Chapter 65: Dancing Gracefully in the Breeze

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(Thanks to leesen2004 for the reward, truly grateful. There are still two more chapters to come. Today, the black car is going all out—stay tuned, and don’t forget to recommend and bookmark.)

“A woman is meant to be loved, not understood…”

“There are three taboos in chasing girls: one, being unromantic; two, being too honest; three, not having a sweet tongue…”

“It’s not that women are cheap, so why must they fall for bad boys? That’s because bad boys are usually romantic, while good men often lack charm. So she’d rather choose a bad but romantic man than a good but dull one. It’s the logic of choosing the lesser evil. Do you get it, rascal?”

“For women, there are five major holidays in a year: Valentine’s Day, the Double Seventh Festival, her birthday, Women’s Day, and Christmas. I, Zhou, have roamed the battlefield of love for nearly a decade, with hundreds of encounters. I dare to call a woman silly, I dare to stand her up, I dare to say her face isn’t pretty enough, I dare to complain her figure isn’t slim enough. But I absolutely wouldn’t dare to skip presenting gifts and flowers on these five holidays to show my loyalty and unwavering heart…”

“In the 365 days of the year, even if you treat her well on the other 360 days, it can’t compare to making her feel romantic on these five days. Usually, a girl will forget how little you cared during the other 360 days if you perform well on these five. Conversely, if you don’t do anything special on these five days, she’ll refuse to believe you cared for her the rest of the year…”

This long-winded monologue was undoubtedly a distillation of A-Tai’s real insights on women, truly testing Huang Huabo’s skills as an actor. It was also a crucial reason why male audiences obediently walked into the cinema for this film. So, back when it was shot, Wu Xiang put in a lot of effort.

This was the scene where the rascal joins A-Tai after meeting the “dinosaur” Xiaoyu, and A-Tai treats him to hotpot. This scene was entirely Wu Xiang’s original creation, though the “girl theory” came from the novel. In the old version of “First Time,” this part was handled quite ordinarily. Wu Xiang simply found a hotpot restaurant, had the two eat and chat, and the scene came alive.

A plain-looking man expounding the theory of women to a handsome guy—wasn’t the dramatic tension more than enough?

“Hehehe…” Some people were thoroughly amused.

“Are all men this bad?” Someone asked the man next to her.

“Not me, absolutely not.” How could anyone admit otherwise?

“This is good stuff—I need to write this down!” Some even thought these were golden nuggets of wisdom.

The audience’s reactions were lively. Though it made the theater a bit noisy, it was only natural.

Soon, the story pressed on to another key moment in “First Time.”

“Wow!”

“This is amazing.”

“That’s Light Dance in the Breeze! Absolutely stunning!”

Indeed, Zhang Jingchu’s character, Light Dance in the Breeze, finally appeared. She had been nothing but a mystery, a riddle that tormented the mind. Even in the film, she had only ever been a silhouette—until now, when the puzzle was finally solved.

Having kept the audience in suspense, Wu Xiang had also pondered the camera work for this scene for a long time. In the end, he chose a simple method: start close, film the lower half first, then slowly pull back until Zhang Jingchu’s beautiful and pure face came into view.

It wasn’t complicated—any director could do it. Wu Xiang had considered many options, but ultimately decided that with Zhang Jingchu’s looks, her elfin beauty that no one had yet seen, conquering the audience required no gimmicks. Only a straightforward approach could strike the most vulnerable chord in their hearts.

Hearing the audience’s gasps, even the sound of heavy breathing, Wu Xiang was very satisfied. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

This was Zhang Jingchu’s debut as Light Dance in the Breeze. On that website, she remained a question mark even now. According to Wu Xiang’s plan, her image wouldn’t be revealed until at least the next day, to ensure the premiere’s success.

As for the software used to contact Light Dance in the Breeze, it was naturally Penguin Messenger—a clever product placement, with Wu Xiang becoming a pioneer in that regard.

The following plot unfolded as in the novel, but Wu Xiang took the opportunity to let Hai Qing’s character appear at the perfect moment. She caught Huang Huabo and gave him a severe lesson.

“Hahaha…”

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“So funny! This woman…” The laughter effect was remarkable.

Dieting, dieting, dieting… This scene was just a small interlude, but Wu Xiang had bigger plans.

The romance between the leads continued to develop, soon reaching the classic “perfume rain” scene.

“Rascal, do you know the proper way to use perfume?” Zhang Jingchu smiled as she played with the exquisite little bottle.

The rascal shook his head.

“You need to dab it behind your ears, then on your neck and the veins on your hands, and then…” At this moment, as Light Dance in the Breeze, Zhang Jingchu suddenly sprayed the perfume in front of herself, then gently stepped forward into the mist, spinning once as she passed through.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

“Oh—” The audience reacted audibly. Truth be told, even after twenty years of reform and opening up, very few people actually knew the correct way to use perfume. At least Wu Xiang was sure that most men didn’t.

Zhang Jingchu’s pure playfulness, coupled with her elegant bearing, had the audience practically swallowing their tongues. Wu Xiang felt that was exactly the effect he wanted.

“Damn! That’s sexy!” Wu Xiang mocked in his heart, but this was precisely what he was after.

The main romance was the heart of the story, but don’t forget the other subplot—Brother Xiao Ming made his entrance!

“You’re so beautiful, you’re literally my goddess. Will you go out with me?”

When a devastatingly handsome man stood before a woman who appeared to weigh at least a hundred and fifty or sixty pounds, holding a huge bouquet of roses and uttering that line, the dramatic conflict was truly unforgettable.

“I… I’m so fat and you still accept me?” Hai Qing’s performance was spot on, drawing laughter from the audience. “Even I can’t accept myself!”

“Hahaha…” Sure enough, the scene had great comedic effect.

But Brother Xiao Ming was not so easily defeated: “If you like someone, why focus so much on appearances? In my eyes, you’re so hardworking—someone who strives so hard for a goal is truly beautiful. I care about your heart…”

The impact was powerful, though this scene wasn’t in the original novel. Wu Xiang created it entirely, incorporating ideas from the three actors, resulting in a wonderful “two men vying for a woman” performance.

But the film had to stick to its main line. The rascal finally discovered something off about Light Dance in the Breeze.

He couldn’t find her. After reading her email, he frantically searched. He knew he should look for the chubby Xiaoyu, but Xiaoyu had promised Siqi (Light Dance in the Breeze) to keep her secret, so the rascal kept hitting dead ends.

Meanwhile, the battle for love reached a fever pitch. Huang Huabo’s A-Tai kept trying his previously invincible tactics with women, but one by one, they all failed.

It was useless—in front of women, men’s little tricks had already been seen through.

So, how to win back the relationship? You had to offer your true heart!

“I don’t have his money! I’m not as handsome as he is! I’m still a damn playboy! But I’ll change! For you, I’ll change everything! I’ve burned every woman’s contact info—there’s nothing left! Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it! Just give me a chance! Let me love you!”

Huang Huabo’s A-Tai, a complete failure, made his final desperate plea, but this very posture produced an unexpected result.

Xiaoyu threw herself into A-Tai’s arms, her eyes brimming with tears. “What if you’re lying to me?”

“I know I’m not trustworthy, but this time I’m really not lying to you!” A-Tai just held her, kept holding her, and in the end, was still holding her…

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Undeniably, some in the audience were hoping for certain moments—like a kiss or something similar—but unfortunately, the director used his power to erase the scene completely.

The subplot ended there, and Xiaoyu and A-Tai’s perfect resolution also led the rascal to news of Light Dance in the Breeze. Xiaoyu told him that Light Dance in the Breeze was seriously ill and hospitalized.

The story proceeded as in the old film: the rascal found Light Dance in the Breeze.

In a single hospital room, a young man stood before a beautiful, pale-faced girl.

“Rascal, I’m so thirsty. I want something to drink.”

“Let me tell you, I’ve seen hundreds of films, a lot of them romances. Are you trying to use a movie trope to send me out of the room?”

“Rascal, film is film, life is life…”

On this point, the rascal was firm—he was truly afraid of losing Light Dance in the Breeze. Brother Kun’s performance was spot on, his deep and melancholy lines perfectly capturing the rascal’s state of mind.

During filming, almost every take was a one-shot. By the end, Wu Xiang felt that Brother Kun had become the rascal himself.

At last came the film’s final moment. The rascal still went out to buy Light Dance in the Breeze her favorite coffee, but when he returned, a coffee-colored butterfly fluttered out of her hospital room window and was gone…

“Sob… sob…” The last shots shifted from live action to animation, a series of exquisite, beautiful hand-drawn frames. The butterfly transitioned from realistic to abstract, leaving only the lingering sound of piano and muffled weeping…

The big screen faded to black, and then words appeared:

“If I had one day left to live, that day I would be your girlfriend.
Do I have one day left?… No.
So, it’s a pity. In this life, I am still not your girlfriend.
If I had wings, I would fly down from heaven to see you.
Do I have wings?… No.
So, I regret that I can never see you again.
If all the water in the bathtub were poured out, it still couldn’t douse the fire of my love for you.
Can all the water in the bathtub be poured out?… Yes.
So, yes. I love you…”

—Light Dance in the Breeze

The sound of weeping grew louder…