Chapter 71: I'm Not Nervous
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
“When did Tangtang ask leave for her?” Xi Mo was puzzled, though she didn't show it on her face, casually asking the coordinator.
The coordinator replied, “About twenty minutes ago, I was with Director Lin at the time, and I happened to overhear.”
Suddenly, Xi Mo thought of something, quickly walking over to the sofa, and bending down to retrieve her phone from her bag.
She was doing her makeup before, and her phone had been placed aside. The intricate makeup process for period dramas always took a lot of time.
Xi Mo unlocked her phone and saw two messages from Ruan Yesheng.
One read: “I have some sudden matters, so I won't go to the set today. I'll ask Tangtang to inform Director Lin.”
The time stamp was forty minutes ago.
The other message said: “Don't worry about me. Everything's fine. I'll talk to you when I get back.”
This one was sent half an hour ago.
Previously, she was busy with her makeup and didn't check her phone in time. Now that she saw Ruan Yesheng had actually informed her earlier, she felt a subtle sense of relief. However, amidst the relief, she was genuinely worried. Normally, Ruan Yesheng wouldn't easily take leave, and recently there weren't any urgent notices to rush for. Relatively speaking, she had been quite free. This sudden leave might be due to something important holding her back.
What could it be?
Would it be troublesome?
Ruan Yesheng seemed to have thought that Xi Mo might be concerned, so just ten minutes after the first message, she sent another message to reassure her not to worry.
She really understood her.
Xi Mo replied to Ruan Yesheng's message, indicating that she had already been informed, then she put her phone away and turned to the coordinator, saying, "She told me about the leave. I was just a bit busy earlier and didn't check her messages in time."
The coordinator squinted with a bright smile, "I told you, Ruanruan, you're so close with Sister Xi, how could she not tell you?"
Xi Mo smiled too. After the coordinator left, she sat back on the sofa, looking at the breakfast she specially bought for Ruan Yesheng on the table, lost in thought.
Because Ruan Yesheng took leave, the two scenes planned for today, involving Deng Sui and Ding’e's confrontation, were temporarily postponed. They were replaced with scenes featuring Ding’e and other supporting roles.
Around ten in the morning, Shen Qingbie and Yu An arrived at the set. They had already greeted each other earlier. A few staff members came over to greet them warmly, Shen Qingbie politely said, "You all carry on with your work, no need to mind us. We'll just wander around. Yan Mu will come find us later."
The staff members insisted, "Sister Qingqing, please don't say that. It's our duty to take care of you since you rarely visit. Director Lin specifically instructed us to treat you and Sister An well."
Shen Qingbie playfully winked, "Please thank Director Lin for me. But I can see everyone is busy. If it disrupts the set's work, it wouldn't be good. Maybe I shouldn't come for set visits in the future."
Upon hearing her words, the staff felt as if a gentle March breeze had brushed their faces. Everyone praised Sister Qingqing for her gentle and considerate nature in daily life, without any airs. Now that they saw her in person, they found her reputation well-deserved.
After exchanging a few words with Shen Qingbie, they happily went about their tasks.
Shen Qingbie then moved a chair, found a suitable spot, and sat down to watch Xi Mo rehearse with others.
There was an amused expression on her face.
Ruan Yesheng had actually left Hengdian early in the morning and headed to another city.
At dawn, she received a message from Yan Tinghuan. Upon reading its contents, her hand trembled, and the phone nearly slipped from her grasp. Without hesitation, she quickly got ready, left the room, and instructed the driver to pick her up at the hotel entrance.
The driver, arranged specifically by Lu Qingming for her, would surely be suspicious of her sudden departure from Hengdian. Hence, Ruan Yesheng decided to inform him herself about her departure. However, she didn't elaborate on the reasons, only mentioning that it was for an important matter.
Everyone has many private matters they prefer to keep hidden, and Xi Mo was no exception. In the past, if there were things she didn't want to explain, Lu Qingming would respect her wishes. Besides, he trusted Xi Mo's judgment and believed she wouldn't make any mistakes. Ruan Yesheng understood this well. As long as she clarified the purpose of her trip and ensured safety by bringing Gu Qisong along, she expected Lu Qingming wouldn't interfere.
The car finally stopped outside an apartment building in another city.
After such a long journey, Ruan Yesheng must have been exhausted. She instructed the driver to park the car properly and then find a nearby hotel to get a good rest. She promised to inform him when it was time to return. The driver agreed, and after Ruan Yesheng briefly explained to Gu Qisong in the car, she got out first, wearing a mask, and entered the apartment building, taking the elevator upstairs.
Once Ruan Yesheng had gone upstairs, the driver parked the car in a nearby parking space. Gu Qisong followed her instructions and got out of the car, heading to a nearby café. He ordered a cup of coffee and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping his coffee while keeping an eye on the entrance of the apartment building.
Arriving on the twenty-sixth floor, Ruan Yesheng stepped out of the elevator and approached a door. She knocked on it.
The door opened, revealing Yan Tinghuan's face through the narrow gap. Although she still had her usual delicate makeup, she looked a bit tired today. Even the most beautiful makeup couldn't hide it.
Ruan Yesheng entered, and Yan Tinghuan closed the door behind her.
“What would you like to drink?" Yan Tinghuan asked her.
"Just water." Ruan Yesheng took off her mask and sat on the sofa. She looked at the coffee table, where Yan Tinghuan's leftovers were left, along with a few empty beer cans. It was a bit messy, so she got up to clean it up. She put the stacked takeout boxes and beer cans into a bag, then took them to the kitchen and threw them all away in the trash can.
Yan Tinghuan poured water and chuckled, "Okay, okay, don't clean up. I'm just staying here for a few days."
Ruan Yesheng frowned, "Even if it's just for a few days, you should live better."
Yan Tinghuan joked, "Ruanruan, it's weird to see you cleaning up here with Xi Mo's face. Xi Mo comes from a wealthy family, with such delicate hands of a young lady. Aren't you afraid she'll get angry if she finds out you're cleaning?"
"Don't joke." Ruan Yesheng's face was a bit gloomy. "I came all the way here, not to listen to your jokes."
Yan Tinghuan's expression also turned serious as she handed her the water glass. "I'm just afraid you're nervous, so I'm trying to liven up the mood."
"...I'm not nervous." Ruan Yesheng lowered her head, looking at the water in the glass, but didn't drink.
Yan Tinghuan also sat down, solemnly saying, "Ruan Ruan, regardless of whether there's a definite result this time, don't be sad."
Ruan Yesheng remained silent.
After a while, she spoke, "There have been so many times in the past without results, so I don't care much about this one. I'm fine."
Yan Tinghuan sighed, "Actually, you didn't need to come in person this time. When the person arrives later, I'll ask on your behalf and give you a detailed explanation when you return to Hengdian. It's so far, and you must be tired. The crew over there will definitely grant you leave, right? You're not the same as before now. You're living as Xi Mo, and there will be many inconveniences. When you go out, you have to watch out for paparazzi. I don't need to say more; you already know."
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng raised her head, her voice trembling slightly: "It's been a long time since we heard anything, and now we have a tiny clue. This time, whether there are results or not, I want to hear it with my own ears."
Yan Tinghuan, accustomed to her former smiles, couldn't find the right words to comfort her as she looked almost lost. She could only pat her shoulder.
The two waited in the apartment for a while, then heard a knock on the door.
Yan Tinghuan signaled to Ruan Yesheng with her eyes. Ruan Yesheng understood and got up. She even took the glass of water Yan Tinghuan had drunk from the coffee table with her as she walked into the room.
Leaving the door slightly ajar, she stood behind it, waiting quietly. The apartment was not large, so even with the door half-open, she could hear every sound clearly.
Yan Tinghuan opened the door to reveal two men standing outside.
One was tall and imposing, with a stern expression like a rock. He was dressed formally. The other man, younger-looking, wore a cap backward and had restless eyes, like a nervous animal in the forest.
"Come in," Yan Tinghuan said.
The man in formal attire nodded and reached out to grab the clothes of the man in the baseball cap beside him, easily pulling him into the room.
Once inside, the man in formal attire sat down, but the one in the baseball cap dared not to. He stood there, cowering, unable to stop sneaking glances at Yan Tinghuan.
The man in formal attire said, "Sit down."
Still, the one in the baseball cap didn't dare to sit.
The man in formal attire glanced at him.
Perhaps the one in the baseball cap had been frightened by him before, so he immediately sat down.
Yan Tinghuan handed a can of beer to the man in formal attire, saying, "Cui Jiashu, don't scare him. You've been tough on him all the way here, look at him now, all timid."
Before Cui Jiashu could respond, the one in the baseball cap immediately began to stammer, "Sister Tinghuan, you're truly discerning. Brother Cui has been..."
“Did I ask you?" Yan Tinghuan first smiled, then glared, "Sit and be still.
The one in the baseball cap quickly straightened up his posture.
Cui Jiashu didn't seem like one to beat around the bush either. After taking a sip of beer, he went straight to baseball cap and said, "Tell Tinghuan in detail what you told me before."
Yan Tinghuan took out a few photos carefully and spread them out on the coffee table, inviting the baseball cap to take a look. The baseball cap leaned over and examined them carefully. Yan Tinghuan smiled at him and said, "Okay, take another look at these photos. Is that person the one in the photos? If what you tell me this time, even if there's a slight difference from the version Cui Jiashu heard before—”
Yan Tinghuan paused here, reached out to adjust baseball cap's brim, and then smiled again, "You know the consequences of lying to me."
Baseball cap felt like her adjusting his cap was akin to twisting his head off, and he hastened to assure her, "I swear! The version I told Brother Cui before is the same. I won't lie. You can listen carefully!"
Yan Tinghuan sat down leisurely and said, "I'm listening carefully."
The baseball cap glanced at the person in the photos again and continued, "Just four days ago, I got into a fight at a venue in Changsha, got injured a bit, so I went to a hospital to get some medicine. And then, I saw this person in the hospital corridor."
In the room, Ruan Yesheng's breath caught at the words. She gently took a step back, her hand against the wall, trembling slightly.
"Are you sure you saw the person in the photo?" Yan Tinghuan asked slowly once again.
"Because I only saw a side profile, not a full face, and the person left quickly. I can't be a hundred percent sure it's the same person as in the photo, but they really look alike. Brother Cui had told me to pay attention before, and I've seen the photos many times, so I'm quite familiar with the person's appearance. When I saw that side profile, I felt a jolt in my heart. And when the person turned around, I noticed there were distinct scars on their hand, just like the ones in the photo," the baseball cap replied.
"There's something even more coincidental," baseball cap's throat seemed to tighten, his voice lowering significantly as if he was touching upon a secret he dared not mention: "There was someone else with them, the one I mentioned to you all a long time ago, with that long string of letters and numbers, like 5, 8, 3, bah, bah, bah. Ugh, it's so complicated, I've forgotten the specifics."
He hung his head in despair, "It's all because of this person. The reason I'm in such a mess now, stuck in this pit, unable to get out."
Yan Tinghuan glanced at Cui Jiashu and typed a string of letters and numbers into her phone: XFH25081637.
She recited the combination of letters and numbers, and baseball cap guy nodded in a puzzled manner, "It should be that one. I'm not very clear about it anyway, but it's the person with that string of letters and numbers tattooed on their arm, the one you've seen."
Yan Tinghuan showed the string of letters to Cui Jiashu, who nodded in agreement.
After receiving confirmation from Cui Jiashu, Yan Tinghuan read the combination again as if talking to herself.
Ruan Yesheng knew Yan Tinghuan deliberately recited it for her to hear. After listening, her expression grew even more solemn.
At that moment, Ruan Yesheng's phone screen lit up. She had put it on silent when she entered but kept it in her hand for easy access.
Hiding behind the door, she checked her phone and saw a new message from Xi Mo.
"My morning scene is done. I'm having lunch now. Have you eaten?"
For some reason, seeing this message made Ruan Yesheng's eyes suddenly sting.
It wasn't due to sadness, but because, amid suffocating sorrow, she suddenly tasted a bit of warmth.
She understood Xi Mo. With Xi Mo's personality, she usually wouldn't send messages about such trivial matters. Perhaps in the past, she found these things boring. But today, Xi Mo took the initiative to ask her about these trivial things.
Have you eaten?
Perhaps she didn't really want to ask if she had eaten.
In this quiet, oppressive room, Ruan Yesheng hid and eavesdropped on the unsettling conversations outside. Suddenly seeing this message, she thought about how, in a place so far away, there was someone she always held dear who was thinking of her. She couldn't describe what kind of feeling this was.
"Not yet, I'm about to eat," Ruan Yesheng replied.
Author's Note:
Ah, the sweet me cutely updated again.
Today's little green words above are different from the last chapter. Test your memory—those who can immediately see the difference without looking back, kiss me.
