Chapter 54: Are You Doing This on Purpose?

Regretting her choices, she immersed herself in pain every day. She would look at old photos and read love letters from Chen Lin. This overwhelmed her with grief so much that she wished she was dead.

Later, her secret love for Chen Lin was discovered by his wife, causing a massive quarrel between the married couple. Chen Lin came to her the next day to put the case clearly. He looked at her as if she was a stranger, with a hint of anger in his voice as he inquired.

Xiao Ying laid down on the couch after Chen Lin took his leave. She started crying hysterically as she reminisced about their childhood and everything they had experienced until she passed out eventually.

Her surroundings changed completely when she came to. Instead of the bungalow in the city center, she found herself sitting in a three-bedroom, mid-range residential house. It finally came to her realization that everything had just been a dream.

Song Jia returned to the room shortly after. “Fancy this?” asked the agent when she noticed An Wen was still holding the script of “Do You Remember?” in her hand.

“It’s a moving story. The concept of time-traveling is already interesting on its own but it also touches on the issue of domestic violence. It brings up the topic of the modern-day youth’s dissatisfactions about reality. I like it,” explained An Wen.

“I agree with you, but it’s only a small-scale production. Are you sure you want to participate in this?” asked Song Jia.

“Although it’s only a small-scale production, I believe Director Wu has high standards for his cast and only will accept high-quality actors,” responded An Wen.

“Alright, this one it is, then,” replied Song Jia.

Surprisingly, a phone call came through from “Flower Falls in Chang’an” the next day, bringing the news that An Wen had passed the audition.

Song Jia was startled for a while after receiving the call. An Wen, who was seated opposite of her playing an online game, was yelling at Xia Wei and calling him a rookie.

This was the most talented newbie she had ever represented, who also happened to be the luckiest.

It would take three to four months of pre-production before the filming of “Flower Falls in Chang’an” would commence. This was sufficient time for An Wen to finish shooting “Do You Remember?”

Wu Yan never thought that An Wen, who had such a huge influence and commercial value, would be interested in his small-scale production. Not only did she not request for a ridiculous pay, but she also managed to surprise everyone in the cast.

“Do You Remember?” announced An Wen’s participation in the movie on their official Weibo account. Unexpectedly, the official account went on to trending searches within seconds, seeing a sharp increase by 15 thousand followers.

Netizens were curious and concerned about a beautiful woman like An Wen, and this quickly became the latest topic of the forum.

An Wen joined in the production from the start in order to catch up with the tight schedule. The role of Chen Lin was played by the experienced actor Qi Ming. He debuted as a child star, but he was not really well-known within the nation.

He seemed to be displeased with An Wen, not speaking to her much apart from when they were cast alongside one another.

Song Jia reminded An Wen that Qi Ming and Lu Maner had a good personal relationship. An Wen was indifferent about that because she did not think acting together in a movie meant they had to become friends.

When they were filming the scene where Chen Lin was consoling Xiao Ying today, Wu Yan realized that there were not enough emotions invested into the act; something felt amiss. After several poor takes, he finally yelled at Qi Ming, “Chen Lin, you love Xiao Ying. You feel extremely sorry for her and it kills you to see the unfortunate girl in this devastating state. This can be seen in your acting, but what about your affection? You have to express your tenderness and endearment for her! Why are you acting as though you’re the one going through domestic violence? You’re suffering because of the person you love, understood? One more time!”

Even An Wen was beginning to think that Qi Ming was intentionally messing with her. Her eyes were stinging after a few rounds of crying. However, Qi Ming, too, was frustrated at himself. With his hatred toward An Wen, it was difficult for him to hide the awkwardness and resistance in his acting.

The girl in his arm appeared to be annoyed. She glared at him while wiping the tears off her red and swollen eyes. “Qi Ming, are you doing this on purpose?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” responded Qi Ming with another question.

“You better not be. You’re known for your good acting skills ever since you were young, please don’t be unprofessional about acting just like someone else.” An Wen passed the tear-soaked tissue to Jiang Shiyu and flipped her long hair behind her shoulder. A long and slender finger wagged in front of his eyes.