“Okay, cut,” Ye Zian yelled for them to stop.
Both Liu Man and Yang Huayue had learned a lot from watching the two experienced actors act. Cheng Fenglan’s vivid interpretation of Gu Juan’s acrimonious face was especially impressive.
Liu Man admired her from the bottom of her heart.
The next scene required Liu Man to act alongside the experienced actors, so she was very stressed. She watched the scene again. This was the scene with the most lines out of all her scenes.
Lu Yi knew that she was new to acting, so he walked her through the scene.
“Because Ji Ning lived a rich and peaceful life, she’s much more naive than Ji An. She’s too naive that she didn’t know about deceits and would stupidly say exactly what she thinks for Ji Liguo to hear. Because she’s stupid, she trusted what Ji Liguo and Gu Juan said and was persuaded to buy the garden villa. You don’t have to purposely act out this kind of “stupidity.” Be normal and natural.”
The “stupidity” Lu Yi was talking about wasn’t a negative adjective. He meant the naiveness girls had when they didn’t know much about how the world worked. In such a greedy and materialistic world nowadays, this naiveness was quite precious. Lu Yi felt as if Liu Man had a bit of stupidity just like Ji Ning. No wonder Ye Zian chose this college student to be Ji Ning.
Ye Zian clapped his hand and told Liu Man, “Now, you will be in this scene, too. Just act like how you act just now; let’s try to get it over with without having to restart.”
Liu Man nodded. Feeling the burden on her back, she took a deep breath.
“Action!”
Ji Ning was slightly less angry. She unlocked the door, and Ji An quickly rushed in. She pushed Ji Ning out, slammed the door with a loud “BANG,” and locked the door once again.
Ji Ning stood in front of the door, stunned. Gu Qing wanted to comfort her, but they were in their house, and the walls were thin. Whatever he said, Ji An and his parents would always be able to hear him. Gu Qing didn’t know when they would come out of the bedroom. He stood in the narrow space, not knowing what to do.
At this time, Gu Juan opened the door to her and Ji Liguo’s room. She looked outwards and saw how close Ji Ning and Gu Qing were to each other. Her brows furrowed in a quick and unnoticeable moment before she walked over and told Ji Ning, “Ah, what your father just said was only out of his anger. Besides, however angry he was, he shouldn’t have attempted to spank you! I’ve already scolded him, and he knows how wrong he was. He’s willing to apologize to you, now.”
As she finished her sentence, she turned her head to berate Ji Liguo, who was still standing at the entrance of the room, “Why are you standing there like an idiot? Didn’t you say you want to apologize? Why are you feeling embarrassed now? Is there anything to be embarrassed about in front of your child? If you say or do anything wrong, then you should apologize. Come, now.”
Gu Juan had great acting skills. Ji Ning, who was just now angry, heard what she said and lifted her head. Her eyes locked onto Ji Liguo’s.
It was unclear whether Ji Liguo was scared of the lie being discovered or if he was feeling guilty. Ji Ning’s clear eyes watched as he lowered his head and walked to a spot in front of her without daring to look at her.
“It was my bad. I shouldn’t have scolded you or spank you. I now apologize to you,” he said with a low voice.
Ji Ning could not withstand someone older than her apologizing and lowering his head to her. She immediately straightened Ji Liguo and said, “I did something wrong too. Everyone has something hard for them to do; I shouldn’t have blamed you.”
Gu Juan quickly added on, “Yeah, yeah. Everyone was just mad when they argued, which was why the words were so ugly. We are all a family, and you two are blood-related. No conflict can’t be solved within one night. If you are not angry anymore, then we can each take a step back. Our family of five can live a peaceful future.”
Gu Juan put Ji Ning’s hand in Ji Liguo’s, “Listen to me. Forgive each other and overlook this small conflict.”
She winked at Ji Liguo. Ji Liguo hesitated for a moment but still said:
“You and An An were separated when you were just five to six years old. It’s normal you don’t have a good relationship with each other right now. We made you two sleep in the same bedroom, and if this continues, you are probably going to argue against each other every day. You are all growing up, and you need your personal space. We want to change to a slightly bigger house, but ever since I got fired, I’ve never found any stable jobs. Your Aunt Gu had never gotten any jobs, and even if she gets a part-time job, she usually doesn’t earn any profit. During these years, we, at most, have only collected about five-thousand RMB. Even if we sell this house, we won’t be able to buy a better house with that five-thousand RMB, unless we move to the countryside. But if we do that, you, Ji An, and Qing Qing will have a problem getting to school.”
“I feel very sorry for Qing Qing. He had been sleeping in the living room for three years, and ever since he came to our house, he had never had his personal space. Such a wonderful child and he’s being mistreated in our house.”
Gu Qing, who was called on, did not understand what his parents meant. Being a thoughtful child, he said, “Uncle Ji, I’m fine living in the living room, and I’m used to it. I don’t feel like I’m being mistreated at all. You and my mom don’t have to worry over me.”
Gu Juan tried her best to signal him with her expression. Gu Qing saw it. He was smart, but he didn’t understand what it meant until he heard what Ji Liguo continued to say,
“You lived a good life and lived in a mansion when you were in America. Now that you’re back, you have to live in this poor place with us. You must feel very uncomfortable?” Ji Liguo, as if he cared about Ji Ning, asked.
“No, no. When mother’s business did not go well, we used to live in a much poorer house than this,” Ji Ning quickly said; she had fallen into Ji Liguo and Gu Juan’s trap.
Gu Juan added, “To be honest, as long as there is family there, it does not matter what kind of place we live in,” As she said this, she sighed and raised her hand to wipe away a tear at the corner of her eye that didn’t exist.
“An An is your blood-related sibling, but she, like Qing Qing, isn’t living a good life. The neighbors all complimented on these two children, how they have good looks, and talk sweetly. They even got into Shanghai Experimental Middle School with their grades and didn’t spend a single RMB from us. Unfortunately, we cannot give them a better life.”
Ji Ning was aloof and proud in front of Ji An, sure. But she shared the same blood as Ji An, and they were siblings. She wouldn’t be able to watch Ji An live an impoverished life. Besides, Gu Qing, whom she liked very much, was sleeping in a broken bed in the living room.
And she did live in a large garden villa with two floors in the US. The kind of garden villa with a garage, a swimming pool, a front garden, and a back garden. If she compared this house and that garden villa she used to live in, she admitted it was a difference from heaven to hell.
If one likes another, one hoped he lived a good life, at least one as good as one had.
Ji Ning was too kind; her eyes showed how lenient she was. Gu Juan and Ji Liguo exchanged a glance. They were going to succeed!
At this time, Gu Qing was already very clear about what his mother and his stepfather wanted to do, but he said nothing and stood aside. He watched as Ji Ning pondered, hesitated, and made a decision.
As expected, Ji Ning asked Ji Liguo, “How much do you need to buy a new house?”
Ji Liguo said, “There are expensive houses and ones that are cheap. It depends on what kind of house it is.”
Ji Ning naturally thought back to the house she lived in, which was very fancy. She asked Ji Liguo, “What about a garden villa in the downtown area with two floors?”
Credits: Sydney, Isabella, Yutong/Puppxteer
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