After Writing a Story for My Husband and Brother

The three key elements of the "Youth Competition" section of the current Lan Ting Drama Festival are "museum, red dress, and horsefly". 

Yu Cheng is hidden in the darkness of the theatre, focusing on the stage. 

They represent the freshest blood of theatrical art, constantly exploring, experimenting repeatedly, and boldly presenting their understanding of drama. 

With passion, softness, and sincerity. 

It is not until the end of all the performances that Yu Cheng shifts focus from the stage to the judge's seat where Zhong Shao sits. He remains seated, his relaxed suit silhouette exuding tolerance yet sharpness. Yu Cheng can imagine Zhong Shao's expression at this moment, with his somewhat unchanging facial expressions, but deeply focused. 

Zhong Shao emerges from Theater Hall 3 late at night, while Yu Cheng sits at the coffee bar set up inside the theatre. 

The two of them instinctively hold hands, blending into the night. 

"What did you have for dinner tonight?" 

Like any ordinary couple, they talk about the trivialities of life when they can't see each other temporarily. 

"Lamb noodles, and I had a bit of Baijiu." Both are specialities of Lanting. 

Zhong Shao's lips curve slightly, "Coincidentally, I had lamb noodles for lunch too." 

"You have to eat lamb in winter to keep warm." 

"Don't you eat it normally?" Zhong Shao asks. 

"Lamb is difficult to cook, if not done well, it tastes very gamey." Zhong Shao looked understanding, "I'll study and add a new dish for your New Year." 

The two then continue chatting, sometimes about nothing in particular, as they stroll along the winding paths and talk about the drama festival.

Yu Cheng attended the premiere of "Waiting for Godot" today, as well as several experimental plays in the small theatre. 

Since its debut in 1953, this "anti-traditional" absurd play utilises "repeated single acts" to illustrate the different deconstructive ways of "Godot" for each individual. 

"We are propelled into this era and world, unable to retreat, desiring anticipation, and longing to uncover the mystery of existence, only to realise in the repetitive and inexplicable hustles, that life actually has no answers, only helplessly waiting, long and meaningless, ultimately in vain." Yu Cheng sincerely shared his feelings with Zhong Shao, "I have experienced such times in my life as well, but now I have a career I love, people I care for, no longer waiting for Godot." 

His gaze forward turned sideways when mentioning "love," eyes filled with joy, like a young lad who has just learned about love. 

It was a photo that made him known on the internet for the first time, leading to an invitation to participate in a talent show, unaware at the time of the vast difference between this path and the one he wanted to take, even lacking the opportunity to choose at one point. Fortunately, there were also glories, endured through the lows, continuing to advance along the path of performance. 

Zhong Shao paused, the joy in his pitch-black eyes thicker than the night, mirroring the same joy as Yu Cheng. "Just love?" with a hint of temptation in the stickiness, without waiting for Yucheng's response, Zhong Shao added, "In my current life, there are things I want to do and a partner who fills much more than just love." 

"Not just love, but a love greater than love," Yu Cheng replied, "surpassing all the love in the entire world's dictionaries." 

Rarely speaking of love between them, yet painting love out as a rainbow. 

Tonight, with no moonlight, their silhouettes still lingered on the slate ground.

The bathroom glass was misty, a palm print on the mirror, intertwined with deep breaths. Exhausting the excess energy after the lamb nourishment, the two lay on the bed, with Zhong Shao's hand playing with his finger bones, slipping through the gaps between Yu Cheng's fingers. 

As the warmth lingered, Yu Cheng suddenly asked, "Zhong Shao, have you temporarily figured out why you perform?" 

With their fingers entwined, Zhong Shao's breath slipped to Yu Cheng's hair ends, making the nape itch slightly. 

"How did you guess?" he inquired.

Feeling Zhong Shao's strong heartbeat on his shoulder blades, Yu Cheng continued, "When filming 'Same Or Not,' you said you have treated acting as a job for these years." 

Zhong Shao responded with an acknowledging sound, prompting Yu Cheng to add, "Although you never explicitly stated it, I can feel that the thrill you experience from acting, you seem to have found it here."

Yu Cheng firmly believed that what Zhong Shao wanted to do was related to acting, not WAT. It wasn't because matters related to WAT were not what Zhong Shao wanted to do, but because acting had always been his focus. 

However, passionate about acting and treating it as a job held different meanings. These days, Yu Cheng could sense Zhong Shao's subtle changes more clearly than anyone. 

Zhong Shao's eyes always had a glint, but these days, Yu Cheng saw a fervour in his gaze, a fervour he was familiar with, ignited by passion.

"You know me, Yu Cheng," Zhong Shao chuckled softly, rolling over and placing his hand, which slipped through Yucheng's fingers, under his own neck. 

"After 17,I rarely went to the theatre to watch plays. Later, taking over WAT left me even less time, so the home theatre replaced the immersive experience of live theatre. Over time, I almost forgot what it felt like to watch a live performance."

It wasn't about an actor finishing a scene and not being able to detach from the character and emotions, but about immersing oneself continuously in a role and story until the curtain falls. 

In every stage performance, actors need to be emotionally charged, with exaggerated body movements, requiring not just technical skills but also a sincere dedication to the theatrical stage. 

"In this past month, I have been in this continuous dramatic relationship. I watched all the video recordings of the actors in the competition, feeling a connection to the continuity of drama through the screen, not much different from film and television. But these days, the theatre actors appeared vividly in front of me, and suddenly I understood that I would treat acting as a profession. If I can't find that exhilarating feeling of acting, it's not that I'm less committed to acting, but rather, after a long time, I have had less interaction with life, to the point where I took it for granted."

This wasn't the first time Zhong Shao had such a feeling. Once unclear, now clear in his mind. 

At seventeen, he acted for the first time, then moved out of his aunt's house to live alone. Besides work, the apartment's media room was probably the place where he spent the most time.

If one lacks a sense of devotion to life, those subtle nuances become somewhat elusive. 

Whether in film or on stage, acting is always a collective activity, interpreting stories and characters, expressing life through story details. 

To experience life, you don't necessarily have to start from hardship and setbacks; those ordinary daily routines and trivialities converge to form life's moments. 

Profound memories are not only made in tumultuous times; ordinary lives are also significant. 

Yu Cheng did not comment on Zhong Shao's sentiments and confessions; he just embraced his waist, whispering, "When shall we visit Yiyi together?"

The theatre festival continues to thrive, integrating drama into space as well as other art forms and aesthetics of life. The cultural revival, remaining fresh through the ages, whether it can last for a hundred years remains uncertain. However, the festival's preservation of artistic purity, continuous content innovation, and iterative forms serve as a vital gateway for Langting Theatre Festival and global theater exchanges.

The day before the closing ceremony and award presentation, Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng were enjoying an experimental silent play in a small theatre when the official selection list for the main competition unit was announced. The documentary "Divergence" made it to the selection. 

Shortly after the official announcement, film media revealed that Zhong Shao was one of the producers of the film.

Founded in 1972, this film festival has often been ridiculed by European media as "the Cannes International Film Festival's most feared competitor." 

Since its inception, the festival has been propelled forward by values such as "independence," "rebellion," "experimentation," and "innovation." It advocates for individualism and youthful energy, opposes standards, embraces various styles, and considers every attempt as a possibility in filmmaking. 

The first international director award in Lu Cheng came from Rotterdam. 

This illustrates the overall strategic direction of the creators of "Divergence."