Unprepared for Yunjun Ye’s sudden movement, Angie was caught square in the collision and stepped back a couple of paces.
Yunjun Ye hurriedly reached out. Failing to catch Angie’s arm in time, her hand landed squarely on Angie’s waist. Her arm instantly stiffened as she froze in place.
Angie gave a faint smile, steadied herself, stepped sideways, and lowered her head to clear the path.
Yunjun Ye glanced briefly at Angie’s forehead before her gaze involuntarily drifted downward, passing over the high bridge of her nose to land upon her full lips delicate as if shaped from powder and rouge, and bright as cinnabar.
Yunjun Ye noticed that there was always a subtle curve playing at the corners of Angie’s mouth, whether deep or shallow beautiful, gentle, and brimming with an effortless allure.
From a man’s perspective, it was far too easy for one’s imagination to run wild.
“All departments prepare, let’s take it from the top,” Yin Yongquan called out toward the set.
Yunjun Ye parted her thin lips, her voice softening instinctively. “Let’s go, Teacher Angie.”
“Let’s just follow Director Yin’s instructions. Don’t hold back,” Angie said, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Yunjun Ye as they headed toward the inner set.
“In that case… if there are any inadvertent transgressions, please forgive me,” Yunjun Ye gave Angie a sideways glance and said steadily.
“It’s fine.” Angie trusted that Yunjun Ye wouldn’t do anything out of line.
“Action!”
Imbued with a boundless, unyielding tenderness, the young scholar gazed at her slightly shy bride as she slowly leaned against her shoulder. The scholar’s blood surged in a hot rush; the bride’s soft hair brushed lightly and teasingly against her skin, tickling and sinking straight into the depths of her heart.
A sweet young wife what an enchanting and lovely creature. Her fondest dream had finally come true right here and now, and the prospect of walking hand-in-hand to spend the rest of their lives together was enough to make anyone thrill beyond control.
The wedding night such a poetic phrase, and such a thrilling, exhilarating moment of beauty.
The scholar felt an involuntary heat spread throughout her body, as if a warm current were radiating outward from the depths of her heart, striking straight toward her lower abdomen and then rushing through all her limbs and bones.
Never before had she felt so powerful. In a split second, she felt like a valiant, fearless general eager to storm cities, conquer territories, and claim her rightful domain.
Slowly raising the bride, the scholar lifted a hand to stroke her delicate young wife’s cheek with infinite care inch by inch, point by point, brimming with tenderness and utmost caution.
The young wife raised her eyes shyly. Meeting the scholar’s infatuated gaze, she reached out to cover the scholar’s arm, gripping it tightly before curving her lips in a smile that bloomed instantly like a hundred flowers, breathtakingly gorgeous.
The scholar’s heartbeat lost its steady rhythm. Drawing the young wife slowly closer, she pressed a kiss to her forehead with supreme reverence pious, solemn, and utterly sincere.
Then, shifting gently to the side, she lightly brushed a kiss against the bride’s cheek before turning her body to obscure the camera angle, gently pushing the bride backward onto the bed.
Accompanied by the cry of “Cut,” several sharp, trilling whistles and fits of boisterous laughter erupted simultaneously from the sidelines.
Knowing that the crew members were still caught up in the excitement of watching the spectacle, Angie felt a sudden wave of heat.
“Get up,” Angie urged, her face flushed crimson as she gave a light nudge to Yunjun Ye, who was still staring fixedly down at her.
The corners of Yunjun Ye’s lips curved upward. Reaching out to gently touch Angie’s burning cheek, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
The heat on Angie’s already blushing face flared even hotter.
With a blazing red face and the sound of teasing whistles ringing in her ears, Angie hurried swiftly toward the dressing room.
Yunjun Ye stared after Angie’s retreating, hurried figure, a glint of playful amusement flashing through her eyes.
“Still watching? Did you actually kiss her?” Irene, ever the instigator who loved stirring up trouble, bounced over to Yunjun Ye’s side.
“You saw how solidly I kissed her did you miss it?” Yunjun Ye rolled her eyes at Irene. If she hadn’t landed a genuin, substantive kiss, the director surely would have demanded another retake. Although the sensation was exquisite, she had no desire to go through it all over again; it was simply too agonizingly torturous.
“I’m asking about the very end. Did you kiss here?” Irene raised a finger and pointed directly at her own puckered lips.
“I really want to pry open your brain just to see what you think about all day long,” Yunjun Ye said with a helpless sigh.
“The scene just now looked so authentic! I saw your eyes shift right down to her mouth, and Teacher Angie even swallowed nervously.”
Yunjun Ye gave her a look that clearly communicated she wasn’t worth the bother of answering.
“Come on, let’s go check the playback and see if Director Yin is satisfied. I definitely don’t want to shoot this again!”
“Isn’t filming it again a good thing? Teacher Angie isn’t someone just anyone gets to kiss.”
Yunjun Ye: ……
The urge to roll her eyes returned. Angie had starred in so many television dramas—which of them lacked a kissing scene? It was merely a question of quantity.
Quietly, Yunjun Ye slipped behind the camera. Yin Yongquan was bent over the monitor, his face wearing the familiar look of satisfaction she had grown accustomed to over the past few days. Yunjun Ye knew instantly that this scene had undoubtedly passed.
Even after watching the playback several times, Yin Yongquan remained silent.
Watching the monitor now, Yunjun Ye genuinely noticed for the first time how Angie had actively reached out her hand and leaned into the embrace, looking almost as if she were desperately eager to consummate their union with the one she loved.
Blinking, her mind stirred with hidden thoughts while her outward expression remained entirely composed as she continued watching the playback.
Seeing that both big shots were completely absorbed in the footage without a word, Irene couldn’t hold back any longer and took the initiative to ask, “Did it pass, Director Yin?”
“Passed, it passed,” Yin Yongquan replied only upon hearing the question. He lifted his head, gazing at Yunjun Ye with a lingering, meaningful look as if savoring the scene, before breaking into a wide, beaming smile. “The completion level is exceptionally high absolute perfection.”
Yunjun Ye grinned broadly.
“Does that mean we can wrap up for the day?” Hearing that they had passed, Irene immediately chimed in with excitement.
“Wrap up, let’s wrap up for the day.”
Yunjun Ye let out a long breath of relief.
“Go remove your makeup. We’ll leave together in a bit,” Irene said, giving Yunjun Ye’s arm a tug.
“Alright. But you’d better hurry up; you know I only need ten minutes or so.”
“Fine, fine, fine. That’s for putting makeup on; taking it off is the exact same thing.” By the time Yunjun Ye looked up again, Irene’s figure had already vanished, her voice trailing off into the distance.
She shook her head with a helpless smile what a wind-like girl.
When Yunjun Ye stepped into the dressing room, Angie had just begun taking off her makeup, presumably waiting until the director gave the official word that they could wrap up before starting.
Yunjun Ye caught Angie’s reflection in the mirror.
Angie sat serenely in her chair, busy with her tasks, seemingly unaware of whether she had noticed her entry.
Yunjun Ye opened her mouth, yet found herself completely at a loss for what to say.
Her performance in today’s scene had far exceeded the script’s requirements, and she wondered if Angie would feel upset about it. While outsiders might remain oblivious, Angie as her scene partner knew the truth with absolute clarity.
The room grew quiet, filled only by the rhythmic sound of breathing and the soft clinking of jewelry.
Just as Yunjun Ye was racking her brains searching for an opening and a suitable topic of conversation, Angie’s voice drifted over from behind.
“You worked hard today.”
“Huh?” Yunjun Ye was momentarily bewildered, failing to understand why Angie would suddenly drop such a remark.
“Today’s scenes were basically carried all the way by you,” Angie said through the mirror, glancing at Yunjun Ye with a deadpan, serious expression.
“That? Well, isn’t that only right?” Yunjun Ye scratched the back of her head, feeling rather embarrassed.
The room fell silent once more.
“Are we still practicing our scenes tonight?” Angie finished removing her hair ornaments, turned her head, and asked.
“I don’t have anything else going on tonight,” Yunjun Ye answered indirectly.
“Then let’s review the scripts as usual.” Angie turned back around.
Ever since filming began, going over the scenes together every evening had seemingly become a habit.
Angie had discovered that the assertions describing Yunjun Ye as a “genius girl” who was “naturally gifted for this industry” were not the slightest bit false. There were simply far too many aspects of her thought process during script analysis, rehearsal, and filming that were worthy of study.
As a self-proclaimed devotee of acting who deeply loved her profession as an actress, encountering an opponent who was equally passionate and even more formidable was an absolute dream come true. Even more precious was the fact that the other party harbored zero competitive or jealous sentiment, operating with total openness and candor.
Angie found herself growing somewhat addicted to this dynamic patiently discussing details outside of scenes, and sharing a seamless, tacit understanding when the cameras rolled.
The feeling was novel, deeply fulfilling, and saturated with a magical charm.
In the script, the male and female leads’ relationship was essentially a whirlwind marriage; after knowing each other for roughly half a month, the two made a lifelong commitment. The progression was rapid, with relatively few pages dedicated to their courtship, meaning the vast majority of their interactions revolved around the minute details of life following marriage.
As time marched on, the two leading actors developed an increasingly seamless rapport, genuinely resembling a deeply enamored couple of kindred spirits whose hearts beat as one. A mere glance was enough for the other to comprehend the intended expression and immediately respond with matching coordination.
Whenever one extended a hand, the other would instantly grasp and clasp it tightly. The moment the female lead started to rise, the “male” lead would inevitably step forward to gently support her.
A single look from one invariably triggered an immediate reaction from the other, answered by an equally affectionate and reassuring smile or gaze.
The male lead was modest, polite, meticulous, and thorough.
The female lead was charming, magnanimous, and gentle as water.
The domestic bliss and mutual respect of a deeply devoted married couple were portrayed with such uncanny realism that the boundary between acting and reality began to blur.
Many scenes were completed essentially in a single take. Occasionally, even when the performance was absolute perfection, a miscalculated blocking step would cause the cameraman to miss the ideal framing, forcing a retake yet the shooting schedule progressed at a truly astonishing pace.
Joy beamed across Yin Yongquan’s face, while Han Deyu smiled so widely his mouth threatened to split his ears.
Angie grew increasingly fond of this filming state. She had always considered herself fortunate that this project involved acting opposite a female actress, as the visual and emotional results were simply dazzling.
In the past when acting opposite male actors, a considerable number of reservations inevitably lingered. No matter how much of a gentleman a male actor might be, awkward moments during intimate scenes were ultimately unavoidable, making distance and barriers an inherent fixture.
Working with a female actor, however, was entirely different. She could let go completely and act without restraint. There was no need to worry about accidentally brushing against private or sensitive areas, no need to fret about the other party taking advantage of her, and above all, no need to worry about the counterpart harboring inappropriate, ulterior motives due to intentional or unintentional gestures.
Thus, within the scenes, when holding hands she could unreservedly encase the other’s entire hand within her own, occasionally kneading it gently.
When the other hand reached out to grasp hers, she could yield without a single scruple, laying her other hand over top.
When gazing intently or locking eyes, she could crank her personal wattage to the maximum, maximizing the bewitching charm of her peach-blossom eyes.
When embracing, she could actively lean in and welcome the embrace with open arms.
Yet Yunjun Ye found herself growing more and more bewildered.