Against the Light - Chapter 63
Chapter 63: The Stolen Kiss
After everyone dispersed, Gu Xinran was surrounded by the crew.
"Sister Ran, you can't chicken out! Go for it!!"
"Yeah, what a great opportunity! If you get this role, you can see your wife every day!!!"
"Correction, ex-wife," Qin Qiong said.
"An ex-wife is still a wife! Ouch!" Lin Guo glared, looking ready to eat someone alive.
"Exactly! We're all waiting to see you win Director Bai over. You have to work harder!" The entire crew of Yu Hua's film cheered Gu Xinran on wildly.
"No matter what, you have to fight for it first. Go!"
The noise was giving Gu Xinran a headache.
"Alright, stop shouting. I'm warning you, this is a film set. We only talk about work. If you want to ship us, do it secretly. Don't let me know," Gu Xinran said, her face turning cold.
They were always joking about things like this, as if she and Yilan were living for the entertainment of others. She really disliked it.
Everyone exchanged glances and fell silent, their spirits dampened.
Gu Xinran didn't feel right saying anything more, so she stood up and headed straight for the dressing room.
She knocked on the door and only pushed it open after hearing Yilan's response.
When Bai Yilan saw it was her, she closed the script and set it aside. She peeked behind Gu Xinran, surprised not to see the usual boisterous crowd.
Resting her cheek on her hand, Bai Yilan smiled brightly. "Are you here to use the casting couch on me?"
"...!"
Gu Xinran's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at her and cleared her throat. "Don't talk nonsense."
"I wanted to discuss the female lead with you."
"Hm?"
"I think Qihan is very suitable for this role, and not just because of her acting skills and image. She's been in the entertainment industry for ten years and is a recognized old drama bone, but she's always been a bit unlucky. This film might help her break through her bottleneck and truly make a name for Ye Qihan."
Bai Yilan pondered for a moment and nodded.
"But it could also make a name for Gu Xinran." Ye Qihan pushed the door open and came in. "Sorry, I overheard your conversation."
"Sister Lan, let Xinran play the part. She's very popular and adored by young people. Our film is primarily aimed at a younger audience. Having a big name to draw traffic will definitely secure the box office."
"Besides, there were so many misunderstandings between you two. Now that they're finally cleared up, I have no intention of being a third wheel," Ye Qihan said with a smile.
Bai Yilan and Gu Xinran looked at each other.
"Alright," Bai Yilan nodded.
That afternoon, Bai Yilan called another meeting to announce the main cast. Afterward, she gave each department a strict deadline: one week to complete all pre-production preparations.
After the meeting, Bai Yilan picked up her bag. "Xinran, come with me. Everyone else, get back to what you need to do."
In the car, Bai Yilan placed a soft cushion behind Gu Xinran's lower back. A warmth spread through Gu Xinran's heart, and she thanked her.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To make your costume."
Gu Xinran nodded and sat obediently without another word.
From time to time, she would steal a glance at Bai Yilan. She was so curious whether Yilan had recovered her memories, but she didn't know how to bring up the topic.
If she had her memories back, she'd probably be very emotional seeing me, right?
The two first went to a fabric market to select some suitable materials before heading straight to Bai Yilan's home.
Gu Xinran felt a little thrill of excitement as she entered Yilan's house.
The furniture inside was predominantly white, simple yet elegant. A row of sconces lined the wall, and as the two entered, they turned on automatically, casting a warm white light that made the space feel particularly cozy.
A flower stand sat by the window, holding several potted plants.
Gu Xinran was slightly taken aback. She walked quickly over to the stand. They were all orchids, Yilan's favorite flower from her past life!
Gu Xinran examined them closely. The flowers weren't thriving. She reached out to feel the moisture and temperature of the soil, then pulled some weeds and trimmed a few branches, becoming completely absorbed in tending to the plants.
Bai Yilan brought over a glass of water. Seeing how focused she was, she decided not to disturb her.
A familiar scene surfaced in her mind. She smiled and watched quietly.
A short while later, Gu Xinran finished up and wiped her hands. She turned around, saw Yilan, and gave her a brilliant smile. The next second, her smile vanished. "Sorry, I saw the plants weren't doing well, so I…"
"You know a lot about orchids?"
"Yes. Before I came to this world, I spent all my time with these orchids."
"For how long?"
Gu Xinran looked at the flowers and smiled faintly. "Forty years."
Bai Yilan was startled, her hand unconsciously tightening around the glass.
"All by yourself? You lived in the deep mountains for forty years?"
"Why?"
Hearing this, Gu Xinran looked at her. "Because the person I regarded as my life was gone."
After saying that, Gu Xinran felt it was inappropriate. What if Yilan remembered the 'Xinran' from this life?
"Uh, didn't we need to make the costume?"
"Right." Bai Yilan turned her head and looked at the various fabrics on the sofa, quietly hiding the glint of tears in her eyes.
"I'll draw the design sketch first, and then…" Gu Xinran was saying.
"No need. Go sit over there and don't cause trouble."
Gu Xinran froze. That phrase, 'don't cause trouble,' sounded exceptionally dear to her. In the past, whenever she tried to help Yilan with her flowers, Yilan would tell her to go sit aside and not cause trouble, because back then she didn't know much about gardening and had pruned quite a few of Yilan's flowers bald.
Slightly puzzled but very curious, Gu Xinran sat down by the sofa, resting her chin on her hand and watching her.
Bai Yilan tied up her long hair, took out a drawing board, and skillfully sketched out the costume design.
Gu Xinran was a little surprised. That level of draftsmanship…
Before long, the design was complete. Bai Yilan then modified some of the patterns on the original sketch.
Watching from the side, Gu Xinran was dumbfounded. This design was several times more exquisite than any she had ever drawn. It was clearly the work of an expert!
The small gesture of Bai Yilan unconsciously twirling the long hair by her ear with her finger as she thought deeply captivated Gu Xinran's gaze. It was so, so similar…
Gu Xinran stared at her, her eyes burning as tears began to well up.
The two worked late into the night without realizing it. Gu Xinran went to the kitchen for a look around and fried two eggs for a late-night snack.
When she returned with the plate, she saw Yilan resting, slumped over the table.
Gu Xinran lightened her steps, set the plate down, picked up a thin blanket, and gently draped it over her before sitting down beside her to watch.
She rested her cheek on her hand, letting out a soft laugh from time to time. Just looking at Yilan's sleeping face brought her immense contentment.
Suddenly, Gu Xinran sat up straight. She glanced left and right, then pondered for a moment. Carefully holding her breath, she leaned closer to Yilan's cheek.
As she got closer, she could hear Yilan's steady breathing. Gu Xinran's heart pounded like a frightened deer. She pressed her lips together. Nervous! Right now, it was just nervousness!
Gu Xinran straightened up, took a deep breath to calm herself, and glanced at Yilan's fair cheek. She swallowed almost inaudibly, listened to her breathing again, and placed a hand over her racing heart. She once again tentatively leaned forward, but then chickened out a bit. She felt as if she were doing something wicked.
Just as she was wrestling with herself, she suddenly heard a soft chuckle.
Gu Xinran's scalp went numb instantly. She stared blankly as the corner of Yilan's lips, now inches from her own, curved into a beautiful arc.
Bai Yilan opened her eyes, ruffled her hair, and looked at her with another light laugh.
"?" Just as Gu Xinran was about to speak, her cheek suddenly felt warm!
"!!?" Her eyes flew wide open as she watched Yilan stand up as if nothing had happened.
Gu Xinran clutched her cheek. Just now… did Yilan kiss her?
She kissed her, right?!
Right!!
Gu Xinran fell into a state of deep self-doubt.
After a long moment, she got up, walked to the dining table, and sat opposite Yilan. "Um… is it good?"
Bai Yilan shot her a look and couldn't help but smile.
"Indecisive."
"…?"
A week later, the long-dormant Weibo exploded once again.
It started when Bai Yilan posted a set of promotional stills on her own Weibo, announcing with great fanfare that filming for Never Parting had officially begun.
Bai Yilan hadn't updated her Weibo in a long time, and to update it with an announcement of her return made her devoted fans ecstatic.
But what truly set Weibo ablaze was the content of those promotional stills!
There were seven people in the main cast. Among them, Lin Guo, Qin Qiong, Ren Wei, and Ye Qihan could each be considered a veteran actor in their own right, let alone having all these big names gathered in one place! The most stunning of all was Gu Xinran. In her photo, she was clad in red more brilliant than fire, her aura on full display. A piercing chill emanated from her eyes, and an imposing air of authority radiated from her!
Just ten minutes after the stills were posted, the comment section was overrun.
【Ahhh, what am I seeing!! Director Bai's new film, and Xinran is the lead!! The lead!! Ahhh, they're finally working together, it's a huge victory for us Bai-Gu girls, ahhh!!】
【Holy crap, holy crap, Xinran is so, so beautiful, ahhh】
【What kind of divine lineup is this, sob sob sob. I'm already in love just looking at the cast. I'll be waiting!】
【A little PSA for those in the front row: this film was originally Gu Xinran's investment, The Ode to Mountains and Rivers. But since that script involved plagiarism, Gu Xinran abandoned it and bought the rights to Never Parting to film instead. Because she couldn't assemble a full cast, she had to step in herself. Teacher Bai must have rushed back to save the day.】
【Ahhh, when is it coming out? I want to see it, I want to see it! I'm going to book out a theater! Ten screenings!】
【Sob sob sob, rushing back to save the day is just too heartwarming!】
【I just want to know if they'll get remarried?】
【They probably will, right? They're already working together. There must be a lot of sparks flying during filming, right?】
Jin Shuang had been hoping to find a sense of accomplishment in the comments, but she suddenly noticed something was off.
"This is bad! A fight has broken out in the comments on Sister Lan's Weibo!"
Everyone froze. A fight? Was someone trying to stir up trouble?
They all pulled out their phones and logged onto Weibo.
But when they saw what the argument was about, they were dumbfounded.
【Bai-Gu girls for the win! Charge!!】
【Gu-Bai girls will never admit defeat!】
【Bai-Gu, okay? Teacher Bai is the top, don't you know?】
【Firmly Gu-Bai and never wavering. Xinran is so assertive and cool, how could she be the bottom??】
The comment section was in chaos, fiercely debating the question of who was top and who was bottom.
The crew didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They looked up and saw Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan also on their phones, looking at Weibo.
Emmm…
The people involved were now awkward. Very awkward.
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