**23**

0929 was truly a timely rain; Ning Zhi was just hoping someone would come to talk to her, and she appeared.

She sat up, her fingertips poised over the screen ready to type, but then realized that these feelings were hard to put into words.

She was unwilling to tell others how she came to like Shen Yizhi, even less willing to reveal how they had become strangers, and she certainly didn’t want anyone to know about their strange situation now.

This is all between her and Shen Yizhi; she didn’t want to tell anyone else.

Ning Zhi hesitated for a moment, then responded to 0929’s question.

“She’s still very annoying today, but a little better than before.”

She had carefully weighed it; Shen Yizhi, who made her conflicted and her heart messy, was indeed very annoying, but today she apologized to her and even took the initiative to talk to her, which was much better than before.

After sending this sentence, it felt like putting a full stop to today, and Ning Zhi let out a sigh.

0929 seemed busy, replied with a “Hmm,” and then didn’t say anything else.

Ning Zhi of course wouldn’t disturb others. She closed her eyes to sleep and only fell asleep after a long time. Her last thought before sleeping was what she should say to Shen Yizhi when they met tomorrow.

Nothing happened between them; it was just that those two lines of dialogue, different from usual, seemed to subtly touch on some sincere feelings, making Ning Zhi feel that things between them should be somewhat different from before.

However, the next day at the set, seeing Shen Yizhi’s expression was no different from usual, Ning Zhi thought maybe it was just her illusion, and nothing had really changed.

With that thought, Ning Zhi bitterly mocked herself inwardly for overthinking.

The scene to be shot today coincidentally matched the moods of both Ning Zhi and Chi Sheng, both feeling very wavering and confused.

But there were also many differences. Ning Zhi was only confused about how Shen Yizhi viewed her; she dared not think beyond that.

As for Chi Sheng, he was hesitant and unsure about where to place her feelings for Ruan Yinmeng.

Before filming started, Ning Zhi asked the director for an extra half hour to find her state. She stayed alone in Ruan Yinmeng’s room, watching the sensitive plant on the windowsill for a while, calming her mind.

Ruan Yinmeng’s small house seemed to have become a warm haven. Whenever Chi Sheng came here, he could relax briefly.

The portrait was half-finished and then set aside. Chi Sheng wanted to continue painting, but she wanted even more to stay by Ruan Yinmeng’s side.

That day was no different. Ruan Yinmeng leaned back on the sofa, focused on watching TV, but completely ignored Chi Sheng sitting right beside her, never once looking at her.

It wasn’t until Chi Sheng lay down, resting her head on Ruan Yinmeng’s lap, that Ruan Yinmeng finally looked down at her.

Chi Sheng smiled at her, her eyes curved gently. She reached out to touch Ruan Yinmeng’s lips, and Ruan Yinmeng parted them slightly, allowing Chi Sheng’s fingertips to trace inside her mouth.

She bit her fingertip, not hard, but not light either. Chi Sheng let out a “hiss,” looking at her with grievance. Ruan Yinmeng relaxed her grip, and Chi Sheng withdrew her finger, only then noticing the faint teeth marks on it.

“So mean.” She muttered softly, and when she looked up, she saw Ruan Yinmeng gazing at her with a smile in her eyes.

She was looking into Chisheng’s eyes.

Chisheng had already noticed that Ruan Yinmeng especially favored her eyes.

She raised her hand to gently caress with her fingertips, gazed tenderly with her eyes, and kissed softly with her lips.

Chisheng involuntarily held his breath and said, “Since you like my eyes so much, why don’t I give them to you?”

Ruan Yinmeng was momentarily stunned, then she smiled. Her smile was beautiful and full of charm. Chi Sheng thought he had sounded foolish just now, and that she was mocking him, so he pursed his lips in slight displeasure.

Ruan Yinmeng patted her shoulder, signaling her to get up, the smile still lingering on her lips.

Your eyes look best on you,” she said as she stood up. “I’m going to the supermarket, do you want to come?

She spoke as she went to the bedroom.

Chi Sheng hesitated; if she went out, she was afraid of running into someone she knew.

Ruan Yinmeng changed into a long dress and came out, holding a small purse in her hand. She walked to the door and bent down to change her shoes.

Her delicate and exquisite ankle looked especially beautiful against the backdrop of high heels.

She had changed, her hand on the door lock, and turned back to ask again, “Going?”

Chi Sheng stood up and followed.

There weren’t many people coming and going in the alley on a workday. Ruan Yinmeng held up a parasol, and Chi Sheng walked beside her, feeling a bit nervous but unwilling to let her see it.

They didn’t encounter anyone they knew along the way. Ruan Yinmeng walked leisurely, occasionally glancing at Chi Sheng while talking to her.

Chi Sheng gradually relaxed and, upon arriving at the supermarket, took the initiative to push a shopping cart.

Ruan Yinmeng also strolled through the supermarket at a leisurely pace, carefully examining each item she took from the shelves.

Chi Sheng found it very novel; she was usually impatient about going to the supermarket, but with Ruan Yinmeng, there was no sense of trivial boredom. She also picked up products, pretending to look seriously.

They reached the corner when a familiar voice came over, followed by two women in their forties or fifties laughing and chatting as they turned out from another display shelf.

She was the neighbor living right across from Chisheng.

Her whole body stiffened. When those two women looked up, her body moved a few steps to the side faster than her thoughts, putting some distance between herself and Ruan Yinmeng.

She caught a glimpse of Ruan Yinmeng glancing faintly at her, and Chi Sheng’s heart instantly tightened, but Ruan Yinmeng said nothing and slowly pushed the shopping cart forward, as if she had come to the supermarket alone from the start.

The tightened heart relaxed, but soon she was overwhelmed by a wave of shame and guilt.

The two neighbors saw her and walked over.

“Chi Sheng.” They smiled and greeted her.

Chi Sheng called out to the auntie. One of the neighbors glanced toward Ruan Yinmeng but didn’t come over. They exchanged a look and headed in another direction. Before leaving, they warned Chi Sheng, “Don’t stay here, go somewhere else to wander.”

Chi Sheng’s voice was stuck in her throat and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t speak. However, the two neighbors didn’t pay any attention and quickly left, as if staying one more second around Ruan Yinmeng would bring great defilement.

Chi Sheng gritted her teeth. Ruan Yinmeng had already walked far ahead. She silently followed behind her.

Ruan Yinmeng seemed completely unaffected, following the same pace as before, contentedly buying all the things she needed before carrying the shopping bags out of the supermarket.

Chi Sheng followed her anxiously, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

She felt guilty for having avoided her just now, and also feared what would happen if, once they got home, Ruan Yinmeng got angry and questioned her.

She silently followed her into the house all the way.

The moment the door closed behind them, Chi Sheng trembled, afraid that Ruan Yinmeng would turn around and ask, “Why did you follow me up here?”

But she didn’t.

She took the items out of the shopping bags one by one and put them away. When she turned around, she saw Chi Sheng standing by the door. Her gaze paused, but she said nothing—no blame, no sarcasm—just as if what had happened earlier never occurred.

There was not a trace of displeasure, disappointment, or anger on her face; she was as calm as could be.

“I’m going to work now.” After finishing tidying up, she said to Chi Sheng in a flat tone.

It means asking her to leave.

Chi Sheng did not move, quietly looking at her.

Ruan Yinmeng rested one hand on the edge of the table, letting her look for a while. She slightly raised her eyebrows, then smiled and asked, “What do you want to say? Do you think I would be angry?”

Chi Sheng pressed her lips tightly, her heart slowly sinking.

Ruan Yinmeng’s gaze was neither cold nor gentle, but held a strange calmness. Her tone was warm, yet her words made Chi Sheng’s heart feel as if it had frozen.

She only said three words: “I understand.”

Chi Sheng understood. She had no expectations of her, so when she distanced herself in front of others, it was no surprise, let alone anger.

Chi Sheng’s eyes reddened slightly. Ruan Yinmeng did not expect her to have such a strong reaction, but she remained silent and did not offer comfort. Instead, she added, “It’s a good thing you know what kind of person I am.”

At her words, tears welled up in Chi Sheng’s eyes. She looked at Ruan Yinmeng but could neither speak nor act.

Because of her behavior in the supermarket, she could not refute her, could not comfort her, and had no right to make any promises.

She looked at Ruan Yinmeng with red eyes for a moment, then turned around, opened the door, and left.

This scene was shot over several days. Before the final confrontation, Ning Zhi asked Meilan how Chi Sheng’s emotions should be during this process.

Meilan wanted to hear her understanding, so she let her share her thoughts first.

Shen Yizhi was also listening nearby. Ning Zhi couldn’t help but feel nervous, afraid of not expressing it well.

She cleared her throat and cleared her voice before saying, it shouldn’t be too surprising.

Upon hearing this, Meilan was somewhat impressed and smiled, “Tell me in detail.”

Ning Zhi steadied her voice and continued: “Chi Sheng and Ruan Yinmeng’s relationship, what kind of person Ruan Yinmeng is, even if she doesn’t fully understand, she should have a general idea. She has some sense of how Ruan Yinmeng feels about her. Ruan Yinmeng likes her eyes, likes her cleanliness, likes her youthful innocence and spirit, but many people have these traits, not just Chi Sheng. She has a good impression of her, but that’s all. Chi Sheng understands this.”

Meilan repeated with interest, “Chi Sheng understands?”

Ning Zhi nodded; she had put a great deal of effort into understanding the changes in Chi Sheng’s heart.

“Mmm.” Meilan was thoughtful, then asked, “So what do you think Chisheng is feeling right now?”

Ning Zhi answered, “The dream has ended. She knows it, but she’s unwilling to accept it, like being caught in a half-asleep, half-awake dream that’s been completely shattered.”

“A half-asleep, half-awake dream?”

Ning Zhi said, “She doesn’t dare to fully fall into it. Those who are in a relationship understand it best, though sometimes they refuse to face the truth. Chisheng has always kept a clear head, worrying about her grandmother, worrying about Ruan Yinmeng’s profession, worrying that she’s about to go to college soon. If things keep going like this, sooner or later, she herself will wake up.”

But at the most beautiful moment of the dream, Ruan Yinmeng herself pierced and shattered it.

These are Ning Zhi’s insights. After she finished speaking, Mei Lan looked at Shen Yizhi: “What do you think?”

Shen Yizhi held the script and simply said, “We can try it this way.”

They performed the scene just like that.

Even though she had gone through it in her mind and was well prepared, after actually performing the scene, Ning Zhi still took quite a while to recover.

When the most beautiful part of a dream is shattered, those sweet flavors are pierced by glass, bleeding profusely. Unwilling to let go, one can only swallow the shards of glass along with it.

She sat down to rest nearby, with Shen Yizhi by her side. They were both waiting for Meilan to confirm whether this take was good or if they needed to reshoot.

Ning Zhi held a cup of ice water in her hands, her gaze fixed on the ice cubes floating on the surface, about to melt and disappear.

“Drink less ice,” Shen Yizhi said.

Ning Zhi nodded and set the water cup aside.

She was very obedient now. Shen Yizhi looked at her and felt that she must still be partly out of character; it was Chi Sheng listening to Ruan Yinmeng, not Ning Zhi listening to Shen Yizhi.

Meilan walked over and gave them a slight nod, indicating that this scene was done and they could prepare for the next one.

Ning Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, her emotions clearly visible. She stretched out her legs and curled the corners of her lips, looking relaxed and happy.

Previously, the director was the only one explaining the scenes to her, but this time she understood it herself and acted according to her own interpretation. Meilan didn’t say what her original idea was, only that this scene was very good.

For these new actors, this was quite a significant improvement. Ning Zhi felt a great sense of accomplishment and was very happy.

Meilan also thought it was good. Seeing that there was still time, she moved a stool to sit in front of them and continued the discussion: “So what happens next? When Ruan Yinmeng’s dream is shattered at its most beautiful moment, what will Chi Sheng do?”

What Chi Sheng will do is fully written in the script.

Ning Zhi was momentarily stunned, then turned to grab the script placed nearby but was stopped by Mei Lan.

Let’s put the script aside for now. Tell me, if you were Chi Sheng and something like this happened, what would you do?

What would I do? Ning Zhi followed Mei Lan’s words and calmed down to think.

At the most beautiful moment, when everything shattered and ended, what would she do?

In Ning Zhi’s mind, the scene of that birthday appeared: Shen Yizhi came back before midnight, bringing the gift she had longed for.

“Director Mei, don’t get so distracted,” Shen Yizhi suddenly spoke.

Ning Zhi looked at her, but Shen Yizhi did not look at her, his gaze fixed on Meilan.

Ning Zhi tugged at the hem of her clothes; she felt that Shen Yizhi seemed unhappy.

Why was he unhappy? Had he also thought about what happened that day?

Meilan didn’t insist on discussing it; after all, the script was there, and the plot direction had long been set, with no major changes expected.

She just thought Ning Zhi’s ideas were very delicate and closely aligned with the film; perhaps she would have some special insights, and she wanted to hear them.

They discussed the script’s direction for a while, then dispersed.

Shen Yizhi pinched the bridge of her nose, seeming very tired.

Ning Zhi sat beside her and turned to look at her.

It was still early at first, but after this discussion, the sky had completely darkened.

Shen Yizhi stood up and said, “Let’s head back early.”

Ning Zhi responded with a nod. As Shen Yizhi was about to leave, Ning Zhi somehow found the courage to stand up as well, walking alongside her toward the exit. When they reached downstairs, two cars were already waiting there.

If I don’t ask now, it will be too late.

Ning Zhi’s heart was tumultuous, a surge of impulse growing stronger. She first smiled, then put on a nonchalant attitude, her tone casual, as if she was truly just asking in passing.

If I hadn’t given up back then and continued to pursue you, would you have accepted me?

This is a meaningless question. If Shen Yizhi answered yes, how regretful she would be; if no, it would only prove once again that she wouldn’t be chosen by Shen Yizhi.

But Ning Zhi still asked it, meaningless as it was, she still wanted to know.