Never Forget (GL) - Chapter 4

The person she had been thinking of so deeply appeared before her without any warning.

She was paler, thinner, more beautiful, more elegant, and more aloof than she appeared on the screen.

Ye Zhuyi forgot to breathe, her mind blank. She stood frozen, the surrounding noise cut off. Her world had come to a standstill.

A single glance felt like an eternity.

In an instant, Qin Zhizhen calmly looked away, not lingering for a second.

As her gaze shifted, the invisible barrier shattered. The noise of the bustling lobby filled her ears. Ye Zhuyi let out a long breath, taking one last look at Qin Zhizhen’s back until the door closed. Only then did she turn and leave.

She found a secluded corner and, with trembling hands, pulled out a cigarette. Her hands were ice-cold and wouldn’t stop shaking. It took two tries to light the cigarette.

She took a deep drag and slowly exhaled the smoke. Her frantic heart gradually calmed down.

That cold, indifferent look was the same as how a stranger would look at her.

So it’s true… She really doesn’t remember me. She doesn’t know me.

Even if that incident hadn’t happened, they would have drifted apart. With enough time, Qin Zhizhen would have forgotten her.

For her, Qin Zhizhen was her every thought, her dream, her eternal longing.

But for Qin Zhizhen, she could only be a… friend from her youth.

It was normal. She had known this all along. She was mentally prepared, so there was no reason to be disappointed or sad.

Through the curling smoke, Ye Zhuyi narrowed her slightly red eyes.

It’s okay. If she doesn’t know me, I can get to know her again. Before, she couldn’t even see her, but now she had a chance to, and an audition where she could be her co-star. Everything was going to get better.

The audition! Now that Qin Zhizhen was here, it meant she would be there during the audition, seeing her up close.

All her sentimental emotions vanished, replaced by anxiety and nervousness. Ye Zhuyi’s mind was a mess.

She wanted to see Qin Zhizhen, for her to notice her, to be close to her. But the more she thought about it, the more she feared losing this opportunity, and the more she feared, the more nervous she got. Her limbs felt weak.

The cigarette was nearly gone. Ye Zhuyi stubbed it out and took two more deep breaths.

Calm down.

With her emotions in check, Ye Zhuyi was about to go back to the lobby. After a few steps, she saw Xiao Qiao and Jin Yue in a corner, pulling at each other. She slowed her pace.

In April, the TV shows Jin Yue starred in were released one after another, practically dominating the screen. Coupled with a constant stream of gossip and trending searches, she quickly shot to fame in just one month.

Ye Zhuyi had known about Jin Yue even before she became famous, thanks to Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao was a quiet person, but she was incredibly thoughtful. To use an inappropriate metaphor, she was like a current partner who had been trained to perfection by her ex. Of course, Xiao Qiao wasn’t Ye Zhuyi’s partner, but Jin Yue, her previous artist, was indeed Xiao Qiao’s “ex.”

At the time, Jin Yue was already more popular than Ye Zhuyi. Ye Zhuyi had asked Xiao Qiao, “Why did you stop working with Jin Yue?”

Xiao Qiao had a pained look on her face and said, “She was my nightmare.”

Ye Zhuyi still remembered that last winter, she had brought Xiao Qiao to Hua Jin’s house to celebrate her birthday with Yu Wei and Song Muran. Xiao Qiao had too much to drink and fell asleep on the sofa. She had a nightmare, curling up into a ball and crying, “Jin Yue, please let me go.”

Xiao Qiao’s vulnerability at that moment had hit Hua Jin’s heart. If she hadn’t been busy with her family’s business, Hua Jin probably would have already made a move on Xiao Qiao.

Ye Zhuyi collected her thoughts, took out her phone, and sent a message to Hua Jin before walking slowly towards Xiao Qiao.

Jin Yue was gripping Xiao Qiao’s wrist tightly. Xiao Qiao struggled a bit, her high-pitched voice giving her no authority. “Ms. Jin, please have some self-respect.”

“I’m already begging you. What more do you want—” The sharp female voice suddenly stopped. Jin Yue’s eyes went over Xiao Qiao to Ye Zhuyi, her brows furrowed.

Compared to Ye Zhuyi’s vivid beauty, Jin Yue’s looks were a bit plain, but she was perfect for playing kind-hearted female leads in idol dramas. But at this moment, her eyes looked fierce.

Ye Zhuyi didn’t care. After a calm exchange of glances, her eyes slid down. Jin Yue immediately let go. A clear red mark was on Xiao Qiao’s arm.

Seeing that Jin Yue had let go, Xiao Qiao turned to leave. She looked back and saw Ye Zhuyi. She looked embarrassed, as if her privacy had been violated, but she quickly went back to her usual expressionless self. “Sister Ke told me to find you.”

“Mhm, let’s go.” Ye Zhuyi nodded, treating Jin Yue as if she were air. She walked straight past her, asking Xiao Qiao as she followed, “What number are they on?”

Xiao Qiao: “Number 10 just went in when I came out. It should be Number 12 now.”

Behind them, Jin Yue stared intently at Ye Zhuyi’s back, her fingers clenching into a fist. She gritted her teeth and said each word slowly. “Ye… Zhu… Yi.”

Back in the lobby, the assistant director was calling out numbers. It was already Number 13.

Ye Zhuyi sat back down in her seat.

The actress who had just come out seemed to have done poorly. She was in tears, sobbing, “The God of Qin’s gaze swept over me, and my legs went soft. I ended up falling on the ground.”

“Pfft, you’re blaming the God of Qin for being nervous. Come on, stop crying.”

Someone sighed, “Ugh, it would’ve been better to be Number 1 or 2. We could have died early and been reincarnated. The God of Qin wasn’t there yet.”

“I feel like the afternoon is going to be harder than the morning. Everyone’s coming out looking like they’ve been hit by frost. The more I wait, the more depressed I get.”

Ke Shu agreed deeply. She glanced at Ye Zhuyi and noticed that every time she heard “the God of Qin,” the hands in her lap would clench. It seemed she was also very nervous.

“Just relax when it’s your turn. We don’t need a spectacular performance. Just don’t make any mistakes,” Ke Shu advised.

Ye Zhuyi responded absent-mindedly.

Number 14 was Jin Yue. She must have done well, as she came out with a radiant smile. The assistant director leaned against the door and called out, “Number 15, Ye Zhuyi.”

“Here.” Ye Zhuyi stood up.

As she walked to the door, Ye Zhuyi came face to face with Jin Yue. Jin Yue’s chin was raised high, a confident look on her face.

She was putting pressure on Ye Zhuyi, a common tactic where the person who just performed well tries to intimidate the next one.

Ye Zhuyi pretended not to notice, walking past her without a single glance and directly into the audition room.

The audition room was simple: a stage with no props. A camera was set up on the left side of the stage. Below, on the judging panel, sat a group of people. On the long table in front of them were scripts to be chosen and a director’s viewfinder.

Ye Zhuyi glanced up quickly. Qin Zhizhen was talking to Zhou Wen. Her blazer was taken off and casually draped over her shoulders. The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing her beautiful, straight collarbones.

Suddenly, Qin Zhizhen turned to look at her, a faint smile on her lips.

Ye Zhuyi bit her lip, her heart feeling like it was going to burst.

Zhou Wen’s eyes lit up when she saw Ye Zhuyi enter. She leaned over to Qin Zhizhen and said, “I saw a fan video two days ago. It was a clip of you and this girl. I thought you guys had great chemistry.”

Qin Zhizhen chuckled, giving her a playful look. “Auntie Zhou is getting so trendy.”

Zhou Wen was nearly fifty but had a youthful, childlike spirit. She loved to surf the internet and knew more slang than young people. She squinted at Qin Zhizhen, her smile deepening. Leaning forward, she asked Lu Buping, “Lu, what do you think of this girl?”

“Her resume isn’t great. How many idols these days can actually act?” Lu Buping replied bluntly. He glanced at Ye Zhuyi and then added in a flat tone, “After seeing a dozen people with heavy makeup, it’s nice to see a bare-faced one. Visually, she’s not bad.”

Zhou Wen grumbled in dissatisfaction, turning back to chat with Qin Zhizhen, ignoring Lu Buping.

Ye Zhuyi walked towards the long table. As she got closer, she heard Zhou Wen and Qin Zhizhen’s conversation.

Zhou Wen said, “You saw that video, too? I saw it and wanted to see how this girl would act with you.”

Qin Zhizhen curled her lips. “She’ll have to pass the first round of auditions first.”

Zhou Wen: “We’ll see.”

Qin Zhizhen saw the video too?!

Ye Zhuyi felt her nerves go crazy, but she remained calm on the outside. She didn’t dare to look up again. She quickly chose a script and went to the side to prepare.

Qin Zhizhen’s deep gaze swept over the tips of her flushed ears.

Before, every actress who came out was asked about the script. Some said they had to dance, others said there were a lot of lines, and some said there were no lines. There were all sorts of answers, but everyone agreed it was difficult.

Now, after reading the script, Ye Zhuyi realized it was indeed very difficult.

The script was about Miss Shen Manqing, a young woman from a wealthy family who becomes a dancer in a grand dance hall after her family is ruined. The proud Shen Manqing refuses to perform lewd dances and causes trouble for the other dancers on her first day. The next day, after being scolded, the other dancers mock and insult her. Shen Manqing silently endures it all without a word. The dancers get bored and leave, leaving her alone backstage.

Then, music starts to play. Shen Manqing goes on stage before the other dancers and performs a dance that makes her the main attraction of the dance hall.

The actress had to perform Shen Manqing silently enduring the insults backstage and then performing that dance.

The emotions were up to the actress to figure out, and the dance was up to the actress to create.

Five minutes later, Lu Buping said, “Start.”

Ye Zhuyi pinched her sweaty palms, trying to steady herself.

The assistant turned off the lights in the room, and the stage lights came on. Ye Zhuyi looked up to locate the camera and positioned herself to face it with a side profile.

Lu Buping was a bit surprised. “She doesn’t look very experienced, but she has good awareness. She doesn’t stare at the camera, but she doesn’t ignore it either. Not like the other idiots who either stare at the camera or are constantly looking for it.” He mocked, “The talent of these so-called A- and B-list actors is getting watered down. All their acting experience has gone to the dogs.”

In filmmaking, the biggest fear was an actor looking at the camera. If their expressions and movements weren’t there and they were looking at the camera, it just looked even more fake. It was a common problem for idols and TV actors.

“She’s not bad, is she?” Zhou Wen said, a bit proud, since she was the one who picked her.

Lu Buping snorted, twirling his pen. “Awareness doesn’t mean she can act.”

Qin Zhizhen looked at the screen of the viewfinder with an expressionless face.

Ye Zhuyi’s head was bowed, her slender neck curved. But her waist and back were perfectly straight. The hand hanging by her side was clenched into a fist, tightening little by little. The veins on the back of her hand became more and more visible, as if there really were people mocking her.

Her side profile showed her trembling eyelashes. Her full lips were also an advantage; her bottom lip was quivering.

So far, her acting was decent but not stunning.

Suddenly, her red lips were pressed together. Her bottom lip was tightly bitten. Ye Zhuyi took two steps and turned to face the camera. She leaned back slightly. There was nothing behind her, but it looked as if she was leaning against a wall.

This must be the moment when the dancers had all left and Shen Manqing was alone backstage.

Her left hand gripped her right arm, a self-protective gesture. Her eyes were tightly closed. She was just leaning against the “wall,” not sinking to the floor or standing completely straight. Her back was slightly hunched, as if she was just using the wall to stand proudly and stubbornly.

Her long eyelashes trembled even more. Her nostrils flared slightly with her deep breaths. Her bottom lip was bitten even harder, a hint of blood seeping out. She was trembling, a suppressed, extreme trembling, but not a single tear fell.

Ye Zhuyi slowly looked up at the camera, her back straightening at the same time.

It was a simple act of opening her eyes, but it was like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

The fragility she had when her eyes were downcast, the hatred and unwillingness when they were half-closed, and when they were fully open, they were red, without a single tear or emotion.

But it conveyed an endless sadness.

In this moment, the old Miss Shen was dead.

Lu Buping’s pupils shrank, his eyes glowing. He waved his hand, signaling the assistant to play the music.

The music suddenly began, a jarring change. Ye Zhuyi didn’t show any panic. She untied her hair, letting her long hair fall like a waterfall.

Qin Zhizhen saw her action and raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and settling into a slightly more relaxed position against the chair.

She said she couldn’t dance those lewd dances before, but now she can? Does a simple lewd dance make her the star of the dance hall? It must not be a regular dance. It must be a dance that makes people want to watch it again and again.

“I will use every bit of my charm to make it impossible for you to be at peace whenever you are not with me.”

Ye Zhuyi pursed her lips. The blood she had drawn from biting her lip was smeared, making her lips look even more beautiful. She found the rhythm and began to move.

Her slender waist swayed like a willow in the wind, her hair swirled in the air. Every twist of her body was full of charm, yet her eyes were cold and her face was aloof. In the occasional blink of an eye, a hint of seduction would show through, but she would quickly go back to a less provocative dance.

She was like a swaying poppy, tempting people to pick her.

But at the same time, she was a constant reminder that she could not be picked.

Qin Zhizhen looked at Ye Zhuyi, this poppy, and her eyes, as deep as a clear pool, rippled as if a stone had been thrown into them.

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