CHAPTER 9

At this point, what more could the older sister say?

Xiang Xiaoyuan stood watching the mother and daughter embrace and cry, her eyes vacant. She neither agreed nor disagreed.

There was no need to say more, only that choice remained, and it was self-evident.

The cries of the mother and daughter on the ground gradually subsided as they helped each other up.

"Stop crying. Come and thank your sister." He Chenying said softly, her eyes red.

Not to mention others, even the onlookers present felt a stab at the words "thank your sister."

It was too harsh!

Xiang Xiaoyuan's previously expressionless face twitched sharply.

"Thank you, sister." Zou Yirui said through her sobs, but He Chenying didn't look at Xiang Xiaoyuan. Instead, she lowered her gaze and turned to Zou Yirui, reaching out to wipe her daughter's cheek affectionately, her heart aching. Zou Yirui smiled back at her, touched.

He Chenying's eyelashes seemed to flutter as if she were about to lift her gaze but then pulled back. Suddenly, she raised a hand to smooth her hair and gently sniffed.

Zou Yirui couldn't help but lean against her. "Mom..."

"You look a mess. Come on, let's wash our faces." He Chenying said, a faintly unnatural smile on her lips as she tried to cover it, smoothing her hair again.

A few seconds later, she seemed to return to the well-mannered, graceful mother she had been earlier, no longer the disheveled figure from before. The two of them stood close together, hand in hand, heading upstairs.

At a certain moment, He Chenying's steps seemed to pause, as if she wanted to turn back, but in the end, all she left the audience with was her back.

Behind the monitor, Wei Jiabao took a moment to collect himself. Just as he was about to call for a stop, Chen Yunxiu pressed his hand again "Wait, let's watch a bit more!"

What more was there to see? Wasn't the drama over by now?

"Look, her scene isn't over yet." Chen Yunxiu pointed over there, and Wei Jiabao looked:

Xiang Xiaoyuan stood alone there, staring at the half staircase where there was no one, still standing, watching. Her expression seemed frozen, as if all her senses had solidified, resembling a stone statue.

Chen Yunxiu made a few gestures towards the camera crew, and the cooperative director of the photography team immediately nodded, adjusting the camera position for shooting.

A close-up shot.

Xiang Xiaoyuan's eyes, expression, nose, corners of her mouth, slowly underwent a change, her stiff expression gradually collapsed, and even her statue-like appearance began to show sorrow. She then lowered her gaze, seeming to look at her shoes or the floor, her body slouched a bit lower but not quite all the way down, still standing, hunching her back as if something heavy weighed on her. She hugged her left arm with her right hand, relying on her fragile body to endure, curling up.

She stood like this for quite a while...

Wei Jiabao rubbed his eyes, feeling an inexplicable dryness in his throat. A certain part of his heart felt struck, a painful ache that made it hard to breathe. Chen Yunxiu glanced around, nearly everyone present was wiping tears, a few emotional female staff members were already quietly sobbing, and Cai Juan was crying so much, constantly wiping his tears with tissues.

The director of the photography team wiped his eyes, carefully checked the equipment, and gestured "OK" towards Chen Yunxiu.

Chen Yunxiu was surprised and delighted, glanced at the teary-eyed Wei Jiabao, who took a deep breath and shouted, "cut!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan seemed not to hear, still standing there.

Thinking she hadn't heard, Wei Jiabao raised his voice. "Xiang Xiaoyuan, that was great! We're done!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan remained silent, standing still. Suddenly, she turned sharply, not looking at anyone or saying a word, and bolted out of the set. Cai Juan took a deep breath and hurried to catch up, not forgetting to apologize to the two directors, "Directors, we're sorry, we're sorry..."

"What's wrong with her?" Wei Jiabao asked, puzzled.

Chen Yunxiu, who was reviewing the footage just now, kept praising continuously and didn't respond to him.

"Let her rest for a while, everyone take a break too." He Chenying didn't remove her makeup, stayed back to watch the end as well, and she watched Xiang Xiaoyuan's receding figure.

Her feelings ran deep, after all, acting alongside someone involves direct eye contact, face-to-face interaction, where everything is genuine. Throughout the process, there was a back-and-forth, and she managed to control the situation, but in the end, this girl still stole the show.

Although young, the energy of this girl should not be underestimated. The scene they just acted out was quite enjoyable and comfortable.

"Sister Ying, did you go easy on her?" Wei Jiabao asked with a smile.

"I didn't, she is really good." He Chenying paused, smiling, "Very interesting..." She didn't finish her sentence.

That girl is ambitious in her performance, she knew it after watching the scene where she and Zou Yirui switched roles.

Ambition and brilliance were great, but when acting, one couldn't shine alone, they needed to work together for the scene to be complete and smooth.

Her schedule was tight, and she didn't want to be delayed, so she kept controlling the rhythm of the whole scene.

Under her control, the girl didn't falter and performed even better, which was unexpected.

"It's really good!" Chen Yunxiu couldn't help but agree, his eyes still glued to the monitor.

He Chenying smiled thoughtfully, stretching her arms and yawning.

Xiang Xiaoyuan had run to a secluded spot, where she finally stopped and crouched down. She had accumulated a lot of emotions in her heart and mind, seemingly not fully released.

She blinked her blurry eyes, lowered her head, letting tears flow. The voices that had been buried in her mind seemed to want to come out as well,

"Just for your mother's sake, don't call the police or make a fuss."

"I'm your mother, you're not going to listen to me anymore?"

.......

Why did those memories suddenly resurface? No, she had to push them away!

Xiang Xiaoyuan bit down on her thumb, tears silently streaming down.

Cai Juan watched her crouched and curled up, feeling heartbroken.

She knew that Xiang Xiaoyuan was someone who immersed herself in experiences, and she worried she might really get lost in the role. Earlier, Xiang Zhishi had warned him to keep an eye on her emotions, advising him to call if anything seemed off.

"Xiaoyuan?" He also crouched down, asking softly.

"It's nothing, it's nothing..." Xiaoyuan seemed to understand his intention, "No need to call my Brother, I just need a moment..."

She was still sniffling, wiping her face, her back view resembling a fluffy little animal clawing at her own face.

Cai Juan knew a bit about their sibling relationship and understood that their bond was irreplaceable by a third party. However, he always found ways to express his care, "Alright then, you can cry for a while, and if you really can't hold back, come over and let Brother Cai Juan give you a hug~"

Xiang Xiaoyuan turned around, facing him, tears still fresh on her face, pouting, "You're so cheesy!"

......

Afterwards, they filmed another scene together, exchanging moves and creating sparks. He Chenying was down-to-earth off-camera, very friendly, and during the limited break times, she was always surrounded by people, so Xiaoyuan couldn't find a chance to chat with her privately.

With her presence, filming went particularly smoothly, quickly catching up with the schedule.

After finishing filming for the day, the crew was leaving Yangcheng the next day for the next filming location. Xiaoyuan didn't have many scenes to shoot, with the majority concentrated here.

"Look at Zou Yirui, whenever He Chenying appears, she sticks to her, always trying to get in her good graces! Learn from her and seize the opportunity."

Xiang Xiaoyuan remembered what Cai Juan had told her.

Zou Yirui was quite skilled too, as soon as things got rocky with Wei Jiabao, she would find another way.

Xiang Xiaoyuan could understand this approach. In this circle, networking could be a form of strength, but that was for others, not for her.

"I would never do something like that." Xiaoyuan glanced over as He Chenying and Chen Yunxiu talked, with Zou Yirui joining them.

She actually wanted to go up and get an autograph, but seeing Zou Yirui by He Chenying's side made her feel uncomfortable inside.

She didn't want to join in the commotion, so she walked away.

She actually quite liked the small pond in the villa, and she walked back there through the lychee orchard once again.

In the distance, green mountains and white clouds stretched out under the bright sunlight reflecting off the water's surface. The lychee fruit shone a vibrant red, creating a moment filled with a quiet, slightly melancholic feeling.

She sat in silence for a while, and her phone vibrated several times, but she ignored it.

Before long, someone approached, startling her, "Oh, you're here?"

Xiaoyuan looked over to see Wei Jiabao smiling and asking, "Do you want to eat some lychees?"

Under the brilliant sunlight, with birds chirping melodiously and a gentle mountain breeze, amidst the beautiful scenery, she truly took a moment to notice Wei Jiabao's features for the first time. He seemed to have a mixed heritage, with features deeper than Asians, fairer skin, distinct facial features, and an especially beautiful, high-bridged nose.

He had a very handsome and dignified appearance.

Unfortunately, he had a slick attitude.

For a person like him, with such status, there were plenty of people ready to flatter and curry favor with him.

But she wasn't one of them.

Xiang Xiaoyuan turned her head away, too lazy to engage with him, wanting to keep her distance. The filming wasn't over yet, so she had to endure and not offend him.

Unfortunately, she couldn't hold back in the end...

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