Our Tender Harmony

One bow. A second bow. A third bow. Han Jingyi, standing in the open doorway, clutched her script. “Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it!”

Her waist-length silky black hair seemed to cascade like a midnight waterfall each time she bowed. Li Feiling and Xia Ruyun, speechless, stood side by side across from Han Jingyi, trying their best to keep Han Jingyi upright.

... They were, however, as evidenced by the continued bowing, unsuccessful.

Honestly, it really doesn’t suit Han Jingyi’s image...

Xia Ruyun, having given up, watched as Li Feiling and Han Jingyi exchanged a couple more words. A second later, her eyes wandered, flicking over to the mirror in Li Feiling’s bathroom. The mirror reflected their appearances and she couldn’t help but trace everyone’s appearance with her eyes.

She fell more into a classical “pretty flower” type. Long, wavy brown hair, delicate frame. Perfect for a side character who has a bad ending.

No wonder I keep getting these roles...

Han Jingyi, on the other hand, fell into a... cool beauty category? Super-model even. Her jet-black hair hung straight which only served to make her seem even taller.

We’re all basically the same height, so how does she seem like she’s unquestionably the tallest?

By a hair, though.

Li Feiling still had an argument as the tallest, and even then, it really felt like it... depended on the day with Li Feiling? She had a unique talent of morphing day-to-day. One day, she’d look like a soft beauty, ripe for a coming-of-age university drama. Another day, she’d look like a stunning mature model ready to play someone’s mother.

Blink, and Li Feiling would shift again.

If she had to pick though, Xia Ruyun would mark her down as a more tomboy-ish cool type. Her just-longer-than-shoulder-length hair gave her a certain older sister vibe. One accentuated by her usual streetwear style.

Who can really say though? Even the ‘all-knowing’ citizens of the internet haven’t been able to agree on this front.

Maybe that’s why she’s been able to play so many roles.

Everything though, melted away in front of her eyes.

You really could just get lost in them forever.

Fox-like. Netizens had agreed on that.

And I mean... I must say I agree too. They just hypnotize away your worries. Somehow it feels like she can see into your very being. But... in a warm way? Even while looking at them now-

... Looking at them now?

“Ruyun? Are you okay?” Li Feiling fluttered her eyes, her amber irises glowing under the gentle lighting in the suite. Her red lips broke into a teasing smile as Xia Ruyun snapped back to attention. “Welcome back, I saw you were zoning out. Han Jingyi’s already left, are you also heading out?”

Xia Ruyun blinked her eyes, turning away. She coughed into her fist, trying to mask the awkwardness after being caught. “I’ll... I’ll stay a bit longer.”

“Are you sure? It is already midnight,” Li Feiling walked further back into the suite. “Don’t overwork yourself.”

“It should be fine... I was just looking at our schedules, and... well, we won’t see each other much, so it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,” Xia Ruyun followed Li Feiling back into the room. Li Feiling sat back into her chair, Xia Ruyun, on the other hand, plopped onto the couch, sprawling out across from Li Feiling.

Spread like an overworked student coming back from a day of classes, she laughed. Her brown hair sprawled across the cushions as she turned towards Li Feiling. “Sorry you have to see me so disgraceful.”

“It’s totally fine,” Li Feiling chuckled, resting one elbow on the table and one on the back of the chair. After lacing her fingers together, she crossed one leg over the other, like the epitome of grace. While in other situations she might’ve cared to snap a picture, this time, she couldn’t.

She couldn’t help but feel her eyes stick onto Xia Ruyun’s.

Peace.

Maybe this was peace.

Late at night, with nothing but the sounds of hum of the electric kettle in the kitchen. Late at night, with nothing urgent pressing on their minds.

Late at night, with nothing but the other.

“You’re a really good friend, you know?” Li Feiling broke the silence.

“You are too,” Xia Ruyun smiled back. She reached out, fluttering her hand. “I’m really glad to have met you.”

Li Feiling reached over, taking Xia Ruyun’s hand.

Warm.

Somehow, Xia Ruyun was different from the rest.

Just in a way she couldn’t quite place.

She is the first co-star I’ve begun to connect with beyond when we just act together though...

Xia Ruyun, after a second, squeezed Li Feiling’s hand and let go. “Also, can you hand me my phone, I saw I had some texts coming in earlier and forgot to check...”

“No problem at all,” Li Feiling bobbed her head, spinning in her seat, grabbing her phone, and spinning back to hand it to Xia Ruyun in two smooth motions. One to grab, and one to hand over.

“Thank you,” Xia Ruyun took the phone, her fingertips brushing against Li Feiling’s. “On the topic of friends though, I will say, you’re... one of my first real true friends. Because I got so famous when I was younger, I never felt like I had a true connection with those around me.”

“Ah... I get you. The feeling of people being fake?” Li Feiling murmured. Her gaze deepened, reminiscing on her own lost friendships over the years. “It’s... sad. I only had it happen once I was into my twenties, how old were you?”

“Sixteen, that’s when I debuted,” Xia Ruyun flicked open her phone. “Right in the middle of high school. I was... a loner, but suddenly, everyone wanted to be friends with me. You know how it is.”

“Indeed, I do, I’m sorry you had to go through all that,” Li Feiling sighed, resting her chin on one hand.

“Then I was too busy, blah blah, singing all day, blah blah, then you know what happened, the accident at the stadium,” Xia Ruyun grumbled before sitting back upright. “But now, there’s you. You’re truly my first real friend. An equal. Someone I... trust a lot.”

For a second, tension hung in the air. As if trying to tease out the words neither even realized had been left unsaid.

Then, Xia Ruyun’s phone buzzed.

The tension melted away as both women looked down at Xia Ruyun’s phone.

What greeted them was an animated short video of an egg, doing a backflip only to land wrong and crack itself open.

“Wu Linjie... uhm... sends me some interesting texts,” Xia Ruyun swiped through her phone’s lock screen to open the messages. “Let me see what he said...”

[Wu Linjie: Hi sister ruyun! How are you doing? It’s been a minute since we’ve chatted. Do you want to call sometime to catch up? I’ve signed a new endorsement deal for men’s perfume, want me to refer you? They’re looking for women to represent their next line.]

[Wu Linjie: Also! I’m thinking of visiting your set sometime! What would be a good time? Just make sure to not bring me at a climactic time! My stunning self will draw away all the attention!]

[Wu Linjie: egg_breakdancing_and_cracking.gif]

“... He doesn’t text me like that?” Li Feiling grumbled, a touch of aggrievedness edging into her tone. She bit the bottom of her lip. “Did I scare him too much that time?”

“I mean, it’s understandable,” Xia Ruyun looked up to meet Li Feiling’s eyes. “You rejected him after all. He’ll want to be more formal with his Sister Feiling, to maintain some distance, won’t he?”

Li Feiling flinched. Her mind lurched for a moment before she rebooted. So fast, even she didn’t notice. She pulled out her phone, opening her text messages with Wu Linjie. “That’s true, he texts me more like... an esteemed senior more than anything.”

[Wu Linjie: Dear Esteemed Sister Feiling, I just wanted to reach out to enquire about how you are doing these days. Is everything going well? I’m happy to report that I’ve been trying out for a couple of movies. I’ve been taking your advice to heart, and I’m working on myself. As always, please respond at your earliest convenience.]

“He... he just writes letters to you,” Xia Ruyun covered her mouth while laughing. She scrolled up further into the conversation, and each message from Wu Linjie followed the same pattern.

One giant paragraph.

Perfect punctuation. Formal writing.

And...

“Dear Esteemed Sister Feiling,” Xia Ruyun read out as she stopped at another message. “Should I start calling you that?”

“No... please don’t,” Li Feiling reached up, grabbing Xia Ruyun’s shoulders. “Please... please don’t. I’ll die if you’re that formal with me. I don’t like formality.”

“Sure, sure,” Xia Ruyun sang, turning away as she added, “Esteemed Sister Feiling.”

“STOP!” Li Feiling exclaimed, a smile tugging at the corners of her cheeks. “I hate people being that formal with me. I’m really not so important. I’m not the president of a country or something...”

“Well, I’m sure some people wouldn’t mind you being president,” Xia Ruyun turned back to face Li Feiling with a shrug. She tapped her phone. “I’ve seen what people say online. You’re truly quite the... internet sensation.”

“Perhaps to my own detriment,” Li Feiling shook her head.

“Maybe we all are,” Xia Ruyun cracked a smile. “On the note of texts... I have been getting a lot of... dinner invitations from Chu Changfeng. It’s been kind of strange.”

“Don’t. Take. A. Single. One.” Li Feiling snapped back to seriousness, grabbing Xia Ruyun’s shoulder. The sharpness in her eyes returned. “Absolutely avoid him. Please.”

“No need to be so serious,” Xia Ruyun smiled, patting Li Feiling on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ve been politely refusing him.”

“Good. But next time, just ghost him.”