An Ruo frowned, confused. Song Weiwei lowered her voice to explain, "There's an actor who hasn't arrived yet, and the next scene needs to be shot urgently. How about you step in as a guest role?"
"Me?" An Ruo shook her head without a second thought. "I can't do it..."
"It's fine, just one or two shots. You've got this."
Before An Ruo could say anything else, Song Weiwei smiled directly at the director. "Director, how about giving her a try?"
The director sized her up with a few glances and nodded repeatedly. "Sure, why not."
A guest role didn't require deep acting skills—just one or two shots. With her stunning looks, it would be a shame not to put her on screen.
Once the director left, Song Weiwei kept working on An Ruo's mindset. With her persistence, she finally convinced the girl to change into the costume.
An Ruo had a great foundation; she didn't need heavy makeup.
Her guest role was the male lead's junior师妹 in the drama, who, out of jealousy toward the female lead, tries to harm her. When she's caught poisoning her, they argue, and as the male lead approaches, she instantly switches to a manipulative act, kneeling on the ground to play the victim, crying pitifully as she tattles to him.
This was a huge challenge for An Ruo. She was naturally reserved and indifferent, with no romantic experience—only after being coached by Shen Xiaoxing had she shown slight improvement. How could she dare to put on such a scheming act in front of everyone?
Seeing Song Weiwei's pleading expression, An Ruo let out a heavy sigh. She'd give it a try!
The first two takes were too stiff and didn't pass. On the last one, An Ruo let go of her inhibitions, mimicking how An Qing used to tattle in front of their grandmother, forcing out a few tears.
The director spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Cut! It's a wrap!"
Everyone in the shot breathed a sigh of relief. Song Weiwei practically rushed over to help her up. "And you said you couldn't act—look at that, you're pretty good at it. You even got on my nerves."
An Ruo hadn't expected it to pass either. It seemed mimicking An Qing was useful sometimes.
Her guest role was done. With nothing else to do, An Ruo went to the makeup room to remove her makeup and change back into her own clothes. After finishing, she stepped out of the makeup room and happened to run into Shi Yibo.
She hesitated, wondering how to greet him, when the man suddenly handed her a card. An Ruo froze, looked up at him, and asked, "For me?"
"Yeah." A single, cold word.
An Ruo took it and saw an artistic signature written in black marker. Looking closer, it was his name.
"This..."
Had he misunderstood something?
He answered succinctly: "On someone's behalf."
Without waiting for An Ruo's reaction, the man strode away briskly.
An Ruo stood there stunned for a moment. Did he think she was one of those fans asking for autographs?
She honestly wasn't interested in him. Wasn't having the incredibly handsome Shen Xiaoxing at home enough?
An Ruo frowned. Should she chase after him to explain?
But on second thought, there was no need to explain—it would only make things worse!
...
That evening, An Ruo returned to the seaside villa and called out weakly, "I'm home."
Butler Xu came to greet her, taking her coat as he noticed her pale expression. Frowning, he asked, "Madam, are you feeling unwell?"
"No." An Ruo forced a slight smile. "Maybe I'm just tired from not working in a while and suddenly going back."
"Then Madam should rest upstairs. I'll have the kitchen prepare dinner early."
An Ruo nodded. Exhausted from the day's奔波, she collapsed onto the soft bed and let her mind go blank.
After a moment, she placed her hand on her flat stomach. No matter how tired she was, thinking of the little one growing inside her brought a smile to her face. "Baby, grow up fast. Mommy can't wait for you to come into this world."
She had never experienced family warmth, but thinking of how Shen Xiaoxing caressed her belly every night, sharing her anticipation for their child's arrival, made her even more certain she had married the right man.
They both lacked love, so they wanted to pour all their affection into their child, to make up for their incomplete childhoods.
As An Ruo thought about this, her eyes slowly closed, and she drifted into a light sleep.
She dreamed again—the same strange dream...
She dreamed of the young man on the city wall, and the little girl whose back was all she could see. The girl's crisp, cheerful voice lingered in her mind, impossible to shake.
She saw a young couple holding hands with a little girl between them, laughing happily. Two boys, taller than her, circled around her, teasing her from time to time.
"Little sister..."
"Sister!"
These scenes were like shattered glass, each shard a joyful, laughter-filled moment of happiness.
An Ruo stood on the surface of clear water, looking down at the ripples reflecting a youthful, handsome face—the young man in white.
She reached out to touch it, almost as if possessed, but the moment her fingers met the water, the ripples spread, and the young man vanished.
"Xianxian..."
A young boy's voice came from far away, growing closer.
An Ruo stood up, scanning the pitch-black surroundings. There was no one.
"Xianxian!"
Her heart jolted. The voice felt so familiar, and the name too...
"Xianxian, where are you?"
An Ruo frowned. Just as she was about to think about who the voice belonged to, a piercing bell sound echoed through the empty space!
Her head suddenly throbbed, as if something inside was struggling to break free. The pain was so intense she fell to her knees, clutching her head...
Vaguely, she saw the little girl being placed on the ground by someone. Candles were lit all around, and a figure in a black robe chanted incessantly, shaking a bell in one hand. The sound was agonizing!
"Xianxian..."
"Sister! Little sister..."
All the voices intertwined. The little girl curled up in pain, and An Ruo, as if connected to her by some bond, clutched her head and let out a heavy scream!
In the bedroom, Shen Xiaoxing watched as the woman on the bed seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, frowning in pain, her forehead covered in sweat, muttering incoherently.
He furrowed his brows and called softly, "Ruoruo..."
The girl shook her head in distress. As the chaotic bell sounds echoed in her dream, she whimpered painfully, "No... no..."
"Jincheng gege..."
A young man's figure flashed through her mind, and she reached out desperately: "Jincheng gege!"
She jolted awake, sitting up abruptly like she was possessed, nearly bumping into the man leaning over her.
An Ruo gasped, still shaken. Sweat dripped down her forehead. She swallowed hard, her eyes wide, not yet fully out of the dream.
"Ruoruo?" Shen Xiaoxing grabbed a tissue to wipe the sweat from her forehead, his sharp brows furrowed with concern as he looked at her. "Ruoruo, look at me. I'm here."
The girl turned her head blankly, her empty gaze slowly focusing on his face.
Her eyes reddened, and she threw herself into his arms, distressed.
Shen Xiaoxing pulled her close, his long fingers smoothing the stray hairs stuck to her cheek, and whispered soothingly, "It's okay, sweetheart, don't cry... Don't be afraid. I'm right here with you."
He didn't know what she had dreamed about, but the little girl in his arms was trembling, her small hands gripping his shirt like a lifeline.
His heart ached. What kind of dream could scare her this badly?
Shen Xiaoxing wanted to know, but clearly, this wasn't the time to ask. He could only calm her down slowly, waiting for her to come back to herself.
An Ruo leaned against the man for half an hour. A servant knocked and entered, about to report on dinner, but was dismissed with a single glance from him.
---
Dear readers, don't suspect the female lead of having schizophrenia. She just occasionally dreams of past events. As the dreams unfold, her true identity will gradually come to light~