CHAPTER 78

On the day of the wrap party, Xiaoyuan weighed herself. When she joined the production, she weighed 44 kilograms, but now she was down to 40 kilograms. Given her height of about 1.67 meters, she was a bit on the thin side.

Fever, colds, chilblains, lack of sleep—these were minor issues, but what was more serious was the impact on her mindset, she felt quite depressed.

Fortunately, after meeting with Wei Zhuang, she realized her feelings for her, which gave her a sense of reality in her life. Otherwise, she would have truly become immersed in the script.

On the actual day of wrapping up, she went to ask Zeng Li for his autograph.

Zeng Li smiled and signed for her. Xiaoyuan asked a bit shyly, "Teacher Zeng, how do you think I performed?"

Zeng Li looked at her with a squinting smile. "Pretty good."

Xiaoyuan asked, "Then, teacher, are there any areas I need to improve on, like my lines or positioning?"

He continued to smile, "Everything was good."

He nodded and turned to leave.

Sigh, the off-screen Zeng Li was indeed not so easy to approach.

As Xiaoyuan was watching, Huo Bijun walked over with his hands behind his back. "Why didn't you ask for my opinion?"

Xiaoyuan turned to look at him.

"I think you did quite well." Huo Bijun said meaningfully. "But mainly, it's because I have good taste and insisted on choosing you as the female lead!"

Xiaoyuan: "..." Insisted? Was that a compliment?

Xiaoyuan sighed as she watched his retreating figure, wondering what He Chenying saw in him.

On the day she returned to Shencheng, Ruan Qing was already waiting for her at her place.

Before heading to film "Huo 3" in Bincheng, Ruan Qing personally selected a high-end residential area for Xiaoyuan, which was more upscale and had a higher level of security.

A dual-unit building.

Xiaoyuan lived alone in a two-bedroom apartment.

Xiang Zhishi, Cai Juan, and Tiantian lived in another unit with three bedrooms and two living rooms.

That day was also a gathering to celebrate her housewarming. After everyone had dinner, Ruan Qing talked with Xiaoyuan for a while, arranging for a nutritionist, a fitness coach, and a beautician, planning her schedule for the next month.

"Have Tiantian make you more delicious food and buy more good things for you to eat." Ruan Qing said with a loving gaze. "You need to regain some weight."

She said to Cai Juan, "There haven't been any work arrangements lately. Even the opportunities presented by President Yang have been postponed, so let her rest well."

Xiaoyuan obediently followed the advice. She still had faith in Ruan Qing.

It had been almost four months since "Zui Xiaoyao [Drunken Wanderer]" aired, and its popularity showed no signs of waning. Before Ruan Qing became Xiaoyuan's manager, Fang Hao had been trying to get close to her, seeking to market their on-screen couple and create some news to entice Xiaoyuan to sign with him.

While observing the situation, Yang Qiao took the opportunity to arrange quite a few business activities for Xiaoyuan, including several photoshoots for new media magazines and two endorsements.

Later, when Ruan Qing invested in Feiyi, they reached a consensus on Xiaoyuan's development path as a "powerful actress." With Ruan Qing's intervention, they easily pushed Fang Hao back.

Now, Xiaoyuan didn't need to rush into business deals, appease the media, or create hype, her work was her strength. In fact, her popularity hadn't diminished. "Huo 3" was receiving a lot of attention, and her collaboration with two major film stars was highly anticipated.

During this period, she slowed down her pace, rest was essential for recharging.

"If you have anything to discuss, you can always talk to me." The more Ruan Qing looked at Xiaoyuan, the more she felt she was obedient, and her tone became softer.

Xiaoyuan looked at her, feeling a drumbeat in her heart. If she told Ruan Qing about her and Wei Zhuang, would she still maintain this calm and gentle expression?

Xiaoyuan resisted the impulse to tell her. After sending Ruan Qing off, she finally had time to pick up her phone.

She sent a WeChat message to Wei Zhuang: [I'm back.]

After waiting for a while, Wei Zhuang, the big boss, finally replied with just a single [Mm.]

Then there was no further response.

Xiaoyuan: "..."

She thought it was a good time for her to rest as well, so she decided not to dwell on it for the time being.

After a satisfying meal, a shower, skincare routine, and trying to sleep by 10 p.m., Xiaoyuan found herself tossing and turning until 11:30 p.m.

Turning the lights on and off, changing into pajamas, trying different sleeping positions—all in vain.

Xiaoyuan realized she might still be immersed in the role. She got up, put on her clothes, and carefully flipped through the script, smoothing out the crumpled pages.

She said to herself, "Alright, alright, we've had a good time together during this period. Thank you."

She then placed the script along with others she had acted in, in a drawer, completing a farewell ritual.

Finally, around three or four in the morning, she drifted off into a hazy sleep.

Around seven in the morning, she suddenly woke up, thinking it was time to shoot. After sitting for a while, she realized they had already wrapped up, but she couldn't fall back asleep. At eight-thirty, she simply got up and used the elliptical machine to exercise.

When Tiantian came in at nine o'clock, she was already on her second round of exercise.

Tiantian made her breakfast, and Xiaoyuan paused to eat a few bites. She really had no appetite, but she managed to finish the meal.

In the following days, she continued to follow the nutritionist and personal trainer's requirements for classes and meals, but her sleep worsened. When she finally managed to fall asleep, she had nightmares.

Cai Juan noticed something was off and came to talk to her. Xiaoyuan sighed, she was aware of her own state and privately told Cai Juan, "I think I need to see a psychologist."

Cai Juan was shocked but immediately agreed, recalling what Xiang Zhishi had mentioned to him.

"Should I mention it to Ruan Qing?" Cai Juan whispered, "Don't worry, I won't bring up past matters."

Past matters...

Xiaoyuan looked at him with a somewhat absent gaze.

"It's okay, I'm here for you and will take care of everything." Cai Juan hugged her.

After discussing how heavy the script of "Huo 3" was and how it might have affected Xiaoyuan, Ruan Qing didn't hesitate and directly arranged for a psychologist.

Xiaoyuan cooperated and had three counseling sessions in the first week. She attended two but felt reluctant to go more. The doctor was professional and friendly, but his sharp eyes always said, "Miss Xiang, I need you to trust me completely. Can you tell me about your childhood?"

......

Xiaoyuan didn't want to talk about it.

The sleeping pills prescribed by the doctor initially worked well. After taking one, she could sleep for several hours.

Xiaoyuan thought the pills were helping her sleep well and that everything was getting better. However, she always felt an inexplicable sense of melancholy and frustration weighing on her heart.

While she was satisfied with the script's ending, the weight of real-life news was much heavier.

One day, Xiaoyuan tried not taking the sleeping pills and went to bed early to cultivate sleepiness.

In a particular scene from "Huo 3" that was emotionally intense, the actor playing Yang Yi communicated with her several times, showing great respect for her. He explained almost every action, breaking it down for her to understand. "Miss Xiang... later I will pull your clothes, yes, just a tug from behind... there will be some physical contact..."

This was the only scene where Xiaoyuan "acted" very superficially. She deliberately kept herself from getting too involved, separating a part of "herself" from the role.

The director, lighting, and camera crew were all present, and with so many people surrounding them, it felt like they were just filming, it wasn't real. She wouldn't truly be in danger, if anything really happened, these people wouldn't stand by and watch.

Cai Juan was there too, and Ruan Qing had specifically detailed the precautions for this scene in the contract. She was being protected, nothing would happen to her...

So after finishing the scene, she felt it went alright, and just like that, it was over.

But that night, in her dream, she felt as if someone was pressing down on her. She couldn't breathe, wanted to scream, and realized she might be dreaming. Desperately, she tried to wake up from the nightmare, but she couldn't escape.

She furrowed her brows, wanting to call out, but it felt like someone had covered her mouth. A nauseating smell of alcohol sprayed on her face, and rough hands were rubbing against her body. "... So soft, let's play with Daddy. Daddy will buy you... hehehe..."

She desperately tried to scream, but no sound came out...

Xiaoyuan suddenly woke up, her forehead drenched in cold sweat, her face pale, and her heart racing in her chest. After a moment, her breathing finally calmed down, and she covered her face, sobbing softly.

She wiped her face in disarray, got up to wash it, reluctantly took a sleeping pill, sat on the carpet, leaning against the bed.

She took out her phone and saw it wasn't even midnight yet.

Opening WeChat, she hesitated for a while, then started typing in Wei Zhuang's chat box. After typing just one word, she deflated, lowering her head, her dark, smooth hair falling around her face.

With a flicker of light, she initiated a voice call.

"... Are you asleep?"

In her line of sight was her little cat sock, and her big toe wiggled. She whispered, "I can't sleep. Can I come over to your place?"

She patiently waited a moment and then heard the cool voice on the other end say, "Okay."

Upon hearing the agreement, Xiaoyuan let out a sigh of relief, no longer wanting to stay at home.

She went to the cloakroom, put on a woolen coat, buttoned it up, tied a bow with the belt, changed into flat shoes, put on a hat, and then walked to the door to wait for the driver's call.

The phone's battery was running low, but she didn't care. She sat in the car, not thinking about anything. As she entered the familiar elevator, entered the code, and arrived at the entrance, she took off her hat, and a faint, slightly cool fragrance wafted into her nose.

In February, the temperature in Shencheng was only a few degrees, chilly and damp. Even with a constant temperature set indoors and underfloor heating, most people still preferred warm, wooden fragrances.

However, Wei Zhuang's place was an exception.

Inside the house, warm yellow spotlights illuminated one by one, shining on her face, brushing over her hair tips. She walked in step by step, turned a corner, and almost bumped into a soft figure.

The transition from night to day is the quietest moment.

Wei Zhuang's hair was half-tied, with a strand falling on her cold, pale cheek. The velvety light highlighted the delicacy of her skin.

Even her eyelashes, touched by the light, seemed to glow. Xiaoyuan, in a daze, took a step forward and hugged her.

In that instant of the embrace, the feeling of being dazed intensified, and the warm fragrance enveloped her. This hug felt so natural, so easy.

She truly liked Wei Zhuang, and Wei Zhuang didn't push her away.

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