Chapter 35
“Scene forty-eight, shot one, take one!”
The slate snapped shut, and the camera pushed forward.
Li Jin had been on the throne for less than a year, yet she had already begun skipping morning court every few days and no longer reviewed memorials promptly.
The aristocratic families that had chosen to support her because of Zhou Yi’s persuasion were beginning to complain. In private, they sent a female official to deliver a message, asking Zhou Yi to warn Li Jin.
At that time, Zhou Yi had not seen Li Jin for an entire month.
Not long after ascending the throne, Li Jin had acted coquettishly and said she wanted to attend court independently instead of continuing to rely on Zhou Yi’s help.
Zhou Yi observed her for a while and saw that Li Jin was indeed capable of handling matters alone, so she stopped interfering.
She had never expected Li Jin to eventually stop attending court altogether.
After hearing the female official’s message, Zhou Yi waved her away and rested her forehead against one hand in thought.
Li Jin had claimed she was too busy lately to visit her.
So this was the truth behind it.
After considering the matter for a moment, Zhou Yi decided to find Li Jin directly.
Li Jin truly was not reading memorials.
She was in the imperial garden, watching a group of beautiful palace maids chase butterflies.
Without the late Empress Regnant or Zhou Yi restraining her, she had completely indulged herself and played with whatever she desired.
She simply did not dare let Zhou Yi find out.
For some reason, she could not bear to see disappointment on Zhou Yi’s face.
When a palace maid hurried over and warned that Zhou Yi was approaching, Li Jin immediately dismissed the maids who had been chasing butterflies.
She found a pavilion, sat inside with her head propped against one hand, and pretended to suffer from a headache.
When Zhou Yi arrived, she saw Li Jin frowning.
She lowered her eyes and slowly climbed the steps.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Her voice was cold, without a trace of warmth.
“Sister!”
Li Jin immediately brightened.
She stepped forward to greet Zhou Yi and pulled her into an embrace, though nervousness remained in her voice.
“Why isn’t Your Majesty reviewing memorials in the Hall of Mental Cultivation today?”
Zhou Yi stared at her without the slightest hint of a smile.
“I was exhausted, so I wanted to come outside and relax.”
Li Jin’s heart tightened.
“Why did Sister have time to visit me today?”
It would have been a lie to say Zhou Yi was not disappointed.
She had practically raised Li Jin herself and understood every small movement she made.
Whenever Li Jin lied, she always avoided eye contact.
“It’s been too long since I last saw you. I missed you,” Zhou Yi said.
“I’ll visit once I finish this busy period.”
Li Jin relaxed slightly.
As long as Zhou Yi had not come to hold her accountable, everything was fine.
Zhou Yi detected a faint fragrance on Li Jin’s body.
It was neither a scent Li Jin liked using nor one Zhou Yi favored.
She barely needed to speculate to understand what had happened.
Li Jin was now Empress Regnant. If she had not permitted it, no one could have approached her.
Zhou Yi blinked and concealed the disappointment in her eyes.
“What have you been busy with?” she asked softly. “I heard you haven’t attended court for three days. What could possibly keep you so occupied?”
She sighed and wondered whether the choice she had made back then had been wrong.
At the time, she had believed Li Jin only behaved playfully because she carried no responsibility.
Only now did Zhou Yi realize that Li Jin had never grown up at all.
“Who told you that?”
Li Jin became nervous.
“This sovereign was somewhat ill during the past few days. That’s why I did not attend morning court.”
The disappointment in Zhou Yi’s eyes appeared naturally.
She did not listen to any more explanations.
Instead, she took Li Jin’s hand and said quietly,
“As Empress Regnant, you can no longer be lazy. You learned that when we attended lessons together.”
Embarrassed and furious, Li Jin pulled her hand from Zhou Yi’s palm.
“This sovereign understands. You may return. I will attend court tomorrow.”
Zhou Yi looked deeply at her before leaving.
Li Jin indeed attended court the following morning.
At the same time, as though retaliating, she demoted the younger members of the family that had informed Zhou Yi, seemingly issuing them a warning.
From that day onward, the conflict between the aristocratic families and the Empress Regnant began.
Caught between the two sides, Zhou Yi found herself in an impossible position.
She visited the Hall of Mental Cultivation several times, only for Li Jin to dismiss her with perfunctory excuses.
Gradually, Zhou Yi understood.
Everything she had learned growing up taught her that members of the imperial family were naturally cold-hearted and valued power above all else.
She had never believed it before.
She thought Li Jin would be the exception.
Unexpectedly, that exception had merely acted well—so well that even Zhou Yi had believed her.
Because of the conflict with the aristocratic families, Li Jin began attending court more frequently.
However, the strategies she proposed became increasingly absurd.
Zhou Yi wanted to help but lacked the power.
She had trusted Li Jin too much and surrendered authority too early. Now confined to the inner palace, she could no longer reach into the imperial court.
The two women rarely met again.
Zhou Yi began suffering from insomnia every night.
During countless nights, she wondered whether her original decision had been a mistake.
Two years passed quickly.
Then Zhou Yi heard that Li Jin had brought a distant cousin back to the palace.
With beautiful makeup, Lin Luosheng transformed into Li Yu, an insignificant young woman from Great Xia’s imperial clan.
Li Jin had taken an interest in her and summoned her to the palace.
The moment she entered, she was granted the rank of consort, and gifts filled her entire residence.
It could almost be considered overwhelming favor.
The weather that day was poor.
The sky was covered in mist, and the rain seemed ready to fall at any moment.
It began raining while Zhou Yi traveled from her residence.
The palace maids hurriedly held an umbrella over her, but she walked faster and faster.
Several drops fell into her hair, and the hem of her skirt became wet.
Her pace was as urgent as it had been when she once went to meet Li Jin beneath the moon.
Only three brief years had passed, yet the vows made beneath the moon now seemed false.
The palace maids outside Li Jin’s residence panicked when they saw Zhou Yi.
One of them rushed inside to report her arrival.
Li Jin received the news just as Zhou Yi stepped onto the final stair.
Yet Li Jin remained unhurried and came outside with a calm expression.
“Li Jin.”
Zhou Yi no longer addressed her as Empress Regnant.
“Do the vows you made before truly mean nothing now?”
She was so calm that it seemed she had already passed through a storm.
“Mm.”
Li Jin raised an eyebrow.
“How could this sovereign remain faithful to you for an entire lifetime? Remaining so for several years already showed you sufficient respect.”
Pain twisted through Zhou Yi’s heart.
In the misty rain, Li Jin’s features became blurred and no longer overlapped with the young girl who had once followed behind her calling her Sister.
The affection of childhood sweethearts.
The vows exchanged beneath flowers and moonlight.
The promises of forever.
It turned out Zhou Yi had been the only one who believed them.
The person who spoke those words had forgotten them long ago.
As the two confronted each other, Li Yu emerged barefoot, wearing Li Jin’s outer robe.
She called timidly,
“Your Majesty, it’s cold outside. Aren’t you going to wear something?”
Zhou Yi followed the voice and looked over.
She suddenly realized Li Yu’s eyes and brows resembled her own by perhaps three parts.
But Zhou Yi would never behave so delicately.
She would never content herself with becoming a woman who waited for the Empress Regnant to visit her bed whenever she had time.
Zhou Yi stared deeply at Li Yu.
The gaze frightened Li Yu so much that she threw herself into Li Jin’s arms.
Zhou Yi said nothing more.
She turned and walked into the torrential rain.
The downpour was so heavy that even the umbrella could not stop it.
Her figure disappeared into the rain until it could no longer be seen clearly.
The moment the director called cut, Shen Yishu immediately released Lin Luosheng from her arms.
Lin Luosheng even stepped backward twice, afraid of remaining in the embrace for one extra second.
The rain was far too heavy.
Shen Yishu accepted the umbrella offered by a crew member, lifted her skirt, and ran into the rain to find Ji Xiangyu.
Ji Xiangyu had acted too well.
When she turned away, Shen Yishu saw the redness in her eyes, and her own heart tightened painfully.
Fortunately, this story belonged to Li Jin and Zhou Yi.
It did not belong to Shen Yishu and Ji Xiangyu.
Even if their contract had an expiration date, Shen Yishu would never behave as shamelessly as Li Jin.
Lin Luosheng accepted the coat offered by a staff member and heard someone say enviously,
“Everyone said Teacher Ji must have been blind to fall for Teacher Shen, but I actually think they suit each other.”
“She runs over the moment filming ends and can’t bear to remain separated for even a minute. Young love truly is sweet.”
Lin Luosheng accepted an umbrella and replied with a smile,
“They’re both worthy of each other.”
Shen Yishu first returned to her own lounge and changed out of her costume.
The rain was so heavy that filming the later scenes had become impossible.
They would probably finish early today.
Holding an umbrella, she stepped through the rain toward Ji Xiangyu’s lounge.
The door was unlocked and left half open, allowing cold air to rush outside.
Shen Yishu pushed it open.
“Sister.”
Ji Xiangyu had not changed clothes.
She held a thin cigarette between her fingers but had not lit it.
She was staring into space.
“Sister?”
Seeing that something seemed wrong, Shen Yishu asked worriedly.
Only then did Ji Xiangyu return to her senses.
She was about to speak when the stylist came running over beneath an umbrella, complaining as she approached,
“Why was the weather forecast so inaccurate? It clearly said there wouldn’t be rain today.”
Ji Xiangyu glanced at her and sat back down.
“It’s fine. Remove the styling first.”
Removing everything took nearly half an hour.
Bored while waiting, Shen Yishu began her daily routine of asking anti-fans whether they had no manners.
Thanks to the previous promotional still, her follower count had recently risen dramatically each day.
Some marketing accounts claimed that although the drama was not an idol romance, Shen Yishu had benefited from idol-drama-style publicity because of her relationship with Ji Xiangyu.
Her popularity had already risen before the show officially aired.
She switched to her main account, opened her profile, and discovered she now had more than three million followers.
After the styling had been removed, Ji Xiangyu changed clothes.
The director announced in the group chat that filming would end early today and that they would work late tomorrow evening instead.
The two women shared one umbrella as they walked out of the set.
Wang Xing and Zhu Li had gone to the parking lot to retrieve the car, sparing them from walking farther.
The torrential rain turned the sky dark blue-black and dampened people’s moods along with it.
Shen Yishu held the umbrella and tilted it toward Ji Xiangyu, sheltering her more completely.
“Why did you call me Miss Lin on the first night we met?” Ji Xiangyu suddenly asked.
It was a question Shen Yishu had believed she had already brushed aside.
At the time, Shen Yishu had opened her eyes without recognizing anyone.
When she saw a beautiful woman, she assumed she must be the female lead, only to realize she had mistaken her identity.
“I don’t remember.”
Shen Yishu decided to brush it aside again.
“Did you like Ah Sheng back then?”
Ji Xiangyu lowered her eyes and watched the raindrops splash across the ground beneath their feet.
Her voice was quiet.
“No.”
Shen Yishu denied it immediately.
“Didn’t I dislike her quite a bit back then?”
“…”
Ji Xiangyu raised her eyes, saw Shen Yishu’s nervous expression, and smiled.
“That’s true. You disliked her then, like an elementary school student teasing her deskmate.”
Shen Yishu remembered what people online said about elementary school students expressing affection by constantly teasing someone to gain their attention.
She looked suspiciously at Ji Xiangyu but could find nothing unusual in her expression.
“I disliked her because she was extremely capable while I was useless at the time,” Shen Yishu added unnecessarily.
From the moment she transmigrated, she had never planned to become romantically involved with Lin Luosheng.
If any such problem existed, it belonged to the original owner.
Shen Yishu refused to carry the blame.
“Then why didn’t you dislike me?”
Seeing how urgently Shen Yishu explained herself, Ji Xiangyu asked with amusement,
“Am I not capable?”
“Sister.”
Shen Yishu spoke solemnly.
“Both stars and the moon shine, but their brightness isn’t on the same level.”
Ji Xiangyu finally laughed aloud.
It was rare for them to return to the hotel for lunch.
Shen Yishu even slept for a while that afternoon.
Because they would film additional scenes tomorrow, she needed to memorize the added lines in advance.
When she woke, Ji Xiangyu had already reviewed them once and asked whether she wanted to rehearse together.
Shen Yishu hurriedly refused.
When others watched them film, she could seriously return to playing the scumbag Li Jin.
If they rehearsed alone, however, she could only be Shen Yishu.
The afternoon passed quickly.
Lin Luosheng visited partway through to rehearse with them.
Under Ji Xiangyu’s gaze, Shen Yishu felt as though she were sitting on needles while completing the scene with Lin Luosheng.
Once Lin Luosheng left, Shen Yishu felt even guiltier.
Nearly every later scene involving Li Yu existed to hurt Zhou Yi.
Li Jin brutally shattered Zhou Yi’s heart before announcing that she would depose her as Empress Consort, confiscate the Zhou family’s property, and exile the entire clan.
Even while reading the script, Shen Yishu felt shocked.
Li Jin’s heart was far too cruel.
Even if she no longer loved Zhou Yi, she should never have acted this way.
Ji Xiangyu helped her understand.
“Li Jin believes that if Zhou Yi and the Zhou family could support her rise, they could also pull her down.”
“That’s why she becomes desperate to escape Zhou Yi’s control and seize complete authority over the court.”
Shen Yishu frowned.
“But Zhou Yi’s feelings for her were so sincere. If Zhou Yi wanted the throne, she never would have needed to support Li Jin in the first place.”
Ji Xiangyu stroked her hair.
“People’s hearts change. The hearts of fictional characters change too.”
“Just as after I support you and you become a major celebrity, it’s possible you might step on me to generate publicity.”
The suggestion irritated Shen Yishu.
“I wouldn’t do that, Sister.”
“If you’re worried, you don’t need to support me at all. But you can’t assume I would treat you that way.”
Even if she became a major celebrity someday and the two eventually separated, Shen Yishu would never do anything to harm Ji Xiangyu.
Ji Xiangyu moved closer, leaned against her, and coaxed her with an amused smile.
“I’m sorry, Baby. I made a bad joke.”
For once, Shen Yishu refused to immediately let it go.
“Sister, I’m not the person born to play Li Jin. I’m not that kind of person.”
Ji Xiangyu wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead.
“I know. Our baby is the devoted second female lead.”
Shen Yishu became even more annoyed, so much so that she forgot to feel embarrassed about the kiss.
It was one thing when other people joked that she was born to play Li Jin.
After all, Li Jin was the role she portrayed, and praising how well her aura suited the character was indirectly praising her acting.
But Shen Yishu could not tolerate Ji Xiangyu imagining that she might behave like a scumbag.
Other people could say it.
Ji Xiangyu could not.
“Don’t be angry, Baby. I was wrong.”
Seeing Shen Yishu genuinely upset, Ji Xiangyu became slightly flustered.
She had never coaxed another person and had never been coaxed herself.
She did not even know what the normal procedure should be.
“You’re not allowed to mention it again.”
Shen Yishu’s anger arrived quickly and disappeared just as fast, but she remained firm.
“If I ever do something so disgusting to you, then the moment I leave the house, a car can—”
Before she could finish, Ji Xiangyu held Shen Yishu’s face and blocked the remaining words with soft lips.
“Don’t make such a vicious oath,” she said meaningfully.
Their relationship had not reached the point where Shen Yishu needed to swear upon her life.
Shen Yishu paused for two seconds, then said recklessly,
“Then let me become incapable. Incapable for the rest of my life.”
Even saying it made her ears turn red.
“If you become incapable, you aren’t the one who suffers.”
Ji Xiangyu breathed lightly beside her ear.
“I am.”
Then she added with a smile,
“You’re practically incapable already.”
Shen Yishu: “…”
She would endure it.
“Are you no longer angry?”
Ji Xiangyu leaned back and studied her expression.
“I’m not angry anymore.”
“Then shall we begin tonight’s desensitization training?” Ji Xiangyu asked.
“…All right.”
Even though she was mentally prepared and it was no longer their first kiss, Shen Yishu remained as nervous as though it were.
Neither of them needed to work again that evening.
Both were reluctant to end the long kiss, continuing until they were breathless and still unwilling to separate.
Having tasted the pleasure before, Ji Xiangyu could not bear to stop.
The kiss became increasingly intense until she eventually pressed Shen Yishu against the sofa.
Shen Yishu felt close to suffocating.
Ji Xiangyu’s learning ability in this area was improving rapidly, while Shen Yishu’s shyness always prevented her from studying the technique.
She silently swore she would learn more so Ji Xiangyu would not always control everything.
After more than ten minutes, Ji Xiangyu finally lifted her head.
Her eyes had turned red.
She decided they had done enough.
If they continued, things might end like the previous night.
Being able to smell and taste something without truly having it was terrifying.
She had no desire to endure that again.
“We should sleep early tonight.”
She stood, trying to appear as calm as possible.
Shen Yishu did not know where her courage came from.
She sat up, pulled Ji Xiangyu back onto the sofa, copied Ji Xiangyu’s movements, pressed her down, and kissed her again.
Because her technique was too inexperienced, their lips collided, making Ji Xiangyu hiss in pain.
The sound’s ending was swallowed completely by Shen Yishu.
Just as the two became reluctant to separate, Ji Xiangyu’s phone rang.
A call at this hour was probably urgent.
Ji Xiangyu patted Shen Yishu’s back, forcing her to sit up reluctantly.
Ji Xiangyu answered.
“Hello?”
Her voice remained slightly hoarse.
She cleared her throat.
When she looked toward Shen Yishu, the young woman still appeared somewhat aggrieved.
Ji Xiangyu rarely saw such an expression on her and found it novel.
She reached out, took Shen Yishu’s hand, and interlocked their fingers.
“Cousin…”
Several seconds passed before a voice finally came through the phone.
It belonged to a young girl sobbing so violently she could barely breathe, her sentence broken into fragments.
“Please save Mom and me.”
Ji Xiangyu’s expression instantly became solemn.
She straightened and frowned.
“Xiao Zhu, what happened?”
Ji Xiangzhu was Ji Wenhua’s biological daughter.
Ji Xiangyu had believed that no matter how terrible Ji Wenhua was, he would never harm his own child.
It seemed she had still overestimated him.
The other end of the call was as quiet as the darkness outside.
Only the sound of heavy rain striking leaves could be heard, loud enough to terrify anyone listening.
Xiao Zhu held the phone and stared at the man before her, whose face was twisted with rage.
She sobbed so violently that she could barely form complete words.
“Dad said you have to forgive him, or else he’ll…”
Before Xiao Zhu could finish, an enormous crash sounded from the other end, cutting her off.
Ji Xiangzhu was so frightened by Ji Wenhua slamming the table that she dropped the phone.
The sharp sound of glass striking marble jolted her back to awareness.
She hurriedly picked it up and continued speaking to Ji Xiangyu.
“Xiao Zhu? Xiao Zhu?”
Ji Xiangyu stood.
Fortunately, she had not changed clothes after returning.
In her urgency, she forgot she was still holding someone’s hand, and when she rose, she pulled Shen Yishu up with her.
“I’m coming with you,” Shen Yishu silently mouthed, understanding her intention.
“Cousin, Dad wants me to…”
Ji Wenhua slapped his wife directly across the face.
The blow forced the woman backward.
With tears covering her face, she stared at him in disbelief.
Ji Wenhua’s eyes bulged, his face flushed red, and he stared fiercely at Ji Xiangzhu as though another wrong sentence would earn her the next slap.
“Cousin…”
Xiao Zhu suppressed her sobs and repeated the words Ji Wenhua demanded.
“Please let Dad go.”
“All right, Xiao Zhu. Don’t cry.”
Ji Xiangyu tightly held Shen Yishu’s hand.
Her palm was covered in sweat, and her fingers clenched so forcefully around Shen Yishu’s that it hurt.
“Tell your father that if neither of you has been harmed, I’ll let him go.”
Shen Yishu said nothing.
She merely held the car keys and her phone, silently sharing Ji Xiangyu’s fury and worry.
“You’re telling the truth?”
Ji Wenhua asked excitedly.
“You can’t change your mind.”
“I don’t lie.”
Ji Xiangyu was so furious that her temples throbbed violently.
She forcefully suppressed the anger in her voice and spoke with absolute calm.
“Let Xiao Zhu speak to me.”
“Swear it.”
“I swear that if neither of them has been harmed, I’ll let you go. Otherwise, may I die a terrible death.”
Ji Xiangyu did not hesitate at all.
The poisonous oath left her mouth as casually as any ordinary sentence.
The crimson numbers inside the elevator climbed upward, while endless darkness filled her eyes.
Shen Yishu’s heart ached.
She tightened her grip around Ji Xiangyu’s hand.
Ji Xiangyu abruptly returned to her senses and met Shen Yishu’s worried gaze.
She forced a smile to reassure her.
“I’ll trust you once. We’ll meet tomorrow at the Ji family’s ancestral residence,” Ji Wenhua said.
He remained cautious and refused to reveal his current location, afraid Ji Xiangyu would find him.
“Let me speak to Xiao Zhu. She’s frightened.”
Ji Xiangyu repeated the demand.
“What disgusting display of sisterly affection is this? You were willing to attack your own uncle…”
Having completely torn away the last layer of civility with Ji Xiangyu, Ji Wenhua no longer pretended.
Cruel words poured freely from his mouth.
“Ji Wenhua, I have no patience left.”
When Ji Xiangyu stopped smiling, she resembled the darkness of night lying in wait, inspiring fear.
But only Shen Yishu, whose hand she gripped, knew how violently those fingers trembled.
“Cousin.”
Ji Xiangzhu took the phone again.
Her young voice broke with a sob after every few words.
“Mom and I are fine.”
“Xiao Zhu, when you feel afraid, draw the bamboo outside.”
“When your cousin arrives, I’ll praise your drawing.”
Ji Xiangyu softened her voice.
“Cousin, there’s only a ginkgo tree outside.”
Xiao Zhu looked toward the ginkgo that had not yet turned yellow.
Green leaves clung to its branches and shook beneath the heavy rain.
“Then draw the ginkgo. Don’t be afraid.”
Ji Xiangyu ended the call.
“Call the police.”
She pulled Shen Yishu toward the garage.
“Have the report transferred to the second section of East Third Road in Beicheng District.”
Shen Yishu immediately dialed.
Even after the call connected, she had not recovered.
She only felt that Ji Wenhua was an absolute beast.
From their first meeting, she had known he possessed no moral character.
But she had never imagined someone in this world could be so despicable.
The police accepted the report.
After hearing Shen Yishu’s description, they quickly transferred it to their colleagues in Beicheng District.
Before the car started, Shen Yishu considered offering to drive.
But when she looked sideways, she saw Ji Xiangyu’s restrained fury.
She resembled a female warrior carrying a blade, her gaze unwavering as she charged toward her enemy.
“Beginning navigation…”
The mechanical female voice sounded.
The white SUV tore through the darkness.
Lightning suddenly split the horizon as the vehicle raced toward its destination.
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