An Ji went back to the dressing room to take her call.
Just as Yu Junye lifted her foot to head into the dressing room to remove her makeup as well, Ai Lin came rushing over, shouting from afar, “Yuzi, why aren’t you going to take off your makeup yet?”
Yu Junye turned her head to look at Ai Lin, frowning slightly. “Let’s go another day. Teacher An said her state of mind isn’t good today, so she doesn’t want to go, hey.”
“Then the two of us can go.”
“How about we make it another day? I just promised Teacher An that we’d practice some scenes together tonight.” Yu Junye shrugged and said apologetically, “Sorry for standing you up. I’ll treat you to a meal another day to make up for it.”
“What’s wrong with you? When did you start marching to the same beat as Teacher An?” Ai Lin complained with some dissatisfaction. “Teacher An is clearly the hardworking, studious goody-two-shoes type. Don’t you feel like there’s a generation gap between us?”
“What generation gap? Just because we’re more active and she’s quieter?” Yu Junye asked, puzzled.
“That’s only a very small aspect, but it is one of the reasons,” Ai Lin said, looking somewhat troubled.
“Then what else is there? Is it because she’s a few years older than us and married?” Yu Junye found Ai Lin’s perspective rather strange.
“Don’t you think married people mostly focus on their families? Every other word out of their mouths is about domestic trivia, this husband and that husband, or how the kids are doing,” Ai Lin said, looking at Yu Junye as she earnestly shared her thoughts.
Yu Junye’s delicate brows knitted together. Strongly disagreeing with Ai Lin’s assertion, she retorted, “I won’t deny that there are certainly many people like that. But those are homemakers whose entire world is confined to that little square inch of home; taking care of the kids and the husband is their career. Career women are clearly quite different, though. Among the actresses you’ve collaborated with, are the married ones all that nagging, domestic type?”
“I haven’t collaborated with many. Either they weren’t married, or they were in their forties or fifties, so I basically never encountered these kinds of issues.” Ai Lin reflected for a moment and realized it was true; she had only been in the industry for two or three years and hadn’t come into contact with very many people. However, many actresses in their twenties or thirties were busy filming and generally didn’t have time to marry. While she couldn’t deny that some might be secretly married, you simply couldn’t tell from their outward behavior.
Seeing that Ai Lin seemed to have come around to her point of view, Yu Junye smiled and teased, “There you go, then. It sounds like you just harbor some opinions against married women.”
“As if!” Ai Lin immediately denied it. “It’s probably just that I haven’t been exposed to enough people—unlike you, standing right at the peak with such vast experience. Naturally, your perspective and mindset are different.”
“What kind of talk is that? We might not have extensive personal experiences, but the characters we portray go through a lifetime of experiences! Besides, following your logic, why do you still come looking to hang out with me? Don’t you think we have a generation gap and a divide in status?” Yu Junye joked.
“Hahaha, to be honest, before I actually got to know you, that really was what I thought.”
“Tsk, then I simply must hear what was it that changed your mind?” Yu Junye looked at Ai Lin with playful amusement.
“I originally thought actors who win awards left and right, or those with massive popularity, basically live surrounded by flowers and applause all the time. I figured they’d be super stuck-up, arrogant, and too proud to deign to interact with newcomers. But look at you anyone can crack a joke with you at random, and you don’t even get mad. You’re so down-to-earth, with zero airs.”
“So that’s how it is. It seems I’ve been spoiling you too much.” Yu Junye deliberately put on a stern face, feigning an aloof, high-and-mighty posture. Staring right at the top of Ai Lin’s head, she said in a low, solemn voice, “Who are you? You aren’t even worthy of standing before me and speaking.”
“Hahaha, too late. Your lifelong reputation is practically ruined in my hands now.” Ai Lin looked quite gleeful.
“Alright, alright, my great and glorious reputation is completely ruined by you. Go take off your makeup now, and we’ll head back together in a bit.” Seeing that Ai Lin’s previous unhappiness had been completely swept away, Yu Junye gave her shoulder a gentle shove.
When Yu Junye stepped into the dressing room, An Ji was still on the phone. With a soft expression, a gentle tone, and a patient, melodious cadence, she sounded very much like she was speaking to a young child.
The residual glow of the setting sun spilled across An Ji’s face, coating her in a layer of golden light that felt soft and serene.
Staring, Yu Junye was caught completely in a daze. She recalled that late night in the hospital two days earlier the busy figure she had glimpsed through her sleepy haze. That feeling of being tenderly cared for stirred up quite a noticeable ripple deep within Yu Junye’s heart.
As soon as An Ji finished her call and turned her head, she caught Yu Junye staring at her in a daze. “Teacher Yu?”
“Hm! Ah?” Recovering her wits, Yu Junye sheepishly scratched her head.
An Ji felt a quiet amusement bubble up inside her. This kid really could be awfully peculiar at times.
Curving the corners of her lips, she maintained the gentle tone she had used on the phone: “Aren’t you going to take off your makeup? It’s getting rather late, isn’t it?”
“Of course I am. It’s just that I think Teacher An is so pretty, it makes people stare without even realizing it, hahaha.” To cover up her embarrassment of being caught blankly gazing at An Ji, Yu Junye casually tossed out the remark.
Hearing this, An Ji offered a shy smile as her cheeks began to burn slightly. Pausing for a moment, she replied, “Not at all. Teacher Yu is the truly gorgeous one so many media outlets are praising you.”
“Hahaha, I just sort of grew this way by chance. After all, I have to make a living off my face.” As she spoke, Yu Junye lifted her feet and headed toward the changing room to swap out her costume.
Left standing in place, An Ji remained momentarily frozen. After processing the comment for a good few seconds, the corners of her mouth turned upward and she shook her head helplessly. This person truly didn’t play by conventional rules when she talked.
Suddenly, a flash of memory crossed her mind the earlier scene of Yu Junye running over to eagerly invite her out to the night market.
In all her working years, this was the first time An Ji had ever encountered someone as direct, easygoing, and unmasked as Yu Junye.
Today was merely their first day of official collaboration, and they had only shared a single scene together, yet the younger actress had proactively invited her out for a late-night stroll. Wasn’t she afraid things would be awkward between unfamiliar people? Wasn’t she worried about the subtle power struggles and back-channel rivalries that often plagued lead actors over status and preferential treatment? After all, the entertainment industry was overflowing with female stars vying for attention amidst hidden undercurrents.
Her past partners, whether experienced or well-read, invariably put on airs or secretly measured themselves against one another, while newcomers and mid-tier actors never dared to directly voice any thoughts or suggestions to her.
Yet the person right before her a widely celebrated, immensely prestigious Best Actress across the Chinese cinematic world still retained the open, unpretentious sincerity of a child.
Had she somehow avoided the bloody storms of the entertainment industry? Or was her inner fortitude so uniquely robust? Or perhaps she had been protected so well that she remained completely untainted by worldly sophistication?
An Ji sighed inwardly. Truly, extraordinary individuals always possessed remarkable qualities that set them apart.
Night had fallen, bringing quiet solitude to the room.
Sitting on the sofa with her script in hand, An Ji jotted down notes, circled passages, and made annotations. From time to time, her brows furrowed slightly or she lowered her head in deep thought.
A knock sounded at the door. Lifting her gaze from the script, An Ji remembered Yu Junye mentioning that she would come over tonight to practice their scenes. A smile flashed in her eyes truly, this was someone with zero airs and utmost reliability.
An Ji stood up and pulled the door open to reveal Yu Junye standing in the doorway, smiling brightly with her hands clasped behind her back.