Act III: Secret Love
Except for a few years of retirement, Qi Jixin was basically a model worker. She was either filming or on the way to film. However, she had never seen such a grand operation as this crew packing up the entire crew and moving to another city.
In other crews, at most they would send a small team to shoot quickly and return quickly, but this crew is not like that. It can be said that everyone is on paid vacation.
It was just a few simple scenes, and the director waved his hand and decided to shoot on the island for a week. He also promised everyone that if the shooting was finished early, they would have a vacation there.
As soon as these words came out, Bing Jie knew that Sister Zhuo was coming to see him. Sure enough, after the meeting, he waited at the corner of the stairs, and Sister Zhuo immediately appeared there.
"What do you mean? Can you finish filming the scene quickly?" Sister Zhuo was very unhappy. It was obvious that he wanted to drag it out so as to get more opportunities to spend time with Qi Jixin. Sister Zhuo really couldn't tolerate such a blatant conspiracy.
Bing Jie remained calm as always. He simply asked, "What happens after filming is finished? Do you want her to join the crew seamlessly?"
Sister Zhuo chuckled with amusement, and was obviously not used to the different offensive and defensive situations before her. She couldn't help but admire that this guy was really good at confusing right and wrong.
Now it seems that he is really doing good for Qi Jixin, while he himself has become a black-hearted agent who is madly exploiting her.
"Don't give me that crap. You actually still want her to recover her memory, that's why you're spending so much money to retrace her steps and relive the past events." Sister Zhuo really had no mercy on him now. She was too lazy to beat around the bush with him.
Bing Jie was silent for a rare moment, and finally looked at her deeply before continuing, "I did think so before, but now, I hope she can't remember it."
Sister Zhuo frowned in disbelief, but Bing Jie no longer cared whether she believed it or not. His tone didn't even sound like he was talking to her, but more like he was muttering to himself.
"It's enough for me to endure this journey of atonement alone."
After watching Bing Jie leave, Sister Zhuo slapped her cheeks hard and repeatedly warned herself not to be fooled by such an eloquent man.
The entire crew arrived at the scenic island the next day. In order to relieve the fatigue of the journey, they planned to rest for a day before resuming filming.
The island wasn't very big, and there was only one five-star hotel. Even if Sister Zhuo wanted to avoid Bing Jie, she couldn't. Not only that, but the two of them happened to live across from each other.
In addition, Qi Jixin doesn't like living with others, so Sister Zhuo can only live next door to her and always be on guard against Bing Jie who lives across the street.
The two did not meet the whole day. Sister Zhuo's nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed. In addition, she was tired from the long journey, so she went back to her room to rest early. She also told Qi Jixin to rest early as well.
Qi Jixin shook her head in amusement. It was only eight o'clock, and she really couldn't sleep. Thinking about it, she changed into a long yellow and green patterned halter dress and prepared to go out for a walk.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence or something, but the neighbor next door also opened the door.
"Going out?" Bing Jie asked knowingly.
Qi Jixin put his finger to his lips, shushed him, and nodded slowly. Bing Jie laughed at his guilty look, and he lowered his voice and suggested, "Together?"
It was not until they left the hotel that Qi Jixin breathed a sigh of relief.
"I was worried about whether it would be safe to go out alone, but I didn't expect you to come with me. It's really nice."
Is there really such a coincidence in the world? Of course not. Bing Jie knew her too well. He knew that after she arrived at a place, she would always go out for a walk, so he waited in the house.
"Indeed, it's not safe to go out alone." Bing Jie glanced at the people around him and naturally saw the blood-red sunset behind her. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's so beautiful, it's a pity."
Qi Jixin turned and looked back. The fiery clouds filled the sky, contrasting with the vast expanse of the sea, which reflected the radiant glow of the sky. It was truly breathtakingly beautiful. But she wasn't one to dwell on the passing of time, so she smiled and comforted Bing Jie.
"Just having witnessed it makes one feel grateful, doesn't it? Instead of lamenting, why not enjoy the scenery in the present moment? Who knows, tomorrow's sunset might be even more beautiful than today's!"
Bing Jie nodded meaningfully, agreeing with her, but he felt no comfort in his heart. In fact, her words made him feel even more desolate. He wasn't actually talking about the scenery, but the person in front of him.
He believed that scenery, like people, would have a better future for Qi Jixin. However, she, who once belonged to him alone, would never come back.
All the entanglements now are just my own impositions. Like a fleeting dream, there will always be a time to wake up. But not now.
The third act was divided into three scenes, shot one each day.
The first scene is Bing Jie's personal play, in which he comes to the island on a business trip; the second scene is Qi Jixin's quiet arrival and gives him a surprise; the third scene is a scene where the two of them are together.
The scenes were simple and easy to shoot, not to mention that they were divided into three days, which reduced the difficulty level to zero.
Qi Jixin didn't need to be present for the first scene, and Bing Jie only discovered her presence after filming started. Adhering to the principle of shooting early and wrapping up early, Bing Jie performed the play-within-a-play brilliantly.
After the director finished watching the video and called for the end of the film with satisfaction, Bing Jie was about to turn around to look for her, but unexpectedly, she was already standing next to him.
"You acted really well! You captured the domineering CEO aura really well, it just seemed natural." Qi Jixin praised him generously and applauded.
Looking at Qi Jixin, who had become closer to him because of their trip together last night, Bing Jie felt a little relieved. Her praise always served him well.
"Really? That's good." The slightly raised corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings, and the two of them went to the restaurant to eat together.
Sister Zhuo, who was following behind them, was alarmed. When did these two become so familiar with each other? She racked her brains but couldn't figure out what was going on.
For the second day's scenes, Bing Jie still had to get into the mood first and shoot the scene within the scene first. Then Qi Jixin came to visit the set. This was the most important of the three scenes on the island, and also the most critical emotional turning point in the entire relationship.
When the director was explaining the play, Bing Jie basically didn't listen. He was recalling the real situation at that time.
For someone who gets whatever he wants, pursuing Qi Jixin really took a lot of effort. The reason was that she was always very wary of him at first, as if she thought he was some kind of unscrupulous financial sponsor who would wantonly play with his money...
Bing Jie knew that how to act was more important than explaining to her.
So when he learned that she was thousands of miles away, Bing Jie put down all the work at hand and rushed thousands of miles to find her without hesitation.
During the few days he spent with her on the island, he was no longer the aloof president who made her wait like a concubine every time they met, but a considerate and caring suitor.
Even a stubborn stone can be warmed up, so Qi Jixin was naturally moved by him.
"Think about it carefully, and try to understand the degree of expression." The director continued to explain the play seriously. "Think about it, the heroine is a methodical workaholic. She gave up everything to come to you. The moment you saw her, you should be shocked, right? Shock is also the beginning of your heartbeat, remember?"
Qi Jixin nodded repeatedly. Her scene was quite simple; the real action was with Bing Jie. She was even looking forward to his performance, wanting to see how the stoic CEO from the previous scene would transform into someone so overwhelmed by the stirrings of love that he was at a loss for words.
The director's instructions were indeed very organized, almost as close to the actual situation at the time. Bing Jie nodded approvingly, but even without the director's instructions, he could have performed perfectly. After all, he had the perfect template in his mind.
"Also, don't show it too much. The hero is actually very conflicted right now. Given the huge disparity in status, even if his heart is moved, he has to suppress it fiercely. Do you understand?"
After confirming again and again, the director gave the order to start filming.
After a cut in the play within the play, Bing Jie took a step back, keeping a close distance from the actress, almost nose to nose. Two large groups of people surrounded the male and female protagonists in an orderly manner, some adjusting their clothes, some touching up their makeup.
Just as there was noise all around, Bing Jie, with his superior height, almost looked down upon the entire audience. Over everyone's heads, he saw a stranger standing behind the camera.
At this moment, he opened his eyes slightly in disbelief, then blinked hard, absolutely certain that the person in the bright long dress and sunglasses was President Qi.
The man had obviously noticed him, and simply raised his sunglasses to the top of his head, smiling and raising an eyebrow at him. Qi Jixin folded his hands over his chest, patiently waiting for this to end, while Bing Jie became impatient.
Sometimes he stared at Qi Jixin in the crowd, and sometimes he lowered his head in deep thought. The only clear thing was the joy that could not be concealed between his brows.
The noisy crowd was silenced by the director of the play-within-a-play, "This scene ends here today. The kissing scene between the hero and heroine depends on the weather. The sunset today is not good. Call it a day!"
Even in the play, Qi Jixin laughed softly. There was nothing he could do. This excuse that came to an abrupt end was really too funny.
Bing Jie looked at her from afar, with helplessness in his eyes. Only he knew that every word in the script was full of his own selfish motives - he couldn't laugh when he was standing behind the camera. The sunset that day was beautiful. He came all the way here to watch a perfect kiss scene... God was not kind to him.
Bing Jie, who had just finished work, walked over quickly. Qi Jixin stretched out his hand to him. The two held hands, walked side by side, and left the bustling crowd.
The perfect sunset that the play within the play didn’t wait for finally came to them.
The two of them walked on the deserted beach, and Bing Jie couldn't wait to ask, "Why are you here?"
Qi Jixin's heart moved slightly, and she beckoned him before speaking.
This was a setting outside the script. Bing Jie's breathing stagnated, and his heartbeat quickened a bit, but he still maintained his character in the play. He was puzzled but did as he was told, bending down to get closer to her.
Qi Jixin held his face with one hand, gently brushed the peak of his lips with her thumb, then leaned in and kissed him. Before Bing Jie could react, she smiled with satisfaction and quickly moved away.
"It's for you, of course."
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