Our Tender Harmony

In another area of the hotel, two men watched as Xia Ruyun trudged out of the courtyard like a soldier going back to war. Standing by a floor-to-ceiling window on the fifth-floor, silver moonlight served as their sole illumination source.

“Is that what you wanted me to see?” Ma Xiaotian crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. He wore a black dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. “What for?”

“See, this is where you fall short,” Chu Changfeng stood with his hands in his pockets. Half-shrouded in shadow, he tracked Xia Ruyun with his eyes. “As your mentor, I can teach you more than acting skills.”

“What’s the lesson today then?” Ma Xiaotian frowned, turning his attention to the courtyard.

Nothing seems out of place.

Seems quite… ordinary, I guess.

“You’re too heavy-handed with your schemes. Anyone with a brain can tell what you’re doing,” Chu Changfeng chuckled. He shook his head while sweeping his eyes over the surroundings.

Empty hallway. Doors on both sides closed. No listening devices on Ma Xiaotian.

Chu Changfeng pointed to the courtyard. “Xiaotian, you won’t find anything wrong with the courtyard because I didn’t do anything to it. You must learn to incorporate time into your plans. Drugging someone, hurting someone, sleeping with someone. These all have their time and place, but as stand-alone plans, they’ll never amount to much.”

“As if I’d do any of that,” Ma Xiaotian sneered. He turned to face Chu Changfeng with a dismissive snort. “I’m not like you.”

Chu Changfeng laughed. “You aren’t, but you wish you were. Don’t play all innocent, those with connections can easily find out that you have some illegal drugs in your possession.”

“Huh-?” Ma Xiaotian’s breath hitched. His hand clenched as he played it cool. His voice came out a bit more strained as he rubbed his foot against the tiled floor. “So what?”

“So, I’m here to teach you,” Chu Changfeng’s eyes twinkled with cunning gleam. “Let my actions during this show be a… real life example.”

Ma Xiaotian quieted down. A few deep breaths and his expression had returned to its previous coolness. Leaning back against the wall, he furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to Chu Changfeng’s baritone narration. “I’ve had several people of interest throughout this show, Liu Fangjie, Han Jingyi, Xia Ruyun, and Li Feiling, and all of them have their role to play.”

Seeing Ma Xiaotian raise his eyebrows, Chu Changfeng broke into a faint smile. “Today, I will only talk about Xia Ruyun. As of now, she’s Feiling’s first, and only ‘friend.’ I say that because Feiling is too stupid to realize she’s developed romantic feelings for Xia Ruyun.”

“Are you sure?” Ma Xiaotian stood up straight.

Li Feiling’s into women?

“Yes, Li Feiling is into women. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s not into men at all,” Chu Changfeng chuckled with a knowing smile.

“Then what about your love? How are you so calm about this?” Ma Xiaotian froze, his eyes wide.

Isn’t his whole thing about how much he loves Li Feiling? Isn’t that what motivates him?

Or is it that he wants to unbend her?

“Tonight is not the night to talk about Li Feiling,” Chu Changfeng raised a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

Ma Xiaotian fell quiet. An eerie feeling tugged at his heartstrings.

Does he love her?

His further thoughts, though, were shelved as Chu Changfeng continued speaking. “Xia Ruyun, on the other hand, is focused on rebuilding her career after that poisoning incident three years ago. While it may seem like she has also had feelings for Feiling, teasing and all—if you asked me to bet—I’d say she feels nothing but platonic feelings for Feiling. At least right now.”

Ma Xiaotian, once again, felt the walls of his heart collapse.

Xia Ruyun’s also into women?

Chu Changfeng clicked his tongue. “Why so surprised? Use your eyes more. It’s not hard to figure out what and who people are into.”

“Just… didn’t expect so many people to not be straight,” Ma Xiaotian messed up his hair. As he did, the last question in his heart remained unsaid.

What about Han Jingyi?

After a moment, Ma Xiaotian’s expression cooled. Standing straight, he took a step to stand beside Chu Changfeng by the window. “Continue.”

“Good self-control,” Chu Changfeng cleared his throat. “As for whether Xia Ruyun develops feelings, who knows. I’d hazard a guess that she will in the future, but as of now, she isn’t even considering the possibility since she hasn’t had time to slow down and carve out some rest for herself.”

Chu Changfeng chuckled. “And that’s intentional.”

Ma Xiaotian turned, raising an eyebrow. “What’s the point in that? Why delay the feelings?”

“There are reasons for everything,” Chu Changfeng brushed Ma Xiaotian off. “My goal for Xia Ruyun during this show was to have her weaken herself through work. I requested Feng Wei to separate her schedule from Feiling’s so that to maintain their friendship, she’d be forced to sleep starve herself, and she’s done exactly that because Feiling’s her first friend as well.”

Ma Xiaotian stared down into the courtyard. His eyes settled on the table where Xia Ruyun had slumped against earlier.

She has been more tired, that’s for sure.

“I’ve slowly driven her to the point she’s reached tonight. Sleep deprived, and a slave to her inner demons,” Chu Changfeng pointed at the same table down in the courtyard. His finger brushed against the floor-to-ceiling glass window. “Anxiety, stress, depression. Do you think someone like her who holed up for three years is actually strong?”

“It’s a front.” Ma Xiaotian answered, his eyes flickering as his mind spun in circles as Chu Changfeng nodded and kept speaking.

“And, so, what would happen if I now created an… inciting event? Something to knock over this fragile house of cards?”

“She collapses?” Ma Xiaotian guessed, his eyes still distant as he mulled over Chu Changfeng’s words. “Quits the entertainment industry and never sees Li Feiling again?”

“Don’t be so extreme. Nothing’s that simple. She becomes doubtful: of her career choices, of who she is, of her resolve,” Chu Changfeng tapped the side of his head. “You’re getting better, but you’re still thinking too short-term. I want to use this show to plant a seed of doubt in her heart. A shadow of fear for who I am. She’ll withdraw for a bit, but this alone is not enough to make her quit the entertainment industry.”

Ma Xiaotian’s eyes shook. His neck, like a rusted joint, creaked as he turned to face Chu Changfeng.

Who is this?

Chu Changfeng, now, faced Ma Xiaotian with mirth overflowing from his eyes. His hands dusted off the shoulders of his immaculate, jet-black suit. “This is how you build anticipation, Xiaotian. You’re stuck thinking of individual events. Long-term plans allow you to extract much more value out of these so-called ‘scummy’ moments.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Ma Xiaotian stared at the floor. He tapped his foot as he furrowed his eyebrows. “Aren’t you afraid I’m going to call the police on you?

“Try if you want,” Chu Changfeng shrugged. “But I know you won’t. You have no evidence bar what I’ve said to you, and I could counter report you to the police for having illicit substances.”

Ma Xiaotian felt a chill go down his spine. He stared at Chu Changfeng and felt a sense of… loss? The tall man who dressed in an all-black suit every day of the week, who stood half-a-head taller than him, who acted like a brainless greaseball now seemed like a stranger.

This is a very different man than everyone knows. This is a very different man than I thought I knew.

How many layers does he have?

Is what he’s saying to me even the truth?

I must be involved in his plans… but how?

Standing upright, he broke the silence. His voice, though, came out hoarse. “So, what’s your actual goal then?”

“That’s for me to know, and you to wonder about. Ponder slowly. The day you figure it out, you’ll be worthy of the Movie King title,” Chu Changfeng turned on his heel and began walking away. His footsteps echoed against the tile floor and his last words echoed in Ma Xiaotian’s ears like a ghost’s whisper. “Though… who knows if you’ll ever figure it out.”

In the end, Ma Xiaotian stood there like a defective machine, silent as if his vocal cords hadn’t been installed. His eyes, though, remained bolted to Chu Changfeng, watching as the man blended into the shadows before disappearing around the corner.