“There’s nothing a person does that can’t be done, or that should be questioned by others.” Rong Guang thought for a moment, glanced at Chu Feiliang, and a little embarrassedly used herself as an example. “You… you’ve probably seen me, ahem, our performances before. You know what NO.1 is like on stage. It’s always been energetic songs and hot dances, but just because we’ve always been like that doesn’t mean that’s all we can do, or that we can’t do other things.”
Chu Feiliang nodded. Following Rong Guang’s words, she thought about how they were radiant on stage, making it impossible to look away. She said, “Yes.”
“If one day, I suddenly get tired of those energetic dances, then I’ll dance in a traditional style—but in many people’s eyes, traditional dance doesn’t really match me. But that doesn’t mean it’s abnormal or wrong for me to dance it, because it’s also something I like.” Rong Guang said with smiling eyes, “So no matter what you do, it’s your own right. It’s okay, and I won’t find it strange at all.”
“You can be bold and be yourself.” Rong Guang blinked, and a river of stars seemed to ripple in the depths of her eyes.
Chu Feiliang felt her breath catch for a moment. Being affirmed and liked so directly left her a bit stunned. It took her a long while to recover before she said, “…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Rong Guang said cheerfully.
Halfway through their journey, the group was getting a little tired and rested in a corner of the mountain path.
Rong Guang suddenly pointed to a film crew not far away, wiped her sweat, and said, “Sister, there are quite a few crews filming here.”
“Yes.” Chu Feiliang squinted and looked into the distance. “It looks like a modern film with a Shaolin theme.”
Rong Guang also stared intently for a while and nodded. “There are a lot of martial monks in it, all lay disciples who came here to learn skills… The theme should be action scenes.”
She turned her head and said, “Our crew should have a set here at the temple too, right?”
“Yes, it’s my main location, but you’re in it too. We’ll be filming it soon. We need to wait for heavy snow, and if it doesn’t come, we’ll consider creating a snow scene.” Chu Feiliang nodded, turned around, clasped her hands, and rested them on the railing. She said lightly, “It’s the scene where Ji Ying discovers that Wen Mou might not be dead, and that the body has vanished from the ice coffin. After many twists and turns, Ji Ying finds her way here to seek answers at the temple, ascending the 999 Heavenly Steps, kowtowing with every step.” Chu Feiliang paused, then said with a hint of helplessness, “Kowtowing with every single step.”
Rong Guang stuck out her tongue. “How tragic.”
“It is tragic,” Chu Feiliang chuckled, tapping the ground beneath her with her foot. She said, torn between laughter and tears, “See the stones you’re stepping on? That’s where I’ll be kneeling in the future.”
Rong Guang guiltily moved her foot aside.
After resting, the group reorganized and set off again.
It was called the 999 Heavenly Steps, but in reality, many of the stair edges connected to small paths up the mountain, allowing for breaks to relieve stiff legs. Not far away, one could even take the temple’s sightseeing bus directly to the top.
Chu Feiliang led the way slowly in front, and no one behind her mentioned taking a shortcut.
Rong Guang also felt that for a first visit, walking up like this was good; it seemed more sincere.
After all, when the crew started filming here, they would be here all the time. There would be plenty of opportunities to be lazy then.
Squinting her eyes, Rong Guang said, “Sister, you wanted to come to the temple this time to get a feel for it, didn’t you?”
“You figured it out?” Chu Feiliang smiled back at her. “It was indeed a sudden whim at first, but after getting here, I remembered how closely it relates to the script’s content.”
“Just now, I was thinking about what could possibly drive Ji Ying, a god of slaughter who doesn’t believe in gods or Buddhas, to the point of choosing to kowtow with every step, nearly crippling her legs, to pray to the gods and ask the Buddhas.” Chu Feiliang said faintly, “Now I understand.”
Only someone with no way out, desperately trying to grasp that tiny speck of light to support their will to live, would choose something so inherently illusory and impractical.
And only these things can ultimately become that faint, even humble, hope.
Rong Guang responded softly, whispering, “I understand now, too.”
Winding around, with starts and stops, it took them nearly an hour to reach their destination on the 999 Heavenly Steps.
The roof ridges of the enormous Buddhist temple were carved with many intricate patterns. Rong Guang hadn’t studied them and couldn’t understand what the symbols meant.
Occasionally, a kind-faced old monk in a cassock would walk by, fingering his prayer beads, his face forever carrying a gentleness and a tranquility settled by the years.
As soon as the two entered, the first thing they saw was the huge incense burner standing in front of the temple.
“Let’s burn some incense first…?” Rong Guang was adept at these motions, taking her bundle of incense to the fire source at the side.
The fire source here used a special, long-lasting fuel, contained in a lotus-shaped basin.
Rong Guang solemnly placed the incense into the burner, then followed Chu Feiliang and the others into the main hall.
Rong Guang inadvertently raised her eyes and came face to face with the Buddha statue high above in the main hall.
She froze for a moment, then quickly looked away, lowering her head to kneel on the prayer cushion before her.
Gods and Buddhas were always high above, yet compassionate towards all living beings.
Seeing Rong Guang close her eyes, Chu Feiliang also put her palms together, her expression solemn and serious, and prayed silently.
After finishing her three wishes, Chu Feiliang bowed solemnly three more times before getting up from the ground and slowly exhaling.
After standing up, she looked for Rong Guang, but to her surprise, Rong Guang was already outside.
She was surrounded by two little ones, who were curiously studying the row of constantly turning prayer wheels in front of them.
Chu Feiliang squinted.
Rong Guang and the others were backlit, and she couldn’t see them clearly.
But Rong Guang noticed her behind them right away. The moment she turned her head, her smile was so brilliant it made Chu Feiliang’s eyes ache, yet she didn’t want to look away.
“If you say your wishes out loud, they won’t come true,” Chacha muttered, then wrote down all the wishes she had made in a small notebook.
Rong Guang didn’t peek. As an enlightened guardian, she knew to give the child her freedom.
It was one of Chacha’s little convictions that wishes would lose their effect if seen.
“Your memory is so good, are you afraid you’ll forget?” Rong Guang was amused and patted Chacha’s head.
The gauze had been removed, and Chacha’s hair now covered the shaved spot, though it would still take some time for it to grow back completely.
Chacha didn’t mind at all. She nodded carefully and said, “A good memory is no match for a bad pen… I made too many wishes. Sister Guangguang, don’t disturb me, I’m afraid I’ll miss one…”
Chacha furrowed her brow and began to write furiously.
Rong Guang turned her head with a smile, watching Chu Feiliang, who was sitting across from her eating cold noodles, and was a bit lost in thought.
—Who would have thought that the person who was so cold and stunning on camera that she could ‘kill’ someone with a look and make their heart pound, was now sitting in front of her, eating cold noodles while drinking a cold soda.
She had no regard for her image whatsoever.
Chu Feiliang took a few sips, let out a long breath, and said with the corners of her lips curved, “This is what life should be.”
Rong Guang laughed heartily, cupping her face. For some reason, she had a… motherly look.
Chu Feiliang was amused by this thought.
Then she touched the side of the cold drink bottle and said, “All this way, why didn’t you keep asking me what happened?”
Rong Guang paused. “What question?”
“The question I asked you in return earlier.” Chu Feiliang’s lips curved into a smile. “Beloved and death.”
Rong Guang belatedly understood and realized that from Chu Feiliang’s perspective, she probably felt a little guilty.
—The person with the problem hadn’t said a thing, while the one offering comfort had been coaxed into revealing everything.
Although “coaxed” might not be the right word, Chu Feiliang likely felt that way about herself.
Rong Guang smiled and said, “You can just tell me when you want to. Since you’re not sad anymore, let’s not bring up things that make people unhappy. Being happy is the most important thing.”
Chu Feiliang thought for a moment, then nodded and said with a smile, “Alright, we won’t talk about it… If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll tell you.”
Rong Guang nodded solemnly. “Okay!”
Seeing her agree so readily, seemingly without a shred of curiosity, Chu Feiliang became a little curious herself.
She was a little puzzled and said, “Aren’t you worried I’m tricking you? That I’ve gotten your exclusive, firsthand information, and will turn around and leak it to someone else, never telling you my story, or just making up something baseless to fool you?”
“You wouldn’t.” Rong Guang pressed her lips together, her persistence a little stubborn. “You hate it when people lie to you the most. Putting yourself in others’ shoes, you wouldn’t become that kind of person. Besides, if Teacher Chu personally leaked it, that would be my honor.”
Chu Feiliang was amused by Rong Guang’s words and shook her head. “That’s true. You really do understand me.”
Although Chacha and Ye Zi were young, they had plenty of energy. After running around, they felt a little tired but were still mentally very excited.
Wang Lujie, however, was a little worried and kept saying, “Rong Guang is fine, she’s always dancing and training, so climbing this high is no big deal for her… She’ll recover after a rest. But you, with your arms and legs, if you wake up tomorrow with a pulled muscle and can’t walk, that’ll be a real problem…”
Chu Feiliang paused in the middle of stretching her arms and legs, clicked her tongue, and said, “I exercise often too.”
“Can your recovery ability compare to a young girl’s?” Wang Lujie muttered as she took out her phone, planning to look up how to relieve muscle soreness after intense exercise. She added, “How old is she, and how old are you?”
Chu Feiliang: “…”
She began to wonder if she had been a bit too quick in her decision to change assistants.
Her previous one, though long-winded, gossipy, and fond of speaking ill of others, at least didn’t talk back when she was being scolded.
Although Wang Lujie was nominally her assistant, she was a veteran from Chu Siyue’s company and had always treated Chu Feiliang like a younger sister. Chu Feiliang, in turn, was quite respectful of her.
Being muttered at like this in private felt more like the complaints between actual sisters.
It was just that the words were too devastating.
Chu Feiliang couldn’t help but kick the seat in front of her. Annoyed, speechless, and amused all at once, she said, “Would you please shut up.”
Rong Guang didn’t quite dare to speak.
There was another reason she had been hesitant to confess—the age gap between her and Chu Feiliang was a bit large.
Chu Feiliang was eight years older than her, twenty-six this year.
The same age she was when she died in her previous life.
However, she herself wasn’t twenty-six now, just an eighteen-year-old girl.
Rong Guang rubbed her nose, feeling as if she had also been vaguely implicated.
As Wang Lujie was talking, she suddenly stopped.
A moment later, she clicked her tongue in annoyance, looked back at Rong Guang and Chu Feiliang, and handed over her phone, saying, “The trending topics have exploded. See for yourselves—Jiang Ruyi has reportedly committed suicide.”
Get instant access to all chapters now.
