Chapter 191: Appointment
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Yu Miao wasn't sure if Xiao Ruojin liked her, and Xiao Ruojin’s kiss finally gave her a clear answer. She was deeply shocked inside. Everything felt too surreal, like she was dreaming.
Ruan Yesheng acted out this reaction very naturally. She widened her eyes and looked at Xi Mo in disbelief.
Xi Mo lowered her eyes slightly, as if she was watching her reaction.
At this moment, Ruan Yesheng also felt like she was in a dream. For a short while, she couldn't tell if Xi Mo was acting as Xiao Ruojin, or if Xi Mo herself was looking at her.
In a brief instant, Yu Miao went from surprise to joy, and then to endlessly growing happiness. Her feelings were answered, and her actions became eager. She kissed Xiao Ruojin. So Ruan Yesheng reached out and grabbed Xi Mo’s arm, leaned her face forward a little, and responded to Xi Mo’s kiss.
But Ruan Yesheng didn't dare open her mouth.
She only pressed against Xi Mo’s lips and felt that soft redness. The snow fell heavier and heavier and rested on their lightly trembling eyelashes. Xi Mo’s lips had been cold from the wind, but now they slowly warmed up. Ruan Yesheng wasn't sure about the limit. Gu Ru didn't say anything, so she could only gather a bit more courage and rub lightly.
Xi Mo’s lips soon trembled, and they also grew warm. But she also didn't dare open her mouth. At most, when Ruan Yesheng rubbed against her, she moved a little. It looked like back and forth, but her whole body was stiff.
“Cut” When neither of them knew how to move forward or back, Gu Ru’s voice exploded beside them.
They quickly stopped. Ruan Yesheng froze for a moment, then sat up from the snow together with Xi Mo, covered in snow bits.
“Do you even know how to kiss? Do you know how to kiss?” Gu Ru was anxious and also heartbroken. “What are you doing? Playing house like kids? Who kisses like this, just sticking together? You’re almost thirty. Even if you have not eaten pork, you have seen pigs run. Do you really not know to open your mouth?”
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
Xi Mo: “…”
Luckily, Gu Ru had cleared the set while filming. Other than key staff, there was no one else. Otherwise, being scolded like this in public, the two of them would have been so embarrassed they would want to bury their faces in the snow.
Ruan Yesheng quickly apologized. “Sorry, Director Gu.”
Xi Mo stared at Gu Ru and stayed silent.
Gu Ru sighed and walked over to them. “I wanted you to perform freely first. I didn't want to limit the most natural reaction, so I didn't block the scene ahead of time. Now there is no choice. Let’s roughly go through it first.”
Ruan Yesheng was always cooperative. She nodded. “Okay. I didn't understand it well enough. Director Gu, please explain the scene.”
Gu Ru looked at Ruan Yesheng and was very satisfied with her attitude. “Your initial reaction after being kissed, and the follow-up move of leaning in, were both very good. But after that, it went wrong. Yu Miao has received Xiao Ruojin’s emotional response. She is no longer afraid inside. Her emotions have always been anxious and suppressed, and now she finally has an outlet to pour them out. So this kiss must become more and more intense.”
Gu Ru was a famous immersive director. As she explained, she also acted it out in the air. “When the kiss gets intense, what would she do?”
Ruan Yesheng carefully confirmed. “She would instinctively hook both hands around Xiao Ruojin’s neck, then curl toward her body, so she can kiss deeper.”
Xi Mo: “…”
“Exactly!” Gu Ru slapped her thigh hard. She was even more confused about why she was so disappointed by this scene. “You understand it so well, so why didn’t you do it?”
Xi Mo: “…”
Do what?
Ruan Yesheng hesitated. “I…”
Yu Miao was no longer afraid, but she was.
She had not received any clear response from Xi Mo.
To prepare for this scene, she had been restless all day. She couldn't show it on her face, and she even secretly brushed her teeth several times and rinsed her mouth many times.
Seeing Ruan Yesheng stuck for words, Gu Ru guessed this was rare for her, so she stopped pressing her and turned to Xi Mo instead. “Xi Mo, you too. Why are you like a block of wood, not moving at all?”
Xi Mo frowned. After a long while, she squeezed out a low sentence. “I… moved.”
“You moved?” Gu Ru sounded like she heard a joke. “My camera is right on your faces. I saw it clearly. You call that moving? Even if someone kissed an iron railing outside in deep winter in the northeast, and their lips froze to it, they would move more than you.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Gu Ru, can you stop being so harsh?
“You are just not good at this.” Gu Ru shook her head. She was close with Xi Mo, so she spoke directly.
Xi Mo got a bit anxious. “What do you mean not good? I have never filmed this kind of scene before. You know that. And also… and also it is…”
“And also it is same-sex, right?” Gu Ru half-lectured and half-comforted her. “Alright, I know you straight girls are not used to it. But you have to overcome this. What is there to fear? Internationally, many actresses have filmed lesbian movies and won big awards. Some even filmed bed scenes. They acted so naturally. No one said they turned lesbian after filming. What are you afraid of?”
“I'm not…” Xi Mo still wanted to explain.
What she wanted to say was, “And also it is… Ruan Yesheng.”
The key point was no longer same-sex kissing. It was that she had to kiss Ruan Yesheng. This special feeling made her mind unstable, and she couldn't let go at all.
“What do you mean you are not?” Gu Ru cut her off. “You are.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Alright, you're still not done?
Gu Ru really didn't stop. “This is just work. I'm not asking you to really kiss Ruanruan and date her. You are always professional. I believe you can handle this relationship. It is fake. This is all fake.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng’s gaze drifted among the falling snowflakes. Her cheeks were slightly red from the wind. She was almost holding back laughter.
“Later, do it again, and kiss more intensely.” Gu Ru only had the scene in her eyes and arranged it herself. “What you did just now won't work. You need to open your mouth, and you need to…”
Before Gu Ru finished, Xi Mo felt her ears explode. She didn't dare listen anymore and interrupted in panic. “Isn’t this off-limits to pass censorship? Why are you filming it so meticulously?”
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
“It may not pass censorship, but these are necessary.” Gu Ru relied on skill to win awards. She said seriously, “Only with complete actions can there be logical traces left. Then the camera can capture that lingering feeling without words, and editing will have more usable and reasonable material.”
In film and television, material was indeed the top priority. Some great directors filmed many takes for one scene, but ended up using none. Some even had enough leftover material to edit another movie with a different story.
Xi Mo really had no choice. It was like a raging fire lit up in her heart, burning her. Even the snow couldn't calm her down.
She knew very well if a scene could be filmed or not.
She knew she couldn't do this scene. But she couldn't waste the crew, waste Gu Ru and Ruan Yesheng’s time. Everyone had waited so long for this snow. They might not get such a fitting snow scene again. This chance might be the only one.
Xi Mo took a few deep breaths and tried to suppress the fire in her heart. She looked calm as she suggested, “Those shots definitely won't be used. Your final usable shots are just other close-ups, like hands, the final traces, the snow, the clothes, messy hair, and also… after kissing for a long time, the rising and falling breath, and that red look of the lips, right?”
She felt embarrassed just saying it, but she had to communicate clearly, or this snow would be wasted.
“Yes.” Gu Ru valued Xi Mo a lot. “Maybe more than red. If we can get some swollen material, even better.”
Xi Mo: “…”
She was going crazy.
“I will give you a result. Later, we will see the footage and decide if it can be used.” Xi Mo’s gaze sank slightly, like she made up her mind. “Don't worry too much about the process.”
Gu Ru liked unconventional filming and said with interest, “Okay. Then let’s start.”
Xi Mo nodded, slowly looked at Ruan Yesheng, and said softly, “Let’s do it again.”
“…Okay.” Ruan Yesheng looked back at her.
Although Xi Mo didn't say how she would do it, Ruan Yesheng felt calm for no reason. She trusted Xi Mo’s acting and taste. She would follow Xi Mo’s movements and react naturally, without setting anything ahead. Maybe that way, they could film something more natural.
The camera moved in, and filming started again.
They repeated the previous scene and kissed again.
This time, Ruan Yesheng felt it wasn't as good as the first time. That sudden atmosphere was weaker, since they were doing it again. On a set, many brilliant moments come suddenly. After many NGs, the actors get tired.
But when Xi Mo pressed her lips against hers, Ruan Yesheng’s heart still trembled fiercely, beyond control.
After a while, she felt Xi Mo gently bite her lip. Ruan Yesheng froze instantly. A numb feeling shot up almost to her tailbone. But after one bite, Xi Mo stopped biting and instead rubbed and touched her with her lips. Ruan Yesheng started to feel dizzy and instinctively responded. They lightly held each other’s lips. Xi Mo sometimes sucked her gently. Ruan Yesheng’s lips quickly turned red.
Ruan Yesheng could even feel that Xi Mo had carefully used mouthwash too. The smell was faint. Her head was spinning, and she couldn't tell what kind of scent it was.
But she liked it very much.
Without tongue chasing, this kiss might not be wet enough, but it was enough to make Ruan Yesheng go numb. She almost instinctively hooked Xi Mo’s neck and rubbed against her in confusion. Her hair spread messily in the snow. Xi Mo then kissed her neck. In the cold wind, Ruan Yesheng was overwhelmed by this heat and couldn't control her breathing.
The blood vessels on her neck became more visible from agitation. They rose and fell on her pale skin with heavy breathing, then were kissed by Xi Mo. Inside, her blood was boiling, like a surging river in winter.
The snow was cold.
Their breaths tangled together, but were burning hot, ready to melt everything.
No one knew how long it passed. Only when Gu Ru’s “Cut” came did Xi Mo finally stop. Ruan Yesheng was dazed and stopped as well.
She slowly let out a breath. Her whole body was shaking.
“How was it?” Xi Mo steadied herself and looked up to ask Gu Ru. “…Can the footage be used?”
“Very good!” The more Gu Ru watched, the more satisfied she was. There was desire and purity, and it was beautiful beyond belief. “Nice. You didn't even use tongue, yet you gave me so much material. You really have seen pigs run.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Shut up.
“This take is enough. It's long too. I can cut a lot from it.” Gu Ru said. “Let’s strike while the iron is hot, let’s film some other material shots, then move on to dialogue scenes.”
Xi Mo accepted it. She knew Gu Ru was right. This kind of scene couldn't cool down. It really had to be done while it was hot.
So Xi Mo could only film several more segments with Ruan Yesheng. After it ended, Xi Mo felt pain all over. It wasn't because Ruan Yesheng held her too tightly and hurt her. It was because she was too tensed. Her body stayed tight for a long time without rest. When she finally relaxed, it felt like even her bones ached.
She turned her face and looked at Ruan Yesheng lying in the snow. Ruan Yesheng’s eyes seemed unfocused. Her hair stuck messily to her cheeks, and her eyes were wet.
Xi Mo’s heart shook hard. She looked away and said in a low voice, “…Are you okay?”
Ruan Yesheng paused and sat up from the snow. “…I'm fine.”
Her heart was just beating too fast. She could barely suppress it.
They sat in the snow. Ruan Yesheng stared at Xi Mo for a while and said, “…Your face is red.”
“Frozen by the snow.” Xi Mo kept a straight face. “You are not much better.”
“…I'm frozen too.” Ruan Yesheng breathed white air into her hands. She hesitated, then tested softly, “You…”
“What?” Xi Mo felt strange.
“You… did you watch anything?” Ruan Yesheng blinked. “Crash course?”
“No.” Xi Mo denied quickly.
Ruan Yesheng’s eyes turned. “I didn't say what you watched, and you already rushed to deny it.”
Xi Mo: “…”
“That pig ran pretty fast.” Ruan Yesheng’s eyes were watery.
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng only smiled lightly, deep in thought.
After the hardest material shots were done, it was time for their dialogue scenes. These were both of their strengths, so filming went smoothly. One scene was Yu Miao inviting Xiao Ruojin from three years earlier to her home. Yu Miao smiled at her in the snow and said goodbye. “February 14. See you at my home.”
On February 14, Yu Miao’s fate was changed again.
After the last scene of the day, they talked with Gu Ru, discussed later work, and then wrapped up.
It was already dark. Lights reflected on the snow, casting orange shadows. Xi Mo brushed the snow off Ruan Yesheng, opened an umbrella, and they walked to the car together.
The whole way was strangely quiet. Several times, Xi Mo wanted to speak but didn't know what to say. The daytime scenes of kissing Ruan Yesheng kept replaying in her mind. Every step she took felt like stepping on hot snow.
Ruan Yesheng also walked slowly. She seemed to want to say something, but couldn't open her mouth either.
In the car, Ruan Yesheng curled up in the seat and closed her eyes, looking tired and asleep. Xi Mo covered her with a blanket and closed her eyes too. They stayed quiet all the way. Only when Xi Mo sent Ruan Yesheng to her hotel room door did she say, “…Today was tiring too. Rest early. Good night.”
Ruan Yesheng subconsciously rubbed her lips lightly and looked up at Xi Mo.
Xi Mo shivered from that look. Her mind almost started playing set scenes again.
“January 19.” Ruan Yesheng smiled at her. “See you at my home.”
Xi Mo froze.
Only then did she realize that their shared two-day break was in one week. They had agreed to go back to Shanghai together. Ruan Yesheng had already bought the tickets.
“That day, you asked how I would spend my birthday. I said I would tell you after I decided.” Ruan Yesheng looked at her without blinking. “Now I have decided. I want to invite you to my home for dinner. Is that okay?”
Author’s Note:
Ruanruan, happy birthday. It's a pity, the 19th has already passed, so I’m posting this a few hours late.
