The Best Director

Chapter 216: I Love You (Please Vote for Recommendation!)

The weekend was approaching, but “The Devil Wears Prada” set at the Reuters office in Manhattan was still bustling with activity. The place had been transformed into the Elias Clarke cafeteria scene.

The crew and actors were all busy at work amid a cacophony of voices and laughter. Jessica sat in her chair intently reading the script in her hands, silently planning the details of her upcoming performance. When she saw Wang Yang walk by, she greeted him with a laugh, shouting, “Yang.” Wang Yang glanced at her, grunted faintly without stopping, and walked past. Jessica frowned in confusion. What had gotten into him these past couple of days?

As she watched, she saw Wang Yang go over to Emily and say something, “Remember later on…” Perhaps what he said was amusing because Emily chuckled from time to time. He could crack jokes? Jessica shook her head with a smile and turned her attention back to the script.

The past couple of days had been spent shooting additional scenes featuring Andrea from the first and second stages of the film, and things were going smoothly, which kept everyone’s spirits high. However, Wang Yang was all business and silent, a deliberate seriousness, or rather, a targeted one. This was a part of the plan for this mission—several days of gradual change, then resolution over the weekend!

“Action!” … “Cut! Next shot, please.” … “That’s a wrap, have a great weekend everyone!”

After a day’s shoot, the crew announced the weekend off.

In the spacious and elegant hotel suite, soft music played as Jessica lounged on the sofa in her checkered pajamas, flipping through a magazine and excitedly said, “Yang, I’ve got a joke for you: Mr. Thompson takes his son Tom out drinking now that he’s of age. After half an hour in the bar, Mr. Thompson says, ‘Tom, I’m going to teach you how to tell if you’re drunk. You see those two lamps over there? When they start to look like four, it’s time to head home.’

She paused, looked up at Wang Yang pacing nearby, and laughed, “Then Tom says, ‘But Dad, I only see one lamp.’ Hahaha!” She burst into laughter and then glanced back at her magazine, “Hmm, here’s another one…”

Watching that happy and adorable laughing face, Wang Yang took a deep breath in secret. Was he really going to go through with this? Yes! And he couldn’t let his guard down or get soft now. He had been rehearsing many times over the past few days. Listening to Jessica’s melodious laughter, Wang Yang walked over to the record player and turned off the music, speaking in a flat tone: “Jessica, I have a decision I need to tell you about.”

“OK, what is it?” Jessica casually replied with a laugh, but when she caught sight of his taut face, serious and heavy, she put down her magazine in confusion and asked again with a smile, “What is it?”

“It’s about our relationship, you know, uh, I…” Trudging slowly to the sofa in front of her, Wang Yang’s heart raced a little faster. Despite his firm resolve, it was difficult to say that phrase while looking into her tender eyes: “Our relationship, uh, I think it needs to change…”

Relationship? Change!? Oh my goodness—! Jessica’s eyes widened suddenly, her heart pounding so rapidly that she nearly felt suffocated. Oh God, it was so sudden! A great wave of joy and happiness welled up from nowhere, leaving her feeling utterly weak. How could this be happening so suddenly, oh heavens! … And why here and now, in her pajamas, of all things!

She didn’t know where to put her hands or feet, staring at him as he seemed to find the words, flashes of the past whirled before her eyes—childhood, separation, reunion… “Jessica, will you be my girlfriend?” “I love you!”…

Oh heavens!! It was too sudden… her wish was coming true! Jessica looked at his empty hands—where was he hiding the ring? Was he going to produce it like a magic trick? She couldn’t help but smile inwardly as she watched his lips move, and hearing “WE,” she clenched her fists, ready to leap up and embrace him at any moment.

“`

Wang Yang furrowed his brows and let out a long sigh before finally blurting out, “Let’s break up.”

“Wow!” Jessica jumped up excitedly, but seeing his still tense face, she frowned, sensing something off. What did she hear… him say? She was momentarily unable to react. Wang Yang then said, “Let’s take a break and see.” Jessica covered her face, annoyed and helplessly slumped back down on the sofa with a poof. What the—!!!

“It’s not April Fools’ Day today. Why are you making this kind of joke?” Jessica rolled her eyes, filled with immense disappointment and anger. She questioned, “Why would you joke about this? Are you crazy? I don’t like it.” She supported her forehead, resigned, having expected a marriage proposal, and shook her head with a laugh: “It’s even more boring than my pregnancy joke.”

Wang Yang had anticipated that she wouldn’t believe him, just like if she suddenly ran to him and said, “Let’s break up,” he wouldn’t believe it either—after all, she was just someone experiencing her first love…

“Hey.” Wang Yang sighed softly, earnestly saying, “This is not a joke.” Jessica, with a “spare me” look that was amusing, crossed her arms and nodded with a smile, “OK, then why break up?” Wang Yang immediately stated the reason he had prepared: “I just don’t feel the same about you anymore, and I’ve noticed some things about you that I don’t like, I’m sorry.”

“What things?” Jessica saw that he was still seriously acting and said a bit angrily, “Am I too ugly?” Wang Yang silently chanted “calm, calm, calm” in his heart. Closing his eyes, he spread his hands and said in a flat tone, “Some personality views, there’s no need to spell it out, it’s just something I don’t like.” Jessica pouted, stood up, and pointed at his nose, scolding, “Do you think I’m a fool? So boring!”

“Wait, I’ve got it!” After walking a couple of steps toward the bedroom, Jessica suddenly thought of a reason—it had to be! This idiot! She turned around to look at Wang Yang’s expressionless face, laughing, “Yang, is it because of the movie thing? Are you trying to use this method to stimulate my emotions? But this… has failed.”

She came up to him, stroked his feigned indifferent face, and spoke gently, “I want to perform well, I’ll work hard to do it! But don’t use this method, Yang, I don’t like it, I can’t convince myself to believe it.” She raised her head and gave him a peck on the cheek, her eyes brimming with affection: “I also don’t like that we have ever ‘broken up,’ so let’s end it, OK?”

“I’m sorry, Jessica, this is real.” Wang Yang gently pushed her away, pursing his lips and shrugging slightly, saying, “It doesn’t matter, I know it’s sudden, but breakups are always sudden like this.” He continued with the lines essential to dumping someone: “You’re really nice, just not my type. But we can still be friends in the future, maybe even good friends. That’s all!”

His goal was exactly to let her taste the bitterness of being unexpectedly dumped by a boyfriend. Just like Andrea, who, before reflecting on herself, didn’t think she did anything wrong, it was because of her career prospects because of “no choice,” but when her boyfriend suddenly broke up with her, it was then she felt the urge to murder Miranda with rage and irritation. And now, all he had to do was to make Jessica believe, he just needed to persist in being aloof.

“Hmm, hmm…” Jessica maintained a calm face, finely feeling the “breakup” and being dumped sensation… but there was none. She hugged her head, stamping her feet and yelled with laughter, “Ah, I can’t do it! Ah, I can’t…”

Wang Yang ignored her and turned to walk towards the balcony, with Jessica following close behind, pouting and acting like a spoiled child, “Baby, what should I do? Boo hoo, I really can’t convince myself to believe! How could that be?”

“I didn’t realize your acting talent was so high—you’re really good at it!” …”Are we really breaking up? Oh my god!” …”Yang, I felt it! Can we end now?” …”HELLO!” …”That’s enough, I’m getting angry!” …”Sweetheart, you should be an actor! We don’t have an Oscar for Best Actor at home yet!” …”What on earth do you want me to do?”

A day passed, and Wang Yang persisted in being cold and polite towards her, completely devoid of their previous intimacy, even less than an ordinary friend, repeatedly declaring, “It’s really over! It has nothing to do with anyone else, I just suddenly don’t like you anymore, let’s take a break.”

From finding it funny to becoming annoyed and angry, and then feeling a bit unsettled and lost, Jessica seriously felt and performed, and he said she did well, but I don’t care; she issued an ultimatum while angry, and he also said I don’t care; no matter what she did or said, he always had an uninterested look, sometimes helplessly sighing, sometimes both crying and laughing… What’s going on? What could end this boring play of his?

“Eileen, last night Yang suddenly said he wanted to break up, saying he found something about me he didn’t like anymore.”

“`

Standing by the balcony railing, Jessica looked out at the pedestrians and vehicles on the street below and sighed deeply, a look of confusion clouding her eyes. She repeated Wang Yang’s words into the microphone and said anxiously, “I said I couldn’t believe it, how do you expect me to trust? I thought he was proposing! Who knows? He acted so well, I don’t know what happened…”

As she spoke, her voice grew more agitated, with a hint of crying, “I’ve tried everything; I didn’t want to say it, but then I said, ‘Fine, let’s break up,’ but he said, ‘We can still be friends.’ That’s laughable, friends… to hell with that!” She wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes, her gaze foggy, her voice quivering with helplessness, “Eileen, can it really end like this? Just breaking up out of the blue? We’ve been together for 5 years… I love him so much, and he loves me…”

“Jessie…” Eileen on the other end didn’t know what to say either; sometimes breakups do come out of nowhere, but their relationship had seemed so strong… Who knows? After thinking for a moment, she suggested, “I have an idea…”

“Hmm, oh! That makes sense.” Listening, Jessica nodded her head as if grabbing onto a lifeline, her spirits somewhat settled. She chuckled, “OK, I’ll give it a try! If he takes the bait… I’ll have to punch him for being so despicable! I’m going to get ready now, bye!” With that, she hung up the phone and bounced back to her room, eager to see how he would keep up his act.

※※

As night approached, New York City was still bustling with activity, the nightlife’s glamorous beginning just unwrapping its prologue. But Wang Yang hadn’t gone out; he was sitting on the hotel room’s living room sofa, chatting on the phone while occasionally glancing toward the bedroom. Jessica had walked into the bedroom with several bags earlier, and now he wondered what she was doing. Before resolving this matter, he didn’t dare leave her alone, and he had even stealthily followed her when she went shopping in the afternoon.

So, although they had “broken up” for a day, they were actually sticking even closer. He didn’t know whether to be happy or discouraged; the girl was just too stubborn!

“I don’t think the Lakers will win the championship. They have internal conflicts. I’ve got an inside tip…” Wang Yang was laughing and chatting with Kevin Spacey on the phone, also putting on a show for Jessica to see. Suddenly, with a whoosh, the bedroom door opened, and upon seeing Jessica emerge, he was struck dumb and said into the phone, “Jeff, I have to go…”

There stood Jessica, leaning against the wall in a captivating pose. She wore a blue denim miniskirt, black thigh-high leather boots; and a belly-baring long-sleeved white top, with a silver chunky rope necklace around her neck and a Mexican-style wide-brimmed tall cowboy hat, fully dressed as a seductive cowgirl.

“Hey, Young-Boy.” Jessica’s voice was husky as she called out, her lips a luscious red and her eyes filled with heat. She raised her foot and slowly walked toward the sofa, the graceful lines of her swaying legs breathtaking to behold. The sparkling star belly button ring on her smooth, flat stomach and the large silver hoop earrings in her ears swayed, capturing all the attention with their shimmering light.

She revealed a seductive smile, biting her lower lip enticingly.

“Sweetheart…” She was quite pleased with Wang Yang’s dumbstruck appearance and, with a flirtatious gesture, lifted her hat off with her right hand, tossing her brown hair seductively and then threw the hat toward the sofa. The hat spun rapidly in the air, landing squarely on Wang Yang’s face.

Ow! That hurt! Wang Yang couldn’t help but cover the burning sensation in his eyes, glimpsing Jessica’s faux pas as she stuck out her tongue. He was grateful for the hit as it tamped down the surge of emotions that threatened to reveal him, but now what was he to do…

Jessica didn’t give him time to think, already sashaying over with a strut, stroking her hair as passion burned even brighter in her eyes, “Come here!” She grabbed him, gazing into his eyes with deep affection, “My champion, come! She no longer wanted to hit anyone, just to end the silly joke wholeheartedly. She whispered, “Yang, come…”

Oh God! Wang Yang suddenly took a deep breath, his heart felt like it was being suffocated, his blood boiling with fervor…

Even though it had been countless times since her first at 17 to now at 22, every single time was… What to do! Stay calm, stay calm! He tried to steady his emotions, but he found himself quickly losing control…

No, he had to get through this darkness before dawn! He let out a silent roar, hastily “turning on” a horror movie in his mind, and it turned out to be Jessica’s version of “The Eye,” even though her performance was poor, it was indeed “The Eye”! He quickly switched to the original Hong Kong version of “The Eye,” and he immediately let out a long sigh of relief, then his emotions dissipated instantly.

“Jessica, even if I had a reaction, it would be natural; you are extremely hot. But breaking up is breaking up, don’t be like this.” All he saw were terrifying images and spine-chilling sounds. Wang Yang’s eyes were so calm they nearly looked hollow as he shrugged and said, “I really don’t like you anymore, I don’t even react, sorry.”

“How is it possible…” Jessica couldn’t help but frown, her mood flipping from joy to panic in an instant. She had felt it just a moment ago, how could it suddenly… With a slap, her hand was pushed away by Wang Yang, who sat back down on the couch: “Jessica, I know this is sudden, and it seems like there’s no reason… but there isn’t, we are truly not suited for each other, please come to terms with it!”

Jessica anxiously ran her fingers through her hair, wondering how he could act so well. Even now, with her making such an effort, he still managed to act so convincingly… She puffed out her cheeks angrily and then, suddenly, let out a light laugh: “Hey, have you finished acting? I’m getting angry, you know? I’m really getting angry… Yang! Have you had enough?”

“I wasn’t acting,” Wang Yang said, wiping his face. Unable to see her expression, he shook his head with a sigh: “Jessica, it’s over for us.”

“Ha, I don’t believe that!” Jessica strode forward with a laugh, propping a hand on her slender waist and lifting his chin with the other, gazing into his eyes for a long silence. Her eyes gradually moistened as she spoke with a trembling voice: “Speak clearly, just this once! Are we really breaking up? I’m serious; forget about the movies for once, speak clearly! Just this once! Is it… really over?”

Wang Yang immediately nodded: “Yes!” Jessica screamed: “No!” Wang Yang sighed: “It’s true.”

“It’s not, it definitely isn’t…” Jessica shook her head repeatedly as tears uncontrollably welled up in her eyes. How could they possibly be breaking up!? Her mind went blank as she absentmindedly played with her hair and stumbled backward, stepping on a denim hat without noticing. Her foot reflexively dodged, causing her to crash down and sit on the floor.

“It’s true, Jessica, it really is.” Despite her shock, Wang Yang continued calmly. Jessica looked at him dazed, her face a mask of calm and uncaring, and she was finally overtaken by a wave of unease and fear. He should be rushing over to laugh and say, “Oh Jessica, are you OK? What a cute klutz.” But now… could it be real? Impossible! How could it be, when they were about to marry…

“Yang, don’t lie to me, don’t lie to me…” She murmured disbelievingly, with a final glimmer of hope, gazing at him and saying with a shaking voice: “I’ll ask one last time, Yang, don’t lie to me, please? Don’t lie to me, is it really true?”

Listening to her almost crying voice, Wang Yang knew without looking how upset she was, his heart aching as if it would explode. He was on the verge of saying “it’s fake,” but only a moment was needed… just like an injection. He nodded: “It’s true, I’m really sorry.”

“What are you saying, what are you saying?!” Jessica shouted in disbelief, feeling utterly weak as scenes from their past flashed before her eyes, bewilderedly crying: “What are you saying…”

“Hello, my name is Wang Yang.” “I’ll protect you, from now on no one will ever be able to bully you!” “Are you Jessica…?” “Jessica, will you be my girlfriend?” “You are my dream.” “Jessica, let’s get married! Will you marry me?” “If we have a daughter, I want to name her Juno.” “Sweetheart, I love you!”…

Not receiving his letters, she was sad for months, and she couldn’t forget him even as she grew up; on the day they reunited, she went home screaming with excitement; that Thanksgiving, she stayed up all night wide-eyed, completely sleepless; that night when the pregnancy was confirmed, she feared all night that it would be a false alarm; during his months in jail, she went through them numbly…

But the rest of the time, she spent each day joyfully, and he too was happy. They clearly loved each other… so why suddenly break up?

“Woo-hoo!” Jessica suddenly burst into loud sobbing, tears streaming down her face as she cried, “Why do we have to break up… woo-hoo we… we…” She pounded the floor with her hands nonstop, collapsed on the ground, crying hysterically, “We’ve been together since we were young, woo-hoo we were going to get married, have kids, why woo-hoo… idiot, idiot…”

“Woo-hoo-hoo…woo-hoo-hoo-hoo…”

Listening to her crying uncontrollably, Wang Yang immediately turned off the horror movie they were watching. They had to bear it together! Seeing her slumped on the floor in utter despair, crying until her eyes were red and lifeless, her face covered with tears, her lips trembling… his heart was breaking. His hands gripped the sofa tightly; he wanted her to be happy, but now he had made her cry like this. Damn it, would this even work? Andrea wouldn’t cry like this… It’s like getting a shot…

He sat in silence, persevering through this moment…

“Woo-hoo-hoo, I… you… woo-hoo…” Jessica glanced at him, her desolate and confused face causing Wang Yang’s heart to ache no less than hers. She sobbed bitterly for a good while, Jessica’s entire body breaking out in cold sweat, her face pale with bluish lips as her curled-up body suddenly started to convulse. She continued her hoarse crying, “Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo…”

“Oh my God, Jessie!” Wang Yang suddenly rushed over and sat on the floor, holding her trembling body tightly in his arms, his face pressed against her hair, hurriedly saying, “It’s fake, I was acting. You guessed it, it’s because of the movie. I wanted you to experience what breaking up feels like, but there’s no breakup, none! I love you! I love all of you! Sweetheart, I love you.”

Jessica stared blankly at his gentle face, tears still flowing unstoppable, her lips moved a few times but she couldn’t speak. Suddenly, she lifted her right hand and slapped him hard across the face with a “smack!”, leaving a bright red handprint on Wang Yang’s cheek.

“Wang Yang! How could you do this?! You’re being unreasonable, you…” Jessica struggled out of his embrace, her heart blank with anger, all sorrow and surprise gone, replaced by sheer fury! Her heart felt so pained she couldn’t continue speaking, as if to erase all the happiness of those years. Gasping for breath, she cursed, “You want to break up, right? I agree! Let’s break up! Jerk, FUCK-YOU, you’re being unreasonable…”

Wang Yang continued to hold her body tightly, knowing well that this fiery girl always had a lot of strength. Now, in her anger, she had unleashed boundless power, and he was nearly unable to hold her. Feeling the throbs of pain in his cheek and heart, he shouted, “It’s my fault! I’m a jerk! But listen to me, you know it was for the movie. I wanted to help you experience it, Jessica, forgive me!”

“Get away, get away from me!” Jessica gritted her teeth, struggling, her fists incessantly pounding his back. “Let go of me!! Let go of me!! I want you to let go of me!!” Reluctantly, Wang Yang let her go, and Jessica immediately staggered to her feet, her eyes red with fury as she glared at Wang Yang who had also stood up, and said coldly, “We’re breaking up, right now! Do you understand? Yang, we’re done!!”

Blurted out uncontrollably, she suddenly felt a deep fear inside, “It wasn’t meant to be like this! I didn’t mean to say that!” but on the other hand, she was dominated by anger, she screamed through clenched teeth, “Get out, just get out!!”

“Jessica…” Wang Yang helplessly pinched his nose, feeling a swirl of annoyance inside upon hearing these words. He knew he had been a jerk, but… Wang Yang took a deep breath, gazing into her eyes, explaining gently, “Jessie, I understand that love is not just about two people simply being in love; there are many aspects to it.” He and Helen had been in love once, but hadn’t they broken up in the end?

“In life, at work…” he said, shrugging his shoulders sincerely, “I don’t know, I don’t know if I’ve been putting pressure on you, but I know you have your own aspirations, I understand! I used to think that as long as you were happy, nothing else mattered; but I now know that for you to be truly happy, you need to have your own achievements. So, I wanted to help you! I want to help you!”

Jessica wiped her tears and said with a laugh that bordered on hysteria, “So you just let me cry…” Wang Yang took a deep breath, spread his hands in resignation, and said, “I couldn’t find a better way. You need these emotions! I’ve tried everything on set… oh my God!” He blamed himself as he raked his fingers through his hair, spreading his arms out wanting to embrace her, and sincerely asked, “Can you forgive me?”

“Get away!” Jessica shook her head and dodged his embrace, her lips trembling as she said, “I won’t forgive, I won’t forgive…”

“Are you about to say ‘I had no choice’? Yang, are you Andrea or am I?” Her eyes turned red again, filled with nothing but disappointment and rage. He had willingly hurt her, and now he was spouting such trite excuses… Thinking about it made her tears fall uncontrollably again, and while crying, she cursed, “You’ve disappointed me so much, you idiot!!”

Sobbing… “To play a murderer, do I have to go and kill someone? Sobbing… To play Superman, do I really have to fly through the sky to act it out? You idiot…”

Hearing the word “idiot” over and over, even though he knew she was cursing in her rage, Wang Yang’s hurt only increased. He couldn’t help but speak softly, “Jessica, I didn’t say it was all like that, but actors who play murderers or Superman do try to feel it, convincing themselves ‘I am,’ which is why some get so lost in their roles, why they need to see psychologists! Need to take sleeping pills! You should understand!”

“You’re the one who needs to see a psychologist!” Jessica immediately lashed out, her heart trembling in pain, but she continued to hold back her tears and cursed, “You lunatic, idiot! Why don’t you take sleeping pills? Go die! It’s over, we’re breaking up, right now!”

“Jessica, what are you talking about!?” Wang Yang held his forehead, truly driven mad by her anger, to death! A trace of anger welled up in his eyes, and he patted his chest, “Do you think I don’t feel bad watching you lie there crying? Don’t I know I’m an idiot? Don’t I know you would be angry? I know it all! I had a classmate who did the same for an experience class, and he got beaten up by his girlfriend! They almost really broke up!”

Looking at her indifferent face, Wang Yang’s fists clenched so tight they were about to tear, what on earth was he doing, and what was she doing!? He had explained, apologized, comforted, this was for the movie, for her—why couldn’t they forgive each other…

He blinked his slightly feverish eyes and sighed deeply, “I thought you would be different, I thought you were understanding, that you would forgive me, but you… I don’t know! Yes, I was wrong…”

“I’m not, I’m not.” Jessica took a step back, her face a self-mocking mix of laughing and crying, “I have no dignity, I’m the idiot!”

He simply didn’t know how disappointed and heartbroken I was! Jessica shook her head slightly and laughed bitterly, “I’m not! I’m just a vulgar and shallow woman, sorry! My thoughts aren’t filled with movies, they’re all trash, all things you don’t care about.”

“Jessie, stop it, let’s not do this…” Wang Yang tried to control his own emotions, knowing that when a person loses control, they can say anything, but such mutual hurt could leave a gap. He pressed his hand down and said, “Calm down, calm down! Jessie, Mary, Sweetheart… let’s calm down and talk this out, okay?”

Jessica still shook her head, smiling and saying, “I’m the trash, but you’re an idiot! Bastard, idiot!” She cursed louder and louder, non-stop, “Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!…”

“Ha!…” Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, took a few deep breaths, and said hoarsely, “You… you bastard… what the hell is wrong with you!?”

“What the hell is wrong with you then? I hate you!!” Jessica’s bloodshot eyes flashed with a sharp look, almost as if she was about to hit him. After a moment, she stifled a sob and quickly rushed into the bedroom, and with a loud “bang,” she slammed the door shut.

“`

Fuck! Wang Yang slumped onto the couch, powerlessly. The situation had taken a turn he hadn’t anticipated—so different… Dammit, dammit…

Soon, the bedroom door was flung open with a loud “bang!” Jessica emerged, now wearing the gray overcoat from earlier. The sexy cowgirl had transformed into a fashionable woman, revealing only her lower legs. Her face had been washed, but the rims of her eyes were still red.

Pat, pat, pat, Jessica quickly walked towards the door. When she reached it, she suddenly turned back to look at Wang Yang on the sofa and said softly, “Yang, you’ve got it wrong. I am not that kind of person at all.”

A hint of fragile sadness crossed her face, a slight laugh still tinged with residual anger. “Acting isn’t the most important thing to me, don’t you know that? Achievement isn’t the most important thing to me, don’t you know that? I’m proud of you, I’m proud of myself, I’m also proud to be Wang Yang’s girlfriend… But you know nothing! You don’t know what I’m pursuing, what is most important to me. You don’t know what I cherish, what I care about…”

“You want me to be happy, but you… you used the wrong method…”

As Jessica spoke, tears once again welled and spilled from her eyes. She harshly wiped her blurry eyes and turned to leave.

Watching the door on the other side open and shut, Wang Yang’s brows were tightly knit, his face silent. Had he really used the wrong method? What was it that she was seeking?

“Oh Jesus! What a beautiful wedding dress, wow—” “Yang, look how cute these babies are!” “A nude scene? You’re killing me! I wouldn’t shoot one even if it meant giving up acting—now I’ve even said NO to kissing scenes! Haha, anyway, you’re the one making money.” “I want to make a movie with you!” “That’s fantastic!” “We’ve been together since we were little, and we’re going to get married, have children…” …

“Jessica!” Wang Yang’s heart surged suddenly with regret, self-reproach, anger… and fear. He couldn’t let it end like this! He couldn’t just let her walk out! He sprang to his feet, wearing slippers, and gave chase, shouting, “Jessica, wait, Jessica!”

Bursting out of the room and onto the corridor, Wang Yang looked left and right and spotted Jessica at a distance, wiping her eyes as she entered the elevator. He urgently bellowed, “Jessica!” Sprinting towards the elevator, but by the time he reached it, the doors had already closed, and it was descending. Annoyed, he pounded on the doors, shouting, “FUCK!” Then, suddenly, there was a ‘ding’, and a few people walked out from another elevator.

“HEY!” Wang Yang quickly glanced at this elevator, noticing a man still inside, he dashed out, desperately pressing the button for the first floor. Jessica wasn’t going back to her room; he figured she was probably going to take a walk on the street, clear her head… The man in the black suit shouted, “Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?” Wang Yang, with a frown, yelled back, “Buddy, let me through first! Cut the crap! I need to get to the first floor right now, this elevator is mine!”

Looking like a god of fury, he swiftly reached the hotel lobby on the first floor and, sure enough, he saw Jessica heading for the hotel’s exit. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm, “Jessica, wait!”

“Get lost.” They were surrounded by hotel guests coming and going, along with uniformed lobby attendants and security staff. Jessica hissed, flinging off his hand forcefully, “Get out of my way. I don’t want to see you right now. Go away!” Wang Yang kept holding her hand, pleading sincerely, “Come back with me, give me another chance! Sweetheart, please?”

Jessica’s reddened eyes stared at him for a long time, then she abruptly turned without a word and walked toward the elevator; Wang Yang immediately exhaled in relief and quickly followed her.

Back in the spacious living room of the suite, the two of them had just returned and sat down on the couch, agreeing to share their thoughts calmly.

“`

But Jessica had already started cursing in a calm voice that seethed with anger, “You’re such a jerk, you have no idea how disappointed I am. Do you want me to go crazy? Haha, I almost went insane! Are you satisfied now? Have you tormented me enough? Yes, if we really break up, I might just take a whole bottle of sleeping pills, isn’t that what you want me to do? What do you expect me to do? What am I in your eyes? I’m very happy now, you’ve done it, you’ve succeeded! You say I’ve never been heartbroken, I’ve been heartbroken over a crush, heartbroken over love, all thanks to you…”

Listening to her uninterrupted stream of scolding, Wang Yang smiled, grabbed her hands, and interrupted her, “I said I did it for the movie, but now let it go; I wanted to make you happy, but I know I used the wrong way, Jessie, forgive me! I think I really understand you now.”

“What do you understand? And you’re still laughing… You’re not allowed to laugh!” Jessica punched him hard on the shoulder, showing no mercy. She furrowed her brows and continued ranting furiously, “No laughing, Yang, it’s not that I’m mad you used this method of experience, I had guessed it a long time ago! I am, I am very disappointed… I’m telling you for the last time, really the last time, how could you still say yes, how could you be so cruel to me? You idiot, why would you do this!?”

Seeing that she had gone back to the original topic while cursing, Wang Yang looked at her continuously moving mouth and roared internally, what are you babbling about now! He suddenly embraced her…

Their two restless, agitated hearts suddenly exploded in another form. Almost like a physical altercation, they cursed each other while simultaneously igniting each other, casting everything aside, not caring about turning the world upside down, just burning like that, until the end of the world, perhaps!

Who knows how long it took, who knows how many rounds passed, but the city of New York, the city that never sleeps, was still brightly lit, and the night sky remained pitch black. The once elegant and clean living room had become a complete mess, as if it had been transferred out of a post-hangover presidential suite in “The Hangover,” with intact or torn pieces of clothing scattered everywhere, overcoats, denim skirts, trench coats, T-shirts, a denim straw hat torn in two…

The sofa was overturned on the floor, and the large flower pot that housed a lucky bamboo at the corner of the wall had also tipped over, with mud all over the floor and the bamboo plant broken and torn; a wicker chair that had been fine was collapsed on the ground, with a broken chair leg rolling far away…

In the spacious bedroom bed, a white blanket covering something was flipping back and forth, with fervent breaths emanating from underneath. After a long while, the end of the blanket was tugged, revealing two people, side by side shoulders and faces, it was a sweaty Wang Yang and Jessica, both still panting and looking at each other, then they suddenly both chuckled.

So much had been said; and many things didn’t need to be said, they both could feel each other’s true intentions.

Jessica turned her head and gave him a kiss, her eyes full of love, and laughed, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Wang Yang also smiled, extended his hands to hold her, gazing into her crystal-like eyes, he knew he had made a decision, the words “Shall we get married?” almost slipped out. He wasn’t sure if this experience helped the movie, but it made it clear how important this girl was to him, she was like a pistachio… far more than that; he also understood his own thoughts and hers.

But in the evening, he was truly heart-wrenched, nearly driven mad, an “experience” like never before, none of the breakups before, including with Helen, had made him feel this way. Now, though, was not the proper time to propose, he needed to plan carefully, but for now…

“Shall we go again?”

“GO!”