Against the Light - Chapter 33
Chapter 33: My Wife Is Amazing, of Course
"How about I try again?" Gu Xinran picked up the mask, ready to put it on.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't! Sister Ran, Sister Ran, there's really no need!" a staff member quickly stopped her.
This? Just this? If she does it again, I'm really going to kick the bucket!
"Forget it. Get her a parasol and let her sleep here for a bit. One of you stay and watch her," Bai Yilan said, exasperated.
"Okay."
Bai Yilan headed for the studio, and Gu Xinran immediately followed.
"Sorry to make you come all this way," Bai Yilan said apologetically.
"It's no trouble. I think… I actually made things worse." Gu Xinran smiled sheepishly. She really hadn't expected Ming Zhen's mental fortitude to be so weak… Fainting just like that? Really?!
Bai Yilan chuckled softly.
"Uh, right. About last night, thank you," Gu Xinran said.
"Hm?"
"About the thunder." As Gu Xinran recalled it, her cheeks flushed slightly. She even felt a little regretful. When Yilan had held her yesterday, she had been so focused on being scared that she hadn't properly savored that warm embrace!
"It was nothing."
The two walked forward side by side, neither speaking again, and both tacitly slowed their pace.
Bai Yilan's hand, tucked in her pocket, unconsciously clenched into a fist.
Gu Xinran grew inexplicably nervous, her palms sweating. She didn't know where to put her hands.
"Um… your hand… you should let it rest properly. Don't injure it again," Bai Yilan said, breaking the deadlock.
"Ah, okay, I know. Don't worry, I'll be careful from now on," Gu Xinran immediately replied obediently, offering a solemn promise.
Bai Yilan smiled. "Are you nervous?"
"Ahem… No, I'm not nervous. Not at all." Gu Xinran looked up at the sky, feeling just as confused. I'm so nervous! But what on earth am I nervous about?!
"Aaaah, it's Teacher Bai! Hey, is that Gu Xinran next to her? Aaaah, they look so good together!!!" A soft cry came from nearby. Both of them turned their heads to see a few tourists looking excited and calling out.
Gu Xinran frowned. "Sorry, it seems I've caused you trouble. I should probably go."
"Hey…" Just as Bai Yilan spoke, she noticed the other woman stop, pulling back the step she had just taken.
Following her gaze, she saw a girl walking toward them.
It was Luo Bing.
Bai Yilan narrowed her eyes. She looked at Gu Xinran and saw her brow furrow. Then, Gu Xinran's eyes darted around before she turned to Bai Yilan with a smile. "Uh, Teacher Bai, I think I'll wait for Young President Ming to wake up before I leave. After all, I'm the one who scared her…"
Bai Yilan lowered her head slightly, hiding the smile at the corners of her lips.
In the distance, Luo Bing seemed to have seen them too, and her steps faltered noticeably.
Gu Xinran straightened her back, stuck both hands in her pockets, and nodded at Luo Bing with a smile.
Bai Yilan watched her with some curiosity. This person, who had been a flustered, nervous wreck just moments ago, had suddenly become so confident upon seeing Luo Bing?
Luo Bing walked closer and looked at the two of them. "Teacher Bai, Sister… Sister Ran, hello."
"Hello," Gu Xinran said, the corner of her lip curling. She sized up Luo Bing. When Luo Bing saw her, her expression was clearly unnatural, as if she were a little afraid. How strange, Gu Xinran thought, I haven't even done anything yet.
"Is something wrong?" Bai Yilan asked.
"Ah, the demo I recorded earlier… Sister Shuang said there was a problem with it, so I came to discuss the theme song with her."
"The theme song? Can I have a listen?" Gu Xinran's smile was harmless, but it sent a chill rising from the bottom of Luo Bing's heart. "That… that's probably not a good idea…"
"You can," Bai Yilan said. Seeing Xinran's face light up with a smile, her own gaze unconsciously softened.
Luo Bing looked at the two of them, furious but not daring to speak. After all, this Gu Xinran was someone who would even strip in public for a confrontation. Her ruthlessness was completely beyond imagination!
She even had a faint feeling that it was best not to provoke this person.
The three of them entered the studio. The bustling crowd suddenly fell silent, and everyone turned in unison to look at the trio who had just walked in.
Uh… the director, her ex-wife, and her pursuer…
What kind of strange combination is this?
"Uh… ah, Luo Luo, you're here. About the theme song, right? I'll talk to you in a bit. Everyone, take a break for now. Disperse, disperse." Jin Shuang quickly waved her hand to dismiss the crew.
"This is too weird. Guess if they're going to fight again?"
"No way. Didn't you see Xinran is smiling? Would she have that expression if she was about to fight someone?"
"Hiss, I think Luo Bing's expression is the weird one. She looks a little awkward."
"Duh! The couple is having a reunion, and she runs over to stick her nose in it. What's that about?"
"Huh? That's not what you said about Luo Bing before, is it? Didn't you say that a soft, cute little kitten like her was a great match for Sister Lan?"
"Everyone's blind sometimes, okay? Right now, I think Xinran and Sister Lan are the best match!"
"I really hope they get back together. Look, Sister Lan keeps secretly smiling~"
"Aaaah, it's true!!"
Jin Shuang led Luo Bing toward the break room. When she turned back, she saw the director and her ex-wife following right behind her. Hiss… things are getting even weirder!
In the break room, Jin Shuang closed the door and gestured for them to sit. Luo Bing had just sat down when she caught sight of the other two standing in perfect sync with their hands in their pockets, showing no intention of sitting. It left her feeling awkwardly exposed, so she sheepishly stood back up.
"Sit," Bai Yilan said.
Gu Xinran obediently took a seat.
"This is the demo you sent me before." Jin Shuang unlocked her phone and played it.
Gu Xinran propped her chin on her hand and listened intently.
The song's lyrics were grand and majestic, but Luo Bing's voice was on the sweeter, softer side. Although you could tell she was trying hard to change her tone, it was still missing something.
After it played through once, Jin Shuang turned off her phone.
"My personal feeling is, Luo Luo, your voice is too sweet. It doesn't bring out the power this song needs. For example, in the high notes here, can you try not to use falsetto? Try hitting them with your chest voice?"
"And the overall feel of the song should be rousing and heroic, not overly gentle. Right now, it feels like it's going in the opposite direction of what I envisioned. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
After speaking, Jin Shuang noticed Luo Bing's expression was a tiny bit awkward and gradually realized she might have been too direct.
"Well, what does Teacher Bai think?" Luo Bing looked at Bai Yilan.
Bai Yilan seemed to be spacing out. Hearing the question, she nodded. "Yes, Jin Shuang is right."
Gu Xinran couldn't hold back a soft laugh. Yilan getting caught spacing out is so cute!
"What are you laughing at?" Seeing Gu Xinran laugh, Luo Bing immediately assumed she was being mocked.
"Ahem, no, I just think… you can sing it better. Yes."
Luo Bing's face darkened. She felt looked down upon, and this scorn was coming from Gu Xinran of all people! Unacceptable!
"Then why don't you give it a try?"
Gu Xinran was taken aback. "Me?"
"Don't you sing too? Sing it for us."
"But I can't…" Gu Xinran put the phone she'd been clutching back in her pocket, spread her hands, and put on an innocent expression.
"Don't be modest. You sang on Escape from Death, didn't you? I think your tone is quite suitable," Luo Bing said, a flash of contempt in her eyes.
"I…" Gu Xinran coughed lightly, looking at Jin Shuang, then at Yilan, feeling a little cornered.
Just as Luo Bing felt she had vented some frustration, she heard…
"Alright then, I'll give it a try."
"But I'm not very good at reading sheet music. I can only sing it by ear. Let me listen to it a couple more times." Gu Xinran took Jin Shuang's phone, borrowed a pair of headphones from Yilan, and started listening to the song as if no one else was there.
Luo Bing was surprised by her actions, her heart pounding. On one hand, she felt Gu Xinran knew nothing about music and probably couldn't sing it well. On the other, she was worried she might sing it better than her. She instantly regretted challenging her to try!
Bai Yilan crossed her legs, rested her cheek on her hand, and watched with great interest.
Gu Xinran listened twice. On the third listen, she started humming along with the melody. By the fourth time, she could sing the lyrics completely.
The others were astonished by her memory, but she had already taken off the headphones, indicating she was ready to sing.
She started the music, then closed her eyes, tapping out the beat along with the intro. She came in perfectly, and the moment she opened her mouth, Jin Shuang was floored.
Her vocal tone was on the cooler side, completely different from Luo Bing's in the demo. It was highly distinctive, and her voice was full and resonant, making it very pleasant to listen to—not the least bit harsh.
Most importantly, her gaze, expression, and aura were all spot-on, and her performance was incredibly immersive. Jin Shuang closed her eyes and was instantly transported by her voice to that war-torn era of beacon fires!
It was worth noting that for the high notes, she actually chose to use her chest voice. Although she lowered the key by one step, making it less piercing than the original, it instead produced a powerful, resonant momentum that had its own unique flavor.
When the song ended, Jin Shuang silently took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and stared at her in amazement. She could hardly believe that voice had come from her!
Bai Yilan was also slightly surprised.
Luo Bing was dumbfounded, her expression quickly turning to embarrassment and displeasure.
Jin Shuang also realized the situation had become a bit awkward and was at a loss for what to do.
Gu Xinran cleared her throat and looked at Bai Yilan, awaiting her evaluation.
Bai Yilan gave a slight nod, and Gu Xinran immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Since Sister Ran can sing it so well, let her have the song," Luo Bing said, standing up. "I'll be leaving now."
"Hey, I… I'll see you out." Jin Shuang followed to walk her out.
Watching Luo Bing's retreating back, Gu Xinran felt delighted in both body and soul. It could be considered venting some anger on behalf of the original owner.
"Have you already forgotten what I told you?" Bai Yilan asked.
"Hm?"
"It's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person."
Gu Xinran had a sudden realization. She was reminding her to rein it in a little.
"Luo Bing has been trying to drive a wedge between us from the very beginning. I was just knocking her down a peg; I was being very polite. If she doesn't know when to back off, I don't mind making her the next Yang Xue." Gu Xinran shrugged, her face a mask of innocence.
Bai Yilan looked at her for a moment, then smiled. "You really are different from her."
Gu Xinran figured this "her" referred to the original owner and beamed. "More mature and steady?"
"You hold more grudges than her."
"…"
Is holding a grudge bad? A gentleman always gets his revenge!
"So, I can sing this theme song for you?" Gu Xinran asked belatedly.
"Mhm," Bai Yilan nodded.
"Oh, right. Luo Bing offered to sing the theme song for free, so the crew doesn't have a budget for it."
"Pro bono?" Gu Xinran asked.
"Mhm."
Gu Xinran was silent for two seconds, then pulled out her phone from her pocket and started typing.
"What… are you doing?"
"Jotting down a grudge."
Jin Shuang pushed the door open and came in. She saw the director smiling very happily, but she paid it no mind and rushed straight to Gu Xinran's side. "Not bad, Ranran! I never knew you were so good at singing. It's a shame you're not a singer!"
Jin Shuang casually slung an arm over Gu Xinran's shoulders, giving her all sorts of thumbs-ups.
Then, a moment later, she felt something was off. She slowly turned her head toward Bai Yilan and found the director's eyes gleaming with an icy light, staring straight at her arm.
"Hiss…" She sucked in a sharp breath, instantly understood, and immediately retracted her hand, patting Gu Xinran on the shoulder instead. "Ha, really great!"
Gu Xinran hadn't realized there was a problem. "Sister Shuang, you're flattering me. I'm really not skilled in music. I can only sing along; I can't read sheet music and don't really understand music theory. If I have to sing the whole thing, I might…"
"Oh, that's fine. As long as you can sing, it's okay. Not being able to read music isn't a big deal. I remember the director knows a little, she can teach you, right?" Jin Shuang looked at Bai Yilan, her face full of smiles, and even gave her a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.
Bai Yilan frowned. "It's been a long time. I don't really remember."
"Oh, no problem! I'll find a teacher, and you two can learn together!"
Bai Yilan's face was a field of question marks. Did this movie have too much funding, or did this assistant director have too much time on her hands?
"N-no need. I can learn basic sight-reading on my own."
"Tsk!" Jin Shuang shot her a look, then leaned close to her ear. "I misjudged you before, sis. My apologies. You need to seize this opportunity and try to get back together with the director soon. She still has you in her heart." After speaking, she winked and wiggled her eyebrows.
Gu Xinran didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Jin Shuang discussed it with her, and since she didn't have any work scheduled for this period, she formally invited her to sing the theme song for the crew. Gu Xinran agreed.
When Jin Shuang saw her off, she offered all sorts of encouragement, telling her to do her best and win back the director's heart and so on, which put so much pressure on Gu Xinran that she just fled.
In the car, Fang Jinghai looked at her. She had a restless expression, which was worrying.
"Sister Ran, I saw Luo Bing just now."
"Mhm."
"Was she looking for Director Bai? What does she want? She still hasn't given up on Director Bai? You can't let her get her hands on Director Bai!"
Gu Xinran sighed and glanced at her. This kid sure was nosy.
Gu Xinran tapped her fingers on the car's armrest, her mind a mess from Jin Shuang's comment about getting back together quickly.
Although she knew clearly that the Yilan of this world and her wife were two different people, the Yilan before her always gave her a very warm and familiar feeling.
So much so that, many times, she treated her as her wife.
But, if this continued, wouldn't she just be treating her as a substitute for her wife?
That would make her such a scumbag!
Besides, the one Yilan loved was the original owner of this body, not the soul-swapped version of herself.
All her concern was probably just concern for the original owner's body.
Whenever Gu Xinran thought about this, she felt like she was getting stuck on a pointless detail, creating unnecessary trouble for herself. In the end, with a smack, she slapped herself, forcibly interrupting her train of thought with physical intervention.
Gu Xinran sent Fang Jinghai away and returned to the company alone. As she passed Su Cen's office, she paused, faintly hearing the sound of sobbing from within.
Inside Su Cen's office, Luo Bing was weeping and sobbing violently, pitifully airing her grievances.
Su Cen was furious, slamming her hand on the desk.
"This Gu Xinran has gotten way too arrogant! To even steal a theme song you were singing for free, that's too much! Qu Qi must have put her up to this. That woman gets an itch if she doesn't oppose me for a single day!"
Su Cen took a few heavy breaths, still unable to calm down. "Stop crying. I'm going to find her right now. Qu Qi has been acting so smug these past two days, she doesn't even respect me anymore!"
Su Cen shot to her feet and started to walk out. The moment she pulled open the door, she jumped in fright, stumbling back two steps and nearly twisting her ankle.
"Gu… Gu Xinran?" Su Cen composed herself and saw Gu Xinran leaning against the doorframe, hands in her pockets, with an indifferent expression.
"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Su Cen frowned.
"Hello, Sister Cen," Gu Xinran greeted her coolly, her gaze passing over her to land on the tear-streaked Luo Bing sitting on the sofa.
"Or did Qu Qi send you to laugh at me?" Su Cen crossed her arms, a smile that didn't reach her eyes on her face.
"Did she tell you that I stole the theme song she was going to sing for Teacher Bai?"
"What? You did it but won't admit it?" Su Cen sneered.
Gu Xinran smiled, took out her phone, fiddled with it for a moment, found a recording, and pressed play.
"What does Teacher Bai think?"
"Yes, Jin Shuang is right."
"What are you laughing at?"
"Ahem, no, I just think… you can sing it better. Yes."
"Then why don't you give it a try?"
"Me?"
"Don't you sing too? Sing it for us."
"But I can't…"
"Don't be modest. You sang on Escape from Death, didn't you? I think your tone is quite suitable."
"I…"
"Alright then, I'll give it a try."
Su Cen froze.
"You should be able to recognize her voice," Gu Xinran said, looking at Su Cen.
Inside the room, Luo Bing shot to her feet, staring at Gu Xinran in disbelief. She had actually recorded their conversation in the break room?!
Gu Xinran noticed her stare, glanced over at her, and held up her phone. "I didn't think I'd need this. It seems I overestimated your character."
"You!"
"Luo Luo, what exactly is going on?" After hearing the recording and realizing it completely contradicted Luo Bing's story about Gu Xinran actively stealing her theme song, Su Cen's expression turned serious as she looked at Luo Bing, her tone growing much darker.
Gu Xinran studied Su Cen's expression, then looked at Luo Bing's flustered state, and realized that Su Cen was actually a rather upright person. The little schemes Luo Bing had pulled before were probably done without her knowledge.
No wonder. No wonder Luo Bing was suddenly so afraid of her after the Yang Xue incident. Because she didn't have a manager who was in cahoots with her, which meant that if any of her over-the-line actions were ever definitively exposed, there would be no one to protect her.
"Xinran, I'm sorry. I was too… quick to believe her," Su Cen apologized.
Gu Xinran gave her a slight smile. "Sister Cen, you're being too serious. Don't worry, I won't tell Sister Qi about this. However, if your artist were to accidentally let it slip, I wonder how Sister Qi would ridicule you."
Su Cen's expression shifted several times. She nodded, looking at Luo Bing with some disappointment.
Gu Xinran straightened up. She was about to walk back to Qu Qi's office but stopped halfway and turned back. "Excuse me, Sister Cen, I have one more thing to say to Luo Bing."
"What is it?"
Gu Xinran walked around her and approached Luo Bing, a smile on her lips but a cold light in her eyes.
Luo Bing was too flustered to meet her gaze. She took two steps back, bumped into the sofa, and fell into a sitting position with a thump.
Gu Xinran chuckled softly, a flash of contempt in her eyes. With this little courage, she dares to provoke me again and again?
Gu Xinran leaned down, close to Luo Bing's ear, the corners of her lips curling into a beautiful arc.
"My wife, of course, is amazing."
Luo Bing sucked in a sharp breath and looked up at her, shivering involuntarily under her icy gaze.
Gu Xinran turned around coolly. As she passed Su Cen, she gave her a friendly smile, and then left.
In Qu Qi's office, Gu Xinran knocked before entering.
When Qu Qi saw her, she immediately beckoned for her to sit. "We received a few more scripts today. Come take a look."
"I need two days to go record the theme song for Yilan's crew."
"Theme song? How come I don't know about this?" Qu Qi looked completely baffled.
"You know now."
"Oh. Hey? You two?" Qu Qi suddenly raised an eyebrow and gave a mischievous smile.
"Don't overthink it. It was an accident." Gu Xinran looked helpless. It really did seem to be an accident; she had clearly gone to help Ming Zhen.
"Ah~ I get it, I get it. Many relationships start with an accident~ Are two days enough? I'll give you three!" Qu Qi waved her hand grandly, being exceptionally generous.
"…" I feel like we're not talking about the same thing.
"By the way, Sister Qi, do you know anyone who can read lips? Preferably someone well-known."
"Lip reading??" Qu Qi was stunned. "What's wrong?"
"There's something I want someone to take a look at for me." Gu Xinran didn't elaborate. In the video Fang Jinghai had given her, you could only see Luo Bing's expression and mouth movements, but you couldn't hear what she was saying. It would be best to have someone with some influence interpret it for it to be credible. If Gu Xinran said it herself, its credibility would be greatly diminished.
Seeing Luo Bing still playing petty tricks today made her realize that when dealing with someone who refuses to learn their lesson, it was necessary to have a backup plan for emergencies.
"Lip reading is pretty niche, isn't it? I'll keep an eye out for you."
"Okay."
"Hey, do you need me to go to the set with you tomorrow to back you up? When you're chasing your wife, you need someone on the sidelines to cheer you on~" Qu Qi raised her eyebrows and smiled.
"Just go wash up and go to sleep."
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