“My surname is Yuan. I'm the teacher in charge of this class and also a movie director. My works include Horns, Fire Line, Dawn etc. I'm very happy to meet you all and hope we can have a pleasant semester together.”
As class began, a middle-aged woman dressed simply and efficiently walked in and immediately introduced herself, which was unsurprisingly followed by gasps from below.
Every time when she starts a new class, her self-introduction always triggers surprise among new faces –
Young, female, sweet-voiced, intellectual; no one would have imagined she is the director of military-themed movies.
And a very successful one at that, with multiple critically-acclaimed and award-winning films.
There are always big scenes and magnificent landscapes resembling paintings in her movies. The fighting scenes are professional and smooth, producing many classic moments. Plus she rarely makes public appearances, so most people stereotypically believe that only middle-aged male directors with rich life experiences can create such works.
She's already used to others' astonishment upon knowing her identity and barely bothers to debunk their stereotypes anymore.
It’s the same case this time. After giving the students some time to whisper among themselves, she continued when the noise gradually died down:
"There are plenty of online commentary on world classic films. It would be a waste of your time if I teach the same content during class.
After each lesson, I will recommend a movie for you to watch and finish within a week. You need to submit a review along with my in-class commentary to my email.
Any format is acceptable - physical copy, digital file, video, audio recording etc."
Teacher Yuan turned on the projector:
"I like to use my own works as examples when teaching, because I'm too familiar with the filming techniques and thoughts behind them. Let's watch Fire Line today, which I'm most satisfied with so far."
Fire Line again...
At the opening scene, Shen Kai in military uniform shows up again. Seeing this, everyone turns to look at Qin Wei's reaction.
History often bears an eerie resemblance.
Qin Wei watched the screen calmly, without any visible emotional ripples.
Luckily Teacher Yuan only played excerpts, focusing her commentary on filming techniques and visual expressions without elaborating much on the plot. It was a fruitful class session.
"...The audience stands in the protagonist's shoes yet also gazes from a higher vantage point the protagonist can't access. They automatically step into the protagonist's position but also turn on the god's perspective. So the audience knows more than the characters..."
As Teacher Yuan finished her last analysis, she ended the class sharply on time.
"That's it for today! Look forward to your assignments. See you next week."
As Qin Wei closed her notebook, she looked up to see the woman on the podium watching her. Their eyes met when Qin Wei raised her head. She simply smiled at the woman, who then picked up her teaching materials and left.
Have they met before?
It doesn’t seem so. She has no memory of cooperating with or knowing this woman.
Qin Wei checked the time. She still has English class in the afternoon and has agreed to have lunch at the cafeteria with Shen Qingqing. It's just the right time now.
...
[Xiao Wang’s Diary: I feel bad for my sister. She had to resume work before fully recovering from her injury. Although the company arranged less demanding tasks for her as much as possible, it’s still difficult given she hasn’t healed yet. Usually she can film for hours effortlessly, but she seemed very tired when returning home today. In the car, she had her eyes closed the entire time.
When I sent her home, her silly and innocent roommate had already come back and prepared a meal on the coffee table, while she herself was sitting by the dining table writing something, surrounded by piles of messy books and randomly placed computer and phone.
I worried for her then, since my sister is slightly obsessive-compulsive and gets irritated when contracts are not promptly filed away. I imagined she would have exploded right there.
Yet strangely, she showed exceptional tolerance for this roommate. It’s as if she didn’t even see the mess. She called her roommate over for the meal while listening to the silly girl chat about her day, then brought her to wash hands before the meal, all without a word of reproach or irritation. It’s really as if she has adopted a pet at home!!!
They say caring for a pet can relieve anxiety and increase patience and affection. I may not have time for a pet, but I feel having a roommate serves similar purposes. People need companionship after all! I’m now considering whether to move out and rent a shared flat, and find a roommate as well.]
...
“Did you refer Zhou Fang to her internship?”
Qin Wei asked during the meal.
“Then let me thank you on her behalf...”
“No need.”
Qiao Sixiao smiled back.
“We just happened to lack an editing intern, her major fits, and we wouldn’t have taken her if she didn’t perform. She worked hard on her own efforts. Her previous works may seem a bit immature but demonstrated basic skills. She’s also very sincere.”
Teacher Qiao rarely compliments others, so she must have a good impression of Zhou Fang.
“Of course, Little Zhou is your diehard fan. She’s only grasped the basics like Photoshop, PR, and After Effects. More importantly, she knows more about your career than you do yourself probably.”
After saying this, Qin Wei glanced at her watch again,
“I should stop distracting you now. I have homework to do. I finished my English assignment while waiting for your return earlier. Now I need to review notes and write some kind of review for the movie...I think?”
She stood up and walked to the dining table. But before sitting down, she turned to remind Qiao Sixiao:
“Once you finish eating, don’t worry about me. Just focus on your own stuff. I’ll load the dishes into the washer myself later and tidy things up. No need to help.”
“Huh?”
Qiao Sixiao was slightly surprised.
“Why are you suddenly so enlightened? You used to ask me to hire housekeeping and throw little tantrums, didn’t you?”
“Pfft! I’ll handle the small chores that I can, so I don’t annoy you as much and can stop worrying about you kicking me out everyday...”
said Qin Wei as she rummaged through the pile of books for her glasses.
Qiao Sixiao shook her head with a smile:
“Do I seem that heartless?”
Qin Wei laughed straight out:
“Have you perhaps forgotten that on a dark windy night, you told me – get out of the car, roll away, it’s time? I kept thinking, how can this good-looking woman have such terrible temper? It was such a trivial thing, yet you abandoned me just like that? The more I thought about it, the sadder I felt. I got abandoned again.”
Qiao Sixiao quickly recalled the incident upon hearing it mentioned. She had been very angry at Qin Wei for regifting a book she had given her, and made her get out of the car.
“But after I saw you trudging for a stretch and eventually getting into a cab at the intersection instead of going straight home...I didn’t abandon you. I just felt you were too nonchalant...” Qiao Sixiao said. Then a doubt struck her mind suddenly –
“But what does ‘again abandoned’ mean?”
Qin Wei lowered her eyes:
“I’m an orphan with no parents...”
“Ah?”
“See, you actually half-believed that?”
Seeing her complicated expression, Qin Wei was happy to have fooled her, and decided to stop teasing. She picked up her pen to continue reading:
“I’ll stop messing with you. There’s freshly brewed flower tea on the balcony table, go try it. I need to do my homework and sleep early tonight. Got a weird class tomorrow.”
“Weird class?”
“Yup~ I'd never have thought math is also categorized as 3-6-9 and so on!”
