Chapter 208: Chapter 208

After the afternoon shoot finished, it was still early. Shen Jianian took the bus home, sitting by the window. The sun was blazing; a blue curtain hung down, blocking out the harsh sunlight.

The air conditioning was on in the bus. Since it was the weekend, people were more numerous, making it quite noisy.

Shen Jianian plugged earphones into her ears and opened the music app on her phone to listen to songs.

She got off near Jade Heaven and had to walk about ten minutes to the villa area. Shen Jianian took an umbrella from her bag, opened it overhead, and took off one earphone.

A notification sound came from her phone. Shen Jianian paused the music to check WeChat.

Director Wu Heng had pulled her into the film crew’s group chat. Currently, the movie shooting had entered its latter stages. If all went well, they hoped to wrap it up by the end of this month.

Shen Jianian scrolled through the previous messages, finding nothing particularly important, so she put away her phone.

Back at the villa, in the living room and kitchen, she didn’t see Zhou Ruo. Probably went out with other ladies. Her fingers hooked the bag’s strap, and she trudged upstairs with weary steps.

Just as she reached the landing of the stairs, footsteps came from above. Shen Jianian looked up to see Pei Che coming down.

He was dressed casually at home, wearing a white linen-cotton pullover shirt with only two buttons undone on the chest, and the sleeves rolled loosely to the forearms. Below were oat-colored trousers.

"Why do you look so tired?" Pei Che descended quickly in his flip-flops and stood in front of her, gently brushing aside the strands of hair stuck to her sweaty cheek. "Is the orchestra really that busy?"

Shen Jianian hadn’t realized that filming could be as exhausting as intense exercise, as the emotional drain directly reflected on the body.

"Actually... I’m not busy with the orchestra." When Pei Che called her, she was at the film set, not convenient to explain, so she hadn’t been truthful. Now she confessed, "I’ve been shooting a movie."

Pei Che took her bag and followed her upstairs, pausing at her words: "Is it the kind of filming I think it is?"

"To be precise, it’s a movie shoot," Shen Jianian said. "The director is friends with our agent and needed someone to play a cello role, and approached me. Our agent has always taken good care of me, and I didn’t want to let her down."

"Has the shooting started?"

"Yes, my role is very small, just a few days’ work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed."

Shen Jianian would look at Yan Hong’s sake to take this on, but if the matter itself exceeded her endurance, she wouldn’t force herself.

She opened the room door and sat on the sofa, her whole body relaxing, leaning back against the sofa.

After a while, not hearing Pei Che’s voice, Shen Jianian straightened her head. Pei Che had hung her bag on the coat rack and poured a glass of cool water, handing it to her.

Shen Jianian drank half a glass of water, her gaze not leaving his face, pressing her lips thoughtfully, she asked: "You don’t agree with me acting?"

"It’s not that I don’t agree." Pei Che’s lips curved slightly upward, showing not the least bit of displeasure, "As long as you like it."

"I’m not particularly fond of it; it feels awkward in front of the camera." Shen Jianian placed the glass on the coffee table, patting the sofa aimlessly with both hands by her sides. "The director said I’ll get used to it. I don’t know when that will be."

"Don’t wear yourself out," Pei Che said.

"I know," Shen Jianian suddenly recalled something, "Hey, where’s my phone?"

She said while standing up, remembering her phone was in the bag. She ran to the rack, found her phone from the bag, and showed Pei Che the news screenshot she saved at noon: "Let me tell you some amazing news; Yan Qiusheng is having a solo concert in Beicheng on the 16th of next month!"

Shen Jianian spoke excitedly, her eyes bright with joy.

Pei Che knew she greatly admired Yan Qiusheng. Yan Qiusheng had been her idol since childhood, though she had forgotten that she was already his disciple.

Shen Jianian’s attention was on the phone screenshot, missing the momentary dimness in Pei Che’s eyes. She blurted out: "I’ve already recorded the ticket sales date in my memo."

Pei Che felt a tightness in his chest, as if stuffed with cotton, deeply inhaling to steady himself: "You’ve already decided to go to Beicheng for the concert?"

"Of course!" Shen Jianian replied, then suddenly realized something. She moved the phone away, meeting his gaze, hesitantly asking, "Do... do you not want me to go?"

It wasn’t the first time she’d had such a feeling. Pei Che seemed reluctant for her to go to Beicheng, as if there was a lurking danger there.

Last time they went to Beicheng, it was to visit her parents’ grave. Pei Che’s emotions were tense, he was with her the entire time, not allowing her to act alone. They didn’t even have a meal in Beicheng; upon paying respects, they returned to Jiang City.

Actually, she would rather stay in Beicheng, where she was born and grew up, with many beautiful memories. Perhaps staying longer would help her recall something.

At this moment, Pei Che held her fingers, his lips curving into the familiar gentle smile: "No, if you want to go, go."

Shen Jianian displayed a relaxed expression.

She liked Pei Che. They grew up together, shared good feelings, never argued. Pei Che also liked her, she could feel it, his affection for her was deep, beyond ordinary fondness, which made him prioritize her, care for her, accommodate her.

In her plan, once he graduated and returned to the country, they would get engaged first, then marry under the witness of their families and many friends, harvesting full happiness.

Not knowing when it started, her feelings towards Pei Che changed. Though how they changed, she couldn’t quite articulate.

Pei Che felt to her like he harbored many secrets, living a tiresome life.

Shen Jianian could only chalk it up to her having lost some memories, leaving a gap in her feelings towards him, causing subtle changes.

"Do you want me to help you get the tickets?" Pei Che’s words pulled Shen Jianian back to her thoughts.

She nodded, smiling, said, "I was about to ask you about this; Yan Qiusheng has been retired for so many years. Now that he’s back, the tickets must be incredibly hard to get; I don’t think I can manage alone."

Pei Che smiled: "Let me know when they go on sale, I’ll help you get them."

Shen Jianian sent him the date screenshot she saved in the memo.

The next morning, the film crew moved to a downtown theater in Jiang City to shoot Shen Jianian’s major scene. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveI~Fire.net

Although considered a major scene, Shen Jianian felt no pressure. She just needed to complete a piece on stage.

Since it was a performance in the film, she had to wear the appropriate attire. The crew had prepared a gown: an azure satin long dress, with layers of tulle in the hem forming a slightly puffed arc. The front hem perfectly covering her feet, and the back hem trailing on the ground. Tiny shoulder straps were adorned with pearls, a ring of pearls around the waist, with a tying design in the back, giving an ornate vintage style.

Shen Jianian put it on, receiving praises from the director, looking like a maiden stepping out from a painting.

Beside her, the scriptwriter said, "I think she’s a Disney princess!"

Shen Jianian’s hair had been styled from straight black to luscious waves, accessorized with a hairband bedecked with small diamonds, her makeup just right: neither too bold nor too subtle.

Shen Jianian carried her cello onto the stage. Below sat the film crew staff and extras brought to pose as the audience.

Director Wu Heng ascended the stage from the side stairs to direct Shen Jianian, repeating instructions much like yesterday’s: "Play as you usually do." Then he told her in advance, "You may need to perform more than twice for editing later."

Shen Jianian nodded: "Got it."

The male lead, Gu Chongli, was already in the audience. His look today still vibrant. The female lead, Zhao Shunyi, had also arrived, in a light blue long dress matching Shen Jianian’s in color but of a more quotidian style.

Once filming began, Shen Jianian followed the script, sitting elegantly and serenely playing the cello. This was her comfort zone, she was thoroughly immersed, especially relaxed in posture.

At one moment, her gaze extended outward, meeting Gu Chongli’s eyes in the audience, with a slight smile on her lips, subtle enough that others might miss it. Only that person would understand—exactly as written in the script.

In that second, a similar scene flashed in Shen Jianian’s mind: her playing cello on stage with a man watching her quietly.

Subconsciously, she assumed it was Pei Che, as during her university years, there was an occasion when Pei Che flew back specifically to watch her performance, giving her an enormous surprise.

Vaguely, that man’s aura was composed, mature, yet not quite Pei Che.

Shen Jianian endeavored to clear the fog clouding her mind, trying to see that person’s face clearly.

The director’s voice through the loudspeaker snapped Shen Jianian back to reality.

Shen Jianian blinked, looking at the director. Wu Heng gently commented: "Were you distracted? The emotions just now weren’t quite right; let’s do it again." The director gestured in the air a few times, "The eye contact with Gu was good; retain that. It just unraveled afterward."