Gu Nian was still reflecting on which area she hadn't done enough that led to her loving mother's image being hurt when the director team shouted over the loud speaker.
"Get ready."
Using the final moment that she got, Gu Nian shuffled closer to Luo Xiu and said seriously to him in a low voice. "Don't worry. You will for sure get roles that fit you better. Don't feel let down!"
Luo Xiu looked up and the image of her getting close to him was burned into his eyes. "… okay."
"Oh right, little Ding Qiao."
"?"
Gu Nian turned and looked at the monitoring area where the voice came from.
Geng Hongyu, speaker in hand, frowned uncertainly, "Let's move your scene forward by a little."
Gu Nian, "Oh?"
Geng Hongyu, "Um, right, the two of you just repeat the scene from earlier."
Gu Nian, "… …"
Gu Nian, "? ?"
Gu Nian was stumped for a few seconds. "I thought all you needed me for is the scene where I whip around and force Yuntan against the wall?"
"Let's do all of it for a better transition."
Gu Nian, "But that wasn't what we had agreed upon…"
"What is it?" Geng Hongyu asked, "Are you going to tell me that this will cost more and we need to pay you extra?"
Gu Nian, "… … … …"
Whatever. She would buck under power.
Gu Nian was just about to turn back around when Assistant Director Lin shouted at someone next to him, "Props, go and make little Ding Qiao's collar more crisp."
Gu Nian stiffened up.
She whipped around, frantic, after a second or two, "I have to tear my collar up too? ?"
"We will be filming with all cameras from all directions and might us any of them. Of course you will need to do that."
"… …"
The darkness hidden in the deep of Luo Xiu's eyes seemed to have jumped.
He turned around reflexively that very moment.
The second before he said something to object, Luo Xiu slowly suppressed the fire-like emotions under his eyes.
… He had almost forgotten.
He hasn't yet had the qualification or the place to object.
On the stage, Gu Nian had her arms around her chest as she tried to convince the field lady, "Big sister, you should save an outfit. It's not easy to be Props."
The big sister was unphased by her. "I am Props. Thank you for your concern. Now lower your arms."
Gu Nian, "… … … …"
This was a thief den and they were all in on it.
Under strong authority, the filming began.
Inside the gap of a stone cave between the cliffs, a girl in red walked quietly along the stone wall toward the opening as she cautiously turned around and checked behind her.
It would seem like she was trying to avoid someone.
As she was about to reach the end of the stone wall, she lowered her head, let out a sigh of relief and turned around.
She lifted up her soft fabric boot and, before she could put it back down, her look froze on her face -- --
A man in a long, black robe stood in front of the only opening a few meters in front of her. His long hair dancing eerily in the wind belonging distinctively in the mountains. His look was closed to being indifferent. The blood red youtan flower situated between his brows in his forehead, however, bloomed in a seductive way.
Ding Qiao froze.
The man's dark eyes locked on her for a few seconds. He then lowered his eyes. His thin and nonchalant lips seemed to have curved up a little, or perhaps it didn't.
"Sure enough… you wanted to run away for him."
Ding Qiao's hand that was touching the stone wall tightened a little; she was nervous. After a few seconds, she relaxed her fingers all of a sudden.
"Please, Yuntan, I beg of your." Her voice, low, sounded like a bird pleading. "Wuya is dying… He will die for sure if I don't go and save him…"
"What could you do by going to him? Did you just want repeat what happened in your previous life, exchanging his life with yours?"
"– –"
Ding Qiao dared not say anything.
Even if that was what she had in mind, she would not say that out loud to Youtan. Youtan would for sure not let her go if he knew that was her plan.
While Ding Qiao was struggling, she could feel him next to her all of a sudden. She looked up, panicked. The man who was a few meters from her just a second ago now had her wrist in his hands and had her pinned against the stone wall.
Next to her, the face that was so cold it was almost buddha like lowered. There seemed to be an eerie-looking black flame dancing in the those seemingly deep and bottomless eyes.
"Whether it was this life or last, I seemed to always have arrived after him. I didn't have a choice in our previous lives, but this time…"
He seemed like he was about to kiss her, but he was smelling the thin air between the two of them. Then, his chin lifted some, it stopped at the position to kiss.
The thick eyelashes were very low and very close. Fluttering, a dimness came through the curvature and it was piercingly concealed.
He looked straight at her; his voice hoarse.
"I am not going to let you go again."