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The neon lights of Hong Kong's Hung Hom Coliseum flickered in the night sky. It had witnessed the brilliant moments of countless superstars, but never had the farewell of a pair of partners been so heartbreaking. In November 2003, Anita Mui stood on this stage for the last time in a white wedding dress. When the melody of "Sunset Song" sounded, she whispered to the void: "I married myself to music, married to you." At this moment, it was only eight months since Leslie Cheung jumped off his death. This pair of the most dazzling twin stars of Hong Kong society completed world art in the most heart-wrenching way.
The road to redemption intertwined with light and shadow
On the set of "Stormy Girl 2" in 1994, Peter Chan looked at Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui on the monitor and keenly noticed the subtle changes in this pair of close friends. Anita Mui repeatedly adjusted her costume for the role of Fang Yanmei in the dressing room. This role of a hidden superstar who was set to "search for the White Rabbit" was exactly like her life at the moment - having just experienced a broken heart, Sister Mui needed to find solace in the fantasy of innocence. Leslie Cheung deliberately included long monologues in the script, making the camera an outlet for Anita Mui's emotions.
"Ah Mei, remember this angle." Leslie Cheung suddenly took over the director's microphone. This was his first attempt at directing. Chen Kexin, who was standing in front of the monitor, discovered that when Leslie Cheung talked to Anita Mui as a director, the long-lost light in her eyes rekindled. The scene, originally planned to last three hours, was completed in just 40 minutes under Leslie Cheung's direction. Anita Mui later exclaimed: "He filmed like he was dancing tango, every step was precise and graceful."
This artistic redemption reached its peak in "Into Ashes". On the set in the scorching heat of 2000, Leslie Cheung paced back and forth holding the storyboard script, the sweat beads on his forehead reflecting tiny rays of light in the sun. When the late Anita Mui hurriedly arrived, he deliberately put on a stern face and said: "If you are any later, I will become a wife-waiting rock." Behind this joke was his consideration for his close friend who was deeply troubled by insomnia - he deliberately arranged the highlight in the afternoon, just to let Anita Mui sleep two more hours.
Twin Flowers in the Bloody Dusk
In the recording studio in 2001, the melody of "Youth in All Its Form" echoed in the enclosed space. Leslie Cheung, who suffered from depression, insisted on not using a body double to complete the difficult movements. When Anita Mui's purple satin cape swept across the camera, he suddenly called a stop: "We need a close-up here. Anita Mui's eyes reflect the entire prosperous Tang Dynasty." What people later saw in this MV was not only the unparalleled elegance of the two divas, but also a prosperous Tang Dynasty. "What people later saw in this MV was not only the unrivaled beauty of the two divas, but also a coronation ceremony created for his best friend by a patient with Tang Dynasty Syndrome with his last bit of strength.
Stanley Kwan remembers that drizzly afternoon when Leslie Cheung was waiting for him in the cafe with the script of "Against the Light". "Shi Er Shao and Ru Hua should have a new ending," he pointed to the scene in the script where they were both buried in the fire, "Reality is too cold, the play must be warmer." This unfinished idea eventually turned into regret - when the news of the investor's withdrawal came, Anita Mui locked herself in the dressing room to re-watch the video tape of "Rouge", with the bald head in the blue light of tears on the monitor.
The gears of fate completely broke on April 1, 2003. When Anita Mui received the call, she was trying on her concert robe, and the gold-embroidered cape suddenly seemed a thousand pounds heavy. At Leslie Cheung's funeral hall, she stroked the coffin and whispered, "Can I bring you a costume?" Reporters waiting outside the funeral home captured her staggering figure, and the photo was later named "A Candle in the Wind."
The never-ending starlight
During the preparations for Anita Mui's last concert, costume designer Liu Peiji discovered that she had secretly embroidered the words "Twelve Young Masters" on the lining of her performance costumes. When the prelude of "Fate" sounds, there is always a spotlight on the left side of the stage, which is the reserved seat for those who have not yet arrived. During the most painful period of chemotherapy, she repeatedly watched the film clips of the two's collaboration. The nurse said that she often heard her muttering to the screen: "Look how wonderful this shot is."
On December 30, 2003, at Anita Mui's farewell ceremony, the emcee read out a passage she had written before her death: "If there is one regret, it is the unfinished musical, but I think he has already set the stage on the other side." The funeral hall played the live version of "Youth in the Past" on a loop. When it sang "Only set up the stage." The funeral hall played the live version of "Youth in the Past" on a loop. When it sang "Only set up the stage," that century's Tianzi, this fan of the country. Forever fixed in the starry sky of Hong Kong pop culture.
Today, in the night sky of Victoria Harbour, you can still hear someone humming the melody of "Fate". The unfinished script of "Against the Light" by the two superstars lies quietly in the film archive, with their handwritten annotations preserved on the yellowed pages - in the blank space of a farewell scene, Leslie Cheung sketched a butterfly with a pen, and Anita Mui added a line next to it: "In the next life, I will be a director, and you are late for my life.
