One was a brilliant red, the other an ominous black—a striking contrast of colors. Under the glow of the overhead lights, which bathed their pristine faces in radiance, the world seemed to fall into a complete hush. The two were lost in their struggle, their souls drawing closer than ever before. Perhaps they stood on opposing sides as rivals, but that didn’t stop them from admiring and cherishing one another’s spirit.
As the music faded, the audience broke into applause. Ye Yansheng let go of Gu Yinglian. Hearing the clapping, Gu Yinglian looked at her, then glanced around the room with a sense of bewilderment. She was perhaps a bit lightheaded.
Ye Yansheng turned to leave. Gu Yinglian instinctively reached for her hand but stopped herself, remembering they were still filming; she could only watch blankly as the other woman walked away. The stage suddenly felt empty, leaving her standing there alone in a sudden wave of desolation.
At that moment, the scene transitioned to the host taking the stage for a speech, and the crowd gathered around. After the host finished, the owner of the luxury mansion also gave a brief address.
Then came the banquet scene. Since the budget was burning fast, the dinner itself was skipped. They moved straight to the closing shots, showing the guests trickling out of the mansion and departing in their cars.
As Ye Yansheng came out, she called out to Gu Yinglian. They still had one final scene outside with a massive amount of dialogue. The two stood by the entrance talking about life for a long time before finally leaving in their respective cars.
…
The shoot lasted until the middle of the night. By the time they wrapped, everyone was exhausted. Ye Yansheng pulled Gu Yinglian into her car to head back to the company dormitory.
The driver drove in silence. In the backseat, Gu Yinglian remained quiet the whole way. Ye Yansheng glanced at her and asked, “Are you tired?”
“Mm,” Gu Yinglian replied softly.
“Lean back and sleep for a bit then,” Ye Yansheng said.
Gu Yinglian gave a small hum of agreement and closed her eyes against the headrest. Ye Yansheng felt the fatigue as well and closed her own eyes. By the time they arrived, they had both managed to squeeze in a short nap.
Back at the dormitory, neither said much. They bid each other goodnight and headed to their respective rooms to shower and sleep.
After her shower, Gu Yinglian threw herself heavily onto the bed. Today had been utterly draining. Dancing in high heels was pure torture; then she had to stand outside for hours. Her feet had long since gone numb from the pain, yet she’d had to endure it.
Now, she could finally breathe. There were no scenes tomorrow, so she planned to sleep until noon. Gu Yinglian closed her eyes and quickly drifted into dreamland.
…
The next day, Gu Yinglian was jolted awake by intense hunger. She opened her eyes and checked the time—it was nearly 12:00 PM.
She hadn’t eaten breakfast, and no one had delivered any. She glanced at the door. Last night, she had worried about what she would do if Ye Yansheng knocked early in the morning, but it seemed she was being considerate. Wait, is she being considerate, or is she still asleep too?
Gu Yinglian got up to wash her face. Just as she finished, there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Ye Yansheng standing there. Seeing her, Ye Yansheng asked, “Have you eaten?”
“No,” Gu Yinglian said.
“Let’s go grab something together,” Ye Yansheng suggested.
Though she was starving, Gu Yinglian was also feeling incredibly lazy. She said to Ye Yansheng, “Are you going? Can you just bring something back for me?”
Ye Yansheng laughed. “You’re getting quite bold with your senior. You even dare to order me around now?”
“Please,” Gu Yinglian pleaded.
“Fine,” Ye Yansheng conceded. “Since you’re begging, I’ll go myself.”
Gu Yinglian watched her leave, sighed in relief, and closed the door. Her feet still hurt; she really didn’t want to walk anywhere. She lay down on the sofa, feeling like she could stay there forever. But the hunger was a constant reminder that she was still very much alive.
Just as she was about to doze off, a knock came. Gu Yinglian opened the door and let Ye Yansheng in, who was carrying takeout. By now, Gu Yinglian had passed the peak of her hunger and didn’t feel quite as famished anymore.
Ye Yansheng walked to the sofa, set the food on the coffee table, and said, “Eat.”
Gu Yinglian sat down, unpacked the food, and began to eat. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. “Sister Ye, did you use to eat at home often?”
“Occasionally,” Ye Yansheng replied.
“Occasionally?” Gu Yinglian looked at her. “Then you keep all those people at your house just to do nothing?”
“How can you call them ‘idle’?” Ye Yansheng smiled. “They take care of my home. I don’t want to come back to a house full of dust.”
“But at least… the owner should live there. Where is your family?” Gu Yinglian asked.
“Hmm? Do you want to be the mistress of that house?” Ye Yansheng teased. “I could consider it, you know.”
Gu Yinglian replied, “I certainly don’t.”
Ye Yansheng looked at her. “Really?”
“It’s luxurious, sure, but I couldn’t afford to live like that,” Gu Yinglian said.
“Your horizons are still too narrow,” Ye Yansheng said. “Keep climbing. One day, when you have more money than you know what to do with, you won’t care about these things anymore.”
Gu Yinglian asked, “Are you saying you have more money than you can spend?”
Ye Yansheng smirked. “What do you think?”
Gu Yinglian looked at her, unable to tell how much of what she said was true. But the wealth was undeniable. She lived like a princess in a castle, surrounded by servants. The world of the rich was truly beyond imagination.
“After we finish this shoot, I want to travel abroad,” Ye Yansheng said, watching her. “Do you want to come with me?”
Gu Yinglian took a bite of food and glanced at her. “I want to rest.”
“Traveling doesn’t mean you can’t sleep,” Ye Yansheng countered. “It’s about relaxing and enjoying life.”
“I just want to rest,” Gu Yinglian repeated.
Ye Yansheng laughed. “You’re so stubborn.”
They fell into silence for a moment. Ye Yansheng watched her eat quietly until Gu Yinglian finished and packed away the containers.
Suddenly, Ye Yansheng asked, “Have you written a song for me?”
Gu Yinglian’s heart skipped a beat, as if she’d been caught in the act. She felt a wave of embarrassment, but managed to say, “No, I haven’t.”
“Write one for me,” Ye Yansheng said. “I want you to write a song for me. I actually quite liked the ones you wrote for Zhu Mi.”
“I didn’t write those specifically for her,” Gu Yinglian clarified.
“Regardless, you wrote them,” Ye Yansheng said.
“Why do you want me to write for you?” Gu Yinglian asked. “If you want praise, I’m sure you can pay plenty of people for that.”
“I don’t lack praise,” Ye Yansheng said. “What I lack is sincerity.”
Gu Yinglian looked at her and remained silent.
“Can I buy your sincerity?” Ye Yansheng asked.
“If it can be bought, it isn’t sincerity,” Gu Yinglian replied.
Ye Yansheng smiled. “Do you know why I’m attracted to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Because,” Ye Yansheng laughed, “you’re something money can’t buy.”
Gu Yinglian fell silent once more.
“You don’t lack money, and you don’t care about climbing the social ladder,” Ye Yansheng continued. “You entered the entertainment industry likely because you were bored with your old life and wanted a change. But you’re serious—serious about everything you do—and you’re talented. Do you know how much others envy you? You were right to cling to me; in this industry, at least, I can protect you.”