With a head full of questions, Rong Guang slowly tapped open the video.
The background noise in the video was a bit chaotic. You could vaguely see many crew members moving around, and hear the sounds of props bumping and people talking.
Chu Feiliang and Zhao Xiuqi, who was nearly fifty at the time, were seated at opposite ends of a Go board, staring at it in contemplation.
They were rehearsing a scene, so the way they played wasn’t very strict, one might even say it was full of mistakes, but they still had to recite their proper lines.
Every time Zhao Xiuqi placed a stone, he would offer Chu Feiliang a bit of guidance, his tone tinged with helplessness as he spoke his lines, “Look at this terrible move you’ve made! So unlearned. And then look at the Prime Minister’s daughter!”
At that moment, Chu Feiliang was pouting, placing a game piece on the board with an incredibly cute expression.
Upon hearing his words, her mouth twitched, and the piece fell onto her skirt. She waved her hand nonchalantly, a look of amusement on her face. “How many years have you been comparing me to that young lady? Yes, she’s stunningly talented and famous throughout the capital, while I’m fierce as a tiger, arrogant, and jealous—an unprecedented ‘princess’ whose name makes everyone turn pale…”
Zhao Xiuqi was taken aback by her self-deprecating speech, so stunned that the game piece he was twirling in his fingers fell onto a corner of the board.
Chu Feiliang seized the opportunity, instantly beaming. “Hey, a move made can’t be taken back—Father, I’ve won!”
Zhao Xiuqi glanced sideways at the board, snorting in anger. He decided not to play anymore and waved his hand. “I’m telling you this today, whether you’re willing or not, you must marry into the Mongolian tribe. It’s not up to you to decide!”
“Fine,” Chu Feiliang nodded casually in the shot, straightened her dress, and stood up. She looked down at the emperor dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and said, “You can very well force me, press me directly into the bridal sedan—we’ll see if I end up bearing the crime of murdering my husband on our wedding night. Who knows, I might even quell a rebellion in one fell swoop and help you reclaim the entire tribe? I could even become a female chieftain and bring you some glory.”
After speaking, Chu Feiliang smiled and pointed at the Go board. “But look, this matter is just like this game of Go.”
“One wrong move, and the whole game is lost. In the end, will it be my death, or the death of the tribal chief? Who can say for sure?” Chu Feiliang smiled brilliantly, not even giving Zhao Xiuqi much chance to react. She reached out and flipped the entire board over, not giving him a chance to look at it any longer!
The Go board flew heavily toward a vase in the corner. Then, the vase and the board collided, instantly creating a crisp shattering sound along with the dull thud of the board hitting the floor.
In the end, both sides suffered losses. The game pieces scattered all over the floor, making it impossible to tell who had won or lost.
On camera, Zhao Xiuqi seemed stunned, completely not expecting Chu Feiliang to act this way.
The props team staff started to painstakingly pick up the pieces. Only then did Chu Feiliang sit back down with a grin and say with a smile, “Teacher Zhao, I didn’t scare you, did I?”
Zhao Xiuqi waved his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Not scared, exactly. I just didn’t expect you to play it like that.”
“It’s nothing,” Chu Feiliang said, propping her chin on her hand, her eyes curving. “I’ve seen that many children who are spoiled by their parents and don’t know their place are like this. The moment they’re dissatisfied, they’ll flip tables and slam doors. Some even get into fights with their parents.”
Zhao Xiuqi, who came from a scholarly family, had never subscribed to corporal punishment. Plus, having been in the entertainment industry since he was young, it was hard for him to see the full spectrum of ordinary life. Hearing this, he pondered for a moment, feeling that he lacked life experience.
Meanwhile, Chu Feiliang walked over to the vase with a grin, eating her salad and pointing at the broken vessel. “How much? Name a price, I’ll pay for it.”
A crew member nearby smiled cautiously, waving his hands to say it wasn’t necessary. He then collected the remains of the vase, not leaving a single shard of porcelain behind.
Rong Guang was dumbfounded.
In front of Zhao Xiuqi and the entire crew, she dared to flip the Go board during a rehearsal, even smashing a prop vase and pointing at it saying, ‘I’ll pay for it’?
Probably forgetting she was holding a tablet, Rong Guang couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up, her face full of admiration as she whispered, “Awesome.”
A sudden sense of pressure descended from behind her, and a voice sounded by her ear, so close it seemed to be right next to it. “Awesome what? Are you complimenting someone? Remember to do it to my face next time, then I can at least respond.”
Rong Guang jumped in fright, springing up from her chair instantly!
Her head collided with something. Clutching her head, Rong Guang looked back to see Chu Feiliang clutching her own chin, wincing with a frown.
Chu Feiliang was still holding her tablet. Having anticipated Rong Guang’s movement before she jumped, she had rescued the tablet that was on the verge of being shattered to pieces.
She held up the tablet, stared at it, and said with a smile, “Oh, it’s this video.”
Caught peeking, Rong Guang was a little embarrassed. She stared at the tablet, wishing she could make it suddenly turn off. “I… I was just…” Rong Guang’s toes curled in embarrassment. She wrung the sash of her costume behind her back, her conflicted state obvious. She then looked up at Chu Feiliang’s reddened chin and asked, “Is your chin okay…?”
“It’s fine. At least it’s a real chin, it can take a hit.” Chu Feiliang nodded magnanimously and let go of her hand. Her chin was bright red, a stark contrast to her fair skin.
Once the pain subsided, Chu Feiliang handed the tablet back to her and said with a smile, “I know you’re studying, but this method won’t work for you.”
Rong Guang immediately turned off the tablet and placed it on the table behind her, humbly asking, “What do you mean?”
“In that drama back then, the character I played was… a resolute yet naively ignorant princess, spoiled to the point of not knowing her place, who dared to challenge the emperor.” Chu Feiliang smiled and said, “Didn’t I say in the video that rebellious children who fight with their parents are common in ordinary families?”
Rong Guang nodded. “Yes… I saw that.”
“Throwing the Go board, smashing the vase… it’s not a big deal. If I did that now, it would be seen as being true to myself. Even if word got out, public opinion would be steered towards me being serious and meticulous.” Chu Feiliang lifted her chin. “Do I need to be any clearer?”
Then she understood.
Wen Mou was very different from the character Chu Feiliang played back then. Moreover, she was just a handmaiden of unknown origin accompanying the princess; she had no control over her own life or death.
The emperor was also not the emperor from the video; the story’s background and the characters were completely different.
The current emperor was a decisive founding emperor, but also a suspicious man full of conjecture, who yearned for familial affection.
The current Chu Feiliang could do such things because she was already at the pinnacle. If word of these actions got out, it would only be to her benefit.
But back then, she…
Rong Guang fell into deep thought.
Chu Feiliang looked at the tablet, the expression on her face softening slightly, as if she had recalled some unpleasant memories. She said, “Even if you have ideas, pay attention to basic etiquette. Don’t be like me, acting recklessly just because I was young and talented.”
Rong Guang sensitively looked up, frowning at Chu Feiliang. “You…”
“Alright, once you’ve thought it through, you can go ask Teacher Zhao. Don’t just do it directly in front of the camera.” Chu Feiliang said with a smile, “He’s quite approachable and willing to discuss scenes with the younger generation. He also cherishes talent. Learning from him will be a great help to you.”
Rong Guang nodded, watching as Chu Feiliang left the dressing room.
Then she pressed her lips together, a look of deep sympathy in her eyes.
Chu Feiliang was a child of destiny, born to be in this profession.
She had debuted as a child star, having acted in a few dramas by chance when she was young. The spiritual spark in her eyes from that time couldn’t be hidden even by decades-old footage.
Rong Guang later heard many directors say that it was now difficult to find a young actor as brilliant as the Chu Feiliang of that time, who was so agile and understood things with just a hint.
But when Chu Feiliang was nineteen, she had completely disappeared from the industry for a period of time. It was said that she went to study, but for three years, there was no news of her, not even a single paparazzi photo.
When she reappeared before the cameras, it was with a new project.
Her first drama after her comeback won her the Best Actress award by an absolute margin. In the following years, she went on to win a grand slam, becoming one of the few actresses to win all three major film awards.
But from then on, her whole demeanor became much more subdued. She was no longer the happy and lively person she once was. During interviews, she was guarded and flawless, the very picture of officialdom.
If one had to use a heartbreaking word to describe it…
It was probably that Chu Feiliang was no longer so ‘alive’.
And the video Rong Guang had just watched was filmed when Chu Feiliang was seventeen.
Arrogant, not knowing her place, but even so, anyone with any ambition in the acting world would put up with it, even joining in on Chu Feiliang’s antics.
Like Zhao Xiuqi at the time.
After they finished filming, he was even excited enough to flip the Go board again with Chu Feiliang, studying how the board should fly and how it should be filmed to express that feeling of sharp confrontation, filled with royal loneliness and helplessness.
And her unstoppable spiritual energy, her willingness to endure hardship, and her diligence in studying her craft in solitude, all destined her to go far on this path.
Rong Guang typed Chu Feiliang’s name into the tablet again.
She had read through all the information, which she practically knew by heart, countless times, but everything about Chu Feiliang’s three-year disappearance remained a mystery.
Even a web search yielded no information.
During those three years… what had Chu Feiliang endured?
Rong Guang frowned, her scrolling speed accelerating.
In her past life, her relationship with Chu Feiliang had been so good they were at a point where they could talk about almost anything, yet she had never gotten an answer.
She didn’t know how to ask, and Chu Feiliang didn’t know how to say it. Many times, it was brushed off with a few words, only giving Rong Guang the phrase, ‘It’s hard to explain in just a few words.’ Four words, yet her face was filled with loneliness and sorrow.
After a while, Rong Guang herself didn’t dare to ask anymore.
She was afraid of seeing that expression on Chu Feiliang’s face, while she herself was powerless to do anything.
When Chu Feiliang wore that expression, it was heartbreaking to see, as if someone had torn out her heart and was squeezing it mercilessly, so suffocating that it was hard to breathe.
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