The Best Director

“Action!”

The filming crew had already been briefed on the shot list, and one HDC-F950 digital camera was capturing the performance. Valery Fister controlled the IMAX-MSN-9802, while assistant director Joss Whedon and action director Donnie Yen watched the live situation in the performance area. Wang Yang, stepping on the desert sand and braving the scorching summer sun, suddenly sprang into action, charging toward the Star Alliance soldiers and raiders, fiercely fighting them: “Ah! Come on—”

Many former independent soldiers participated in the “Battle of New Shanxi,” and they were all ferociously crazy. But if the Serenity’s temperament was comedic and bumbling, then Cyclone was truly young and fierce. How strong was Captain Cyclone in hand-to-hand combat? The original script had not touched on this, as Cyclone had crashed during the space battle phase; now, however, the stakes were much higher and he was on par with River and the Hands of Blue, otherwise there would be no appeal in adding such a character’s fight scenes.

The role had evolved from its initial function of linking the storyline to one with a more painting and enhancing effect. However, when it came to reality, it wasn’t just about adding more fight scenes. On the contrary, without a concise and forceful portrayal, Cyclone’s action scenes would seem inexplicable. This was a sunny, hearty man who was fearless in the face of death and cherished brotherhood and past pursuits. He had to charm and endear the audience from his first appearance, and then his heroic death would be felt as a painful and solemn loss.

Though the combat prowess was designed to be at the same level, there was no one on set who seemed more formidable than Cyclone, because the role was played by Wang Yang. As a temporary actor, his style of action did not chase after the more extravagant and ornate wire-work routines but aimed for absolute power and explosive speed, real kung fu skills! Action scenes didn’t require the performance of nuanced expressions; it was all about unleashing a well-choreographed sequence of moves, or even spur-of-the-moment strikes and kicks, thrilling and satisfying!

“Wow!” Ellen Page and others watching from the sidelines couldn’t help but be impressed. The routine acting practices were nothing compared to this! Though these were pre-designed moves, it was clear at a glance that the director’s swift and agile maneuvers and the whistling sound of his strikes, especially since the director seemed to be giving it his all, were beyond the capabilities of ordinary actors! Joss Whedon excitedly clenched his fist, Donnie Yen held his breath in excitement, this was the ultimate action performance they were aiming for!

A cannon hammer displayed the weight of Bajiquan, the fierceness of Tai Chi, and the speed of Muay Thai in an explosive demonstration! Such beautiful punches might not exist in real combat, but they were a rare find for a movie.

“Ah—” Wang Yang, surrounded by over a dozen enemies in the performance area, fought with all his might. A cannon hammer blow caused the stunt performers to feel a numbing pain in their shoulders. Suddenly, two raiders in spiked outfits with their faces make-up appearing rotten, struck from both sides. Wang Yang bent backward, drawing two pistols from his waist and pulling the triggers. Two “bang” sounds hit the heart, and the raiders immediately fell down with a scream.

Wang Yang, falling backward, unlike Neo, hit the ground hard in the barren desert. Even after clearing the hazardous obstacles beforehand, his lower back still got hit by small stones on the ground, and his exposed left elbow scraped against the sand grains, causing a sharp, heart-wrenching pain!

“CUT!” Joss Whedon yelled, ending the take after 1.5 minutes.

Damn! What a screw-up! That’s the difference between a temporary actor and a professional one! Wang Yang, accustomed to the hardships of martial arts training from a young age, involuntarily winced and sharply inhaled through his teeth. His right elbow was scraped over a large area, with fresh blood streaming from the peeled skin, immediately staining the desert sand a bright red. “Yang, are you alright?” Donnie Yen approached with a frown, and Tamsin Shure, the medic with the first aid kit, said, “We need to disinfect and treat the bleeding.”

“Mhm, let’s get it treated before continuing the shoot, I’m fine,” Wang Yang nodded and walked toward the edge of the set, surrounded by people, blood dripping to the ground. He looked at the suffocating sun in the sky, squinting against the sting before it even reached his eyes. The weather should be fine today, right? He had been filming all day and already suffered an injury… Wang Yang laughed at himself, his elbow wound was then rinsed with clean water by Tamsin Shure, followed by a teeth-gritting sting from the disinfectant.

Jessica, Little Robert Downey Jr., “Heath” Ledger, and even the extras quietly blending into the background—every single crew member bared to the sunlight worked above and beyond their pay. “This story, this movie, it’s imbued with my thoughts, our passion, our blood, sweat, and tears…” How could Firefly possibly be a Waterloo? This was no longer just about him.

A spray of medicine brought a refreshing sensation, and Wang Yang glanced at the silver ring on his left hand. How was she doing now?

“I wonder how Yang is doing…” In Thomson Hospital, Jessica lay emotionless on the bed, quietly muttering as she gazed at the ceiling. The weather forecast for today predicted a heavy downpour. After falling ill, Jessica didn’t return to Los Angeles for treatment. Instead, she stayed with the production crew at Thomson Hospital. Her worried parents, Mark Alba and Kathy, flew in to visit their daughter that very night, and Kathy stayed to care for her.

“Mary, go to sleep,” Kathy coaxed gently like soothing a child. “It’s time for your rest. You’ll recover quickly if you’re good and sleep.” Jessica shook her head, “Mom, I can’t sleep.” She didn’t know when it started, but it had become difficult for her to fall asleep without him by her side, especially during the day. Despite feeling exhausted and occasionally dizzy and nauseous, she never wanted to sleep. She whispered, “I’m supposed to be on set right now.”

In the past two days, her daughter had been quiet and sullen. Kathy was well aware of the reason for Jessica’s low spirits. Watching her daughter’s career and life suffer double blows was not easy for her either. She gently stroked her daughter’s hair and asked, “Do you want Mom to tell you a story?” Jessica rolled her eyes with a smile but then quietly looked at her mother and said, “I just wonder why they made such arrangements. I really worked very hard this time, much harder than when I filmed The Devil Wears Prada, High School Musical, Camp Nowhere… I feel it, it’s not that those were bad, but this time I was even more committed; I felt like I was on fire!”

Swinging her fist with a bit of force, she was suddenly struck by dizziness. She steadied herself and then sighed, “I know Yang values Firefly very much, and I really wanted to do well. Everything was going so smoothly, making the movie, wrapping up, having a baby… why do these things keep happening, these damn illnesses, damn it!” She choked up, her eyes misty with tears, “Why do they always spring up suddenly, and then… shatter my heart?”

“Darling, that’s life. It won’t always go according to your wishes and plans; you can only face it and strive hard,” Kathy said in a soft voice, as she had done countless times before, guiding her daughter. “You can’t just focus on these terrible setbacks and forget what you have. Jessica, you’re luckier than the vast majority of people in the world. Look at the ring on your left hand. Think about what you have?”

Jessica pondered with furrowed brows—a perfect romance, a happy marriage, free of the pressure of loans… She did indeed have many enviable things, just as she envied the robust health of others. Kathy continued, “You can’t think ‘I worked hard, so God definitely has to give me something.’ Rather, be grateful. If this is God’s arrangement, it’s to remind us to treasure and be thankful. As we often say, don’t let setbacks knock you down; they only make you stronger.”

“I know…” Jessica nodded thoughtfully, as if a lot had suddenly cleared up in her heart, but she still felt a lot of discouragement, sadness, and even anger. It was easy to say, but when had she ever failed to cherish and be grateful? And now, she might be dying soon…

“Damn, looks like it’s about to rain!” The morning’s clear, blue sky had gradually darkened, seemingly brewing a major storm. “Pack up! Pack up!” Wang Yang clapped his hands and left the monitor displaying the performances. At his command, the entire crew immediately became busier and noisier, scrambling to move camera equipment back to the trucks, while the lead actors chatted as they walked back to their trailers.

Wang Yang paid no mind to the others, boarded another vehicle designated for the producers and directors to discuss work, and looked down at the script in his hands. To the production assistant Joshua walking by his side, he said, “Take note, tell casting, Cyclone needs a few crew members—not as supporting roles but as cameos with very few scenes. The men need to be buff, and the women, hot beauties. But I already have rough picks, tell them to contact Evangeline Lilly, Megan Fox, and Michelle Rodriguez; and for the men, get in touch with Channing Tatum and Jensen Ackles. If anyone’s reluctant, find someone with that guy’s physicality and presence for me.”

If the domineering Cyclone was to contrast the silly serenity of the ship Firefly, then several hot female crew members would be a good choice. They would also highlight the masculine aspect of Cyclone, and Wang Yang didn’t want to ponder whether North American audiences would accept an Asian as a captain. Putting aside his popularity, if Firefly was successful in its early stages, the audiences would accept it. He was determined to make it happen!

He didn’t need the evening-gown-clad hotties; the “New Shanxi Battle” called for the demurely attractive type who remained beautiful and dignified despite being covered in dust after war—that’s where the three women fit perfectly. And the male crew members needed to be neither the disheveled charm of Michael Pitt, the hip-hop style of Little Robert Downey Jr., the simplicity of Daniel Wu, nor the geekiness of Alan Tudyk; they had to be charming and burly. That is why Wang Yang was wearing a short-sleeve shirt that exposed his muscles, why he had scraped his right elbow.

“Are these the names?” Joshua asked with a bit of confusion as he unfolded the record book in his hand, unable to recall who Megan Fox was. Wang Yang glanced at it and settled down in the car seat, “You didn’t write it wrong. Also, tell the costume department to keep up with the clothing designs for these characters, I need that fiery and fierce temperament…”

Boom, boom—lightning tore through the nearly pitch-black sky of El Paso, followed by deafening thunderclaps. From a single raindrop, it quickly began pouring heavily. Just having fallen asleep, Jessica was startled awake by the thunder. She groggily gazed towards the balcony, hoping that Yang hadn’t been caught in the downpour. Texas summers are prone to these sudden downpours; she hoped it wouldn’t lead to flooding, considering the tropical storms and hurricanes seemed particularly frequent these past few years…

At that moment, the door creaked open silently, and Wang Yang entered with a bunch of yellow bush flowers, treading lightly, his injured right elbow wrapped in layers of white cloth and hidden under a long-sleeved shirt. Seeing Kathy by the bed, he greeted her with his voice lowered, “Hi, Kathy.” Kathy looked back at the bed and also whispered cautiously, “She just fell asleep a short while ago; this silly girl is still quite down.” Wang Yang nodded, “I’ll take good care of her.”

Kathy patted his shoulder and left the hospital room; Wang Yang approached the bedside, placed the bouquet picked from the desert on the nightstand, then bent down to kiss Jessica’s forehead gently, not realizing that Jessica had already awakened. She opened her clearly defined black and white eyes, “Yang.” Wang Yang paused, then with a smile, kissed her cheeks several times before taking a seat and saying, “Go to sleep, I’ll keep watch over you.” Jessica watched him for a moment, then obediently closed her eyes, feeling especially calm and reassured with him by her side, as waves of exhaustion and fatigue swiftly overcame her.

Acute nephritis did not slim her face but caused it to swell slightly, as if reverting to the chubby cheeks of her adolescence at seventeen. Recalling her look from the past, Wang Yang couldn’t help but smile when suddenly, his phone in his pocket vibrated. There was too much work to do; he couldn’t ignore these contacts. Pulling it out to check, it was a call from Graham Linehan from “The Big Bang Theory.” He got up and walked to the balcony, answering in a soft voice, “Hi, what’s up? Oh, if there’s a mistake in the script, of course, you can change it, let me think…”

Jessica blinked open her eyes and watched him step onto the balcony as the downpour continued outside. As seconds and minutes ticked by, Wang Yang kept pacing on the balcony and talking nonstop, his voice drowned out by the sound of the rain and thunder. Jessica propped herself up slightly to sniff the bouquet, and then noticed the phone’s screen light up on the cabinet.

“Oh, San Diego? I can’t make it, yes, my wife is sick, I need to take care of her.” Hearing Graham Linehan talk about next week’s San Diego Comic-Con, Wang Yang immediately remembered this commitment, with “Prison Break 2: Escape,” and “The Big Bang Theory” both scheduled to release their autumn segments in September, and the promotional work for both series well underway, with next week’s annual San Diego Comic-Con lined up to attract fans.

Originally, he was scheduled to spend one day in San Diego, attending press conferences and fan Q&As, but now, naturally, he had to cancel. Just as he ended the call with Graham, the phone rang again—it was from the “Firefly” production crew. Wang Yang had no choice but to answer, “Hi? That was quick contact. Oh, they agreed, did they…”

“Jessica, I just heard about your illness, take good care of yourself, it’s going to be okay!”

Seeing this text message from Natalie triggered a sudden urge to cry within Jessica, as unspeakable emotions burst forth, making her feel terrible again, dizzy and sick. Looking at her reflection on the phone screen, her entire face was swollen like a pig’s head, her eyes puffed up like a frog’s, even uglier than when she was a child. Natalie’s cunning pixie smile seemed to hover before her, and Jessica sniffled before calling back.

“Hi, is this Jessie?” In the Herschlag family home in Long Island, New York, Natalie answered the phone and walked towards the balcony in her slippers. She had just seen this news online; it was from a couple of days ago, but she didn’t know, having been on a trip to Africa and only just returned to New York.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Jessica didn’t even know why she had called, unsure of what she wanted to say, remembering the dream and the confirmation of acute nephritis, and the body that would not hold up much longer, she felt bouts of fear and anxiety, yet she didn’t want to discuss these things with Yang or her mom. From the other end, Natalie, hearing no further response, said, “So, are you okay? The tabloids make it sound scary, but one can tell it’s fake news just by reading it; otherwise, there’d definitely be news of ‘Wang Yang sued for assault.’ Wouldn’t he beat up that doctor? Haha.”

Jessica couldn’t help but laugh, looking toward the direction of the balcony: “He wanted to do it himself, I stopped him… Natalie.” She suddenly called out, and Natalie was a bit puzzled: “Hmm? What?” Unsure if she was delirious, Jessica unexpectedly said, “If one day I suddenly died, and you still don’t have a boyfriend or husband, and you still like Yang, and he… he also likes you, if you two end up together, could you take care of him for me?”

“Uh…” Natalie was stunned, feeling somewhat awkward as she listened to the pleading tone in the other’s voice. What was Jessica talking about? It was too funny. She shook her head in self-deprecation and said, “Depends on the mood, maybe.”

“He likes spicy food, and he also likes when his girlfriend cooks for him.” Jessica sat up, carefully watching the balcony, and spoke with renewed energy in a low voice, “I know you are a vegan, but there are plenty of vegan dishes too. I’ll recommend a few cookbooks to you…” Natalie interrupted, “Wait, wait! Jessica, don’t think too much, saying these things is too…” But Jessica cut her off, “Listen to me! You can eat some dairy and eggs, especially when pregnant…”

Oh, pregnancy now! Natalie brushed her hair out of frustration, puffed out her cheeks, and blew out a breath. What’s it to me if he likes spicy food? He is not my husband! What is this, entrusting a dying wish? She rolled her eyes. Then it hit her; was Jessica feeling like she was going to die? Natalie asked, “Wait, you should be alright, right? Why talk about dying?” Jessica fell silent for a moment, “I don’t know, maybe.”

“I get it, I get it, haha!” Natalie rolled her eyes again, staring at the sky as night fell, a woman understanding another woman’s thoughts. She teased Jessica a bit but also spoke some truth, “What recipes? It’s not that much trouble, you spoil him too much, salad is just fine! Make whatever you like, do I have to fry steaks for him? And if we get together, I won’t give up on trying to get him to go vegan. What else?”

“Also, he likes…” Jessica began but suddenly bit her lip. Eat veggies? The thought of him having to eat salad every day and not even an egg pained her heart, as well as his favorite clothes, colors, sports games, way of making love, lifestyle… Oh my! Jessica took a deep breath, feeling unsettled. No woman could care for him better than she did. She suddenly said, “I won’t die, I won’t!”

Who said anything about wanting you to die! Natalie chuckled, really taken by this sweetheart, and teasingly asked, “Really? Do you think acute nephritis is that easy to die from? A reminder, you’re lying in a hospital! Please, it’s not that serious. What are you worried about? If you have any psychological issues, tell me, I am a doctor.”

“Thank you, Natalie, I’ve just been thinking too much, it was just a common dream.” Jessica felt her strength returning; it seemed she’d almost forgotten who she was after not having been seriously ill for so long! Jessica Alba had seen what diseases since she was a child? This would only make her stronger! On the other end, Natalie chuckled, “A dream? Of course, let’s stop joking around.” Jessica briskly shook off her fears, and despite the occasional dizziness, she became much clearer and understood Natalie’s good intentions, saying with a smile, “Thank you. Oh… I have to hang up now, bye!”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” After talking through problems with a few production teams and coming up with new issues, Yang finally got away and walked in, only to see her sitting up and chatting on the phone, and he immediately scolded her. He went over, took her phone, and put it on the cabinet, saying sternly, “Confiscated.” Jessica smiled with her teeth showing, “I won’t let myself die!” Yang laughed without amusement, “I’ve said it, you won’t! If Satan comes, I’ll kick his ass! Come on, drink some water before going to sleep.” He picked up the thermos, unscrewed it, and handed it to her, saying, “Careful, it’s hot.”

Jessica smiled as she took a big gulp, feeling warm inside, and thought about what she had. These past days, he had taken care of her in every possible way. Had she appreciated it as much as she wallowed in self-pity? But not anymore. Yang helped Jessica lie down, covered her with a blanket, and kissed her forehead, “Go to sleep now, you need a good rest to recover quickly.” Jessica looked up with slightly swollen eyes: “But I can’t sleep.”

“OK.” Yang smiled, amused by her childlike behavior, and said, “Then I’ll sing you to sleep. Um…” Thinking for a moment, looking into her eyes, he gently sang, “Hey, Judy, don’t be down. Sing a sad song just to turn it around…”

“Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better…” Jessica also began singing softly with a laugh. (