The Security Guard Who Won the Heart of the Unattainable Actress - Chapter 33.2

Chapter 33.2

Li Guang was stunned. Another flash of lightning lit up the sky outside, and thunder was about to follow. Ran Mingyue reached out and put her hand over Li Guang’s ears. Only after the thunder passed did she let go and continue.

“So I was afraid you would do that afterward, which is why I insisted you finish these things. Just like you said to me, some people consider others, and some don’t. You’re the one who considers your family.” Ran Mingyue was very close to Li Guang. Li Guang saw herself reflected in Ran Mingyue’s eyes.

She couldn’t say anything else because Ran Mingyue’s words made her feel like a precious gem, a delicate pearl held carefully in the palm of a hand.

“Even your brother, that little boy—right? Even if he’s young and got into a fight at school, whether he won or lost, I don’t care. I care about your feelings. Do you know that’s how I think? When you came here crying, I was already in my head, very unhappy, thinking many times, ‘even if they are your family.'” Ran Mingyue said. “I just wanted to solve the problem and get it over with. See? You’re much more relaxed now, aren’t you?”

Ran Mingyue spoke in one long paragraph, and Li Guang was chewing on every word, trying to process the wealth of information. When she heard Ran Mingyue say that she didn’t care about “the big or the small” or that she “didn’t care,” she understood.

Given Ran Mingyue’s public image of maturity and stability, saying such a thing was a complete subversion.

Li Guang didn’t know why, but she felt a little sour and a little overwhelmingly sweet at the same time.

Ran Mingyue saw that Li Guang wasn’t speaking, assuming the child was still thinking, and concluded, “That’s how it is. What I want to express is that I’m on your side.”

“I know what you mean.”

“I know, too.” Ran Mingyue nodded in satisfaction. She knew Li Guang was very perceptive in these matters. Li Guang had a rebellious streak sometimes.

What kid doesn’t rebel when their needs aren’t met? All she needed was a little patience. Li Guang was really easy to comfort; she just needed a little bit of it.

Thinking of this, Ran Mingyue couldn’t help but say, “But I think you did a great job. You also learned how to say no this time, didn’t you?”

Li Guang’s focus was on the words “also” and “this time.” “How do you know I didn’t say no last time?”

“Well…” Ran Mingyue paused, realizing she had said too much. “I just said that. Because you taught me to say no.”

Li Guang’s mood improved. She nodded in agreement. “Thank you. It seems like it’s often like this. You give great advice to others, but when it’s your turn, you can’t do it.”

“It’s okay. We’re all growing up for the first time, and we’re all facing these things for the first time.”

Li Guang was confused. “You are too, but you handled it better than me. You can teach me how to make the right decisions.”

“I’m a few years older than you, after all.” Ran Mingyue smiled again, as if she had thought of something. “And I’m not a method actress. Didn’t I tell you? I have no experience with these things, I just have to be bold and imagine it.”

Li Guang felt like Ran Mingyue was talking about herself, about how she wasn’t bold enough to imagine.

So, Mingyue-jie… holds grudges too. But this side of Ran Mingyue made Li Guang feel more vibrant and closer to her, no longer the untouchable superstar.

Li Guang said, “Mingyue-jie, I’m taking all those autographed photos. Are you really okay with that?”

“I’m genuinely okay with it. I had my own selfish reasons for signing so many,” Ran Mingyue said after a moment’s thought. “It’s not for your brother to show off. It’s for you to show me off, how about that?”

“Sounds great.” Li Guang smiled happily, feeling like she could eat the cake again. She reached for it, but Ran Mingyue shook her head. “Don’t eat anymore. Eating too much sugar before bed will give you indigestion.”

Li Guang said seriously, “You can treat me like a child, but my stomach is an adult’s stomach. It won’t get indigestion.”

“No, you can have it whenever you want in the future.” Ran Mingyue got up and said, “I’m going to make your bed.”

“Oh,” Li Guang said. She watched eagerly as Ran Mingyue carefully wrapped the cake and put it back in the refrigerator, then walked toward the master bedroom. Only then did she react. “Huh?”

Li Guang, still holding the pillow in her arms, rushed over, not even putting on her shoes. “Mingyue-jie! I’m not sleeping here, am I?”

Who said she was going to sleep here? Who said that?

Ran Mingyue said, “It’s raining too hard outside, and it’s too late to send you back. Plus, there’s thunder. Why don’t you rest here? The guest room has fresh blankets.”

She was so quick, she was already going upstairs. Li Guang hurried to follow, only to find that the guest room already had a new set of bedding on the bed.

It looked familiar. Weren’t these the ones that were in the washing machine when Ran Mingyue asked her to come fix the light?

“See? Everything’s ready. Why don’t you rest here?” Ran Mingyue said. “If you go back, you’ll have to turn on your electric blanket and heat up water. It’s too much trouble. It’s warm here.”

Li Guang felt something was a little strange, but she was mostly embarrassed about staying at Ran Mingyue’s house. “But this is such an inconvenience to you.”

“It’s not an inconvenience. We can get up a little earlier tomorrow, and I can wake you up,” Ran Mingyue said. “Look at the weather. It’s going to be windy, rainy, and thundery all night. I’d be scared to sleep here by myself.”

What a coincidence. Li Guang was the one who was least afraid of thunderstorms. She was convinced. Her toes wiggled inside her thick socks, almost digging a castle out of the floor. She put the last bit of embarrassment behind her. “Okay, then.”

The bed had already been made. A celebrity’s villa was, of course, well-equipped and had much better conditions than Li Guang’s single dorm.

Ran Mingyue said, “Just make yourself at home. If you’re uncomfortable, you can come find me.”

“Okay,” Li Guang said. She thought that Mingyue-jie was a very considerate host. She muttered to herself, “I hope Teacher Wen doesn’t mind that I’m borrowing her room for the night.”

Ran Mingyue said, “She has her own sweet home. Go to bed early. Good night.”

“Okay, good night.”

Li Guang wasn’t used to this bed, but the new bedding, which had been washed and sun-dried, was so warm. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Before she fell asleep, she silently wished that she wouldn’t snore.

Not in a bad way, but when she was too tired and in a deep sleep, her breathing would get heavy and sound like a little snore.

Ran Mingyue finished her nightly routine in her own room, checked all the lights in the house, leaving only one fireplace light on. Finally, she stood quietly at the guest room door for a moment. It was completely silent inside.

She must be fast asleep.

The heart that Ran Mingyue had been holding all night finally relaxed. Her room was right next door. Ran Mingyue didn’t close her door all the way.

It was a thunderstorm outside, and every now and then, a thunderclap would be quite frightening.

Li Guang fell asleep quickly and dreamed quickly. But her dream was not a peaceful one. Perhaps because she had cried so much tonight, her emotions had been in turmoil, and she dreamed of things from a long time ago.

The flames and the pungent smell squeezed her tightly into a confined space, with no chance to breathe.

Li Guang could only sob in the corner, crying her heart out, but no one came into the room filled with fire.

How old was she that year? She was a little girl, probably only five years old.

The scene shifted, and Li Guang was in another room, plastered with colorful stickers. She was sleeping in the middle of a children’s bed, and there were many other children’s beds around her.

Then, the scene quickly rewound, the color turned to gray, and then quickly to black. The world was left with only her, and it was devouring her.

“No!”

Li Guang gasped and sat straight up in bed. She looked blankly at the wall in front of her and then at the window, not realizing where she was for a moment.

This nightmare had tormented Li Guang for a long time, but with time, she had locked those memories away deep inside, never to think of them again.

Thunder rumbled outside. So the night hadn’t passed yet. Li Guang sobered up a little, realizing she was at Ran Mingyue’s house.

She felt the side of her pillow. It was pitch black. Li Guang really couldn’t sleep now. She wanted to turn on a light, but she couldn’t remember where the switch was after fumbling for a while.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Ran Mingyue’s voice said, “Li Guang? Are you awake? Can I come in?”

“Mingyue-jie?… Did I wake you up? Come in.”

“Don’t move. I’ll come in.” Ran Mingyue came in, familiar with the darkness. She turned on a warm yellow night light and sat on the side of the bed, wearing her pajamas. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Li Guang apologized with a yes. Ran Mingyue casually put a pillow behind Li Guang’s back. “Is it because of the thunder? I’ve been listening to the thunder and couldn’t sleep. It’s probably going to rain all night.”

Li Guang shook her head. “I’m not afraid of thunder, Mingyue-jie. Do you like rainy days?”

“They’re a little inconvenient, so I don’t really like them,” Ran Mingyue said.

Li Guang lowered her head and thought for a moment. The blanket was propped up like a small hill by her bent knees. “I really like rainy days.”

Li Guang’s state was perfectly fine before bed. Ran Mingyue was also a little worried, so she had left her door ajar to pay attention to Li Guang’s movements. She asked, “Is it because you’re not used to this bed that you’re not resting well here?”

Li Guang said softly, “No, it’s because of the task today… I’m afraid of fire.”

Ran Mingyue had asked Li Guang this question in the afternoon, but the atmosphere between them wasn’t good then, and Li Guang hadn’t answered.

She carefully looked at Li Guang’s expression. She felt a little helpless, not knowing whether she should ask, and finally went to the side to get Li Guang a cup of warm water.

Ran Mingyue handed the water to Li Guang. Li Guang took it and huddled at the head of the bed, watching her.

Ran Mingyue understood a little. “Can you tell me the reason?”

Perhaps it was because her pain had been seen by Ran Mingyue, and also because she had felt a sense of security with Ran Mingyue tonight, Li Guang spoke about her vulnerability for the first time.

For the first time, she wanted to tell the story herself.

“I went through a fire once, a big one, when I was little. I wanted to forget it so badly, but sometimes it still pops up.” Li Guang smiled unconsciously. “I wasn’t hurt in that fire, but the people who protected me all left.”

She wasn’t crying, her expression was a little numb.

Ran Mingyue was all too familiar with that expression. It was the expression people wore when they were building their defense mechanisms. She had seen it on herself when she was a little girl and even now at twenty-four.

This night was the first time she had seen Li Guang’s nightmare. What about a long time ago? All those years as Li Guang grew up?

How had Li Guang wrapped herself in a defense mechanism until now, becoming such a good, worry-free person? How much had she endured alone, and how many times had she consoled herself to become the cheerful and lively person she was now?

Ran Mingyue’s hand was on the edge of the bed, tightly gripping the blanket. She moved a little closer, her hand slowly loosening its tight grip. “Can I hold you?”

Li Guang opened her arms to her, frowning in distress, and showed a smile that was uglier than a cry. “I need a little comfort, too.”

The bed was big, so Ran Mingyue got on it. But the room was warm, so she didn’t get under the blankets. As she held Li Guang, Ran Mingyue’s mind was free of any other thoughts, only filled with heartache. Seeing the kind of open-mindedness Li Guang showed, Ran Mingyue felt her heart being squeezed, making it hard to breathe.

It shouldn’t be like this.

It shouldn’t be like this.

Now she knew why Li Guang was afraid of fire, and she also knew why Li Guang said she was fine usually, she just didn’t like that smell.

Ran Mingyue silently offered her shoulder to Li Guang. It was Li Guang who spoke first. “I’m fine. It was just a nightmare, wasn’t it? I feel much better after talking about it. But I can’t fall back asleep. What time is it?”

“3:30 AM.” Ran Mingyue’s voice was a little hoarse. She cleared her throat and understood why Li Guang said she liked the rain.

She understood everything.

Li Guang turned to look out the window. Ran Mingyue said, “Shall we go for a walk outside?”

“It’s so late, and it’s still raining,” Li Guang said. “You don’t like the rain.”

“Who says you can’t do things you don’t like? But I like walking with you,” Ran Mingyue said. “Do you want to get up?”

“Yes!” Li Guang looked up, and the mask of numbness was torn away. She was genuinely happy, because on this uneasy night where she had recalled a bad memory, she felt so safe next to Ran Mingyue.

Ran Mingyue turned her back to Li Guang as she got out of bed, rubbing her eyes again and again, pushing the soreness away. She turned and said softly, “Let’s go. Get dressed.”

Li Guang put on her clothes and pants. The socks were the ones Ran Mingyue had given her to wear. When they were about to go out, Ran Mingyue took a brown hat and a plaid scarf from the closet, bundling Li Guang up tightly.

Li Guang struggled to turn her neck. “Do I have to wear all this?”

“You do,” Ran Mingyue said. “You’ll catch a cold like Wen Yingzhi if you don’t. This weather is the easiest to get sick in.”

Li Guang’s face was buried in the scarf. The hat, which Ran Mingyue had found somewhere, even had two little bear ears.

As they were leaving, Ran Mingyue suddenly took a new long-handled umbrella from the cabinet by the entryway. “Take this one. This is a two-person umbrella.”

Li Guang said “Oh,” and looked down to see a pair of soaked indoor slippers on the doormat.

Ran Mingyue naturally knelt down and put shoe covers on Li Guang. “Wear these and you won’t have to worry about your shoes getting dirty. Why did you wear white shoes in the rain?”

Li Guang didn’t answer. She looked down at Ran Mingyue, who was kneeling and tying her shoelaces, and felt like she must still be in a dream.

A dream that was too real could make a person confuse it with reality.

Ran Mingyue didn’t seem to care if Li Guang answered. She finished bundling her up, opened the umbrella, and led Li Guang outside. The thunder had stopped. The rain was moderate, pattering loudly on the umbrella.

Before they had even left the courtyard, Li Guang slowly reacted. “Mingyue-jie, why didn’t you change your shoes before you came out?”

“That,” Ran Mingyue said. “I saw you crying on the monitor by the door. I didn’t have time to think about all that.”

Li Guang tilted her head to look at her. Ran Mingyue said, “Come a little closer.”

Li Guang moved closer to her. She asked again, “You had a new umbrella, so why did you tell me you only had one?”

Ran Mingyue choked up for a second. “…That was an excuse.”

How did Li Guang suddenly become so smart?

Li Guang asked, “What kind of excuse?”

She had become a curious baby, not letting Ran Mingyue off the hook.

“…” Ran Mingyue was being very indulgent tonight. “But if I told you, you wouldn’t believe it. It was just an excuse to see you.”

Li Guang said “ah,” her words muffled by the scarf.

They left the villa and walked aimlessly. Li Guang looked straight ahead, her whole body warmed up, and her face felt flushed, as if she had a fever.

She and Ran Mingyue had talked about so many things today.

This time, what Ran Mingyue said felt different in Li Guang’s heart.

—What if she said she believed her?

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