True friendship never fades amid vanity. cherish your old loyal friends before time delays your heartfelt greetings.
When news broke that 62-year-old Lei Yuyang had passed away from stomach cancer, the white wreaths at the Guangzhou Funeral Home were still damp with the morning dew. The first few old friends to hear the news reacted in different ways: Huang Jiaqiang checked the obituary on his phone screen three times, still unable to believe it;Ye Shirong sat for a long time, pen in hand, staring at a blank page for his eulogy, and in the end wrote only one sentence: “May he find peace in the afterlife”; Wu Zhixiong, clutching a cross-border train ticket he’d just purchased, was rushing from Hong Kong to Guangzhou when the cigarette between his fingertips remained unlit for a long time;The moment Kwan Po-wai heard the news, her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her face.
Few people know that this elderly man—who had long since stepped back from the entertainment industry and lived a reclusive life in his later years—shared a deep, 37-year friendship with Wong Ka-kui, one entirely free of any ulterior motives.In his early days, when Lei Yuyang first entered the industry, he often rushed from one appearance to the next to keep up with the hectic schedule of Hong Kong and Taiwan variety shows. On several occasions, to make it to a late-night paranormal-themed program, he would have thick black face paint caked on his face—so thick it made his skin feel suffocated—With no one backstage to help him remove his makeup, he’d often sit so still that his whole body would go numb. On one occasion, Wong Ka-kui approached him, pulled out a makeup-removal wipe he always carried, and gently wiped the makeup off his face bit by bit.In 1993, at Wong Ka-kui’s funeral, Lei Yuyang was one of the pallbearers, personally seeing his dear friend off on his final journey. Later, when Lei Yuyang pooled his resources to write, direct, and star in *Mr. Mo Dou*, all the members of Beyond heard the news and showed up to support the production without charging a single cent.
After decades of ups and downs in the entertainment industry,many people, as long as they had even the slightest connection to a famous figure from the past, would go to great lengths to ride on their coattails and gain attention. Lei Yuyang, however, never once used Wong Ka-kui’s fame to his own advantage; he simply quietly cherished that pure friendship until the very end of his life.
This chapter of the past—one that hasn’t been thoroughly explored by many longtime fans—resonates deeply with people who have seen a lot in life, touching upon that enduring longing for genuine friendship that they’ve always held in their hearts.
Most people over forty have seen plenty of insincere behavior—people who slap each other on the back and call each other “brother” over drinks, only to run for the hills when trouble arises.If you have an old friend like this—someone with whom you’ve shared your heart for many years—why not reach out and say hello sooner rather than later? Don’t let the words you want to say get lost in the passage of time.
