Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s

After a moment of silence, a familiar melody echoed in her mind, complete with its BGM.

Tian Sangsang cleared her throat and began to sing:

"Long~ban~long~lao~

(Waves crash~waves flow~)

Man~lei~tou~tou~gong~sei~win~bao~yao~

(Endless surges of the mighty river, never ceasing)

Tou~zeon~liu~sai~gaan~si~

(Sifting through the affairs of the world,)

Wan~zo~tou~tou~yat~pin~chiu~lao~

(All turns into a boundless tide of currents.)

Si~hei~si~sou~

(Happiness or sorrow,)

Long~lei~fan~ba~ching~fun~siu~bei~ya~

(Hard to distinguish laughter from crying in the waves.)

Sing~gung~sa~bai

(Success or failure,)

Long~lei~hon~ba~ceo~you~mei~you~

(In the waves, it’s unclear what’s gained or not.)

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Oi~nei~han~nei~

(Love you, hate you,)

Man~gan~zi~fau

(Ask if you understand,)

Chi~dai~gong~ya~fa~ba~sou~

(Like the great river, once it starts, it never stops.)

Zun~chin~wan~zun~chin~tan~

(Twisting through countless bends and rapids,)

Yi~mei~ping~fu~chi~zung~zang~dou~

(The struggles within are yet to be resolved.)"

This song, "Shanghai Beach," was her favorite Cantonese song because it represented an entire era. Even if she hummed it casually, she could always hum a verse or two.

It was beautifully melodic, with dramatic highs and lows. Wen Xia’s eyes widened behind her aviator sunglasses, and her emotions were so stirred that it took a while for her to calm down. To her, this unfamiliar song seemed like it carried a story—it was far more than just a melody.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Your Cantonese is pretty good, and your singing is great, too."

"Thank you, I think so too." Tian Sangsang’s eyes curved into a smile. She wasn’t being modest—she truly loved "Shanghai Beach," loved its sentiment, loved that era.

"I’ve never heard this song before."

"Of course not, it’s an original of mine." Tian Sangsang continued, "I have a product for treating scars. I can guarantee it’ll fix yours." The scar on Wen Xia’s face was a bit long but not very thick. Thicker ones were the real challenge. For thinner scars like hers, it would be much easier to handle.

The hand holding Wen Xia’s cigarette froze, and her voice trembled uncontrollably, "Are you serious?" She had tried treating her scar at hospitals to no avail. Now, a young woman was casually telling her that her scar could be healed. The impact of her scar had led her to give up on herself long ago, even abandoning her favorite career in showbiz. She thought she would never return to the entertainment circle; her pride wouldn’t allow her to appear with a flawed face.

"Of course. I have lilac essential oil specifically for fading scars. Combine one bottle of lilac essential oil with jasmine essential oil, and in less than two months, the scar on your face will fade. Once it has faded, everything else will fall into place, won’t it?" Tian Sangsang smiled kindly.

Something so heavy, she spoke of it as if it were simple. It felt as though the burden that had weighed on Wen Xia’s heart for so long wasn’t even a cloud of gloom anymore. Wen Xia stared at her skin for a moment and finally said, "Alright, give me two bottles to try." She was always a composed and self-controlled person, but if she chose to believe Tian Sangsang, it was largely because Tian Sangsang looked so radiant yet carried herself with a calm and gentle manner.

With a face like hers, credibility seemed high. Perhaps it might really work?

"But, my lilac essential oil has better scar-fading effects than anything else out there. It’s rare and costly, so a 10ml bottle costs 60 yuan. Combined with jasmine essential oil, it’s a total of 80 yuan. The two together don’t just fade scars—they also whiten the skin."

When it came to money, Wen Xia didn’t even blink. She said, "Money isn’t the issue, as long as your essential oil works."

Tian Sangsang admired straightforward people like her. She beamed and said, "It’ll definitely work! If it doesn’t, you can come back for a refund. By the way, what should I call you?"

"My last name is Wen, but everyone calls me Sister Xia."

"Sister Xia," Tian Sangsang greeted politely. "I’m Tian Sangsang." In a world full of chance meetings, it always helps to make connections. Who knows? This person might turn out to be a powerful ally in the future. Life is unpredictable.

It was like spending 80 yuan to buy a sliver of hope. If it worked, wonderful. If not, at least she could completely let go. Tian Sangsang’s attitude left Wen Xia very satisfied—confident when she needed to be, polite when appropriate, neither boastful nor servile. Wen Xia took out a small card and handed it to her. "Let’s be friends. Here’s my business card. Do you have any aspirations to act?"

Tian Sangsang hadn’t expected her to pull out a business card. She took it and glanced at it, feeling shocked inside. Sister Xia was a producer under TVB in Hong Kong. A random encounter with someone from Hong Kong turned out to be with a producer.

She put the card away and lightly shook her head. "Thank you for your kind offer. I don’t really act. Maybe I’ll give it a try, but I’m not sure yet." Even if she decided to, she could only perform on the mainland. Hong Kong was too far away. Besides, she knew that Hong Kong’s entertainment industry was booming right now. However, people from the mainland might not be as well-received there. If she went, she’d have to settle down there. She had a family and couldn’t possibly abandon her husband and children. Moreover, Hong Kong hadn’t returned to the motherland yet, and it was still a separate administrative region from the mainland.

"If you ever change your mind, feel free to contact me." Wen Xia, though retired, still had connections. Referring someone wasn’t a problem. She couldn’t help but feel it was a great pity! This Tian Sangsang seemed perfect for the entertainment industry.

For now, and for a long time in the future, TVB would remain dazzling with stardom. It was best to let Hong Kong develop naturally. Tian Sangsang suddenly thought of something. "Sister Xia, can I ask about someone?"

Wen Xia nodded.

"There’s an actor over in Hong Kong named Zhou Runfa."

"Zhou Runfa?" Wen Xia shook her head. "I haven’t heard of him. Is he your friend? When I return to Hong Kong, I can ask around for you."

"Oh, no, it’s fine. We’re not that close. If you don’t know, just leave it."

Tian Sangsang seemed lost in thought. This year, Zhou Runfa was already famous. For Wen Xia not to know him, it felt like she really was living in a parallel universe. It seemed impossible to meet her idol in his youth. She had seen his younger self in movies before but meeting him in real life was not meant to be. Like the saying goes: "You were born before I came; I was born after you left." Even if they had lived in the same era, a romance between them wasn’t realistic.

Everyone has their own life to live. An idol isn’t meant to be possessed.

**

When Tian Sangsang got home, she made a point to revisit "Lushan Love" in her personal space. If she was going to participate in an audition, she needed to be well-prepared. To her delight, "Lushan Love" didn’t demand overly challenging acting skills. She realized all she needed to do was act naturally. But acting naturally was the hardest part.

A movie centered on the theme of love was rare during that period. Yet people have an unending yearning for love. There are all kinds of love, and people’s expectations of love differ. Love holds a deeply-rooted place in the human heart, a timeless, poignant story that moves people to tears. In the movie, the love between the two protagonists was pure—a purity influenced by the times, unlike the more sensual love stories of later years. Tian Sangsang was not a native of this era, and she found it difficult to fully grasp this kind of purity. If described in five words: so pure~ so ambiguous~. The purity was genuine, and the ambiguity was, too. No wonder today’s audiences are enamored with soft, almost doll-like women. Being soft externally isn’t enough; their hearts need to be clean, gentle, and sweet as well. For instance, the movie, touted as China’s first on-screen kiss, merely showed a light peck on the cheek—not a French kiss or a passionate one.