Huayu 2014: From Traffic Stars to Superstars

Chapter 75, Acting Willfully

Naza took out the contents of her suitcase. There wasn't much: a few changes of clothes, a set of cosmetics, and a half-read book—"Trust."

She hung her clothes in the closet, placed her cosmetics on the sink, and put her books on the bedside table. Every movement was slow, as if she were trying to calm herself down.

Gao Huan sat on the sofa and looked at her.

He recalled the first time he met Nazha.

She was only eighteen years old then and knew nothing. Later, she signed with Tangren Media. When she was asked questions by reporters at events that she didn't know how to answer, she would still instinctively hide behind him.

She doesn't anymore.

She can now handle things on her own, decide whether to come to Bangkok, buy her own plane ticket, and take a taxi from the airport to the hotel.

She no longer hid behind him, but she would still tear up when he was injured.

"You're in Bangkok, is everything alright with the film crew?" Gao Huan asked.

"I asked the director for leave, saying I wasn't feeling well."

"How's the filming going?"

"It's alright, it's just that Zhang Han is really annoying."

Gao Huan remembered.

Zhang Han was also in that film crew.

That greasy man pursued Nazha passionately in his past life, causing her to be criticized for years.

Zhang Han is still on set and is still trying to chat with her, but she has deleted him from her WeChat contacts.

"Zhang Han hasn't contacted you again?"

Naza paused for a moment, then continued folding clothes.

"I've looked for him, but I've blocked his phone number."

Naza glanced at him.

Are you worried about me, or are you jealous of something?

Gao Huan remained silent.

Naza hung the last piece of clothing in the closet, closed the door, and walked up to him.

She bent down, placed her hands on the armrests of the sofa on either side of him, and brought her face close to his.

Her eyes were large, with a thin layer of mist inside, but it didn't fall.

"I came to Bangkok because I missed you. I didn't come to ask you questions, nor did I come to make you worry. I just missed you." Her voice was soft, but every word was clear.

"If you let me stay for a few days, I'll stay for a few days. If you let me leave, I'll leave."

Gao Huan reached out and pulled her to his side, letting her sit on the sofa and lean against him.

Naza rested her head on his shoulder, placed her hand on his chest, and unconsciously drew circles on his T-shirt with her fingers.

"How's your sign language practice going?" she asked.

"good."

Show me one!

Gao Huan raised his right hand and made a "hello" gesture.

Naza stared at his hand for two seconds, then smiled. She knew the meaning of that gesture from their previous video chat.

"When you say 'hello' with your hand, your expression is so serious, it's like you're saying 'I love you'."

Gao Huan smiled and kissed Nazha's lips, then he made an "I love you" gesture.

Naza was taken aback when she saw his gesture.

The corners of her mouth slowly turned up, and as Gao Huan's hands moved up and down, her face gradually turned red, spreading from the base of her neck upwards all the way to the tips of her ears.

"You're lying to me, aren't you?" she said.

"no."

"Then say it again."

Gao Huan did it again.

The movements were exactly the same as the first time, neither too fast nor too slow, with every angle of the fingers as precise as if measured with a ruler.

Naza looked at his hand, her mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing.

She buried her face in his shoulder and mumbled something in a low voice, her voice trembling like ocean waves.

"Me too."

……

In the evening, Nazha said she was going to practice yoga.

At that time, Gao Huan was playing a game with Chen Duling via voice chat.

Naza, however, ignored the warnings and insisted on going her own way, leaving Gao Huan with no choice but to let her do as she pleased.

She laid out a yoga mat on the living room carpet, changed into a tight-fitting workout outfit, and tied her hair into a bun.

She stood on the mat, took a deep breath, and began to do mountain pose.

Gao Huan leaned back on the sofa and looked at her.

Her movements were much better than last time; she tightened her waist, her ribs didn't flare out, and her shoulders relaxed.

But her attention wasn't on her own actions; it was on Gao Huan.

Her gaze kept drifting over him, from his face to his shoulder, from his shoulder to his arm, and from his arm to the abrasion on his side that was invisible through his T-shirt.

"Practice diligently," Gao Huan said.

"I'm serious."

Naza spoke with a confident tone, but her gaze was still fixed on Xiao He.

Gao Huan had no choice but to stand up, walk behind her, press her lower back with his right hand, and place his left hand on her shoulder blade.

When his fingers touched her waist, she shuddered, not because of pain, but because his fingers were too cold; he had just washed his hands and the water temperature wasn't right.

"Your hands are so cold," she said.

"Your movements are incorrect."

Gao Huan didn't let go, but pressed her waist down a little, "Tighten your core, don't use your waist to push."

Naza did as instructed, but her attention was still not on her movements.

She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, watching the slight pressure his fingers applied to her waist, the bangs that fell down his forehead when he looked down, and the small shadow his eyelashes cast under his eyes.

"Gao Huan."

"Um."

Did you get injured during training today?

Gao Huan paused for a moment. "No."

You lied to me.

"Really, no."

Naza turned around to face him, looking up into his eyes.

"Every time you say 'no,' you don't look at me. You're looking somewhere else."

Gao Huan lowered his head and looked into her eyes.

"I've seen it now."

Naza stared at him for two seconds, then smiled.

That smile was a "I can't do anything about you" smile.

She tiptoed and gently touched his lips, then stepped back, stood back on the mat, and began doing mountain pose again.

This time she was serious.

She knew he had been injured during training today, and she didn't want him to waste any more effort correcting her movements.

So she did it herself, carefully, making sure every movement was done to the best of her ability.

She held the plank for one minute. She did the cat-cow pose for ten breaths.

In Downward-Facing Dog pose, she put her heels on the ground, something she had never been able to do before, but she did today.

Gao Huan watched from the side without saying a word.

Naza stepped out of the downward-facing dog pose, sat on the ground, and took a breath.

Her forehead was covered in sweat, her face was flushed, and her chest was heaving. She looked up at Gao Huan and smiled.

That smile contained pride, satisfaction, and a sense of "you see, I can do it too."

"Am I good?" she asked.

"sharp."

"So what will you reward me with?"

Gao Huan walked up to her, squatted down, stretched out his hand, and gestured a sentence in sign language.

Naza couldn't understand, but she looked at his expression. His expression was very gentle, so gentle that it was unlike his usual self.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Gao Huan did not answer.

He reached out, pulled her up from the ground, drew her into his arms, and kissed her.

Naza's lips curled up below his lips, like a cat that had stolen a fish.

Then, they finished the game in this way for 30 minutes. Chen Duling seemed to have heard something, because after the game ended, he didn't say a word until about 30 seconds later when he hung up.

……

"Gao Huan," she called his name softly.

"Um."

How long have you been practicing sign language?

"More than a month."

"To be this good in just over a month?"

Gao Huan remained silent.

He drew a circle on her lower abdomen with his finger. Her body trembled.

"Your hands..." her voice trailed off, "have they gotten faster?"

Gao Huan's fingers slid from her lower abdomen to her waist, and then from her waist to her back, gently massaging both sides of her spine.

His strength wasn't heavy, but every movement was just right, like playing a tune on her body that she knew the melody of but had never heard before.

Naza closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Her consciousness oscillated between lucidity and confusion, like a lamp flickering in the wind, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, but never extinguished.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard Gao Huan say something, his voice very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

"This is how the sign language word for 'comfort' is expressed."

Naza didn't see what he gestured because she couldn't open her eyes anymore.

But then, as if remembering something, she suddenly ran out of bed naked and splashed cold water on her face.

Then, Nazha frowned and went back to bed.

Her hand rested on his side, through his T-shirt, on the dark purple abrasion.

"Does it hurt?"

Her voice lowered, and her fingertips, without applying pressure, simply rested lightly on the surface, as if confirming something.

Gao Huan looked down at her, not lying. "It doesn't hurt."

"Then let me take another look."

She pulled up the hem of his T-shirt, revealing a section of his waistline.

The scratch looked more noticeable under the warm yellow light than during the day, with a bluish-yellow tinge around it and slightly reddish edges.

Naza's breathing quickened, her fingers hovering half a centimeter above the wound, not touching it, just hovering there.

"You don't apply the medicine after you shower during the day."

She said her tone wasn't blaming, but rather stating something that pained her.

She turned around, rummaged through her suitcase, pulled out a small tube of ointment, went to the bathroom to wash her hands, sat down on the sofa, patted the cushion next to her, and gestured for him to sit down.

Gao Huan walked over and sat on the cushion.

Naza sat cross-legged next to him, squeezed a little ointment onto her fingertip, and then gently applied it to his waist.

Her movements were slow and gentle, her fingertips drawing circles as she rubbed the ointment into her skin, round and round, starting from the edge of the wound and slowly moving towards the center.

Her fingers were cold, and the ointment was even colder, but her body temperature slowly transferred through the massage, and the chill quickly dissipated.

Her face was close, her eyes lowered, her eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow in the light. She was rubbing very carefully, as if she were handling something that could not be handled with any carelessness.

"Do you get like this every time you get injured?" she asked.

"What?"

"Don't say anything, don't look at it, don't do anything, just wait for it to heal on its own."

Gao Huan remained silent for a moment, without saying a word.

Naza paused for a moment, looked up at him, then lowered her head to continue massaging.

"It was the same when we made 'Brotherhood of Blades'."

If you bump or hurt yourself during training, you won't tell anyone when you get home.

The next day, I went to filming wearing long sleeves and pants, and when people asked, I just said it was the effect of makeup.

As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, "Later I found out, but I didn't force you to change. You can keep it from me if you want, but when you want me to know, I'll be here applying medicine for you."

She twisted the ointment and placed it on the coffee table, then placed both hands on the area on his waist where the ointment had been applied, without rubbing or massaging, just gently covering it.

Her palms were warm, pressed against his skin, and the warmth seemed to emanate from her body.

"Okay, I won't touch it anymore."

She said, pulling her hands back and placing them on her knees, "I should feel better tomorrow morning. But I can't do strenuous exercise. If Brother Zhao makes you do floor training, just say you have a back injury."

"Brother Zhao won't listen."

"Then tell her your girlfriend won't let you practice."

Naza looked up at him, squinting, "How was it? Fierce enough?"

Gao Huan thought for a moment. "Fierce enough."

Naza nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright, go to sleep. No more practice today."

Gao Huan stood up and walked back to the bedroom.

Naza followed behind him, turning off the lights in the living room and the hallway, leaving only a bedside lamp on.

She climbed into bed, lay down next to him, turned over, buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, and placed one hand on his chest.

"The smell of your ointment is a bit like the one my grandma used when I was little."

Is it easy to use?

"I don't know," she said, "but it's probably better than not using it."

She remained silent for a long time after she said that.

Gao Huan thought she was asleep, but after a while, she suddenly spoke.

"Gao Huan."

"Um."

"Every time I come to see you from now on, I will bring you a new tube of ointment."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking in her sleep.

"If one tube isn't enough, then two. If two aren't enough, then three."

I've saved a lot of money, enough to buy you lots and lots of things.

I can take good care of you, and I definitely will.

Gao Huan didn't speak. He lowered his head and gently touched the top of her head with his lips.

Naza's breathing gradually became even.

Her fingers were still resting on his chest, slightly curled up, like a sleeping puppy that wouldn't let go.

……

On the third day, Nazha left.

When she left, Gao Huan was practicing ground techniques with Brother Zhao in the training hall.

She didn't go to the training hall to say goodbye, but instead sent him a message: "I'm leaving. Train hard and don't get injured. I'll message you when I arrive."

When Gao Huan saw this message, he was practicing submission techniques in jujitsu.

His arm was locked by Brother Zhao, and he couldn't move.

He stared at the line of text on his phone screen but didn't reply.

Brother Zhao released his arm. "Girlfriend?"

Gao Huan stretched his arm, which was sore from being locked up. "Hmm."

"I'm quite good to you."

Gao Huan remained silent.

Brother Zhao stood up and dusted off his pants.

"One more round."

Gao Huan stood up, walked to the center of the mat, and assumed a pose.

When Brother Zhao locked him up, he used an escape technique he had just learned yesterday to slip out of Brother Zhao's control and then locked Brother Zhao's arm with his own.

Brother Zhao paused for a moment, then laughed.

"You learn so fast."

……

Five days later, Gao Huan was able to communicate fluently using sign language.

My Thai has also improved rapidly, from stumbling over words to being able to speak complete short sentences.

Teacher Lin said his pronunciation no longer needs correction; all that's left is to build up his vocabulary and develop a feel for the language.

On Zhao Ge's side, Gao Huan's practical combat and firearms shooting skills have been finalized.

Fighting is a practical sport; every punch aims to knock someone down, and every move is devoid of unnecessary frills.

Brother Zhao said he no longer needed to teach him; all that was left was repetition, repetition, and more repetition, until every movement became muscle memory.

The night Nazha left, Gao Huan sat alone on the hotel balcony, looking at the Mekong River in the distance.

There were lights moving on the river; I couldn't tell if they were boats or cars on the other side.

The night breeze carried the humidity and heat characteristic of the tropics.

He took out his phone and sent Liu Shishi a message: "I've reached the twentieth lesson in sign language."

Liu Shishi replied instantly: "My friend said that your twentieth lesson was 'Are you willing?'"

Gao Huan looked at the line of text, a slight smile playing on his lips. He typed: "Your friend lied to you."

"So what are you studying?"

Gao Huan thought for a moment, then instead of typing, recorded a video.

He faced the camera, made a sentence in sign language, and then sent it.

After reading it, Liu Shishi did not reply for a long time.

Gao Huan assumed she was asleep, so he locked the screen and placed the phone on the table.

My phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw a message from Liu Shishi, which contained only four words.

"I'm willing too."

Gao Huan looked at those four words, smiled, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye curved slightly, her whole face changing from "tired" to "gentle".

He locked the screen, put the phone in his pocket, stood up, and went back to his room.