Against the Light - Chapter 67
Chapter 67: Was I Jealous?
"Cut," Yu Hua called out. "Very good, that's a take."
But the crew felt no joy at getting it in one take. Everyone was deeply moved by Gu Xinran's poignant performance, their eyes brimming with tears. The atmosphere on set was incredibly heavy.
Gu Xinran remained collapsed on the ground, grief-stricken and unable to pull herself out of the role. She hadn't broken character at all.
Even Yu Hua frowned. Her biggest fear when filming was actors getting so deep into a role they couldn't get out. Such situations could even develop into psychological problems.
She walked over and patted Xinran's shoulder, helping her to a chair with the others. "Yilan saw you crying so heartbreakingly that she started crying too. Aren't you going to go see her?" Yu Hua said.
Sure enough, at the mention of Yilan crying, Gu Xinran finally showed a slight reaction.
She lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes looking at Yu Hua.
The look was so intense that even Yu Hua couldn't bear it. She helped wipe away her tears. "Don't cry anymore. Go see her."
Gu Xinran took a few deep breaths, regaining her senses, and nodded. Just as she was about to wipe her eyes, Yu Hua stopped her. "Bring a tissue over."
Someone immediately handed over a wet wipe.
Gu Xinran wiped her face, still sobbing quietly.
When she tried to stand, her legs felt a bit weak and unsteady. She stood for a moment before feeling better.
Gu Xinran smiled at the crew, signaling that she was fine.
Stepping outside the studio, she immediately spotted a slender, frail figure standing not far away.
She walked closer, looking at Yilan's back.
Yilan had one hand on her arm and her head tilted up, as if swallowing back tears.
Gu Xinran stood behind her, her brow tightly furrowed. She slowly approached, opened her arms, and carefully, almost tentatively, wrapped them around Yilan's waist.
Yilan didn't resist. Gu Xinran instinctively pressed closer, holding her in a full embrace.
The faint fragrance of Yilan's hair filled her senses. She took a deep breath and nuzzled her cheek against Yilan's.
"If I acted poorly, you can be harsh with me, you can scold me. But you can't cry."
Gu Xinran murmured, closing her eyes and greedily tightening her arms around Yilan's stomach.
The tears Bai Yilan had just managed to stop began to fall again, and she started to sob violently.
She turned around, wrapped her arms around Xinran's neck, and buried her face in the crook of her neck.
Scalding tears slid into her collar. Gu Xinran froze completely. After a long moment, she gently patted her back.
"What's so good about me? That you've liked me for so long." Bai Yilan lifted her head to look at her.
The moment their eyes met, tears welled up in Gu Xinran's own eyes!
"All those years… you…"
"Let's not talk about the past." Gu Xinran shook her head, stopping her from speaking. She held Yilan tightly, stroking her hair.
This embrace… she had thought about it for too long, yearned for it for too long!
In the dressing room, Yilan was helping Xinran remove her makeup. She gently touched the scratch on her cheek, which had happened when Qin Qiong shoved her face away and she hit the stone wall.
At that very moment, Qin Qiong was getting an earful from the entire crew. It was too infuriating; her character was just too enraging!!
"I was wrong, sisters, please spare me! I didn't want to do it either. Shouldn't you all be going after the screenwriter??" Qin Qiong begged for mercy repeatedly, even voluntarily putting on the shackles as a sign of penance!
"Alright, you all stop messing around."
"Qin Qiong's acting has improved a lot. The fact that everyone wants to beat you up proves you played the part well," Gu Xinran said with a laugh.
"I propose we film the scene where Ling Hong gets hacked to death by a thousand cuts next!"
"I second the motion!"
"I also second the motion!!"
"!?? Hey, that's going too far! Acting opposite Sister Ran is such a thrill, I want to have a few more scenes with her!!"
"Get lost! Protect our Ling Yao!"
"Awooo!"
Listening to the noisy crowd, Gu Xinran shook her head helplessly. She glanced at Yilan, and the two shared a smile.
Since filming finished early for the day, Yilan let everyone wrap up and personally drove Xinran home.
In the car, Gu Xinran propped her cheek on her hand, her head tilted, watching Yilan with a smile in her eyes.
Bai Yilan felt her gaze. She didn't look back, but a smile unconsciously appeared on her face as well.
"Don't look at me."
Gu Xinran pouted slightly. "So beautiful, yet you won't let people look. How stingy."
"Such a smooth talker. Who did you learn that from?" Bai Yilan feigned anger.
Gu Xinran paused, momentarily taken in by her icy expression, then couldn't help but chuckle.
Neither of them spoke again.
Before long, the car stopped outside Gu Xinran's residential complex.
Bai Yilan turned her head and met Xinran's clear eyes.
Gu Xinran opened her mouth, hesitating several times, and glanced out the car window.
"Well… I'm going now?"
"Okay," Yilan replied.
Gu Xinran nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt on her own, her hand clearly reluctant to let go of the strap.
"You…"
"Mm…"
They both spoke at the same time and shared a smile.
"I'm leaving." Gu Xinran stopped hesitating. The moment she opened the car door, she turned and hugged Yilan, her lips brushing against her temple. "Be safe. Send me a message when you get home."
"Mm."
Gu Xinran pushed the door open and got out. She watched Yilan drive away until she was out of sight, then turned with a satisfied expression and walked home.
Once home, she quickly showered, changed into her pajamas, and sat at her desk. She looked through the company's recent status reports that Qu Qi had sent over while waiting for Yilan's message.
When her phone chimed, she immediately picked it up. It was a message from Yilan, saying she had arrived home.
Only then did Gu Xinran feel at ease. She replied with a "good night."
Half a month later, Teacher Yu's scenes were all filmed, and the old lady successfully wrapped her part.
Although she was done, she felt that since she was idle anyway, and having spent time with these young people had made her feel much younger, she simply decided to stay on set as a director.
Qin Qiong and Gu Xinran's acting was absolutely stunning. Even with Yu Hua personally supervising, she couldn't find any major flaws. The filming progress immediately shot ahead, leaving the neighboring film crew half a street behind.
After several major scenes were completed, it was time for the female lead's romantic scenes, which everyone had been eagerly anticipating.
The bed was set up, and Gu Xinran went over to sit on it to get a feel for it.
It was Lin Guo's turn to be in the scene.
The character she played, Xiao Qi, was the female lead Ling Yao's CP. Unfortunately, just as their feelings were beginning to blossom, she died saving Ling Yao. Her death became the catalyst for Ling Yao's complete descent into darkness!
In the end, the King of Yue still felt some affection for her daughter and didn't kill her. She imprisoned her in the palace, leaving her to fend for herself.
She felt like a puppet, born to be manipulated by others.
The familial love she craved was forever out of reach.
Now, she couldn't even control her own life. It was a true state of being unable to live and unable to die.
Xiao Qi's appearance was like a beam of light that shone into her dark life. For a long time afterward, she moved forward relying on that faint glimmer.
Xiao Qi was a mute girl, the unfavored illegitimate daughter of the prime minister. Her background was quite similar to Ling Yao's. She had met Ling Yao once as a child when she accompanied her mother to the palace. Ling Yao was the only person who didn't care that Xiao Qi was born deaf and mute.
During the ten years Ling Yao was sent to the state of Zheng as a political hostage, Xiao Qi would often visit her chambers alone. Every year on Ling Yao's birthday, she would come to guard the palace, lighting the candles one by one, waiting for her to return and illuminating the path home for her.
The scene they were about to film took place right after Ling Yao was discovered to be raising a private army. She was imprisoned in the palace by the king, listless and seeking only death.
Gu Xinran looked at her own attire. She was wearing a long white dress, slightly disheveled, with a reddish whip mark visible on her collarbone.
She tugged at her clothes slightly, revealing more of the whip mark. The collar was askew, fully displaying her delicate collarbones.
She leaned against the head of the bed, tilted her head back, and tried to get into character.
Lin Guo, dressed in a pale blue gown, walked gracefully over, practicing how to take small, steady yet dignified steps.
Gu Xinran found it amusing and watched her intently.
Suddenly, she frowned, sensing a gaze so tangible it was almost physical. Following the feeling, she found Yilan standing with her arms crossed, watching her.
Gu Xinran immediately averted her gaze and coughed lightly to cover her gaffe.
Before long, Lin Guo was ready and nodded at Bai Yilan.
"Alright, everyone get ready." Bai Yilan looked up and saw Gu Xinran tugging at her collar again. She immediately raised an eyebrow and marched toward her.
Gu Xinran just wanted to expose the whip mark a little more to make herself look weaker. She was engrossed in arranging her clothes when she caught a figure in her peripheral vision. Looking up, she met Yilan's eyes.
The crew was already watching Bai Yilan, waiting for her command. They watched, wide-eyed, as she rushed toward Gu Xinran. And Gu Xinran, looking up at her, even used her left hand to pull her collar down a bit more.
Hiss…!
"What are you pulling at? Trying to show off how nice your collarbones are?" Bai Yilan said in a low voice, glaring at her. This person, didn't she realize her clothes were already slipping off her shoulder?
She slapped her hand away and pulled the collar up, covering her up completely.
"Well, they are quite nice."
Gu Xinran laughed and obediently adjusted her clothes.
"Alright, get ready," Bai Yilan said, returning to the monitor as if nothing had happened and telling everyone to prepare.
"Action."
Gu Xinran sat on the floor, leaning against the bed, staring blankly ahead. Her eyes were empty, her entire being devoid of life.
Lin Guo entered the hall. Seeing her dazed state, she furrowed her brow tightly.
"Cut. Guozi, your expression is a bit over the top. Too worried."
Lin Guo entered the hall, frowning slightly. She walked quickly to Ling Yao's side, knelt down, and gently took her hand.
"Cut. Women shouldn't be so familiar with each other. How can you just touch her hand right away?" Bai Yilan warned with a stern expression.
"???" The crew was completely baffled. They felt that today's director was acting a bit strange.
"Sorry, I'll do it again." Lin Guo was also confused. What did I do wrong??
Lin Guo took a deep breath and adjusted her mindset. Just as she was about to continue, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine, the feeling of being targeted by a hunter!! She glanced to the side and saw Director Bai staring at her with a menacing glint in her eyes!!!
Hiss!
She looked at Gu Xinran, and suddenly, it was like a lightbulb went off! She seemed to realize what she had done wrong!
This time, during filming, she remained expressionless the entire time. When she knelt beside Ling Yao, she made no physical contact at all. She stood up and left in one smooth motion. Director Bai didn't call cut again!
"Good, that was excellent." Bai Yilan expressed her great satisfaction.
"Excellent my foot! What kind of acting was that?" Yu Hua, watching from the side, exploded in frustration, nearly shouting her voice hoarse!
She had been watching for a while and was about to burst with anger. "It's just a romantic scene, do you have to be so jealous? Why don't you go act it out yourself!?"
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