Replacement reinforcement
The next morning, Yu Sheng went to the parking lot to drive her car as usual. As soon as she started the engine, the black Audi that had followed her the night before and Lu Chenyang's words of advice came to mind at the same time.
He promptly turned off the engine, and when he returned to the hotel last night, he contacted the manager to check the surrounding surveillance footage. He didn't find any trace of the Audi, but he still felt uneasy.
He then dialed the hotel manager's number and ordered, "Send a skilled driver down here."
It's better to be careful and have a driver accompany him; his life is more precious than those illegitimate children.
For three days in a row, all was calm, and the black Audi never appeared again. At this time, Yu Sheng was nestled in Lu Chenyang's RV, resting and scrolling through Weibo. She had just finished filming an action scene—no, it should be described as a scene where she was the one being beaten.
Under the scorching sun of over 30 degrees Celsius, as soon as the director yelled "cut," he rushed into the bathroom to wash himself. His freshly washed hair was still a little damp, its soft curls draped over his shoulders, soaking a small patch of his shirt.
The entertainment industry is constantly evolving, and the hashtags criticizing stalker fans have long been replaced. The trending topics are now dominated by more eye-catching news such as a male star being accused of cheating on his wife and living off her, and a girl group causing traffic jams at the airport.
Yu Sheng wasn't interested in these things. She scrolled to the 'Chen Yu Luo Yan' CP super topic and was happily browsing it. Before she could even retract her unruly little tiger teeth, the RV door was pulled open from the outside with a "whoosh".
"Why do you always like to occupy my RV? Didn't Director Wu provide one for you?" Lu Chenyang said with a hint of disdain, but he didn't seem to want to kick him out. He stepped forward and sat down in the seat next to Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng secretly turned off her phone and rubbed her half-wet curly hair. "Officer Lu, don't be so stingy. I just like being close to you. Besides, we're wrapping up filming today, and I'm afraid I won't see you again."
Lu Chenyang didn't reply. He stared at the small wet patch on Yu Sheng's shoulder for two seconds, then silently turned up the air conditioner temperature a few degrees.
Silence spread. With Lu Chenyang remaining silent, Yu Sheng reluctantly lowered his head to look at the script. After about ten minutes, the characters on the script began to jump around uncontrollably, making Yu Sheng's eyes heavy. In his dazed state, he seemed to hear someone beside him say something in a very low voice, something like, "If you want to see... you can see me." But his consciousness was clouded; he didn't hear clearly, nor did he have time to ponder it.
The workload in the afternoon wasn't heavy. Everyone was waiting for it to get dark to film the last scene, the scene where Gao Qiu dies. So, I decided to take a nap.
After an unknown amount of time, a knocking sound on the window woke Yu Sheng. She had been sleeping soundly, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself alone in the car. The curtains were drawn tightly, the air conditioning was at a comfortable temperature, and a thin blanket was covering her knees, which were facing the air vent.
Before Yu Sheng could figure it out, there were several urgent knocks on the car window, and her assistant A Jiang's voice came through, "Ms. Yu, Director Wu is urging you to get your makeup done."
"knew."
Opening the car door, a cool evening breeze caressed her face. The huge sun overhead was already setting in the west, half-hidden behind the clouds, painting the sky a warm orange hue. Yu Sheng stretched, loosening her neck, which had gone numb from sleeping.
Before she knew it, it had completely darkened. Yu Sheng, having finished her "offline makeup," sat by the monitor and reviewed the script one last time.
Gao Qiu, after being rescued by Qi Luo, eventually became a police informant. He accidentally obtained a clue about the murderer from several years ago and even met the murderer. He originally wanted to call Qi Luo to inform him, but it was raining heavily that night, and his old, secondhand phone was waterlogged and could not be turned on. Reluctant to give up this hard-won breakthrough, he resolutely chose to follow the murderer alone, and ultimately died tragically.
The location was still the alley behind the school where Qi Jia had been robbed before; fate had come full circle, creating a cruel loop.
Qi Luo found him. Gao Qiu was on his last breath, his mouth full of blood and foam, unable to utter a word. In the end, the forensic examination found a key in Gao Qiu's stomach, which he had desperately swallowed when he was tortured to death by the murderer. This key eventually became the key clue and evidence to solve the case.
From then on, Gaoqiu came to an end.
The death scene in the torrential rain was the emotional climax, and the crew brought in two water trucks to create an artificial downpour. However, after several takes, the effect was still unsatisfactory. Yu Sheng felt that she was almost saturated with artificial blood, even if she wasn't soaked by the rain.
"Sorry, sorry." Lu Chenyang apologized repeatedly after the second take.
Wu Luoyu, who is meticulous about every detail, personally gave instructions: "Chenyang, your emotions are full and your crying scenes are also on point. But Qiluo's feelings for Gaoqiu are very complicated."
He frowned and stroked his chin. “Initially, it was disgust and contempt, then sympathy and guidance, and he became a good brother who was both a teacher and a friend. In the end, he died tragically because he helped me. There is pain, self-blame, anger, regret for not being able to protect him, and overwhelming hatred for the murderer. They are all mixed together and cannot be interpreted with a single emotion.”
Before filming resumed, Yu Sheng leaned close to Lu Chenyang and whispered, "Don't treat me like Gao Qiu. Imagine... I was murdered by your illegitimate child. You used to hate me too, but now we're still friends. Your feelings for me are actually similar to Qi Luo's feelings for Gao Qiu, so... how would it feel to watch me die in your arms?"
The actors were in position, and the stagehand snapped the black and white clapperboard shut. "Scene 132 of 'Shattered Light,' take three, fourth take, action!"
The torrential rain pounded down on the dark, slippery flagstones of the narrow alley, splashing water everywhere. A figure burst through the rain and ran wildly, crushing the puddles.
"Hua Zai!" Qi Luo froze in the heavy rain, his gaze fixed on the body on the ground—the familiar floral shirt, the familiar curly hair.
Rainwater streamed down Qi Luo's forehead, and he stumbled a few steps forward, his knees hitting the wet, cold ground hard, splashing mud and water. He reached out, his fingertips trembling, and carefully yet impatiently turned the person lying on the ground over.
Behind the monitor, Wu Luoyu held her breath, this was the emotional high point, and the previous few NGs all happened here.
On camera, Gao Qiu is turned over, but in Lu Chenyang's heart, the person in his arms is no longer Hua Zai, but Yu Sheng!
At this moment, Yu Sheng's face was completely bloodless. The rain seemed to wash away the last bit of his life force. A hideous hole was torn open in his chest, and blood gushed out. With each difficult and weak breath, more red blood foam was brought out, overflowing from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.
This is Yu Sheng! Lu Chenyang had long forgotten about Gao Qiu; all he could think about was Yu Sheng dying, dying in his arms, killed by him!
He didn't want this person to die. This person had all sorts of flaws: arrogance, greed, vanity, and even spouting nonsense on Weibo... but also kindness, cuteness, fun, and vibrancy. He knew these were just excuses he was making for himself, but he just couldn't accept this person disappearing before his eyes.
Water droplets lashed against Lu Chenyang's thick, damp eyelashes, lingering without falling. His gaze was fixed on Yu Sheng's lifeless face, his eyes holding a turbulent, dark sea that threatened to engulf him. Each breath he took was incredibly difficult, his chest heaving as he forced it to a minimum.
His Adam's apple bobbed violently. Lu Chenyang wiped his face haphazardly with the back of his hand, unable to tell whether he was wiping away rainwater or something else. He carefully wrapped his arms around Yu Sheng's shoulders, back, and knees, avoiding the terrible wounds, and gently and slowly lifted her up. Then, he walked towards the alley entrance, towards the light.
This scene of Qi Luo carrying Gao Qiu away wasn't in the script, but the director didn't yell "cut." The lighting and cinematography teams worked together to adjust the camera positions and follow the actors.
Yu Sheng lay in Lu Chenyang's strong yet trembling arms, clearly listening to his heart pounding like a drum, and his suppressed, disordered breathing...
The words she spoke before filming were indeed intended to help Lu Chenyang get into character, but she also had a selfish motive: she wanted Lu Chenyang to be heartbroken for her, in order to reinforce her position in his heart.
Yu Sheng finally saw the real pain in Lu Chenyang's eyes. But despite her plan succeeding, the expected pleasure did not come; instead, she felt a heavy heartache.
He couldn't be happy, and he was also upset that Lu Chenyang was sad.
"Cut!!" Wu Luoyu shouted into the communicator, "That's a pass!"
"Filming wrapped up—!!!" The set erupted in cheers!
Hot towels and bath towels were quickly gathered around her. When Yu Sheng landed from Lu Chenyang's arms, she could clearly feel that the stiffness in his body had not yet subsided.
While dealing with the congratulations from those around her, Yu Sheng naturally grabbed Lu Chenyang's cold wrist and led him to the bathroom, saying, "Go wash up quickly, don't catch a cold."
The noise and joy of the crowd seemed to be shut out. Lu Chenyang silently let Yu Sheng pull him along until the surroundings quieted down, and then he suddenly fell into a warm embrace.
Yu Sheng hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder. It was rare for such close and intimate contact, where she had lost control, not to trigger his stress response.
This time, Lu Chenyang didn't push Yu Sheng away; he needed this hug too.
He could still faintly smell the cologne, diluted by the rain, which brought him a strange sense of peace. Along with it came Yu Sheng's soft whisper in his ear, filled with a genuine apology he had never felt before, "Officer Lu, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have helped you get into character this way and made you sad... I'm also very sad."
"Alright, we're done filming." Yu Sheng smiled and patted the back of his head, as if comforting a wounded child. "Officer Lu, get out of character."
“…Hmm.” Lu Chenyang’s voice was a little hoarse. He gently pulled away a little, and the instinctive resistance that ran deep in his bones finally overcame the momentary vulnerability and dependence. “I’m out of character. I’m fine.”
Yu Sheng tilted his head and smiled, revealing his little tiger teeth. Looking at Lu Chenyang's slightly red eyes, his mischievous thoughts began to churn again. "Look, we're both soaking wet. To express my apology, how about I help Officer Lu take a bath?" He deliberately dragged out his words.
"No!" Lu Chenyang refused without thinking, instinctively clutching his clothes, looking just like a child being bullied by bad guys.
"Just kidding. Officer Lu, why are you so easily amused?" Yu Sheng laughed, grabbed a towel, and slipped into the bathroom stall, leaving Lu Chenyang standing there alone, his ears turning red and his mind a mess.
The warm water flowed over him, and Lu Chenyang finally calmed down from the emotional rollercoaster of the night. The cologne scent that lingered during that embrace... it seemed to really soothe his emotions? He had never thought perfume was anything special before, and he hadn't felt anything when he smelled a similar scent in Baihua's clinic. Now... maybe he should buy a bottle.
The two came out refreshed. The film set was already wrapping up and preparing for a celebration. Wu Luoyu smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared. She waved to them repeatedly, "Asheng, Chenyang, come on, come on, get ready. We're going to the wrap party later. Relax and have some fun."
"Old Wu." Yu Sheng put his arm around Wu Luoyu's shoulder familiarly and joked, "I've made so many cameo appearances for you, don't you want to give me some pay?"
"Oh dear." Wu Luoyu's stingy nature kicked in. "I'm telling you, Young Master Yu, you're an investor, and you're making a cameo appearance in your own movie? You still want money? If you want a fee, go ask Lan Zhong. He's an investor too, let him give it to you."
"Hey! You miser, I'll make you stingy to death." Yu Sheng was laughing and cursing with her arm around Wu Luoyu's neck when two blinding beams of light suddenly shot in from a distance, making it impossible for people to open their eyes.
"Who's the idiot who turned on the lights like that!" Yu Sheng cursed, squinting her eyes.
The bright lights suddenly went out. A well-dressed, seemingly respectable but ultimately despicable man stepped out of a gleaming Maybach, carrying a large bouquet of flowers, and waved with a beaming smile: "Ah Sheng! Happy wrap-up!!"
"Lan Zhong?!" Yu Sheng's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, and she subconsciously glanced quickly at Lu Chenyang behind her.
Sure enough, that handsome face was already very long!
He quickly ran to Lan Zhong's side, only to be unexpectedly hugged by the other. "Happy wrap-up! Aren't you happy I came?"
He mumbled a couple of reproachful words, then lowered his voice and said, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?! And you even brought flowers?!"
Lan Zhong shoved him away, hands on his hips in anger, his voice suddenly rising: "Yu Lao Er! Wasn't it you who called me at 1 a.m. to bother me, insisting that I had to come celebrate your wrap-up day and make you proud?! Isn't giving flowers on wrap-up days a tradition?!" He shoved the flowers into Yu Sheng's arms, "Yu Lao Er, I drove all this way, don't be ungrateful!"
How could he forget this! Yu Sheng quickly recalled the whole story of calling Lan Zhong that day. That night, he angrily confronted the stalker on Weibo. He had been waiting for a long time but Lu Chenyang hadn't sent him a single message. He felt wronged and angry, and on a whim, he dialed Lan Zhong's number and made this "unreasonable request"!
The next day, after sobering up, he had completely forgotten about it!
How childish! So childish! Yu Sheng, holding the hot potato-like bouquet of flowers, stiffly turned around again.
Lu Chenyang met his gaze, his eyelids lifted in an extremely cold manner, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Without hesitation, he turned around and strode away without looking back.
The delicate atmosphere that had just been built up in the "death scene," and the distance that had been so hard to close... were all gone!
All! Damn it! It's over!
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