Chapter 56

Chapter 56

New Year's Eve.

After several meetings with the key crew members, Director Yang Zhengyi finally settled on a rather artistic and unclear title for the film—"The City of Sunlight." The name was changed on the 29th of the lunar new year, and the next day, the production team placed a nameplate with several small green flowers, of unknown origin, on the director's office door, renaming it the "City of Sunlight Lord’s Office." After the change, An Ye felt that this film was probably doomed.

It was hard to tell whether it was because of New Year's Eve, or the strange, overly optimistic title, but the atmosphere on set today was particularly relaxed. Even Assistant Director Qian had a smile on his face, and was curled up in the City Lord's office, dozing off, wrapped in a dark red scarf.

The shoot today was located more than three hundred kilometers away in the mountainous area near Bai Gang City. All of the scenes were set in winter. After a few snowfalls had accumulated, Director Yang finally decided to take the crew there. The timing was perfect, just before and after the Spring Festival. Fortunately, the location wasn’t too remote, as there were some tourist villages nearby with good-quality homestays, so the shoot wasn’t too strenuous.

Filming winter scenes in winter had its benefits; at least everyone was dressed warmly.

Things were going smoothly, and An Ye had already shot some scenes in the mountains before, playing Ah Lin in that repressed state where she was on the verge of madness but not quite there. She portrayed it very skillfully, usually getting it in one take. Occasionally, the director asked for a few more versions, or other actors’ lighting or locations had issues and needed reshooting, but An Ye could easily get back into character.

She was surprised by how well she was performing this time.

She had a vague sense of the reason. The appearance of Chi Tuo was like that of a savior descending from the sky. He could help with almost anything. Everything she was afraid of, he seemed to handle effortlessly, protecting her without issue.

Ten years had passed, and he had become incredibly strong, almost illogically so. Apart from sleep, he seemed to have no weaknesses.

He was emotionally stable, decisive, and even his cooking had improved to several levels higher than before.

And so, she was even more scared.

Ten years ago, when they had no abilities, but when they comforted each other by licking their wounds, it had felt truly comforting.

Now, however, she felt uneasy.

Because she seemed to be in an unexpectedly good state, and also because of how incredibly strong Chi Tuo seemed.

The daytime shoot wrapped up two hours earlier than expected, and Director Yang Zhengyi was very pleased. He invited the remaining cast and crew to the village for the New Year's Eve dinner. An Ye didn't go. She had a scene later that night where her character would first show signs of split personality disorder. She stayed at the homestay to get into character, letting Lan Yifang and the other assistants sent by the Huan Zhou group go to the dinner. She made herself a cup of full-fat milk with a little cinnamon powder, as her own way of celebrating the New Year.

After filming these scenes, she would need to transition into Ah Lin's post-transformation state. She was still two pounds away from her target weight, and had already started cutting back on carbs and salt. When it came time for the "post-transformation" Ah Lin, she would have to strictly control her water intake as well.

Filming was indeed a strenuous task, both physically and mentally.

Holding the milk cup, An Ye sent a message to Chi Tuo, who had already arrived at Wangcheng: "Have you arrived at my place?"

A few minutes later, Chi Tuo sent a picture of the neighborhood gate: "Is it this neighborhood?"

Chi Tuo: "Did you finish your scenes today?"

Little Goose: "Yes."

Little Goose: "Actually, you can just leave the things with the security guard. No need to come inside."

Chi Tuo called her.

An Ye sighed and picked up the phone. "I’m getting into character right now. Once I finish talking to you, I have to get back into the mood."

"Lan Yifang said you’ve been getting everything in one take recently." Chi Tuo seemed to be walking, and his voice was a bit shaky. "You're already fully in character."

An Ye didn’t reply.

He was worried she might get too immersed in the role, just like the night before. So, during his free time, he had been calling her frequently.

"Is it 501?" he asked, rustling around on the other end. "This building is the only one with no window decorations on the fifth floor.""Did you arrive?" An Ye asked. "My mom is still the same, saying that the window decorations block the light."

After a pause, she repeated, "Just leave the stuff with the security guard, no need to come up."

Chi Tuo was quiet for a few seconds, then asked, "What’s wrong?"

An Ye bit her lip, holding the milk cup's handle, tracing back and forth six or seven times before saying, "She doesn't speak nicely, and her temper has gotten worse over the years."

It was the New Year.

"Well, let her say what she wants," Chi Tuo chuckled, pressing the doorbell.

He didn’t hang up.

So, An Ye heard her mother, Wang Shanshan’s voice on the other end of the phone. First, she asked who it was, then, probably having seen Chi Tuo through the video doorbell, she quieted for a moment and then joyfully called out, "Oh, who’s this? Tuo Tuo!"

An Ye hung up the phone.

She continued drinking her milk expressionlessly.

The unease in her heart expanded a little more, like ink droplets falling on rice paper, gradually spreading and blending.

An hour passed, and Chi Tuo still hadn’t contacted her again. She sent him a message asking if he was okay but received no reply. Lan Yifang came in holding a small basket and a plate of ginger vinegar, and saw An Ye staring out the window, holding an empty cup.

"Tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner has steamed crabs..." Lan Yifang hesitated, afraid to disturb An Ye’s immersion in her role. "I asked the nutritionist, and they said one would be fine since they’re high in protein... An Jie... do you want one?"

"Just leave it there." An Ye got up and washed the milk cup.

Lan Yifang stood by.

She remembered the look on An Ye’s face when Chi Tuo had made her that long-named sweet soup that tasted really good. After she had a sip, the expression on her face said it all.

Lan Yifang was An Ye’s assistant. At first, she had only been a life assistant, but after An Ye decided to terminate her contract with Huan Zhou and signed a new contract with Lan Yifang, she became An Ye’s personal assistant.

Lan Yifang really liked being called "one of us," and she was very grateful to An Ye. She knew she wasn’t cut out for being a celebrity assistant—she was too introverted, not thorough enough, and didn’t have the fiery energy of Qi Wei or the boldness of Qing Ze's assistant. She didn’t know much, but An Ye still made her part of her team.

So, she didn’t want An Ye to spend the New Year's Eve alone, isolated in her room, getting into character. She wanted to see An Ye show that relaxed expression she always had after eating something good.

But it seemed rather difficult.

An Ye seemed to have no appetite. With her head lowered, she fiddled with the crab cracker, and after a long while, she only ate a crab leg.

"You..." An Ye put down the cracker and looked up at Lan Yifang. "Aren’t you going home for the New Year?"

Lan Yifang was surprised, but quickly shook her head. "It’s okay, my little brother went home early this year."

An Ye rarely talked to her about things like this when she was sober, but when she was asleep, she would. Though, when she was like that, she was too direct, and Lan Yifang, being somewhat awkward, often couldn’t keep up with the conversation.

An Ye hummed, then cracked open another crab leg.

She seemed like she had something to say, her expression thoughtful.

Lan Yifang pulled over a stool and sat beside An Ye.

"Do you... miss home?" An Ye asked after she finished cracking all the crab legs.

Lan Yifang blinked, then nodded, and shook her head.

"What does it feel like to miss home?" An Ye asked her again.Lan Yifang was thinking that this might be something required for getting into character, but she remembered that Ah Lin’s relationship with her family wasn’t very good.

"Well, I think about the bed at home," Lan Yifang said after thinking for a while. "The desk in my room, the curtains, the sheets, things like that."

It was rare for An Ye to ask about something like this, so she spoke in detail.

"And the smell," Lan Yifang smiled shyly. "My hometown mainly grows oranges, and every time the oranges are picked, before the merchants come to take them, they’re kept at home."

"Those oranges that haven’t been taken yet are soaked in medicine and tied up in little bags. The whole house smells like oranges mixed with alcohol," Lan Yifang said.

An Ye listened intently.

Lan Yifang paused, then continued describing, "And the lighting in my house... My hometown still uses very old light bulbs, no lampshades. When you turn them on, unlike energy-saving lights that are dim at first and then gradually brighten, these bulbs shine brightly the moment you turn them on."

"When I feel sad, I think about that light bulb," Lan Yifang said. "It’s so bright, like the sun."

An Ye smiled.

Lan Yifang’s descriptions were very moving.

The things she missed about home were very concrete—there were no people, just the smells, light, and scenes.

An Ye suddenly understood a little. She understood why her little assistant, despite knowing her parents’ strong preference for sons over daughters, still sent money home every month. It was money meant to sustain the warm memories she had from her childhood.

Lan Yifang had a home, a concrete, soul-nurturing place.

An Ye also vaguely understood the reason for her unease.

She had never thought about home. She didn’t have that warmth she wanted to protect with all her strength. The home in her memory was nothing but endless arguments, the light always dim and yellow. When she woke up, the room was always silent.

She didn’t want to think about these things.

She didn’t want Chi Tuo to return to those memories either.

Because, Chi Tuo had never had that kind of warmth. He didn’t have those memories of home that made someone’s eyes shine like Lan Yifang’s did.

They didn’t have a home.

Chi Tuo had come to Wangcheng to see Wang Shanshan, not just for the New Year’s greetings, but for other matters as well.

While investigating Yan Wan’s background, Chi Tuo discovered that Wang Shanshan had been quite close to him. Wang Shanshan was obsessed with the entertainment industry. When she was young, her good looks had caught the eye of a talent scout, who wanted to have her photographed for a magazine. However, back then, Wang Shanshan was already in a relationship with An Huaimin, and in order to stabilize that relationship, she turned down the opportunity.

Later, after Wang Shanshan got married and had children, she realized that the photos the talent scout had spoken of were for a very popular movie magazine. Several of the current top stars had debuted after being photographed for that magazine.

Wang Shanshan always felt that if she hadn’t turned down that opportunity, she could have become a big star.

This obsession later became something she imposed on An Jiujiu.

An Jiujiu became the vessel for Wang Shanshan’s dream, which was why Wang Shanshan could never truly stop caring about her daughter’s career in the entertainment industry, no matter what An Ye said.

Wang Shanshan loved the entertainment industry even more than An Jiujiu did. It was the dream she had sacrificed for marriage and raising children.

Chi Tuo had come this time to gauge Wang Shanshan’s attitude.

He had no hope in Wang Shanshan. He just hoped that at the very least, she wouldn’t be on Yan Wan’s side. An Ye’s mental state wasn’t good, and he didn’t want Wang Shanshan to be involved when they were negotiating the contract termination.

After all, the mental abuse from a manager could be used as leverage during contract termination, but he didn’t want to bring a family member into it.An Ye could let people know about her recurrent hypersomnia, or she could tell them about her difficulties with getting into character, but she didn’t want anyone to know that even her mother was on Yan Wan’s side, thinking that it would be better for An Ye to sell her suffering for money rather than just filming normally.

The attitude of the closest people around a person can influence others.

It also affects An Ye herself.

At least, that was what he had thought on his way to Wangcheng.

But when he arrived at Wang Shanshan’s house and saw the bustling kitchen and Wang Shanshan on the phone, trying to rally people, Chi Tuo realized that he had once again overestimated human nature.