Against the Light - Chapter 149
Chapter 149: Crowned Movie Queen
In the next room, Shi Qing was holding the little milk bun, feeling exceptionally happy. The smile on her face grew, soft and warm. Ye Nan squatted by the bed, her gaze lingering on Shi Qing's face for a long while.
"Look at her. What sweet dream is she having to be smiling so happily?" Shi Qing was completely focused on the baby. Seeing the child snuggled in her arms, smiling even in her sleep, she was delighted and gently tapped the little one's nose.
"Look at this little milk bun, she looks so much like Yilan when she was little."
"Mmm~"
"Hmm? What are you 'hmm'-ing about? You never saw what Yilan looked like when she was just born."
"I was just agreeing with you!"
Shi Qing glanced at her. "Why do you keep looking at me?"
"Heh, because you're beautiful!"
The corners of Shi Qing's lips lifted. Just as she was about to speak, the child in her arms turned her face and nuzzled against her, pressing against her chest and burrowing into her embrace.
"This little one is just too cute." Ye Nan sighed softly and leaned in to kiss the little milk bun.
Shi Qing raised an eyebrow, staring at her. Ye Nan's lips were almost touching Xiao Ye's cheek when she suddenly froze. She gave Shi Qing a timid look, silently swallowed, and gave up on the idea of kissing the child.
"Stingy."
"What did you say? A little louder?"
"Nothing, I said Xiao Ye is really cute!"
"Sister Qing, aren't you going to sleep? It's already eleven. You're not planning to watch her all night, are you?"
Shi Qing looked up at the wall clock and did feel a little sleepy. She looked at the little one in her arms, feeling a bit troubled.
"Can you watch her by yourself? Why don't we send her back and let the two of them watch her? The baby is still young, she can't sleep through the night and will get fussy," Ye Nan said.
As soon as she heard they might send the little one back, Shi Qing subconsciously hugged the child tighter. She couldn't bear to send her away.
"You can sleep here tonight."
"?? Huh?" Ye Nan was stunned. "Bed-warming again?"
Remembering how she had scared her last time, Shi Qing gave a helpless smile. "No bed-warming today. Just lie here and don't move." Shi Qing pointed to the other side of the bed.
Ten minutes later, Ye Nan was lying on the bed, her body arched, acting as a human guardrail with a look of utter despair on her face.
The very definition of a tool.
Days passed one by one. Before they knew it, the little one was already three months old. She was much sturdier and had grown quite a bit. Her little body was still soft and tender, and her features had become much prettier. Gu Xinran held her every day, unwilling to let go, and had endless fun fighting with Yilan over the baby.
This day, Gu Xinran had just taken the opportunity while Yilan was in the bathroom to hold the baby. Before she'd had her fill, her phone rang.
Seeing it was a call from Qu Qi, she immediately felt a headache coming on.
Ever since the baby's one-month celebration, Qu Qi had been urging her to return to work. She had been avoiding and procrastinating until now.
Before, when it was just Yilan, she would look back three times with every step she took on her way to work. Now with this little one added to the mix, asking her to leave the house was worse than asking for her life!
"Is the phone ringing? Why aren't you answering? Who's calling?" Yilan came out of the bathroom, wiping her hands. Seeing Xinran completely engrossed in teasing the baby, having tossed her phone aside without a care, she walked over, glanced at it, and directly pressed the answer button.
"Hey!" Gu Xinran tried to stop her but couldn't.
"Hello? Sister Qi, what's up?" Bai Yilan answered the phone, put it on speaker, and glanced at Xinran.
"Yilan, how have you been lately? Is everything okay at home?"
"Hmm? Everything's great."
"I heard the baby was sick?"
"Yes, it was nothing serious. The doctor came to see her. She had a bit of a fever, but she's much better now." Yilan said, looking at Xiao Ye. The little one was in good spirits, blinking her big, watery eyes while playing with Xinran.
"Is Xinran busy?" Qu Qi asked again.
Hearing this, Gu Xinran immediately nodded at Yilan.
"Not busy at all. Is there some work for her?" Yilan directly ignored her and even flashed her a beautiful smile.
Gu Xinran was exasperated. She looked at the phone and frantically made eye signals at her.
"Yes, there's an awards ceremony that requires both of you to attend."
"Hmm?"
"Didn't the last film festival turn into a huge joke? All the nominated works from that time have been re-evaluated."
"Oh, I can't get away. Just have Xinran go."
"It would be best if she can go. Is she there? Is it convenient for her to take the call?"
"Of course." Bai Yilan agreed in one breath, selling out her wife very readily.
"…" The corner of Gu Xinran's mouth twitched. She shot her a look, thoroughly annoyed, handed the little one into her arms, picked up the phone, and took a deep breath. "Hello?"
"So you do know how to answer the phone! Get your ass back to work for me. How long have you been resting? What did you say at the beginning? Wasn't it just one month off? You call this one month?"
"Talk to me! Still trying to hide? If you don't come back to work today, I'll go to your house and block your door. I'll bring the entire company staff to block you and let them see this black-hearted boss, this hands-off manager having a comfortable time, aren't you? Leaving me to work myself to death every day holding up this huge company for you!"
"You bastard! Talk to me!"
"…" Listening to Qu Qi's machine-gun-like tirade, how could Gu Xinran dare to speak?
"Ah!" A sudden cry came from Yilan's arms. Both of them looked down at the same time. The little one was frowning, letting out a loud shout, her big eyes fixed in the direction of the phone.
Gu Xinran was surprised. "Did you hear Mama getting scolded and want to stand up for her? Our little milk bun has a temper, doesn't she~"
Gu Xinran tapped the little one's nose, grinning from ear to ear, and immediately forgot all about Qu Qi.
"Gu Xinran, you dare to yell at me!?"
"I'm doing this for the company! And you yell at me!"
"Alright, you. Go to work," Bai Yilan said helplessly.
Gu Xinran sighed and picked up the phone. "You might not believe this, but that really was Xiao Ye yelling at you just now."
"Cut the crap! You must attend the awards ceremony tonight. What if you win an award?"
Gu Xinran was dejected. Thinking that there was no escaping this time, she had no choice but to nod and agree. "Alright, I know."
As soon as she hung up, Gu Xinran immediately hugged Yilan and their daughter, whimpering, "Xiao Ye, Mama can't leave you!"
"Go, go, go, you're so annoying." Yilan pushed her away with a look of disdain.
That evening, an hour before she had to leave, Gu Xinran started to get cold feet. She paced around the house, trying to find an excuse to skip the event. In the end, she was kicked out the door by Yilan.
Now, Gu Xinran was standing at the door, knocking.
"Yilan, I might be back very late tonight. Watch the baby when you sleep, don't let her get a fever again in the middle of the night. The cooling patches are in the bedside table, have them ready. Oh right, when she's sleeping, don't cover her with too many blankets, but not too few either, don't let her catch a cold again. Oh, right, right, and also…"
"Just go already!" Yilan's furious roar came from inside.
"Oh…" Gu Xinran pouted and left with extreme reluctance.
In the car, Gu Xinran looked anxious. She took out her phone, constantly wanting to call Yilan, wanting to hear the baby's voice, even if it was just the sound of her breathing!
Qu Qi glanced at this daughter slave in the rearview mirror. "Hey, have you gained weight recently? Letting yourself go at home? Not watching your figure?"
"Eh? Have I?" Gu Xinran looked down at herself. It seemed fine; her figure hadn't changed noticeably.
"Maybe it's just because you haven't seen me in a long time."
"Oh, so you do know! You've been off the radar in the industry for two months. Forget the audience, even I've almost forgotten you!"
Gu Xinran pursed her lips. "It's not that exaggerated. Didn't I just make an appearance a while ago when The Yan Dynasty was released?"
"Hiss…" Qu Qi frowned again. "I've noticed you have a lot of little expressions now. Have you been coaxing the baby at home so much that you've forgotten your own persona?"
"Ahem." Gu Xinran coughed lightly, took a deep breath, straightened her back, and sat up properly.
"That's more like it."
Before long, the two arrived at the venue.
Following the staff's directions, Gu Xinran walked onto the red carpet. It had been so long since she'd appeared at a public event like this that she was a little unused to it. She walked straight ahead, even forgetting to pose for photos, until the host in front reminded her. She then turned back, stood with a smile, and let the photographers take pictures.
"Well, well, Sister Ran, you've finally decided to come out of seclusion?"
Gu Xinran heard the voice from a distance and looked back. It was Lin Guo and Qin Qiong. The two were walking arm in arm down the red carpet, right behind her.
"Long time no see."
"??? Why so formal all of a sudden?" Lin Guo was taken aback by her words. She familiarly looped her arm through Gu Xinran's, and the three of them walked inside together.
"Is it because you haven't been to this kind of event in a long time? Are you nervous?"
"I'm okay, but I need to get used to it again. I've been at home all this time, revolving around the baby every day. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to stand in the spotlight." Gu Xinran replied with a smile, looking back at the constantly flashing lights behind her. She suddenly felt as if a lifetime had passed.
"It's such a shame Teacher Bai didn't come this time. I have a very strong feeling that Never Parting will win an award, really!" Lin Guo pushed up a pair of non-existent glasses and assured the two.
"Hey, Sister Ran, Guozi, Sister Qiong." Jin Shuang, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, also appeared, waving to them from a distance. Standing beside her was Ye Xiaobei, the screenwriter for Never Parting.
Gu Xinran also raised her hand and greeted them.
The film crew gathered together again and walked into the venue.
With Yilan absent during this period, Jin Shuang had completely taken over for the crew. She had grown very quickly and could now stand on her own.
"Sister Ran, how has Sister Lan been lately? You two haven't shown your faces at all. You could at least post on Weibo occasionally to let us know how you're doing."
"Exactly! The moment you went on break, it's like you completely disappeared. Not answering calls or replying to WeChat messages," Lin Guo also complained.
Gu Xinran smiled sheepishly. "My bad, my bad. I'll be more mindful in the future."
"Hey, how old is the baby? Do you have pictures? I want to see! Is she super cute!?"
"Of course she's cute. Otherwise, why would I be so unmotivated and just want to dote on my cub?" Gu Xinran said, taking out her phone and opening the photo album. It was stuffed full of photos and videos of Xiao Ye.
From the first day of Xiao Ye's birth to the ninety-third day today, Gu Xinran had taken a photo of her every single day as a memento, using this method to record every little bit of her daughter's growth.
"Wow, she's so cute! So fair she's practically glowing!"
"She's grown so well, and she looks so much like you two. She's a perfect combination of you both."
"Exactly! Ahhh, she must be so fragrant and soft. I want to hold her, I want to hold her!"
"Mhm~ Of course~" Seeing how much everyone liked Xiao Ye, Gu Xinran was very pleased. She glanced at the phone. They were looking at a photo of Xiao Ye in a little yellow duck onesie. This was her favorite picture, and she even used it as her phone wallpaper. In the photo, Xiao Ye was kicking her little legs, sticking out her little tongue, and smiling very happily. The little yellow duck outfit fit her perfectly, her chubby little body completely filling it out. It was unbelievably cute!
"Ooh~~~" As they flipped through the album, they suddenly exclaimed in unison and looked at Gu Xinran.
"Hmm?" Gu Xinran looked over at the sound and saw they had flipped to a photo of her stealing a kiss from Yilan. She even felt a little shy.
"Ahem."
"So cute. I want an adorable little milk bun too." Lin Guo was green with envy, so much so that she wanted to go steal a baby.
"You two should have one. You're at the age to get married and have kids," Gu Xinran glanced at her and Qin Qiong, calculating their ages.
"But having a child means no more freedom. You can't just do whatever you want, whenever you want. You have to take care of that little thing in everything you do. I just want to be able to cuddle her a bit when I feel like it, and then go back to doing my own thing normally."
"…Maybe you should just get a cat."
"Pfft~"
As the few of them were talking and laughing, the host came on stage, and a round of applause erupted from the audience.
"Huh? Isn't that Xia Chenxing? They actually got her to be the host. This award must be pretty prestigious then." Lin Guo exclaimed in surprise and immediately sat up properly.
Gu Xinran was also surprised. She secretly took her phone back, snapped a photo, and sent it to Yilan.
【Gu: Look who this is~】
【Bai: !? They actually got Chenxing to host???】
【Gu: Yep. Regret not coming?】
【Bai: ! I regret it! Is it too late to go now?】
【Gu: Even if you came, you'd only see me /grinning】
【Bai: /eye roll, I'm going to watch it on TV】
"Hello everyone, I am your host for this awards ceremony, Xia Chenxing." On stage, Xia Chenxing was introducing herself. She gave an elegant bow, earning thunderous applause.
After the opening remarks, Xia Chenxing glanced at her cue card and got straight to the point, first announcing a few newcomer awards.
The results were no different from the last West Source Film Festival. The Best Newcomer award was won by Heart Entertainment artist Ling Xue'er.
The Most Popular Actress award was taken by Heart Entertainment artist Li Jinjin.
The Best Screenwriter award was also snatched by Ye Xiaobei.
After the award-winning guests had finished their acceptance speeches on stage, Xia Chenxing returned to the center of the stage, glanced at her cue card, and a faint smile touched her lips.
"Next, we will be announcing the Best Director award. However, I'd like to announce this award along with the Best Actress award, because…" Xia Chenxing paused, her gaze sweeping across the audience, and successfully found Gu Xinran in the crowd.
"The winners of these two awards are a pair of lovers."
After she said this, the venue fell silent for a moment.
"Gu Xinran! Bai Yilan!" Lin Guo shouted.
"Not long ago, I worked with one of them. And, they have just received the most important little treasure of their lives."
By this point, Xia Chenxing's hint was already very obvious.
"Ahhh, it really is Sister Ran and Teacher Bai!"
"They are… Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan," Xia Chenxing revealed the answer.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience again. Lin Guo and the others were going crazy with excitement, wildly shouting Gu Xinran's and Bai Yilan's names.
It took a moment for Gu Xinran to realize what was happening. She was pulled to her feet by the others, straightened her clothes a little, and then walked onto the stage.
She shared a hug with Xia Chenxing and said thank you.
Xia Chenxing took half a step back, giving her the center stage.
"You still look a little confused. Did you not expect to win the Best Actress award?" Xia Chenxing asked.
"Yes, that's right. I wasn't mentally prepared for this. It's a bit sudden." Gu Xinran seemed a little nervous. She secretly took a deep breath to calm herself.
"So, is there anything you'd like to say or do right now that you can share with everyone?" It was also Xia Chenxing's first time hosting. Seeing Xinran so nervous, she felt a bit awkward herself and desperately tried to find a topic.
"Right now, I want to…" Gu Xinran started to say, then paused.
"Hmm? Want to what?"
"Ahem, can I be honest?"
"Say it!" the audience cheered loudly.
Gu Xinran nodded and took a deep breath. "I want to go home. I want to see my baby."
As soon as she finished speaking, the audience erupted in laughter.
"Daughter slave!" someone shouted.
"That's right, I am." Gu Xinran nodded, looking quite proud of it.
Hearing her say that, Xia Chenxing had a flash of inspiration. "Speaking of your child, I know that in our line of work, we often film for months without being able to go home. So how long have you been out this time? How long has it been since you've seen your baby?"
Gu Xinran was silent for a moment.
Xia Chenxing looked at her, thinking she was about to cry from missing her child and was about to get her some tissues, when she heard…
"Two hours and twenty-four minutes."
"…?"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Xia Chenxing's expression froze, and a bead of sweat visibly trickled down her forehead. How could this conversation possibly continue?
"Ahem, okay, okay, it's confirmed, Xinran is a certified daughter slave."
"So this time, Teacher Bai has also won the Best Director award. Is there anything you'd like to say to her, or on her behalf?"
Gu Xinran pondered for a moment, her expression turning serious.
"First, thank you all very much for recognizing her. When we were filming this movie, she was hands-on with every detail; she even sewed the costumes herself. On one hand, she had to manage the overall production and take care of the actors' emotions, and on the other hand, she had to prevent me from having too much physical contact with other actors—uh, no."
"…???"
"Hahahaha." The audience roared with laughter again.
"Ahem, sorry, sorry, this part can't be broadcast, don't broadcast it." Gu Xinran habitually looked for the camera.
In the audience, Lin Guo was laughing her head off. "Sister Ran must have PTSD from Great Escape, haha, pointing at the camera and saying 'don't broadcast this' again."
"But it's true that Sister Lan prevented her from having physical contact with other actors!" On this point, Lin Guo felt she had every right to speak, since she was the actor who was being closely monitored :)
"Hey, hearing you say that, I have a personal question I'm quite curious about. I don't know if it's convenient to ask," Xia Chenxing said.
"Hmm? Please ask."
"In your family, between you and Yilan, who has the higher status?"
"Ooh~~~" The audience started cheering playfully, every one of them wearing an expression that said they loved the drama.
Gu Xinran looked troubled. She lowered her head, coughed lightly, and unconsciously touched the tip of her nose.
"Are you sweating?"
"No, no, no, I'm not sweating from fear. I'm just dressed a little too warmly today…" Gu Xinran gave a sheepish smile.
"The status in our family is actually quite clear. Me, the baby, then Yilan," Gu Xinran said seriously after careful consideration.
"Really? Your status is the highest at home?" Xia Chenxing looked shocked.
Gu Xinran smiled without saying a word.
"Pfft~~~"
"I don't believe it!"
Gu Xinran straightened up, looking smug for a moment.
"Teacher Bai is here!!!"
Someone shouted, and everyone's attention was drawn, looking around everywhere.
Gu Xinran's expression froze. Her hand suddenly slipped, and the microphone dropped directly onto the floor with a loud bang.
Gu Xinran was stunned. She immediately bent down to pick it up, forcing herself to pretend nothing had happened.
"Where's Teacher Bai?"
"They're lying!"
"Hahahaha, did Xinran just expose something?"
Listening to everyone's teasing, Gu Xinran finally realized she'd been tricked. Thinking about it, it was quite funny. Yilan had just told her she was going to watch it on TV, so how could she possibly be here in person?
"Huh?" Gu Xinran was suddenly alarmed.
"This program isn't being broadcast live, is it?"
"Of course it is."
"…"
"I was just joking with everyone earlier. In our family, Yilan has the highest status, the baby is second, and as for me… it's enough that I exist. I don't ask for more." Gu Xinran said without changing her expression, thinking to herself, Losing face is better than sleeping on the sofa at home.
Xia Chenxing found another topic and chatted with her for a bit before presenting her with the trophy and watching her walk off the stage.
The event didn't end until nearly eleven o'clock. Gu Xinran exchanged a few pleasantries with everyone and then rushed back to the car, telling Qu Qi to drive her home.
She glanced at the time. She hadn't seen her little milk bun for four and a half hours!
"Hey, I'll pick you up for work tomorrow."
"No! I refuse!"
"You dare!" Qu Qi's eyes widened.
"Xiao Ye's 100-day celebration is coming up. I'll come back to work after the party."
"Swear on it first."
"…"
Before long, Qu Qi dropped her off outside the villa and watched her go inside before leaving.
Gu Xinran was eager to get home, her steps much lighter, her mind filled with the warm feeling of holding her wife and daughter.
Arriving at her front door, Gu Xinran felt a small thrill of excitement. She gently pushed the door open. The living room light was on, left on specially for her.
Just as she was about to step inside, Gu Xinran froze. She saw that from the front door to Yilan's bedroom, there was a row of… washboards!? Lined up one after another, they formed a long dragon of washboards!
"???"
What happened to the warmth of home we agreed on??
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