Chapter 299: Chapter 299: Listening to the Whistling Wind

Clap, clap, clap, clap—

As the 106-minute “Cinderella with Magic Hair” ended on the big screen, sporadic applause broke out in the theater, and the audience, having experienced DLP-Cinema™ technology, stood up to leave. Wang Yang and Mark Slant chatted as they walked out of the screening room and were about to head to the Sony Pictures Entertainment exhibition hall on the other side to see the “Spider-Man 2” tour. However, Wang Yang spotted someone walking by and excused himself to Mark Slant, “Hi, Natalie!”

“Hi.” Natalie was wearing a beige short-sleeved T-shirt, flared blue jeans, and her hair in a neat, ear-length bob. Light makeup graced her face and her long, straight eyebrows gave her a spirited appearance. She glanced at him expressionlessly and, without breaking her stride, walked on, as if he were a stranger.

“WHAT-THE…” Wang Yang couldn’t help but mutter under his breath. Several passersby in the corridor glanced at him; they knew this guy, the Incredible Yang. Seeing Natalie disappearing into the distance, Wang Yang turned and walked away; she hadn’t attended his wedding, and it’d been a long time since they last called each other. The last time they met was on Oscars night, and she was cold then too. Maybe their friendship had come to an end.

They had known each other for over five years, hadn’t they? From strangers to the point where they could talk about anything, wasn’t sure if it was a bromance or what.

The rumors had somehow started from nothing. The time she nearly fell at the entrance of a New York cafe, her bail that evening, “Juno,” the kiss in Harvard University, her visiting him in jail… “The feeling just now was better than I imagined, ‘you’re that guy’!” How interesting. Lost in thought, Wang Yang walked a distance toward the Sony Pictures Entertainment section when suddenly, he heard a “Hi” from behind.

He stopped and turned to look, only to see Natalie standing there with a light smile. Her eyes widened as she repeated, “Hi.” Wang Yang was taken aback before responding, “Hi, what’s up?”

“Nothing much.” Natalie inadvertently touched her hair, suddenly recalling some of their past, and then her feet had inexplicably carried her over here. She’d meant to ignore him but upon seeing his face, she couldn’t help but smile, “Wow! You’ve gotten even more handsome.” Wang Yang was somewhat speechless, unable to help but exhale, “Only just noticed? I went to Korea during my honeymoon.”

Natalie seemed puzzled for a moment before bursting into laughter, realizing what he meant, “You’re terrible, serves you right for getting fired back then!” Wang Yang protested, “Hey! I’m Asian, that joke is harmless!” They laughed and chatted quietly as they walked, with Natalie saying, “I’m sure Koreans wouldn’t appreciate that. But now I finally understand why you have a Jewish nose.” Wang Yang responded, “It’s not that big, is it?” Natalie retorted, “Oh, let me take another look. Maybe next time you should visit Israel, get the real deal.”…

It was nearing evening, and the sky over Las Vegas was adorned with a charming sunset. The two strolled outside the Paris Hotel, venue of the ShoWest event, eyeing the replica Eiffel Tower not far away. They talked about recent events while walking as the sound of giant fountains nearby murmured softly. They weren’t afraid of being photographed by the paparazzi; after all, if anyone wanted pictures, there were plenty on the internet. They were well-known as “good friends,” and though rumors had swirled for a long time, there was never any real evidence.

“After ‘Stealing Heart’, do you have any new insights on love?” Wang Yang asked Natalie, shifting the conversation from life to movies. She had recently finished filming “Stealing Heart,” adapted from a stage play; a tangled, complex love story. At Wang Yang’s question, Natalie uttered a “WELL,” and both seemed to understand it was time to clear the air for the sake of their friendship.

Glancing up at the distance, partially obscured by the metal tower, Natalie kicked at the ground silently before offhandedly saying, “Any new insights? It’s all the writers and directors pretending to be deep, pulling out so-called meaning.” Wang Yang slightly frowned in reminder, “That attitude won’t do, whether they’re pretending or not, you couldn’t have performed well in that movie.” Natalie smiled with a shrug, “That’s how I feel now, just now! I didn’t think that while I was acting, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. It was an exploration, I respect ‘Stealing Heart,’ but I suddenly find it kind of ridiculous.” Wang Yang, following her train of thought, asked, “Why?”

A few passersby who brushed past them turned their heads for another look at the two figures, seemingly recognizing them as the miraculous Wang Yang and Natalie.

“Mike Nichols, this guy directed ‘The Graduate’ and ‘Stealing Heart,’ both Benjamin and Dan were shaped by him, haha!” Natalie laughed shaking her head, Benjamin is the protagonist of ‘The Graduate,’ a young man who has just stepped into society, confused and empty, yet in the end, he finds a moving and beautiful love; Dan is the protagonist of ‘Stealing Heart,’ a man who juggles two women, overwhelmed by desire and ultimately botching it up,” she suddenly asked, “You’ve seen ‘The Graduate,’ haven’t you?”

At her scorn, Wang Yang burst into laughter, spreading his hands, “I haven’t seen ‘Rain Man.'” Natalie followed with a laugh, “Then you missed a good movie.”

‘The Graduate’ and ‘Rain Man’ were both starred by Dustin Hoffman; at the time, director Mike Nichols of ‘The Graduate’ set a record by winning the Golden Globe and the Oscar at the young age of 36, as dazzling as the present Wang Yang.

“The harm of Hollywood films lies in the fact that they often portray love and sex as something beautiful and pure, filling people with anticipation, confidence, and fantasies.” Natalie smiled, glanced at him, and continued as they walked, “But at the same time, they frequently depict love and sex as dark and grim, leaving people scared, discouraged, and skeptical, all for that lousy Oscar trophy. But the world is simply not like that. Who would be so bored to become a stripper after being dumped? That’s not the norm. I now feel that for the sake of a theme, art exceeds life and also strays from it. Love is never that clear-cut, is it?”

“I’ve always felt that whether love is wonderful or bleak depends on how you see it, how you pursue it.” Hearing her say that Hollywood films harm people, Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe there was some truth to it—a film tells you one thing, and another tells you something else. He said, “If you don’t believe in it from the start, then it’s very hard to find it. Not here, maybe there, the world is too vast.”

As they headed toward the Paris Las Vegas restaurant, a mocking smile crossed Natalie’s face as she said, “Do you know why I find it so funny? ‘Stealing Heart’ harbors skepticism and mockery towards love at first sight. What exactly is this crap called love at first sight? Can a person have love at first sight twice, three times? Four times? When they appear almost simultaneously, what do you do?”

Love at first sight… Wang Yang thought quietly for a moment, at the cinema he had fallen in love at first sight with Jessica, then he nodded, “To my understanding, it’s possible. The appearance, demeanor, and speech of a boy/girl, if something about them draws you in and makes you feel fond and preoccupied, wanting to possess. I think that’s love at first sight, it doesn’t happen just once, but it varies in intensity.”

“What if they appear at the same time, what do you do?” Natalie repeated, not letting him dodge the question. Wang Yang laughed at himself, it had already happened simultaneously, he raised an eyebrow and said, “I control myself! That’s why I’m so happy now and not turned into Dan. Losing control is a frightening thing, the source of all chaos and mess stems from uncontrolled desires, whether for power, sex, or money.” Natalie laughed, “I hate seeing you not lose control.”

She patted his shoulder, took a deep breath looking upwards and continued as they walked, “Do you know what’s smarter about you than Dan, Yang? It’s not losing control, nor is it total control. It’s that you’ve found another way to release your desires, a safe way. You don’t play with sex, you play with spirits. You maintain ambiguous and safe relationships, giving others hope to convince themselves, then continue the ambiguity, continue the joy, continue waiting. And suddenly you say ‘just like that, I’m getting married! Bye-bye!’ You’re a bastard, you know that!?” Her voice grew louder and with the last word, she punched him on the shoulder, gasping for breath.

“WOO…” Wang Yang, seeing her slightly red eyes, felt a bit choked up and, as if possessed, said, “Harvard.”

“Do you really want me to curse? FUCK YOU! Go eat shit!” Natalie instantly cursed loudly, almost attracting the attention of everyone around, and the two tacitly quickened their pace into the restaurant. Natalie, gritting her teeth, said in a low voice, “I really want to beat you up, aaaah!”

In the elegant and leisurely restaurant, where scattered patrons dined and conversed, the two of them found a quiet corner and ordered two cups of coffee before settling into a somewhat serious exchange of glances.

“Yes, you’re right, I realized that quite early on, I’m a bastard.” After some thought, Wang Yang nodded in agreement. There was no point in hiding anymore; he also wanted to understand these things. With Natalie’s emerging smile, Wang Yang reflected on his romantic experiences, especially after arriving in Los Angeles, and said repeatedly, “Yes, I think I used to enjoy that ambiguity. You know, it was originally Jessica who hinted at confessing her feelings to me.”

“I really didn’t know that.” Natalie laughed a little, annoyed to see him kiss the wedding ring on his left hand, and listened to him continue, “During that time, back when I was 18, 19, 20 years old… I didn’t quite understand my own feelings, but I know now. I enjoyed that sensation the Japanese call ‘more than friends, not yet lovers,’ above ordinary friendship yet not a couple, almost knowing she likes you and you like her, but not saying it, maintaining aspirations, expectations, sometimes when we collided, it felt very thrilling, very interesting, very warm…”

“Girls hate these things, they can stop playing with you at any time, I for one don’t like it.” Natalie said, taking a sip of her bitter coffee and amusingly added, “And then I got dragged down by you.”

Wang Yang also lifted his coffee cup for a sip. This mentality probably wasn’t unique to him alone. Thinking more clearly, he added, “Actually, I’m not that into playing around, perhaps I’m also waiting, back then I even missed my high school girlfriend. If another girl had confessed to me earlier, there might have been a different outcome.”

“Wait a minute!” Natalie suddenly raised her hand, her eyebrows coming together as she sized him up with a smile, “Let me guess, there was also this girl back then, right? Rachel? Another victim of ambiguity!” Wang Yang shook his head in denial, “No, not her… don’t talk nonsense.” Natalie shrugged, “Then it must be Natalie Portman.” Wang Yang laughed, “You could also say it’s you. The joy that goes beyond best friends and brothers, the joy of the opposite sex, it’s all because of the so-called ‘safe ambiguity’ you speak of, it’s really bastardly… but I’m married now, no longer continuing that, there’s only friendship, a man and a woman, Bromance, do you think that’s possible?”

Natalie, propping her chin in her hand, stared into his dark eyes. Bromance, isn’t a man and woman’s Bromance essentially ambiguity? Maybe just friendship. She suddenly said, “Why was it Jessica? Why is it her wearing a ring engraved with your name, not me? Give me an answer.” Wang Yang thought and said, “It’s a very complicated matter, to put it simply, love.” Natalie was clearly very unsatisfied and took a sip of her coffee, “Do you believe in love at first sight? Do you believe in fate? Maybe it’s just that for you two!”

“Damn it!” She seemed to punch the coffee table forcefully, scoffing, “Stupid ‘Stealing Heart’! I love love at first sight, I love destiny, I firmly believe in them, you know, I’m someone who could elope! But where is he!!” She took a deep breath, suppressing her excited emotions, and looked at him, “I thought it was you, but it turned out! Now I can’t even believe in it anymore, it’s all lies, that’s why I went to shoot that stupid ‘Stealing Heart’, do you understand? What in the world is going on? God!”

Love at first sight, destiny, do they exist in this world? Wang Yang pondered this question, as well as the long-standing doubts about the butterfly effect, but said aloud, “You once told me, you don’t believe in forever, but you actually believe in fate.”

“That was me lying to you, not quite a lie, 18, 19, 20 years old… At that time I hadn’t figured out my own feelings.” Natalie couldn’t stop laughing, perhaps it was this confusion, this wrongly answered question, that allowed him to be in such control, never giving her a chance. Natalie said with a laugh, “But I know now, I believed in everything, just not in a lack of love.”

“Love at first sight, destiny, love, they all exist.” Wang Yang took another sip of his bitter coffee, the taste clarifying his thoughts even more, understanding all of it. He looked into her defiant and proud eyes and smiled, “But Natalie, love, marriage, they’re not about love at first sight or fate, fate only determines encounters, to fall for each other, to love each other, to marry, that’s all about both sides actively pursuing each other.”

Encounters? Natalie fell into contemplation while Wang Yang continued with a smile, “Jessica and I reconnected in a movie theater and eventually ended up together. What if I hadn’t entered that particular movie theater? What if I hadn’t walked into that screening room? What if I hadn’t sat in that specific seat? And then there’s timing, a ten-minute, even a one-minute difference might have led us to miss each other completely. That’s destiny, each couple’s encounter is destined, why don’t you believe in it? You can’t escape it.”

“Hmm…” A spark flitted across Natalie’s eyes as Wang Yang spread his hands and asked, “But what if Jessica hadn’t given me any hints? If I hadn’t confessed? If I had been confessed to by another girl and fallen in love with her? Then she would marry someone else, and I would do the same.” He lifted his left hand, showing off a ring, and said, “But she did hint, I did confess, and now we are happily together. It’s as if a spaceship, I’ve anchored her on this planet; she won’t fly to the next, and neither will I, we’re settled.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Natalie murmured, nodding her head. The evening’s red glow outside was becoming more desolate, yet she felt as if a burst of sunlight was shining in, warm and comforting.

Wang Yang tapped his wedding ring on his left hand with a smile of reassurance and said, “Natalie, it has halted what was destined and the love at first sight, anchoring two people down, unless one of them breaks their vow. But you won’t stop, missing out on Yang, there will be a Benjamin, and there’ll be a Dan, you know.” Natalie laughed, taking a sip of her coffee, “I don’t want Dan!” Wang Yang shrugged, “Then how about Benjamin?” Natalie laughed, “I don’t want Benjamin either. OK, I will wait for the next destined encounter, and then I won’t fly away.”

“Why don’t you make these into a movie? It’s so interesting!” Natalie suddenly suggested enthusiastically, taking several sips of coffee in excitement, and laughed, “Don’t let ‘Stealing Heart’ get everyone down! Bring some sunshine to the theatres!”

Turn it into a movie? To commemorate these past emotions? Wang Yang also laughed, “Well, maybe I will, I haven’t filmed a love story for people over 20 yet, but everything will have to wait until after ‘Firefly’.” Natalie nodded with interest and asked, “How’s ‘Firefly’ coming along? What’s its theme anyway? Doesn’t it have love in it?” Wang Yang replied, “You could say there isn’t, the theme… overall, is ‘What kind of world is a perfect world?’ The best world? What do you think?”

What kind of world is a perfect world? With a raise of her eyebrows, Natalie thought about the fact that ‘Firefly’ was a science fiction movie with a 200 million investment, the previously discussed topics of human nature, good and evil, freedom, and she vaguely sensed an imposing idea approaching. This question had always been the subject of debate for humanity—religion, political systems, laws, moral concepts, wars… what does it take to create the perfect world?

Looking at his sunny handsome face, she felt a surge in her heart, regretting missing out on this planet! She laughed and said, “That’s a really tough question, way too big! It’s way cooler than those romances between men and women, what do you think?”

“Me?” Wang Yang smiled, thinking of the Coalition, the Blue Glove, the Reavers, the Independents, Serenity, the ordinary people, other experimental bases… contemplating the script skillfully crafted from the ideas of Joss Whedon, filled with emotions and brainstorming, he mysteriously smiled and said, “Me? You’ll find out when the movie comes out next year.”

“Oh come on, alright…” Natalie shook her head with a smile, knowing he liked to keep things mysterious and probably needed to keep secrets, despite her curiosity she didn’t press for an answer. She decided to patiently wait for next summer to watch ‘Star Wars: Episode III’ and then ‘Firefly’! Suddenly, with a “hey” sound, she stretched out her left palm toward him, regardless of where her spacecraft, this cosmic girl, would eventually land, she knew she would never forget this young planet.

Wang Yang asked in confusion, “What?” Natalie rolled her eyes in exasperation, “Bromance! Your left hand, give me a bump.” Wang Yang laughed, “OK!”

Thwack! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, cast monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)