The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Fugue Three

Lu Jiayin opened her eyes with a serious expression as the faint sunlight of dawn streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window.

She had narrowly avoided letting Zhen Zhen notice her unusual behavior yesterday. While the way she eventually smoothed things over was embarrassing—saying things like “I love snuggling with my Wife”—it was clearly effective on Zhen Zhen, because she smiled at her.

Zhen Zhen was very cute when she smiled. Stripped of her usual reserved demeanor, this Zhen Zhen seemed more like a 24-year-old girl. Her ears also easily flushed a pink color, like a vigilant yet adorable little white rabbit. Lu Jiayin covered her face. She must have been utterly fooled by this illusion to have been so confused and unable to let go.

However, Zhen Zhen didn’t know that Lu Jiayin had recovered part of her memory. In her eyes, she probably still saw the lovely, affectionate Lu Jiayin.

But this made telling her the truth even more difficult. Lu Jiayin couldn’t say exactly why, but she knew in her heart that if she just told Zhen Zhen the truth like this, Zhen Zhen would probably be very sad.

I should proceed slowly. I’ll tell her later when a more suitable opportunity arises. Having made up her mind, Lu Jiayin stretched and prepared to get up.

Since receiving the audition notice for Dark Light, she had arranged for Fu Ruyi to hire a dance instructor for her, taking three hours of basic lessons at home every other day.

Although she didn’t know if she would definitely get the role, Lu Jiayin was someone who liked to prepare in advance. Regardless of the outcome, she wanted to experience as much of the character’s life experience as possible.

Just as the day’s class ended, she received a call from Fu Ruyi: “The Dark Light team asked about your upcoming schedule. Director Long finally made the decision and wants to invite you to play the role of Mu Shuanghe.”

She paused, then added: “But I have some not-so-good news: Qi Yongshan will be joining the crew at the same time as you. She got the role of the second female lead, Gu Wanyue.”

According to the information she gathered, Yueying had indeed communicated with Long Jing several times regarding the female lead choice, but the director was very firm on the main protagonist, forcing Yueying to settle for the second female lead.

“We have to do the character styling plan and shoot the initial warm-up promotional photos this afternoon,” Fu Ruyi said, outlining the upcoming schedule, then added with some worry: “I always have a bad feeling when I think about working with Qi Yongshan in the same crew again.”

Lu Jiayin replied: “We’ll focus on our own work and minimize interaction with her.”

The Dark Light crew spent several years in preparation. Now that everything was settled, they were naturally determined to make a splash. The pre-launch publicity alone included three sets of materials: warm-up posters, final look photos, and a concept film.

Upon arriving at the photography studio that afternoon, Lu Jiayin once again encountered Qi Yongshan at the door of the makeup room.

The actress still displayed an extravagant presence. Seeing Lu Jiayin approach, a hint of reluctance appeared in her eyes, and she grudgingly greeted her: “Sister Jiayin is here too.”

Lu Jiayin nodded at her: “Happy to collaborate.”

As long as the other party maintained professionalism during work, she didn’t care about their private attitude. Qi Yongshan also seemed very quiet today and was quickly taken away to the other side’s makeup room by her assistant.

The photography studio had already been decorated to resemble a theatre stage. Chinese carved window frames served as the foreground, surrounded by various flowers and potted plants, creating an atmosphere of gilded-age extravagance and romance. Since the story revolved around the stage, the main actors posed against this backdrop.

Lu Jiayin first performed the “Sea Exploration” pose she had done in the audition. Her figure was graceful, and her long legs were slender and straight. Enhanced by the sheer fabric of the dance costume, the lines of her body movement were fully displayed, reflecting the beautiful, ethereal quality of the moon and the flower-patterned window.

The photographer pressed the shutter repeatedly. The associate director observing the scene smiled: “Teacher Lu’s posture clearly shows a foundation! It seems there’s no need for any prop assistance.”

He had heard from colleagues that this actress was aloof and a little difficult to approach, so the associate director had been a little worried. But seeing Lu Jiayin perform several poses without pretense and consistently cooperating with his directions, he couldn’t help but develop a good impression.

Just as one set of poses was finished, the assistant monitoring the adjacent studio suddenly ran over. The associate director listened to him and immediately frowned: “Why was she injured for no reason?”

The assistant looked troubled, likely having never experienced such an accident, and stammered: “Teacher Qi wanted to do a high-difficulty move, but she lost her grip on the barre…”

The associate director rubbed his hands and apologized to Lu Jiayin: “I’m sorry, Teacher Lu, I need to go over there and check…”

Lu Jiayin was almost done with her shoot anyway, so she just nodded slightly: “Please go ahead.”

The associate director still hadn’t returned by the time the photoshoot was nearing its end. As Lu Jiayin changed her clothes and prepared to leave, she encountered an unexpected person outside the studio.

Director Long Jing was standing by the atrium smoking. Seeing her approach, she moved two steps downwind and greeted her with a smile: “Finished shooting, Teacher Lu?”

She looked more tired than she did at the audition, but her eyes were still sharp and bright. Seeing Lu Jiayin’s gaze fall on her fingertips, she smiled and waved her hand: “Haven’t been sleeping well these past few days. Just having a smoke to relieve some fatigue.”

Lu Jiayin felt great affection for this female director and her words were more concerned than usual: “Please take care of yourself.”

“Although they say the director is the steward of a film, this industry is definitely getting tougher now,” Director Long leaned casually against the railing. “With hands tied by capital, there are inevitably more entanglements… I feel a strong connection with you, Teacher Lu, so I’ve said a few extra words. I personally look forward to collaborating with you very much.”

She smiled and extinguished the cigarette butt in her hand: “Did I not tell you? Mu Shuanghe is actually my little aunt.”

Lu Jiayin was genuinely surprised this time. She hadn’t realized that Director Long had such a connection to the film.

“I was very mischievous when I was little. My parents couldn’t control me, so they often conveniently sent me to my little aunt’s theatre to play,” Director Long narrowed her eyes slightly. “The actors were all afraid of her, finding her strict and hard to approach, but I knew she was a person with passion inside… The first time I saw you perform, I felt you were somewhat like her.”

“Teacher Lu, I want to make a great work, and I hope you can help me portray a great character,” Long Jing took a deep breath and looked at Lu Jiayin with great seriousness.

Lu Jiayin nodded: “I will do my best.”

After the contract details were confirmed, the Dark Light production’s official Weibo launched its operations, and publicity began smoothly according to schedule.

The peaceful time was broken by a Weibo post.

Fu Ruyi angrily slammed her phone onto the table: “I misjudged that marketing specialist after all!”

She had thought that since they were joining the same crew, and for the sake of the film’s promotion, Qi Yongshan would at least be quiet for a while. However, she still pulled this stunt.

“This morning, right after Dark Light released the first set of warm-up posters, Qi Yongshan’s fan club suddenly posted a tearful Weibo, saying they ‘felt it was unfair for their sister’ and that ‘the efforts of ordinary people can never compare to the casual blow of a resource-leveraging celebrity’… intentionally implying dissatisfaction with the casting.”

“Although the Weibo post was quickly deleted, netizens are still buzzing, suggesting there’s something shady about the casting of Dark Light, and you are the first person to be questioned. Now the official Weibo comments are full of negative remarks about you.”

Lu Jiayin picked up her phone and casually scrolled through a few comments. Most were trolls stirring up trouble:

“Lu Jiayin lost to Qi Yongshan for the Golden Pearl award, but she can immediately turn around and steal the new Best Actress’s role. Who can’t say that resource-leveraging celebrities are amazing?”

“I get annoyed every time I see her pretentious act. Mu Shuanghe is a top dance artist; what right does she have to interpret such a role?”

Fu Ruyi forcibly took the phone away, worried about Lu Jiayin’s mood: “Don’t look at it. It’s all just malicious smearing in the chaos. I’ve already contacted the publicity team to handle it. The nerve of Qi Yongshan, crying wolf…”

She had contacted the company and the production crew immediately, but Qi Yongshan’s pre-emptive move of shifting the blame was well executed, especially since she quickly issued a statement through her studio, being the first to apologize.

In the statement, Qi Yongshan claimed that she had indeed been in talks for the Dark Light project over a year ago. Since Yueying had always been optimistic about the film and was even an investor, she had invested a great deal of passion into it. However, due to her personal shortcomings, she had disappointed her fans, and she apologized to everyone affected.

Regarding the fan club’s message that caught media attention, Qi Yongshan stated that her fan club had always silently supported her acting career and had high hopes for this role, leading them to post the Weibo impulsively. It had since been deleted following communication with her and the company.

“She even posted a photo of an injury sustained during practice, saying that regardless of whether she was the female lead, she would strive to present her best self to everyone,” Fu Ruyi said sarcastically. “This move convinced many unsuspecting passersby, who now think she’s both beautiful and tragic.”

Fu Ruyi looked at the suppressed comments and continued: “Yueying said that the fan club is run by a student who posted the Weibo without switching accounts after hearing some rumors—clearly a scapegoat… I will find an opportunity to get back at her for this insult.”

Ultimately, it was because she had the financial backing of Yueying that Qi Yongshan dared to step on the female lead to build her own image. Thinking of this, Fu Ruyi felt a sense of regret. Compared to a large company like Yueying, they were still somewhat less influential.

“Director Long also asked me if there would be any issues with your attendance at the Yueshang Grand Ceremony tonight…” The timing of this negative outbreak was very coincidental, happening just before the Dark Light crew’s red carpet debut tonight. The media’s focus would likely immediately center on Qi Yongshan and Lu Jiayin.

“Of course there won’t be any problem,” Lu Jiayin stood up, her beautiful red lips curving slightly. “The red carpet show isn’t a competition of who’s more wronged…”

“It’s about looking beautiful.”

Support The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory