Chapter 104: I Love My Job
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo didn't say anything. She took out her phone again and looked down, tapping on the screen.
Very soon, Ruan Yesheng heard the sound of a message notification—it was from her own phone. She opened it and saw that Xi Mo had sent her an unnamed audio file.
She tapped to play it. The piano notes flowed out slowly, exactly the same as the ringtone Xi Mo was using now.
Ruan Yesheng looked at Xi Mo with a smile and said, “Thanks. Then I’ll go ahead and use it?”
“Go ahead,” Xi Mo said, looking at Ruan Yesheng with a calm face. At the same time, she shoved her phone back into her pocket.
It looked like sharing the same ringtone with Ruan Yesheng didn’t stir any ripples in her heart.
But her pocket was a bit snug against her coat, and she kept looking at Ruan Yesheng without glancing down, so the phone scraped against the edge of the pocket and didn’t go in.
The second time, she tried again but still missed the mark.
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
Xi Mo’s expression became a little awkward, but she still refused to look down. Maybe the more she messed up, the more nervous she got. Even her fingers holding the phone were trembling a little, and of course, she failed on the third try too.
Ruan Yesheng kept staring at her fake nonchalant act, watching her pretend until she messed up, and she was nearly dying of laughter inside, though she still had to hold back her smile on the surface.
She couldn't just expose her directly. At least she had to give Xi Mo a little face.
Xi Mo paused, then simply took off her coat. She walked to the coat rack in the room, hung it up properly, and slipped her phone back into the pocket.
Only then did she slowly walk back to the chair and sit down properly.
“Why did you suddenly take off your coat?” Ruan Yesheng knew exactly why, but still asked her.
“I’m hot,” Xi Mo said.
“But the weather’s getting colder and colder.” Ruan Yesheng found it funny but couldn't do anything about her stubbornness. She sighed. “Don’t catch a cold.”
Xi Mo was wearing a thin sweater. She rested one hand on the other arm and slowly rubbed it.
Ruan Yesheng saw her rubbing her arm like that. While setting the ringtone, she asked again, “This piece doesn’t have a name?”
“No,” Xi Mo replied. “Didn’t I say I was just playing randomly?”
Ruan Yesheng started playing the piece.
The opening was very gentle, quickly putting the listener at ease. But then it turned bright and fresh—like right after a summer rain. The sky suddenly cleared, and drops of crystal water still clung to the tender new leaves, reflecting the faintly cool sunlight. Young students passed under the trees, and their reflections shimmered in the puddles.
The phone was placed on the chair, still playing. Ruan Yesheng walked to the coat rack in step with the rhythm and took Xi Mo’s coat down.
This piece held light, breeze, rain, and the scent of youth.
When the song ended, Ruan Yesheng walked behind Xi Mo holding the coat and gently draped it over her shoulders.
Xi Mo seemed to freeze a little. She raised her hand to the coat on her shoulder and kept looking at her.
Ruan Yesheng was worried Xi Mo might catch a cold, but she also knew Xi Mo had always been proud, so she did not say anything more about it. Instead, she continued, “This piece is a little over four minutes. I don’t really understand music, but it sounds very complete to me. It doesn’t feel like something you just played randomly.”
There was a slight change in Xi Mo’s expression. She looked off to the side and said, “It was just random. It didn't take much effort.”
“All right.” Ruan Yesheng felt like she wasn’t telling the truth, like she was hiding something, but she still said, “That’s amazing. You can just play around and come up with a complete and beautiful piece. Oh right, when did you compose it?”
“A long time ago,” Xi Mo said. “I don’t really remember the exact time.”
Ruan Yesheng nodded, then suddenly remembered something and chuckled. “We were originally talking about you following your dad to the sanatorium. How did we end up talking about the song? Back to that—after you disguised yourself as a cleaner and got into the ward, did you find anything?”
Xi Mo thought back and continued, “When I got in, the nurse wasn’t there. There was a man in the ward, his expression was very serious. He didn’t say much and just sat there watching Zhang Dongyang. He was someone my dad arranged to keep an eye on Zhang Dongyang. I pretended to clean while observing. I saw Zhang Dongyang drawing the whole time.”
“Drawing?” Ruan Yesheng frowned.
“Not really drawing in the proper sense,” Xi Mo explained. “It was more like random scribbling with no subject at all. Zhang Dongyang was crazy, and not in his right mind. He had a lot of paper and was scribbling all over it. He drew very fast, and after finishing a sheet, he’d take the pen and scratch over it again and again until it turned black. Sometimes he even tore the paper.”
Ruan Yesheng listened carefully.
“Also, every time he finished a drawing, the man watching him would take it and put it away. He did it very smoothly, like he was used to it. I think that man probably collected Zhang Dongyang’s drawings each time and handed them over to my dad. There might be some kind of clue in those drawings.”
“You wanted to take Zhang Dongyang’s drawing too, didn’t you?” Ruan Yesheng knew what she was thinking.
“Yes,” Xi Mo said. “But that man was guarding the drawings, so I couldn’t go over directly. But when I was mopping the floor, I found one had fallen under the bed. I cleaned under the bed and took that drawing while they weren’t looking.”
“Was there anything else?”
“No. From beginning to end, the only clue I got was that one drawing by Zhang Dongyang.” Xi Mo shook her head. “He was drawing nonstop the whole time. I couldn’t stay long, so I left after I finished cleaning.”
“Did you see anything from the drawing you took?” Ruan Yesheng asked.
“No.” Xi Mo’s expression darkened. “It looked like a mess. I don’t know what Zhang Dongyang was trying to express.”
Even though so much time had passed, just thinking about it still gave Xi Mo a headache.
This was a barrier she couldn’t get over in her heart, a knot she couldn’t untie. She still had no answer to it.
Ruan Yesheng asked softly, “Do you still have that drawing?”
“I do.”
Ruan Yesheng’s lips moved a little. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she didn’t ask.
She actually wanted to see Zhang Dongyang’s drawing.
Ruan Yesheng had seen similar cases before. Some patients with mental disorders would draw things that looked like random smears and scribbles, with no logic at all. But sometimes, you could still see something hidden deep in their hearts. Those drawings had some reference value.
But she wasn’t sure. Xi Mo was always so cautious. With something this important, would she even have the right to see it?
She wanted to help Xi Mo.
She wanted to go through everything with Xi Mo, no matter what came.
But this matter didn’t seem to have anything to do with her. She didn’t know if Xi Mo would be willing to let her get involved.
Xi Mo saw that Ruan Yesheng hadn’t spoken for a while. She looked like she wanted to say something but held it back. So Xi Mo stood up and said, “That drawing is at my house. I’ve kept it, and only I know exactly where. But with how things are now, I can’t go back and get it. When we go to my place together later, I’ll show you then.”
Ruan Yesheng was overjoyed. “Are you inviting me to your house?”
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng had never been to Xi Mo’s real home. Even when they switched places, she had only stayed in the rest room the company had arranged for Xi Mo before.
She had only seen a few bits of news from the media. The security around Xi Mo’s home was very strict. Countless paparazzi had tried everything to get some scoop, but they could not even touch the fence outside the villa before being found by security.
“Fine,” Xi Mo said in a low voice after a long silence. “I am inviting you to my home as a guest.”
“Thank you.” Ruan Yesheng looked over, her eyes full of starlight.
She knew that Xi Mo valued her privacy a lot and was very proud. Then Xi Mo’s home must be her private world, clearly separated from the outside.
As far as she knew, no one in their circle had ever been to Xi Mo’s home. Even gatherings with friends were always arranged in public places.
She really did not expect that Xi Mo would actually open her home to her.
“But I want to wait until the filming of Sui Ting ends before going back,” Xi Mo said.
Ruan Yesheng had her own plans too. She smiled and said, “That works out well. I already asked Lu Qingming to set the schedule as you wanted. After Sui Ting finishes filming, there will be a short holiday. By then, it will be winter. Director Gu Ru’s new film will need real snowy scenes for many parts. Director Gu is very strict, so I will probably have to stay with her crew the whole time. There might not be many days off during winter. If we want to go home, it’s best to do it during the break after Sui Ting finishes.”
As she said this, Ruan Yesheng slightly furrowed her brows again. “Actually, I feel kind of nervous.”
“Nervous about what?”
Ruan Yesheng said, “Director Gu’s new movie… I’m afraid I can’t handle it well, and I’ll ruin your Best Actress reputation.”
“Hpw could that be?” Xi Mo’s lips curved into a small smile. “Back then, that film “Sound of Steps", which got you so much praise, wasn’t that directed by Director Gu? Don’t you know how she praised you?”
“But I haven’t acted in a movie for so long,” Ruan Yesheng said.
"Then during these years, did you ever slack off on acting?" Xi Mo asked her.
Ruan Yesheng lowered her eyes and didn’t speak.
"Teacher Wang sent me a message a few days ago. She thought I was you and asked when you'd go visit her." Xi Mo looked at her and said, "I talked with Teacher Wang for a while. From between the lines, I could tell that after you left the industry, you still often went to her place for lessons in private. You even told Teacher Wang to keep it a secret."
Ruan Yesheng quickly looked up again, and there was some uneasiness in her eyes from being seen through.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"All these years, you never slacked off," Xi Mo said. "You even took roles in plays that had no exposure at all. From beginning to end, you never stopped acting. You like your job. You like being a professional actress, don't you?"
"Yes." Ruan Yesheng smiled, with pride that she didn’t hide. "I love my job."
"But you still left this circle." Speaking up to this point, Xi Mo simply laid everything out. "Last time in the bathroom, I actually heard you and Yan Tinghuan talking."
Author's Note:
Ruanruan and Xi Mo are about to meet a new director and crew. They're almost saying goodbye to Director Lin Qitang. Director Lin is a nice guy. The dramas he shoots are also very yuri. But we’ll have even more yuri directors in the future【.
For example, Director Jun is super yuri too.【what【.
Giving ratings, comments, favorites, and feeding will all earn you more cuteness points, plus a bit of yuri energy value【.
