CHAPTER 109
Qin Yinong's arm was held by Tang Ruoyao, and she tried to pull it out but couldn't. She glanced at the short distance from the house to the courtyard gate and gave up struggling. She let Tang Ruoyao keep holding her.
The car was parked at the gate.
Once they get in the car, she won't have the audacity to continue like this, right? She wondered.
Qin Yinong always had a grand presence on set. In addition to Guan Han, she had an extra team of assistants. Five thousand ducks were waiting by the car, and when they saw the two of them coming out together, their eyes suddenly lit up, and they all looked over in unison.
Qin Yinong casually glanced at the charming Tang Ruoyao and silently complained: Are you still not letting go? The Ice Queen's character setting is about to collapse completely.
Reluctantly, Tang Ruoyao let go of Qin Yinong's arm and stood behind her, watching her bend down to get into the car. The corners of her lips slightly curled up, and she followed her into the car.
Guan Han was the third to get in, and the other assistants filed in one after another. The last person was responsible for closing the car door.
Guan Han pressed the intercom button, the driver started the car, and the car smoothly moved forward.
Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao sat side by side, surrounded by five or six assistants. It was broad daylight, and theoretically, Qin Yinong shouldn't be afraid of anything. However, she inexplicably felt anxious and nervous, as if something was bound to happen. After subconsciously swallowing saliva for the third time to relieve her tense nerves, she spoke to Guan Han, "Give me an eye mask. I'm a bit sleepy."
If you can't provoke her, you can avoid her.
Guan Han: "Okay."
Qin Yinong put on the eye mask, clasped her hands together, and placed them neatly on her waist. Her body naturally relaxed and stretched. She tilted her head to the right, closed her eyes to rest, and breathed evenly.
The assistants, who were accustomed to being with Qin Yinong, were all self-aware. When they saw her resting, they remained quiet, focusing on their own thoughts, not daring to glance around, afraid of disturbing her sleep.
The car compartment was quiet.
However, there was one person who was an exception, and that person was Tang Ruoyao. Tang Ruoyao turned her face to the side, propped her chin with one hand, and blinked as she observed Qin Yinong's sleeping face. Her expression seemed dazed with a touch of infatuation, and there was an uncontrollable smile in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes.
The assistants: "???"
The assistants: "!!!"
They kept their necks still and communicated quickly with their eyes.
The five assistants were enthusiastically discussing, when suddenly, a pair of eyes appeared out of nowhere. They didn't notice at first, until one person felt something was off and their gaze fixed on the new eyes. It was their boss - Chief Internal Manager Guan Han.
The assistants were intimidated by her authority and instantly became quiet as mice, their hearts pounding with fear.
Guan Han sighed inwardly: "Ah, not even a potential partner to ship with."
Tang Ruoyao's gaze moved downward, landing on Qin Yinong's hand. Qin Yinong's fingers were extremely beautiful, fair and slender, but not thin and bony like sticks. They had curves and arcs, with distinct finger joints. Whether straightened or bent, they were particularly pleasing to the eye, and... exceptionally powerful, often hitting the mark directly.
Qin Yinong was tall and had a decent frame, a natural clothes hanger. Especially on the red carpet, she exuded dominance. Her long, slender, and fair hands complemented her well. Tang Ruoyao thought silently and smiled. Even if Qin Yinong had chubby little hands like a child, in Tang Ruoyao's eyes, she would probably still think how cute she was, as if looking through a filter that turned everything into a beauty.
The length of the fingers didn't matter, as long they were just right and functional.
Qin Yinong had spent last night in bed with Tang Ruoyao and had been busy throughout the night. Her sleep quality had significantly improved, and now she was wide awake. How could she fall asleep? She could sense Tang Ruoyao's gaze on her face, lingering for a long time. Qin Yinong was almost driven crazy by her stare and wanted to pull down her eye mask and say something. But then, Tang Ruoyao suddenly looked away.
Qin Yinong didn't have eyes on her hands, and she didn't notice that Tang Ruoyao was "admiring" her hand while wearing the eye mask. So, she felt a bit more at ease.
Little did she know that all the assistants in the carriage had witnessed this scene: "!!!"
The journey continued without incident.
The car stopped at the film set, and the assistant opened the door. Qin Yinong was in the back seat, pretending to have just woken up as she took off her eye mask, her gaze hazy. She lazily asked, "Are we here?"
Tang Ruoyao spontaneously took over Guan Han's tasks and responded, "Yes, we've arrived. Let me help you out of the car."
Qin Yinong raised an eyebrow, "Help me?" Did she really need someone to assist her in walking?
"What I meant was, I'll watch you get out of the car," Tang Ruoyao smiled.
"You go first."
"Okay." Tang Ruoyao helped Guan Han up from the chair, slowly walked a few steps, and then held onto the edge of the car door to get out.
Qin Yinong watched her figure, squinting in confusion.
Why did she feel like Tang Ruoyao's legs were a bit weak? Was it just an illusion?
As the second person got off the car, they stood next to the car door and extended a hand inside. Qin Yinong placed her hand in their palm and gracefully stepped out of the car.
She had the aura of walking on a red carpet at an awards ceremony, even though she was currently dressed in sportswear and canvas shoes.
The wind blew and played with her long hair. Qin Yinong had a slender figure, and her white sportswear made her look tall. Her pants were slightly short, revealing a glimpse of delicate ankles.
Tang Ruoyao's gaze deepened. Last night, she had firmly grasped that figure.
Qin Yinong walked a distance and noticed that Tang Ruoyao hadn't caught up. She turned back in confusion and asked, "What are you standing there for?"
"I'm coming." Tang Ruoyao snapped out of her daze and hurried to catch up.
Qin Yinong was guarded, with Guan Han on her left and Assistant Xiao on her right, forming a protective barrier leaving no opportunity for anyone to take advantage of. When they arrived at the film set, the two briefly exchanged words and went to their respective dressing rooms.
Qin Yinong sat in front of the mirror as the makeup artist worked on her styling. The assistants finally had the chance to chat secretly in their small group.
Assistant 1: [Ahhh, Qin Jie finally caught her prey!!! Congratulations from the people of Chengdu!]
Assistant 2: [Congratulations from the people of Nanjing too!]
Xiao: Did you see the way Tang Ruoyao looked at Qin Jie just now? It seemed like she was about to drool.]
Assistant 3: [I suspect you're hallucinating, but I have no evidence *stares*.]
Xiao: [I meant drooling saliva, not anything else. You have a dirty mind!]
Assistant 4: [Qin Jie truly deserves her title. When she first arrived on set, Tang Ruoyao treated her politely, neither warm nor cold. But now she has transformed into a love-struck stalker. It's like night and day!]
Xiao: [Qin Jie is beautiful and has a good personality. Who can resist her charm? If she wanted to pursue me, I would immediately surrender. *dreams fly out the skylight one by one* I must be drunk since I haven't eaten peanuts. I'm going to have two cephalosporin capsules right now.]
Assistant 1: [Have you guys noticed that she kept looking at Qin Jie's hand during the second half of their interaction? What does that mean? Hehehe.]
Assistant 1: [Let me add something, her legs went weak when she got off the car.]
Xiao: [D*mn, you're Sherlock Holmes! @Assistant 1]
Assistant 1: [Haha, that's too much praise. I will continue to work hard. It's no wonder Qin Jie pays me such a high salary.]
Guan Han shot a sharp glance, and Assistant 1 felt a chill down their spine. They quickly put their phone back into their pocket and nervously looked at Guan Han, whispering, "Sister Guan Han."
Guan Han looked at the group of assistants in the room, all bowing their heads and typing on their phones. She could easily guess what they were doing, probably discussing gossip about Qin Yinong.
Guan Han reached out her hand and said coldly, "Give me your phone."
Assistant 1's vision went black for a moment, thinking that their life was over. They unlocked their phone screen with a sense of resignation and handed it over.
The other assistants were also gloomy and disheartened.
Their private gossip had been caught, and no one would come out unscathed.
Guan Han flipped through the chat records in the small group expressionlessly, then returned the phone and said indifferently, "Is Qin Jie paying you such a high salary just so you can gossip about her personal life in private?"
Assistant 1 lowered their head in disappointment and said, "I won't dare to do it again."
Guan Han paused for a moment and said in a calm voice, "Consider this a one-time exception."
Assistant 1 raised their head abruptly and said, "Huh?"
All they saw was Guan Han walking away, casually letting them off the hook. Could it be that Guan Han was also in a romantic relationship?
Guan Han returned to Qin Yinong's side. Qin Yinong half-closed her eyelids and had a slight smile on her lips as she asked, "What's wrong? Are those kids misbehaving again?"
"Mm."
"Did they make you angry?"
"Not really," Guan Han replied.
"You seem a little agitated." Qin Yinong casually remarked.
Guan Han suppressed the subtle fluctuation in her tone and flatly said, "No."
Did Tang Ruoyao's legs go weak when she got off the car just now? Guan Han hadn't even noticed!
......
Xin Qian was often left behind in her daily life. It took a long time for her to follow the crew members to the set. She hurriedly went to the dressing room to find Tang Ruoyao. Tang Ruoyao had just finished her makeup and stood up from her chair, feeling guilty. She said, "You've worked hard."
Xin Qian was panting, supporting her knees, but had a big smile on her face. "It's not hard," she asked, "Did I do well with my tasks this time?"
Tang Ruoyao made an "OK" gesture and praised, "Impressive."
Xin Qian was satisfied.
Tang Ruoyao handed her a bottle of water, and Xin Qian opened the cap and took a sip. She proactively reported, "Qin Yinong is also done with her makeup. When I arrived, I saw her heading towards the director."
Tang Ruoyao raised an eyebrow in surprise. How could Xin Qian, this assistant, also have such keen observation?
Without wasting any time, Tang Ruoyao quickly opened the door of the resting room and went outside.
Inside the small house where the two of them stayed, they could be affectionate, but it wouldn't be appropriate to be too intimate on set. However, Tang Ruoyao had her ways. From time to time, she would intentionally create some physical contact with Qin Yinong.
For example, she would rest her hand on Qin Yinong's shoulder. They were almost the same height, so it didn't look awkward. Or she would touch the back of her hand or even hold her hand, gently caressing the slender and fair fingers.
These were all within the range of normal intimacy, and Tang Ruoyao had a good sense of propriety. Every time, she would retract her hands before Qin Yinong could express any displeasure, then smile innocently at her, appearing pure and harmless, making it difficult for anyone to get angry.
Qin Yinong was exhausted from dealing with Tang Ruoyao's "advance when the enemy retreats, disturb when the enemy is tired" strategy. She could only treat her as a little kitten who liked to bother her owner and let her be.
Han Yuping was pleased to see them reconcile and called both of them together to discuss today's scene.
There were only a few scenes left for the honeymoon period in the drama. Today, they were going to shoot the final scene before Shen Muqing and Han Zifei returned home. They would climb a famous local mountain together, where there was a spiritual temple at the mountaintop with melodious Buddhist chants. Shen Muqing would get tired halfway, and Han Zifei would lead her to a less crowded place to rest.
A gentle breeze blew through the mountains as the two sat side by side, watching the flowing clouds in the sky, the waterfalls in the mountains, and the small animals and birds occasionally darting through the forest. They listened to the faint and vast Buddhist chants coming from the mountaintop, and the world was peaceful.
Han Yuping said, "After the first part of the dialogue is finished, Tang Ruoyao extends her arm and embraces Qin Yinong in her arms. Shen Muqing, afraid of being seen, makes a gesture to look to the side, but the atmosphere is so good that she doesn't refuse and naturally leans a bit closer."
Han Yuping said to Qin Yinong, "After the initial restraint in your attitude, you need to take the initiative. Going back home is imminent, and you are restless. You have a foreboding feeling and want to seize the last moments when the two of you are together."
Qin Yinong nodded.
Han Yuping looked at Tang Ruoyao again and said, "You still maintain the mentality of the honeymoon period. Your heart is full of anticipation and expectations for the future. You're planning where to take her for a trip this time next year. You haven't noticed anything unusual, just like the past few days. There's nothing more to say."
Tang Ruoyao nodded in agreement.
The two main characters glanced at each other, and Qin Yinong's eyes flickered before she walked away.
Tang Ruoyao remained silent, preparing herself and building up her emotions.
"Scene 32 of 'True Colors,' second shot, action!"
Han Zifei carried a backpack full of supplies and held two hiking poles in one hand while holding Shen Muqing's hand with the other. He looked around and smiled, raising one of the hiking poles to point in a direction. "There's a big rock over there. Let's rest there."
Shen Muqing had slight nearsightedness and didn't wear glasses when she went out. She squinted her eyes slightly in the direction he pointed, vaguely seeing the rock. However, the distance to the rock was longer than she expected.
Her legs felt weak, and she silently complained.
Throughout the climb, Han Zifei carried the backpack and took care of most of the things. She felt exhausted even with light equipment, while Han Zifei remained calm and composed, creating a slight sense of imbalance.
No matter how mature one is, being in love can turn anyone into a little girl. Shen Muqing, a gentle wife in her thirties with a son, bit her lip and suddenly pinched Han Zifei's arm, catching her off guard.
Han Zifei took in a sharp breath but didn't have time to cry out in pain. She stuttered, "Wh-what's wrong?"
Shen Muqing couldn't help but smile at her bewildered and innocent reaction, saying softly, "Nothing."
"Why did you pinch me out of nowhere?"
"Who told you to have such good physical strength?" Shen Muqing raised her eyelids and playfully scolded her.
Han Zifei, who had tasted forbidden fruit in recent days, immediately had a naughty thought. Her fair cheeks reddened visibly, and after a moment of hesitation, a hint of shyness appeared in her charming eyes. She shook her wrist flirtatiously and said softly, "You didn't say that when we were... before."
Shen Muqing turned into a fully cooked crab on the spot, her face flushed, and heat radiated from every pore.
"You—"
She felt both angry and embarrassed, shaking off Han Zifei's hand and walking ahead.
"Wait for me." Han Zifei hurriedly caught up with big strides.
A little episode caused Shen Muqing, whose legs were already sore and weak, to burst out again. Surprisingly, they successfully reached the rock. The little child who angered her lover some reason caught up and took off the backpack and hiking poles, and sat next to Shen Muqing, who was gazing into the distance. She held her hand and whispered, "Do you not like me at night..."
Where there's smoke, there's fire. Shen Muqing blushed and said, "Shut up!"
Han Zifei pursed her lips and felt wronged, saying softly, "Okay."
But Shen Muqing burst into laughter.
Han Zifei blinked and asked, "Not angry anymore?"
"I wasn't angry in the first place." How could she bear to be angry with her? Shen Muqing stretched her long legs, propped her hands on her sides, looked up at the clouds floating and changing in the sky, her profile delicate and gentle.
"Oh."
The usually eloquent young lovers became tongue-tied. Shen Muqing glanced at her sideways and wondered, "Why are you so absent-minded today?"
"Do I seem like it?"
"Yes."
"Maybe it's because I forget how to speak when I see you."
"Sweet words."
"Well, I only say them for you to hear."
Shen Muqing looked deeply into her eyes, turned her head away, and curled her lips upwards.
The two sat side by side for a while. Han Zifei placed her hand on Shen Muqing's shoulder and brought her into her embrace. Shen Muqing resisted slightly by pushing her hand against the rock, blocking her force.
"No one will come." Han Zifei said softly, noticing the woman's gesture of looking to the side.
"Mm." Shen Muqing relaxed and nestled into her embrace.
The wind blew through the mountains, causing the leaves to rustle, like a distant and ethereal song.
Shen Muqing shivered slightly.
Han Zifei noticed and immediately asked with concern, "Are you cold?"
Shen Muqing sniffed and said, "A little."
"Wait a moment, I remember I brought an extra jacket. Let me find it for you." Han Zifei released her grip on the woman's hand and went to search through the nearby backpack but was stopped by the woman grabbing her wrist.
"No need." Shen Muqing restrained herself and couldn't bring herself to say words that would make Han Zifei hold her tighter. She simply held onto her wrist and didn't move.
Han Zifei understood on her own and voluntarily tightened her embrace.
"Is this better?"
"Mm." Shen Muqing's slightly cool long hair brushed against Han Zifei's chin, and her hand circled around the slender waist.
She rarely took the initiative like this, even during intimacy, she was more reserved than expressive. Han Zifei stiffened for a moment, unfamiliar with this situation, but gradually relaxed. Her eyes curved as she lowered her head and gently kissed the woman's long hair, feeling an infinite tenderness in her heart.
Han Yuping, outside the camera, stared attentively at the monitor, raised his hand, and gestured for the props team to get ready.
Shen Muqing closed her eyes in Han Zifei's embrace, her eyelashes trembling restlessly. Han Zifei was immersed in the warmth given by her lover and couldn't sense anything amiss.
Her gaze suddenly stopped in a particular direction, her eyes brightened, and she softly called out the woman's name, "Shen Muqing."
Shen Muqing raised her gaze, about to ask what was wrong, but Han Zifei pressed her index finger against her lips and made a "shh" gesture, silently mouthing the word "butterfly."
Butterfly?
Shen Muqing followed her gaze and looked towards a small flower garden a few steps away. Several butterflies with colorful wings were perched on branches, pollinating the flowers.
These butterflies were not afraid of people's presence, they didn't fly away. One blue butterfly even flapped its wings and flew towards the two of them, lightly touching Shen Muqing's fingertip, passing by her eyes, and finally landed boldly on top of Han Zifei's head.
Han Zifei dared not to glance her eyes upward.
The butterfly stayed there for a while before flying away on its own.
Han Zifei burst into laughter.
Shen Muqing felt puzzled. "I'm not even as good as a butterfly."
Han Zifei smiled and said, "How could that be? How can a butterfly compare to you?"
The hint of a smile in Shen Muqing's eyes faded slightly, a touch of melancholy passed through her, and she suddenly said, "If I could really become a butterfly, that would be great."
"Hmm?"
Shen Muqing looked deeply at her and said, "It's nothing."
If there was another life, she would rather be a butterfly. She could freely linger on Han Zifei's finger, even if her life was only a short summer, at least it would have burned brightly and passionately.
Han Zifei didn't understand the woman's thoughts and asked, "Do you like butterflies?"
"Mm."
"Why?"
"Freedom."
"You will be free soon too. Once you successfully divorce, and I graduate soon, I will help you move to a place where nobody knows us. We can live our carefree life together." Han Zifei lowered her head and looked at her, her heart and eyes full of joy, a smile playing on her lips. "What do you say?"
"...Hmm."
"We'll go on two trips every year, first exploring the domestic destinations, and then going abroad. You like butterflies, right? I heard there's a monarch butterfly sanctuary in Mexico, also known as the 'Valley of the Butterflies.' Butterflies fill the sky there. I'll take you there in the future."
A lump seemed to be stuck in Shen Muqing's throat, making her voice hoarse. She had to clear her throat before uttering a single word in a husky tone, "Okay."
"And also..."
...
"Cut!" Han Yuping raised the megaphone and said, "Great, both of you take a rest for now."
Qin Yinong took the tissue handed to her by Guan Han and gently dabbed at the corner of her eye. She propped herself up with the slate and was about to move aside.
Tang Ruoyao grabbed her wrist and said, "Senior Qin."
Qin Yinong looked at her hand, tilted her head slightly, and gave her a questioning look.
Tang Ruoyao held her hand tightly, gazing into her eyes, and spoke with a voice only they could hear, word by word, "The play is just a play. I am not Han Zifei, and you are not Shen Muqing. I won't let go, never."
Qin Yinong was taken aback.
Tang Ruoyao didn't wait for her response, nor did she give her time to react. After saying those words, she left first.
Tang Ruoyao was curious about how the butterfly managed to land so accurately on her head. She went to ask the props team, but even they didn't know. They exchanged smiles and said it was just a coincidence.
Originally, the script only had the two characters seeing a butterfly. It was an important symbol in the plot and would be used later. Han Yuping had requested the props team to ensure that a butterfly flew in front of them. However, this butterfly performed exceptionally well, and they improvised a complete scene on their own.
Because of the butterfly's extraordinary performance, perfectionist Han Yuping couldn't find a single flaw in the playback. The acting of both characters in this scene was just right. Qin Yinong portrayed longing and struggle, while Tang Ruoyao continued to move forward bravely, fearless.
Han Yuping tried to shoot another scene. The two main actors were full of emotions and still delivered a compelling performance, but the butterfly refused to cooperate, greatly affecting the effect.
Han Yuping successfully passed the first shot using that angle.
The second shot also went smoothly, greatly saving time for the shooting schedule of the production team. At this point, the progress that had been delayed by the three days of vacation the two had originally requested was almost caught up.
The overall arrangement of the scenes became reasonable and appropriate. The production team continued shooting at a steady pace for a few more days, completing all the honeymoon scenes. Only the final scene remained in the script, the climax of the play - the bed scene.
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