**30**

Meilan repeatedly watched the replay of the previous scene.

By the fourth viewing, the assistant director said, “Ning Zhi’s acting has improved so quickly; this take is flawless.”

Meilan nodded slightly but showed no sign of happiness on her face. The assistant director glanced at her expression and thought, Could she still be dissatisfied at this point?

Ning Zhi walked out of that bedroom.

Mei Lan glanced behind her, not seeing Shen Yizhi, then waved at Ning Zhi. The assistant director saw this and walked away to attend to other matters.

Ning Zhi came to her side and saw the screen showing a replay of the earlier scene, and she couldn’t help but be drawn in.

In the footage, she sat on the edge of the bed, head bowed as she recited the poem. Shen Yizhi leaned against the headboard, his gaze fully fixed on her, his eyes so gentle.

Until she finished reciting and looked up, Shen Yizhi finally bit her lip and sighed, “So beautiful.”

Ning Zhi held her breath as she watched. Even though she knew all of Shen Yizhi’s actions were just a performance, she couldn’t help but become captivated. That gentle, obviously attracted gaze was fixed on her—Shen Yizhi was drawn to her.

“Ning Zhi.” The voice of Meilan came to his ear.

Ning Zhi had to come back to her senses, reluctantly turning her head to look at her: “Director?”

Mei Lan asked, “How are you?”

Ning Zhi took a moment to react before realizing the director was concerned about her. She smiled slightly and said somewhat casually, “I’m pretty good.”

But her eyes clearly said otherwise. She couldn’t help but look at Chi Sheng and Ruan Yinmeng on the screen, watching Ning Zhi and Shen Yizhi playing their roles.

A bottle of unopened mineral water was placed nearby. Meilan picked it up and handed it to Ning Zhi, saying, “You don’t look well. Drink some water and go back to rest early.”

There were no scenes for Ning Zhi in the afternoon and evening. Meilan was quite worried about her condition.

Ning Zhi took the water and absentmindedly twisted the bottle cap, saying, “I’ll stay and watch.”

The remaining scenes today were all for Shen Yizhi, and they needed to move to a nearby club for filming.

The work scene of拍阮茵梦.

The movie is more than halfway through, and this is the first time the work situation of阮茵梦 is involved.

宁稚 imagined that scene and felt a wave of restlessness.

She turned her head to look for沈宜之 but didn’t see her figure; she was still in阮茵梦’s bedroom.

Ning Zhi pressed her lips together and couldn’t help but glance towards that bedroom.

Why hasn’t Shen Yizhi come out?

Then, she saw Meilan walk in.

Are they going to say something? Ning Zhi wondered again.

Meilan and Shen Yizhi had a pretty good relationship; private conversations between them were common.

But Ning Zhi still cared a lot, wanting to know what they would talk about, or perhaps, subconsciously hoping that their conversation would mention her. She wanted to know how Shen Yizhi talked about her to others.

When Meilan came in, Shen Yizhi was standing in front of the large bookshelf, looking at the poetry collection that Ning Zhi had put back, but she was just looking at it, not pulling the book out.

“Why aren’t you going out?” Meilan asked, glanced around, and sat down by the bed.

Shen Yizhi said, “I’m trying to figure out Ruan Yinmeng’s thoughts; the next few scenes are very crucial.”

Meilan had collaborated with her several times. Shen Yizhi has an innate talent for acting. Once she gets a role, she always manages to grasp the essence of the character’s personality and immerse herself in the role at the fastest speed.

Meilan had never seen her so serious before.

Outside the window appeared a small rainbow, created earlier during filming to simulate a heavy rain effect by spraying water under the sun with a hose.

Meilan tapped her fingertips on the bedsheet a few times and asked, “Are you pondering over Ruan Yinmeng, or Ning Zhi?”

She spoke plainly, and when Shen Yizhi looked back, she sighed, “Yizhi, I know you’re in a difficult position, but I can’t let the actors shoot my film with a troubled heart.”

Shen Yizhi turned around and sat down beside Meilan.

She just asked me whether depth or longevity is more important in love.

Meilan was silent for a moment before saying, “That’s really hard to answer.” After thinking carefully for a while, she said, “Longevity is more important, I guess.”

“But I think depth is the most important,” Shen Yizhi said slowly.

Meilan smiled gently, “You’re off-topic. They asked you to choose between longevity and depth.”

Shen Yizhi smiled along: “She can’t tell me apart from Ruan Yinmeng. If I ask her something now, the answer I get might not be the truth. What if after the movie is finished, she snaps out of it and regrets it?”

Ning Zhi is now completely captivated by Ruan Yinmeng. The way she looks at her is exactly the same as how Chi Sheng looked at Ruan Yinmeng during filming—unconscious affection, mixed with fear of being discovered, causing her to nervously avoid and hide it.

Shen Yizhi even feels that if she were to make any request to Ning Zhi now, Ning Zhi would definitely agree.

But whether that agreement is for her or for Ruan Yinmeng, Shen Yizhi cannot be sure. After all, before the movie started filming, Ning Zhi didn’t even want to glance at her.

“And I also need to see my own heart clearly,” Shen Yizhi added.

She needed to be sure whether her current feelings for Ning Zhi were truly liking the person, or if they were influenced by the role she played, twisting six years of worry and guilt into something else.

Meilan listened, clicked her tongue softly, and shook her head: “It’s really disheartening.”

Shen Yizhi glanced at her.

Meilan seriously argued with her: “Feelings are inherently the most irrational thing. You can distinguish everything step by step, handle it with ease, and cover every aspect, as if the other person can’t shake your reason at all. Isn’t that quite disheartening?”

The little rainbow outside was fading more and more, about to disappear into the air.

Shen Yizhi considered her words for a moment, then finally said, “It’s not that I’m at ease, but that I have no confidence at all.”

Wanting to cover every aspect was true. She had already made Ning Zhi sad once, disappointed once, and she didn’t want to see that humble and desperate look in her eyes again.

Meilan remained noncommittal. Someone outside was calling “Director,” and she stood up: “If you fall for someone, sooner or later you’ll taste the feeling of losing control.”

Feelings often come unexpectedly, without waiting for one to be fully prepared.

Shen Yizhi did not respond, ending the topic.

She got up and followed, and when she reached the door, Meilan said, “I’m more worried about the next few scenes. The intense emotions in those scenes will be quite a burden for her.”

After saying this, she just stepped outside and saw the scene outside.

The girl playing Su Miaomiao was sitting next to Ning Zhi, holding a notebook and a pen, handing them to Ning Zhi, shyly saying something.

Shen Yizhi stopped in her tracks.

Meilan glanced over there and, gloating, leaned closer to Shen Yizhi: “Out of control?”

Ning Zhi was originally waiting for Shen Yizhi to come out, but while waiting, the actress playing Su Miaomiao arrived.

“Ah Zhi, I’m really your fan. I’ve liked you since you debuted.” The girl fumbled to take out her phone and showed her the super topic check-in record—she had checked in for over three hundred days without missing a single day, and Ning Zhi had only been debuted for just over three hundred days in total.

No wonder she had looked at her many times, hesitating to speak.

After the girl finished speaking, as if by magic, she pulled out a notebook and a pen from somewhere and asked her to sign.

Such a small request, of course Ning Zhi agreed. She took the pen and skillfully signed her name in the notebook, then thoughtfully asked for her name and wrote a long blessing for her.

The girl was so happy she looked like she was about to faint, saying thank you several times and holding the notebook as if it were a treasure.

Even though Ning Zhi had seen fans express their love in all sorts of ways, it still made her feel embarrassed.

She turned her head and saw Shen Yizhi standing by the door.

When did she come out? Ning Zhi instinctively looked for Meilan’s figure, only to find that Meilan was no longer in the room.

Ning Zhi shifted her gaze back to Shen Yizhi, but from her expression, she couldn’t tell what had just been discussed between her and Meilan in the bedroom.

Ning Zhi thought for a moment and began to feel somewhat despairing. She was so familiar with Director Mei, with so much to talk about, how could she be mentioned?

With this thought, her mood turned unpleasant.

However, when she looked up again, she saw Shen Yizhi walking over. Ning Zhi immediately sat up straight, staring intently as she approached.

The girl had been left waiting for quite a while. Holding the notebook where Ning Zhi had written her blessings, she mustered up the courage and said, “A Zhi, can we take a photo together? Please take a photo with me, I promise I won’t show it to anyone else.”

As she spoke, Shen Yizhi had already walked up.

Ning Zhi didn’t catch what she said, his gaze falling on Shen Yizhi. He slightly turned towards the girl and casually replied, “Mm, okay.”

The girl was about to cheer when she heard Shen Yizhi’s voice by her ear: “What are you talking about?”

The girl was startled, immediately stood up, and politely bowed to greet him: “Hello, Teacher Shen.”

Strangely enough, Shen Yizhi was neither aloof nor pretentious on the set, yet the several young actors playing the role of student Chi Sheng inexplicably feared her. At the same time, they couldn’t help but secretly watch her, feeling very conflicted.

At this moment, after the girl finished asking, she saw Shen Yizhi politely nod at her, quickly straightened up, winked at Ning Zhi, and silently mouthed, “I’ll come find you for a photo next time.”

After saying that, she quickly ran away.

Shen Yizhi felt it must have been Mei Lan causing a commotion. The enthusiasm the girls showed when looking at Ning Zhi made her feel irritated. It was nowhere near the “out of control” level Mei Lan described, but it was still quite uncomfortable.

Ning Zhi tightened her grip on the water bottle, looked up at Shen Yizhi, a trace of nervousness hidden in her eyes. Her tone was still fairly normal as she casually asked, “Is there something you need?”

Shen Yizhi sat down on the small stool beside her.

“Are you going to take a photo with her?” she asked,

Ning Zhi nodded without much thought: “Yes.”

After she spoke, Shen Yizhi remained silent for a while. Ning Zhi looked at her in confusion; Shen Yizhi’s expression was calm, but Ning Zhi felt that her gentle eyes seemed to be brewing complex emotions.

She grew more puzzled and was about to ask if there was something inappropriate?

Shen Yizhi asked casually, “When was the last time we took a photo together?”

Ning Zhi’s expression froze instantly. Shen Yizhi looked at her carefully, trying to read some clue on her face, but Ning Zhi reflexively put up a defense. She looked down at the bottle of mineral water in her hand and said indifferently, “When we got the marriage certificate.”

Shen Yizhi’s gaze dimmed imperceptibly.

Ning Zhi didn’t notice; she recalled the day they got the certificate.

When getting the marriage certificate, they had to take a photo together. They were in a hurry at the time, and the white shirt was something Lin Shaolin had to buy from a nearby store on the spot.

Ning Zhi recalled that when taking the photo, the photographer looked helpless and coaxed in a drawn-out tone, “Hey newlyweds, cheer up! You’re married now, isn’t this a joyous occasion?”

At that time, Ning Zhi’s mind was full of her grandmother’s illness, so how could she be happy? She couldn’t help but grumble when she heard the photographer only talking about her. Why only talk about her? Could Shen Yizhi really be smiling?

As she thought this, she turned her head and saw Shen Yizhi beside her, also wearing a white shirt, with a faint smile on his face, as if they were just an ordinary couple coming to get their marriage certificate.

Noticing her gaze, Shen Yizhi turned sideways and straightened her collar for her, gently advising, “Smile, the photo is for grandma. We need to reassure her.”

At the time, Ning Zhi didn’t pay much attention, but now looking back, she realized that Shen Yizhi had specially put on makeup that day. Whether at the civil affairs bureau or in front of grandma, she behaved very appropriately.

She still remembered Shen Yizhi holding her hand as they entered the hospital room and stood before grandma.

Grandma was very happy.

She wouldn’t believe it if she got a marriage certificate with anyone else, but if it was Shen Yizhi, not only would grandma believe it, she would be happy for her.

Because in this world, only three people knew that she liked Shen Yizhi.

Her, Shen Yizhi, and grandma.

Grandma was already very weak at that time. She reached out her hand to Shen Yizhi; her hand was so thin that the skin clung to the bones. Shen Yizhi held her hand, sat by the bedside, leaned down, and put her ear close to listen to what Grandma was saying.

Grandma spoke very slowly. Shen Yizhi showed no impatience at all. She solemnly promised, “Rest assured, Ningning will have me from now on. I won’t leave her alone. I will take care of her just as you have loved and cared for her.”

Ning Zhi hurriedly stopped the memory.

The assistant director came to the door to call Shen Yizhi; the remaining scenes today would be shot at a different location, and Shen Yizhi needed to go along.

“The next few scenes will be very mentally exhausting. You should go back to the hotel to rest and recharge,” Shen Yizhi said.

Ning Zhi wanted to follow along. She stood up but suddenly felt dizzy, not sure if she had gotten up too quickly.

Shen Yizhi helped her steady herself. After assessing her complexion, she frowned and said, “You might be suffering from heatstroke.”

Ning Zhi was indeed a bit heatstroked, but she thought it was nothing and that taking some medicine would be fine.

Shen Yizhi, however, had already called the assistant over and carefully instructed, “You go back with Ning Ning. I have heatstroke medicine in my room that works quite well. If it doesn’t take effect after three hours, call the doctor to have a look.”

Ning Zhi wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Shen Yizhi, as if his head had eyes at the back, turned around and said to her, “Listen.”

I will take care of her just as you do.

This sentence suddenly echoed in Ning Zhi’s mind. Shen Yizhi was indeed taking care of her. Since the day she promised her grandmother, she had been intentionally or unintentionally looking after her more.

Ning Zhi’s feelings became complicated. She realized that Shen Yizhi was really cunning. She showed the marriage certificate to her grandmother and made many promises, all about companionship and care, but not a single word about liking or loving.

Shen Yizhi saw that she remained silent and softened his tone even more: “Be obedient. It’s so hot outside, if you go along, you’ll inevitably get sunburned. Severe heatstroke can cause a fever.”

Ning Zhi listened to her gentle and soft persuasion, and finally nodded in agreement.

So Ning Zhi returned to the hotel, while Shen Yizhi went with the crew to a nearby club.

The sun was really fierce today. After getting out of the car and standing in the sunlight for a few minutes, the assistant director’s back was soaked with sweat.

He called for everyone to quickly move the equipment inside. Shen Yizhi went to the makeup room, as the makeup for this scene needed to be more glamorous.

When Mei Lan came over to discuss the scene with Shen Yizhi, she also instructed the makeup artist, “It should be glamorous, seductive, but not tacky.”

Ruan Yinmeng’s acting in the film only has two scenes, and these two scenes need to be distinguished from each other, with makeup being an important part of that.

The makeup for the second scene needs to be more glamorous and flashy, so the tone for the first scene about to be filmed must be carefully controlled.

—–

Author’s note:

I’m back. I fell asleep while writing last night and didn’t get a chance to post a note, which gave me the experience of not being able to write here.

I noticed you all are quite timid, all worrying that Ruan Yinmeng and Chi Sheng will have a bad ending.

Be brave, there might be a surprise.