Chapter 93. Keep moving forward.
On the third day after Wen Shili arrived, Sheng Yi had already worked overtime for two consecutive days. Every time she opened the door looking disheveled and saw the person in the room, she had a dazed feeling of being kept as a mistress.
Although the person being hidden showed no signs of being kept, instead becoming the master of this space, he was ordered to change his gloves to a lighter, warmer material, and his clothes had to be zipped up to his chin before he could go out.
Having finally gotten used to the hospitality, she dressed even more extravagantly than when she first arrived, only to be ridiculed by Li Zitong, who said, "If you fall, you won't even need an air mattress."
Sheng Yi struggled to move her body, looking at the layers of thermal insulation wrapped tightly around her body inside her large down jacket, and inexplicably recalled a saying: "There is a kind of cold that only my mother feels."
Of course, this mother has to be rejected. After all, Ms. Yu Ying has mostly left her to her own devices. During those years at home, she didn't pay much attention to such details. To be honest, she was a little hesitant to say it in front of Wen Shili.
Seeing someone so engrossed in doing it, she was happy to let him do as he pleased. One boyfriend doing several jobs, even rehearsing the next day's scenes in advance at night, he could take on those too.
Sheng Yi gradually began to enjoy this sure-fire business. However, she would sometimes wonder, "Don't you have anything to do?"
Wen Shili glanced at her lazily and reminded her, "The whole country is on holiday."
Actors who have been in the industry for a long time have long lost their ability to accurately measure time. When they plunge into a film crew, all they see is the call sheet for the next day; by the time they come out, the situation outside may have completely changed.
Sheng Yi pointed to herself: Doesn't she belong to the people of the whole country?
Seeing this, Wen Shili chuckled and ruffled her hair, "You've worked hard, Yiyi, and you still have to earn money to support the family."
Sheng Yi then smiled along with him, as if his work each day had taken on a greater mission.
Wen Shili left on the morning of the fifth day. When Sheng Yi woke up, she habitually turned over to her side, only to find that the space beside her was empty. She subconsciously reached out and touched the spot next to her, but the lingering warmth had long since cooled down. She didn't know how long he had been gone.
Although she had discussed it with her beforehand, it didn't feel real until this moment. After a while, the alarm clock next to her started ringing. Sheng Yi reached out and turned it off, seeing his message from a few hours ago: "I'm leaving now. Remember to miss me."
There was another sentence, seemingly out of context and several minutes after the previous one: "I recorded it."
Sheng Yi paused, her hand that was rubbing her hair.
Filming period dramas takes a long time, and by the time the weather forecast showed temperatures rising, it was already past the first month of the lunar calendar. The festive atmosphere on various social media platforms gradually faded until it disappeared completely, and celebrity makeup and costumes, as well as the promotion of new dramas, began the lively public opinion battle for the new year.
They finally emerged from the depths of the snow and began their journey to the next location.
During the two-day preparation period, when the message was issued, Sheng Yi was on the phone with Yu Ying. On a whim, he immediately changed course and flew to Ancheng.
Yu Ying picked her up directly from the airport. She hadn't been home in a long time, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was waited on hand and foot at home. Unfortunately, her decision was too sudden, and Lao Sheng happened to be away on a business trip these past few days, thus "perfectly" taking advantage of the time difference.
Having been carefully pampered by Yu Ying, Sheng Yi wished she could ask the director for two more days off. Of course, it was just a thought. Their filming progress was already slower than planned, and if they went back this time, they probably wouldn't see the sunlight outside until they finished filming.
When she was at home, Yu Ying would prepare all sorts of delicious food for her. When she left, she said she was fine, but her words and expression couldn't help but reveal her disappointment. Sheng Yi noticed this and held her hand, acting coquettishly for a while.
Perhaps it's because she's getting older that she's started to restrain expressing many of her emotions in front of her parents, but at some point, she felt like she was gradually letting them outward. Yu Ying clearly hadn't expected this either; she froze for a while, and then a smile slowly crept onto her face.
Sheng Yi politely declined her offer to see him off at the airport, saying only that she would come home more often in the future, and then took a taxi to the airport by herself.
Meetings are always accompanied by partings, and as the things we've heard and seen gradually accumulate, we slowly begin to realize that the so-called next time we meet, which used to be a day, a week, or a holiday, has slowly stretched into years.
After listening to her sentiments, Wu Simin agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Yes, yes, yes."
"When do you plan to summon me? It's been a long time since we last met."
Actors' time on set always follows the production crew. After leaving set... Sheng Yi looked at the various tasks already lined up on her schedule, took a deep breath, and said, "Your place."
Wu Simin's location was sent over quickly.
She joined a new production team after the New Year and was filming near the film studio these past few days. A quick look at the navigation app showed she could easily meet up with her if she acted quickly. So, Sheng Yi put down her luggage and headed straight to the agreed-upon location. Under the cover of night, the two met in the dark.
There were many fans and paparazzi staking out the area near the film studio. The next day, Sheng Yi saw his own furtive face on the news headlines.
Fortunately, the weather in the south was not as icy and snowy as before, and she was finally freed from layers of clothing and regained control of her body.
Unexpectedly, the seemingly serious director was also a hardcore surfer. Just as Sheng Yigang and Wu Simin were figuring out the camera angle, they received a message from the director asking her to go there.
When she came out of the director's room, she had several more pages of paper in her hand, all of which were Zhang Mengling's sudden revisions to the script. It wasn't difficult, but everything she had prepared beforehand needed to be scrapped.
Sheng Yi took a deep breath and told herself that she could do it. But when she took out her phone and saw Wen Shili's message, her bravado deflated instantly.
Only one thought was in my mind: Here it comes again.
She squeezed the newly written script in her hand and chose to "ignore" it—an action that wasn't very useful but felt good in the moment. Of course, she initially only intended to leave it for a while, but as she got busy, she really forgot about it.
When she finished work that evening, Jingjing said she felt strange that there was no news. When she took the message, the chat box was still showing the questioning message from that morning.
I remember now, I remember everything.
She'd been playing dead for ages, and he hadn't said a word more. Sheng Yi muttered to herself, trying to figure out how to break the silence, when Wen Shili, as if he had supernatural powers, rang her phone the moment she entered the room. The first thing he said was, "Still haven't come up with an excuse after all this time?"
Sheng Yi, her neck stiff, wanted to retort, but in the end she just lowered her head sullenly, "What am I making up?"
"Do you need me to tell you?"
"So you've been ignoring me for so long?" Seeing the situation turning against him, Sheng Yi launched his own attack, seizing the initiative regardless of whether he was right or wrong. Only after saying it did he realize he also had a knack for being unreasonable.
There was an eerie silence on the phone, a few seconds of quiet. A guilty conscience started to rise in my heart, but I had heard it, so what if I heard it? I couldn't take it back anyway.
Sheng Yi braced herself, ready to go all out, but Wen Shili chuckled softly on the other end of the phone, "So this is how you treat me now that you've got me, huh?"
It was a teasing tone, coupled with his heaven-given good voice, that made Sheng Yi blush and stammer, not knowing how to refute.
He continued, "Didn't I tell you that after-sales service is not included?"
"Alright, alright, I'll remember." Sheng Yi immediately stopped him, not wanting to go over his well-reasoned excuses again.
Oh no, it shouldn't be called a reason. Strictly speaking, it was a bunch of unfair terms and conditions that forced them to buy and sell. Sheng Yi still remembers the feeling of being completely out of her mind when he solemnly recited the "three no's" agreement: "Don't lie to me, don't dump me, don't start something and then abandon me."
But this man, with the air of a shrewd businessman, was as obedient as could be, so what could she say but nod? So when he seamlessly switched to the "ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her in-laws" mode, she sensed something was wrong, but her mouth hadn't had time to stop.
Of course, she would never admit it.
She had barely managed to get away with it then, but she never expected him to bring it up again this time, even going so far as to preserve evidence. The sight of them huddled together in the snow made her mind go blank, and she didn't really think much of it when she agreed.
Until she finally left the mountains and met Yu Ying again, she had many opportunities to tell her that she had a boyfriend and that he really wanted to meet her. But in the end, she remained silent, keeping to herself her sweetheart.
The outside world doesn't have as much harsh frost and snow, but it's filled with all sorts of prying eyes. She doesn't know if she's truly ready to face an unknown storm.
I went out to meet some friends this afternoon and didn't check my phone. I didn't mean to not reply to you.
Sheng Yi held her breath, refusing to be labeled as untrustworthy, but unexpectedly, Wen Shili changed the subject first.
It is an explanation.
But the blank screen left no room for his explanation. She didn't respond to his questions, yet she remained resentful of his coldness throughout the day.
When a flag that was casually grabbed is treated with great care, it's like an honest person who's ready to throw caution to the wind and go all out meeting a gentle and polite gentleman. First, you breathe a sigh of relief, and then even more emotions surge up.
Sheng Yi couldn't quite describe the feeling filling her chest; she only knew that her previously surging impulse had been silently soothed. She fiddled with the screen, muttering a quiet retort, "Oh, you're so busy."
Wen Shili politely replied, "I'm not as busy as you."
It was as if two polite strangers were attending a social event together. Both knew the truth, but they still had to put on a smile and say things they didn't mean. But as time went on, the words went awry, and the sarcastic tone grew stronger and stronger.
Sheng Yi burst out laughing, "Alright, I'm the busiest, so everyone says to wait until I finish filming before we talk about it. Can't you be a little more considerate?"
Her words were accusatory, but her emotions had clearly softened. Wen Shili keenly noticed the change in her mood and immediately followed up, "But you went back without me."
"They deliberately kept it from me."
It wasn't really intentional or unintentional, it's just...
"It's something you didn't ask," Sheng Yi finally came up with this excuse, then immediately offered a sweet treat, "Next time, okay?"
"oh."
What can I say?
Sheng Yi then threw herself into the intense and busy filming work. As the weather gradually warmed up, the filming location changed from the bitter cold to the sweltering heat. When another winter came, the story of that woman gradually came to its final conclusion.
After spending several months together, Li Zitong and her relationship quickly progressed. The lively young girl was a rare source of warmth and comfort in the cold winter.
She was still wrapped in a cloak, while Li Zitong was already in her summer costume. As soon as she finished filming, she screamed and hid in her cloak, exclaiming dramatically, "Can we two balance each other out?"
The small fan in Sheng Yi's hand was knocked askew by her. She pulled up her cloak and gently reminded her, "The costume teacher is coming."
The costume teacher in charge of them was known for her strictness, but she was also a veteran, so no one dared to make any big movements during the waiting period.
Upon hearing the sound, Li Zitong darted out and hurriedly said, "Don't say you've seen me before." Seeing Sheng Yi's smiling face and glancing around, she realized she had been tricked.
She pretended to hit her, but her hand landed on her shoulder with very little weight. "I've noticed that you seem to have changed a lot."
She spoke in a somewhat dazed tone. People change more or less as they grow up, but "changed a lot"—that "a lot" is quite telling. Perhaps others feel the same way, but this is the first time someone has brought it up to her and asked, "Is it good or bad?"
Li Zitong recalled their first meeting, and looking at the girl now, her face beaming with smiles, she shook her head, unable to quite put her finger on it. Perhaps it was simply a dusty pearl finally revealing its true nature, its inner essence already fixed.
Sheng Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, giving off a "you're dead if you dare say that" vibe, but Li Zitong was still immersed in her own emotions and didn't pick up on her signal. She then nodded and simply said, "It's fine."
The young girl, though young, had an inexplicable air of world-weariness in her voice. Sheng Yi reached out and pinched her cheek; her face was full of collagen, they were in the prime of their lives.
She pinched the corner of her mouth and made an upward gesture: "Don't look so gloomy."
Li Zitong gave a forced smile, then quickly closed her mouth again, "Do you think I'll become famous?"
Sheng Yi fell silent as well, looking at the girl opposite her. She was still dressed in the same style as in the drama, her hair styled in the simplest way, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, and her emerald green dress making her look like a tender bud just sprouting. Standing there gracefully, she possessed a beauty that swayed in the wind.
They met when she had just graduated. Summer turned to winter, and the rapid and cruel turnover in the entertainment industry forced the naive girl to confront her future. Perhaps, according to online rankings, many of tomorrow's rising stars are already slowly being relegated to the ranks of yesterday's news.
Sheng Yi vaguely recalled her past self. That memory had faded with the passage of time, and even if it were repaired, it would be mixed with a lot of artificial carving and beautification, and could not restore the original scene.
Just like the story they're in, the seemingly objective perspective, from conception to completion, reveals how much of the creative team's personal bias was mixed in. Is the person initially presented to the audience still the same person from the beginning? Or perhaps, in the long river of history, such a person never even existed.
But what can be done? The stories of the past are destined to remain in the past, and if you don't want to become someone else's puppet, you have to hold your own hands firmly in the future.
So, Sheng Yi squeezed her hand, as if telling himself, "It will be alright, let's move forward."
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