Question: What does it feel like when your girlfriend is angry, and you still have to act out a scene of intense confrontation with her?
Li Chu: Thanks for asking. I’m on set, wishing I were in Africa.
But going isn’t an option. All I can do is stay on set and make a living.
Looking at the bustling opening ceremony scene and Ning Manqing’s forced smile, Li Chu really wanted to go back to yesterday and beat up Zhao Zhichun.
“Teacher Ning, I’ll definitely be more careful not to get so close to people in public from now on.”
Li Chu was determined to shift the blame, mainly because neither she nor Zhao Zhichun had realized their interaction could spark rumors.
Well, both of them were quite perplexed.
“I know. I’m not angry at you two.”
Ning Manqing was, of course, aware that there was nothing more than friendship between Li Chu and Zhao Zhichun. The reason for her bad mood wasn’t Zhao Zhichun, but herself.
She currently couldn’t make any public declarations of ownership because doing so would bring more danger than benefit to Li Chu.
And Ning Manqing couldn’t tolerate the thought of bringing danger to Li Chu.
“Then why do you still look so unhappy? It’s all fake, fake. Me being yours is the only real thing. Smile a little, okay?”
Li Chu made a funny face, coaxing her girlfriend sweetly.
“I’m unhappy because the V brand jacket I ordered won’t arrive for another two days.”
Ning Manqing said with a straight face, but seeing the smile on Li Chu’s face, she couldn’t help but let the corners of her own mouth lift slightly.
A V brand jacket… Li Chu thought of the item used as one of the pieces of ‘concrete evidence’ and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“As expected of a spring/summer bestseller. If yours hasn’t arrived, you can wear mine first. What’s mine is yours, anyway.”
Li Chu blinked, recalling that her jacket would probably be a bit small on her girlfriend.
They had exchanged clothes long ago, just not publicly, only in private.
Ning Manqing had a larger frame, so Li Chu’s clothes ended up with sleeves and hems that were too short, giving her a comically beautiful look.
When Li Chu wore Ning Manqing’s clothes, of course, the sleeves and hem were too long, but that was the charm of the ‘girlfriend shirt’. That day, Ning Manqing’s shirt had even been torn by Ning Manqing herself.
Ning Manqing didn’t know what Li Chu was reminiscing about. Seeing Li Chu’s playful and cute actions, she wanted to reach out and touch her fluttering eyelashes, but not now. So she held back, knowing there would be a chance to do so soon.
Zhou Xinyuan had already set up the scene and was calling people over with a megaphone. After Li Chu and Ning Manqing did a walkthrough, filming officially began.
The story had progressed to the point where the Regent King (Fu Yuan) and the Eldest Princess (Lin Lang) had left the valley. Since neither had forces deployed outside, they temporarily formed an alliance.
However, this alliance was temporary. Once they identified the mastermind behind the attacks, the alliance shattered.
They were attacked by rebellious forces within the dynasty, a faction that had been gathering strength and spies for years. Learning that the Regent King and the Princess were traveling south together, they saw it as a golden opportunity.
The Regent King and the Eldest Princess had known about this faction but had always considered them insignificant. They never expected to nearly capsize in this unexpected storm. After uncovering the mastermind, both sides swiftly moved to eliminate these forces, and their previous antagonism resurfaced.
To portray the plot point where Fu Yuan and Lin Lang, despite losing their memories and gaining new ones, still feel a sense of familiarity with each other, Li Chu and Ning Manqing occasionally had to act momentarily lost in thought due to the other’s expression, or clutch their chests and press their temples.
Filming progressed smoothly, and the story quickly reached its climax.
The pills Fu Yuan used to conceal her identity lost their effect after falling into water, but she was unaware. She took the pills as usual, only to find that the tide of passion within her wasn’t suppressed.
And the timing of this outbreak was incredibly delicate – right when she was talking with Lin Lang.
They were in an attic, exchanging pleasantries and drinks, yet hidden killing intent flowed between them. Their gazes met like clashing swords. On either side of the attic stood their respective entourages.
It seemed like the moment for a fight to the death, the final chapter of their war. But precisely at this moment, Fu Yuan’s identity was exposed.
For Fu Yuan, the worst, most devastating thing had happened. Her identity was revealed, and in front of her nemesis.
The previously balanced negotiation turned into a crushing defeat. Seeing her aunt weaken and gasp for breath, Lin Lang’s usually calm and composed face showed a moment of surprise, followed by a playful smile.
“Little Aunt, I never expected you to be a Di Kun. And you managed to hide it for over a decade. Revealing it today, could it be you intend to use a beauty trap on me?”
“But isn’t this beauty trap ill-timed? There are so many people outside this attic. How could I possibly dally with my aunt in front of all these eyes and ears? You should have picked a deserted night to offer yourself in my bedchamber.”
Identity exposed, danger imminent, and facing her rival’s mockery, Fu Yuan’s eyes reddened with anger. She pulled a hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into her thigh to stay lucid.
“It’s true I’m a Di Kun, but so what if I am? Who says a Di Kun cannot rule this land!”
Fu Yuan panted heavily, her eyes fierce and ruthless, seemingly calculating the possibility of killing Lin Lang.
The stunning beauty’s face, mixed with cold killing intent, seemed capable of capturing one’s soul.
“Instead of thinking about how to kill me, how to kill everyone to silence the wagging tongues, you should first worry about how to resolve your current situation,” Lin Lang’s smile faded, replaced by a colder, gloomier expression. She sniffed the air and said, “Compared to your unpleasant personality, this scent of yours is rather enticing.”
Fu Yuan hastily took out several pills and swallowed them, but it was useless. Her condition didn’t improve at all; instead, it worsened.
The scent of a Di Kun spread through the room. Lin Lang dropped her casual demeanor, her brow slightly furrowed.
Bodily instincts are hard to resist; they alter consciousness and perception. Fu Yuan’s eyes were bloodshot, wanting to tear at her clothes, but Lin Lang stopped her.
Lin Lang wanted to knock her out, but the chaotic Di Kun acted on instinct. As if smelling her most beloved and reassuring scent, she began rubbing against Lin Lang haphazardly.
“Such a royal secret… with so many eyes and ears outside, it’s not appropriate to call for a doctor. There’s no need to expose this weakness right now. This is just a delaying tactic.”
Lin Lang muttered to herself, her brows knitted, her gaze deep as she looked at the disheveled Di Kun in her arms, having made up her mind.
Outside the camera frame, Zhou Xinyuan looked excited.
“Good, cut! Next scene!”
Li Chu immediately adjusted her posture, ready for the next scene, an intimate one. Of course, it couldn’t be too explicit, only subtly implied through shadows and some dialogue.
“You have sweat on your forehead. Bear with it for a moment; this effect will be more realistic.”
Ning Manqing leaned close to Li Chu, looking at her reddened eyes, and blew gently.
To portray Fu Yuan’s state during her heat, Li Chu’s face was half acting, half flushed from holding her breath. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from eye drops, plus some rubbing.
“Okay!”
After adjusting the lights and camera positions, the next scene quickly began.
They were incredibly close. Even though Ning Manqing hadn’t released any pheromones, Li Chu could still smell the cool, faint scent of Cloud Mist Tea on her.
That scent, in the current atmosphere and scene, had an enhancing effect. Li Chu’s neck began to flush red, and when Ning Manqing massaged her glands, her character’s emotions peaked.
Outside the filming area, Qian Duoduo’s cheeks were flushed as she pinched Yuanzi’s hand, suppressing a squeal.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh, this is too exciting! Is this something we can really watch for free? Even though the teachers’ clothes are still on, I feel like I’ve developed X-ray vision.”
Qian Duoduo, as a CP fan, wore a knowing ‘auntie’ smile. The last time she’d smiled this happily was during Qin Mu and Xi Yiyun’s intimate scene.
Although they ended up with a bad ending (BE), Qian Duoduo still remembered the massive celebration among CP fans when that episode aired.
All the fanfiction ‘cars’ (smut scenes) written before were based on imagination; later, when the ‘car’ materialized on screen, they had a better reference standard!
The cut of that episode became the crown jewel of the QingLi CP, a must-watch pilgrimage site for new fans.
“If you pinch any harder, my hand will break.”
Yuanzi reminded her expressionlessly, wincing internally. Qian Duoduo wasn’t usually this strong, but when she got excited about her ship, she practically went berserk.
“Oh, oh, sorry, sorry! This drama is really so sweet.”
Qian Duoduo immediately apologized, continuing her infatuated ‘auntie’ smile.
Qian Duoduo wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Crew members unfamiliar with the plot would also think this was a very sweet drama.
Li Chu occasionally thought so too, but knowing the later plot and being immersed in her character’s emotions, she couldn’t help feeling a bit melancholic.
Time passed much faster than Li Chu had imagined. Every day began with work. Being on the same set meant she saw Ning Manqing more often, allowing her to clearly sense Ning Manqing’s busyness.
However, compared to Ning Manqing, Li Chu’s schedule was also packed. Sometimes she’d get less than two hours of sleep before being woken up for another engagement.
Li Chu had grown accustomed to this high-intensity work. Sometimes, in private, she and Ning Manqing didn’t have time for intimacy. The only times they could have legitimate contact were during scenes.
But these scenes eventually wrapped up. As time entered late September, Li Chu and Ning Manqing finished filming the initial “three lives, three worlds” content and were about to start filming the reversal and prequel storylines.
The city where they were filming entered autumn. Unlike the coastal city of the Qin Mu drama set, which seemed to have no autumn—transitioning from summer to winter after only a few brief buffer days—this city was different. Its autumn was exceptionally long.
Zhou Xinyuan swapped her short sleeves for a long jacket. Her attitude towards Li Chu and Ning Manqing had also changed from the initial cautiousness and unfamiliarity when they first joined the crew to the current familiarity.
The current filming location was an urban village, where Fu Yuan and Lin Lang lived in the story.
If Li Chu had to describe it, she felt this drama was roughly the story of a fallen princess and a slum queen.
Compared to Fu Yuan’s glamorous first half of life, Lin Lang’s was much more unfortunate. But that misfortune wasn’t due to any special circumstances of her birth; quite the opposite, it was because her life was so ordinary that it felt particularly helpless.
Previously, Fu Yuan had speculated that Lin Lang, hanging out with streetwalkers, might be the child of a streetwalking Beta, but that wasn’t the case.
Lin Lang was born into a very ordinary family. Both her parents were Betas, as were her grandparents.
Lin Lang’s parents worked at the same place; one stocked shelves, the other moved goods.
Lin Lang’s grandfather was a parking lot security guard who collected fees. Lin Lang’s grandmother wasn’t in good health—high blood pressure, diabetes, sensitivity to cold, leg pain—she had many ailments and was relatively weak, so she stayed home doing laundry and cooking.
If nothing had changed, this family would have continued living a hard but diligent life.
But sometimes, statistically improbable unlucky things just happen. Lin Lang’s grandfather suddenly had a stroke when Lin Lang was in the fifth grade.
Fortunately, it was a mild stroke. Although walking became difficult and one hand was stiff and unusable, he retained consciousness and could vaguely recognize people, though he lost his ability to work.
In Lin Lang’s memory, her grandfather transformed from a very robust man into someone much weaker. It was the same face, yet it felt like two different people.
But fate’s trials didn’t end there. The company where Lin Lang’s parents worked was failing and soon went bankrupt. So Lin Lang’s parents lost their jobs. But the family situation absolutely couldn’t afford to have no income, so the couple discussed asking relatives if they knew of any job openings.
The day they went out, the couple bought a bag of meat and a carton of cigarettes, riding their somewhat dilapidated motorcycle.
A relative decided to let them work in his factory. Lin Lang’s father was overjoyed and had a few drinks with the relative. The two happily rode the motorcycle back.
But the sky was too dark that day, and the motorcycle’s headlight was broken. Thus, they didn’t notice a large pothole that had suddenly appeared on the road. Both were thrown off. Two hours later, they were discovered by passersby, rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but couldn’t be saved.
Due to this shock, Lin Lang’s grandmother’s high blood pressure sent her to the hospital. She eventually returned, shaky.
Hearing this, Fu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Lin Lang’s grandmother was okay, preventing the family situation from worsening further.
Then Fu Yuan asked Lin Lang if this was why she stopped studying.
Fu Yuan had always thought that with Lin Lang’s intelligence, she should have been a top student. But given her current circumstances, she probably only finished high school. Fu Yuan hadn’t expected Lin Lang to have dropped out after primary school.
Perhaps it was stereotypes, perhaps disbelief, Fu Yuan always felt Lin Lang shouldn’t be like this, but reality was what it was.
Facing Fu Yuan’s question, Lin Lang shook her head and calmly said no.
Li Chu and Ning Manqing were filming this exact scene today. Zhou Xinyuan set up the cameras and gestured to Li Chu and Ning Manqing.
Clapperboard snapped. Action!
With Ning Manqing present, Li Chu never worried about not being able to get into character.
When the clapperboard sounded, the Lin Lang from the story seemed to come alive before her eyes, completely erasing any trace of Ning Manqing.
“What… You only finished primary school? Impossible…”
Fu Yuan’s eyes widened in utter astonishment.
At this point, although she was very different from before, this level of education was indeed a first in her social circle, and now this person was her pillar of support.
“What do you think someone who graduated primary school should be like? Isn’t it just like me now?”
Lin Lang sat in Fu Yuan’s rented room, flicking a lighter in her hand, click by click.
This was just Lin Lang’s habit; she didn’t actually smoke. When Fu Yuan first saw her with the lighter, she had bought her a pack of cigarettes, only for Lin Lang to immediately sell it to someone else.
Lin Lang said she was afraid of getting addicted, considering it an unnecessary expense.
Fu Yuan followed Lin Lang’s gaze, looking around her rented place and the outside environment, thinking about their current situation, somewhat speechless.
She seemed unsure how to argue but wanted to, finally managing to say, “Anyway, I think you’re different.”
“So, was it because your parents passed away that you stopped studying?”
“No.”
Lin Lang answered flatly, the motion of playing with the lighter slowing down.
“What? You really want to know?”
Fu Yuan nodded like a pecking chicken.
“372 yuan, and I’ll tell you why.”
“Deal.”
Fu Yuan really wanted to ask why 372 yuan, but hearing the story was more important right now, so she didn’t ask.
“My grandmother wanted me to continue studying. Even though my parents had passed, the family wasn’t completely without savings. My grandfather, though unable to work, didn’t require continuous spending beyond a few medications.”
“My grandmother, despite her poor health, was still very capable. Her sewing skills were excellent. She set up a stall as a tailor. Life was hard, but manageable.”
“She said she would support my education no matter what because she thought I was very smart.”
Recalling this, Lin Lang’s expression softened slightly.
“But her health problems were really numerous, and she worked so hard, worrying not only about me but also about my grandfather.”
“After my grandfather’s stroke, his world became very simple. He ate when hungry, slept when tired. He became like a child. I didn’t realize the severity of the situation at first.”
“One day, I came home from school and saw my grandfather watching TV. There was no food on the table, and I didn’t see my grandmother.”
“I asked my grandfather, ‘Where’s Grandma?’ He looked at me blankly and said, ‘You’re back. We’ll eat soon.’ Then he asked me where the food was, saying he was hungry.”
“The bedroom door was open, the kitchen was empty. I thought my grandmother had gone out because she didn’t answer when I called twice. I went out to ask the neighbors, but they said they hadn’t seen my grandmother go out that day.”
Fu Yuan couldn’t help but feel her heart clench. “Your grandmother… nothing happened to her, right?”
Fu Yuan thought of the elderly woman she had seen that morning. Although Lin Lang’s grandparents were still alive now, Lin Lang’s words made her worry.
“Something did happen. She had collapsed in the bedroom. The neighbors helped me take her to the hospital.”
“It wasn’t anything major, just the same old problems. The doctor said it was due to overexertion, causing her high blood pressure to act up.”
“When my grandmother woke up, she was a bit panicked because she had taken her blood pressure medication on time and hadn’t felt particularly unwell, yet she had fainted.”
Fu Yuan sighed in relief; at least it wasn’t a major issue.
“Later, my grandmother told me she was conscious before fainting. She wanted to call for help, wanted to crawl out, but she had no strength. Just a wall away, my grandfather was watching TV. My grandmother had been unconscious for hours, and he hadn’t even checked on her.”
Lin Lang spoke very calmly, a calmness that was suffocating.
She asked Fu Yuan, “Do you know why it’s 372 yuan?”
“Why?”
“That was the cost of my grandmother’s medicine and hospital stay back then.”
“So you decided not to study after that?”
“Yeah. At the time, I just thought about earning money. I felt that continuing school would take a long time, and I wouldn’t be able to look after my grandparents.”
“But continuing your studies was the only hope to change the situation. You couldn’t really do much back then. Things would have been different after you finished middle and high school, or went to university.”
Fu Yuan couldn’t help saying this. Although the situation couldn’t be changed now, she still regretted Lin Lang’s choice back then. She felt Lin Lang should have been the top student type.
Although Fu Yuan came from a wealthy background and often slacked off in her studies, she knew that for people from the bottom, education was truly the fastest, fairest, and most effective path.
“But I didn’t know that back then, and no one told me. By the time I wanted to turn back, there was no road left to take.”
Lin Lang started playing with the lighter again. The flame flickered on and off, each click sounding like the lighter’s weary cry.
Fu Yuan knew Lin Lang’s grandfather couldn’t stop his medication, and her grandmother’s body was riddled with various ailments. Lin Lang had long become the family’s sole breadwinner.
Lin Lang was like a microcosm of all the little people, crushed by the weight of ordinary yet heavy life.
Fu Yuan murmured, “If only I had met you sooner…”
Fu Yuan couldn’t help thinking, if Lin Lang had appeared in her life earlier, she could have helped her. For the wealthy young lady who spent money like water back then, problems solvable with money were not problems at all.
“There are no ifs in the world, so every encounter is predetermined. You were destined to meet me here. Alright, you should go to work now.”
“Before that, remember to pay me 372 yuan.”
In Lin Lang’s plan for Fu Yuan, hiring a caregiver and finding a higher-paying job was far more practical than Fu Yuan trying to work while caring for her hospitalized mother.
She told Fu Yuan how to choose a job, how to leverage her strengths, how to hire a suitable caregiver, how to comfort her mother, when to visit her brother, and what to say.
Fu Yuan’s life became orderly. For her, Lin Lang was someone she absolutely trusted.
Although the drama primarily followed Fu Yuan’s perspective, some messages the director wanted to convey through the characters were assigned to Lin Lang.
For example, the line: “There are no ifs in the world, so every encounter is predetermined. You were destined to meet me here.”
Zhou Xinyuan had told Li Chu and Ning Manqing that she specifically arranged this line to echo the earlier reality show plot.
“Teachers, you know I wrote this story because I went through a breakup. So initially, when I wrote this show, the concept I wanted to propose was actually: if nothing was predetermined, if encounters could be rewritten in new ways, would people who were originally in love fall in love again?”
When Zhou Xinyuan mentioned her breakup, she no longer sounded as regretful as when she first told Li Chu.
She continued, “I thought they wouldn’t, because I felt that once you miss the beginning, it triggers a chain reaction, and you keep missing each other. But once a story starts, it starts. There are truly no ‘ifs’ in this world, which is why love is said to be destined.”
Li Chu felt Zhou Xinyuan had a point and couldn’t help nodding.
She transmigrated, hastily drank that water, Ning Manqing became an Alpha, their fates intertwined, and they eventually fell in love.
If she hadn’t had the car accident, hadn’t transmigrated, hadn’t transmigrated into this specific character, perhaps she and Ning Manqing wouldn’t be in love like they were now.
“I don’t think that’s entirely correct.”
Ning Manqing spoke up, making both Li Chu and Zhou Xinyuan turn their heads to look at her.
“If they truly love each other, the final outcome won’t change just because the beginning is rewritten. Their shared qualities will draw them back to each other. The pull of their souls will make them fall in love again.”
Ning Manqing wondered, if she hadn’t been intimate with Li Chu that day, would she still have fallen in love with her? She thought, yes, she would have.
She didn’t love her just for her pheromones. She loved her frankness, her earnest dedication when researching something, her cuteness, her shining, sparkling soul.
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