Truly Dedicated to Art (Lily ABO) - Chapter 11

The tears spread into faint wet marks on her hand.

Xie Yixuan’s fingers gently stroked the side of her face, her thumb lightly pressing just below her eye.

The moment the tears fell, Yu Shuinao realized how out of line she was being.

She held back the tears and was about to apologize.

“Let’s go eat first, okay?” The woman’s voice was light, yet carried an inexplicable soothing tone.

Yu Shuinao blinked. The tears clinging to her lashes made them look even thicker and darker. Xie Yixuan’s deep, dark eyes stared straight at her, and the words of apology got stuck in her throat.

“Okay.” She answered softly. Her long lashes lowered, hiding the gleam of tears in her eyes.

And the sudden, inexplicable fragility that had overtaken her.

The sedan turned left and right, driving into a quiet alley. The evening air began to flow gently, carrying a warm breeze that blew against their faces. Wind chimes under the eaves rang crisply. Passing through a moon-gate, the lotus flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom. A half-moon arched bridge spanned the lotus pond.

Yu Shuinao walked half a step behind Xie Yixuan.

The afterglow of sunset flowed across her shirt. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing a section of fair forearm. Her wrist bones were slender and straight, but not sickly thin. Unlike the spoiled young ladies and young masters Yu Shuinao had seen before, whose bodies looked soft and whose steps were lazy, Xie Yixuan walked with a perfectly straight back. Her shoulders and neck were neither stiff nor slumped — just the right amount of relaxed extension. Her seaweed-like long hair draped over her shoulders, complementing the moon-white shirt. Her posture was upright and graceful.

Yu Shuinao’s mind wavered for a moment.

The restaurant’s décor was mainly wood and bamboo. Freshly picked lotus flowers adorned the center of every table. Water trickled down small artificial rockeries with a gentle gurgling sound. The atmosphere was tranquil yet full of summer charm.

Ice-chilled drunken shrimp were displayed on ice blocks covered with lotus leaves. The shrimp shells were bright red and translucent, with tiny water droplets still clinging to the surface. The chef stood by the table and introduced how the dish used top-quality lobster and described the meticulous marinating process, then peeled one and placed it on Yu Shuinao’s plate.

Under the gaze of the woman across from her, she took a bite. The rich wine aroma filled her mouth, followed by the fresh sweetness of the shrimp meat. The fragrant, not-too-salty marinade blended perfectly with fruity notes — exactly the flavor she liked.

“It’s delicious.” The corners of her lips curved into a rare, genuine smile today.

She unconsciously met Xie Yixuan’s eyes again and watched as she slowly ate one shrimp as well, then gave a slight nod.

“Mmm, not bad.”

A strand of hair stubbornly caught in the collar of her shirt. Xie Yixuan removed her glove and smoothed it down. The already slightly open collar was pulled open for a brief moment, revealing her beautiful collarbones.

Yu Shuinao quickly looked away and lowered her head to eat another shrimp.

Tonight’s dishes, like last time, were all perfectly suited to her taste: tender and delicate melon-fish stir-fried with egg whites, fragrant and soft lotus-scented chicken, and a refreshing, non-greasy winter melon soup.

By the end of the meal, she felt both satisfied and faintly guilty.

She would have to atone for this dinner over the next few days.

Unexpectedly, Xie Yixuan also ate quite a lot. Yu Shuinao wasn’t sure if it was because their tastes were similar or if she simply wasn’t very picky. And unlike the upper-class people in her impression, who ate slowly and elegantly, Xie Yixuan ate rather quickly…

Her table manners were still very attractive.

After dinner, they got back into the car. Yu Shuinao looked at the scenery passing by the window.

She had been so immersed in work lately that she hadn’t noticed how beautiful F City actually was. The lush greenery glowed with vigorous life in the summer twilight. Purple flowering vines climbed over the bus stops by the roadside, with petals scattered on the ground. The scene was so beautiful it looked like the moment the protagonists first meet in an anime.

Her long lashes trembled.

But this didn’t seem to be the way back to the film crew.

Her thoughts suddenly returned to her current situation. Yes, when a sponsor came to visit the set, it probably wasn’t just for dinner. The memories from that night surfaced again, making her earlobes heat up. The humiliation of being a mistress clashed violently in her mind with the shameful, erotic images from that night.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Xie Yixuan had been watching her for the latter half of the ride.

The car quietly came to a stop in this silent atmosphere.

The door opened. Lin Xu’s gentle voice pulled her back. “Miss Yu, you may get out now.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at Lin Xu.

This was her own choice. There was no need to keep it anymore. Any emotion would only add to her troubles.

With that thought, she got out of the car and looked up. The building in front of her clearly read “Lin Mu Art Center.”

“This is…?” Yu Shuinao turned her head to look at Xie Yixuan.

“Chen Song’s touring play Bubble Illusion.”

Chen Song was the theater actress that her senior teachers in Country A had mentioned countless times as the ultimate example. Countless actors idolized her. She was a flawless artist with both virtue and talent.

They entered through the side door of the theater and sat in the first row.

Bubble Illusion told the story of a frustrated painter and a renowned photographer who meet and fall in love while scouting locations in a small city, only to drift apart as their artistic philosophies gradually diverge.

Chen Song’s interpretation of the role was profound and masterful. Whether it was her individual performance, her chemistry with the other actors, or her control of the entire rhythm, it was a perfect textbook-level presentation. Yu Shuinao had originally intended to learn something, but the moment Chen Song began performing, she was completely drawn into the play, purely enjoying this feast of art.

Even after the curtain call and the lights came up, she still felt unsatisfied.

“Follow me.” Xie Yixuan’s voice sounded beside her ear.

She followed Xie Yixuan smoothly through a small door all the way to the backstage area and stopped in front of a dressing room. Xie Yixuan knocked lightly twice. A gentle-looking woman opened the door.

“Is that Yixuan?” A familiar voice came from inside the room.

This was… the voice she had just heard on stage.

Chen Song!

Yu Shuinao’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She had never had private contact with a senior of this caliber before.

“It’s me, Aunt Chen.”

She followed Xie Yixuan into the dressing room.

Chen Song hadn’t removed her stage makeup or costume yet. In a daze, it felt as if the idealistic painter from the stage was standing right in front of her.

“Oh? A girlfriend? So you asked me for two tickets at the last minute just to offer flowers to Buddha. You weren’t coming specifically to see me.” Chen Song pouted childishly, her eyes deliberately shifting back and forth between Yu Shuinao and Xie Yixuan as a playful smile appeared. “What a handsome little girl.”

Yu Shuinao’s face grew a little hot under her gaze. She quietly glanced at Xie Yixuan’s reaction.

Xie Yixuan remained calm and composed, the corners of her lips carrying a faint smile. “You’re joking again. This is a young actress from our company. She’s run into a bottleneck in her acting recently and wanted to ask you for some advice.”

Chen Song burst out laughing. She crossed her arms and looked at Xie Yixuan with a meaningful expression that clearly said: Sure, sure, I believe you.

“Everyone knows Teacher Chen Song is a textbook-level actress and a virtuous artist with both talent and moral character, so I shamelessly came to ask for your help, didn’t I?”

Xie Yixuan could be like this too.

Chen Song’s smile deepened. “Such a sweet mouth. You’ve already put such a tall hat on me and placed me on a pedestal. How can I refuse? Come here, little girl. Tell me what difficulties you’ve encountered.”

Yu Shuinao’s heart pounded. Such an opportunity was incredibly rare.

She spoke about everything: being crushed by talented classmates in drama school, being treated as a vase while playing small supporting roles in crews, never being able to stay in the theater no matter how hard she tried, and recently being unable to act after so many NGs. She poured out all her years of confusion.

Chen Song tilted her head slightly and asked her a question: “Do you think talent is really the most important thing?”

Yu Shuinao thought for a moment and answered, “It is important… but not everything.”

Chen Song smiled faintly. “Actually, what you mean is that talent is the most important. From everything you just said, all your troubles ultimately come back to that.”

She paused, then became serious. “I admit that talent and inspiration are very important in this industry, but how far can you go relying only on talent? When talking about acting, talent and inspiration are unavoidable topics, but they cannot and should not be the root cause every time you encounter a problem. Blaming everything on talent is just helpless fatalism.”

Her tone was completely different from the teasing earlier. The aura of a top artist instantly emerged. “Many media reports say that I wasn’t trained as an actress yet managed to reach this position because of exceptional talent and natural inspiration — that I was a born actress. In reality, when I first entered the industry, my appearance and voice were not the most favored types. Being replaced during rehearsals was commonplace. Could I have reached where I am today just by relying on so-called heavenly talent? Constantly trying to understand the character, polishing every detail, and devoting all your passion and sincerity to the stage and the audience — that is what an actor should truly think about and do.”

“I’m sure your teachers have told you about the sense of conviction. Conviction doesn’t just mean the actor’s belief in the character they’re playing, but also belief in yourself. If an actor doesn’t even have firm conviction that they can perform a role well, how can they convince others to believe in them and their character? If you just accept everything the director says, is that acting? That’s being a puppet. A puppet can never truly enjoy acting.”

Yu Shuinao suddenly remembered Wei Lan’s almost self-muttering words: “Doesn’t it feel like no matter how many times we change it, there’s no point?” And how had she responded? Because the other party was a famous director and the absolute authority in the crew, she had passively obeyed, too timid to voice her own thoughts.

Had she truly reflected on what was wrong with her own performance and understanding during all those NGs? She had always let Wei Lan push her forward step by step. Whatever Wei Lan said, she changed accordingly. But was that really right?

Chen Song saw her lowering her head in silence and thought her words had been too harsh. She softened her tone. “Being able to calm down and reflect like this is already very rare among young actors.”

“Teacher Chen…” Yu Shuinao’s voice was soft but carried determination.

The two talked about acting in great detail — every movement, every line. Yu Shuinao listened carefully and asked questions from time to time. It wasn’t until the backstage lights began to turn off one by one that she reluctantly ended the conversation.

“Teacher Chen, thank you.” Her tone was almost earnest, her eyes bright and sparkling, making her look obedient and adorable.

Chen Song couldn’t resist gently poking her cheek and sighed with a smile, “How can such a beautiful face be so lacking in confidence?”

She lowered her voice, her teasing spirit resurfacing. “Even if you don’t believe in yourself, you should believe in Yixuan’s taste.”

Yu Shuinao glanced shyly at Xie Yixuan — she was sitting on the sofa, seemingly dealing with work emails, her expression calm and undisturbed. She probably hadn’t heard.

“We’re not…” Yu Shuinao tried to explain in a small voice.

“Alright, alright. I won’t meddle in you young people’s affairs.” Chen Song waved her hand, interrupting with a sly smile.

“Teacher Chen…” Yu Shuinao frowned slightly, looking a little conflicted. “May I add your contact information?”

Chen Song looked at her little expression and couldn’t help laughing again. “Have some confidence. How could I possibly refuse you?”

The faint lights illuminated the path out of the theater. Yu Shuinao stepped on her own shadow, following behind Xie Yixuan. The side-door corridor was narrower than the main entrance. In the slightly narrow passageway, the sound of their footsteps was especially clear.

It reminded her again of the sound of Xie Yixuan’s footsteps slowly approaching on the night of the banquet.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

She suddenly really wanted to…

“President Xie.” Her voice sounded especially clear in the corridor.

“Hm?” Xie Yixuan waited for her to speak.

When she didn’t hear a reply, Xie Yixuan turned around to look at her.

Just like that night, Yu Shuinao walked toward her step by step, then gently wrapped her arms around her.

“Thank you.”

Her voice and body both trembled slightly from this bold and reckless action.

She was about to let go.

The woman’s hand caught her waist and pulled her even tighter into her embrace. The crisp woody fragrance filled her nose, and the physiological sense of security made her body relax.

“Do I look like I eat people? Why are you so afraid of me?” Xie Yixuan’s hot breath made her delicate earlobe burn.