Chapter Forty-Eight
The van sped along the elevated highway. The interior lights were off, only the streetlights outside illuminating the two faces as framed images. Nan You leaned against the window, her fingertips twirling the earpiece Xu Li had bitten, leaving faint teeth marks. The metal edge gleamed coldly, yet the teeth marks carried a hint of ambiguous curve.
"We'll be shooting for the magazine at 8 AM tomorrow, recording at 10 AM, and flying to Changsha in the afternoon." Her voice was low and husky. "If you dare stay up all night surfing again tonight, I'll delete your account."
Xu Li nestled next to her, her skirt long since replaced with a loose sweatshirt, a tablet resting on her lap, the screen showing the trending topics list.
#Southern Melody's Tears#
#Xu Li bites her agent#
#XuLi's Alt Account#
Three lines side by side, all followed by "Explosive". She clicked her tongue and nudged Nan You with her shoulder: "Your followers have increased to 2.82 million, congratulations, you're almost catching up with me."
Nan You didn't open her eyes: "Everyone's here to see how I'm going to criticize you. You've already got 28.91 million followers. We're worlds apart, okay?"
Xu Li smiled and suddenly handed over the tablet: "Look at this." The screen showed a live replay—in the interview area, Nan You shielded her from the flash, and there was a tear in the cuff of her suit, revealing her wrist bone.
The screen was flooded with comments:
[The agent is so cool!]
[My sister's wrist bones are good enough to debut as a celebrity]
【kswl Bite mark + wrist bone = dream material tonight】Nan You frowned and reached out to turn off the video, but her fingertip touched the progress bar, and the picture froze on the second when she looked down.
Xu Li leaned closer, her voice like a late-night radio broadcast: "Sister Nan~, your ears are red."
"Shut up." Nan You turned the tablet face down on the chair and casually pulled the hoodie over Xu Li's head. "Go to sleep." Xu Li chuckled softly in the darkness, then suddenly reached into Nan You's jacket pocket and pulled out a lipstick—the very same "mermaid tears" mentioned at the press conference.
The cream shimmered with a bluish-purple iridescence under the streetlights, like frozen aurora borealis. "Globally out of stock?" Xu Li turned to the red tube. "So this is where it is." Nan You opened her eyes and reached out to grab it.
Xu Li shrank back, smeared a little on her lips with her fingertip, then raised her hand and made a cut on Nan You's wrist.
“Mark it.” She blinked. “So your fans won’t mistake you for someone else.” Nan You stared at the dark blue of her wrist bone, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Xu Li’s nape. “Xu Li, are you trying to kill me?! Go to sleep.”
Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, "Stop posting random things on Weibo." "What are you afraid of?" Xu Li nuzzled her neck, "Anyway, I only follow you on my alternate account."
Nan You didn't speak again, but just turned her head to the side.
The streetlights outside the car window flashed by like countless camera shutters. The car stopped in the hotel's underground parking lot. Nan You got out first and walked around to the other side to open the door.
Xu Li didn't move, but stretched out her right hand: "Hug." Nan You stood still, and the motion-sensor lights in the underground parking garage lit up one by one, casting long shadows of the two of them.
Xu Li shook her wrist: "I'm wearing a hoodie today, not a sequined skirt, so it won't scratch you." Nan You sighed, bent down, put one hand under her knees and the other hand on her back, and picked her up in her arms.
Xu Li was very light, like holding a warm ball of snow. As the elevator ascended, Xu Li nestled in her arms and suddenly reached out to poke Nan You's collarbone: "Your heart is beating so fast, you like me."
"You're going to die, Xu Li will throw you away if she says that again." Nan You's voice was a little hoarse. The elevator stopped on the 27th floor with a "ding".
At the end of the corridor, Lu Yi leaned against the door, carrying two bags of takeout. He was here again. Seeing them, he raised an eyebrow: "Nan You, are you hugging an artist or an ancestor?" Nan You ignored him and swiped her card to enter.
Xu Li peeked out from Nan You's arms, mouthing to Lu Yi, "[Hush money, I'll bring you an autographed photo tomorrow.]" She shook her head with a smile, hung the takeout on the doorknob, and turned to leave.
[Inside the room]
Nan You placed Xu Li on the sofa and turned to pour water. Xu Li followed her, hugged her waist from behind, and rested her chin on her shoulder: "Nan You, you just said 'perfect match' on stage."
"Just polite talk." Nan You shoved the water glass into her hand. "Don't overthink it." Xu Li took a sip of water, then suddenly stood on tiptoe. "But I really mean it."
Nan You's fingers trembled, and the glass clattered against the marble countertop. Xu Li didn't back away; instead, he reached out to touch the small mole behind her left ear—the only spot on Nan You's body that couldn't be captured on camera.
"Just kidding."
"Xu Li, you didn't take your medicine today, did you? You're acting crazy again." Her voice was so low it was almost dangerous. Xu Li looked up, her pupils like two melting amber beads under the warm yellow light.
The air was silent for three seconds.
Nan You smelled of mint water. Xu Li's glass had fallen onto the carpet at some point. It didn't break, but rolled around, leaving a small patch of dark blue water stains.
Xu Li nestled in the sofa, the hem of her hoodie rolled up to her waist, revealing a bit of her fair skin.
Nan You gently touched the smudged lipstick on the corner of her lips with her fingertip: "The Mermaid Tears lipstick has faded." Xu Li laughed: "Then I'll just buy another one."
"We can't buy it." Nan You looked at the bluish-purple stains on her lips. "It's a collector's item." Xu Li blinked: "Then what can we do?"
Outside the window, it was almost dawn.
Xu Li fell asleep on the sofa and heard her say:
"You're not allowed to post my photos on your alternate account tomorrow."
"……good."
"Also, you're not allowed to bite me again next week when we're filming a variety show."
Nan You sighed, picked up the person from the sofa, and carried her to the bedroom. As she passed the full-length mirror, she caught a glimpse of her reflection—her suit was wrinkled beyond recognition, and the mark on her wrist gleamed faintly in the morning light.
Like a belated, yet finally arriving tide.
The radio kept playing "Changsha's temperature is 34℃ today." Nan You put a baseball cap on Xu Li's head, pulling the brim down very low, and casually stuffed earphones into her ears—they contained the script she had recorded overnight for the rehearsal.
"Sleep on the bus."
Xu Li gave a mumbled reply, her hoodie collar askew, revealing a faint tattoo on her collarbone. The van left the airport and headed straight for the film crew's hotel by the Xiangjiang River.
The sky outside the car window was damp, as if it had been soaked by the mist of Orange Isle. Nan You scrolled on her tablet, changing the last two instances of "cable car" on the notice to "Taiping Street real scene," and casually replied to a WeChat message.
[Director: The location has been changed from Chongqing to Changsha. The scouting has been completed again. Filming will begin tomorrow at 8:00 AM.]
[7:25 AM, Taiping Street, bluestone pavement] The film crew temporarily closed half of the street.
Xu Li's costume is that of a student in the Republican era, wearing a cheongsam with a short woolen overcoat. Nan You squats on the ground, using safety pins to tuck her waist in by another 1.5 centimeters.
"Today is the 38th show, and we're moving to Meixi Lake this afternoon. Have you memorized your lines?"
Xu Li shoved the mint in her mouth to her cheek and gave her an OK sign. The moment the director yelled "Cut!", Xu Li looked up and saw Nan You standing behind the monitor, holding a black parasol—the umbrella was tilted 15 degrees to block the slanting sun from her eyes.
Xu Li suddenly mouthed to the camera, "Want to go eat crayfish tonight?" Nan You didn't say anything, but just moved the umbrella aside. "You don't work properly all day, all you do is eat, is that it?" she mouthed.
After this shoot, she wondered, "Which magazine covers do I not want? What if I gain weight?" But in reality, she was very thin, pitifully thin, yet the company still wouldn't give her any decent food. She really wanted to resign.
Xu Li was called away by the production assistant to get a new microphone, and Nan You took the opportunity to close her umbrella and squat behind the monitor to change the schedule. "Move to Meixi Lake at 2 PM, outdoor night scene moved up to 6:30 PM,"
She lowered her head and sent a voice message to the production team, "Modify the original cable car wires from Chongqing and directly use the Orange Isle Bridge, which is 28 meters high. I had the technicians measure the wind tunnel data last night, and it's acceptable."
After finishing, she looked up and realized Xu Li was gone. A "buzz" sounded in her ear; the assistant director whispered, "Sister Nan, Xu Li ran towards Pozi Street!"
Nan You's brow twitched, and she got up to chase after him. The sweltering heat of Changsha made people feel weak. Xu Li, dressed in a Republic-era school uniform, held up her skirt, her nose covered in sweat, yet she smiled like a child who had stolen candy.
She stopped in front of a time-honored tea shop called "Tea Yan Yue Se" and pointed to the counter: "Orchid Latte, double cream, less ice."
The shop assistant looked up, paused for half a second, and then whispered in a shriek, "Xu...Xu Li?!" Xu Li put her index finger to her lips and said, "Shh, keep it a secret. My manager is super fierce."
Before she could finish speaking, her collar was grabbed from behind. Nan You's voice was close to her ear: "Double cream? Less ice? You just said this morning you weren't going to drink it today."
Xu Li shrank back: "I was lying to you, I just wanted to drink it." Nan You scanned the code to pay with a dark face, then scraped off most of the cream and handed it to her: "Drink it in five minutes, then go back to filming."
Xu Li bit her straw, her eyes curving into crescents: "Nan You, your hands are shaking, are you hot too?" Nan You didn't answer, but simply reopened the parasol and placed it over her head.
A row of plastic stools were arranged. Xu Li took off her school uniform jacket and sat on it, while Nan You squatted down next to her to unpack disposable chopsticks for her.
Assistant Xiao Jiang handed over a tablet: "Sister Nan, the trending topic has reached number one."
#Xu Li buys milk tea on the streets of Changsha# The accompanying picture shows Xu Li holding a Youlan Latte, while Nan You holds a black umbrella, only revealing half of her pale wrist bone.
Comments section:
[Is the umbrella Nanyou's? The blue on her wrist is the same as in the last live stream!]
[Help! A Republic-era schoolgirl x a cold-faced manager, I'm totally shipping them!]
[Three minutes, I want them all to pass by!]
Nan You shoved the chopsticks into Xu Li's hand: "After you finish eating, uninstall Weibo for three days."
Xu Li, biting into a piece of dried tofu, said, "I can take it off, but you have to come with me to Donggua Mountain tonight to eat sugar-coated fried dough sticks."
Nan You: "...Brush your teeth three times after eating." Xu Li, having succeeded, leaned over and bumped her with her shoulder: "Deal."
The wind was stronger than in the city, and the lake surface was dotted with golden light. Xu Li wanted to film an emotional scene of "standing on the bridge watching the sunset," and the director demanded a 5-second long take, with no cuts allowed.
Nan You squatted under the bridge pier, taking measurements with a wind gauge, when Xu Li's voice suddenly came through her earphones—"Nan You, I'm a little afraid of heights."
She looked up and saw Xu Li standing on the outer edge of the railing, her cheongsam fluttering in the wind as if it might be swept away at any moment. Nan You put down her instruments, walked directly below her, and looked up at her: "Look at me."
Xu Li lowered her eyes.
Nan You's voice wasn't loud, but it traveled steadily through the wind to her ears: "The camera is only filming your back. I'm down here catching you, don't be afraid."
Xu Li took a deep breath and nodded.
The moment the director yelled "action," Nan You put her right hand behind her back and made a gesture that only they understood—three, two, one.
Xu Li released the railing, and the setting sun fell on her shoulders, as if coating her with a soft layer of fire. One take. The moment the director yelled "cut," Nan You rushed over and wrapped her in his coat: "That's a wrap, let's go to Donggua Mountain."
The sugar-coated glutinous rice cakes had just come out of the pan, and Xu Li hissed in pain from the heat. Nan You took a tissue, blew on them a couple of times, and then handed them to her.
Several paparazzi sat at a nearby table, their lenses pointed at them through the cooking fumes. Xu Li suddenly leaned over and whispered something in Nan You's ear.
The next second, Nan You turned the brim of her hat behind her head and said, "Shut up, eat your food, we still have to film, hurry up." — The sound of camera shutters exploded.
The sweetness of the sugar-coated glutinous rice cakes mingled with the lively atmosphere of the night market, spreading hot and refreshing in the summer night.
[At 7:30 PM, another trending topic appeared on social media]
#Dongguashan#
#MermaidTears2.0#
In the accompanying picture, the light blue mark on Nan You's wrist bone, like the icing on Xu Li's lips, was dazzlingly bright.
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