Chapter 37: Back then, we were young.

This short film took Gu Lai a long time to make.

When the tablet suddenly ran out of battery and shut down, Gu Lai realized just how many times she had watched it. She was already in bed, so she had to get up to find the charger and switch to her fully charged phone to continue watching.

All these smooth movements were almost done without much thought, until Gu Lai turned on her phone screen and saw the clear "04:19" on it, at which point she suddenly came to her senses.

Gu Lai suddenly realized that her eyes were very sore.

But she didn't know the reason, whether it was the content of the video or the strain of using her eyes all night.

Gu Lai hesitated for less than a second before deciding not to sleep at all. Then, when she opened the chat and saw Jiang Yi's message, "Get some rest," it seemed to carry a deeper, more suggestive meaning.

Perhaps it was because she had seen the past in the video, but Gu Lai easily recalled her ignorant and naive past.

Once, when Jiang Yi and she parted ways, she posted on her WeChat Moments during a break from filming late at night. A few minutes later, Jiang Yi sent her a selfie with the caption, "I'm not asleep either."

Back then, this phrase wasn't as popular as it is now, and Gu Lai had no recollection of it. At the time, she wondered why Jiang Yi was suddenly speaking in such a literary style, but she was busy filming and forgot about it. It wasn't until later, while watching videos, that Gu Lai realized Jiang Yi was using a meme, and that it actually came from her junior high school Chinese textbook.

Gu Lai, who had never agreed with the statement that "nine out of ten artists are illiterate," felt a deep sense of inferiority because of Jiang Yi.

She had probably already started learning all sorts of things like a sponge around that time, but this matter still made her feel more pressured and depressed for a long time.

Gu Lai discovered that the gap between herself and Jiang Yi was not only in terms of money and career, but also in all aspects, which was predetermined from the moment they were born.

She wasn't saddened by her own ignorance—there are always things in the world she doesn't know—but by the immense gap between them that made her feel inferior.

If they spend more time together and the passion fades, and she becomes an ordinary woman with all the pathetic traits of middle-aged and elderly people, will a man as privileged as Jiang Yi still love her?

Her almost blind trust in Jiang Yi coexisted with her deep and persistent suspicion, until this tug-of-war finally exhausted her when Jiang Yi also began to silently test her.

Gu Lai didn't want to sink into a gloomy mood any longer. She stared blankly at the tulips bathed in moonlight by the window for a moment, then looked down and opened her WeChat Moments.

Jiang Yi seemed to be in a good mood. She even went to Verena in the evening and posted a rare selfie. She was wearing a floral suit, and the rows of houses behind her seemed to be painted in bright colors to match her. The photo was posted just a few minutes ago.

Gu Lai suppressed the urge to like and reply "Also not asleep," opened the camera, and took a selfie with her back to the moonlight.

She added a time watermark to the photo, blocked everyone including Jiang Yi, posted it on her WeChat Moments with location information, and took a screenshot of herself and Jiang Yi on the same screen.

"We are all here together," Gu Lai thought to herself and smiled quietly, though she couldn't show it to Jiang Yi.

Otherwise, Jiang Yi won't post anything interesting at night next time.

Hmph, that dictator.

Gu Lai opened the video again.

The video was quite long, nearly forty minutes, and consisted mainly of simple splicing, background music, and transitions. It was clear that Jiang Yi edited it himself. Moreover, the video could have been much shorter and more concise, but Gu Lai could immediately see the editor's hesitation. Many segments were allowed to take up too much time due to favoritism.

Gu Lai knew that playing with cameras was one of Jiang Yi's many hobbies, but Gu Lai did not expect that Jiang Yi had taken so many photos without knowing when, and had kept them in perfect condition all this time.

There are behind-the-scenes clips from her first film role, moments at award ceremonies, and concert performances, as well as some ordinary moments, such as the bewilderment of toothpaste falling off the toothbrush, the shyness of being suddenly kissed, and the hilarious and joyful conversations with Jiang Yi when she was in the mood for acting...

Gu Lai couldn't recall most of these things. In fact, if Jiang Yi hadn't taken the photos, she would have thought they were quite ordinary.

But now, as they are carefully collected, trimmed, and put together in this short film, Gu Lai suddenly feels that every bouquet of flowers she has admired and shared along the way has been silently collected for her by someone.

Gu Lai seemed to sense Jiang Yi's distant and long-lasting gaze behind her, and heard Jiang Yi whisper in her ear across time and space: "A Lai, look how cute you are."

Gu Lai paused the video, which then showed the interview from last year's ELEGANCE magazine. This single frame was used as a transition, lasting only a second, and featured only Jiang Yi's slender hand and the magazine pages.

Gu Lai clearly saw the line of text that the camera was focusing on:

"We've gone from getting to know each other to falling in love very quickly since we first met, and now it's been ten years."

After that interview, what followed was an argument and a cold war, right?

What were Jiang Yi's feelings while editing these videos?

While Gu Lai tossed and turned, Jiang Yi was on the phone and video chatting with different people. After hanging up the last call from the lawyer who stayed in Dingcheng, Jiang Yi calculated the time difference and then made a call that woke He Xiaoqing, who was fast asleep on the other side of the world.

He Xiaoqing yawned three times in one sentence: "Sister, my dear sister, it's only 6:30."

"Really? I forgot to factor in the time difference. I thought the nightlife was just beginning." Jiang Yi added politely, "Then I'll hang up and call you back later?"

"Never mind, never mind." He Xiaoqing rubbed her face, fully awake, and sighed. "What is it? Tell me."

Jiang Yi chuckled and didn't dwell on her choice of words: "I'll come visit the set in a few days, is that too much of a bother?"

"It's an honor to have such a distinguished guest here," He Xiaoqing said jokingly, then asked, "The road is quite roundabout, do you need me to give you a ride?"

"Need not."

"Oh, should I tell Sister Gu and ask her to help you persuade her to pick you up?"

"No, I know where you are, I can find you."

"Oh..." He Xiaoqing said with slight disappointment, "Then what's the point of this flower?"

Jiang Yi: "The significance lies in the fact that I sent flowers."

He Xiaoqing: "..."

Jiang Yi calmly regained control of the conversation: "There's something I want to ask you."

He Xiaoqing: "What?"

“I understand why A-Lai suddenly stopped acting in your movie,” Jiang Yi asked. “But what I’m curious about is why she agreed to be your assistant director? Does she want to switch to directing?”

He Xiaoqing hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Since you haven't pursued my overly rapid business risk-averse behavior, I'll give you a friendly reminder."

Jiang Yi hummed in agreement on the other end of the line, and He Xiaoqing said, "I suggest you go ask Sister Gu directly."

Jiang Yi wasn't angry; instead, he was surprised: "You actually know the reason?"

"I'm curious because you asked. As a director, I'm practically a colleague. I can tell whether an actor likes it or not and whether they're capable. Sister Gu is someone who likes it and is capable," He Xiaoqing chuckled. "Besides, Sister Gu is quite different from other artists, so of course I'm curious."

Jiang Yixin thought to herself, "I know more about this than you do." She replied casually, "Oh, so that's why she told you."

“Because that day…” He Xiaoqing almost swallowed, “No, you’re just trying to trick me into talking, right? Let me tell you, I got rid of this trick at Sister Gu’s place!”

Jiang Yi chuckled silently. She was in a good mood, and her recent tactic of adopting a submissive attitude had been working repeatedly, so she naturally said in a slightly aggrieved tone, "Okay, then I won't ask anymore."

He Xiaoqing felt a chill run down her spine and immediately said in a gentle tone, "Look, I really am suggesting that you ask Sister Gu directly. If you get the conclusion from me, you'll definitely give yourself away when you tell her."

She paused for a moment: "Besides, although Sister Gu is also a bit manipulative with me, you know, we two, we talk a lot about our private matters now. If I reveal everything to you now, then I won't be a sieve, I'll be a huge hole. What if she doesn't tell me anything next time?"

Jiang Yiqi asked, "When did you two become so close?"

As she said this, she had a very subtle feeling, but she couldn't remember why she felt it for a moment. The next moment, she was drawn to He Xiaoqing's voice.

“Just recently,” He Xiaoqing said smugly, “You don’t know, do you? When you have a common enemy, your relationship can progress by leaps and bounds, and that’s exactly what happened between me and Sister Gu.”

"..." Jiang Yi said, "A common enemy? Me?"

He Xiaoqing recalled the heartache of being ripped off by Jiang Yi, nodded vigorously at the phone, and then put the phone to her ear, regaining her usual nonchalant and carefree demeanor: "Hey, how could that be? I guess it's about that sophisticated egoist Tian Miao. Sister Gu was just indignant on my behalf."

Tian Miao.

The name of an old acquaintance suddenly cleaved through the confusion that had just occurred to Jiang Yi like a lightning bolt, and he suddenly understood why she felt something was strange.

Aside from Tan Junming, Zhou Shanshan, and Ai Lin, who are essentially employees, and considering friends like He Xiaoqing, whose relationship with Jiang Yi is the source of her affections, Gu Lai doesn't seem to have any particularly close acquaintances or old friends.

In fact, Jiang Yi had noticed it before and had asked Gu Lai about it in a roundabout way.

Gu Lai said she's lost touch with her school friends. Firstly, the years have passed and they haven't had any contact, so naturally, they've stopped interacting. Secondly, the gap between them is huge, so there's no point in trying to get along anymore. As for the friends she met after starting work, Gu Lai actually got together with Jiang Yi less than two years after entering the entertainment industry, and for various reasons, there's been some distance between her and the people she met through Jiang Yi.

Back then, Jiang Yi was young and felt she treated Gu Lai with utmost respect, both in public and in private. When Gu Lai said it was okay, she genuinely believed it was okay too. Looking back now, that "it's okay" attitude in her youth stemmed from Gu Lai giving her her wholehearted love and passion, but no one can maintain such a monotonous relationship.

Moreover, Gu Lai is not the kind of person who takes everything she gains in a relationship for granted. The fear and pessimism that are quietly growing in her heart, and the increasing silence and restraint, cannot be overcome by Jiang Yi's lighthearted thoughtfulness.

She is not the kind of person who grew up in that kind of family and rushed into the entertainment industry without leaving herself any way out. She is not the kind of person who agrees with the idea of ​​being an unsuitable match but chooses marriage because of love. She is also not the kind of person who lost her parents, whom she had already estranged from, after being all alone.

Jiang Yi was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had sighed.

Amidst the buzzing of the electric toothbrush, He Xiaoqing muttered, "Why are you sighing?"

He lamented that when he was young, he could talk a good game, but when it came to his own life, only so-called love could sustain him. He was all talk and no action.

But you can think about this yourself. If the atmosphere is right, you can express it tactfully to Alai. There's no need to say more to outsiders.

"I just read an email."

After Jiang Yi finished making excuses, she recalled Gu Lai's unintentional doubts about her romantic nature during their phone call earlier that day, and clicked her tongue softly.

She checked her schedule to see how many hours were left before her visit to the set, and casually remarked as if chatting with a friend, "I heard you recently changed your girlfriend. Is she some rich princess again? Did she pursue you or did you pursue her?"

————————

Thank you for the nutrient solution: VXXXG, irrigating with nutrient solution +18

Thanks to Sweetheart for throwing mines: M, 1 mine; Gongsong, 1 grenade.