After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 16

The room Ji Youyi rented was very small. Pushing the door open revealed a single bed, a chair by its side, a light overhead, and a window on the flank with its curtains drawn tightly. This was the extent of the room’s furnishings.

To wash up, one had to use the communal bathroom at the end of the corridor. The suitcase Ji Youyi had brought was placed at the foot of the bed, serving as a makeshift table.

The last time Ji Youyi had been back was before filming the short drama The Cruel Tyrant’s Palm Pet. That morning, she had left in a hurry and hadn’t made the bed.

Right now, the quilt was piled up in a mess. In the middle of the bedding, near the pillow, a cashmere coat, deformed from being used as a blanket was painfully conspicuous.

Ji Youyi suddenly remembered that the owner of that coat was currently standing right beside her.

She dashed to the bedside, snatched up the coat, gave it a vigorous shake, folded it as neatly as possible, and hung it over her arm. She flashed a standard smile at Meng Xingshu:

“Haha, Teacher Meng, look, I especially like this coat you gave me. I even sleep holding it at night.”

Wait. Why does that sound a bit perverted?

Ji Youyi explained, her words tripping over each other, “I mean, it smells very nice, and I like falling asleep to the scent.”

? No. That sounds even more perverted.

“Uh, I mean, because it’s very comfortable to hold…”

…Forget it, just let me die.

Ji Youyi gave up the struggle. Deflated, she hung the coat over the back of the chair. “Anyway, I really like the clothes you gave me. Thank you.”

Sincerity is the ultimate killing move. She liked it, so what! The clothes were hers now; she could hold them however she wanted!

Having bolstered her conviction, Ji Youyi peeked up to observe Meng Xingshu’s expression.

However, Meng Xingshu showed no extra reaction to her chaotic ramblings.

She was gazing at her unblinkingly, her eyes somewhat distant as if she were thinking of something else.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Ji Youyi asked hesitantly.

“Didn’t you say before,” Meng Xingshu spoke slowly, looking deep into her eyes, “that you wanted to take a simple path?”

On the day of the contract termination, Ji Youyi had said she didn’t need a lawsuit because she had a simpler way.

Later, she had miraculously terminated her contract with ease and leaped from a minor supporting role to a director in the strictly hierarchical film industry.

This wasn’t something an ordinary person without a background could easily achieve. Meng Xingshu originally thought she was already on the path she wanted, heading toward a meteoric rise.

But why?

Why did she leave the company covered in injuries after discussing the termination? Why did she say she “had a way to get roles” with such ease, only to go to a short drama set to play a cannon fodder character who gets kicked off a stage? Why did she refuse the cash Meng Xingshu offered, yet drink herself into a gastric hemorrhage just to save a deposit for a film boss, all while living in a single room less than four square meters?

Meng Xingshu couldn’t understand.

Just as she couldn’t understand why, on the same day Meng Xiao spent hundreds of thousands on roses he wouldn’t look at twice, Ji Youyi stood before a moldy bar counter, counting a few banknotes, anxious about meal money, and calculating repeatedly whether to spend ten yuan to rent the room for one more day.

Ji Youyi blinked, not understanding Meng Xingshu’s point. Directing is a job that requires significant brain capacity, she never remembered the casual things she said.

She ignored the first half of the question and answered the second: “Yeah, I am taking the simple path right now.”

“Look at this: a simple room, simple belongings in a suitcase.” Ji Youyi began to gesture. “Our simple film crew, oh, and this.”

She lifted the lunch box in her right hand and shook it, laughing, her eyes bright. “Simple lunch boxes on set. They might be simple, but as long as they taste good, it’s enough. You thought it was delicious too, didn’t you?”

Meng Xingshu stared at her fixedly, remaining silent for a long time.

The atmosphere became strangely quiet.

Fortunately, Ji Youyi hadn’t forgotten her skill as a “mood-maker.” She simply placed the lunch box on the suitcase, grabbed Meng Xingshu’s arm, and pushed her toward the head of the bed.

“Teacher Meng, don’t look down on my simple room. Sit here, I’ll show you something super beautiful.”

Ji Youyi smoothed out a section of the bedsheet at the head of the bed and made a “please” gesture to Meng Xingshu.

The dust at the head of the bed wouldn’t dissipate just from a few pats, but Meng Xingshu didn’t mind. She sat down as requested.

“Alright, the protagonist is in position.” Ji Youyi stood by the window and snapped her fingers crisply. “Let’s welcome the lighting technician!”

With a swish, the curtains were pulled wide open. Sapphire blue light instantly leapt in from outside, emanating from a roadside billboard.

Mottled tree shadows projected onto Meng Xingshu, appearing like a unique print on her black trench coat. Her exquisite profile was perfectly filled with the ethereal light, casting a shadow against the snowy white wall that remained a perfect silhouette.

Click. The photographer finished the capture.

Ji Youyi presented the phone like a treasure: “Teacher Meng, does it look good?”

The path by the bed was very narrow. As Ji Youyi leaned forward, her smiling face was inches away.

In the humid, dim room of a spring night, the air became vibrant and warm because of her.

Even though she was backlit, Meng Xingshu felt as if all the light and shadow converged on her face, lightly weaving and dancing.

In the whole world, except for her, only dark corners remained.

“Don’t look at me, look at the screen. Is it pretty? Is it?”

Seeing that Meng Xingshu’s gaze remained glued to her own face, Ji Youyi was puzzled. She had been looking at her for a long time, did she have something on her face?

Ji Youyi had no choice but to block her own face with the screen, attempting a hard sell.

But clearly, the sales pitch failed.

Meng Xingshu lowered her eyelids and stood up. “It’s late. I won’t disturb your rest any longer.”

“Oh, oh, is Fangfang already downstairs?” Ji Youyi hurriedly backed away to make a path for Meng Xingshu.

“Soon.”

“Alright then.”

Ji Youyi curled her lip, turned the screen back, and admired the photo she had just taken.

It was clearly a great shot, a perfect use of life elements and a clever composition. She didn’t understand why Meng Xingshu didn’t like it.

Was it a color issue?

Or had the Great Best Actress seen too many master photographers and had standards that were too high?

Yes, that must be it. After all, she wasn’t a professional photographer, it was normal to be far from a master’s level.

Anyway, she liked it herself.

Ji Youyi looked at the photo and smiled to herself, adding it to her favorites.

Meng Xingshu put on her mask, walked to the window, and looked at the street view outside.

The window of the house Ji Youyi rented faced out of the alley, the level of modernization was much higher than inside the alley. Neon lights dotted the road, cars sped by occasionally, and a row of shops lined the opposite street.

Meng Xingshu pulled the curtains shut again. “Stay safe. You can find me if anything happens.”

Ji Youyi patted her chest and promised, “Don’t worry, Teacher Meng, I’ll be fine!”

Meng Xingshu did not let Ji Youyi walk her downstairs. After the two said goodbye in the room, Meng Xingshu sent her location to Fang Ruohan and composed a message to Lin Shan.

Meng Xingshu: [Do me a favor. Have Filmily buy Ji Youyi’s drama. Rate it as high as possible, give it a good schedule and a front-page recommendation.]

Lin Shan: [???]

Lin Shan: [I did intend to buy it, and I’m fine with paying a bit extra as a favor, but there’s no need to hike the rating, is there? For this kind of small investment, a B-rating is already a sky-high price. I really can’t go higher.]

Meng Xingshu: [I know. That’s why I’m asking for a favor. I’ll cover the overage.]

Lin Shan: [Uh… it’s really not necessary. I can adjust the schedule, but if the rating goes up, the promotional resources have to go with it. That’s too much! This has never happened before! A three million yuan revenue sharing drama getting its own column or even the front page recommendation?? Won’t this be a loss??]

Meng Xingshu: [If it’s a loss, I’ll compensate.]

Lin Shan: [It’s not [dejected face]… a loss would be tens of millions…]

Meng Xingshu: [Compensate.]

After sending the message, she didn’t look at Lin Shan’s reply again. She went straight down to the first floor and walked toward the bar counter.

“Boss,” she took out a stack of cash and placed it on the counter. “My sister lives here alone, and I’m worried. I’d like to trouble you to look after her a bit. If she encounters any trouble, please lend a hand.”

The guesthouse owner was stunned, a smile uncontrollably spreading across his face. “Oh, young lady, you’re too polite. She stays here, so it’s only right that I look after her.”

As he spoke, his hand already reached out to count the cash. The boss thought to himself that these two sisters were strange, digital payments are so convenient nowadays, yet both of them were still using cash.

Meng Xingshu didn’t care. She took a piece of paper and wrote down a string of numbers. “If possible, please don’t tell her I came to see you. This is my phone number, contact me anytime if something happens.”

“Alright, don’t you worry!” The boss took the paper, glanced at it, and said enthusiastically, “Wow, miss, your handwriting is really beautiful. You can tell you’re an educated person. You’re so pretty too, you look a bit like that… Meng Xingshu, you know? The one who played Jiang Wanyi! Really, even your voice is similar. I see your sister is in the entertainment industry, why don’t you go for it too?”

“Not interested.”

“Fair enough.” The boss changed his tone instantly. “The entertainment industry isn’t all that great anyway. My tenants are all in that circle, and I’ve never seen any of them make a name for themselves. Many of them get to the point where they can’t even afford food and just head back to their hometowns in shame. You should advise your girl more, don’t let her live this hard life anymore. Tell her to find a proper job so she doesn’t regret it when she’s old.”

“No need.” Meng Xingshu’s expression was flat, her eyes slightly lowered. “She can just do what she wants to do. I can support her.”