Watering Horses in the Long River
In the early summer of that year, in June, two months after Lu Mingxin and Gu Qinglan reunited, the drama "Shattered Mountains and Rivers" officially began filming. The main shooting location was a newly built film studio on the outskirts of Beijing.
The opening ceremony and the film studio's unveiling ceremony were held on the same day. Aerial shots during the ceremony swept over the massive, cyan-colored city walls. The late Tang Dynasty-style architecture, set against the surrounding green mountains and lucid waters, created an instantaneous feeling of time travel.
It was midsummer. In the back garden of General Xuanwei's residence, under the shade of the trees, were several ladies of the household in palace attire, enjoying the cool air.
The one in a goose-yellow blouse, with her hair in a double-ring bun, looked to be only seventeen or eighteen. Yet, amidst her delicate and charming features, a hint of peerless beauty was already discernible.
She cupped her head in her hands, resting half her body on the lap of the noblewoman reclining on a bamboo couch, and said coquettishly, "Mother, I don't like Mu-gege. I don't want to go to their residence."
The noblewoman, exasperated by her lack of ambition, tapped her forehead with a round fan. "What did Mu-gege do to you now? He just made you recite a few texts. You're so unscholarly, can't you even be disciplined?"
The young girl, her forehead smarting from the tap and her mother's scolding, pouted unhappily. "I like riding horses and archery. I don't like those stuffy, pedantic essays. And he's so fierce, he even scolded me..."
The noblewoman huffed. "Don't you dare make false accusations. Yiqing is such a refined person, how could he be fierce? It must have been you being mischievous and provoking him again."
The young girl was speechless and could only keep pouting. "Everyone speaks well of him. What's so good about him? He's far worse than Senior Brother."
With the executive director's call of "This one's good," the camera stopped rolling, and the crew members returned to their positions.
Lu Mingxin let out a big sigh and looked up at the actress playing the noblewoman, smiling. "Sister Li, thank you for your hard work!"
Li Yuan, who played General Lu's wife, had been a renowned huadan1 in her youth. Now, nearing fifty, she still retained her charm. She smiled lightly and said, "It's nothing. Everyone worked hard."
General Lu's wife had many scenes in the early part of the drama, most of them with Lu Mingxin. Li Yuan's acting skills were widely acclaimed; her expressions and tone were precise and on point. Lu Mingxin found it much easier to act opposite her.
She expressed her gratitude to Li Yuan for her hard work, but in reality, she herself was the most hardworking. When she read the script, she only felt that the female lead had a significant role. It was only when filming actually began that she realized she was needed in most scenes, nearly a third more than even the male lead, Mo Qi.
Today, she had filmed three scenes. Fortunately, they were all transitional scenes and dialogue-heavy scenes. Reciting lines was manageable. The real test of her physical and mental limits would come later when the action scenes and major dramatic scenes began filming.
Mo Qi's scenes had finished in the morning. He had already removed his wig and changed his clothes and was sitting nearby, cheering her on.
Seeing that she had also finished filming, he smiled as she approached and casually poked her cheek. "Why is Miss Lu a little unhappy?"
To create a girlish, charming look, the makeup artist had tried to make her cheeks look round and full, appearing fair, tender, and plump, indeed very poke-able.
Lu Mingxin was used to being casual with him and didn't feel there was anything inappropriate. Instead, she started to playfully fight back, still in her costume, standing on her tiptoes to poke his cheek. "You know I'm unhappy, yet you still provoke me!"
Mo Qi immediately dodged left and right with a smile. Due to the difference in height and strength, Lu Mingxin ultimately failed to get her way. But just as she finished playing, she looked up and saw a figure standing outside the crowd.
After the drama started filming, because the film studio was somewhat far from the city, most people chose to stay in the hotel built as part of the studio's facilities. Anyway, the production team covered accommodation costs, which was quite convenient.
Only a few people, like Mo Qi, would drive back to their homes in the city. Gu Qinglan, however, would come with his car every day to take Lu Mingxin to the studio and then bring her back to the villa to stay after filming.
Lu Mingxin had no objection to this. She was already exhausted and hoped to stay somewhere more comfortable. Besides, Gu Qinglan's villa was in the suburbs, closer than the city center, making the commute relatively convenient.
Lu Mingxin felt that her relationship with Mo Qi was open and aboveboard. Seeing Gu Qinglan, she didn't feel anything was amiss. Still smiling and playfully tussling with Mo Qi, she greeted Gu Qinglan, "Qinglan, we finished quite early today. You didn't have to wait too long."
Gu Qinglan merely gave a faint acknowledgment and then glanced at Mo Qi. What kind of person was Mo Qi? One look from him, and Mo Qi immediately, without a fuss, pushed Lu Mingxin aside and greeted Gu Qinglan with a smile, "Mr. Gu."
Gu Qinglan also nodded and smiled at him. "Mr. Mo."
The gazes of the two handsome men met. Within a ten-foot radius around them, the atmosphere was truly one of chilling tension, where not even a blade of grass could grow.
Yet, Lu Mingxin, oblivious to the danger, pulled Mo Qi, who had voluntarily moved aside, back to her. She smiled and hugged his arm, saying to Gu Qinglan, "Qinglan, starting tomorrow, Qi-gege and I will have scenes together. I'm so looking forward to it."
Gu Qinglan just smiled faintly. "Very good."
Mo Qi blinked and smiled, as if to say, "I already moved away once, but she insisted on sticking to me..." And so, their eyes met again, the chilling tension palpable, not a blade of grass daring to grow.
After removing her makeup and changing out of her costume, on the ride back in the car, Lu Mingxin was so tired that she couldn't help but fall asleep, her head resting on Gu Qinglan's lap.
It had only been a week since filming started, but her jawline had become noticeably sharper. Now, asleep on his lap, she was mumbling in her sleep.
Gu Qinglan listened carefully for a few sentences. It turned out she was reciting her lines for tomorrow, something like, "I have long heard of the general's esteemed reputation and admired you for a long time. To have the fortune of meeting you today, I will surely remember it for a lifetime."
She had mentioned it was her first scene with Mo Qi, and also a crucial moment in the entire drama:
The innocent and charming young lady, unwilling to obey her parents' order to marry the son of the prime minister whom she had known since childhood, runs away from home disguised as a man. However, in the marketplace, she coincidentally encounters the young general she has admired for days.
Although she had only been away from home for a few hours and hadn't even managed to escape the capital city before her father's personal guards found her, this encounter was like a twist of fate, connecting her and the young general for the first time, planting the seeds for their future reunion, and eventually, their mutual understanding and companionship.
Gu Qinglan gently closed his eyes. The face that appeared before him was another, incredibly similar to hers.
Perhaps due to years of martial arts training, her complexion was darker, her features colder and more resolute. She wore military attire, the green armor and red cloak intertwined, making her look like a rose blooming on steel.
She looked at him coldly, her words indifferent, "Gu Qinglan, between you and me, there is nothing but a marriage contract... But even if you break my legs and lock me in your backyard, I will go find General Mo. He is the one on the battlefield to whom I can entrust my life!"
What had he done? He had looked back at her with the same icy gaze, sneered, and then turned and left.
To this day, Gu Qinglan still wondered, if he were given another chance, would he still act in that same way, doing those things on his own accord, yet always turning away from her coldly, disdaining to explain?
He had thought about it many times, but in the end, he felt he probably still would, even if it meant eternal damnation.
Why? Because he always believed that if even mutual understanding required such step-by-step explanations, such detailed clarifications, then the affection and even love obtained in such a way would be far too pitiful.
Lu Mingxin fell asleep in the car. When she opened her eyes again, she was already lying in bed.
The sky outside was already dark. She turned her head to look and only saw the floor lamp by the window was on. Under the dim yellow light, the person's silhouette was submerged in the flickering light and shadow, looking somewhat distant.
Just as she was about to sit up, her stomach let out an inopportune "gurgle." She smiled a little sheepishly. "I didn't eat dinner..."
It seemed that because she made a sound, he finally looked up at her. The light was somewhat dim; she only saw his lips curve slightly, as if he smiled faintly, and then he said, "Hungry? I'll ask the kitchen to send up some supper."
His voice was so soft that if the room hadn't been so quiet, Lu Mingxin might not have heard what he was saying at all.
She paused for a moment. Seeing that he had finished speaking, he then stood up, supporting himself on the back of the chair. In the dim light, she also saw his body sway slightly as he stood.
For some reason, she felt a wave of panic. She quickly jumped out of bed, without even putting on her shoes, and ran to his side, hugging him. "Qinglan? Are you unwell?"
Now that she was closer, she saw that his face was indeed pale. But he just glanced at her, then smiled and gently pulled her hands away from himself.
His voice was still very low when he spoke, but his body was already standing ramrod straight. "It's nothing. I'm going out for a bit. You should rest some more."
This was the first time Lu Mingxin had been pushed away by him. She paused in surprise. He had already walked out of the room and gently closed the door.
She wasn't a particularly perceptive person, but in that instant, she clearly sensed something from him.
She had only glanced at his eyes, yet it seemed his gaze and expression, for some unknown reason, concealed a faint loneliness. It was as if the depths of his eyes were filled with a kind of weariness.
She stood there thinking for a long time before she could barely come up with an analogy: like a pine tree standing on a cliff, laden with accumulated snow, very solitary and aloof, and also very lonely.
She didn't understand why he would show such an expression and gaze; she just instinctively felt a pang of heartache.
After a while, the kitchen sent up chicken soup wontons, but Gu Qinglan still hadn't returned.
Since some time ago, they had moved into the same room. Since he hadn't come back yet, he must have gone to the study downstairs.
Lu Mingxin thought of his pale face from earlier and lost her appetite even for her favorite wontons. She quickly finished them while they were hot and went downstairs to find him.
After Ye Qian and Li Angyue left, no one lived on the first floor. It was late now, and the lights in the living room had been turned off. As she walked down, her surroundings were dark, with only a sliver of light coming from the half-open door of the study.
She didn't knock, but lightened her steps, pushed open the door, and walked in. After entering, she indeed saw him half-reclining in the chair behind the desk, resting with his eyes closed. His face was still pale, his brow slightly furrowed. Perhaps because the light was brighter, his complexion looked even worse than before.
Lu Mingxin walked over and knelt down in front of him. When she faced him, she often had this feeling: she clearly knew he was suffering, but she didn't understand why he was suffering.
Thus, no matter how much her heart ached for him, her concern could only be superficial.
She gently rested her head on his lap, held his hand that was hanging by his side, and said softly, "Qinglan, don't be too far from me... I'm afraid I won't be able to reach you."
Gu Qinglan opened his eyes to look at her. She rarely said such sentimental things. As she spoke, her gaze was lowered, and her cheek, nestled against his lap, pressed a little closer to him.
The heavy worry and unease emanating from her body were palpable. He looked at her, and even though his head was splitting with pain, he still managed a faint smile and said to her, "It's nothing. I was afraid I'd scare you."
Lu Mingxin's fingers involuntarily tightened, gripping his almost cold hand even more firmly. She muttered in a low voice, "Disappearing without a word would scare me more."
She sounded so aggrieved that he couldn't help but chuckle, turning his head to cough lightly twice. Hearing him cough, Lu Mingxin became even more nervous. She simply stood up and reached out with both hands, intending to turn his head to look at him.
Gu Qinglan took her hand and had her sit on his lap. His face was still pale, and his tightly furrowed brow hadn't relaxed, yet he smiled at her. "I'm fine. I'll be better in a little while. Don't worry too much."
Lu Mingxin looked at him for a while. In front of him, she always felt at a loss for words, tongue-tied. No matter what she said, she couldn't express herself. She thought for a moment and simply leaned over to kiss his pale lips.
Although they were already engaged and always slept in the same room, their intimate actions were limited to this, and eight out of ten times, it was Lu Mingxin who initiated it.
She kissed him lightly, then kissed his cheek, and finally hugged his body, resting her head on his shoulder, and said to him in a low voice, "Qinglan, we haven't been together for long. If there's anything I'm not doing well, you must tell me."
She waited for a while but still didn't get his answer, so she added, "If you don't say anything, then when you're sad, I'll be even sadder..."
This time, after a short pause, she heard him sigh softly. "Alright."
Lu Mingxin didn't know when she fell asleep. She remembered being too tired and falling asleep in Gu Qinglan's arms not long after she finished speaking.
When she opened her eyes again, what she saw was an antique-style bedroom. Outside the window, bamboo shadows danced, casting patterns on the crimson gauze window screen.
The curtains in the room were drawn low. In the incense burner in the center of the room, a stick of incense was still burning, its smoke curling and lingering in the air.
She subconsciously thought she had fallen asleep on set and quickly looked around. But whether behind her or on the ceiling, she couldn't find any trace of cameras or crew members.
She looked down at her hands in a daze. Although they looked familiar, there were some old calluses in her palms that she had never had before.
While she was still in a daze, a familiar voice came from the doorway, its usual coolness tinged with a faint gentleness, "Just for memorizing a passage from the Analects, you have to sleep all afternoon? So lazy, what kind of behavior is this?"
Overjoyed, she didn't bother to listen to what he was saying and quickly looked towards the door.
Standing there was indeed Gu Qinglan, only that he had changed into a white long robe, and his long, jet-black hair was tied back with an ebony hairpin.
Gu Qinglan had worn similar Chinese-style clothes before, but Lu Mingxin hadn't expected him to look so handsome after actually changing into ancient costume. Just by standing there, he looked like a deity from the highest heavens, aloof and sublime, his whole being seemingly enveloped in a faint, ethereal mist.
Seeing her staring at him intently, Gu Qinglan thought she hadn't been listening to him properly and coldly said again, "What, are you still not convinced?"
Hearing him speak to her like this, Lu Mingxin felt a sudden wave of disgust rise in her heart. The feeling was so strong that it made her ignore the warmth that always lingered in his eyes, even behind his cold words.
She heard her own voice, thick with annoyance, "The great scholar Gu's reputation fills the capital. You condescend to educate me, what could I possibly be unconvinced about?"
She kept staring at his face and saw that after she finished speaking, the warmth in his eyes dimmed, and his complexion also seemed to turn a little paler.
She wanted to immediately retract those words, but some unknown force prevented her from moving freely. She could only watch as he curved his lips and smiled faintly again. "Since that's the case, then you can memorize two passages this afternoon. If you don't memorize them well, you can skip dinner."
Being deprived of dinner was undoubtedly a huge blow to Lu Mingxin. She immediately jumped up from the bed, glared at him fiercely, and even waved her fist. "Gu Qinglan, you bully people too much!"
He just smiled indifferently, completely ignoring her ferocious demeanor, turned, and walked out.
Lu Mingxin watched his retreating figure and silently screamed in her heart: Don't go! Such peerless beauty is rare in this world, quickly turn around and let me look at you a couple more times!
But the peerless beauty’s tall and graceful back soon disappeared, leaving her alone in the room, wanting to cry but having no tears.
What kind of ridiculous plot was this? What kind of brain-damaged, arrogant female protagonist was this, to anger such a great beauty away?
Lu Mingxin was too busy feeling heartbroken that she forgot the task the great beauty had assigned her before leaving. She just stood in the room, sighing at the door for a long while.
She wanted to go out and chase after Gu Qinglan, but the window in this room was locked, and the door had also been closed after he left. She pulled at it and found that it was also locked from the outside.
In short, she had probably been confined by Gu Qinglan, and all her daily needs would be restricted to this room.
Her speech had been out of her control earlier, but her movements in the room were quite free. So, she started scratching at the door and prying at the window, trying her best to squeeze through a crack and get out.
She thrashed about with all her might, naturally putting Gu Qinglan's words about not letting her eat dinner to the back of her mind. Besides, with her understanding of Gu Qinglan, his threats about not letting her eat were just loud thunder but little rain, an ineffective intimidation tactic.
Apart from his fondness for confining people, like that time he threw her in the toilet, he really didn't have any other violent tendencies.
After a vigorous struggle, Gu Qinglan still hadn't come. She felt a little disheartened and simply sat down by the door and started wailing, "Qinglan... Qinglan-gege... I know I was wrong..."
She repeated this sentence over and over again. She didn't know how long she wailed. Perhaps the commotion was too loud and alarmed the servants, who then went to call Gu Qinglan.
Familiar footsteps approached, and then Gu Qinglan's voice came again, faintly, "What's wrong with you now?"
Hearing his voice, she felt aggrieved. Separated by a door, unable to see his face, she seemed to be able to speak freely again. She said with a hint of tears in her voice, "Qinglan-gege, don't lock me up alone, I'm scared..."
After she finished speaking, she felt it necessary to express her feelings to him, so she added, "I'll be sad if I can't see you too. You won't even stay with me... If you stay with me, I can memorize as many passages of the Analects as you want."
She didn't know what Gu Qinglan's expression was like when she acted so coquettishly. She only heard him remain silent for a while, and then his deep voice, with a much softer tone, said, "As long as you don't run out, I can unlock the door..."
Hearing a glimmer of hope, she quickly promised, "I won't run, I can't bear to leave Qinglan-gege, really!"
As if considering the credibility of her words, there was a long silence on the other side.
Lu Mingxin was afraid he wouldn't open the door and she would never again see Gu Qinglan in a long robe, looking so elegant and otherworldly in ancient costume that it made one want to go up and lick him. She added another guarantee, "If I lie to you, then let me step in dog poop when I go out, and trip and fall and break my front teeth!"
This messy oath obviously left Gu Qinglan speechless. He finally couldn't help but say, "A woman should not speak so crudely."
Fortunately, after this sentence, the lock on the door began to make sounds. Apparently, he had been persuaded and was opening the door.
Lu Mingxin was overjoyed. She quickly scrambled up and waited by the door, just for the moment it opened. She wanted to get a good close-up look at Gu Qinglan again, and preferably hug and kiss him.
The wooden door was pushed open. The one who came to unlock it was surprisingly Gu Qinglan himself. A few steps behind him stood a young servant boy in a brown short jacket.
When Lu Mingxin saw him, her eyes lit up. She saw his long hair at a glance and reached out, wanting to touch it, while still saying, "Qinglan-gege..."
However, as her hand reached out, it seemed to move uncontrollably, pushing straight towards his chest. She could feel that she had used a lot of force, because he didn't even have time to react before she pushed him several steps away.
Because he was pushed away, an opening appeared in front of the door. She knew this was a chance not to be missed, once gone, it would not come again. She jumped out. In the chaos, she heard the young servant's startled cry, "Young Master!"
While fleeing, she glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that he had been pushed against a nearby pillar, nearly falling, and was being supported by the young servant.
She silently cursed herself in her heart: Lu Mingxin, what have you done? Hurry back and apologize!
But her body seemed to be out of her control again. While looking back to find her way, she shouted from afar, "Qinglan-gege, I'm sorry, I must go see General Mo today... I'll come back and apologize to you!"
Lu Mingxin was now completely despondent about this body that she could sometimes control and sometimes not. What was this?
Tricking such a great beauty into opening the door for her, then pushing him so hard he almost fell, and then running off to find someone else with such righteous indignation—though, it seemed the cause was Gu Qinglan locking her up.
Lu Mingxin had now completely fallen at Gu Qinglan's feet. She thought to herself, anyway, no matter why Gu Qinglan locked her up, he must have done it for her own good.
She had taken his good intentions for granted, which was simply too mischievous, too cruel, and too unreasonable.
As she thought this, her body was already running lightly, like a swallow soaring into the clouds. She even seemed to have acquired qinggong. A high wall was just a matter of two kicks to vault over, and she landed silently.
She found it amusing. She still looked back, but couldn't see any cameras or wire-rigging machines. On top of the wall, she lightly tapped her foot, and her body flew even higher, high enough for her to see the rows of blue-tiled roofs below and a corner of bright yellow in the distance.
She whistled in the air. At the end of the long street, the sound of hooves immediately rang out. A tall, entirely black horse, its mane glistening in the sunlight, galloped over in response.
She laughed heartily and mounted the horse. The wind whistled past her ears, and the streets and pedestrians rapidly receded in her vision. Overjoyed, she laughed and shouted loudly, "I am a descendant of the Lu family of generals, who dares to stop me!"
It felt like an incredibly real dream, or perhaps a journey through time. One second she was laughing heartily on horseback, the next she was back on her soft bed.
It was already light. Sunlight streamed through the open bed curtains, falling on her face. What she held in her hand was not reins, but Gu Qinglan's hand.
Lu Mingxin blinked. It wasn't that she didn't want to believe all that had just happened was just a dream born of her wild thoughts, but the feeling was too real.
She even remembered the fleshy sensation when she pushed him away with her hand, and her nose still seemed to linger with the mixed scent of grass and livestock from the ancient streets.
Gu Qinglan was lying beside her. He had already half-sat up and was looking down at her with a smile. "Mingxin, morning."
He was wearing white cotton pajamas, the collar slightly revealing the skin underneath.
Lu Mingxin suddenly thought of something. She reached out and pulled open his collar. Sure enough, on his chest, she saw a bluish handprint.
The handprint was not only bruised and swollen, but its edges were also slightly raised. It was obvious how much force the person who made it had used. She tremblingly placed her own hand lightly on the bruise on his chest. The perfectly matching shape clearly indicated: that was indeed her handprint.
She was stunned for a long time, and he remained silent. She couldn't help but speak, her voice trembling, "Qinglan, I..."
It was Gu Qinglan who broke the silence first. He smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing."
Lu Mingxin lightly touched the swollen protrusions with her fingertips, her heart clenching with pangs of heartache. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she said softly, "Qinglan... did I do this?"
Gu Qinglan just looked at her, the meaning in his gaze incomprehensible to her. "Do you remember?"
Lu Mingxin was about to cry. "I must have been too tired from filming recently. I dreamed that we were both in ancient times, you locked me in a room, and I desperately wanted to get out, so I said I wanted to see you, and tricked you into coming to open the door..."
Speaking up to this point, she quickly explained, "I really wanted to see you in my heart. You looked so beautiful in that long robe, I wanted to pounce on you."
This phrase "pounce on you" rolled off her tongue so smoothly that she didn't even realize she had directly told Gu Qinglan himself what she thought of him. Then she became sad. "But when you came, I don't know why, I just pushed you hard and ran out myself. I really didn't want to do that, but my hands and feet wouldn't listen to me at all!"
She spoke sadly, looking at the palm print on Gu Qinglan's chest, and tears really fell. "This must have been when I was dreaming, and I randomly waved my hand and hit you, right?"
As tears fell, she hugged him, nuzzling his neck with her head, as if in affection, and also as if to comfort him. "Qinglan, I'm sorry."
Gu Qinglan gently patted her shoulder to show that it was nothing. He was, however, very interested in her dream. "What did you dream about? Can you tell me in detail?"
Lu Mingxin sniffled. "The things I dreamed about were a bit strange. I dreamed that I was a young lady from a general's residence, but my name was Lu Mingxin. You seemed to be my fiancé, but your name was Gu Qinglan, and the general I wanted to run out to see was also named Mo Qi."
As she spoke, she felt more and more that she was too tired from filming, which caused her to have wild dreams at night and even implicated Gu Qinglan, causing his chest to be hit like that.
She quickly hugged him tighter and apologized repeatedly, "Qinglan, I'm sorry, it's my fault."
Gu Qinglan listened quietly, patted her shoulder again, and took her hand to pull her away from himself. He readjusted his clothes, covering the bruise, and smiled at her again. "It's getting late, don't you have to go to the set?"
Lu Mingxin said "Oh," and hurriedly wiped her tears and got up. She was the lead actress, and she had scenes almost every day. Moreover, every day after filming started, the investors' money was being burned. As an actress, she had the responsibility to arrive on time and perform at her best.
She got out of bed, still looking at Gu Qinglan hesitantly, her face full of worry. "Qinglan-gege, are you really okay?"
Gu Qinglan smiled faintly at her. "I'm fine. I just didn't rest well last night, and my head hurts a little, so I can't take you today."
Hearing him say he hadn't rested well last night, Lu Mingxin immediately thought it must be because of her and looked at him pitifully. "I'm sorry, Qinglan-gege..."
She rarely called Gu Qinglan "Qinglan-gege." Except when joking, if she called him that at other times, it definitely meant she had done something wrong.
Gu Qinglan wasn't polite with her either and raised his chin slightly. "As long as you know."
Lu Mingxin quickly got herself ready. Coming out of the dressing room, she saw that the bed curtains in the bedroom were still drawn. Gu Qinglan seemed to genuinely have a headache and was still lying in bed with his eyes closed, resting.
Time was already very tight, but Lu Mingxin still detoured to the bedside, reached out to brush away the stray hair from his forehead, and asked worriedly, "Qinglan-gege... why don't I stay and accompany you?"
Gu Qinglan opened his eyes, looked at her, and smiled. "What, are you planning to make the entire crew unable to start work because you alone didn't show up? Aren't you afraid of being scolded for being a big shot?"
Today was her first scene with Mo Qi, and the entire crew was indeed taking it very seriously. If she herself were sick, as long as it wasn't serious, she would have to grit her teeth and persevere, let alone her fiancé being sick.
Lu Mingxin knew she couldn't stay. She could only lean down and kiss him lightly on the cheek. "I'll try to come back early."
Worried about Gu Qinglan at home, and also muddle-headed from that inexplicable dream last night, Lu Mingxin was still not in good condition when she arrived at the set.
During her scene with Mo Qi, which was just a chance encounter on the street, a few lines of dialogue, and a shared smile, she had several NGs in a row.
Mo Qi noticed something was wrong with her. After she NG'd again, he made a gesture to pause and then went to the director.
After a moment, he turned back and smiled at Lu Mingxin. "I told the director that today's costume is too thick, and I'm a bit heatstroked. We'll take a break before shooting again."
The male lead he played, General Du Yi, wore silver armor and a white robe when he first met the female lead, Lu Qingping.
It was currently midsummer, and the temperature was at its peak around noon. Lu Mingxin's costume was made of gauze and wasn't too hot, but Mo Qi was bundled up too tightly. If they had a few more NGs, he really might get heatstroke.
Lu Mingxin knew he was giving her a way out and mumbled, "Sorry, Qi-gege."
Mo Qi smiled at her, indicating it was no bother, and walked to the side on his own, where his assistant helped him remove the outer layer of armor to cool down.
After Mo Qi's reaction just now, the director also realized that the temperature was too high today and the sun was too strong, which was affecting the actors' performance. In addition, it was approaching noon, so he simply announced a two-hour break, and filming would resume after the lunch break.
Lu Mingxin ran back to her nanny van to have lunch. Ever since filming began, her daily lunch was prepared by the chef at Gu Qinglan's villa and delivered in insulated boxes.
Because they were afraid she wouldn't eat enough, the portions were always increased, and when laid out in the van, it was a dazzling spread.
She took a few bites of rice, saw that there were two large boxes of cooling dried tangerine peel and mung bean soup, and simply picked up one of them and ran out to find Mo Qi.
Mo Qi's car was parked not far from hers. When she approached, Mo Qi's assistant was using a towel wrapped around ice cubes to wipe his forehead to cool him down.
Seeing her approach from afar, Mo Qi smiled and waved at her. "Mingxin."
Lu Mingxin handed over the iced mung bean soup. "They sent extra from home. Qi-gege, have some."
Mo Qi took it and thanked her. "Just in time, thanks."
Lu Mingxin found a chair next to him and sat down. She was in low spirits, her expression also dazed.
Mo Qi took a few sips of the mung bean soup with the spoon his assistant handed him and asked, "Mingxin, is something wrong at home?"
He had worked with Lu Mingxin once before. Although the outside world constantly criticized her acting skills, from a professional perspective, Lu Mingxin's acting couldn't be called superb, but it was still considered competent.
However, whether acting is good or not is sometimes a very subjective judgment, especially for the audience. What they perceive as "good acting" isn't necessarily truly good, but rather something that can move them.
If Lu Mingxin lacked anything, it was probably that her performance was too conventional and academic, lacking a certain passion that could directly touch the soul. If one were to delve into these details, it was merely a difference in talent and personal comprehension ability.
Logically speaking, Lu Mingxin's acting skills were far from being as exaggerated as a "professional vase." The reason this nickname was hyped up might have been due to malicious guidance of public opinion, and also related to her overly striking appearance and her rapid rise to fame.
The consequence of these rather unfair evaluations becoming rampant was that it would likely be even more difficult for Lu Mingxin to change others' impression of her as a "vase."
So today, when Lu Mingxin had several NGs, other actors or crew members might immediately think: It's perfectly normal for Vase Lu to act poorly.
This attitude, inadvertently conveyed, was also a form of invisible pressure on Lu Mingxin.
Lu Mingxin smiled gratefully at Mo Qi and nodded. "When I left this morning, Qinglan wasn't feeling well."
Mo Qi nodded understandingly. "No wonder I didn't see Mr. Gu bring you over this morning."
Lu Mingxin knew that letting personal matters affect her performance was very unprofessional for an actor.
It was just that today, under the camera, looking up at the young general on horseback before her, she suddenly thought of that dream from last night, which felt both real and illusory.
The scenes before this part of the drama, involving Cao Yeyang who played Lu Qingping's fiancé Mu Yiqing, had to be postponed because he was abroad filming a commercial and would only report to the crew in a few days.
And that part of the drama was precisely when Mu Yiqing locked Lu Qingping in a wing of his backyard to prevent her from secretly going out to meet Du Yi.
Under the camera, looking at Mo Qi's handsome and upright figure, she couldn't help but think of the scene from her dream last night, nor could she help but think of Gu Qinglan's figure being pushed away by her when she escaped, and the horrifying palm print on his chest.
Between the flickering lights and shadows, she forgot she was under the camera, forgot she was an actress performing. She just couldn't stop herself from thinking about Gu Qinglan—wondering if he was really okay, if he was enduring pain alone at home.
The alternation between reality and illusion made her feel like her brain was about to explode, and she forgot her lines in a jumbled mess.
Seeing her state, Mo Qi's thoughts were much simpler. He comforted her, "It's okay, everyone has moments when they can't control their emotions. Rest during lunch, and you'll be fine in the afternoon when your condition improves."
After he finished speaking, he added with a smile, "Besides, you and Mr. Gu are still in the honeymoon phase. It's not surprising for your mood to fluctuate a bit."
Lu Mingxin forced a smile and pulled herself together. "I will definitely perform well this afternoon."
After the lunch break, she really did regain her form. It couldn't be said that she was performing with ease, but she had reached the level of the past few days. The scene with Mo Qi also passed after only two more takes.
At the end of the day, although everyone was busy and tired, they had finally completed the schedule, so every tired face showed relief.
Lu Mingxin removed her makeup, changed out of her costume, and was about to leave with the car sent by the Gu family to pick her up when she saw the on-site executive producer, his face ashen, curse "bastard." His voice was quite loud, and many people on set heard it.
He was still holding his phone, and it was clear he had just hung up and was losing his temper. For this executive producer, who had a relatively good temper, to curse, it must have been something particularly outrageous. Lu Mingxin was a little curious.
Mo Qi was standing with her and was also a little surprised, so he asked his assistant to go and inquire.
His young assistant was truly a clever person. He quietly went over to someone near the executive producer and asked a few questions in a low voice.
After a moment, he ran back and said, "It seems Cao Yeyang can't report to the crew. He returned to the country last night and was detained today for drunk driving."
✿——✦——✿
1. huadan - leading lady in Chinese opera ⤣
