Volume Two: Shadows of the Past, Chapter Thirty: Silken Loungewear

Some people, so long as nothing unexpected happens, are destined to find their way to success in the end.

Chen Jing felt that Liu Manqiang was just such a person. As long as he could keep up that persistence in studying the script, and maintain that same seriousness toward filmmaking at every moment, then it would not be long before he had a place of his own in the entertainment world.

"Cut!"

After finishing a shot, Zhang Qishan let the actors take a break, and only then did he notice Chen Jing, who had been standing nearby and watching them film for quite a while.

"Oh, Ajing, come over here," Zhang Qishan called, waving him over.

Chen Jing walked up beside him and greeted him with a smile. "Director Zhang."

"Mm. Seems I forgot last night and never told you what scene I added for you, did I?" On set, Zhang Qishan was rather stern, unlike the easygoing man he was outside work.

"Mm." Chen Jing nodded. Although he had already looked over the script with Liu Manqiang, he did not mention it. He wanted to use this chance to have Zhang Qishan explain the scene to him.

"All right. Wait a moment, I'll have someone fetch you a script." With that, Zhang Qishan had someone bring over a new script. It was clearly much more complete than the one Liu Manqiang had given him, a thick stack of pages that obviously contained far more than just Chen Jing's own scenes.

Zhang Qishan handed the bundle to Chen Jing. "Here. You probably haven't seen the full script for Blood Battle at Ancient Mountain Ridge yet, so take a look. Your character, Guan An, first appears around scene one hundred and twenty-something. Study it carefully. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me."

Chen Jing took the script, nodded, and said nothing. He went off quietly to one side and began reading.

His role was simple. He played Guan An, a battle-hardened veteran soldier who met Zhao Er, the new recruit played by Liu Manqiang. Because Zhao Er was fresh to the army and unfamiliar with many things, the instructor assigned Guan An to show him the ropes and help him get used to military life, essentially an old hand guiding a rookie. Guan An did not particularly like the assignment, but under the instructor's orders, he had no choice but to accept it.

After that, besides helping Zhao Er acclimate to army life, Guan An would also tease him from time to time. Zhao Er, for his part, never minded; he let Guan An pick on him and often opened his heart to him, treating Guan An as the first friend he had made since enlisting. Outwardly, Guan An dismissed everything Zhao Er said, but in truth he listened carefully and took it to heart. That was how the two of them got along, until the unit received the order to hold Ancient Mountain Ridge at all costs. In that battle, Guan An was blown to death while trying to save Zhao Er...

After reading through his part, Chen Jing fell into thought.

He and Liu Manqiang did not have many scenes together; this could hardly even be called a leading role. The story would have to be conveyed to the audience through a scattering of fragments, with the actors piecing together a complete emotional arc from those brief moments.

He could not even remember where he had once read that the fewer and more fragmented an actor's scenes were, the more they tested the actor's true skill. That statement was not entirely correct, perhaps, but it did make sense.

Since Zhang Qishan had considered Chen Jing a complete newcomer who had never acted before, this was essentially his first time on a film set. Of course, yesterday's bit-part work and the music video he had shot before did not count. So Zhang Qishan had decided to let Chen Jing observe for a few days first, so he could become familiar with the filming process before determining when to shoot his scenes.

Chen Jing agreed with that decision. He had nothing urgent to do anyway, and he had come to the set precisely to learn, so naturally he would follow Zhang Qishan's安排.

He watched the other actors perform on set for half a day, all the way until evening, before finally deciding to take his leave and tell Zhang Qishan he needed to leave early. Tonight, he had already arranged with Wang Youxuan to go with Molly to her home for dinner, and since Zhang Qishan and the others had to work overtime filming night scenes, Chen Jing would naturally not be waiting for the set to wrap.

After returning to the apartment and telling Zhang Jingzhi, he took Molly with him and drove to Wang Menglan's villa. It had been quite some time since he had last come here to enjoy a free meal. Since he had been away competing overseas, he had not had the chance to visit, so when Wang Youxuan invited him this time, Chen Jing naturally agreed at once.

"Aah—Brother, you came!" Once she opened the door and confirmed that it was Chen Jing, Wang Youxuan immediately cried out and rushed forward, throwing herself into his arms.

She rubbed her face against his chest for a moment before looking up at him with a grievance-laden expression. "Brother, why haven't you come to see Mom and me for so long? Is it because you've found a new woman outside and forgotten about us?" She did not care at all whether anyone hearing her would misunderstand.

Chen Jing wrapped both arms around her waist and shook his head helplessly. What nonsense was she talking about? "I've been busy lately. You know that. And now that I finally have time, I came straight over for a meal, didn't I?"

Wang Youxuan touched his face and smiled. "All right then. Hehe, after not seeing you for so long, my brother is still as handsome as ever."

Chen Jing laughed and patted her on the back, then glanced toward Molly and reminded her, "Get up already. Molly's here. Don't corrupt the child."

"Oh!" Wang Youxuan blushed. Then, pretending nothing had happened, she slipped out of Chen Jing's arms and crouched down to pick Molly up. "Little Molly, it's been so long. Did you miss your sister?"

With that, she kissed Molly squarely on the cheek.

"Mm-hm. I missed Sister, and I missed Aunt Lan too." Perhaps because it really had been too long since they had seen each other, and perhaps because Molly did miss Wang Youxuan, she surprisingly did not mind the lipstick of saliva Wang Youxuan left on her cheek this time.

"Molly is so sweet-talking. Come here, let Sister reward you with another one. Mwah~" Wang Youxuan planted another hard kiss on Molly's face.

Chen Jing watched with amusement as Wang Youxuan, childlike as ever, teased Molly. The three of them entered the villa, and as soon as they reached the hall, they saw Wang Menglan walking out of the kitchen in a pale blue set of house clothes and a white apron, carrying a dish.

When Wang Menglan saw Chen Jing come in, she smiled brightly. "Ajing, Molly, you arrived at just the right time. The last dish is ready. Go wash up and come out for dinner. And you too, Youxuan. Go wash your hands."

"Oh. Come on, Molly, let's go wash our hands." Wang Youxuan stuck out her tongue and, unwilling to defy the matriarch's wishes, obediently carried Molly away to wash her hands.

Seeing Wang Youxuan take Molly off to the bathroom first, Chen Jing did not rush. He looked at Wang Menglan and noticed that a few strands of hair clung to her forehead, slightly damp from cooking.

Chen Jing naturally stepped up to her and lifted a hand toward her brow.

"Hm? What is it, Ajing?" Wang Menglan was slightly shy at feeling the man's breath so close to her.

"Don't move, Sister Lan. Your hair is stuck. I'll fix it for you."

"Mm." Wang Menglan did not dare look into his eyes, her cheeks faintly pink.

Chen Jing brushed Wang Menglan's bangs back into place before smiling and saying, "There. Sister Menglan, the dishes are all done too, right? Let me help you take off the apron."

Since the dishes in the kitchen were already finished, he might as well help Wang Menglan remove the apron as well.

"Huh? Mm." This made Wang Menglan even more embarrassed. It was only an apron, yes, but it still counted as taking off clothes, and having a man like Ajing remove her clothing was enough to make her blush. Wang Menglan forced herself to endure her shyness, turned around, and let Chen Jing undo the ties behind her back.

Standing behind her, Chen Jing was about to unfasten the straps when his eyes were drawn to the rounded curve in front of him.

The pale blue loungewear fitted Wang Menglan's body with a smooth, silky grace. Earlier, the apron had concealed it, but now that Wang Menglan had turned around, Chen Jing realized that the outfit seemed a little too snug on Sister Lan.

Her rounded hips were tightly wrapped by the trousers of the house clothes. The thin, silky fabric made her figure look even fuller and more alluring, and Chen Jing could even make out the outline of her underwear.

He swallowed unconsciously, then calmly continued to undo the apron ties in his hands. Perhaps because his head had suddenly grown hot, he did not let Wang Menglan turn back around. Instead, he leaned in a little and reached behind her, preparing to lift the apron up and over her head from behind.

Wang Menglan did not say a word. She merely lowered her head and let Chen Jing remove the apron from behind, feeling the breath of a man drawing closer at her back.

Just as Chen Jing finished slipping the apron up and over her head, Wang Youxuan's voice rang out. "We're done washing up. Brother, what are you still doing here? Hurry and come wash your hands for dinner."

Wang Youxuan came out carrying Molly and looked at her mother and brother with curiosity, wondering what in the world they were doing standing there.

Hearing Wang Youxuan's voice, both Chen Jing and Wang Menglan jerked slightly. Chen Jing hurriedly handed the apron to Wang Menglan and said casually, "Oh, I was just helping Sister Lan take off her apron. I'm going to wash my hands now."

Wang Menglan took the apron, and without looking back, said, "I'll go check whether there's anything else that still needs preparing." With that, she turned and went back into the kitchen.

Wang Youxuan looked at the two of them strangely, but did not think too much of it. Carrying Molly, she went to the dining table and sat down.

In the bathroom, Chen Jing washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He could not help but smile bitterly, and then muttered under his breath, "I really shouldn't go around ruining people."

At the dinner table, at first Chen Jing and Wang Menglan were still a little awkward, but once Wang Youxuan began chattering away beside them with teasing remarks and laughter, the two of them quickly returned to normal.

After they had nearly finished eating, Chen Jing looked at Wang Menglan and asked with a smile, "Sister Lan, how have you been lately? Is the bar busy?"

Wang Menglan shook her head. "I'm fine. The bar has been pretty crowded lately. Business is busy, but it doesn't require much from me. I just go over and keep an eye on things every day."

At that, Wang Menglan smiled and continued, "The reason the bar has been so busy, I ought to thank you for that, Ajing."

"Hm?" Chen Jing looked at Wang Menglan in surprise, not knowing why she would say that.