Provoking Fire [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 34

The rain continued to fall.

Outside the window, the rain poured down relentlessly, soaking the entire city. Ownerless leaves swirled in the wind, landing on umbrella tops before rolling down with the gusts.

As if a slow-motion scene had begun, Su Yan reached out her hand to Chu Xiyue, while Chi Yao, who had been about to see her off, stood on the other side. After a brief hesitation, Chu Xiyue turned to Chi Yao with a cheerful voice and a bright smile:

“Someone from the film crew is here to pick me up. Why don’t you head back first? Let me know when you get there.”

With a wave to Chi Yao, Chu Xiyue strode forward, her long legs carrying her swiftly under Su Yan’s umbrella.

Su Yan maintained an air of detachment, yet her sense of distance was impeccable—neither too close nor allowing a single drop of rain to touch Chu Xiyue. Just a minute earlier, Chi Yao had been about to raise her own umbrella, but now she could only watch as Chu Xiyue slipped under Su Yan’s umbrella, waved goodbye, and maintained her air of not wanting to trouble her friend any further.

Chi Yao had come to this city for a relaxing trip, driving herself here, which made getting around quite convenient. As she watched Chu Xiyue and Su Yan’s figures gradually fade into the rain after their brief greeting, her expression turned wistful, as if shrouded in a faint, frosty mist, making her difficult to read.

Only after the two celebrities had left did the cashier begin to slack off, excitedly texting her friends about who she had seen that day. But before long, she noticed that solitary figure still standing by the door, though Chu Xiyue was now gone.

The scene carried a hint of melancholy.

After a moment, Chi Yao suddenly flicked her car keys in her hand. It was an ordinary gesture, yet she executed it with extraordinary grace and elegance. When the cashier glanced her way, Chi Yao seemed to sense the gaze from behind and quickly turned to leave.

Chu Xiyue, who had left ahead of her, remained blissfully unaware of what followed. Still reeling from the surprise of Su Yan picking her up, she couldn’t resist asking as soon as they were away from Chi Yao:

“What wind blew you here today?”

“Miss Chu, have you forgotten the contract? I suggest you mind your tone and attitude. Let’s make it clear who’s Party A here.”

Hearing such a response, Chu Xiyue might have been annoyed in the past, but now she was completely accustomed to Su Yan’s cold tone. Su Yan suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder as Chu Xiyue switched the bag to her other hand and draped her arm around Su Yan’s shoulder.

Though Miss Chu had a touch of pride, she couldn’t possibly miss such a gesture of goodwill from the icy beauty. She took the umbrella, raised her wrist slightly, and leaned closer to Su Yan to shield her from the rain.

“Of course, it’s the beautiful and kind Miss Su Yan! Thank you for picking me up tonight, Su Yan. Since I didn’t drink, how about we go back and nail that scene?”

Chu Xiyue’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at Su Yan with a smug “I told you so” expression, leaving Su Yan both amused and exasperated.

“So, in your eyes, my status is about the same as Director Yang’s, huh?”

Not quite, Chu Xiyue thought. If anything, Su Yan is even more intimidating than Director Yang. But she kept that to herself. Once they were in the car, she settled comfortably into the passenger seat and draped a small blanket over her legs.

Su Yan was driving one of the crew’s spare cars, and it seemed she had come specifically to pick Chu Xiyue up. Chu Xiyue, not one to constantly fiddle with her phone, replied to a few messages and then grew bored, gazing out the window at the city’s rainy scenery.

The rain here was nothing like the torrential downpour they had experienced in the mountains. Instead, it was gentle and delicate. Even in late autumn, the temperature remained mild, a stark contrast to the fierce wind and rain of the northern coastal island.

Of course, the rain hadn’t been this light when they first arrived; it had gradually subsided.

After a brief stopover to avoid delaying the filming schedule, the crew planned to depart tomorrow morning, aiming to reach the mountain village by afternoon.

Chu Xiyue watched the rain outside for a while. At a red light, a notification sound prompted her to pull out her phone again. Just then, Su Yan glanced down, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across Chu Xiyue’s screen, where she spotted two familiar words:

Chi Yao: Where are you now?

Chi Yao: I didn’t think you were close to Teacher Su yet. I’m surprised she’s driving you around.

Su Yan’s slender fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.

Chu Xiyue typed back with one hand:

It’s fine. We’re not exactly strangers—we were on a variety show together. A few days should be enough to get to know each other better.

Chi Yao: How well do you know her? As well as you know me?

Chu Xiyue could practically hear her friend’s teasing tone through the screen. Amused, she quickly replied:

No, no, no! We’re the closest, okay? None of those other little vixens can compare to you!

Looking up, she suddenly noticed the green light flashing yellow, yet the car hadn’t moved. She nudged Su Yan with her elbow:

“Teacher Su, do you usually drive without looking at the road?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Chu Xiyue sensed a sudden shift in Su Yan’s demeanor. A heavy atmosphere seemed to envelop her, and a faint shadow of melancholy darkened her eyes, like a snail retreating into its shell after tentatively extending its antennae. Chu Xiyue immediately wondered what she had done to upset the woman this time. By the time they returned home, the two barely exchanged a word.

In the film crew, Su Yan and Chu Xiyue were considered to have a relatively close relationship, especially given Su Yan’s aloof and reserved nature, rarely joking with others. Although Director Yang hadn’t worked formally with Su Yan before, he had some prior contact with her and understood her personality. Their reactions made it clear that the two leads had clashed.

However, both were professional actors and didn’t let their personal tensions affect their performances. The next day, after relocating to a mountain village, the crew gave the actors a brief rest period. By the fourth day, they were back to filming night scenes to make up for lost time.

To facilitate filming, the production team had rented the entire surrounding area. Today’s shoot involved a particularly dangerous horse-falling stunt. Shortly after arriving on set, the crew lit the lamps and began clearing obstacles from the road.

The horses had been rented locally after arriving in the village. Chu Xiyue and Su Yan spent several days familiarizing themselves with the animals to prevent any mishaps during the stunt.

The two horses proved to be quite intelligent, responding well to simple commands. After the trainer had Su Yan and Chu Xiyue ride them around a few times without incident, Su Yan remained silent, while Chu Xiyue, who had previously ridden horses at racetracks, felt quite familiar with the animals. For her, it was merely a change of venue—shooting in the countryside instead of a racetrack—and she felt no particular pressure.

The scene called for the two women to chase a black-clad figure on horseback. Midway through the pursuit, they suddenly encountered traps and ambushes, forcing them to separate. Gu Feishuang, who had been poisoned by demonic energy earlier and hadn’t fully recovered, was struck by a stray arrow while defending against the ambush and fell from her horse.

As Gu Feishuang fell, Yan Qiuxi had no choice but to turn back to rescue her. The pair then faced a wave of attackers, narrowly escaping with their lives. Later, Yan Qiuxi suspected that the series of coincidences seemed too convenient, hinting at the Nightmare Demon’s involvement. This sequence was primarily an intense action scene, requiring wire work as the characters leaped and fought through the forest.

The sun had already set, casting the land in a dim twilight. The dense forest echoed with the crisp chirping of birds returning to their nests, a sound Chu Xiyue was hearing for the first time—the rustling and fluttering filling the jungle.

Director Yang, along with the screenwriter and props team, had rehearsed the scene several times. While the horse-falling scene could have been filmed against a green screen, the real location offered a far more compelling visual. Su Yan, having played similar roles in other productions, already possessed horseback riding experience, which streamlined preparations. After the horse trainer scouted the terrain on horseback and led the actors through it, they were nearly ready.

As final preparations wrapped up, Bei Yaoyao, having finished packing, overheard Director Yang and the props team discussing the scene. Su Yan’s voice also drifted into the conversation. After eavesdropping for a moment, Bei Yaoyao hurried over to Chu Xiyue to secretly report:

“Sister Chuchu, they’re debating whether to turn off the lights for the earlier part of the route. The props team insists it would create the best effect—mountain trails at night are naturally dark—but Director Yang is worried about the actors’ safety. Then Sister Su Yan told them to turn off the lights only for sections 5-7.”

To aid memorization, the production team had the main actors traverse the route multiple times, both by car and on foot, even riding horses through it. By now, everyone knew the terrain like the back of their hand. Sections 5-7 were clearly marked; this was the stretch where Su Yan would ride alone, and the script described it as pitch-black, making the ambush feel even more intense.

Chu Xiyue frowned at this news.

Didn’t this person realize how dangerous mountain roads were at night?

Although they weren’t filming on cliffs, Su Yan still had a scene where she had to fall off her horse. Even with the props team standing by, Chu Xiyue, who had filmed similar scenes before, knew that injuries were inevitable. Scrapes and bruises would be considered lucky light injuries.

Bei Yaoyao was clearly worried about Su Yan, but since they weren’t close yet, she had come to Chu Xiyue to complain indirectly.

But the crucial question was: how should Chu Xiyue approach Su Yan about this?

The matter wasn’t particularly serious, but it wasn’t trivial either. If Chu Xiyue had already made up her mind, she might even find it annoying if someone tried to make her change it.

“Never mind,” Chu Xiyue said. “Teacher Su must know her limits.”

Faced with Bei Yaoyao’s gaze, Chu Xiyue offered this simple reply. Hearing this, Bei Yaoyao couldn’t press the matter further.

With over half an hour until the scene began, Chu Xiyue wandered around to stretch her legs. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of an argument and quietly approached to investigate.