Chapter 57: Childhood Dream (Part 2)

  Time flies with the rotation of seconds, fleeting is time. Emotions flow and change, dizzying is life.

  Looking from afar at Chu Lianyou, Gu Huanli's obsidian eyes were as calm and still as a pool of water. Her sweet and lovely smile, her polite demeanor, without any tension, everyone who saw Chu Lianyou thought she was a completely unassuming good girl.

  Life is always so wonderful. Among the thousands of children selected by the director, it was Chu Lianyou and Gu Huanli who were chosen. The roles they played in the movie, as well as the entire story, seemed to be a replay of past events. The synchronization rate was so high that Gu Huanli often felt dizzy.

  This romantic film, although commercialized, has a touching story. When Gu Huanli heard that the director of this play she was fortunate enough to participate in was Fan Shuyan, she suddenly felt a little lucky. Maybe now Fan Shuyan is just a newcomer, but years later, his directed art film "Midnight Song" won a big prize internationally, and the heroine of the film won the Best Actress award at domestic and foreign film festivals several times, which was sensational at that time.

  Fortunately, because Chu Lianyou also got the opportunity to participate in this film, Gu Huanli had not yet spoken, and Gu Wenjuan had already persuaded Gu Tianxi for her. What made Gu Huanli stunned was that Gu Tianxi actually agreed, and even personally negotiated with Ye, and fought for five days' time for her.

  Five days...

  Gu Huanli couldn't help but smile wryly. Yes, the training given to her by Ye was too much, and even if she slacked off for just one day, it would affect her plans. She silently sighed, thinking that it was because of her own arrogance that she had become a tragic figure. Therefore, on a certain day in the future, far away from the dazzling world surrounded by people, she stood alone in the corner, lost in thought.

  What a fool! Guan Huanli patted her own head forcefully, didn't she say she wouldn't think about it anymore?

  "Miss." Cassidy smiled lightly, his blue eyes like jade, clear and with a hint of gentle warmth. His flaxen hair was smooth and stuck to the back of his head, his bangs gently falling down, a few strands covering his eyes. "Young Master said that after things are settled in these few days, I will send you back to Shensee City."

  "Actually, brother..." Gu Huanli's words were not yet finished when she saw the director's assistant hurrying over with a script, and she had to swallow back the rest of her words.

  Looking at the long hair scattered on her shoulders, eyes shining like stars, set against the moon-white small dress, fresh as dew drops, Gu Huanli. The director's assistant nodded in satisfaction, "According to the script, the first shot is Mo Xin and Mo Ran's first meeting at the birthday party, the prop department has already prepared a piano for you."

  Piano? Ah, when Mu Xin walked into the spacious hall led by her uncle, she saw that it was Mu Ran sitting in front of the piano, playing elegantly.

  Although Mingming had given up on music and wanted to stay away from the piano, the new path he chose was still related to it. Is this a kind of irony or a hint? Fortunately, the song required by the screenwriter in the script is not difficult, and there is no burden on her already healed fingers. After all, what she really fears is her heart.

  With a hint of bitterness and desolation, Gu Huanli placed her hand lightly on the slightly cool piano keys. In an instant, a familiar yet strange feeling seeped from her fingertips to her heart. It wasn't until much later that she realized her ten fingers were dancing freely on the keys. All her confusion, all her gloom, all her pain, and all her discontent vanished in the moment the notes floated away with the wind.

  She gently closed her eyes, a warm smile spreading across her lips as her body swayed softly to the rhythm of the music. All the guests watched in rapt attention as she sat at the piano, her slender yet elegant back a picture of poise. They listened intently as each note flowed from the black and white keys like gentle streams. Through the soft light, the curves of her face were faintly visible, lively and delicate.

  The director, who was holding the script in a cylindrical shape, put it to his lips and shouted loudly, "You are entering a life that is completely different from the past. You should show tension and fear, not looking back left and right."

  Chu Lianyou, who was being blamed by the director, not only didn't feel apologetic but instead curved up a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of her lips, which was very eerie. She was wearing a light green dress, an extremely pale shade that made people dizzy and disoriented, so pale it made one's heart feel bewildered.

  After more than a dozen NGs, Gu Huanli's fingers finally felt a slight pain, which should be the result of not practicing for a long time. While waiting for the lighting engineer to adjust the light, Cassidy used an ice pack to gently apply it to her fingers. As for the sympathetic glances from the people around her, Gu Huanli didn't want to complain and was too lazy to complain. After all, even the actors who played Mo Ran's father and mother were patiently waiting for Chu Liuyu to adjust her state.

  Following Chu Lian, Yu was accompanied by Gu Wenjuan. Recently, the situation in the company has made her worried and anxious. However, her daughter suddenly got a chance to be on camera, which made her spirit shake involuntarily.

  So, Gu Wenjuan took her daughter into the crew without hesitation, and even transferred a sum of money to the crew's account, just to get more shots for Chu Lianyou in the film. As for Gu Huanli, Gu Wenjuan had already declared to the producer that her investment was only for Chu Lianyou, and if possible, she would add another investment to delete some scenes where Gu Huanli appeared. If Mo Ran hadn't opened a piano studio after growing up, Gu Wenjuan originally wanted Chu Lianyou to play the role of Mo Ran.

  After all, from the script's point of view, Mo Ran is much gentler and more elegant than Mo Xin. Moreover, with a positive image and being healthy... Gu Wenjuan even specially consulted some agents, and fortunately, their opinions were that a romantic comedy wouldn't affect the actor's image in the audience's minds due to the character's good or bad personality. Besides, children don't need too much acting skill, as long as they're cute, it's considered a natural performance and people will like it.

  This set of shots went through three NGs and finally barely passed. The next set of shots is Mo Ran's parents introducing Mo Xin to Mo Ran.

  Mo Xin, with a mix of fear and admiration in her heart, finally walked to the focal point of everyone's attention. Her hand trembled as she stroked the icy piano, as if drawn in, unable to help but stretch out her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, approaching hesitantly, and finally lightly touching, completely interrupting Mo Ran's performance.

  Mo Ran lifted his head, slightly surprised to look at Mo Xin. She was slightly stunned and asked softly, "You... who are you?" It wasn't accusatory, nor did it need to be. She was just curious about this girl who looked a bit like her.

  "I'm Mo Xin." A faint blush rose to her pale face, but Mo Xin told Mo Ran her name without hesitation. Her fingers still lingered on the piano keys, the smooth feeling seeming to suck her fingers in, leaving a reluctant touch.

  The winter sun's rays gathered at the end of her raven-black hair, exuding a texture like silk. Mo Ran smiled faintly, and in an instant, it was as if he had opened up a vast expanse of pure white petals in the darkness, amidst which floated a beauty that was both crystal clear and ethereal. "So, you're my sister." Her voice carried a smile, but her face was filled with complex emotions - a desire to get close yet fear of being rejected.

  Mo Xin, no, it should be Chu Lian who was staring at her in shock and amazement, unable to even make a timid expression, but inadvertently revealing apologetic eyes, saying in a low voice, "That's right, I'm your sister."

  "I am Mo Ran." Gu Huanli smiled softly as she played the role of Mo Ran, pulling Mo Xin to sit beside her on the piano bench according to the script. Her fingertips lightly danced across the keys, playing a smooth and fluent melody, for Mo Ran had always been waiting, waiting for someone who could harmonize with her music, to complete "A Midsummer Night's Dream" together.

  Looking at the smile on Mo Ran's face, Mo Xin couldn't help but place her fingers on the piano as well. Before her father passed away, she had also seriously studied piano and considered music to be a dream of hers. There was one piece of sheet music that left a particularly deep impression on her. The notes were arranged in groups of four lines, which was quite different from other pieces with two-line arrangements. Perhaps the sheet music had been etched into her memory, or perhaps she was born with an affinity for musical notes. When she looked up at the sheet music, she began to play out the main melody note by note, from a single sound to a smooth and flowing harmony that seemed to dance like clouds in the sky.

  ...cut... The director was very satisfied with the performance of this set of shots, and he beckoned a plain-looking little girl to reenact the four-hand piano piece "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Gu Huanli.

  The next scene is Mo Xin being bullied at school, she mistakenly thinks that the one who instigated those people is Mo Ran, who has been gradually neglected at home, so after returning home, she finds her to reason.

  The prop team was setting up the scene, and the producer couldn't help but glance at Gu Wenjuan, who had been making eyes at him from behind, as he walked over to Director Fan Shuyan and started chatting with him.

  "Director, these two kids' acting skills are not bad, what do you think?"

  "With your professional vision, who does the company want to sign with for the next TV series?" Fan Shu Yan is not a difficult person to communicate with, and he also knows what kind of dark underbelly and rules exist in this circle, so naturally, he threw the question back at the producer.

  "That's still up to the director, isn't it?" The producer smiled wryly and glanced at Gu Huanli who was standing aside, quietly reciting her lines, then looked at Chu Lianyou who was leaning against her mother's bosom, whispering something. "One is slow in memorizing lines but performs flawlessly, the other is quick to memorize lines but lacks polish in acting skills. If they both want to make it in this circle, they still need a lot of practice. Don't you think?"

  "Indeed." Fan Shu Yan smiled lightly with narrowed eyes, his gaze filled with understanding and ridicule. "After all, this is their first step in this circle, whether they become dragons or snakes depends entirely on their luck and abilities."

  The producer wasn't angry about Fan Shuoyan's mediocrity either. There weren't a few actors in the crew who came with money, but if those people really took on important roles, it wouldn't just be the director's reputation that would be ruined, but also the company's. Anyway, he had provided an opportunity, whether or not they could seize it was up to themselves, and the director couldn't possibly hold their hands through everything.

  The director looked at the props, lighting and camera, all ready to go, and said calmly into the walkie-talkie in his hand, "All departments are ready, we'll start shooting in ten minutes."

  Children's quarrels always start with a war of words. However, Mo Ran was gentle by nature, and even when Mo Xin yelled at her with a sorrowful face, the dark, deep pools of her eyes still sparkled with a faint smile.

  I hate Gu Huanli's condescending attitude. Chu Lianyou thought to herself as she recited her lines while holding the script. Although she had spent half as much time in school as everyone else, she was still first in her grade for the mid-term exams.

  Since childhood, Chu Lianyou had always admired Gu Huanli's carefree and effortless nature, thinking that her own life was filled with studying, attending Olympiad classes, and various special talent classes. Her mother's pursuit of perfectionism always left her feeling powerless and desolate. However, entering the drama group as an actress earned her mother's first genuine praise.

  However, Gu Huanli again walked in front of her, once again becoming an obstacle. Chu Lianyou was extremely angry at this reality. Her anger outside the play extended to Mo Xin's body inside the play, and she picked up the ice water beside her without hesitation and splashed it onto Mo Ran's body. But when she splashed, her hand didn't grip tightly, and the cup flew out together with the water, heavily hitting Gu Huanli's forehead. A bright red liquid gushed out of the wound, sliding down her cheek and leaving a blood-colored mark.

  The scene was as silent as death.

  “cut”