Taking Advantage of Her Vulnerability [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 12

Ji Chenxi knocked for a long time without a response. She initially thought Gu Rongqing hadn’t woken up, but then she heard voices from inside. One was Gu Rongqing, and the other sounded like Wen Ling. Ji Chenxi’s expression darkened; she clenched her fists and knocked again.

Inside the room, Wen Ling kept her head down, not daring to look at Gu Rongqing. She was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. The knocking continued, but Gu Rongqing didn’t move, and Wen Ling didn’t dare to either. Recalling what she had just blurted out, she wanted to slap herself. It was supposed to be nothing, but she had dug her own grave with her big mouth.

After a while, Wen Ling braved a glance at Gu Rongqing, only to find the other woman staring at her. Following her gaze, she realized Gu Rongqing was looking at her legs. Wen Ling’s face flushed… She tucked her legs further under the covers, accidentally brushing against Gu Rongqing’s leg.

The contact snapped Gu Rongqing out of her daze. She felt a wave of awkwardness… She had simply found Wen Ling’s legs so white and straight that she couldn’t help but look, only to be caught red-handed.

“Rongqing… Ji Chenxi is outside…”

“……So?”

“I should hide first, then you can open the door.”

Wen Ling moved to get up, but as she did, the blanket slipped down. She was exposed in front of Gu Rongqing. She scrambled to cover herself while Gu Rongqing looked away, the tips of her ears turning red.

Gu Rongqing kept her head turned until Wen Ling had scurried, inch by inch, into the bathroom. Only then did she put on her clothes and open the door.

When the door opened, Ji Chenxi swept her gaze across the room. She didn’t see Wen Ling. “Rongqing, was there someone in your room?”

“No.”

Ji Chenxi nodded and moved to enter, but Gu Rongqing showed no intention of letting her in, standing firm at the threshold.

“Is there anything else?”

“We have a shoot today. I was worried you wouldn’t get up.”

“I’m up.”

Just as Gu Rongqing was about to close the door, Ji Chenxi’s sharp eyes caught something on Gu Rongqing’s neck… “Rongqing… you…” Ji Chenxi gestured toward her own neck and then pointed at Gu Rongqing’s.

Gu Rongqing didn’t react immediately. She touched her neck but felt nothing, yet she noticed Ji Chenxi’s expression had turned grim.

“I…” Gu Rongqing started to speak, but Ji Chenxi cut her off. “Don’t be late for the shoot.”

After Ji Chenxi left, Gu Rongqing touched her neck again, a sudden realization hitting her. She rushed to the mirror. Sure enough—there was a mark left by Wen Ling.

Later, Wen Ling was “invited” out of the bathroom by a nakedly annoyed Gu Rongqing.

When Wen Ling returned to her own room, she received a massive shock. Two women were huddled together on the bed, skin to skin…

The moment she entered, Lin Xu woke up. She rubbed her eyes and jumped when she saw Wen Ling back, then looked at the person beside her. She hurriedly yanked the blanket up, covering both of them securely.

“Wen Ling-jie… that…”

Liang Mei stirred on the bed and woke up, looking a bit dazed by the scene.

“Get dressed, both of you.” Wen Ling turned around and went right back into the bathroom.

Who would have thought? Nothing happened between her and Gu Rongqing, yet these two actually slept together! It was truly… truly enviable! People with a “life” were so impressive!

By the time Wen Ling came out, Liang Mei had already left. Lin Xu sat on the bed waiting for her, looking incredibly sheepish.

“Wen Ling-jie, Sister Liang Mei and I…”

“I understand. A lonely woman and a lonely girl in one room—it’s inevitable.”

Wen Ling waved her off and flopped onto her bed, clutching the corner of the duvet. Her heart felt bitter. She and Gu Rongqing had been “lonely” together last night, too, and Gu Rongqing had even been proactive. She… she shouldn’t have overthought it.

Over the next few days, as filming began, Wen Ling avoided Gu Rongqing. She stayed away from the set whenever possible and tried to be invisible when she had to be there. This left Lin Xu a bit grumpy, as she had no time to chat with “Sister Liang Mei.”

However, whenever Wen Ling did appear on set, she saw Ji Chenxi almost every day. Every time they met, she felt like Ji Chenxi’s eyes were ready to spit fire.

After dodging for days, Wen Ling could no longer hide when it came time to film the first kiss between Jin Nanfeng and Fang Cao. This scene was a crucial part of the script, so she had to be present to supervise.

It was the scene from the audition. After Jin Nanfeng discovers Fang Cao’s secret, the two open up to each other. Fang Cao tells Nanfeng everything about her family, and Nanfeng confesses that she doesn’t love her fiancé at all.

Fang Cao has another secret: she has loved Jin Nanfeng since childhood. In that moment of mutual reliance and warmth, Fang Cao can’t help but lean in to kiss Jin Nanfeng. Jin Nanfeng, caught off guard, gives Fang Cao a slap.

When Wen Ling arrived on set, Gu Rongqing was already there rehearsing with Xu Mengmeng. After several tries, Xu Mengmeng still wasn’t in the right state. Gu Rongqing was patiently working with her, showing no signs of annoyance. Wen Ling watched from the sidelines, but Gu Rongqing spotted her. She tried to hurry over to Director Li Xin, but Xu Mengmeng caught her first.

“Wen Ling-jie!”

“Uh… Mengmeng… Teacher Gu.”

Wen Ling had no choice but to greet them both. Gu Rongqing, however, didn’t look at her.

“Wen Ling-jie, could you explain the scene to me? I feel like something is off.”

“Teacher Gu can help you perfectly—”

“It’s your work after all; I don’t understand it as well as you do,” Gu Rongqing interjected.

Wen Ling hadn’t expected Gu Rongqing to say that. Now she had to explain. “Which part?”

“The part where Fang Cao kisses Jin Nanfeng. It feels wrong. I don’t have any experience with unrequited love… so my performance is a bit lacking.”

“Cough… well…” Wen Ling glanced awkwardly at Gu Rongqing. Experience with unrequited love… she certainly had a lot to say about that.

“Fang Cao’s crush on Jin Nanfeng started in her youth, so the feelings should be very, very deep. If you don’t have that feeling, you can imagine an object you love—like a doll or something else. Because emotions accumulate. If you love a doll, you might have many, but the first one that accompanied you is always different. It accompanied you through your fears and your joy.”

“Unrequited love is very similar. This person is like that doll; she gave you warmth. She is a beacon in your dark life—companionship and faith.”

“This person is the most beautiful thing in your world. Her every move, every smile, affects your nerves. You’re happy because of her, sad because of her. She has always been out of reach, until one day you realize she is standing right next to you. You want to touch her, but you’re afraid. You’re afraid the dream will shatter, yet you’re afraid that if you don’t touch her, you’ll never get another chance.”

The more Wen Ling spoke, the more she remembered her years of pining for Gu Rongqing. That was exactly how she had felt back then. But now, the dream had shattered.

Xu Mengmeng watched Wen Ling’s expression change like a roller coaster—happy one moment, sad the next.

Gu Rongqing also wanted to ask: Who was she thinking about? Is it me?

Coming back to her senses, Wen Ling realized both of them were staring at her. She felt self-conscious. “Jie, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Do you understand the feeling I described?”

Xu Mengmeng said she understood a bit better. Wen Ling had them rehearse again while she went to sit with Director Li Xin.

The shoot started smoothly. Their eyes and chemistry were spot on, but Xu Mengmeng “NG-ed” (No Good) during the kiss! After three failed takes, Director Li Xin told her to take a moment to adjust.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Xu Mengmeng apologized to Gu Rongqing, the director, and the crew.

Wen Ling walked over to ask what was wrong. Xu Mengmeng stammered and remained silent. Every time Wen Ling saw Xu Mengmeng’s hands on Gu Rongqing’s waist leaning in for the kiss, she felt a pang of discomfort. And she had done it three times!

“I’m just a bit…”

“Wen Ling, she’s already nervous. Don’t be mean to her.”

Hearing Gu Rongqing defend her made Wen Ling feel even worse. She said crossly to Xu Mengmeng, “Your feeling was fine just now, why did you mess up at the last second?”

“Kissing my own sister-in-law is just too weird!”

Wen Ling was struck dumb. The words effectively shut her up.

Gu Rongqing, standing beside them, looked at Xu Mengmeng in confusion. “Sister-in-law?”

“Wait… why am I your sister-in-law?” Gu Rongqing’s gaze moved between the two of them. Both kept their heads down and said nothing.

Wen Ling: “……”

Xu Mengmeng: “……”

Even if Gu Rongqing was oblivious, she had finally figured it out.

Wen Ling was Xu Mengmeng’s sister (cousin). Which meant Xu Zhe was Wen Ling’s brother. They had been married for years, yet she hadn’t known a thing.

“Wen Ling, you have a connection to Yiyang?”

Wen Ling opened her mouth to explain, but found she couldn’t find the words. She had indeed kept it a secret.