Chapter 75: Original Version

Deleted/Changes are on green text

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On a moonless night, the streetlights look extremely bright. The dim yellow light shrouds the thin strands of rain.  Every flicker of the dim light and shadow is like the night opening its eyes quietly.

There is not a trace of light in the high-rise buildings, and the hustle and bustle are cut off from the view above. In the deep, despairing silence, it's like an invisible hand choking in the profound darkness. Only the faint sound of breathing can bring a glimmer of life back.

After a long silence, Qu Xizhi lifted Gu Xizhi's chin to make her look at her.

"Tell me, why did you come back to China?"

In the darkness, the figure of the other person is not clear, and Gu Xizhi only looks at those bright eyes. Her voice trembles a bit due to tears, "To act in this movie."

"If there wasn't this movie, would you never have come back?"

"I knew there would always be a suitable movie."

"Besides career, is there no place left for feelings in your heart?"

"Love for parents, relatives, friends. I want to make my love more meaningful and hope I will be more worthy of being loved."

"So." Her voice is somewhat self-deprecating. "My name has never appeared in your purpose of returning to the country, you never thought of getting back together, even if there was no Ara at all, was there?"

The sound of rain hitting the south window became clearer due to the long silence. Qu Xizhi closed her eyes, was quiet for a while, and suddenly kissed her almost crazily again.

Tears seemed uncontrollable, and in no time, her entire face was soaked. Between the kisses, a bitter taste gradually appeared, and Qu Xizhi abruptly left her.

The scorching skin, once touched by the air, immediately turned cold. The rustling sound of fabric friction and light footsteps in the darkness painted a picture of departure.

"There's one thing I've always forgotten to tell you." After the door opened, a bright light streamed in. Qu Xizhi paused before leaving. "The time you lost to Yin Ci, the judges gave a score of seven to six. Yin Ci's seventh vote came from Danish director Thomas Nielsen. He insisted on voting for you before the awards ceremony, but he left for a long time during the event, and when he came back, he denied his vote."

She gazed at the richly colored carpet in the living room, paused for a moment, and then said, "What you wanted, you actually had it a long time ago, but what we truly desired might have been crushed by us together."

Her figure was half in the light, half in the darkness. In the half-light and half-shadow, her upright posture seemed to be surrounded by a layer of mysterious light, like a goddess from ancient Greek mythology holding a scepter.

Gu Xizhi closed her eyes, and tears had already moistened half of the pillow.

The next day was a weekend, and early in the morning, Gu Xizhi was awakened by the sensation of her face being wet and sticky. She opened her eyes to find Qiqi walking around on her bed, and she immediately sat up from the bed in shock.

Liang Ying, who was sitting by the bed and gazing at her, saw her open her eyes. She lifted her chin with both hands and said, "My dear Xiao Gu, you look so beautiful."

Gu Xizhi had just woken up and was noticeably bewildered to see Liang Ying there. She pushed the dog beside her off the bed and asked, "Why are you here? Did it take a bath?"

Liang Ying sighed and stood up from the bed. "You look even more beautiful when you're asleep."

Gu Xizhi couldn't be bothered to deal with her and got out of bed. She put on a coat and then turned to ask, "Did your Mom and Dad go on another business trip?"

"Who else would be so carefree?"

"Can't you talk properly?" Gu Xizhi finished getting dressed and went to open the door. "Did you come alone?"

"Xiao Tang is accompanying me. He's waiting in the dining area downstairs."

Gu Xizhi paused while opening the door, "Why is he free?"

"When he heard you're living with Xiao A'Qu, he voluntarily came to visit."

Gu Xizhi looked at her and saw that she didn't look like she was lying. She opened the door and walked to the bathroom.

Qu Xizhi had already gotten up at seven o'clock in the morning. Gu Xizhi saw her using the restroom as she was going to the balcony to water the flowers. As she glanced past the restroom, her footsteps stopped for a moment. At the moment of confusion, Liang Ying, who had just left the bedroom, let out a startled scream, "Xiao A'Qu, what have you been eating that's making you vomit like this?"

Qu Xizhi turned on the faucet and wiped her hands with a wet cloth. When she turned around, she no longer appeared to be experiencing any discomfort. "It's nothing, I'm in a hurry, so I'll leave now."

Liang Ying tilted her head, touching her chin, and looked at Qu Xizhi with a cold and indifferent expression. She then glanced at Gu Xizhi, who was calmly watering the plants on the balcony. She wrinkled her nose and hummed.

Tang Yu, who had recently managed to take a rare break, had breakfast with Gu Xizhi in the morning and then promptly took her to the film set. At six o'clock in the evening, he arrived at the film set again to pick her up.

Liang Ying had obviously had a very enjoyable day with Tang Yu, and when she entered the film set in the evening, she was happily calling every one "sister." After receiving a lot of praise, she happily ran back to Gu Xizhi, who was removing her makeup.

"Hey, they said I'm very cute."

"That's because your Mom has good luck."

Liang Ying frowned unhappily and held the dog in her arms, warning, "Be careful I might throw away Xuxu."

Gu Xizhi ignored her, but Qiqi, who seemed to be scared of this posture, struggled and suddenly broke free, jumping onto the dressing table.

The actress in the same makeup room as Gu Xizhi originally had a sense of avoidance when she saw Liang Ying approaching. Now, with Qiqi jumping in front of her, she almost immediately jumped up from her seat and even knocked over the makeup tools in the makeup artist's hands.

With this sudden commotion, Gu Xizhi inexplicably looked at the actress. The actress was quite efficient and immediately said to Liang Ying, "Take it back."

Liang Ying looked at her scared look, hugged the dog over without saying a word, blinked her eyes, and looked very apologetic, "I'm sorry, sister, I didn't expect it to jump out."

The actress seemed to still be slightly shaken, casually waving her hand before leaving the makeup room.

After she left, Gu Xizhi asked inexplicably, "What happened to her?"

"It seems like she's allergic to animal fur," Liang Ying said indifferently. "Xiao A'Zhong is the same."

Gu Xizhi nodded, and after a while, she seemed to remember something. "Are you talking about Zhong Linshan?"

"Mm-mm." Liang Ying hummed carelessly and urged, "Hurry up, Big Brother Tang is still waiting outside."

Gu Xizhi appeared lost in thought and gazed at her for a long time without moving her eyes away. In the end, the makeup artist simply continued to remove her makeup in Liang Ying's direction.

It had been a while since they finished shooting. Most of the cast and crew had left, and because it was raining, some actors were waiting for assistants to bring umbrellas. When Gu Xizhi left, Ling Xian just held an umbrella for Qu Xizhi to get into the car. It was drizzling outside, and when Ling Xian saw Gu Xizhi she casually said, "Miss Gu, there's another umbrella here. You can take it."

"No need, Brother Tang will be here soon." Liang Ying immediately replied to Ling Xian with sparkling eyes.

As she spoke, Tang Yu really walked over with a black long-handled umbrella. Ling Xian looked at Tang Yu, then at Gu Xizhi, and with a smile, she held an umbrella for Qu Xizhi.

Raindrops falling on leaves made a shushing sound. They quickly disappeared into the rain curtain. Gu Xizhi gazed for a while, then said to Tang Yu, "Let's go."

Sometimes it’s strange how you hated a certain food before, at a specific moment, you suddenly become obsessed with its taste.

For Gu Xizhi, although alcohol is far from being a fascination for her, it is definitely a huge leap to be able to go from disgust to reluctant acceptance, and her body can now tolerate it.

After dinner, Gu Xizhi returned to her hotel room a little tipsy. Tang Yu walked her to her door and then left. On the way, they ran into some people she knew, and most of them gave them ambiguous looks.

There are many rumors in the entertainment industry, but Gu Xizhi has long ignored them.

After saying a few words of farewell to Tang Yu, Gu Xizhi slowly took out the key and opened the door after he left. There are no lights on in the living room, only the light from the LED TV lights up the entire space. After Gu Xizhi turned on the light, she found Qu Xizhi half-lying on the sofa watching TV. Then she turned off one of the lights to dim the room.

After opening the bedroom door, taking a shower, doing some laundry, and returning to the bedroom, Gu Xizhi remained calm throughout these tasks. Qu Xizhi had been quietly watching the same show in the living room. If you didn't look closely, it might seem like she had already fallen asleep on the sofa.

It took Gu Xizhi a full two hours from returning to the hotel to finishing blow-drying her hair. After turning off the light in the bathroom, Gu Xizhi looked at Qu Xizhi on the sofa, seemingly out of politeness and perhaps for reasons she didn't fully understand. She only turned away after opening the bedroom door and said, "Goodnight"

Qu Xizhi was still sitting on the sofa watching TV with an expressionless face as if the entire room had become motionless and dim. Even her gaze seemed somewhat delayed within the still and darkened ambiance.

She slowly raised her head to look at Gu Xizhi, yet not a single word escaped her lips. She simply gazed at her for a long while, emotions hidden beneath the thickness of her eyelashes.

"We have to film tomorrow morning, so go to bed early."

Gu Xizhi dropped these words and looked away.

The door lock clicked, and once again the only sound in the living room was the chatter of the host on the TV.

The weather forecast said it would rain for a week, but the rain for two days and two nights had paralyzed the city's traffic several times.

After closing the window, the room was noticeably quieter. Gu Xizhi lay down on the bed, tossing and turning for a long time, but seemed to be unable to sleep due to alcohol.

Although the sound of the TV in the living room is very low, it is still very clear at midnight where you can hear the drop of a needle. After turning over again, Gu Xizhi touched her phone and saw that the time clearly showed midnight.

People with insomnia always long for drowsiness. Gu Xizhi turned on the light and picked up her French textbook, hoping to recapture the feeling of getting drowsy after reading just one page. However, as time passed and she read more, she found herself becoming more awake.

When your mind is preoccupied with something, it can become difficult to sleep. Despite trying various methods to induce drowsiness, it proved futile. Gu Xizhi eventually turned off the light and listened quietly to the sound of rain outside.

Women often love to daydream about romantic and unrelated things during midnight reveries. They might imagine receiving a bouquet and a diamond ring from someone tomorrow, or that the person they like might also like them. They might even think of the one they loved who, even after many years, still viewed them as the only steadfast choice.

Thinking too much usually results in just a sigh.

Gu Xizhi's gradually calming thoughts led to her closing her eyes, appearing as if she had fallen asleep.

Thunder rumbled outside, and the sudden heavy rain and dazzling lightning seemed to herald some change in the world. Although she was in a high-rise building, the shaking of items in the room momentarily confused Gu Xizhi.

During her two years in Japan, she had experienced three earthquakes. Although her awareness of preparedness was strong, those around her were often injured. So, her vigilance toward such disasters had reached an unprecedented height. Therefore, when she sensed signs of the floor swaying, she immediately got up, put on her clothes, and opened the door.

The living room was still the same as it was before she entered the bedroom, except that Qu Xizhi was leaning on the sofa with her eyes slightly closed, no way to tell whether she was asleep or not.

The floor was still shaking a little, but Gu Xizhi didn't care much. After turning on the light, she immediately walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder, "Qu Xizhi, it seems there's an earthquake. Follow me quickly."

When she opened her eyes, Gu Xizhi realized that her eyes were still calm and clear, but not much better than the dullness before. Gu Xizhi didn't have time to explain more to her, so she took her hand and said, "No matter what you're thinking, let's go right now."

During the escape route, Gu Xizhi kept knocking on doors on the same floor to alert everyone. Since it was midnight, many were already asleep, so the process of waking them was especially slow. The two buildings had sixteen floors each, and as she was in the middle of calling out to residents, Gu Xizhi told Qu Xizhi, "Go down first, don't take the elevator. I'll go call Lili."

Qu Xizhi, who seemed to have finally regained consciousness, heard her words and simply said, "Go call her, I'll go downstairs now," without looking back.

After the previous door-knocking reminders, more and more rooms on the floor were being opened, and the building continued to sway. Everyone quickly realized that something was happening and began evacuating.

Gu Xizhi watched Qu Xizhi's retreating figure, felt the ground shaking beneath her feet, and couldn't help but run after her, grabbing her hand and saying, "Come with us, let's go together."

On the thirteenth floor, just as she had descended the stairs, she bumped into Lili. Without thinking, Gu Xizhi grabbed her hand, and they ran down together.

Because it was raining outside, the people escaping from the disaster outside the hotel looked in a panic. Although there was no large-scale shaking, the occasional vibrations on the ground still made everyone feel particularly uneasy.

Qu Xizhi, who had left in a hurry and didn't have time to put on a coat, was almost soaked by the rain.

With limited open space around, everyone scrambled to find cover. Gu Xizhi took off her coat and draped it over Qu Xizhi's shoulders, saying, "Go and find shelter for a moment. I'll be right back. Stand here and don't move."

As more people struggled to escape the hotel, only a few rushed back inside. Gu Xizhi hastily grabbed some bedsheets and towels from a ground-floor guest room and ran back. The constant trembling ground made everyone too preoccupied to pay attention to her passing by.

When Gu Xizhi returned to the spot, there were many cast and crew members gathered around. The glamorous female celebrities, who were usually boasting their beauty, had now become ordinary people. Only Qu Xizhi stood straight in the face of the storm as if she were an unwavering machine.

Gu Xizhi used a bedsheet to shield her from the wind and rain. She looked at Qu Xizhi's profile and said, "If the earthquake's intensity doesn't increase significantly later, go home. That kind of villa is the safest."

Qu Xizhi looked back at her sideways but said nothing.

The shaking continued for nearly half an hour, and those with phones began to see news reports of the earthquake. Meanwhile, the dire situation at the epicenter made even more people choose to shiver in the wind and rain rather than return to the high floors of the hotel.

At this rate, they would spend the whole night in the wind and rain. After waiting for half an hour and wiping the rain off her face, Gu Xizhi held up the bedsheet and said to Qu Xizhi, "Go home. It's relatively close to here, a maximum of a twenty-minute walk. Besides, your mom would worry if you stayed here."

Ling Xian, who had already come down, also persuaded, "Yes, Xiao Qu, go home quickly, the environment here is too bad."

Qu Xizhi raised her head, gazing into the endless darkness, and after some thought, she turned to Gu Xizhi and said, "Can you accompany me?"

Gu Xizhi was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly.

Although the tremors on the ground have temporarily stopped, the possibility of more earthquakes at any moment made Gu Xizhi accompany Qu Xizhi while avoiding the buildings along the road. 

The disaster had made the normally deserted streets no longer seem so desolate. Gu Xizhi accompanied Qu Xizhi to the end of the road, where a turn left would lead to an open space.

Standing at the crossroads, Gu Xizhi watched the greenery on both sides of the road, and when Qu Xizhi, who had been a couple of steps ahead, finally stopped, Gu Xizhi said, "I'll stop here. Be careful and remember to wear warm clothes when you get back."

The streetlight stretched their silhouettes. Qu Xizhi remained in place, quietly listening to Gu Xizhi's words, and finally said, "Okay."

"Mm." Gu Xizhi lowered her head, watching her shadow, and after a moment's thought, it seemed there was nothing more to say so she turned around slowly.

The large raindrops hurt her skin. Gu Xizhi turned around, lowered her head, and stepped on her own shadow. Her eyes did not show the fear of disaster but were very calm.

Many times, people learned to survive through pain, and it could make them feel numb.

Their lonely shadows on the wet ground seemed to imprint deeper, two figures moving in opposite directions.

Another shadow staggered through the rain. Gu Xizhi abruptly halted her steps, raising her head to look at the distant, blurry lights.

Qu Xizhi wrapped her arms around Gu Xizhi's waist, her head resting in the crook of her shoulder. It was as if she had suddenly changed, and the embrace felt particularly tender and cautious.

"There's really no other way," she tightened her grip, her voice sounding fragile as if it had been cleansed by the wind and rain. "Let's go back, okay?"