Chapter 14 Staring with eyes covered in tears...
A dozen minutes later.
Jiang Shiyan hooked the curtain with his finger and pulled it to the side, letting sunlight stream into the tent. At first glance, he could only see Xu Yuewei sitting upright with her head down, seemingly lost in thought.
She's the first person to sit so upright on a beach chair.
Jiang Shiyan paused for a moment, then slowly walked in.
Even though he was a big guy, he was still very noticeable despite his quiet movements. It took Xu Yuewei a long time before she slowly raised her eyes to look at him.
Jiang Shiyan pursed his lips slightly without even realizing it, and asked, trying to make conversation, "Meng Jiao went out?"
Otherwise, what, would a living person turn into a ghost?
Xu Yuewei really wanted to retort, but she just nodded: "She said she wanted to go back to the nanny van to catch up on some sleep."
The implication is that you can go there to find her.
But Jiang Shiyan ignored him, glanced to the side and saw a cabinet-like object about half a person's height, covered with a black cloth. He walked over and sat on it, his legs casually spread apart, one hand resting on the edge, his fingertips tapping in a certain rhythm.
"I heard that lunch will be braised fish fillets and stir-fried pork with celery."
Unexpectedly, the first thing he said when they were alone was this. Xu Yuewei was stunned for a moment: "...Oh."
Speaking of being alone, I can't help but recall our unpleasant parting last time.
Their breathing became heavier, and even in the not-so-large space, the diagonal distance seemed ambiguous.
Xu Yuewei lowered her head and pretended to close her eyes to rest, but she couldn't really hold it in. Half a minute later, she carefully raised her eyes and met the man's blatant gaze.
She forced herself not to look away, only her trembling eyelashes betraying the lingering effects of her loss of composure; she couldn't control herself.
Aren't you going to go find her?
At that moment, Jiang Shiyan seemed to choke, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
The man looked away first; the draped, collarless wool coat he was sitting in had uneven creases from his hunched posture. He straightened up, patted his coat, and gave an irrelevant answer:
"The stagehands are about to start collecting the boxed lunches, go get them as soon as possible."
Xu Yuewei then realized that he was trying to get rid of her.
A wave of shame washed over her, as if an invisible hand was tugging at her corset, her internal organs squeezing her, with her stomach ultimately bearing the brunt of the pain.
I feel nauseous.
Xu Yuewei lifted the hem of her costume, holding the fabric in one hand, revealing her long, straight legs under her tight pants, which looked ridiculous and out of place with the outfit.
She looked down at her pant leg, and before leaving, she smiled and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Teacher Jiang."
The camera didn't need to show anything above the neck for the hand double. Xu Yuewei's light brown curly hair was meticulously combed up and coiled into a bun at the back of her head. The stylist used a long hairpin as decoration.
The collision of the old and the new creates a unique aesthetic that unconsciously attracts people's attention.
Jiang Shiyan shifted his gaze horizontally, staring at the corner of the tent where miscellaneous items were piled up at the deepest part.
After a while, he unlocked his phone screen, picked out a few messages that needed replying, and then switched screens to make a phone call.
He held his hand to his ear, waiting for the call to connect, a hint of impatience in his expression.
After five beeps, he noticed movement at the tent entrance, turned his head to look, and then hung up the phone.
Meng Jiao poked her head in, her big eyes darting around: "Oh dear, why did she leave?"
Jiang Shiyan wasn't surprised by her return: "Hmm."
Disappointed at missing out on the excitement, Meng Jiao pouted and slipped in first, her gossip-loving nature evident: "Did you introduce her?"
Jiang Shiyan hummed in response, and under her eager gaze, awkwardly added, "How did you know?"
Meng Jiao snorted: "I don't have the ability to make you do the honor of visiting the set. You're just using me as a cover, aren't you?"
As she spoke, she went to sit on the recliner, mindful of her headdress, wanting to lie down but not daring to, her neck strangely stiff, and continued her incessant chatter:
"Besides, today isn't a holiday, nor is it your mother's birthday, so I don't need to call and wish her a happy birthday..."
Meng Jiao remembered that when she brought a large sum of money to him to discuss forming a CP (couple pairing), Jiang Shiyan unexpectedly agreed very readily.
When asked why, he said it was a win-win-win situation for him: besides warding off unwanted suitors, it could also keep it from his mother, saving him from being introduced to potential partners every now and then.
Jiang Shiyan's mother, Ms. Gu, met her same-sex soulmate when she was forty years old. In pursuit of freedom, she "abandoned her husband and children," but not completely, because she really wanted to hold her grandchildren. She lived a life that was both unrestrained and feudal, which was particularly torturous.
After his father divorced, he let himself go and had affairs. Whether it was a genetic mutation where two negatives make a positive, or because of growing up in this kind of family environment, he is actually very persistent in relationships.
These two have been estranged for life, to the point that they wouldn't even attend each other's funerals. There's no need to worry about the elders spreading the news that they are imposters.
As for Meng Jiao herself...
Her real boyfriend is Zhou Weinian, the eldest son of the Jia Huan Group. Her agency belongs to the Zhou family. If their relationship is exposed, it's not hard to imagine how maliciously it will be interpreted.
All her efforts will be seen as romantic entanglements, and her various fashion resources and film contracts will certainly be attributed to her sleeping with men.
It doesn't affect men, but it's very unfair to her, though it's something she can't do in the current situation.
So she came up with the idea of using a fake relationship to cover up her real one. In the entertainment industry, the person she trusted most was this friend she had known before entering the industry. In addition, they hardly had any interaction at work, so she didn't need the other person to cooperate with her acting skills.
After a brief moment of recollection, Meng Jiao suddenly stopped speaking, leaned against the armrest, crossed her legs, and adopted a gossipy expression:
"By the way, what's your third sculptor? Could it be... related to her?"
She wasn't sure what exactly happened between the two of them back then, but it's human nature to be jealous of an ex doing well. Coupled with the hand double incident earlier, her brain, honed by countless melodramatic stories, automatically filled in the logical connections, and she couldn't help but frown.
"Although, you're a man, how can you be so petty? Just to mess with someone, you deliberately caused trouble for the crew, isn't that going too far?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiyan finally looked at her properly, raising an eyebrow: "Prank? You think so too?"
Meng Jiao rolled her eyes: "If you really agreed with Director Zhang on the replacement candidate, how could the second mate possibly let his relative slip in? How dare he go against you, the investor?"
But when she met his serious gaze, Meng Jiao was at a loss: "You really didn't do it on purpose?"
Jiang Shiyan let out a deep breath, walked over and pulled the beach chair that Xu Yuewei had just sat on, placed it across Meng Jiao, sat down sideways, rested his elbows on his knees, his fingertips touching each other and slightly touching his lower lip. Even when asking for a favor, he couldn't hide his aura.
As Meng Jiao felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, Jiang Shiyan spoke up somewhat reluctantly: "When you're filming this afternoon, could you please take care of me...?"
He paused, then changed his words, "Just make sure no one bullies her."
Meng Jiao's eyes seemed to say, "Aren't you bullying others yourself?" Only her eyes could speak volumes at times like this.
Jiang Shiyan's arms, having lost their grip, hung naturally between his spread legs, his cheeks slightly puffed out, looking as if he was struggling to hold it in.
Just now, outside the tent, Producer Chang, under his intimidation, disturbed Director Zhang, who was busy with his work.
Jiang Shiyan gave the instructions directly to Director Zhang, but Director Zhang didn't tell anyone else because it was a very minor matter to him.
The promise to "tell her to come directly to me when she arrives" was unfortunately taken advantage of during the gap when he was not on set.
The staff were simply looking for a replacement, and the second mate took the opportunity to insert someone else. How can this be criticized?
After Jiang Shiyan finished explaining in a few words, Meng Jiao said indifferently, "Then go explain to her."
Jiang Shiyan stared at her intently, his face expressionless.
Meng Jiao realized what was happening and laughed exaggeratedly several times: "You can tell her we're fake, she should be able to keep the secret, right?"
Jiang Shiyan did not respond, lowered his eyelids, and thought of his third carving.
He wanted to make her misunderstand in order to feel better.
Therefore, it cannot be said yet.
After leaving the tent, Jiang Shiyan found a spot, lit a cigarette, but didn't smoke it. He held it between his fingers, waiting for the butt to burn long before gently shaking it, and the ash fell to the ground.
He stared at the distant, rolling mountains, and the images of her leaving him twice flashed through his mind.
On that rainy night last time, after he said those hurtful words to drive her away, she didn't hesitate for a moment and rushed into the rain without looking back.
That's incredibly stupid; they didn't even know to unlock the car in a dry, indoor environment first.
In the few seconds she stood in the rain searching for her keys, the rain relentlessly poured down on her head.
Those few seconds weren't even enough for him to take off his clothes, run over, and cover her head with them.
Watching her taillights drive away through the window, Jiang Shiyan suddenly woke up from his dream, shook his head, and laughed at himself for being so soft-hearted.
He set aside his complicated feelings that day, letting them linger and seep into the soil of the misty bridge with the rain, and now they have turned into the tips of wild grasses brushing against his trouser legs.
The cigarette butt almost burned my hand when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
He stubbed out his cigarette, didn't see a trash can, temporarily threw it back into the cigarette pack, and took out his phone.
The message comes from Meng Jiao:
"Hey, here's some inside information. My assistant said she saw her leave the tent and not go to line up for food. My portion is untouched. You can warm it up with a hand warmer. Don't feel bad, I have a homemade bento box from my husband ^^"
*
From the moment she left the tent, Xu Yuewei's right eyelid kept twitching.
She doesn't believe that a twitching left eye means good fortune and a twitching right eye means bad luck, because she never actually got rich when her left eye twitched.
The area where she was picking up her lunchbox was crowded and easy to spot, but her steps were halted by nausea and the cramped feeling of the crowd, and she eventually changed her route.
Just then, a sudden impact from behind caused her to stumble. Her first instinct was to check if her costume had been dirtied before she could use her right hand to cover the outside of her left arm, which had been hit by the impact, and glance at the person who had bumped into her.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
A boy with bangs covering his eyebrows, who looked to be around twenty years old, had his backpack slung over one shoulder and walked in a hurry with an apologetic expression.
“It’s okay,” she said.
But the boy didn't leave. His eyes widened instantly, his face full of surprise, before he returned to normal just before it started to look fake.
He gave a slight bow and ran off. The whole process took only a few seconds, and Xu Yuewei didn't take it to heart, assuming that he had mistaken her for an important actor.
Little did she know that after apologizing and leaving, the boy couldn't help but turn back to look at her back, take out his phone, and secretly take a picture.
The boy unlocked his phone, sent the photo to someone, and then pressed and held the screen to send a voice message:
"I think I just saw your sister. Why didn't you tell me she was in this production crew? Or am I mistaken? She really looks like her!"
After the message was sent, the other end replied instantly: "Who? Who did you see?"
Xu Yuewei was completely unaware of this; she only secretly hoped that she would never encounter her imposter "brother" again.
She looked at the handymen, some with portable folding stools and others sitting casually on the ground, and regretted not searching for posts about working on film sets before coming.
She rummaged through her handbag and found only her phone, power bank, tissues, a bottle of water, and some bread from a convenience store. That was her lunch.
Unable to find a place to sit and afraid of getting her costume dirty and having to pay for it, she stood under a tree, leaning against the trunk for a little bit of security.
I held the serrated edges of the packaging with both hands and tried to tear it open from both sides, but I just couldn't.
"Hello."
She kept her eyes focused on what was in front of her until the person who approached her spoke, at which point she noticed them and was startled.
The smooth plastic film inside the packaging has little friction and cannot hold the bread, which is pulled by gravity.
If no one else were around, she might pick up the bread in five seconds, peel off the dirty side, and eat it as quickly as possible.
But there are no "what ifs." Xu Yuewei could only squat down, pick up the bread, stuff it back into the bag like trash, and ask with a smile, "Is there something you need?"
The visitor glanced apologetically at her bread and said to her:
"I am Meng Jiao's assistant. She asked me to tell you that you can rest in her nanny van for a while."
Xu Yuewei waved her hand and said no need.
The assistant then advised, "It's warm in the car. She's already gone to prepare for filming, so there's no point in turning on the air conditioning."
Although it was noon, the temperature at Wuqiao Bridge plummeted like a bungee jump after that autumn rain that night.
Xu Yuewei's coat was left in the changing room. The thin sweater under her costume wasn't very warm, and after hearing that, she did feel a bit cold.
She had many things on her mind, but her physical needs ultimately prevailed. Besides, if Jiang Shiyan were in the car, Meng Jiao would definitely not let her go with him. On the contrary, the probability of running into him there was very low.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuewei stopped being coy, said thank you, and asked her assistant to lead the way.
Meng Jiao's nanny van was parked behind a low building whose purpose was unknown. It was a light gray color, slightly lighter than the cement road, and the windows seemed to be covered by curtains, so you couldn't see inside from the outside.
The automatic door slowly opened, and Xu Yuewei was suddenly stunned.
Behind the door, midday sunlight streamed into the sun-blocked car. Jiang Shiyan leaned back slightly in his seat, his long, slender hands clasped together at his waist. The moment he saw her, his eyelashes fluttered, and he looked at her again.
It is said that peach blossom eyes are very alluring, and Xu Yuewei often thought so too, but this glance was not like that. This glance swept by lightly, like a swallow returning to spring.
Xu Yuewei's eyelids stopped twitching without her realizing it, and instead, her eyes felt sore and sore.
Now, she was 100% certain that these two people were just playing tricks on her in various ways.
She didn't say anything and turned to leave, but someone grabbed her wrist from behind.
His hands were so hard, like handcuffs gripping her wrists. The more she tried to break free, the tighter he held on.
She stopped struggling, turned around, and glared at him with her tear-filled eyes.
Her vision was blurry, and she couldn't see his expression.
I could only feel the hand holding her getting weaker and weaker, and finally, as if admitting defeat, it let go.
A note from the author:
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The next chapter will be available for purchase. Thank you for supporting the official version, and I hope you enjoy this bittersweet story.
Please add next summer's story to your reading list! [heart][kiss]
"Kiss Me, Sweetheart"
[Childhood sweethearts | Cold-faced male lead secretly in love | Cool guy and sweet girl | Borrowing a place | Multiple kissing scenes]
Li Qianyi's online romance failed when she met her boyfriend in person, and she also missed the last high-speed train home.
Fearing her parents would misunderstand and think she had spent the night with a male online friend, she reluctantly contacted her childhood sweetheart, with whom she was still in a cold war.
Her childhood sweetheart, He Jiashu, was two years older than her. He was handsome and mature, and therefore trusted Li Qianyi's parents. Whenever she lied, she would always use him as a cover.
But this time, she didn't get her wish.
Ninety kilometers, a two-hour journey, He Jiashu took a taxi directly over.
Upon meeting and confirming her safety, He Jiashu confiscated the handmade gift she had brought for the male online friend, his smile chilling:
"Li Qianyi, you've really made something of yourself."
Li Qianyi cowered and squatted down, covering her head.
That evening, Li Qianyi was completely led by the nose by him, deciding which restaurant to eat at, what dishes to order, and which hotel to stay at. He held her wrist with a fierce grip, then quickly let go when she cried out in pain.
Li Qianyi was a little angry: "I broke up with my boyfriend today, can you be a little gentler with me?"
He Jiashu gave her a deep look:
"I almost was too."
That night, Li Qianyi finally got her first kiss.
However, the person involved has changed.
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