Shrine - Chapter 29
Chapter 29
The afternoon's shoot went smoothly, but after being ravaged by the scorching sun, she was still exhausted when she returned to the hotel. The living and dining rooms with their recessed lighting, the perpetually neat furniture—Shi Ran was more familiar with the hotel than with her so-called home.
She took a shower and lay down on the bed. Ruan Ruan hadn't sent a message.
She played on her phone for a while. On social media, photos of her in close contact with the third female lead had already surfaced. In the pictures, one was laughing with her head thrown back while the other leaned in to listen, looking incredibly familiar with each other. A few swipes later, there were photos of her and Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin had an arm around her shoulders, her skin streaked with sweat, yet below, fans were commenting, "How on earth can I become Shi Ran's assistant? Crying.jpg."
The next picture showed Shi Ran coolly questioning the person in front of her. The person's back, clad in a gray T-shirt, was so frail it looked like only half a person, less conspicuous than the plastic bag in her hand.
"Shi Ran eats popsicles too?" "What flavor does she like?" "Can anyone find the exact same one?" "Looks like it's this one her assistant picked out. [Image]"
People were even concerned about the popsicle Shi Ran was about to eat, but no one cared who was standing opposite her.
Even though Shi Ran wore an extremely serious expression.
She stared at the photo in a daze for a while. Her phone vibrated. It was a message from Ruan Ruan: "Are you asleep?"
"No." It was only ten o'clock.
She waited for half a minute, but Ruan Ruan's name didn't change to "typing..."
Shi Ran thought for a moment and took the initiative to send a message: "Have you signed your contract termination agreement?"
They were talking about work; there was no topic more open and proper.
"Almost. The company didn't want to manage me anymore anyway," Ruan Ruan laughed. "At least they get to make one last bit of money from my termination fee."
Shi Ran wanted to ask how much, but felt it would be too presumptuous. She and Ruan Ruan weren't that close yet.
"Your flight was today?"
"Yes."
They were making small talk. Perhaps it was because they had been apart for over a week, or maybe they had never been much for conversation, but the dialogue on the screen was painfully dry.
"You came to the set as soon as you arrived?"
Ruan Ruan didn't type anymore. After twenty-some seconds, a white voice message appeared. Shi Ran played it. Little Bread's voice was soft and weak: "Because... I heard you were shooting on location."
It was tantalizingly soft, with a restrained, breathy tone.
Shi Ran, lying on her side in bed, lowered her gaze and initiated a voice call with Ruan Ruan.
"I don't feel like typing either," she said faintly.
This time, Shi Ran was the one to speak first. Ruan Ruan was still a bit unused to it, so she let out a low laugh. "Where were we?"
"You heard we were shooting on location."
"Oh, right. There are proxy photographers and media at outdoor locations. I wanted... to get photographed." Ruan Ruan sat on the edge of her bed, lightly kicking her slippers. A few furballs were fighting again, nipping at each other and occasionally letting out aggrieved whimpers.
She quietly used the tip of her foot to separate two of the kittens. She could hear Shi Ran's silent breathing on the other end, then asked, "So the popsicle... you intended to give it to me from the start?"
"Yes," Ruan Ruan said, her head lowered, her voice husky. "The proxy photographers only point their cameras where you are."
Shi Ran found it hard to describe what she was feeling. There was a distinct drop in the pit of her stomach. Ruan Ruan's soft-spoken confession of using her and coveting her attention was far more direct than the third female lead's outstretched hand, yet Shi Ran didn't feel any aversion. Instead, she felt a faint stirring in her heart.
When Little Bread obediently says she wants to take a bite of you to fill her stomach, who wouldn't offer their wrist?
"So, did it work?" Did she check online? Did she get in the same frame as me?
Ruan Ruan sniffled and looked up at the window. "No. They only got my back. There were more photos of you and Meng Li."
Meng Li was the third female lead she had the scene with.
"Oh," Shi Ran responded coolly. "What was the problem?"
Ruan Ruan bit her lower lip slightly, then released it. "She touched you. I didn't."
The other end of the line went silent for three or four beats. Ruan Ruan's ears grew hot. She heard Shi Ran's nonchalant breathing, followed by the question, "Do you want to imitate her? Next time."
Ruan Ruan held onto the edge of the bed and smiled, her features clear and bright. She asked in a whisper, "Can I?"
"Give it a try."
Shi Ran neither agreed nor refused.
Ruan Ruan's heart began to itch like the inside of her ear. Shi Ran's words drilled into her cochlea and swam into her heart. She wanted to do it with Shi Ran. She wanted to bite her gently, to understand why she was even more indifferent when lost in passion than when someone merely put an arm around her.
After hanging up, Ruan Ruan lay in bed with a sharp physiological reaction, thinking about Shi Ran for half the night.
The next day, she arranged to meet Xin Chen at a tea restaurant with private rooms.
Xin Chen loved Cantonese food, and this place in Shucheng served the most authentic iced lemon tea. Ruan Ruan ordered snacks like steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce, beef cheung fun, and beef brisket with radish. She also added a "fire and ice" pineapple bun, put on disposable gloves, and chatted with Xin Chen as they ate.
A decorative fan turned slowly, red silk tassels dangling and spinning from it. A few small mahjong tiles were embedded in the table. The newspaper-wrapped little bread carried the faint scent of paper. Ruan Ruan picked up a tinfoil-wrapped chicken wing and placed it on Xin Chen's plate.
"What's this about...?" Xin Chen asked, eyeing her as she unwrapped the tinfoil.
"Shi Ran said the contract for Shrine is about to be signed. I don't want to work with my previous agency. I heard you started an agency, so I wanted to ask if you're still signing artists. Would you consider signing me?"
Ruan Ruan got straight to the point, taking off her gloves to drink some sweet soup.
It was a bit sudden. Xin Chen processed it for a moment. "You terminated your contract with your previous company?"
"I'm in negotiations, but it requires a termination fee of about a million or so. I don't have that much in savings. If I sign with you, I might need an advance on my salary," Ruan Ruan confessed.
The more Xin Chen heard, the more confused she became. She frowned. "Why would you think to come to me?"
Ruan Ruan didn't analyze the pros and cons. She just said slowly, "Shi Ran told me to come."
She used an ambiguous tone, her voice dropping at the end, making it sound profound and full of meaning.
Xin Chen thought for a moment, and everything clicked. Shi Ran had gotten Ruan Ruan the role; their relationship was clearly not ordinary. So, signing the contract was most likely Shi Ran's arrangement as well.
"Oh, I see." Xin Chen nodded and took a bite of the chicken wing.
Seeing the look in Ruan Ruan's eyes, she was certain it was Shi Ran's idea.
Ruan Ruan lowered her eyes and focused on her sweet soup. She had used Shi Ran a little again, but she hadn't told a lie. As for what direction Xin Chen's thoughts took, that was beyond anyone's control.
Xin Chen was naturally happy to see this happen. The female lead would now be one of her own. It was a one-two punch of saving and making money, which would significantly reduce costs and expenses. She was happy again.
"So, did Shi Ran say what our split will be?" Xin Chen asked, blinking and holding up a greasy hand.
Ruan Ruan shook her head. "I think that's for us to discuss."
"Oh, so what are you thinking?"
"I don't have any thoughts on it," Ruan Ruan said quietly. "I just want to act. But Shi Ran said you're very straightforward. You can just draft the contract directly. I probably won't have any objections."
Shi Ran said, Shi Ran said... Xin Chen secretly furrowed her brow, her eyes flickering again and again.
She understood.
"Alright," she said readily. "I'll have a contract drawn up later, and we can go over the details. Hey, how about I just give it to Shi Ran's legal team and have them look it over for you? I have her lawyer's WeChat."
A slight flush colored Ruan Ruan's face. She lowered her gaze. "I'll look at it myself."
Xin Chen understood. She pulled out a napkin, wiped her lips, and smiled inexplicably.
As expected, she was still a person with a dark mind, and her thoughts had already jumped to some extraordinary conclusions.
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