CHAPTER 129

 On a Set.

Inside the rest area of the "True Colors" crew, which was one of the most prominent film sets, there was a bustling atmosphere. A'xiao gathered a few assistants together, their heads huddled close, each holding a phone and chatting animatedly, like a group of ducks quacking.

"Who has more emojis? Cuter ones that can make us laugh at a glance."

"What's the use? To please the lady boss! I was just talking to you, and you're daydreaming?"

"Nothing? Aren't you usually good at fooling around? What's your use then? Let me do it! Let me do it!"

"Idiotic? Even idiotic... Well, it'll have to do. I'll send it to Qin Jie. Stop asking me all the time. Talking wastes time. If you find something funny, just send it directly. I'll filter them one by one."

Guan Han, who was only a few steps away from them, paid no attention. She sat in the VVIP seat reserved for Qin Yinong, with a laptop in front of her. The screen displayed her focused and serious expression as her hands moved swiftly across the keyboard, almost leaving afterimages.

Meanwhile, Qin Yinong, the owner of the rest area, stood alone in a small corner, her face flushed.

"Say it, you like me." Tang Ruoyao's smiling voice played repeatedly in her ears.

Qin Yinong discreetly glanced around, struggling to find a moment to escape from the world of emojis. She hadn't noticed her group of assistants since she received Tang Ruoyao's instructions. Guan Han, who hadn't moved from her seat since then, took a deep breath, exhaling in three parts, and pressed the speak button below the screen: "I... I like..."

Stuck, she slid her fingertip to cancel.

Qin Yinong earnestly observed the phone screen for a while, ensuring that her unfinished message hadn't been sent by mistake, before she breathed a sigh of relief. She pinched her face and continued speaking.

"I... like..." one word at a time, but before she could say the word "you," Qin Yinong felt heat rushing from her cheeks to the top of her head. She raised her hand to cover her burning ears.

She slide up to cancel the message. Qin Yinong pressed her forehead against the cold wall, seeking physical cooling.

Why did she have to say such words? Didn't she realize how... difficult it was for her to speak them?

She would rather kiss Tang Ruoyao directly. Whatever she wanted, she could ask for it.

A glint flashed behind Guan Han's glasses. Her fingers, which had been flying across the keyboard, came to a halt, and she pushed up her glasses with one hand, casting a glance at Qin Yinong, who was practically glued to the wall in the corner.

As an all-around assistant, besides carrying out the boss's orders, she also had to pay attention to the boss's actions at all times to be prepared for her next instructions.

As for those incompetent little assistants, Guan Han glanced at them with a hint of disdain and decided to continue treating them as if they were air.

I, however, won't just sit here doing nothing. I have to create some presence. A'xiao stood up and hurriedly ran over: "Qin Jie, I've organized the emojis for you. Do you have a moment to check them now?"

Qin Yinong was practicing and was startled by A'xiao's voice, causing her hand to tremble and accidentally sending the message.

Qin Yinong: '!!!'

She quickly long-pressed to recall the message.

[System prompt: Q cutely recalled a message.]

Tang Ruoyao saw the small text that appeared on the screen and calmly clicked on the save button. Inside was the audio message that Qin Yinong had just sent. She mentally prepared herself before playing it, fearing any unexpected reactions due to her accelerated heartbeat.

A soft and quiet voice came through the earpiece.

"I like you..." The words were delivered with a clear and well-projected tone, as if rehearsing lines. It sounded a bit flat, but one could sense a slight tension in the voice, similar to the embarrassment of the phrase 'Yaoyao.'

Tang Ruoyao felt dazed and enchanted, her heart pounding. She decided to set this sentence as a goodnight reminder and alarm as soon as she returned!

She never expected the audio message to continue.

After saying that sentence, Qin Yinong let out a soft sigh, 'This one won't do either.'

Tang Ruoyao was taken aback. At first, she burst into silent laughter, but then her eyes inexplicably became slightly teary.

Qin Yinong was someone who took things so seriously, even when she liked someone.

Tang Ruoyao held down the talk button and confessed affectionately, 'I like you too.' She paused and continued, 'I like you the most, only you, forever.'

Even love you.

She kept this sentence hidden in her heart.

Qin Yinong's temple twitched, almost losing her patience with A'xiao's interruption. She finally understood why Guan Han always found this group of kids annoying. It was amusing to play with them during leisure time, but when it came to crucial matters, they would mess up.

Although Qin Yinong didn't show any anger, A'xiao still felt a colder atmosphere around her than when she was with Guan Han. She swallowed nervously, took a few steps back, and stiffly said, "If you're busy... then... we'll talk later."

Qin Yinong's phone vibrated in her hand, and she waved her hand toward A'xiao, signaling her to disappear quickly.

Qin Yinong walked a bit further away, staring at a group of children not far away, and clicked on the earpiece to play.

Tang Ruoyao's voice, cold yet gentle, sounded, 'I like you too. I like you the most, only you, forever.'

The group of children, witnessing Qin Yinong's rarely seen serious expression, immediately covered their eyes with their hands. Her lips curved softly, the arc becoming more and more prominent as she quickly turned her back to them.

The assistant looked at each other in confusion.

Qin Yinong suppressed the laughter in her throat and said seriously, "A'xiao, you five can leave first."

Five thousand ducks filed out in an orderly manner.

Qin Yinong then returned to the sofa, stuffing a pillow into her arms, and covering her reddened cheeks with both hands. Her eyes were sparkling, shimmering like a dazzling starry sky.

She suddenly burst into laughter, once and then again, with a clear and crisp sound, like silver bells passing by the eaves on a spring day. She buried her face in the pillow.

......

Tang Ruoyao finished eating all the small cakes A'xiao had brought over, then drank a bowl of soup. She felt like she had consumed a week's worth of calories and quickly stopped, asking Xin Qian to cover the food box.

Xin Qian looked inside at the remaining dishes, realizing she hadn't eaten a single bite.

Tang Ruoyao made eye contact with her.

Xin Qian swallowed her saliva, it was already past lunchtime, and she was hungry.

After thinking for three seconds, Tang Ruoyao pondered in Xin Qian's hopeful gaze, "Let's order some takeout. I'll treat you, what do you want to eat?"

Xin Qian: "..."

Even when Xin Qian was taking the food box, Tang Ruoyao kept staring at her movements, afraid that she would sneak a bite. Xin Qian was now extremely heartbroken and felt completely defeated, as if the cabbage she had grown had been... pecked by a phoenix.

Xin Qian blinked her eyes, stunned for two seconds, and then suddenly felt relieved and happy.

Seeing Tang Ruoyao's changing expressions in less than a minute, she asked, "???"

Xin Qian, seeing her laughing so much now, knew that she had completely snapped out of the act, so without hesitation, she betrayed Qin Yinong and said, "Didn't you ask me why I stood outside the door for so long when I received the food box?"

"Why?"

"Just now, it was Qin Yinong outside."

Tang Ruoyao froze, "What did you say?"

Xin Qian said, "She came with A'xiao. I asked her if she wanted to come in, but she probably didn't want to disturb you, so she didn't come in and told me not to tell you about it."

Before Xin Qian could finish her sentence, she saw Tang Ruoyao leap up from the sofa and rush out like a gust of wind.

Only the door of the lounge was still shaking.

Xin Qian muttered to herself, "Why so anxious? I didn't finish telling her, she even asked me several questions..."

Tang Ruoyao rushed out of the lounge, changing her fast pace to a brisk walk. She went to Han Yuping's place, making an obvious detour, before finally knocking on the door of Qin Yinong's lounge.

Guan Han, who was focused on her task, tilted her head slightly, and Qin Yinong got up and said, "I'll go and open the door, you continue with your work."

Although Tang Ruoyao had been wandering outside for quite some time, her excitement hadn't diminished at all. In fact, it had only grown stronger. When she saw that the person opening the door wasn't Guan Han as expected, but Qin Yinong, the emotions she had been suppressing since earlier couldn't be contained any longer. She couldn't help but push Qin Yinong against the door panel and leaned in for a kiss.

Qin Yinong: "Mmm!"

She wanted to remind Tang Ruoyao that Guan Han was in the lounge and that she shouldn't be so reckless, but Tang Ruoyao's passion left her defenseless and unable to speak. After a while, Qin Yinong finally found a slight opportunity and pushed her away.

Tang Ruoyao opened her eyes, a layer of moisture lingering in her beautiful amber-colored pupils, as if she was about to embrace Qin Yinong again.

Qin Yinong evaded in time, cleared her throat, and called out, "Guan Han."

Guan Han's signature cold and indifferent voice responded, "Here."

Qin Yinong instructed, "Please step outside for a moment."

"Okay." Guan Han closed her laptop, put it in her bag, and passed by Tang Ruoyao, nodding politely at her.

Tang Ruoyao's face turned red, unsure if it was because of the previous kiss or being witnessed by Guan Han, feeling embarrassed.

Guan Han closed the door, and the room fell silent.

Qin Yinong glanced at Tang Ruoyao with a cool expression and said, "Regretting it now?" The young lady couldn't control her impulsive nature, always ready to ignite like thunder and fire, without considering the situation.

Tang Ruoyao focused her gaze on her and said, "No regrets." With a blushing face, she leaned closer and smiled, "Let's continue."

Qin Yinong clicked her tongue.

Tang Ruoyao immediately dared not move.

Qin Yinong took two cups from the coffee table, with Tang Ruoyao following closely behind like a little follower. She watched as Qin Yinong rinsed them under the water, filled both cups with warm water, and handed one to herself, casually remarking, "You're so considerate."

Qin Yinong's ears turned warm, half annoyed and half angry. She walked back with the cup in hand and said lightly, "Does my consideration have anything to do with you?"

This is like sending a sheep into the tiger's den. Tang Ruoyao, shameless as ever, directly said, "Yes, aren't we going to live together in the future?"

Qin Yinong cleared her throat, coughed a few times, and finally said, "Who wants to... cough... live with you?" Her ears turned red with nervousness, hidden in her black hair.

Qin Yinong imagined this possibility and felt an indescribable anticipation for the future.

Tang Ruoyao caught up to her in a few steps and blew air gently into her ear, causing a ticklish sensation. "You." she said.

Qin Yinong couldn't help but shudder, moved away from her a little, and stammered, "Let's talk about the future later."

"Okay." Tang Ruoyao accepted her response, her expression becoming particularly obedient.

Qin Yinong cleared her throat, moistened her throat, placed the glass on the coffee table, sat down, and said seriously, "Can you still distinguish between me and Shen Muqing?"

Tang Ruoyao wanted to sit next to her, but Qin Yinong stopped her with a glance. She obediently sat on the single sofa next to her. Tang Ruoyao secretly pouted, raised her head, stared at Qin Yinong earnestly for a while, and said, "I can."

She acted crazily in the play, but it didn't mean she couldn't distinguish between reality and fiction, especially when Qin Yinong was "working hard" to help her with the acting. Tang Ruoyao discreetly touched her pocket, where the note Qin Yinong had written for her was still kept. She couldn't afford to disappoint Qin Yinong's expectations by breaking character again.

"By the way, Senior Qin."

Qin Yinong raised an eyebrow.Tang Ruoyao didn't forget her previous mistake and sincerely apologized, "This morning, I pushed you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"It won't happen again in the future." Tang Ruoyao promised.

"And there won't be any more scenes between us. You won't even have a chance to push me." Qin Yinong stated.

Tang Ruoyao smiled mischievously and teased, "Who said that? Aren't there still..."

Qin Yinong glared at her.

Tang Ruoyao closed her mouth, stuck out her tongue, and tried to act cute. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have said anything."

Qin Yinong responded with a nonchalant expression.

Acting is acting, and Han Yuping is Han Yuping. When Qin Yinong heard her using the pronoun "I" to refer to Han Yuping and saying ominous things, it made her feel uncomfortable.

The two of them remained silent for a while.

Tang Ruoyao held the water cup in both hands and slowly drank, waiting for Qin Yinong to calm down.

"You..." Qin Yinong looked at her, wanting to say something but hesitating.

"What about me?" Tang Ruoyao asked.

"Nothing." Qin Yinong dismissed the thought of questioning Tang Ruoyao at the moment. 'True Colors' was almost finished, and the scene they shot today was the one with the biggest emotional ups and downs for Tang Ruoyao throughout the entire film. In other words, she wouldn't cry as miserably as she did today in the future. The remaining scenes for her were few but crucial. If Qin Yinong rashly brought up the matter now and affected Tang Ruoyao's performance state, it would do more harm than good.

Let's talk about it after the filming is done.

She didn't say anything, and Tang Ruoyao didn't pursue it either. She sat beside Qin Yinong, gently picked up her chin with her finger, and Qin Yinong, without refusing, fluttered her lashes and slowly closed her eyes...

As the filming was nearing completion, the daily shooting schedule of the crew only arranged for one scene. Sometimes they exceeded expectations and finished early with a single take, allowing them to move on to the next scene without rushing the actors.

Han Yuping pondered over his storyboard, making revisions here and there. When a movie reached its final stages, both the actors and he were under immense pressure. When the pressure became too much, he had the urge to smoke. However, Qin Yinong had repeatedly emphasized that he was only allowed to smoke two cigarettes a day. Han Yuping had already used up his quota before the morning scene started.

He glanced around and saw that neither Qin Yinong nor Tang Ruoyao were present. He sneakily took out a cigarette from the pack, held it between his fingers, and almost burned his newly grown beard when he lit it.

Just as he took a puff, he hurriedly finished smoking, leaving no trace behind. He tossed the cigarette butt into a trash can several meters away, returned to his original position, and used the script to fan away the smell of smoke in the surroundings.

Those two still hadn't shown up.

Anyway, there were no more scenes for them today, so Han Yuping couldn't be bothered with them. He shot a few empty shots and then filmed the scenes of the supporting actors. The crew packed up and went their separate ways, the prop team took care of the props, the drivers left in their cars, and everyone headed back to the hotel.

Qin Yinong and Tang Ruoyao finally arrived, bidding farewell to Han Yuping.

Tang Ruoyao took the crew's car and left early since they finished shooting ahead of schedule.

Qin Yinong smiled and watched Tang Ruoyao's figure fade away, but when she turned around, she saw Han Yuping's indescribable expression and his evaluation in two words: "Beastly creature."

Han Yuping snorted coldly and walked away, waving his hand.

Qin Yinong touched her lips with her index finger, seemingly thinking of something, and smiled faintly.

She put her hand behind her back and looked into the darkening sky. She said to Guan Han, who was beside her, "Let's go back too. How's the information you prepared for me?"

It must be said that Guan Han's efficiency was quite high. Despite Qin Yinong occupying the lounge for half of the afternoon, she continued working on her tablet. She replied, "It's almost done. Should I give it to you now?"

Qin Yinong thought she would have time in the evening, so she said, "Send me the organized information first."

Guan Han responded promptly.

Qin Yinong suddenly raised her hand and pressed her chest, furrowing her brows.

Guan Han asked, "What's wrong, Qin Jie?"

Qin Yinong felt a bit inexplicable and shook her head. She said, "It's nothing." Her heart had suddenly started beating faster a moment ago, and a vague uneasiness rose within her. She suppressed her ominous intuition and said, "Let's go, it's getting dark."

Tang Ruoyao was unusually "well-behaved" today, and Qin Yinong wondered if it was because of what happened in the lounge. She seemed a bit more sensitive. In the evening, after finishing her wash, she sat on the bed and sent a message to Qin Yinong: [Senior Qin, do you have time to chat with me?]

Qin Yinong had a towel wrapped around her head and was about to dry her hair when she heard her phone vibrate. She pressed it with one hand and picked it up to reply: [I have something to do.]

Tang Ruoyao: [Is it urgent? Can we talk for ten minutes? I need to look at the script soon too.]

Qin Yinong contemplated for a few seconds and replied: [Okay.]

Tang Ruoyao called her, her voice slightly timid, "Senior Qin."

Qin Yinong: "Hmm."

She sounded a bit cold, and Tang Ruoyao bit her lip, slightly displeased as she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Just finished showering, drying my hair." Qin Yinong replied. Her voice sounded distant, as if she had put the phone on the table on speaker mode.

"Why don't you use a hairdryer?"

"I'll sleep later."

"Are you reading the script?"

Qin Yinong went along with it, "Hmm."

Tang Ruoyao immediately showed concern, "You also have a crying scene, don't exhaust yourself too much."

In "True Colors," Qin Yinong only had one serious crying scene, which was the second-to-last scene, surpassing Tang Ruoyao's in intensity. She had been suppressing her emotions throughout the entire film, and the final outburst scene was particularly impactful. Setting aside personal feelings, Tang Ruoyao was genuinely curious to witness the aura of the current benchmark in the domestic entertainment industry, the embodiment of acting skills.

"I won't," Qin Yinong said, "I'm not you."

Qin Yinong straightforwardly stated the facts without any emotion, but Tang Ruoyao felt as if she was being teased and hummed, "Am I not acting well?"

"Well, you are." Qin Yinong replied absentmindedly. She double-clicked her mouse and opened the document that Guan Han had just sent.

Since many videos couldn't be downloaded online, Guan Han provided links. She organized them by time and movie titles, making it easy to understand at a glance.

Tang Ruoyao couldn't sense her sincerity and said, "Are you just brushing me off?"

Qin Yinong temporarily shifted her gaze away from the document and cooed softly, "No, you really did a great job. Didn't Director Han praise you?"

"I want to hear you praise me." Tang Ruoyao revealed her foxy tail.

"What do you want me to praise?" Qin Yinong asked with a smile.

"Praise me for being beautiful."

"You're beautiful."

"Praise me for being generous."

"You're generous." After praising her, Qin Yinong couldn't help but chuckle and said, "What does this have to do with acting?"

"It doesn't, but it makes me happy to hear it. Will you say it?"

"I will. What else do you want to hear?"

"Tell me you like me, say it again." The tone of voice and real-time nature of the phone call were different. Tang Ruoyao took step by step, gradually advancing, with the goal of making Qin Yinong one day say it to her face-to-face.

"..." Qin Yinong said quietly, "I need to look at the script."

"Qin Yinong!" Tang Ruoyao was both angry and annoyed, naturally coquettish, flowing with ease.

Qin Yinong suddenly found her tone of coquettishness familiar but couldn't remember it for a moment. She tilted her head and said, "I really need to look at the script, I'm not lying to you."

Tang Ruoyao wasn't unreasonable, understanding the situation, she said, "Alright, go ahead and look at it. Send me a message when you're going to sleep."

"...You too."

"Mwah."

Qin Yinong felt a bit embarrassed, pursed her lips, and replied with a "Mwah."

Tang Ruoyao laughed on the other end, and Qin Yinong blushed and felt her ears burning from her laughter, so she hung up the phone first.

Qin Yinong made herself a cup of coffee and placed it next to the computer, took out pen and paper, ready to take notes at any time, and then clicked on the first video. It was Tang Ruoyao's earliest interview video. At that time, Tang Ruoyao was still quite young, with a slightly chubby face that didn't appear overly round, only revealing an unstoppable youthful vibrancy. However, her eyes lacked the innocence of a young person from the very beginning, instead exuding a world-weary maturity that was completely out of sync with her age. She had a pair of eyes suitable for telling stories, a natural actress material.

Qin Yinong watched the interview for a while but realized she hadn't actually listened to what was being said. She was too caught up in admiring Tang Ruoyao's beautiful face and her composed and elegant demeanor. She suddenly felt her face heating up and was relieved that no one could see her in this state.

Qin Yinong focused her attention and earnestly captured the key information from the video.

There are many videos, and she reluctantly played them at double speed, but she had already decided to wait until the end of the film and watch them again when she had time.

As Han Yuping expected, Tang Ruoyao's acting style had already shown promise from the beginning of her career. By her second film, she had glimpsed the path to success and was able to utilize it.

After the release of Tang Ruoyao's second film, it received great acclaim in the industry, both critically and commercially successful. In a special interview for the film, the host asked with amazement, "How did you manage to act so naturally? Is the character you played similar to your own personality?"

Tang Ruoyao replied, "Before taking on this role, it wasn't similar at all. It was actually quite the opposite. But after deciding to take on this film, it became similar."

The host didn't understand and asked, "What do you mean?"

Tang Ruoyao smiled and adjusted the microphone on her ear, speaking clearly, "My approach to acting might be different. I let the character directly enter my real life. For example, if in reality I'm a quiet person, when I receive a lively role, my personality will change accordingly. It's not just in the film, but even when I'm not shooting, I'll keep myself in the state of the character, becoming more outgoing and cheerful."

Qin Yinong furrowed her brows suddenly, something flashed through her mind.

In the video, the host exclaimed, "That's amazing and quite difficult."

Tang Ruoyao said, "That's how I can get closest to the character's inner world. For me, it works this way."The host joked, "It's not just getting close to the character's inner world, but you actually become the character."

Tang Ruoyao smiled modestly.

The host exclaimed again and teased, "In that case, isn't it dangerous for you to film romantic scenes? Would you end up falling in love with your co-stars?"

Tang Ruoyao laughed it off and said, "You'll only know once you've experienced it. I'm still young."

The host laughed.

.....

The progress bar reached the end, and the video automatically paused when it was finished. However, Qin Yinong hesitated to click on the next one.

Suddenly, she remembered where she had heard that coquettish tone from Tang Ruoyao before. On set, at the filming center, during their honeymoon trip, Han Shen and Tang Ruoyao went shopping together. When Shen Muqing intentionally fell behind Han Zifei, Han Zifei was both annoyed and coquettish, using the exact same tone.

Qin Yinong had always had a doubt deep in her heart - how did Tang Ruoyao undergo such a dramatic change in personality? She used to be reserved and quiet, both in front of Qin Yinong and in the media. But after entering the set, she became lively, outgoing, and even her demeanor became bolder.

As for the host's question, Tang Ruoyao already had a clear answer after filming romantic scenes. Did she fall in love with someone from outside the film, like in "Missing Person Notice" two years ago, or in the present with "True Colors"?

Upon careful consideration, the development of her relationship with Tang Ruoyao seemed to overlap with the romantic storyline of Han Shen in "True Colors." Han Shen's honeymoon period was also their "honeymoon period." It was after that trip back home when Qin Yinong decided to let Tang Ruoyao officially step into her future.

Ignoring Qin Yinong's cold words, Tang Ruoyao persisted bravely. What was her devotion really about? Was it for Qin Yinong or for Han Zifei?

But didn't Qin Yinong already decide to give up on herself before the start of the film?

Qin Yinong's expression was clouded with uncertainty.

During these past few days, was it really Tang Ruoyao loving her, or... had Tang Ruoyao turned into Han Zifei's Tang Ruoyao, loving Shen Muqing?

It was mid-May, already summer. Qin Yinong's room had no air conditioning, and she curled up in her chair. In the warmth of this summer, she suddenly shivered involuntarily.

The moon was as cool as water.

Author's Note:

You probably realized it, Tang Tang's deep immersion in her role is used here!

Leave a comment. Whether it's a regular knife turning into a dragon-slaying sword or a knife turning into sugar? It's up to you. Go ahead, ducklings! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Friendly reminder for readers: Tang Tang will change her personality due to her role. It's described in Chapter 66 during the scenes with Mu Qingwu.

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