After Becoming a Film Queen, She Dumped Her Financial Sponsor - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Not Enough to Reach Fu Qingyun?

“Good, that was a nice take.”

“Gu Xin, take a break for now. Get ready to shoot your next scene with Si Jin later.”

Director Zheng called for a stop, and Gu Xin walked off the set gracefully, politely bowing to the crew.

“Thank you for the compliment, Director Zheng.”

Her attitude was excellent, and she had a great reputation on set. Director Zheng just waved his hand and continued reviewing the footage on the monitor.

On the other side, Qiao Sijin had already changed into her costume. A makeup artist was currently working on her, carefully brushing her eyebrows.

The makeup artist was focused and meticulous.

“Si Jin, may I sit here?”

Gu Xin stood beside Qiao Sijin and asked politely.

“This is a public resting area. Sit wherever you like.”

Seriously, how obvious could a crush be? Did Gu Xin really think she was blind? Qiao Sijin sighed inwardly.

Not that she cared.

“Then I won’t be polite,” Gu Xin replied, pressing her fingers against the chair as she sat down. It wasn’t particularly close, but sitting directly across from her still made Qiao Sijin feel uncomfortable.

Fine. A kid with a crush won’t listen to reason anyway.

Damn it, why was she thinking about her own past again?

Though it wasn’t exactly misery loves company, Qiao Sijin couldn’t help but be reminded of Fu Qingyun whenever Gu Xin acted so clingy.

She tried reading the script, but the words wouldn’t go in.

So she simply set the script down on the table, giving up on reading altogether.

At that moment, the crew was already setting up props for the next scene. They’d be shooting again soon, and it would be her and Gu Xin on screen.

Might as well rehearse the lines.

That kid kept staring, and Qiao Sijin was feeling more and more uneasy.

She tapped her finger on a line in the script and said, “Since you’re free, why don’t we run through the lines?”

“Is that okay?”

Although she was getting a little annoyed with Gu Xin constantly hovering, Qiao Sijin still maintained basic courtesy with her co-stars. Besides, the film wasn’t finished yet—how could they afford to fall out now?

If they really got into a fight, how could they keep working together?

So, for the sake of her career, she chose to endure it.

Especially now that she no longer had Fu Qingyun backing her up. She had to rein in her temper from now on.

As the saying goes, under the eaves, one must bow their head.

“Of course! I’d be honored,” Gu Xin replied. “Where should we start?”

Gu Xin’s character had several scenes with Qiao Sijin’s, and she had memorized their dialogues thoroughly. She had rehearsed the lines in her head thousands of times, just to make sure she wouldn’t mess up when acting alongside Qiao Sijin.

She just wanted to keep up with her.

You could say she was making up for lack of talent with hard work, and she was perfectly happy with that.

“Let’s start here.”

Qiao Sijin pinched the script shut with her fingers. Her expression shifted, and in an instant, she was in character.

Her voice softened slightly, tinged with gentle questioning:

“I just want to know, why did you leave the countryside and come back to the city… This place isn’t where you truly belong, right?”

“You could’ve told me earlier. I’m not as petty as you think, and I’m not as hung up on it as you imagine.”

In that moment, Gu Xin was pulled straight into that rainy, blurry day when their characters first met.

She licked her lips, but everything she had rehearsed so many times evaporated. She didn’t know how to respond.

On the other side, as soon as Qiao Sijin finished speaking, an image flashed through her mind—of a certain person.

That was the thing about being deeply in love. Those words immediately reminded her of Fu Qingyun.

She had said these exact words to Fu Qingyun in a past life.

Back then, their three-year contract had ended, and Fu Qingyun had come to her with the termination agreement, asking to end it.

At the time, she hadn’t understood. Why didn’t Fu Qingyun want her anymore? Hadn’t she worked hard enough?

Had she not climbed high enough?

Was she really… not enough to reach Fu Qingyun?

“Ah Jin, you should know… it’s truly over between us.”

“My father passed away. I’m about to take over. My mother counts on me. I can’t let her down.”

That had also been a rainy day. Raindrops pattered against the car window, the wipers sweeping back and forth in an endless rhythm.

The water streamed down the glass like little rivers.

“Is that what you want? Or is it your mother’s idea… the company’s… or even your late father’s?”

Turns out, when you’re mad enough, you really do speak without thinking.

Qiao Sijin clutched her purse strap tightly. She had come that day hoping to celebrate the anniversary of their first meeting—only to be hit with a breakup.

How could she not feel heartbroken?

She looked at Fu Qingyun, who wore a perfectly tailored suit, with sparkling diamond earrings hanging from her earlobes, long tassels swaying slightly.

Elegant and aloof.

“It has nothing to do with them. This is my decision.”

“Do you really need to hear the rest?”

“Ah Jin, I’ve already negotiated that film deal for you. No one will interfere with your decision.”

What did that even mean?

Was this her way of settling accounts and walking away clean?

“Fu Qingyun, what if I said I didn’t want that… Do you know why I stopped calling you ‘sister’?”

Qiao Sijin turned to look at Fu Qingyun, her gaze unreadable. She practically held her breath, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

“Does it matter? You grew up. If you don’t want to call me that anymore, I understand.”

Fu Qingyun’s eyes stared off somewhere—anywhere but at Qiao Sijin. Her indifference was infuriating. Qiao Sijin, in a fit of anger, unbuckled her seatbelt and shoved it away.

“You really think it doesn’t matter? You never thought any of this mattered!”

“Then what am I to you? What the hell am I?!”

Tears spilled from her eyes. Sometimes Qiao Sijin hated her own sensitivity—why couldn’t she just hold it in a little longer? Why couldn’t she pause, even in the middle of an ugly fight?

Crying like this made her look so weak.

The tears rolled down her cheeks, landing at her jaw. Outside the car window, the neon lights filtered in. At that moment, Fu Qingyun turned to look at her—just in time to see her expression clearly.

So many words clogged her throat.

She couldn’t say a single one.

Finally, as if resigning herself to something, Fu Qingyun sighed. She reached out and gently wiped away Qiao Sijin’s tears with her thumb.

“Don’t cry, Ah Jin.”

“Say goodbye to me like you did when we first met.”