Chapter 71: Gazes p2
It was past 4 PM, and there was supposed to be another scene this afternoon, a scene of the concubines complaining to the empress and demanding a solution. Director Pan hesitated, after all, they were on a tight schedule, skipping a scene seemed like a waste of time. But looking at the disgruntled faces of the actresses, who were still full from the porridge, even Ji Junxin didn’t look very well. He thought for a moment. “Although the porridge wasn’t very good, don’t worry, there was nothing harmful in it. We did film too many takes, you should all go back and rest, just be back on time tomorrow.”
Director Pan waved his hand dismissively, and everyone was relieved, except for Jiang Lingling.
Jiang Lingling had been waiting for the next scene, the one where the concubines surrounded the empress. She had waited all afternoon, and now Director Pan was saying they weren’t filming it. She might as well have gone back earlier, wasting her time and makeup…
Hearing that the reason for skipping the scene was that everyone was too full from the porridge, Jiang Lingling mentally added another mark against Jiang Duo. After the Nan Tian incident, she had wanted to teach the Jiang family a lesson, but Dong Yuannan had stopped her. He said that “Imperial Secrets” was still filming, and they were all still partners. If Jiang Lingling couldn’t completely remove Jiang Duo from the production, it was better to wait patiently. After the film was released, and everyone moved on to other projects, there would be no conflict of interest, and Jiang Duo’s reputation wouldn’t affect the others in the crew. Jiang Lingling naturally trusted her godfather and hadn’t taken any action. Now, still during filming, she could only add another grudge against Jiang Duo.
Finishing early, Jiang Lingling enthusiastically invited Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin to the restaurant. Ji Junxin, who was about to burst from all the porridge, felt sick at the mention of a restaurant and politely declined. Since Ji Junxin wasn’t going, neither was Mi Hongdou, and Jiang Lingling lost interest in inspecting her property.
Watching the two leave together, Jiang Lingling felt a pang of loneliness. Spending a day with them only intensified her desire for a relationship.
Too full from the porridge, Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou returned to the hotel, washed up, and went to bed. The filming schedule had been intense recently, and they had woken up early this morning. Since they didn’t have to eat dinner, they happily decided to go to bed early.
But perhaps because they went to bed too early, Mi Hongdou woke up a little past eleven. She had only slept for a little over five hours, but she couldn’t fall asleep again, no matter how hard she tried: meditation, counting sheep, nothing worked. She checked her phone, still a little past eleven. It was frustrating, was she destined for a sleepless night? … She put down her phone, turned over, and looked towards Ji Junxin’s bed.
There seemed to be a flickering light. Mi Hongdou rubbed her eyes and looked again. It wasn’t her imagination. Was Ji Junxin also awake?
Mi Hongdou looked at the faint light, wanting to say something, but remained silent. This distance, this silent observation, was a subtle form of satisfaction. Perhaps one day, she wouldn’t be able to be this close. Then, remembering this moment would be a comfort. Mi Hongdou’s thoughts were a little pessimistic. Some people were destined to maintain a certain distance, like the space between two beds, like the gap between two people. The intimacy she craved, but could never have, she could only imagine in the darkness. Her thoughts ran wild, but her actions were restrained…
A sweet torment, perhaps.
Fortunately, after a while, the covers on Ji Junxin’s bed were pulled back, and the light from her phone, no longer obstructed, became brighter. Unsure of what was happening, Mi Hongdou quickly closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, afraid of being caught staring.
Darkness was indeed a good cover. Mi Hongdou’s slightly flushed face, hidden in the darkness, wasn’t noticed by Ji Junxin. She quietly got out of bed, tiptoeing out of the room.
The room was silent. Mi Hongdou carefully opened her eyes a crack. Darkness. After a moment, her eyes adjusted, and she could make out the shapes of the furniture. The covers on the bed next to hers were piled high, and she wasn’t sure if Ji Junxin had gotten up.
Just then, the rustling sound of plastic bags from the living room answered her question.
Could it be… another stomachache? … Thinking about the disgusting porridge this afternoon, Mi Hongdou frowned, listening to the rustling, and finally couldn’t stay in bed any longer. She sat up.
Putting on a jacket, Mi Hongdou didn’t bother turning on the lights, just using her phone’s flashlight. She got out of bed and shone the light on Ji Junxin’s bed. It was indeed empty, just the covers piled high.
It was January, and the weather was cold. Leaving the covers like this would let out all the warmth. After a brief hesitation, Mi Hongdou reached out and smoothed them out.
The fabric was soft and slightly warm. That was… Ji Junxin’s warmth. Mi Hongdou’s hand lingered on the covers, as if her body had made the decision to let her hand savor the warmth for a little longer. So soft, so warm, it must still carry Ji Junxin’s scent… Mi Hongdou’s hand trembled slightly. With the last of her rationality, she quickly smoothed out the covers and stepped away from the bed.
Her heart pounded, and her breathing quickened. She turned off her phone’s flashlight, clenched her trembling hand into a fist, and tried to calm down. In the darkness, she regulated her breathing, listening to the rustling of plastic bags outside.
Just an empty bed, and she was already losing control. A wry smile appeared on Mi Hongdou’s face, hidden in the darkness. Where was her path leading…
The darkness and the cold gradually calmed her down. The rustling continued, and Mi Hongdou chided herself for her earlier, almost creepy behavior, rubbed her face, turned on her phone’s flashlight again, and went out.
It was just a few steps from the bedroom to the living room. Soon, she saw Ji Junxin curled up on the sofa.
The living room lights were off. Ji Junxin, holding her phone in one hand and a bag of chips in the other, was munching happily.
Like a squirrel in winter, nibbling on the nuts it stored in autumn… That was Mi Hongdou’s first thought.
Ji Junxin hadn’t expected Mi Hongdou to be up. When the light from Mi Hongdou’s phone fell on her, she looked up, her expression slightly confused, her cheeks puffed out from the chips, like a field mouse caught stealing food. So, in Mi Hongdou’s eyes, the quietly munching squirrel instantly transformed into a startled field mouse.
“Are you hungry?” Mi Hongdou smiled, thinking that Ji Junxin’s stomach was hurting again and she had gotten up to take medicine. But it wasn’t the rustling of medicine bags, it was the sound of chip bags. Thinking this, she felt relieved. As long as she wasn’t unwell, it was fine. Mi Hongdou figured that Ji Junxin must have been too full from the porridge to eat dinner and had gone straight to bed, but now she was hungry. Come to think of it, Mi Hongdou also felt a little hungry.
Ji Junxin, embarrassed at being caught eating in the middle of the night, offered the bag of chips to Mi Hongdou. “Are you hungry? Want some?”
Mi Hongdou shook her head, walked over, and turned on the living room light. “Chips aren’t very filling, do you want something more substantial?” She added, “If you’re not sleepy.”
“I’m not sleepy!” Ji Junxin immediately replied. The lunch today had been ordinary, not satisfying at all. And the afternoon’s porridge and pickled vegetables were a tragedy, she had even had to force herself to eat so much of it. Now, with Mi Hongdou offering to cook, Ji Junxin’s heart was filled with fireworks, how could she be sleepy? Moreover… she had been too hungry earlier. She had woken up at eleven and couldn’t fall asleep again. After tossing and turning in bed for a long time, she finally gave up and came out to eat chips.
Mi Hongdou smiled at Ji Junxin. “Don’t eat the chips anymore, I’ll make you something, it’ll be quick.”
Ji Junxin looked at the chip bag reluctantly, then obediently put it away, sealing it with a clip.
“What are we having?” The little foodie, having put away the chips and washed her hands, asked expectantly.
Mi Hongdou opened the refrigerator and looked inside. “Hmm… there’s some minced meat, I can make some meatballs, with vegetables and mushrooms, how about meatball soup? Do you want rice? I can steam some, or if not, I’ll just make more meatballs.”
“No rice!” Ji Junxin said with a grimace. “I don’t even want to see rice or porridge for a while.”
She was even holding a grudge now. Looking at the pitiful little foodie, Mi Hongdou’s mood soared. “Okay, meatball soup it is.”
Taking out the minced meat, vegetables, and mushrooms from the refrigerator, Mi Hongdou glanced at Ji Junxin, who was watching her. “No need to watch me, I’ll be done soon, go sit on the sofa and play.” She glanced at Ji Junxin’s phone, which seemed to be still on, and smiled. “Are you reading romance novels?”
Ji Junxin blushed and ran back to the sofa, snatching her phone and covering the screen with her hand.
Oh, silence means yes… Mi Hongdou smiled at the slightly embarrassed Ji Junxin. “It’s okay, I used to read romance novels too, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” “Used to” meant back in middle school… there was no need to tell the already embarrassed Ji Junxin.
Ji Junxin’s face turned even redder. She opened her mouth slightly, as if wanting to protest, but then remained silent, seemingly annoyed.
Haha, so easily angered, so cute… Mi Hongdou, pouring the minced meat into a bowl and preparing to season it, wasn’t worried about annoying Ji Junxin. The meatballs would be ready soon, and no matter how angry she was, she could be easily appeased with food.
Ji Junxin glared at Mi Hongdou, who went off to cook after teasing her, feeling frustrated.
It wasn’t a romance novel! She roared silently.
She removed her hand from the phone screen, which displayed the end screen of the “The Empress Invites You to Dinner~” video. It was better for Mi Hongdou to think she was reading romance novels than to know that she had been watching this video and reading the comments all night… For some reason, Ji Junxin didn’t want Mi Hongdou to know.
Since Director Pan showed them the porridge scene that afternoon, something had shifted in Ji Junxin’s heart. She had rewatched the trailer tonight, initially wanting to see the new comments, but then she noticed details she hadn’t noticed before.
It was the young empress’s gaze towards Miao Qianye after handing her the fried rice, when Miao Qianye took the bowl but didn’t immediately eat. A look full of worry, concern, and an unspoken urgency… Ji Junxin hadn’t missed this look when she watched the trailer earlier, but after seeing the porridge scene this afternoon, she seemed to see more in that gaze. It was strange, why hadn’t she noticed it before? … It felt like something was constantly being updated, revealing more and more details. It was both novel and slightly unsettling.
Mi Hongdou’s grasp of the character was perfect, even her gaze could draw you into the scene. She was truly a talented actress. Ji Junxin came to this conclusion after watching the porridge scene and the trailer. She felt that there was more to it, but she couldn’t articulate it.
The hotel suite had an open kitchen. Ji Junxin sat on the sofa, just a few steps away from Mi Hongdou, who was busily cooking. A strange thought suddenly occurred to her… If the young empress’s gaze towards Miao Qianye in the drama was always affectionate, gentle, worried, even indulgent and expectant, then what was Mi Hongdou’s gaze towards her like in real life?
Ji Junxin was suddenly curious, even a little eager… She didn’t even understand why she felt this eagerness…
Mi Hongdou warmed the minced meat in a bowl of warm water, then stirred it, making it easier to season. She added salt, MSG, a little sugar, and a pinch of white pepper. Hmm… should she add one egg or two? One egg wouldn’t be smooth enough, but two might make it too loose… As she seasoned the meat and calculated the egg ratio, Mi Hongdou had no idea that her biggest fear was about to come true.
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