Chapter 45: Where Were You Last Night?
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"So you came to my house early in the morning just to have tea with me?"
At six o'clock, being awakened by Gu Xizhi's doorbell bombing, Liang Youyou looked at Gu Xizhi, who was sitting on her own balcony, drinking morning tea. She really had a feeling as if she was still in a dream.
Gu Xizhi sat on a pastoral hollow chair, probably not hearing her words. She just held the hot tea, lost in thoughts.
The city's morning air was fresh. Liang Youyou opened the window and approached her as if she hadn't spoken. She raised an eyebrow, looking at the top button of her shirt.
"You're dressed too warmly for October," she said as she sat down in front of her. "What happened to your February audition spirit of wearing skirts?"
Gu Xizhi looked up at her, then held the hot tea cup in her hand a little tighter, her expression seemed hesitant to speak.
If she made this expression once, Liang Youyou would have tolerated it, but her expressions had been nothing but strange since she entered the door. Liang Youyou's patience wore thin, and she decided to use her brain to blow her mouth open.
"Coming here early in the morning means something must have happened last night," she said. "You can start by telling me where you were last night."
Gu Xizhi heard her words and looked up at her, perhaps recalling something. Her expression went through various changes, gradually taking an unpleasant turn. Finally, she set down the bone china cup she held, stood up, and said, "Forget it, you rest for a while, I'm leaving."
She was so strange, there's no way Liang Youyou would let her go back like this.
"You have such an ugly face. It can't be because you didn't avoid the God of Wealth you met last night and was dealt with, right?"
Facts have proven that her bold guess is still valid, at least Gu Xizhi immediately refuted it.
"No," she firmly denied and then, as if she felt the need to explain something, she said in a low voice, "It's not a God of Wealth."
What she denied was actually "God of Wealth" instead of "getting dealt with," and the sharp-witted Liang Youyou immediately stood up. "Who's so foolish to mess with you?" Her words seemed to hint at something not quite right. "I mean, haven't you always believed that doing this sort of thing should come with marital security? So..." She looked at Gu Xizhi's increasingly unpleasant expression and timidly asked, "Is he planning to marry you?"
Gu Xizhi said nothing. If she hadn't said the word marriage, she might still be able to speak, but when she heard her words, she felt that her murderous mood emerged again.
There was no way to answer, and no desire to answer. If thoughts could travel thousands of miles to kill people, then Qu Xizhi would be killed by her again.
Seeing that she was unwilling to answer for a long time, Liang Youyou looked at the time and said, "If you don't want to talk, sit down and rest for a while. I'll get you breakfast and we'll talk later."
Gu Xizhi nodded.
Liang Youyou loved to make noise, even in the early morning, the TV never rested.
There weren't any good programs to watch early in the morning. The buzzing advertisements annoyed Gu Xizhi, so she walked into the living room to lower the volume.
When she got the remote control, her fingertip slipped onto the program button, switching channels. The music video playing on the newly tuned channel had just ended and moved to the next song. At the beginning of the music, Gu Xizhi didn't pay much attention to the people on the TV, but as the camera zoomed in, her attention was completely captivated. She forgot what she had come here to do.
The female lead in the music video had long flowing hair, wearing a white dress. Her smile in the camera was serene, and the slight tilt of her eyes added to her sweetness. Gu Xizhi suddenly remembered seeing the same woman in an advertisement last night while driving, and that memory made her forget her worries.
Last night, she had only worried about whether Qu Xizhi was drunk and if she was okay. She had forgotten why Bo Yiqing had helped her and had also overlooked Sun Tingyou's watchful eyes. But last night, she was under his control.
She immediately reached for her phone in her bag to ask Zhao Ling for Bo Yiqing's number, but despite dialing many times, no one answered on the other end. A mechanical voice appeared on the phone, and Gu Xizhi closed it, deep in thought. She walked to the kitchen and said to Liang Youyou, "Don't worry about me; I have something to attend to. I'll see you later."
Gu Xizhi arrived at the hotel where Sun Tingyou had stayed last night half an hour later. It was still relatively quiet at 6:30 in the morning. After ringing Sun Tingyou's doorbell, Gu Xizhi stood outside the door, waiting silently. However, despite pressing the doorbell several times, no one came to open it.
Feeling increasingly anxious, Gu Xizhi was about to leave when, finally, the security door slowly opened. Standing before her was Bo Yiqing, wearing the same green dress from last night. However, her long black hair was somewhat disheveled, and most importantly, there were signs that her dress had been torn.
When Bo Yiqing saw Gu Xizhi, she forced a faint smile, as if trying to appear cheerful. However, her fair complexion made her eyes particularly red and swollen, as if she had cried all night. Seeing the person in front of her transformed in this way, Gu Xizhi's heart sank, and her breath seemed to hitch.
"Yiqing..." She looked at her at a loss, "How could it be like this... He..." She was already overwhelmed by complicated emotions and didn't know what to say, so she just said in her agitation, "Why is it like this?"
Bo Yiqing stood opposite her, with obvious signs of redness around her eyes, but her overall appearance still looked peaceful.
She didn't answer, but said quietly, "Sister Xiao Jing, it's great to see you at this time."
"I'm sorry." Hearing her say that, Gu Xizhi felt even more uncomfortable, "I'm sorry I'm late, that bastard..."
"Don't." Bo Yiqing covered her lips, "Don't curse him and don't hold any resentment with him. As long as we stay at Huayu International, he will still be in charge, and..." She reluctantly twitched the corner of her mouth, "That's how the entertainment industry is… In fact, he didn't make things difficult for me. This was really nothing."
"Yiqing." Gu Xizhi held her shoulders. "Are you doing all this for me?"
Bo Yiqing did not answer, but turned back to look inside the room, and said belatedly, "Sister Xiao Jing, he left a long time ago, and I don't want to stay here anymore. Can you take me back?"
She nodded without saying anything.
Gu Xizhi sent Bo Yiqing all the way to her home.
This new singer lives in a house rented for her by the company. Although the house is far away from the city center, it is spacious enough.
Gu Xizhi had been holding Bo Yiqing's hand since getting off the car. Perhaps it was because the outdoor air was too cold, even with Gu Xizhi draping her own coat over her, Bo Yiqing's hand still felt a bit chilly.
Gu Xizhi's hands may not be any warmer than hers.
Seeing the messy bed in the bedroom, Gu Xizhi had a feeling of wanting to kill herself. Although she still didn't know why Bo Yiqing had shown up last night, Zhao Ling's arrangements and her deliberate assistance all indicated a clear purpose behind her appearance. Just thinking about how she had carelessly forgotten about her well-being after her well-intentioned help made Gu Xizhi feel like she should die a thousand times.
Her emotions were too complex, and her heart ached for her deeply. After entering the house, Gu Xizhi went to the kitchen and poured a cup of hot tea, then handed it to her, carefully advising, "Warm your hands and be careful not to burn yourself."
Bo Yiqing took the hot tea she gave, always looking at her, and had no intention to look away.
Gu Xizhi didn't notice her focused gaze at all, and just asked carefully, "Do you live alone? Are you scared?"
Bo Yiqing shook her head and smiled, "No."
Gu Xizhi added, "If you feel scared, I can stay with you. Yiqing...if you don't particularly mind, I really want to stay with you."
Bo Yiqing smiled and said, "Sister Xiao Jing, you're still worrying about me. Actually, I'm fine now. You know, these things are quite normal among adults, especially in the entertainment industry. I'm already an adult and I must continue in the entertainment industry."
"I understand what you're saying. Gu Xizhi held her hand. "But Yiqing, did we know each other before? Are these things really related to me?"
Bo Yiqing shook her head. Her calm demeanor was disrupted by a hint of tears in her eyes, but she quickly smiled. "Sister Xiao Jing, actually, Director Sun approached me before, even if it wasn't for you, I might not have escaped this situation. We're a big talent agency, but they wouldn't want to offend Sun Tingyou because of me. Actually, as long as you don't dwell on these things, you won't feel upset."
Gu Xizhi was not comforted by her words at all. Instead, she felt extremely sad. She just held her hand tightly and said, "I really hope I can do something for you. If you need anything, please tell me."
Bo Yiqing nodded. Although there were tears in the corners of her eyes, they sparkled when she smiled, and her crescent-shaped eyes resembled the moon in the sky.
Gu Xizhi's phone rang, and she took it out of her bag. When she saw it was a call from Zhao Ling, she immediately answered due to the unexpected circumstances. "Director Zhao, I've been trying to call you since last night, but your phone was unreachable. Is there something wrong with your phone?"
"My phone was soaked by Sun Tingyou's glass of beer. Do you need anything from me?
Gu Xizhi looked at Bo Yiqing in front of her, "Not anymore."
"Alright," Zhao Ling's voice was as salty as usual. "Come to the company now. The movie matters have been settled. We'll have a meeting tomorrow morning. Come over to pick up some documents today."
Gu Xizhi didn't feel the joy she should have had when the movie was finalized. She just said, "Okay, I'll be there later."
Seeing Gu Xizhi hang up the phone, Bo Yiqing immediately said, "Sister Xiao Jing, if you have anything to do, go ahead and get busy."
Gu Xizhi said, "It's fine. It's not an urgent matter. I can go later."
Bo Yiqing pinched her own cheeks and put on a big smile as she stood up. She said, "I'm fine, Sister Xiao Jing. You should go find Director Zhao. Work is the most important thing. I hope to see your new work soon."
She was so insistent that she even tried to pull her to stand up, Gu Xizhi could only obey, "Okay, I'll come to see you again in the afternoon."
Bo Yiqing nodded repeatedly, looking a little playful, "I'll wait for you to come over this afternoon."
Gu Xizhi smiled, patted her shoulder and really left.
***
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
On the way to the city, there is a bridge called Rijinwan Bridge that crosses the Xuanfen River. Its design is not particularly unique but still retains a touch of ancient charm, indicating its age. The Xuanfen River beneath the bridge is one of the more famous scenic spots in the city. The river flows gently, winding and meandering, seemingly merging with the sky. It is most captivating at night when the surface of the water reflects the colorful lights of boats and neon signs along the riverbanks, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
Walking southward along the bottom of the bridge is the city's famous and prosperous Xuanfen South Road. At the end of this road is a quite famous residential area in the city. In addition to a few high-end commercial areas, there are also countless celebrity mansions.
Qu Xizhi drove along the wide asphalt road, passing five rowed French plane trees, then turned left. She briefly stopped outside a pastoral-style white wrought iron gate. Soon after the gate opened, she followed a winding path along an artificial lake and drove into the villa.
After getting out of the car and just stepping into the villa, a stern voice, due to professional habits, came from behind a genuine leather sofa. "Where were you last night?"
Qu Xizhi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly circled around the sofa and indeed saw her mother, Yin Jun, sitting on the sofa wearing a blue work uniform with a badge, elegantly cutting fruits.
"There was a last-minute issue with the advertising shoot, and it didn't finish until very late at night. The advertising agency arranged a nearby hotel for me because it was too late, and I was afraid of disturbing you, so I didn't call to let you know," Qu Xizhi explained as she sat down beside her mother. "Mom, weren't you on a business trip? Why did you suddenly come back?"
"Someone approached me about persuading you to take a role in a movie. I've also read the script. It's called "Elements" and the content is quite good. The author is well-known too. I think you should consider it."
Qu Xizhi raised her eyebrows in surprise.
The script for "Elements" had naturally made its way into her mother's hands, and she was familiar with it.
The script of this movie is adapted from a novel. The novel is indeed written by a very prestigious writer in the literary world. The story had two parallel narratives, following the different choices made by two female college students in response to the same event. In the end, one of them ended up in prison, while the other found happiness and contentment. The story begins with the dilemma of whether or not to help someone in need.
In fact, it is a movie that can bring positive energy to society, and the director is also someone she admires. However, for one reason, Qu Xizhi has never accepted the film. Now Yin Jun has talked about it, She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Can I... not accept it?" Her tone was trying to negotiate.
Yin Jun turned her face and smiled. Her well-maintained skin only had some small wrinkles at the end of her eyes when he smiled. "Okay." Her smile was gentler, "But you must answer again where you were last night."
Qu Xizhi's eyes showed a hint of surprise at her words, but she quickly smiled and said, "Alright, if you want me to take this role, I'll take it. You're my mom, whose words should I listen to if not yours?"
Yin Jun looked at her obedient look, smiled proudly as if she had won a battle, and continued to cut fruits.
The following day was Tuesday, and because Zhao Ling had not instructed an early morning meeting at 9 a.m. to discuss matters related to the movie, Youyou quietly drove to Gu Xizhi's home to pick her up for the company.
Since she had just graduated and didn't have much money, the apartment she rented was in a remote suburb. Recently, Lili had persuaded her to give up the apartment and rent with her. She agreed willingly, but because Lili had offered her such a low rent, she still took on household chores like laundry and cooking.
The morning meeting was quite important, so Lili naturally came along. When Gu Xizhi saw both of them together downstairs, she was a bit surprised but didn't want to ask any mood-dampening questions like, "How come you two are together so early?" She smiled and playfully headed to the company with them.
The 23rd floor of Huayu International.
The freshly cleaned carpet looked pristine. Near the right-side floor-to-ceiling windows, there was a view of various LED billboards in the bustling city. Gu Xizhi and a few other artists from the company exited the elevator, greeted some of the company's executives politely, and headed to the meeting.
The meeting officially started at nine o'clock in the morning, and all the main people in charge were present, and the main topic of the meeting was the selection of the script.
After listening to Qu Xizhi's suggestion, Gu Xizhi directly gave up the proposal of "Autumn in the Han Palace". Instead, she and Zhao Ling focused on discussing a realistic drama called "Love At Mount Wu". The story of this script begins with a young wealthy woman who, against all odds, falls in love with a poor college student. The wealthy woman is ready to leave her family and run away with him, but he used her to obtain a large sum of money for his father's fatal illness. Later, the male protagonist uses the money to cure his father's illness and establishes a successful company. He learns, by chance, that the female protagonist had committed suicide several years ago due to his actions. Overwhelmed by grief, the male protagonist's psyche gradually twists. He initially seeks girlfriends who resemble his ex-girlfriend in appearance, and eventually, he pays a substantial amount for his girlfriend to undergo plastic surgery to look exactly like his deceased ex-girlfriend. The story ends with the surgically altered woman dying on the operating table, and the male protagonist committing suicide by jumping into a river.
Director He Xue was already quite satisfied with this script. Now, Gu Xizhi and Zhao Ling not only mentioned it but also discussed it in detail during the meeting. Besides casting the male lead, they had already begun to plan the schedule. After the meeting, Gu Xizhi was in a good mood and decided to invite Director He Xue for a meal to discuss some film-related matters. Although the meeting had officially ended, He Xue was still in discussion with the producer about casting the male lead. Gu Xizhi stood outside the meeting room, waiting patiently, and greeted several acquaintances who passed by on the 23rd floor's elevator.
About ten minutes later, the elevator completed its journey from the first floor to the twenty-third floor once again. This time, only two people stepped out of the elevator, and unfortunately, one of them was someone Gu Xizhi had been avoiding recently.
On an October day, Qu Xizhi was wearing a generous ankle-length black dress and a well-tailored red suit. A black belt was tied around the waist of the suit. The golden sachet in her hand made it even more elegant. When Gu Xizhi noticed her, Qu Xizhi also clearly saw her. However, their reactions were entirely different. Gu Xizhi immediately turned and walked in the opposite direction, while Qu Xizhi quickly chased after her.
Qu Xizhi caught up with her when she was approaching the stairs on the other side of the floor. Despite knowing that there might be personal danger involved, Qu Xizhi still stood in her way and said, "You can leave if you want, but please listen to what I have to say first."
Not to mention listening to what she had to say, even feeling her gaze on her was torturous for Gu Xizhi. Moreover, after the experience from the night before, she didn't trust this female rogue to say anything good. She immediately responded with disdain, "I don't want to talk to you. Just go away."
Qu Xizhi had been in this state since they got up yesterday morning. Several times, she wanted to reason with her and explain things to her. However, before she could speak, the fiery look in her eyes made her retract all her words.
At first, she thought about giving her some space to adjust. However, when her calls went unanswered and she couldn't locate her, she felt that procrastinating the situation might not be a good approach.
"Okay, I will take the initiative to admit my mistake, can you please stop being so angry?"
At first, when she didn't speak, Gu Xizhi felt that there was a lot of hatred in her, but now that she spoke, Gu Xizhi felt that every word could be criticized, "What do you mean by taking the initiative to admit your mistakes? This matter was originally your fault, okay?" As she said this, Gu Xizhi only hated that she didn't have a knife in her hand, "And if someone does something like this to you and then just says sorry, do you think it makes any sense?"
Qu Xizhi thought for a while, "If the other person is you, I wouldn't need you to say sorry."
Gu Xizhi's expression changed several times, "...go away!"
"Don't be so angry." Qu Xizhi held her shoulders and tried to calm her down, “I'll take responsibility for what I've done to you.”
She doesn't want her to be responsible. But this tone of coaxing the victim suddenly made her think of all her actions and also brought the embarrassing scenes back to her mind. Gu Xizhi, who was ashamed and annoyed, noticed her hands on her shoulders and almost had the urge to chop off her hands.
"I told you to go away!" She pushed her away arrogantly, wishing that she would get out of the way ten meters away.
The truth is, with her push, Qu Xizhi didn't end up ten meters away from her, but she indeed posed no threat anymore.
Because of the high heels she was wearing, when Gu Xizhi pushed her like this, Qu Xizhi's soles didn't stay firm, and she took a few steps back. However, because they were at a staircase landing, Qu Xizhi failed to grab onto the guard rail, and she fell down the stairs all of a sudden.
Gu Xizhi never thought that such a situation would happen after she pushed her. When she saw Qu Xizhi falling in the middle of the stairs, she could no longer think of any grudges or hatred and hurriedly walked down the stairs on high heels to help her.
"Sorry, I didn't know this would happen." When she leaned down to help her up, she saw that her knee was injured by the edge of the stairs, and her tone became even more panicked, "I was too careless, you're bleeding... I'll take you to the hospital."
Even though there was an injury on her knee, and she was really in pain from the fall, seeing Gu Xizhi in a state of panic actually made Qu Xizhi feel surprisingly good. She was about to nod in agreement to her proposal when someone approaching from the elevator interrupted her words.
"Xiao Qu, how did you fall down the stairs?" Lan Rui, dressed in a sky-blue lace dress and accompanied by several people, walked over. She continued to mutter, "We're about to shoot a movie, can't you be more careful? If you're seriously injured, we won't be able to film."
She spoke while directly taking over Gu Xizhi's role in helping her. Although Gu Xizhi was also concerned about Qu Xizhi's leg injury, hearing her words made her feel like something had slipped through her fingers.
"Miss Lan, did you say she's going to film?"
"Yes," Lan Rui helped Qu Xizhi up before looking at her. "She's confirmed to star in "Elements"."
Gu Xizhi blinked, looking somewhat bewildered at Qu Xizhi.
Within the industry, everyone knew that the film "Elements" was in the works, but because one of the female leads, Lan Rui, had a significant role, it had been challenging to find an actress who could match her. If it weren't for Lan Rui mentioning it, she wouldn't have known that Qu Xizhi was going to be in this movie.
The important thing is that Lan Rui once did something to Qu Xizhi that made her unable to figure out why she would act with her.
Seeing Gu Xizhi's expression changing again and again, Qu Xizhi was afraid that she would misunderstand, so she immediately said, "Actually, I was just about to tell you..."
"Let's go to the hospital first," Lan Rui saw that Qu Xizhi couldn't stand steadily and signaled the people behind her to help.
Several people were very helpful, immediately assisting Qu Xizhi towards the elevator. Before entering the elevator, Qu Xizhi glanced back toward the stairs, Gu Xizhi was also looking at her, but her expression was one of complete confusion.
