Chapter 9: Nine Fires

After Zeng Meng called her father and inquired about the other party’s identity as well as his goddaughter’s background, she forwarded the information to Yan Duo. Yan Duo then slipped into the bathroom to call Qi Sixian.

Qi Sixian didn’t blame Yan Duo for causing trouble. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Alright, I’m aware of the situation now. I’ll handle it carefully.”

At this moment, Qi Sixian already had a plan in mind. She decided to first investigate the relationship between the two godfathers and their goddaughter. If the relationship was poor, there would be no need for elaborate measures. If it was good, she would pull the rug out from under the goddaughter, completely depriving her of her backing, leaving her with no confidence to cause trouble for Yan Duo and the others.

Yan Duo sensed that Qi Sixian had a plan and immediately flattered her with a grin, “My Qi-jie is still the best, absolutely amazing! Love you so much!”

Qi Sixian had a smile on his face, but his words weren’t very pleasant. “Forget it. Just focus on your work in the future and cause me less trouble!”

Yan Duo immediately responded with a laugh. “If I make it big, you can exploit me all you want. If I don’t, I’ll still take whatever you dish out.”

Qi Sixian: “Get lost.”

After hanging up the phone, Yan Duo felt reassured. Seeing Zhou Yingmeng sitting on the bed reading a script, she didn’t mention the matter and instead climbed onto the bed to rehearse lines with her.

Before bed, the two girls whispered secrets to each other.

Yan Duo recalled a certain phrase Zhou Yingmeng had said that evening but hesitated to ask about it.

Zhou Yingmeng noticed her hesitation and said, “If you have any questions, just ask. I’ll answer everything truthfully and without holding back.”

Yan Duo chuckled softly and whispered, “Is it true what you said about Mu Tian being a ‘toothpick’?”

Yan Duo hesitated for a long time before finally asking this question. Zhou Yingmeng burst into laughter, finding her adorably silly. After finishing her laugh, she put on a serious face and answered Yan Duo’s question.

“Of course, that’s just an exaggeration, but it certainly couldn’t be thicker than a lipstick.”

After speaking, she laughed again. Zhou Yingmeng had read many years of JJ novels and was quite curious about the male leads described in them—comparable to baby arms or Nongfu Spring bottles. But when she encountered her first real-life version, it turned into what netizens often joked about—”This concubine can’t sit on that!”

Yan Duo glanced at the lipsticks casually placed on the nightstand. Alright, her “experience” was actually quite limited too. After getting together with Ji Ran, she had assumed all men were like him. But this matter—if not for the discussions among her girlfriends—she genuinely wouldn’t have realized that Ji Ran probably belonged to the “exceptionally gifted” category. Truly, without comparison, there’d be no sense of inadequacy.

Zhou Yingmeng gazed at the ceiling and mused, “Actually, whether two people are happy together or not has little to do with ‘size.’ What matters most is that they hold each other in their hearts—missing each other when apart, reluctant to part when together. Even just sitting quietly side by side makes time feel sweet.”

Yan Duo carefully chewed over Zhou Yingmeng’s words. After a while, she turned sideways, recalling what Zhou Yingmeng had said on the day she broke up with Mu Tian: “How can an unequal relationship last when two people go ten days or half a month without contact, or a whole month without meeting, and still don’t say they miss each other?” Those words had kept Yan Duo awake that night, but today she tried to convince herself not to overthink it—even if she couldn’t sleep, she shouldn’t casually message Ji Ran.

Early the next morning, Yan Duo, who had only slept for four hours, still looked quite energetic. After breakfast, she took Fang Fang to the film set. The drama was about to wrap up, so everyone wore faint smiles on their faces.

Today was Zhou Yingmeng’s final scene shoot, tomorrow would be Yan Duo’s, and Zeng Meng’s was scheduled for the day after—marking the very last day of filming for the entire crew.

Zeng Meng worried that she would feel lonely if the two of them left, so she had already arranged with both of them that they would all return to T City together. Neither Zhou Yingmeng nor Yanduo refused.

At this moment, Yan Duo sat on the sidelines watching Zhou Yingmeng lying on the ground, covered in chicken blood, looking utterly disheveled, Feeling somewhat melancholic, that fresh chicken blood would take at least three days to wash off the bloody smell.

“I still envy you—at least your character didn’t die in the end,” Yan Duo said to Zeng Meng.

As the female lead, Du Sha, surrounded by protagonist halo, somehow never managed to die. In the end, she outlasted all her enemies and lived to a ripe old age.

Zeng Meng thought about Yan Duo, who would soon have her chest stained red with chicken blood, and said with a smile, “Washing it a few more times later should help a bit.”

The chicken was freshly slaughtered today, and the blood was still fresh. To make things convenient, the director moved Yan Duo’s final scene shoot to the same day as Zhou Yingmeng’s. Yan Duo would perform her last scene today and film additional scenes tomorrow.

Yan Duo wasn’t unfamiliar with death scenes, but previously, she had only used syrup or artificial blood, which never stained her from chest to feet. This time, as the director put it, they were aiming for utmost realism—the chicken blood bag would burst from the heart area while two additional blood bags at her waist would be punctured, truly recreating the scene of collapsing in a pool of blood.

Imagining the overwhelming smell of chicken blood, Yan Duo had already bought shampoo and body wash with strong deodorizing effects in advance.

After Zhou Yingmeng spent an hour washing up, Yan Duo stepped onto the set.

Under prolonged oppression, Wen Rou developed a rebellious mindset, repeatedly stealing Du Deming’s confidential documents and delivering them to progressive activists—until she was finally exposed by him.

“So what if it’s me? Kill me if you want.”

The gentleness of the past was long gone—no longer the image of a pure, innocent schoolgirl. Dressed in a dark red cheongsam, she swayed her hips as she walked to the vanity to remove her earrings. The woman in the mirror wore flawless makeup, yet her eyes reflected a mocking, indifferent glint.

Du Deming looked at her, fully aware that he should kill her right now, but his body told him clearly that he desired her. He walked over, intending to scoop Wen Rou into his arms, but she reacted violently. After several minutes of struggle between them, a loud “bang” was heard—Wen Rou, shot in the left chest, collapsed limply to the ground.

Du Deming clearly felt his heartbeat seem to stop for a few seconds. He walked over, lifted Wen Rou’s upper body, and wanted to check her gunshot wound, but she stopped him.

“Getting rid of you has always been my greatest wish. Now I’m finally free.”

With that, she closed her eyes.

Even though Wen Rou was desperate to die, Du Deming still didn’t want her to. His hands trembled as he tried to undo her clothes to assess her injuries, but he couldn’t succeed. After Wen Rou’s heartbeat completely stopped, Du Deming gritted his teeth and let out a beast-like, ferocious sound.

……

“Cut! This take is perfect, we’ll use it directly!”

Yan Duo’s scenes have been progressing very smoothly so far, with most shots completed in just one take. Director Chen is quite satisfied with her performance. In the scene just filmed, Yan Duo’s expressions and movements were spot-on, and most importantly, it didn’t waste fresh chicken blood – which particularly pleased Director Chen who prefers to minimize animal slaughter on set.

By the time Yan Duo got up from the floor, Liu Chuang had already left the filming room. She didn’t pay him any mind anyway. Ever since their confrontation last time, he’d maintained this cold attitude toward her. Yan Duo didn’t care – as long as Liu Chuang didn’t deliberately cause trouble for her, she could easily ignore him.

Director Chen had also grown immune to Liu Chuang’s solitary nature. He pulled a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to Yan Duo, saying, “Go wash up quickly—the smell will only get worse if you wait too long.”

Yan Duo smiled as she took the red envelope, thanked Director Chen once more, and then led Fang Fang to the bathroom.

The next two days on set remained peaceful. After finishing her scenes, Yan Duo would stay and observe the filming. On the final day of wrap, the entire crew went out for a meal together, officially marking the conclusion of “Burning Rose” production.

After dinner, the three girls decided to go watch a movie together—it happened to be Ji Ran’s new film. Yan Duo didn’t mention she’d already seen the premiere and accompanied them for another viewing.

Sitting in the theater for the second time, Yan Duo noticed a detail she had previously overlooked—Ji Ran actually had a romantic scene?

The movie had a few scenes with Ji Ran and a nurse. The nurse liked him, but Yan Duo couldn’t tell what Ji Ran felt—just like how she often couldn’t read his expressions.

Stepping out of the cinema, Zeng Meng, her eyes still red from crying, said, “Ji Ran’s acting was simply phenomenal—even every strand of his hair had a role to play.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Duo and Zhou Yingmeng wholeheartedly agreed.

“I wonder if Guo Huai ended up with the little nurse in the end,” Zhou Yingmeng said.

Zeng Meng: “I think there should be a follow-up, otherwise the female lead with such pitifully little screen time would just be a prop, right?”

Zhou Yingmeng shook her head, “Not necessarily. If the two were together, the movie would definitely be released. Since it wasn’t, Ji Ran probably didn’t have feelings for her, right?”

After discussing for a while without reaching a conclusion, Zeng Meng turned to Yan Duo, who had remained silent, and asked, “What do you think?”

Yan Duo smiled, “I can’t see the hidden plot.”

She had just searched online and found that some netizens were starting to ship Ji Ran and Xiaoyao, the actress who played the nurse, as a couple. They claimed the two not only looked great together in the movie but also had strong chemistry in real life, even citing photos as evidence—like matching streetwear hats of the same brand and color, as well as moments from promotional events

Their affectionate glances hinted at a possible secret relationship, while the parties involved maintained intriguing silence. Xiaoyao posted a clarification on Weibo, stating “nothing of the sort,” and tagged Jiran to speak up. However, Jiran has remained silent to this day, which netizens interpreted as tacit approval.

At this moment, Yandu was seething with jealousy and had no desire to discuss this unpleasant topic.

Zengmeng didn’t dwell on the issue further but recalled today’s news and asked Yandu, “Didn’t you collaborate with Jiran on a TV drama? I heard it’s about to be scheduled for release.”

Yandu nodded, “Seems like it,”

“Wow, you’re so lucky to get to work with him! Is he nice in person? Is he really as aloof as the rumors say?”

Yan Duo blushed and replied, “I think he’s alright.”

At least not all the time, ahem.

Zeng Meng clasped her face and said, “Ah, if I could act in a romantic scene with him, I’d die without regrets.”

Yan Duo walked beside her, smiling without speaking, while Zeng Meng just sighed briefly and didn’t say more, shifting the topic.

Back at the hotel, Yan Duo sat on the bed reading the script Qi Sixian had sent her when the phone rang.

“Duo’er, what time are you coming back tomorrow? I’ll pick you up,” Yan Yi said on the other end of the phone.

Yan Duo replied, “I’ll be back around 11 o’clock.”

Yan Duo didn’t remember the exact time and just gave an approximate timeframe.

Yan Yi: “Alright, I’ll pick you up. Call me when you arrive.”

After settling on the time, Yan hung up the phone.

Yan Duo put down the phone and continued reading the script, but within seconds, it rang again. Staring at the caller ID, she nearly dropped her phone while debating: Should she hide in the bathroom to answer?

Finally, Yan Duo glanced subtly at Zhou Yingmeng on the neighboring bed who was scrolling through her phone, feeling that her trip to the bathroom was too unusual. So she tried her best to maintain the tone of talking to her brother and answered the call, “Hello.”

“What time do you arrive in T City tomorrow?”

Yan Duo didn’t have time to think about how Ji Ran knew she was returning tomorrow. She quickly found the flight information Fang Fang had sent her and read the schedule aloud, “Arriving at 11:14.”

“Hmm, I happen to be going back tomorrow too. I’ll pick you up on the way.”

Even if it was just “in passing,” this still made Yan Duo feel flattered, “Ah? Okay.”

After speaking, there was silence on the other end of the line. Yan Duo guessed he probably had nothing more to say and spoke into the phone, “See you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah.”

After hanging up the phone, Yanduo’s emotions were still a bit unsettled. A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind, and after some wild musings, she finally came to a delightful conclusion: Ji Ran actually made a pretty good husband.

Later, as she was drowsily about to fall asleep, Yan Duo’s subconscious told her that there seemed to be something she had overlooked. After thinking for a long time without figuring it out, she gave up completely—it must have been something unimportant… right?

Author’s Note: Yan Yi: My heart aches, my baby, but I won’t speak of it!

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