Don’t Want a Divorce (14)
“Jiaojiao, is it the back of your neck that’s hurt?”
Today, the scene to be filmed is about the protagonist, Liu Ruyi, being favored by the Emperor. After one night, she is conferred the title of Noble Lady, and the news spreads throughout the Six Palaces, infuriating Noble Consort Rong, who angrily smashes the tea cup in her hand. Following this, she continuously makes things difficult for Liu Ruyi.
However, Lu Xun does not need to appear today, so he did not come to the crew but went on his private schedule instead.
Xu Jiao had an invisible patch placed on the back of her neck and went to the crew. She changed into the Noble Consort costume and sat on a bench in the corner of the makeup room, flipping through today’s script. Beside her, Qiu Yongli lay on a recliner, yawning sleepily, allowing the makeup artist to brush and apply makeup on her face, chatting intermittently with Xu Jiao to stay awake.
“Last night, I drank until I blacked out. Fortunately, my adorable little assistant knows how to make hangover tea, otherwise, Director Zhen’s relentless scolding would have killed me today—”
“By the way, Sister Xu, how did you and Sister Yu get home last night? Did you sleep well? Do you want me to have my assistant make you both a cup of tea?”
Xu Jiao silently memorized her lines, taking a moment to reply to her: “It’s alright, no need to bother, have you memorized your lines?”
Qiu Yongli originally wanted to say there was no problem, but when Xu Jiao asked her, she closed her eyes and thought for a long time, suddenly startled: “Oh my god, I seem to have forgotten, Sister, quickly rehearse with me.”
Xu Jiao then rehearsed their part of the lines with her.
Just as they finished halfway, Qiu Yongli’s makeup was done. Hearing the makeup artist’s gentle reminder, she got up from the recliner, stretched lazily, and prepared to switch places with Xu Jiao, letting her lie down for a while while she sat on the small bench to look at the script.
But as soon as she got close, she stopped her movement.
The next moment, Qiu Yongli placed her hands on Xu Jiao’s shoulders, leaned towards her neck like a little dog, her nostrils flaring, muttering:
“Eh… Sister Xu, your scent seems to have changed.”
Xu Jiao uncomfortably tilted her head, intending to brush it off nonchalantly, but Qiu Yongli maintained this close posture, her eyes sparkling as she whistled at her, her gaze fixed on the patch on the back of Xu Jiao’s neck:
“This kind of calmness doesn’t seem like your usual style, Sister——”
“Seven times in one night, huh, and you can still get up today? Does Director Zhen know you’re this dedicated?”
Her eyes carried an ambiguous hint, even the smile at the corner of her lips was deep, dimples appearing, a cute smile full of cunning.
Xu Jiao noticed the gossip that the makeup artist couldn’t hide on her face despite her pretense of calmness. Raising her hand to touch the spot on the back of her neck, she paused, and calmly explained to Qiu Yongli: “It’s not what you think.”
Qiu Yongli nodded like a pecking chicken, pushing her towards the makeup reclining chair, taking her script and flipping through it, understanding yet dismissively replying: “Yes, yes, yes, it’s not what I think, but even more intense than I thought, right?”
Xu Jiao: “…”
She wanted to say something else, but the makeup teacher gently touched the edge of the patch on the back of her neck and softly asked: “Your collar is quite wide, this will still be visible in close-up shots. Do you want me to help cover it?”
Xu Jiao nodded at her and thanked her: “Sorry to trouble you.”
The makeup teacher smiled and asked her again: “Are there any other marks? Hickeys or anything, I’ll help you cover them up as much as possible before shooting, otherwise, it’ll be really obvious on camera.”
Qiu Yongli pretended to look down at the script, but then let out another strange sound: “Wow.”
Xu Jiao: “…”
She calmly replied: “No more.”
Qiu Yongli sighed at the script: “So restrained, as expected of Sister Yu.”
Xu Jiao closed her eyes, enduring the continuous teasing from the makeup artist and Qiu Yongli, finally finishing her makeup. As soon as she stepped out of the makeup room, she met Ni Hong’s extremely worried gaze.
Ever since Xu Jiao sent her a message last night, Ni Hong had been worried that Xu Jiao was too indulgent towards Feng Qingyu in that regard, leading to her suffering a loss. She was even prepared to help her request a leave from the crew today, but unexpectedly, Xu Jiao insisted on coming to work.
Following closely behind Xu Jiao, Ni Hong looked around and lowered her voice to say to Xu Jiao:
“Jiaojiao, are you really okay? Don’t push yourself if you can’t. Look at this big piece of cloth on your neck, Feng Qingyu must have bitten you really hard, right? Hey, you’ve made such a big sacrifice, she doesn’t even feel sorry for you. Let me tell you, there’s a brand whose contract with their spokesperson is about to expire—”
Ni Hong also wanted to take the opportunity to let Xu Jiao whisper in Feng Qingyu’s ear pillow talk, to exchange for some resources or something, but Xu Jiao interrupted her coldly: “Enough, Sister Hong.”
Xu Jiao did not want to hear any more incitement from Ni Hong about using her body to exchange for resources; she just wanted to focus wholeheartedly on acting well, rather than putting her mind on these crooked ways.
Just as Xu Jiao was preparing her words to emphasize again to Ni Hong that she did not want to rely on her relationship with Feng Qingyu, she suddenly saw the door of the room next to them open. It turned out that they were standing at the entrance of the costume room chatting, and Feng Qingyu had just been inside changing clothes.
Today, Feng Qingyu was wearing an empress gown, the black robe with golden edges was exceptionally imposing, with two golden phoenixes on the sides of the robe, their splendid tail feathers spread out on the trailing skirt as if sprinkled with golden powder.
This outfit made her look extremely steady and dignified, the aura of a mother of the nation emanated instantly. Feng Qingyu stood quietly by the door watching them, and Ni Hong’s face changed with some embarrassment.
When Ni Hong wanted to find an excuse to gloss over the previous conversation, Feng Qingyu suddenly asked, “What brand?”
Ni Hong was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted. Before Xu Jiao had time to stop her, she quickly said, “It’s that ‘Anxin’ sanitary napkin! A well-known national brand! Jiaojiao now needs to endorse some high-recognition national brands to make her known to more people—”
“Shut up.”
Xu Jiao’s voice had no warmth at all, and her gaze at Ni Hong also became completely cold.
On the surface, it seemed like she and Ni Hong were playing good cop, bad cop, but in reality, only Ni Hong, who was directly facing her expression, could feel the coldness in Xu Jiao’s words.
Upon receiving the warning, Ni Hong automatically silenced herself, only using her gaze to move back and forth between Xu Jiao and Feng Qingyu, trying to understand the interaction mode between these two people.
Feng Qingyu’s eyes opened with a gentle smile like a spring breeze, and she continued following Ni Hong’s words: “Is it this brand? I got it, later I will have the team contact them.”
Xu Jiao’s pitch-black eyes looked at her. Although her attitude wasn’t like the one she had with Ni Hong earlier, there was still a plain tone in her voice: “No need, if I want to take this endorsement, I will contact the brand myself.”
Feng Qingyu’s lips slightly curved, and the scent of bitter orange pheromones quietly spread over, more like a soothing touch rather than a domineering announcement of possession, gently brushing past Xu Jiao. She said softly to Xu Jiao:
“The people in my team are more experienced, their connections are wider. You just focus on acting now, leave the professional matters to the more professional people, okay?”
Ni Hong watched from the side in amazement.
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Since she could remember, when had she ever seen Feng Qingyu treat Xu Jiao with such a gentle and pleasant demeanor?
Previously, although Xu Jiao had emphasized countless times to her about Feng Qingyu’s gentleness with much pride, Ni Hong could see that at that time, Feng Qingyu was polite and courteous but distant. Her gentleness towards others was due to her upbringing, and as for Xu Jiao… Ni Hong did not notice any difference in her treatment compared to others.
Now it was different.
Ni Hong noticed that ever since Feng Qingyu came out of the room, her gaze would casually sweep over her before shifting away, but most of the time it was fixed on Xu Jiao. Even when helping Xu Jiao negotiate endorsements, it no longer showed a sense of conditional exchange or reluctance like before; instead, it seemed more like…
It was like eagerly rushing to help.
Even her words were so beautifully spoken, soothing to the heart.
Ni Hong wasn’t swayed like the others who felt elated and had no reason to refuse. She instinctively looked at Xu Jiao, only to hear Xu Jiao also soften her voice, yet politely refuse:
“This is different.”
Xu Jiao wanted to emphasize something more, but seeing Ni Hong still standing beside her, she paused, turning her gaze. Ni Hong, upon receiving her look, belatedly realized and said:
“You two chat, I suddenly remembered that there are fans visiting the set today, I will go out to meet them.”
After speaking, Ni Hong tactfully turned and left.
Only then did Xu Jiao slightly raise her eyes, meeting Feng Qingyu’s gaze. Her eyes were like clear springs among pine trees, cold and clear. Her voice was also faint. When Feng Qingyu’s pheromones surrounded her, the freesia pheromones withdrew a lot, subtly dissolving the surrounding ambiguity:
“Feng Qingyu.”
“They will misunderstand, you understand. I was immature before and always used marriage as a means to coerce you, taking many benefits from you. But now I won’t do that anymore. You don’t owe me anything, you don’t need to agree to these demands from me or my agent.”
Feng Qingyu responded slowly to her: “I know.”
She said: “You have changed a lot, not like before, but I also want you to understand, the one who has changed is not just you—”
“Before, I agreed to those demands of yours to make you behave and stay away from me, but now, I do these things for you because I am willing, I desire to do so, even if you or your agent do not ask, I will find a way to help you, do you understand?”
Xu Jiao lowered her eyes, gently calling: “Feng Qingyu.”
Feng Qingyu: “Hmm?”
Xu Jiao heard those words from her that were almost like a confession, but felt little waves in her heart, merely said lightly what was on her mind: “I do not like you.”
Feng Qingyu was silent for a moment, then responded softly: “Hmm.”
Hmm, I know you do not like me.
But…
She once again raised a smile, slowly and gently spoke to Xu Jiao: “I will wait for you.”
I will wait until the day you like me.
After experiencing the first two worlds, Xu Jiao was hearing the female protagonist confess to her in such an environment for the first time, rather than in those scenes where spirits and bodies combined, or in the irrevocable parting of death.
Nor was there any terrible blackening value of 100.
So there was no need to worry about causing mission failure by refusing, or to think about any deceitful lies.
She suddenly scrutinized Feng Qingyu’s current appearance carefully, her gaze becoming more and more focused.
Xu Jiao could feel from Feng Qingyu’s earlier words the respect she had for her, along with the sweet feelings slowly expressed. Perhaps it was because this female protagonist had not yet experienced those sudden changes, nor had she encountered those unexpected hardships, growing up in a bright and beautiful family. Therefore, she understood what confidence was and how a declaration of love could move people’s hearts.
She was so gentle, which is why she was also the protagonist in Xu Jiao’s writing who made people feel the most regretful after experiencing sudden changes.
The readers’ anger was not without reason.
Feng Qingyu became famous at a young age, and later, not only did she not get lost in this popularity, but she also settled down, focusing on her career, adhering to her professional ethics. Even when faced with a somewhat unsatisfactory marriage, she fulfilled all her duties as a wife.
Feng Qingyu was understanding, calm, kind, honest, resilient, moral, and responsible.
Such a her should have been worthy of the world’s best treatment.
If it weren’t for meeting Shangguan Yan…
Or rather, if it weren’t for Xu Jiao arranging Shangguan Yan into her life.
Shangguan Yan appeared infinitely glamorous on the surface, but in his heart, he harbored the greatest malice of this world towards Feng Qingyu. The harm he inflicted on Feng Qingyu could never be compensated, no matter how much love he later bore; it could not cover up the previous filth.
Countless readers scolded this male protagonist for being too disgusting and his tactics too despicable. He absolutely did not deserve Feng Qingyu. He and Feng Qingyu were not a perfect match but rather a flaw in an otherwise beautiful jade. He was the crack on that beautiful jade, the regret in perfection.
……
Coming back to her senses from reviewing the novel, after a long silence, Xu Jiao suddenly asked, “What if you never see the day I agree?”
Feng Qingyu looked at her steadily, then, somehow, that smile carried a bit of helplessness, as if she didn’t know what to do with herself, and also seemed indulgent:
“Can’t wait…”
She said, “If I can’t wait, there’s nothing I can do, I can only wait first, after all, feelings are a matter of two people. If you remain indifferent, no matter how hard I try, it’s useless. I can only, I can only blame our fate for not aligning.”
Towards the end, Feng Qingyu’s voice lowered significantly, as if afraid that if it were any louder, the heavens would hear and really arrange her according to this script.
Even though it was just a hypothetical scenario, her face showed sadness and desolation, as if she had already been coldly rejected by Xu Jiao.
But from beginning to end, whether last night or now, Xu Jiao never caught any hint of coercion from her actions or demeanor.
Thinking of this, Xu Jiao suddenly also raised a smile, smiling slowly, and called her:
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“Feng Qingyu.”
Xu Jiao said, “No matter if I am ultimately moved by you or not, I promise you, your life will be the most brilliant and the most beautiful.”
She once thought that tragedy was beautiful, but there are also some tragedies that make people sigh.
For example, a hero in his twilight years, and for instance, good deeds not being rewarded.
Perhaps…
In Feng Qingyu’s story, there should have been a better male protagonist, Xu Jiao suddenly wanted to know, if she personally ended Feng Qingyu and Shangguan Yan’s ill-fated relationship, what would the original ending of this novel be like.
Hearing her words, Feng Qingyu was actually confused for a moment, she did not quite understand how her remaining life could be wonderful if she could not win over Xu Jiao, but before she could ask further, she heard the assistant director pick up the megaphone and notify the next scene’s people to get ready.
……
“Wow, I have always wanted to visit this film and television city, the scenery here is really great!”
“Sisters, when we go in with Sister Luo Bo later, we must remember to be quiet, quiet, quiet, and not embarrass Sister Jade, okay?”
“Okay, okay, okay! No problem! Then I’ll scream twice first, so I won’t be too excited later—ahhhh Sister Qingyu, I’m coming!”
“By the way, one more thing! Recently, Sister Jade has been filming with Xu Sajiao, so they must have some cooperation. When you see Xu Sajiao, show some respect on the surface. Although we are not p-fans, we can’t act rudely in person, don’t make it difficult for Sister Jade, okay?”
“Got it!”
Outside the film and television city, there were two groups of people gathered near a small gate.
On the left were Feng Qingyu’s fans, and on the right were Feng Jiao Ri Nuan’s P-fans. The voices just now came from the group on the left.
The fans on the right waved the small flags in their hands. Although they had prepared all the slogans and banners, they didn’t rush to take them out. Instead, they waited for the organization of the fan leader. At the moment, they were forming a circle and listening to the fan leader’s speech.
“We have both P-fans and ‘Feng Jiao Ri Nuan’s wives’ here today. Let’s act accordingly. If we only see Jiaojiao, we will raise her support banner. If Feng Qingyu is also here, we will hold up the P-fan banners. Understood?”
“By the way, I have already contacted Sister Hong. She will come to pick us up later and tell us what to do. Anyway, everyone must remember to follow her instructions! Follow her instructions! No unauthorized actions!”
When Luo Bo and Ni Hong arrived at the entrance, they saw these two distinct groups of fans.
Both of them understood what was going on. They exchanged a glance and led their respective fans inside without saying a word. They had already informed Director Zhen about this visit, and luckily there were several scenes being filmed outside the palace, providing a wide view for the fans to see the filming process.
As the fans arrived at the shooting location, they could see the group of palace ladies dressed in colorful robes standing outside the palace walls, accompanied by countless blue-clad eunuchs and green-clad palace maids, highlighting their elegance and beauty.
There was Concubine Ping, dressed in moon-white robes with hidden orchid patterns, Concubine Liu, adorned in blue robes with intertwined silver threads, Noble Consort Rong, whose peony and begonia robes were vibrant and eye-catching, and the Empress, with her mysterious phoenix-patterned black robes…
In an instant, they were transported into the palace of a thousand years ago.
At this moment, the scene is unfolding with Noble Consort Rong causing trouble for Liu Ruyi. However, Liu Ruyi’s maid seizes the opportunity to slip away and brings the Empress to Chang Le Palace. The Empress wants to stand up for Liu Ruyi and let Noble Consort Rong spare her.
This is an important scene that showcases the intrigue and complexity of the imperial harem.
On the surface, Noble Consort Rong and the Empress appear to be at odds, but in reality, they share an intimate relationship that nobody else knows about. Therefore, their eye contact and actions are filled with hidden implications that others cannot understand.
As the Empress touches her newly dyed light purple nails, she speaks in her usual gentle tone. Noble Consort Rong, who was originally assertive, pauses slightly upon seeing this gesture.
She understands the reassurance behind the Empress’s gesture.
Behind them, Liu Ruyi and her maid tightly held onto each other, appearing to have a deep master-servant relationship. No one knew that later Liu Ruyi joined the Empress’s faction and accidentally learned about her relationship with Noble Consort Rong. As a result, this matter was leaked from her maid’s mouth to the Emperor.
Concubine Ping, while passing by with her palace attendants, saw the situation from afar and led her attendants away, pretending to know nothing.
This is the harem.
Some people enjoy glory and wealth, standing high above, but their footing is as precarious as walking on thin ice, not knowing when they might fall into an abyss; some people are insignificant, like mice in a ditch, but will suddenly jump out and bite you when everyone is relaxed; and some people, in order to preserve themselves, maintain a low profile, acting deaf and mute, as if this way they can forever avoid being involved in conflicts—
Only the high red palace walls watch all of this day after day, year after year.
……
“Wow! Have you noticed? In front of Lizi and Sister Yu, Jiaojiao doesn’t lose out at all!”
“Yeah! Just now when Director Zhen yelled ‘cut,’ only Lizi was called over to discuss the scene… Before, I heard someone say that the crew praised Jiaojiao’s acting, and I didn’t believe it. But now… Oh my god, I really can!”
“The enchanting and charming Noble Consort Rong! I’m here!”
“Even from this far, Jiaojiao’s skin looks so white it seems to glow. No wonder our Sister Yu needs it seven times a night…”
Not far from the filming location, fans continuously deepened their love for Xu Jiao. Because this drama is not an adaptation, they didn’t want too many pictures to leak out and spoil the plot, so fans were not allowed to take photos today.
They could only gaze longingly at Xu Jiao and Feng Qingyu, wishing their eyes were cameras to record everything for them.
When this scene ended, Xu Jiao and Feng Qingyu walked together towards the fans—
Feng Qingyu’s fans held up banners, excitedly showing her the support dance on them, while the p-fans were not to be outdone, shaking out their hand banners.
Amongst all the literary phrases like “Green water forms green jade, white waves produce white jade, only with you do I exist,” a fluorescent pink banner was collectively unfurled by four or five people, revealing three large lines for everyone to see:
“Feng does not warm Jiao, the world is not warm!”
“Feng comes to warm Jiao, seven times to be warm!”
“Feng warms Jiao daily, it’s not too late to ship now!”
Xu Jiao: “…”
She felt as if a high-speed sports car had run over her face from the wild content.
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Feng Qingyu was momentarily stunned, then lightly laughed. The sound reached Xu Jiao’s ears, and inexplicably, a bit of warmth rose in Xu Jiao’s ears, embarrassed by these explicit words.
She pretended not to see anything, instructing Sister Hong next to her to buy water and snacks to give to the fans, then walked over to chat with them, take photos, and sign autographs. She also planned to ask how they got there.
As she lowered her head to sign an autograph, a Beta fan noticed the patch on the back of her neck under her costume and asked with concern:
“Jiaojiao, did you injure the back of your neck?”
Immediately, other fans around her started talking all at once, advising her, “Be careful when filming,” “Yes, yes,” “There’s also the gland, it would be very bad if it got injured, it greatly affects life,” “It’s not just the gland, the neck itself is very fragile, you need to protect it well,” and so on.
Xu Jiao was halfway through signing when she raised her hand to touch the back of her neck, preparing to smile and brush off the topic—
Feng Qingyu suddenly looked up from not far away.
Then, all the fans nearby heard her say with a smile:
“This injury is my fault.”
“By the way, do you have any medicine recommendations? The kind that has good effects and quick recovery.”
Someone quickly responded: “Yunnan Baiyao (a Chinese medicine known for promoting healing and stopping bleeding).”
As soon as the words fell, the person realized there was a long silence around.
The solo fans and CP fans looked at each other, and the only content left in their eyes was:
What does this injury…being Feng Qingyu’s fault mean?
Wait!
This position is! The gland! What does the gland mean! Marking!
Ah ah ah ah ah! We’ve hit the mark!
