31.3 - Crazy! Criticizing the Prime Minister for Being a Servant

Chapter 27: So Sweet [Double Feature] [Is there something wrong? Yes, indeed… but I can’t figure it out…] [Whatever the beautiful senior martial sister arranges is always good. I’ll obey…] [If only she could give me another preserved plum, it’s really bitter…] [Senior martial sister smells really nice, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah…] [Her hands are so white and soft, even the calluses from years of sword practice look pretty. Though her calluses are quite thin…] [That's not important.] The conversation didn’t stay on Ning Songwu for long before it shifted to Li Ke'er’s gossip. They spoke about her recent romantic entanglement. As they discussed the person involved, Li Ke'er seemed irritated, lightly slamming her chopsticks on the table. "You wouldn’t believe how terrible that woman’s skills are!" "Was she white, black, or what?" "Chinese, and she was an older sister too. Despite her age, she was just awful." "…What do you mean by terrible skills?" Ran Fanyin put down her chopsticks, her face full of curiosity. "Ran Fanyin… aren’t you straight?" "Gathering knowledge, you know, just in case." "All I’ve ever done is be a pillow princess." "Well… isn’t that enough?" Li Ke'er eyed her suspiciously for a moment, then solemnly patted her on the shoulder. "Girl, are you in the springtime of youth, yearning to be a bottom for love?" "…I wouldn't refuse being a top either." "And who is that terrible woman?" "No one. I’m just curious." "Do you think I believe that?" "I swear…" Ran Fanyin raised her hand to swear, but remembering that there are gods and spirits in this world, she quickly pulled her hand back. Sternly, she said, "Young lady, trust me, I’m not lying. I’m genuinely just curious." Li Ke'er rolled her eyes, picked up her chopsticks, and said, "Quickly finish eating, I have something extraordinary to show you later." * Ning Songwu mentioned staying in the new city for a week, and only one day was left. She had booked a flight for Saturday morning, and today was Thursday, leaving just one more day. She hadn’t asked Xu Yueping again. Those who cultivate fate have their own judgments on what should be said. If one would rather face divine punishment than speak, then so be it. She certainly couldn’t let a lightning bolt kill the child. Early in the morning, Fang Qing set up a group chat named "MV Filming Squad," including the director, screenwriter, singer, Ran Fanyin, and herself. Around mid-morning, when everyone was likely awake, Fang Qing tagged the whole group, announcing an online read-through for the afternoon, with a discussion about the choreography. This disrupted Ran Fanyin’s plans, so she had to apologize to Li Ke'er and cancel their planned afternoon shopping trip. Li Ke'er's eyes twinkled, "Fanyin, can I sit beside you and listen? I promise I won’t make a sound!" "I just want to hear Ning Songwu’s regular voice." "I can’t disclose any information." "Don’t you trust that I can keep quiet? I guarantee not to make a peep!" "You absolutely cannot make a sound." "Okay, okay, I’ll go get some tape to seal my mouth." Seeing her actually run off to get tape, Ran Fanyin chuckled and stopped her, "No need, just sit quietly here." Her workspace was in the study. Li Ke'er moved a chair behind the computer and wore an earphone, resting her chin on her hand. When Ran Fanyin joined the meeting room, there were already people chatting. As the connection stabilized, Ning Songwu's clear, chilly voice, mixed with a light laugh, flowed into one of her earphones. She suddenly regretted only wearing one. If she had both earphones, the sound would have surrounded her in 360 degrees before fading away. How melodious that would have been! Ran Fanyin glanced at Li Ke'er. She seemed dazed, blinking, and only after a moment did she react. She tightly covered her mouth to suppress a scream. "I haven’t turned on my mic yet," Ran Fanyin kindly reminded her. "Is this really what Ning Songwu’s private voice sounds like?" Li Ke'er whispered in a low, thrilled voice. See, it wasn't just her who found Ning Songwu’s voice enchanting. They would all come to love Ning Songwu, just like her, becoming a loyal fan of Ning Songwu. She wasn’t an exception. Her fluttering heart was normal. She reluctantly turned her gaze back to the screen—Ning Songwu had turned on her camera but wasn’t looking at it. She leaned against a chair, examining a tablet. On-screen, she wore wired earphones, her dark hair draping over her shoulders, with a few strands falling beside her face. Her lips curled into a smile, but it felt distant, different from the smile she wore at the restaurant that day, or any of the smiles in the days following. It was a smile laden with a heavy sense of detachment. Fang Qing, the other speaker, appeared familiar with her, chatting about everyday matters. "Is the new city fun? Is the barbecue really as good as they say?" "Yes, it's quite nice. You should visit if you get the chance." "Ah," Fang Qing sighed, "I just finished a drama in the first half of the year. I’ll start filming ‘Dual Dreams’ in June, and it’ll probably end by the year’s end." "They say the winter scenery in the new city is beautiful. Even the desert gets snow during the extreme cold." "Alright, I’ll find some time at the end of the year to visit. It definitely seems fun. Even your tweet frequency has increased." "Only twice." "Before, it would take you months to post one. Your fans are worried you’ll use up next year's quota." "Maybe?" The woman chuckled softly, teasing him. "Don't do that! You need to post more next year for ‘Dual Dreams’ promo!" "Okay~" Only then did Ning Songwu bring her gaze back to the meeting room, warmly saying, "Fanyin, why haven’t you spoken yet?" Perhaps her voice was too gentle, as Fang Qing immediately exclaimed, “Calling her Fanyin, huh? So that meal in B City was with her, wasn’t it? And you lied to me!" "You didn’t ask, so how can it be lying?" "Tsk tsk tsk, I feel so abandoned." Though Li Ke'er was stunned by this voice, she wisely kept her mouth shut, fearing her voice might be caught when Ran Fanyin turned on her mic. But Ran Fanyin hesitated. Because of her dream last night. After dinner, Li Ke'er had mysteriously dragged her into the bedroom, tapping away on a laptop, unlocking several layers of passwords before opening a folder. "These are my secret stash, uncensored and in high definition. Pick one to watch." Ran Fanyin… She had seen such things before, but only in text and comics, with no sound, and nothing too explicit. The really graphic ones were censored. Now, with these in front of her, even the thumbnails were enough to light up her face. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the screen. Squinting, she changed the view mode from thumbnails to small icons, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Ignoring the delighted laughter beside her, she focused on the text. Just a glance, and she immediately shut her eyes tightly. What kind of ghosts and monsters are these? You can do this, Ran Fanyin. Just think of it as gaining acting experience, especially since ‘Dual Dreams’ has similar scenes. Just think of this as practice. She repeated to herself, half-closing her eyes, opening a title that seemed the most innocent. She seldom filmed such scenes, and even when she did, it was done with body doubles. Her face had shielded her from many such tasks, which was something of a blessing. As for dating… She didn’t particularly enjoy someone intruding into her life, so she never thought much about it. The most she had experienced was hand-holding; she hadn’t even kissed, let alone… Now, with a shy heart, she peeked at the screen, watching how two people gradually deepened their interaction, from initial shyness to the point where she genuinely began to contemplate how to position and frame shots artistically for film. Rather than this blatant, unsubtle portrayal. When she once again asked Li Ke'er about this issue, the always-want-to-be-a-pillow-princess girl shoved her away with a single slap. "You figure it out yourself, I don’t know." "…Alright." "Ran’er, this isn’t an educational film." "It can be." Seeing this person with a face red as a peach but still seriously watching, Li Ke'er sighed in resignation. She really had lost to this girl. And the result of day-thoughts was night-dreams. This dream happened to be an extension of the MV’s main characters being discussed today. However, Ran Fanyin had subconsciously replaced their faces with hers and Ning Songwu's. And she was the initiator. This dream startled her awake, sitting up on the bed gasping for air, her cheeks burning so hot that they could fry an egg. In her dream, the senior martial sister’s robe was half-open. She had a delicate blush from drinking, her long sleeves slipping off to reveal fair arms resting on her shoulders, her lips slightly parted, leaking a sound she had never heard from Ning Songwu. Calm down, Ran Fanyin, calm down. You’ve just been reading too much script lately, and watching too much stimulating stuff. This is normal. This is normal. Her fingers curled slightly, an inexplicable longing for the dream's touch lingering. Even if it was fake. * “Ran Fanyin? Are you still here?” Ning Songwu’s slightly puzzled voice sounded in her ears, bringing her mind back from far away. She responded multiple times in quick succession. "Your mic isn’t on," Li Ke'er whispered a reminder. Ran Fanyin patted her face, took a few deep breaths, and then finally enabled her microphone and camera. Another face appeared on the screen. "Hello, Teacher Fang, Teacher Ning." She responded obediently, explaining, "I just forgot to turn on my mic." "Xiao Ran, do you find the junior sister role challenging?" Fang Qing asked with a smile. Ran Fanyin froze for a moment. Why start with such a difficult question? It made sense though. Over the years, she had mostly appeared in low-rated dramas. Although she was an up-and-coming actress, she hadn’t yet reached the level of leading roles in major blockbusters. Fang Qing was not familiar with her, unlike the casual conversations Ning Songwu could have had. She pondered for a moment, looking at the screen, and then replied slowly, "It does present some difficulty. The period dramas I usually film feature me in very cute supporting roles. This time, the junior sister character, even though it’s just several segments in the MV, is overall more like a bold knight-errant. It's relatively new for me." A standard, impeccable response. “Look at the screen, why are you staring at the ground?” Fang Qing didn’t comment on her answer, instead pointing out her speaking issue. “I’m not going to eat you.” Ran Fanyin gathered her courage and lifted her head, coincidentally meeting a pair of eyes that, even through the screen, gazed at her gently. 心脏一滞 Her breath caught. Instinctively, she averted her gaze. Her heart pounded wildly, thudding in her chest to the point of pain. But she didn't dare to look back. She really didn’t dare. [Maybe reading can help calm me down.] [The mind of a sage seeks clarity, though disturbances arise; humans seek tranquility, though desires pull them away. If one can cast off desires, the heart naturally becomes tranquil; clear the heart, and the spirit becomes clear; thereby the six desires do not arise, and the three poisons are eliminated.] [How did things change so quickly from a good noon to a feverish afternoon?] [My understanding of senior martial sister’s fragile body has indeed reached a new level.] [Why does the senior martial sister always say I’m a tight-lipped person? I’m quite talkative, but no matter what I say, she won't leave the house. If she keeps getting sick, things like myocarditis might become a problem.] [I wonder how cultivators handle such illnesses. I’ll have to ask Elder Qin later.] [But I guess she’s the only one on the whole peak who falls ill every three days? No, I really need to come up with a way to reduce her sickness. Such prolonged suffering isn’t good.] [Even a robust body would weaken if tortured over time, right?] This site has no popup ads, permanent domain.