Love Rival Is Getting Prettier Everyday - Chap 120

Chapter 120: When You’re Older
In the silence, the fireplace occasionally crackles as small sparks flicker. The camera gradually turned from the fire to the floor. An old man with gray hair and a blanket on his leg was slowly rocking a chair drowsily.

Squeak, squeak.

The frame switches, and the faces of Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan appear to the sound of guitars. Along with the soothing rhythm, flashbacks of their lives were shown. From the lush campus to when they first entered society, from youth to gray hair, the music sped up and became more passionate, showing the great sadness and joy, the ups and downs. A long shot of Bai Qingquan appeared on the screen. He walked through the crowd and finally plunged into Shen Jintai’s arms.

This trailer, like the one for “Pilot,” ended with Shen Jintai’s back. The final shot was of his and Bai Qingquan’s backs, in their school uniforms. They walked down the alley with umbrellas in hand. As they walked, their hands lightly touched. A megaphone tied to the telephone pole next to them had Teng Li-Chun’s gentle singing voice coming out as she sang:

“The breeze accompanies the drizzle,
Like I’m accompanied by the lovely you,
Look at me and look at you,
and see how beautiful this world could be
Ahhh~, may I be the wind and you the rain,
Ahhh~, the breeze that accompanies the drizzle*.”

*The song is Gentle Breeze and Little Rain.

The singing gradually faded, followed by Bai Qingquan’s voiceover. In the silence, the lines were whispered softly and slightly hoarse. “A lifetime is not enough. I want to love you for a few more lifetimes.”

The official blog also took the opportunity to release the first group photo of the two, in which they were hugging each other tightly.

“Ohh, ohh, ohhh! I know I have become a jerk again. I can’t tell who is better!”

“These two people are too seductive! Immortal CP!”

“Bai Qingquan has always been a beauty, but when did Touhua get so good-looking?”

“I feel that Touhua has lost weight after filming. His facial features have become more vivid. He now has the kind of beauty that’s intertwined with a masculine and light temperament. So unique to the entertainment industry!”

“He was so handsome in , especially when he titled his head as he was parachuting. I didn’t expect him to become even more handsome in ! Did you see his last look back, with red eyes? I love it!”

“Bai Qingquan’s last running shot is also sentimental. Shen Jintai’s old-age appearance is too realistic. But I don’t see it at all! I don’t care about beauty or ugly actors. I’m a real fan!”

“Hahaha, a lot of people in your district were posting Touhua upside down posts an hour ago. Is it really fragrant so soon?”

“After all, for an actor, it’s all about his work. After Touhua’s comeback, I feel as if he had suddenly opened the two veins of Ren and Du* and become too textured. I’m not surprised that Prince Yan fell in love with him.”

*Refers to the meridian’s veins of Ren and Du. As for what the significance is, I don’t know.

“Sun Sihai deserves to be a cinematographer. He took pictures of Touhua and Bai Yueguang so beautifully. It’s really an alluring love.”

Gold powders were injected with chicken blood today. The trailers of both movies had made the hot search. The most popular was naturally .

Gold powder and moonlight powder secretly competed for hot reviews. The two appeared to be at peace, but neither of them wanted to be secretly robbed of heat by the other.

Fortunately, it was low-key; otherwise, it would have turned into an extremely ugly scene.

“I think is quite textured,” Li Meilan said to Shen Jintai. “I originally thought it was a youth romance film, but recently I found that Sun Sihai has good control. The filming process is very delicate, and there are a lot of rooms for the actors to play with. Let’s try to win an award by relying on this film.”

It should be a shoo-in for best actor and best newcomer. The only competition, though, would be Bai Qingquan.

However, for this kind of dual protagonist film, both actors must have equal strengths. She felt Bai Qingquan had made a qualitative leap with this movie. Movie filming was more grinding than dramatic, as one shot had to be done a number of times. Despite coming from a TV drama background, Bai Qingquan was able to flourish and become even more proficient when he leapt over to the big screen. If he can have this kind of talent, he’ll surely be rewarded by God.

However, Li Meilan felt that Shen Jintai was better when it came to acting. Bai Qingquan’s acting was stable, while Shen Jintai showed more range than when he was in The East Palace.

Shen Jintai’s facial features were not as delicate as Bai Qingquan’s, but he had a face that was naturally suitable for the big screen. It was especially good-looking and textured when taking close-ups, as it detailed his every smile, laugh, and frown. Furthermore, his acting abilities were more restrained, a little more visceral, and thus more suited to the big screen.

Li Meilan felt that the roles the two picked were just right. Yu Nuo’s emotions were more outgoing, with more crying and explosive scenes, while Luo Wensheng rarely cried, as his feelings were held in, and his emotions were expressed through micro-expressions.

As the two of them filmed more, they felt more emotion. It seemed that the director was wise to save the most intimate and explosive scenes for last.

When the old age parts of were filmed, all the tear-jerking scenes came. Bai Qingquan would cry every time he confronted Shen Jintai.

—

Luo Wensheng had gray hair early. He had been diagnosed with an illness the year before and had started to forget things. Despite having a strong physique when he was young, it could not resist the attack of time, but his strong personality persevered. He always straightened his waist whenever he walked. Even if his physical strength could no longer keep up with him, he still did all the housework. After he retired at the age of 60, he got up every day before dawn and went for a run. He had many physical problems and needed to take multiple types of medicine everyday. In order to eat his meal on time, he also set an alarm on his phone as a reminder and always took his medicine on time, saying he wanted to accompany Yu Nuo for another twenty years.

Twenty years was certainly Luo Wensheng’s limit, but for Yu Nuo, it was but a drop in the ocean of his long and ageless life. After he died, he was most worried about what Yu Nuo would do. So, one day, Yu Nuo found that Luo Wensheng had stopped doing the housework. It seemed as if Luo Wensheng, who had been diligent all his life, suddenly gave up.

How to change the gas, how to sort the garbage, how to solve the problem with the water pipe, how to cook a certain dish—whatever he could think of, Luo Wensheng taught it all to Yu Nuo. Yu Nuo was very resistant at first, but Luo Wensheng had a hard heart and was unmoved. He continued to teach Yu Nuo, slowly and methodically. The things that Yu Nuo refused to learn, he would write them all down on post-it notes.

He was worried about too many things, even those that didn’t need worrying about. He was afraid that once he was gone, Yu Nuo couldn’t do these things by himself. More and more post-it notes were posted, and eventually there was no longer any room to place them. Then, one day, the obstinate Yu Nuo relented and took the initiative, asking how to make fish-head tofu soup.

Luo Wensheng’s fish head tofu soup was the best, better than any restaurant out there. Luo Wensheng started by teaching him how to pick the right fish and that different fish have different nutrients. After they bought the fish, he taught him how to remove the internal organs, how to scrape off the scales, how to fry it, and what to put in it when they start stewing it.

After he finished teaching Yu Nuo, he went to rest. Yu Nuo took a spoon and tasted the fish soup he had made himself. Before he could tell what it tasted like, his tears had fallen into the pot. The shadow of death was enveloping them, signifying the last few years they had together.

Luo Wensheng had pretended to be dead from time to time. He was suddenly inspired after watching a Japanese comedy show. By pretending to be dead, he hoped Yu Nuo would start getting used to it, so that when he finally died, Yu Nuo wouldn’t be too sad. He had even told Yu Nuo about his funeral arrangements, including how to deal with his body, who to call, and what procedure to follow. He had even taken care of finding the cemetery plot himself.

In this regard, Luo Wensheng’s explanation was, “Didn’t I ask you to practice in advance? One day, I will die suddenly and be gone. Practice more, so when that day comes, you won’t be too sad.”

Yu Nuo suddenly stepped on the brakes when he heard those words and veered the car to the side of the road. He laid his head down on the steering wheel and cried miserably. Being this sad wasn’t in line with his usual style, and it made Luo Wensheng regret seeing him in this state.

Luo Wensheng lowered his eyes slightly and said, “What can I do? How can I make you rest assured?”

“You are my person, and you will die in front of me,” Yu Nuo said.

“Okay, okay.” Luo Wensheng patted Yu Nuo on the back with his hand.

But in the end, Luo Wensheng left. He couldn’t be convinced. He didn’t want to be old and unable to move. He didn’t want to see Yu Nuo serve him, and he stubbornly wanted to keep the last of his dignity. He didn’t want Yu Nuo to see him deteriorate. He didn’t want to die and say goodbye, so he chose to live and leave.

The final time he tried to run away, as he was about to get on the train, he was caught by Yu Nuo.

They had been together for a lifetime, and they each knew what the other was thinking. Yu Nuo didn’t want to force him anymore, so he said, “I’ll let you go. Just let me take a good look at you one last time, and I’ll let you go.”

When he got old, Luo Wensheng resisted taking pictures. There was not a single picture of him at home. Luo Wensheng took off his glasses and smiled reluctantly. He was old now and had a face full of wrinkles, but his eyes were still bright, just like when they first met.

Yu Nuo didn’t remember that Luo Wensheng’s eyes could be so bright. He discovered it wasn’t because his eyes were bright but because tears were welling as they slowly flowed down the wrinkles on his face. This was the first time in Yu Nuo’s life that he had seen Luo Wensheng shed tears.

The pain knocked him down as he released Luo Wensheng and said, “Goodbye.”

Luo Wensheng wiped his eyes, stiffened his waist, and resolutely pulled the suitcase into the train. When the train started, Yu Nuo, wearing Luo Wensheng’s coat, strode towards the exit. The wind blasted against his coat, and he didn’t look back.

He had sent away his father and mother this way, and now his lover as well. All the ones he loved eventually left.

“Cut!”

Bai Qingquan squatted directly on the ground and started bawling. Li Meilan watched and cried directly from the side, and the atmosphere of the crew was extremely heavy.

This is an extremely mentally consuming movie, but the special thing about it is that it tells a cyclical love story. Several major highlights had to be filmed more than twice, and the acting method couldn’t be exactly the same.

In the first life, Yu Nuo didn’t know about the future. In the second life and even the nth life, Yu Nuo already knew how things would end. Bai Qingquan needed to show the differences through small details, while Shen Jintai had to cooperate according to his adjustments. Filming the same scene repeatedly in this way was almost like Yu Nuo traveling back and forth, experiencing these things over and over again, especially for the lives for which Yu Nuo could predict the future. It was filled with small bits of love and full of tragedy.

The last scene he shot was when Yu Nuo, who had predicted the future, stewed a bowl of fish head tofu soup for Luo Wensheng before he ran away.

“It’s delicious.” Luo Wensheng praised him.

Yu Nuo hung his head and said, “It’s not the same as yours.”

Luo Wensheng didn’t speak. Before he left, he stewed Yu Nuo his famous fish head tofu soup one last time.

Yu Nuo, who returned from the station, didn’t know what Luo Wensheng did. After he came back, he slept for almost two days. When he was overcome with hunger, he opened the pot and saw the soup Luo Wensheng had made him, and it completely broke him.

“Cut!”

Bai Qingquan propped his hands on the flow table in the kitchen. His face was flushed from crying. Shen Jintai came over to comfort him. He hugged Shen Jintai and cried for a long time. He couldn’t help but kiss his face. After kissing him, he hugged him again, and his tears and snot rubbed against Shen Jintai’s neck. Shen Jintai was like a treasure that he was unwilling to let go of, even after suffering for several lifetimes.

At this moment, there are no Bai Qingquan and Shen Jintai, only Yu Nuo and Luo Wensheng.

How can it not be emotional?

“Yes, yes,” screenwriter Song Chenchen, who was sitting behind the director, said.

“I hope President Yan won’t beat me up,” Sun Sihai said.

Song Chenchen laughed when he heard this, and his sharp eyebrows became gentle. He stood up and greeted Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan, who came over.

The author has something to say:

After all, it is a movie that plays an important role, so some parts still need to be written. Part of it coincides with , but there are also minor changes.

Chenchen shows his face: Hi!