Chapter 6
Wen Xi never expected Jian Yu to grow so tall. With such a noticeable height, how could she be an assassin?
But Jian Yu, surprisingly, did very well. Moreover, she could easily disguise herself as a man, making it difficult for her true identity to be discovered.
Although Jian Yu had witnessed her parents’ murder, she was optimistic by nature—at least, she seemed more optimistic than Wen Xi.
She was a bit of a chatterbox and had some wild, imaginative ideas that often made Wen Xi roll her eyes in annoyance.
But it seemed Wen Xi could no longer live without Jian Yu.
The two frequently bickered, especially over trivial matters, arguing heatedly about things like whether garlic should be kept in the refrigerator, whether their underwear should be washed together in the washing machine, or which brand of instant coffee tasted better…
They seemed incompatible in every way, yet after every argument, they would quickly act as if nothing had happened, with an even thicker air of ambiguity between them.
After filming the coffee scene, Xu Ling was craving coffee.
She had drunk half a cup of deathly bitter iced Americano that morning to reduce puffiness, and now she wanted something sweet.
Just then, Lin Xinnuo came over with her phone and asked, “Sister Ling, Sister An asked me to buy coffee for everyone. What would you like?”
“A cappuccino, please. Thank you for the trouble.” Xu Ling glanced over at Qin Cong’an, thinking to herself that they were quite in sync, both wanting coffee at the same time.
The coffee arrived quickly.
Xu Ling took her cappuccino and walked over to Qin Cong’an. “Thanks,” she said.
“What are you drinking? Let me have a sip.”
“…” Xu Ling froze. Is she serious?
Are we really going to act this ambiguously on set?
After a long internal struggle, Xu Ling handed over the cappuccino.
Qin Cong’an took a sip, frowned, and after handing it back, took a large gulp of her own iced Americano.
“You don’t like it?”
“Too sweet.”
“But that’s what makes it good.” If it weren’t for reducing puffiness, Xu Ling would never drink Americano. And even after drinking so much of it, she still wasn’t used to the bitter taste.
Qin Cong’an didn’t reply.
Just like Jian Yu and Wen Xi, they had their own preferences when it came to coffee. The only difference was, they couldn’t get into an argument about it.
Liang He, watching them from the side, chuckled and teased, “Have you two gotten this close now?”
Xu Ling nearly choked again.
She looked at Qin Cong’an, who was perfectly calm and showed no intention of responding.
Xu Ling cleared her throat and replied, “It’s alright. We’re naturally a bit more familiar than when we first started. Thanks to my senior for taking care of me.”
Qin Cong’an shot her a glance.
Xu Ling lowered her head, feeling inexplicably guilty.
Liang He looked at them, feeling that something was a little strange, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. But it didn’t matter. Regardless of their personal relationship, they were great when filming, and that was all that mattered.
In front of the camera, Jian Yu and Wen Xi’s bickering continued.
The two of them captured that feeling of arguing with subtle ambiguity perfectly.
Chang Ning was somewhat surprised. She had thought this part of the film would be difficult to shoot, but the two actresses’ gazes, along with a few occasional improvised lines, instantly made the characters of Jian Yu and Wen Xi more three-dimensional and vivid.
They wrapped up a little early. The two returned to the hotel and went to their respective rooms.
Just as Xu Ling was wondering whether she should go find Qin Cong’an, she heard a knock on her door.
She opened it. As expected, it was her.
Knowing all of this was a sin, Xu Ling couldn’t stop, nor did she want to.
Tonight, it wasn’t grapefruit and alcohol, but iced Americano and cappuccino.
They were both exhausted. Xu Ling wrapped her arms around Qin Cong’an’s waist, buried her face in her chest, and wanted to fall asleep just like that.
The phone on the pillow began to vibrate. Xu Ling looked up and saw Qin Cong’an pick it up. The name displayed on the screen was none other than Xie Jing.
Xu Ling stiffened, but she could feel that Qin Cong’an’s body hadn’t changed at all.
She even answered the call just like that.
Xu Ling let go of her, climbed off the bed, and went to the bathroom to shower.
She had been so tired she wanted to fall asleep right there, smelling her scent, but now, how could she possibly sleep?
She could vaguely hear Qin Cong’an’s voice on the phone.
“Who asked you? I don’t care…”
Xu Ling turned on the shower, letting the sound of the water drown everything out. A moment later, the door opened.
Qin Cong’an walked in, completely naked and at ease.
Xu Ling was so startled she covered her chest. “What are you doing?”
“Washing together.”
“No way.”
Qin Cong’an was puzzled. “Why not?”
Xu Ling retorted, “Why are you so insistent on showering together?” She had wanted to last time, and now she just walked right in—though, to be fair, Xu Ling hadn’t locked the door.
“Can’t I?” She didn’t answer her question, instead throwing it back at her.
“Of course not!” Xu Ling’s voice rose. She had just been on the phone with her boyfriend a second ago. How could she come shower with her the very next second? No, absolutely not.
Qin Cong’an’s brow furrowed slightly, but she didn’t say anything more and turned to leave.
The water in the bathtub finally filled up. Xu Ling submerged her entire head, as if trying to escape reality.
She felt a little like crying. Why was this so hard? Why was Qin Cong’an acting like this? It was as if she didn’t think there was anything wrong at all. Could this be normal for her?
When Xu Ling came out of the bathroom, Qin Cong’an was no longer in her room.
She let out a sigh of relief and climbed into bed. But her scent still lingered on the sheets. Xu Ling drifted off to sleep, feeling utterly wronged.
After a few days of filming daily life scenes, it was time for the nightmarish action sequences again.
“Are your muscles still sore? You should have rested well these past few days, right?” Chang Ning asked the two of them.
Without looking at each other, they both nodded.
Chang Ning and the action director once again went through the rehearsal for the upcoming scenes with them and the other actors.
The difficulty of the last scene lay in contending with the complex terrain. This time was different. The terrain was relatively less complex, but there were many variations in the fight choreography.
Their opponent was extremely skilled, and both of them were caught in a tough battle.
By the end of the morning, they had made almost no progress.
During lunch, they both ate a lot to ensure they would have enough energy for the afternoon shoot.
Xu Ling deeply regretted not sleeping well last night, which had left her feeling physically drained. But she really couldn’t sleep. The thought of how outrageous Qin Cong’an was—answering her boyfriend’s call right after sleeping with her—made her heart burn with frustration.
The weather was still a bit cold, but Xu Ling held a small fan in front of her face. She watched Qin Cong’an, who still seemed perfectly normal.
Xu Ling’s heart gradually began to die.
In the afternoon, there was a scene where Jian Yu was careless and got kicked, falling backward, only to be caught by Wen Xi.
During rehearsal, a thick foam mat was placed behind her to catch her. Although she knew it was safe, Xu Ling was still a little scared each time because she couldn’t see behind her.
Jian Yu was prepared to be kicked to the ground and didn’t know Wen Xi would catch her. Xu Ling was different. She knew Qin Cong’an would be there to catch her, but at the same time, she wondered if she could actually hold her.
While directing, Chang Ning said, “I heard from Little Liang that you two have been getting along well recently. You must have built up some trust by now, right?”
Have we built up trust?
Xu Ling looked at Qin Cong’an’s profile, feeling a little unsure.
Qin Cong’an looked over and said, “Mhm, trust me.”
Xu Ling almost thought she was hearing things. After a moment of stunned silence, she nodded. Don’t say things like that. Isn’t it better to just let my heart die? Now it’s flickering back to life again.
Chang Ning looked at their expressions and raised an eyebrow. Something felt subtly off. As a director, her eyes and intuition were very sharp. But she only sensed it for a moment before that strange atmosphere vanished.
During the final full run-through, after being kicked, Xu Ling fell backward with a pained expression and was caught by Qin Cong’an, who wrapped an arm around her back. She glanced at her, quickly regained her footing, and immediately returned to a fighting stance.
Chang Ning considered whether to shoot this part with multiple cameras but decided against it. Deliberately cutting it into many segments would ruin the aesthetic and make it look too contrived.
This was just one of the most ordinary moments in their years of tacit understanding; it didn’t need so many shots.
But this part was still filmed many times.
Again and again, Xu Ling fell, and again and again, she was caught by Qin Cong’an. They weren’t robots; it was impossible for the angle of her fall and the catch to be identical every time. They tried their best to maintain consistency for the camera, but there were inevitably small deviations.
For instance, Qin Cong’an’s hand accidentally grabbing her chest from the side, or Xu Ling falling and accidentally bumping into her collarbone. And once, when Xu Ling turned her head to look at her, their lips accidentally brushed against her jaw because they were too close.
In that instant, Xu Ling felt as if she’d been electrocuted. She knew she was supposed to steady herself but couldn’t, and they both tumbled to the ground.
Crew members immediately rushed forward, calling out, “Are you okay?”
“Sorry, I’m fine,” Xu Ling said, quickly scrambling off Qin Cong’an and looking at her with concern. “What about you? Are you alright?”
Qin Cong’an got up, patted herself down, and shook her head calmly. “I’m fine.”
Chang Ning also came over to check on them, then said, “Tough work. A few more times. Pay attention to your expressions and the camera.”
Xu Ling composed herself and continued with the shoot.
The scene was finally completed successfully.
The two of them stood on either side of Chang Ning, watching the playback on the monitor. From Jian Yu’s fight scene to her readjustment after being caught by Wen Xi, everything was silky smooth.
“Good work. You can take a break now,” Chang Ning said.
Xu Ling let out a long sigh of relief.
Qin Cong’an walked past her to rest on the side.
Xu Ling hesitated for a moment, then followed her. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Qin Cong’an looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Thank you for catching me every single time.”
“Of course.” Qin Cong’an coolly averted her gaze. “I told you to trust me.”
Xu Ling saw her take off her jacket. Her arms were red from the friction of catching her so many times. She felt a little guilty, but along with the guilt, she also found her arms incredibly sexy.
Xu Ling wanted to slap her own brain. What am I thinking at a time like this?
