Hear this life

After taking the medicine brought by Louis, Wen Tingli's fever went away that night, and she didn't have a fever the next day either. She just felt a little weak. Under normal circumstances, she would never lie in bed to recuperate, but that day she didn't want to go anywhere and just fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

All day long, Mrs. Zhou and Xiao Taozi spoke in soft voices, for fear of disturbing Wen Tingli who was recovering from her illness.

In the evening, Qiao Baoxin suddenly called and said that Tong Zhaohui had returned, but he was seriously injured. At first, he wanted to wait until his injuries healed before contacting Baoxin, but he was afraid that Baoxin would be worried about him, so he couldn't help but contact her. Baoxin quietly placed Lawyer Tong in an empty house in the Qiao family, and at the same time contacted a private doctor to treat his injuries.

Qiao Baoxin also said that once Tong Zhaohui recovered, she would go to Peking with him.

This phone call brought Wen Tingli back to reality. She called Li Chengying and was relieved to learn that Li Chengying was not injured when rescuing Tong Zhaohui.

As soon as she hung up the phone, Wen Tingli told Mrs. Zhou that she was hungry. Mrs. Zhou excitedly went to the kitchen and got a bowl of beef porridge.

When she woke up on the third morning, Wen Tingli felt much better. However, when she got out of bed and looked in the mirror, she was shocked by her appearance. Her face looked haggard, her eye sockets were a little sunken, and she looked unhappy.

It was completely different when I was recuperating in Huiqun Hospital a few days ago.

Seeing that it was already six o'clock, she had no choice but to put away her depressed mood and go wash up.

Today is the official start day of filming of "Southern Beauty", so she has to go to the company early.

Mrs. Zhou circled around Wen Tingli like a worried old hen: "Prepare a few more clothes. Take this packet of lotus leaf rice to the crew to eat. The kettle is filled with warm water. Don't drink cold things these two days. I'll put the pills here for you. Remember to take them when you leave."

Wen Tingli applied red maple-colored lipstick on her lips, which made her look no different from usual. After hearing Mrs. Zhou's series of instructions, she smiled helplessly and said, "I'm going to film a movie, not the first day of school for a student...Okay, okay, I'll take the medicine on time. By the way, I'll be back late today, so don't wait for me to eat. Take this money. In the morning, take Xiao Taozi to the street to buy a few pairs of shoes, and cut some new clothes for yourself. Don't be reluctant to buy them. If I don't see you and Xiao Taozi's new clothes and shoes when I come back, I'll be angry."

In order to make Mrs. Zhou feel that she was fully recovered, she deliberately said a lot of things as usual. Finally, she went into the room and kissed her sleeping sister as usual, and then left the room as if nothing had happened.

But as soon as she went out, Wen Tingli's shoulders slumped down.

The familiar scene was still there at the door of my house, but the familiar car and the familiar figure under the sycamore tree were no longer there.

The piercing feeling was indescribable. She couldn't hold on and fell down on the steps in front of the building.

The disease was cured, but a fresh scar was left on her heart. Now she was like a wounded little animal, and she urgently needed to find a corner where no one could see her to lick her wound.

In this remote alley, at five or six o'clock, everything was so quiet. The Liu couple next door had not gotten up, and she was the only one at the door of their house.

This was just right, she could think about things quietly by herself. Unfortunately, the more she recalled the past, the stronger her sense of loss became. She and Lu Shicheng had not been together for many years, but he left her with almost all good memories, just like the morning light at this moment, gentle, quiet, peaceful, and full of warmth.

She lowered her head and hugged herself with her arms. No matter how difficult this was, she had to get through it. A person's strength was limited. Only time, only time could dilute everything. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to dwell on the past. She had to face life.

After sitting in silence for a while, she wiped her eyes, stood up and walked quickly out of the alley.

When she arrived at the company, Wen Tingli had adjusted her state. She greeted everyone with a smile and her every move was full of energy. Even Huang Yuanshan, who knew her best, didn't tell that she had just been ill.

To celebrate the start of filming of "Southern Beauty", Golden Pictures held a grand opening ceremony. Reporters from various newspapers gathered in front of the door early in the morning, and people from Shanghai's literary and art circles also came to show their support. Even Ms. Yue Zhaoyun, who rarely appeared on such occasions, was invited to attend.

At 11:00 a.m., the first scene in the studio officially started shooting. To show their importance to the film, the company's elders, three producers, and Yue Zhaoyun all rushed to the studio to watch.

Facing this extremely grand opening, Wen Tingli acted very confident. In the past two months, she had done nothing else but thinking about the role of "Nan Qi". She had put in enough effort and had already nurtured Nan Qi in her heart. As long as she got into the performance state, her every word and action was exactly like "Nan Qi".

Huang Yuanshan shouted "action" on the other end, and Wen Tingli confidently said to Wu Sheng, who played the male lead, according to the script: "If you think this is depravity, then so be it. This is the path I chose myself, and I don't need to explain it to anyone."

But Huang Yuanshan said, "Stop, stop, stop!"

She frowned and waved at Wen Tingli: "Come here."

Wen Tingli hurried over.

"What's wrong with you? You and Liu Baosheng grew up together as childhood sweethearts. How can you be so calm at this moment of reunion? How can you feel that everything has changed? How can you feel the pain that you can't express? You are always good at expressing this kind of emotion. Why did you just act like you were reading a script?"

Wen Tingli herself was a little flustered. She touched her cheek and said, "Maybe I'm too nervous on the first day. Sister Huang, please let me calm down a little bit."

However, she was not satisfied with the next three takes. Huang Yuanshan was always very strict when filming. The more important the scene, the more particular he was. Huang Yuanshan could be heard shouting "cut" every ten minutes or so, and every time Wen Tingli was scolded, there would be a burst of low discussions around her.

Wen Tingli endured the strange looks from all directions, and gritted her teeth and started over again and again, and only barely passed the fourth shot.

The two performances in the afternoon were also full of problems.

"Wen Tingli, don't be so stiff. This is your own home, not outside. Walk in from over there. Yes, sit on the sofa very easily. Relax your body a little more. Stop, stop, stop! Wrong again!"

"No, that's not right at all! Keeping your eyes filled with tears doesn't mean you should be teary right away."

Due to Wen Tingli's frequent mistakes, the two scenes were not completed until after seven o'clock.

As soon as the work was finished, Huang Yuanshan asked Wen Tingli with a sullen face to wait for her in the dressing room, but she was immediately called away by the producer.

Wen Tingli waited in the dressing room for a long time but no one showed up. She had no choice but to go to the tea room to get some water. Suddenly, she heard someone inside say, "I've always heard Sister Huang say that Miss Wen is very spiritual, but today she seems to be just so-so."

"I'm wondering if they've changed the actress. In the last audition, even Miss Zhou Manru lost convincingly. Today, Miss Wen is on the set - tsk tsk, there are a lot of actresses of this level in our company. Why must it be her? Wen Tingli is a newcomer who has never been in a play."

"The one who is under the most pressure right now is Sister Huang. When I passed by the lounge, I heard Boss Liu getting angry at Sister Huang. Boss Liu also said that if Miss Wen is still in the same state tomorrow, they will consider replacing her immediately. If Sister Huang insists on keeping Wen Tingli, they will even remove her as the director."

Wen Tingli stood at the door with a pale face. When she turned around, she unexpectedly saw Yue Zhaoyun standing behind her.

Needless to say, Yue Zhaoyun also heard the conversation just now.

Wen Tingli couldn't hide her embarrassment: "Ms. Yue."

The conversation in the tea room came to an abrupt end. Yue Zhaoyun didn't look inside, but said to Wen Tingli in a gentle voice: "Miss Wen, are you free tonight? I want to invite you to go for a walk outside."

Wen Tingli's face was full of surprise: "Of course I am free. Please wait for me for a moment, I will go to the dressing room to get something and come out soon."

Huang Yuanshan was also a little surprised when she heard that Yue Zhaoyun wanted to find Wen Tingli. She had prepared a lot of things to talk to Wen Tingli, but seeing this situation, she just exchanged glances with Yue Zhaoyun and let Wen Tingli go without saying anything.

The two walked out to the street. Yue Zhaoyun asked Wen Tingli to wait for her there, and she walked to the corner of the street. After a while, she drove over in a car. In order to travel conveniently, she borrowed a car from a friend as soon as she arrived in Shanghai and drove it herself.

"boarding."

Wen Tingli was stunned for a moment and then got into the car happily. So far, she had only met Yue Zhaoyun a few times, but Yue Zhaoyun had a humorous and amiable demeanor that made people want to get close to her.

"Ms. Yue, where are we going?"

"Want to take a walk near the main road?"

Wen Tingli happily agreed.

After the car started, she tried to find topics to talk about with Yue Zhaoyun, but a person's mood cannot be concealed by pretending. Although she tried hard enough, she was far less talkative than usual, and the car fell into silence several times.

"Miss Wen is sick?" Yue Zhaoyun suddenly asked.

"I had a cold a couple of days ago, but I'm completely fine now. I look terrible, don't I?"

Yue Zhaoyun nodded slightly.

Wen Tingli felt mixed emotions, she was in a bad mood today. In the play, she laughed stiffly when she should have laughed, and she couldn't stop crying when she should have cried.

Even she herself was terrified by this out-of-control state.

She wasn't sure how long her depressed state would last, but she vaguely felt that it was out of her control, as if some kind of talent that had been with her since childhood was suddenly taken away by God.

She felt a strong sense of uneasiness because of this, and her mood was at its lowest point.

Fortunately, Yue Zhaoyun didn't ask any more questions. Wen Tingli didn't want to be questioned or cared for at this moment, even by Yue Zhaoyun.

The car drove forward slowly and steadily, and slowly arrived near a street intersection.

Wen Tingli leaned her elbows on the car window in a daze. When she looked up inadvertently, she saw a huge neon sign in the distance.

Not far ahead is the Great World Amusement Park.

The world at night is more lively than during the day. The purple neon lights flicker and illuminate the dark blue sky. From a distance, it looks like an unpredictable dream.

It was just a dream, she thought sympathetically. She still had the "Big World" certificate that Lu Shicheng got for her in her bag, and she woke up from the dream.

She didn't remember how many times she and Lu Shicheng laughed that day, but she could still hear Xiao Taozi's laughter. How sweet it was then, how disappointed she felt now. She subconsciously turned her eyes away from the dreamy neon lights to avoid the sting in her eyes.

But then I heard Yue Zhaoyun's voice ringing in my ears.

"Let's get off the car and walk around."

Wen Tingli nodded, and in order to cheer herself up, she spoke as soon as she got out of the car.

"There's a shop next to the Central Theater in front that makes really good Lei Sha Yuan. Can I take you to try some?"

The two found an inconspicuous little shop. Wen Tingli ordered a portion of the shop's signature dessert for Yue Zhaoyun, and also ordered two servings of iced tofu pudding.

After sitting down, Yue Zhaoyun's eyes were never idle. He was either observing the pedestrians on the street through the window, looking at the owner of the store, or studying the signs at the intersection.

She seemed to be full of interest in the things around her. Finally, she glanced at Wen Tingli and pointed to the neon sign of the Great World in front of her.

"Remember? We met once in the big world."

Wen Tingli nodded, and afraid that Yue Zhaoyun might notice something, she quickly added with a smile: "That day you were playing bumper cars alone in the amusement park, and you kept staring at me. I was wondering at the time, I didn't know this lady, why was she staring at me? Later I found out that you were the famous novelist Yue Zhaoyun."

As she said this, she put down her spoon and laughed. "I guess you already knew me from Sister Huang at that time."

Yue Zhaoyun did not deny it, but took out a small photo from her bag and handed it to Wen Tingli. "Look."

"Last month, Huang Yuanshan sent me your photo. She said she had finally found a girl who was very suitable to play Nanqi and asked me to take a look. I thought, what can a photo tell? I had to see this girl in person, so I bought a ticket and came to Shanghai. I didn't see much of you when I first saw you at Lu Mansion. It wasn't until the time at the Great World that I felt you could play Nanqi well."

Wen Tingli's curiosity was completely aroused by this: "How do you think I am like Nanqi?"

Yue Zhaoyun tilted his head and squinted at Wen Tingli.

"Maybe it was just an intuition. I saw you holding your sister's hand and walking under the sycamore tree, talking and laughing, and I thought what a wonderful smile this girl had, from the inside out. There were so many tourists in the amusement park at the time, but you were the only one who could be seen at a glance. Later, when you found that I was observing you, you immediately stared at me with your clear eyes. There was no trace of timidity or inferiority in your eyes... And that young Master Lu, when I saw the way you got along with him and the way you talked to him, I thought, this little girl was born for the role of Nanqi."

Wen Tingli's smile faltered.

Yue Zhaoyun did not stop talking, and slowly stirred the tofu pudding with a spoon, and continued: "So before the audition officially started that day, my heart was already leaning towards you. After watching your three scenes, I immediately decided to vote for you. It is true that Zhou Manru, Le Zhiwen, and Xiao Diejun are all excellent, but none of them are Nan Qi. Today on the set, I had full confidence in you, but——"

Yue Zhaoyun suddenly changed the subject: "I don't believe that a person's spiritual energy can disappear in such a short time. Miss Wen, can you tell me what troubles you have encountered?"

Wen Tingli felt a slight ache in her nose, but she didn't think Yue Zhaoyun was being rude.

The concern and anxiety in Yue Zhaoyun's voice were real and not at all offensive.

She did not forget that the most crucial vote in the audition competition was cast for her by Yue Zhaoyun. It can be said that without the strong support of Yue Zhaoyun and Huang Yuanshan, she would never have been able to win the role of Nanqi.

But her performance today obviously disappointed them.

She bit her lip, lowered her head, and said in a hoarse voice: "I'm sorry, don't worry, I will adjust myself as soon as possible, and tomorrow will never be like today."

The moon shines but the clouds remain silent. I don't know if she saw that Wen Tingli was in a very bad condition, or if she heard that the producer would not give Wen Tingli too much time to adjust her condition, she seemed not optimistic about Wen Tingli's assurance.

But she just patted Wen Tingli's shoulder comfortingly, and then changed the subject: "Go out for a walk?"

"it is good."

The two walked along the street. When they passed the Oriental Hotel, Yue Zhaoyun suddenly turned around and pointed in a direction far behind him: "I lived there before. Look, it's in a small alley next to Xinqiao Street, called Xingchangli. I rented a room there and lived there for more than two years."

Wen Tingli was surprised: "So you have been in Shanghai for so long."

The area that Yue Zhaoyun pointed to was close to Yangjingbang and Zhengjiaqiao, and had always been a place where all kinds of people gathered. The streets were often piled with toilets and other things, and the stench could be smelled from a long distance away.

"I can't help it. The rent here is cheaper than other places." Yue Zhaoyun seemed to guess what Wen Tingli was thinking. She smiled and turned around to walk forward. "At that time, I had just left home. When I arrived in Shanghai, I didn't have much money left. It was not easy to find a place to live, so how could I dare to ask for anything else."

"Why don't you find a job in Peking?"

Yue Zhaoyun shook his head in self-mockery, "My family situation is a bit complicated, I escaped from home."

Wen Tingli was shocked, Yue Zhaoyun said leisurely:
"My mother was a concubine. The thing she hated most in her life was that she was sold to my father as a concubine at the age of sixteen. From then on, she lost her dignity as a human being and had to look to others for everything. She didn't want me to repeat her mistakes, so she begged my father to send me to school. I was very proud of my mother. At a young age, I could tell stories from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin" vividly. My father saw that I was smart and reluctantly agreed to send me to school. Unfortunately, when I graduated from high school, our family was no longer as well off as before. In order to ease the business difficulties, my father let me drop out of school and become a concubine of an official in the Beiyang government. The old man was already over sixty years old, and I was his eighth concubine."

At this point, Yue Zhaoyun's face was as pale as ice. "My mother was ill at the time. She cried so hard when she heard the news that she almost fainted. She packed her things overnight to help me escape. Unfortunately, before I could get to the train station, my father's men caught up with me. In order to paralyze them, I had to leave my suitcase behind and escape on the train. So when I fled to Shanghai, the only property I had was a pair of bracelets my mother had made for me in my early years. I sold the bracelets to get some living expenses, otherwise I would have starved to death on the street."

Wen Tingli was horrified when she heard this and asked anxiously, "What happened next? Is your mother still in Peking now?"

However, she forgot that Yue Zhaoyun is now successful and famous, and this incident must have happened more than ten years ago.

The moon shines through the clouds, making everything look desolate.

"As soon as I arrived in Shanghai, I secretly wrote to my mother, but I never heard from her. Later, I learned that on the day I escaped, my mother was hung up and severely beaten by my father. She had already caught a cold, and she died that night after being tortured by my father. It can be said that my life was bought at the cost of my mother's."

Wen Tingli's throat choked. Although Yue Zhaoyun quickly turned away, she still saw the tears suddenly appearing in his eyes. They were both silent at the same time. Although the street was so noisy, the air around Yue Zhaoyun seemed to be frosted, quietly exuding a chill.

After an unknown amount of time, Yue Zhaoyun said sadly, "That year, I was nineteen years old, the same age as Miss Wen is now."

Wen Tingli was inexplicably touched by these words: "How did you make a living later? Did you start writing novels at that time?"

"I published some articles when I was in middle school. After I came to Shanghai, I also tried to submit my manuscripts several times. Occasionally, one article would be accepted, but it could only sustain one or two days of food and clothing. I was very anxious and went out to find work before dawn every day. At that time, someone in Shanghai wrote a long legend and earned a lot of money. I borrowed a book from my neighbor and read it. Later, I tried to write one myself. It turned out to be very coherent. I took the manuscript to submit it, but the newspaper saw that I was a young girl and returned my manuscript without even reading it. I had no choice but to submit it under a man's pen name. This time, it was accepted."

She sneered and said, "From this I know that we women are not free not only in marriage but also in our careers."

As she spoke, she walked under a street lamp and spread out the five fingers of her right hand under the lamp for Wen Tingli to see. There were thick calluses between her index and middle fingers, which were obviously caused by years of wear and tear.

"I wrote day and night, and at a young age I developed a lot of bone problems. But hard work pays off. A year later, I gained some fame in the literary world. When a newspaper asked me to write my tenth article, I finally had the opportunity to bargain with them and changed my pen name to 'Yue Zhao Yun'. I published my first novel, "Chun Shen Jiu Shi" under this pen name, and from then on I gained a firm foothold in the literary world. But it was not until I published my fourth novel that readers knew I was a female writer."

Wen Tingli thought sadly, no wonder Yue Zhaoyun's early pen name was a man's name "Mr. Li", and her famous work was "Spring and Autumn Stories in Chunshen" with Shanghai as the background.

"I wrote and wrote until my old father died. I then moved back to Peking with great enthusiasm, bought my old house, threw my father's tablet into the toilet, renovated the small wing where my mother and I lived, and enshrined my mother's tablet in the central hall, worshiping her every day. But what does it matter? My mother—"

Yue Zhaoyun was speechless.

Wen Tingli only felt a bitter taste in her throat, and she didn't dare to speak. For Yue Zhaoyun at this moment, any words of comfort would be pale and powerless.

Fortunately, Yue Zhaoyun quickly came out of her depressed mood. She shook her head vigorously as if to get rid of something, and walked forward with big strides.

"Sister Yue." Wen Tingli hurriedly chased after her. This conversation brought them closer together, and she unknowingly changed her way of addressing Yue Zhaoyun.

Yue Zhaoyun didn't mind Wen Tingli calling her like that, she just turned around and waved at her.

"Come."

Wen Tingli followed Yue Zhaoyun's steps with great excitement.

The two walked side by side for a while, and the atmosphere on the street changed a little. The whole lane was hung with colorful lanterns, and women with heavy makeup stood in front of the houses.

Going further ahead is Huileli on Si Malu, which is the most famous red-light district in Shanghai. Wen Tingli asked hesitantly, "Sister Yue, do we need to go further in?"

Yue Zhaoyun stepped in.

The night wind brought waves of irritating scent of hair oil, accompanied by the soft and charming sound of the erhu.

The fragrance is like osmanthus and orchid, so strong that it can stick a person's willpower into a ball.

Wen Tingli felt dizzy from the smoke. She didn't dare look back at the women who were leaning against the door soliciting customers. This place reminded her of her mother who had been a dancer in Nanjing in her early years. She felt that if she looked at these people for even a second longer, it would be a blasphemy to her mother.

Suddenly, a small figure rushed out from a doorway and bumped into Yue Zhaoyun.

"Save me." The man grabbed Yue Zhaoyun's hand tightly.

Yue Zhaoyun hurriedly bent down and held the other person tightly in his arms.

She was a little girl of about twelve or thirteen years old, her clothes were in disarray and her face was covered with tear marks.

"Help me, ma'am! I don't want to receive any customers!"

Two strong men then chased out and grabbed the girl like a chicken.

"You--" Wen Tingli rushed forward and tried to snatch the little girl back.

Yue Zhaoyun stopped Wen Tingli with a grim look on his face.

"Which church are you from?" A man rolled up his sleeves at the door aggressively.

Yue Zhaoyun covered Wen Tingli's mouth and quickly took her away from the place.

Wen Tingli stumbled and was dragged for a while. She finally broke free from Yue Zhaoyun's hand and said anxiously, "Didn't you see it just now? It was just a child."

Yue Zhaoyun raised his left sleeve without saying a word, allowing Wen Tingli to see the wound on his head.

"I once did the same thing as you, but not only did I fail to save the other person, I was also whipped by those people. Afterwards, I wanted to ask my lawyer friends in Shanghai for help to save the person, but they advised me not to make trouble for myself. This place is a living hell, just like 'opium'. It has long been monopolized and controlled by the local tyrants in the concession. Outsiders cannot interfere, unless - we don't want to die ourselves."

Wen Tingli was sweating profusely after hearing this, and at the same time, she felt nauseous. Looking around, all the women in the alley were looking at them with strange eyes.

None of these poor women showed any gratitude for their attempt to save people. Instead, they were full of disdain, ridicule and doubt.

Among them, there were two little girls who were obviously only thirteen or fourteen years old, but they had already been trained to have a sophisticated and charming demeanor.

Wen Tingli couldn't help but lean against the wall and started to retch.

Yue Zhaoyun half dragged and half supported Wen Tingli out of Huileli.

After running out, the two leaned on the railing, looked at the river and panted. Yue Zhaoyun handed Wen Tingli a handkerchief.

"Wipe the sweat."

Wen Tingli shook her head silently.

"Is there anything you want to say?"

Wen Tingli said nothing.

Yue Zhaoyun suddenly raised his voice: "Why, after seeing this hellish scene just now, are you still going to continue to be depressed?"

Wen Tingli felt as if she had been slapped in the face, with a rumbling sound in her ears.

"Do you know how many women were forced to sell their bodies in the two concessions? As many as 100,000!"

"Compared to them, we are so lucky. You have the talent and beauty to act in movies, and I am lucky enough to be able to write stories. But even so, we have experienced countless hardships along the way. Everyone is walking on mountains of swords and seas of fire. If we are not careful, we will fall into the bottomless abyss."

Wen Tingli broke out in a cold sweat when she heard this.

Yue Zhaoyun suddenly pointed to the back: "Don't you understand? We may become one of them at any time. Even if you don't want to, the social environment will push you forward step by step. The opportunities in front of us are very few. When the opportunity comes, why don't you try your best to grab it?"

When he said the last sentence, Yue Zhaoyun's tone was already harsh.

"Ms. Wen, I don't know what happened to you recently. I only know that if you go to film in this state tomorrow, the production company will most likely replace you on the spot. There is no other way. In the film industry where there are so many talented people, the competition is so fierce! And once you are kicked out of the crew, don't expect other companies to look for you to film in the future. You are helpless and your parents have passed away. How will you support your tuition for the next four years? How will you and your sister maintain your life in the future? Or do you plan to be like those poor women on Simalu and be forced into a desperate situation step by step by life?"

Every word Yue Zhaoyun said was like a whip hitting Wen Tingli in the face, making her tremble all over and big beads of sweat appear on her head.

Seeing Wen Tingli like this, Yue Zhaoyun felt soft-hearted.

"I guess you must have lost something very important recently."

Wen Tingli's eyes turned red, but Yue Zhaoyun's tone immediately became stern: "But you don't have time - no time to indulge yourself, do you understand?"

She pushed Wen Tingli and turned her around, so that she was facing the ghostly Fourth Road.

"Open your eyes and see clearly! There are no beautiful dreams here, only the hardships of the world. In this land, the most beautiful and tenacious flowers will be destroyed into a pool of mud. Although you and I are standing on this side, there is actually only a "road" between us and them. The name of this road is destiny!

"You have now come to the crossroads of fate. Living in a muddle-headed way will not work. Looking around will only ruin your future! Also, don't expect to entrust your life to others! The only person you can rely on in this world is yourself. Now, you must rely on your own strength to get through this crossroads, just like I did back then. If you have any hope, you will miss this opportunity, and you will not have any chance to regret it in the future, because you missed a chance for fate to favor you!"

Wen Tingli's eyes were filled with tears and she nodded desperately.

Yue Zhaoyun was silent for a moment, then sighed and handed the handkerchief in his hand to Wen Tingli again: "If you have cried enough, wipe your tears."

Wen Tingli pressed the handkerchief against her tearful eyes.

She didn't say a word, but just wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes silently.

She knew that only by wiping away her tears could she see the road ahead clearly.

If you can see the road clearly, you must take big steps and keep moving forward.

She wiped it very carefully. The more she wiped, the clearer her mind became. The more she wiped, the more concrete the fear in her heart became. And this fear helped her to generate endless courage.

She had no time to be depressed, as the cruel environment could crush her at any time. She had to run forward, regardless of everything, to have a chance to avoid the invisible black hands behind her.

Finally, she slowly put down her handkerchief, raised her extremely clear eyes, and said to Yue Zhaoyun: "I'm much better, Sister Yue."

Yue Zhaoyun showed a relieved smile: "That's good, come on, I'll take you home."

When she returned home that night, Wen Tingli found the ruby ​​necklace and sat in front of the dressing table.

In this dim night, the gem still shines with beautiful light, reflecting in the eyes and piercing the heart.

It was not until this moment that Wen Tingli realized that her attachment to Lu Shicheng was deeper than she had imagined.

At the same time, she also realized that this attachment and reluctance had become a stumbling block on her way forward.

It's time to let go!

She told herself in her heart.

As if she were treasured an old photo from the past, she slowly put the necklace into the pale pink pearl enamel jewelry box, gently closed it, and sighed with relief.

***
This morning, the studio of "Southern Beauty" was extremely busy. Among all the staff members, Huang Yuanshan was the most nervous.

A major scene is being filmed today, and Wen Tingli alone has to speak five pages of lines. Her co-star is Ms. Wen Guanhua, a well-known veteran actress in the industry. Judging from Wen Tingli's condition on the set yesterday, Huang Yuanshan doubted whether she could handle it.

During the preparation period, Huang Yuanshan looked at Wen Tingli worriedly from time to time.

Yue Zhaoyun, Liu Menglin and several producers were also there. In addition, there were many actors standing on the set who had not yet started work. Yesterday's incident had spread throughout the company, and everyone was curious whether Wen Tingli would be replaced on the spot today.

In this tense and weird atmosphere, Wen Tingli behaved no differently than usual. After putting on her makeup, she walked to mirror number one and bowed politely to Wen Guanhua.

Huang Yuanshan raised his voice anxiously, clapped his hands and said, "All departments, please pay attention, lighting, photography... action!"

As soon as the scene lights came on, Wen Tingli gave a strange smile to Mrs. Duan, played by Wen Guanhua.

Huang Yuanshan was stunned. Just from this one appearance, he could tell that Wen Tingli was obviously different from yesterday.

She was cheered up.

"Okay, keep it like that and walk towards her."

"Nan Qi" played by Wen Tingli walked up to "Mrs. Duan" and held her hands affectionately.

"Isn't this my elder sister? Why are you here?

"I'm here to... check on you." Mrs. Duan was a little overwhelmed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Nan Qi's face was close to Mrs. Duan's, and she looked into her eyes with great pleasure and said word by word, "Thanks to you, everything is fine for me. Can't you see that I'm doing well? What are you worried about?"

"Nanqi." Mrs. Duan looked a little frightened. "What's wrong with you? Are you still holding a grudge against me for what happened before?"

Nan Qi was still smiling, but her smile was suddenly filled with murderous intent, and she interrupted Mrs. Duan viciously.

"Put away your hypocritical face! Do you think I don't know what you did to me behind my back?!"

There was total silence on the set until a scene was finished and everyone woke up from their dream.

Photographer Zheng Qizhang was the first to applaud.

The two Bell cameras in his hands captured every subtle change on Wen Tingli's face from different angles, so he knew better than anyone how good this performance was. Nan Qi was just right in her "madness", which made people feel infinite pity for her but also terrified.

The staff on the set applauded, and Huang Yuanshan even showed his long-lost smile in public.

"One pass! Teacher Wen, Wen Tingli, thank you for your hard work."

Wen Tingli went downstairs with a beaming smile to touch up her makeup. As she walked, she looked for Yue Zhaoyun, but saw Yue Zhaoyun quietly leaving along the passage.

Wen Tingli stared at Yue Zhaoyun's back and said earnestly and softly, "Thank you, Sister Yue."

Suddenly, Huang Yuanshan said excitedly: "The next scene has begun. Wu Sheng, Wen Tingli, go to Unit 4."

Wen Tingli raised the corners of her mouth, and said in high spirits, "I am coming."

(End of this chapter)