Duan Nong hesitated at the door for a long time.
She wanted to pull Rong Guang inside to see her mother, and ideally, have her stay the night at her house.
But with Chu Feiliang here, she was a little worried Chu Feiliang would want to come along too. Plus, there were still Tang Shi and Yi Chun. If she brought them all in, it would be too noisy, not to mention if they all wanted to stay… that would be a whole lot of trouble, and her family was not psychologically prepared at all.
Rong Guang seemed to see through her thoughts and spoke up directly, “You go on in. It’s not convenient for me to visit your aunt today. I haven’t prepared anything, it would be too rude.”
Duan Nong let out a disappointed “Oh,” pouting. Although she knew Rong Guang would say that, she still felt a little let down.
She looked up and said, “Then you have to come to my house when you have time.”
Rong Guang thought for a moment and agreed. She could just pick any day before the Farewell Stage. So she said, “Alright.”
Yi Chun and Tang Shi had also come to their senses by now, their timing just right.
Rong Guang looked at the two of them, feeling a bit of a headache. Tang Shi took the initiative and said, “The two of us can just take a taxi back. It’s not far.”
“Will that be okay?” Rong Guang was a little hesitant, worried for the two girls’ safety.
“It will.” Tang Shi nodded, her tone firm. “We only had a few bowls of fruit wine. It’s rush hour right now, and there are so many people around. Nothing will happen.”
So Rong Guang and Chu Feiliang watched as Tang Shi and Yi Chun left the residential complex, shoulder to shoulder.
Chu Feiliang tilted her head, observing their departing figures. She noticed a certain distance between them—odd, considering these people always liked to link arms with Rong Guang when they were together.
After a while, Tang Shi and Yi Chun were far away. Rong Guang looked at Chu Feiliang apologetically and said, “Sister, today was really…”
Too chaotic.
She hadn’t expected Duan Nong to suddenly bring Tang Shi and Yi Chun over to find her.
It was supposed to be a perfect time for them to be alone, a day Rong Guang had been looking forward to for a long time. She had even bought tickets for a midnight movie, wanting to see a re-release with Chu Feiliang.
After the movie, the two of them could have taken a stroll from the downtown cinema, wandering around outside. It would have been a great opportunity to deepen their relationship.
Unfortunately, it was all disrupted.
Chu Feiliang leaned against the car door, her hands in her pockets. She let out a light breath, a wisp of white mist accompanying her reply. “It wasn’t that bad. The first half was great, but the second half wasn’t so pleasant.”
Rong Guang lowered her head, her expression a little downcast.
Chu Feiliang’s eyes curved into a smile. Seeing that Rong Guang was in low spirits, she cleared her throat lightly.
Rong Guang’s attention immediately shifted to her.
She saw Chu Feiliang slowly part her lips and say, “So this time doesn’t really count, right? I didn’t get to eat my fill at all, and we didn’t do anything—look, we were interrupted halfway through by third wheels.”
Rong Guang’s eyes lit up, and her spirits instantly returned. She happily followed Chu Feiliang’s lead and began to carefully push her luck. “How about… how about we schedule another time?”
Although being interrupted this time was a bit upsetting, if they could have another date…
That would be like getting a freebie!
Rong Guang’s eyes were sparkling.
“Of course.” Chu Feiliang nodded generously, a grin revealing her teeth. She looked mischievous no matter how you saw it. “But if we’re going to have another date, some things need to change.”
Rong Guang saw it but pretended not to, playing along and asking, “How so?”
As long as they could be alone again, that was more important than anything.
If Chu Feiliang didn’t have work next time, she would definitely shamelessly stick to her all day long.
Maybe if it got late, she could even… even have Chu Feiliang stay over at her place, just like this time.
Then Chu Feiliang would definitely have to sleep in the same bed with her again.
It was a pity that everyone was just too tired this time.
It was a rare, genuine instance of sharing a bed, yet Rong Guang had almost no strong impression of it.
She only remembered that it was warm all around her, and she felt incredibly comfortable when she woke up, much, much better than sleeping alone.
Seeing Rong Guang’s unfocused gaze, Chu Feiliang knew her mind had wandered off again. She simply pointed in the direction of her own home and said, “Next time, we’ll eat at my place.”
Rong Guang was stunned.
Then she said, “…Huh…?”
Chu Feiliang pouted, glanced at the Duan family’s house behind them, and snorted coldly. “To avoid being disturbed by third wheels again.”
The term ‘third wheel’… wasn’t quite appropriate at this moment, was it?
Rong Guang blushed a little but didn’t deny it. With a hint of anticipation, she said, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Her words gave Chu Feiliang a pleasant sense of validation, and her entire demeanor brightened considerably.
After a moment, she said, “It’s getting late. Have Lulu drive you back.”
Rong Guang also knew it was getting late.
Without the residual warmth of the afternoon, the wind had started to pick up in the evening. The rush hour had passed, and the surroundings had become much quieter, making it feel even colder.
She gathered her clothes tighter and finally, reluctantly, got into the car.
On the way, Rong Guang watched the vibrant nightscape outside the window. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to Wang Lujie.
She wanted to ask about Chu Feiliang.
She wasn’t an idiot.
Back when they were on set, she had already felt that something was wrong.
Chu Feiliang’s condition fluctuated, especially on gloomy, rainy days. She would be alone, needing almost every light in the room turned on to its brightest setting, and still require some constant background noise.
Not only that, but her insomnia had also worsened, and her mood was always low… Using “not being in a good state” as an excuse didn’t seem to explain everything.
Moreover, Zhang Nanchuan was very accommodating towards her, clearly having known something for a long time.
It was something about Chu Feiliang’s past that even Rong Guang herself didn’t know.
And before she learned about Tang Shi’s diagnosis, her understanding of depression had mostly come from books and the internet.
Even now, most mainstream media reports on patients with depression… were not very objective or rational. It seemed that patients with this illness were often labeled as ‘melodramatic’ and were always told, ‘You’re just overthinking things.’
Rong Guang frowned.
She couldn’t bring herself to ask Wang Lujie about this; she definitely wouldn’t tell her anything.
She would have to find an opportunity to ask Chu Feiliang herself.
At this moment, she faintly wondered if Chu Feiliang’s hot-and-cold attitude towards her in her past life, always pretending not to see her hints or even her confessions, yet sometimes being exceptionally good to her as if to compensate… was it because she had been sick for a long time?
But no one could give her an answer to that question.
Rong Guang thought for a while, and by then, Wang Lujie had already driven to her apartment building.
She pursed her lips and said, “Thank you, Sister Lulu.”
Wang Lujie watched Rong Guang’s retreating back, which didn’t turn around but was moving noticeably slower, and fell into thought.
After returning, the more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
Wang Lujie didn’t go to the company. Instead, she made another trip to the Chu residence in the middle of the night.
The outer gate of the Chu residence had a keypad lock. As Chu Feiliang’s personal assistant, she knew the code and made her way to Chu Feiliang’s bedroom almost unimpeded.
In the bedroom, the curtains were drawn tightly by Chu Feiliang. Her hair was still down, she was wearing a bathrobe, and there were still some water stains on the floor.
Wang Lujie paused. Seeing the pile of pills on the bedside table, almost filling an adult’s palm, her eyelids twitched. “Not in a good mood?”
“No.” Chu Feiliang glanced back at her, then frowned as if pondering something. “How is Guangguang? Did you get her home safely?”
“Listening to you…” Wang Lujie hesitated. “How does it seem like you knew I would come back again?”
“Mm. I guessed.” Chu Feiliang replied faintly. The single day’s dose of pills she had separated out was placed on the nightstand, next to a glass of warm water.
She tilted her head back and swallowed them in several gulps. The entire glass of water made her stomach feel uncomfortably full, causing her expression to look a bit unwell. “Did she sense something was wrong?”
This time, Wang Lujie was truly at a loss for words.
After a moment, she said, “What are you thinking? You’re intentionally letting her find out about this? Then why don’t you just tell her outright…”
“I don’t dare to tell her outright.” Chu Feiliang glanced at Wang Lujie, a faint, wry smile on her face. “How am I supposed to tell her? What reason would I use as an opener? In today’s atmosphere, you want me to suddenly grab her and tell her that I like her, but I unfortunately have depression, and I hope she won’t reject me? Hope that after we get together, she can be patient with me and accommodate me in everything?”
Wang Lujie was rendered speechless by her words.
After a long moment, she scratched her head in frustration and said, “That… would be a bit like moral blackmail.”
“Mm,” Chu Feiliang replied softly. “Besides, she has a Farewell Stage at the end of the year. I don’t want to affect her state.”
She paused, then said, “If it weren’t for Tang Shi’s situation being so obvious today, I wouldn’t have…”
Exposed myself so early.
It was still a bit impulsive, she thought.
Chu Feiliang pressed her forehead. The pills had just been swallowed and hadn’t taken effect yet. Taking advantage of this last moment of relative clarity, she asked, “What was her reaction after she went back?”
Wang Lujie looked at Chu Feiliang for a long time before carefully choosing her words. “I can’t tell.”
Chu Feiliang glanced at her, her hand gripping the bedsheet tightening slightly. “What do you mean?”
Wang Lujie sighed. “Right now, she’s only guessing about your condition. What kind of reaction could she have… I know you want to leave a way out for both of you, to avoid making things awkward for everyone later on, but she can’t grasp your situation at all right now. Everything is based on guesswork. You…”
Wang Lujie paused, then said, “You’re still pushing the choice onto her. Aren’t you worried that after she finds out, she’ll feel she can’t handle you and then… really start avoiding you?”
“I am worried.” Chu Feiliang lowered her eyes, looking at her own palm.
The lines on her palm were distinct.
Six months ago, she had someone read her fortune, a fortune about her love life.
The master said he was only a novice and could only see that she had someone who would spend the rest of her life with her, but the process would not be smooth. It could even be said that the road ahead was fraught with difficulties, and there were many obstacles to overcome.
He couldn’t even figure out who this person was.
He couldn’t even give a general range.
Chu Feiliang secretly hoped it was Rong Guang, but she didn’t dare to actually ask, afraid the answer would be negative.
But things like metaphysics… even if you really sought it out and got an answer, it was just for your own psychological comfort.
Chu Feiliang sighed and said, “What else can I do? I’d rather she avoid me than have her truly get tired of me one day.”
Wang Lujie pursed her lips and couldn’t help but sigh as well.
She had been specially transferred to Chu Feiliang’s side by Chu Siyue. In fact, she didn’t have much time left before she had to return to her own post.
She had practically watched Chu Feiliang grow up, yet during this period, she had almost lost her temper several times because of Chu Feiliang’s state—unmotivated, self-pitying, stuck in a loop, blaming herself.
But for someone who is sick, their emotions are beyond their body’s control.
Yet in this world, there is no such thing as true empathy. Sometimes, when Wang Lujie watched her, she couldn’t help but wonder if Chu Feiliang was just being lazy and saying she was unwell because she didn’t want to try.
If this continued long-term…
Wang Lujie didn’t dare to think too much about it.
“The weather has been good lately.” Wang Lujie pursed her lips, her tone light. “There are more sunny days. Are you going back to the set?”
“I am.” Chu Feiliang nodded, feeling a bit drowsy.
She said, “Let’s take the car back tomorrow morning. The sooner we finish filming, the sooner we can come back. This year, Rong Guang… will probably spend the New Year in B City before going back to her hometown with her grandmother.”
She also wanted to cherish their time.
Otherwise, by the time she left the set, it would already be after the New Year.
At that point, the two of them really wouldn’t see each other for a long time.
Wang Lujie was a bit suspicious. “How do you know?”
As she spoke, she felt a breeze move the curtains. Wang Lujie went over to check and, sure enough, Chu Feiliang hadn’t closed the window properly.
A thin stream of cold wind blew on her fingers, making them feel chilly. She closed the window tightly and then carefully drew the curtains shut before returning to the bedside.
Chu Feiliang was already asleep and hadn’t answered the question she had just asked.
Wang Lujie glanced at the medicine on the table and the water trickling down the side of the glass. After a moment’s thought, she collected everything and took it away.
Downstairs, Chu Siyue was sitting in the living room.
The TV volume was turned down to its lowest setting. As Wang Lujie came down, she couldn’t help but start walking on her tiptoes, trying not to make a sound.
She went over and said, “Boss?”
Chu Siyue pointed to the sofa, gesturing for her to sit.
Wang Lujie casually placed the cup she was holding down and sat beside Chu Siyue without speaking.
After a while, Chu Siyue said, “After you’re done with Tiantian at the end of the year, come back to the company. Start handling Rong Guang’s affairs. From now on, you’ll be in charge of managing Rong Guang, handling all her future work. Let Congxue continue as her assistant. She also looked after Tiantian when she was young, so she’s the most familiar with Tiantian’s situation.”
Wang Lujie was stunned.
It was true that her work schedule had been arranged long ago. She had been temporarily transferred to Chu Feiliang’s side mainly to look after her health.
Other miscellaneous tasks were handled by several other personal assistants, so she was practically on paid leave.
But for her to manage Rong Guang…?
Wang Lujie said, “Didn’t you say before that Sister Xu Rou would be managing her? Didn’t she take the contract with her a couple of days ago?”
“Yes, the initial plan was for Xu Rou to manage her. Xu Rou is good at picking scripts.” Chu Siyue frowned, holding a cup of warm, steaming milk. “Tiantian suddenly told me to switch people, without saying why…”
Chu Feiliang usually didn’t interfere with the decisions Chu Siyue made regarding work.
But every time she did, there was a reason.
Chu Siyue trusted her only sister very much, and besides, changing the person managing Rong Guang wasn’t a big deal.
After thinking about it, Wang Lujie didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, personnel changes happened all the time and were a normal part of work.
“Alright,” Wang Lujie nodded.
“By the way.” Chu Siyue saw Wang Lujie getting up to leave and stopped her. She thought for a moment and said, “Tiantian and Rong Guang’s situation… what do you think? Is there a chance?”
A chance?
Wang Lujie said with a bit of a headache, “How do you want me to describe it… But seriously, Rong Guang is like a walking stimulant. No matter what kind of fit Xiao Chu is having, as soon as Rong Guang stands there, she suddenly seems to come alive. And not only does she come alive, she also…” Wang Lujie recalled the recent situations when Rong Guang was present, gritted her teeth, and said, “How many times have you seen Xiao Chu act coquettishly towards someone? She uses roundabout ways to lure the little girl onto her pirate ship. Whenever she’s with Rong Guang, her mind works faster than anyone’s. You can’t see any trace of the person who can’t stop crying and goes through a whole pack of tissues. It’s a real pity she wasn’t born in the Warring States period…”
Chu Siyue raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Is it really like that?”
“Of course.” Wang Lujie couldn’t help but want to laugh when she thought about it. She shook her head. “Zhang Nanchuan rarely uses kiss scenes to attract attention in his scripts. There was one movie that got pushed to the top of the hot search several times by crying netizens because it had no kiss scenes. This time, however, Xiao Chu managed to talk Director Zhang into it. A script that originally had no kiss scenes now has five or six, and Director Zhang seems to be getting happier the more he adds.”
“Adding scenes?” Chu Siyue rested her chin on her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face. “You’ve just reminded me… that movie, The Lover. After Tiantian asked me to negotiate for it, they still haven’t started filming, have they? And she’s not in a hurry at all.”
Wang Lujie froze, her expression suddenly becoming intriguing.
“Boss, I suddenly have a bold idea.” Wang Lujie’s expression was odd. She frowned and thought for a moment. “I’ve read the script for The Lover. It’s considered a key project under our current national policy, a state-supported project. The female lead is undoubtedly Xiao Chu, but the character profile for the second female lead…”
Chu Siyue met her gaze. The milk cup clinked against its saucer, making a crisp sound.
After a moment, Chu Siyue said slowly, “Rong Guang did indeed come from a girl group…”
“And she became famous for her dancing…” Wang Lujie added.
Chu Siyue’s expression also became intriguing. She took a slow sip of her milk and said, “I heard she also studied martial arts…”
“So does she know Chinese dance?” Wang Lujie narrowed her eyes.
Chu Siyue and Wang Lujie looked at each other.
After a moment, Chu Siyue said, “Tomorrow, don’t stay on set. Come back to the company with me to look at the script.”
“You got it!” Wang Lujie smiled, her eyes curving. She planned to tell Chu Siyue about what Chu Feiliang did today when she saw her tomorrow.
What if Rong Guang really got scared and was unwilling to have any further contact with Chu Feiliang… then they would have to think of another plan, right?
But if you asked her.
—Given how much Chu Feiliang acted up on a daily basis, and Rong Guang could still tolerate it without a word, even letting Chu Feiliang push her luck. The possibility of her rejecting her… seemed rather small.
After all, she was secretly using a photo of the other person’s abs as her wallpaper.
And who knew if she had collected anything more risqué.
Rong Guang was a person who always planned ahead.
She wouldn’t let her imagination run wild and think of the worst-case scenario for everything.
But she still had to consider the things that needed considering, to avoid being caught off guard by a sudden event and having everything fall apart.
For example, why Chu Feiliang had suddenly disappeared in her past life.
For example, why after every period of activity in the film and television industry, she would correspondingly go quiet for a while, not taking on any dramas or variety shows, not even interviews.
She had already won most of the awards she could win.
When choosing scripts, she no longer pursued blockbuster hits or high traffic. Instead, she chose scripts she liked more freely. Production, promotion, and the like were no longer within her consideration in her past life. When she wasn’t filming dramas or movies, her favorite place to be was the grand theater.
But why would she still suddenly disappear?
Rong Guang couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
Although Chu Feiliang would give her a heads-up before each ‘disappearance,’ when she said she was going to be ‘busy,’ she would truly and completely vanish without a trace.
Rong Guang could never figure out the reason behind it.
But now… she couldn’t help but wonder, was it because Chu Feiliang was sick?
Was each disappearance actually her undergoing treatment?
If that was really the case… what should she do?
Giving up was something she couldn’t bear to do.
Rong Guang also didn’t think she would shy away from Chu Feiliang just because of this damn illness.
That would be a disservice to her many years of affection, and even more so to the preciousness of Chu Feiliang’s efforts to maintain their friendship while deliberately hiding her illness from her.
So, for the next few days, during her breaks from dance practice, Rong Guang would often find herself staring blankly outside.
Duan Nong came over to ask her several times, but Rong Guang always managed to brush her off.
Duan Nong couldn’t get anything out of her and was quite annoyed. “Now you know to worry about the stage performance. What were you doing before!”
Rong Guang wasn’t thinking about that at all, so she didn’t care what Duan Nong said.
It was just that during this time, even Duan Nong’s attitude was a bit strange.
When she saw her, she would either avert her gaze or seem particularly eager, as if she had something she wanted to say. Rong Guang couldn’t figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it.
Then she decided to seek advice from a senior.
When Rong Guang found Xu Mingli to talk about this, Xu Mingli was making a small backpack for Chacha.
Chacha adored Doraemon in all his various poses.
But some things she couldn’t buy, and Xu Mingli happened to be free. To motivate Chacha to study hard, she would sew special little Doraemon bags for her on the balcony in her spare time.
They ranged from large schoolbags to small, chubby coin purses.
She was determined to dress Chacha up as the cutest high school student.
Hearing Rong Guang’s question, Xu Mingli was stunned for a moment. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
Rong Guang was asking about what kind of mindset Xu Mingli had when her grandfather was in his final days.
This was a very distant memory.
Rong Guang had almost no impression of her grandfather, only remembering him as an old man constantly plagued by illness.
He had many old wounds from the war in his youth. Shrapnel flowed with his blood, stuck inside his body, and some pieces were even untraceable.
Although his life was very painful, Rong Guang remembered that her grandmother had sent her grandfather off with a smile. She said her grandfather passed away peacefully. In fact, because he could no longer feel pain, he didn’t know suffering and smiled very happily. He even regained his spirit and spoke with her.
Not only that, but before he passed, her grandfather had also stroked her grandmother’s head in his usual doting manner.
Because her grandmother was nearly twenty years younger than her grandfather, she had never done any heavy labor. She could only cook the simplest meals, and all the household chores were handled by her grandfather.
This was all what her grandmother had told her.
Rong Guang blinked and said, “I was too young back then, I only remember some very fragmented pieces… Grandma, can you tell me in detail? Were you tired taking care of Grandpa back then? Did you feel it was hard? Did you feel Grandpa was a burden?”
The string of questions made Xu Mingli a little dizzy.
She herself hadn’t brought up this matter for many years and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
Seemingly aware that her only precious granddaughter had encountered some difficult problem, Xu Mingli thought very carefully and said, “Where do you want Grandma to start…”
“Start from the beginning?” Rong Guang pursed her lips, saying thoughtfully, “Tell me about your happiest and unhappiest moments, what you were most willing to part with and what you couldn’t bear to lose.”
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