No matter how much Gu Yan tried to delay, Xia Yuan’s filming schedule was coming to an end.
Now, it was the final scene.
The warlord brother was forced by the Japanese to massacre patriotic heroes, using his sister’s life as leverage. After much hesitation and struggle, he chose his sister. Just as he was about to act, his sister committed suicide.
It was her death that intensified the warlord brother’s hatred. To fulfill her dying wish for him to protect the country, he embarked on a path of darkness and revenge.
This scene was the climax of the entire drama.
It was also Xia Yuan’s most important scene, showcasing her acting skills. She had to portray the sister’s defiance when captured by the Japanese, her resoluteness before death, and her tearful birthday wish to her brother to repel the invaders and protect the country. When her brother agreed, she smiled and bit her tongue to commit suicide, displaying a series of complex emotions.
The emotions were intense, posing a significant challenge to Xia Yuan’s acting abilities.
Xia Yuan had carefully rehearsed this scene at home yesterday, even having Meng Xiyue accompany her in the rehearsal.
Thinking about Meng Xiyue’s reaction yesterday, Xia Yuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud while reading the script in the theater.
Earlier, Xia Yuan had a thoughtful expression, but now she suddenly laughed. Zhong Le was curious, “Sister Xia, did you think of a solution?”
In the end, Xia Yuan’s acting was just average, not particularly impressive. The roles she took either matched her personality traits or were those with few lines and minimal emotional fluctuation.
This was her first time taking on such a complex emotional role, and both Zhong Le and Lin Qi were quite worried.
Xia Yuan turned a page of the script and spoke casually, but the smile in her voice was unmistakable, “No solution, just thought of something happy.”
Zhong Le and Lin Qi perked up their ears. Zhong Le handed Xia Yuan a cup of warm water, her face full of gossip and flattery, “Sister Xia, what funny thing?”
Xia Yuan glanced at her but appreciated the flattery. She was thirsty, so she took the cup, sipped, and started to show off her relationship.
Yesterday, Meng Xiyue picked her up. After their usual dinner, while Meng Xiyue was reading, Xia Yuan began studying the script.
It was Xia Yuan’s first time doing serious work at home and her first time reading a script at home. Inevitably, Meng Xiyue glanced at her more than once.
It was this glance that was caught by the troubled Xia Yuan, who then insisted on having Meng Xiyue rehearse with her.
Meng Xiyue: “……”
Dressed in casual home clothes, holding a book in her hand, sitting elegantly and properly, with a relaxed and leisurely expression, Meng Xiyue glanced at her lover who was clinging to her side, wrapping her arms around her waist, and speaking in a soft, coquettish voice.
She didn’t understand acting at all, and she hadn’t finished her reading task for the day. Besides, she really liked this book and didn’t want to interrupt her reading rhythm.
“Meng Xiyue, help me out.”
“Meng Xiyue, Meng Xiyue…”
In her ear was Xia Yuan’s persistent and sweet voice calling her name, each word softer and sweeter than the last.
Meng Xiyue lowered her gaze, looked at the current page of the book, closed it, put it aside, and extended her long, fair hand, saying concisely, “Script.”
Xia Yuan happily handed her the script, leaning her head on Meng Xiyue’s shoulder, pointing to her lines, “Just these, these are the ones I need to shoot tomorrow.”
Her fair fingertips were randomly pointing on the black and white script. Due to the character she was playing, Xia Yuan had removed her nail polish, leaving her nails with a faint pink hue. Her fingers were long and slender, glowing softly under the light. Meng Xiyue’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she reached out and pinched them, “Stop messing around.”
So mischievous, affecting her progress in reading the script.
Xia Yuan pouted, her gaze falling on the hand that was pinching her fingertips, which hadn’t let go yet.
Clearly, she just wanted to hold her hand.
Always finding excuses.
However, Xia Yuan chose not to expose Meng Xiyue’s subtle affection, and took the initiative to hold Meng Xiyue’s hand.
Sure enough, Meng Xiyue smiled, though it was very subtle, Xia Yuan still noticed it.
Her eyes carried a faint smile.
Meng Xiyue read the script carefully, just as meticulously as she would read documents at work. After finishing, she put down the script.
Lowering her gaze, she looked at Xia Yuan, who was leaning on her shoulder and naturally playing with her phone, recalling her usual exaggerated acting. With a pinch of her knuckles, Xia Yuan happily said, “Finished reading? Then let’s start rehearsing.”
Meng Xiyue responded softly, “Mm.”
Xia Yuan played the role of the younger sister, so naturally, Meng Xiyue had to play the role of the ‘older brother’.
Letting go of the hands they had been holding, Xia Yuan cleared her throat, “Let’s begin.”
Meng Xiyue nodded.
Xia Yuan quickly switched to her role as the younger sister from the Republic of China era, looking at Meng Xiyue with trust and innocence in her eyes, “Brother, today is my birthday. Can you smile for me?”
Here, she was supposed to be tied to a chair with a gun pointed at her. In such an environment, the younger sister was not afraid because her brother was there.
“Happy birthday, Yaoyao. When we get back, I’ll cook you longevity noodles.”
Every year, the longevity noodles were cooked by her brother.
The brother’s voice here should be soothing and firm, with a gentle expression to dispel the sister’s fear.
But Meng Xiyue’s expression was cold and indifferent, and her words were emotionless, like a machine.
Xia Yuan: “…”
Facing this expression, Xia Yuan completely forgot her next line and found Meng Xiyue’s demeanor so amusing that she couldn’t help but laugh and fall into Meng Xiyue’s arms.
“Meng Xiyue, you’re so adorable.”
Meng Xiyue glanced at the breathless Xia Yuan, her clear eyes quietly watching her. After a moment, she reached out to pat Xia Yuan’s back to prevent her from choking on her laughter, and said helplessly, “I’m not a professional actor.”
Xia Yuan’s head rested on Meng Xiyue’s lap, her eyes tinged with red and her brows still carrying traces of laughter. From her angle, Meng Xiyue’s beauty was stunning, and she couldn’t help but say, “Meng Xiyue, I really like you.”
Meng Xiyue had heard this many times.
But every time, she couldn’t help but feel moved, “Yes, you’ve said that before.”
Xia Yuan blinked, “Oh, have I? It doesn’t matter, I just really like you every time I see you.”
Straightforward and pure.
Expressing her feelings without any reservations.
Meng Xiyue’s fingers twitched, and she reached out to cover those eyes filled with stars and her reflection, then leaned down to kiss her.
“I feel the same.”
…
Recalling that passionate kiss, Xia Yuan’s eyes couldn’t help but show a hint of spring. There’s no need to go into the details: “Meng Xiyue rehearsed lines with me last night.”
She was cold and robotic the whole night, reciting lines like a machine. But she kept going over and over with Xia Yuan, never complaining, as long as Xia Yuan didn’t call for a stop.
How could she like her so much, putting up with her like this?
Just thinking about it made Xia Yuan curl her toes in delight.
Zhong Le and Lin Qi: “…” They shouldn’t have asked.
It wasn’t Xia Yuan’s turn to act yet, so she reviewed her lines a few more times, getting some inspiration in her head. She was about to ask Zhong Le to rehearse with her.
But then Gu Yan, whom she always disliked, came over without any sense of timing.
“Miss Xia, the director wants us to rehearse this scene more.”
Xia Yuan glanced at him. This time, she was polite and didn’t have that disgusted look on her face.
She knew that rehearsing together was the best and most efficient way.
She snorted, “Fine, let’s rehearse. Just don’t try any tricks.”
A hint of hurt flashed in Gu Yan’s eyes. “Okay.”
However, Xia Yuan’s gaze never lingered on him. His expression was wasted. Gu Yan clenched the script tightly and didn’t say much, fearing Xia Yuan would dislike him even more. “Let’s start then.”
Xia Yuan stared at Gu Yan, took a moment, and then got into character.
Zhong Le and Lin Qi silently acted as the background.
Zhong Le, however, found Gu Yan’s behavior strange.
Gu Yan clearly saw that Xia Yuan didn’t like him yesterday, yet he still came over today. Although it was the director’s instruction, he didn’t show any dissatisfaction or resentment on his face.
Weird.
After several attempts, Xia Yuan finally got the hang of it, and just then, the director called for action.
She put down the script and headed to the filming site.
The director noticed that Xia Yuan still didn’t look well, but he didn’t dare to give her a hard time. Just her connections alone were enough to make him tread carefully.
The clapperboard snapped.
The two actors began.
Because they had rehearsed in advance and the scene was quite challenging, it took five takes to get it right. The crew didn’t dare to say much, especially with Xia Yuan still around.
She wasn’t afraid to confront the director, so the minor crew members certainly wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.
As soon as the director called cut, Xia Yuan immediately stood up and wiped the fake blood from the corner of her mouth.
The director made a token gesture of congratulating her on finishing her scenes and even gave her a red envelope.
Xia Yuan accepted it and said, “I’ll treat everyone to lunch.”
Naturally, she hired a five-star chef, making the meal both expensive and delicious. Since she was about to leave, any grudges were forgotten, and everyone smiled and thanked her.
Xia Yuan casually smiled back, going through the motions.
No one was dissatisfied, though.
As Xia Yuan got into her car to leave, Gu Yan chased after her.
Seeing her cold and stunning face, Gu Yan knew this was his last chance; he couldn’t afford to miss it.
“Miss Xia, can we talk?”
Xia Yuan’s usual upward tilt of her eyes showed her pride and arrogance. “Talk about what? Why I dislike you?”
Gu Yan responded good-naturedly, “Miss Xia, although I don’t know why you have a misunderstanding about me, this matter does concern you.”
“Can we talk? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
With that, he handed Xia Yuan a phone.
It was a video.
She clicked on it, and it was the moment when Meng Xiyue came to pick her up, and she couldn’t help but kiss her.
The footage was in high definition, capturing both of their faces clearly.
Xia Yuan particularly noticed the gentleness in Meng Xiyue’s eyes.
From a third-person perspective, it was especially heart-stirring.
“So, Miss Xia, can we talk?”
Then, the two of them went to a café around the film city and found a quiet spot to sit down.
Xia Yuan took a sip of coffee and glanced at Gu Yan across from her, “What do you want to say?”
She wanted to see what the other party could come up with.
Gu Yan: “This video was given to me by a journalist friend. He was going to publish it, but luckily I got it back in time.”
Xia Yuan clicked her tongue inwardly, “Do you want me to thank you?” In her view, even if it was published, it wouldn’t make much difference to her.
Gu Yan’s hand paused while drinking coffee. This was not what he had expected, but it didn’t stop him from reacting: “Miss Xia, you’re joking. The Weibo incident back then was my fault for involving you. Being able to help you now makes me very happy.”
Xia Yuan’s expression remained unchanged, “Oh.”
Gu Yan: “Miss Xia, what do you plan to do?”
