Chapter 50 Part 2

She hadn’t spotted him at first, mainly because he kept inching toward Lin Shixia, sneaking glances at her every chance.

Once Gu Liuguang noticed him, Lin Hang immediately smiled and waved at her.

Gu Liuguang frowned.

His gesture wasn’t big, but they were at the center of the crowd. That wave drew eyes along his line of sight straight to Gu Liuguang.

Suddenly, scrutinizing gazes landed on the previously inconspicuous Gu Liuguang.

Soon, several people came over to chat her up, some directly asking if she was Lin Hang’s girlfriend.

If she could, she’d say she was Lin Shixia’s girlfriend.

They finally went quiet for the official shoot. No one bothered Gu Liuguang anymore, but she still couldn’t talk to Lin Shixia.

After the scene, Lin Shixia went to change costumes.

Gu Liuguang had just stood to follow when Lin Hang, still in costume, approached and sat beside her. He opened with, “Here to see Lin Shixia?”

Gu Liuguang shot to her feet. Lin Hang blinked up at her in surprise and patted the stool she’d vacated: “Why stand? Sit first.”

Gu Liuguang glanced at him and said nothing.

Ignored, Lin Hang’s temper flared, but seeing her flawless face from below, he swallowed it and said pleasantly, “You look good too. Want to act?”

“Talking to Lin Shixia won’t help with acting. She auditioned in. I’m different—one word from me.” He craned his neck to look at her, reaching to pull her down. “What do you want to play? Tell me. We haven’t shot much—roles can still be negotiated…”

His hand nearly touched her. Gu Liuguang finally looked away from the makeup room, dodged him, and stared at Lin Hang in confusion: “When did I say I wanted to act? I don’t.”

Acting wasn’t in her missions.

She dodged and rolled her eyes at him impatiently: “What do you want, old man? If you wanna talk, talk properly. Don’t keep trying to grab a girl’s hand—you’re not embarrassed?”

Her voice was a bit loud, drawing attention even before filming began. After the shoot, Lin Hang came over to her still in costume. One could say almost everyone on the crew had their attention fixed here, ears perked up high.

As soon as Gu Liuguang spoke, the others’ ears practically strained toward them.

Lin Hang’s face instantly darkened. A bad reputation in the industry was one thing, but losing face in front of so many crew members was another. He raised his voice too. “Besides being pretty, what else do you have going for you? Me holding your hand? You really dare to say that!”

Gu Liuguang had deliberately wanted to rile Lin Hang up, but her temper was truly nothing special. When he retorted, she immediately bristled.

“You don’t have a hobby of knocking on girls’ doors? Whether you wanted to hold my hand, you know damn well in your heart. If you’re not happy about it, don’t sit over here.”

Lin Hang’s breathing grew rapid, his chest heaving as his body seemed nailed to the spot. He showed no sign of leaving.

Gu Liuguang sneered. Lin Hang’s face flushed pale and red by turns. Beyond that, a strange feeling stirred in his heart—he actually wanted to hear Gu Liuguang curse him out some more.

Gu Liuguang kept a calm facade, but after letting off steam, a touch of fear crept in. She worried he might snap and punch her. Spotting Wang Li waving her over from afar, she immediately headed that way.

Wang Li had seen the conflict with Lin Hang. Only when she drew near did she ask, “What’s going on with you two?”

Gu Liuguang gave a brief account. “He wanted to touch my hand. I cursed him out a couple times.”

Wang Li looked at her worriedly. “Are you okay? If he actually took advantage of you, we can’t just let it slide.”

Gu Liuguang said, “He didn’t touch me.”

They entered the makeup room, where Lin Shixia sat in a chair while the makeup artist applied battle damage makeup. Her hair had been partially undone—she was clearly switching styles.

Catching sight of Gu Liuguang in the mirror, she smiled at first, but the makeup artist reminded her not to move. She pursed her lips and called out to Gu Liuguang in a mutter, keeping her movements minimal as she asked, “Have you eaten? Are you hungry? I brought snacks.”

At those words, Wang Li glanced at Lin Shixia. Filming required strict weight management, and Lin Shixia wasn’t one for snacks anyway.

The snacks prepared for the set today had been delivered by errand runner early that morning. Wang Li hadn’t thought much of it at the time, assuming Lin Shixia wanted them and even reminding her not to indulge. Now it was clear they had been prepared specially for someone else.

Wang Li sat in the back, sighing inwardly as she wrestled with whether to tell Lin Shixia’s agent.

Gu Liuguang said she wasn’t hungry.

Her anger had mostly dissipated by then, but seeing Lin Shixia made it bubble up again. She recounted the earlier incident.

She knew Lin Shixia was still just a nobody who couldn’t do a thing to Lin Hang, but she couldn’t help harboring some faint hope. It would be nice if Lin Shixia could teach him a lesson.

Lin Shixia listened without any change in expression. Only when Gu Liuguang finished did she speak. “People like that are bound to get theirs sooner or later. Scandals will probably burst out on him any day now.”

Halfway through, she started to smile, but the makeup artist—head bowed—reminded her not to. She held it back. “Once the scandals break, the crew will boot him. Then you won’t have to see him anymore.”

Gu Liuguang knew the plot: Lin Hang wouldn’t get his comeuppance until Ye Qingying and Lin Shixia were on the verge of getting together. That time hadn’t come yet.

Hearing Lin Shixia take her side eased half of Gu Liuguang’s anger. She waved it off, no longer caring much. She didn’t want Lin Shixia feeling powerless and upset. “Forget it. I already cursed him out anyway. Whether he crashes and burns or not, it doesn’t matter to me.”

The makeup artist, who had been listening the whole time, chimed in. “Where’s it that easy to crash and burn? Even with scandals, he can just change his name and come back. Worst case, he develops overseas for a bit until the heat dies down domestically, then returns for a decent role and his reputation’s back.”

“Instead of wasting energy getting mad at trash like that, you should think about how to blow up yourself. In this industry, not being famous is the real crime.”

As she spoke, the makeup artist glanced at Gu Liuguang’s reflection in the mirror.

The temporary makeup room had cooling fans and AC, but the enclosed space was still stuffy. Since it was all women there anyway, Gu Liuguang took off her mask. While chatting, she wiped her slightly damp hair with a tissue in front of the mirror.

The makeup artist got a clear look at Gu Liuguang’s face and froze. The eyeshadow palette slipped from her hand, but Lin Shixia caught it.

Lin Shixia reminded her, “Don’t stare.”

The makeup artist stammered an “oh” and took the palette back in a fluster. She picked up her brush again, but her mind clearly wasn’t on the job—she kept sneaking glances at Gu Liuguang.

She had done makeup for countless young actors, many of whom faded into obscurity without a trace. She’d heard Lin Shixia and Gu Liuguang’s conversation and pieced together the whole story in just a couple sentences. She knew the type all too well.

She had assumed it was the usual drama and normally wouldn’t even bother faking interest. But now she couldn’t help wanting to chat more with the girl.

Her movements slowed. After finishing one wound, she turned to ask Gu Liuguang, “Are you an actress too?”

Up close, her beauty was impossible to look away from.

Lin Shixia frowned, clearly displeased. “Liuguang is my friend. Stop asking her so many questions.”

Gu Liuguang seemed to pick up on something. She glanced at the makeup artist, then met Lin Shixia’s eyes in the mirror. Her beautiful lips curved into a slow smile she couldn’t quite hide.

To the makeup artist, she said, “I’m not.”

Reminded by Lin Shixia, the makeup artist deflated a little. But when Gu Liuguang responded, she perked right back up. “Then are you a debuted artist? Someone this pretty would definitely blow up if you debuted.”

Gu Liuguang replied, “I have no plans to debut. Nor any in the future.”

Disappointment flooded the makeup artist’s face, undisguised. She closed the palette at half speed. “The entertainment industry would be losing out big time if you don’t.”

Gu Liuguang pursed her lips, amused and smiling. Lin Shixia grew more and more unhappy, her face taut and expressionless as she stayed silent.

Wang Li had reminded the makeup artist several times, but she dawdled anyway. Finally, Wang Li said, “Take your time and do it right—it’ll look better on camera. It’s good for her too. Otherwise, her fans will riot with the crew.”

Wang Li sat off to the side, lost in thought, her mind still locked in internal debate.

The curtain over Lin Shixia’s makeup room was pulled aside. A woman in somewhat androgynous clothes strode in, script rolled in hand. She coldly scanned Lin Shixia and the others. “The set’s all ready. Why isn’t the makeup done yet?”

The makeup artist’s heart jolted. Her hands sped up as she nudged Lin Shixia to her feet. To the director, she said, “All done. What do you think of the styling?”

Even as she spoke, she had already snapped a photo of Lin Shixia with her phone.

The director eyed it over, her expression softening slightly. “Hair’s not fixed yet?”

Makeup artist: “It’s supposed to be loose to start with. It’ll be quick.”

She pulled Lin Shixia back down and began styling her hair into an updo.

The director didn’t leave. She stood behind Lin Shixia, watching the makeup artist work.

Once she entered, no one dared speak much—not even Gu Liuguang, who felt a bit intimidated yet couldn’t resist sneaking peeks at the director. When she’d first arrived on set, the woman had been mobbed in the middle of the crowd. Gu Liuguang hadn’t gotten a good look and assumed she was a man.

The director seemed acutely sensitive to being watched. Sensing eyes on her, she whipped her head around.

Caught red-handed, Gu Liuguang froze for a second, then casually looked away. She glanced at Lin Shixia before withdrawing her gaze and pretending to fiddle with her phone.

The female director spoke up. “Who are you? How’d you get in here?”

Gu Liuguang blinked in surprise and instinctively looked to Lin Shixia. Frowning with faint impatience, Lin Shixia said curtly, “She’s my friend.”

The director’s gaze lingered between them for a moment, as if recalling something. She asked Gu Liuguang, “You were the one arguing with Lin Hang on set just now?”

Gu Liuguang looked at her nervously, fearing she’d be thrown out.

Instead, the director turned to Lin Shixia. “Is this your girlfriend?”

Lin Shixia’s face remained impassive. In a calm tone, she denied it. “No.”

The director nodded knowingly. “No guts, then.”