Self-Perception - Chapter 14

Gu Wansheng’s heart skipped a beat.

Was she saying sweet words to herself?

“Jinyan, I’m a little tired,” Gu Wansheng softened her posture. The woman’s eyebrows were like a painting, the makeup still on her face, but her eyelids were half-drooping, appearing delicate and pitiful. Regardless of anything else, it gave people a desire to protect her.

“Will you hug me, please?” Gu Wansheng’s voice was soft and gentle.

Wen Jinyan shifted her body, moving closer to Gu Wansheng. She was just reaching out, preparing to hug her, when Gu Wansheng interrupted.

“I still have makeup on, it will smear.” Gu Wansheng took her hand and turned it in a different direction, using a little force to help her sit steadily on her lap.

Then, the woman reached out and wrapped her arms around Wen Jinyan’s back, her chin gently resting on her shoulder line through the clothes.

“This way, the makeup won’t be ruined.”

Wen Jinyan felt the woman’s equally soft body through the clothes. The warmth of the other person penetrated the fabric, landing on her skin and causing slight ripples.

“Relax your shoulders,” Gu Wansheng noticed the stiffness in the woman’s shoulder line and chuckled softly. “Aren’t you tired?”

Wen Jinyan was calm, her gaze passing through the woman’s snow-white clothing and settling on an empty space.

“It’s because you’re hugging me too tightly.”

After speaking, Wen Jinyan noticed the other person’s shoulder line beginning to tremble slightly. The movement wasn’t large, but the distance between the two of them was close enough for Wen Jinyan to feel every subtle movement of Gu Wansheng.

She was laughing? What was she laughing at?

The force on her back loosened, and she heard the woman’s clear, soft voice, “Then you hug me.”

Wen Jinyan watched Gu Wansheng quietly. Two seconds later, she gently embraced Gu Wansheng.

She felt the thumping of the other person’s heart, which was very regular, matching her own frequency.

Is this what it feels like to hug a marriage partner? It wasn’t the intense emotion described in novels, but rather two hearts vibrating at the same frequency, without overthinking, just wanting to feel the present moment.

Wen Jinyan compared this in her mind to the knowledge she had learned from books, and she seemed to understand what she should add to the emotional storyline.

“Gu J-jie…” Meng Qiu opened the door and saw the scene of the two women embracing, followed by Gu Wansheng’s exclusive makeup team.

Meng Qiu and the makeup team: “…”

“You two carry on, you two carry on,” Meng Qiu closed the door.

“Gu Jie, we’ll come back in five minutes to do your makeup,” the makeup artist called out from outside the door.

Gu Wansheng’s ears flushed with heat.

Wen Jinyan got off Gu Wansheng’s lap. Gu Wansheng coughed softly, opened WeChat, and told them to come in.

“Sorry, Gu Jie, next time we’ll definitely knock,” the makeup artist chuckled.

“Mhm,” Gu Wansheng tried to remain composed. “Come, let’s touch up the makeup.”

It wasn’t until lunchtime that Gu Wansheng finished her scene.

“Gu Jie, this is yours. This one is Jinyan Jie’s,” Xiao Qiu handed the lunch boxes to Gu Wansheng.

“You should go eat quickly too,” Gu Wansheng took them and went to the rest room, handing a lunch box to Wen Jinyan.

“Aren’t you going to take off your headpiece?” Wen Jinyan stared at the headpiece she was wearing. She remembered that headpieces for historical dramas were usually very heavy.

“It’s a bit troublesome to take it off and then put it back on. We still have shooting this afternoon,” Gu Wansheng separated the disposable chopsticks and handed a pair to her.

“Try it and see if it suits your taste.”

“I’m not picky with food.”

“Does not eating green peppers count as not picky?” Gu Wansheng teased.

“That’s different. I’m allergic to green peppers,” Wen Jinyan replied calmly, as if stating a common, trivial matter.

Gu Wansheng was stunned. “I see.”

In the afternoon, Gu Wansheng was busy shooting. Wen Jinyan sat beside Bai Jin watching the monitor, occasionally getting up to walk around when she sat for too long. She familiarized herself with the props and the jargon used during the film crew’s shooting, which would be helpful for writing her novel.

“OK, thank you everyone for your hard work today. We’ll start shooting tomorrow afternoon, everyone go home and rest.”

“Alright, goodbye Director.”

“Goodbye, Teacher Gu.”

Gu Wansheng nodded slightly, then turned to Wen Jinyan. “I’ll go remove my makeup first, and we’ll go back together after I’m done.”

“Okay,” Wen Jinyan followed behind her, watching her enter the changing room.

Wen Jinyan sat on the sofa outside and waited. Ten minutes passed, and Gu Wansheng still hadn’t come out.

“Jinyan,” Gu Wansheng’s voice came from inside the changing room.

“I’m here,” Wen Jinyan stood up, thinking Gu Wansheng had run into some trouble. She stood by the curtain.

“My costume seems to be caught on the hairpin or something on my head. Could you come in and help me?”

“Then I’m coming in.” Wen Jinyan gently pushed aside the curtain. Gu Wansheng was standing with her back to the curtain, and an extreme whiteness appeared before Wen Jinyan’s eyes.

The woman’s back was thin but surprisingly strong. It wasn’t frail, and her shoulder blades were faintly visible, like a moving painting.

She had meant to look away, but her gaze unexpectedly fell on the small of her back. Her waistline was slender, delicate enough to be grasped in one hand.

“Don’t move yet,” Wen Jinyan reached out and held the costume.

Gu Wansheng froze upon hearing her words.

Perhaps it was the confined space or the movement, but Wen Jinyan felt a little warm.

“Done.” Wen Jinyan straightened her arm, carefully lifting the costume off her head.

Gu Wansheng’s face was flushed from the heat. She was fair skinned, and her entire face and neck were red. However, her makeup was gentle and elegant, which made her look even softer and more beautiful.

“Thank you,” Gu Wansheng smiled at her, then bent down to reach for her own clothes nearby.

Wen Jinyan’s gaze fell on the floor beside them. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first.”

Gu Wansheng’s eyes lingered on Wen Jinyan for two seconds before she said, “Okay.”

Is she shy?

Meng Qiu was waiting outside the door, watching a video on her phone. Hearing the sound, she turned off her phone.

“Gu Jie, Jinyan Jie. The car is already waiting outside.”

“Good,” Gu Wansheng replied.

Gu Wansheng asked Wen Jinyan to get in the car first, and she followed shortly after.

“Gu Jie, these are endorsement deals from a few brands. Please take a look,” Meng Qiu handed her the tablet.

“Did Shang Jie say anything?” Gu Wansheng took a small throw blanket and covered Wen Jinyan’s legs before taking the tablet.

Wen Jinyan pulled the throw blanket around herself.

Was I that obviously warm?

“I just spoke with Shang Jie. She said that this brand is also considering Lu Yuan, an artist from Xing Le Entertainment. She hopes you can secure this role and not give Lu Yuan a chance.”

“Then only take this brand endorsement, and decline the others.”

“Understood. I’ll discuss the details and schedule with the brand,” Meng Qiu took back the tablet.

Lu Yuan…

“It was her who agreed to write a script in exchange for forcing me, I disagreed, so she took the opportunity to retaliate against me.”

A distant memory flooded her mind. Wen Jinyan’s gentle eyes gradually turned cold, and her hand unconsciously tightened its grip on the throw blanket. Gu Wansheng looked down at her hand, took hold of it, and quietly exclaimed, “Why are your hands so cold? Is the air conditioning set too low? Xiao Qiu, please turn up the car’s AC by two degrees.”

“Maybe a little,” Wen Jinyan controlled the emotions in her eyes, not letting Gu Wansheng notice anything amiss.

“Is your body naturally sensitive to cold, or do you have a fear of cold?”

Wen Jinyan shook her head.

Gu Wansheng tightened her grip on her hand, a continuous warmth spreading from the back of her hand.

The two returned to the hotel. Gu Wansheng first asked Wen Jinyan to take a shower, while she went to the wine cabinet to decant a bottle of red wine.

The sound of trickling water came from the bathroom. Gu Wansheng sat on the white carpet, her gaze pausing on the direction of the bathroom for a few seconds before retracting. She swirled the wine glass, slowly savoring the taste.

When Wen Jinyan emerged from her shower, she saw Gu Wansheng sitting on the carpet drinking wine. She walked over barefoot and crouched down.

“Gu Wansheng.”

“Hmm?” Gu Wansheng looked up, her voice soft and drowsy. “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

“What made you want to drink wine?” Wen Jinyan took the wine glass. The liquid in the glass swirled, and the light fell into the cup, leaving scattered reflections.

“Drinking a little wine helps with sleep,” Gu Wansheng supported herself and stood up.

Wen Jinyan looked at the small amount of red wine left in the glass, wondering how much she had actually drunk. She crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, trying to discern whether the woman was drunk or sober.

“Gu Wansheng, do you get drunk easily?”

“No. I know my limits, I only drank a little.”

“Do you often suffer from insomnia?” Wen Jinyan asked curiously.

Gu Wansheng had consumed some wine, and her mind wasn’t completely clear. Hearing this, she asked bluntly, “Are you concerned about me?”

“Just asking,” Wen Jinyan looked at her, her eyes neither evasive nor emotionally responsive.

Those eyes were as calm as still water, without a ripple.

“I don’t really have insomnia, but a little wine makes it easier to fall asleep faster.”

Gu Wansheng walked past Wen Jinyan. Wen Jinyan went to get the hairdryer. Just as she plugged it in, she saw Gu Wansheng with one leg half-bent, like a knight. Before Wen Jinyan could react, Gu Wansheng lifted her calf.

“I can do it myself,” Wen Jinyan’s words of refusal were about to come out, and she tried to pull her calf back, but it was ultimately held firmly by a pair of well-defined, slender hands, preventing her escape.

“You blow dry your hair, I’ll take care of this,” Gu Wansheng put shoes on her feet. Wen Jinyan thanked her and turned the switch back on. The sound of the hairdryer echoed in the room, and the warm air landed on her skin through the gaps in her hair.

Gu Wansheng stood up and headed towards the bathroom.

Wen Jinyan finished drying her hair and noticed the sound of water in the bathroom had stopped. She didn’t put the hairdryer back in its original spot.

Gu Wansheng came out with wet hair. She was wearing a bathrobe and holding a dry towel to wipe her hair with one hand. As she approached, Wen Jinyan realized that Gu Wansheng’s face was very rosy.

How hot must the water have been to get her face like this?

“Hand me the hairdryer.”

“You sit here, I’ll help you blow dry it,” Wen Jinyan moved aside.

Is she repaying the favor for putting on my shoes just now?

Gu Wansheng didn’t ask, but sat down on the carpet. Wen Jinyan knelt halfway behind her.

“Tell me if it’s too hot,” Wen Jinyan turned on the switch, her fingers running through the wet strands of hair, lifting them to reveal the woman’s flushed nape.

Such tender skin.

Gu Wansheng might have wanted to change her sitting position to be more comfortable. She leaned on one hand and moved to the side, exposing half of her fragrant shoulder, which was tinged with pink.

Noticing the fabric sliding, Gu Wansheng didn’t pull it back up.

Wen Jinyan subtly took in the sight of the “beauty’s fragrant shoulder.” The hand not holding the hairdryer reached for the fabric of the bathrobe and pulled it up.

No reaction at all.

Gu Wansheng mused inwardly.

She turned her head to look out the floor to ceiling window. Wen Jinyan was looking down, and her knees were side by side. Their two figures were very close. She could see in the reflection on the window the details of Wen Jinyan holding her hair carefully in her hand, trying not to let the hot air scorch her neck.