TOW 28

Epilogue

The April sunlight was just right. As soon as he stepped into the café, he spotted Liang Xuan sitting in the corner. He was dressed head to toe in black. Black shirt, black jeans, black boots, with a pair of sunglasses on his face. Bathed in golden sunlight, he gave off a distinct sense of detachment, like the character he played in his new film The Attic.

The Attic was a classic action blockbuster. Liang Xuan played a single father living with his daughter in a quiet suburban neighborhood. The girl was energetic, always rummaging through “treasures” in the attic. One day, she found a worn-out little booklet under a cabinet. That’s when the nightmare began.

“This is a genre I’ve never tried before,” Liang Xuan admitted. “To be honest, I never saw myself playing this kind of role. A retired secret agent. I know it’s a common trope in action films, but to me, that kind of character always felt too unrealistic.”

He didn’t order coffee. In front of him sat only a glass of water, and his phone was placed neatly beside it. In the entertainment industry, people often said Liang Xuan was extremely dedicated, methodical in his work, exceptionally polite and well-mannered, and held himself to very high standards. He often said he was not that different from everyone else, just “
trying to portray the lives of others.

“But The Attic is very different from the spy movies I’ve seen before,” he said. “If you set aside the gunfights, combat, and conspiracies, at its core, this is just a story about a father and his daughter. A father who is willing to give everything for his family. And that, in the end, brings us back to the lives of ordinary people.”

This was the first time Liang Xuan played a father on screen. “Maybe it’s my age,” he said with a small smile as he took off his sunglasses and pointed at himself. “After my next birthday, I’ll be thirty-one.”

To Liang Xuan, turning thirty was a turning point. The first thirty years of his life had been full of trial and error, constant searching, trying to find a direction that fit him. “A lot of people still feel lost at this age,” he said. “So I’m really happy and grateful that I found what I truly want at thirty.”

He picked up the glass and took a sip. His expression was calm, but there was a new softness in his eyes that couldn’t be ignored. Which brings us to his coming out back in January.

“This wasn’t a difficult decision,” Liang Xuan said. “I didn’t go through any so-called long deliberation. I just wanted to tell everyone that I’ve fallen for someone. So I said it.”

When asked about how coming out had affected his life and career, Liang Xuan seemed completely at ease. “It’s 2018,” he said. “The marriage equality law passed ten years ago. The LGBT community is facing a more tolerant, more mature, and more willing-to-listen society. The entertainment industry is no different. If anything, I might even have more options now. A number of projects related to gay and bisexual themes have already reached out to my agent.”

His partner, Xu Fei, who once worked with him on the miniseries Southbound, had some objections about Liang Xuan coming out. “He’s not really upset,” Liang Xuan said. “He just likes to complain a little. ‘The paparazzi caught me at the supermarket again today.’ ‘Ran into the neighbor’s daughter downstairs. She usually never says a word to me, but today she went out of her way to ask about you.’ He likes using these little things to bicker with me. It’s just an excuse to make me go do the grocery shopping for him. Yes, he’s incredibly lazy.”

Xu Fei seemed to have a lot of flaws, at least the way Liang Xuan described him. He talked too much, hated moving around, smoked and drank, and lacked ambition when it came to work. But the moment his name came up, Liang Xuan couldn’t help smiling.

He started talking about their trip to Europe last month. Xu Fei had been so glued to his phone that he walked straight into the glass door at the hotel. “There was this loud bang,” Liang Xuan said. “Everyone panicked. They thought something serious had happened.” He burst into laughter, the corners of his eyes crinkling like a kid too happy to hold it in.

When asked about next week’s premiere of The Attic, Liang Xuan shook his head. “No, Xu Fei won’t be walking the red carpet with me.” He looked slightly helpless, but still explained, “He’s not used to being in the spotlight, so he’ll go straight to the VIP lounge to wait for me. Though I suspect he just doesn’t want to get up early for hair and makeup.”

At the end of the interview, Liang Xuan stood for a photo with the crew. He was truly tall, and standing beside him gave off an indescribable sense of security. Perhaps it’s that same feeling that allows him to so perfectly embody the role of a father.

When asked one last question, “When will you start your own family?” Liang Xuan smiled.

“It’s still too early to be asking that,” he said. “I think, for everyone, the most important thing is to live well in the present.”

— Liang Xuan: The Most Important Thing Is Living Well in the Present