diymy Chapter 34, Chen Yao visits the set
Chapter 34, Chen Yao visits the set
The silence lasted for about three or four seconds.
Then he looked up and glanced in the direction of the window.
The light filtering through the window screen had shifted from east to west, and the sky had darkened somewhat.
"It's almost dawn," he said. "I'm leaving."
His voice was flat, as if he were talking about something trivial. But when he stood up, his movements were very slow.
He turned and walked back to the bench, bent down and picked up the embroidered spring knife.
The moment he gripped the knife, his shoulders slumped slightly.
Gao Huan, carrying a knife, walked towards the door.
His pace was neither fast nor slow, but each step was firm and steady.
The soles of the boots landed on the wooden floor with a dull thud, one after another, like someone punching a wall that never echoes.
Just as I placed my hand on the door frame, I heard Liu Shishi's voice behind me.
"Next time you come, you don't need to change your clothes."
Gao Huan's hand paused.
He didn't turn around.
But he could feel that unfocused gaze falling on his back.
The studio was extremely quiet.
Gao Huan stood at the door, his back to her.
His shadow was stretched long by the light filtering through the window screen, casting it on the opposite wall like a knife pinned there.
His expression didn't change, but his eyes did.
He glanced down at the civilian clothes he was wearing.
He had changed into that dark gray cotton robe before coming here. Every time he came here, he would take off his flying fish robe and put on this ordinary commoner's clothes.
He thought that this way, she wouldn't treat him like a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
He thought that this way, the two people in the room could temporarily forget about what was happening outside.
But she always knew.
She knew it from the beginning.
She heard everything—his deliberately soft footsteps, his deliberately suppressed sounds, and his deliberately avoided use of the words "Imperial Guard."
A blind person's ears are sharper than anyone else's.
Gao Huan's hand rested on the door frame, his knuckles turning slightly white.
He paused for two seconds before speaking.
The voice was calmer than he had expected.
"I'm afraid you won't like that official robe."
But Liu Shishi heard the slight upward inflection at the end of his voice and knew that he was trying to cover it up.
Her lips twitched, and the next words came out softly, but each word seemed to fall from her mouth like shards of ice.
There was no hysteria, no crying, only a mockery colder than hatred.
"Everyone here knows you are Lord Shen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Gao Huan did not turn around.
His fingers loosened their grip on the door frame and tightened on the embroidered spring knife in his hand.
The copper buckle on the scabbard dug into his palm, and the slight stinging pain brought him back to his senses.
He knew what she meant.
Did he come to Miaoyin Pavilion because he wanted to see her, or because he felt guilty?
He couldn't tell the difference.
Was his desire to redeem her out of pity, or was it a desire to redeem himself?
Redeem the self that, in her eyes, confiscated her entire family's property and caused her to be reduced to a brothel.
He couldn't tell the difference.
Perhaps they've never really distinguished between them.
Gao Huan remained silent.
He pushed open the door and went out.
The door closed very quietly, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Liu Shishi sat in the chair, listening to the sound of the door closing.
Her head was tilted slightly, her ear turned toward the door, as if to confirm that he was really gone.
verified.
Her expression remained unchanged. Her hands were still clasped together on her knees, her posture still upright and stiff.
But her breathing became deeper, as if she was swallowing something.
Lu Yang called out "Cut".
The lights in the studio came back on, and the staff began moving the cameras.
Liu Shishi sat in the chair without moving. Her eyes were red, but she didn't shed any tears.
Gao Huan walked back from outside the door.
He didn't immediately walk towards Liu Shishi, but instead went behind the monitor and watched the playback.
Lu Yang stood next to him, and the two of them stared at the screen together.
In the scene, when Liu Shishi says, "Who here doesn't know that you are Lord Shen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?", there is a barely noticeable mark on the corner of her mouth.
She didn't cry; the trembling was a subtle breakdown—"I'm used to it, but for some reason I can't help it today."
Lu Yang turned to look at Gao Huan: "That pause you made just now, at the doorway, your hand on the doorframe, your knuckles white—did you add that yourself?"
"Hmm," Gao Huan said, "Shen Lian doesn't want to leave, but he knows there's no point in staying here."
Lu Yang was silent for two seconds, then said something that surprised everyone present.
"This scene between the two of you is the best I've ever filmed since 'Brotherhood of Blades'."
Only then did Liu Shishi stand up from her chair and walk to the monitor.
Her eyes were still a little red, but her expression had returned to calm.
"Gao Huan," she said, "was that roguish tone you used just now when you said you were afraid I wouldn't like that official uniform? Was it intentional?"
Gao Huan thought for a moment:
Shen Lian didn't want her to hear that he was upset.
So he used that somewhat unserious tone to mask his emotions.
But Zhou Miaotong is blind; she sees people by listening.
This kind of covering might fool discerning people, but it won't hide her.
Liu Shishi laughed happily after hearing this.
"So your roguish act wasn't for Zhou Miaotong, it was for the audience?"
"It's not for the audience," Gao Huan said. "It's for Shen Lian to see; he's deceiving himself."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi nodded thoughtfully, the smile on her lips slowly fading into a deeper contemplation.
"So that roguishness was Shen Lian's disguise. He clearly liked Zhou Miaotong, but he didn't dare let her know." She paused, her voice softening, "And Zhou Miaotong liked him too, but... she couldn't say it."
Gao Huan glanced at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes, but more so a confirmation that "you finally understand."
"You understood," he said.
He paused, as if considering his words, before finally speaking.
"This is what torments them the most."
They like each other, yet they torment each other.
She didn't hate him for ransacking her home; she hated that after he did, she still loved him.
Lu Yang, who had been listening intently, interjected at this moment:
"So in this scene, Zhou Miaotong's line, 'Who here doesn't know you're Lord Shen from the Embroidered Uniform Guard?' wasn't meant to be sarcastic; it was a reminder to herself. He's an enemy; you can't let your heart be swayed."
Liu Shishi paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes.
She recalled how she felt when she performed that scene.
When I said that line, I didn't feel hatred; it was something very complex and hard to explain.
It's like trying to push someone away, but your hands are shaking as you do so.
She sighed softly.
"This woman has suffered so much."
Gao Huan did not respond.
He turned to look at the playback on the monitor, the image frozen on the moment Liu Shishi said that line.
His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes were red-rimmed, but there were no tears.
He stared at the image for two seconds, then said something very softly.
"But she still said it. She didn't say 'I hate you,' she said 'You are Lord Shen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.' She was using his status as an excuse."
The studio fell silent for a moment.
Lu Yang listened attentively and nodded, patting Gao Huan on the shoulder.
"Alright, alright, you two stop analyzing the characters. If you keep doing that, I won't be able to write the script anymore."
Then he clapped his hands: "Alright, that's it, let's get ready for the next one."
The staff got busy.
Liu Shishi smiled and walked back to the dressing room.
Gao Huan stood in front of the monitor and watched the playback again to confirm all the details.
Liu Shishi's eyelashes trembled, her knuckles turned white as she rested her hand on the door frame, and the last syllable of her sentence, "I'm afraid you won't like that official uniform," rose slightly.
That's all correct.
He turned and walked back to the rest area. Yangyang Jin handed him the thermos cup containing goji berry and polygonatum tea, and he unscrewed the lid and took a big gulp.
"Brother Huan, you and Sister Shishi acted really well in that scene just now."
"Yes. She is indeed a good actress once she gets into character."
Yangyang Jin glanced at him, hesitated, and finally said, "But when you acted with her, it seemed different from when you acted with her. When you acted together, it felt especially real."
Gao Huan took another big gulp of wolfberry soup, swallowed it, and glanced at her.
"Because those emotions were real," he said. "Shen Lian really liked her, and she really liked Shen Lian."
The rest.
Guilt, indebtedness, family feud.
These are just excuses the two of them use to deceive themselves.
Yangyang Jin thought about it and didn't ask any more questions.
She had followed Gao Huan for so long that she knew he was talking about more than just the role.
Gao Huan leaned back in his chair, his mind filled with the expression on Liu Shishi's face when she said, "Who here doesn't know you're Lord Shen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" and the widow's charm.
Suddenly, a WeChat notification sounded, and Nazha sent a message: "Brother, I saw a really funny meme today, I'm sending it to you, hahaha."
Chen Duling sent a photo of the beach in Xiamen with the caption, "It was very windy today, and the sea was gray, but it was still very beautiful."
Meng Ziyi sent a voice message, but he didn't open it.
Dilraba sent a message: "Great God of Justice, I filmed a crying scene today and cried for a long time. My eyes are still swollen."
How do you practice acting skills? I feel like what I cry out is just water, not tears.
Gao Huan looked at Reba's message, thought for a moment, and typed a few words.
"Don't think about 'how to cry,' think about 'why you're crying.' Find the reason, and the tears will come on their own."
The other end replied instantly: "You make it sound so simple."
Gao Huan didn't reply again because Chen Yao came to visit the set.
She arrived with a milk tea truck and two hamburger trucks.
Three cars were parked neatly in the open space outside the studio, with banners on them that read "Go, 'Brotherhood of Blades' crew!"
Several staff members were busy distributing meals. The aroma of steaming hamburgers mingled with the coolness of an early winter evening, spreading through the twilight of Huairou.
The amount wasn't small, but it wasn't ostentatious either; it was just the right amount of respectable gesture that showed "my sincerity."
Yangyang Jin walked in from outside, holding a cup of milk tea in her hand. She took a sip, her expression subtle.
"Huan-ge, Yaoyao is here. She said she came to see Shishi-jie."
Gao Huan leaned back in his chair, screwed the lid of his thermos on, and didn't say anything.
He put the thermos aside, stood up, and walked outside.
It was already dark outside the photography studio, and the streetlights were on, casting an orange glow on the gravel surface of the parking lot.
Chen Yao stood next to the milk tea cart, wearing a milky white short down jacket, her hair loose and not styled, but her face was still as clean as if it had just been pulled out of the water in the twilight.
She was talking to Liu Shishi.
The two of them standing together make for a very pleasant scene.
Liu Shishi has a gentle and mild temperament, like a cup of brewed jasmine tea;
Chen Yao stood beside her, her cool demeanor carrying a touch of youthful exuberance, like the last leaf that hadn't yet fallen from a branch in winter.
It looks frail, but it has an unyielding stubbornness in its bones.
"Sister Shishi, I heard from Director Lu that your scene today was particularly excellent."
Chen Yao smiled, her voice soft but genuine.
"Don't give me that," Liu Shishi laughed. "Did you come to see me or someone else?"
Chen Yao's ears turned slightly red, but her expression remained unchanged, still bearing that polite smile.
"Of course I came to see you, and I also wanted to check on my senior brother."
The word "by the way" is used very cleverly.
Not too far, not too close, not too cold, not too hot, just right within the safe zone of "I'm here to visit a classmate on set".
Liu Shishi glanced at her, her lips curving slightly, a strange sense of irritation rising within her.
Having been in the industry for many years, she can tell at a glance whether a visit to the set is genuine or fake.
Chen Yao's eyes hadn't looked anywhere else since she entered the studio; she was looking for one person.
But she wouldn't say it out loud.
We should still save face for the young girl.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu Shishi took the coat from her assistant, said she needed to go back to remove her makeup, and left.
Before leaving, she patted Chen Yao on the shoulder and whispered, "Go ahead," her tone carrying an older sisterly understanding.
Chen Yao stood there, watching Liu Shishi's figure disappear at the entrance of the photography studio.
The staff at the milk tea truck were still busy, while the aroma from the hamburger truck was dispersed and then gathered again by the wind.
She took a deep breath, as if she were mentally preparing herself, then turned around and walked into the photography studio.
Gao Huan stood on the steps at the entrance of the photography studio, wearing a dark gray cotton long shirt.
They hadn't changed out of their costumes yet.
Chen Yao paused for a moment as he walked up the steps.
"Senior brother."
"Um."
Gao Huan glanced at her, then stepped aside to let her go in first.
The two walked into the photography studio one after the other, the lights shining down from above, casting long shadows on them.
The staff were packing up the equipment, and Lu Yang was watching the playback behind the monitor. No one paid them any extra attention.
Chen Yao walked to the folding chair in the rest area, but did not sit down immediately. Instead, he glanced at the thermos cup that Gao Huan had placed on the chair, and then at the coat draped over the back of the chair.
She had seen these things before, in that apartment in BJ, when she thought she was the only woman in the house.
Gao Huan sat down opposite her, unscrewed the thermos, and took a sip.
"Why are you here?"
"I told you, I'm here to see Sister Shishi."
Chen Yao spoke calmly, as if stating a fact that did not need to be questioned.
Gao Huan glanced at her but didn't say anything.
There was a two-second silence.
Chen Yao couldn't hold back any longer.
"President Cai told me," she lowered her eyes, her voice softening, "that you got the second male lead role in 'Wu Xin: The Monster Killer.' You'll be my lover."