After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 19

Ren Xuan took the lead and walked ahead. Lin Shuyan kept track of the time and waited for about five minutes before closing her script and heading back toward the front of the mountain.

“You’re back?” Ning Yinman suddenly appeared in front of Ren Xuan, winking and gesturing meaningfully toward the path Ren Xuan had just returned from.

“And you saw the person you wanted to see?” Ren Xuan shot back, refusing to be outdone.

“Me?” Ning Yinman shook her head. “I don’t have anyone I’m pining for.”

“If you say you don’t, then you don’t.” There was privacy even among friends, and Ren Xuan had no intention of prying further.

“I actually wish I did!” Ning Yinman chuckled, nudging Ren Xuan’s shoulder and whispering, “Where is she? Let me take a look. Don’t worry, I won’t scare her.”

Scaring Lin Shuyan is unlikely, Ren Xuan thought, it’s more likely that Ning Yinman will be the one getting a shock. Since she was a “stand-in,” there had to be similarities to the White Moonlight. Ren Xuan didn’t have a single photo of the White Moonlight; the System had allowed her to inherit all of the original “Ren Xuan’s” memories, yet it left her with no clear image of the person she loved most deeply.

Everyone has things in their heart they wish to remember or forget profoundly. This memory was something even Ren Xuan couldn’t delve into, despite the System’s intervention. Ren Xuan guessed that the original “Ren Xuan’s” obsession was so deep that she still couldn’t see the White Moonlight’s face.

If Ning Yinman were to see Lin Shuyan, who resembled the White Moonlight…

“She’s studying the script.”

“Fine,” Ning Yinman had plenty of patience. Since she was staying for a few hours, she wasn’t afraid of missing her.

Lin Shuyan took a detour back to her tent and ran into her assistant, Xiao Yan. “Teacher Lin, you’re finally back! The food is getting cold.” Xiao Yan hurriedly brought out the meal from the insulated container. “I heard a big shot visited today and brought a lot of delicious food. This was given to us.”

“Teacher Lin, did you go see them?” Xiao Yan asked curiously.

“No,” Lin Shuyan instinctively hid her meeting with Ren Xuan. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Xiao Yan, but the fewer people who knew about this, the better. “There were too many people; I couldn’t squeeze in.”

“Me too.” Xiao Yan agreed wholeheartedly. She had wanted to join the crowd, but there were too many people surrounding the visitors.

“Teacher Lin, eat first. We have a reshoot this afternoon.” This scene was a temporary addition because an actor had fallen ill two days ago and missed a scene; they had to make it up as soon as possible today.

“I remember I checked this.” Ning Yinman watched the staff moving back and forth in the afternoon and learned from them that Lin Shuyan had two scenes.

“What a pity.” Ning Yinman gazed longingly at the leads and supporting actors in their costumes on set.

“What are you muttering about? It’s time to go.” Ren Xuan patted Ning Yinman’s shoulder.

“Let me take one more look.” Ning Yinman looked toward the set longingly, just as the female lead and supporting actress made their entrance. Based on Lin Shuyan’s role, Ning Yinman’s eyes immediately locked onto the woman in white at the front.

The sect disciples were dressed simply. The woman leading the group held a sword, her head held high as she strode forward.

“Lin Shuyan.” Ning Yinman repeated the name in her mind. Period costumes were quite different from modern clothes, but one look at Lin Shuyan’s costume was enough to know she was a refined beauty.

Xuan really knows how to find them. If she could truly forget the person in her heart, it would be good for both Xuan and that person. Having made the trip worthwhile, a satisfied Ning Yinman left with Ren Xuan. As the car approached Yecheng, Ning Yinman couldn’t help but recall Lin Shuyan’s appearance again, muttering, “Strange, have I seen her somewhere before?”

“Who?” Ren Xuan, who was resting with her eyes closed, opened them to ask.

“Lin Shuyan.” After saying it, Ning Yinman quickly brushed it off. She had been to so many film sets; perhaps she had seen her in one of them. “Maybe I just forgot. I might have known her even earlier than you did,” Ning Yinman joked.

Ren Xuan remained silent. From the looks of it, Ning Yinman would soon connect the White Moonlight and Lin Shuyan.

Their visit was like a gust of wind that blew through the crew and left just as quickly. During her breaks, Lin Shuyan continued to pore over her script.

“Your acting recently is something we’ve all witnessed,” Yan Xun said, sitting opposite Lin Shuyan. “You can take a proper rest.”

“I’m still not familiar enough; I want to understand more.”

“Want me to rehearse with you again?” Yan Xun asked. Lin Shuyan’s first two scenes were with him, but for some reason, she hadn’t sought him out since then—she even seemed to be intentionally avoiding him.

“Thank you, Teacher Yan,” Lin Shuyan declined politely. “I want to memorize my lines alone. Besides, Teacher Yan, you’re the male lead with a heavy workload. If I disturb your brief rest, wouldn’t that be too annoying?”

Yan Xun was about to say it wouldn’t be, but Lin Shuyan had already slipped away. It happened that Rong Yu, who played the female lead, was sitting on the other side. Lin Shuyan didn’t have many scenes with Rong Yu—only a few—and she hadn’t spoken to her more than a handful of times. She greeted her quickly before sitting down near her.

“Help yourself, Teacher Lin,” Rong Yu said indifferently. “This is all the crew’s property, not my personal space.”

“Sorry to disturb you, Miss Rong,” Lin Shuyan said apologetically. Her back was toward Yan Xun, yet she could still feel his burning gaze. She shrank into her seat and focused solely on her script.

After a hard day of filming, Lin Shuyan walked back, kneading her shoulders. The thought of going back to take a comfortable hot bath and lying in bed made her feel like the day’s fatigue could be washed away. For convenience, almost everyone in the crew stayed in the same hotel. Lin Shuyan ran into Rong Yu on the way back.

“Teacher Rong.” Lin Shuyan took the initiative to greet her.

“Teacher Lin, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow.” Lin Shuyan watched her exit the elevator quietly.

“What are you looking at?” her assistant Xiao Yan asked, puzzled.

“I’m wondering when I’ll be able to film as smoothly as Teacher Rong,” Lin Shuyan said longingly. Rong Yu didn’t speak much on set. Though she was the lead, she was completely different from the leads Shuyan had encountered before—no arrogance, no vanity about her looks. She was always quietly studying her script. You might easily overlook her, but as soon as filming started, it was different; your eyes would instinctively fall on her.

“Teacher Lin, you’re just starting out,” Xiao Yan whispered in Shuyan’s ear. “Even Teacher Yan Xun has moments where he can’t keep up with Teacher Rong’s acting. You’re just lacking experience; it’ll get better.”

“I know.” Lin Shuyan nodded.

At 9:05 PM, just a few minutes after Xiao Yan had left, someone knocked on Lin Shuyan’s door. Seeing the person through the peephole, Lin Shuyan opened the door, confused. “Teacher Yan, why are you here?”

“I accidentally hurt my hand, and my assistant has already left. Do you have a band-aid? Could I borrow one?”

Lin Shuyan looked down; sure enough, there was a trace of blood on Yan Xun’s index finger.

“I caught it while peeling an apple. It’s quite embarrassing,” Yan Xun said.

“Teacher Yan, I don’t have any in my room either. But my assistant is right next door; I’ll go ask her for you.”

“No need.” Hearing this, Yan Xun hurriedly stopped her. “I don’t think the wound is that big. Could I trouble you to help me bandage it? It’ll probably be fine by tomorrow. There’s no need to bother her so late at night.”

So you’re bothering me instead?

Normally, Lin Shuyan might not have thought much of it, but before Ren Xuan left today, she had specifically instructed her to maintain an appropriate distance from people in the crew.

Ren Xuan’s exact words were: “You might not want to date, but that doesn’t mean the media won’t fabricate nonsense. Lin Shuyan, you wouldn’t want dating rumors flying around before your work even becomes a hit, would you?”

Lin Shuyan didn’t think paparazzi would be watching her now, but Yan Xun was different; his popularity was immense. The media assigned him a rumored girlfriend practically every six months. Whether true or false, Lin Shuyan didn’t want to be one of them.

If some busybody wrote about this and Miss Ren saw it, Lin Shuyan would truly be too ashamed to face her.

“Teacher Yan,” Lin Shuyan stood there awkwardly. “I… I’m actually a bit afraid of blood. Maybe you could find someone else to help?”

“I think there’s a pharmacy downstairs; should I go buy some for you now?”