Chapter 26 "Goodnight, single lady."...
“A one-on-one duel is rather bland,” Liang Kongxiang said with a faint smile as she closed the script and replied to Jiang Jiaoming, “It’s more attractive when two qualities coexist.”
Which one does Teacher Liang prefer now?
"I haven't thought about that. Which one does Mr. Jiang prefer?"
"My tastes haven't changed," Jiang Jiaoming said casually.
The two of them walked back and forth as if they were walking on a minefield, neither of them willing to touch a mine. However, Kong Jingying, who was standing to the side, became interested.
"What are you saying?" Kong Jingying listened for a while, then, wanting to hear some gossip, she shifted the blame to Zhang San. "I just heard your childhood friend spill the beans. President Jiang talked about her back in school, right? So, you're saying you still can't forget her?"
Jiang Jiaoming glanced at Zhang San and asked, "What did Zhang Bingjie say about me?"
Zhang San patted Jiang Jiaoming on the shoulder, giving him a disapproving look, "You weren't this mature before, you were quite naive. What did I say wrong?"
Jiang Jiaoming crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow and nodded, "You're absolutely right." He glanced at Liang Kongxiang, seemingly unintentionally, but her expression remained calm, as if she hadn't heard anything.
Boring.
His reply was perfunctory, and Kong Jingying could tell, so she just smiled and didn't ask any more questions. After all, Zhang Bingjie was her good brother, and it was okay to tease him a bit. She knew when to stop.
It's hot right now, and everyone has finished their milk tea and rested enough to start filming.
Louis, whether from the heat or something else, found a shady spot and squatted down, watching the cameraman adjust the camera.
Seeing that he hadn't left yet, Zhang San walked around to his side and chuckled. Feeling a bit guilty for using him as a topic to probe Liang Kongxiang, he gave him an extra tip.
Louis, looking disgusted, crumpled the banknotes in his pocket and asked Zhang San in fairly fluent Mandarin, "What's the name of the girl who drank the ice water?"
Zhang San was terrified by his words. Seeing that Jiang Jiaoming was nowhere to be seen, he said, "Why are you asking this?"
“Looks familiar.” Louis said, not caring what he had asked, patted the money in his pocket, glanced at Zhang San, and said, “Cheap.”
Zhang San: "..."
Hey, I'm really...
The white clouds drifted lazily until they gradually turned orange, at which point the crew on set yawned and packed up their things, looking exhausted, to go home.
Jiang Jiaoming also lent a hand, standing at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Liang Kongxiang. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her assistant talking to her. As usual, she just smiled gently and listened patiently without saying a word.
The group returned to the apartment, walking through the tall, lush trees. Jiang Jiaoming took a few steps to stand behind Liang Kongxiang, keeping a half-arm's length distance between them. He glanced at the distance between his toes and heels and slowed down.
The soft evening sun shone on the large group of people, their black crew uniforms gleaming. Liang Kongxiang walked among them, her back slender, her golden hair swaying in the breeze.
Jiang Jiaoming stared thoughtfully at the ends of her hair, then suddenly said, "The chef is still the same one from the Gongtai Hotel. I've borrowed him to Xisa Port. It's still the same taste. Let's go eat."
Everyone was overjoyed to hear this, as the food they had been eating for the past two days had nearly driven them crazy. Many people on set couldn't get used to the local food; after all, it was by the sea, and some found it too bland. After a long day of work, eating only watery soup seemed unappealing.
Another chorus of "Thank you, Mr. Jiang!" echoed through the woods, as a row of small heads turned around like sunflowers, beaming with smiles as they expressed their gratitude.
Only Liang Kongxiang didn't turn back.
Jiang Jiaoming patted his side rhythmically with his hands hanging down, and chuckled.
What is she pretending for?
Around mealtime, the cast and crew gradually went downstairs, but Liang Kongxiang wasn't hungry yet. Before sunset, she changed into a thin T-shirt and flip-flops, grabbed her camera, and headed straight for the beach she had seen the night before.
Seabirds circled low over the nearby sea, while the distant deep blue rolled in, churning and leaping with the waves.
Liang Kongxiang stared at the screen. In the distance, a blood-red round sun was slowly swallowed up by the vast sea, as if a sun had fallen into the horizon. A large splash of orange-red water erupted from the sea and splashed upwards.
She stared intently at the screen, recording the entire process handheld. She changed focus to take a close-up shot, and just as she took a step back, her back unexpectedly bumped into a broad chest.
She instinctively turned around to say sorry, but paused halfway through her sentence when she saw the teasing face.
"Why didn't you finish your sentence?" Jiang Jiaoming adjusted the camera that had been tilted off-center for her. His fingertips didn't touch her, but he leaned over from behind and looked at the screen for a while, his face almost touching Liang Kongxiang's. He turned his head and asked her softly, "You're quite hypocritical. Do you think I don't need to apologize?"
His warm breath brushed against Liang Kongxiang's nose. She turned her face to the side, not looking at him.
“You should apologize to me,” someone said, holding the screen up for her. Liang Kongxiang crossed her arms and checked if the framed image on the screen was the one she wanted. She then instructed, “Raise it up a little more.”
Now Jiang Jiaoming wrapped his arms around Liang Kongxiang from behind and held the fuselage.
The tall and burly General Manager Jiang seemed to have been weakened by the sea breeze, and he was so drunk that he could hardly stand. He put his arms on Liang Kongxiang's shoulders, treating her like a tripod. "Sorry, my hands are shaking from holding it for so long."
Liang Kongxiang smiled inwardly, then pushed Jiang Jiaoming's forearm upward with her fingertips pointing upward, "You've crossed the line, Mr. Jiang."
Jiang Jiaoming raised his hand following the force, "Your boundary is quite Schrödinger-like."
A salty sea breeze swept over them, enveloping them completely. The icy waves crashed against Liang Kongxiang's ankles, reaching over Jiang Jiaoming's sneakers, leaving a damp, cool sensation.
"Let's go back," Liang Kongxiang took the camera from his hand, "Isn't it uncomfortable to have water in your shoes?"
Jiang Jiaoming quickly stripped off his clothes, threw them at the large rock, and walked barefoot through the gravel towards Liang Kongxiang. He snatched the camera, pointed it at her face, and started recording video: "Trying to get rid of me?"
"Can you chase them away?" Liang Kongxiang's hands were empty, and she couldn't overpower Jiang Jiaoming, so she ignored him and simply sat down, kicking out a small sand pit with her heels. Inside, there were even tiny crabs the size of fingers scurrying around.
Jiang Jiaoming mischievously stepped on the pit to flatten it, then pointed the camera down and zoomed in on Liang Kongxiang's face. The entire screen showed only Liang Kongxiang's cool and aloof features. Her black hair was blown backward, her eyes were soft black, and the whites of her eyes were pure milky white.
Oh, those eyes gave him a displeased look.
She's angry.
That's really interesting.
Jiang Jiaoming smiled and kept zooming in, moving the camera from Liang Kongxiang's left eye to her right eye, then slowly moving down to capture her pert nose, rosy lips, her thin white top billowing in the sea breeze, her hands covered in sand, her calves covered in wet mud, and the flip-flops she had tossed aside.
"Have you taken enough photos?"
It was almost completely dark, and it was chilly.
Liang Kongxiang tilted her head back and reached out to him, intending to take back the camera. However, Jiang Jiaoming naturally used one hand to pull her arm, and after firmly grasping her arm, he pulled her forward with force, causing her to unconsciously fall into his chest.
Fortunately, Liang Kongxiang reacted quickly, bracing herself against his chest with both hands and stepping back in a second. She shook her head, disapproving of his lack of originality: "You've used this trick many times."
"I don't mind if the tricks are old-fashioned," Jiang Jiaoming said, feeling quite pleased with himself, still recording her stubborn and defiant demeanor. "As long as it achieves the goal, that's fine."
"What's the purpose?" She put on her flip-flops, rinsed her feet at the beach, and carefully walked onto the sand, not wanting to get any more sand on her feet so as not to hurt the soles of her feet. The dense sand felt strangely uncomfortable.
"you guess."
This time, Jiang Jiaoming learned to leave himself room to maneuver in his speech. Liang Kongxiang glanced at him with a smile, slung his camera over his right shoulder, and followed Liang Kongxiang back to the apartment.
Liang Kongxiang noticed the footsteps behind her, but didn't turn around. Just like when she finished work in the evening, what made her realize Jiang Jiaoming's presence before his voice was his scent and footsteps.
She walked slowly, not paying any attention to his steps.
This place is far from the country, and few people here know her. Since becoming an internet sensation, she hasn't felt as free as she has these past few days. In the past, whenever she went out, she would find people following her car, or tracking devices placed under her car... Such things happened quite often, and her home was also invaded by stalkers who even went to bother her grandmother and mother.
Rarely able to catch her breath, Liang Kongxiang cherished the feeling of her feet freely treading the street. The sea breeze, the scent of grass, no makeup on her face, wearing a loose T-shirt and flip-flops, and no one watching her intently from the shadows…
Several myrtle bushes were planted at the entrance of the apartment building. Liang Kongxiang only noticed them now. She picked up a fruit, and sure enough, purple juice burst out from her fingertip. She rubbed her two fingers together, and her hand was covered in a purplish-black color.
Jiang Jiaoming glanced at it, then stood a little further away with disdain. Seeing this, Liang Kongxiang decisively picked a few more and gathered them in her palm. She gave Jiang Jiaoming a look that floated lightly in the night, making people's hearts itch.
"Which room are you staying in?" Jiang Jiaoming followed her upstairs, asking this question clearly indicating that he wanted to go into her room.
It's quite interesting, a lone man and woman asking for room numbers. Liang Kongxiang took the camera back from his shoulder and carried it herself, leaning against the stairwell without going up any further, looking at him: "Isn't that inappropriate?"
Jiang Jiaoming stopped in his tracks at the dimly lit stairwell, squinted, and then let out a long "Oh," feigning ignorance as he asked, "Why isn't it appropriate?"
"You're a man, I'm a woman, and we're both single, so it's just not a good match."
Jiang Jiaoming stood one step below Liang Kongxiang, but was still a little taller than her. The two faced each other and talked. "Weren't you good friends? Now you're both single again?"
“Okay,” Liang Kongxiang nodded, thinking that what he said made sense. She stood sideways against the wall to make it easier for him to go upstairs: “Good friends can come in whenever they want.”
Jiang Jiaoming stopped his footing, stood still, gave her a meaningful look, and changed his mind: "Thinking about it, I don't really care about the identity of friend." Since Liang Kongxiang didn't say her room number, he said his own: "I'm in 3108."
He raised his hand, palms open and closed as if to greet someone, and whispered in the narrow, dark stairwell, "Goodnight, single lady."
Jiang Jiaoming's figure disappeared into the darkness around the corner of the stairs.
It bit as soon as the hook was cast; it really hasn't improved.
Liang Kongxiang chuckled and went back to her room to take a shower. When she came out, she noticed a boxed lunch on the table and realized she hadn't eaten dinner. While wringing her hair, she opened the lid with one free hand. The food was still warm, and she had the illusion that she was eating Jiang Jiaoming's cooking.
She carried her lunchbox to the window, opened it, sat down, let her hair dry in the natural breeze, poked the clumps of rice with her chopsticks, and ate in small bites.
Chang Xin controlled the amount of dinner she prepared, and it was gone in no time. Liang Kongxiang washed the food container clean, dried her hands, and exported the photos she had taken in the afternoon.
Jiang Jiaoming took quite a few photos, and they weren't just randomly taking pictures as a prank. However, most of the photos were of her, her back as she stood in front of the sea, her sitting on the beach with her hands behind her back, looking up at him. Some of the photos showed her looking at the camera, while others didn't. Interspersed among them were a few photos of the crabs he had chased away. Only half of their shadows could be seen on the screen because the little one was running too fast, and half of her body was already buried in the sand.
Xisa Port was truly a free place, with open skies and no constraints. She temporarily cast aside past grievances and conflicts. Since neither advancing nor retreating would bring happiness, she might as well follow her heart.
Jiang Jiaoming's headstrong and reckless nature hasn't changed. Why should she back down step by step and insist on preserving some semblance of dignity?
At worst, it's like a moth drawn to a flame, repeating the same mistakes.
When he said, "Trust me one more time," Liang Kongxiang was unmoved; she was half conflicted and half hesitant, though she didn't want to delve into her own thoughts. But the feeling of saying whatever she wanted was indeed quite nice.
With a click, the light went out, leaving only a dim bedside lamp on. Before going to sleep, Liang Kongxiang leaned against the bed and went over the lines for tomorrow's scenes, rehearsing the lines, expressions, and actions repeatedly in her mind. She casually put the script on the bedside table, yawned, turned off the light, and lay down.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier… In her half-asleep state, she suddenly heard a soft, slow hissing sound as something was being caught on a metal plate. She turned over, and then it was gone again…
Liang Kongxiang suddenly opened her eyes, her heart pounding. She lay there without making a sound for a moment, then slowly sat up and glanced at the door, which was not very secure. Holding her breath, she gently lifted the blanket, stepped out of bed barefoot, and quietly pressed her ear against the door.
The memory of the illegitimate child hiding under her bed and climbing onto it in the middle of the night, embracing her, was like a black abyss that sucked her in from head to toe. Liang Kongxiang had to be wary of the noise and use her feet to block it.
Her phone was on the bedside table, covered by the script. She took a few steps, glanced back at the door lock, and slowly walked to the bedside to find Chang Xin's contact information. After all, she had martial arts skills, but several minutes passed without a response. It was normal not to check her phone at this hour, in the middle of the night…
The metallic sound was still faintly audible.
Liang Kongxiang had no choice but to cast a wide net and find more people.
She scrolled through the chat windows... She was worried that Director Cao might be alone, and she might not be able to handle someone with sharp objects. But she was also worried about inviting trouble by contacting other male staff members. After all, they were all adults, and even if she sent the text message under the guise of asking for help, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. Plus, at this time, it would be easy for someone to take advantage of her, as she was alone with a man.
She scrolled through two pages and suddenly saw Zhang Bingjie's profile picture. She paused for a moment, then immediately opened the text message interface, edited a message, and sent it to Jiang Jiaoming.
I'm in room 2305, and it looks like someone is trying to pick the lock on my door.
Almost immediately, the phone rang.
The ringtone sounded eerily in the dead of night.
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Author's note: Alright, the great ambiguous period has arrived.
I want to give Zhang Bingjie a Best Brother Award. Who supports it and who opposes it?
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