Huayu: Starting with living with a girl from Taiwan

Chapter 109 Some Things About the Attic

A faint, fresh scent emanated from the girl, a blend of soapberry and some kind of floral fragrance, which wafted clearly into Lin Mo's nostrils on this somewhat sultry afternoon.

Pushing open a wooden door at the far end of the third floor reveals a small cubicle, only four or five square meters in size.

There was indeed a recording device that Lin Mo was familiar with inside, and some soundproofing cotton had even been temporarily installed.

"Director Zheng specially had it shipped from Taipei, saying he couldn't treat you unfairly."

Guo Biting smiled and walked over to the equipment, naturally starting to check the switches and wiring. "I've had some experience with this when I was filming music videos, so let me take a look for you first."

She bent down to check the plug, her smooth black hair slipping down her shoulders, a few strands brushing against Lin Mo's rolled-up sleeves, bringing a slightly itchy sensation.

I don't know if it's because it's going to rain or because the old house isn't well-ventilated, but the room is indeed a bit stuffy.

Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on Guo Biting's fair and pretty face.

"It should be fine now."

She straightened up, gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and smiled at Lin Mo. "You can try the microphone first; I'll go close the window."

Lin Mo put on his headphones and tried singing a few lines of the melody of "Superfluous".

The sound came through the monitoring headphones; it was clean and clear, and in good condition.

Recording has officially begun.

"Superfluous" is a soothing love song with lyrics that tell the heartache of someone who silently protects another in unrequited love, yet feels superfluous.

Lin Mo's voice was clear yet had a perfectly balanced husky quality, conveying the suppressed sadness and helplessness with exquisite detail.

Guo Biting sat on a small wooden stool next to the mixing console, resting her chin on her hand, listening quietly.

In the dim light, Lin Mo's profile was clearly defined as he focused on singing.

His voice went straight to my ears, deep and magnetic, with a captivating power that struck right to the heart.

Guo Biting instantly transformed into a little fangirl.

After two takes, the main vocals were recorded almost perfectly, with only a few details needing fine-tuning.

Lin Mo took off his headphones, just as he was about to take a sip of water before working on another version.

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A sudden "crash" sound came from outside the window.

In the mountains, the rain in June comes and goes without warning.

Large raindrops pounded rapidly against the windowpane.

Almost simultaneously, Guo Biting's phone, which was on the stool, rang.

The caller was a production assistant from the film crew, and he sounded anxious: "Biting, it's raining so hard, and there are still a few pieces of equipment downstairs that haven't been packed up yet. Please help me pack them up quickly."

"Okay! I'll be right there!"

Guo Biting immediately replied, hung up the phone, and rushed downstairs. "Lin Mo, wait for me! I'm going to help pack up the equipment!"

Before she could finish speaking, she had already run to the door.

Lin Mo glanced at the torrential rain outside the window, then at Guo Biting's slender figure, and got up to follow her: "Let's go together, hurry up."

The two rushed into the rain, one after the other.

The rain was pouring down hard and fast, drenching the two of them instantly.

There were indeed two boxes of lighting equipment scattered in the yard. They hurriedly carried the equipment under the nearest eaves.

The price was that both of them were soaked to the bone.

Guo Biting, panting, wiped the rain from her face and said to Lin Mo, "Thank you, you got all wet."

"fine."

Lin Mo didn't care much. His young body was resilient. He wasn't afraid of getting caught in the rain. He'd done things like playing basketball with his buddies in a downpour before.

Guo Biting said, "We haven't finished recording yet, let's go record another version."

"Okay." Lin Mo nodded.

Then Guo Biting turned around and ran towards the stairs.

After being thoroughly soaked by the heavy rain, Guo Biting's thin plaid short-sleeved shirt clung tightly to her skin, clearly outlining the contours of her chest and the slender curves of her waist.

The linen pants were so wet that they became almost transparent, and you could vaguely see the blue chubby underwear underneath.

Back in the cramped recording studio, the air felt even thicker and more humid than before the rain.

The only sound was the dripping of water from their hair and clothes, tapping on the wooden floor.

Guo Biting belatedly felt a chill, hugged her arms, and trembled slightly.

Lin Mo picked up the earphones, his hands still a little wet, and was about to put them on when Guo Biting came over again.

"Let me wipe it for you."

She whispered, holding a dry, soft cloth that she had somehow produced, and began carefully wiping the edges of the earphones.

As they were wiping, the wiping ended up on Lin Mo's hand.

Guo Biting stood very close, so close that Lin Mo could smell the scent of mountain rain mixed with her natural body fragrance.

Her fingertips were slightly cool, and when they occasionally touched Lin Mo, they sent a tingling, electric sensation through her.

Her wiping motions slowed down, and her breathing gradually became unsteady.

Inside the stuffy, cramped attic, the temperature seemed to be rising silently.

suddenly.

Guo Biting seemed to have made up her mind, and raised her eyes to look at Lin Mo.

Those beautiful eyes were misty with moisture, it was hard to tell if it was from undried rain or something else.

She didn't speak, but gently leaned closer, her forehead almost touching Lin Mo's shoulder.

The soft, warm touch of a young girl was clearly conveyed through their soaked clothes.

This was a silent yet tentative invitation.

The air fell silent instantly.

Lin Mo lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the trembling eyelashes and reddened ear tips that were so close to him. He neither pushed her away nor spoke.

Guo Biting mustered her courage and looked up, their eyes meeting.

Her pupils dilated slightly, reflecting Lin Mo's calm yet turbulent eyes.

After some time, the rain outside the window seemed to have lessened, becoming a light drizzle, no longer so torrential.

Not far from the small building, a figure rapidly approached.

It's Zhang Xiaoquan.

Halfway through filming, he discovered that a crucial prop from the show—the important ring that the male lead's mother had given him—seemed to have been lost.

.

They found a rest area.

They rushed back in the rain during the halftime break to search for it.

After searching around, I realized that I had left it on the sofa on the first floor.

Zhang Xiaoquan, who had found the prop, suddenly realized that Lin Mo and Guo Biting were recording a song.

Why is the whole old house so quiet? There's no singing or talking, only the sound of rain.

He looked up at the old wooden staircase leading to the third floor, somewhat puzzled.

As if guided by some unseen force, Zhang Xiaoquan quietly walked up step by step.

As he got closer to the tightly closed wooden door on the third floor, a strange intuition made his heart race.

He gently pressed his ear against the door.

Soundproofing cotton isn't perfect, especially for certain...

A distinctive sound.

A series of suppressed yet intermittently escaping sobs, a soft, tearful murmur.

Mixed with a subtle, muffled thud from some kind of collision.

It faintly reached his ears.

Zhang Xiaoquan's mind went blank.

A blank moment.

In a daze, he seemed to automatically hear the background music of Fei Yu-ching's cool and melodious "A Spray of Plum Blossoms": "Snowflakes are falling! The north wind is howling!"

He pursued Guo Biting relentlessly for over a month, sending her flowers and gifts, showering her with care and attention, yet they barely even held hands properly more than a few times...

How could it be so easy...?

On this rainy afternoon...

In this small cubicle on the third floor...

In an instant! An indescribable bitterness, suffocation, and a feeling of utter powerlessness at being completely outclassed surged to the top of my head.

Zhang Xiaoquan clenched his fists instinctively, his nails digging into his palms.

But he did nothing.

He just stood there, his face pale.

After a long while, as if all his strength had been drained, he turned around dejectedly, took his prop ring, and rushed straight back to the filming location in the rain.

The raindrops hit his face, feeling exceptionally cold.

Back on set, the assistant director noticed he looked unwell and asked if he had caught a cold from being in the rain.

Zhang Xiaoquan shook his head and simply said, "The item has been found. Let's continue filming."

The assistant director swallowed his question, only to find that when filming the male lead's final scene of mental breakdown and painful struggle, Zhang Xiaoquan was in surprisingly good condition.

He vividly portrayed the deep-seated sense of loss, resentment, jealousy, and a twisted anger.

The pain and inner turmoil in his eyes were so real that he didn't need much guidance and nailed it in one take.

It was even smoother and more explosive than any of the previous scenes.

Director Zheng Fenfen looked at the monitor and nodded repeatedly in delight: "You captured Xiaoquan's performance perfectly! That's the right feel! Keep it up!"

The assistant director agreed, saying, "Hyo-kwon went back to get something, and it was like he suddenly had a breakthrough."

They had no idea where this sudden burst of acting talent came from.

The final scene was successfully filmed, and everyone returned to the old house, braving the fresh air after the rain.

Guo Biting had already changed into a clean spare T-shirt and trousers from the film crew, and her long hair was loosely tied up with a hair tie. She was sitting on a bamboo chair under the eaves of the first floor, looking at the mist rising from the mountains in the distance.

Lin Mo had just come down from the third floor, holding the recorded memory card in his hand, looking completely calm.

Both of them acted as if nothing had happened.

Even Zhang Xiaoquan had the illusion that he might have encountered a ghost an hour ago.

"Finished recording?" Zheng Fenfen asked with concern. "Was it smooth?"

"It's alright, Director Zheng can listen to it later."

"That's great! Thank you for your hard work!"

Zheng Fenfen took the card with a big smile, then looked at Guo Biting, "Biting, you've worked so hard too, helping out all this time. Come on, let's tidy up. Tonight it's my treat, let's celebrate the wrap-up and thank Lin Mo for coming all this way!"