The Security Guard Who Won the Heart of the Unattainable Actress - Chapter 29.2

Chapter 29.2

“There were three buildings, the same villa they had just come out of. That makes sense; they need to clean up the mess after the fire.

Li Guang’s box was still in her room. After dealing with the inspection from the production crew that day, Li Guang didn’t mention taking it, and she was busy with the show, so she didn’t remember.

‘I’ll go ask her about it.’

…

Inside the villa, Li Guang and the crew members were tidying up the items on the floor. The entire two-story villa was covered with special materials so the original walls wouldn’t be damaged.

No wonder it took so many people to clean it up.

The rattling sound of the door was due to the layer of material covering the original door, but…

‘But we never expected you’d knock the door down,’ Wang Rou said. ‘The original owner of the villa said we might need to be careful with the door.’

‘I’m so sorry, I’ll pay for it!’ Li Guang said. ‘…I was a little scared at the time and was worried Teacher Ran also wanted to get out quickly. I was just in a hurry.’

‘It’s okay. The original owner already said this door might have some issues. We just didn’t expect it to be knocked down,’ Wang Rou said with a wry smile. Seeing Li Guang’s guilty look, she couldn’t bear to tease her anymore. ‘You’ve done so much for the crew; you don’t need to pay for this.’

‘Sister Wang, you’re a great leader!’ Li Guang praised without hesitation. ‘So, was it a real fire, or were those not real flames?’

‘It wasn’t a real fire, but it was close. How to put it… it was all special materials. It was a heat source, though. If you touched it for too long, you’d get burned. Otherwise, why would your clothes have two holes burned in them?’

Li Guang looked at the clothes she was wearing now and worked with the others to peel the covering material off the door. The black ashes fell onto her hands, and Li Guang was silent for a moment.

‘Director,’ she finally said after a while, ‘can we not do tasks like this in the future? The guests get really scared.’

Ran Mingyue was scared, she knew. Ran Mingyue would never have shown that expression before. Even if it was a special setup, the guests didn’t know that at the time.

The crew was playing on a psychological fear, but this kind of fear is often the most terrifying because it triggers deep-seated inner fears.

Wang Rou said, ‘There are different levels of fear. Before we officially started filming, we did a survey with the players.’

Everyone had checked ‘fire’ as a fear, but it wasn’t the most terrifying fear for everyone.

Before the players started the game, the crew would inform them of the type of escape they would be doing, so the players already had enough time to mentally prepare.

Li Guang fell silent. Wang Rou looked at the quiet person and felt like she was looking at a child sulking.

‘You’re most worried about Ran Mingyue, aren’t you?’

As expected, the sulking person looked up.

Wang Rou said, ‘I don’t know how well you know Xiaoran. From what I know, when she was filming Emperor’s Concubine and Track, there were many scenes with heights and explosions. Track… was set against a war backdrop; things would blow up from time to time, but Ran Mingyue was very dedicated.’

‘So, I was surprised she didn’t jump down today. In fact, that height was much lower than a regular second floor.’

The small villa had a convenience store on the bottom floor and was used for living and storage upstairs. It was a duplex, not as tall as a normal building.

‘Many factors added together can turn a small thing into the most terrifying level of fear,’ Li Guang said, picking up a burnt piece of paper and crushing it in front of Wang Rou.

The paper was already carbonized, and with a squeeze, it all turned into fine ashes that fell to the ground.

‘For me, seeing this, smelling the burnt smell, and seeing the flames is an S-level fear.’

‘You’re afraid of fire?’ Wang Rou asked in surprise. ‘I never would have guessed. And you completed the tasks so well during this recording and brought Xiaoran out safely.’

Li Guang shook her head. ‘I’m just afraid of sudden, big fires. It doesn’t affect my daily life.’

And it also requires certain conditions.

It was the same reason Ran Mingyue didn’t jump down today.

Many additional conditions became pressures that Ran Mingyue put on herself, which in turn deepened the mental barrier she had.

Wang Rou thought for a moment and said, ‘In that case, I wonder if Xiaoran was truly scared today. I’ll report this to the planners. You go and check on her.’

Li Guang said okay and then went back to tidying up seriously. ‘I’ll go as soon as I finish up here. I’ll let Sister Mingyue rest first.’

A moment later, Li Guang spoke again. ‘If there’s a task like this in the future that someone really doesn’t want to do, can’t someone else take their place? Can’t there be another option to substitute?’

Wang Rou was silent. ‘…’

‘Director, can’t we? Really?’ Li Guang murmured. ‘I can even take her place. I might be afraid of heat, but I’m not afraid of heights.’

‘This is the show’s pre-planned process,’ Wang Rou said. ‘We know everyone will be worried. You’re worried, but aren’t the fans worried? If something really happened to Xiaoran, her fans’ saliva could drown our whole production crew.’

‘So will there be tasks like this again?’ Li Guang edged closer and asked. ‘If there are, can you make it so Sister Mingyue doesn’t have to participate? If she absolutely has to, then… then can you let me be there with her?’

Li Guang was still trying. They weren’t filming anymore, and there were no cameras, so she spoke and acted more casually. ‘Director! Director! Seriously!’

Wang Rou was worn down by her persistence. ‘Xiaoli, don’t worry. The future tasks have all been thought out by the planners. Do you understand?’

This meant she couldn’t tell her anything yet. Li Guang was dejected because she couldn’t get any useful information out of Wang Rou.

‘How can I not be worried?’ Li Guang said as she continued to clean up. ‘She was scared…’

Li Guang knew she couldn’t go against the crew’s wishes.

But her heart ached for her. Li Guang was truly pained to see Ran Mingyue’s hesitant expression.

Ran Mingyue was a very responsible person. Now that she was the only one who hadn’t jumped, if she didn’t jump, the entire team’s effort would be in vain, and they would lose.

She carried such a heavy burden.

‘Wouldn’t Sister Mingyue be sad? She must have really wanted to complete the task but couldn’t jump. How could the crew just leave her there? The door… and that door, how much does it cost?’

Li Guang was talking to herself, completely unaware that Ran Mingyue had heard their entire conversation.

From a distance, Ran Mingyue stood with her back to them, her body pressed against the wall.

She heard it. She heard everything Li Guang said.

Ran Mingyue knew that Li Guang understood. Li Guang knew everything.

This girl seemed like an optimistic person who didn’t take things to heart, but she was sharp. She knew what to say and what not to, and she was very brave.

She was afraid of fire, Ran Mingyue was learning this for the first time. But she was still so brave, knocking the door open and leading her out.

If it wasn’t her, but someone else in there, would Li Guang have done the same for that person?

If Li Guang wasn’t her personal security guard but someone else’s, would she have done all this for them?

As she listened to Li Guang, Ran Mingyue couldn’t control the questions running through her mind, nor could she control the urge to pull Li Guang into her arms right now.

She wanted to hug Li Guang and ask her why every word she said could soften her heart so much.

Ran Mingyue was about to step forward.

‘Stop your mumbling; I heard it all,’ Wang Rou came over to Li Guang’s side, laughing and teasing her. ‘That door isn’t cheap, but the crew won’t make you pay for it; we’ll handle it ourselves. What are you still mumbling about? You’re so good to Xiaoran just because you’re her security guard; it’s so different.’

‘I’m just seriously fulfilling my duty!’ Li Guang wouldn’t allow anyone to question her professionalism.

‘Then why didn’t I see you go and save anyone else like that?’

‘I did,’ Li Guang said. ‘You guys were the ones who told me to continue protecting Jiang Qiaoye and to make sure he stayed until the end. Didn’t I… protect him too?’

But as she spoke, she felt a little guilty. Li Guang knew that when she was protecting two people at the same time, she could see her bias toward one of the guests.

Between Ran Mingyue and Jiang Qiaoye, Li Guang naturally knew who she would choose.

‘Just before I came over, Jiang Qiaoye was talking to me and said he had no idea you were supposed to protect him later on,’ Wang Rou said. ‘So, based on what you’re saying, if another guest was in trouble, you’d rush in without hesitation?’

Of course! How else could she be worthy of the high salary the crew was paying her? Li Guang hadn’t forgotten that she was the head of on-site security for the show.

Wait.

Li Guang became alert when Wang Rou asked that.

The traumatic memory from participating in that variety show kept reminding Li Guang not to repeat her mistakes. Never let others think you’re trying to gain popularity! Never! It will lead to misfortune!

‘Of course!’ Li Guang answered firmly. ‘I would do the same for anyone else because this is what I should be doing for the guests. I see them as my clients.’

…

Upon hearing this, Ran Mingyue’s foot that was about to move forward came to a complete stop.

She lowered her head, looking at her toes. After a while, she didn’t look up but just curled the corner of her lips without much emotion and walked back.

It’s all the same, a client, a guest, anyone is the same. How could she be special?

…

After helping the crew clean up the site, Li Guang patted her clothes and got ready to find Ran Mingyue.

‘You’re going like that?’ Chai Ning tried to hold back a laugh, and Li Guang was confused. ‘Yeah, what’s wrong? Is it not okay? I’m in a hurry to check on Sister Mingyue.’

She was so busy every day, but her work was also increasing. Thanks to the guests who mentioned to the crew a few times to give her a raise, saying she was doing a lot, Wang Rou really did go to Liu Limin to propose a raise.

In addition to the work her security company provided, some of what Li Guang did for the crew was her side hustle.

The crew gave her a separate bonus, just like the one she got for her heroic act.

So Li Guang was quite motivated.

She was only tired during the recording, those two days.

When there was no filming, she was still a person who could lie in the sun and enjoy employee benefits.

Her life was much better now than when she was an artist, and Li Guang was very content.

‘If you go like that, you won’t be comforting Teacher Ran. I’m afraid you’ll scare her.’

Chai Ning led Li Guang to the glass door. The clear door reflected Li Guang’s disheveled appearance. She had a lot of black ash on her from cleaning up the burnt debris, and she looked like a little black cat.

She was pitch-black.

‘Wash your face before you go,’ Chai Ning said with a smile. ‘You’re so desperate and reckless. Anyone would think you’re going to see your girlfriend!’

‘No, no, don’t say that! Sister Mingyue, Teacher Ran, she’s not my girlfriend.’ Li Guang was flustered by his words. ‘Don’t talk nonsense. I’m going to wash my face.’

Chai Ning said, ‘I just said it seems like it… Why are you so nervous? I’m just teasing you!’

Li Guang hurried off, running to the staff car outside the main camp to wash her face. When she got there, the living room was empty. She wasn’t sure if everyone had gone to rest.

But if the live stream started in the evening, it would be even harder for Li Guang to find Ran Mingyue. She went up the stairs and saw that Wen Yingzhi’s door was ajar. She thought she would ask Wen Yingzhi, who would surely know where Ran Mingyue was.

She didn’t even have time to knock on the door.

‘Let go, Wen Yingzhi, don’t try that with me again… Don’t touch me…’

‘I’ve prepared new towels,’ she could seemingly see two bodies pressed together through the gap. Wen Yingzhi’s voice came out, ‘Want to join?’

What.

Is Hua Yuzhi here? Hua Yuzhi is here with Wen Yingzhi? Are they…

Li Guang quickly stopped her hand that was about to push the door. She didn’t know whether to leave quickly or warn the people inside that the door wasn’t closed properly.

But what did Hua Yuzhi mean when she said Wen Yingzhi shouldn’t ‘touch’ her…

‘Don’t look,’ a familiar voice appeared behind Li Guang while she was still confused. Ran Mingyue put her hand on her and led her up the stairs directly into Ran Mingyue’s room.

‘Sister Mingyue? How did you know I was here?’ Li Guang was startled. After entering Ran Mingyue’s room, she anxiously said, ‘Teacher Wen and Teacher Hua Yuzhi seem to be arguing! Just now, Teacher Hua said Wen Yingzhi shouldn’t touch her…’

Ran Mingyue looked at her and laughed. ‘Was she refusing?’

‘Yeah!’ Li Guang said. ‘Why are Hua Yuzhi and Wen Yingzhi always at odds? Aren’t they rumored to be a couple? And they came on the show together. I thought they were secretly dating in private.’

‘Sit down, there are no cameras,’ Ran Mingyue explained, seeing Li Guang seemed a bit awkward in her room. When Li Guang sat on the sofa, Ran Mingyue stood in front of her, her expression a playful smile. ‘Among couples, these are just little moments of affection. Don’t you understand?’

Li Guang: ‘Affection?’

‘Yes, affection. You probably don’t understand,’ Ran Mingyue said, feeling a little helpless herself. Explaining this to Li Guang was like talking to a brick wall.

‘I do, I do. Like when someone says no… but they actually mean yes?’ Li Guang offered her shallow understanding. ‘It’s like when someone gives me a hundred yuan red envelope, and I say no, no, I’m really sorry, but I’ve already opened my pocket, hoping they’ll quickly stuff it inside.’

‘It’s a little different from that,’ Ran Mingyue paused. ‘One is verbal, the other… is physical.’

How could they be different?

Li Guang asked in confusion, ‘For example? I don’t really understand.’

‘For example.’

Ran Mingyue’s words almost came out but she held them back, pressing her lips together. The atmosphere was strange, and she remembered what Li Guang had said—that she wasn’t any different from anyone else.

Li Guang was still a little dazed. After waiting for a long time and not hearing Ran Mingyue’s reply, she asked again, ‘Sister Mingyue? Why aren’t you saying anything?’

‘For example, if I were to ask you now, Li Guang, should we kiss?’ Ran Mingyue looked into Li Guang’s eyes, her words blunt. ‘If you say yes, I’ll kiss you. If you say no, I’ll also kiss you. So now I ask you, do you say yes, or no?'”

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