Chapter 16: Do you have someone you like?

"She's just a nobody trying to ride the coattails of someone else's fame. Does she really think she's something special?"

A disgruntled female voice rang out from the restroom.

"Teacher Wen hasn't denied it yet, so we should be careful."

"This is obviously fake. Aren't you familiar with this kind of trick?" The woman's voice became even more agitated after being reminded by her companion.

But her companion was still a little hesitant, "Maybe the two of them are flirting or something. Anyway, she doesn't affect us, so why don't we..."

"How can you be so cowardly? With her skills, it's obvious—"

"Bang--"

In the quiet restroom, a dull thud suddenly rang out.

A person slowly emerged from a restroom stall.

With long black hair and a fair complexion, she walked quietly toward the sink with her head down.

The woman's voice, which had just been rising, was suddenly silenced. The two women exchanged a glance, pursed their lips, and carefully took two steps back to make way for each other.

The sound of running water filled the air as the person stood calmly in front of the sink, their fingers interlaced as they carefully washed between them. They then leisurely pulled out a tissue and meticulously dried their hands.

Then, with a flick of the forearm—

Seeing her raise her hand, the girl next to her instinctively shrank her shoulders and backed away. The thick heel of her shoe stomped hard on her companion's toes.

In an instant, their faces displayed a variety of expressions.

Sheng Yi lifted her eyelids and glanced at the two people huddled in the corner.

The girl in front of her had curly hair and was anxiously watching her as she looked over. The girl behind her had a round face, and when she saw her looking over, she quickly lowered her eyelashes, shrank back, and wished she could wrap herself up in a ball.

Sheng Yi quickly equated the face in front of her with the owner of the two voices.

With a flick of the wrist, the white paper ball traced a beautiful arc in the air before landing steadily in the nearby trash can.

The two, who had been holding their breath, resumed breathing freely, and the only sound in the quiet space was their panting.

Sheng Yi seemed not to hear, lowered her eyes, and turned to walk out.

Just a second before she was about to disappear completely, the terrified curly-haired girl finally reacted, rushing forward to block the only exit.

"Wait!" Her angry eyes were fixed on Sheng Yi. "Did you hear that?"

"What?" Sheng Yi chose to play dumb.

"You heard me." The other person said firmly, repeating her conclusion.

When questioned repeatedly, Sheng Yi remained so calm that he seemed almost like a mannequin.

He looked even more cowardly than his companions.

The curly-haired girl sneered inwardly, all traces of hesitation vanishing from her mind. She crossed her arms, stood on tiptoe, and looked down at the person in front of her.

The situation instantly reversed. Amidst Sheng Yi's silence, the curly-haired girl became even more arrogant. "What, feeling guilty?"

"Pfft." Sheng Yi didn't want to laugh, but she couldn't help it.

The girl opposite her looked a few years younger than her, but she tried hard to put on a mature expression, raising her head high, as if that would make her words carry more weight.

She covered her mouth and apologized, then asked, "Is your neck tired?"

The girl with curly hair blushed instantly. "I'm asking you a question!"

While they were "friendly" interacting, the round-faced girl quietly sidled up to her companion, tugged at her arm, and suggested they stop for now. Unfortunately, her companion didn't appreciate it and insisted on getting to the bottom of it.

Sheng Yi put away her teasing expression, her pretty face filled with innocence and naivety. "If I were you, I wouldn't be so stupid."

The two were wearing T-shirts from the film crew, clearly indicating they were colleagues. She didn't know how she had offended them; if she remembered correctly, they had never even met.

However, there's no need for a reason when someone dislikes another person.

The woman who was so quiet just a moment ago suddenly launched into a sarcastic remark, her expression suggesting she was incredibly aggrieved. It was all so fake.

The curly-haired girl was taken aback by this sudden move, and with her neck stiffened, she wanted to retort.

Before I could even organize my thoughts, Sheng Yi's voice came firing off like a machine gun.

"Whether you heard it or not, who knows who you're talking about?"

Right, although the implication was obvious, they didn't name names. The round-faced girl glanced happily at her companion, but her companion didn't seem to receive her look.

"So what if it's true or false? He has so many scandals, who are you to talk to about them?"

"If it's true, and he's obsessed with me, and I cry to him about it, would you still have a place in this film crew?"

"If it's fake, how much good intention can someone who resorts to such unscrupulous means to gain attention and make headlines have?"

The curly-haired girl's face flushed red and then turned pale after hearing what she said, until she finally came to her senses.

Staring at Sheng Yi for a long time, he hesitated, still unwilling to give in, and asked, "Is it true or false?"

She's quite persistent. Sheng Yi glanced at her, smiled, and asked in return, "What do you think?"

The minor incident did not dampen Shengyi's good mood.

In another two or three days, her scenes will be completely finished.

She and Wu Simin had arranged to go for a stroll around the neighborhood after work today to see if they could buy some souvenirs for their friend.

Today's scene was very simple, with hardly any lines. She only needed to stand there and, at the right moment, put on a shy expression. Sheng Yi was happy to have an easy time.

When her maidservant reached marriageable age, the lady, being considerate, asked her if she was willing to marry. She firmly refused, but the lady, fearing it would delay her maidservant's marriage, suggested that she could first have a matchmaker made before making a decision.

What we're filming now is the scene of them looking at each other.

Everything went smoothly at first. After acting for a while, Sheng Yi had mastered the art of being a maid, knowing when to be obsequious and when to be respectful.

She stood at the side, behaving like a capable head maidservant to her mistress, listening to the lady and the visitor's casual conversation. After a few words, the topic subtly shifted to the other person's home.

Sheng Yi kept his eyes down, trying to remain calm and collected, like a wooden doll. But facing this situation for the first time, he couldn't stay completely composed.

She glanced at the person who approached, seemingly casually, and just then, the other person realized something and was secretly observing her.

Their eyes met, then quickly looked away. Sheng Yi blushed and stood to the side with her head down, not daring to look at the lady's teasing gaze.

Even with such a simple scene, Sheng Yi filmed three takes in a row.

"Card!"

"What are you doing? I want shyness! Shyness, do you understand?!"

"Look at your acting, I would have thought someone had done something to you."

After one or two attempts, the director finally couldn't resist speaking up.

Sheng Yi's ears, which had remained stubbornly red, instantly turned as red as a fiery sunset.

She obediently lowered her head and admitted her mistake, "I'm sorry, I understand."

The camera is ready again.

Their eyes met, then they looked away in unison. Sheng Yi lowered her head, recalling the eyes she had just seen.

"Card!"

"Don't think you can just slack off because you have a small role. Is there any difference between staring at him and staring at a wooden post? With a role like that, how could your wife dare to marry you off to him?"

The director already had a loud voice, and when he shouted like that, people around him looked over, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Sheng Yi stood in the crowd, surrounded by whispers.

"I thought the director would turn a blind eye."

"Don't you know the director's temper? People with connections never get away with it."

"I thought she was pretty good, but I didn't expect this, tsk tsk..."

"I could do it too, but I'd have to get plastic surgery first."

"Stop being sour grapes. You weren't saying that when they were doing a good job."

"We're just stating the facts. Anyway, it's her skill to get involved."

Sheng Yi knew that something was wrong with her.

She followed the script's description, raising her eyes and lowering her gaze, but she was merely imitating it.

She couldn't grasp the essence of it all.

She stood there with her head down, and the director was speechless.

Originally, she was a person recommended by his subordinates based on connections, and after spending time with her, he thought she genuinely wanted to achieve something. Little did he know, he had misjudged her.

If you think you can work in his film crew, you're mistaken.

"You can process this yourself." Before he could say anything more hurtful, he ran a hand through his hair, picked up his cigarette case, and walked out.

Sheng Yi stood helplessly in the room, listening to the teasing voices vying to enter her ears.

They meant no harm. She knew that she was only standing here because of her pitiful popularity.

It's just that I messed it up.

The surrounding chatter seemed to drown her out, and her thoughts drifted back to the moment she first stood on the film set.

That's true too.

In this scenario, effort is the least important thing.

She thought about it in a daze.

Suddenly, a pair of hands covered hers, and someone reached out and pulled her back.

"Madam." Sheng Yi suppressed the stinging tears welling up in her eyes, but couldn't stop the trembling in her mouth.

The female lead gently took her hand and patted it reassuringly.

"Don't be nervous or panicked. It's precisely in times like these that you need to stay calm."

Her voice was soft, and she looked around with her head held high, seemingly still the courageous matriarch in the drama.

She glanced at the crowd watching outside the door and whispered to Sheng Yi, "Only if you perform well can you tell them that you can do it."

Her sinking heart was gently caught, and Sheng Yi nodded hesitantly.

Changing the subject, the female lead asked about her relationship status.

Do you have someone you like?

The topic took a complete 180-degree turn, and Sheng Yi was stunned for a moment before she understood what she meant, "You mean..."

"Yes, just imagine him as the person you like. When you're with him, shyness is a natural feeling."

“But…” Sheng Yi wanted to say that she didn’t really like anything, but Yu Guangzhong noticed that the director was already walking this way.

The female lead seemed to know what she wanted to say and smiled, "Then think about the kind of man who makes your heart flutter, the kind of man who can make your heart race."

She leaned closer to Sheng Yi and whispered a few more words in her ear.

Sheng Yi looked up in alarm, then quickly lowered her head again, her flushed ears revealing the turmoil in her heart.

"Yes, yes, that's the feeling!" The director returned from his stroll and was surprised that Sheng Yi had grasped the concept so quickly.

He slapped his thigh and signaled the machine to get ready, "Quick, in the same state as before, do it again."

A note from the author:

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Long-awaited reunion / Long-planned

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Graduation, work, engagement, marriage—Tao Wan could see her life clearly at a glance.

Zhang He is a completely different person from her.

Until that night, she had a fight with her boyfriend, and by a twist of fate, cruelly destroyed this delicate flower.

She shook her leg and unilaterally broke off all contact with him.

When they met again, Zhang He was still the center of attention.

The boss, who was usually so arrogant, fawned over him, but he sat calmly at the head of the table and didn't even acknowledge her.

Tao Wan breathed a sigh of relief, packed up, and returned to her hometown.

But later... when he started clamoring to become her goddaughter's stepfather.

Tao Wan hesitated for two seconds, "Have you misunderstood something?"

The usually composed person suddenly changed their demeanor, saying, "What misunderstanding? Am I only fit to be your secret lover?"

#sc

#Text is tentative