Provoking Fire [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 31

The room was brightly lit. As Chu Xiyue stood up, she could see the crown of Su Yan’s head. The woman’s thick, jet-black hair gleamed with health under the light.

Su Yan’s fingertips slowly traced the cover of the script, pausing on a particular page. Her coffee-brown eyes, shadowed with an unreadable darkness, suddenly lifted to meet Chu Xiyue’s gaze, capturing her attention. Chu Xiyue pursed her lips and unconsciously asked, “Then… should we try it?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Chu Xiyue regretted them.

They were filming a kissing scene. Suggesting they “try it” with Su Yan now… wouldn’t that mean—

Before she could finish the thought, Su Yan hummed in agreement.

In an instant, the scene was set. Su Yan had already settled on the edge of Chu Xiyue’s bed, assuming the posture from the script.

Su Yan was renowned in the industry for her professionalism. Rumor had it that she had sustained numerous injuries from falls on set, some leaving permanent scars. Today, she wasn’t wearing her costume but a loose-fitting pajama set. Upon closer inspection, a lifelike deer tattoo adorned the area below her shoulder and neck, seemingly concealing old scars.

During their time on the reality dating show, Chu Xiyue and Su Yan had grown quite close, but Chu Xiyue had never encountered such a private moment.

She paused, momentarily stunned.

Seeing Chu Xiyue’s hesitation, Su Yan took the initiative, looping her slender fingers around Chu Xiyue’s neck and clasping them behind her head. This instinctive gesture drew Chu Xiyue closer, her hand trembling slightly as it brushed against the surprisingly delicate tattoo on Su Yan’s nape. The sudden contrast between the woman’s smooth skin and the unexpected texture of the ink sent a tingling warmth through Chu Xiyue’s fingertips.

A wave of embarrassment washed over her. Afraid that further hesitation would cost her the opportunity, Chu Xiyue turned her head and decisively pressed her lips against Su Yan’s.

But kissing under the cameras was entirely different from kissing off-camera.

The moment their lips met—Su Yan’s soft and familiar—Chu Xiyue inhaled her scent and felt an undeniable intimacy surge between them. In that moment, Su Yan wasn’t Gu Feishuang, and Chu Xiyue wasn’t Yan Qiuxi. They had completely shed their roles, making it impossible to lose themselves in character.

Su Yan’s eyelashes were long, like feathers brushing against her cheek, yet far more captivating, leaving a faint, ticklish sensation. As their shadows intertwined, the bright room seemed to dim, and even the occasional sounds from outside gradually faded into silence.

The world seemed to fall mute in that moment, but their heartbeats pounded wildly, as if trying to burst from their chests, abandoning their usual steady rhythm. The soft, slightly damp touch of their lips felt like a tiny electric current, surging erratically through their limbs.

This time, the moment stretched on endlessly.

Chu Xiyue simply froze, her lips pressed against Su Yan’s, but she didn’t dare move further. Su Yan braced herself against the bed’s edge to maintain her position, offering no further response, though her lowered eyelashes trembled incessantly.

It wasn’t until Chu Xiyue awkwardly pulled away and noticed the faint flush on Su Yan’s earlobes that she instinctively touched her lips, still tingling from the contact. After a moment of mutual silence, Su Yan finally spoke softly:

“Here, the two characters are just in an ambiguous relationship. They’re just feeding each other medicine—”

She couldn’t bring herself to say more. The facade she had been desperately maintaining was slowly crumbling, like cracks appearing on a once-flawless mask.

Gazing at Chu Xiyue, she could barely contain the frantic pounding of her heart, fighting the urge to flee. To reinforce her armor, she forced herself to adopt a more assertive posture, unaware of how captivating her slightly flushed cheeks appeared in the light.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Chu Xiyue, embarrassed to continue staring, averted her gaze. But Su Yan gently straightened her posture, forcibly turning her head to meet those deep, coffee-colored eyes. Su Yan’s voice was soft yet unwavering:

“Let’s start over. Rehearse. Aim for a perfect take tomorrow. We can’t afford any more delays.”

“Be good.”

The final two words drifted into Chu Xiyue’s ears, light as a feather, like ice-tinged tenderness melting freely. Chu Xiyue had always been more susceptible to gentleness than force. Any lingering resistance she might have felt completely dissolved in that moment.

This time, Chu Xiyue adjusted her emotions again and finally managed to get into character. She opened a bottle of mineral water from the bedside table and pretended it was medicinal liquid. Though she didn’t actually transfer the water, she managed to capture the right feeling.

Again and again, she touched Su Yan’s lips and withdrew. Su Yan’s naturally darker lips, now moistened, took on a radiant crimson hue, making her appear slightly tipsy. During this process, Chu Xiyue’s phone rang several times. She tried to put it on silent mode, but Su Yan stopped her, insisting they practice until she was satisfied. Only then did they finally end their late-night rehearsal.

Su Yan propped her phone against the headboard, using it as a makeshift camera to record. This time, they watched the playback together, zooming in until it closely resembled the effect Director Yang had described. Chu Xiyue finally felt a sense of relief.

In contrast, she felt Su Yan seemed even more flustered. The woman’s thin lips, now stained with a blurred, watery red, looked as if they had been teased—like rose petals drenched in rain, their vividness clashing with her usually cool demeanor.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Chu Xiyue said.

This time, the woman surprisingly refrained from teasing her. After a polite greeting, she hurried out of Chu Xiyue’s room.

Left alone, Chu Xiyue stared blankly at the spot where Su Yan had just been sitting, touching her lips as if a kiss could leave a visible mark. The air still lingered with the lingering warmth of their recent intimacy.

She had thought it had been much longer, but when she checked the time, only half an hour had passed.

Her manager, who wasn’t on set this time, had sent her several messages asking about her filming progress, whether things were going smoothly, and how she was getting along with the crew—clearly adopting the worried mindset of a mother whose child is far from home. Chu Xiyue always replied to Yao Xin’s messages diligently. When she reached the third question, she typed “Very well,” but her face still flushed slightly.

Hmm, this must be an instinctive reaction.

Yao Xin, who was also awake at this hour, sent a voice message after seeing Chu Xiyue’s reply:

“I’ll order milk tea for the crew tomorrow. You’ll be filming rural scenes soon, so you won’t have access to these treats then. Don’t worry, it’ll be charged to your account. Do you want 30% or 50% sweetness? Will the director allow it?”

After chatting casually with Yao Xin for a while, Chu Xiyue applied a face mask, lay down on her bed, and drifted off to sleep. She had a startling dream: the kissing scene between her and Su Yan had suddenly been leaked on Weibo, causing a massive uproar. Fans from both sides were at each other’s throats, and the general public was in an uproar.

Chu Xiyue was already a constant subject of public attention, earning her the nickname “Queen of Controversy” from anti-fans. Though her fans had long since embraced the term and even joked about it internally, the label of “attention-seeker” seemed permanently stuck to her. The leak infuriated Director Yang, who immediately launched an investigation to find the culprit.

When the investigation reached Chu Xiyue, she met Su Yan’s icy gaze. Whenever Su Yan stepped out of character, she became cold and distant, especially in public. Her actions were always precise and methodical, adhering to strict standards. The more Chu Xiyue learned about her, the more she realized they were fundamentally different people. Beyond a fleeting admiration for Su Yan’s beauty, she couldn’t imagine any extraordinary impulses between them.

Yet, under that cold, detached gaze, an involuntary wave of unease washed over Chu Xiyue’s heart.

Just then, Chu Xiyue’s phone alarm rang, jolting her awake from the heavy emotions of her dream. She found herself lying on the edge of the bed, exactly where Su Yan had sat the previous day. Whether it was her imagination or a psychological suggestion, she could still faintly detect Su Yan’s lingering scent—a crisp, cool fragrance that seemed to symbolize an unattainable cloud.

This left her with an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

However, time was pressing, leaving her no room for sentimental musings. Chu Xiyue quickly washed up and repeated her makeup routine from the previous day. In the dressing room, she spotted Director Yang making his rounds. Having already filmed one scene successfully, he was in high spirits. He greeted them with a smile and asked Chu Xiyue how her emotional preparation was progressing. After receiving an “OK” response, he decided to switch things up and film the missed medicine-feeding scene from yesterday next.

On set, both actresses slipped into character swiftly. Chu Xiyue genuinely held the pitch-black liquid—actually slightly sweet sugar water—and poured it into Su Yan’s mouth, forcing herself to convey a bitter taste. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and everything proceeded smoothly up to that point.

As the scene neared its end, Chu Xiyue prepared to rise. Noticing a drop of medicinal broth trickling from Su Yan’s lips, she instinctively reached out with her finger to wipe it away.

Her slender, pale fingertip brushed against the woman’s crimson lips, the broth sliding down Chu Xiyue’s finger. Though a small gesture, it conveyed an unusual tenderness and intimacy.

The director finally called “Cut!” after the scene transition, satisfied with the performance. Chu Xiyue pulled out a tissue and handed it to Su Yan to wipe her mouth again, but the woman unconsciously tilted her chin upward.

Chu Xiyue paused.

In the next moment, the pristine white tissue was stained with the faint hue of the medicinal broth, the color blooming across the paper. Nearby, Bei Yaoyao exchanged a knowing, smiling glance with her assistant, choosing not to interrupt the pair.

After Chu Xiyue finished wiping her mouth, Su Yan thanked her and stood up. Only then did Chu Xiyue notice that Su Yan’s hands, which had been supporting herself on the prop bed, were covered in wood shavings. The woman was notoriously fastidious about cleanliness, so she immediately went to wash her hands before considering the scene complete.

With such a strong start, the rest of the day’s filming proceeded smoothly. Director Yang was in high spirits, and the crew wrapped up precisely at noon for lunch.

“Everyone pack up! We’re having a special treat today!”