by Pauline Loh
CHAPTER 34
LIONS BOND
Ricky slouched into the big gym on the second floor and mercilessly launched into his high-intensity interval training workout. Although dolls do not need as much upper body strength as lion dancers do, Ricky did the same exercises because he respected the strength that came from discipline. He did five sets of five repetitions of bench presses, followed by barbell squats, sit-ups, pull-ups and then back to bench presses.
When he had completed the sets, he moved on to his martial arts drills. One of his former teachers had been fond of quoting Bruce Lee: “Don’t practise ten thousand kicks, but practise one kick ten thousand times.” Ricky had learnt to focus on making each move perfect every time he executed it.
This time, however, he could not stop his mind from revisiting the quarrel with Ying Ying. Why had he lost his cool? He should just have stuck to his mission—to keep trying to win her heart, no matter how many times she rejected him. As long as he stayed in Lion Legends, one day she would see his sincerity and accept his love.
Shifu wandered into the gym like a prowling lion, as he often did. Despite his busy schedule as the nation’s idol maker, he kept a close eye on his boys’ practice.
Ricky turned to greet Shifu guiltily. His mother’s behaviour during her short visit had embarrassed him in front of his teacher. But Shifu seemed to have forgotten the incident.
“Hey, Ricky boy,” he growled affectionately, surveying Ricky’s exercise roster. “Good, good,” he murmured. “Let’s see that stance once again.” He was referring to the basic horse stance, which is a foundational posture for all lion dance movements.
Ricky tightened his abdominal muscles and lowered himself into an unyielding squat. However, instead of checking Ricky’s stance, Shifu took out a notebook and started sketching him, then exclaimed irritably, “It’s no good, I’m not an artist. At ease.”
Ricky bounced out of his stance and peered at Shifu’s sketch. He stifled a laugh at the stick figure on the paper.
“Shifu, what are you trying to draw?” Ricky asked.
“I need to record a particular stunt and archive it. I don’t want it to be lost or forgotten because it’s getting more and more difficult for me to perform it myself.”
“You know, Shifu, we don’t live in the age of paper and ink any more. There are such things as video cameras.”
Ricky took out a camera from one of the lockers lining the wall, checked that its battery was fully charged, then mounted it on a tripod. Meanwhile, Shifu limbered his muscles up with some warm-up exercises. He took a narrow wooden platform about a metre high, which resembled a tall, sturdy stool, from the side of the gym and shifted it in front of the camera.
“It’s ready,” Ricky said.
Addressing the camera, Shifu gave an introduction: “During a pillar climb, a lion can simply jump from one pillar to another. But that would be boring. To add variety and show off his skill, a lion can turn his back to the pillars, then rotate in mid-air to land on the first one facing forward, like this.”
Shifu settled into a stance with his back to the stool. He took a slow deep breath and exploded upwards. In mid-air, he twisted his arms and his torso at the same time, spinning his body 45 degrees. After landing in a handstand, he was up in the air again, light as a leaf in the wind. This time, he landed on one foot on the raised platform. But he had made a small adjustment to his ankle just as he landed so that he was now facing the opposite direction from where he had started. He wobbled on his single foot, but determinedly kept his balance while his arms reached out, as if to catch an invisible lion head that was being thrown into his arms.
“Did you manage to get it?” he asked Ricky through gritted teeth.
“Yup!”
Only then did Shifu relax from his position.
“Shifu, what do you call this stunt?”
“Lion Skips like the Ram.”
He reviewed the clip with Ricky. At the end, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. “No, I didn’t do it right. Let’s record it again.”
Shifu repeated his difficult move. Ricky imitated him from behind the camera. But Shifu rejected the second video, and the third. Each time, he found something lacking or incorrect about his routine. With each effort, Shifu looked more and more tired. He flexed his ankle and grimaced.
“May I try?” Ricky asked.
Shifu nodded, but cautioned, “You won’t be able to see the pillar because it’s behind you. So if you feel you cannot land in the centre of the stool, you must abort, or else you will hurt your leg. This stunt is seldom attempted because there is a high risk of injury.”
It looked effortless when Shifu was doing Lion Skips, but Ricky found it amazingly difficult. His first attempt sent the stool tumbling. On his fourth and fifth attempts, he landed on the stool but had to put his other foot down to maintain his balance. Each time, Shifu was on hand to steady him in case he fell.
“That’s enough,” Shifu chuckled at Ricky’s mistakes. “I shall title the footage ‘How Not to Do Lion Skips like the Ram’.”
Ricky laughed along with him. As they stored the camera back in the locker, Shifu cautioned Ricky again. “Don’t ever try this stunt without my permission. You are not ready for it.”
After closing the locker, Shifu fiddled with the door and cleared his throat. He sighed and massaged Ricky’s shoulder. “I don’t know what happened between you and my daughter, but she is dead set on trading you to Hot Lions. She said it would be better for everyone if you go over to them. Either that, or I must release you to pursue further studies, as your mother wishes.”
Shifu jutted out his jaw. “Of course I said no! I am the owner of Lion Legends and I make the decisions here! But it’s very difficult to live with Ying Ying when she is angry like this. I feel guilty. My daughter has had such a hard life because I’ve always put the Legends before her wishes…” Shifu slammed his fist into the locker door in frustration.
Finally, with an inscrutable expression on his face, Ricky said, “Shifu, I won’t make it difficult for you. I will go to Hot Lions. I guess I can learn a lot there as well. But, if you can find it in your heart to take me back in the future, I would very much like to return.”
Lung San choked with emotion and reached out to grip Ricky’s shoulders with both hands. He gave Ricky a gentle shake. “You are my disciple; you are like my son! Lion Legends will always be your home.”
Ricky bit his lip and smiled reassuringly at Shifu. He picked up his bag and left the gym. There was nothing more he could say or do.
CHAPTER 35
EVERYTHING ENDS HERE
Ricky was true to his word. He dug out Ang Mong Jang’s card and called the number on it. He not only agreed to go to Hot Lions, but also wrangled a “talent exchange” arrangement in which Hercules would go to Lion Legends for a season.
Ang immediately arranged a press conference, during which Hot Lions and Lion Legends formed two formidable phalanxes at opposite ends of the room. Ricky and Hercules met in the centre, shook hands and crossed to the other side.
The talent exchange made headlines the next day, and commentators debated heatedly whether such exchanges would become the new trend and how they would shape the Leopop landscape.
Ricky kept himself busy during his final days in Lion Legends and avoided Ying Ying. Despite his best efforts, he could not recover from her betrayal. Ying Ying seemed to have regretted losing her temper and was similarly subdued.
When they heard he was leaving for Hot, some of the trainees started treating him coldly, thinking that he had betrayed the Legends.
“Who leaves a family just because the other side has more money?”
“He’s eyeing their upcoming Taiwan tour!”
Ricky ignored their comments even though they hurt him deeply. But he was thankful to Apple, who remained loyal to him and insisted that Ricky must have his reasons. Zeus had to have heard something from Hercules, because he helped Ricky to empty out his locker and shook his
hand wordlessly. The two boys avoided meeting each other’s eyes.
Ricky gripped the steel box containing his precious big head and turned around at the gate to survey the hall one last time. Zeus, Apple, Prome and Mercury were there to give him a send-off. Zeus said in an overly bright voice, “See you on stage!”
Ricky gave a thumbs-up. He turned around and saw that Ying Ying had been waiting to say goodbye to him at the pavement outside the hall.
Ricky felt bone weary all of a sudden. Shall I try to be sincere one more time? Or shall I just leave graciously? He opted for the latter. Putting a bland smile on his face, he said cheerily, “All the best for the Pole War. Now that Hercules is coming over, I’m sure Legends is going to walk away with the Cup!”
“Ricky…” she said, before falling silent. The taxi that Ricky had booked stopped between them. Ricky felt that it was a sign that he should just leave things as they were. Still smiling, he waved to her one final time and got into the taxi.
Ying Ying panicked. “I’m sorry! Don’t go!” she said weakly. But it was too late. Ricky had not heard her, and did not even glance out the rear window as the taxi pulled away.
Suddenly, the realisation of what she had just lost hit her hard. It wasn’t just Ricky; it was her integrity—Ying Ying had sold away a member of her family. Her tears blinded her and she ran past the four silent boys who watched her awkwardly.
CHAPTER 36
THE ENEMY’S LAIR
Hot Plaza was a gleaming chrome and glass structure that rose four storeys high on an expensive plot of land in the business district. The ground floor housed a trendy restaurant and a boutique featuring athletic gear modelled by the Hot boys.
Ang Mong Jang was a savvy businessman. The two anchor tenants alone must already bring in a lot of rental revenue, Ricky reflected. He took the lift to the second floor and saw gyms, studios and offices. The top floor housed a small canteen and storerooms. Even the rooftop was put into good use as a basketball court.
Time to blend in, Ricky said to himself. He entered a spacious gym that echoed with the grunts and shouts of boys who were doing their training.
Ang was nowhere to be seen. Hercules had already left for Legends Hall. Ricky sighed as he surveyed the sea of faces. He recognised several of them from posters and magazine covers.
The Legends had named their members after gods on earth, but Hot had aimed for the stars. The Hot roster read like an astronomy chart—Leo, Aquarius, Orion, Cygnus, Perseus and Andromeda. Privately, Ricky thought the names were pretentious.
It was not easy being the new guy and, furthermore, the reason for the departure of their most senior member, Hercules. Ricky put on a wide smile and surged forward with his right hand extended.
The first boy he approached was Leo, Hot’s most famous lion dancer. His favourite greeting was “Hi, my name is Leo because I am the lion in Hot Lions.” He got away with his arrogance because he was such a skilled lion dancer.
His lion body and partner, Orion, often had a hard time keeping up with him. Leo had a habit of turning to mock his lion body whenever it could not catch up, and even kicked his “hindquarters” as if to say, “Keep up, will you?” It was amusing to the audience but, to lion dancers, it was offensive because partners were supposed to respect and cooperate with each other.
But Leo had a square face with squinty eyes, and was short and broad, which was an advantage as a lion head, but he was not poster-boy material. Leo shook Ricky’s hand perfunctorily and turned away without offering to introduce him to the others.
Ricky recognised another star. Aquarius was definitely the face of Hot Lions. According to the polls that Leopop News frequently organised, Aquarius was regarded as the best-looking lion dancer in the world. He had a pale and flawless complexion, he was tall, slim and muscular, and had what seemed like mile-long legs. But when Ricky saw Aquarius up close, he realised that his eyes smouldered with repressed anger and pain.
Ricky offered a handshake, but Aquarius ignored him and walked away. However, a warm hand suddenly grasped Ricky’s rejected one and shook it vigorously. A hearty voice exclaimed, “Ho sei! Our doll has arrived! Let’s take a look at our new toy.”
Ricky turned and recognised Orion as the third most popular and famous member of Hot Lions. His role was principal lion body and Leo’s abused partner.
Orion was not only handsome; his face was open and friendly, and his mouth was bracketed by laugh lines. He was about Ricky’s height, so he wasn’t tall, but Orion exuded confidence and charisma.
“Orion here,” the famous star introduced himself modestly. “The Hunter.” Ricky immediately warmed up to Orion. It was said in social media and in the magazines that Orion was called the Hunter not just because of the constellation but also his reputation as a lady’s man. However, all conceit was removed from his grandiloquent name as Orion waggled his eyebrows at Ricky. He’s poking fun at himself! Ricky realised.
CHAPTER 37
LIONS IN TAIWAN
The next day, Ricky finally had a chance to sit down with Ang Mong Jang. Ang had instructed the Hot trainees to address him as “Boss” instead of “Shifu”.
Boss Ang beckoned him into his glass-walled office and immediately launched into a long brag about his upcoming Taiwan tour—about how the promoters had courted him and how he had negotiated for the best media coverage. Ricky waited patiently for Boss Ang to finish. After his boast, Boss Ang leant forward and fixed Ricky with an appraising stare.
“So, is our deal confirmed? For my star, Hercules, to be temporarily seconded to Legends, the agreement is that you will perform as lion head and you will recommend Hot to your Hong Kong contacts in the entertainment industry.”
Ricky could not resist sliding in a remark, “You can’t call it secondment when Hercules is returning to Shifu, who trained him to be what he is today.”
Boss Ang glowered. “Boy, remember that Lung San is no longer your shifu. I am your manager and you would do well to remember that if you want to make something of yourself in the entertainment world.”
Ricky put a dutiful expression on his face and sat up straight. “Yessir, Boss Ang. I will train hard to be a lion head. I won’t disappoint you.”
Boss Ang hollered through the door. “Leo, c’mere!”
Leo lounged into the office. Boss Ang said to him, “My boy Rick needs to learn everything about being a lion head. Train him.”
Leo looked rebellious, but kept quiet. Over the next few days, Ricky obediently and punctually turned up for his training with Leo. He exercised in a corner of the gym while Leo ignored him, focusing instead on his choreography for the upcoming Taiwan Showcase. He was such a perfectionist that he rehearsed the same routine again and again until Ricky, who had nothing to do but observe him, knew his steps by heart.
When Hot arrived in Taiwan for their tour, a sea of journalists was waiting for them at Taoyuan Airport. An attractive and vaguely familiar face among them caught Ricky’s eye. The lady tried to get through the jostling crowd to get to Hot and a shove caused her to stumble. Ricky reached out a long arm to steady her. On a hunch, he asked, “Are you…Sassy? A Hong Kong actress?”
Excitedly, she flicked her hair out of her eyes and nodded. “Yez, I am now ztarring in a Taiwaneze drama! I am alzo the prezenter for Taiwan’z HuaChannel. May I pleaze interview you, Ricky Kang?”
Without waiting for his consent, she snaked a hand around his biceps and pulled him to her side. He recoiled slightly in embarrassment, but the camera was already on them and Sassy was smiling brightly into the lens. He had no choice but to beam into the camera as well.
“We are here at Taoyuan Airport and Hot Lionz—the premier danze troupe of Singapore—haz juzt landed. Here iz Ricky Kang, Hot’z most famouz lion danzer, and guezz what?” She squealed and did a cute little dance. “He rememberz Sassy from Hong Kong!” Turning to Ricky, she exclaimed, “Tell me, Ricky, what will you be doing in Taiwan?”
Ricky was having a hard time understanding what
she was saying because of her strange lisp. That was how he had recognised her, although he had met her only once and that was a long time ago. I mean, who calls herself Sassy? he wondered.
He gathered his wits. He had rehearsed what he was about to say—all the Hot boys had. In a few masterful statements, he gave his name, Hot’s schedule and their performance locations. He ended his speech with a humble bow and said sincerely, “I love Taiwan—I feel like I’m among family. I hope you will enjoy Hot’s performances. Please buy tickets and tune in to our programmes!”
As she wrapped up her interview, Sassy gave another delighted squeak. “I know juzt the nickname for our handzome ztar. I think my audienze will agree with me that he really iz cute like a wa wa, a doll. Shall we call him Rick Wa Wa?”
The small crowd that had gathered cheered. Ricky knew that the nickname would stick. In a way, he liked it. Even though he was now officially a lion head of Hot Lions, he wanted to hold fast to his identity as a big head doll. He was surrounded by people scheming to carve out names for themselves, and it was getting harder and harder for him to stay true to himself in the face of all the glam and hype. You are the doll who brings laughter and joy. Don’t ever forget this, Rick Wa Wa, he told himself.
The biggest event on the Taiwan Tour itinerary was the Leo World Showcase, which would be held at Taipei 101 in the heart of the capital’s tourist zone. There would be four days of publicity and variety programmes leading up to the showcase.
Ricky was still a backup lion head, so Ang tasked him to perform in his old role as a doll in a street show. Aquarius had already designed a fabulous black-and-pink sequinned costume for Ricky especially for the showcase. Aquarius was not only a talented dancer but also had a diploma in fashion design.