Chapter 61.1

“Clap!” exclaimed Director Hua Zinan, clapping her hands in excitement. “All in one go! Not bad at all. Xiao Xia, you’ve done a great job portraying Ke Yu’s sickly expression. Full marks, full marks!”

Caught up in her excitement, Director Hua Zinan referred to her as ‘Xiao Xia’ instead of ‘President Xia.’

Yun Feiwu immediately rushed up to hug Xia Shutong.

Holding Yun Feiwu, Xia Shutong took a moment to recover from the slightly manic smile she had just portrayed.

The way Xia Shutong immerses herself in a role is different from Yun Feiwu. Yun Feiwu completely embodies the character, so when it’s time to exit the role, she needs an ‘anchor’ to orient herself. Xia Shutong, on the other hand, does not require this. She experiences the life of her character, aware of her presence in the role, while also being capable of considering matters outside of it.

So, at the start of today’s shoot, Xia Shutong was able to portray Ke Yu while also thinking about Yun Feiwu. She incorporated both sets of emotions into her performance, leading Director Hua Zinan to believe she had a deep understanding of her character’s mindset.

Similarly, while Yun Feiwu can exit her role instantly using her ‘anchor’, Xia Shutong needs to take some time when her emotions are intense.

With the completion of this scene, the day’s filming came to an end.

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Mbl qszzsokdt eyu, yqvla tlvvkdt vblka xyjlwr esdl, vblu alvwadle vs vbl uyae cu vbl qyax vs nsdvkdwl oblal vblu zlqv sqq vbl ralhkswp eyu.

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Nssjkdt yv vbl lxrvu prynl clpkel bla, Il Zw’p zkrp nwahle kdvs y psqv, zkdtlakdt pxkzl. Rv ekpyrrlyale yp iwknjzu yp kv nyxl, zlyhkdt bla qynl zssjkdt psqvla.

Fbl nywvkswpzu oyzjle kdvs vbl byzz oblal y qlo uswdt xld olal qypv ypzllr sd vbl vyczl, eawdj.

Il Zw ckv bla zkr yde vyrrle vbl cynj sq vbl xyd yv vbl letl sq vbl vyczl. Ebld bl eked’v oyjl wr, pbl vyrrle byaela.

Fyd Nykmk uyodle kxryvkldvzu, cltkddkdt vs tawxczl, “Rv’p ps lyazu—” clqsal pvsrrkdt ycawrvzu.

Tl pyo y elzknyvl osxyd pvydekdt kd qasdv sq bkx, bla lulp xskpv yde lmralppksd psqv. “R-R’x Il Zw, Nk Eyd’p okql. Tl eked’v alvwad vs swa assx yzz dktbv. R’x osaakle. Ps usw jdso oblal bl kp?”

San Laixi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise. It took him a moment to comprehend what Ke Yu was saying.

“That Li Wan guy married such a beauty, and he doesn’t even know how to cherish her? What a waste,” San Laixi said to Ke Yu, grinning foolishly in a bid to please. He then started shouting to wake the others.

Several young guys rubbed their heads and immediately began searching around the yard, with Ke Yu trailing behind.

“Didn’t Brother Li get drunk last night? Did he go to the pigsty?” one asked.

“Yeah, I remember Brother Li checks the pigsty every night before he sleeps. He was probably too drunk last night and forgot about his wife,” another replied.

The group was joking around as they headed towards the pigsty. Ke Yu paused for a moment but continued to follow.

“Holy–!” A scared curse came from the pigsty a few seconds later.

Ke Yu lowered her head slightly, then quickly went over. When she saw the corpse again, she covered her mouth in shock, stepping back and barely managing to stand.

“Ahh–!” She screamed.

It was daylight now, and the corpse wasn’t as horrifying as the previous night. However, Ke Yu’s reaction was much more intense than it had been in the evening.

“Ah, sister-in-law, let’s mourn in peace,” San Laixi casually draped his arm around Ke Yu’s shoulder, whistled, and spoke in a somewhat pleasing tone. “People can’t come back from the dead.”

Ke Yu didn’t shrug off San Laixi’s embrace. She just kept her head down, covering her face, with tears streaming down.

“Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, don’t cry…” San Laixi suddenly panicked.

By the time the other villagers arrived, Ke Yu was still squatting in place, her eyes blank and her face streaked with tears.

Director Hua Zinan: “Cut! Good take!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Feiwu rushed over, staring coldly at Peng An’s hand.

Peng An immediately let go of his arm around Xia Shutong’s shoulder and sincerely said, “I’m sorry. I get out of character slowly.”

Yun Feiwu nodded slightly, didn’t look at him again, and tenderly wiped Xia Shutong’s tears.

She had cried for more than an hour. Her eyes must hurt so much…

But just as Yun Feiwu was about to wipe the corners of Xia Shutong’s eyes with a wet tissue, she suddenly buried her head in Yun Feiwu’s chest and cried even harder.

“Ruan Ruan?” Yun Feiwu lowered her voice and gently said.

Xia Shutong sobbed, “Maomao, I suddenly remembered. When you were filming ‘Chasing Light,’ there was a scene where you cried for a long time, and I didn’t wipe your tears then…”

At that time, Xia Shutong hadn’t even remembered her.

Yun Feiwu blinked in surprise. So, Xia Shutong was crying because of this?

While she found it somewhat amusing, she was also deeply moved, even her nose was stinging. Finally, Yun Feiwu suppressed the urge to cry and leaned into Xia Shutong’s ear:

“You’re such a softie, a little crybaby. You didn’t help me wipe my tears last time. From now on, when I have to cry for a scene, just help me wipe them away, okay?”

Xia Shutong weakly hummed in agreement. She clutched Yun Feiwu’s clothes, rested her head in her arms for a good while, and finally recovered.

…

In the subsequent plot, the young people in the village didn’t have much of an opinion about Ke Yu. After all, everyone knew that Li Wan’s heart was not good. He had been drinking yesterday, dying alone in the pigsty was just his bad luck. A few young men – led by San Laixi – looked at her with more pity and affection. They tried to hide it, but they couldn’t.

Ke Yu was too beautiful and pitiable. She was like a poppy, addictive. The young men in the village, who hadn’t seen many beautiful women, were naturally attracted to her.

But the elderly in the village didn’t think the same way. In their eyes, Li Wan was killed by Ke Yu. It was Ke Yu who caused Li Wan’s death. The old people didn’t know that Ke Yu had been deceived into the mountains. To them, Ke Yu was a murderous demon from the city!

Just like when Ke Yu was in the city, gossip about her quickly swept through the village.

But this time, Ke Yu surprisingly didn’t feel scared. On the contrary, she soon realized that it was the villagers who were more afraid of her.

For the villagers, who were shackled in the mountains, Ke Yu was a rich lady from the city who had married into their village. The city people were not of their world, and they were beings they dared not provoke. They gossiped and cursed about Ke Yu behind her back, but they were genuinely afraid of her. No one dared to approach her. Even if they occasionally met her, their angry and disdainful expressions couldn’t hide the deep fear and longing inside their hearts.

As for the young people, especially young men, even if they listened to their elders and showed disdain for Ke Yu, they were still attracted to her when they saw her.

Ke Yu felt like she must be crazy. She didn’t like being talked about, yet she enjoyed the villagers’ fear. She didn’t like men, yet she enjoyed the admiration of the young men in the village. Sometimes, Ke Yu even deliberately went to the market, deliberately showing the boys that shy and pitiful smile. She enjoyed the way the villagers looked at her, enjoyed the way the boys were bewitched by her.

Ke Yu gradually fell in love with this feeling. In fact, she desired to stay in the mountains for the rest of her life, never leaving the farm at the summit. Unbeknownst to her, once she started harboring this thought, her mentality had already become distorted, and her life had turned into a stagnant pool of water.

…

After several days of continuous filming, Xia Shutong had fully adapted to the camera. She even recalled many fragmented memories from her past times with Yun Feiwu on set.

The most vivid memory she had was of Xia Ruan being a very inconspicuous girl. Every time Yun Feiwu was filming, Xia Ruan would be hiding in a corner, silently watching. Often, even Sister Huang, the assistant who came with her, couldn’t find her. However, Yun Feiwu could always spot her in the crowd and would bound towards her. After this happened many times, the entire crew knew that Yun Feiwu had a very close sister. Some even started calling Yun Feiwu “Maomao” following Xia Ruan’s lead.

If there were fewer staff on set, Xia Ruan would secretly mimic the actions of the characters, immersing herself in their roles. Apart from Yun Feiwu, no one noticed this.

When Yun Feiwu was filming her first and second movies, Xia Ruan would often accompany her in private and even teach her some techniques she had discovered herself. However as Yun Feiwu’s acting skills improved and the company hired several teachers, Xia Ruan no longer had a role to play. However, Xia Ruan didn’t feel defeated; she was genuinely happy for Yun Feiwu’s progress.

Later, Xia Shutong couldn’t recall what exactly happened when she was nineteen. Moreover, she sensed that Yun Feiwu was deliberately hiding something from her, seemingly not wanting her to recall it. Therefore, Xia Shutong didn’t make an effort to remember.

Two days later, they reached another key plot point. It was also Xia Shutong’s last scene with the supporting character.

In this scene, San Laixi, finally unable to resist Ke Yu’s continuous provocations, sneaked into the farmyard late at night and made his way into Ke Yu’s room.

This scene necessitates high tension. Therefore, before the shoot, Director Hua Zinan took the time to explain the scene to Xia Shutong and Peng An. At the end of her explanation, she patted Peng An’s shoulder, saying, “Little An, could you guide Ms. Xia a bit later?”

Having previously won a Best Actor award, Peng An’s acting prowess was beyond question.

With a smile, Peng An nodded slightly to Xia Shutong and Yun Feiwu, saying, “Please bear with me later.”

His character was, after all, somewhat of a rogue. Even if there wouldn’t be any physical contact in the upcoming scene, there would undoubtedly be some verbal teasing. Therefore, prior to the shoot, he made a point to apologize to Xia Shutong and her girlfriend, Yun Feiwu.

“Alright, let’s start!”