Chapter 24
Running to the breakfast shop, Shen Li followed the direction Xiao Yu was waving and saw Sun Qi and her assistant at a table. After greeting them, she went to Xiao Yu's side and sat down next to her.
"Teacher Shen, have you seen Brother Luo?" Xiao Wen asked at the next table, where only he was sitting.
“It’s in the back,” Shen Li replied.
Then Luo Mingxiu appeared at the door, glanced in her direction as he walked over, and then sat down opposite Xiaowen.
Sun Qi finished eating, wiped her mouth, got up and sat down next to Luo Mingxiu. She asked about his injuries, and finally took out a bottle of safflower oil from her pocket and handed it to Luo Mingxiu: "Here you go. This is especially useful if any bones hurt."
"I'm pregnant," Luo Mingxiu said, glancing at Shen Li as he noticed that the bottle in her hand was exactly the same as the one he had just received.
“Yes, Sister Li should have given it to you,” Sun Qi said, withdrawing her hand. “This bottle of mine was also given to me by Sister Li when I fell and got hurt last time. It works really well.”
Luo Mingxiu's subordinate paused slightly and uttered a muffled sound: "Oh."
He looked at Shen Li again. The woman was unconsciously drinking her porridge and hadn't noticed them at all. Luo Mingxiu lowered his eyes, feeling even more depressed.
We've been filming in the mountains for a week straight. The locations are far apart, and we have to leave early before dawn. Today is the last day we're going up the mountain to film a cliff-jumping scene.
The mountaintop is coldest before sunrise. In the car, Shen Li shivered at the thought of having to take off her down jacket and be suspended in thin ancient costume while the blower whirred beside her.
Just a couple of days ago, she was able to hug a hot water bottle for a while during breaks from filming, but last night the hot water bottle exploded, and she ordered another one online overnight, but it hasn't arrived yet.
Upon arriving at her destination, Xiaoyu got off the bus with her bag on her back and a hand warmer in her hand.
Shen Li asked her in surprise, "When did you buy it? I've never seen you use it."
“It’s not mine,” Xiaoyu handed it to her. “I ran into Teacher Li this morning, and he gave it to me. My hot water bottle just happened to break, so I took it.”
"That's great." Shen Li shivered as she held the hand warmer to bask in its warmth. The director was urging her to hurry up, so she took off her coat, reluctantly returned the warmth to Xiao Yu, and ran towards the edge of the cliff.
Yuan Haoxuan is also afraid of the cold. He stood there preparing for his scene, with his assistant holding his script for him. He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his bulky cotton coat and hunched his neck like a little old man.
"Director, he hasn't taken his clothes off yet!" Shen Li immediately raised her hand to complain after running over.
"Sis, why are you like this?" Yuan Haoxuan looked at the director expectantly, the muscular man pleading, "Director Liu—"
Director Liu shuddered: "Hurry up, the sooner we shoot, the sooner we can wrap up."
Yuan Haoxuan stomped his feet in anger, while Shen Li laughed at him. The next moment, she was hoisted onto a wire and a blower blew in her face.
"Hahahaha." Yuan Haoxuan laughed at her too, and the blower turned around and blew towards him.
"Alright, calm down," the director ordered. "Scene supervisor, clapperboard."
Xie Huaixi and Bai Xuchao walked through the fog to its end, nearly slipping and falling.
“There’s no way out.” Bai Xuchao pulled Xie Huaixi back, but Xie Huaixi broke free from his hand and walked back to the edge of the cliff.
“Look, there are houses down there,” Xie Huaixi said. “This fog only covers the mountain. We can only go around in circles here. Let’s find a way down.”
Bai Xuchao lifted her up in his arms.
"What are you doing?" Xie Huaixi suddenly lost her balance and grabbed his neck with both hands.
Bai Xuchao pressed her head closer to his chest and said, "Close your eyes." Then he jumped up in one swift motion.
"Stop!" Director Liu gestured to the cameraman on the crane and shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Everyone down here, get ready, we're about to jump."
"OK, director, ready." came the reply from the other end.
"Okay, hoist it up. The crane and wires, listen to my command and lower it slowly."
Shen Li was picked up again, and as the camera slowly descended, four staff members suspended below the mountain rose up to hold up the green screen and catch her.
They landed in the blink of an eye. Bai Xuchao put the person in his arms down. Xie Huaixi was still in shock and stumbled, falling back into his arms.
"So tall? Didn't you say you only knew the most basic light footwork?" Xie Huaixi asked incredulously as he was patted on the back. Then she looked up. "So your martial arts aren't weak. You've been pretending all this time. Why?"
Bai Xuchao: "My father was originally the number one assassin in the Sword Sect, and he taught me martial arts."
After he died, his former enemies all wanted to find the son of the top assassin. I was constantly being watched by many people in secret, and I had to disguise myself, otherwise I would be recognized as soon as I made a move.
“I’m not missing anything on my own, but I met you, Li Ze, and Mu Ling, and we’ve been together all the way. I can’t bring danger to you.”
Xie Huaixi didn't speak, but listened quietly to him, then raised her hand to hug him, everything was understood without words.
"Cut!"
After the director said there were no problems, Shen Li quickly took the coat Xiao Yu handed her and put it on, then held the hand warmer and went to watch the monitor.
Yuan Haoxuan also grabbed a hot water bottle and came over to watch nervously.
After watching the replay, Shen Li nodded in satisfaction and gave him a thumbs up: "You acted so well, a highlight."
"Really?" Yuan Haoxuan laughed. "My face was stiff from blowing the air, and I was worried that my lines wouldn't sound natural."
Shen Li: "Me too, thankfully the effect is indeed quite good."
Yuan Haoxuan turned his back and sneezed, saying, "Oh dear, it's so cold up in the mountain. I envy Luo Mingxiu for filming in the cave; at least he can stay out of the wind."
“It’s cold in the cave,” Shen Li said. Seeing Yuan Haoxuan sneeze twice more, she said with concern, “Take a hot bath when you go back for your lunch break, and take some cold medicine to prevent catching a cold.”
“No way,” Yuan Haoxuan patted his chest, “How could I be so fragile?”
Shen Li smiled at him, walked towards Xiao Yu, took her phone, and opened WeChat.
Shen Li: Thank you for the hand warmer. My hot water bottle just broke. I'll return it to you when I get a new one.
Li Nan: No need to return it. Do I look like someone who would warm hands with a hard-boiled llokitty?
Shen Li: We can't be stereotypical about that.
Li Nan: Haha, I know you're afraid of the cold, so I bought it for you specially.
Shen Li: Thanks.
In the evening, after filming three scenes, Yuan Haoxuan suddenly fainted in front of Shen Li and lost his balance. She quickly supported him and reached out to check his forehead.
It's burning hot, almost like a hand warmer. How long has this fever lasted? This child has been stubbornly enduring it.
Shen Li quickly told the director to have his assistant take him back first.
But when she returned to the guesthouse, she felt dizzy and her head started throbbing.
She poured herself a glass of water, opened the medicine box to find fever reducers, took them, sent a message to Xiaoyu, and went to bed feeling groggy, her consciousness gradually fading.
She didn't know how long she had slept, but in her hazy state, she heard someone calling her softly, and then a cold sensation touched her forehead.
She half-opened her eyes and saw a tall, slender figure at the bar, taking something out of a plastic bag.
"Xiaoyu," Shen Li said, her voice a little hoarse.
Luo Mingxiu turned around, walked over and helped her prop up the pillow. Shen Li leaned against it and touched the fever-reducing patch on her forehead.
"Why is it you? Didn't I send the message to Xiaoyu?"
“I ran into Xiaoyu buying porridge, so I got her room key and told her to eat first while I brought it up.”
Luo Mingxiu placed the takeout box on the bedside table, opened the lid, then picked up the porridge, scooped it up with a spoon, and blew on it.
Then he fed her, saying, "Eat."
Shen Li wanted to take the porridge and eat it herself, but when she raised her hand, she found that she was too weak to move, so she had to put the spoon in her mouth.
He fed her spoonful by spoonful until the porridge was gone.
"Thank you." Shen Li laid down her pillow, fell back down, and closed her eyes.
After a while, she reached out from under the covers to grab the water glass from the bedside.
A water glass was handed to her, and Shen Li opened her eyes again to see Luo Mingxiu sitting on a chair by her bedside, holding a script in his hand.
"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Shen Li took a sip of water, coughed twice, lay back down and tucked the blanket in, then turned to look at him. "Go quickly, Xiao Yu will take care of me when she comes back."
“I’ll leave when she comes back,” Luo Mingxiu said, his eyes still glued to the script.
Shen Li watched him quietly. In the dim light of the room, one side of his face was turned toward her, his nose straight and steep. He was looking at the script in his hand intently, his lips moving slightly as he was reciting his lines softly.
"Whatever you want." Shen Li turned over, her lips curving into a barely perceptible smile.
Luo Mingxiu sat motionless in the chair until he heard the woman's even breathing. He got up, lifted the chair, changed his position, put the script aside, and turned his gaze to Shen Li.
He started tracing her face with his eyes again, no longer paying attention to memorizing his lines.
The next day, Shen Li woke up feeling much better. She spoke a few words to warm up her voice, and her throat no longer hurt.
Luo Mingxiu sent her a message asking how she was, and she replied that her fever had subsided.
But she received a message from the director informing her that Yuan Haoxuan had a persistent high fever and had been sent to the hospital, and that the remaining scenes with him would have to be filmed later.
"I discussed with Teacher Li about bringing forward your short scene with him," Director Liu said to her on the phone.
“Okay.” Shen Li agreed. Yuan Haoxuan needed to rest for at least one day. Apart from the four-person rehearsals, she only had a few scenes with him left, and she couldn’t just wait for him to come back.
After washing up, Xiaoyu and I went out. As soon as we opened the door, we bumped into Li Nan standing there, carrying a bag on his left.
“I got up early and brought you breakfast,” Li Nan said, raising his hand. “Let’s eat and then go together.”
"Thanks," Shen Li said, inviting him inside. She and Xiao Yu sat down at the table, while Li Nan sat on the sofa scrolling through his phone while waiting for them.
“Hey, Sister Li, look.” Xiaoyu nudged her and whispered, “Your clothes and Teacher Li’s clothes seem to be from the same brand.”
Shen Li looked up and realized that it was indeed the same black down jacket as hers. She had bought this jacket four or five years ago and only wore it when filming in winter. Because of its good quality, she had never changed it.
She vaguely remembered that this brand offered men's and women's styles.
Feeling two gazes directed at him, Li Nan put away his phone: "What's wrong?"
After asking the question, his gaze lingered on her clothes. He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ah, I just picked one randomly. I didn't expect to run into someone wearing the same thing."
"Shall I go back and change?" Li Nan stood up.
“No,” Shen Li called out to him, “I’m not that domineering. I can’t stop people from wearing the same clothes, but…”
Shen Li looked him up and down again, puzzled: "Didn't you say my down jacket was ugly before, and even threatened to burn my ugly clothes?"
“I admit I was wrong. Since you like wearing it so much, I’ll buy one and try it on too,” Li Nan chuckled. “I must say, it’s a bit ugly, but it’s really warm.”
"I'll hit you." Shen Li rolled her eyes at him. "What's ugly about me? Don't keep questioning my taste."
Inside, laughter and chatter filled the room. Luo Mingxiu stood outside the door, lowered his hand as if to knock, and turned to throw the breakfast in his hand into the trash can.
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