**51**
Ning Zhi stood guiltily to the side; she had caused a cut on Shen Yizhi’s lip.
Shen Yizhi didn’t mind much and even had the heart to tease her: “Little dog.”
Ning Zhi furrowed her brows tightly, glanced at her without a word, but guilt overflowed fully in her eyes.
Shen Yizhi saw that she wasn’t speaking, and leisurely added, “Only little dogs bite people.”
Ning Zhi finally couldn’t hold back and argued, “I didn’t bite, I just bumped into it.”
“It’s good that you’re speaking up,” Shen Yizhi teased, “We’ve filmed several takes already, how come you’re still so clumsy?”
She was referring to the fact that they had filmed several kissing scenes, yet Ning Zhi was still so awkward and fidgety. Ning Zhi understood but felt a bit unwilling to admit it.
You say it like we’ve filmed it many times, but it’s only the third time.
And besides, each time we film, there’s one less take.
She leaned against the wall, not daring to look directly at Shen Yizhi.
She got distracted while filming that last scene.
The emotions were originally well brewing.
The shock of witnessing a classmate fall from a building, the panic from hearing others’ exclusionary gossip, the fear of realizing she was an outcast, and the subconscious search for comfort from Ruan Yinmeng.
After all, she was only eighteen; she was prepared to face whatever came, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid.
She was afraid, but never thought of retreating.
Ning Zhi thought she had grasped all these layers, but in that small kitchen, under the camera, her mind suddenly went blank. Looking at Shen Yizhi’s face so close before her, all she could think was, It’s almost over.
The play was almost over, and outside the play, they were also about to leave this crew.
Her heart was full of reluctance, and she didn’t control her strength well, which caused Shen Yizhi’s lips to be bruised.
But Shen Yizhi was quite content; after all, she had acted in so many films, she was probably long accustomed to the end of the show and people parting ways.
Ning Zhi silently turned away, her eyes landing on the flower vase on the windowsill.
It was the two stems the old lady downstairs gave them. After she brought them up, she borrowed a vase from the props team to place them there. After several days, the petals had started to wither.
She was just looking at them when the back of her hand was tapped.
Ning Zhi turned around, his face dark as he looked at Shen Yizhi.
Shen Yizhi’s eyes twitched slightly, looking somewhat incredulous: “You bit someone and still want to sulk?”
Ning Zhi didn’t really want to talk, but seeing the wound on her lip, he still felt sorry. The skin was broken and bleeding, it must hurt a lot.
She couldn’t tell the truth, so she covered it up with an explanation: “I didn’t do it on purpose. Chi Sheng was already emotionally unstable, so it made sense that he accidentally bit Ruan Yinmeng’s lip.”
Shen Yizhi said nothing, only reaching out to pinch her hand hanging by her side.
Ning Zhi’s mood was also low. She kept glancing at the wound on Shen Yizhi’s lip, which had already been treated. It looked fine now, bright red, like it was stained with blood, strangely adding a few touches of color to her.
She just hoped it wouldn’t get infected tomorrow. If it did, it would heal very slowly and hurt a lot.
Shen Yizhi saw her eyes constantly glancing at his lips, and instinctively wanted to raise his hand to block it. His hand moved, but then he felt it was unnatural, so he gave her a displeased glance.
Ning Zhi looked away as if shocked.
Meilan came over to look at Shen Yizhi’s wound and asked, “Can you still shoot?”
Shen Yizhi said, “Yes.”
Ning Zhi hurried to stop her, but Shen Yizhi held her back and said, “Such a small cut, it’s nothing.”
So, the filming continued.
It was Shen Yizhi’s solo shot.
Ning Zhi stood outside the frame.
On the table was a cake with candles already lit, and Shen Yizhi took the lighter.
The makeup artist applied makeup to her wound, making it unnoticeable, but Ning Zhi was worried about what to do if it got infected.
Shen Yizhi was originally looking at the candles on the cake as the director had instructed. It was the kind of cake from many years ago, now looking somewhat rough, with the cream and design not very delicate. The candles were neatly and fully inserted—eighteen in total—somewhat rustic, yet full of sincerity.
She inexplicably thought of Ning Zhi when she was fourteen; her birthday cake had candles inserted just like this. She looked at Ning Zhi standing on the outskirts. Ning Zhi had been worried about her wound, but when their eyes met, she also recalled that day.
Birthday cake, candles, the person who rushed back to celebrate her birthday, the violin, the talisman for safety, the involuntary kiss, and the two of them who could never go back to how they were since then.
Ning Zhi shook off her daze as Mei Lan’s voice suddenly came to her ears.
“Action!”
Ruan Yinmeng lit one candle after another; with each one lit, a bit of the darkness was dispelled. The candlelight flickered softly on her face.
She picked up the cake and walked to the bedroom door, raising her hand to turn on the light.
The darkness vanished instantly, revealing the scene in the bedroom. Chi Sheng lay on the bed with his back to the door, barely lifting his spirits even on his birthday.
Cut.
This one passed.
Ning Zhi sat up from the **, the lighting technician reset the lights, and the makeup artist came over to touch up their makeup.
There is another segment afterward.
However, the latter part is not part of the main storyline and will be edited to the end of the movie during post-production.
After filming, Ning Zhi let out a breath, composed himself a little, then quickly sat up and had someone remove Shen Yizhi’s makeup and treat the wound again.
Today’s shooting was over, and everyone began to share the cake.
For the shoot, several cakes were bought, enough to share with more than half of the crew.
But the last one left on the table to the side hadn’t been touched by anyone yet.
There was still a candle stuck in it, half burned.
Ning Zhi walked over, borrowed a cake knife from someone, cut out a triangular piece, and carefully placed it into a small foam plate, making sure not to blow out the candle.
She brought it in front of Shen Yizhi: “Look, isn’t it beautiful?”
It was indeed very beautiful, a sweet cake with a lit candle, always evoking thoughts of wonderful things.
Shen Yizhi recalled one year on her birthday, after evening self-study, when she came home, Ning Zhi was holding a cake about the same size, with a similar candle inserted, waiting for her in the hallway.
He was just as excited, his eyes reflecting the gently flickering candlelight, filled with bright smiles.
“Mm, very beautiful.” Shen Yizhi said, looking at Ning Zhi.
Ning Zhi murmured softly, “Chisheng, lend me a wish.”
Then, she closed her eyes, made a wish, and blew out the candle.
Shen Yizhi waited until she finished before asking, “What did you wish for?”
Ning Zhicai didn’t tell her, and she said tactfully, “If it happens, I’ll tell you.”
“If it doesn’t happen, you won’t tell me?” Shen Yizhi asked.
Ning Zhi nodded, “If it doesn’t happen, just consider it my own secret.”
When they came out of the old house, it was raining outside.
The assistant went back to get an umbrella.
Ning Zhi suggested, “Let’s walk back.”
The hotel they were staying at was not far away.
Actually, Ning Zhi wanted to live in this community. The community was going to be demolished, many residents had moved out, leaving many empty houses. Renting one and just adding some simple furniture would be enough to live in.
However, considering safety issues, neither the agent nor the crew agreed.
Ning Zhi could only regretfully give up on this idea.
She wasn’t very happy today because the scenes were heavy, because she had accidentally bitten Shen Yizhi’s lip, and because the cake with candles lit by Ruan Yinmeng reminded her of her fourteenth birthday.
Shen Yizhi walked beside her; they were all wearing masks and each held an umbrella.
There were few people on the road, and with the rain, no one would pay attention to them.
Ning Zhi felt that always being in such a low mood wasn’t good either; emotions are contagious. Shen Yizhi kindly accompanied her back, but she pulled a long face and didn’t speak, which was annoying just to think about.
Ning Zhi took a deep breath silently and said in a cheerful tone, “It seems to have gotten a bit cooler in the evening.”
“Autumn is almost here, right?” Shen Yizhi said.
Hearing this, Ning Zhi quickly took out her phone to check the calendar: “Today it is.”
What a coincidence!
She looked around, trying to find a store: “Let’s go buy some watermelon to eat.”
In their family’s tradition, watermelon is eaten on the start of autumn.
They used to share a small watermelon together, each cutting half and scooping it out with a spoon.
Shen Yizhi instinctively wanted to look for the assistant, but seeing that Ning Zhi had already opened the map and was seriously searching for a nearby fruit shop, he abandoned the idea.
He leaned over to look with her and asked, “Found it?”
“There’s a shop just over eight hundred meters that way, not sure if it’s still open,” Ning Zhi said.
Shen Yizhi immediately said, “Let’s go check it out.”
It was almost eleven o’clock, and it was still raining—the first rain of autumn. The raindrops hit their arms, feeling a bit chilly but quite pleasant.
At first, Ning Zhi led the way, but as she walked, she kept searching, planning to find a few backup stores.
After she nearly missed a step and almost fell, Shen Yizhi closed her umbrella and walked under her umbrella.
Ning Zhi had already found a backup, but Shen Yizhi placed her hand on her arm and led her along. She hurriedly pretended she hadn’t found anything and continued searching up and down.
Fortunately, that fruit shop was still open.
It was a very small shop; the stores on both sides were closed, only this one was still in business.
Ning Zhi suddenly remembered that on Friday night after finishing tutoring, Chi Sheng went to see Ruan Yinmeng. The 24-hour convenience store where Ruan Yinmeng worked was just like this, a lonely light shining among a row of dark shops.
The person running the store was a high school girl, holding a book in her hands and reading. When she saw them come to buy watermelon, she quickly got up to serve them.
The watermelon was chosen by Shen Yizhi, who picked one that was not too big, with clear stripes.
However, Ning Zhi thought Shen Yizhi probably didn’t put much thought into choosing it. Shen Yizhi stood up straight, turned around, and seeing her eyes curved into a smile, asked in confusion, “What are you smiling at?”
“No smile.” Ning Zhi defended herself slyly, relying on the fact that she was wearing a mask.
Shen Yizhi looked at her, a smile also spreading in his eyes.
The girl weighed it, and Ning Zhi took out her phone to pay.
A small watermelon, not heavy to carry.
They returned to the hotel, cut it in half with a knife, and found two spoons.
Ning Zhi scooped up a big spoonful. Shen Yizhi waited, and after she swallowed, asked, “How is it? Sweet?”
Ning Zhi nodded vigorously.
Only then did Shen Yizhi breathe a sigh of relief, tasted it, and indeed it was quite good, naturally sweet.
However, they didn’t eat much, only scooping out the sweetest pieces from the middle.
But Ning Zhi’s mood had already improved a lot.
She hoped that tonight’s good mood could carry her through filming the remaining scenes, she thought to herself.
Shen Yizhi cleaned up the leftover watermelon, and Ning Zhi glanced at the time, planning to return to her own room. She stood up.
Shen Yizhi suddenly asked, “Do you still have that violin?”