Chu Feiliang laughed heartily, like a cat that had successfully stolen a fish. Even the atmosphere around her became much more lively.
Rong Guang didn’t know why she was suddenly so happy, but if Chu Feiliang was happy, she had no reason not to be. She followed along with a silly grin.
However, just as Rong Guang was about to be muddled through this whole affair, she suddenly heard Chu Feiliang, who was leading the way, say, “You still haven’t answered me.”
Rong Guang looked up, her eyes gentle, and said in a soft voice, “What?”
“Cool down from what?” Chu Feiliang grinned, revealing eight teeth. She raised a finger and tapped lightly on Rong Guang’s lips, hovering up and down, close but not quite touching. Her eyes were alluring, and she had an indescribably mischievous look on her face.
Rong Guang’s face instantly turned red again.
She subconsciously touched her lips with the knuckle of her index finger, the very spot Chu Feiliang had just vaguely tapped.
Even though there was no real contact, it felt as if it was itching, making her want Chu Feiliang to truly touch her even more.
Her eyes moist, she said, “Just now, you…”
“Hm?” Chu Feiliang responded with an inquisitive sound, her eyes full of affirmation, seemingly encouraging Rong Guang to say it.
Rong Guang pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “Biting me could be considered an explanation, but why did you… also lick me… Does venting your anger require using… using your tongue?”
By the end of her sentence, Rong Guang was already blushing.
She had always found wet kisses rather disgusting, no matter who it was with.
Although she had no experience in this area, she was often kissed on the cheek by elders when she was little.
When she was young, her mother would often kiss her cheek, but whenever she felt the dampness and wet sensation on her face, she would wipe it clean with a look of disgust.
Wiping it wasn’t enough; she had to wash it with water and then rub it a couple of times.
Only when her face was sore from rubbing would she feel less uncomfortable.
But when Chu Feiliang kissed her…
Rong Guang carefully took a deep breath, feeling the small of her back go a little weak again, and her legs felt a bit numb.
Not only was she not repulsed, but she also wanted to kiss again.
This was really… not a good sign.
She secretly glanced at Chu Feiliang, and just before Chu Feiliang’s gaze could catch her peeking, she quickly looked away.
Chu Feiliang smiled and said, “Didn’t I just explain it?”
Rong Guang looked at her, her face clearly saying, “You’re lying to me.”
Chu Feiliang had her hands in her pockets, her steps light, clearly in a great mood. She even reached out to touch the bare trunk of a tree they passed. “Wasn’t it because I felt bad after biting you, so I licked it better? I just told you. Have you forgotten so quickly?”
“I haven’t forgotten…” Rong Guang’s voice was a bit weak.
She remembered it all.
Chu Feiliang had indeed explained it to her, and the logic was perfect, even flawless.
But she still felt like she was being fooled.
Rong Guang wrinkled her nose, her lips pressed tightly together as she thought hard, trying to find some loophole.
After walking a bit further, she saw Zhang Nanchuan from the neighboring crew talking with the director of the second unit. Her eyes suddenly lit up as she thought of an excellent idea.
As a person, she had to reciprocate.
It wasn’t right for Chu Feiliang to treat her like this all the time. She had to stand up and return the favor.
Although she had no experience in her past life, she did have a pile of reference materials saved on her computer. Her theoretical knowledge was second to none!
With this thought, Rong Guang couldn’t help but straighten her back. She felt that with such strong theoretical knowledge, her practical skills couldn’t be that bad!
Rong Guang’s final scenes were mainly in the Eldest Princess’s residence, so she had to return to the film base in the end.
The scenes in Lu Xi continued filming for nearly another week before they were finished. The upcoming scenes were on a tight schedule, with adjustments being made day and night.
By the time filming wrapped up at noon and the entire crew returned to the base, it was already the end of November.
Everyone was exhausted. The dark circles under Zhang Nanchuan’s eyes had never disappeared; instead, they had become more and more obvious. From a distance, he looked like a dried sausage, and he had lost a significant amount of weight.
The weather was getting colder, and the sun was losing its warmth. Even on a bright, sunny day, the orange-yellow of summer was gone, replaced by a pervasive cool tone.
Sitting in the car, Rong Guang stuck her finger out for a moment, felt the bone-chilling wind from the crack in the window, and immediately pulled it back in.
“It’s so cold,” she mumbled, instinctively adjusting the small scarf around Chacha’s neck.
Chacha nodded, her cheeks puffed out, a stick in her mouth. “It is really cold… Sister Guangguang, are we going home for the New Year?”
“We are,” Rong Guang confirmed with a nod.
She was lucky to wrap up before December.
This year, the New Year was around the end of January. After the Farewell Stage, she would have about ten days free.
Her family always had New Year’s Eve dinner at home. But just like in previous years, it would only be her, Grandma, and Chacha.
Rong Guang cherished this year’s New Year. She wanted to make up for past regrets because, in her previous life, her grandmother had passed away before the New Year.
Her grandmother hadn’t made it through that Spring Festival.
Rong Guang pursed her lips. No matter how many times she thought about it, the memory of that cold, dark red coffin brought a dull ache to her heart.
Rong Guang thought for a moment and said, “Chacha, this New Year, you can invite some of your friends to our house. I can reimburse all their travel expenses. You can invite your friends from the village and the town—we can really get into the Spring Festival spirit, and you can take the opportunity to make more friends. How about it?”
The friends Chacha could make at her age wouldn’t be driven by gains and losses. If she could make good friends, Chacha might be happier in the future and have more people to talk to.
In fact, in her past life, when she was in her late teens and early twenties, she disliked the Spring Festival the most.
The hustle and bustle of the city were always mixed with endless traffic and the endless electronic sounds broadcast through TVs and computers.
After losing her grandma and Chacha in her past life, the holiday she hated and wanted to avoid the most was the Spring Festival.
But when she occasionally saw other families celebrating together, Rong Guang would turn on all the lights in every room to their brightest, sit alone by the bay window, and always feel very lonely.
She had wanted to get a pet, but she knew she was alone and often had to travel for work, so she couldn’t take good care of one. She could only endure it and go to the nearby stray animal shelter to pet the cats and dogs.
During the New Year, she would often return to her old family home alone, silently cleaning it from top to bottom until it was dust-free, before falling into an exhausted sleep.
But when she woke up the next day, she would find that no one was there to wake her up with cheerful chatter, let alone someone bringing her a hot breakfast, telling her not to be a sleepyhead with a look of both affection and mock annoyance.
Chacha noticed that Rong Guang’s expression seemed a bit lonely, so she thought carefully and said, “Coconut’s parents are abroad, and their family doesn’t seem to celebrate the Spring Festival much. She said she doesn’t like the social obligations on her brother’s side during the festival and wants to come back to my hometown with me this year, treating it like a trip… Can I invite Coconut over for the holiday?”
“Of course, you can.” Rong Guang smiled, her attention pulled back by Chacha. Her eyes curved as she said, “It would be best if she’s willing to come.”
Ye Zi had a simple personality, and her family didn’t have many expectations for her. She had always taken good care of Chacha.
The two little ones could often chat about things no one else understood, their thought processes completely in sync.
Rong Guang, after all, had been through this before. She knew that a friend like Ye Zi was a rare find. If possible, she also hoped to foster the friendship between Ye Zi and Chacha.
Because it was a friendship untainted by personal gain, it was the most suitable for Chacha.
“Mhm.” Chacha nodded vigorously. “I can take Coconut to my secret base. We can play hide-and-seek at my grandpa’s house, and I can also take her to pay respects to my grandparents.”
“That’s a good plan,” Rong Guang mused.
Chacha’s own house was rather dilapidated. After all, with her parents passing away one after another, leaving only a teenage girl, it couldn’t be very clean.
But it was still a while before it would be considered a condemned building.
For a haunted house adventure, the three-story earthen building was certainly suitable, more than enough, in fact.
Calculating the time, the transfer of Chacha’s household registration should be finalized next year or the year after. Grandma had already prepared a separate room for Chacha at home, right next to her own.
From then on, Chacha would be her official younger sister.
Rong Guang’s eyes curved as she thought for a moment and said, “If Coconut is coming, I’ll hide some New Year’s money in your house in advance for you two to have a treasure hunt, along with some small gifts and props.”
She could buy extra contraptions online. Rong Guang wanted to give Chacha a particularly wonderful childhood as much as possible.
This was a happiness she herself had never had, and she hoped Chacha could be as happy as possible, without having to worry about anything.
“Okay!” Chacha immediately began to look forward to this year’s New Year, her eyes sparkling, filled with stars.
A girl of fourteen or fifteen, though mature in personality, was still a child at heart.
Rong Guang chuckled softly and reached out to pat Chacha’s soft head.
Rong Guang took a sip of water, exhaling a puff of white mist. Just as she wiped the condensation from the car window, she felt the vehicle seem to stop.
“We’re here!” a girl in the front row shouted cheerfully. Many people woke up from their drowsy state and began to pack their things.
The bumpy ride had lasted for several hours, and everyone was quite tired, eager to go back and rest.
Rong Guang turned her head to look at Chu Feiliang.
She was sleeping beside her, wearing headphones and an eye mask, her head resting on Rong Guang’s shoulder.
The entire back row was theirs. Chu Feiliang was probably exhausted from the rush of filming; she was sleeping soundly even in this awkward position and hadn’t woken up yet.
Rong Guang waited until most of the people had left before taking off her headphones and patting her gently. “Sister, wake up, we’re here.”
After a moment, Chu Feiliang finally showed some reaction.
The lights in the car weren’t glaring, but the moment she took off her eye mask, she still squinted, unaccustomed to the light. She shielded her eyes with her hand and rubbed them, saying, “We’re here?”
Rong Guang rarely saw Chu Feiliang’s groggy, just-woken-up appearance. Finding it a bit cute, she watched for a while longer before smiling and saying, “We’re here. Let’s get off and eat—the director gave us half a day off today. We can rest well this afternoon and start work again tomorrow morning.”
Chu Feiliang didn’t seem to be in high spirits. After a moment of silence, she looked at Rong Guang and said, “Once the final scene is done tomorrow, you’ll be leaving the crew, right?”
Rong Guang nodded and responded with a soft sound. She felt a bit helpless and reluctant but could only say, “Yes…”
After the final scene, actors would usually choose to leave the crew to catch up on their next schedules.
Of course, some were reluctant to leave and would choose to stay with the crew for a couple more days.
But doing so often made it harder to leave. Rong Guang was all too experienced with this. It was better to make a clean break to avoid crying when it was time to go.
Chu Feiliang clicked her tongue, put on her jacket, and said, “Let’s talk after we get off. The smell in this car is making me feel sick.”
Only then did Rong Guang grab her things and follow Chu Feiliang off the car.
When the crisp, cool air outside rushed into her nose, Rong Guang felt a bit more awake.
She took a deep breath and looked at Chu Feiliang beside her, noticing that her lips were a bit pale, not as rosy as before.
“Sister, are you still not feeling well?” Rong Guang was a little worried.
Chu Feiliang’s appetite had been poor these past few days. Due to the numerous scenes, she hadn’t gotten enough sleep, and her stomach problems were showing signs of flaring up again. The filming schedule was very tight; she was often woken up right after falling asleep.
With all her time being squeezed like this, her body definitely couldn’t take it.
The sudden relaxation meant that she had been sleeping the entire way back.
Chu Feiliang didn’t deny it. She nodded, her face a bit weary, and said, “I’ll be fine after some rest. It’s nothing serious, just tired.”
Rong Guang couldn’t rest easy and only relented after walking her all the way to her door.
On her way back, she happened to run into Wang Lujie, who was rushing back from outside. She said with some surprise, “Sister Lulu?”
She hadn’t seen any sign of Wang Lujie on the way back. She had been told that Wang Lujie had returned a day earlier in a different car to handle some matters, entrusting Chu Feiliang to her care. Since Rong Guang had no scenes in Lu Xi for the next few days, she was in surprisingly good shape. Plus, since it was Chu Feiliang she was looking after, she had no reason to refuse.
Wang Lujie was carrying a large package. She paused when she saw Rong Guang, then closed the bag and hurriedly asked, “Xiao Chu is back already?”
Rong Guang nodded and said, “I walked her back to her room. She doesn’t look well… She fell asleep as soon as she got in, she barely had the energy to wash up.”
Wang Lujie frowned, took two steps, then remembered to turn back and thank Rong Guang.
Watching Wang Lujie’s hastily departing figure, Rong Guang felt that something was not quite right, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
This wasn’t the first time she’d had this feeling, but Rong Guang could never figure out a specific reason.
This realization made her a little unhappy.
She stood in the hallway for a while. No one came out of Chu Feiliang’s room. Rong Guang waited a bit longer before reluctantly returning to her own room.
After they left, cleaning staff would come up to tidy the rooms, so her room was still very clean.
Chacha, like a little puppy, first patrolled her territory before setting out the food on the table, waiting for Rong Guang to come and eat.
Rong Guang had started to regain weight over the past few days.
With Jiang Wenmou’s scenes finished, she had to go back and film a few scenes as Wen Mou.
If her face was too plump, she could rely on makeup and post-production to touch it up, but if she was too thin, it wouldn’t work. She wouldn’t be able to portray Wen Mou’s particularly blessed and clever appearance.
However, she had been craving for many days, and with so much delicious food, she wouldn’t get tired of eating it.
As Chacha ate, she encouraged Rong Guang, saying, “Sister Guangguang, eat up and go to bed early. You have to wake up early tomorrow morning. It’s the last scene, you need to be in high spirits.”
Rong Guang acknowledged her, thinking of the next morning’s scene, and smiled with curved eyes.
—She had been saving up her mischief for over a week, just waiting to unleash it all tomorrow.
Hopefully, Chu Feiliang wouldn’t be angry tomorrow.
Rong Guang thought about Chu Feiliang’s state these past two days, and her heart felt a little unsettled.
Early the next morning, Rong Guang got on the car to the set.
The weather was too cold, and Chacha didn’t feel like driving the small four-wheeler in the cold wind, so they both took the bus.
She looked left and right; Chu Feiliang’s RV was no longer downstairs.
Chacha said, “Sister Chu seemed to have gotten up especially early today. She drove off before dawn, but it didn’t look like she was heading to the set. I don’t know where she went.”
Rong Guang was taken aback. She thought for a moment and said, “She probably went to an engagement, right?”
Chu Feiliang had a lot on her plate. Even after joining the crew, she hadn’t taken on any new engagements, but some things couldn’t be postponed. She had to squeeze out time to attend them.
Chacha didn’t know either, only that Chu Feiliang’s car had headed towards the base exit. As for where exactly she went, she couldn’t say.
So Chacha shook her head, sat back down in her seat, and stared at the black screen of her iPad. She thought for a moment and said, “Sister Guangguang, when we come back, let’s borrow a small car.”
“What’s wrong?” Rong Guang also sat back down.
Chacha looked listless and poked the iPad screen. “I don’t dare to look at my phone or tablet on the bus, it makes me want to throw up. But doing nothing for half an hour is so boring.”
Rong Guang rubbed Chacha’s head and said, “Today is the last day.”
As she spoke, she looked out the window.
The base was still under construction, surrounded by large patches of yellow earth and unfinished buildings. When they first joined the crew, they could still see plenty of resilient green grass growing, but now only a withered yellow patch remained.
“If you lit a fire, it would burn everything clean for hundreds of meters around,” Chacha said seriously, following Rong Guang’s gaze outside, teasing her.
The slightly melancholic mood that had just risen in Rong Guang was instantly swept away by Chacha. She said, exasperated, “Set fire to the mountain, and you’ll rot in jail. If a minor commits arson, I, as the guardian, will have to bear legal responsibility and pay compensation. I don’t have any money.”
Chacha laughed. “I was just kidding.”
As she spoke, she rubbed her small face against Rong Guang’s shoulder again.
Rong Guang smiled and pinched her cheek.
“By the way, Sister Guangguang,” Chacha suddenly said, “Grumpy Sister said she wants to visit you tonight to congratulate you on wrapping up. Are you letting her come?”
Rong Guang frowned and said, “How did she tell you that?”
“I don’t really remember.” Chacha mumbled, “She just said that she had an emergency last time. She said her mom was in a car accident and broke a leg, so she was scared and didn’t want to go back alone. She wanted you to see her off, but she forgot you were injured too…”
Chacha thought for a moment and said, “Anyway, she was just explaining why she insisted on you seeing her wrap up and seeing her off at the airport that day, but wasn’t willing to come over herself.”
“A car accident?” Rong Guang was stunned. “Tell her not to come. Taking care of her mother is more important. Help me reply to her.”
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