65: A Worrying Lack Of Self-Awareness
As the scene wrapped, the set became a chaotic sea of people. Some people rushed on while others rushed off. Footsteps, and the sound of people bumping shoulders and saying “excuse me” filled the air. Through the sea though, Xia Ruyun rushed forward to the center of the set where Li Feiling sat.
Having pushed herself upright, Li Feiling sat there. Her makeup had smudged as her suit had become disheveled. Even her hair, usually falling in pristine waves, looked as if she had been sent through a laundry cycle.
She zoned out, staring off at the linoleum-tile floor as she caught her breath.
“Feiling, are you alright?” A quiet voice pulled Li Feiling out of her thoughts. Looking up, Li Feiling paused. Xia Ruyun, backlit by the set’s light’s, seemed to… glow.
Li Feiling cleared her throat. “I’m fine, don’t worry, just catching my breath a little.”
“The throw didn’t hurt you, did it?” Xia Ruyun extended a hand.
“It didn’t. Don’t worry,” Li Feiling reached out, grasping onto Xia Ruyun’s hand. Pulled to her feet, she let herself be led along as Xia Ruyun dragged her off the set.
… Her hands feel like warm clouds.
I wonder what moisturizer she uses.
She squeezed.
Xia Ruyun turned her head. Meeting Li Feiling’s amber eyes, she tilted her head. “What’s up, Feiling?”
No response.
“Feiling?”
“Hm? What’s up?” Li Feiling’s eyes snapped back to focus.
Xia Ruyun opened her mouth. A flicker of helpless indulgence flashed through her eyes before she turned back forward. “Nothing, come on, let’s go. What would you do if I wasn’t here to pull you off set?”
“I’d be fine, don’t worry,” Li Feiling nodded along, still following Xia Ruyun like a tail as they wove through the crew. “I’m a very independent woman, don’t worry. There’s a reason I’ve never had an assistant.”
“Mhm, very independent,” Xia Ruyun’s voice floated over like a teasing wind.
“Don’t tease me,” Li Feiling pinched Xia Ruyun’s palm with mock anger.
“Of course, of course, Esteemed Sister Feiling,” Xia Ruyun laughed, turning to look at Li Feiling as they walked, she winked. “Whatever you say~”
For Li Feiling, time, at that moment, seemed to freeze. Little did she know, some memories really could be etched into her mind with the clarity of 100 megapixel photography.
---
That night, Li Feiling sat across a round table from Ye Shuhua. As usual they had ventured downtown to their ever-reliable, favorite eastern restaurant. Together, they sat in a private room on the second floor overlooking the street.
Tonight, though, Li Feiling had no mind to watch the nightlife. Tonight, as they waited for their dishes, she stared at her hand and replayed the conversation from earlier in the day. Every line echoed in her head as she opened and closed her hand.
“What would you do if I wasn’t here to pull you off set?”
“Mhm, very independent.”
“Of course, Esteemed Sister Feiling, whatever you say~”
“Li Feiling, what are you doing staring at your hand so much?” Ye Shuhua poked a hole through her thoughts like a needle popping a balloon. “You’re not usually this distracted.”
Well, this entire show you’ve been distracted, but that’s beside the point.
“I’m just thinking about Xia Ruyun…” Li Feiling murmured, setting down her hand. She turned, staring out the window.
“Oh?” Ye Shuhua raised an eyebrow. “Is the heart finally blossoming? Fallen in love?”
“No! Of course not!” Li Feiling waved her hands, an agitated blush appearing on her cheeks. “Of course not!”
Ye Shuhua’s eyes widened, and an unbridled shock appeared in them.
… She blushed?
“Of course not…” Li Feiling calmed down. Her hands came to a rest on the pure-white table cloth, the crimson nails she had on for Zeng Xiaojing’s character gleamed under the light. Her voice leveled out, returning to its usual faint aloofness. “I’m just worried about her. Chu Changfeng hasn’t made a move in so long, it’s natural that I’m worried for my friend. He’s definitely plotting something, and I don’t like being in the dark.”
“How can you be so sure of that?” Ye Shuhua poked back with a faint smile. “And it’s not like you’ve ever thought this much about any of your other friends.”
“She’s different,” Li Feiling shrugged. “Her and I are actual friends. Like… ‘I’d see her when I’m not shooting’ type of friend. As for Chu Changfeng, it’s just my intuition. I’ve known him for so many years that I know him like the back of my hand. My attention this time is because Chu Changfeng seems dead set on breaking her mentally. Sure, she seems strong, but underneath it all, I feel like she still is fragile and needs to be protected.”
“I… see,” Ye Shuhua let the conversation come to an end. She shook her head, letting out a faint sigh. Without much to do while waiting for the food—and with Li Feiling zoning back out—she reached out and smoothed the white tablecloth before taking a sip from her teacup. As the teacup warmed her hands, she couldn’t help but glance back at Li Feiling.
I think you’re too busy always trying to guard against Chu Changfeng to realize anything.
Since when was my artist this dense? Where did her brain go? What happened to the wit?
If I flicked her head right now, would I hear an echo from how empty it is?
Tian Qiu, Li Depeng, your daughter has a worryingly lack of self-awareness in this department! You two got together without issue, how did you fail to instill basic love knowledge into your daughter! She’s 26!
I can’t even say I’m blameless, I helped raise her too! Where did we go wrong?
It’s not like Li Feijian has this type of drama, right?
Wait, he’s thirty and also single… Maybe this is a chronic issue?
I need to reach out to Tian Qiu to ask.
---
Back in the hotel, Xia Ruyun sat alone in a warm-lit courtyard. Bundled up with a ribbed , cream-colored turtleneck, she used her cream-colored tote bag as a paperweight for her script while sorting through the notifications on her phone. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders as she crossed legs. The soft, warm lighting framed her like a solitary painting forgotten by the world.
Her faint frown only strengthened the atmosphere.
[Gao Qian: Ah, sorry I’m going to have to cancel on coming up to visit you next week. Company recently assigned me an artist, so I have to dedicate a bit more time to onboard them.]
[Gao Qian: Thanks for understanding in advance]
But what if I don’t want to be understanding? What happens then?
Despite her sharp mental retort, Xia Ruyun typed out a brief, but polite response. [Mhm, no worries]
She then flicked through the ever-constant vitriol from her parents with an icy coolness.
Mhm, still trying to buy that villa downtown. I’m not giving you the money.
What have you done for me?
Switching to the next set of notifications, her face turned ashen. Her finger hovered over the keyboard, debating whether to reply or not.
[Chu Changfeng: Xia Ruyun, I don’t blame you for ignoring me these past couple of months, but don’t you think it’s a little impolite between cast members?]
[Chu Changfeng: Now that the show is just a couple of weeks from the end, I wanted to invite you to dinner one more time]
[Chu Changfeng: Just the two of us, how does that sound?]
[Chu Changfeng: And, just to be clear, I might take offense if you keep ignoring me ;)]
A not-so-thinly veiled threat... There are truly no lows which you won’t stoop to, Chu Changfeng.
She sat there in silence for a couple minutes, then, bit-by-bit, she typed out a response. [Apologies, I just did not have a good response to your many invitations]
[Once again though, I want to repeat what I said the first time. I have no interest in having dinner with you, but thank you for the offer]
Before she could agonize over whether that was the correct response or not, a cheery voice shook her out of her stupor.
“Senior Xia!” Liu Fangjie rushed over like a whirlwind, the sound of her keys and uncountable bag charms filling the courtyard. “You’re here so early? I thought I’d beat you by coming ten minutes early. Hopefully I haven’t kept you waiting.”
“Not at all,” Xia Ruyun patted Liu Fangjie on the shoulder while covering her mouth to suppress a yawn. “Catch your breath, first. We are in no rush to practice.”