Chapter 36: Tone Down Your Cannibalistic Eyes

The two of them just stared at each other silently for more than ten seconds, ignoring the people around them, until Director Xue stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Ahem, stop flirting, you two, keep this state and bring it into the scene." 

Shen Qingzhi: ?!

When did I flirt?

The lights and props were already in place. Director Xue didn't give her a chance to defend herself, and only asked her to prepare for the last ten minutes.

The previous context of this scene is that Cang Xingyun has a crazed admirer, who couldn't win her over. He spent a hefty sum to acquire a love potion. It is said that upon taking this potion, one would become infatuated with the first person they see upon opening their eyes, being unwaveringly devoted until death. This potion was originally intended for Cang Xingyun, but due to a series of accidental circumstances, Feng Yasong ended up taking it, leading to a subsequent sequence of comical and ridiculous collisions.

Heavenly Beings, Scene 8 Take 1

Feng Yasong was "invited" to a teahouse by two guards, and when she saw Cang Xingyun sitting in the private room enjoying tea leisurely, her mood soured.

"I say, young master, last night, was it not you who told me to get lost? How come I've only just left, and today you've eagerly sent people to invite me? Could it be that you missed me?"

She hooked the corners of her mouth and deliberately pretended to be a little hooligan when she said the second half of the sentence, but she looked very cute with that delicate and childish face.

Cang Xingyun didn't take this little girl's teasing to heart, she unfolded a handkerchief embroidered with patterns of flowers, with an elegant expression.

"Bearing a unique fragrance, flower pattern on the forehead, you're from the Yuan Clan. I've heard that members of the Yuan Clan are born with extremely heightened senses, able to see what ordinary people can't, I have a matter that requires your help, offering you a chance to repay the favor of saving you last night."

Hearing her identity being exposed, Feng Yasong felt a little uneasy at first. But after understanding the other's intentions, she almost laughed in anger.

"It's none of your business that I'm a member of the Yuan Clan. You treated me like that last night, and now you want me to repay you. True gentlemen* don't expect repayment for their kindness."

*term used is 真君子(Zhēn jūnzǐ) -originally meant the  (eldest) son of the monarch adhering to the requirements of the ancient patriarchal system: educated and a model for personal cultivation. Later, the term was extended to the general designation of all people with extremely high moral and cultural accomplishments.

Cang Xingyun turned her head sideways, looked at Feng Yasong, and smiled very lightly, "I am not a gentleman in the first place."

While speaking, she clasped Feng Yasong's slender wrist with one hand. The force wasn't heavy, but it held her tightly. "Why don't you think about it again?"

Feng Yasong struggled a few times, but the difference in strength was too great.

She was already sweating, but the other party was still sitting on the chair, motionless and calm.

At this time, Cang Xingyun clasped Feng Yasong with one hand and picked up the teacup with the other hand to drink tea.

Feng Yasong couldn't break free but unwilling to lose, she grabbed the teacup in Cang Xingyun's hand with her free hand and drank all the tea.

"Good tea." Her expression was full of provocation as she spoke.

Cang Xingyun didn't care about such a childish provocation, since the other party wanted to stop her from drinking tea, then she wouldn't drink it.

She quietly clasped the person with one hand and stood silently.

What she had the most is patience.

Feng Yasong saw that she couldn't get away anyway, so she simply sat down on the chair next to her, took the tea and snacks on the table with one hand and tasted them all, and commented on them while tasting.

"This tea is not very good, it's too bitter, it's not as good as clear spring water.

"The sweet-scented osmanthus cake is quite soft, but it's too sweet.

"I like the powdery mung bean cake. How about getting another serving?"

Cang Xingyun was indeed thoughtful and considerate. She had the waiter bring another serving of mung bean cake. "If you're willing to help me, in the future, you can have as many of these cakes as you want."

Huh, am I such an easy pick?

Feng Yasong rolled her eyes inwardly, but she wasn't reserved when it came to eating. However, as she continued eating, she began to feel a bit dizzy.

Cang Xingyun looked at Feng Yasong who was supporting her head, suddenly slumped onto the table. At first, she thought Feng Yasong was playing some kind of trick, so she leaned in to investigate.

She saw that the other party was breathing evenly as if falling into a deep sleep.

She waited for a long time, but there was no response from the other party, so she reached out and patted the white and tender face, "Stop pretending, I won't let you go until you wake up."

Perhaps the "threat" played a role, and the person who was still in a coma opened her eyes at this time.

Feng Yasong gazed at Cang Xingyun's cool and clear facial features from such a close distance. So beautiful, so gentle. Hearing her say, "I won't let go," made her whole being seem to emit a radiant light.

Her heart trembled, and her eyes were full of love, "Yunyun, I like you holding me like this."

This change was too sudden, Cang Xingyun was stunned for a moment, and almost threw her out reflexively, "What did you call me?"

Feng Yasong glanced at the tightly clasped hands of the two, looking a little shy, "Yunyun, isn't that your nickname? Or do you have some other pet name? Can you tell me?"

Until now, Cang Xingyun still thought Feng Yasong was playing tricks, silently admiring her exceptional acting skills. Thus, she continued to play along without showing any reaction.

"If you want to know my pet name it's not impossible. It's just that I said earlier that there's something I'd like to ask for your help with..."

Feng Yasong looked directly at her, her eyes filled with pure affection. "What's so hard in that? Don't just mention one thing, even if it's ten or a hundred things, it's not a problem. My whole body is yours."

Cang Xingyun: hiss~

The goal is achieved, but why does it feel so strange?

***

After filming this scene, Shen Qingzhi's face still had a touch of natural blush.

It's almost summer, and the weather is relatively hot, so she directly took the small fan handed over by Li Qian and blew it on her forehead.

On the other hand, Gu Jinrong looked much calmer. Her white attire naturally exuded a coolness, and if not for those eyes that seemed to scrutinize people with an unsettling brightness, she could easily pass for a fairy completely detached from worldly desires.

Director Xue watched the footage on the monitor and first stepped forward to affirm Shen Qingzhi. "Your transition is very natural, and the overall continuity is not bad.

"Just one thing, don't be too shy, the premise of the love potion was to make users fall in love with the person they see at first sight, not to change their temperament drastically.

"Just imagine, with Feng Yasong's free-spirited, naive, and ignorant personality, how would it be if she falls in love with someone."

Shen Qingzhi expressed her understanding, but she couldn't help but wonder in her heart: Did I really act shy just now?

Regarding Gu Jinrong's performance, Director Xue can't find any faults for the time being.

It's just that at this moment, while Shen Qingzhi is acting as the love brain in the scene, Gu Jinrong is acting as the love brain outside the scene.

As soon as Director Xue noticed this sudden change in her demeanor during the scene, she gave her a look as if she wanted to drag her away. Worried that she might affect the state of the young actors, she put on a serious expression.

"Tone down your eyes, don't look like you want to devour people. Cang Xingyun is initially reserved and composed. Don't switch too frequently and confuse yourself."

Gu Jinrong didn't expect to have her own issues, she nodded respectfully, and was also puzzled: Is my normal state after filming really that exaggerated?

After a short break, the two adjusted their condition and returned to shooting.

In several scenes today, Feng Yasong is in a state of illusion, playing a pure love brain.

It can only be said that some actors are indeed talented players. Shen Qingzhi, who has never been in a relationship, portrayed the complex emotions of infatuation for the first time in such a profound way, tugging at the heartstrings.

Director Xue asked her to act like Feng Yasong, and she temporarily forgot her real age, as if she was still in her teens.

When she was young, she also fell for the white moonlight in her heart, and she was also dressed in white, pure and reserved, as though even the air emitted fragrance in the presence of that person.

At that time, she didn't know what it was, she only knew that she was very happy to see such a person by her side.

She wanted to be with her all the time, wanted to hear her talk, to see her smile, to do whatever makes her happy. Shen Qingzhi looked at the dignified and elegant woman in her early twenties with makeup in front of her, and couldn't tell whether the other party was Cang Xingyun or Gu Jinrong from many years ago.

On this day, their scenes together were unusually smooth, and the crew wrapped up work an hour ahead of schedule.

Everyone has long believed in Gu Jinrong's acting skills, but they didn't expect Shen Qingzhi to be so good.

So some people who suspected that she had some connections also dispelled their doubts. The way they looked at her after getting off work was obviously much friendlier than when they started the day.

This was supposed to be a happy occasion but Shen Qingzhi couldn't be happy, and the out-of-control balance was slowly tilting.

She is a monk halfway actress who took a shortcut to experience.

In the past, after filming several shows, she often found herself getting too deeply immersed in her roles. Even after wrapping up filming and taking a week off, she couldn't easily readjust, and when she joined a new production, she had to start the process all over again.

In those shows, her roles weren't very significant, and emotional scenes were practically negligible. However, these symptoms only seemed to arise during the later stages.

And now this movie, only two days after the filming started, she was already experiencing that sense of losing control that usually only happened in the later stages of filming.

With several more months of shooting ahead and the situation is a bit unimaginable.

She was worried about something and wanted to talk to someone, but the only person she knew best in the entire crew was Gu Jinrong. While other matters might be easier to discuss, this one was quite difficult to bring up.

Outside of the film crew, she also has relatives and friends, but how can she explain her entangled thoughts clearly over the phone?

After finishing work, Shen Qingzhi was a little absent-minded. Gu Jinrong called her name several times, but there was no response from her.

It wasn't until Li Qian patted her on the shoulder that she seemed to wake up from a dream, "You called me?"

Gu Jinrong's eyes curved without a hint of impatience that she was ignored, "I was wondering where you'll be eating tonight. There's a restaurant next to the one we went to yesterday that serves Jiangnan cuisine. Do you want to give it a try?"

Li Qian was ecstatic in her heart: Oh my god, so you two had dinner together last night.

She was about to find a "thoughtful" excuse to leave when Shen Qingzhi suddenly grabbed her arm.

"No, I'll have Li Qian make noodles for me tonight."

Li Qian:?

Zhizhi, did you not read my resume? I filled in the column that I am not good at cooking.

But Shen Qingzhi didn't give her a chance to speak and dragged her away.

Li Qian turned her head to look at Gu Jinrong who was puzzled, with her eyes sending a message: Boss Gu, heaven and earth know, I really didn't mean to tear down my CP, let alone steal your wife.

Shen Qingzhi grabbed the little assistant who was temporarily pulled over to shield the gun into the kitchen, and managed to get a bowl of noodles that were almost mushy.

She recalled that a few days ago, Gu Jinrong loved making noodles at home too; stir-fried noodles, mixed noodles, fried noodles, and boiled noodles, all had rich colors and were fragrant. 

They are all the same, so why is there such a big difference?

Even the cooks look and feel a thousand miles different.

Someone who messed with her mind unexpectedly intruded again, and Shen Qingzhi shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts.

Li Qian, who was watching from the side, was a little terrified, and reached out to take the paste on the table, "Zhizhi-jie, if you don't want to eat this..."

"It's okay." Shen Qingzhi pressed the bowl that was almost taken away, she didn't know whether she was comforting Li Qian or herself, "The most important thing about food is the taste, not the appearance."

As she said that, she picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of the noodles: So terrible, I want to cry.