usenovelgroup Chapter 73, Sign Language
Chapter 73, Sign Language
At six o'clock in the morning, the sky in Shanghai was just beginning to brighten.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a thin golden line on the floor.
The hotel room was as quiet as a vacuum-sealed capsule.
Liu Shishi was awakened by the light.
She squinted, rolled over, and reached for the empty seat next to her.
She propped herself up to sit up, her hair falling over her shoulders, and the neckline of her pajamas slipped down, revealing a section of her collarbone.
The room was dark, but the laptop screen was lit, casting a cold white light in the corner that outlined a person's silhouette.
Gao Huan sat at his desk.
He was wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and his hair was unkempt, but she still thought he was very handsome.
A sign language teaching video was playing on the computer screen. In the lower right corner, a small window showed a teacher in dark clothes making gestures. The gestures were not fast, but they were very smooth.
He watched the video at 0.75x speed, paused it, practiced it himself, watched it again, and practiced it again.
Liu Shishi remained silent.
She leaned against the headboard, quietly watching him.
His hands are beautiful, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. When he uses sign language, his movements are clean, crisp, and efficient.
Some gestures required overlapping fingers, which he performed effortlessly, reminding her of the surging waves of fingers from the previous night.
She stared for almost a minute before he realized she was awake.
Gao Huan turned his head and saw her sitting on the bed, her hair a mess, the collar of her pajamas askew, and her expression both bewildered and clean.
He stood up, walked over, bent down, and gently touched her forehead with his lips.
"Why didn't you sleep a little longer?" His voice was low and hoarse, typical of the morning.
"When did you get up?"
"5:30."
"What kind of training do we need to do?"
"We'll practice sign language and Thai later."
Liu Shishi glanced at him, then reached out and grabbed the hem of his T-shirt, pulling him back a little.
"Then you practice, I'll practice with you."
Aren't you going to sleep?
"I'm not going to sleep."
Gao Huan glanced at her for two seconds, picked up the landline on the bedside table, and dialed the internal line for the dining room.
"Two breakfasts: one American-style breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, whole-wheat toast, and black coffee; and one Chinese-style breakfast with congee, side dishes, barbecued pork buns, and hot soy milk."
He hung up the phone and found Liu Shishi looking at him.
"Do you remember what I like to eat?" she asked.
"You said it once."
"When?"
"Last time when we were filming a night scene in Huairou, you said you wanted to eat something hot before filming, but not too greasy, plain porridge would be best, with some side dishes and barbecued pork buns."
Liu Shishi was stunned for a moment.
That was one of the few times she and he chatted casually on the set of "Brotherhood of Blades".
That day, they were filming a night scene, and the temperature was very low. She was wrapped in a down jacket and huddled on a folding chair waiting for the lighting to be done when Gao Huan came over and handed her a cup of hot water.
She casually remarked, "It would be nice to have a bowl of plain porridge right now," and to her surprise, he remembered it.
I remembered it from that time and have kept it to this day.
……
Breakfast has been delivered.
The two sat at a small round table next to the French windows, where sunlight streamed in, making the white tablecloth shine.
Gao Huan ate Americano, Liu Shishi drank porridge, and neither of them spoke, but the silence was comfortable and relaxed.
Liu Shishi drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and put down her spoon.
"Gao Huan."
"Um."
"I broke up with Nicky Wu."
Gao Huan paused for a moment, then looked up at her.
"That happened last year."
Liu Shishi's voice wasn't loud, but she spoke each word clearly, "I hadn't told anyone before. We originally planned to register at the beginning of the year, but then... that was the end of it."
Gao Huan didn't speak, put down his fork, and listened quietly.
"Do you know why I took on the role in 'Brotherhood of Blades'?" she asked.
"Because the role is good."
"That was later."
Liu Shishi shook her head. "When I first accepted the role, I hadn't read the script. Sister K told me about a period martial arts film where I was the male lead, and she asked if I was interested."
Gao Huan looked at her without saying a word.
"At the time, I thought, who is Gao Huan? I've never heard of him."
Liu Shishi smiled as she said this, "Later, Sister K sent me your photos and said that you acted in 'Swords of Legends' and 'The Coffin in the Mountain'."
I watched "The Coffin in the Mountain," and after watching it, I told Sister K that I would take the role.
"Because of the role?"
"It's also because of you," Liu Shishi looked into his eyes, "I wanted to work with someone who can really act. A movie with an investment of less than 200 million yuan ended up with nearly 10 billion yuan at the box office, which really feels incredible to me. Besides the crazy support from your fans, your acting skills are at least part of the reason."
Gao Huan remained silent for a moment, then stood up and walked over to her.
He bent down, slipped one hand under her knees, and wrapped the other around her back, lifting her from the chair. Liu Shishi was startled and instinctively hooked her arms around his neck.
What are you doing?
Gao Huan did not answer, but turned around and sat down in the chair, placing her on his lap.
Her back was against one of his arms, and his other hand held hers, their fingers intertwined.
"Are you done talking?" he asked.
"That's all."
"Then I'll speak." Gao Huan released her hand, raised his hands, and began to use sign language.
His gestures were slow, but precise.
Every movement was performed with great care, as if reading a letter that had been written for a long time.
Liu Shishi couldn't understand sign language, but she could tell from his expression.
His expression was gentle, and the beauty mark at the corner of his eye looked like a small comma in the morning light, perfectly capturing the emotions on his face.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Gao Huan took her hand in his again and translated at a normal pace, "This might actually be your lucky break. I won't let you regret it."
Liu Shishi stared at him for a few seconds, then lowered her head and buried her face in his shoulder.
Her shoulders trembled slightly, but no sound came out.
Gao Huan placed his hand on her back, without moving or speaking, just quietly holding her, as if holding something fragile.
After a while, she raised her head, her eyes a little red, but she didn't cry.
When did you learn sign language?
"More than a month ago."
"For whom?"
Gao Huan glanced at her.
What do you think?
Liu Shishi did not answer the question.
She knew the answer, but she didn't want to say it.
Some things take on a different meaning when spoken aloud.
If she didn't say it, she could still deceive herself, saying it was for her own good.
……
Gao Huan practiced all morning.
After practicing sign language, I moved on to Thai, and after practicing Thai, I moved on to sign language again. Two windows were open on the laptop screen at the same time: an instructional video and an electronic dictionary.
His fingers silently traced the name on the table, he muttered to himself, occasionally pausing to frown in thought, and then continuing to practice.
Liu Shishi nestled on the sofa, hugging a cushion as she watched him.
She discovered that Gao Huan's learning style was different from that of ordinary people.
When an average person learns a new language, they start by memorizing words one by one until they have memorized a certain number before they begin to form sentences.
He is not.
He started by learning sentences, one by one. After learning a sentence, he would break it down and analyze the words and grammar. Then he would use the same structure to create new sentences, and so on.
Thai pronunciation is difficult, especially some tones that require throat coordination; it may take an average person a long time to pronounce them accurately.
Gao Huan's vocal placement was accurate from the beginning, like someone who had studied for a long time suddenly speaking, startling the people next to him who thought they had misheard him before.
He noticed Liu Shishi looking at him, stopped, and turned his head.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Liu Shishi shifted her position, hugging the cushion even tighter. "You're learning all this stuff for 'Operation Mekong'?"
"Yes. The role requires it."
"Does the role require you to learn sign language?"
"My character has a short scene in the play that uses sign language, but I hope I can do it without a stunt double."
Gao Huan said, "Thailand too. Some of my lines in the play are in Thai, and I didn't want to dub them."
Liu Shishi remained silent for a moment.
She knew that Gao Huan's acting style was method acting, where he would become the character and then let the character do those things.
To become that person, you must learn everything that person knows.
"How long have you been practicing?" she asked.
"I've been learning sign language for over a month, and Thai too. My physical training started even earlier, almost a month and a half ago."
"How long do you practice each day?"
Gao Huan thought for a moment.
"Sign language and Thai training combined take three to four hours. Specialized physical training takes two hours. Less when there's filming, more when there isn't."
Aren't you tired?
"I'm tired," Gao Huan said, "but it's worth it."
Liu Shishi looked at him and suddenly remembered a sentence.
She saw it online, and she didn't know who said it, but when she saw it, she thought it was wrong, but now she thinks it's absolutely right.
That statement means that even if Gao Huan wasn't a genius, he was someone who demanded the same high standards of himself as a genius.
……
Around noon, Liu Shishi suddenly spoke up.
"K-sister might know."
Gao Huan was practicing a Thai vowel sound when she heard this, so she put down what she was holding and looked at her.
"Know what?"
"She knows about us," Liu Shishi said. "She had a meeting at the company last week, and I was there too. Nazha was there as well."
Gao Huan's brow twitched slightly.
"Sister K said she watched the rough cut of 'Brotherhood of Blades' and said that your scenes with me were so good that it made her a little worried."
Liu Shishi's voice softened, "She said the way you two looked at each other on camera didn't seem like you were acting."
"She's testing you."
"I know," Liu Shishi said, "but I don't know how to answer. I'm not very familiar with Nazha, but I can't say we're strangers. But I know she's your girlfriend. K-jie's choice to say it in that setting wasn't unintentional."
Gao Huan remained silent for a moment, then stood up and walked over to her.
He bent down, placed his hands on the sofa armrests, and encircled her in the middle.
"I'll handle things with Sister K," he said.
"How will you handle this?"
"I don't know yet," Gao Huan said, "but I'll handle it."
Liu Shishi looked into his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
Then she laughed, "Your greatest strength and your greatest weakness are the same."
"What?"
"You never lie, but you don't tell the truth either."
Gao Huan thought about it and it seemed to be true.
He did not refute it.
……
Not long after lunch, Gao Huan's "interest" returned.
He glanced at Liu Shishi, who was packing his suitcase. When she bent over, her collar fell down, revealing a section of her collarbone.
Liu Shishi is currently wearing a horse-face skirt, which Yangyang Jin just delivered this morning.
The moon-white skirt, with its gold-embroidered patterns, shimmered faintly under the light. The hem reached her ankles, making her look like a porcelain statue when she stood still, and like a pool of water ruffled by the wind when she walked.
Gao Huan glanced at it again and again.
She wore a sky-blue silk blouse tucked into her skirt, which accentuated her high and narrow waistline, making her appear as a long, slender figure.
The skirt hung flat in front of her without a single wrinkle, and the pleats on both sides cascaded down from her waist to the hem, like two still waterfalls.
She took a step forward, and her skirt swayed slightly, a small movement, but the fluidity was reminiscent of bamboo leaves swaying in the wind in a traditional Chinese ink painting.
Elegant, but not weak.
She felt his gaze, looked up, saw his eyes, and her face flushed instantly.
"Aren't you...flying to Bangkok this afternoon?"
"My flight is at 3:00. I still have a little over an hour."
"Then why don't you—"
Gao Huan didn't say anything. He stood up, walked over, pulled her up from the sofa, and led her to the bathroom.
Liu Shishi was being pulled along by him, her steps were a little unsteady, and she muttered things like "How can you be like this?" "In broad daylight" "You have to catch a flight this afternoon", but she did not struggle.
The bathroom door was closed.
The sound of water began, first the sound of a shower, then other sounds mixed in.
The mirror on the wall was fogged up by water vapor, reflecting two blurry outlines that overlapped.
The wet fabric clung to her body, outlining every curve.
She leaned against the sink, bending over, her skirt, soaked with water, hanging down and clinging to her thighs.
……
She had practiced dance for many years, and her body was already used to all sorts of unbelievable angles.
She lay on her side on the bed, one leg straight, the other leg lifted and placed on his shoulder, her body folded into a beautiful arc.
He lowered his head and kissed the inside of her knee, and she trembled.
"How do you sign 'I love you'?" she suddenly asked.
Gao Huan stopped, glanced at her, and then raised his right hand, extending his thumb, index finger, and little finger while bending his middle and ring fingers.
He made a gesture.
"This is 'me'," he said.
Then point at her with your index finger.
"This is 'you'."
Finally, he clasped his hands together over his chest, as if he were hugging something.
"This is 'love'."
"Connect them. I love you."
Liu Shishi looked at his gestures but didn't say anything.
She reached out, pulled his right hand over, and pressed it against her chest.
My heart was beating very fast, as fast as if I had just run 800 meters.
"Can you feel it?" she asked.
Gao Huan sensed it.
He lowered his head and kissed her.
……
At 2:30 p.m., Gao Huan came out of the bathroom and changed into clean clothes.
Black T-shirt, dark gray casual pants, sneakers.
He glanced at himself in the mirror, making sure there were no marks he shouldn't have seen, then turned and walked to the bedside.
Liu Shishi huddled under the covers, only her face and one hand showing.
Her fingers peeked out from the edge of the blanket and hooked onto the hem of his clothes.
"Message me when you arrive."
"it is good."
"No matter what time it is where you are."
"it is good."
"Keep using sign language, I'll check it when we get back."
Gao Huan looked at her and gave her a wicked smile.
He raised his hand and typed a sentence.
Liu Shishi didn't understand, but she guessed the general meaning because his expression was too gentle, so gentle that it was unlike his usual self.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
I'll tell you when we get to Bangkok.
Liu Shishi rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket over her head.
"Hurry up, hurry up, don't disturb my sleep."
Gao Huan smiled, picked up his phone from the table and his suitcase from the living room, and walked out of the room.