River Tide

Five years ago, as Chen Shenghe was leaving Chengdu, Li Xiaochuan slipped a paper mask into his palm.

"If you regret it, turn it over."

Chen Shenghe turned it over as soon as he got on the plane.

But the wind in Chaoshan was too strong. It bent his back and scattered the little courage he'd found to reply.

Five years later, they meet again at an intangible cultural heritage festival, and cross paths at work.

One has become the backbone of a Sichuan opera troupe; the other is now a documentary director for an intangible cultural heritage project.

The moment their eyes met, their silent tug-of-war began again.

Li Xiaochuan's thoughts: Still avoiding me. Your eyes are still avoiding mine. Chen Shenghe, it's been five years. Are you still afraid to be the main character in your own life, even once?

Chen Shenghe's thoughts: Stay calm. He's the subject I'm filming, and I'm the director. This is just work.

And so...

With an injured shoulder, Li Xiaochuan powered through more than twenty backflips in a row, making sure every shot was spectacular.

Chen Shenghe remained firmly behind the monitor, his face betraying nothing, every bit the consummate professional.

The whole crew was gossiping:

Director Chen and Teacher Li have something going on. One finishes filming and leaves without a backward glance; the other speaks with barbs, aiming straight for the other's sore spots.

Meanwhile, the two of them were using every bit of acting skill they had to play "the most familiar strangers."

One presses closer, step by step, carrying five years of pent-up hurt and resentment.

The other retreats, inch by inch, clinging to the calm and distance he cultivated over five years.

It's basically a story about a rising director who, five years after breaking up, has to make a documentary about her ex-boyfriend. Do you think fate is giving them a second chance, or just rubbing another handful of chili powder into an open wound?

P.S.

Warm on the outside, cold on the inside, Sichuan opera martial-arts performer gong x gentle, restrained documentary director shou

The gong is from Chengdu; the shou is from Chaoshan.

Sichuan and Cantonese culture | Life on a film crew | No secondary couples | Includes discussion of social issues

One-on-one romance | Happy ending | Older gong | Sichuan opera

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Theme: True heritage isn't something locked away in a high tower; it's letting an old soul meet a new pair of eyes