CHAPTER 134

The human mind has a limit to its ability to withstand suffering. When faced with a great emotional shock, it triggers a self-protective mechanism, hypnotizing oneself, pretending that nothing has happened.

But you never know on which ordinary day, when you see a very ordinary scene, suddenly you realize that she is no longer here, forever leaving this world.

Scene 63 of the movie "True Colors."

Time: The 63rd day after Han Zifei's departure.

Location: On the bus from school to Yangxi Lane.

Starring: Qin Yinong.

Clapperboard: "Scene 63 of 'True Colors,' take one, action!"

Autumn rain brings a chill.

After a rain shower in City N, the ground was still damp. The withered autumn leaves twirled in the air, falling down. At the closest bus stop to the school gate, the bustling traffic and voices of people dissipated the slightest chill, belonging to the worldly atmosphere.

Shen Muqing and a colleague chatted and laughed as they walked to the bus stop. After bidding farewell to each other, they waited for the bus at the stop. Occasionally, students with backpacks passed by and greeted her.

Shen Muqing smiled and replied one by one, gently reminding them, "Be safe on the way and don't stay out too late."

"We know, Teacher Shen. Goodbye, Teacher Shen."

The students ran off with laughter, their figures exuding youthful colors.

Shen Muqing shook her head and smiled.

With a long and heavy sound of rubber rubbing against iron, the bus stopped at the stop. The front and back doors opened simultaneously. At that time, ticketing was still done manually, and the ticket seller stood at the back door, holding money in one hand and tickets in the other, reminding in the local dialect, "Line up to board the bus, don't crowd. Those who have boarded, move inside."

When Shen Muqing boarded, there was still an empty seat on the bus. Behind her, an elderly person with unsteady steps also got on. She turned around and helped the elderly person sit down, then found a ring handle to hold onto. She pressed one hand against the shoulder strap of her bag to prevent it from slipping down, quietly looking out the window.

The bus started to sway, turning left and merging into the traffic.

The road conditions were poor, bumpy, uneven, and the driver had a wild driving style. The passengers leaned forward and backward, swayed left and right with the bus's movement, and complaints filled the air inside the bus. In a sudden jolt, Shen Muqing stumbled forward, gripping the ring handle on the ceiling with all five fingers tightly, barely stabilizing her posture.

—Be careful.

Suddenly, a sigh so soft and gentle reached her ears, distant yet close.

Shen Muqing raised her head abruptly.

Han Zifei stood face to face with her, both of them tall and slender. She wore a red scarf that she had personally woven for her, and she held the handrail next to her, giving her a faint smile.

Shen Muqing parted her lips but made no sound.

Zifei.

"Come, hold my hand tightly, and you won't fall."

Okay.

This time, I'll hold on tightly, grip it firmly, and never let go again.

Shen Muqing smiled and couldn't help reaching out her hand.

The distance between their fingertips was less than a centimeter, about to touch. A bubble in the air burst, followed by another and another, all bursting.

Shen Muqing's smile froze at the corner of her lips. Her eyelashes hadn't blinked for a long time, like a frozen wax figure, and then a tear fell without warning.

Oh, she forgot. She's no longer here, she'll never come back.

Shen Muqing lowered her head and wiped her eyes.

But it was in vain. Tears kept flowing, more and more, as if all the tears of her life were pouring out. No matter how much she wiped, she couldn't clean them away.

The elderly person she had given her seat to earlier tremblingly searched for tissues in their bag and asked concernedly, "Are you alright, young girl?"

With her vision blurred by tears, Shen Muqing couldn't see the person's expression clearly. Her ears were buzzing, and she couldn't hear the voice clearly. Instinctively, she showed a friendly smile, unaware that she looked worse when she smiled than when she cried.

A decently dressed adult woman shedding tears on a public bus, empathetic passengers tried to comfort her with words of kindness.

The bus stopped at a station, and Shen Muqing got off through the back door. The ticket seller leaned out of the window, anxiously calling after her, "Miss, this isn't your stop! You haven't reached your home yet!"

Shen Muqing ignored it. She aimlessly wandered the unfamiliar streets, tears silently streaming down her face.

She arrived at a less crowded place, like a weathered bow by winds, and an elderly person in the twilight of their life, her back almost bent in a stoop. She struggled to hold onto an electric pole and slowly, slowly squatted down by the roadside. Then, as if on the verge of suffocation, she took a deep breath and suddenly bit down hard on her own knuckles, emitting faint, short, and incoherent sobs.

She raised her head, her gaze empty, as if trying to grasp something, but she couldn't catch anything. More tears welled up and overflowed.

It turns out that a person can have so many tears.

She wanted to cry out desperately, to cry for her beloved, for the girl who had become a star in the sky. But she couldn't, her throat was hoarse, dry, and devoid of any sound.

The person she loved the most have died, and she couldn't even let out a cry.

―Be happy.

How can I be happy in a world without you?

Shen Muqing pressed her forehead heavily against her knees, trembling uncontrollably from her suppressed sobs.

...Please come back.

.....

Han Yuping took a deep breath. "Cut."

The sound of tissues wiping tears and sniffles filled the room.

Qin Yinong was sobbing uncontrollably, unable to catch her breath. Even after the director called for a cut, she couldn't immediately detach herself from the scene. Guan Han stood by with a cup of water, waiting for a while, and when Qin Yinong slowly stopped sobbing, she approached and handed her the water.

Qin Yinong drank the water and stood up with Guan Han's support, slowly walking towards Han Yuping step by step.

Han Yuping rarely showed kindness. "You've worked hard."

Qin Yinong rubbed her still-sore nose and hoarsely said, "Don't make me shoot it again, it's better than anything you could say."

Han Yuping selfishly replied, "That won't do, I have to see the playback."

"Suit yourself, I'll take a break first." Qin Yinong sat down, and Guan Han used an ice towel to apply on her eyes to reduce the swelling. With her eyes closed, she asked, "Did Miss Tang come out?"

Guan Han whispered, "No."

She had been watching, guarding attentively. Tang Ruoyao never opened the door to her dressing room.

Tang Ruoyao finally stopped being stubborn in this scene. She came early and locked herself in the dressing room, refusing to come out.

"That's good, then." Qin Yinong tilted her face and said, "The towel is getting warm, get me a new one."

Guan Han took a new one from Xiao's hand.

Han Yuping watched the playback several times, his chin resting on his hand as he contemplated. Ignoring Qin Yinong's feigned anger in her eyes, he spoke in a deliberative tone, "Let's try a different way of crying."

Qin Yinong asked with a smile, "What kind do you want?"

Han Yuping said, "Let's try them all."

So Qin Yinong shot five different crying scenes for this scene, from morning till evening. Her eyelids swelled, she applied ice to reduce the swelling. She redid her makeup, and in the end, Han Yuping chose the first version. Qin Yinong had been in the industry for many years and was used to such situations, but after wrapping up, her eyes were so swollen that she could barely open them. They were sore and painful, and she showed signs of dehydration. Her face, after removing the makeup, looked pale and exhausted.

Tang Ruoyao knocked on her dressing room door. When she walked over, Qin Yinong squinted her eyes, but it didn't stop her from sensing that the little girl was crying again.

"For the sake of art." Qin Yinong spoke before Tang Ruoyao could say anything.

Tang Ruoyao smiled through her tears, and her tears splashed onto Qin Yinong's hand, scalding hot.

Qin Yinong said softly, "Stop crying. My vision isn't good now, so I can't wipe your tears properly."

Tang Ruoyao obediently wiped her own tears and said, "It's okay."

Qin Yinong chuckled, as it was a bit challenging for her to see things but not to the extent of blindness. She immediately said, "Is that what you think?"

Tang Ruoyao playfully insisted, "It doesn't matter. I want to cry. You've been crying all day, and you won't let me cry for a while?"

"Then go ahead and cry." Qin Yinong deliberately said.

"I won't cry." Tang Ruoyao fell for it as expected.

"You said it yourself," Qin Yinong immediately responded, "If you can't keep your word, then it doesn't count."

Tang Ruoyao was about to retort, as she was always quick-witted, but Qin Yinong was afraid she wouldn't be able to argue back, so she swiftly changed the topic and said, "What did you do in the dressing room during the day? Was it boring or not?"

Tang Ruoyao shook her head, considering Qin Yinong "unable to see," and spoke, "Not boring."

Qin Yinong: "..."

Tang Ruoyao continued, "I was preparing a birthday gift for you." Her tone carried a hint of mystery and self-satisfaction.

Qin Yinong seemed to have no concept of the phrase "surprise" as she asked directly, "What kind of gift?"

Tang Ruoyao fell silent.

After a while, she asked, "Has no one ever given you a birthday gift?"

Qin Yinong thought seriously and said, "There have been."

Tang Ruoyao was surprised and asked, "Do you always ask people in advance what they're going to give you?"

Qin Yinong hesitated and said, "No, the gifts are all taken care of by Guan Han. She and her assistant open them together. There are too many, and I'm too lazy to look. It's usually things like jewelry, perfume, or bags that aren't too extravagant. I give away anything I don't need to the staff in the studio. I can't use them all anyway, but I do keep collectibles like calligraphy and paintings."

Once Qin Yinong established herself in the industry, even though she never made a big fuss about her birthday, there was no shortage of people who showed their attentiveness on her special day. The brand partners and people in the industry sent gifts to the studio continuously, and there was a dedicated place to collect these items.

Tang Ruoyao blurted out, "What about your..." She had initially wanted to say "family," but she swallowed her words and changed her question, "important people?"

"Such as?" Qin Yinong tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Tang Ruoyao counted on her fingers one by one, "Director Han."

"Him? He's an old-fashioned straight guy," Qin Yinong chuckled. "I have to tell him every year what he should buy."

"Director Lin Guoan."

"We're not that close."

"Director Jiang?"

Qin Yinong lazily replied, "Jiang is too old. He can't even remember his own son's birthday, let alone mine."

"Lin Ruohan."

Qin Yinong hesitated for a moment when she heard that name, as if recalling something from the past. She said, "Lin Ruohan?" Qin Yinong suddenly pursed her lips and smiled a little sheepishly. "She did prepare a gift for me once, and I pretended to really like it when I told her, but actually..."

Tang Ruoyao continued, "You didn't like it?"

Qin Yinong gently shook her head. "It's not that I didn't like it, I just didn't feel anything. I guess I don't really value gifts and such." She paused and added, "But one year she made a handmade item for me. It was quite ugly, a felt teddy bear, but she made it herself, and she was really busy at that time, working on it during a flight. I genuinely liked that one. I hung it on my bag for a long time when I went out. Later, I was afraid it would get dirty and couldn't be cleaned properly, so I put it away again."

This felt teddy bear became the treasured symbol of the Qin-Lin couple, a token of their affection. It was not only known within the industry but also widely recognized outside. It was the only thing openly acknowledged by the main actors. The annual Qin Emperor's selection of consorts became like a fixed point, firmly securing Lin Ruohan's position as the legitimate Empress.

For Qin Yinong, it wasn't about the teddy bear itself, but rather the fact that Lin Ruohan remembered her amidst her busy schedule. Later, when Lin Ruohan insisted that she post a tweet thanking her for the childish and boring gift of the teddy bear, Qin Yinong did it as well.

Tang Ruoyao silently made a note in her mind: handmade.

After finishing, she lowered her head and carefully examined her own hand, secretly drumming up her courage. With fingers this long, slender, and delicate, this could be considered attractive and useful, right?

Qin Yinong's eyes were not in good condition at the moment. She was basically speaking with her eyes closed and couldn't hear Tang Ruoyao's response. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized belatedly, "Are you jealous?"

Tang Ruoyao: "Huh?" She covered Qin Yinong's half-open eyes with her palm, not treating herself as an outsider as she instructed Guan Han beside her, "Bring another towel."

Guan Han took a subconscious step forward but suddenly remembered who her boss was and froze in place.

Guan Han: "Qin Jie?"

Qin Yinong said, "Go."

Guan Han then responded and left.

With the light bulb temporarily gone, Tang Ruoyao fearlessly kissed Qin Yinong's cheek and continued the previous topic, "What did you say just now?"

"I just asked if you were jealous?"

It took Tang Ruoyao two seconds to understand what she was saying and generously replied, "No, she gave you a teddy bear, and I'll make a tiger, a lion, and a leopard for you in the future. You can change them and hang them on your bag. If they get dirty, I'll make new ones for you."

Qin Yinong: "..."

A slight smile couldn't help but appear on her lips.

That works too.

Tang Ruoyao then listed the friends in the industry that Qin Yinong mentioned last time, saying, "They're all adults, and they have birthdays every year. Only children care so much about birthdays."

If it weren't for the flood of birthday wishes from people in the industry through text messages, WeChat, and Weibo on her birthday, Qin Yinong wouldn't have remembered this matter.

Tang Ruoyao laughed, "Then why is your birthday on Children's Day?"

She leaned close to Qin Yinong's ear and whispered with a low laugh, "Qin Yinong, little kid."

Qin Yinong uncomfortably turned her face away.

Suddenly, she felt a strange anticipation for this birthday with Tang Ruoyao. With anticipation came anxiety. She decided that on the day they finished filming, she would have a heart-to-heart talk with Tang Ruoyao.

The filming of "True Colors" came to an end.

In the end, Shen Muqing divorced Xu Shiming, and custody of their child went to Xu Shiming. She moved out of N City and went to the small town where she and Han Zifei had traveled together. She opened a flower shop and settled down.

May 28, the wrap-up day for the production crew.

If Tang Ruoyao's wrap-up was lively, the wrap-up of the entire drama was bustling with people coming and going. The crew had many unfamiliar faces, coming and going. With so many people around, it was inevitable that there would be some individuals pretending to be crew members to slip through the cracks.

For example, at this moment, there were three women wearing baseball caps and identical black masks, only revealing their eyes. sneaking towards Tang Ruoyao, one of the main actors, from different directions.

Qin Yinong's wrap-up scene was also the final wrap-up scene for the entire drama. Most of her scenes had been filmed in the early stages, so there was only a small portion left to shoot today. Qin Yinong's workload was relatively light, but she was extremely tense and had no signs of relaxation. In fact, she seemed even more tense than before.

Her recent abnormal behavior made Tang Ruoyao feel a growing sense of unease deep down.

She could only rely on repeatedly recalling the thick love letter she had written to herself to give herself some confidence. It's worth mentioning that the contract between her and Qin Yinong, which was practically non-existent, was terminated a few days ago amidst the hectic shooting schedule, relieving her of an invisible burden.

Tang Ruoyao regained her composure and suddenly felt a cold breeze behind her head. Before she could react, she heard another gust of wind, followed by a loud bang and the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, accompanied by the cries of a young woman in pain.

The voice sounded familiar.

Tang Ruoyao turned her head and saw her personal bodyguard standing next to her with a stern expression. Three feet away from her, there lay a woman wearing casual clothes and a staff ID, with a baseball cap and long blue-gray hair beneath it.

The woman held her shoulder and kept exclaiming, "Ouch! Ouch!" in pain. She occasionally looked up from under the brim of her cap to glance at Tang Ruoyao but didn't call out to her.

Tang Ruoyao recognized who it was and a slight smile appeared on her lips as she tried to get up.

The female bodyguard stopped her and continued to stare warily at the other woman. She said, "She just tried to attack you."

Tang Ruoyao patted the bodyguard's arm and couldn't help but chuckle, "She's my friend."

Female bodyguard: "???"

Wen Shuxian took off her cap, unable to hold back any longer, and exclaimed three times, "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" After repeating the important matter three times, she turned to Tang Ruoyao and complained, "Do you know how much suffering I just went through? She! She threw me over her shoulder! Poor me, a weak woman! My bones almost fell apart!"

Tang Ruoyao went over to help her up and spoke gently, "She's my bodyguard. Why did you come over without making a sound? Why didn't you say hello to me?"

Little did she know, Wen Shuxian pouted and suddenly burst out, "I'm so unlucky!"

Tang Ruoyao was puzzled.

On her left and right, the two young girls who had been bowing their heads together took off their hats. One had delicate features, while the other had a dignified and elegant appearance. They were the other two members of 405: Cui Jiaran and Fu Yujun.

Cui Jiaran revealed a big smile and exclaimed, "Surprise~"

Fu Yujun smiled gently and said, "Long time no see, Tang Tang."

Tang Ruoyao was filled with joy and surprise, her eyes almost turning red. She was so excited that she could hardly speak properly. "How... how did you all..."

Wen Shuxian interrupted, "Did we all come together?"

Tang Ruoyao managed to control her emotions a bit and nodded.

Wen Shuxian said, "Of course, we came to celebrate the wrap-up with you. I've been exhausted these past few days, shooting dozens of scenes. Finally, I managed to squeeze out a day off. My shoulder..."

She gave Tang Ruoyao a signal, very obvious and not at all subtle.

Understanding her intention, Tang Ruoyao stood up and massaged Wen Shuxian's shoulder, and Wen Shuxian closed her eyes in contentment.

Tang Ruoyao was not usually this friendly and often ignored Wen Shuxian. But now, she endured the pain from being thrown over her shoulder and received a shoulder massage from Tang Ruoyao. It was worth it. Later, when she posted on Weibo, it would be known that their friendship was genuine and unbreakable.

Cui Jiaran shamelessly said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. We made an agreement long before you joined the crew. There's no reason for last-minute rushes. She's just tricking you!"

Wen Shuxian opened one of her narrowed eyes and hummed, "You can't say that. I have a lot on my plate, and the schedule is always packed. It's hard to find any time for vacation, you know?"

Cui Jiaran replied, "Am I not busy? My stage play tours are always sold out, tickets are in high demand. Look at your lines, they will soon be forgotten in idol dramas. Come out and perform in a play with me."

"On the left a bit," Wen Shuxian directed Tang Ruoyao and then continued, "Do you think I don't want to? My company needs to make money. Idol dramas bring in quick profits, and besides, I don't only take idol dramas. I also do serious dramas, you know?"

As she said the last sentence, her confidence began to waver.

Cui Jiaran pulled Fu Yujun closer, pointed at Wen Shuxian, and spoke in a mocking tone, "Serious dramas?" Then she pointed at Fu Yujun, nodded emphatically, and said seriously, "Serious dramas!"

Fu Yujun held Cui Jiaran's sleeve with two fingers and gently removed her hand from her arm, smiling modestly. "When the city gate is on fire, one should not carelessly burn the fish in the pond."

Wen Shuxian burst into laughter. "Look at how she handles her!"

Cui Jiaran was used to bantering with her and didn't need any backup to match her wit. She immediately retorted, "Tang Tang is now a top actress, and who knows, a few years later she might become an international superstar. She'll have won all the major awards. Fu Yujun is a rising star, having already won the Baiyu X and Fei X Awards. And you, still stuck in idol dramas, can you say you're not embarrassed?"

Actually, the other three people from the 405 group flew in from different cities in Huaxia. They only met in this city earlier this morning, a few hours before seeing Tang Ruoyao. After graduation, everyone was busy, so they rarely met privately, especially Wen Shuxian. As a popular rising star, she was the busiest among the four. She had endless schedules and commitments all over the place. Every day, she would talk in our group chat about getting together, but in reality, she was too exhausted and would just fall asleep. Now, with Tang Ruoyao's drama wrapping up, they finally had a chance to reunite. It wouldn't be right if they didn't have a lively exchange with Cui Jiaran. Online arguments can't compare to the satisfaction of face-to-face interactions.

While the two of them were engaged in a playful banter, Fu Yujun appeared by Tang Ruoyao's side out of nowhere.

Tang Ruoyao turned her head and gave her a faint smile.

She asked, "You all..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Fu Yujun already knew what she wanted to ask and replied, "Wen Shuxian has been talking about getting together, and I thought it would be a great idea since it's almost the one-year anniversary of our graduation and coincidentally your drama just wrapped up. We all agreed immediately and decided to come."

"When did this happen?"

"Not long after you joined the crew."

"They actually managed to keep it a secret?" Tang Ruoyao chuckled, referring to Wen Shuxian and Cui Jiaran. They would argue and banter in the group chat every day, but they didn't drop any hints. It was quite surprising.

Fu Yujun said in a serious tone, "To be honest, I was also surprised."

Tang Ruoyao raised an eyebrow.

After finishing her questions, it was Fu Yujun's turn. She asked, "How are you? I mean..." She glanced in the direction of Qin Yinong.

Tang Ruoyao followed her gaze and saw Qin Yinong and Han Yuping discussing the final scene. She couldn't help but curl her lips and say, "Everything is going smoothly."

Fu Yujun responded, "Then let me congratulate you in advance?"

Tang Ruoyao replied, "Let's save the congratulations for tomorrow."

Fu Yujun asked, "Huh?"

Tang Ruoyao shifted her gaze back to Fu Yujun and said, "I plan to..confess tonight." confess.

She mouthed the last two words.

"I wish you... success." Fu Yujun smiled and mouthed back

The two of them shared a smile.

The commotion in this corner of the set finally caught attention. The three of them dropped their pretenses. Wen Shuxian, a popular rising star, and the relatively unknown figure, Cui Jiaran, were engaged in a playful banter. Fu Yujun, a talented actress who recently gained fame with a new drama, also appeared on set. The idle crew members eagerly gathered around, enjoying the lively scene.

Bold individuals approached Wen Shuxian directly, asking for her autograph. Wen Shuxian had a straightforward personality and found it annoying that they were interrupting her conversation with Cui Jiaran. However, considering it was Tang Ruoyao's drama set, she couldn't act out of line. She adjusted her expression to a pleasant smile and welcomed everyone with a good attitude.

People also gathered around Fu Yujun, as Cui Jiaran was a serious stage actress who rarely appeared in public. They were relatively unfamiliar with each other, but the 405 dormitory was quite active online. Many fans followed one of them, and there were people trying to boost Cui Jiaran's popularity by standing next to her. In any case, it was a crowded scene, pushing Tang Ruoyao to the outskirts.

Tang Ruoyao: "..."

Even Qin Yinong was startled. She squinted her eyes and saw a dense crowd of people in the direction where Tang Ruoyao was seated, but Tang Ruoyao stood outside with a rare blank expression, looking cute and clueless.

Qin Yinong turned to Guan Han and asked, "What's happening over there?"

It seemed like it was the place where Tang Ruoyao was sitting, but Tang Ruoyao was standing outside with an expression of not knowing what was going on, which was oddly adorable.

Guan Han planned to send an assistant to check, but a production staff member standing next to Han Yuping smiled and said, "It's Tang Ruoyao's roommates visiting."

Qin Yinong raised an eyebrow and asked, "Roommates?"

Guan Han thought to herself: Oh, those people who perform comedic skits.

Han Yuping frowned and said unhappily, "Tell them to quiet down. The set is not a fan gathering place. What's with all the noise?"

The staff member responded, "I'll go take care of it."

Qin Yinong and Han Yuping finished their conversation, and Qin Yinong put down the pen in her hand and smiled, saying, "I'll go over there."

Author's Note:

Someone wanted Fu Yujun to visit and cause a big scene. Do you want me to make it explosive?

The 405 dormitory reunites~

Guan Han: The comedic skit is arranged.

Fu Yujun: I heard someone say that the person upstairs is my CP (couple pairing)?

PS: Regarding the crying scene of Qin Yinong, any scene or sound involving Han Zifei is specifically written to maintain the smoothness of the plot. It won't be in the movie. It will only be Qin Yinong's performance, where she unexpectedly collapses and cries uncontrollably. (Today's pomegranate is also a strict director)

BACK | TABLE OF CONTENTS | NEXT