Today's scene between the two is Xing Yixin's first attempt to understand Ji Ziyan since her previous confession.
Over the past few days, Xing Yixin and Ji Ziyan have grown closer. She would confide her darkest thoughts to him that she wouldn't share with outsiders, accept his company on his way to and from work, and get used to hearing the clinking of bottles on their way home at night.
Today, Xing Yixin's mother called her again. As always, she wasn't concerned about how Xing Yixin was doing; she just wanted money.
Xing Yixin knew why her mother was calling the moment she received the call; Wang Peizhen didn't even need to say a word.
It's nothing more than "How have you been lately?", "Is work going well?", "Your brother..."
It always started with those two sentences. When Xing Yixin first received Wang Peizhen's call at work, she would still have expectations, but what awaited her was disappointment after disappointment.
Every time, before Xing Yixin could even share her recent life, she would be interrupted halfway through her sentence by saying, "Your brother..."
The third sentence always begins with "your brother," without exception.
Even though I know the answer in my heart, I still can't help but answer the phone.
I just want to know if anything will be different this time.
Ha! Sure enough, it's still the same as always.
An ordinary life, an ordinary job, an awkward sense of presence, being habitually ignored, and an empty heart that no one cares about—today, Xing Yixin is exceptionally vulnerable.
She desperately wanted someone to come and save her, to fill her void.
“You admire me, don’t you?” Xing Yixin said to Ji Ziyan. “Liking me isn’t enough.”
After Xing Yixin finished speaking, she was very calm, so calm that she showed no emotion whatsoever.
It wasn't that she liked me or loved me, but that she admired me. Only admiration could save her from her sensitive and insecure state; she needed to find herself in the approval of others.
She also wanted to save this man who drank heavily every day. Xing Yixin couldn't bear to see the person who had saved her fall apart little by little, so she said, "Worship me!"
It's not just about redeeming oneself, but also about redeeming others.
Ji Ziyan looked at the woman in front of him as she said those words with a blank expression, and his eyes suddenly flashed with shock and joy.
He had noticed her for a long time; he was captivated from the very first moment he saw her.
Xing Yixin was silent, sensitive, and aloof, but Ji Ziyan noticed the firmness, strength, and thoughtfulness emanating from the depths of her heart the moment he saw her.
As someone who has long operated in the gray area, Ji Ziyan is already tired of this kind of life, tired of numbness, indifference, and cruelty.
So he turned his ruthless methods on himself in a near-self-destructive way, and he drank heavily every day in an attempt to achieve a morbid self-healing.
Until he met Xing Yixin, a person who, despite being in dire straits, never gave up on herself. She did not compromise with the hypocritical world, nor did she impose her own empty social attributes. She was vivid and passionate, and he was attracted to her from the first moment he saw her.
Ji Ziyan didn't say whether it was good or bad, he just patiently looked at Xing Yixin, but the emotion in his eyes had already told Xing Yixin the answer.
"May I have your name?"
Xing Yixin realized that after so much time, she still didn't know the name of the person in front of her.
"My surname is Ji."
Ji Ziyan did not tell Xing Yixin his real name, as he was too dangerous, but he also did not want to deceive Xing Yixin, so he only said that his surname was Ji.
"Then I'll call you Mr. Ji."
Xing Yixin didn't care that Ji Ziyan hadn't told her his real name. She wouldn't ask what had happened to him or what hurt he had suffered. Once her heart was filled, it would be over.
...
"Okay, card!"
The two actors broke character very quickly on camera, and Director Zhang watched them with excitement, always amazed by their acting skills.
Because the two actors delivered exceptionally good performances, they finished work exceptionally early today, so Director Zhang suggested they go out for a meal together.
"It's my treat today, everyone's having hot pot!"
Director Zhang shouted to the staff who were finishing up, "When I'm in a good mood, I want to spend money. Sharing happiness is worse than keeping it to myself."
Besides, we haven't had a meal together since filming started, so this is a good opportunity to build rapport and work together better.
"Wow~" Director Zhang's words had barely left his mouth when a chorus of exclamations erupted.
"Thank you, Director Zhang!" shouted one of the male staff members who had been shouting the loudest earlier.
"Yunzhi and Wenyan, come along too!" Director Zhang deliberately stopped the two of them, afraid that they would run away if he wasn't careful.
What kind of dinner party is it if there's no male or female lead?
Shao Wenyan originally didn't plan to go; he always tries to decline these kinds of gatherings whenever possible.
Yu Yunzhi is the same. She is really a sensitive person. In this kind of crowded environment, especially with people she doesn't know very well, she really feels at a loss.
But since Director Zhang had already made the offer, the two of them couldn't refuse and had no choice but to agree.
The group set off for the hot pot restaurant in a grand procession.
There were about fifty or sixty people in their group. Director Zhang searched for a hot pot restaurant for quite a while before finally finding one nearby that could accommodate so many of them.
Around 7 p.m., it was peak dining time, but thankfully it wasn't the weekend, so it wasn't too crowded.
Director Zhang was the first to walk to the front desk: "We made a reservation."
The receptionist was wondering why there were so many people, and some of them were acting strangely, wearing hats and masks in the middle of summer, almost like they were wearing protective suits.
Is it some big celebrity? But why would a big celebrity come to a store like this? It's not some trendy online store.
Before the receptionist could answer, her boss came out to greet them.
"The table is ready, but we don't have any private rooms available today. I'm really sorry. How about that corner seat over there? It's quite quiet."
The owner pointed to the corner with two walls against it, and there was a partition on one side, which looked quite secluded.
But that's for ordinary people. Their production team has two extremely well-known actors!
Director Zhang looked at Shao Wenyan and Yu Yunzhi, his eyes asking in a questioning tone, "Is it alright?"
The boss also looked at the two people in the middle whose charisma couldn't be hidden even by masks and hats. He realized that these two were the real big shots in this group.
His eyes were full of pleading; this man in his forties was still trying to act cute.
Shao Wenyan nodded. It was just a dinner party; there was nothing shameful about it.
Yu Yunzhi is also fine.
The group then found seats and sat down. Xiaoyu didn't sit with Yu Yunzhi, but instead found Shao Wenyan's assistant, Xiaopang, and sat down with him.
I don't know how these two became acquainted.
Of course, the lead actors sat with the director and assistant directors. Coincidentally, when Yu Yunzhi was about to sit down, only the seat next to Shao Wenyan was still empty.
Director Zhang was to his left, but there was no one to his right; it was probably reserved for Yu Yunzhi by the people around him.
Yu Yunzhi could only obediently sit down next to Shao Wenyan.
Director Zhang handed the tablet to Shao Wenyan, indicating that he should order; the rest of them had already ordered.
Shao Wenyan took it and placed it between him and Yu Yunzhi, indicating that she should look at it too.
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