On the 30th day of the script reading, the "peeping incident" still lingered. As Yu Cheng prepared to go to the gym, the sky was just beginning to show a hint of light. Since joining the group, the routine of waking up at 5 a.m. for exercise, coming back to shower and having breakfast together had become a habit for the two of them. During their meals, they were mostly quiet, occasionally exchanging a few words.
"Shao, how many subtopics have you dug out so far?" Yu Cheng asked curiously. This was one of Prof. Wang Shuo's acting teaching methods, emphasising that actors should not only analyse lines and character psychology from the script but also uncover the hidden themes within the story, attempting to dissect the topics and secrets alluded to in the themes.
Uncovering the themes of a story is like searching for treasure. As one's control over the story improves, more things can be seen through phenomena to essence. Even in a script about emotions, there are deeper fates hidden within.
"Isn't it a bit late to ask this question?" Zhong Shao replied, but in reality, any insights and discoveries made before the end of filming were not considered late. "How many do you have?" Shao asked again.
"Six," Yu Cheng replied, "I revisited the content yesterday and interestingly found that Song Chunuan tried to explore the topic of 'us in the era of big data' using an interstellar story."
Zhong Shao's eyes revealed his admiration as he said, "Yu Cheng, you will be a good actor."
Upon hearing this, Yu Cheng stood there in a daze.
Before the reading session started today, Yu Cheng, driven by curiosity, asked Song Chunan how she came up with incorporating such a theme into the story.
Song Chunan, caressing his belly, earnestly exclaimed, "Finally, someone has noticed that there is this theme in the story!"
Thus, pregnant Song Chunan rambled on about the original intention behind the theme of "Us in the Era of Big Data".
"The background of 'Same or Not' is set in the interstellar age. When we transcend our own time and observe as spectators, we can better discover the long-standing issues of identity. Setting aside super technological advances, who are we? In the era of big data, who are we again? I want to explore the identity anxiety and identity recognition issues of this era in the super era, which is also a question that we need to ponder in this era."
In a different tone, Song Chunan continued, "Take the recent 'peeping incident' that sparked discussions across the internet for two days as an example. I only see this incident from the perspective of identity. In this, everyone plays different roles - victim, perpetrator, vocaliser, supporter, and even the invisible online trolls. Among these identities, those students who dare to speak out and engage in performance art surely have their own identity recognition. Apart from those online trolls, including the perpetrators themselves, perhaps they are all experiencing identity anxiety. They are not unaware of the roles and identities they currently play, but are entangled in the external disturbances."
After finishing speaking in one breath, Song Chunan touched his pregnant belly again and praised himself inwardly, 'The words spoken truly have depth.'
"We were waiting to see who would be the first to discover this point, never thought it would be us, Yu Cheng," Lu Cheng laughed, twirling his pen, provocatively looking at Zhong Shao, saying, "Shao, seems like your sensitivity to words has decreased~"
"You have to allow me to occasionally be less sensitive to words," Zhong Shao replied calmly.
Lu Cheng scratched his head, smiling without exposing, then switched back to his director role and addressed all the actors, "From the director's perspective, actors must maintain sensitivity to words. Of course, this is also a method to train actors to understand the logic and story meaning of the text. I hope everyone can remember that, as actors, the premise of acting is to thoroughly understand the script, and delving into the script is essential to maintaining sensitivity to words and entering the role and story."
"This is also one of the purposes of our script reading circle."
"Director Lu," a supporting actor shouted, "why didn't you say anything at the beginning of the script reading circle?"
"Just testing your sensitivity to words."
"..."
The pre-class Q&A session concluded, and the script reading session commenced. The first scene of today, featuring Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng, is filled with tension.
Initiating the defence battle for gender equality rights between the first and second genders under the Alpha status is no easy task. After becoming familiar with the social environment and survival conditions of the second gender in the Darwin Planet society, Yu Yue and Ji Chen discovered that it operates in reverse to the "Darwin Evolution Theory." While the ABO on the Darwin Planet must also "fight for survival," Beta and Omega are to some extent respected and treated fairly by Alpha; they can compete for the same position as Alpha as long as they have enough strength. They also founded a "Coexistence Alliance Organization" initiated by Alpha on the Darwin Planet, aiming to promote peaceful coexistence among different groups of the second gender and create a better future for the Darwin Planet.
Naturally, there are countless small organizations resisting the existence of this organization.
Yu Yue reached out to the current head of the "Coexistence Alliance Organization," Gao Cen, who is a middle-aged Alpha and the third leader of the organization.
During the visit, Gao Cen shared a story with them about a hundred years of guardianship.
After the emergence of the second gender, people gradually discovered the pairing law of the second gender, where Alpha will inevitably unite with Omega. This law seems to confirm the saying in the Book of Revelation - "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last."
The union of the first and the last forms a perfect circle, foretelling the most perfect union.
The founder of the Coexistence Alliance organization was Gao Cen's grandfather, Gao Xi. At that time, Earth's citizens had all been prefiltered to a second gender. Not only did humans adapt to the existence of the second gender, but they also manifested their inherent inferior traits, dividing the AB0 types into different gender classes.
Gao Xi was an Alpha, and his partner was an Omega. Apart from the second gender, their primary gender was male. Gao Xi's partner, solely because of being an Omega as the second gender, was often overlooked for his top-notch expertise in his professional field. Furthermore, when a male acquired a uterine cavity, silently and invisibly, they were objectified by society as a female of the first gender. After gaining a thorough understanding of the other five planets, they decided to immigrate to the Darwin planet.
The then leader of Darwin planet was the former chairman of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, perhaps this was the reason why Darwin was different from other planets. In the second year of immigrating to Darwin planet, Gao Xi established the Coexistence Alliance organization.
Gao Cen's father took over the organization from Gao Xi 30 years ago, and handed over the managerial position to Gao Cen three years ago.
After inspecting the organization, the superiors decided to launch the first and second gender equality defence campaign by utilizing the "Coexistence Alliance Organization."
On the night of the resolution passing, Ji Chen was alone, lying on the rooftop with his arms supporting him, drinking beer. The night sky twinkled with stars, the evening breeze on the rooftop carrying a hint of coolness, lifting a corner of his black T-shirt to reveal his solid abdominal muscles.
Yu Yue sat down beside him, handed him a can of beer, looked up at the stars, and asked, "Why are you drinking alone here?"
"How does drinking mean I'm sulking?" Yu Yue said, "Our ancestors have a poem that goes: 'Raising a toast to the bright moon, bowing in nostalgia for my hometown.'
"
Ji Chen didn't respond, tilted his head back and took a sip of beer, the amber liquid sliding down his throat, the prominent Adam's apple rolling. Yu Yue watched this movement, suddenly finding Ji Chen's Adam's apple very attractive, feeling the urge to reach out and touch it.
"Perhaps," Ji Chen, still gazing at the brilliant night sky, seemingly speaking to himself or to Yu Yue, said, "On the planet Yanlang, there are more shooting stars than stars, on Earth, it's rare to see a sky full of stars, only in Darwin, stars are numerous and beautiful."
"To the entire universe, each planet is just its own little star."
"That seems to make sense." Ji Chen rarely smiled lightly, turned his head to look at Yu Yue, his expression relaxed yet serious, "Yu Yue, partnering with you doesn't feel bad."
They knew each other's weaknesses too well, to the point of always overlooking the shining parts of each other.
At present, Yu Yue and Ji Chen, along with the "Coexistence Alliance Organization" and the gender deployment of Darwin Planet, have everything set up, officially launching the campaign for gender equality rights between the first and second genders the next day.
Beyond did not expect that on the day before the battle, he saw his reflection in the deep eyes of Ji Chen and his heart rate accelerated.
As the improvisation ended, Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng immediately detached from their roles, looking at each other with calm and humble eyes. Their lines were solid, emotions appropriately fluctuating, even the way they looked at each other was neither sticky nor overly affectionate, just right.
"Excellent!" Lu Cheng waved his pen, "My two male leads are getting more and more in sync." He held a hint of private regret, "It's just that the emotions detach too quickly."