Chapter 184 - Crossroad
As per the daily routine, just as the lunch hour came around, Raelle walked over to the sitting area in her office and set up her iPad on the low coffee table before her. She had just settled before the camera and Shui Xian had just accepted the call when the scene of Hyson throwing his jacket on Raelle's head came before his eyes.
He didn't even hear Hyson's voice since his eyes were focused on how his wife didn't even find this action surprising. In fact, Raelle even pulled down the jacket from her head and neatly folded it before placing it on the side. Then she lifted her hand to fix her hair.
"Is that Yue Fai?" inquired Shui Xian.
Hearing Shui Xian's voice, Hyson looked around and focused his eyes on Raelle who replied, "You can just consider him the part of the background. Really not important!"
Hyson scoffed at her words before he came behind her sofa and placed her hand on the side of her head before pushing her away and jumping over the sofa to sit beside her. He looked at the video call running and grinned, "Hi, Xian Ge!"
Shui Xian greeted him and asked him about his health before telling him, "Just this morning my dear wife was telling me that you seemed to have disappeared."
"Wow!" Hyson placed his hand on Raelle's head and rubbed it. "So, you really missed me."
Raelle pinched his thigh making him groan as she said, "Did that hurt?"
"Of course, it did!" retorted Hyson while glaring at her.
"That pain is a reminder that you should stop dreaming in the daytime."
Hyson grumbled under his breath but didn't say anything to her. After all, he knew she missed him. He'd just assume she was shy about saying it out loud. So, as always, he'd be the bigger person and just let it be.
Hyson rubbed his thigh where she pinched really hard as he said, "Well, you are soon gonna miss me even more!"
"I have better things to do," replied Raelle.
Hyson laughed out loud at her reaction, "Ellie, has there ever been a time when I said you'd do something and you didn't do it? No! Do you know why?" Raelle didn't reply as she continued to look at his face. "That's because I know which wire of yours to poke. I also know which wire can create a spark. I'm just one step away from learning how to create short-circuit!"
Shui Xian's lips twitched at Hyson's remarks, "Yue Fai, you're talking about my wife. Not about a bloody circuit!"
"Is there a difference?" Hyson shot back as he turned his eyes towards Shui Xian. "I don't see any!"
Shui Xian shook his head at him, "Anyway, I almost forgot... Congratulations! I heard you passed the audition!"
Shui Xian thought he'd see Hyson's excited look but instead, Hyson surprised him with a bland reaction as he perfunctory replied, "Thank you, Xian Ge!"
"What's with that reaction?" wondered Shui Xian. "Shouldn't you be happy?"
"I am happy but more than that, I'm distressed," answered Hyson honestly. He leaned his head on Raelle's shoulder saying, "Ellie, I have to join the crew in a few days. We'll be traveling for months. I might not even get the time to meet you. Don't forget to miss me. You can't forget me just because I'm not around."
"As if you'll let me forget you," responded Raelle with no visible change in her.
"That's true! I won't forget to remind you of my existence every single day." Hyson's words were more like a promise that he just made to himself. And Raelle knew this idiot was gonna do exactly what he just said. But it's not like she minds it.
Yes, perhaps she won't look forward to his daily 'reminder' of his existence but she obviously wasn't gonna forget him just because he was going to be busy with work.
"Huh? Don't they usually take months before preparing everything for the shooting? How come you're joining the crew so soon?" questioned Shui Xian.
"Apparently, the movie's preparations had begun over six months ago. They just couldn't find someone for the role of 'Yang Anyu.' That's why the shoot got delayed until now. But now since I've been selected, the director wants to start working. Besides, we have to spend two weeks with the entire cast to get familiar with each other before starting the shoot."
"It must be hard on you," said Shui Xian. "Hang in there. We are rooting for you."
Hyson's lips curved up at that, "Xian Ge, I'm not scared of working hard. That's also not why I'm distressed. It's the character I'm about to play that's burning my brain cells."
"Since when did you have brain cells?"
Hyson glanced at his best friend, "Elle, I'm serious."
"Okay, then let me know why your remaining brain cells are burning?"
"I've read the script over ten times," began Hyson. "However, I'm still unable to find a connection with the character I'm about to play."
"Why?"
"Yang Anyu's character can be summed up in two sentences; one, he was crazy. Two, he did everything for love." He looked up at Shui Xian, "Xian Ge, he and I have a very different character. There is no connection. So, it's a little difficult for me to find a common ground."
"Yue Fai, I don't find it that complicated though. Anyone in love is already considered crazy. Because love in itself is crazy. If someone claims to be sane while being in love then certainly, they are either not in love or they are lying. And since love is crazy, it makes us do crazy stuff as well. When you're in love, all of your actions are based on that love. That's why I don't think that character is that difficult to understand."
Hyson listened to Shui Xian in silence and even repeated his words in his mind to learn from them. Since he had been studying hard lately, he focused on every single piece of advice he received these days. And apparently, everyone around him was giving him advice these days. Except from the person sitting right beside him.
Even now Raelle was too quiet. Although she was always quiet, she had never been quiet around him. So, he found it strange but didn't point it out.
"Xian Ge, can love really justify hurting someone?"
Shui Xian shook his head, "No. Absolutely not. Love can never be a justification. In fact, when love in itself never needed a justification why would it need to justify anything else."
"Then why do people do inexplainable things in the name of love?" Hyson questioned with knitted brows.
Shui Xian took a deep breath, "When people are in love, they often find themselves at a crossroad. A crossroad between sanity and insanity. Love is like that thread that lies between two passionate sides of a human. Some choose to follow the dark side and let that twisted darkness consume them. Or they choose to follow the passionate side and yet again let themselves get consumed."
Hyson nodded his head as if he understood and even said out, "I finally understand it."
"What did you understand?" The question came from Raelle who had been silently listening until now.
"I understand that you're always right," replied Hyson as he stared at Raelle's face. "You said love is an emotion of destruction. It destroys the ability to be rational. It consumes your senses and makes you dependent."
"It took you years to understand that," said Raelle. "I thought you might have to fall in love before understanding all that."
"Maybe Yue Fai you should fall in love to understand it better," Shui Xian also suggested.
Hyson made a face, "Xian Ge, since you're part of the family now, I should let you know that I'm asexual."
Shui Xian paused for a minute when he heard that before he came back to himself and said, "Your sexuality has nothing to do with falling in love. Just because you don't feel attracted to someone doesn't mean you can't find a connection with someone."
"I know that," said Hyson. "I've been told. However, I have felt two types of attractions in life. One is emotional and the other is platonic. Both of those were given by the same person and it just so happens that the person is currently sitting right by my side." Shui Xian raised his brow while Hyson wrapped in arm around Raelle's shoulder and pulled her close saying, "She is the one! I only felt emotionally attracted to her when we met. And later, it grew into a platonic attraction. Look at her! She is the most gorgeous person I've ever met and I work in the dazzling entertainment industry. And yet, I've never felt anything for her."
"And yet you call me a soulmate!"
"That's because you are my soulmate!" Hyson's reply was as cheeky as always with his grin.