Chapter 115

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

The leads of ‘The Trap’ were announced on the internet one after another. He Zheng, Yang Youming, and Xia Xingcheng working together again aroused a vast response, and the online public sphere was abuzz with opinions.

Xia Xingcheng forced himself to ignore them. Whether they were good or bad, they were of no help to his filming. As time drew near, what he needed was keep his calm and get into character.

The only thing he was concerned about was not what the netizens had to say about him and Yang Youming working together again, but the appearance of a name unfamiliar to many in the cast list.

It was the most important female role in ‘The Trap’. The actress’s name was Ling Jiayue.

Ling Jiayue was Ren Yuchang’s granddaughter and Ren Jingyuan’s cousin. Her grandfather and cousin were quite famous, but she herself hasn’t officially debuted. This was probably her first appearance in film and TV.

Up until now, Xia Xingcheng still vividly remembered their first meeting with Ling Jiayue at Ren Yuchang’s home back then, how Ling Jiayue paid unusually close attention to Yang Youming.

Yang Youming didn’t treat it seriously.

A month before the start of shooting, He Zheng requested that Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng separate for a period of time. He wanted to create a little sense of distance between them. Furthermore, He Zheng also told Xia Xingcheng to get in touch with real prosecutors and familiarize himself with their working conditions over this period so he could get into character ahead of time.

Before they parted, Xia Xingcheng pestered Yang Youming in bed for two days.

Afterwards, he fell into a deep sleep, only to wake up to a dimly lit room. For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether it was dawn or dusk.

Upon hearing signs of movement from the other side of the mattress, Xia Xingcheng turned his head and saw Yang Youming about to get out of bed. He rolled over and hugged his waist from behind, voice hoarse as he said, “Don’t go.”

Yang Youming had no choice but to lay back down. He gently stroked the back of Xia Xingcheng’s hand and asked, “Not hungry?”

Xia Xingcheng leaned against him, taking in the sensation of his chest pressed snug against Yang Youming’s warm back before he buried his face in Yang Youming’s neck, inhaling deeply. “No, order take-out in a bit. You’re not allowed to leave.”

After that, he shut his eyes again, the hand in Yang Youming’s hold groping the older man’s buff lower abdomen.

Yang Youming no longer insisted on getting up and quietly accompanied Xia Xingcheng in bed.

Xia Xingcheng hated that they had to part. No matter how brief their separation, he was still very much unwilling. Everyone thought that he was young and unsure, that he’d perhaps grow weary of this relationship after a couple of years, but only he knew that he was much more worried than Yang Youming was. He worried that Yang Youming, who was nearing forty, would suddenly want to have kids and choose to abandon him. Even seeing that Dong Dong liked getting close to Yang Youming made him feel restless, afraid that if Yang Youming grew fond of Dong Dong, he’d start getting ideas of wanting children.

He hoped they would be the only one for each other forever.

But despite all his reluctance, it was still necessary for them to separate briefly for work.

As a result, when Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming again, it was when ‘The Trap’ officially started filming.

Xia Xingcheng played the role of a young public prosecutor named Han Bohan, who graduated from the University of Political Science and Law with a master’s degree. His father was the chief of the city’s public security bureau, while his mother was a retired judge. After graduating, he entered the procuratorate, and was already elected prosecutor at twenty-nine.

The character was older than Xia Xingcheng actually was and had a solemn and upright temperament to boot—the discrepancy from Xia Xingcheng’s own personality was not slight.

But He Zheng was completely satisfied with Xia Xingcheng’s final look. He donned a black prosecutor uniform; a white shirt buttoned to the top, a red tie around his neck, and shiny black leather shoes adorning his feet. His hair was slicked back, revealing a clean, full forehead, and he stood with a straight back, solemn expression containing a trace of obstinance.

This Xia Xingcheng was no longer the lean youth who acted in ‘Gradual Distance’. His slicked back hair made him seem more mature, with a youthful upright temperament.

While smoking, He Zheng said to Xia Xingcheng, “To be honest, I prefer your appearance to Yang Youming’s.”

Xia Xingcheng, who had just completed a scene and returned to himself, squatted next to He Zheng, showing dissatisfaction at his words. “Ming ge is so good-looking though.”

“He’s too good-looking. There are few men in real life who’re as good-looking as he is, it creates a disconnect for the audience. Your type of face is enough for acting. He still needs to rely on his acting skills to capture the audience’s heart and not let their attention shift elsewhere.”

Xia Xingcheng cupped his face. “I don’t know if you’re complimenting me or insulting me.”

He Zheng barked out a laugh. “Nice. I prefer you like this.”

Xia Xingcheng thought back to the character’s image in the original novel, and asked He Zheng, “Director He, do you think Ming ge suits Sun Yao’s character?”

He Zheng answered, “Regardless of factors like appearance and age, there’s no role that he doesn’t fit. So long as he wants to act, as for external appearance, I think it won’t be a problem with a little polishing up.”

At that time, Xia Xingcheng still hadn’t yet had a glimpse of Yang Youming. Only when he saw Yang Youming on the first day of filming did he realise what He Zheng meant by ‘a little polishing up’.

Yang Youming looked darker and thinner, and his cheeks were hollow. Only his eyes remained as bright as before.

They met directly on the set. Surrounded by the ebb and flow of the staff, Xia Xingcheng’s eyes widened the moment he registered Yang Youming. He was somewhat struck.

Yang Youming was wearing the costume he’d be filming in in a while. As he conversed with the props staff, he heard someone call Xia Xingcheng’s name, and raised his head and looked his way, revealing his usual gentle smile.

Xia Xingcheng really wanted to talk to him, but there were too many things he wanted to say. With so many people coming and going around them, not a single sentence could make its way out.

Moreover, He Zheng didn’t leave them time to sit and chat, they had to maintain their state and start shooting immediately.

The temperature inside the film studio was high due to the lighting. Xia Xingcheng’s Han Bohan sat on a wooden chair, clad in a tightly buttoned up prosecutor’s uniform.

In front of him was a wooden table of the detention centre’s interrogation room; rough, old, and mottled. Iron bars were installed on the other side of the table, completely separating the inside and outside. Han Bohan sat outside, while the wooden chair inside had yet to be occupied.

The wall to Han Bohan’s left was fitted with white wallpaper that had begun to yellow, speckled with fingerprints and streaks of pen ink. His assistant Xiao Wei sat on his right, his leg shaking as he played a mobile game.

The sound of footsteps dragging iron chains came from behind a door inside the interrogation room.

Han Bohan slightly raised his jaw, looking towards the iron door. Xiao Wei promptly quit his game and lowered his head to tidy up the documents on the table.

The iron door unlocked with a click, and a police officer peered in and asked, “The name?”

“Sun Yao!” Xiao Wei answered loudly.

The police officer withdrew, and said, “You, get in!”

Subsequently, they saw a tall man in a prison uniform entering the room. His hands were cuffed and his feet were fettered, his movements slow. He sat down on the wooden chair in the middle of the interrogation room and let the police officer handcuff him to the chair.

Afterwards, the officer retreated and closed the iron door, locking it with another ‘click’.

Han Bohan sized up the man in front of him and found that although his build was tall, he was thin. His skin wasn’t very dark, but it was extremely dull. His cheeks were gaunt, while the eyes directed at Han Bohan were lifeless. Once in a while, he would shut his eyes, seeming utterly beaten.

Han Bohan sat up straight with his back against the chair. With his arms folded, gaze lowered, and a steady voice, he quoted as procedure, “We are prosecutorial personnel from the Chongfeng People’s Procuratorate. We are now conducting an interrogation towards you in accordance with the law. You ought to answer our inquiries truthfully. You may refuse to answer questions unrelated to the case. Was that clear?”

The man hummed softly, his voice muffled and husky.

Xiao Wei was taking down notes. Right then, he suddenly raised his voice and shouted, “We’re asking you, was that clear?”

The man faced Han Bohan at the words. Raising his voice, intonation level, he answered, “Yes.”

Han Bohan didn’t rush to speak. He extended a hand to look through the case files on the table.

The cuffs around the man’s hands suddenly clattered, he shouted, “Prosecutor.”

Han Bohan looked at him.

The man’s breathing was labored. He asked, “May I ask how my daughter is doing right now, please?”

Xiao Wei roared, “Are we doing the asking or are you?!”

The man wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He stared straight at Han Bohan. “I only want to know how my daughter is doing. I’m begging you, please tell me.”

Han Bohan asked him, “Have you hired a lawyer?”

The man shook his head slowly.

Han Bohan said, “Answer our questions truthfully first, and we’ll talk about your daughter later.”

The man licked his dry lips, then nodded.

Han Bohan unhurriedly spoke, “Name?”

“Sun Yao,” said the man.

“Date of birth?”

“May 15th, 1977.”

“Occupation?”

“I don’t work anymore.” Sun Yao was calm. Perhaps calm wasn’t the word for it—apathetic, was more appropriate. “I used to be an electrician.”

“Electrician?” Han Bohan subconsciously repeated.

Sun Yao closed his lips and let out an ‘Mm’, his Adam’s apple shuddering.

“Please state your offence once more,” said Han Bohan.

Sun Yao’s chest heaved violently. He said, “The afternoon of the seventeenth, I got off work on time as usual, and went home to make dinner for my daughter…”

The first day of filming went smoother than Xia Xingcheng expected.

He Zheng was worried whether they would be able to readily get into character, but once the cameras started rolling, Xia Xingcheng discovered that Yang Youming was no longer Yang Youming. He could be Yu Haiyang, he could be Sun Yao, he could become anyone he wanted to be, anyone but Yang Youming.

Xia Xingcheng felt that He Zheng’s worries were unnecessary.

The moment the scene wrapped up, Yang Youming remained seated on the interrogation chair, concentrating Sun Yao’s gaze on Xia Xingcheng.

Sun Yao was a very complex character. He underwent the misfortunes of life right out of the gate, and was locked up in the detention centre awaiting trial. At a passing glance, one would feel that his eyes had been worn down by life and had lost all vigor, but as time slowly passed, once you take a closer look, those eyes weren’t wholly apathetic, rather hiding minute traces of sharpness, like crushed stones mixed in with sand. One firm squeeze, and you’d cut your hand.

Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng looked eye to eye, both unmoving, like they were immersed in their roles and hadn’t come out.

Right then, a staff member came by to fetch the prop handcuffs around Yang Youming’s hands. Yang Youming looked down at them, and when he looked up again, his eyes had changed. In a split second, the jagged stones became the peaceful and forgiving sea. He smiled at Xia Xingcheng, then mouthed something soundlessly.

Xia Xingcheng didn’t react until later. Yang Youming had said, “You look so good.”

It wasn’t quite the same as wearing a suit and tie. The Xia Xingcheng in a uniform gave an impression of awe-inspiring righteousness, inviolable.

Xia Xingcheng then smiled, too, lowering his head to laugh surreptitiously, incapable of enduring the tickle to his heart.

☆ ☆ ☆

t/n – new movie!! i’m not familiar with law jargon so apologies if anything sounds weird~

also, i’m gonna try to update this as quick as i can, i have my sights set on a new novel and i wanna start working on that by april hehe. p.s. comments fuel me 👁️👁️

⟵ Chapter 114 | TOC | Chapter 116 ⟶

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