Chapter 22: Match Or Not
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7288969
The next day, Lu Xici deliberately got up half an hour earlier than usual to avoid Lin Ni.
As a result, as soon as she opened the door, the other side seemed to sense something and opened the door.
Lu Xici frowned, then took a decisive step back and closed the door.
Lin Ni sighed.
Last night, she tossed and turned in bed and couldn't fall asleep until the middle of the night.
She only rested for two hours, during which she had recurring nightmares.
She dreamt that Lu Xici scolded her for being shameless and relentlessly pestering her.
She also dreamt that Lu Xici deleted her contact information, ending their friendship without saying goodbye.
As the quality of her rest was extremely poor, she decided to sit up and read, avoiding any further mentally affecting dreams.
She only opened the door upon hearing a movement.
After seeing Lu Xici, all the plans in her mind fell apart.
But before she could speak, she was left disappointed.
She didn't expect this reaction from Lu Xici.
The young girl was clearly startled by her and didn't want to see her.
Lin Ni felt some regret in her heart.
If she had known that her confession would have such a big impact on Lu Xici, she wouldn't have acted so impulsively.
If she could turn back time, she would surely restrain that impulse.
She should have stayed by Lu Xici's side, gradually getting closer to her, and creating some ambiguous situations.
Confession should be a sign of victory, not a call to attack.
Lu Xici is not even twenty-four yet, still young, not knowing how to deal with this situation normally.
While she, Lin Ni is already close to twenty-six, she should understand these principles and anticipate this situation.
In the end, it was Lu Xici's relentless probing that made Lin Ni lose her composure first.
Lin Ni sighed, unable to blame others, only blaming herself for being too impulsive.
She walked up to Lu Xici's door, and raised her hand, wanting to knock.
But in the end, she didn't knock.
Give her some time.
Lin Ni turned away.
The two of them still have scenes to act together today, she can't let this matter affect Lu Xici too much.
Lu Xici stayed in the room until the usual time to go out.
She completely avoided it subconsciously, those actions didn't go through any brain processing, all instinctual.
After calming down in the room, she realized how rude her actions just now were.
When she opened the door again to chase after her, Lin Ni's figure was long gone.
Probably around this time, Lu Xici received two messages.
One was from Lin Ni, roughly suggesting that she shouldn't dwell too much on last night's events and should focus on acting today.
The other was a greeting from Miss Shang.
Lu Xici's finger slid over the screen, brushing past two messages.
Compared to Lin Ni's seemingly calm conversation box, concealing a stormy dialogue, and the chat box with the unfamiliar Miss Shang, it could be considered a haven.
Lu Xici replied first to "Shang Shixu's" greeting.
Incidentally, she explained that she was about to start working and wouldn't be online in the morning, leaving a message if there were any concerns.
The other person replied immediately, and they exchanged a few more words.
Then she clicked on Lin Ni's chat box, eating breakfast while pondering how to reply to her.
Lu Xici's state today was split into two halves, one exceptionally excellent, the other utterly miserable.
As long as she wasn't facing Lin Ni, she could merge herself with Mingxi, portraying this character through her own experiences.
She could perfectly portray Mingxi, the character in screenwriter Jiang Minglu's heart, including the little habits one would have in their daily scientific research life.
For instance, the habitual pacing developed from walking back and forth in the cramped rental space for a long time.
While contemplating at the workplace, even if she didn't actually touch the office walls, she would unconsciously turn around.
For example, the bumps and knocks from not watching the path while walking, despite not having nearsightedness, she instinctively leans in to confirm details when looking at things.
For example, treating any article, even a humorous one sent by a marketing account, with a furrowed brow, repeatedly studying it.
Some of these details were portrayed based on Lu Xici's past observations of Jun Youyue.
Some were analyzed by Lu Xici before shooting, derived from character sketches, and even gathered from the university town.
Once in front of the camera, Lu Xici becomes Mingxi, never breaking character.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7288969
Even in the situation so greatly influenced by Jun Youyue's incident yesterday, she wouldn't act against the character.
But today, during the scenes with Lin Ni, Lu Xici repeatedly broke character three times.
The first time, she stumbled, took a step back, and unconsciously frowned.
The second time, during eye contact, she directly averted her head, avoiding it, lacking the firmness required for the leader of a modified human in her eyes.
The third time was when their bodies touched, Lu Xici swiftly dodged.
Cheng Yi noticed something amiss between the two.
However, the shooting process from yesterday had already fallen behind half a day, and she couldn't give both of them another day off.
"Take a five-minute break. Did you two have a disagreement?"
Cheng Yi was never a harsh director, and Lu Xici had a decent relationship with her personally.
The Lu family invested a considerable sum in this film, so she was more patient.
However, watering down the scenes was not an option. Even if she had to extend Lu Xici's schedule for another month, she needed to capture the best shots.
As for the other staff, Lu Xici had the backing of being a shareholder. Despite any dissatisfaction, thoughts of their salaries dissolved much of it.
Yet, someone observant noted the changes in Lin Ni and Lu Xici.
Thanks to the confidentiality requirement in the contract, otherwise, rumors about their disagreement would have spread across the internet the next day.
"It's my fault." Lin Ni apologized with folded hands, making an apologetic gesture towards Cheng Yi.
"Hurry up and adjust. Today, I plan to make up for the scenes we missed yesterday with two more shots." Cheng Yi waved her hand, ushering both of them away.
Coincidentally, Lu Xici intended to resolve the matter, and Lin Ni led her into her resting room.
"Sorry for affecting your work. Don't worry too much. Just treat me as usual during work hours." Lin Ni's attitude was very open, offering her an unopened bottle of mineral water.
Lin Ni even left two assistants in the corner of the resting room, intending to signal to Lu Xici that she wouldn't cross any boundaries.
Seeing Lin Ni's attitude, completely different from her forcefulness yesterday, Lu Xici's mood relaxed considerably.
"This is my fault. Bringing such matters into work shows my professional shortcomings that need improvement." Lu Xici took the bottle of water, even her posture relaxed, finally returning to the state of interaction she had with Lin Ni before.
Lin Ni joked around for a bit, her lips curved, but her eyes concealed many complex emotions.
Leaning against Lu Xici's back, she gazed at her with such concentration that her gaze seemed tangible, carrying weight but light and floating when it landed on Lu Xici, not wanting to disturb her.
She wanted to embrace her. Wanted to soothe the emotional scars and give her something better.
Unfortunately, at this stage, she had to retreat instead of advance and balance carefully.
Yesterday's events couldn't happen again.
Afterward, their relationship returned to stability for a few days.
The shooting proceeded in an orderly manner.
Lu Xici's life was mostly either acting or preparing for it, with Miss Shang in her phone being the only anomaly.
They conversed from zodiac signs to their approaches to life and then went on to discuss interests and hobbies.
Lu Xici was surprised to find that the person on the other side of the screen also liked light food, and wasn't fond of staring at their phone.
Both of them favored vibrant and multi-petaled flowers like roses and peonies. They occasionally watch movies in their free time.
They both enjoyed listening to pure music, particularly disliking overly noisy rock songs.
In terms of books, they both were passionate about detective novels.
They say if someone perfectly matches your preferences, it's likely a facade.
Lu Xici engaged in more probing conversations with a tentative attitude and discovered quite a few differences.
For instance, Miss Shang had a passion for fitness, enjoyed staying up late and dressed in a simple style.
This suited the image of a studious person quite well.
These differences only made Lu Xici feel that the person was more genuine and somewhat more affable. She didn't consider it as creating distance between them.
Lu Xici slowly sketched out in her mind an image of a woman busy with work, hence neglecting her attire, forced to stay up late, and needing to exercise for health.
But as she thought about it, the face of that person was replaced with the name Jun Youyue.
Thinking of that person, Lu Xici's heart skipped a beat.
She took several deep breaths in the room, forcing herself to calm down.
Even though they hadn't seen each other for weeks, that person should have been diluted and dispersed like a drawing on the beach by the tide.
Yet why was the image of that person still so vivid in her mind?
Vivid as if engraved into the marrow stone painting, unable to be worn away no matter how harsh the wind and rain.
Vivid to the point that Lu Xici began habitually missing her again.
Whether it was during interactions with "Shang Shixu" or the character habits of Mingxi in the show.
Throughout the filming of the entire show, Jun Youyue had never truly left Lu Xici's mind.
Lu Xici allowed herself to think of someone whom she couldn't see, who no longer needed to be seen, and felt that Shang Shixu was probably, truly a bit like Jun Youyue.
Thanks to Lu Xici's understanding of Jun Youyue mostly stemming from their high school days, Jun Youyue didn't give herself away.
Lu Xici also temporarily hadn't started to suspect Shang Shixu's true identity.
Back then, Jun Youyue equally loved every kind of plain, non-flowering plant.
She had no specific dietary requirements, and activities like listening to music, watching movies, or working out were impossible due to lack of time.
As time passed, many of Jun Youyue's habits were tinged with Lu Xici's colors.
Even unintentionally, Lu Xici had subtly influenced Jun Youyue during their three years of marriage.
And Jun Youyue had also impacted her in various ways, changing small habits in her life.
From food to hobbies.
For instance, Lu Xici hadn't realized that Jun Youyue's preference for vegetarian food was developed only after they got married.
Now, the two were separated by this unfamiliar wall of the internet, one side still concealing her identity.
When they discussed these matters, they discovered how alike they were.
Like twin sisters, intimate yet with unique and charming differences, slightly ambiguous due to the status of a prospective partner.
They were supposed to match each other.
There was also an interlude.
Lu Xici took time out to be a special guest on a variety show.
Throughout the makeup session, she held a red velvet box containing the plain ring she had worn for four years.
To wear it or not?
Her fingers caressed the smooth but slightly rough-edged lid of the box, and Lu Xici hesitated to reach a decision.
She had been too conspicuous before, hiding nothing about her marriage. The entire entertainment circle knew she was married.
Now, suddenly removing it might lead to speculation in her family first, and those pursuers she had rejected might start showing interest again.
But if she didn't remove it, did it mean she still left a space in her heart for "her"?
Moreover, what if Jun Youyue's identity got exposed? Would it affect her career?
“Teacher Lu, it's about to start," reminded her assistant arranged by the program, interrupting Lu Xici's thoughts.
"Coming." Lu Xici glanced and noticed a pair of red gloves on another dressing table.
It was winter, and her outfit matched well with the red gloves today. Also, their placement indicated they were prepared by the stylist for her use.
Most importantly, by wearing the gloves, it would be inconvenient to wear the ring, and she could avoid the dilemma of whether to wear it or not.
She took three steps at a time, took away the gloves, and quickly put them on.
Author's Note:
Even if she changes vest, and someone is pursuing her, Lu Xici still likes Jun Youyue."
They were supposed to be a match, so if you blame them, blame the author for causing trouble (eye shift)
Let’s talk about the update time~ To keep up with the metaphysics charts*, I changed it fifty minutes earlier. It should be updated at 8:00 in the future.
*Jinjiang’s “metaphysics” means that Jinjiang’s new authors or contracted authors use certain strategies or operations to enable their works to be seen by more people on the tag list, "engaging in metaphysics" is a strategy adopted by Jinjiang authors to increase the exposure of their works, but whether they can be successfully listed mainly depends on the quality and luck of the work itself.