speak.

"Jealous?" Seeing that there was something not quite right with Chu Jian's little expressions, Tong Fei mocked her, "Don't be jealous. I don't dare let you have any misunderstandings about this. Xie Bin's company is an investor in the drama, so he's got a lot of say. All the love and s.e.x scenes were cut out a long time ago. It's purely an undercover agent versus undercover agent film. This one scene that they're doing today only came about because the director was reading the original novel last night and wanted to film it, so they added it in last minute. I'm guessing the shoot's not going to happen, though&h.e.l.lip; When I went over there for a look just earlier, they still hadn't started filming yet and were still there discussing with the director how to get it done&h.e.l.lip;"

What a shame.

If Jian Bianlin really did show his face in an actual kiss and not one that relied on camera angles to create the illusion of kissing, without any doubt at all, just the online views for this drama would be crazy. Ratings higher than 2.0 would be a conservative estimate, and breaking past 3.0 would be something that was bound to happen[1]. Of course, Tong Fei did not hold any hopes that Jian Bianlin would actually film a real kissing scene. He basically was not even trying to take the hot, idol actor's usual route and career path.

A lot of feelings—oh, so many feelings—filled Tong Fei. Countless words whirled many times through her mind, but when they finally circled back and came out, they were simplified into, "It's really&h.e.l.lip; such a waste of that face of his."

Tong Fei insisted on dragging Chu Jian along for a look.

Quietly, Chu Jian stepped back into the filming site. Jian Bianlian right then was standing in front of the washing machine, one hand on the wall.

With his waist leaning against the wall and his back facing the cameras, in the shadows, he moved his fingers about as if warming them up. "Thank you. I know this is hard." He nodded in apology to the other person.

Jian Bianlin shifted his gaze upward so that it landed on a spot somewhere behind the washing machine. In his mind, he began running through the scene that still needed to be filmed today as well as those lines.

Using posed positions and camera angles was genuinely even more tiring than actually acting it out. The actress was completely relying upon the bizarre, "pa.s.sion-filled" posture that the a.s.sistant director, with little by little adjustments, had placed her into. Even the actress felt that this was just too funny. She truly had never filmed anything this way before.

This was not simply a matter of "does not accept kissing scenes." Jian Bianlin was basically avoiding women like the plague.

"It's understandable. Teacher Jian, you're not someone who does idol dramas in the first place&h.e.l.lip;"

Even climbing up onto the washing machine had been done by the actress herself with some aid from her a.s.sistant. To some extent, Jian Bianlin truly was an absolute conservative gentleman.

But if you looked at it from another angle, he was also so unchivalrous.

Very good. Filming was starting.

Chu Jian looked on from afar but was only able to see Jian Bianlin, his back toward her, bending forward&h.e.l.lip; Ugh. She was trying her best to get a clear view, but she could not see anything. The spot they were in was too obscured from sight, and everything was completely obstructed by his tall figure&h.e.l.lip;

And then, just one take—done.

Jian Bianlin had not noticed that Chu Jian had come back and began to have the crew clear the site. All unnecessary staff members were exiting in succession. When the crew members who were ushering people out reached the place where Chu Jian was, she hesitated. What type of scene was it that it would require the room to be cleared of people? &h.e.l.lip; Right as she was about to cooperatively leave once again, Xie Bin looked up, and discovering Chu Jian, he grabbed ahold of her. "Eh? What are you running off for, Jian Bianlin's wife?"

"&h.e.l.lip; Aren't you guys clearing people out of here?"

"Yes, but that's outsiders that we're clearing out. There are some shots that we can't have outsiders seeing." Xie Bin dropped his voice low. "But you're not an outsider, right? If you don't watch, it'll just be a waste."

"&h.e.l.lip; I don't want to watch."

Chu Jian wanted to leave because she had already caught sight of Jian Bianlin starting to undo his shirt. The makeup artist was touching up his makeup, so naturally, Jian Bianlin could not see Chu Jian hiding away in the corner behind a light panel. He was still telling the makeup artist something in a quiet voice.

Xie Bin insisted on pulling Chu Jian back while, in pa.s.sing, raising his voice and instructing, "Warm water, not cold. He's still someone who's ill."

"Okay, Xie Zong, I'll remember that." The makeup artist took a little spray bottle of water from an a.s.sistant's hand.

His back to Chu Jian, Jian Bianlin removed his shirt. Thump, thump. Chu Jian's heart gave a leap. She glanced at the actress. Did that party need to take off her clothes, too? &h.e.l.lip;

So hot and sensual—would it even be allowed to air? &h.e.l.lip;

Definitely not. It definitely would not be allowed to air and would be cut from the final product. So if it was going to get cut, why even bother filming it? To waste resources?

Silent criticisms went through Chu Jian's mind. Jian Bianlin's sleekly contoured back faced her. And there was also his waist that followed those contours and curved perfectly inward. And the waistband of those pants that had purposely been tugged lower&h.e.l.lip; The makeup artist sprayed some water onto his back, then used fingers to slowly bring the water together to look like beads of sweat trailing down. And there were also the ends of his hair&h.e.l.lip;

Then, Jian Bianlin walked back over. Without even needing the actress there, he got into position, spread his legs, and leaned his body forward slightly. A few shots were taken like this. Next, he pressed his hips against the wall, and the cameras filmed another few shots.

All done&h.e.l.lip; That was a wrap.

Eh? Done already, just like that?

Xiao Yu brought a towel over and draped it over Jian Bianlin, then followed up with the down parka.

Jian Bianlin also took a small towel from him and wiped down his own hair. At last, he noticed Chu Jian by Xie Bin's side, hiding behind the pack of people, and immediately he strode over to her. He was still contemplating over the explanation he had wanted to give to her earlier regarding Xie Bin's company having an IPO and going public&h.e.l.lip;

"Just like that? You're finished filming?" Chu Jian was still a little uncertain.

"That should be about it." He carefully recalled the details. A shot that looked like he was bending over and forcing a kiss as well as a blurry view of his backside—yes, that was about it. "Shouldn't need to re-shoot anything."

Jian Bianlin had completely misunderstood her meaning and, hence, continued to explain to her whether these few simple actions would be enough to create a vague, blurry scene of pa.s.sion.

"So, why did they need to clear the room, then?"

Jian Bianlin pulled open his towel to reveal the scar left behind from his surgery. "This cannot be allowed to become a news story."

Oh, so it was to cover up the reason behind his surgical scar.

This was, after all, a filming location that lacked facilities for heating. Even warm water would cool off in a very short time. When they were back in the van, the stove was turned on to heat up some lemon ginger tea, which was then hurriedly handed over to help warm them up. After faces and hands had been washed, Xiao Yu also wanted to ask whether the tea needed a few more slices of lemon, but Xie Bin was already dragging him out of there.

The instant the van's door was shut, everything inside became completely isolated from everything outside.

Jian Bianlin's hands and feet were icy cold. He had truly exhausted himself earlier in the discussion with the director in order to arrive at a feasible plan. He needed to ensure that the director felt respected and not that he, Jian Bianlin, was simply throwing around the haughty, self-important airs of a big star. Yet, at the same time, Jian Bianlin also could not be disloyal to himself, to what he believed in and held to be important.

Chu Jian brushed her fingers back and forth over the handle of the teapot, producing sounds of patter, patter. After a little while, she stole a peek at him, then quickly shifted her eyes away. A few seconds later, though, she turned her gaze back on him. "May I ask you a technical question?"

"Hmm?"

"Was your kissing scene just now created using just positioning and camera angles? &h.e.l.lip;"

He swallowed a mouthful of that tea that was a little too hot, painfully scalding his tongue. Trying to hold back a laugh, he answered, "Yes, and not really."

Chu Jian shot a quick glare at him. "Yes is yes, and no is no. There's an ambiguous way to answer this?"

Setting down his small, clear teacup, Jian Bianlin spread his knees apart, shifted himself backward, and then pulled her in front of him so that she was leaning against him while sitting against the edge of his seat. "I'll give you a demonstration."

Demonstration?

Jian Bianlin pulled open a drawer and fished out a pack of moist towelettes. After wiping his fingers clean, he balled up the towelette and tossed it into the wastebasket.

"Like this—" His pointer finger was placed against her lips.

And then, his lips followed after, snugging up close to hers. His finger between the two of them, they were now pressed against each other.

When they made contact, Chu Jian's heart plummeted slightly. What was the difference between this and having nothing in between? &h.e.l.lip;

"Impossible." Unexpectedly, he gave a low laugh.

Jian Bianlin removed his finger. With no obstruction between them, he engulfed her lips in his.

How was it even possible?

He had only ever wanted to kiss her. Since they were kids, it had only ever been her.

His hand moved to stroke her earlobe. The metal post that poked through at the back of her little stud earring scratched across the pads of his fingers, sometimes lightly, sometimes hard. He could feel that little tongue trying to very happily entangle itself with his&h.e.l.lip; The faint taste of lemon ginger tea imbued their tongues and slid downward from the entrance of their throats. His insides and all the very depths of him felt empty and were crying out desperately for something to fill them.

His hand slid down to her back, caressing her firmly over and over again. He could feel that, right here, there was something remarkable wrapping her body, binding her in it. So, he allowed his hand to follow the edge of her soft sweater and explore its way inside.

There was still another layer.

Jian Bianlin: "What's this?"

Chu Jian's answer was a mumble: "&h.e.l.lip; A spaghetti strap cami."

Jian Bianlin: "Oh."

The hem of the camisole was pulled out.

A person who was so parched he could not even speak had, after arduously crossing mountains and navigating rivers, finally found a life-saving water source. Who could possibly stop him from drawing near to it now? Jian Bianlin at last found what he had dreamed about for the longest time, but there were still some challenges preventing him from taking it into his hand&h.e.l.lip;

His Adam's apple unconsciously bobbed up and down in his throat&h.e.l.lip;

G.o.d, it was killing him. This was way worse than getting warm water sprayed on your back while standing in a cold wind&h.e.l.lip;

[1] Without going into the details of how these ratings work for Chinese dramas, just know that a 2.0 rating would mean that a drama is a smash hit. Many dramas do not even break 1.0.

Completed:
1 of 1 Prologue
26 of 36 Chapter segments
0 of 1 Epilogue