Against the Light - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Yilan
"Mmm~ It smells so good!" Shen Can squatted opposite Gu Xinran, staring eagerly at the fish roasting over the fire.
"Is… ahem, is that a fish?"
Gu Xinran suppressed a smile. "Yes."
"Uh, you caught it in this river?"
"That's right."
"H-h-how did you catch it?"
Gu Xinran held up the fish spear for her to see.
Shen Can glanced at it and clicked her tongue. This woman just doesn't get it. Wasn't I obvious enough?
"You can have it."
"Ahem… Thanks…" Shen Can silently took the fish spear. This isn't what I want! T^T!!
Seeing the fish was almost done, Gu Xinran took out her all-purpose seasoning packet. As she sprinkled cumin onto the fish, Shen Can let out a slurp she couldn't hold back.
Gu Xinran didn't look at her, pretending not to hear.
Before long, the aroma of roasted fish filled the air. It wasn't just Shen Can; even the others seven or eight meters away were brutally tormented by the scent, suffering a fate worse than death. The nearby staff members' stomachs had long been rumbling, and they all swallowed their saliva in unison.
Shen Can stared eagerly for a while longer. Seeing that Gu Xinran had no intention of sharing even a little, she couldn't bring herself to beg. Sighing, she turned to leave.
"Hey, who do you think is prettier, you or me?" Gu Xinran asked, holding the roasted fish in one hand and propping up her cheek with the other as she looked at Shen Can.
Shen Can stopped in her tracks. She turned back, glanced at her, and suddenly let out a soft laugh. "I will absolutely never say you're prettier than me." She paused. "Even though it's the truth."
"Hahahaha." Gu Xinran laughed out loud at her antics and held the roasted fish out to her.
Shen Can froze, pointing at herself. "For me?"
"Mhm, go on and eat."
"The whole thing!?" Shen Can's eyes lit up, and she squatted back down.
"Mhm, it's all yours."
Shen Can excitedly took the branch, swallowing hard. "A-aren't you eating?"
"I ate this afternoon, so I'm not hungry. Go on." Gu Xinran glanced toward the fire.
"I love you! If you ever need anything from me, just say the word. I owe you my life!"
"Aaaah, sisters, look what I brought back! It smells divine! This has been my biggest dream since joining this show. To be able to eat a roasted fish that's perfect in color, aroma, and taste in a place like this—if this isn't the peak of my life, what is!?"
Shen Can smugly held the fish up to the camera. It was just as she described: the fish glistened with a layer of oil, the edges of the cuts were crispy, revealing the steaming, tender white flesh beneath. Dusted with cumin and chili powder, it looked incredibly appetizing. The cameraman swallowed with a loud gulp, which Shen Can thoroughly mocked.
"Sisters, time for a late-night snack!" Shen Can walked over to the few people who were sleeping and deliberately tempted them with the fish, earning a chorus of groans.
"Luo Luo, wake up and eat something. It's awful to sleep on an empty stomach, especially out here in the middle of nowhere."
"No, thank you. I'm really not hungry. Don't worry about me. I don't usually eat much at night anyway."
"Oh, is that so? Alright then. What about you two, want some?"
"No, thanks."
"Well, I won't stand on ceremony then." Shen Can grinned mischievously and went to eat the fish with Huo Jie.
Gu Xinran took in the scene but paid it no mind, turning instead to Fang Jinghai.
"Alright, you. Stop pretending over there and come here."
"Ahem, I'm getting you more screen time!"
"Just put the camera down and come rest for a bit."
As soon as Fang Jinghai sat down, Gu Xinran handed her the other fish. "Go on, eat up. Get some rest after you're done. We have to travel tomorrow."
With an expression of pure bliss, as if she were about to faint, Fang Jinghai held the fish, so moved she was on the verge of tears. Just as she was about to dig in, she felt an intense gaze. She turned to look and—oh boy—the cameramen from the other team were all staring at her, their eyes glowing green with envy.
Fang Jinghai pouted. Sob, sob, it's so annoying that I can't eat this all by myself!
【Gu Xinran is actually pretty great. She's got a good sense of humor. She knew Cancan is a narcissist, so she deliberately asked who was prettier. Cancan is killing me.】
【With all due respect, these are just basic survival skills. Stop hyping her up. You're just fooling a bunch of ignorant people.】
【Are people still praising Gu Xinran here? Are you trying to make me die of laughter?】
【Isn't Gu Xinran totally washed up? Are people still trying to whitewash her?】
【Luo Bing is the most beautiful. Protecting the best Bing in the world~】
【Who is this Luo Bing anyway? Her name is being spammed all over the screen. It's really off-putting.】
【Same. I'm not a fan of either of them, but I've heard a little about their feud. Just based on the show, Luo Bing refusing Gu Xinran's food is a bit pretentious. The most important thing out here is to fill your stomach and conserve energy. She's definitely going to drag the team down tomorrow. In contrast, Gu Xinran actively gave her food to someone else, which is admirable. From the perspective of this episode alone, Gu Xinran is actually doing pretty well.】
【Oh, pretentious my ass, you hypocritical dogs. The clowns are pretending to be passersby to whitewash her again.】
【Luo Luo was just beaten up by Gu Xinran a couple of days ago. Would you eat something your enemy gave you? Who the hell knows what her intentions are?】
【Sigh, what's there to argue about? Just watch the show quietly.】
On the set of Flowers Falling at Grain Rain, the crew was taking a break, preparing for the big night shoot ahead.
Liu Yu, a makeup artist on the crew, loved outdoor sports and was a huge fan of wilderness survival shows. Today was the premiere of Escape from Death. Even though she knew Gu Xinran was one of the guests—a taboo subject for their director—she couldn't resist secretly watching the livestream on her phone.
"Sister Yu, what are you doing?"
"Shh, shh, shh, quiet, quiet."
"What's wrong? Got a guilty conscience? Hey? Are you watching a livestream? Just watch it, what's there to hide? Whoa, you're not watching something R-rated, are you?"
"…What kind of dirty junk is filling your little head?"
"Heh, what are you watching? Let me see~"
"??? Isn't that Gu Xinran? Sis, I can tolerate you watching porn, but watching Gu Xinran? Don't blame me for getting mad at you. You know how badly she screwed over our boss, right?"
"Hey, I'm not watching Gu Xinran. I'm just watching this show, and she just happens to be on it."
"Escape from Death?"
"Yeah, I watch it every season. You know that."
"Besides, I was originally hoping to see her make a fool of herself, but I never expected her survival skills to be so strong. She's like a total pro!"
"A pro? Her?"
"Yes, she's really amazing, and she's become much calmer. She's completely different from when she visited the set before, like a whole new person. Someone already put together a highlight reel of her clips. I'll find it for you."
"No, I don't want to see it."
Ten minutes later.
"Holy crap, she's that good? That roasted fish looks amazing. Sis, I'm hungry."
"Wake up, you just ate."
"Is that really Gu Xinran? Why does she seem like a stranger??? Is she drunk on fake wine, or is she just acting from a script?"
"I don't know, but she's much easier on the eyes when she's not being dramatic and causing trouble. And she always has this confidence that says she has everything under control. It's awesome."
"You traitor! I thought we agreed to boycott Gu Xinran!"
Liu Yu chuckled. "Boycott, boycott. We'll definitely boycott."
"Brothers and sisters, back to work! Sister Lan is personally supervising tonight's scene, so let's all show her our best!" the assistant director, Jin Shuang, called out.
"Alright—" the crew responded in unison, full of energy.
Bai Yilan emerged from her lounge. Seeing everyone's high spirits and expectant faces, she offered them a faint smile, forcing herself to rally.
Ming Zhen was right. If she lost her career too, she would truly have nothing left. At least for now, there was still a group of people who were willing to believe in her and stand by her. Even if it was just for them, she couldn't give up so easily.
"Sister Lan, you look so beautiful when you smile. You should smile more!"
"Yeah, smile more!"
Bai Yilan was amused by their comments. Seeing her bright smile, the crew applauded and cheered, overjoyed.
"Alright, let's get ready to roll," Bai Yilan said.
"Alright—"
Bai Yilan sat behind the monitor, skillfully communicating with the camera operators through her walkie-talkie and adjusting the camera positions.
Ming Zhen and Jin Shuang stood behind her, one on her left and one on her right, like her personal guardians protecting her.
"See? As long as she's immersed in her work, she can forget all her troubles." Seeing Yilan gradually get back into her work mode, Ming Zhen was greatly relieved. She shot Jin Shuang a look, her face full of pride.
"Brother Chen, how are things?" Bai Yilan asked, looking at the actor, Chen Ping.
"Ready."
"Okay, all departments, stand by." Bai Yilan spoke into the walkie-talkie. The entire set fell silent, waiting for her command.
"Three, two…"
"Yilan…"
"???" The crew was startled, unsure where the faint call had come from.
Bai Yilan didn't hear it, but she noticed several crew members suddenly exchanging glances. She looked at them. "Focus. Stand by. Three…"
"Yilan…"
This time, she heard it, but her face was filled with confusion.
The others turned to look at Ming Zhen. On this set, only Ming Zhen called the director by her first name.
"It wasn't me." Ming Zhen held up her hands, a look of innocence on her face.
"That sound seemed to come from a phone. It's kinda creepy."
Hearing Ming Zhen's words, Liu Yu shuddered violently. She spun around and ran to the stool where she had just been eating. Sure enough, her phone was still playing the livestream!
"What's going on?" Bai Yilan's expression turned serious.
"Uh, n-n-nothing, nothing. I just forgot to turn off my phone. I'm so sorry, so sorry."
"Sister Yu, why is someone on your phone calling the director's name~"
"Ahem, the director is just popular, I guess~"
For a moment, Bai Yilan was lost in thought. That voice—she would never mistake it.
Liu Yu gave an awkward smile and was about to turn off her phone when a chorus of rising and falling screams erupted from it. The screen was shaking violently, and the bullet comments were all spammed with things like 【What's happening?】.
"Give me the phone," Bai Yilan said.
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