The Best Director

Outside the gates of Flames-Films, Wang Yang looked up at the sign hanging above and the company logo beside it, wearing a soft smile as he said, “This is my company.”

Harry George, wearing a cap, similarly looked up and said, “I know, I’ve known for a while. But…” His chubby face turned serious as he added, “Buddy, from the perspective of a photographer like myself, your company logo is a total mess. Just the flame would’ve been enough, why add a moth and a butterfly? It’s too confusing!” He spread his hands and furrowed his brows, saying, “It’s like someone ordered fries, but then they also get a burger and a cola on the plate! That’s too much!”

“Looks like you really miss McDonald’s!” Wang Yang replied with a not-so- pleased expression, then shrugged, “Besides, isn’t that great? Getting a burger and cola with the fries.” Harry shook his head disdainfully, “Not good at all, it’s those coupons that made me a fat man.” Wang Yang rolled his eyes, “Coupons or not, you’d still be fat. Alright, forget about the logo, come with me!” And with that, he headed into the company.

Harry followed him, curiously observing the surroundings and incessantly babbling, “Hey, why did you bring me here? Tell me…”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Wang,” the company’s receptionist Aurore Lally greeted with a smile as Wang Yang walked in. Wang Yang nodded and smiled back, “Good afternoon, Aurore.” Seeing the beautiful Aurore Lally, Harry’s eyes lit up. He approached and extended his hand, “Oh, hello hello, my name is Harry George, can I get to know you?” Aurore Lally shook his hand and smiled, “Aurore Lally.”

“Hey, fatty!” Wang Yang called out from ahead. Harry reluctantly let go of Aurore Lally’s hand and hurried after Wang Yang, his chubby cheeks jiggling as he wondered, “Where are we going?”

Wang Yang led the big man past the busy offices and down a hallway until they reached a storage room. Pulling out a key, Wang Yang unlocked the door. The room was pitch dark inside, so he stepped in and, with a smile to Harry George standing behind, said, “Watch closely, Harry!” With a click, he turned on the strip lights, and the storage room was filled with brightness.

Harry’s eyes immediately widened, staring at the items in the room, he uttered in amazement, “Wow…”

“Wow…” Wang Yang echoed softly, satisfaction filling his gaze.

This storage room was specifically for holding the film equipment, and all the basic gear needed for “High School Musical” had already been rented by the company. They were neatly arranged here: the glossy black 35mm film cameras, sound microphone dolly tracks, soft lights, reflectors… and there were boxes of blank film stacked in the corner, ready to become scenes of a movie at any moment.

“See that?” Wang Yang looked at Harry, walked over to the film camera, and said as he did so, “Everything’s set, the actors have been found, the crew’s been assembled, and the equipment is ready. In a few days, once the location is secured and Thanksgiving is over, we’ll start shooting ‘High School Musical’.” He fiddled with the film camera and looked through its viewfinder, feeling a rush of excitement as he exclaimed, “Harry, this isn’t a DV film, this is a real, genuine film production! I’m about to become a real director, my dream is about to come true.”

Harry George silently nodded, his chubby face breaking into a congratulatory smile, “Wang, you’re doing great.”

“Thanks.” Wang Yang laughed, then called out to him, “Buddy, come over here! What are you standing there for, come here.” Harry looked at the film camera, his heart racing, and walked over slowly. Wang Yang patted the film camera in front of him and said with a smile to the big man, “Don’t you want to touch it?”

“I can touch it?!” Harry’s eyes widened, and upon seeing Wang Yang nod with a smile, he suddenly felt awkward. He wiped his hand on his T-shirt several times before shakily extending it towards the camera body. As soon as his hand touched the camera, it recoiled as if electrocuted, he gasped, “Oh, my God, my God…”

He reached out trembling again, touching the lens hood, the film magazine, and other parts of the camera, his face turning red as if caressing a lover. Speaking softly to the camera, he murmured, “God, oh crazy… Sweetheart, why are you so cute, oh my God…”

“Yes, it’s adorable, beautiful, and drives people crazy,” Wang Yang said empathetically. He stepped aside, letting Harry George take a position behind the camera. The hefty man gripped the camera’s direction handle with one hand and supported the body with the other, his face filled with obsession, as if he were currently shooting a film and he was the cinematographer. Suddenly, he heard Wang Yang say, “My photography team needs a gopher, and maybe you can do some assistant work too. Will you join us?”

At these words, Harry trembled all over. He turned his head to look at Wang Yang, pointed incredulously at himself, and exclaimed, “Oh my God, am I hearing this right? You’re hiring me?!” Wang Yang shrugged and laughed, “I think you heard correctly.” Harry’s breathing quickened, and with flushed face and ears he said, “Buddy, do you think I can do it?”

“Harry, never tell yourself that you can’t,” Wang Yang said seriously. He looked at Harry’s dumbfounded face, spread his hands, and laughed, “Come on! James Cameron went from being a truck driver to a director who made the whole world go crazy. Askyourself, why can’t I go from a McDonald’s server to the best cinematographer? Remember what’s written on your business card? ‘Cinematographer Harry George’! You’re a cinematographer, which is a change already; you will become a film cinematographer, as success lies in human endeavor!”

Harry’s breath grew heavier, and the light in his eyes brighter. Wang Yang smiled and said, “Harry, Wally Pfister will be the cinematographer for ‘High School Musical,’ and he said you have great potential. He’s already agreed to let you be his gopher assistant, but he mentioned you need to lose weight.”

“I will lose it!” Harry suddenly jumped up, hugged Wang Yang, his eyes red and voice incoherent with excitement as he shouted, “Yang, I love you to death, you’re incredible, you are the best friend, you really are something…”

Wang Yang reluctantly embraced his hefty body, listening to the fatty’s enthusiastic words. In his ear faintly echoed another voice filled with resentment, “You’re certainly going to fail! We are such people, losers, failures! Failure! Failure! Failure…” He laughed to himself. Harry, do you understand? That is what symbolism means; we’re not naturally beautiful butterflies. Maybe we were once losers, but through transformation, through the baptism of fire, we will become even more beautiful than butterflies!

“Harry, you are something too!” Wang Yang patted Harry’s shoulder, his face beaming with a happy smile.

After signing the contract, Wally Pfister officially became the cinematographer for ‘High School Musical,’ and Harry George also landed a job as a photography team gopher. With the cinematographer in place, the crew’s setup was nearly complete, and everything was ready; a few days later, the company also secured the necessary shooting location—East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah.

It was the original filming location. This choice was made not only for ease of camera setup and control but also because the school’s geographical environment, surrounded by mountains on all sides, could produce excellent film effects.

The Flame Film Company had already arranged to transport the photographic equipment and set props; however, the crew members were not leaving yet, because Thanksgiving was coming up. After the holiday, the whole crew would head to Salt Lake City to start filming.

On Thanksgiving Day, the family gathered together to enjoy familial bliss, naturally including a lavish dinner and a delicious turkey.

In the bright room, Jessica lay on the bed humming a song and flipping through a cooking magazine. She read the section on Thanksgiving food carefully, mumbling to herself, “What food should I make? Turkey is a must, pumpkin pie, bread…” She suddenly stopped and thought, “I wonder what Yang likes to eat?” After pondering a while, she smiled and turned the page.

“Cough, cough, Jessica, there’s something I want to talk to you about!” At some point, Joshua had appeared in the corridor outside the room. His face stern, he knocked on the door that was ajar. Jessica looked up at him and said, “Just say it, I’m preparing Thanksgiving dinner here.” Joshua walked in with a somber face, pulled up a chair, and sat down, his voice grave as he said, “I’ve been thinking, and I’m afraid Yang might be gay.”

Jessica glared at him and sat up with the magazine in hand, “Don’t make such boring jokes, Joshua. That’s not funny at all!”

“It’s no joke, I’m serious.” Joshua ruffled his hair, his gaze odd as he said, “Think about Rachel’s birthday. Michael Pitt was wearing that T-shirt with the star pattern, and I remember it was Yang’s…” He added with dissatisfaction, “And during the card game, I could feel that they were always exchanging glances, so they always won!”

Jessica twisted her lips, and the reason had come out—this guy had lost at cards from start to finish last time and had been brooding over it ever since. Now he’d thought of Wang Yang as gay again. She continued browsing the magazine and waved her hand dismissively, “Enough about that. Anyway, I can assure you Wang Yang isn’t gay, I can just feel he isn’t.” She paused and then added softly, “Besides, Wang Yang used to have a girlfriend.”

“So tell me, why is he so nice to Michael Pitt then? They’re not related at all!” Joshua frowned, sounding quite serious, “Jessica, I read a book that said many homosexuals don’t know they’re homosexual at first, but as time goes on, they figure it out and start showing it… Maybe Wang Yang and his girlfriend broke up because he’s gay!”

“You’re the gay one!” Jessica rolled her eyes and explained, “Wang Yang told me that he sees himself in Michael Pitt, and he thinks Michael’s demeanor is perfect for a character—that’s the reason!” She stared at Joshua, hammering the point home, “Let’s drop it, I know that’s not the case, understand?!”

Joshua shrugged his shoulders, clasping the back of the chair, “OK, let’s assume Wang Yang isn’t gay, but why does he…you know.” He chuckled, a bit schadenfreude, “Even a blind person can see you’re into Wang Yang. He couldn’t possibly miss it, but he’s totally indifferent!” Jessica glared at him and gritted her teeth, while Joshua, quite smug, added, “Jessica, I’m just too experienced in love. Wang Yang’s reaction is unusual—it’s either because one, he doesn’t like you; or two, he’s gay.”

Jessica burst out laughing, closing the cooking magazine in her hands, and mocked, “Oh, so experienced—wasn’t it just once, and you got dumped!” Joshua cleared his throat, “It was twice! Anyway, I’m not a novice like you.” Jessica arched her eyebrow, unconcerned, “That’s because I don’t want to. There are plenty of people who want to be my boyfriend.” Joshua muttered, “Including Wang Yang?” Jessica picked up a pillow, pretending to throw it at him, “I don’t want to talk about this, especially not with a kid like you. Get out.’

Someone’s getting angry… Joshua stood up and started to leave. The word “boyfriend” reminded Jessica of something, and she called him back, “Come back! What’s the deal with Jack?” Joshua, turning around, was instantly puzzled, “Jack? What Jack?” Jessica’s brows furrowed, equally baffled, “Jack Frank? I don’t know, Wang Yang suddenly asked me ‘how’s Jack been lately?’ It was really strange.”

“Jack Frank? Jack?” Joshua repeated to himself, seemingly grasping at a clue. After a long thought, he finally remembered with an “Oh,” looking a bit embarrassed at Jessica, “Uhm… maybe because, you know, back then to protect you, I might have told Wang Yang that Jack was your boyfriend.”

“What?!!!” Jessica screamed, jumping off the bed, her stunning eyes filled with shock, “Jack Frank? My boyfriend!? My boyfriend!? When have I ever had a boyfriend? Damn!” She remembered Wang Yang’s hesitation that day—could he have misunderstood? Anxiety stirring, she paced a few steps and then glared back at Joshua, angrily said, “I really want to hit you! Why are you so annoying?!”

Joshua surrendered with his hands raised, “It wasn’t on purpose, I thought Wang Yang was a jerk…” Seeing Jessica about to find a weapon, he quickly added, “OK, OK, I understand what you’re worried about, but I don’t think Wang Yang will be mistaken. He attended your birthday party, and I remember Jack Frank was there too! Wang Yang could see your attitude toward Jack; he’s not dumb.”

Jessica frowned and put down the pillow. Joshua had a point—Wang Yang should have realized… Did he not like me? She immediately shook her head to dismiss the thought. She felt something was different, but could she have been wrong…?

Seeing her vacillate, Joshua couldn’t bear it. He spread his hands, “Come on, Jessica, just confess! Both my love affairs started with a direct confession, and that did it.” He looked at her earnestly, fist clenched, “Don’t you know? Some people of Chinese descent are just that reserved, we need to take the initiative!” “Ridiculous!” Jessica flatly rejected the suggestion. What would it be like to be rejected by Wang Yang? The thought alone was chilling. She remembered the depression, the pain of not receiving his letters in the past, thinking she was rejected—she didn’t want to experience that again! Plus, “High School Musical” was about to start shooting; if she got rejected, she might not be able to perform well… Thinking this, she shook her head, “No way!”

Joshua wrinkled his brow, pondering for a solution. Looking around, he suddenly caught sight of the cover of the cooking magazine, which read “What to eat for Thanksgiving?” He instantly lit up, excitedly suggesting, “I have a great idea! How about this—you invite Wang Yang to our Thanksgiving dinner, a family-style dinner. You make it clear, it’s an invitation just for him! I think he’ll get the hint, won’t he?”

“How is that any different from confessing?” Jessica asked, looking at him. Joshua confidently replied, “It’s different. The reason you invite him can just be because he’s a good friend! Why only him? You figure it out!” Frowning and pondering his words, Jessica waved him off, “Get out, don’t bother me anymore.”

Joshua shrugged and walked out of the room. As soon as he left, Jessica closed the room door, took her phone, and sat on the edge of the bed for a long while. Her heart beat fast, and after a long time, she finally exhaled, dialed Wang Yang’s number, and said with a smile, “Hey, Wang Yang, good evening!”

“Hi, Jessica,” Wang Yang said with a smile to his phone, as he sat at his desk in his bedroom, looking at a book on film directing. When he received the call from Jessica, he closed the book and started chatting with her. After a few sentences, he heard Jessica laugh and say, “You know, it’s Thanksgiving in a couple of days, will you be heading back to San Francisco?” Wang Yang shook his head and smiled, “No, I won’t be going back.” He planned to visit for the New Year instead; of course, he would make a phone call home on Thanksgiving.

Jessica tried to sound nonchalant, “Oh, I’m preparing a big Thanksgiving dinner, and I was wondering if you would like to come and join me at my place that day, is that okay?”

“Wow, of course!” Wang Yang happily accepted, responding with excitement over the phone, “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Taking a deep breath in secret, but with her heart rate stubbornly rising, Jessica suddenly called out, “Yang! Uh…” Her voice was nearly shaking as she said, “Is it okay if it’s just you coming… I’m sorry, the turkey I’ve prepared isn’t very big…”

“Oh!” Wang Yang’s heart skipped a beat, immediately realizing her real intent, and his own heart rate sped up. Listening to her suppressed breathing on the other end, he nodded seriously and said, “I understand, thank you for the invitation.”

“Then, good night!” As soon as she heard his agreement, Jessica hastily ended the call, seemingly afraid that he might suddenly change his mind and say he wouldn’t come. She exhaled, collapsing weakly onto her bed, staring at the ceiling, and a sweet, hopeful smile slowly spread across her face.

Upon hearing the dial tone, Wang Yang put down the phone and softly said, “Good night.” A lavish Thanksgiving dinner, huh… He sighed, picked up “Little Women” from his desk, turned to a page, and took out the photo that was tucked inside.

Looking at the blonde girl in the photo, Wang Yang’s face was somber as he recalled many memories, and faintly heard the sound of crying, “Yang, you jerk! I hate you! Go to hell!” That was the first and only time he saw her vulnerable side; she was always so full of character, so strong-willed, never so undone… As he looked at the girl in the photo, he murmured, “How have you been lately?”

Those sweet moments, he thought he had forgotten them all, but he hadn’t. Why did they fight? Their love was too strong, so strong they didn’t need to hide themselves from each other, and so both had revealed their true selves. They stopped considering each other’s feelings, began imposing their own standards on each other, thinking that was what’s best, and that’s when the hurtful things happened. It wasn’t that they hated each other, but that they cared too much…

As scenes seemed to flash before his eyes, Wang Yang couldn’t help but clench the photo in his hand.

“I will go to USC, I’m telling you, I will become a filmmaker.” “I don’t care about some filmmaker!” “Why don’t you like me being a filmmaker? Why!?” “It’s not that I don’t like you being a filmmaker, but you know, I’m going to Stanford’s business school, and you should go to Stanford too, that’s a better path for you!” “Screw Stanford! What do I do at Stanford, join you at business school!? Even if they accepted me, I don’t want to! I want to be a filmmaker, make movies, why can’t you support me?!” “Yang! I’m begging you, for me, please go to Stanford! Just do it for me! Do you understand, that’s the only way we can stay together… ”

“I’ll be waiting for you at Stanford…”

“No, I’ll be waiting foryou in Los Angeles!”

And then, he went to USC, received that call, and saw her vulnerable side.

Wang Yang looked at the girl in the photo, suddenly clenched his teeth, and forcefully tore the photo in half, then into quarters, and violently threw it to the ground, cursing breathlessly, “Screw Stanford! Damn it!”