First Kiss Diary - Chapter 35
Sure, here’s the text with spaces between paragraphs:
Chapter 35 KISSx35
Ji Ning slept until evening before slowly waking up. The drink was strong, and she drank a lot. After finishing work in the early morning and returning to the hotel, she fell into a coma. She was awakened by Song Yu in the afternoon to eat something, then fell asleep again. By the time she woke up on her own, it was already half past ten. The girl rubbed her eyes, supporting her still somewhat confused and dizzy head, and slowly sat up.
« You finally woke up. » Song Yu, with a computer and tablet in front of her, turned to look at her. « You’ve been sleeping almost a whole day. If you didn’t wake up soon, I would have called an ambulance. » Ji Ning pressed her temples, her throat hoarse from the long sleep. « Headache. »
« After drinking such a large glass of alcohol, how could your head not hurt? » Song Yu began to scold her. « I mean, the alcohol was so spicy, but you drank it all. Didn’t your stomach burn? »
« How do you know how much I drank, » Ji Ning was still a bit dazed, « Did Nono tell you? » Song Yu patted her shoulder, her expression complicated and hard to describe. « Darling, not just me, the whole nation, no, the whole world knows how much you drank tonight. »
Ji Ning, still feeling dizzy, suddenly became alert. Her gaze cleared instantly. « Was the program aired? »
« Yes, » Song Yu pretended to hand her the phone, « Do you want to relive how you two kissed? » Ji Ning quickly closed her eyes. « No, no, no… »
Song Yu snorted. « You dare not even acknowledge the mouth you kissed? You really hit the jackpot. Do you know that not only did Weibo explode, but the international internet also exploded. »
Ji Ning gave up and collapsed back onto the bed, sinking into the pillow, lost in thought— When she was prepared, nothing happened; when she was finally unprepared, the swing broke. Last night was even more surreal. She hadn’t prepared anything, even got drunk, and suddenly everything happened? Really…
Song Yu leaned in close to her ear and whispered, « Do you still remember? How it felt to kiss Ji Shiyu. » As soon as this topic came up, Song Yu became visibly excited. She wriggled under the covers, then began rolling around, scratching Ji Ning, « But seriously, Ji Shiyu is too good at it. When I watched, my legs went weak! Even now, just thinking about it, my heart is pounding. Is this what it feels like to ship a couple? I think I’ve reached the peak of happiness! I love it! Please keep kissing each other! »
Ji Ning: ????
To be honest, considering her tendency to black out when drunk, she shouldn’t remember anything. But perhaps that scene was too precious, even when drunk, she desperately hinted to herself not to forget, so under repeated self-hypnosis, she remembered a little. —If she couldn’t remember what it felt like to kiss her idol, it would be a bit of a loss. Ah. Ji Ning covered her cheeks, rolled over, and buried her face in the pillow, rubbing it. The pillow seemed to smell like cherry blossoms.
Remembering something else, she sat up and pointed to the electronic devices in front of Song Yu. « Why do you have so many things on the bed? » Song Yu replied seriously, « Don’t you understand this? One is specifically for watching your variety show, one is for watching the barrage, and the other is for reading the comments from netizens on Weibo. »
Ji Ning fell silent for a moment. « Is that necessary? »
« Why not? The silly netizens are really talented. Everyone is crowdfunding 9.9 to ask you two to get married, » Song Yu said. « The amount has reached 999 now, enough to support you getting married a hundred times. »
« … »
In addition to three hot searches on Weibo, Ji Shiyu also dominated the overseas internet with his super high popularity. On domestic Weibo, the control comments of « Sister Haiyan and Sister Lemon are just scripted, don’t get carried away » were drowned in the sea of people, and the front-row comments were all from excited CP fans and newly joined passersby— [Ah! Ah! It’s too sweet, I’m gone! I’m dead, I’m alive, I’m dying repeatedly!!] [What a beautiful scene from a romantic novel, I’m moved ten thousand times, my fate was given by the double click!!] [Selected as the top scene in my heart, the first time in my life to ship a CP with such genuine feelings, I don’t believe they’re not really in love.] [Ji Ning was drunk, now no one can say she’s chasing after him, I think your brother is quite proactive.] [I’m hooked, sisters? The? Salt? Police? Law and Lemur Jie Shao Xiang Fan Zun Jie Si Jun?]
The emotions of overseas netizens were also very unified, with the comment section filled with cries— [My salt π.π] [The girl is also very pretty kkk Is there a Korean translation version available? Very curious!] [The damn charm that our Salt Brother kills everything.]
Even Jiang Sheng couldn’t stop talking about this topic.
« Do you know how many fans cried their hearts out in the bathroom because of you? » Jiang Sheng leaned against the TV table and pressed Ji Shiyan, « This is too sudden, there was no hint at all, it made me think I was arranged by the scriptwriter to ask the scriptwriter, and the scriptwriter said it was something you added yourself! »
Ji Shiyan, who had just finished work, sat on the sofa, facing Jiang Sheng’s barrage without flinching: « Do I not have the right to make my own variety show? »
After a pause, he looked coldly at his own agent’s emotional fluctuations: « You’re not her relative, what’s with your righteous indignation? Are you secretly in love with Ji Ning? »
« I’m in love with nothing! It’s you— you— » Jiang Sheng pointed out halfway but couldn’t continue.
Ji Shiyan said indifferently, « What about me? »
« I can’t say it, see for yourself. » Jiang Sheng threw his phone in front of him.
Ten seconds later, a man’s voice hesitated, « Is this her first kiss on screen? »
Jiang Sheng shook his head speechlessly, « Remove ‘on screen,’ that’s her actual first kiss! Beast! »
Ji Shiyan stood up to make tea, suppressing the slight pleasure bubbling in his heart, and continued calmly as if nothing had happened: « Isn’t this good? »
« What’s good about it? You tell me what’s good about it? Even if I stand on your side, I can’t stand you now, wanting to beat you up! A twenty-year-old girl didn’t even know and you ruthlessly took away her first kiss, it’s neither romantic nor prepared, she got drunk like what, and the location was in a freaking noodle shop? Huh? Ji Shiyan? Are you even human? Is this how old men are?? »
The man’s Adam’s apple rolled: « I think it’s pretty good. »
« Good, tell me what’s good about it, if you don’t list out one, two, three, four, five, six, seven for me today… »
He casually interrupted, « It’s good because that person is me. »
She likes me.
—
The fan count of the couple’s hashtag soared by seven hundred thousand overnight, not only becoming the top hashtag for CP but also skyrocketing three times more points than the second place after the new episode aired.
The Mouse Sisters’ combat power is indeed strong.
Meanwhile, Ji Ning’s hashtag also surged ahead by dozens of places, and Ji Ning herself gained countless fans…
It’s said that variety shows attract fans, something she deeply understood that night.
But even if various news stories fermented fiercely the previous day, she still had to go to work the next day.
As soon as she arrived at the Starlight drama crew, she felt everyone’s eyes on her, and the staff who were unfamiliar with her dared not approach and only dared to sneak glances. The makeup artists and stylists began to make suggestive noises as soon as they saw her.
Ji Ning quickly suppressed it: « Let’s do the makeup quickly, there’s no time. »
« We have time, » the makeup artist gossiped, « today we’re using brushes for makeup, it’s quick, probably an extra twenty minutes, why don’t we chat? »
Ji Ning glanced at Zhuo Gong, who had been silently reading the script with his head down, and quickly changed the subject: « Um, let’s talk about my and Zhuo Gong’s hairstyles this morning? I think today’s scene is quite intense, and it’s raining, so water-based hairstyles aren’t ideal. »
The stylist also chimed in: « It’s easy to do, just wet it a bit with water, like the pool party scene you and Ji Shiyan shot before. Ah, since we’re on the topic of Ji Shiyan, why don’t we talk about last night’s first kiss…? »
The stylist’s words were both subtle and straightforward, whether they meant « first kiss » or « first kiss diary. »
Unexpectedly, despite all the twists and turns, Ji Ning found herself caught in the trap again. She sighed and resignedly sat down: « What’s there to talk about, it’s just a variety show. »
Although what happened yesterday was within reason but beyond expectation, seemingly naturally occurring, she really couldn’t be sure if the scriptwriter had informed Ji Shiyan in advance, like what he should do if she got drunk or angry—it might all be arranged by the scriptwriter, not Ji Shiyan.
And just a kiss, what earth-shattering event was it for adults? Especially in the entertainment industry, where even drama crew couples playing separately and getting married is common, last night’s uproar over a kiss was just because the scene was romantic, Ji Shiyan had many fans, and she hadn’t shot kissing scenes before.
She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, making herself seem like she was blowing it out of proportion, which would be easier to be criticized for riding on Ji Shiyan’s popularity. She had always been unwilling to exploit Ji Shiyan.
« Is that so? Is there really a script? Is your interactions all acted out? » The stylist couldn’t help but ask, « I watched your cuts last night until dawn, are you telling me it’s all fake? »
« I don’t know. » Ji Ning replied truthfully, « Sometimes, for realism and attractiveness, the scriptwriter may only inform one party of the script arrangement. »
The stylist felt relieved, « That’s good then, I think 80% of what you two have is real, so Ning Ning, do you like Ji… »
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The stylist was interrupted halfway through speaking by Zhuo Gong, who had been silent on the side. Suddenly, Zhuo Gong lifted his head and asked, « Why didn’t you film any kissing scenes before? » Ji Ning was caught off guard.
Nowadays, the roles played by Xiao Hua are mostly innocent, and while this persona doesn’t necessarily exclude kissing scenes, the initial team considered that her previous well-received works didn’t have any kissing scenes. Also, she had never been in a relationship, so some of the subsequent kissing scenes were just staged, and gradually, it became the default standard.
Moreover, whether they could directly film kissing scenes… Ji Shiyu didn’t even ask her about it… he just… « The program team didn’t ask me beforehand, » Ji Ning touched her neck, « so they probably arranged it freely. Variety shows don’t require me to see the script before filming like TV dramas do. »
« What’s the big deal about this, » the makeup artist raised an eyebrow and replied to Zhuo Gong, « some people just didn’t want to film kissing scenes before, but after a while, they stopped caring. People’s thoughts change over time. »
« Alright, let’s not talk about this, » Zhuo Gong adjusted his expression slightly, « today’s scenes are difficult, let’s rehearse the lines a few more times. » He was more reserved and serious today than usual, and Ji Ning guessed it was to prepare for the plot in advance.
She took out the script from her bag: « Okay, let’s start from the scene in the rain. » Seeing the two of them earnestly rehearsing their lines, the makeup artist and stylist didn’t continue chatting, and this topic was considered closed.
Emotional scenes in the rain were already difficult to film, especially since Ji Ning had high standards for herself. After a day of filming, when she returned to the hotel, she was basically exhausted.
Before she went to take a shower, she struggled to check her phone, but was stopped by Song Yu: « Why don’t you skip it? » Ji Ning’s sharp intuition made her pause: « What’s wrong? Did Ji Shiyu’s fans start attacking me again? »
« No, they dare to criticize even Sister Shubiao, » Song Yu said, « it’s because ‘Fireworks Island’ is airing tonight. » Ji Ning was stunned for a few seconds: « ‘Fireworks Island’? »
« Yeah. » This drama was really strange. Not only was the original good card messed up by the investors, but the promotion of the drama wasn’t done properly either. Suddenly, it was rushed to air?
« It seems like they pulled out another drama temporarily and replaced it with this one, or maybe they’re riding on the hype of you and Ji Shiyu? » Song Yu scratched her head, « It’s really weird, I don’t quite understand this tricky move. »
Ji Ning was somewhat resigned: « Just let it air, I don’t have much expectation for this drama anymore—ever since that female artist who funded her way into the production went crazy with demanding more scenes, the drama went downhill. » She couldn’t do much more, the only thing she could do was to perform her own part well.
« That’s one way to put it, but you’re giving the best performance, why do you get criticized? » Ji Ning looked up and stared at Song Yu for three seconds, slowly forming a question mark with her eyebrows.
In « Fireworks Island, » there were some fantasy scenes that required post-production special effects. For scenes needing post-production, actors had to film in front of a green screen for easier editing and effect implementation.
But recently, everyone was extremely sensitive to the term « post-production, » all stemming from a celebrity actor who, despite receiving a high salary, didn’t take the job seriously, heavily used body doubles, and edited the scenes excessively. This caused public outrage.
So, when someone leaked Ji Ning’s scenes in « Fireworks Island, » saying she was the one using excessive editing, it stirred up anger. Originally, audiences were already sensitive to the term « post-production, » and seeing Ji Ning’s scenes involved in it, coupled with the prejudice against popular actors, the distorted facts led to…
« Who started this smear campaign? Who’s targeting you? » Song Yu was also extremely puzzled, « It’s one thing if they criticize your drama for being popular, but now they’re targeting you even in this niche drama. What do these people gain from it? »
Ji Ning glanced at it and found that although many people were criticizing her, her fans were also clarifying that this was normal filming and there was no need to exaggerate.
« It didn’t trend, so let’s not respond. Anyone with a bit of understanding can see what’s going on. » Explaining would be an insult to those who have a brain but choose to ignore facts.
She didn’t expect that within a day, a climax scene from « Roses and the Wind of that Time » would trend again, and that day’s scene was her crying scene, where she laid on the male lead’s back, portraying three stages of emotion: first, tears of remorse filled her eyes, then silently whimpering in grievance, and finally, breaking down in tears as she left the male lead.
She did each emotion transition very well, and her attention to detail was impeccable. It was quite a coincidence that the scene aired on a day when the female lead and male lead reunited after a long separation, and the reason for their reunion was that the female lead went to help a friend with filming, which required special effects. The two of them casually mentioned some knowledge about green screens.
As soon as the episode aired, it immediately trended on social media, and discussions started buzzing: « I didn’t watch the previous episodes but this scene made me cry. I think her acting is pretty good, Xiao Hua is leading the pack, who said she was awkward before? »【First, she tried hard to keep her eyes open and prevent tears from falling. Then, unable to hold back any longer, she lowered her head and silently blinked away her tears. She got off the male lead’s back pretending everything was fine, walking especially fast, but couldn’t help looking back. Finally, she cried with the water faucet on, squatting down, even the veins on her arms popping out. Jin Ning is such a great actress!!】
【There’s also a scene where a character eats while revealing their inner thoughts through the speed of eating, and I think it’s also performed super well.】
Soon, a comment was pushed to the top of the hot comments: 【Thank you, blogger, for providing the previous context! A few days ago, there was a discussion about Jin Ning’s « Fireworks Island » cutout images, and it turned out they were done for special effects, not for anything else. Don’t let the haters mislead you!】
Due to a close-up shot, everyone noticed many bruises on Jin Ning’s legs. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was because she filmed a rock climbing scene more than ten times, resulting in bruises on her legs.
A bystander commented: 【It’s widely acknowledged that Jin Ning is dedicated. Those who say she isn’t dedicated should compare her dedication to that of their own favorite stars and their acting output.】
Later, the green screen issue also made it to the hot search. Some marketing accounts that previously criticized Jin Ning’s cutout images may have found their content foolish and deleted their Weibo posts.
The cutout image controversy finally came to an end.
Occasionally, when Jin Ning had free time, she would also wonder why people were willing to pay to criticize her drama. There must be some vested interests involved.
—
Filming for « Stellar » was halfway done, and the crew decided to hold a media interview at noon as a small tactic to keep the momentum going.
Jin Ning answered questions in a separate room. After a scattered interview lasting half an hour, a reporter suddenly asked, « We all know actors film emotional scenes, so did your state of mind change between ‘Stellar’ and ‘First Kiss Diary’? Do your ears still turn red when you get close to a male lead? Like with Ji Shiyan a couple of days ago. »
Jin Ning suddenly choked up and looked at Nono.
Nono smiled and interrupted, « Thank you, everyone, that’s all for today’s interview. If there are any other questions, we can discuss them next time. »
This was an unwritten rule in the industry. When sensitive questions are asked to artists, staff will interrupt to end the interview.
Jin Ning bowed and left, returning to the dressing room to prepare for the next scene.
The dressing room was dimly lit, and Jin Ning couldn’t be bothered to turn on the lights, so she sat in the chair and rested.
It’s strange, even though she had previously joked with Ji Shiyan…
« Why didn’t you answer my question? »
This question suddenly popped up in the room.
Jin Ning was startled and walked to the wall to turn on the lights, only to find Ji Shiyan sitting on the corner sofa.
She asked, « How did you get here? »
« I’m the producer, isn’t it normal for me to come? »
The man stepped closer, « Why didn’t you answer my question? »
« Is kissing me something embarrassing? »
