enjoyebooks Chapter 6 Visiting the Set in a Battlefield
Chapter 6 Visiting the Set in a Battlefield
The morning's filming went very smoothly.
Chen Duling was in exceptionally good form today, perfectly capturing the emotions of anger and sadness. Su Youpeng, sitting behind the monitor, changed his expression from tense to relaxed, and then from relaxed to satisfied.
"Cut!" Su Youpeng shouted, then stood up and clapped. "Duling, that was perfect! The emotion was spot on!"
When Chen Duling came out of the play, her eyes were still red, and there were still tears on her eyelashes.
She smiled at Su Youpeng, then subconsciously glanced at Gao Huan.
Gao Huan was leaning against the prop table drinking water when he felt her gaze and nodded slightly.
Chen Duling's heart skipped a few beats.
The reason she was able to act so well today is because she blended the emotions in the play with her emotions off-screen.
That anger, that sadness, that despair after being betrayed or let down, wasn't entirely an act.
Nazha came last night.
Everyone on the set knew about it; it was impossible to keep Nazha's visit a secret.
Chen Duling took a deep breath, suppressing those chaotic thoughts, and took the tissues handed to her by the stagehand to wipe away her tears.
"Let's take a break, have lunch, and then film the next scene," Su Youpeng said.
noon.
The area outside the film set suddenly became lively.
First, several food delivery trucks drove into the film and television base, followed by a burst of chattering discussion.
"Wow, that's way too exaggerated..."
"A milk tea truck, a coffee truck, and a hamburger truck—three trucks!"
"Who called that?"
"Nazha, who else could it be?"
Chen Duling was eating a boxed lunch in the break room when she heard the noise outside, and her chopsticks paused for a moment.
She put down her lunchbox, walked to the window, and looked out.
Three food trucks were neatly parked in the open space outside the film set, with banners on them that read, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone! Keep up the good work, 'Left Ear' crew!"
Naza stood next to the food truck, wearing a beige trench coat, her hair loose, sunglasses, and a cup of coffee in her hand, chatting and laughing with Gao Huan's agent, Yangyang Jinyuan.
She wore makeup today, her lips were strikingly red, and she stood in the crowd like a blooming rose.
Chen Duling looked down at her costume and the smudged makeup on her face, and pursed her lips.
"Sister Duling, Sister Nazha brought food for everyone, aren't you going to get some?" the assistant asked, leaning over.
Chen Duling smiled and said, "Of course I'll go."
She walked out of the lounge and headed towards the food truck.
When Nazha saw her, she took off her sunglasses, revealing a standard, impeccable smile on her face.
"Duling!" Nazha greeted her sweetly, "Filming must have been tiring. I ordered your favorite drink—taro bubble milk tea, less sugar and no ice, right?"
Chen Duling was stunned for a moment.
She does love taro bubble tea, with less sugar and no ice.
But how would Nazha know?
"Huan-ge told me."
Nazha seemed to see through her confusion, smiled and added a sentence, then handed over the milk tea.
Chen Duling took the milk tea and smiled, "Thank you, Sister Nazha. You're so thoughtful, coming all this way."
"It's not far, only a two-hour flight from Beijing," Nazha said. "And I also want to see what he's like filming; he never talks to me about work at home."
At home.
These two words were like a needle, gently pricking Chen Duling's heart.
"You two are living together?" Chen Duling asked, trying to sound natural.
Naza tilted her head and gave a slightly embarrassed smile:
"Not really, it's just that he has a house in Beijing, and I often go there to stay."
Chen Duling nodded and took a sip of her milk tea.
It's sickeningly sweet.
"Isn't Sister Nazha filming today?" Chen Duling asked again.
"I'm going back to Hengdian this afternoon. The 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' project is still in preparation and won't start filming until the 22nd, but we had a makeup test and a reading session this afternoon."
Naza said, "So I can only stay for a short while. I'll have lunch with Gao Huan and then I have to leave."
"That's pretty rushed," Chen Duling said.
"Yes," Nazha sighed, "but it's worth it. He's been too tired lately, and I want him to eat better."
The two people stood next to the food cart, both with smiles on their faces, and spoke very politely.
But there was something subtle in the air around us, like a thin layer of ice that would break if you stepped on it.
The staff members wisely refrained from approaching, each taking food and drinks and watching from a distance.
When Gao Huan walked out of the photography studio, this was the scene he saw—Nazha and Chen Duling were standing together, both of them smiling, but something about those smiles looked off.
He walked over, and Nazha immediately took his arm.
"You're out? Are you hungry? I had someone make you your favorite food. It's in the car. Let's go."
As Nazha spoke, she pulled Gao Huan toward her nanny van.
Chen Duling stood there, holding the cup of milk tea in her hands, watching their backs as they walked away.
Naza took a couple of steps, then suddenly turned back and waved to Chen Duling: "Duling, let's eat first, see you this afternoon!"
Chen Duling smiled and nodded: "Okay, Nazha, take care."
As Nazha turned her head away, Chen Duling's smile slowly disappeared.
She looked down at the milk tea in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then took a sip.
Sweet.
But my throat tasted bitter.
On the nanny van.
Naza closed the car door, blocking the view from outside.
"That Chen Duling," Nazha said while unpacking her takeout, "I like you."
Gao Huan leaned back in his seat and didn't say anything.
"You don't deny it?" Nazha looked up at him.
"There's nothing to deny," Gao Huan said.
Naza paused for a moment, then continued unpacking, her tone as calm as if she were commenting on the weather: "Does she know about our relationship?"
"Know."
"Knowing I still like you?"
"Um."
Naza pushed the unpacked takeout to Gao Huan, then picked up a portion for herself, took a bite of food, chewed it, and swallowed it.
"What are your feelings for her?" she asked.
Gao Huan thought for a moment and said, "I don't dislike it."
Naza picked up another piece of food with her chopsticks, but this time she didn't eat it. Instead, she stirred it in her bowl and asked, "So, do you like her?"
"I don't really like it."
"Would you be with her?"
Gao Huan glanced at Nazha.
Naza's expression was very serious, so serious that it didn't seem like she was joking.
"Are you worried?" Gao Huan asked in return.
Naza was silent for a few seconds, then smiled, a somewhat forced smile: "What's the use of me worrying?"
Gao Huan did not answer this question.
Naza put down her chopsticks, reached out and touched Gao Huan's face, her fingertips gently tracing the beauty mark at the corner of his eye:
"Gao Huan, I've told you before, I don't care if you have someone else. Just don't leave me."
Gao Huan took her hand and kissed it: "Let's eat. You have to rush back to Hengdian this afternoon."
Naza hummed in agreement and picked up her chopsticks again.
After taking a few bites, she spoke again, this time in a more relaxed tone:
"By the way, that Chen Duling, she's really pretty! Hmph, but she's nowhere near as beautiful as me. Her figure is alright, and her personality is good too. Do you think she'll become famous?"
"I don't know," Gao Huan said.
"I think so," Nazha said. "Her looks are rare in the entertainment industry."
Gao Huan did not respond.
Naza laughed again: "But even if she's pretty, she's not as pretty as me, right?"
Gao Huan glanced at her, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Yes."
Naza was satisfied and lowered her head to focus on eating.
After finishing her meal, Nazha was about to leave.
She stood next to the nanny van and said goodbye to Gao Huan.
"I'm leaving now. You focus on your filming," Nazha said.
"Um."
"Call me if you miss me."
"it is good."
"Don't get too close to that Chen Duling."
Gao Huan looked at her.
Naza pursed her lips and changed her mind: "Fine, you can get as close as you want, I'll accept you no matter what."
She tiptoed and kissed Gao Huan on the lips, then turned and got into the car.
The moment the car door closed, she leaned out again and added:
"By the way, that milk tea truck, coffee truck, and hamburger truck cost over 40,000 yuan in total. The money was deducted from your card."
Gao Huan was taken aback: "My card?"
"Isn't your supplementary card my card? And isn't my card your card?"
Naza said matter-of-factly, "Anyway, every penny I spend is yours, so I'm not going to be so particular about splitting the money with you."
After saying that, she turned her head away, the car door closed, and the nanny van slowly drove away.
Gao Huan stood by the roadside, watching the car disappear around the corner, and shook his head.
Naza is right.
Ever since he lent her two million yuan in the second semester of her sophomore year so that her father could have timely heart surgery, she has considered everything she has as his. The money is his, she is his, and her life is his.
Sometimes Gao Huan felt that Naza's feelings for him had gone beyond the realm of "love" and had become something akin to faith.
He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
But at least, she seems to be living a happy life.