CH 22.3

Do You Still Hate Her? 12 – Chasing wife to the crematorium

Soon, the filming officially began.

The character played by Shang Lu had to engage in intense arguments and conflicts with her parents until they eventually reached a compromise.

With a shout of “Action,” everyone instantly entered the state of performance.

Wang Rong, playing Dad, paced back and forth in the living room, looking very agitated. Finally, he threw the newspaper in his hand at Shang Lu, who was sitting at the table, and asked, “What do you want to do? The opportunity to work with Director Williams is so good, and you actually refuse to go? Are you trying to make me and your Mom angry to death?”

Xue Zishan immediately stood up to stop Wang Rong and advised, “Don’t be like this, Xiao Xue has always been obedient since she was young. She must be temporarily confused. Let’s talk to the child properly.”

On the other hand, Shang Lu sat at the table without speaking. She held an orange in her hand and continuously scraped its skin with her fingernail to relieve her anxiety at the moment.

This is a detail not included in the script, so it wouldn’t seem out of place on stage before the lines are spoken.

After a few words of persuasion to Dad, Mom walked up to Shang Lu, reached out and touched Shang Lu’s face, calling out, “Xuexue.”

Shang Lu raised her eyes to look at Mom, then quickly lowered her head as if trying to avoid communication with Mom.

After realizing her daughter’s resistance, Mom’s voice instantly became much colder, and she asked, “Don’t you listen to your Dad and Mom anymore?”

“I… I don’t.” Shang Lu put down the orange in her hand and carefully tugged at Xue Zishan’s clothes, saying, “Mom, I don’t want to go abroad. I don’t want to leave you.”

“So it’s because of this.” Mom’s expression immediately softened, and she smiled at her husband, saying, “I knew our daughter is the most well-behaved child in the world. Don’t be angry anymore.”

Dad’s expression finally eased, and he looked at Shang Lu, saying, “You don’t have to worry so much. Mom will go with you for a few months. She will take care of you just like before. There’s no difference between being in the country or abroad.”

“Yes, Xuexue, Mom will be with you.” Thinking she had convinced her daughter, the mother took out the contract and handed it to her, somewhat expectantly saying, “Sign it quickly. Starting from tomorrow, you need to continue your physical training. This role is a ballet student. Luckily, Mom had foresight and cultivated you since you were young…”

Mom continued to talk endlessly, planning how they would live abroad and fantasizing about their future glory.

Meanwhile, Shang Lu sat there with her head buried lower and lower.

For half a minute, tears welled up in her eyes but did not fall.

Finally, Dad noticed his daughter’s abnormality, interrupted his wife’s chattering, and looked at his daughter, asking, “Why are you crying?”

Shang Lu lifted her head, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, as if her emotions were being noticed for the first time.

But the next second, her father’s words mercilessly shattered all her illusions. He said, “We have a photo shoot tomorrow. If your eyes get swollen from crying, will you still look good on camera?”

Clearly, her Dad cared not for her, but for her work.

Shang Lu anxiously raised her hand to wipe her tears, but this time, she couldn’t control them at all. The more she wiped, the more tears flowed, leaving her at a loss.

She dared not make a sound when she cried because her parents said it would disturb others. Shang Lu could only cover her mouth, her fair little face turning slightly red, looking pitiful.

At this moment, Director Han Cheng exchanged a glance with Yu Qi, and both of them saw the same admiration in each other’s faces. They even thought of the same thing—

—During the audition, if Shang Lu chose the same scene to perform as Ning Lin, they didn’t even need to hesitate that day. It was precisely because of the same performance that the stark difference in acting skills could be seen.

Wang Rong looked at her and asked impatiently, “What are you crying for?”

Shang Lu wiped her tears haphazardly and, obediently accepting her fate, mustered up the courage and tentatively said, “I don’t like this movie. Is it okay if I don’t go…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she had already received the answer while locking eyes with her Dad.

Immediately, Wang Rong grabbed Shanglu by the collar, yanking her up from the chair and pushing her to the ground. He kicked her thigh and scolded, “Are you insane?!”

“Cut!” Han Cheng called for an immediate pause, furrowing his brows as he looked at Wang Rong and directly asked, “Faking a kick is okay, but at least keep up with your performance, how could you make such a mistake as an experienced actor?”

Wang Rong’s expression turned helpless as he said, “She’s such a delicate little girl, how could I bring myself to do it?”

At this moment, Shang Lu sat on the ground, her expression somewhat trance-like.

In an instant, she seemed to understand what Jiang Jing had taught her yesterday. She looked at Wang Rong and said, “It’s okay, if you really kick, I can handle it.”

Wang Rong was taken aback. He didn’t expect Shang Lu to make such a request voluntarily.

Shang Lu immediately got up, and her assistant quickly came forward to dust off her clothes.

Shang Lu looked at Wang Rong and said, “You don’t need to worry, the more takes we do, the more it will hurt. Let’s try to get it right in one take. Also, can we add a little detail? I hope you can grab my neck.”

Shang Lu’s words were too serious, leaving Wang Rong unsure of how to respond for a moment.

Han Cheng, however, was somewhat surprised by Shang Lu’s confidence at the moment, but he still said to Wang Rong, “What you did just now was too fake. Since Shang Lu has volunteered, let’s listen to her and try to get it right in one take without holding her back.”

Wang Rong hesitated a bit, but since everyone was saying so, he said, “I’ll be careful.”

Shang Lu nodded, and the makeup artist quickly came forward to touch up her makeup.

The shoot continued.

When they reached this scene again, as Shang Lu fell to the ground, she slightly tilted her chin, reminding Wang Rong of her previous request.