Chapter 28:  Her Heart Raced, And She's Full Of Smiles

When Xi Mo lowered her head and gaze, Ruan Yesheng immediately took over Xi Mo's acting as if it was natural.

She looked at Xi Mo for a few seconds, then stared blankly at her father's "dead body" in her arms. Although this process was short, it was as painful as tearing flesh and blood. During this process, her expression gradually transitioned from grief and anger to gray despair.

Deng Xun is dead.

For Deng Sui, everything tonight and many things in the future are over.

In many movies and TV shows, once a character "passes away," there will be someone playing the role of this person's family or friend nearby, holding the body and loudly crying while shouting the name of the "deceased." They must also vigorously shake the body of the "deceased" with a firm resolve as if they won't stop until the other person's bones break apart. Perhaps the person hasn't fully died yet and being shaken like this might make them lose their breath. It's also unclear who established this practice.

Fortunately, when Lin Qitang discussed the scene, he didn't have such requirements, and there were no specific restrictions in the script. Ruan Yesheng could entirely respond according to her understanding of the character.

Although Deng Sui was intelligent and had a gentle personality in her early years, it didn't mean she was weak. On the contrary, she had a strong core, which would become one of the foundations for her later rule as a monarch. Seeing Deng Xun covered in blood and in a gruesome state, Deng Sui understood that there was no turning back. This sword not only took her father Deng Xun's life but also tore her once girlish facade into a bloody mess. In this moment's pool of blood, she transformed. Even though the grief of losing her father filled her being, she stubbornly buried that pain deep within her bones.

Her father was killed.

She cannot be weak, just so that one day she can kill her enemies with her own hands.

Ruan Yesheng's emotions were increasingly in tune, her eye sockets turning red, her head lowering further, tears welling up in her eyes, blurring her long eyelashes, yet she still resisted letting them fall.

True sorrow doesn't require artificial tears and loud wailing because when you're truly hurt, you no longer have the strength for those superficial cries.

Ruan Yesheng didn't utter a single word throughout, her head hung low, hairpins scattered, shoulders trembling. The close-up shot revealed the faint veins popping on her forehead. The neckline, already slightly disheveled from her earlier panic, showed the strained neck muscles twitching as she fought back tears. In this lowered posture, one hand cradled the "body," while the other shakily reached out, desperately clutching Xi Mo's sleeve like a life-saving straw, holding on tightly.

Her father is gone.

She feels she still has Ding'e.

This crying scene was so important that Lin Qitang had already talked about it in advance. At this time, Ding'e saw that Deng Sui was still used to holding her sleeves just like when she was a child and encountered something sad. So just like when they were younger, Ding'e went to hug Deng Sui.

However, Xi Mo did not move.

She has been acting for so many years, whether it is her own crying scenes or her scenes opposite actors who have crying scenes, they are all easy to do, but now she can't do it anymore.

She was surprised to find that she suddenly had something to fear.

She found that she was afraid of Ruan Yesheng crying.

In the past, seeing Ruan Yesheng cry in various works, perhaps through the cold screen, it didn't mean much to her. As proud as she was, she believed she could cry even better. But at this moment, it was the first time she had seen Ruan Yesheng cry up close and personal. She was so close, with the light shining on their faces. She could clearly see the tears in Ruan Yesheng's eyes, hanging on the edge of falling, could see her body trembling lightly from the pain, her disheveled hair and accessories, and even the warmth of her fingers as she clutched her, all so vividly depicting her tears.

Ruan Yesheng is a real fairy.

Whenever she cries, others really want to comfort her from the bottom of their hearts.

At that moment, Xi Mo felt a little at a loss. She didn't like Ruan Yesheng crying and was even more afraid of Ruan Yesheng crying because she didn't know how to coax her to stop crying. Such a brief hesitation did not allow Xi Mo to immediately follow the requirements of the script.

Meanwhile, Lin Qitang was becoming increasingly anxious.

With such a good atmosphere at the moment, this suppressed crying scene is perfect. It's important to understand how challenging it is for actors to build up the emotions needed for a crying scene. If he were to call for a cut at this moment, everything that had been built up might go to waste. Even if they did a retake, Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng might not be able to return to the same level of performance as before.

Fortunately, Lin Qitang was not to sit idly. He grabbed an assistant beside him and ran to the open space opposite Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo, leaving only the assistant director staring at the monitor.

The assistant was a little confused for a moment and was dragged to a suitable position by Lin Qitang.

Lin Qitang didn't call "cut," so Xi Mo continued to stay in character, simply delaying her next action momentarily. However, her peripheral vision caught Lin Qitang and the director's assistant. Years of acting experience allowed Xi Mo to easily grasp Lin Qitang's intention. If the director didn't say "cut," then there was no need to stop. So, she kept her attention on the side without ceasing her performance.

The director's assistant was pushed to the ground by Lin Qitang, and the next moment, Lin Qitang hugged the assistant.

The assistant was completely confused: "?"

Xi Mo: "..."

Lin Qitang just looked at his assistant and whispered a line from the scene: "...Miss, do not cry."

The assistant was even more confused: "??"

Xi Mo: "..."

This scene is not recorded live. It doesn’t matter even if Lin Qitang is talking now. After all, it will be silenced by then. Then dubbing, soundtrack, and sound effects will be done in post-production, as long as the scene is in place. Nowadays, some directors, especially during important scenes, direct while the actors perform. Some actors may even have poor line delivery skills, and their assistants are there to prompt their lines. While this can make shooting more convenient, it does reduce the line delivery skills of some actors. Even if their lines are poorly delivered, they can still be dubbed. Actors who can deliver lines live on set in the entertainment industry today are becoming rarer.

To succeed in this scene and not waste the excellent performances of several actors, Lin Qitang took the initiative to direct.

Lin Qitang hugged his assistant, thinking that he was Ding'e and his assistant was Deng Sui. He said to Xi Mo: "Ruan Yesheng, remember what I told you before. At this time, Deng Sui, who witnessed his father's death with his own eyes, was very fragile. Yes, she needs relief, so when Xi Mo holds your hand for comfort, you hesitate for a while, and then hug Xi Mo!"

The word "hug" made Xi Mo shiver.

Ruan Yesheng was facing away from Lin Qitang and couldn't see his actions, but she could hear his voice. However, she continued to maintain her character's posture, and the veteran actor playing Deng Xun's body with a sword in his chest remained dedicated to his role.

"First stretch out your hand and hug slowly." Lin Qitang said, gently hugging the assistant as a demonstration. This assistant was a burly man, a real tough guy, but now he seemed like a bird perched on a branch, not daring to move for a while.

Assistant: "..."

Lin Qitang faced Xi Mo and said: "Ruan Yesheng, you are playing Ding'e, right now, you have complicated feelings. You've just killed Deng Xun and seeing Deng Sui will surely make your heart fluctuate, but you can't show it on your face. The process shouldn't be too quick. You slowly extend your hand like this and then tightly embrace Xi Mo. Show the bond that has grown between master and servant from childhood to adulthood!”

Xi Mo: "..."

Do you even understand what "bond" means?

Lin Qitang, since you love acting so much, why don’t you act it yourself?!

You can even play two roles by yourself!

While watching the scene on the set, Feng Tangtang was a bit confused when Lin Qitang shouted like that. How could it be just a "bond"? Isn't it the deep emotional bond between the male lead, Emperor Liu Zhao, and Deng Sui? It turns out the female lead and the supporting actress also have some kind of master-servant bond. In Feng Tangtang's simple and somewhat forgetful mind, the bonds in this historical palace drama seem a bit complex.

When she told Gu Qisong next to her, Gu Qisong said calmly: "What is a bond?"

Feng Tangtang: "..."

Consider her not saying it.

However, after Lin Qitang reminded her, Xi Mo did wake up, and the unfamiliar discomfort she just felt was temporarily put behind her. The short section before can be cut out by post-editing. She is still in the role, as long as she continues to maintain her state, it's not too late for her at this moment.

Thinking about the reaction that Ding'e should have at this moment, Xi Mo's fingers slightly trembled. Her hands were covered with artificial blood. A camera took a close-up of her physical performance. Then, she finally raised her hand and held onto Ruan Yesheng's fingers gripping her sleeve. Ruan Yesheng's shoulders moved more vigorously, and Xi Mo finally embraced Ruan Yesheng, leaning her head over.

Ding'e hugged Deng Sui.

She also hugged Ruan Yesheng gently.

With this hug, she ignored her own heartbeat, but it seemed like she had jumped into another world. In this world, she could feel Ruan Yesheng's hot breath and the beating of Ruan Yesheng's heart, so close. She didn't know why, but Ruan Yesheng's heartbeat suddenly became so fast. It was as if it was hitting her against her skin, and it was so fast that she felt a little inexplicably embarrassed. It was more embarrassing than acting opposite others, and she even started to sweat on her back.

Even so, the scene must continue.

"Miss." Xi Mo turned into Ding'e and murmured softly.

She put her hand on Ruan Yesheng's back and patted it gently: "Do not cry."

It was as if the emotions that had been accumulated before broke through at this moment, and Deng Sui's grief could finally be temporarily put to rest. Ruan Yesheng's tearful eyes drooped, her eyelashes trembled, and tears rolled down.

She hugged the "corpse" of the old actor, leaned against Xi Mo, and cried like a little girl with a hoarse voice, unable to step on the brakes.

"Director Lin, Director Lin," the big and burly assistant, who was still held by Lin Qitang, awkwardly said, "The demonstration is all done. Could you...please let me go first?"

Lin Qitang glanced at him, wearing an expression that said, "I'm a renowned director of my generation, allowing you common folks to cooperate in my film is a stroke of luck for you." He let go of the assistant and calmly returned to the monitor to see how the scene they had just filmed turned out.

The night scene was finally completed. Lin Qitang excitedly said loudly: "Cut, very good! Everyone, take a break, and makeup artists, please touch up!"

Feng Tangtang enthusiastically applauded, and the other crew members breathed a sigh of relief, all smiling.

When the veteran actor heard the final "cut" he immediately perked up. Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng, knowing he is a respected figure in the industry, showed their respect by saying, "Teacher Li, thank you for your hard work." The old actor nodded, exchanged a few appreciative words with them, and then was escorted to the side to rest by the crew members.

Previously, when Ruan Yesheng heard Lin Qitang talking about the scene, she felt like bursting into laughter inside, but she had this remarkable talent to compartmentalize. While she wanted to laugh inside, her acting was absolutely genuine. Her tears were without a hint of falseness. Now that this scene was over, she instantly relaxed, tears still in her eyes, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. It's clear that she's a dedicated actress who can save her laughter after filming.

Ruan Yesheng burst into laughter and collapsed onto Xi Mo.

Xi Mo was already holding her, and now he furrowed her brows, saying, "You're laughing now? Your reaction time is quite long, isn't it?"

Ruan Yesheng leaned against her chest then blinked at her and whispered, "We've been hugging for so long just now, can't we stay like this a bit longer? I haven't recovered yet."

Xi Mo didn't retort, nor did she let go. He just said disgustedly: "Hurry up and wipe your tears."

Ruan Yesheng subconsciously raised her hand to wipe her tears. The corners of her eyes were still red, but her smile became more coquettish: "Oh, really, crying messed up my makeup."

Xi Mo, witnessing the contrast in her demeanor before and after the crying scene, suddenly felt like her earlier fear of her crying, and even the desire to comfort her, had been chopped to pieces and fed to the dogs.

"Sister Xi, let me touch up your makeup." There's still a scene to shoot later, and the makeup artist hurried over.

Seeing that someone had arrived, Ruan Yesheng felt it was not appropriate to act flirtatious in front of the makeup artist. She was currently portraying a character, so she immediately adopted a cold expression. She straightened her posture in Xi Mo's embrace and slowly stood up. She said in an indifferent tone, "Alright, let's go over there."

Xi Mo watched Ruan Yesheng switch in front of her for a second and felt that she was simply brilliant.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=2188414

This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.

Ruan Yesheng walked away, leaving Xi Mo still wearing a cold expression as she sat there. Feng Tangtang hurried over and affectionately asked her Ruanruan if she wanted some water. Xi Mo was about to give her a stern look, being the high and mighty character she originally portrayed, but as she realized she also had to play a role, she instantly softened and smiled warmly as she turned towards her. She gracefully accepted the bottle of mineral water and said, "Tangtang, I happened to be thirsty. Thank you."

She also naturally switched personalities.

Today's night filming at the Deng Mansion ended around eleven o'clock, leaving some staff to clean up the venue while others dragged their exhausted bodies back to the hotel to rest.

Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo stayed at the same hotel and, on the way back, they happened to share a ride. She actually wanted to say something to Xi Mo deep down, but due to having Lu Qingming and Gu Qisong in the same car, she didn't speak much. Occasionally, Ruan Yesheng would sneak a glance, mostly seeing Xi Mo's face broadcasting a clear message of "Don't approach." The car ride remained very quiet, especially when Lu Qingming moved to the front, Xi Mo didn't continue acting.

Perhaps she was truly tired, and in this exhaustion, her true self emerged. With her proud personality, aside from acting in the movies, having to play a different person in front of others every day is very difficult for her.

Ruan Yesheng looked at her for a while and found that her head was hanging down, but her body was still leaning on the back seat, very dignified, falling asleep in a stubborn and difficult position.

The air conditioning temperature in the car was a bit low, so Ruan Yesheng took out a thin blanket from behind and gently covered her body.

Upon reaching the hotel, they all took the elevator together. When they arrived on the eighth floor, Xi Mo waved her hand symbolically, bid them farewell, and walked out on her own.

After Xi Mo left and as the elevator doors were about to close, Ruan Yesheng quickly pressed the door open button to keep it from closing completely. She turned to Lu Qingming and said, "I just remembered there's something related to the script that I need to discuss with Ruan Yesheng. You all can go ahead."

The dead chicken incident during the day made Lu Qingming frightened and said, "Let Gu Qisong follow you so that he can take you back to your room."

"It's just a few floors away. I'll be back after I finish talking. It won't take a few minutes."

Lu Qingming could be quite persistent at times. "Then let Gu Qisong wait for you. He can take you back to your room when you're done."

Ruan Yesheng frowned.

Seeing her expression, Lu Qingming hesitated for a moment and then said, "Alright, we'll go up first. You finish your conversation and come back quickly. In the past, you didn't have much to say to that Miss Ruan, and even though you're on the same film set now, I still hope that besides necessary interactions for filming, you won't have any further communication with her. You know, there are too many people these days trying to ride on your popularity. Xi Mo, remember to keep a distance from those who are not relevant."

Ruan Yesheng gave her a mental eye roll and walked out of the elevator without saying anything.

Yan Tinghuan stays in 0825 and had probably gone to meet Duke Zhou* a long time ago. Xi Mo stays next door to her. She took out her room key card, preparing to open the door when she felt someone behind her and turned to see Ruan Yesheng following her. She asked, "Do you need something?"

*a politician during the Zhou Dynasty, dubbed as the God of Dreams, meeting him in a dream was said to mean gaining blessing or wisdom, can also simply mean someone is already in dreamland.

"Do I need a reason to find you?" Ruan Yesheng asked.

Xi Mo subtly furrowed her brow and swiped the door open, saying, "Do you want to come in and sit for a while?"

Ruan Yesheng found that although Xi Mo's expression was not very good, she would now take the initiative to invite her in, which was completely impossible in the past. She is not a greedy person at all, and the sweetness she tastes in this small change is enough to make her happy for a long time.

Brushing a strand of hair away from her ear, Ruan Yesheng lowered her gaze and said, "No, I just wanted to tell you that there isn't someone like Gu Qisong as a bodyguard by your side. Be careful, what happened during the day could be significant or insignificant."

Xi Mo looked at her for a moment and noticed that although she appeared open, there was a hint of elusive shyness in her expression. She suddenly thought she might be mistaken.

It was like a clichéd plot from many films and TV dramas. The heroine had silently admired someone from afar for a long time without any real interaction. She could only watch from a distance. But suddenly, one day, due to some twist of fate or a tricky situation, the heroine and the person she secretly liked got entangled in a complicated event. So, amid the worries, she finally mustered the courage and found various legitimate excuses to get closer to that person.

As she watched, Xi Mo suddenly felt the slightest bit of embarrassment she had when she hugged her during the filming, then she said with a straight face, "Yes, I know."

That sense of oddity crawled up Xi Mo's spine, and she paused, realizing that maybe she needed to be a bit gentler with Ruan Yesheng at this moment. So, she added, "Thank you for the reminder."

Ruan Yesheng smiled and just looked at her as if flowers were blooming in her eyes.

"It's quite late now. Aren't you going back to rest?" The atmosphere was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for Xi Mo, and she couldn't even pinpoint when this atmosphere had developed. She felt that she should end this conversation as soon as possible and seek relief.

"I'm going back now." Ruan Yesheng nodded towards her, looked at her, turned around, and walked back with very light steps.

Xi Mo stared at her retreating figure, thinking that she was just like she used to be in college.

But during college, she hadn't shown much enthusiasm about being with her because Ruan Yesheng had shamelessly pestered her. Now, as she looked at her, Xi Mo suddenly felt that she had been quite good during their college days.

Xi Mo hesitated for a moment, about to close the door, but then she heard a voice behind her, saying, "Xi Mo."

She turned back and saw that Ruan Yesheng had suddenly stopped and was turning back.

"What?"

"You haven't said good night to me yet." Ruan Yesheng stood in the dim light of the corridor, her hands behind her back, looking at her with a smile.

You haven't said good night to me yet.

Xi Mo's dark eyes froze.

Back in the day, after evening self-study classes, her family used to send someone to pick her up every night. Sometimes, Ruan Yesheng would walk with Xi Mo all the way to the parking area. Xi Mo would tell her not to follow her, but Ruan Yesheng would always say she had to pass through that parking area on her way back to the dormitory, and Xi Mo couldn't do anything about it.

Before getting in the car, Ruan Yesheng would also say to her: "Classmate, you haven't said good night to me yet."

She couldn't remember if she had said goodnight to her every time.

It's been too long, she has forgotten.

"Good night." Xi Mo said to her softly, leaning against the door, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.

Ruan Yesheng left with satisfaction, got on the elevator, returned to the room, and fell into the soft quilt like the girl she once was.

Her heart raced, and she's full of smiles.

At this moment, she felt truly happy.