Chapter 42: Do You Miss Me?

A few days later, Ruan Yesheng left.

With this departure, Feng Tangtang, Lu Qingming, and Gu Qisong all followed. While Yan Tinghuan seemed busy for no reason all day long and hadn't been seen like a ghost these days. Maybe she didn't go back at night at all; it's unknown where she went. This manager is almost as good as nonexistent.

Ding’e's role in Sui Ting is mostly with Deng Sui. After Ruan Yesheng left, Xi Mo had many scenes that couldn't be filmed. Lin Qitang filmed the parts she could and gave her some time off.

Since she joined the crew, she has done nothing except filming. Although she is tired, every day feels very fulfilling. You see, when she first wore Ruan Yesheng's skin, she felt like she was going idle, but now finally having a drama to film, the days on set are precious to her. Gradually, she got used to the presence of those few familiar faces around her.

Then suddenly, there were a few less familiar faces around her, plus with the holiday leisure time, she felt a bit uncomfortable again. 

Xi Mo didn't want to be too idle; after all, when people have idle time, they tend to easily think about other things.

Actually, she didn't know what exactly she was thinking but felt a bit empty inside. To avoid this emptiness, she had to find something to do. She pondered that the owner of the fruit shop across the street should have some news these days. So, she went to the fruit shop.

"Miss Ruan, buying fruits again?" The shop owner had done Xi Mo many favors, worked hard and greeted her warmly.

Xi Mo nodded: "Same as before."

"Wait a moment, I'll get things ready."

In no time, the owner prepared two big bags of fruits and discreetly handed her a portable hard drive, "This is the recent batch."

Xi Mo took it all, stashing the hard drive into her bag, saying, "Thank you. I'll come back next time, please don't miss anything."

"Don't worry, I always keep track for you every day."

Back in the hotel room, Xi Mo opened her laptop, connected the newly acquired portable hard drive, and began examining its contents.

It was a dull and tedious task, straining her eyes and mind. Ordinary people might find it hard to concentrate on these things for a whole day. They might want to give up after just a few minutes, but Xi Mo enjoyed this focus.

Concentration allowed her to avoid thinking about other things.

Having plenty of time, she made records while analyzing the information. Pages upon pages of analysis were done, keeping her busy until late. Dining silently alone in the hotel restaurant, returning to her room alone, she had plenty of time afterward, unsure where to go or how to find contentment.

Xi Mo had no choice but to open a web browser and start surfing the internet.

During these days without Ruan Yesheng, she unconsciously searched for news related to "Xi Mo" online. She used to be a media focus, attracting paparazzi even while casually strolling down the street. Now that Ruan Yesheng had become her, checking news about Ruan Yesheng was the easiest thing to do.

Through the internet, she saw various appearances Ruan Yesheng made on her behalf.

She saw where Ruan Yesheng was shooting advertisements today, attending a new product launch tomorrow, glimpsed Ruan Yesheng's perfectly timed smile under the flashing lights, saw Ruan Yesheng speaking gracefully and appropriately in front of a stack of microphones, witnessed Ruan Yesheng being swarmed by fans at the airport...

It was all about Ruan Yesheng.

It felt like the entire world watched news about Xi Mo to focus on Xi Mo. But for her, looking at her own news was only to focus on the "Xi Mo" underneath this facade of Ruan Yesheng.

The more she looked, the more agitated and confused she felt, perhaps feeling truly unwell.

What medicine should she take?

After these consecutive days, Xi Mo developed a small mouth ulcer, causing immense pain. She always valued her physical health and was keen on solving even minor issues immediately. Now faced with Ruan Yesheng's body, she still maintained her habit.

Xi Mo went to the hospital and got an appointment. Ruan Yesheng had faded from the limelight. Xi Mo could walk the streets without anyone recognizing her with this face. This was probably one of the benefits of swapping bodies—no more evading paparazzi like before, she could just go wherever she pleased.

After examining her, the doctor kindly asked, "Have you been eating anything spicy or irritating these days?"

"No, I usually have a relatively bland diet."

The doctor asked a few more questions to understand the situation, and Xi Mo answered each one.

The doctor finally said, "It could also be due to something that's been troubling you these days, bottled up inside. Actually, when someone is anxious, it can lead to internal heat; emotions can easily affect a person's physical condition."

Xi Mo replied: "There's nothing that's troubling me; I'm not anxious."

She reiterated with a stern face, "I'm not anxious at all."

Doctor:"..."

"Alright, alright, if you're not anxious," the bewildered doctor prescribed some medicine to clear internal heat, advising, "Please maintain a happy mood; this is a minor issue and will soon get better."

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Xi Mo thanked the doctor and left with the medication.

Back home, she continued taking the medication to clear internal heat while still feeling agitated.

Every day, Ruan Yesheng was incredibly busy but was also counting the days, setting a reminder on her phone to review it every night before sleeping.

Xi Mo's stable wasn't a place for just anyone to visit. Yet, Xi Mo unexpectedly invited her to the family's stable, even teaching her horseback riding. The more Ruan Yesheng pondered this, the more she wanted to laugh. She buried her face in the pillow, secretly happy, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the agreed-upon day.

The day before the appointment, Ruan Yesheng looked radiant. Although she still appeared as Xi Mo used to, there was an air about her that seemed ready to blossom. Feng Tangtang followed her every day, observing her poised but about-to-blossom appearance, wanting to ask but hesitating.

"Have you booked the flight ticket?" Ruan Yesheng asked Feng Tangtang.

"It's booked," Feng Tangtang cautiously replied, "Sister Xi, you've asked me this five times today."

"Have I?" Ruan Yesheng raised an eyebrow, glanced at Feng Tangtang, and then lowered her head to continue reading the materials given by Lu Qingming.

Lu Qingming asked: "You're leaving tomorrow. Are you not going back to Hengdian? Are you going back to the company?"

"I'm not going back," Ruan Yesheng didn't look up, saying, "I have something important to do."

Despite Lu Qingming's appearance every day in his business attire as an industry elite, he was actually quite worried about Xi Mo. He couldn't help but ask, "What important thing?"

"Horseback riding."

Lu Qingming: "..."

​…How important is that?

The next day after landing, Ruan Yesheng headed straight to Xi Mo's stable.

Xi Mo had already sent her the address of the stable last night, along with detailed information about the employees, facilities, and locations. She listed everything in a long message to avoid any awkwardness when Ruan Yesheng, under Xi Mo's identity, encountered the staff inside due to a lack of information.

In the beginning, Xi Mo didn't chat much with her, but now the screen was filled with messages sent by Xi Mo. If Ruan Yesheng had a space to frame things in her heart, she would definitely frame all these messages and hang them there.

The stable was located in the suburbs. After getting off the plane, she still noticed a few paparazzi persistently following her. However, after the car arrived near the stable, she didn't see their shadows anymore. Remembering Xi Mo mentioning that the paparazzi couldn't capture the stable, she assumed they didn't hide but might have some other reason for not following.

Ruan Yesheng stood silently outside the stable, holding her bag, waiting for Xi Mo.

When she first joined the Sui Ting crew, the weather was scorching hot, and after shooting for so many days, she left for a while. Now, the temperature wasn't as high as before but still hot. Fortunately, the weather was good today; the sky was high and blue, and the air was clear. The deciduous trees still retained their most lush greenery of the year, tall and verdant. As autumn approaches, they would gradually turn golden or fiery red.

A faint scent of leaves drifted in the wind, blowing Ruan Yesheng's long hair as she looked at the road she came from, watching the direction of the wind.

A black spot appeared in the distance on the road.

The black spot grew closer, slowly revealing the outline of a car approaching the stable, heading towards the large garage built alongside the stable.

Without hesitation, Ruan Yesheng ran towards the approaching car.

Xi Mo, driving the car, turned a corner towards the garage entrance. Through the rearview mirror, she saw Ruan Yesheng running towards her. A bright light shone on the mirror, reflecting dazzling spots, making the image of Ruan Yesheng somewhat blurry and bewildered in the mirror, causing Xi Mo to squint.

The wheels turned slowly as Xi Mo leaned out of the car window. At that moment, time seemed to slow down, the air serene and clear. Curled leaves gently fell from the tree branches, landing on the road behind Ruan Yesheng, blown away by the wind.

Xi Mo stepped on the brake, coming to a halt.

Ruan Yesheng stopped by her car window, slightly out of breath, with a touch of red on her cheeks.

Xi Mo looked at the fine sweat on her forehead and whispered, "Why did you run? Wearing high heels, aren't you afraid of breaking my legs?"

Ruan Yesheng bent down, leaning on the car window, and chuckled, "I've danced in high-heeled performance shoes before, I have a good balance, you don't need to worry."

“Mm, you're quite skilled," Xi Mo said with a composed expression.

"Do you miss me?" Ruan Yesheng asked with a heartfelt gaze.

Xi Mo: "..."

"We're friends now, right?" Ruan Yesheng glanced at her momentarily stiff expression, smiled, and added, "Friends who haven't seen each other for a few days might miss each other, right?"

Friends.

Xi Mo seemed to come back to her senses and whispered, "...Mm, missing a friend? Maybe a bit."

Ruan Yesheng kept looking at her, seemingly delighted by whatever Xi Mo said.

"I'll go park the car, wait for me," Xi Mo restarted the car.

Ruan Yesheng nodded, standing quietly in place, waiting for her.

After parking the car, Xi Mo got out, and the two walked side by side towards the stable. When the security and staff at the stable saw Ruan Yesheng entering, they respectfully greeted her with bows. Ruan Yesheng, with her outstanding acting skills, nodded to them and introduced Xi Mo, "This is my friend, Ruan Yesheng. I brought her here to play today."

Xi Mo had met these people countless times before, and could even recite their names backward, but now, she pretended it was their first meeting, smiling and greeting them.

“Go and continue your work, I'll take her in," Ruan Yesheng said calmly, "It's her first time riding a horse. I'll teach her, and she's a bit shy with an audience, so please don't go to training ground number three."

The staff members agreed and dispersed.

"I see you're still quite shameless." After the person walked away, Xi Mo said.

Ruan Yesheng: "..."