Distance Formula - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“Hey, this phone case of yours is quite unique. Where did you buy it? Send me the link.”

Su Shang curiously took it and looked at it a few times. After tasting the feel, she realized something was off. “This is handwritten, a customized one?”

Bai Biqing smiled and nodded in affirmation. “Yes, custom-made. Ten yuan for two.”

Su Shang “Oh-ed.” “Where’s the other one?”

“Didn’t you see it when we went to Central Street a few days ago?”

Su Shang quickly understood and muttered an internal curse. “You and Su Yanshi each have one?”

Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “Isn’t that her handwriting?”

Bai Biqing generously admitted, “Yes, she wrote it. Her handwriting is pretty good.”

Su Shang clicked her tongue a couple of times but didn’t say anything more. Instead, the Beta was silent for a few seconds, then opened her mouth. “Do you know about what happened on Su Yanshi’s last film set?”

“I know a little, but I’m not entirely sure,” Su Shang thought back. “Something about hiring a sasaeng fan, right? That matter was probably suppressed.”

She recalled not seeing Su Yanshi with an assistant and then met Bai Biqing’s eyes, instantly understanding everything. “Wow, that’s actually true? That’s terrifying.”

Bai Biqing didn’t elaborate on the matter. She picked up a water cup nearby and took a sip. She sighed lightly and said, “Do you have anyone suitable in mind?”

Su Shang searched her mind but didn’t give a definite answer. “I probably do, but there’s no guarantee I won’t misjudge the person. Besides, what if Su Yanshi doesn’t like them?”

Bai Biqing hummed and said nothing.

Su Shang’s eyes flickered. She immediately looked at Bai Biqing with ill-intent, raising an eyebrow at her. “Why don’t you be a temporary assistant? Her film shouldn’t take too long. Proximity facilitates intimacy, you know.”

Bai Biqing looked at her disapprovingly. “Do you think I’m suitable? I’ve never touched this industry.”

Su Shang was unconcerned. “Who doesn’t start from an ignorant period? Being an assistant isn’t the same as being a manager. The main responsibility is the artist’s life and work arrangements. As long as you manage it reasonably, there’s no big problem. Why are you so reserved when it comes to Su Yanshi? I used to think you were very good at handling people.”

It wasn’t that she was teasing Bai Biqing. The Beta used to be the perfect lover, even striving for perfection in dating. If this were before, she would have personally taken the initiative a long time ago. Why would she be so hesitant now?

Bai Biqing didn’t deny it, replying faintly, “The person is different.”

The position was different. Su Yanshi was a friend. If she rushed in so rashly, she was afraid things would deviate from the original track.

How dare she gamble?

“The goal should be consistent.” Su Shang disagreed and rebutted. “Don’t go offline in your brain! I’m telling you, finding an assistant is for her own good, and you acting as her assistant is also for her own good. Do you know that people are self-serving? It’s inevitable.”

She leaned suggestively on the table and whispered, “You already harbor ulterior motives. Does this matter make a difference? The starting point is good; you just hid some ill intentions along with it. Don’t worry too much.”

“Being so worried about gain and loss is utterly unlike Bai Biqing.”

Bai Biqing’s eyes trembled slightly. She lifted her eyelids, silently staring at Su Shang for a moment, then suddenly smiled. She clasped her hands in front of her abdomen, looking out at the bustling traffic.

Yes, her motives were impure to begin with.

Bai Biqing went to the set with Su Shang this time. Su Shang loved to socialize, and it was common for her to visit familiar directors, occasionally treating the crew to food and grabbing a few people to film variety shows with her.

They were positioned to the side, silently watching Su Yanshi and Hu Liyang. No one noticed them.

Su Yanshi was still running lines with Hu Liyang. Su Yanshi didn’t have many lines or scenes; Hu Liyang’s emotions were generally richer.

“I think I can handle this part with a bit more innocence.”

Hu Liyang took a deep breath. The next second, her eyes instantly switched to Jiang Yin. She raised an eyebrow. “Bai Yunyan, do you believe this?”

Su Yanshi looked at it, compared it, and thought it was good. She agreed. “That’s good. Jiang Yin should be innocent. That’s what attracts Bai Yunyan.”

“Okay, let’s start filming.”

The two tacitly went for touch-ups. Bai Biqing and Su Shang, wearing masks, blended into the crowd. Without a close look, no one could tell who they were.

Su Shang nudged Bai Biqing, asking, “What do you think?”

What do I think?

About the person or the script?

Bai Biqing curved her lips. “It’s not important.”

Her gaze settled back on Su Yanshi, watching her eyes gradually turn cold and unfamiliar.

Jiang Yin pursues what she likes. When she was young, she liked photography, and she has stuck with it. She felt she had likely been captivated by Bai Yunyan. How else could someone just standing there make her heart flutter?

She was a woman of action. After confirming her feelings were different, she immediately went to ask the locals. Few people stayed at this homestay, but Bai Yunyan paid rent for an entire year at once. This fueled Jiang Yin’s curiosity even more. However, the answers others gave were vague and mostly unhelpful.

But it didn’t matter. Exploring on her own would be more fulfilling.

Jiang Yin thought, her face full of smiles. She took the lunch provided by the homestay and leisurely walked up to Bai Yunyan.

Bai Yunyan stood silently in front of a tree in the homestay’s small courtyard, seemingly in a daze.

Jiang Yin deliberately made some noise. She said, “Hello, I’m Jiang Yin, the ‘ginger’ in ginger, and the ‘sound’ in music.”

Bai Yunyan finally reacted. She subtly stepped back a little and politely replied, “Bai Yunyan.”

“I want to be your friend!” Jiang Yin smiled happily, her eyes pure and clean as she looked at the other person.

She handed over the lunch. “I saw you didn’t eat lunch, so I took the liberty of preparing a sandwich for you.”

Bai Yunyan sighed and didn’t take it. She still maintained that distant demeanor. “No, thank you.”

Jiang Yin wasn’t discouraged. She hadn’t eaten lunch either. After quickly finishing her meal, she started looking for a topic. “What kind of tree is this? There are so many red cloth strips tied to it.”

Bai Yunyan didn’t ignore Jiang Yin, but merely answered the question professionally. “It’s a Bodhi tree. There was a legend here, a very common story, that making a wish under this tree and tying a red cloth strip would make it come true. Most of the wishes were for romance. Later, people gradually stopped coming for some unknown reason.”

“Ah—that’s quite romantic.” Jiang Yin searched with her eyes and asked, “Are there any more red cloth strips like the one tied on your wrist?”

“Do you want to try it?”

Jiang Yin chuckled. She nodded excitedly. “Of course! Better safe than sorry, right? What if it really comes true?”

Bai Yunyan pointed to a spot. Jiang Yin thanked her, quickly ran over and grabbed one. She looked around, aimed for a branch, but realized she couldn’t reach it even on her tiptoes.

She smiled back sheepishly. “Um… Could you help me?”

Bai Yunyan hadn’t expected the person to be so demanding. She was silent for a few seconds, then turned and retrieved a small stool to place underneath.

“Bai Yunyan, do you believe this?”

Bai Yunyan barely hesitated. “No.” After saying that, she turned to leave with indifference, her back seemingly mocking Jiang Yin’s superstition.

Jiang Yin ignored it. She carefully stepped onto the stool and tied a beautiful bow, softly murmuring, “I wish myself… all my heart’s desires!”

“Good, cut!”

Director Liu looked at the scene with satisfaction. The two actors grasped the feeling well, which lifted the crew’s spirits. They prepared to move to the next location during the break.

Su Yanshi walked out. She patted her face, trying to snap out of character quickly. As she moved her gaze, she saw Bai Biqing standing in the crowd.

The Beta had already taken off her mask. With an affirmative nod, she slowly walked over.

“Yanshi, you acted very well.”

Su Yanshi was clearly happier now that she saw her. She smiled shyly. “Mhm, thank you.”

Bai Biqing had heard the lines clearly. She gently touched the red cloth strip hanging in front of her. The story of this tree was real, carrying the expectations, joys, and tentative feelings of countless people.

The strip in her hand was old but not damaged, still securely tied.

She said casually, “Do you think the red cloth strips that haven’t come undone mean the wishes actually came true?”

A strip was also tied around Su Yanshi’s wrist, gently fluttering in the wind. Her hair drifted with it. She nodded heavily. “I think so.”

She suddenly asked, “Teacher Bai, do you believe this?”

“Actually, I don’t really believe it, but I think it’s quite nice to be able to hide your personal feelings while openly displaying them in front of everyone, even if no one knows what they are.”

Su Yanshi looked around. “Let’s go, Teacher Bai. Let’s talk somewhere else. I don’t have anything else to film for now; the focus is mainly on Jiang Yin.”

The main perspective of this film was Jiang Yin’s. Bai Yunyan only appeared through her perspective, as if she lived in Jiang Yin’s memories. Su Yanshi didn’t care about the position in the credits. She just felt the role was good and wanted to try it.

Bai Biqing didn’t speak for a moment. She nodded and followed behind Su Yanshi. Su Shang had gone to find Hu Liyang. People on the set were quietly discussing them, but the Alpha’s demeanor was so open, happy, and joyous that it simply seemed like friendship.

They wouldn’t say anything, and couldn’t say anything.

“Don’t you feel the role has too few scenes?”

Bai Biqing asked her, looking at her, her tone light and airy.

Su Yanshi didn’t have an assistant. She carried her own teacup and took a small sip. “No. Bai Yunyan is alive, and Jiang Yin is alive. They are both in the same story. There are no protagonists; it’s just a different narrative perspective.”

Bai Biqing lowered her head and smiled. “That makes sense.”

She lowered her gaze and focused on the red cloth strip on Su Yanshi’s wrist. Suddenly, she reached out and effortlessly pulled it off. The soft cloth strip obediently fell into her palm. The Beta raised an eyebrow, holding it up as she said:

“I seriously considered your question. Perhaps, I do believe it.”

“With so much suffering and so many wishes in the world, there should be one for me.”

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