— Kak Xiao Yun, aktingmu tadi benar-benar luar biasa! Aku bisa merasakan semua emosinya sampe ke dada — kata Zheng Xiaojue sambil memandang Zhou Yun dengan mata berbinar, jelas terkesan.
— Kamu benar-benar merasa aktingku bagus? — tanya Zhou Yun.
— Benar! Bukan aku saja, semua orang kagum dengan aktingmu — jawab Zheng Xiaojue. Aku bahkan dengar operator kamera seseorang memuji kamu dengan semangat.
Zhou Yun tersenyum bahagia. — Aku memang benar menikmati saat memerankan adegan itu.
Zheng Xiaojue berseru, — Astaghfirullah, Kak Xiao Yun, kamu sebelum-sebelumnya gak pernah ikut kelas akting, gimana bisa aktingnya nggak kalah bagus?
— Pak Lei dulu pernah bilang samaaku suatu hal; seorang pemain aktris sebenarnya melakukan tiga hal: pertama, berikan yang terbaik; kedua, lupakan dirimu sendiri; ketiga, jadilah seseorang yang lain — terang Zhou Yun. Cukup ikuti situasi dengan tulus dan reagapun secara autentik, itu sudah cukup.
Zheng Xiaojue mengangguk. — Kak Xiao Yun, kamu pasti bisa menang Penghargaan Aktris Terbaik.
— Aku juga berharap begitu, tapi lumayan sulit; banyak pemain wanita yang bagus — Zhou Yun menghela napas dalam. Belum tahu kapan harapanku akan terwujud.
— Kamu pasti bisa — Zheng Xiaojue menegaskan.
Ekspresi yakinnya sungguh mempercayai bahwa Zhou Yun pasti akan berdiri di podium penghargaan.
Setelah dudah di ruang istirahat sebentar, tiba-tiba Sutradara Cong meng ketuk pintu dan masuk ke loungenya.
— Sutradara Cong, ada yang bisa aku bantu? — bangun segera Zhou Yun.
Sutradara Cong menegaskan dengan tangannya agar duduk dan jangan terlalu kaku.
— Aktingmu selama dua hari terakhir semakin membaik, seolah dikaruniakan ilham ilahi — mulainya pujian Sutradara Cong.
Zhou Yun sedikit malu; meskipun senang di dalam, otot-ototnya pasti akan cenderung canggung saat dipuji oleh sutradara.
— Terima kasih, Sutradara — kata Zhou Yun. Aku rasa masih ada banyak yang bisa aku perbaiki.
Sutradara Cong tak lagi muda, wajahnya dipenuhi garis-garis kedal. Meskipun begitu, matanya tetap lembut penuh kehangatan seorang sesepuh yang baik.
Pandangan seperti itu bisa menenangkan orang.
— Baru-baru ini konflik online kamu dengan Xu Siyao cukup seru. Apakah hal itu memengaruhi suasana hatimu? — tanya Sutradara Cong.
— Tidak terlalu, tidak — jawab Zhou Yun sambil menggeliang pelan.
— Xu Siyao masih muda; semua emosinya langsung nongol di wajahnya, lumayan mirip dengan karakter Wan Yu.
— Sutradara Cong, aku juga masih muda — kata Zhou Yun dengan nada yang agak memancing.
Sutradara Cong tersenyum lebar. — Kamu memang masih muda, tapi terlalu kalem, bisa membuat orang lupa bahwa kamu masih muda. Inilah sebabnya kamu banyak orang penasaran.
— Sutradara Cong, aku hanya ingin akting dengan baik. Setelah ini selesai, aku rencana ingin pulang — menghela napas ringan Zhou Yun. Tapi sepertinya tidak semudah yang kukira untuk diam-diam saja.
— Tidak ada hal seperti 'diam-diam saja' — ucap Sutradara Cong. Dulu waktu kecil, aku juga pernah berpikir seperti kamu, tapi lama-kelamaan aku sadar, pemikiran seperti itu hanya tipikal orang muda. Sekarang pun, apakah di kru, perusahaan, atau hubungan keluarga, kita tak bisa melepaskan diri dari belantara jaringan interpersonal dan sosial; banyak yang harus kita atur kecuali benar-benar memutuskan diri sepenuhnya dari dunia luar.
Zhou Yun tersenyum.
— Aku dapat pelajaran baru.
— Tidak hanya kamu — tambah Sutradara Cong.
Zhou Yun diam saja.
— Untuk karakter Dingfengbo ini, sampai sekarang aku cukup puas dengan hasilnya. Naskahnya bagus dan jelas sudah disusun dengan baik. Yang terbesar kupedulikan adalah jika ada pemain yang tidak mengerti drama bisa merusaknya. Aku dulu pikir akanhancur, untungnya kalian semua pemain muda yang cukup mampu, jadi aku tak mau biar main bagusnya terbuang sia-sia.
— Sutradara, aku mengerti apa yang kamu maksud.
Sutradara Cong lanjut. — Aku bukan kamu dan bukan dia. Sebagai seorang sutradara, aku cuma ingin memberi pendapat. Apakah kamu mau mengambilnya atau tidak, sepenuhnya kamu putuskan. Xu Siyao dan aku sudah bicara sama; pada akhirnya, ini urusanmu sendiri.
Zhou Yun diam lagi.
— Kamu sebaiknya istirahat dulu.
Sutradara Cong pergi.
Tak ada hal di dunia ini lebih penting dari paduan seni ini.
Setelah beberapa saat berjuang, Zhou Yun akhirnya tidak bisa menahan rasa bersalahnya dan pergi ke ruangan ganti Xu Siyao.
— Ada yang datang — ketuk pintu.
Suara Xu Siyao yang nganti-ngantuk keluar dari balik pintu.
— Aku — jawab Zhou Yun.
Beberapa detik hening mengikuti dari dalam, bersama suara dorong-dorong dan langkah kaki.
Wajah Xu Siyao muncul di balik pintu terbuka, penuh waspada, menjauh, jijik—semua emosi tertulis jelas di wajahnya.
— Tidak ada gunanya berusaha, kamu tetap seorang pemain profesional kan?
— Aku pernah belajar akting selama empat tahun, kamu sendiri?
Tangan Xu Siyao mengangkat tegak, mencengkeram bibirnya. — Kamu pikir aku akan menyerah? Jangan khianati diri sendiri. Aku berkata, aku pasti tidak akan akui dominomu. Jangan pikir karena melakukan ini, semua orang akan mencemili aku lalu mengusirku pergi.
— Aku tidak tahu mengapa kamu begitu permusuhanjakan aku.
— Tentu saja kamu tidak tahu — Xu Siyao menutup pintu keras.
Lemparan pintu itu mengena Zhou Yun seperti angin panas, menyalakan api di hatinya.
Cukuplah, mari kita lihat siapa yang benar-benar bersalah nanti. Zhou Yun berhenti berusaha menjaga damai. Situasinya tak bisa diatur, dan orang juga tak bisa diubah. Ia hanya bisa jujur pada dirinya sendiri.
Namun secara misterius, dalam beberapa hari berikutnya, Xu Siyao berhenti memprovokasi Zhou Yun. Ia hanya mengisi adegan saat ada adegan, dan tinggal di ruang ganti saat tidak ada adegan, tidak lagi memilih-milih di luar sana untuk menyebabkan masalah.
Masalah 'Dingfengbo' beralih ke sisi lain, dan suasana tegang di antara pemain-pemain seolah-olah larut seperti terbang oleh angin.
Perbandingan sederhana, seperti daun-daun yang ditinggalkan Li Ci, Zhou Yun, dan Xu Siyao terasa remeh.
KecamanXu Siyao di dunia maya perlahan meletup, sementara penghaters Zhou Yun tetap aktif. Untungnya, Zhou Lan selalu memantau sentiment online, menjaga agar segalanya tetap wajar.
Ragam yang mendominasi setengah pertama tahun ini melibatkan Song Chi, Zhou Yun, dan Xu Siyao perlahan menjadi halus nan kecil, tersembunyi dalam kebingungan sejenak.
Saat musim panas tiba, gelombang panas pun datang.
Hari itu, Zhou Yun menerima undangan dari Chen Ting dan Ren Sumin untuk makan malam pribadi tiap-tiapnya, yang dijadwalkan pada 20 Juni, meminta kehadirannya.
"Sister Xiao Yun, your performance just now was amazing! I could totally empathize while watching you," Zheng Xiaojue admiringly said to Zhou Yun with starry eyes, clearly in awe of Zhou Yun’s recent act.
"Do you really think I performed well?" Zhou Yun asked.
"Really! Not just me, everyone was shocked by your performance," Zheng Xiaojue replied. "I even heard the cameraman quietly praising you as awesome."
Zhou Yun smiled happily and said, "I really enjoyed acting it out myself."
Zheng Xiaojue exclaimed, "It’s really amazing, Sister Xiao Yun, you haven’t even taken any acting training classes, how can you perform so well?"
"Mr. Lei once told me something; an actor actually does three things: first, go all out; second, forget oneself; and third, become someone else," Zhou Yun explained. "Just immerse yourself completely in the situation and react as authentically as possible, and that’s enough."
Zheng Xiaojue nodded and said, "Sister Xiao Yun, you can definitely win Best Actress."
"I hope so too, but it’s quite challenging; there are many talented actresses," Zhou Yun sighed deeply, "No idea when that hope will ever come true."
Zheng Xiaojue said, "You definitely can."
Her utterly confident expression genuinely believed that Zhou Yun would surely stand on that award podium.
After staying in the break room for a while, suddenly, Director Cong knocked on the door and entered her lounge.
"Director Cong, are you looking for me?" Zhou Yun stood up immediately.
Director Cong gestured with his hand, signaling her to sit down and not be so formal.
"Your performance has been improving over the last two days, as if divinely inspired," Director Cong started with a compliment.
Zhou Yun felt a bit embarrassed; even if she felt happy inside, her muscles would still habitually become shy in response to the director’s praise.
"Thank you, Director," Zhou Yun said. "I think I still have a lot of room for improvement."
Director Cong is no longer young, and his face shows signs of fatigue from long hours of intense work, but his eyes are still gentle with a kind elder’s warmth.
Such a gaze could calm people down.
"Recently your online rift with Xu Siyao has been quite heated. Has it affected your mood?" asked Director Cong.
Zhou Yun shook her head and said, "Not really, no."
Director Cong remarked, "Xu Siyao is a young girl; everything shows on her face, which is quite similar to the character Wan Yu."
"Director Cong, I am also a young girl," said Zhou Yun with a slight coquettish tone.
Director Cong casually revealed a warm smile and said, "You are a young girl, but you are too composed, which might make people forget that you are a young girl. That’s why this time, you’ve left many people feeling bewildered."
"Director Cong, I just want to act well. After finishing the filming, I plan to leave the crew," Zhou Yun sighed lightly. "But it seems not so easy to just mind my own business."
"There is no such thing as minding only your own business," Director Cong said. "When I was young, I had similar thoughts like yours, but later I gradually realized, such ideas are only young people’s thoughts. It’s not possible to isolate oneself, whether in the crew, the company, or in familial relationships, you are tangled in countless interpersonal and social connections; you have a lot to manage unless you completely disconnect from the outside world."
Zhou Yun smiled.
"I’ve had another lesson."
"With the current state between you and Xu Siyao, it actually benefits the characters you two are playing, but later on, Zhang Hua and Wan Yu are supposed to become friends. You can act as enemies, but can you portray good friends?" asked Director Cong.
Zhou Yun thought for a moment and said, "I’ll try not to let my subjective emotions interfere."
"Not just you," added Director Cong.
Zhou Yun remained silent.
Director Cong said, "For ’Dingfengbo’, up to now, I’m relatively satisfied with it myself. The script is well-written and obviously refined. My biggest fear is having actors who don’t understand drama ruin it. I thought it was going to be ruined, but fortunately, you all are capable young actors, so I felt it would be a pity to let a good play go to waste."
"Director, I understand what you mean."
Director Cong continued, "I’m neither you nor her. Just as a director, I want to put in my two cents. Whether you take this to heart is up to you. Xu Siyao and I have said the same; ultimately, it’s your own business."
Zhou Yun remained silent once more.
"You should rest first."
Director Cong left.
Nothing in the world is more important than the play.
After a moment of struggle, Zhou Yun couldn’t overcome her conscience and walked to Xu Siyao’s dressing room.
She knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Xu Siyao’s impatient voice came from behind the door.
Even through the door, the irritation in Xu Siyao’s words was palpable.
"It’s me," Zhou Yun spoke.
A few seconds of silence followed from inside, with a dragging sound and then footsteps.
Xu Siyao’s face appeared from behind the opened door, filled with wariness, distancing, disgust—emotions clearly written all over it.
Zhou Yun said, "Regardless, you are a professional actress, right?"
Xu Siyao lifted her chin and curled her lip, "I attended an acting school for four years, what about you?"
"Since you’re a professional actress, no matter what, keep acting as you should. If the play is good, we both benefit. If not, both of us lose face. What do you think?" Zhou Yun asked.
"What do you think?" Xu Siyao looked at Zhou Yun contemptuously, "You think I will quit? Keep dreaming. I’m telling you, I absolutely won’t submit to your oppression. Don’t think by doing this and having everyone scorn me, that I will be driven away."
Zhou Yun said, "I don’t know why you’re so hostile towards me."
"Of course, you don’t know," Xu Siyao slammed the door shut.
The door slam hit Zhou Yun like a gust of wind, igniting a fire in her heart.
No chance for communication, to hell with it.
Zhou Yun stopped trying to keep the peace. The situation couldn’t be calmed, nor could the people. She could only be true to herself.
However, inexplicably, over the next few days, Xu Siyao stopped provoking Zhou Yun altogether. She would act when there was a scene, and stay in her dressing room when there wasn’t, no longer picking and choosing outside, causing trouble.
The trouble with ’Dingfengbo’ shifted, and the tense atmosphere among the actors seemed to have dissipated like it was blown away by the wind.
In comparison, the occasional leaves taken by Li Ci, Zhou Yun, and Xu Siyao seemed minor.
The condemnation of Xu Siyao online gradually cooled down, while Zhou Yun’s haters continued to be active. Luckily, Zhou Lan was always monitoring the sentiments online, keeping everything within bounds.
The buzz that dominated the first half of the year involving Song Chi, Zhou Yun, and Xu Siyao gradually subsided online, crawling into obscurity for the time being.
As summer arrived, heatwaves rolled in.
That day, Zhou Yun received invitations from both Chen Ting and Ren Sumin for a private dinner each, scheduled for June 20th, asking her to attend.
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!