Perfect Fiancé Chapter 48

In a flash, half a month has already pa.s.sed.

The filming of《Sunflower》had finally reached its final scene.

Cheng Yuan, the character played by Bai Haoqi, was going to propose to Mu Qing, who was being acted by Tong Yao.

"I'm sorry." Tong Yao slightly lowered her gaze as she quietly replied.

Hearing this, the slight smile that had begun to curl at the edge of Cheng Yuan's lips stiffened. Stunned at that very spot for a long while, his shining eyes gradually dimmed and finally fragmented like the lights of a field of stars.

"There's no need for you to apologise." He stood up as an agonised smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Cheng Yuan." Tong Yao was silent for a while and finally, she raised her head as she gazed at him. Her beautiful phoenix eyes overflowed solemnly as she continued, "please forget about me."

"Alright." Cheng Yuan lightly smiled and handed over to her the ring that was in his hands.

"Huh?" Tong Yao was startled.

"Didn't you ask me to forget you? If you don't want it, I can only have it thrown it away. Still, I have to bring this up-" Cheng Yuan chuckled, "it was still pretty expensive."

Hearing this, Tong Yao could not help but laugh and reached out to receive the ring. As the beautiful ring was placed in her hand, in her heart, she felt a rush of bitterness well forth.

She abruptly tightened her hand while the diamond's edge rested sharply against the hollow of her palm. As she did so, a somewhat faint sense of pain spread through her palm.

"Goodbye." Raising her eyes to take a quick glimpse at him, she then turned and left.

The slim figure disappeared around the corner and Cheng Yuan raised his chin up slightly as the snowflakes of the early winter fell gently down on his face, giving him a piercingly cold tingle.

"Goodbye."

As he quietly replied, his voice became rather husky as glistening teardrops could already be glimpsed from those dark eyes.

As the camera shot was pulled further back, in that winter wonderland, that man clad in the black overcoat was a lonely soul standing there, all alone.

"Cut." Lu Xi spoke and his voice was not very loud either. Yet, in the silent filming studio, it was particularly clear.

"It's a wrap then!" It was not sure who first shouted that phrase but suddenly, the entire studio became lively and even some of the lead actors seemed to have been rather relieved from their burdens as they smiled.

Although it was just a television drama, Lu Xi still remained a very strict and demanding director. Therefore, the actors and most of all, the lead actors had an extremely tough time. However, although it had been a period of hardship, everyone's acting skills had actually improved in no small measures under Director Lu's high-pressure requirements. Moreover, after spending such a long time working together, there was a somewhat moody atmosphere amongst everyone now that came with the end of a project.

Su Jin was standing beside Lu Xi and gazed at the lively and jubilant crowd with a pensive expression on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Xi reached out to wave a hand in front of her eyes.

"I'm thinking……" Su Jin seemed to have recovered and replied, "when Cheng Yuan was refused, would he feel that a person's heart was hard to fathom?"

A person's heart was hard to fathom……

The smile at the edge of Lu Xi's lips stiffened.

However, that was just for a split second and he lightly shook his head and answered, "the character that you penned, how could you be unclear of what he was thinking?"

"How could it be clear to me?" Su Jin turned her head to look at him and in that pair of always bright and clear phoenix eyes were traces of some bewilderment, "a literary work's origin is from the heavens, it was merely gained by a highly skilled person[1]. When I wrote this story, I followed along with its body. Yet now that we've reached the very end, even I am unsure too, if this was truly my opinion of how it should end or if it truly is the direction where the story should be in."

[1] 文章本天成，妙手偶得之 (wén zhāng běn tiān chéng, miào shǒu ǒu dé zhī) – this pa.s.sage means that a good literary work was originally like a gift bestowed from the heavens, a large part of what was written by the hands of the author was, if nothing else, obtained by chance.

"Perhaps in the unseen spirit world, these stories are really and truly happening in s.p.a.ce and time. But are they really borne real and are alive because of me or did my story initially originate from them instead? If that is the case, then what about our world?"

This world, when all was said and done, had it emerged as a result of that book she had been reading? Or had it already been in existence and that occasionally, a small speck of this universe was extracted and entered into a novel to be casually read?

Was Zhuangzi, a man who dreamt of being a b.u.t.terfly or a b.u.t.terfly that dreamt of being a man?[2]

[2] 庄周梦蝶，亦或是蝶梦庄 (zhuāng zhōu mèng dié, yì huò shì dié mèng zhuāng) – Written by Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese philosopher, it was one of his philosophy propositions that he had raised which used romantic imagery and a beautiful writing style to describe and probe about existentialism: that people could not definitely differentiate between their perspectives on whether they were living in their dreams or reality.

Therefore, when it came down to it in the end, what truly was the truth of the matter then?

Could it be… …That even the original world that she had existed in – that world had also come from someone's writing too?

The world was truly huge and as for her, she was merely a drop in the ocean, the frog at the bottom of the well; a person who had a limited outlook and experience.

After she had incidentally pried into the corner of the truth, it seemed like she was about to lose her own bearings.

Lu Xi covered up the slightest trace of the uncanny emotion in his eyes and shook his head as he questioned, "Why are you thinking this much for?"

"Hm?" Reflexively, Su Jin raised her gaze to glance at him.

"Regardless of whatever it is or what truly is true; still, right here and now, there is your family, your friends," with a curl of his lips, he continued, "and me."

"It's because the heart has something to be concerned about, some lingering attachment and that is why people continued to exist/to live in this world. So, since it's like this, does it really matter or have anything to do with what could be real or simply a fantasy?"

"Because the heart has something to be concerned about, some lingering attachment and that is why people continued to exist/to live in this world."

Su Jin lightly murmured, albeit stunned for a short while and suddenly, laughed freely.

That was right since she was already here since she already had people that she was concerned about here. There was her family and loved ones, even if that might be real or simply might be a fantasy, so what?

Thinking this much, it was no more than making herself get upset over nothing. It would have merely added onto her worries anyways.

Seeing her become convinced, Lu Xi laughed too and remarked, "let me tell you something."

Su Jin asked curiously, "what?"

"The Ming family has already approved of the matter between Xue Kai and Ji Min."

"Approved?" Su Jin was stupefied as she raised an eyebrow in thought, "based on Uncle Ming's disposition, he has actually agreed? Was it because of Xue Kai's persistence?"

"Xue Kai insisted, and the Ming family head probably did not want to oppose this son of his that has recently returned home and had been found with great difficulty either. In any case, this matter has already been resolved like this." Lu Xi shook his head as he chuckled, "in this world, there is never anything that always stays the same, especially a person's heart. Otherwise, why then would it be said that a person's heart is hard to decipher."

In agreement, Su Jin nodded yet her heart recalled the words that Gege had spoken.

In the world, there would never be two identical leaves and there would never be two identical romances. Every person's romance and love life was unique. No matter what, that was the joys and sorrows of life one needed to personally go through.

"So actually, it truly isn't the same." As her eyelids drooped, they hid the sudden exposure of relief in her eyes.

Not all romances and relationships would deteriorate over time and not all feelings would dissipate; neither would all relationships be but fleeting memories because of the disparity between the ideal romance and the actual relationship.

Seeing the light curve of the girl's lips beside him, laughter in the depths of Lu Xi's peach blossom eyes surfaced.

"Tsk, why is Director Lu and his Madam hiding here in this corner, hm?"

As that familiar teasing voice resounded by her ears, Su Jin simply raised an eye at her but did not reply.

When Mu Qing first called her 'Madam', Su Jin would be embarra.s.sed for a little while and retort with a few words. However, by now, once everyone realised this secret that their Director would be in a somewhat better mood when they addressed her as Madam, Su Jin became used to being called as such.

As for this form of address that habitually defined his own status/ident.i.ty, Director Lu always encouraged such an act and was glad to see this happen.

If the one speaking wasn't Mu Qing, she would probably not even bother to bat an eye at them.

Mu Qing saw that she had not replied, and did not take it to heart. She shot a look at Lu Xi and asked, "Director Lu, where will you hold the wrap-up party that you are treating us to?"

Due to Su Jin, she was much more familiar with Lu Xi than with the other actors. However, it was merely just knowing him better. If Su Jin had not been present, then she would not even have had the guts to seek out this rumoured 'gentle as jade' King Yama to ask this sort of question.

"Ah, the wrap-up party." Sure enough, in an extremely good mood, Director Lu laughed, "the Grand Emperor."

"Wow! Woah!"

The crowd suddenly let out an even bigger cheer.

Su Jin frowned and raised a hand to tug Mu Qing towards a corner.

"Qing Qing, why did you suddenly ask this?"

"What's wrong?" Mu Qing blinked, "I was just casually asking."

"Faking it- you are still trying to pretend." Su Jin shot an extremely familiar glance from her phoenix eyes, "do I still not know you? Usually, you hate the fact that you can not split time in half and spend it with your Prince Charming, yet now you can think about where you would want to eat?"

"This…… Um……" Mu Qing hesitated for a bit before continuing, 'when the time comes, you'll understand okay,' and struggled free from Su Jin's grasp.

It was only until everyone had eaten and drank their fill at the wrap-up party, did Su Jin finally and truly understand what this young lady had planned to do.

It was a confession.

The banquet hall of the Grand Emperor had been formed from a group of both big and small private rooms and Lu Xi had invited every member of the production team. However, some of the members of the production team had primarily gathered in a private room in the banquet hall.

Yet, Mu Qing had, in front of all of the people present in the private room, confessed to a man that was eleven years her senior.

"Bai Haoqi, I have liked you for a very, very long time." As she roused up enough courage to say this, her body, that had initially trembled out of nervousness, suddenly steadied itself.

In fact, her feelings towards Bai Haoqi had not been hidden at all. A greater part of those who were present in the cast and crew team had clearly known about it, however, everyone had an intuitive mutual understanding about this matter. Yet, they had not expected that this young lady would have such courage and would actually attempt to challenge and break through this layer of thin rice-paper and not give herself a way to retreat.

"If you like me too, then please be my boyfriend. If you don't like me, then I will apologise for all the trouble that I have just caused you."

That young lady standing there among everyone's gaze, her voice was extremely steady and her beautiful phoenix eyes shone like the stars, emitting a bright and brilliant radiance.

"She truly is courageous." Even though a lot of time had elapsed since her confession, Su Jin still could not forget that pair of eyes.

That pair of eyes that resembled the orbs of her past and present selves greatly, they were filled with courage and flaming pa.s.sion that would be unattainable for her.

She and her (this implies Su Jin herself), sure enough, the two of them were wholly different.

Lu Xi was once more in the driver's seat. Turning his head to catch a glimpse of the absent-minded expression on his girl's face, he asked, "are you still thinking about what happened just now?"

"Yep." Su Jin nodded.

A twenty-two year old girl who would forge forth as she pursued her beloved's footsteps; one who would push past everything in her chase of the person she loved.

Her gaze crinkled in joy. Yet, what was at the tip of her lips was a low sigh.

That sort of emotions of dashing on bravely with no thought of one's self, what would those feelings feel like? It would… …be beautiful right?

"No matter what, it could be said that all is well and that the lovers finally have their happy ending. Shouldn't you be happy? Why is this young lady sighing then?" Lu Xi then speeded up as he teased her with a slight smile.

"That's true." Hearing this, Su Jin turned to look at the man's aristocratically handsome side profile as her lips curled into a light chuckle, "who would have thought that Bai Haoqi, that solemn yet serious closed gourd (lit. taciturn person) would actually like–"

"Screeeecch–"

The acute and piercing sound of the brakes of the car rang in her ears as Su Jin swiftly turned to look beside her. Yet, it was too late for her, for she was unable to see anything clearly in that flash of light as her body fell into a warm embrace.

A familiar scent engulfed her senses as the intense and sharp brakes of the car, and the m.u.f.fled sensations of the collision intermingled together.

In that very instant, time seemed to pa.s.s extremely quick. As if at that moment, it was too late to even just blink and that split second had already ended. Yet, it also seemed extremely slow as if every image in her mind had been deliberately slowed and stretched in a slow-motion capture of a camera and inch by inch, it had slipped past her very eyes.

She was incapable of resisting and had nowhere to take cover.

Translated by Irisu

Edited by Ely

I see dog food, I see something perilous, I see something so cute~ Also, what is with that cliff-hanger author-san! O.o

Dedicated to our editor-volunteer: proudyleo~ Thanks for volunteering! ?

Countdown: 2