Chapter 107: She Opened Her Arms And Hugged Her
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Feng Tangtang let out an “oh,” sounding a little disappointed. She chatted with the two for a while, then turned and saw the production coordinator standing nearby. She quickly ran over and started excitedly talking about her experience watching the drama.
Hearing Feng Tangtang’s question, Xi Mo looked like she was thinking deeply. Her hand, holding the wet wipe, slowed down bit by bit until it stopped altogether, like she had frozen in place.
“What are you thinking about?” Ruan Yesheng had been watching her for a while and asked.
Xi Mo quickly put down the wet wipe and came back to herself. “Nothing.”
Ruan Yesheng noticed there was still some red bloodstain on her cheek. She smiled and naturally took the wet wipe from Xi Mo’s hand to gently clean it off, saying, “You still need to touch up your makeup later.”
The two rested for a while, touched up their makeup, and continued filming the next scene.
Except for a prop master who had quit without notice earlier and caused a delay, the outdoor shoot this time went smoothly. By Thursday evening, Xi Mo flew to Beijing to attend a screen test with Gu Ru the next day.
With Xi Mo away, Director Lin Qitang had Ruan Yesheng go to another outdoor set to reshoot a few scenes with Yan Mu. After these were done, Yan Mu’s part would be wrapped. With the farewell coming soon, Yan Mu felt a little reluctant. During a break, he chatted with Ruan Yesheng.
“Sister, when exactly will you finish filming? Did Director Lin say?” It was cold at the location, and Yan Mu had a windbreaker over his costume. He hugged himself as he asked.
“If everything goes well, I’ll finish in early December.” Ruan Yesheng checked her phone as she replied.
She had been worried all day about Xi Mo’s screen test. She seemed distracted, afraid she would miss a call or message from her. So every time they took a break, she could not help checking her phone.
“Then that’s pretty soon,” Yan Mu said. “Sister Ruanruan’s wrap-up time should be close to yours too, right?”
Ruan Yesheng nodded. “Yes, only a few days apart.”
“Then do you get a break after wrapping up?” Yan Mu chatted on warmly.
“I’ll have about ten days off, then I’ll need to go shoot a movie.”
“Ten days?” Yan Mu drooped his eyes, full of envy. “Sister, you’re so lucky. You actually have such a long vacation waiting for you.”
Back when Xi Mo was picking up roles, she always focused on quality. Aside from commercial endorsements and event appearances, she only filmed a few projects each year and made sure to leave herself time to rest. Her family was too well-off—her father, Xi Ji, was the biggest investor in her company. As long as she was unwilling, no one could force her to do anything. Besides, with her status, she could pick whatever drama she wanted and rest as long as she pleased. It all depended on her own schedule.
But most actors were not so lucky. Many had to follow the company’s decisions and could not refuse even if they wanted to. Or they needed money and resources, so they took on multiple projects at the same time, to the point where even directors started to complain. Even someone like Yan Mu, a top-tier young actor, was often not in control of his own time.
“What about you? You don’t get any break after wrapping up?” Ruan Yesheng asked.
“Only three days.” Yan Mu helplessly held up three fingers. “After that, I’ll need to start preparing for the concert tour. I have to rehearse every day.”
He had started out as a singer, and now that he was red-hot in popularity, the company was striking while the iron was hot by arranging a concert tour for him. They wanted to shake more gold out of this money tree.
“Don’t you like singing?”
“I do.” Yan Mu looked a little troubled. “But I spent this year filming and had no time to write songs or release a new album. So for the concert, I can only sing old songs. There’s nothing fresh. I feel kind of bad for the fans, especially since the tickets are so expensive. I told the company we should wait until the new album is out, but they said I’ve already been booked for a new drama later, and the schedule is full. Right now’s the best time for the concert, so I’ve got no choice.”
“Is Lu Yao still squeezing you like before?” Xi Mo had asked Ding Ru to go knock some sense into someone at Yan Mu’s company before, and now Ruan Yesheng took the chance to check in—see if that had worked.
Yan Mu had no idea Xi Mo had secretly helped him and said, “Strangely enough, Sister Lu hasn’t been as harsh lately. I heard some rumors that higher-ups from my company had a talk with her, and after that, her attitude changed a lot.”
“That’s good,” Ruan Yesheng said with a smile.
Talking about this lightened Yan Mu’s mood. He changed the topic and said, “I was hoping to write a new song to sing at the concert, but once I got anxious, all the inspiration dried up.”
He was a singer-songwriter. He could write lyrics and compose music, and he was very good at playing the guitar.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
“Why not ask someone else to write one?” Ruan Yesheng took the thermos cup Feng Tangtang passed her and sipped it slowly.
Yan Mu trusted the two of them. He never hid anything when talking to them, and said straight out, “Even if I ask someone else, there’s not enough time. Getting someone to write the lyrics and music means there’ll be a lot to work out. It just feels different from writing it myself. If it’s not one of those songs that grabs you the moment you hear the demo, then we’ll have to polish it back and forth for a long time. With the concert right around the corner, I can’t wait.”
“Sorry,” Ruan Yesheng said. “I can't really help with that.”
“It’s fine.” Yan Mu smiled. “Sister, just chatting with me is already helping. It cheers me up.”
A moment later, Ruan Yesheng’s phone rang. A piano melody played—it was Xi Mo’s composition. She quickly looked down and saw Xi Mo was calling.
“I’m taking a call,” she said, getting up and walking to the side.
She answered it, a little nervous, and lowered her voice. “Did the audition end?”
"I just came out of Director Gu's company," Xi Mo's voice was calm. "I’m heading to catch a flight now. Let’s talk more in person tonight."
Ruan Yesheng carefully listened to her tone, but couldn’t make out anything. There was no joy, but there was no sense of disappointment either, just the usual calmness.
Ruan Yesheng wanted to ask what the result of the audition was, whether Director Gu was satisfied, but since Xi Mo didn’t bring it up and only mentioned talking later, she felt it wasn’t right to press further. She forced down her curiosity and anxiety, replying, "Okay, I’ll wait for you to come back. Call me when you get to the hotel, and I’ll come find you."
"Alright, bye." Xi Mo ended the call.
Ruan Yesheng walked back and sat down again.
Yan Mu’s eyes lit up, and for a moment, Ruan Yesheng thought he was going to ask about the phone call, but instead, Yan Mu asked, "Sister, what’s the name of the song that ringtone was? It sounds so good, I’ve never heard it before. Who wrote it?"
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
That song was written by Xi Mo. Now that Ruan Yesheng was pretending to be Xi Mo, she had to stay in character. She repeated what Xi Mo had once said, "I just played it randomly."
Yan Mu’s eyes practically sparkled, "You wrote it yourself? That’s amazing, no wonder you’re so talented. After hearing it, I could even picture scenes in my mind."
Ruan Yesheng replied, "Alright, stop praising me, I don’t believe it either."
But in her heart, she 100% agreed with Yan Mu.
She really loved that song Xi Mo wrote.
"This is the kind of song I told you about, one that people fall in love with the moment they hear it. No, it's more like a song that makes you regret not meeting earlier!" Yan Mu said excitedly, "I'm not exaggerating; it really sounds amazing. By the way, I noticed it’s quite complete. It doesn’t sound like a simple piano piece, but more like a full song. Does it have lyrics?"
"No," Ruan Yesheng shook her head.
"This melody is really interesting, so fresh." Yan Mu’s professional instincts kicked in. As soon as he heard a good song, his hands itched. "Too bad I didn’t bring my guitar, or I’d play it. Sister, would you mind sending me this piece? I want to get a guitar tab for it. Don’t worry, I won’t share it without your permission."
Since this song belonged to Xi Mo, Ruan Yesheng couldn’t make decisions without consulting her first. She had to dodge the request, "We can talk about this later. Let’s finish the scenes for today first."
Seeing that she seemed hesitant, Yan Mu didn’t press the matter, "Alright."
After a long day of work, Ruan Yesheng took a car back to the hotel. On the way, she received a call from Xi Mo, saying she had arrived. Ruan Yesheng, filled with anticipation, couldn’t wait to rush back. She quickly got out of the car, rushed to the elevator, and pressed the floor where Xi Mo’s room was.
Just as she knocked lightly on the door, it opened almost immediately, and Xi Mo appeared in front of her.
Ruan Yesheng quickly shut the door behind her. Xi Mo stood near the door without moving, and the two of them were standing very close.
"Now that we’re both back, can you finally tell me?" The longing in Ruan Yesheng's eyes was almost visible. She leaned in and asked, "Tell me, what happened? You don’t know how I’ve spent this whole day."
Xi Mo didn’t say anything. She turned around and walked into the room.
Ruan Yesheng’s heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that the audition didn’t go as smoothly as she thought? If Director Gu wasn’t satisfied with Xi Mo’s performance, that seemed impossible. Or was it that Director Gu thought Xi Mo’s popularity had dropped so much that she couldn’t bring in the box office anymore, so she wasn’t chosen?
"It’s fine," Ruan Yesheng took a deep breath and said softly, "Just tell me, I can handle it."
"Alright, I’ll tell you," Xi Mo finally said. "But you better prepare yourself."
Ruan Yesheng bit her lip and nodded obediently.
Xi Mo took a document envelope from the bag on the table and handed it to her. “You passed. This is the contract.”
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
She stared blankly for a while before taking the envelope and pulling out the documents to look through. The contract was filled with dense text and a long list of clauses. She did not read them carefully, but one thing was clear—she would be playing one of the female leads in Director Gu’s new film.
“I have not signed it yet. I brought it back for you to see first. If you think it is okay, then you can sign it later,” Xi Mo said. “Director Gu gave time to consider.”
Ruan Yesheng’s mind exploded like firecrackers going off in celebration, and Xi Mo’s voice rose and fell within the dazed noise.
Seeing Ruan Yesheng in a daze, Xi Mo reached out and gently patted her on the shoulder.
Ruan Yesheng seemed to be awakened by the touch, and the document envelope in her hand fell to the floor.
Xi Mo thought she had startled her and froze in place, unsure of what to do. Just as she was about to speak to comfort her, Ruan Yesheng suddenly broke into a radiant smile and opened her arms to hug her.
Overwhelmed by joy, Ruan Yesheng pounced on her without thinking, laughing, “This is great! I can be in the same crew as you again!”
The hug came with a small jump of excitement, catching Xi Mo completely off guard. Her body swayed back two steps with the force.
But in the next second, she reached out and hugged Ruan Yesheng back tightly.
Ruan Yesheng had only been releasing her emotions. She did not think too much. When people got excited, they would sometimes lose control and hug someone they cared about. Some would even spin around while hugging.
She had not expected Xi Mo to catch her.
Now, being held tightly in Xi Mo’s arms, she froze for a moment, her head lowered and resting against Xi Mo’s chest. She stayed still for a while.
“You are this happy just to be in the same crew as me again?” Xi Mo’s voice was right by her ear.
Ruan Yesheng slowly raised her head and met Xi Mo’s gaze. “Happy.”
But her heart trembled slightly in this embrace, and she asked back, “What about you?”
Xi Mo did not answer. She slowly let go of her and looked to the side. “I brought braised pork knuckle for you when I came back.”
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
She was suddenly a little annoyed. The good atmosphere had been ruined by something like pork knuckle. She immediately said, “I do not want to eat braised pork knuckle.”
“Don't you like it a lot?” Xi Mo glanced at her. “You have'nt eaten it in a long time, so I brought it especially for you.”
Ruan Yesheng was so angry at this block of wood that she felt full just from the frustration. She said, “I need to maintain your figure for you. I can't eat it.”
“You are using my body now. I allow you to eat two slices,” Xi Mo said.
Ruan Yesheng stood still without moving.
Xi Mo looked at her for a while longer. Seeing that her expression did not look too good, she reluctantly changed her words. “Three slices. No more.”
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
Author's Note:
The, overflowing with Yuri energy and adorable charm, Director Jun, passed by, drew a new cover, and even updated a new chapter.
