Chapter 62 â Suspicions Arise (3)
When Xu Jinâgeâs foot had been caught in the rat trap, the clamp had removed a small chunk of skin from her ankle. Due to this, sheâd asked the staff to wrap a thick layer of gauze over her foot, yet she refused to settle down and chose to jump around instead.
While a makeup artist was applying makeup on Lan Jinyao, Xu Jinâge was sitting on a stool nearby. Whenever Lan Jinyao wasnât paying attention, Xu Jinâge would stealthily glance at her. But, when Lan Jinyao would look at her, Xu Jinâge would quickly glance away and pretend as if nothing had happened.
Lan Jinyao was suspicious and wondered how many more tricks Xu Jinâge had up her sleeve. So, even after Xu Jinâge had poured a basin of cold water over her that afternoon, sheâd decided not to pursue the matter. If Xu Jinâge still wanted to try something, Lan Jinyao didnât mind spending time with her.
But, Xu Jinâge was just watching her, thatâs all. She didnât do anything disruptive.
In this afternoonâs scene, the second female lead was feigning an illness to get sympathy, and since Xu Jinâge just happened to be injured, it wouldnât affect anything as all she had to do was lay on the bed. An embroidered quilt would cover her body, so no one would be able to see.
The candles illuminating the ancient style room were so bright that it seemed like it was daytime. The makeup artist had applied a thick layer of foundation to Xu Jinâgeâs face, making her looked like a painted wall. Lan Jinyao wanted to laugh upon seeing her.
âSister, you came to visit me? Please forgive me, Iâm feeling unwell and can only lie in bed!â
Lan Jinyao quickly stepped forward and held her hand as she softly said, âItâs alright, you should continue resting for now!â
As their hands were clasped together, Xu Jinâge applied slight force to her fingers, and her sharp nails almost pierced the skin on the back of Lan Jinyaoâs hand.
Lan Jinyao reacted by yanking her hand back, which resulted in Xu Jinâge almost falling to the ground. However, a fake smile was still plastered across her face.
Xu Jinâge seemed angry, but she endured it as she gritted her teeth. The glare she gave Lan Jinyao was so vicious that it appeared like she wanted to maul her.
While the two women were secretly bickering, the shot came out particularly good.
âYou two make the best partners. Here, have a look, the results are perfect!â Alan excitedly exclaimed.
Lan Jinyao drew closer to take a look and noticed that it was indeed excellent. Especially Xu Jinâgeâs expression. Even though it was the normal expression Xu Jinâge would show Lan Jinyao, it matched her character perfectly.
Later that evening, when Lan Jinyao and Li Qi were sitting in the hall drinking tea, Xu Jinâge walked in supported by her Assistant. Watching her limping, Li Qi couldnât help but smile and say to Lan Jinyao, âLook, she was so unlucky that when she was wandering around the villa, she stepped on a rat trap. Thereâs a saying for this, what was it againâ¦?â
Lan Jinyao chimed in. âIf oneâs character is bad, then oneâs luck will drop!â
Li Qi slapped his thigh. âOh! Yes, that was it.â
âButâ¦â Lan Jinyao suddenly said. âAt that time, she wasnât really just wandering around; I think she mightâve been secretly following me. When I approached her, she was so shocked that she stepped on the rat trap. Thatâs why I thought that it was her who placed the rat trap there.â
âXu Jinâge was following you?â
Li Qi looked over in Xu Jinâgeâs direction. Although they were all in the same hall, Xu Jinâge was sitting quite far away from them. In this traditionally styled hall, the chairs were arranged in two rows on both sides of the hall, with the corridor in between. Li Qi and Lan Jinyao sat near the main seat, while Xu Jinâge had chosen to sit near the entrance, glancing at them from time to time.
âIf you hadnât mentioned it, I wouldnât have realised it. You see how often Xu Jinâge looks at you?â Li Qiâs expression became weird. âShe wouldnât fancy you, right?â
Lan Jinyao almost spat out her tea at his remark.
âDonât talk nonsense!â
Although Lan Jinyao was smiling, deep inside she felt that it was increasingly strange. It seemed that after arriving at the villa today, she felt that Xu Jinâge was behaving oddly. It wasnât quite like Xu Jinâge was looking for opportunity to scheme against her, because if Xu Jinâge really wanted to do something to her, she mightâve already come to her long ago. But, if Xu Jinâge didnât intend to harm her, she couldnât guess what the real reason was for all the staring.
The first time Lan Jinyao had met Xu Jinâge was at the restaurant. At that time, Xu Jinâge was having lunch with Fu Bainian. She remembered that at the time, there was a lot of news about Xu Jinâge and Fu Bainian; enough to fill up the sky. The second time she met Xu Jinâge again was at the Fu residence.
The only thing she had in common with Xu Jinâge was about Fu Bainian.
Soon, an idea popped into Lan Jinyaoâs mind. Maybe Xu Jinâge wanted to observe her, and then think about how to snatch Fu Bainian away!
Lan Jinyao guessed that Xu Jinâge wouldnât stop, so she secretly thought of a plan.
There werenât that many scenes to shoot that evening, and they had to be filmed in the same room as before. But, these scenes were the climax of the film. Lan Jinyao, who was acting as the female lead, would be forced into a desperate situation without any way of retreat, which later lead to her being reborn.
Xu Jinâge, who was playing the second female lead, now held a silver hairpin as she stood up. Her eyes were narrowed, and she smiled viciously as she slowly approached the female lead, step by step. The female lead, who was forced into a corner, weakly curled her body into herself and looked at the other party with tearful eyes. Her body constantly trembled, causing the smile on Xu Jinâgeâs face to become more malicious.
âThis face of yours really makes people nauseous!â
The silver hairpin swept ferociously across Lan Jinyaoâs cheek. In that split moment, Lan Jinyaoâs pupils abruptly shrunk. She was genuinely worried that Xu Jinâge would use this opportunity to damage her face.
As she closed her eyes, a tear rolled down her cheek.
âSis-sisterâ¦whyâ¦why are you so ruthless?â she sobbed softly, her voice wobbling as she questioned.
âCut!â
Alan spoke to the makeup artist. âHurry and change her makeup. Right, the wound on her face, try to make it a little more realistic; itâs best to make it a bit more bloody. This shot will certainly arouse a deep emotional resonance in the heart of the audience.â
âYes!â the makeup artist responded and quickly went to change Lan Jinyaoâs makeup.
At that moment, Xu Jinâge, who was holding the silver hairpin, didnât move for a long time, her eyes glued to Lan Jinyao. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
The makeup artist then pushed Xu Jinâge. âJinâge, can you move aside? I have to change Chen Meimeiâs makeup!â
Everyone thought that Xu Jinâge would get angry. However, contrary to everyoneâs expectations, once the makeup artist pushed her she silently moved to the side.
Lan Jinyao looked at her in amazement and saw Xu Jinâgeâs mouth opening and closing as if she was muttering something. Reading Xu Jinâgeâs lips, it seemed that she was saying, âNot the same, it was truly not the same.â
Lan Jinyao wasnât sure why, but she had a bad omen in her heart.