Chapter 69: What Belongs to You Won’t Run Away
“Mr. Gao...” the makeup artist asked when she saw him staring silently for a long time, worried that something might be wrong. “Is there anywhere that still needs fixing?”
Gao Ming kept looking at Cheng Fei. Under the effect of the makeup, her face almost completely overlapped with the woman from his dreams. He waved his hand lightly.
“It’s very good.”
“Then it’s settled. Next, let’s try the armor makeup too.”
“Mhm,” Gao Ming answered absentmindedly. Then he suddenly came back to his senses and hurriedly stopped them. “There’s still the female supporting role. Why not do their makeup first?”
The moment he said that, everyone around showed understanding smiles. Silent laughter spread across their faces.
Cheng Fei narrowed her eyes slightly. Like a doll without emotions, she was pulled into the inner room by Gao Ming.
“Can I hug you once?”
“...Huh?”
“Please.”
The person he had only seen in dreams was finally standing in front of him. His wish from over twenty years had suddenly become real. Cheng Fei could clearly understand the excitement overflowing from his eyes.
But...
Ah, forget it.
Anyway, this short movie was a romance story, and she was acting as his wife. Sweet and intimate scenes were unavoidable. Since she wanted this money, she had to pay some price.
Cheng Fei pouted and opened her arms for the sake of money.
Gao Ming was so excited that he trembled a little. Even his steps were no longer steady. He walked closer and quietly looked at her. He wanted to ease his longing with a kiss, but when he noticed the slight frown between her brows, he gave up.
Gently, he pulled her into his arms.
From her hair to her shoulder, he softly stroked her while their bodies pressed tightly together. In that moment, it felt as if true happiness had finally arrived.
For once, Gao Ming’s face showed many emotions.
Sadly, Cheng Fei, who was buried in his arms, could not see any of them. She only felt his heartbeat pounding fast and strongly.
Like many small hammers hitting against his chest again and again.
Maybe listening to someone’s heartbeat for too long really had some strange effect. Cheng Fei suddenly imagined Gao Ming wearing shining silver armor, just like the scenes written in the script.
At Yanjue Wall, the moment he heard Tang Ying was surrounded, he led only one thousand cavalry soldiers straight into an army of thirty thousand rebels to save her, fighting through blood and death.
The phrase “Charging into battle for the woman you love” had been ruined by Wu Sangui, but a true man in this world should be like this. Who else could surpass that heroic spirit?
A bit of clarity suddenly returned to Cheng Fei’s mind.
She did not know if she was becoming too absorbed in the role, but she knew it was better not to stay in this position for too long.
“That should be enough. Don’t keep them waiting.”
She pushed lightly against his strong chest.
“Oh... okay.”
Reluctantly, Gao Ming let her leave his embrace. Then he used the excuse of fixing her hairpins and ornaments to keep her there for a few more minutes.
From early morning until late night, all the makeup styles were finally decided.
For many modern people, ancient costumes had a special charm. After the makeup artists left, some people still did not want to change out of them.
That included Gao Ming’s polished armor, which looked very much like the “Mingguang Armor” often described in novels.
“Greetings, Prince Jin!”
“We are all family here. Rise!”
“Ahem!”
While people upstairs were joking and acting around, a voice came from downstairs. Soon after, Zhou Lin walked upstairs wearing a bright red official robe and a golden crown.
In the movie, he played the kind and honest Crown Prince Liu Yuanjing. With the current atmosphere, Gao Ming, Cheng Fei, and Zheng Qi almost stood up at the same time and saluted him.
“Greetings, Crown Prince.”
“Mhm.” Zhou Lin acted seriously as he walked over and looked at the grilled skewers on the charcoal fire. “Why are these chicken wings so plain? Where is the Orleans seasoning?”
Pfft!
All three immediately burst out laughing. Even Gao Ming could not hold it in.
“Replying to Your Highness,” Zheng Qi lowered her head and tried hard not to laugh while continuing the joke with Zhou Lin, “the seasoning contains a bad acid. If eaten too often, it may harm your health. His Majesty is still healthy and strong. If Your Highness wishes to outlive the Emperor, you should stop hurting your body. Otherwise, you may die early and only receive a posthumous title in the future... hehe!”
“Hahahaha!”
The moment Zheng Qi spoke, everyone laughed so hard they bent over. The dull night suddenly became full of joy and laughter.
Everyone had already become very familiar with the characters in the movie. Memorizing lines felt almost like going back to school. Maybe they could not recite everything backward, but they already knew the scripts extremely well.
They forced themselves to stay busy like this just to distract themselves during free time. They were so eager to leave Yunzhou that their eyes were almost tired from waiting.
Good fortune never comes twice, while trouble never comes alone.
Cheng Fei, who had treated university like a completed task and returned to being an average poor student after only one year of behaving well, had never bothered to study where that saying came from. She only vaguely understood it was an old summary about life.
And since it was only a summary, it should not be treated like a prophecy.
For example, not long after Gao Ming’s parents who cared deeply about future grandchildren left, Cheng Fei received the news that all preparations for the short movie were finally complete.
This trip would last at least two or three months.
For Gao Ming and Cheng Fei, it was truly wonderful news.
Meanwhile, after hearing the news, the others also started preparing the things they would need during the trip.
Bai Xi drove her car aimlessly through the streets. Like a body without a soul, she mechanically controlled the steering wheel.
………………………
A few hours earlier, inside that school.
“Alright, class dismissed.”
She closed the teaching materials and habitually nodded politely toward the students.
Being able to keep students focused through an entire lesson was the greatest praise for her work, and Bai Xi was very thankful for it.
She pushed up her slipping glasses and carefully listened to the students saying goodbye.
“Goodbye, Teacher Bai.”
This moment was Bai Xi’s happiest and most relaxing time of the day.
Holding all the notebooks and materials she brought with her, Bai Xi walked out of the classroom, her high heels making crisp clicking sounds.
Students from the next class had already taken over the hallway, running around and playing loudly. Bai Xi carefully avoided the rowdy teenagers full of energy and hormones.
After returning to the office, she cooled down her sore throat while listening to some older coworkers gossip nearby.
The ringing of her phone suddenly broke the peaceful mood.
Bai Xi walked to the side and answered the call with a quiet “Hello.” The moment she heard the words on the other end, her brows tightly furrowed.
Her footsteps quickly became hurried.
After pushing open the door, she saw the gray-haired woman sitting behind the desk looking at her.
“Aunt Lu... what you just said... is it true?”
The older woman also wore gold-rimmed glasses. Behind the clear lenses, her eyes were deep and calm like an ancient well.
“It’s absolutely true.”
“That person... he... couldn’t the higher-ups see through it?”
The older woman sighed and shook her head.
“Fake documents are the hardest thing to deal with nowadays. This world really is...”
“Do I really have to stop working for that long?”
“In this era, the price of faking things is too low, and it’s too easy. It takes time to prove those documents are fake. You reached such a high position at such a young age. You rose too quickly, so naturally some people became jealous. This time, they were clearly targeting you on purpose. Otherwise, how could so many accusations suddenly appear all at once? Originally, some people wanted you removed from your position completely. I argued hard for you and only managed to get this result.”
After hearing that, Bai Xi had nothing to say.
The older woman spoke sincerely, and Bai Xi truly listened. Unlike before, she did not directly argue or storm out angrily.
It was easy to dodge open attacks but hard to defend against hidden ones.
This time, someone was clearly targeting her.
Before her own reputation became strong enough to silence petty people, she had no choice but to rely on outside help.
“I understand... two months, right?”
“Mhm. I’ll try talking to the higher-ups again later...”
Bai Xi only smiled.
“Thank you, Aunt Lu. I’ll just treat it as a vacation.”
After speaking, she turned and walked toward the door.
Behind her, the older woman sighed quietly as Bai Xi left.
After packing up and leaving the classroom building, it should have been nothing more than a normal trip home from work.
But when Bai Xi stood downstairs looking at the laughing and noisy students, she suddenly felt as if a whole lifetime had passed.
She did not even know how she got there.
She picked up her phone and called a number.
After only two short rings, a strong and energetic voice answered.
“Daughter, coming home for dinner today?”
“Mhm. Dad, what do you want to drink?”
Bai Xi’s unusual words immediately made the person on the other end laugh.
“...My little padded jacket, if something’s wrong, just say it directly.”
Bai Xi removed her glasses and rubbed the corners of her eyes with her fingers.
She slowly explained everything that had happened recently, from life to work. The real problem, hidden behind her earlier complaints, only came out at the very end.
After hanging up, Bai Xi seemed to lose all her strength.
Her hair covered part of her face, but she did not even bother moving it aside. She only puffed out a breath with her lower lip.
The evening breeze mixed with noisy sounds around her. Nearby street vendors shouted to attract customers, creating a familiar atmosphere.
She looked outside and narrowed her eyes, barely able to see the scenery clearly.
Water World...
Without realizing it, she had come back here again.
Her thoughts returned to that day, and she subconsciously looked toward the entrance, wondering if that delicate face would appear again.
The crowd moved busily with all kinds of people.
Tonight was especially lively, as if everyone wanted to hold onto this summer that was both annoying and unforgettable before it disappeared.
She looked around but did not see the person who made her heart ache.
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a familiar cry outside the car window.
“Mom!”
Bai Xi turned her head.
At the edge of the parking lot, under a dim yellow streetlight, stood that small figure.
The white dress she wore was dirty. Bai Xi did not know how the search had been going these past days or why the girl appeared here.
But after hearing that cry, a cry that could shake any woman’s heart, none of those things mattered anymore.
The woman who looked exactly like the enlarged version from the photograph froze for a moment, looking confused.
The distance was too far, so Bai Xi could not hear what the three people nearby were discussing.
“Mom!”
If the first cry had been full of surprise, this one was filled with emotional tears after finally reuniting.
Like a little deer, the girl ran forward and hugged the woman’s leg tightly.
The woman’s expression could not be seen clearly. Unlike other mothers, she did not immediately hug the child back. She only crouched down and gently brushed the girl’s hair away from her face.
Was she really the girl’s mother?
Bai Xi watched with doubt as the woman cleaned the girl’s face with wet tissues.
Not being able to clearly see her face felt strange.
Bai Xi got out of the car and quietly walked closer. She stopped only when she was near enough to clearly see their expressions.
The beautiful woman suddenly seemed to break free from some seal placed on her memories. The blank look on her face instantly changed.
She opened her arms and tightly hugged the girl.
It really was her.
The girl’s family had finally returned to her side.
It felt as if she had completed something very important. Bai Xi suddenly felt relieved deep inside and turned around lightly to walk back toward her car.
The moment she turned back, the girl resting on the woman’s shoulder waved at her.
Bai Xi smiled knowingly.
After sitting inside the car, her mind stayed filled with that innocent look of gratitude. In that instant, her whole body seemed filled with energy again.
What truly belongs to you will never run away.
Justice from heaven may be real, but some things still require people to take action themselves...
Two days later, at the neighborhood where Cheng Fei lived, Bai Xi locked her car and slowly pulled her suitcase toward the exit.
A white car slowly drove over.
The driver looked familiar. Then the person lowered their sunglasses and looked carefully.
“Old Bai!”
The car window rolled down.
The person in the passenger seat almost leaned half their body out the window, waving excitedly and shaking around like a hyper husky dog.
Other than Zheng Qi and her big mouth, almost nobody dared call her that to her face anymore.
Facing Zheng Qi, Bai Xi pushed up her glasses using only her middle finger.