Fan Fiction |
by ianne
Mei Zhuo watched Xiao Qiao’s rehearsal. After the rehearsal, Xiao Qiao goes down the stage and approaches Mei Zhuo. They greet each other with a short kiss. Shprtly after, one of the musicians greets Xiao Qiao.
MUSICIAN FRIEND
What are you still doing here? You should be packing your bags already! Oh, we are so proud and happy for you!
Xiao Qiao looks a bit alarmed and Mei Zhuo is confused. The musician leaves.
MEI ZHUO
What’s that all about?
XIAO QIAO
I have some news.
MEI ZHUO
Is it good news or bad news?
XIAO QIAO
You decide.
MEI ZHUO
What is it then?
XIAO QIAO
I got invited to play in Carnegie Hall.
MEI ZHUO
Wow! That’s great news! Only the best musicians in the world get to play there.
Xiao Qiao smiles anxiously.
MEI ZHUO
Why aren’t you ecstatic about it? This is not good news, this is wonderful news. I’m happy for you.
XIAO QIAO
The invitation to play is for a year.
Mei Zhuo’s face darkens.
MEI ZHUO
What? A year?! Wh-what are you thinking?
XIAO QIAO
I’m thinking of going.
MEI ZHUO
You’re going?!
XIAO QIAO
You said it yourself, only the best musicians get invited, and it’s such an honor to be asked. I thought you are happy for me.
MEI ZHUO
I was, I am. But I’m thinking it just going to be a couple of weeks in New York, a month the most.
XIAO QIAO
The invite is actually for a series of performances for a month, and if they like my performance, they'll let me play for the entire year.
MEI ZHUO
What about us? Are you just going to bail out on us?
XIAO QIAO
No! I’m not bailing out! But what do you want me to do? Throw away perfectly good opportunities, not to mention rare, and stay here not knowing exactly what we are and where we’re going?
MEI ZHUO
What? You are my girlfriend!
XIAO QIAO
That your mom picked out from a list. That you wanna hang-out with for now.
MEI ZHUO
Don’t turn this around on me. You’re the one who wants to go. Forget you. Forget us.
Mei Zhuo storms off and leaves Xiao Qiao with tears in her eyes.
♫ How do you keep the music playing?
How do you make it last?
How do you keep the song from fading too fast?
How do you lose yourself to someone
and never lose your way?
How do you not run out of new things to say?
And since you know we're always changing
How can it be the same?
And tell me how year after year
You're sure your heart will fall apart
Each time you hear his name?
I know the way I feel for you is now or never
The more I love, the more that I'm afraid
That in your eyes I may not see forever, forever….♫
EXT. RIVERBANK - NIGHT
Mei Zhuo is sitting on the riverbank staring at the bridge and Taipei’s skyline (where F4 used to drink before they had their pub), and drinking up six-pack beer he has with him. Lei arrives and sits beside him.
LEI
What’s up, Mei Zhuo? Why are you drinking alone here?
MEI ZHUO
I called you here because among the four of us, you’re the musical one. Perhaps you can tell me why her music is more important than me, than us.
LEI
Who? Xiao Qiao?
INT. MALL
Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si walk hand in hand. They spot Xiao Qiao window shopping alone. She doesn’t look good. Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si approach her.
SHAN CAI
Xiao Qiao! Hi. Why are you alone? Where’s Mei Zhuo?
EXT. RIVERBANK - NIGHT
Mei Zhou relays the events that occured between him & Xiao Qiao.
LEI
And then you stormed off? We do rub off on each other, don’t we? We ran away from the one we love.
MEI ZHUO
It’s not that I want to. And besides, I’m not the one leaving, she is. Obviously I love her more than she loves me.
LEI
How can you be sure of that? And so what if her music is more important? If you really love her, that doesn’t matter. You should be ready to give her happiness, even if you won’t be a part of it.
Mei Zhuo recalls the time Xiao Qiao threw her cello in the river and he jumped in to get it back. After that, he stands up and leaves.
INT. COFFEE SHOP
Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si invite Xiao Qiao for coffee as she relates what happened between her and Mei Zhuo.
XIAO QIAO
I tried out for Carnegie Hall when I was doing my masters in Julliard, I never expected to be accepted. I came back to Taiwan after that. I forgot about it until now, when I received the invitation.
SHAN CAI
Do you really want to go?
XIAO QIAO
(beat)
It’s not a question of want. But no matter how I look at it, it’s the most logical thing to do.
SHAN CAI
What about Mei Zhuo? He really cares about you.
XIAO QIAO
He cares a lot about many people, you, F4. I love Mei Zhuo, long before our moms set us up, even before I got into music. He loves being with me, I know that. But sometimes I can’t help but feel that’s all there is to us. Perhaps he hangs-out with me just to tickle his mom’s fancy. Then he’ll tell her he tried, we didn’t work out. Soon enough, I’d just be a number in his string of girlfriends. By then, I have already fallen into deep. So maybe I should save myself the agony and accept the Carnegie Hall invitation... But at the same time, even though I’m plagued with insecurities, I can’t imagine myself not being with him.
SHAN CAI
Wow, i didn't know that. You and Mei Zhou seemed to be the least dyfunctional couple among us, i didn't realize anything was wrong, that you were having all these doubts.
XIAO QIAO
(shrugs)
Eh.
DAO MING SI
(scoffs)
Girls!
SHAN CAI
Dao Ming Si! If you don’t talk, nobody will think you’re mute.
DAO MING SI
Stupid woman! We know how Mei Zhuo truly feel about Xiao Qiao. We can't just keep quiet and let them break-up.
SHAN CAI
Pighead! That’s not my intention.
(looks at Xiao Qiao)
Xiao Qiao, I can understand where you’re coming from.
(looks at Dao Ming Si)
And I know you naturally want to speak for Mei Zhou, BUT
we can’t do the talking for them.
DAO MING SI
But they’re gonna break up.
SHAN CAI
That’s why we’re going to help them. Go find Mei Zhuo and bring some senses to him! Go!
Dao Ming Si leaves.
XIAO QIAO
What’s going on?
SHAN CAI
Don’t worry Xiao Qiao, we will help you.
INT. LEI’S BALCONY - NIGHT
Lei is playing his violin. His cellphone beeps a text message. He stops playing and picks up his cellphone and reads the text message.
INSERT – CELLPHONE SCREEN
Lei, hi. How are you? I miss you – Jing
Lei stares at it with a blank expression. He wants to erase the message. But when the screen asks “erase?” he doesn’t press ok and places his phone back on the table. He picks up his violin and starts playing again.
INT. F4 PUB – VIP ROOM
F3 drinks in silence. Dao Ming Si enters. He knocks fists with them as a greeting. He pours himself a glass of wine and sits down with them.
DAO MING SI
Mei Zhuo, Shan Cai and I ran into Xiao Qiao in the mall. She looked so depressed. What the hell are you up to?
MEI ZHUO
What I’m up to? She’s the one that’s up to something.
DAO MING SI
Hey, Lei. Why are you so quiet?
XI MEN
He’s always quiet.
DAO MING SI
Speak for yourself. You haven’t told us anything that happened between you and Xiao Gen.
XI Men doesn’t respond.
DAO MING SI
What about you and Xiao You?
Xi Men shrugs dismissively.
DAO MING SI
Geez, you guys are full of crap. What’s with all your drama?
F3 gives him the look as if to say, yeah right, you never had drama and dragged us along with it. Dao Ming Si evades his eyes and drinks his wine.
one of their employees enters the room and says there’s a phone call for Dao Ming Si. Dao Ming Si, thinking it might be about the shipment coming tomorrow, gets up and goes to his office to answer it.
OFFICE
DAO MING SI
Hello, this is Dao Ming Si. May I help you?
WOMAN (O.S.)
(telephone voice over)
Hello, Ah Si…
VIP ROOM
Dao Ming Si returns. He gets his glass of wine and slouches back on his seat. He has a darkened expression as he sips his wine. F3 notice his sudden change of mood.
XI MEN
Hey, you were so boisterous before you left the room. Why come back gloomy?
MEI ZHUO
Who called?
DAO MING SI
I’m going to New York.
LEI
New York?
DAO MING SI
Father had a stroke.
F3 look at him which anxiously, then all sigh and have beaten up expressions. Mei Zhuo buries his face in his hand then runs his hand thru his hair.
XI MEN
I remember not so long ago, we’re all happy, doing ok. Now, it’s starting all over again.
Mei Zhuo picks up the bottle of wine and pours wine in all their glasses. He raises up his glass to make a toast.
MEI ZHUO
Here, to our last night alive.
F3 raise their glasses to his toast and sips their wine. Then they get back to their gloomy expressions.
DAO MING SI
Sister called. She told me our father had a major heart attack. He’s stable now but currently invalid. They don’t know when he’d fully recover.
LEI
How’s your mom?
DAO MING SI
I don’t know. I didn’t get to speak to her. With my sister’s voice, it was as if my mom didn’t want me to know about what happened. My mom currently attends to all my father’s business responsibilities, and plus her actual responsibilities with the chain of Maple Hotels and all our business in Taiwan and New York.
XI MEN
That’s why she never had made a move since you came back in Taiwan. She has a lot of other things to worry about.
MEI ZHUO
So your mom is making you go to New York?
DAO MING SI
No. she didn’t. It was my decision. Nobody told me to, not even my sister. No matter what my differences with my parents, but in times of crisis, I can’t just abandon my family and let them be. If you just heard sis’ voice as she spoke on the phone, it was heartbreaking. She and her husband are doing all they can to help in our business crippled by dad’s sudden illness. But even if she doesn’t tell me, I know they need me there. I can’t just forsake them.
Dao Ming Si sighs heavily and looks around the pub as if noticing it for the first time.
DAO MING SI
What are we going to do with this pub? I don’t want to give this up. We invested so much in it, not just financially.
XI MEN
Don’t worry, we will take care of it.
DAO MING SI
How? You are going to be president of your company soon, Mei Zhuo is also busy in his family business and working things out with Xiao Qiao, Lei is going back and forth Japan and Taipei.
LEI
i'll make arrangements so that I can stay here and--
DAO MING SI
No Lei, I’m not letting you do this, not again. I can’t just disappear and have you take care of all my responsibilities and Shan Cai!
The atmosphere becomes more tense and heavy at the mention of Shan Cai.
MEI ZHUO
What are you planning to do?
DAO MING SI
I don’t know, I can’t believe I’m doing this to her again.
XI MEN
Are you going to take her to New York with you?
DAO MING SI
I’d want that, but she’s graduating in a few weeks. She has to graduate, that was our plan. I promised her we’re going to do this right, and now…
LEI
Your father having a stroke wasn’t part of your plans, nobody foresaw it coming. Don’t beat yourself up.
It’s better to talk this out first with her before you make any decision for the both of you.
DAO MING SI
I just don't know how I’m going to look her in the eye and tell her I'd be leaving her. Again.
♫Well I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
Yes I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother standing by
With my brother standing by
I said Brother, you know you know
It’s a long road we’ve been walking on
Brother you know it is you know it is
Such a long road we’ve been walking on♫
INT. / EXT. COFFEE SHOP – NIGHT
Dao Ming Si picks Shan Cai from work.
SHAN CAI
Have you talked to Mei Zhuo?
DAO MING SI
Yeah. He knows what to do.
SHAN CAI
I hope those two work it out alright.
DAO MING SI
They will.
SHAN CAI
What about Xi Men, what’s he up to? I can’t bear to see my friend Xiao You like this. She’s putting up a brave front, but I know she is hurting inside.
DAO MING SI
I’ve known Xi Men for years, there’s no way predicting what he chooses to care about.
SHAN CAI
All four of you are like that. I know I said we’d help, but I really don’t know what to do. When we had troubles, do our friends worry about us this much? Being unable to help, it’s really miserable.
DAO MING SI
Shan Cai… let’s go to my place.
SHAN CAI
Ok, we should be getting home, it’s late. I have classes tomorrow.