The matter of visiting the patient came to a temporary pause while the treatment proceeded steadily.
Every few days, Pei Yan called or texted the elderly specialist he knew to check in. He had never been this attentive even during holidays, not even when the man treated his father or grandfather. He was still waiting for a miracle. Guilt sat in his heart, and he wanted a chance to bring Zhuang Xiao good news and take a little credit for it, even though he knew perfectly well how slim the hope really was.
He and Zhuang Xiao still contacted each other privately by message now and then. He knew the other man had soon returned to America to film again, rushing back and forth.
While Mr. Zhuang was away, Pei Yan went to the hospital and quietly entered the injured man’s ward by himself one more time.
The person sleeping rigidly on the hospital bed and the mother sitting beside it watching her son both remained motionless for a very long time. Under the afternoon light by the window, they looked like a portrait so quiet it hurt to see.
Pei Yan consciously joined that still picture. He did not say much and sat there for the whole afternoon. For once, he had found himself a quiet place where he could think properly.
Every wrinkle around Eriletu’s mother’s eyes and mouth had been carved deep. Judging by her face, she looked old enough to be Pei Yan’s grandmother. When a person lived in adversity close to despair, the heart collapsed first, and the face inevitably showed it. The face fell together with the heart.
*
She was still a simple, kindhearted woman from the countryside. After a while, she could not resist talking to Pei Yan. Then she dragged a woven sack out from under the bed, rummaged through it for a long time, and gave him a packet of dried cheese.
Pei Yan felt a little embarrassed. He had actually come into a patient’s room empty-handed. Pathetic. He truly had never been someone who visited sick people. He lived too casually and never followed the ordinary routes of social courtesy.
He wrapped his bald head tightly in a cap and hoodie, looked down at his phone, and chatted intermittently with Letu’s mother, though in reality neither of them could understand what the other was saying.
The grassland accent was simply too difficult. He could not make out a single word, but talking into the air still helped dispel some of the room’s faint oppression and sadness.
Letu’s mother said, “My son started practicing martial arts when he was eight. A coach from Baotou picked him, and that’s how he left the grasslands.”
Pei Yan said, “I started martial arts at seven. I liked it myself and got obsessed. Nobody could talk me out of it. Mostly I just didn’t want to sit in class and study. My great-uncle took me out, and later my family formally found me a master.”
Letu’s mother said, “My son boarded at martial-arts school for years and rarely came home. We hardly saw him. Later he competed in city competitions, then autonomous-region competitions, then national events. He won lots of places… and earned money for the family too…”
Pei Yan said, “I trained sanda and mixed martial arts. I studied with famous teachers both at home and in Europe. My masters said I had a lot of talent. I was already known in junior competitions in my teens. Later when I entered the national circuit, I was aiming straight at that year’s championship…”
Letu’s mother said, “Later somebody introduced Letu to Mr. Zhuang, and that’s how he entered this business. We don’t really understand what he did, only that it was making movies. He doubled for other people. The dangerous things other people couldn’t do or didn’t want to do, in water or fire, they let him do them…”
Pei Yan said, “I never planned to enter show business. I used to look down on these people more than anyone, and now I’m doing the exact job I despised! Just spinning around in this glamorous world chasing fame and money, not even knowing which direction I should work toward… pathetic, really.”
Letu’s mother said, “After the child got hurt, his whole life was ruined. It hurts so much… Mr. Zhuang is a good man. He’s helped us a lot. It wasn’t something he caused, and he wasn’t the one who hurt my son.”
That one sentence, Pei Yan finally understood.
He agreed. “Yes. Mr. Zhuang is a good man.”
Letu’s mother said, “After a while, we’re moving back to the grasslands. We won’t stay here anymore… The child has been drifting away from home all these years. At last he can go home.”
Pei Yan kept thinking about that while fiddling with his phone and told Letu’s mother, “Auntie, lots of people raise treatment money online through WeChat public accounts now. You could try crowdfunding too…”
Halfway through, he suddenly felt that would be wrong. Everyone outside knew how Eriletu had been injured. Better not publicize the matter and throw Pei Yan himself back into the frying pan to be cooked all over again.
He reminded Letu’s mother, “There’s still money in your hospital account, right? When you’re discharged, remember to withdraw whatever hasn’t been used. Don’t forget.”
Later, Pei Yan went to the hospital finance office, took out the bank card he carried with him, and deposited a sum of money into the family’s treatment account.
*
Meanwhile, his agent Johnny Wu had remained in extremely close contact with the director and producers of Drunken Fist. He had never given up on the project. Johnny Wu was exceptionally persistent and dedicated when finding work for his artists, constantly conveying the powerful message that “we really want this.”
Pei Yan knew that in both fame and kung fu, he did not yet measure up to Zhuang Xiao, but he was not timid about it. If he had an opportunity to work with the martial artists of the Zhuang Stunt Team, it would be an honor.
Another month or so passed before the production finally sent a definite response after the audition: Would Mr. Pei be willing to take the lead antagonist role in Drunken Fist? If he accepted, the crew would sign him immediately.
Johnny Wu spent a long time arguing reasonably with the other side’s representative over the phone.
In the room, Pei Yan heard the offer, sharply raised his eyebrows, and stared for a long moment… He had not expected them to hand him a supporting part, and a villain at that.
His management company had previously made a loud public claim when seeking work for him: we do not accept supporting roles, we only play leads.
That had also been the reality. Some people started from a very high point. They did not need a boss to pour money into promoting them and did not sleep their way upward. They simply became famous from the moment they debuted. Positive news and negative news alike were hyped everywhere, but famous was famous. His first big-screen film, Su Qier, had cast him as the male lead Su Can. It ran to three films, and he had never once played a supporting role.
The Hollywood photographer’s black-and-white feature had also been released. Several solo shots and group portraits with other stars appeared online. Under the black-and-white lens, his muscles and physical movement carried the tense sensuality of a young man, with a style no one else could reproduce. It became another hit. Online comments declared, “He has the face, the body, and the skills. If our Yanyan doesn’t become famous, who will?”
Meanwhile, critics on American movie websites reached for affected language and wrote things like: Rising new-generation Chinese kung-fu star Ian Pei possesses distinctly East Asian features and agile physicality. His narrow eyes and unruly smile reveal an unusual presence, blending masculine sensuality and a hint of wickedness into his martial-arts movement. His shaved head seems to shine with the brightness of this young man’s future stardom…
A shaved head, narrow Eastern eyes and thin lips, that slightly wicked, unruly smile… So that was how the foreign press described him. No wonder a villain role had come knocking immediately.
His entire team and several planners from the company gathered in the studio to discuss it, all talking over one another and sounding indignant. Every one of them thought highly of Pei Yan and had big ambitions for him, so naturally they were somewhat unwilling to accept it.
Old Pei, this is your first movie crossing the ocean into Hollywood. The starting point of your first film matters. There’s a huge difference between you being the lead with Zhuang Xiao playing opposite you and you being the supporting player serving as Zhuang Xiao’s foil.
But it is your first one. Who dares assume a newcomer can be the lead in his very first international blockbuster? That takes luck too. You became famous after making a kung-fu romance trilogy in two years. How much more good luck can one person have?
Old Pei, if you take this role, we’re not worried you won’t become famous. We’re worried you’ll play it too well. Become famous as a villain and you can get frozen into that image, shoved into that box, and from then on every villain role becomes food in your bowl.
Then again, these days even scumbag villains have fans. Villains can take the unconventional route, stand out, and sometimes win acting awards more easily.
*
Pei Yan had already read the script thoroughly and knew every character. Secretly, he had been putting all his effort toward the male lead.
The villain was the son of the head of an international criminal organization, young and ruthless, with a whole repertoire of sinister, seductive martial arts, killing anyone who stood in his way. Naturally, the ending had the even more badass protagonist beat him black and blue and destroy him completely. In the script, his death was spectacularly miserable.
Who knew what that internationally famous blockbuster director had seen in Pei Yan? His youth? The ability to look ruthless? Or did the man genuinely think Pei Yan had a “wickedly seductive” air?… Fucking ridiculous.
“Fuck…” Pei Yan muttered softly. He reclined halfway across the sofa, one leg hooked over the armrest, his gaze fixed on some point in the corner of the room. He was weighing the advantages and disadvantages of taking the film, and thinking about another person.
He lowered his head and sent a WeChat message without much hesitation: 【Mr. Zhuang, for Drunken Fist, is the martial-arts team definitely your Zhuang Stunt Team? Signed already?】
A few minutes later, Zhuang Xiao replied. Extremely brief, no pleasantries or wasted words: 【Our team. Signed.】
Pei Yan replied: 【Are you acting in it?】
Zhuang Xiao answered instantly: 【Still negotiating. Probably.】
Zhang Huan sipped his coffee with an expression that said he understood everything. “The male lead has to be Zhuang Xiao. He really is famous, he has box-office pull as a lead, and he brings the whole stunt team. The action directors and every stunt double on the production will be his people. We can’t compete with that kind of soft power.”
Pei Yan set down his phone and looked up at the room full of people. “I’m taking the movie.”
He did not even wait for the planners and agent at his company to make the decision. He made it himself and immediately replied to Zhuang Xiao: 【I took it too. See you on set another day.】
*
Promotional appearances, a new movie opening in theaters, roadshows… Johnny Wu also negotiated a fantasy-IP drama for him, a Republican-era warlord-and-espionage series, and whenever there was spare time, a few endorsement commercials for quick money.
That was simply the trend, and there were no better opportunities. IP dramas that could pass censorship were basically costume romances or wuxia-fantasy stories. The farther from reality, the easier they were to make. After all, “nothing is allowed to become a spirit after the founding of the People’s Republic,” and history, country, and serious public affairs could not be discussed however one pleased. Action films were the easiest genre to step on some disharmonious land mine, which made approval difficult.
Elio’s Notes: “Nothing may become a spirit after the founding of the PRC” is a joking internet shorthand for censorship rules and the way modern supernatural stories often have to explain away ghosts, spirits, or other sensitive material.
His endorsement starting point was also unusually high for a young actor. He had never advertised cheap domestic sports shoes from tiny workshops, nor milk powder or plain milk.
The company almost signed him for some boxed fruit-flavored yogurt drink, the kind of commercial where he would smile brightly into the camera and suck milk through a straw. The second he heard about it, he snapped back, “Look at Grandpa Pei here. Do I look like I haven’t been weaned yet?!”
The company’s artist director was a woman named Wang Yuanling, an older auntie type. She came over to scold him. “What’s wrong with you? Adults don’t drink milk? This brand is in university cafeterias everywhere. Young people all love it. Aren’t you young? The company wants you because you appeal to post-90s consumers, especially girls who like sour flavors. How is that unsuitable? They’re paying a lot.”
Pei Yan snorted. “Maybe they water down the milk? How else do they make so much money they can afford endorsement fees like that?”
“That’s exactly what you’re like!” The director-auntie apparently found him beyond saving. “Why do you care how they make their money? Concentrate on figuring out how you make yours!”
Pei Yan said, “It just doesn’t suit me. I’m not calcium deficient. Why should I go on camera drinking milk? It ruins my image.”
Wang Yuanling sighed, affectionately hooked an arm around Pei Yan’s bald head, and rubbed it. Everyone loved that head.
“There isn’t even any hair up there. What are you rubbing?” Pei Yan complained.
“If your hair hasn’t even grown in yet, then behave yourself and listen to the adults!” the older woman shot back, then ran off to persuade an artist in the next room to take the yogurt-drink commercial.
Pei Yan took the prospect of working with Zhuang Xiao very seriously.
He refused to settle for where he was. Opportunities involving good scripts were extremely rare. For his first time going to America to film, he bought a mountain of supplies and luggage and even hired a private tutor for spoken English and dialogue, showing more dedication than he had ever put into tutors for his high-school entrance or college entrance exams.
The schedule drew close. Production was due to begin the following month. The Los Angeles crew started preparations on every front, and the production representative even came directly to Beijing to meet Johnny Wu and finalize travel and entry arrangements.
Pei Yan was on another set when he received Uncle Wu’s call. “What?!”
He genuinely had not expected it and confirmed several times. “That’s what they said in the publicity before?”
Johnny Wu said the movie had not begun shooting yet and the earlier publicity had been deliberately vague. It mentioned several participating actors, including both Pei Yan and Zhuang Xiao by name. Who could have known they were playing things like this?
“Why do I feel like the other side isn’t sincere? Like they’re playing games with people…” Johnny Wu was a kind person and stopped short of directly cursing them.
“They’re fucking playing us. Back then they were afraid we wouldn’t sign, and afraid Zhuang Xiao wouldn’t sign either!” Pei Yan finally understood.
He did not hang up Johnny Wu’s call. He listened to his agent continue chattering on the line until anger rose in him, then used the same phone to message Zhuang Xiao: 【Mr. Zhuang, what billing do you have in Drunken Fist? Who are you playing?】
A moment later, Zhuang Xiao replied: 【Deng Bai. The villain.】
Pei Yan asked directly: 【Why did you take the villain?】
The question was a little abrupt and impolite, but Zhuang Xiao answered frankly: 【Never played a villain. Doing it for fun. Aren’t you the male lead?】
Fuck.
Pei Yan understood everything at once.
He had taken the movie because he had naturally assumed the male lead had to be Zhuang Xiao.
And Zhuang Xiao had taken the movie because he thought the male lead was Pei Yan?
Pei Yan replied: 【I’m not the male lead. You’re one villain, I’m the other villain.】
Then he added: 【Mr. Zhuang, wait a minute. I’m going to ask these people what the hell is going on.】
This kind of bait-and-switch was common in the industry. In front of Pei Yan they would say, this role is great, it tests your acting, and you get to clash head-on with a kung-fu superstar like Zhuang Xiao. Villains can become famous too, so take it. Then they went to Zhuang Xiao and said, this role is great, you get to play opposite the hottest young idol and current sensation Pei Yan, and villains can be scene-stealers too, so take it… They simply had not expected to run into the same old industry routine even on an international blockbuster and get talked into it like this.