Film Script: The Silent of Romance
Scene 01 Time/Day Location: Upper-grade classroom, elementary school Characters: Teacher Mary, Renjie Yu, Dahsiung Yeh, Students
▲In an upper-grade classroom of an elementary school, foreign teacher Mary is telling the story of "Little Red Riding Hood." Renjie’s facial muscles twitch involuntarily, accompanied by strange sounds, repeatedly causing classmates to jeer and laugh, interrupting Mary’s storytelling.
Renjie Yu: "Oh, ya, jeh"
▲Hearing the strange noises, several students giggle.
Dahsiung Yeh: Renjie Yu, are you an alien? Why do you keep making those weird noises? It’s so noisy!
Mary: Renjie, what’s wrong with you? You are making trouble in my class.
Renjie Yu: (standing up) Sorry sir, I did not mean to.
Mary: Can you stop making those funny sounds again and again?
Renjie Yu: (nervously) I cannot control myself. It’s like a sneeze, as difficult to control.
Mary: Why don’t you? You should see a doctor.
Renjie Yu: The doctor says it is a disease, Tourette Syndrome. This disease currently has no cure.
Mary: Oh! That must really bother you! I feel very sad about what happened to you.
Renjie Yu: Oh, ya, jeh!
▲The classmates’ giggles rise and fall, Renjie awkwardly lowers his head.
Mary: Never mind! Let’s continue the lesson…
Scene 02 Time/Day Location: Corner of elementary school playground Characters: Dahsiung Yeh, Fuchi Chen, Dahhu Pang, Renjie Yu, Teacher Pan Tieren (PE), Students
▲In the corner of the elementary school playground, Renjie is surrounded by three boys.
Dahsiung Yeh: Hey! Alien, don’t think that because you say you’re sick and Teacher Mary feels sorry for you, you can keep making those weird noises during class.
Renjie Yu: (nervously, facial muscles twitching) Oh, ya, jeh. I’m not doing it on purpose, I really can’t control it.
Fuchi Chen: Renjie Yu, do you think everyone else lives in April Fools’ Day like you do every day?
Dahhu Pang: Ah Fu, stop nagging him. This guy just asks for trouble!
Dahsiung Yeh: Panghu, let’s lift him up and play Aruba.
Dahhu Pang: Dahsiung, good idea!
Renjie Yu: (nervously, facial muscles twitching) What do you want to do… oh, ya, jeh.
Dahsiung Yeh: Shall we start?
▲The three boys grab Renjie’s arms and legs with six hands, lifting him into the air.
Renjie Yu: Put me down, put me down!
▲Students gather to watch, but no one speaks up to stop them. At that moment, PE teacher Pan Tieren sees and rushes over to intervene.
Pan Tieren: (shouting, pointing) What are you doing? Put him down!
▲The three boys almost simultaneously release him, and Renjie falls heavily onto the grass. Some students can’t help but exclaim, "Ah~~~."
▲Seeing this, PE teacher Pan Tieren rushes forward with concern.
Pan Tieren: Renjie Yu, are you okay? Are you hurt?
▲Renjie gets up, rubbing his bottom with both hands.
Renjie Yu: (facial muscles twitching) Oh, ya, jeh.
▲Seeing Renjie’s strange expression and hearing his seemingly pained sounds, the teacher mistakenly thinks Renjie is badly hurt.
Pan Tieren: I’ll take you to the nurse’s office for a check-up.
Dahsiung Yeh: Teacher, Renjie Yu is faking it. He’s very good at acting.
Pan Tieren: (furious, shouting) Shut up! You three, stand at the discipline office entrance. When you come back, I’ll decide how to punish you.
▲Seeing the PE teacher’s stern face, Dahsiung Yeh and the other two lower their heads in fear and leave. The surrounding students gradually disperse.
Scene 03 Time/Day Location: Discipline office entrance, Teacher’s office Characters: Dahsiung Yeh, Fuchi Chen, Dahhu Pang, Pan Tieren, Teacher Hsiao-Jung Wu, Students
▲Dahsiung Yeh and the other two are punished to stand at the discipline office entrance, each carrying two buckets. As students pass by, the three make funny faces at them.
Dahsiung Yeh: It’s all that alien’s fault!
Fuchi Chen: He got lucky this time.
Dahhu Pang: I think we should just let it go!
Dahsiung Yeh: How can we just let it go? I won’t forgive him!
▲The homeroom teacher, Hsiao-Jung Wu, is about to enter the office, shooting a sharp glance at the three.
Pan Tieren: Teacher Wu, these three children in your class just teamed up to bully another child named Renjie Yu.
Hsiao-Jung Wu: Again with Renjie Yu, sigh…
Pan Tieren: What’s wrong with this child?
Hsiao-Jung Wu: Renjie is not really a problem student, but he has emotional challenges. Have you heard of Tourette Syndrome?
Pan Tieren: Tourette Syndrome?
Hsiao-Jung Wu: It’s an emotional disorder similar to ADHD. This child has extraordinary energy, cannot sit still during class, constantly makes strange sounds, and seriously disrupts the teacher.
Pan Tieren: That’s okay, right? In my PE class, he isn’t too mischievous, just makes some odd noises.
Hsiao-Jung Wu: That’s the problem. The other children think Renjie likes attention, deliberately making faces and noises in class, seeing him as a troublemaker. His relationships in class are poor; he is often bullied, which worries me a lot.
Pan Tieren: I see. Why hasn’t he been placed in a special education class?
Hsiao-Jung Wu: Renjie has no intellectual problems. His mother said transferring him to a special class would label him, harming his self-esteem. I researched Tourette Syndrome—do you know Mozart? He had it.
Pan Tieren: Tourette Syndrome? I heard it’s similar to Asperger’s, an emotional disorder. You said this child has extraordinary energy. Why not leave him to me? I’ll have him exercise; maybe it can redirect his attention.
Hsiao-Jung Wu: I appreciate your kindness, but this child doesn’t seem interested in any sports.
Pan Tieren: That makes it difficult for you. You can take back those three children standing outside.
Hsiao-Jung Wu: Let them feel some consequences. Those three always bully Renjie and cause me trouble.
Scene 04 Time/Day Location: Subway underground passage Characters: Mei-Hung Huang, Renjie Yu, Street performer father and daughter, Passersby
▲Mother and son, Mei-Hung Huang and Renjie Yu, pass through an underground passage. A father-and-daughter street performer duo performs energetically. The blind father plays the violin, and the daughter plays the flute. The moving melody deeply captivates Renjie, immersing him in a state of bliss. His emotions completely relax, and he is able to calm down.
Mei-Hung Huang: Renjie, Renjie.
▲Renjie snaps out of it but seems reluctant to leave.
Renjie Yu: Mom, you go shopping, I’ll wait here.
Mei-Hung Huang: Alright, don’t wander off. Mom will return quickly with the things.
▲After a while, Mei-Hung returns from shopping, carrying two bags.
Mei-Hung Huang: Renjie, let’s take the bus.
Renjie Yu: Mom, I want to learn an instrument.
Mei-Hung Huang: You want to learn an instrument? Of course, that’s wonderful!
Scene 05 Time/Night Location/ Yu Renjie’s Living Room Characters/ Wu Xiaorong, Yu Dawei, Huang Meihong, Yu Renjie
▲In Renjie’s living room, Renjie’s mother, Huang Meihong, is talking on the phone with the homeroom teacher, Wu Xiaorong. Yu Dawei holds a newspaper, reading while listening to Meihong on the phone.
Wu Xiaorong: The three kids who bullied Renjie have all been punished by the PE teacher.
Huang Meihong: Teacher, I’m sorry. Renjie has caused you so much worry.
Wu Xiaorong: Mrs. Yu, I know Renjie is ill. In class, I try to tolerate him as much as possible, but he cannot go on like this. For Renjie’s sake, I have endured great pressure from subject teachers and parents. This child keeps blinking, making faces, shaking his head, and even suddenly shouting, which seriously disrupts teaching and the students’ learning. You should consider medical treatment to reduce his symptoms.
Huang Meihong: Teacher, currently there is no medication specifically for Tourette Syndrome. The doctor prescribes ADHD medicine, which can only temporarily calm him. Moreover, these medicines often have side effects, and doctors do not encourage long-term reliance because Tourette Syndrome should not be treated strictly as a disease.
Wu Xiaorong: Then what should we do? Some boys in the class often tease him after school, deliberately imitating his actions and sounds, even surrounding and bullying him. All I can do is try not to let Renjie be excluded or bullied. However, his social relationships in class are poor. Many classmates have prejudices, thinking he likes attention, which is why he shouts and makes noises in class. Unless his symptoms are effectively controlled, classmates’ perceptions of him will not change…
Huang Meihong: I have followed the doctor’s advice, letting Renjie’s father take him cycling or playing sports after school to burn off energy, but he’s not interested in these activities.
Wu Xiaorong: Mrs. Yu, frankly, I’m worried. If this continues, Renjie will inevitably get into trouble. His classmates’ tolerance is nearing its limit. Why not seriously consider transferring him to a nearby school with a special education class?
Huang Meihong: Renjie has no intellectual deficiencies. He only has emotional challenges. I don’t want him to grow up in such an environment; that would only stifle him.
Wu Xiaorong: Sigh… Mrs. Yu, hearing you speak, I can only say: parental love is universal. Let’s leave it at that for now.
▲Meihong hangs up. Renjie, standing nearby, watches his mother and sadly holds his head.
Yu Renjie: (muttering) I don’t want it to be like this either!
Yu Dawei: You don’t want it, but in school, you need to control yourself! Our patience—yours and mine—has been nearly worn out over the years…
Huang Meihong: Don’t scold him yet. Renjie said he wants to learn an instrument. I consulted the doctor; he said that for speech-type Tourette Syndrome, learning an instrument can alleviate his symptoms.
Yu Dawei: Then let him go.
Huang Meihong: You see! Be more patient with Renjie and don’t blame him so easily.
Yu Dawei: I, as his father, am almost driven crazy by my son, and you say I have no patience with him?
Scene 06 Time/Day Location/Upper Grade Classroom and Hallway Characters/PE Teacher Pan Tieren, Ye Daxiong, Chen Fuqi, Pang Dahu, Lin Meiling, Zhang Jiazheng, Students
▲During PE, the class gathers in the hallway to line up.
Pan Tieren: After running two laps around the playground, we will play dodgeball for the next two lessons.
▲“Ya!” the students cheer.
Pan Tieren: Class monitor, line up.
Lin Meiling: Align at the front, look forward. Look forward. Step… march!
▲The students follow the class monitor, Lin Meiling, toward the playground. Pan Tieren follows at the back.
Scene 07 Time/Day Location/Upper Grade Classroom and Hallway Characters/PE Teacher Pan Tieren, Ye Daxiong, Chen Fuqi, Pang Dahu, Lin Meiling, Zhang Jiazheng, Gu Baoming, Students
▲PE Teacher Pan Tieren acts as the referee. The students are divided into two teams playing dodgeball.
Ye Daxiong: Teacher, I need to go to the bathroom.
Pan Tieren: Go ahead.
▲Ye Daxiong sneaks back into the classroom, takes a stack of bills from Zhang Jiazheng’s backpack, deliberately leaves the backpack open, walks to Yu Renjie’s seat, stuffs the money into Renjie’s backpack, and then casually leaves the classroom.
▲On leaving, Gu Baoming from the adjacent class sees him in the hallway.
Scene 08 Time/Day Location/Upper Grade Classroom Characters/Ye Daxiong, Chen Fuqi, Pang Dahu, Lin Meiling, Zhang Jiazheng, Yu Renjie, Students
▲The students return to the classroom, and Zhang Jiazheng immediately notices something is wrong.
Zhang Jiazheng: Someone has been in my backpack!
Lin Meiling: What happened?
Zhang Jiazheng: Class monitor, look, my backpack has been opened!
Lin Meiling: How could this happen? Do you want to check?
Zhang Jiazheng: (searching) The class fund in my wallet is gone!
Lin Meiling: The class fund is gone? Are you sure?
Zhang Jiazheng: (frustrated) It’s really gone! It was there before PE class.
▲Several girls gather to show concern.
Lin Meiling: Who could have stolen it?
Zhang Jiazheng: (frustrated) How would I know?
Girl A: We should report this to the teacher immediately.
Lin Meiling: Jiazheng, I’ll go with you to the office.
▲The two girls leave the classroom together. Students begin whispering and speculating.
▲In the corner, Ye Daxiong snickers.
Chen Fuqi: Daxiong, how can you laugh when the class fund is missing?
Ye Daxiong: Shh! This will be entertaining…
Chen Fuqi: Hey! It can’t be you…?
Ye Daxiong: (grinning slyly) Hehe! I’ll make that alien taste some pain…
Scene 09 Time/Day Location/Teachers’ Office, Classroom Characters/Wu Xiaorong, Lin Meiling, Zhang Jiazheng, Ye Daxiong, Chen Fuqi, Pang Dahu, Yu Renjie, Students
▲Lin Meiling and Zhang Jiazheng enter the office.
Lin Meiling: (anxiously) Reporting, teacher.
Wu Xiaorong: What’s the matter?
Lin Meiling: Teacher, the class fund in Jiazheng’s backpack is missing.
Wu Xiaorong: (surprised) Missing? When did this happen?
Zhang Jiazheng: After PE class, I found my backpack opened, and the class fund was gone.
Wu Xiaorong: I see. I think the fund should still be in the class and wasn’t taken out…
Lin Meiling: Teacher, you mean it could have been a classmate who took it…
Wu Xiaorong: Hmm, follow me back to the classroom.
△Cut to:
▲In the upper-grade classroom, homeroom teacher Wu Xiaorong handles the missing class fund case.
Wu Xiaorong: Jiazheng just told me that during PE class, a classmate opened her backpack and took the class fund.
▲The whole class is in an uproar.
Wu Xiaorong: The student who took the fund should be in our class. I don’t think he really needed money—it was just a prank.
Ye Daxiong: Teacher, search all the backpacks and desks! You can catch the thief immediately.
Wu Xiaorong: Everyone, take out the books and items from your backpacks and desks and place them on your desks.
▲The students follow instructions and place their items on their desks.
▲At this moment, Yu Renjie discovers a roll of cash in his backpack. He holds it, looking confused.
Ye Daxiong: Ha! Alien, you’re the one who took the class fund.
Yu Renjie: (nervous, facial muscles twitching) Oh, ya, jeh… I didn’t take it. I don’t know why this money is in my backpack.
Chen Fuqi: It was you! And you still try to deny it?
Wu Xiaorong: Renjie, return the class fund to Jiazheng and come to my office.
▲All the students’ eyes are on Renjie. He panics, hangs his head, and follows the teacher out of the classroom.
Scene 10 Time/Day Location/Teachers’ Office Characters/Wu Xiaorong, Yu Renjie
▲Yu Renjie stands beside the teacher’s desk, wearing a distressed expression.
Wu Xiaorong: Renjie, tell me why you took the class fund. Do you know this is theft?
Yu Renjie: (nervous, facial muscles twitching) Teacher, I really didn’t take it. Oh, ya, jeh.
Wu Xiaorong: Are you short of money? Your mother gives you allowance, right?
Yu Renjie: Oh, ya, jeh, I didn’t take it!
Wu Xiaorong: The fund was found in your backpack. Aren’t you going to tell the truth?
Yu Renjie: (angrily) I didn’t! I don’t know why the fund is in my backpack.
Wu Xiaorong: I will call your mother to come to school. You go back to class first.
▲Yu Renjie leaves the office, hanging his head in dejection.
