q. from xu ruohan's perspective, how did you view the love story between ye pingjun and yu changxuan as you brought it to life?
“honestly, after ye pingjun woke up in the early part of the story, i deliberately kept her expressions very restrained. they described her as someone who had arrived in a completely unfamiliar world, almost like a newborn baby experiencing everything for the first time. her reactions were slower, and she wasn't someone who expressed her emotions in an outward or dramatic way.
that's why her feelings for yu changxuan were initially filled with shyness. if you look closely, there are so many moments both in the yu household and at fengtai when she avoids his gaze or shyly retreats from him.
she had just awakened into a completely unfamiliar reality, almost as though she were living in a sheltered world. so she would take a few steps towards him, then hesitate and pull back. she couldn't simply throw herself into the relationship and say, “alright, let's be together”
she was still trying to understand her own feelings. because of her amnesia, she needed time to piece everything together. she was already accepting him, she just needed a little more time.
that's why she had to be hesitant and shy in the beginning, unable to look him directly in the eyes. only later, when she finally gathers the courage to truly look into his eyes, does the story come together. when they finally look into each other's eyes and see nothing but each other, that's when their love can reach its ultimate intensity.
while filming, i sometimes wondered, “ah, she's still not looking at him? she still has to avoid his gaze at this point?” i even felt that perhaps we were taking too long to get there.
but when you look at the story as a whole, i realized that none of that time was wasted or too slow. every moment of hesitation was necessary to build towards the day when their love could finally burst forth in its full intensity.”
q. if you had to describe ye pingjun in one word, what would it be? or what quality do you admire most about her? #thelamentofautumn
“i think it's her strong sense of self. i don't think putting yourself first or prioritizing what you truly believe in is necessarily a bad thing.
whether you're living in a turbulent time like hers or in today's world, where there's so much information coming at us from every direction, it's important to have your own thoughts and convictions. that's what keeps you from being easily swayed or losing your way.
i think ye pingjun has a particularly strong sense of self because she knows exactly what she wants. she knows she wants to leave and live the kind of life she genuinely believes in.
i think having that sense of self is really important.”
q. the final scene with yu changxuan in the telephone booth was a rather beautiful and fulfilling ending. do u wish ye pingjun could have stayed in that moment forever?
“because if you really pay attention, you'll notice that the two of them never really got to share a proper, happy smile together.
i think i once talked about this with him, too. their story had never once reached such a complete and fulfilling ending. and finally, they got to walk along the roadside, holding hands like an ordinary couple in love.
but that was the only moment they ever had.
the love between ye pingjun and yu changxuan was mostly confined to a single room. it wasn't until later, when she entered the yu household, that they could finally step outside that room together. or when her mother was critically ill and nearing the end of her life...
even in the later episodes, when she cries, it's never quite the same kind of crying as before.
for example, when she was kidnapped... i remember crying in that little room after filming that scene. and i felt that the way i cried then was different. that feeling of tilting your head back and crying...
but all of ye pingjun's tears in the later part of the story come from a place of having no one left to lean on. she can only look up at the sky and cry.
from beginning to end, she never really had anyone...
and ever since she was little, there was an absence of a father figure in her life. the man who should have been there as she grew up was missing. she didn't really understand what love was.
that's why, at the beginning, she kept her distance from yu changxuan. he was someone who had suddenly appeared in her life, and when someone completely unexpected comes into your world, developing feelings for them...
first of all, ye pingjun's fundamental nature is gentle. as her feelings began to develop, her love came gradually, little by little.
but she's also someone with a passionate heart. once she loves someone, it's simply ‘i want to be with you’
she's an incredibly gentle person. she's not someone who is loud or overly expressive.
and i think that's something we can relate to in our own lives, too...”
trans may contain inaccuracies
if you could say one more thing to ye pingjun, what would it be? what would you hope the viewers takes away from her character? what would you like them to see in her? #thelamentofautumn #玉簟秋 #xuruohan
“please don't lose yourself because of anything other people tell you that you should or shouldn't do.”
“i think, first and foremost, a person needs to have a strong sense of self. we need to believe that we are worthy of being loved, and that there is something about each of us that makes us shine. that matters so much.
she has already fought so hard to live her life. and when her story reaches its ending, that's where her journey comes to a close, too.
i hope everyone will take the time to truly look at the traces she left behind, at the life she lived. maybe watch it a few more times, and you may begin to understand the choices each person made.
i believe everyone can come to understand and empathize with every single person in this story.”
“A lifetime is too rich and profound to be consumed in a single gulp.” – Xu Ruohan
*trans may contain inaccuracies
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dai yunfan’s reply to xu ruohan:
roasted sweet potatoes in winter are wonderfully sweet, and spring is waiting for you too; summer popsicles offer a cool, refreshing treat, and autumn brings a bountiful harvest of all kinds of fruit.
whether as pingjun or wuqian, please know that the world is truly a beautiful place, and there are so, so, so many people who love you.
