Translator: 549690339
On set, the sound of the director calling “cut” was heard over and over again, for over an hour. Not to mention the crew, even the director’s voice was practically smoking from all the shouting.
He was thoroughly defeated. Calling a stagehand over and rubbing his temples, he said with a fatigued face, “Rong Yan, let’s take a break and try again later. Find your groove.”
Rong Yan was drenched in sweat. She wiped the perspiration from her forehead and nodded, “Okay, Director.”
Her attitude was sincere, and she knew her lines by heart without missing a word. The director might have been holding back a bellyful of fire, but he only felt gloomy as he waved her over to take a break.
Estelle watched her being cut repeatedly from the sidelines and was anxious too.
When she saw her come off set, she hurriedly offered her a bottle of mineral water, “How’s it going? Still not feeling it?”
Rong Yan twisted off the bottle cap and gulped down more than half the bottle, shaking her head with a dim look in her eyes, “No. Maybe it’s been too long since I last acted.”
She just couldn’t find the right feel for acting— the lighting, the positioning, everything seemed off.
If she wasn’t satisfied with herself, how could the director be?
After finishing the water and screwing the cap back on, she took a deep breath and said to a concerned Estelle, “Estelle, I’m going to find a quiet corner and practice a bit more.”
Estelle was not very reassured, “I’ll come with you.”
Rong Yan shook her head, declining her kind offer, “No need, I’d like some time alone to get into the zone.”
“Alright then.” Seeing Rong Yan’s furrowed brow, Estelle didn’t press any further but soothed her steadily, “Don’t be too anxious. Take it slow. Like you said, it’s been a while since you’ve done this. It’s normal to not feel it on the first day. You just need to get used to it again.”
After speaking with Estelle, Rong Yan found a quiet corner on set and immersed herself in the script.
The role she played in the story wasn’t very significant, but the character was designed to be captivating.
In the story, she was the youngest princess of Youguo, pampered from a young age. After coming of age, she was expected to marry the son of a high-ranking minister. Upon meeting him, she found not only that he wasn’t her type but that he also had a woman he loved. As a proud princess, she chose to resist the forced marriage. But no matter how she rebelled, her father, who had always doted on her, completely ignored her objections. In the end, to force her into the marriage, he even scolded her mother, almost banishing her to a cold palace.
For her mother’s sake, she had to compromise. During the process, her future husband, though already in love with another woman, never spoke a word against the marriage. After they were married, the two did not get along; while he maintained mistresses outside, he treated her with cold courtesy. Although he said nothing, his face was stretched in a constant frown, showing a resentful demeanor as if she had forced him to part from his true love.
She was a princess, and prideful by nature—how could she possibly fall for such a man?
Unloved, yet bound to such a man, her mood soured, and one day, she went hunting to clear her mind. Chasing after deer, she ventured alone deep into the mountains. She nearly became a black bear’s prey, but fortunately, a monk nearby saved her.
While recuperating, she learned his name and that he was the favored disciple of a renowned Buddhist Master. She discovered he lived alone in this small temple, studying Buddhist Law deeply. He spoke to her of Buddhism, urging her to let go of the demons in her heart… Yet gradually, she found herself falling in love with the young, talented monk.