Chapter 14: Forget
The next day, "Transform Her" was officially launched. Lu Xici left home and checked into a hotel near the filming location.
There were three shooting locations. The first one was in a certain office building in the capital city, very close to Lu Xici's previous marital home.
If there hadn't been a divorce, the marital home would have been a good place to live, just that…
The accompanying auntie housekeeper put away Lu Xici's things, and was checking the facilities in the room for her and whether there was a camera in the corner.
Lu Xici sat in a chair, flipping through the script and the character notes she had prepared. Her fingers unconsciously tapped on the cold desk.
"Miss Xici, the room has been checked, and there are no abnormalities." The housekeeper, after putting snacks and fruits she had brought into the fridge for Lu Xici, was ready to leave.
Lu Xici's wandering thoughts were interrupted. She looked up and smiled at the housekeeper. "Thank you, Auntie Liu. You can go back now, don't worry about me."
Housekeeper Auntie Liu nodded. "That won't do, Miss. If you need anything, be sure to contact me. Drink less, rest early, and remember to use facial masks for skincare." The entire Lu family treated Lu Xici like their own child, and every time she went out for filming, she received numerous well-wishes and care.
Lu Xici nodded, gestured ok to her, and watched her leave the hotel room.
The huge room instantly became deserted.
Lu Xici's mood dropped to a freezing point after the housekeeper left.
Don't think about Jun Youyue.
That person is already in the past tense. She chose to give her the divorce agreement yesterday, and there is also a reason why she had to start shooting immediately.
At least three months of filming time is enough for her to heal her wounds.
The day after tomorrow, she will also meet Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu is the daughter of Aunt Liu Feng.
Last night, Lu Tingyi helped her get in touch, and without a second thought, Ye Qiu agreed. They made plans to have a meal, with Ye Qiu treating.
Hopefully, this meal will represent a new beginning.
* * *
The first two days of filming went relatively smoothly.
It's just that Lu Xici seemed like she'd been injected with chicken blood, and occasionally, she got overly excited, letting her emotions spill out a bit too much.
But it's usually over if she does it all over again.
She is in very good condition for taking on the role this time.
When the female lead's state was good, a whole film crew would be influenced by her, getting deeper into their roles, and there was no need to redo scenes. Cheng Yi had a smile on her face.
Cheng Yi is very easy-going, but she takes movies very seriously.
She is the kind of director who focuses on encouragement.
She would say things like, "Don't rush, that was a good performance, but the next one will be even better," and then she would shoot with the actors over and over until she was truly satisfied.
In these past couple of days, Lu Xici's progress in the scenes was like she had taken a cheat code, and this made Lu Xici herself gradually believe that getting divorced was the right choice.
In these few days, she didn't even dream of Jun Youyue once.
In the past, she would often dream about her, and in those dreams, she could express the things she didn't dare to think or do.
She believed that in just a few more days, she would truly be able to move on.
"Xiao Lu." After finishing today's scenes, it was dinner time, and Lin Ni called out to Lu Xici.
"What's the matter, Lin-jie? If you're inviting me for dinner, I apologize, but I already have plans for tonight," Lu Xici glanced and sincerely apologized to Lin Ni.
Similarly, Song Liufeng, whom she had pushed into the film crew, had come over upon hearing this. Both of them had disappointed expressions on their faces.
After all, Song Liufeng and Lu Xici are of the same generation and are more familiar with each other.
Hearing this, she brazenly continued to move closer to her, wanting to have a meal with her.
"Xiao Lulu, it's been so long since we started filming, and we haven't had a meal together. How could you be so heartless, leaving me and going on a date with another woman?"
After finishing speaking, Song Liufeng even pretended to be pitiful with her acting skills.
Her original appearance was already somewhat sweet.
Now she is sticking to Lu Xici's side with red eyes, making Lu Xici really look like a heartless protagonist in an idol drama.
One of those who would start chasing the innocent flower wife in a few episodes.
"Who would copy and paste me a reply as soon as they received my message? You don't care about me at all, you only have plastic love for me, right?" Lu Xi resigned and backed away, not playing along with Song Liufeng's act.
After teasing for a while, Lu Xici stopped. She couldn't neglect Lin Ni for too long.
Lu Xici looked back at Lin Ni, raising an eyebrow to signal her to speak.
Lin Ni glanced at Song Liufeng without emotion, skipped past her, and walked towards Lu Xici.
"The tables have turned. Now I can't even make plans with you."
Lu Xici chuckled. "That must be because the veteran actress Lin, is even busier. Today, I just happened to have a prior engagement."
"Aren't you wearing a ring?" Lin Ni asked, attempting to take Lu Xici's hand for a closer look, but Lu Xici skillfully avoided it.
"I got divorced," Lu Xici replied concisely, avoiding Lin Ni's gaze and even evading Song Liufeng's inquiring look.
Lin Ni was a little surprised and didn't say anything for a while.
Song Liufeng tugged worriedly at the hem of Lu Xici's clothes.
The three of them fell silent, and the atmosphere turned a little awkward for a moment.
Lu Xici cleared her throat uneasily. "Well, I should go to my appointment now. I'll treat you both in the coming days, okay?"
"Sure, don't be too upset, Xiao Lu!" Song Liufeng followed up as she also needed to go for her meal.
Lin Ni, on the other hand, stayed in place for a while, watching Lu Xici leave.
Looking closely, there are mixed emotions in her eyes.
There was the disappointment of not being able to make plans with Lu Xici, concern about Lu Xici's recent state, and even a somewhat joyful aspect.
She was actually a little happy.
* * *
Ye Qiu is only one year older than Lu Xici.
The two studied at the same university and met in the same club.
Initially, their relationship was fine, but Ye Qiu's sudden confession happened to coincide with the trouble in Jun Youyue's family.
Ye Qiu's unrequited love ended sloppily with Lu Xici's marriage, and their relationship became weak.
In a flash, it had been three years.
Lu Xici walked into the restaurant's private room that Ye Qiu had reserved and saw an old acquaintance sitting in a soft chair.
She was wearing a traditional qipao, adorned with plum blossom patterns, giving off a subtle fragrance.
Her hair was tied up delicately, and she was wearing a hairpin. Lu Xici recognized at a glance that it was a birthday present she had given her before.
Her whole demeanor is peaceful, like a noble daughter who traveled through time, with elegant etiquette in every gesture, quite a poetic and bookish aura.
They haven't met in three years. She still looks like she did in college, but her aura has settled down and she has a more mature charm.
But she wasn't the type that Lu Xici likes.
"Long time no see, Xici." The only difference was that she had replaced her glasses with contact lenses.
It's just that the habit of pushing her glasses is still there. At this moment, she touched the bridge of her nose and then withdrew her hands in a shy way.
"Are you doing well, Senior Ye?" Lu Xici replied with a smile.
Ye Qiu had put a lot of effort into her appearance, and Lu Xici felt somewhat underdressed in comparison.
Perhaps it was because she had been portraying a researcher who didn't pay much attention to her appearance, focusing solely on her work in the past few days. Lu Xici had inevitably been influenced by this, opting for casual attire for their meeting.
Ye Qiu didn't seem to mind, as she had been the one to harbor one-sided feelings from the start. She couldn't expect this busy person to do much more.
"Congratulations," she said as she poured Lu Xici a cup of tea. Her tone was casual, but her tightly clenched fingers on the teapot's handle betrayed her nervousness.
Lu Xici lowered her gaze and didn't look at Ye Qiu.
It was better not to bring it up. She didn't want to recall that cold and awkward expression or let her heartache resurface.
It was best if no one mentioned it if no one said a word, and let her forget about that person in her busy schedule.
There was no response for a long time.
The teacup in front of Lu Xici was nearly overflowing.
Only then did Ye Qiu start to panic a bit, withdrawing her hand. When she looked up, she saw Lu Xici smiling.
"...Yeah, thank you." Congratulations for what?
She clearly hadn't let go.
Lu Xici's smile was very genuine, taking Ye Qiu back to that summer when she had first met her in their sophomore year.
Summer breezes and thunderstorms, eaves, red umbrellas, a fleeing black cat, and her.
Ye Qiu blinked her somewhat sour eyes, unsure if Lu Xici's composure was genuine or an act.
"How's your work going recently? I heard from my mother that you're about to get promoted?"
It was Lu Xici who broke the awkwardness in the air and threw a topic at Ye Qiu.
The dishes arrived quickly. Ye Qiu had chosen a restaurant specializing in vegetarian home-cooked dishes, catering to Lu Xici's taste.
The two chatted and ate one after another.
As they were halfway through their meal, Lu Xici excused herself and went to the restroom.
She still put on her "Even my Mom won't recognize me" series jacket, wore her mask, ensuring the chances of being recognized were minimal, and then left the private room.
As soon as Lu Xici left, Ye Qiu stopped her chopsticks.
She leaned back in her chair, her expression obscured by her eyelashes, not particularly enthusiastic.
She could tell that Lu Xici still had no interest in her and wasn't particularly engaged in their conversation. Moreover, she seemed a bit absent-minded.
But anyway, Lu Xici is already divorced.
Ye Qiu comforted herself that she still had a chance.
Tonight, in this restaurant specializing in light dishes, there were still two people present.
Jun Youning took her sister who had been out of her wits for several days out to a restaurant to relax and happened to choose this restaurant.
After all, they had tangled with each other for eight years. Without a bit of fate, Lu Xici couldn't have the complicated relationship of marrying and divorcing someone like Jun Youyue, who lived in her own world.
When Lu Xici went to the restroom, she happened to run into Jun Youyue, who was also heading there.
Lu Xici recognized the person at first sight.
Seeing that familiar ponytail, willow-leaf-shaped eyes, and the perpetually icy expression, Lu Xici almost choked.
She had to catch her breath and quickly slipped into the adjacent cubicle.
Was Jun Youyue following her?
Lu Xici immediately dismissed this overly self-important possibility.
Not to mention that the bodyguards sent by the Lu family to Lu Xici cannot make low-level mistakes.
Jun Youyue probably didn't have the time or inclination for stalking activities like this.
It must be a coincidence.
Lu Xici breathed a sigh of relief, and pressed her heaving chest, trying to soothe her beating heart.
She had tried to avoid this encounter for so long, and now she had inevitably run into the last person she wanted to see. Was God playing a joke on her?
It's just... Lu Xici couldn't calm down.
Her rapid heartbeat stimulated the secretion of hormones, and as they coursed through her bloodstream, they brought back a flood of familiar emotions. It was as if they had broken free from their restraints and drenched her once more.
This is really disappointing.
Lu Xici pinched her waist.
Forget about that person. Coincidences happen at most once, and you won't encounter them again.
After a while, when she heard no more sounds from the restroom, Lu Xici gently opened the cubicle door.
To her surprise, she met Jun Youyue's eyes.