CSGM - Chapter 117
Chapter 117: Confession on Set
Ren Zhi had to admit, Chu Xi's good qualities were countless.
But Ren Zhi had also found the perfect way to describe Chu Xi's flaws—blindingly brilliant.
For instance, the woman had a one-track mind; she was direct about everything.
Just like tonight. Was Chu Xi really confessing to her? It was so bizarre.
And when she left, it was like she was leaving behind a resume, telling her to "reconsider"… She had to be nuts.
This sudden confession of love had thrown Ren Zhi's mind into a tangled mess. She would probably be tossing and turning all night.
The worst part was, although she had rejected Chu Xi, her rejection might not have been entirely sincere.
Ren Zhi rubbed her brow. She had to figure out what wire got crossed in Chu Xi's head tonight…
Could it be that her avoiding Chu Xi today had provoked her?
Chu Xi had better never say something like that again.
Dark clouds obscured the moon.
The stars flickered uncertainly in the night sky.
After Chu Xi returned home, she wasn't overthinking things like Ren Zhi was.
On the contrary, she felt lighter.
It was as if saying those words out loud had lifted a great weight from her shoulders.
Still, it would have been even better if Ren Zhi had said yes.
Why did Ren Zhi refuse?
Chu Xi looked at her face in the mirror, turning to examine her profile from both sides.
Still as heroic and dashing as ever, with smooth contours and defined features.
As for her inner intelligence, that went without saying. She was one of a kind, leagues ahead of everyone else.
Would Ren Zhi change her mind when she woke up tomorrow?
Chu Xi fell asleep with this question on her mind.
The moment she woke up, the same question resurfaced.
She rolled over, immediately grabbing her phone from beside her pillow, and checked her chat with Ren Zhi—
No messages.
Oh—
She'd forgotten to check if the sun was out this morning. A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.
After washing up, she called Ren Zhi. She knew Ren Zhi would be awake by now.
"Good morning. Want to come down for breakfast?" Chu Xi asked.
After a night of reflection, it seemed both of their attitudes had subtly shifted.
"No. It's a little awkward seeing you right now. You should go to the set by yourself, too," Ren Zhi said.
A "beep" from her phone informed Chu Xi that the call had been disconnected.
Chu Xi fiddled with the ends of her hair. Ren Zhi had even followed up with a text:
【You don't need to bring me anything, either. I've already eaten.】
Such a blunt refusal. Seriously?
A taste of failure spread through Chu Xi's heart, making her repeatedly recall Ren Zhi saying "no," "I can't," and "it won't work."
With each recollection, the sense of disappointment made her realize more and more clearly just how much she actually desired success.
It was like a thick fog slowly dissipating, revealing the true face of what had been obscured.
Although she had told Jin Yuan to take the morning off, Jin Yuan still drove over, eager and diligent, to take her to the set.
A day off? Hearing that Xixi hadn't managed to hitch a ride with Teacher Ren again, how could Jin Yuan possibly have the heart to stay home!
The moment Chu Xi got in the car, Jin Yuan couldn't wait to show her concern.
"Xixi, is Teacher Ren still ignoring you today?"
Chu Xi fastened her seatbelt in the passenger seat and answered calmly.
"She's not ignoring me. She just said it's a bit awkward to see me right now."
"Huh…?"
Jin Yuan glanced at her before quickly turning her eyes back to the road ahead.
"With your terrible driving skills, you should focus on the road," Chu Xi reminded her. "She was talking to me last night. She's not mad at me."
"What happened between you two?"
Chu Xi told Jin Yuan that there wasn't really a problem, that Ren Zhi had always treated her as a good friend, but that last night, she had confessed to Ren Zhi.
She hoped they could go from being friends to being girlfriends.
Jin Yuan's jaw nearly hit the steering wheel. Her eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets!
"?!"
"You just confessed to Teacher Ren like that?!!"
Her Xixi, oh my god… Didn't they agree that Valentine's Day would be a good time?
This was the true get-it-done-now type!
Chu Xi frowned and said, "Why wait for a specific day? I couldn't wait. I couldn't hold it in yesterday, so I just said it."
Yes, in that moment, she hadn't thought twice. The words in her heart had just slipped out.
Jin Yuan stammered, "A-And then?"
And now Teacher Ren found it awkward to see Xixi. She could pretty much imagine what had happened in between.
As expected, Chu Xi leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and said, "She rejected me for now."
Jin Yuan's mouth fell slightly open. "Ah…"
"It's fine," Chu Xi added quickly. "Failure is the mother of success."
Jin Yuan: "…?" What? Does that rule apply to confessions too?
"Xixi, were you too direct with your confession? Maybe Teacher Ren wasn't mentally prepared?"
"It's not an exam. What's there to prepare for?" Chu Xi said.
In a situation like that, didn't Ren Zhi just need to accept?
"Ah… that's not how confessions work…" Jin Yuan mumbled, in awe of this incredibly straightforward person.
Chu Xi glanced sideways at her, a slight smile playing on her lips as she asked amusingly, "Xiao Yuan, how many times have you been in a relationship?"
"Three times…" Jin Yuan replied.
Oh? This was getting interesting. Chu Xi inquired with a bit more seriousness.
"And the result? Who did you end up with?"
"Uhh," Jin Yuan paused. "We broke up… all of them…"
Chu Xi's light chuckle naturally evolved into a scornful sneer.
"Then you'd better not give me any advice. You've had three relationships and none of them worked out. You're not very good at this."
Jin Yuan: "…………" That's not how the logic works, is it?
Xixi, you're the one with zero experience, you're the real novice here…
Jin Yuan silently retorted in her head.
Hearing that Jin Yuan had failed in love three times gave Chu Xi a strange, inexplicable confidence, though where it came from was a mystery.
She smiled. "Don't worry, Xiao Yuan. I can handle this myself. I have my own methods."
The moment Chu Xi entered the makeup room today, Yan Kun's eyes were fixed on her until she sat down in her chair.
Chu Xi felt his gaze and even saw him glancing her way in the mirror from time to time, looking like he wanted to say something but was holding back. She smirked.
If you have something to say, just say it. Why be so awkward?
Since Yan Kun didn't take the initiative, Chu Xi certainly wasn't in the mood to approach him today.
After her makeup and styling were done and the other actors had left the room, Yan Kun quietly walked back to find Chu Xi, who was still inside.
Chu Xi raised an eyebrow as he approached.
"I'm heading out," she reminded him. Don't block my way.
Yan Kun grew anxious and immediately spoke up as she'd expected.
"Uh… wait a minute. I have something to ask you."
Chu Xi gave him an "if you have a question, just ask" look, tinged with impatience.
"Those Rubik's Cube challenges you mentioned yesterday, can you do all of them?" Yan Kun asked, referring to the 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, Pyraminx, and blindfolded solves.
"Obviously."
With no one else in the makeup room to overhear, Yan Kun finally swallowed his pride, let down his guard, and said, "Can you teach me, then? I thought about the reasons you gave yesterday, and I want to change the audience's perception of me. Of course, I'm willing to pay you for lessons."
Yan Kun put on a cool expression. "Money is not an issue. We can discuss the price."
He was trying to act like a boss, putting on quite a show.
Chu Xi chuckled, still looking at him like he was a little brother.
"I can teach you how to make a comeback, but if you want to learn from me, you have to become my disciple first. Also, I don't have time right now. I have to go shoot my scene."
With that, she turned and walked away coolly, leaving him with a view of her back.
To put it bluntly, Chu Xi didn't care about the tuition fee at all.
She was no longer interested in a person's two or three IQ points; she had more long-term, efficient plans.
As for Yan Kun putting on airs in front of her, her patience was already thin today, and she had even less desire to deal with this kid.
Yan Kun stood there, caught off guard in the awkward makeup room. He took out his phone and searched again—
"Is Chu Xi's IQ really high"
He reread the answers he had skimmed yesterday.
【Of course. The director of Our Restaurant messed with everyone but couldn't touch her. She even turned the tables on him.】
【Photographic memory and spatial reasoning seem to be her strong suits.】
【Haha, just look up the news about her mountain rescue. The woman is a genius in many areas, completely schooling some of the pretty boys and girls in the entertainment industry~】
…
Yan Kun pressed his lips together, his heart stirring with ambition once more.
If only he had half of Chu Xi's ability to show off.
Filming began on set. Today was the last day of shooting at the Qin Heart Residence.
This scene was of Meng Wenzhao lying in a coma after being severely injured, unable to wake up. Xie Mi comes to visit, offering a mix of cold taunts and sarcasm.
"Oh, Little Crane, you poor thing. Stupidity will only hasten your death."
"Wouldn't it be better to live a quiet life of leisure in seclusion? Why did you have to come out and break my heart?" Xie Mi caressed Meng Wenzhao's cheek, twirling strands of her hair around her fingertips. "I understand your perseverance, I comprehend your righteousness, and I admire your magnificent presence, fending off ten thousand with a single sword. Heh, but I also genuinely hope you die."
"There can be no obstacles in my path. That includes you."
—This was probably the most comfortable scene Chu Xi had ever filmed.
She didn't have to do anything but lie there and sleep well.
All the gentle cruelty, the venomous pity, and the bottomless indifference in those soft, glowing eyes were performed by Ren Zhi alone.
She even got to enjoy Ren Zhi's soft caress on her face.
She could almost smell the perfume on Ren Zhi's hand.
"Cut! That was excellent! Let's get one more for safety."
Chu Xi was delighted, responding loudly, "Okay!"
Getting a safety take was a perfect decision. Not only did it provide more options for the best possible shot, but it also meant Chu Xi would get to be gently caressed one more time.
Of course, Chu Xi was happy about the latter. Hehe.
For a moment of Ren Zhi's brilliant acting like this, she would be willing to do ten more takes!
She lay back down, touched Ren Zhi's hand, and asked, "Do you need to get into character?"
Ren Zhi pulled her hand back, avoiding her. "No need."
Chu Xi had no choice but to join her in looking up at the director's side and saying, "We're ready."
Two hours later.
During a break in filming, Chu Xi brazenly squeezed into Ren Zhi's dressing room.
—Even though Ren Zhi had again refused to let her in, she had shamelessly darted past Xiao Ju and entered.
The derelict Xiao Ju could only quickly close the door and turn to give Ren Zhi an apologetic look: I'm sorry, I couldn't stop her.
Chu Xi cheerfully ran to Ren Zhi's side. Seeing no empty chairs, she squatted on the spot, looked up at her, and said quickly, "Don't be so quick to refuse me. I'm here for work. There's a scene I'm not sure about. Could you give me some pointers?"
Now that work was mentioned, Ren Zhi didn't seem to be in a hurry to kick her out.
Ren Zhi looked at her and asked, "Which scene?"
Chu Xi hadn't brought her script. Thinking on her feet, she recited the contents from memory.
"…Meng Wenzhao presses down on the knife embedded in XXX's chest, trembling."
After listening, Ren Zhi glanced at her. "Is this difficult for you?"
"Of course it's difficult, Sister. I'm blind in that scene, with white gauze over my face, so I can't use my eyes to act. How am I supposed to express myself with the rest of my body? And I don't feel like I know this character very well…" Chu Xi grumbled.
"Come on, I'll rehearse it with you. Just treat me as XXX."
Sigh, compared to work, I'm really not worth mentioning, Chu Xi thought to herself.
She said, "Don't actually lie on the floor, you'll get your clothes dirty. Just lean against the wall."
Ren Zhi leaned against the wall, playing the part of a severely injured person on the verge of death. "Come on."
Chu Xi scanned the table, then ended up picking up a short-handled umbrella from the floor to use as a knife.
After one run-through, Ren Zhi realized Chu Xi's state was genuinely off.
She frowned and said, "If you can't use your eyes, then close them. Let's do it again."
"Oh…"
Chu Xi held the handle of the umbrella propped against the wall. As Ren Zhi spoke, her warm, orchid-like breath washed over her face.
She suddenly opened her eyes, and the umbrella slipped from her hand.
"Let's not practice anymore. This is too hard. I can't focus when I'm acting opposite you right now."
Ren Zhi froze. Her intuition told her something was wrong. She was about to move away, but Chu Xi blocked her with both hands on either side of her shoulders.
Chu Xi looked directly at her and pressed, "I acted well in the last scene, didn't I?"
Ren Zhi thought back. "…"
"What did you act? You were lying down the whole time."
"That's not it. After you touched me like that, it was very difficult for me to lie there quietly and endure it…"
Chu Xi was being honest, even touching her own cheek where Ren Zhi had gently caressed it, as if savoring the memory.
Just as Ren Zhi was about to slip out from under her arm, Chu Xi quickly pinned her back against the wall.
She moved closer to Ren Zhi. "Don't go. I have something to say."
Pressed against the wall, Ren Zhi felt a little burned by her intense gaze and looked away. Beside them, a wide-eyed and startled Xiao Ju quickly buried her face.
What was happening… Why was Sister Zhi suddenly being pinned against the wall by Sister Xi?!
Ren Zhi gritted her teeth, annoyed. "Hurry up and say it!"
Chu Xi's clear eyes swept over her like a storm-tossed lake, clinging to her like lingering water droplets.
"It's been eleven hours. Have you reconsidered yet? Since I joined this cast, I've passed many of my scenes in a single take. You told me to get along with everyone, and I was even kind enough to enlighten Yan Kun."
Ren Zhi's heart raced. She couldn't bring herself to look back at her.
She just wanted to say, stop talking.
But before she could get a word out, Chu Xi leaned in closer, bringing her face right in front of hers to continue:
"Whatever you like, I can do it. Quickly reconsider and let me be your girlfriend."
Her voice was as clear, firm, and fearless as an outstanding elementary school student answering a question in class.
It echoed throughout the private dressing room.
The truly fearful one, Xiao Ju, was pinching her own hand, wishing she could bury her face in her chest!
…………
Is it possible that… she was an outsider? She shouldn't be here!
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