Chapter 56
Unlike Director Zhang’s Republican-era drama, this time the woman had joined a historical costume production crew.
Jiang Lai rarely took on this kind of work, so everything around her felt fresh and interesting.
Cheng Shuyang had only turned to greet someone for a moment, and in the next second the girl was gone without a trace.
“Hey, Alai!”
She reacted quickly and caught Jiang Lai by the back collar. “That’s another crew over there. Don’t wander onto the wrong set—you’ll make a fool of yourself.”
“Ah... okay.”
Jiang Lai sniffled.
“Be good. I’ll take you to meet someone later.”
“Who?”
“Someone you like very much right now.”
“You’re the one I like best right now, Aunt Cheng.”
The woman was coaxed into blushing by that blunt, smug little answer. “Is that so?”
“Of course. Absolutely genuine.”
“Fine. Then I hope you won’t get too excited when you see her later.”
“Me? Excited?”
Jiang Lai sounded as if she’d just heard a joke. “Impossible.”
“Alai, don’t be so confident.”
“I’m serious, Aunt Cheng. Even when I got on the plane and was sitting next to you, I didn’t recognize you at all..."
“Is that so?”
Thinking of what happened on the plane, a faint smile rippled through the woman’s eyes. Back then, she had recognized Jiang Lai, but deliberately said nothing.
It was only when the girl carefully asked whether she was Cheng Shuyang that she realized Jiang Lai was even more amusing than her daughter had described.
“You’re still laughing.”
Embarrassed and indignant, Jiang Lai couldn’t help reaching out to scratch at the woman. “After I told Wanwan about it, she said I was your fake fan; that even if you were standing right in front of me, I still wouldn’t recognize you. They laughed at me for so long because of that..."
The woman smiled and leaned back a little, catching the hand she was being naughty with. Her fingertips brushed over Jiang Lai’s skin, which had grown slightly warm, and her smile deepened.
“So... Alai, are you a fake fan?”
“Aunt Cheng!”
Jiang Lai glared at her indignantly. Her other hand reached out in defiance, only to be pinned down again by the woman. In the struggle, Jiang Lai was sent straight into the woman’s arms.
In an instant, a rich orchid fragrance wrapped around her.
She leaned closer to the woman’s neck and sniffed. “Aunt Cheng, you smell so nice..."
“...You’re really good at changing the subject.”
“I learned from you... ah, ah, ah!”
The woman pinched her ear, though not hard.
Jiang Lai hurt enough to burrow into her arms, yet still insisted, “Aunt Cheng, how can you be like this? You won’t even let people tell the truth...”
The woman really had no way to deal with her and could only coax her. “All right, get up quickly. What will it look like if someone sees us?”
Jiang Lai clung even tighter in shameless defiance. “So what if they see?”
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around. The woman wasn’t particularly afraid of being seen, but Jiang Lai had really been getting too outrageous lately; she felt she ought to put her foot down.
Yet before she could think of a way, a clear voice suddenly came from behind.
“Hello, Teacher Cheng!”
Both of them jolted.
The girl’s gaze fell on Jiang Lai’s arms around the woman’s waist, then darted back and forth between them.
No way. Was Aunt Cheng’s mouth blessed or something?
Feeling that gaze, Jiang Lai subconsciously tightened her arms, then only belatedly realized she was still hugging the woman. She hurriedly let go.
The woman’s expression remained as calm as ever, showing no trace of being caught red-handed. She nodded at the newcomer.
“Teacher Cheng, aren’t you going to introduce us? This is..."
The woman pressed down on Jiang Lai’s retreating body and spoke in response. “This is my daughter’s friend. She happened to pass by and came to visit me on set. Alai, this is Qin Li, the female lead in the drama.”
“Qin Li?”
The girl opposite took off her mask, revealing a smile. “Hello, Jiang Lai, right? I’m Qin Li.”
Jiang Lai covered her mouth, eyes round as saucers, and for a long moment couldn’t say a word.
“Oh my god, is it really Qin Li!”
She was so excited she couldn’t even finish her sentences. Her palms were sweating; just a few days ago, she’d been talking about this person in front of the woman, and now she was suddenly standing right before her.
The girl was amused by her reaction too and teased her along with it. “Mm, the real one; genuine and authentic Qin Li.”
“Aaaaah!”
She bounced in place a few times, unable to hide her excitement. “Can I get your autograph?”
“Of course. A photo is fine too, if you want one.”
Only then did she seem to realize how overexcited she was; she couldn’t help glancing over at the woman. The woman stood with her arms folded, watching her with a smile in her eyes.
Jiang Lai instantly understood. The woman had known all along.
“You knew already, didn’t you?”
“Mm. Didn’t you say you liked her? Since there happened to be a chance, I thought I’d let the two of you meet..."
Jiang Lai threw herself at her and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, Aunt Cheng!”
The woman froze at the kiss, her fingertips unconsciously brushing the spot on her cheek. It seemed like the girl’s lip mark was still there.
“Mm... my assistant took leave today. I was wondering if you’d be interested in being my assistant for a day?”
Qin Li extended an olive branch. Jiang Lai immediately agreed. “Of course.”
“Then I’ll go change first. See you in a bit.”
After settling Jiang Lai, Qin Li very politely asked the woman, “Teacher Cheng, may I borrow Miss Jiang for a while?”
“Of course. As long as Alai has no objection, I won’t say anything.”
“Okay.”
After Qin Li left, Jiang Lai was still ridiculously excited, gesturing animatedly as she talked to the woman. “Aunt Cheng, this was the surprise you mentioned?”
The woman lifted her brows and spoke slowly. “How is it? Satisfied?”
“Satisfied, satisfied. But Aunt Cheng, she’s so pretty! Even prettier than on TV!”
“Is that so?”
The smile on the woman’s face stiffened slightly, and a faint sourness rose in her chest.
Normally very observant, Jiang Lai somehow failed to notice the brief jealousy in the woman’s eyes at that moment.
Even Xiaoman, who was usually slow to react, sensed the woman’s mood; but Jiang Lai was simply too sluggish. She could only sigh inwardly and pray the girl would fend for herself.
All morning, Jiang Lai got along extremely well with the girl and completely ignored the woman.
“Sister Qin Li, let me tell you, the wandering hero you played last time—your entrance was so cool it stunned me. I loved it so much!”
Cheng Shuyang sat behind them. The water in her cup had long since gone cold, yet she still couldn’t shake the discomfort in her heart.
Xiaoman couldn’t help teasing her. “Aunt Cheng, aren’t you Alai-jiejie’s idol? How come I’ve never seen her get this excited over you?”
Hearing that Xiaoman was clearly digging a pit for her, she curved her lips. “Probably because I’m not very good at winning Alai over.”
“Who says? I think Alai-jiejie still likes you.”
Cheng Shuyang smiled and didn’t answer.
Only when Jiang Lai turned around to pour water did she look at the girl’s back and let out a soft sigh, her brows and eyes full of regret.
Whether she regretted introducing Qin Li to her, or something else, even she couldn’t say for certain at the moment.
That ungrateful little thing; she’d forgotten the old after seeing the new.
Luckily, all of her scenes were filmed at night, so she wouldn’t have to watch the girl and get angry.
Before Qin Li took her leave, Cheng Shuyang leaned against the door and smiled faintly. “Why don’t you two add each other’s contact info?”
“We already did!”
Jiang Lai grinned proudly and waved her phone at her.
The words caught in her throat for no reason. “...Right.”
Then she adjusted her mood. “Pack up this afternoon. I’ll take you all out to eat.”
“We’re not eating in the crew?”
“Zijin hardly ever comes by. Are you going to make her eat boxed lunch?”
“I don’t mind.”
Just then, Yan Zijin walked over from not far away and heard that, immediately protesting, “Hey, Jiang Lai, I specially took leave to come hike with you, and this is how you’re going to treat me? With crew boxed lunch?”
Jiang Lai stuck out her tongue at her and hid behind the woman. “Anyway, I don’t mind. I quite like boxed lunch.”
“All right, you two.”
The woman glanced at them helplessly and picked up a jacket at random. “You’re both grown adults, and still so careless. Go put your coats on.”
She looked at Yan Zijin, her voice gentle. “They said there’s a good local restaurant nearby. Want to try it?”
The girl’s face immediately lit up. “Aunt Cheng is still the best. Jiang Lai, learn something.”
“Bleh. I won’t.”
It wasn’t until lunchtime that Jiang Lai realized she might have been a little too cold to the woman that morning... Thinking of that, she looked at the woman uneasily, only to collide with a resentful gaze.
It’s over! Aunt Cheng is definitely angry!
She swallowed the last bite of chicken leg nervously, secretly sweating for herself.
Sure enough, when they got back to the hotel, the woman locked her out of the room.
“Aunt Cheng, I was wrong. I won’t do it again. Can you open the door for me?”
She knocked on the door pitifully, admitting her mistake.
The woman ignored her.
“Aunt Cheng, I really know I was wrong..."
Listening to the aggrieved note in her apology, the woman’s heart finally softened.
“What did you do wrong?”
“I shouldn’t have talked to Qin Li all morning and ignored you...”
With a click, the door opened.
The woman stood in front of her, her tone calm. “Done apologizing?”
Jiang Lai nodded quickly, her hand on the doorframe tightening a little, though her bravado had already weakened. “I really won’t do it next time. I promise.”
Cheng Shuyang looked at her for a long time, then finally stepped aside. “Come in.”
She knew it; Aunt Cheng was the most indulgent toward her.
Jiang Lai darted into the room in a flash, and before she left, she leaned close to the woman’s ear. “I forgot to tell you, Aunt Cheng. You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen. Qin Li doesn’t even come close.”
“...You’re just sweet-talking me.”
Seeing her reddened ears, Jiang Lai flopped onto the bed in a very good mood. “It’s the truth... ah, ah, ah!”
The woman tugged her ear, still not hard. “Let’s see if you still dare to act out next time.”
Jiang Lai covered the ear that had been pinched, feeling a little wronged. “Why did you hit me..."
“To help you remember.”
Seeing that the girl was still looking wronged, she coaxed her gently, “Does it hurt? I really didn’t use much force.”
The girl gave a muffled huff of dissatisfaction.
“All right, I’m sorry. That was my fault; I used too much force. I’m sorry.”
Only then did Jiang Lai finally show a trace of a smile.
“Oh, right.”
She suddenly sat up straight. “I’m going to Guxian next month. Do you need me to bring anything back for you?”
“Guxian? That’s far from the city. What are you going there for?”
“One of our teachers is from there originally. A few of us classmates agreed to go visit him together. Besides, the scenery there is nice; maybe inspiration will strike while we’re there.”
The woman’s hand paused around her cup. A flicker of concern crossed her face. “But I heard the weather there hasn’t been very good lately.”
“Oh, it’ll be fine. I’ve always had good luck. Don’t worry.”
Seeing the expectation in her eyes, the woman couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would stop her. She could only remind her, “Make sure you take good care of yourself when you get there; bring a few extra coats. The temperature difference in the mountains is big.”
“Got it.”
Jiang Lai immediately beamed. “Do you want to go with me? I heard there are stars at night over there, and they’re beautiful.”
The woman was tempted by the idea, but still shook her head. “I haven’t finished filming yet. Another time. If there’s a chance next time, we can go together.”
“Fine...”
Jiang Lai pouted, but quickly cheered herself up again. “I heard their handicrafts are very famous. I’ll pick out the prettiest ones for you when I get there.”
“Okay, then I’ll thank you in advance.”
Author’s note: