"My mom said color and smell have a huge effect on people's moods." "So I wonder, if that theory is true, what colors make me excited, or nervous?" "Or happy, or worried?" "And what are the smells that make me... giddy one minute and hysterical the next, that fill me with so much love I forget where I am, or so stubborn about something I can't let go." "Gong Ning," "But I know, you're the reason I feel all these emotions." "It's 3:30 on the 15th." "Gong Ning, if I hadn't just listened to what I recorded for you yesterday," "I wouldn't remember any of what I said to you." "I guess my memory is getting worse." "Have I said that to you before too?" "A kid named Ming got a new haircut." "The next day, all the kids at school laughed at him." "They said, "Your new haircut looks like a kite!"" "Ming was hurt, and he ran outside and started crying." "He cried, and he cried, and cried... and then a gust of wind caught him, and he flew." "Your turn." "A centipede, spider, and ant go to help their friend the butterfly move." "And then?" "Hey, knock it off!" "I'm not even done and you're laughing." "Hon, butterflies don't have homes." "Technical foul, you lose." "Hand it over." "So much for childhood innocence..." "The sweating and the forgetfulness are just side effects of her medicine, nothing you need to worry about." "Her condition is hereditary, it's very different from ordinary myasthenia gravis." "So what about what we just talked about?" "She needs to avoid physical exertion." "I'm sure you know" "Respiratory muscle paralysis can be life threatening." "Even though other doctors might not agree," "I think, for her safety, we should increase her dosage, or the risk of muscle paralysis is too high." "Rock Rock Rock" ""I have a donkey, and I never rode it"" ""But one day, I got bored, and rode it to the market"" ""I felt so proud with my little whip in my hand"" ""Then suddenly I slipped off and fell in the mud"" "Rock Rock Rock" ""I have a donkey"" ""I have a donkey"" ""I have a donkey, and I never rode it"" ""But one day, I got bored, and rode it to the market"" ""I felt so proud with my little whip in my hand"" ""Then suddenly..."" "Sorry, sorry..." "Are you ok?" "Sorry, my rooster acts up sometimes." "You're not hurt, are you?" "Song Shiqiao?" "!" "Are you Song Shiqiao?" "I'm Gong Ning." "That rooster belongs to our guitarist, Chunzi." "It hatched from an egg he bought a few years ago." "And back then, it was cute, so he didn't want to get rid of it." "You've changed a lot." "I couldn't tell it was you at all." "Well, yeah!" "With this thing on, who could tell it was me?" "If it weren't for those weird hiccups of yours" "I'd never guess you were the same girl who sat behind me in class." "Do you remember that time in math class when a cockroach flew out of the wall?" "Everybody else was screaming, but you hiccuped." "I get the hiccups when I'm nervous." "That was chemistry, wasn't it?" "Math." "This is my cell number." "Call me sometime." "I have to go let the organizers tear me a new one." "Bye." "What's wrong?" "Are you tired?" "Does something hurt?" "Mom... is this medicine making me stupid?" "Why would it?" "I feel like my memory is getting worse." "I met someone I used to go to high school with," "But I could hardly recognize him." "Boy or girl?" "Boy." "Same homeroom?" "We were in the same lit class, junior year." "But, after a few months, he cleaned out his desk and left." "I think it had something to do with his dad's job, so he had to transfer." "You liked him?" "No!" "Then it's normal you wouldn't recognize him!" "You didn't know him very well." "I'm gonna go take a shower." "Viewed vertically," "Romantic literature was a direct descendant" "(GONG NING'S MOBILE NUMBER)" "It was also a protest against the rigid confines of French Classicism." "Horizontally," "Romantic literature" "Sorry." "Song Shiqiao!" "Why haven't you called me?" "I keep my phone on 24 hours a day because I'm waiting to hear from you." "Do you know how rude you're being?" "Are you mad at me?" "For what?" "!" "Hey, did you get taller on me?" "Gong Ning!" "Sorry..." "Good luck!" "You're in a different costume today." "Yeah, we draw straws for them." "You must have got the short one, to be wearing that." "I'm not cute?" "Holy crap, you can't see anything in this." "Are you still in college?" "I sit in on class." "We got expelled because of that chicken." "We're actually a grunge rock band." "Grunge Grunge ROCK." "Cobain, Nirvana!" "Bye!" "Hello?" "Gong Ning," "I had a feeling I'd see you today, and then there you were, at my school." "You said you would take me somewhere special, and I said, ok, someday soon." "Ok." "You're not going to ask why?" "It's Friday." "I remember, in high school, you went to the hospital every Friday." "I never thought you'd actually remember." "I remember you always used to lose your keys in high school, and you'd empty your backpack looking for them." "You still do that." "My mom's here to pick me up." "Do you still remember this?" "You used to have this tape recorder in your hand all the time." "You used to record the songs you wrote for guitar on it, and you'd listen to them over and over, looking for mistakes." "So why do you have it?" "Did I give it to you?" "Once, when you were listening in class, the teacher took it." "One day, I had monitor duty, and I saw it on the teacher's desk, so I took it." "I wanted to give it back to you." "But you transferred to another school." "Let's go." "You're three minutes and thirty-seven seconds late." "Calm down." "I'll give you four minutes." "Keep the change." "Get on." "Get on." "I remember how you used to draw all over your textbooks in high school." "Did I?" "I don't remember." "Memories are like the raindrops in my hand." "The tighter you grab it, the faster it slips away." "Actually you're a lot different than I remember." "Then how do you remember me?" "This is a glow-in-the-dark pen." "Go home and turn the lights off, and you'll be able to read it." "Let's go." "Hey..." "Do you hear that?" "Do you remember that fat music teacher we used to have?" "You mean the Latin fanatic?" "Yeah." "Every time he put this song on he always got up and danced, and we'd always used to dance behind him?" "Mom..." "So, you're Gong Ning?" "Hello, ma'am." "Where are you two going so late?" "...Out." "Gong Ning, you're a student, right?" "Show me your student ID." "...I quit." "...You quit." "...Then your ID?" "I didn't bring it." "Mom... quit acting like a fascist." "Ma'am, how about this, tomorrow, when I come to see Shiqiao..." "You think you're seeing her tomorrow?" "That's the plan." "Tomorrow I'm bringing Shiqiao to my friend's dance studio..." "You're dancing now?" "No..." "I'm just going to see it." "Ok." "I'm going home." ""Oh,"" "Good morning, fish." ""Rocker..." "Rocker..."" ""I am a rocker..." "I am a rocker..."" "Mom?" "How come you're not at the cafe?" "I'm staying home with you today." "(GONG NING calling...)" "When did I say you could have a boyfriend?" "Mom..." "Back to your room." "Go on." "(I'm on the roof!" ")" "Having fun up there?" "I got you a drink." "Enjoy." "Why doesn't your mom like me?" "Did you tell her all the dirty secrets from my past?" "I told you," "I can't dance because of my disease." "So, you should never mention anything about dancing around her." "It's the one thing that drives her crazy." "Enough of that." "Sing me something." "What do you want to hear?" "Something... gentle." ""Sometimes, I think people don't understand, and I bear the loneliness alone" "Up here without you, there's a loss I always feel" "But your smile is still like a rainbow spreading softly across my heart" "And from now on, I'll never fear the rain" "Holding hands and being together, and it's all we'll need to be happy" "Now I know fate is real"" "Mom..." "Tell him to come down here." "He can stay for dinner." "Ok, so, you, you're young, but you're tricky." "You're lucky it's just sunburn." "What if you'd fallen off the roof?" "What would your parents do?" "They'd laugh." "What do your parents do?" "They're abroad." "What do they do abroad?" "They're on sabbatical abroad." "Why aren't you in school?" "I tried." "But university is boring, so I withdrew." "I wanted more time to work on my band." "What's your band called?" ""Psychological Abnormality"" "It fits." "You'd have to be abnormal to climb on other people's roofs." "Don't come back too late tonight, alright?" "Right, Shiqiao, I just realized, you and the rooster are the same sign!" "Yeah, they are." "He hatched sometime around this season." "The egg was laid in the winter." "A blizzard raged on that cold, blustery winter night." "We don't get snow in the winter down here." "Right, but Chunzi brought the rooster from back home in the northeast." "Does it snow every year in your hometown?" "Yeah!" "And it always manages to snow right when I'm going home every year." "The whole city gets encased in ice." "Don't tell me you've never seen snow..." "I've seen it in movies." "This cannot stand." "If you want to come this winter, you can stay with me." "I can't leave my doctor." "I have to get a checkup every week." "Let's get off this subject." "I'll show you guys a magic trick." "Watch." "Gimme that!" "Gimme that!" "Gimme that!" "2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7..." "What are you recording?" "Footsteps." "4... 5... 6... 7..." "What does running feel like?" "Ever since I can remember, my mom always said" "I couldn't move too fast, that running would kill me, so I've never known what it's like to run." "It must be like riding a bike that's going really fast." "But that's not right, bikes are too steady." "Please don't make this hard for me, Sir." "Your son will blame me if he finds out." "Hey, my store!" "Let go!" "Don't touch me!" "Let go of me!" "I..." "I know this sweater is important to you." "If I want liquor, you get it for me!" "I gave you money!" "Stop drinking." "Sorry!" "Excuse me." "Excuse me!" "Enough!" "Enough!" "Do you... do you see your dad?" "How can I do business like this?" "Give it to him." "He can drink however much he wants." "He's had a lot today." "Give it to him." "It's about to rain." "You can't blame me." "Hey, man, I'm sorry." "Sorry." "Mom, before I was born, did you know I would have this disease?" "Has someone been telling you things?" "No..." "I was just thinking, you don't talk about dad much." "I wonder if he had the same disease." "Shiqiao, you're grown up now, and I think you're old enough to understand some things." "Your father was... different from ordinary people." "He was an alien." "You believed it!" "Boring" "Really!" "At least... three seconds." "I did not!" "Shiqiao, look." "Do you see the brightest one up there?" "That's where your dad is." "You're lying." "Believe it or not" "Leave it" "Come talk to me." "What's wrong?" "You in a bad mood?" "A little bit." "Let's play a game." "I play this a lot with my mom." "We'll each tell a joke, and whoever doesn't laugh wins." "I'll go first." "A teacher told her students to use "though" in a sentence." "One of them stood up, and said," ""A train came chugging out of a tunnel in the mountains," "'THOUGH-though-THOUGH-though-THOUGH-though'."" "I have a show in a few days." "Will you come see it?" ""Your face with your fake smile plastered on bugs me in a way I can't quite say" "You're so careful when you kiss those asses," "I bet you owe him more than you could ever repay" "I guess I'd rather not spend my life on eggshells..." "Get drunk on it with me..."" "Even though this wild youth of yours is strange to me, at that moment, the noise and the chaos moved me." "That's because of you, Gong Ning." "It's because this wild youth of yours is exactly what I imagined it would be." ""I'm a rock and roll man!" "I'm a rock and roll man!" "If you think it's too loud, you can wait for me outside." "I'm gonna go pack up." "I'll be right back." "Ok." "Hey." "Do you have class this afternoon?" "You eat, I'll tell you a joke first." "A long time ago, there was a cold-blooded assassin." "His sword was cold, his hands were cold." "His blood was cold." "And in the end, he froze to death." "Knock it off." "Give it here." "I didn't laugh, you lose." "Why didn't you come that night?" "I met a friend backstage." "We started drinking, then we got in a fight." "Next time you want to apologize, don't explain." "And if you want to explain, find a better excuse." ""When the night has come" "And the land is dark" "And the moon is the only light we'll see" "No I won't be afraid" "No I won't be afraid" "Just as long as you stand, stand by me" "Oh darling, darling, stand by me" "Oh now stand by me" "Stand by me... stand by me..."" "(SW93hiqi8O, I'm sorry!" ")" "Yang Bilin..." "Present." "Yang Dan..." "Present." "Song Shiqiao..." "Song Shiqiao..." "This is the first time I've ever skipped class." "If my mom finds out, I don't want to think about the consequences." "Don't worry." "I promise it'll be worth it." "Climb on." "Come on!" "You wanted to know what running felt like, right?" "Well, you can borrow my legs to find out." "Go!" "Hold on!" "A bumpy ride at moderate speed" "Running pretty much feels like this." "No. 12, Nanjing Road!" "No. 17, Huaxin Road!" "No.24, Beach!" "No.31, Huimin Road!" "Forward!" "It seems like someone's about to have a birthday." "Right. 23." "Got a wish?" "Dancing?" "I picked this up from the side of the road when I was a kid." "I thought, maybe one day, I could be like her." "What I forgot is that she's healthy." "That's something I won't ever have." "So I admire you." "You can get up on stage and scream and squander your youth." "Mom..." "You look like something's bugging you." "No, nothing." "This is the first time you're not spending your birthday with me." "You've been doing it for 20 years." "You deserve a break." "Come here." "Happy birthday, honey." "Let's go!" "Come home with me!" "Hands off!" "Come home with me!" "Leave me alone." " Come home with me." " I don't want to" "You're not a fish, so why aren't you asleep?" "I'm sorry about your birthday." "Something bad happened." "We should separate." "I guess something bad is happening to me today." "There's a side of my life that's very messy." "I know." "I admit I've hidden things from you." "Then you can tell me now." "There's a lot I can't explain right now." "But in a while you'll understand." "That doesn't sound like something Gong Ning would say." "As of this moment, our contract is over." "I don't know much about psychology, but I think I should warn you that if you keep listening to your daughter's recordings, and she finds out, she'll be scarred in a way that will be very hard to undo." "I just think, if she spends too long in this state, she'll end up with a very unhealthy mindset later in life." "That won't necessarily happen." "For her, this might just be the way she wants to live her life." "I have an idea." "A pair of hands beyond repair and beautification," "Warmth is always behind," "She's always caring, and now you feel guilty for not appreciating it." "She doesn't like the music you drown yourself in." "A mother's love never lets up" "You can try to be happy, but you have to pay it back." "So you just say you want to leave, and you go?" "I told you a long time ago I wanted to go abroad." "You never took it seriously." "Go abroad... since when do I have the money to go abroad?" "If you don't have money, you can work for it!" "You can get a job!" "Music is my job." "Forget it." "Making music is dead end." "The only person who encourages and supports your music" "Is no longer here." "Peng Wei, you changed." "Maybe you should change!" "Ever since your mom died you've been spinning your wheels in the same rut!" "Maybe I like spinning my wheels." ""You finally ran away, disappeared before my eyes" "You want me to be better to you," "You think you're the one who needs pity" "Shut that mouth" "You're polluting the world with your complaints" "Pack up your hypocrisy..."" "stop, stop, stop!" "Hey!" "I'm talking about you guys!" "Can you keep it down?" "W-w-what are you gonna do about it?" "You're making it hard to sing." "Well m-m-maybe, if you sang j-j-just a little bit better, j-j-just a little, teensy, tiny b-b-bit, we wouldn't make any noise!" "Right?" "Right!" "I said don't fight them." "You already wrecked the guitar!" "Which one of you is Iv Xia?" "Sign this." "This is for you." "(Iv Xia, your situation with the police is taken care of." "I want to discuss something with you.)" "(Zheng Qing)" "Sit down." "You paid my fine and medical bills?" "And for the damage to the bar." "Why?" "I want you to work for me." "I want you to play a role for my daughter." "Listen, lady, I'm not an actor." "I'm not looking for an actor." "Then what's the role?" "On the 19th 10100 P.M." "Gong Ning, you suddenly disappeared from my life, and even after so long, I'm still not used to it." "I want to take my memories of you and draw them into a comic." "But my hands aren't up to it." "I pick up a pen to draw you, and I always end up putting it down." "So I decided to take those memories and tape them." "I guess this is how I'll have to remember you." "Do you remember that basketball court surrounded by a chain-link fence?" "I used to sit on the bench by the tree and hold a book over my face, pretending to read, and I'd watch you, running and jumping on the court." "I remember watching you in the classroom while you gave yourself headaches over math problems" "While I was at dance practice, I used to songs on your guitar over and over, and then I'd sneak a bottle of water with a smiley face on it into your guitar case." "I'm sure you never realized that when you couldn't find your bike keys," "I was watching you, laughing." "It was so cute how frantic you used to get." "His name was Gong Ning." "He went to high school with my daughter." "What do you want from me?" "I've been watching a lot of bands." "In terms of age and personality, you're a lot like him." "Our guitarist, Chunzi." "He calls himself "gregarious"." "I'm very pleased to meet you, ma'am." "Guqi, our keyboardist." "She collects vintage cameras." "We call her "Nick Funry"." "Liang Liang, our bassist." "He calls himself "second-generation rich."" "I am in spirit." "Meng Dong, our drummer." "I already knew that." "You throw the drumsticks off the stage after every show." "Off the stage after ever show." "Which is why we call him "the Groupie Magnet"." "Don't listen to them." "I just like to make new friends." "My girlfriend, Peng Wei." "We're about to split up." "That's my dad." "No I'm not." "But the job's open." "In... the future, I'd like you all to call him Gong Ning around my daughter." "Thank you, everyone." "So what do you want me to do, exactly?" "Make my daughter fall in love with Gong Ning." "Are you Song Shiqiao?" "I'm Gong Ning." "No matter how close we are, we're not twins." "How could she not be able to tell the difference?" "Unless there's something wrong with her head?" "You've changed a lot." "I didn't recognize you at all." "She's perfectly intelligent, she just has some problems with her memory." "It's bad enough that you brought it, but why did you let the chicken out of the bag?" "My park is full of kids!" "Guess who pays if someone gets hurt?" "!" "Is she still looking?" "Don't turn around." "Yeah." "My daughter has a genetic disorder." "She takes pills." "And those pills cause significant memory loss." "Mom, is this medicine making me stupid?" "Why would it?" "So he was in a band?" "And he was a really good guitar player." "Our music teacher couldn't shut up about him." "If he were still alive, he probably would be." "He's dead?" "Car accident." "But my daughter doesn't know." "The school thought the news would affect the other students, so they told his classmates he transferred to another school." "But we all know the real reason why he left." "And what's that?" "He beat up the principal's son, so they had him expelled, and then lied about it." "Hey, hey!" "Get back here!" "All you ever do is cause me problems!" "I told you to stay in the bag, remember?" "So how'd you pull it off?" "I listened to all her tapes, and I remembered that story about the hiccups." "Anxiety-induced diaphragma, hiccups caused by a nervous or excited state." "Hey, can you not with the silent treatment?" "Lighten up, alright?" "So what, you're proud of lying to a girl for money?" "She has more than 300 tapes like this." "You know, erotic psychosis, in this day and age, that's something." "I'll pay back the money you spent on me." "I can't do this." "How much do you make for a show?" "Could you pay me back?" "That..." "That gesture, that's what made me decide to ask you." "My daughter said Gong Ning used to scratch his head like that." "I'll buy you an MP3 player." "They're small, light, and they can record, too." "I still like tapes." "Because they remind you... of the passage of time." "This is my deposit." "If you agree, we'll sign this contract, and I'll tell you the PIN." "But I'm going to say this before we start, this isn't you doing me a favor, this is work." "This is your shop?" "You must have a lot of money." "I just love my daughter a lot." "I think it's about to rain soon." "Come on, there's a place I want to show you." "Where?" "Come with me." ""AH LEI:" "This is urgent!"" "Stop drinking, Sir." "Excuse me." "Stop drinking." "Enough." "Give it to him." "Actually..." "I can't today." "It's about to rain." "There's something I have to go do." "Then give me your key." "Don't lose me again!" "This is my 81st time passing this intersection in the rain." "The man who directs traffic is still here, right on time" "He has a very moving story, and I wanted to tell you today." "Mom..." "I don't think I can hold on any more." "Are you coming or not?" "No, Shiqiao is waiting for me." "Let's go." "Who's he?" "Iv Xia, we broke up." "You're Iv Xia, right?" "Hi, I'm Li Rao." "Who's he?" "I'm Li Rao." "I didn't ask you!" "Who's he?" "I told you, my name is Li Rao!" "Stop fighting, Iv Xia." "Don't hit him!" "Iv Xia!" "Take a look." "You violated section 4, clause 3, and the contract outlines the penalties for that." "Fine, dock my salary." "You left my daughter in the street for three hours yesterday!" "And today you're acting like it doesn't matter?" "!" "Ma'am!" "It's not like I do this every day." "It was a coincidence, alright?" "Remember, this is work, understand?" "L9e'I you!" "I made the mess and I'll clean it up." "Don't think she's that easy to console." "Anybody I want to console gets consoled, alright?" "Next time you want to apologize, don't explain." "And if you want to explain, find a better excuse." "(SW93hiqi8O, I'm sorry!" ")" "Gong Ning," "It's my 18th birthday today, and I just secretly made a very unrealistic wish." "I wished that someday, you'd suddenly appear with your guitar and sing a song just for me." "I don't think words could describe how happy that would make me." "And that's how, when I least expected it, my wish came true." "All these years, you've been speaking into that tape recorder?" "Is it stupid?" "Yeah!" "I know..." "So why do you only record side A?" "Because I leave side B for you to fill." "I..." "Oh, don't be so serious!" "Every day around this time" "I start saying crazy things." "It's probably the medicine wearing off." "Don't be so serious." "Are you scared?" "Of what?" "The passage of time." "I want you to be my girlfriend." "What kind of candy do you like?" "Apple, Orange, or Peach?" "Orange." "It'll help you remember this moment." "The moment we became a couple." "Mom!" "Know why the English word for blue is "blue"?" "Because when fish exhale, they go" ""Blue blue blue"!" "Ok, getting dizzy now!" "Blue!" "What's wrong now?" "What did you do to my daughter?" "She was acting crazy when she got home today!" "You told me to formalize the relationship." "I just kissed her." "You... who the hell do you think you are!" "If my heart's not in it, you say I'm being unprofessional." "If I play the role, I'm overstepping." "You're not making this easy for me." "I didn't ask you to be extreme about it!" "What are you running from?" "Take this, it's a script." "Learn your lines." ""If you want to know what running feels like, you can borrow my legs."" "This is lame." "Cut the crap." "You kiss my daughter, and you're afraid this is lame." "I'm just trying to make it realistic, alright?" "When people finally decide to jump into the river of love, do you know what the last expression on their faces is?" "He won't actually fall for her, right?" "I remember you studied dance in high school." "But after I graduated," "I collapsed at a rehearsal." "My mom didn't let me dance after that." "If you had the chance, what would you choose?" "I'd get back on stage without hesitating." "But your mom said that could kill you." "But everyone wants to shine, just once, in their lifetime." "Don't they?" "This isn't something you should think about." "Thanks." "Hello?" "Get down here and get your dad under control!" "There is a construction going on." "He insists to direct traffic in the middle of the road." "Sorry." "Sorry." "Go away." "Go away." "There is a construction going on." "They can do their job, and I'll direct traffic." "I am not in the way." "What does this role you play accomplish?" "Mom is gone!" "Who says she's gone?" "She's right here!" "She is always here." "She's dead!" "She's not here!" "She's in an urn!" "What are you saying?" "You think getting drunk every day is missing her." "You think directing traffic is honoring her memory." "You spend every single day lost in your own fantasies!" "Have you ever thought about me?" "When she died, it hurt me too!" "And what do you do?" "Over and over again, you poke at my wounds!" "It's been four years, but every morning, I wake up, and it feels like she left yesterday." "Every time I decide to pick myself up, every time I want to walk out of that shadow, you beat me right back!" "Do you think she'd want to see you like this?" "Do you think she'd want to see you drop out of college?" "They're two separate things!" "Then take care of the one that's yours!" "Come home with me." "Leave me alone!" "Come home with me." "(SHIQIAO'S MOM calling...)" "Four years ago, on a rainy night," "Iv Xia's mother died in a car crash at that intersection." "After that, his dad had a breakdown." "He went from a taxi driver who didn't touch alcohol to a drunk scraping by on welfare." "Iv Xia was actually really attached to her." "When his dad wouldn't budge about it, his mom secretly allowed him to study music." "So, after his mom died, he and his dad didn't have much to talk about." "So that's his story." "When he told my daughter his parents were on sabbatical abroad." "I thought he was vain." "You read him wrong." "He really hates talking about his family with other people, including us." "We had to ask around to find out what we know." "Do you remember the sweater he wears all the time?" "Ah Lei, the guy who owns the corner shop, said his mom got the collar fixed, and she was on her way back from the tailor with it." "The intersection, she just stopped walking." "He doesn't know what she was thinking, but when she got to" "I admit I've hidden things from you." "We should separate." "That doesn't sound like something Gong Ning would say." "Why?" "Gong Ning was honest, and he didn't give up." "He didn't make excuses for himself." "But I..." "How am I supposed to be exactly the person you remember?" "Making excuses is better than lying, right?" "You've never told a lie?" "Gong Ning, what color is your father to you?" "What?" "Your father isn't a professor on sabbatical abroad, is he?" "Gong Ning, this is the story I heard." "A man's wife was hit by a car on a rainy day" "and died." "After that, every time it rained, the man went to that intersection and directed traffic." "It's a very moving story." "But," "I went to see that man today, and I told him another story." "So, when I was 12, it started to dawn on me" "that I might have the same disease my father had." "My mom said that since we can't change the way things are," "the best we can do is change how we see things." "People who always complain about what's wrong with life never really find the beauty in it." "Actually, the person I want to say that to the most is Gong Ning." "Gong Ning, the communication failures in the past might be because you haven't put on your raincoat and walked back into that unbearable memory, and found the root of your pain, and cut it out." "Look, the only one who can save Gong Ning from his darkness is you." ""I forget how long it's been since I've forgotten your smile" "Where is the person who can brew the wine that can wash away your sadness?"" "Dad," "let's stop this." "Yeah." "Let's stop." "Son, I won't drink any more, but I'm going to guard this intersection for the rest of my life." "If no more accidents here, it means your mom died for something." ""On this busy intersection, standing in the rain," "we have to learn to let go" "But you still have me, so stop fighting with the past" "We're not enemies..."" "Gong Ning..." "I bought two cups." "You use the big one, and I'll use the small one." "I sewed this." "Do you like it?" "Oh, and your old towel is too dirty." "I made you two new ones." "I didn't have enough time, so it might not look very good." "(Turn off the light and go to the porch.)" "Gong Ning..." "I never thought, that the first time I saw snow," "I wouldn't be cold," "I'd be basking in the warmth you created." "I bit my lip to stop myself from crying." "I was afraid if I blurred my vision, I wouldn't be able to see your face." "I was afraid if my tears flowed, I'd put out the tiny flame in my heart." "I was afraid my happiness would vanish, that it would vanish with you." "So I opened my eyes, and I watched you as close as I could, because..." "I am also afraid that of forgetting..." "It's not that I don't want to help." "It's not like I hate Song Shiqiao or anything." "She needs an opportunity like this." "But we don't need anyone else." "What's that look for?" "No!" "She can't have my spot!" "Give her a chance." "So when you called me over here you said "let's be friends", but this is what you really wanted?" "I'm glad you're getting over it so fast." "Are you in love with her?" "Do you believe in fate?" "Spare me." "I'm asking if you're in love with her." "I tried everything I knew to get you to quit being so selfish, and I never could." "She shows up in your life and bats her eyes and all of a sudden you're thinking about other people." "What in the hell did Song Shiqiao do to you?" "Do you remember how you chased me?" "Of course I remember." "You wanted me to show you I meant it, so I sucked down a few dozen beers." "Fine." "Then show me you mean it again." "That's not over the line, right?" "What do you want." "Go smash that guitar." "My friend told me this ballet troupe is about to have a performance, but they still need someone," "so I recommended you." "Me?" "Now you have the chance." "You haven't changed your mind, have you?" "You're joking, right?" "I've had that guitar for years, You know that!" "Dancing is as important to me as that guitar is to you." "You know that, right?" "Iv Xia," "you'll never be Gong Ning." "I know." "Peng Wei!" "Thank you." "Maybe I let you go this time, I can expect..." "The next time you fall in love" "She is a girl who suits you better than I do" "Well, you little bookworm, you're doing a good job!" "Let's go home." "Did you bring my daughter to dance?" "Who do you think you are?" "What gives you the right to make that decision?" "As of this moment, our contract is over." "Ok... when you planned this whole thing, did you think about what the worst possible result would be?" "The worst thing that could happen is if she knew this was all an act." "No." "The worst thing that could happen is if Gong Ning actually fell in love with your daughter." "You're not Gong Ning any more." "I'm not Iv Xia, either." "Don't talk to me like you know about love!" "Do you know how serious my daughter's condition is?" "If I were Gong Ning," "I'd want Song Shiqiao to be able to live a full life." "What should I do?" "You always told me you were an alien." "This human, here on Earth, is having problems." "But you..." "I don't know what planet you're on right now." "1... 2... 3... 4... 1... 2... 3... 4... 1... 2... 3... 4... 1... 2... 3... 4... 1... 2... 3... 4..." "Shiqiao, are you ok?" "What's the matter?" "Sorry." "Sorry." "Shiqiao, are you ok?" "I'm fine." "I'm fine." "I just wasn't timing my breathing right." "I just need to rest, and I'll be fine." "Hey..." "Should I tilt my head like this, or like this?" "They're about the same." "My performance is tomorrow, so can I get just a little constructive advice?" "Shiqiao, don't go tomorrow." "I scared you today, didn't it?" "I finally understand how your mom feels, the sensitivity, and the nervousness..." "This is my own choice." "I don't want you to feel guilty about it." "I don't feel guilty," "I just changed my mind." "I don't want to do anything risky with you." "The truth is, with my condition, every day is risky for me." "What's different this time is that I'm choosing to take the risk." "To make a dream I've had for a long time come true." "I think that's worth it." "You're crazy!" "If your mom smells alcohol when you go home she'll dump gas on me and light me on fire!" "I'm not going home." "We have something even crazier we have to do." "Don't we?" "Gong Ning, did you see?" "Just now, in that moment," "My life was lit up." "Thank you." "Hurry up, call an ambulance." "I'm getting ready to sell the shop and move somewhere else." "I thought you should have these things." "I hope... you have a good life." "Do you regret asking me to pretend to be Gong Ning?" "Mom, by the time you hear this tape," "I'll already be in another world." "It's too bad." "I haven't left," "But I'm missing you already." "Mom," "I know, all these years, you've kept a smile on your face for me." "Now, I'm on another planet, with dad." "Now, you can finally stop worrying about me and relax." "I already planned your trip on a map, so I want you to pack your bags and go see mountains you've never seen and travel rivers you've never traveled." "When you miss me, look up at the sky." "Your alien and I will be up there, looking down, watching you, always." ""The hand that plucks the strings lacks your warmth, and I can't play happiness on them any more" "I can't stop retracing the steps of your dance as my eyes blur..." "I don't fix the broken lights in this room because I'm not brave enough to illuminate my loneliness" "The sudden silences are when I think of your smile" "How long has it been since you've been gone?" "I cry like a child thinking you'll come back, just to fill the space in my mind that you left empty" "I can't leave the warmth of my memories" "All I can do is cry like a child, because you'll never come back" "In another time and place it might have worked, we could have frozen love at the start" "People who leave don't always just hurt others, right?" "Like you, Gong Ning." "After you left, you gave me the hope to keep living." "And now, that hope became reality." "Didn't it, Iv Xia?" "Can I call you Iv Xia?" "My..." "Can I call you Iv Xia?" "My bad boy." "Can I call you Iv Xia?" "You bad boy." "The truth is, the first time I saw you," "I knew you weren't Gong Ning." "When my mom was making this plan, she underestimated my memory." "It's not as bad as she thought." "Now that you know I knew, you might be having doubts about my feelings during this little game." "Alright, go back to the warehouse." "Let down the tapestry I made for you, and turn off the lights." "The answer is there." "Do you remember that fat music teacher we used to have?" "You mean the Latin fanatic?" "Yeah." "Every time he put this song on he always got up and danced," "Do you remember this flavor?" "I told you, it would always remind you that our love was real." "Don't cry, you bad boy." "You have to know I haven't gone very far." "When you sing, I'll be the notes." "When you play the guitar, I'll be the strings." "When you're frustrated, I'll be a bottle of beer." "When you're lonely, I'll be a record." "I love you," "Iv Xia, or Gong Ning." "Whatever" ""The hand that plucks the strings lacks your warmth, and I can't play happiness on them any more" "I can't stop retracing the steps of your dance as my eyes blur..." "When I look up on a street I know, all I see is a world without you" "The sudden silences are when I think of your smile" "How long has it been since you've been gone?" "I cry like a child thinking you'll come back, just to fill the space in my mind." "That you left empty" "I can't leave the warmth of my memories" "Wife, Let's son is singing." "You just listen to" "In another time and place it might have worked, we could have frozen love at the start" "Remember me!"" "The education office reports that the weather channel has just issued a typhoon warning..." "The child is named Gong Ning." "What a pity." "He was always getting into so much trouble." "What surprised me was he was trying to save someone." "Yeah." "I heard the police say the woman he was trying to save, and god only knows why, was just standing in the middle of the road holding a sweater." "Gong Ning ran to push her out of the way, and they both got run over." "I read the instructions for the medicine that my mom hid in the cabinet." "It said this medicine can affect my cerebral cortex, so I might actually just be imagining all this." "I was gonna say!" "How could I be using a tape recorder that's this color?" "I changed the case." "And the model doesn't look like it's from back then, either." "I told you, don't be so serious!" "How could I be imagining all this?" "Do you play an instrument?" "I'm the lead singer." "You're a soloist?" "Sing "The Slap of the Waves on Honghu Lake" for me." "Wait, what waves are slapping who?" "How is she?" "Who?" "Song Shiqiao!" "She's coming to watch us rehearse in a bit." "She should call before she comes." "Ok." "Ok." "Let's go." "3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8..." "Alright, 15 minute break." "Good job, everyone." "Iv Xia..." "Iv Xia..." "Pass this CD to Mrs. Chen for me." "Thank you." "Did Song Shiqiao come to see you?" "You didn't tell her anything, right?" "Well, keep a lid on it." "I know." "Thank you for being in my life." "You bad boy." "Iv Xia, what... what was that name they called you?" "Traffic accident report" "Gong Ning and Iv Xia's mother died in the same car accident."