Chu Feiliang seemed like she was about to leave. She had already half-retracted her earphones, coiling them up to put them away.
After seeing Rong Guang come out, she stopped coiling the cord and stood still at the corner.
She didn’t move.
Rong Guang didn’t dare to move either.
She stared fixedly at Chu Feiliang’s profile, her heart pounding like a drum, her mind a jumble of useless thoughts.
In the process of interacting with others, most people, whether intentionally or not, maintain a certain public image: cheerful, lively, profound, or even goofy, sharp-tongued… and so on.
But Rong Guang could no longer remember what her natural reactions should have been at this age in her past life.
She couldn’t recall what she was like at this age, what her personality and reactions should have been when facing these things.
So she wanted to try hard to replicate her former self, so that she could smoothly get close to Chu Feiliang, just like in her past life, and at least have Chu Feiliang accept her as a good friend.
In front of Chu Feiliang, she had always hoped to present a positive, extremely upbeat image.
And then she was caught twice in situations where her persona collapsed.
The first time could barely be explained as a subconscious reaction out of extreme anger. After all, who hasn’t gotten angry before? It was easy to relate to.
But what about this time?
Would Chu Feiliang think she had ulterior motives, appearing cheerful and lively on the surface but actually being deeply calculating and scheming?
The thought that Chu Feiliang might not be able to accept this side of her, that her attitude would become distant, that she might even stop talking to her to avoid any involvement…
Rong Guang felt a stifling sensation spread from her chest, as if a small hammer was relentlessly pounding away, the pain so intense it felt like she was about to tear apart.
In this industry, if you wanted to avoid someone, it was all too easy.
Chu Feiliang just needed to find a production crew, casually say something bad about her, that she didn’t want to work with her, and it would be very difficult for Rong Guang to ever run into her again.
She and Chu Feiliang were both frozen in place.
One of Rong Guang’s hands was still on the doorknob, her knuckles white from her grip, her fingertips ice-cold. She had no idea how to react.
After a long moment, Chu Feiliang was the first to sigh.
Rong Guang bit her lip. Hearing the sound, her heart clenched, and she subconsciously looked at her.
“I just heard from the staff that you were back, so I came to see you.” Chu Feiliang smiled and walked over to stand in front of Rong Guang.
She leaned against the hallway railing, her posture just as Rong Guang was most familiar with—a little relaxed and lazy. She asked casually, “How’s little Chacha?”
Rong Guang was desperate for Chu Feiliang to say a few more words.
Seeing that she wasn’t pursuing the earlier matter, she hurriedly replied, “Chacha is fine, just a minor concussion. She just needs a few days of bed rest. I just video-chatted with her. She’s eating well and sleeping well, and she’s not so dizzy anymore!”
“I see.” Chu Feiliang nodded, propping her chin on one hand and looking at her sideways. “Then just now…”
Chu Feiliang smiled, moved her hand from her chin, and gestured toward Rong Guang’s face. “Why the frightened look? Are you worried I’d misunderstand you, think you’re a… scheming girl?”
Rong Guang’s lips moved, but she couldn’t get a single word out.
She didn’t know what to say… Chu Feiliang didn’t know the full story, and it couldn’t be explained in just a few words.
Besides, she didn’t want to get Chu Feiliang involved in these things.
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I probably know what you’re afraid of.” Chu Feiliang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Last night, Mao Xiaosong confessed to most of it.”
Rong Guang was stunned. “Confessed to most of it? What… what did he say?”
“He said how he bought Jiang Ruyi’s personal items through Jiang Yuan, and how he planned to drug you through the cosmetics.” Chu Feiliang shrugged. “It’s just a pity that Jiang Ruyi was the one who suffered in the end.”
At this point, Chu Feiliang paused, glanced at Rong Guang without a trace, and added, “And it’s also fortunate that the person harmed was Jiang Ruyi.”
Rong Guang was shocked.
She had just been wondering how to pry the truth out of these people, and now Mao Xiaosong had confessed everything?!
Perhaps sensing her confusion, Chu Feiliang smiled gently.
She reached out and pinched Rong Guang’s fair, tender cheek.
Seemingly enjoying the feel, she then bent her index finger and flicked it lightly.
Satisfied with the flick, she finally said, “It was simple. One bluff and he confessed everything. Last night’s incident wasn’t enough to send him to the police, but with this added on, Mao Xiaosong himself got scared. Once the police are called, they’d have to search his place for any remaining harmful substances, and that would be serious. Moreover, if this matter were exposed, the impact would be extremely negative. The local police station wouldn’t be able to handle it and would be warned by the provincial department. He understood the stakes.”
Rong Guang nodded blankly, belatedly touching her cheek.
“So, it’s better to be lenient with those who confess than strict with those who resist.” Chu Feiliang reached out and poked Rong Guang’s forehead. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just thinking of a normal way to fight back after being harmed. You don’t need to be afraid no matter who heard you, understand?”
The huge stone in Rong Guang’s heart finally settled, landing steadily back in her chest.
She let out a breath, her eyes growing a little hot. She couldn’t help but take a deep breath, and only after the stinging in her nose subsided did she say, “Thank you, Teacher Chu.”
“Hm?” Chu Feiliang tilted her head. “What did you call me?”
Rong Guang’s face turned red again. Following half a step behind Chu Feiliang, she said softly, “Thank you, Sister.”
The corners of Chu Feiliang’s lips curved up. They had just passed the corridor and reached the outdoor terrace.
The moment the sunlight hit her face, Chu Feiliang’s smile was warm and brilliant.
Having passed Chu Feiliang’s test, and with the matter resolved, Rong Guang felt relieved. She ate her lunch quite happily, her appetite much improved.
The crew’s mealtime was fixed at 11:30, and service ended promptly at 2:30.
You could usually get four dishes and a soup. An extra dish cost two yuan. They were all home-style dishes, with some meat or fish occasionally, and they tasted good. The chefs were from an outside restaurant contracted by the crew.
Rong Guang carried her food back to the makeup room and found only a makeup artist who had come back to get something and Chu Feiliang’s assistant, who was rummaging for some needed items.
“Hasn’t Teacher Chu finished for the day?” Rong Guang asked, sitting down in her spot with her meal.
“Not yet.” Shi Xiaoyun glanced at her and said with a smile, “There’s an action scene that has to be filmed at high noon. The director wants to get the angle when the sun is at its highest point for promotional use later, so they’ve been rehearsing it.”
“It’s over thirty degrees at noon…” Rong Guang poked at the food on her plate, looked at the case of mineral water the assistant was holding, and said, “You have to be careful with sun protection. Don’t get heatstroke.”
Shi Xiaoyun smiled, nodded, and continued selecting clothes.
Filming a historical drama in this weather was truly suffering. It was the “autumn tiger” of September, and the weather was incredibly hot. Being outside at high noon could get you sunburnt enough to peel.
As Shi Xiaoyun was leaving, she glanced at Rong Guang gobbling down her food and couldn’t help but laugh. “Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight from eating so much?”
In her impression, girl group members all wished they could live on just water to maintain their figures.
Eating like Rong Guang, with four dishes, a soup, and a drink on the side… was truly one of a kind. Rong Guang paused her chewing, forced herself to swallow, and said, “Sister Shi, I’m still growing.”
How could she grow taller if she didn’t eat?
She was only eighty-four jin right now. It wouldn’t matter if she gained a little weight. With her current level of activity, eating a lot wouldn’t make her gain much anyway, and she could always lose it.
But if her nutrition couldn’t keep up, she really wouldn’t grow any taller.
A few centimeters is still height.
Right now, she only reached Chu Feiliang’s earlobe. Chu Feiliang was taller than her by more than half a head.
In the past, the height difference between her and Chu Feiliang was only one or two centimeters, and even that could have been due to some error from measuring at different times of the day.
In reality, when they walked side by side, a slight turn of the head would bring the other’s eyes and brows into view. Their eye levels were at least comparable.
Hearing this, Shi Xiaoyun naturally recalled the previous incident. Her eyes curved as she smiled and said, “When I get back, I’ll measure how tall you are now.”
She was the head stylist, so it was common for her to make urgent alterations to actors’ costumes. She always had a needle, thread, and a tape measure in her bag. It wasn’t very long, but it was more than enough to measure height.
She was too busy to do it now as she was heading out, but she could do it when she returned. It wasn’t urgent anyway.
Rong Guang nodded, swallowed her last mouthful of rice, watched Shi Xiaoyun leave, then grabbed a bottle of mineral water and took a few gulps.
Out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to see something. Rong Guang blinked and pulled a tape measure out from a gap in a pile of clothes.
She held the tape measure and looked around—no one was in the room. Everyone had gone outside to watch Chu Feiliang.
Rong Guang immediately pulled the tape measure out and carefully tried it on her own waist.
Waist circumference, sixty-three.
Rong Guang wrinkled her nose.
But she had just finished eating, so her stomach was still bulging. With her clothes over it, it looked like a small ball was protruding. In reality, it should only be around fifty-eight or fifty-nine.
Thinking this, Rong Guang was quite satisfied. She patted her round little belly, stepped on the end of the tape measure, and measured her height against the mirror.
She had grown one centimeter taller!
And it wasn’t even measured in the morning!
Rong Guang’s eyes lit up, and she instantly bloomed with joy!
She rushed out with the tape measure, thinking that after Chu Feiliang finished filming, she could also measure Chu Feiliang’s current waist circumference.
Maybe… she could even use the opportunity to hug her a little longer, maybe even cop a feel!
Coincidentally, when she rushed out, she happened to run into Chu Feiliang, who had just finished filming and was resting under an awning.
A small electric fan connected to a power strip was whirring nearby. Rong Guang went over to check it. She couldn’t feel any cool air, but it was much better than nothing. At least there was some moving air.
“Sister.”
When Rong Guang used this form of address, she was still a little embarrassed, but it was better than before. At least she wasn’t calling her Teacher anymore.
Chu Feiliang smiled, nudged a stool over to Rong Guang with her foot, and pointed to the fruit platter in front of her. “Have some?”
Rong Guang craned her neck to look, picked up a slice of cucumber, and popped it into her mouth. “Are you only eating a little fruit for lunch?” she asked.
“No appetite. Summer heat, I guess.” Chu Feiliang narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She had barely touched anything on the fruit platter.
Suddenly, she saw something and stood up from her chair.
Rong Guang stood up with her and saw that besides Shi Xiaoyun, the crew’s doctor had also come over, carrying a first-aid kit.
She froze, her gaze subconsciously shifting to Chu Feiliang—she was injured?!
This possibility made Rong Guang a little nervous, but she also knew it probably wasn’t a major injury, otherwise the set wouldn’t be so calm.
Shi Xiaoyun came forward and quickly removed Chu Feiliang’s outer garments, leaving only a white undergarment that was almost completely soaked with sweat. The hem was tied with a belt-like rope to keep it from falling.
“There aren’t many action scenes in the next few days, so you should get more rest.” Shi Xiaoyun frowned. “I already added a layer of padding inside the costume. Making it any thicker would make your waist look bad, and there are too many close-ups. Besides, when you’re hanging on the wires for too long, it’s not much use. Sewing it in won’t help much either.”
Chu Feiliang waved her hand dismissively, hissing in breaths of air. “I know.”
The crew’s doctor was applying medicine to her.
Brown medicinal liquid covered her waist. Rong Guang walked a full circle around her and only then discovered that Chu Feiliang’s waist was completely red and swollen, with the skin even chafed raw in some places.
She had experienced this before and knew what caused it.
When filming scenes with mid-air spins, a prop would be used to support the waist, and the action director would follow behind to help with the rotation. If the movements weren’t up to standard, they might have to be redone dozens of times.
And when a person is in the air, some body movements are simply impossible to control. It’s not something that can be perfected just through effort.
Besides, with Chu Feiliang’s temperament, she would disdain using a stunt double.
Rong Guang clenched the tape measure in her hand and slowly stuffed it back into her pocket.
The injury wasn’t serious, not even qualifying as a minor one.
But these wounds, densely packed in a full circle around Chu Feiliang’s waist, covering an area nearly the width of a palm, were all red. Some spots were even oozing blood, a shocking sight to behold.
In this kind of season, when clothes stick to the body, it would be especially painful, with sharp pangs that could pierce right to the heart.
Thank you, charm, and hzrd for your support!
Get instant access to all chapters now.
