Chapter 017: Acting

Song Wan hurried to catch up. "Yu, why are you still here?"

Hua Yu pretended to scold her, "What, am I not allowed to wait for you?"

"How could that be?" Song Wan exclaimed. "I'm delighted that you would wait for me!"

Hua Yu was amused by her wide-eyed earnestness and gave her a light pat. "You little rascal—such a clever girl!"

Song Wan pressed her lips together, smiling. "I'll just take that as a compliment from you, Yu."

Hua Yu held back a laugh, finding herself even more charmed by Song Wan. It had to be said, anyone who could rise to Hua Yu’s position in the industry was a master of social grace; if she wished, she could make anyone feel as if bathed in a gentle spring breeze.

The two walked and chatted, Hua Yu leading the way past the filming area to the crew’s rest spot. The set the production had rented wasn’t large, so the main cast’s chairs were close together. Song Wan’s seat was right next to Hua Yu’s, and on Hua Yu’s other side sat Lin Yang, the renowned actor.

Before they could sit down, they saw Lin Yang stretched out in his chair, looking rather unwell.

"Lin Yang, are you alright? Are you feeling ill?" Hua Yu asked with concern.

Hearing her voice, Lin Yang opened his eyes, and upon meeting Hua Yu’s worried gaze, he managed a smile. "I’m fine, just—" Suddenly, his pupils contracted and he cried out in surprise, "Miss Song?"

Hua Yu was taken aback and turned to look at Song Wan.

Song Wan felt a twinge of embarrassment but kept her composure. "Hello, Mr. Lin. I’m Song Wan, playing Liu Ya. I’m still new, so you can just call me Song Wan from now on."

Hua Yu suddenly realized, "I was so caught up in chatting with Song Wan, I forgot you two haven’t been formally introduced."

Lin Yang, realizing his slip, forced a smile. "If that’s the case, no need to stand on ceremony, just call me Brother Lin like everyone else."

Hua Yu laughed again. "Brother Lin? That sounds like you two go way back. Just call him Lin-ge, that’s what everyone says!"

With rumors rampant in the entertainment industry, Song Wan, as a newcomer, had to tread carefully.

Lin Yang took the hint and corrected himself. "You’re right, Lin-ge is better." He added, "I’ve been watching a martial arts drama lately and got used to a different way of addressing people. Lin-ge just comes more naturally."

Song Wan had no objection and went along with it. "Hello, Lin-ge."

Lin Yang nodded, his smile somewhat strained.

Hua Yu assumed he really wasn’t feeling well and spoke with concern. "I think the scene between me and Song Wan is the last one for today, and it has nothing to do with you. If you’re not well, why don’t you rest in the lounge for a bit?"

Director Qian Fu was known to favor hardworking actors and had often stated publicly that he hoped actors would observe others’ performances when not filming themselves, to learn and improve. As a result, actors in his productions behaved impeccably, sitting quietly on the sidelines even when not needed, hoping to make a good impression or at least avoid being marked down in the director’s mind.

Given Lin Yang’s status, he had to be even more mindful. But having just been seen in such a state by Song Wan, he was unwilling to face her as he was. Rising, he nodded to them both. "I really am feeling a bit under the weather. I’ll go rest in the lounge for a while."

With that, he turned and walked away quickly, his hasty retreat looking almost like a flight in Hua Yu’s eyes.

She couldn’t help but wonder, turning to Song Wan, "Are we that frightening?" But her gaze lingered on Song Wan, probing deeply.

Song Wan met her look calmly. "Maybe I’m the scary one." She even gave a self-deprecating smile.

Hua Yu frowned. Had she read the situation wrong? But Qian Fu gave her no time to ponder, shouting through his megaphone, "Actors in position! All departments ready! Stop dawdling, we’re about to shoot!"

The two women exchanged a glance and moved to their marks in front of the camera.

"Scene one, Act five. Action!"

In the spacious study, Liu Rong sat behind his desk, fine lines trembling on his face, as if he’d suffered a crushing blow.

Moments ago, Liu Ya had appeared before Liu Wan’s father with a kind of almost innocent cruelty, laying bare the secret of Liu Wan’s parentage.

She smiled, "Master Liu, I’m grateful that you raised my father’s daughter for so many years, but I miss my sister dearly and wish to take her home with me."

The impact of this revelation sent Liu Rong into a violent tremor. He sprang to his feet, but the world spun black before his eyes, and he had to grip the desk, swaying unsteadily.

Liu Ya smiled, her mind consumed by a single thought: Liu Wan was her sister, and thus should share the same fate as she and her other sisters—

Living at the whim of fate, lower than dust.

To be used as a blade in their father’s hand; wherever his finger pointed, that was where their edge would strike.

Liu Rong refused to believe. "I don’t believe you! There’s no proof. You come from nowhere, friend or foe unknown, your words mean nothing—I won’t believe it..."

Liu Ya said nothing, only drew from her sleeve half a piece of lustrous white jade and placed it, still smiling, before Liu Rong.

A white mist seemed to cloud Liu Rong’s vision. For a long while, he trembled as he picked up the jade with shaking hands. "No... How can this be..."

How could it be!

He snatched up the jade and hurled it to the ground. With a sharp crack, the half-piece shattered beyond recognition.

But his rage was undimmed—he was seething.

How could Liu Rong not hate it? He saw the other half of this jade nearly every day, hanging from his wife’s neck, never once removed, not even in their most intimate moments!

He’d asked her about it once, only to be told it was a keepsake from her mother. Now he realized how thoroughly he’d been fooled by that duplicitous woman.

The veteran actor playing Liu Rong began to tremble all over, veins standing out across his face, his expression contorted and fearsome.

But Song Wan, facing his ferocity, seemed wholly unaffected—her calm, almost eerie presence creating a chasm between them, as though they existed in separate worlds with not even the slightest seam connecting them.

One snarled and raged, violence radiating from every pore; the other smiled serenely, ethereal as if descended from the heavens.

"Father!" Liu Wan burst through the study door, clutching the token her beloved Qi Yang had sent, and excitedly ran to Liu Rong.

Liu Rong turned on her in a flash, eyes bulging, his voice like a blade. "What are you doing here?"

Liu Wan’s heart leapt; sensing something was wrong, fear gripped her. But she was not yet the woman who would one day see through the world’s troubles with clear eyes, seeing to the depths of the human soul. For now, she was only a pampered young lady, a little spoiled, a little willful, but frighteningly naïve.

Remembering her father’s usual affection, she bravely smiled and clung to his sleeve, wheedling, "Qi Lang had someone send me a jade pendant. I wanted to ask—when will our wedding be set?"

"Smack—"

Liu Wan clutched her cheek, staring at her father in disbelief. "Father, why did you hit me?"

Looking at Liu Wan, the features he once found adorable now seemed unbearably offensive to Liu Rong. He clutched his chest, gasping, too furious to speak.

Just like her mother—shameless! Worthless!

Liu Wan, unaware of her father’s thoughts, saw his distress and grew anxious. "Father, what’s wrong?"

"He’s not your father, sister."

A voice echoed suddenly through the study, and only then did Liu Wan realize there was a third person in the room.

She spun around and found herself face to face with someone who looked remarkably like her.

"You..."

"Sister," Liu Ya said, "I am your elder sister. I’ve come to take you home."

Her smile was dazzling, but in Liu Wan’s eyes it became the leer of a demon risen from hell.

Even knowing it was only acting, Hua Yu couldn’t help but recoil. Only her years of experience woke her in time, keeping the scene from being ruined by a retake.

Still, her heart pounded wildly, her face several shades paler from fright.

"Good, cut!" Qian Fu shouted, leaping from his seat, looking nothing like the refined scholar he usually appeared to be—at first glance, he was almost unrecognizable.

But that was Qian Fu’s usual self on set.

Song Wan, accustomed to directors who seemed to become other people while filming, recovered quickly after her initial surprise.

Hua Yu trailed behind Song Wan, clutching her chest, her disbelief plain to see.

She had actually been cowed by Song Wan’s gaze, truly feeling as if Song Wan might drag her into hell. And Song Wan’s eyes—she was certain—had been utterly empty. She was simply standing there, looking like any ordinary person.

But even though the scene was over, seeing Song Wan’s retreating figure still left Hua Yu unsettled.

She covered her face, unable to help herself, thinking, It was truly terrifying...

Her assistant hurried over, carrying a cup of tea. "Yu, have some tea."

Forcing a smile, Hua Yu took the cup and drank deeply, as if the tea could banish her lingering fear.

The assistant, having worked with her for years, immediately noticed something was wrong, but with so many people around, he dared not ask.

Hua Yu shook her head at him. "I’m fine."

The veteran actor playing Liu Rong approached Song Wan, beaming, and clapped her on the shoulder. "The younger generation always surpasses the old! Good girl, I heard this is your first time filming? With talent like yours, you must have been blessed by the gods—keep it up, and you can’t go wrong!"

Song Wan was taken aback and shook her head with a complicated smile. "Thank you, Mr. Sun, but this isn’t my first role."

Blessed by the gods? If only. She had some talent, perhaps, but her skill—like everyone else’s—had been honed from the bottom, working her way up from minor roles.

He was surprised. "It’s not? What else have you acted in before?"

Qian Fu came over, catching just that. "Hahaha, Song Wan, don’t be so modest! Liu Ya is only your second role, and yet you’ve already brought such depth and nuance. You fully deserve Mr. Sun’s praise! And your first role, didn’t Zhou Qi himself praise you for your skill and spirit? I tell you, that’s real talent—truly a gift from the heavens. In all my years, I’ve never seen another with your promise."