It was the movie's third intimate scene.
In the evening, the electric water heater on the second floor of Fang Jianyuan's house broke down. Mama Fang told Fang Jianyuan to boil hot water and take a bath in lieu of being lazy and bathing with cold water.
Fang Jianyuan took a basin with towels and soap and ran up to the third floor to borrow Yu Haiyang's bathroom. At that time, Yu Haiyang had not yet returned from work.
When explaining the scene, He Zheng told Xia Xingcheng, "Take off your clothes from the moment you enter the room. Take everything off until only your underwear is left, then grab the basin and run into the bathroom."
Compared to Xia Xingcheng's previous films, the scale of nudity in this scene could be considered to be extremely large.
Seizing the script, he seriously asked He Zheng, "Should I close the door?"
"Just move to close it in passing," He Zheng said. "It doesn't need to be completely shut."
In the initial take, Xia Xingcheng came through the door with a basin, placed it at his feet, and began to undress.
He was only wearing a small tank top, loose cotton shorts, and light gray underwear. He grabbed the hem of his top, lifted it over his head, and threw it near the bed. Then, he bent down to take off his shorts, leaving them on the floor and picking up the basin before entering the bathroom with slippers on his feet.
Prior to filming, he had worked hard to lose weight, and during the filming period, the studio's high temperature made him constantly sweat all over. If you looked from the side, Xia Xingcheng's figure was practically as thin as a sheet.
During filming, there were many on-scene staff members watching, and this included numerous young ladies. He was not at all uncomfortable, yet when the thought that Yang Youming was watching came to mind, he was somewhat bashful and blushed with shame.
This undressing scene was shot three or four times from different angles before it was concluded.
"I want to take a full-naked shot of your side. I won't shoot it from the front, and since your back will be covered by Youming, the camera can't capture it either. Are you willing?" was what He Zheng asked Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng didn't think much about it and said, "Yes." Up until this scene was filmed, he fully believed that He Zheng was a responsible director who was completely dedicated to his works. As long as it wasn't too embarrassing, whatever He Zheng required, he and Yang Youming would generally spare no effort to act in accordance with his directions.
The director requested for the set to be cleared in advance.
Wearing a bath towel around his waist, Xia Xingcheng stripped off his underwear and stood in front of the camera.
Yang Youming did not need to undress just yet. He was in Yu Haiyang's usual attire, a white shirt and suit trousers. The cuffs of his shirt were rolled up, the collar opened wide, and his whole person looked capable and confident.
He Zheng told Yang Youming, "Don't take off your clothes, just go in and embrace him from behind. Pay attention to the angle then."
Xia Xingcheng asked He Zheng, "Do I need to struggle?" Originally, the film's narrative was a leaping one, and at this time, Fang Jianyuan would definitely not reject the intimate contact with Yu Haiyang as he did before.
He Zheng pondered over it. In turn, he asked Xia Xingcheng, "What do you think?"
Xia Xingcheng slightly hesitated, "He should. After all, it's always been in his nature."
He Zheng patted him on the shoulder, "If you think so, then just do it."
The character Fang Jianyuan has completely been brought to life under Xia Xingcheng's interpretation.
At the angle the camera shot from, in front of the camera, Yang Youming embraced Xia Xingcheng from behind, one hand around his waist and the other on his chest, the two bodies pressing together.
Only a towel remained wrapped around Xia Xingcheng's waist, and his body felt slightly cold. Yang Youming's body carried the summer heat, and Xia Xingcheng could feel it through the thin layer of cloth—it seemed as if his whole body was burning hot.
He Zheng was watching the monitor. "Don't keep going to this side, yes, and Xingcheng, move back and press closer. Okay, that's it. Let's shoot it once through."
Behind Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming released his hold, and after, they commenced the take.
Turning his back to the camera, Xia Xingcheng closed his eyes to relax his nerves, then reached out and tore off the towel on his waist and threw it aside.
As soon as the shower was turned on, hot water rushed out of the shower head. In an instant, the bathroom's tiles and mirrors were covered with a layer of fog. Xia Xingcheng stood under the stream of water, lowering his head and closing his eyes involuntarily. He couldn't hear anything but the sound of water.
Under the shower, he began to scrub his body.
Unlike Fang Jianyuan, who concentrated on taking a bath, Xia Xingcheng knew that next, Yang Youming would come in and embrace him, kissing him from behind. It was difficult for him to keep calm, and he could only wait nervously.
However, either the sound of the water was too loud or Yang Youming's footsteps were so soft that Xia Xingcheng couldn't hear anything before he was wholly hugged from behind, a wet kiss falling on his shoulder.
He let out a cry of surprise.
Yang Youming's voice echoed around him, but he could barely make out the sound through the water. He said, "It's me, don't shout, your mother will hear you."
Xia Xingcheng was embraced. His body was already wet and slippery, and he could feel that Yang Youming's hands could not hold him as tightly as they could during the runthrough, the palm pressed to his skin slipping down.
His heart throbbed violently. Suppressing his voice, he said, "Let go of me." His tone wasn't firm. It sounded more like a lover acting coquettishly.
"Okay," Yang Youming coaxed him with a low voice, but didn't let go of Xia Xingcheng. The hands that were around his waist only went and pressed down on his lower abdomen, glueing Xia Xingcheng's body to his completely.
Xia Xingcheng could feel that Yang Youming's clothes were drenched through. He was still struggling, and his body was a little disoriented under the stream of water. He may have been unable to avoid the camera completely, but right now, he couldn't pay attention to it.
Yang Youming captured Xia Xingcheng's wrist, pulled the younger man to face him, then pressed him on the bathroom tiles and descended on his mouth.
Xia Xingcheng was kissed into obedience. He raised his arms and clung to Yang Youming's neck.
The scene ended here.
After He Zheng called a stop, the first thing Yang Youming did was to reach out and turn off the water. The second thing was to grab the bath towel that Xia Xingcheng had thrown to the side, wrapping it around Xia Xingcheng's waist with his own hands.
During this entire process, Yang Youming completely covered Xia Xingcheng's front. Even though the cameras have already stopped rolling, he still completely blocked out other people's eyes.
Xia Xingcheng's hair kept dripping water, and as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he choked on the water and coughed.
Yang Youming once again took another dry towel and placed it on Xia Xingcheng's head, wiping the water off his face and ears. He patted Xia Xingcheng's shoulder and moved to the side to let him rest.