Chapter 24: Maybe She Was Born To Be An Actress
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng got up at five o'clock the next day. She was a little concerned about the shadow last night, and she was absent-minded in the morning.
Feng Tangtang was waiting in her room early in the morning. As Xi Mo's personal assistant, she hurriedly made arrangements for her, went down to buy breakfast, and sent it to Ruan Yesheng, like a dog scurrying around: "Sister Xi, eat while it's hot. You'll put on makeup later and probably won't have time later."
Ruan Yesheng was still lost and thought but momentarily diverted her attention. Feng Tangtang was intimately familiar with her previous life, so much so that some things had become a matter of course. She briefly forgot her own situation and kindly suggested, "Tangtang, I can't eat much. You have it."
Feng Tangtang trembled in fright: "..."
Is Sister Xi not fully awake yet, or does she have a unique way of waking up?
Thinking about it carefully, during these days of interaction with her Sister Xi, it seemed that she was indeed somewhat gentler toward her than before. Although still cold and distant, there were times when she could sense genuine concern from her, and she even felt that her Sister Xi's gaze held a certain level of care. At one point, she even suspected that she had grown accustomed to being mistreated and might have developed Stockholm syndrome, causing her to have illusions that Sister Xi was unusually kind to her. She came close to seeing a psychologist.
Ruan Yesheng saw Feng Tangtang's face as if she had just been struck by lightning, and immediately realized her mistake. She glanced at Feng Tangtang with a straight face, and said calmly: I was copying your Ruanruan, did I do it right?"
Feng Tangtang: "..."
Then she immediately applauded: "You are indeed the movie queen, how could you not look alike! It's... it's so similar, you're practically Ruanruan herself!"
Ruan Yesheng gave a cryptic expression.
Feng Tangtang suddenly worried that her flattery landed on the horse's leg* and even made it limp.
*馬屁拍在馬腿上(mǎpì pāi zài mǎtuǐ shàng) -to suck up in the wrong way; to flatter someone in a way that offends that person and embarrasses oneself.
Ruan Yesheng adjusted her attire in front of the mirror. Since she would be applying makeup today, she decided to go with a plain face: "I'll call you Tangtang from now on."
Feng Tangtang: "..."
Ruan Yesheng looked back at her on purpose, and sneered, "Is Tangtang Ruan Yesheng's patent?"
Feng Tangtang, at this point, didn't hold back her loyalty. When else would be a better time? "No, no, no! Sister Xi, when you call me that, I feel a strong sense of familiarity. Many people around me call me that, and I really like it!"
Ruan Yesheng kept a straight face and didn't say anything further. She headed towards the door, her lips curving slightly.
When they arrived at the makeup room, many people were there, including Xi Mo. Yan Tinghuan had a drink last night and probably won't be able to get up before noon, Xi Mo didn't bother to call her, so she came down early by herself, enjoying the peace without anyone bothering her.
It takes a very long time to put on makeup for a period drama. Just doing one hair can take half a day. To save time, the hairstylist has already started working on Xi Mo's head. Ruan Yesheng remained silent, sitting down in the empty spot next to her. Xi Mo also noticed Ruan Yesheng's reflection in the mirror.
The hairstylist was chatting with Xi Mo, "Miss Ruan, your skin is really nice."
Xi Mo smiled, and responded casually: "Not at all, I think Xi Mo's skin is much better than mine."
Ruan Yesheng unceremoniously glared at her but even this glare was a bit more alluring.
The hairstylist sitting nearby noticed Ruan Yesheng, and after a brief pause, she laughed. Trying to balance the situation, she said, "Haha, Sister Xi has great skin, it's common knowledge. Team leader, Sister Xi is here, over here!"
Ruan Yesheng then enjoyed the treatment that belonged to Xi Mo, with the head of the hairstyling team personally attending to her.
Sitting side by side, their gazes crossed, each of them turning to look at their true selves in the mirror.
The atmosphere was very strange.
The two stylists thought they both twisted their necks and had stiff necks at the same time.
It wasn't until the coordinator came in, distributing the day's work schedule and the script pages for the afternoon scenes, that the two of them finally averted their eyes, each one lowering her head to read the stack of papers.
The schedule was very packed, with not even a needle can be inserted. After completing makeup, there would be a commencement ceremony, followed by shooting in the afternoon, and even a night scene in the evening. The workload was incredibly heavy.
Ding'e is Deng Sui's maid, and her appearance is relatively simple. She was older than Deng Sui and had already passed the coming of age. The first hairstyle included only two elegant hairpins, one green and one white, making Xi Mo's makeup quicker to finish than Ruan Yesheng's. Ruan Yesheng's eyes were originally eye-catching, with slightly raised corners, but to better fit the character's image, the makeup artist deliberately drew colder eye lines and adjusted her eyebrows and eye corners, immediately concealing that overflowing charm. Additionally, with Xi Mo's calm expression and steady gaze, she perfectly embodied Ding'e's character. Those around her couldn't help but feel that she was a beauty from ancient times, she was Ding'e.
Her first set of clothing was a deep blue dress with a Qing-style collar and delicate embossed patterns, giving off a seemingly simple yet intricate and elegant appearance. As she walked out of the fitting room, everyone stared at her, unable to look away.
Xi Mo did things without sloppiness. After setting the makeup, Lin Qitang was satisfied after seeing her, so he went over to take pictures.
Deng Sui on the other hand was born in a famous family. Of course, her makeup, clothing, and accessories are very elegant. For visual appeal, the costumes were based on the traditional Han clothing style but incorporated various improved designs. As the plot progressed and Deng Sui's character evolved, she had numerous outfits, totaling dozens. The production team would select the most representative makeup looks from different stages and share them on the official Weibo and major media websites, promoting them in different time slots.
To highlight Deng Sui's "beautiful appearance and unparalleled beauty" in the script setting, they put a lot of effort into makeup and changed it again and again during the period. Ruan Yesheng herself also gave some input appropriately, and they finally settled on the best approach
When Ruan Yesheng walked into the studio, she was wearing a palace gown with an elegant pink color as the main tone, with tassels and jade. She was elegant, gorgeous but not cumbersome. The makeup is indeed a wonderful thing, and now the coldness Xi Mo originally carried was completely covered up, Ruan Yesheng put her hands on the sleeves of the palace gown and stepped into the light gracefully. Between her poised and radiant gaze, the exact demeanor that Deng Sui needed suddenly became vividly apparent.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Very good!" Lin Qitang greatly appreciated it.
Everyone also praised her in succession, saying that she deserves to be Sister Xi.
Xi Mo sat to the side, watching Ruan Yesheng as she followed instructions: sometimes lowering her brows, sometimes contemplating with her head bowed, and sometimes glancing back with a faint smile. The close-up shots focused on her face, capturing her as if suddenly blossoming like peach blossoms, radiantly enchanting and almost dazzling.
Even though that face belongs to her, at this moment, she doesn't seem to be able to see her own appearance.
Ruan Yesheng covered it up and put it on Deng Sui's skin instead.
Maybe she was born to be an actress.
Thinking about it, Xi Mo shifted her gaze and calmly turned over a page of the script she held in her hand.
After a long time, the first batch of makeup photos was finally finished and left to post-production for editing. Lin Qitang clapped his hands to attract attention and said: "There are still several more sets of makeup to be done. Check the schedule distributed by the coordinator and now let's all proceed to the commencement ceremony."
Ruan Yesheng softly asked Lu Qingming next to him: "How many media will be there?"
Lu Qingming said: "Director Lin didn't invite many media this time, just some from his own company, and the fans don't know about it. You can relax."
Ruan Yesheng lowered her eyes and said lightly, "Will the media not take pictures of my whole body, and only deliberately let me brush past the camera, leaving half of my back in a certain corner?"
Lu Qingming smiled: "I knew you would understand without asking me."
Some production teams go all out for their commencement ceremonies, inviting the media to cover the event extensively, with fans crowding the scene. However, Lin Qitang had already teased about the male and female leads beforehand, generating online buzz about who would be playing those roles. So, this time, the commencement ceremony was intentionally low-key. Only a few strategically captured candid photos would be released later, as if dropping a depth charge into an already boiling water, stirring up discussions and undoubtedly achieving more effective results than direct promotion.
"Lin Qitang is a fox." Ruan Yesheng said, looking over at Xi Mo, but Xi Mo turned and left without looking at her.
The opening ceremony was scheduled to take place in the garden of the Deng's Residence, the scene to be filmed in the afternoon. As usual, incense tables were set up, incense sticks were placed, and roasted pig tributes were placed. Behind it, all hung a large red banner with distinctive Chinese socialist characteristics that read, "Sui Ting, Start of Production – Good Fortune!" It's also interesting to say that once each production team starts up, it looks like a feudal Taoist priest worshiping the heavens. They only need to hold a sword and spray water on the table full of joss sticks, and call the evildoers to leave. Who knows who came up with this tradition?
Lin Qitang brought a group of creative staff and actors to offer incense there and put on a show for the invited media.
The photographer came to say hello to Ruan Yesheng, exclaiming that Sister Xi has worked hard, Ruan Yesheng nodded like a mirror in his heart, and turned away, walking towards a crowded spot. Her departure required a touch of seemingly nonchalant acting. She took a few steps and stopped in front of Lu Qingming to converse, slightly tilting her head, allowing only half of her face to be visible to the camera. In the afternoon, there was still a scene to do, so she didn't remove her makeup. The carefully styled hair bun had a jade hairpin hanging from it, perfectly accentuating her, creating an image of someone holding a pipa with half of her face concealed*, as if about to speak but holding back. Behind her was Lu Qingming standing like a wooden stake, serving as a backdrop.
*a line in the poem "Song of the Pipa" by Bai Juyi, a poet from the Tang Dynasty. It's often used to depict a person's inner emotions or a moment of restraint.
The photographer, rarely witnessing the ability to capture a staged scene with a sense of accidental discovery, felt elated and took many shots. He expressed his gratitude to Ruan Yesheng with repeated thanks.
Ruan Yesheng glanced left and right, and saw Xi Mo standing alone by the wall. The wall was antique, with a few lush trees protruding from the wall, and the shadows of the trees were mottled on Xi Mo's blue and white costume, revealing touches of golden light, giving her a cool feeling of detachment from the bustling surroundings.
Seeing this gave Ruan Yesheng the urge of wanting to go over.
The weather was hot, and for some reason, seeing Xi Mo standing there, she felt refreshed again.
With such thoughts, she indeed took action. Beside her, Lu Qingming observed her taking steps and asked, "Where are you going? Let Gu Qisong accompany you, don't go too far."
After the incident at the hotel, Lu Qingming often had to show his mother-like concern, and wanted Gu Qisong, her assistant and bodyguard, to follow him for many things.
Gu Qisong, as a person, is tall and silent, a model of someone from whom you can't even get a muffled fart with a single stick. Occasionally, he would come up with a cold joke seemingly out of nowhere, so cold that it's as if one Buddha is born on the scene, and the second Buddha ascends to heaven. However, Feng Tangtang had a very favorable impression of him, often saying that Brother Gu is humorous and his jokes are very funny. This made Ruan Yesheng feel that her poor IQ had not only thoroughly confused her heart but had also inadvertently shattered her hearing, vision, and comprehension.
"No need, I'll just go over to the other side of the wall to enjoy the shade, isn't there a tree?" Ruan Yesheng waved her hand, and Gu Qisong, who had been holding an umbrella for her, saw her walking away. He tactfully followed her with the umbrella not too far or near, Lu Qingming watched as Gu Qisong went over, and only then did he proceed to handle other matters with a relieved heart.
Ruan Yesheng walked halfway, and Xi Mo also noticed her with a subtle expression.
But Xi Mo didn't go away.
Ruan Yesheng walked under the shade of the tree.
The two stood side by side without speaking to each other, they just looked at the front, the midsummer sun seemed to absorb all the sounds around them at this moment, leaving only the cicadas singing on the tree, and even the chirping of cicadas became empty.
After a long time, the two of them remained silent. They were planted there like two trees, and neither of them spoke. It's strange to say that in such hot weather, there's another Ruan Yesheng next to her who she doesn't like and occupies all of her skin. It's still this kind of embarrassing quietness. Being together can completely explode into a towering artillery battle. But now, Xi Mo didn't even feel a hint of irritability.
She thought the current situation is reasonable, it's rare to be quiet and comfortable, and she even doesn't want to break it at all.
However, after a while, Ruan Yesheng broke it: "Did you see anything that made you feel bad in the past few days?"
This question was strange and thoughtless, Xi Mo said indifferently: "Yes."
"Where did you see it? What does it look like?"
"It's right here." Xi Mo said, "You."
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
Then Ruan Yesheng squinted her eyes and smiled: "You didn't answer the question correctly. I was asking about things that make you feel bad. Clearly, 'someone like me' doesn't count as a thing."
She looked exactly like how Xi Mo was originally like, and Xi Mo welcomed her verbal sparring, causing her heart to finally explode like a firework shooting into the sky. Sooner or later, she was bound to fry, whether it happened earlier or later.
Xi Mo crossed her arms and gave her a side eye: "Well, you really can't compare to me. At least I think that 'someone like me' is still a thing." Whether it was a thing or not, it certainly wasn't herself, so she said it casually.
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
Xi Mo pretended to lean her body to that side, leaving only room in the middle, and continued: "But I wonder what exactly 'someone like me' is? Can you show me?"
Ruan Yesheng shook her head, and pretended to look up and down the body that originally belonged to her, as if appreciating it, before saying, "Forgive me for not being able to see it. All I can see is that 'this appearance' is particularly beautiful. It doesn't matter if it's a thing or not, as long as it's beautiful, right?"
"Exactly, who cares about the specifics? As long as one has thick skin, it's fine, isn't it?" Xi Mo said with a smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Seeing her comeback was quite slick and she didn't bring up anything else, Ruan Yesheng felt reassured, knowing that Xi Mo truly hadn't noticed anything peculiar.
And right at that moment, a dark shadow unexpectedly cast over the wall from outside, shrouding the area as if a layer of black cloth had been draped over it.
The thing appeared so abruptly that Xi Mo caught it with her eyes and avoided it out of physical instinct. At the same time, she quickly pulled Ruan Yesheng to the side to take cover. However, Xi Mo was still wearing a long skirt, which made her movements quite restrained. As she dodged, she twisted her foot and nearly fell.
Not far away, Gu Qisong saw this scene and immediately ran towards their side with a sullen face.
In the end, they didn't get hit. Xi Mo discreetly tiptoed to ease the pain in her foot and released Ruan Yesheng.
Ruan Yesheng didn't utter a sound throughout the ordeal; she only breathed heavily. Cold sweat trickled down her back as she stared fixedly at the object that had fallen to a spot less than half a meter away from her. Blood splattered around it, and a few disheveled feathers were also scattered.
It was a rooster.
It's already dead.
Someone cleanly sliced the rooster's neck with a knife, and then tossed it over. The black cloth that had been wrapped around its body came undone, and so it lay there with its neck twisted, eyes wide open. Its cloudy whites stared at Ruan Yesheng.
The posture was strange, it looked like a dead man whose throat had been cut open and bled all over the place.
Gu Qisong is a retired special forces soldier, and his body responds quickly in all aspects. Luckily, not many people were around to witness this. To avoid causing riots and panic, he swiftly folded the umbrella, picked up the dead chicken from the ground, and wrapped it securely inside. Ruan Yesheng seemed a bit startled, and Xi Mo happened to be standing beside her. Gu Qisong casually handed the wrapped bundle over to Xi Mo.
Xi Mo was suddenly stuffed with a chicken: "..."
Gu Qisong had already taken three quick steps and then two more, using the fence to vault over and disappear.
Xi Mo held the chicken, her gaze fixed on Ruan Yesheng.
Ruan Yesheng still had a wandering expression on her face. Xi Mo thought that she was scared out of her wits, and suddenly felt a little astringent in her heart. She didn't know why, but she was not very comfortable. She thought about it for a while and wanted to comfort her, but since she was a child, she didn't know how to even write the word 'comfort'.
So, after hesitating for a while, Xi Mo forced a sentence out with a stiff expression, "Don't be afraid, the chicken is with me."
Ruan Yesheng slowly raised her head and looked at her: "..."
