Embrace
Hold her in your arms
“Since experts have pointed out that it’s unreasonable, just change this part a bit.” Director Zhou Hongmao sat in front of Group A’s monitor, shaking a palm fan, and answering a consultation call from Group B’s director.
“How do we change it? Let me thinkā¦
You, just change it to the doctor coming out of the operating room and issuing a critical condition notice, saying ‘The pregnant woman is having massive bleeding, her life is in danger’. After hearing this, the husband of the pregnant woman cries a lot and says ‘You must save the young one’. The doctor explains to him ‘The hospital does not have this regulation, and the law dictates to save the elder one first’. The husband gets anxious and threatens, ‘If my child is gone, I’ll bury you with them!’
āYou see, with this change, the dramatic conflict is there, it can also catch on to a hot topic, and there can be a doctor-patient dispute!
Xiaoqian, be flexible and adaptable in doing things.”
On the other end of the phone, Director Qian from Group B quickly responded: “Got it! I’ll change it as you said! Director, you’re wise!”
Zhou Hongmao hung up the phone, shook his head, and said: “These young peopleās heads, they easily can’t wrap around things.”
The person beside him gave a thumbs up, complimenting: “That’s right! Director Zhou, you are the stabilizing force of our group! You have eaten more salt than we have eaten rice, everyone still needs to rely on you for guidance!”
Zhou Hongmao listened with great enjoyment, and the palm fan in his hand waved even more joyfully.
He has been in the film and television industry for decades, actor connections to join the crew, bringing screenwriters into the group, adding scenes, double actingā¦ What big and small storms hasn’t he seen? As long as he takes action, there is nothing that can’t be solved.
People in the entertainment circle are slick and have sweet mouths, with flattering words always on their lips. You give one compliment, I give one praise, and everyone talks at once, flattering so much that people feel elated.
Zhou Hongmao was pleased for a while, coughed, and collected his thoughts: “Alright, stop all the flattery. Once rested, actors return to positions, and we continue filming!”
Over at Group B, Director Qian leaned back on the chair, contemplating adding scenes for himself: “This change is good! Later, the child is gone, the family comes with a knife to cause trouble. I then stand up, block the knife for the doctor, take several stabs, yet remain standing, blocking in front of the doctor, voice like thunder, shouting ‘Who dares to come over!'”
Beside him, An Ruosu was both amused and annoyed: “Director, do you think you are Zhang Fei at Changbanpo1? A roar scaring away a million troops?”
The crew burst into laughter, Director Qian scratched his head, unable to detect An Ruosu’s sarcasm: “Was it Zhang Fei at Changbanpo? I always remembered it as Guan Yu, look at my memoryā¦”
“This kid is silly and dazed.” Lan Zhou shook her head and lightly laughed, squatting under a big tree to cool off, took out her phone, continued to play games with Lu Yinxi, and inquired in a low voice: “Hey, Yinxi, you’ve interned at the hospital for two months, do you know if Doctor Chu has a partner?”
Lan Zhou, due to going home for her grandfather’s funeral, only interned at the hospital for a week.
Lu Yinxi squatted next to her, first reminded her: “Wear a mask, you’re prone to allergies.” Then knowingly asked, “Teacher Lanzhou, have you taken a liking to him?”
“How could that be!” Lan Zhou’s cheeks flushed slightly red, quickly denying, “I just broke up a month agoā¦”
Lan Zhou and Lu Yinxi have been working together in the crew for over a month. Lu Yinxi went from politely calling her “Teacher Lan” to now being able to call her “Sister Lan Zhou,” or “Miss Lanzhou,” “Teacher Lanzhou,” or directly by her name.
She consoled: “It’s already been a month, not just a week. If you’ve completely moved on and like someone else, it’s understandable.”
Lan Zhou was the one who was broken up with without any warning.
The one who is abandoned or broken up with, if they still mourn the old relationship, this deep feeling cannot move others, it can only move oneself, and it is merely a waste of emotion.
Lan Zhou shook her head and denied: “It’s not quite like that.”
At most, she just admires Chu Yan’s straightforwardness and rigor.
Lu Yinxi slightly smiled, thinking to herself, you indeed will like him in the future and want to redeem him.
She looked towards Chu Yan in the distance.
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Chu Yan sat behind the director, seriously observing the actors’ performance.
His hair had grown quite a bit, from the New Year until now, it had not been cut, and with stubble on his lips, the whole person appeared weathered and decadent, completely unlike the spirited, favored child of heaven he once was.
Lu Yinxi watched for a while and told Lan Zhou: “He had a fiancĆ©e who unexpectedly passed away early this year, and it hit him hard. The hospital gave him a three-month leave to properly adjust his mood.”
He is still unwilling to return to the hospital and does not want to hold a scalpel again.
Lan Zhou looked towards Chu Yan, and her gaze became somewhat sympathetic.
Lu Yinxi couldnāt help but, from a friend’s perspective, speak up and remind: “Liking someone like that, you will endure a lot of suffering.”
If possible, don’t easily fall for him.
Lan Zhou looked at Chu Yan’s decadent face, thoughtfully saying: “Yes, he is so pitiful, and anyone who likes him in the future is also pitiful. The living cannot compare with the dead.”
Lu Yinxi sighed, thinking to herself, Miss Lanzhou, you are that pitiful personā¦
She lowered her head and recalled the plot of the book ā during the days with the crew, Lan Zhou met Chu Yan, who was in a low period, and thus began a bitter journey of secret love and redemption.
She didn’t look carefully at the plot after the crew, couldn’t remember what happened, and directly skipped to the ending part.
At the end, Lan Zhou and Chu Yan were engaged, welcoming a happy and fulfilling ending.
At the end, Jian Qing, wearing all black, consumed a large amount of drugs, lay in the snow, silently waiting for life to endā¦
Images flashed through her mind, and Lu Yinxi’s chest suddenly ached, almost bringing tears to her eyes.
She found she could no longer coldly watch Jian Qing’s ending.
Now, just imagining that scene, an overwhelming sense of grief surged in, as if her internal organs were twisted into a mess, making it hard to breathe.
Lan Zhou withdrew her gaze, noticing Lu Yinxi’s unusual emotion, stretched out her hand and waved it, asking: “What’s wrong? Suddenly looking so sad?”
Lu Yinxi snapped back to reality, rubbed her eyes, turned her back to Lan Zhou, and used the most common excuse to cover up: “Got sand in my eyes.”
Lan Zhou couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking to herself that she was indeed still a young girl. Just a moment ago, she was comforting others, and now she was the one feeling sad.
She gently patted Lu Yinxi’s shoulder and comforted her in a soft voice as if coaxing a child: “Could it be that you’re thinking of your first love too? Don’t be sad, you were just comforting me like an old soul. There are so many handsome guys in the world; those who have passed aren’t worth being sad overā¦”
The more she comforted, the more ridiculous it became. Lu Yinxi was amused by Lan Zhou’s words, quickly adjusted her mood, turned back, and wanted to move on: “Let’s not talk about this anymore, let’s continue gaming.”
Lan Zhou didn’t ask further, agreed with a hum, picked up her phone to start matchmaking for a team, and casually chatted while playing: “Since I can remember, I’ve lived in an orphanage, playing and fooling around every day with a group of kids who shared the same fate. I was the oldest, and I even had to change diapers for the little sisters who were two or three years old.
One day, a couple who came to adopt a child saw me changing diapers for a child and said, ‘Someone who can take care of others must be sensible,’ and they adopted me.
I thought I could have a family from then on, but the month I was adopted, my adoptive father and mother died in a car accident, leaving only a non-blood-related grandfather who picked up scraps to support my studies and raised me.
When I was in school, classmates didn’t like to play with me. I took the initiative to approach them, but they said I smelled like garbage and told me to take a bath first.
I took a bath every day, and my clothes were always dried in the sun. I knew they just didn’t want to play with me or be friends with me.
Later, I became a celebrity and gained a bit of fame. They all came to contact me, sitting next to me at class reunions, chatting warmly, as if we were such good friends back then.
Actually, I don’t really have any friends, and I can’t make any friends in the entertainment industry either.
Xiaolu, you are good to me, I can feel it, and I am happy to know you. You can tell me if you are sad, if saying it makes you feel a little better.”
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She lacked love from a young age, and any little kindness from others, she could remember for a very long time.
Lu Yinxi didn’t speak, silently feeling guilty.
This past month, she approached Lan Zhou and was good to her, not for fame, not for wealth, appearing very sincere, but the purpose of her approach was not entirely pure ā she was trying to befriend her to subtly change her own outcome.
When she met Lan Zhou, her mindset was the same as when she first met Jian Qing ā seeing them as a paper person, a tool to be used.
She didn’t care about Lan Zhou’s background, didn’t care about Lan Zhou’s emotional state, and never realized that this “tool person” in her eyes had a kind and soft heart.
After struggling in society for a long time, one increasingly realizes that gentleness and kindness are rare and valuable qualities.
Lu Yinxi was silent for a long time before speaking warmly: “Lan Zhou, I can play mobile games, PC games, and single-player games; I can play any game with you. I don’t have much experience in love, but if you want to pursue someone in the future, I can help you with ideas and strategies. I’m not a picky eater and can accompany you to eat delicacies from all over the world, from every street and alley. I sing quite well and have trained in vocal music for a while. Unlike you, who is tone-deaf, you can bring me along when you need someone to make a sceneā¦”
She rambled on, but the central idea was that she wanted to be friends with Lan Zhou.
Lan Zhou glanced at Lu Yinxi and teased, “Are you confessing to me? Are you attracted to me?”
Startled, Lu Yinxi’s phone screen instantly dimmedāshe had just lost a life in the game.
She rubbed her wrist, flexed her fingers, and said with a smile, “Stop it, even if I liked the same sex, you wouldn’t be my type.”
Lan Zhou was cheerful, open-minded, humble, and easygoing, and she also wrote excellent articles, being a well-known young talent in the industry.
Back then, when Lu Yinxi talked with old lady Zhao about a potential match, she described her ideal type as someone who is cheerful, passionate, open-minded, gentle, humble, and possesses high literary talent.
Now, although Lan Zhou fits these criteria, Lu Yinxi feels not the slightest heartbeat.
What makes her heart race is someone completely opposite to her ideal type.
On Sunday evening, Jian Qing returned to Jiangzhou City.
Lu Yinxi counted on her fingers to calculate the time until they would meet.
Sunday, Monday, Tuesdayā¦
On Tuesday evening, Jian Qing would go to the old campus to attend an elective class, and Lu Yinxi would be able to see her.
On Sunday evening, Lu Yinxi began to think about what clothes to wear and what makeup to apply for meeting Jian Qing on Tuesday evening.
She imagined countless times in her mind the scene of their meeting, simulating and envisioning every conversation and every expression in her heart.
Thinking about it, she smiled with joy.
Every cell in her body was filled with anticipation for the meeting. Although they weren’t officially in a relationship, she felt the anxiety and longing of love.
On Tuesday evening, Lu Yinxi took a leave of absence early, went back to the hotel to freshen up and dress up, changed into new clothes and new shoes, and drove to the subway entrance to pick her up.
They agreed to meet at 5:30 PM, but by 5:00 PM, she was already looking around at the entrance of the subway station.
At 5:30 PM, Jian Qing, dragging a suitcase, appeared punctually at the subway entrance.
Amidst the surging crowd, Lu Yinxi quickly spotted her and locked her gaze on her.
Jian Qing wore a long navy blue shirt, with the cuffs rolled up, revealing a segment of her fair forearm, exuding a somewhat capable aura.
The dark-colored clothing, which might have seemed a bit dull, appeared to brighten the entire world by a degree when Lu Yinxi saw her.
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Amidst the noise, the two quietly looked at each other for a moment and simultaneously broke into smiles.
Jian Qing smiled gently, while Lu Yinxi beamed with joy.
They walked towards each other, and as their bodies were about to come close, they stood still, using their eyes to sketch each other’s features.
Jian Qing remained silent and released the handle of her suitcase.
Lu Yinxi smiled slightly, opened her arms, ready to share a big hug with her.
Just as she opened her arms to embrace, Jian Qing suddenly crouched down, causing Lu Yinxi to hug the air.
Jian Qing helped Lu Yinxi tie her loosened shoelace and considerately reminded her, “Watch your feet when you walk, be careful not to fall.”
She looked up, and Lu Yinxi hadn’t yet pulled back her hands.
Raising an eyebrow, Jian Qing faintly mocked, “A great bird spreading its wings?”
The romantic and sentimental atmosphere of their long-awaited reunion was completely ruined. Lu Yinxi withdrew her smile, let out a cold snort, and turned around in anger, ready to leave.
Jian Qing stood up and hugged her from behind, holding her in her arms.
Footnotes
- Zhang Fei at Changbanpo: Refers to a famous episode from the historical novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” In this scene, Zhang Fei, a fierce general of Liu Bei, makes a legendary stand at Changbanpo (also known as Changban Bridge). As the story goes, Zhang Fei single-handedly held off the pursuing forces of Cao Cao by standing on the bridge and, with a thunderous roar, intimidated the enemy troops, causing them to hesitate and allowing Liu Bei and his followers to escape.