บท 56: Spring Festival
บรรณาธิการ: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Do you guys know Qi Ming? He's the male lead in my new movie," said An Wen.
The entire group turned silent. In a faint voice, Ye Xiaoxing asked, "Is he next to you right now?"
"Yes."
Another pin-drop silence.
'Our image is ruined…'
Qi Ming did not dare to open his mouth as well.
"Lil Sis An, why don't you go over to the other side?"
'We're going to destroy you today!'
"I've already started the game," said An Wen.
It was too late for Qi Ming to quit. The others who wanted to change their username were also left with no choice.
Hence, Qi Ming noticed Xia Wei's in-game persona, Cai Wenji, was nicknamed Super Daddy! Ye Xiaoxing's nickname was the Violent Ragger! Cheng Hanwen's avatar was called the Sword Saint! Even An Wen's in-game nickname was strange; she was the Big Sister Shooter!
What a ridiculous group!
Qi Ming started questioning his life after joining the game. It was an easy feat for An Wen to take down the five of them all by herself. Her gaming skills were almost on par with the professional gamers, with her seemingly "carrying" her teammates and assisting them throughout the game. Meanwhile, the rest of them only knew of throwing insults at each other the whole time!
The previous impression Qi Ming had of them as proud superiors had been completely shattered. "Hilarious" would be the best word if he were to describe what he thought of them now.
Since then, Qi Ming became one of their fixed teammates. Once again, Xia Wei had succeeded in leading another innocent person astray.
The main leads getting along well was definitely beneficial to the production crew as they could speed up the filming process.
The last scene of the filming process was about Chen Lin coming to question Xiao Ying in order to make things clear with his wife. The two of them were given makeup, providing them with a more mature appearance.
Xiao Ying happily opened the door and let Chen Lin in.
Chen Lin, who was standing on the other side of the door, had a solemn expression on his face. However, Xiao Ying who was bubbling over with excitement let him in without noticing anything unusual.
Chen Lin entered the house while suppressing his anger. Xiao Ying closed the door behind her and went to fetch him a glass of water.
"There's no need for that. I just came over to talk things out," said Chen Lin in a cold tone.
"What's wrong, Chen Lin?" asked Xiao Ying after realizing he was acting strange.
"That was my question! Have you forgotten what you said to Nana today?" asked the agitated man.
Chen Lin stood in front of her like a stranger. Xiao Ying felt like she had been splashed a bucket of ice-cold water from the top of her head. He was now someone else's husband! The person he loved was Nana!
"Chen Lin…" she called out to him, yet she was unsure of what to say.
"We'll be strangers to each other starting today. I'll forget about you, you'll do the same about me," said Chen Lin coldly.
"Chen Lin, I…" Xiao Ying wanted to say something before she was interrupted.
"I don't mean to be harsh to you. After all, we've known each other since we were young, but I hope that you'll distant yourself from Nana and myself."
Then, Chen Lin turned around for the door. Xiao Ying went for his hand but he swung his arm forcefully.
Chen Lin left without another word. Xiao Ying stared into the distance through the opened door; tears started running down her cheeks.
"But I didn't say anything, I know it's only my own wishful thinking."
"All I did was apologize to Nana…"
She flopped down on the couch and cried her heart out. Memories from her past life came flooding into her mind. The grief quickly overwhelmed her, making her wish she was dead.
It was her who threw away everything that she ever had, everything…
She curled up into a ball on the couch. Her shoulders trembled as she wept and eventually she fell asleep.
"Cut!" shouted Wu Yan.
Success on the first take!
Everyone at the scene was crying their eyes out, even the cameraman had tears in his eyes.
An Wen, who was curled into a ball, tried to prop her arm up as Jiang Shiyu, with tears still rolling in her eyes, immediately rushed forward to assist her. An Wen's eyes were red and puffy from all the crying, yet she waved her hand in the air and yelled, "We're finished!"
Everyone cheered and gave a round of applause!
Wu Yan called out to all the crew for a photo to commemorate the event. Qi Ming stood next to her and said softly, "It was great working with you."
"You too!" said An Wen as she smiled into the camera.
There was still some time before the filming of "Flowers Fall in Chang'an" began. An Wen decided that she would take a break after the final year examination. She stayed in every day and spent her time either playing online games, reading, or sleeping.
The Spring Festival was fast approaching, and Jiang Shiyu was given a half-month long holiday.
Chu Qichen returned to the villa more frequently and for longer periods of time. Every time he came home, he would urge An Wen to return to her parents for the festive season.
An Wen possessed the Original Host's memories. Her parents and brother treated her with exaggerated care as if she was a porcelain doll. The Original Host had to go on a hunger strike in order to return to the country. An Wen knew there was a high chance that she could never come back once she reunited with her parents.
On the other hand, her family did not stay in contact all this while because they knew they might forcefully bring their daughter abroad with them and that would break her heart.
It was exactly because of this reason that An Wen was hiding from them about her involvement in the entertainment industry.
"An Wen, Uncle and Aunt miss you dearly. You have to be a sensible child," said Chu Qichen with a stern face.
"No, I'll not change my mind!" An Wen pouted, her slender finger flipping a page of the book.
She became less fearful of him after that incident in the study room.
"My place is not open to anyone during the Spring Festival. If you're not going home then you can't stay here either," said Chu Qichen nonchalantly.
"I'll stay in the hotel, then," replied the girl.
There was no way Chu Qichen could leave her at the hotel. He could neither scold nor hit the girl either. Plus, he was constantly worried about her safety.
He had not even had a girlfriend, yet he already understood the troubles of a father.
An Wen shamelessly stayed with the Chus during the Spring Festival. On the eve, she made a video call back home to her parents.
An Wen's mother cried as soon as she saw her daughter's face on the screen. An Wen's father also had watery eyes. "Xiao Wen, you've lost some weight…"
"No, I've not. In fact, I've grown fatter because Grandpa Chu couldn't stop feeding me." An Wen passed the phone over to Chu Qichen and did a little twirl for her parents. "I've not lost any weight, have I?" she said while a wide grin hung on her face.
Her parents were slightly startled as they had not seen her behave this lively before.
An Wen got hold of the phone again and smiled. "The old me was too dependent on you that Mom even did all my shopping for me. That's why I want to live apart from you guys for a while. Dad, Mom, I'm really happy right now. I've made new friends and I got first place in the final year exam again."
Suddenly, she lowered her head and said sorrowfully, "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry…"
Her mother, who could not bear seeing her child unhappy, quickly comforted, "Dad and Mom will never blame you. We're over the moon that you've grown more thoughtful."
A beam appeared on An Wen's face straight away. Then, she conversed with her parents for a little longer before introducing them to the Chu family.
"This is Grandpa Chu who's been super kind to me. He gifted me an amazingly charming necklace just this evening." An Wen turned the camera toward Grandpa Chu as she spoke.
Her parents thanked her and Grandpa Chu returned the manners. An Wen's brother only appeared in the last five minutes of the phone call, exhorting his best friend Chu Qichen to take good care of An Wen.
It was not until she hung up the call that An Wen realized she missed Xia Wei's performance on the TV. Hence, she quickly went online to watch the replay.
Everyone was talking about Xia Wei in their private group chat.
[Tell me, my handsomeness has made you faint, hasn't it?]
[Quick, come and shower me with compliments]
…
In order to prevent Xia Wei from ruining everyone's mood on the Spring Festival's eve, they showed their adoration for him.
[Ye Xiaoxing: Brother, I've fainted because of your good looks]
[Cheng Hanwen: I'm crying over your beautiful appearance]
[An Wen: Has God descended upon the mortal world?]
[Xie Wei: I choose An Wen as the representative]
…
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