Xia Yitong said: "I will contact the director tomorrow morning."
Xue Yao couldn't bear to see her like this, so she said, "I'll go and talk to her."
Xia Yitong nodded, gently rubbed the back of her hand under her chin and eyelids, and pushed the door open. Mother Lu, who was sitting on the other bed, turned her head and glanced at her: "She hasn't woken up yet, and the situation is very stable, don't worry."
Xia Yitong nodded again and walked to the edge of the bed.
After Lu Yinbing had the operation, her face was haggard and pale. She just lay there quietly, not smiling at her, not teasing her with those heart-pounding words. Xia Yitong wrapped her right hand in her palms, pressed her forehead against the back of her hand, and closed her eyes.
Lu Yinbing is a very responsible person. With her personality, she would never allow the crew to be unable to shoot normally because of her accident, which can be seen from what she said before she fell into a coma. She let herself take over the role, on the one hand because she trusts herself, and on the other hand, she thinks that she is the most suitable person for the crew at the moment.
She has always been like this, treating acting as her second life. When she was injured, the first thing she thought of was not herself, but the crew. If she had refused to perform due to subjective reasons, Lu Yinbing would definitely feel regretful and blame herself.
Then let’s act.
Xue Yao was right. She was the person she trusted the most, and only she could inherit Lu Yinbing's hard work.
She opened her eyes, looked at Lu Yinbing in front of her, and let out a long breath.
Tomorrow she should discuss a new contract with the director. She might have to audition, so she needs to keep her complexion in good condition. She discussed with Lu's father that they should take turns to accompany her. Lu Yunzhang said directly: "Yin Bing will probably fall asleep tonight. You should go to bed. Her mother and I are here. Work is more important."
Lu Yunzhang knew about this. Seeing Xia Yitong's hesitation, he pursed his lips and looked at Lu Yinbing on the bed, saying, "Don't hesitate. If she wakes up, she will persuade you in the same way. So, I'll come and call you when she wakes up."
Xia Yitong no longer refused and found a place to sleep for the night.
She had a nightmare. When she woke up, it was still dark. Xia Yitong's back was covered in sweat. Her hands and feet were cold in the hot summer. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She was no longer sleepy. She tiptoed back to Lu Yinbing's ward. Lu's mother was a light sleeper. She saw a figure sneaking in through the door and almost screamed. Xia Yitong spoke first, "Auntie, it's me."
Liu Xinmin sat up from the bed: "Why did you wake up?"
As he spoke, he grabbed his phone and checked the time. It was only half past five.
Xia Yitong didn't say she had a nightmare, she just said, "I was worried, so I came to check."
She patted the shoulder of Lu Yunzhang who was sleeping on the edge of the bed. Lu Yunzhang was stunned for a moment when he saw her, wiped the corner of his mouth, stood up and made room for her. The two parents went to the bathroom to wash up. Xia Yitong sat on the chair and held Lu Yinbing's hand.
Xue Yao sent her a WeChat message last night, saying that she would meet the director at 8:30 in the morning. It was only 6 o'clock now, and there were still two and a half hours until 8:30. Xia Yitong logged into her email on her mobile phone and read the information that Lu Yinbing had sent her again. At first, she couldn't finish reading it, but she forced herself to read on and finally got into it.
At eight o'clock, Xue Yao came to call Xia Yitong. Xia Yitong, who had already packed up, bent down and kissed Lu Yinbing gently on the forehead, then stood up and went out, saying, "Let's go."
The two talked as they walked.
Xue Yao said, "Last night I called the director and several investors who make up the majority of the money. You know, the investors won't do anything without profit. They had no objection to your acting, but the director is more troublesome. He and the screenwriter are together, and both of them are highly respected. You must pass their test before you can be a substitute. In order to save time, I rented a performance hall for the audition. The director, screenwriter, producer, and a producer are all there. We are going to meet them now."
Xia Yitong said: "Thank you. But I have a request, I hope you can make it clear to them."
Xue Yao said, "Don't say 'you', it makes me feel uncomfortable. Just tell me, I will definitely help you."
Xia Yitong: "I can't join the crew right away. It will take at least three days. Lu Yinbing is still lying there and hasn't woken up yet. I really don't have the energy to deal with another role."
Xue Yao agreed without hesitation: "That's what I should do, but I might change the reason. I can't use you as my bedmate."
Xia Yitong: "Will they believe it?"
Xue Yao said: "Believe it or not, who cares? I haven't settled accounts with them yet."
The corners of Xia Yitong's mouth twitched slightly, vaguely forming the arc of a smile, but it disappeared before it took shape.
There was a candied haws vendor at the hospital entrance. Before getting in the car, Xue Yao ran over and bought two, handed one to Xia Yitong, and ate one herself: "I heard that if you are unhappy, you can eat some sweets, and you will feel better."
It's really hard for her, as Xia Yitong's mother, to use such childish tricks.
"Thank you." Xia Yitong took it and said sincerely.
Sitting in the back seat, Xue Yao took a bite first. It was so sour that her facial features were distorted. She almost vomited. How could this candied haws seller have the nerve to come out to do business? Turning to look at Xia Yitong, she finished one, spit the seeds on the tissue, and continued to bite the next one.
"Is it sweet?" Xue Yao asked her after a moment of silence.
Xia Yitong was obviously stunned for a moment, then smiled: "It's quite sweet and delicious."
Xue Yao turned away and sighed.
Although the director was not very satisfied with Xia Yitong, his attitude was quite good. He knew that Xia Yitong was sent by Lu Yinbing to save the situation, so he said a few polite words. Xia Yitong kept smiling and looked at Xue Yao from time to time. Xue Yao interrupted him first and said, "Let's get started."
The director agreed and gave Xia Yitong two pages of paper and one hour to prepare.
Xia Yitong held the paper and went to a separate preparation room. An hour was neither long nor short. Until Xia Yitong's performance, Xue Yao's heart was in her throat.
Even if she inherited the hard work, Xia Yitong had to shoulder the responsibility. She was a complete layman in acting, and she didn't know how good Xia Yitong was.
The script is two pages long, but the performance only lasts a few minutes, and it is a non-proprietary performance.
Xia Yitong smoothed her hair which had been messed up by madness just now, and looked down slightly, as if her daughter was standing there. She stretched out her hand slightly, wanting to touch but not daring to, and just stood there quietly. She smiled, and that smile could not hide the bitterness and a hint of hope. She said carefully: "Xiao Ru, I am your mother."
—You are not, you are not my mother!
Her daughter Xiaoru's face was filled with fear. She stepped back in fear and turned around to run away.
Xia Yitong recalled the nightmare she had last night. Lu Yinbing was the same. He said sorry, cried and said goodbye to her, and then left without looking back. Her heart suddenly choked. She wanted to catch up with him, but she was nailed to the ground. Her body became heavier and heavier. She was about to leave and she would never see him again.
If it wasn't Xiaoru but Lu Yinbing who was going to abandon her...
"Xiao Ru!"
The sudden burst of power startled everyone present, but no one laughed, because the voice was full of bitterness and pain, and the cry of extreme collapse was heartbreaking.
Xue Yao's eyes suddenly became wet. She didn't have the heart to watch or listen any longer, yet she was unwilling to stop watching or listening.
Xia Yitong fell to her knees and cried out at the top of her lungs: "Xiaoru, I'm your mother, come home with me!"
…
After the audition, the director held Xia Yitong's hand and refused to let go, smiling excitedly: "You acted very well, really, very well, please forgive my previous prejudice against you. It turns out that the people recommended by Yinbing are never wrong. When can you join the group, Xiaoxia?"
Xia Yitong went to see Xue Yao.
Xue Yao separated their hands and said, "She has some personal matters to deal with in the capital, so she will have to wait a few days."
The director quickly said "yes, yes, yes", but he was really anxious, so he didn't hesitate and asked directly: "I wonder how many days it will take?"
Xue Yao said, "Five days? She still needs to familiarize herself with the script."
Five days... too long. The director looked embarrassed, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, five days is five days." A suitable actor is worth waiting for, so he will use these five days to polish the supporting role to perfection.
After parting with the director and the others, Xue Yao turned her head and said to Xia Yitong, "Look, I managed to get two more days. Am I awesome?"
Xia Yitong was very supportive: "Great, great."
After returning, Xue Yao still had work to do, and reminded her not to check Weibo. Xia Yitong nodded in agreement, knowing that the news on Weibo might not make people happy. Even if Xue Yao didn't say it, she was not in the mood to check Weibo now.
It was a pity that Lu Yinbing was still sleeping when she returned to the ward, but Lu Yunzhang said that she woke up once in the morning and asked her where she had been, and it turned out that she had fallen asleep not long ago.
Xia Yitong said she understood and sat on the bed reading the script. Xue Yao had asked Xiaoxi to go to the set and find the script in Lu Yinbing's room. Lu Yinbing's script was very thick, much thicker than ordinary scripts. Xia Yitong figured it out the first time she took it.
After opening it, Xia Yitong discovered that this notebook was different from an ordinary script. Not only were the annotations hidden between the lines, but perhaps because there was not enough space to write, a lot of new paper was inserted with page numbers. When taken out separately, it was as thick as the script.
Various interpretation methods were marked above, some with a check mark and some with a cross. Xia Yitong roughly understood it. Lu Yinbing would probably rehearse it many times in the room before each formal shooting.
This kind of work is more dependent on a director, who needs to change the different forms of performance of each actor according to their own conditions.
Xia Yitong was fascinated as he flipped through the notes.
"Hello."
Who is calling her
Xia Yitong looked around and finally fixed her sight on Lu Yinbing's face. Her eyes were still closed. Was she hallucinating
He stroked Lu Yinbing's face with his fingers and lowered his head again.
"Teacher Xia."
Hearing the familiar name, Xia Yitong put the script on the bed and said in surprise: "You're awake."
Lu Yinbing smiled and said, "I just woke up. You were looking at something and didn't notice it."
Xia Yitong complained: "Then why didn't you call me?"
"A serious woman is the most beautiful. I didn't call you so that I could see you more." Lu Yinbing replied.
"What a twist." Xia Yiting scratched her nose with his fingers.
Lu Yinbing closed his eyes and enjoyed it, smiling: "What are you looking at? Why are you so fascinated?"
"Read the script." She was as lazy as a sated cat. Xia Yitong's fingers didn't move away, but kept rubbing her nose lightly. "Didn't you ask me to take the role of Foster Mother? I went for the audition today, passed, and will join the crew in five days."
Lu Yinbing opened his eyes and looked at her, revealing a rare hint of confusion.
Xia Yitong's heart skipped a beat for no reason.
Lu Yinbing didn't speak for a long time. He stared at the snow-white ceiling in the ward for a long time, then said, "Was it yesterday? Or was it the day before yesterday? I slept too long, and my mind is a little fuzzy."
"Yesterday, in the afternoon."
Lu Yinbing said slowly, as if recalling, "Yesterday afternoon, I told Xiaoxi that I wanted you to take over. Then I said you also know Yu Tian and have read my notes. Is that right?"
Xia Yitong looked at her and said, "Yes."
Lu Yinbing exhaled and said, "That's good. I thought I had lost my memory and I've been thinking about it for so long. By the way, have you asked the doctor what sequelae I will have? When will my hand be healed?"
There was a moment of silence in the ward.
It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. Xia Yitong said, "The doctor said that you will need surgery on your hand in a few days. You will need to implant a steel plate and nails to fix it. They can only be removed next year. It will take one or two years to fully recover."
"That means I won't be able to shoot any intense action scenes for a year or two." Lu Yinbing said with a calm expression, "What about my brain? Is it okay? Tell me what's wrong. I can handle it."
Xia Yitong was scared to death before she heard what the doctor said: "I don't know for now. The doctor said we need to observe for a while and then see the X-ray later to know."
"Okay. By the way, is my face okay?"
Xia Yitong was impressed by her ability to hit her with a hammer here and a stick there. He swept her face up and down and back and forth. Her natural beauty was still very beautiful, and not even a scratch was made on her skin. It might be the instinct of an actor, as she protected her face the moment she fell.
that is…
Before the surgery, all her hair was shaved off to prevent infection, so Lu Yinbing's shiny black hair had to grow back.
Lu Yinbing is such a smart person. As soon as he saw her expression, he knew something must be wrong: "Let me look in the mirror."
Xia Yitong: "I still don't think so."
She was really afraid that Lu Yinbing's condition would worsen if stimulated.
Lu Yinbing hardened his breath and said, "Will you take it or not? My concussion is getting worse."
Xia Yitong: "... If you mention concussion again, I will give myself a concussion. You keep saying unlucky things. Are you trying to piss me off to death?"
Lu Yinbing: “…”
I'm so scared.
She said, "I won't say anything more. Give me the mirror so I can see it."
Xia Yitong opened her small makeup mirror and placed it in front of Lu Yinbing. Lu Yinbing froze and didn't blink for a full ten seconds.
Xia Yitong put away the mirror.
"Don't move, take it back." Lu Yinbing's expression looked particularly complicated.
Xia Yitong quickly expressed her sincerity: "You look good no matter what you look like, with hair or without hair."
Lu Yinbing actually laughed out loud, and then he groaned, "Oh my head."
Xia Yitong blinked in horror, wondering if Lu Yinbing had been so shocked that he had gone crazy.
Lu Yinbing didn't dare to laugh anymore. She stared at the person in the mirror with her teeth bared. "I heard that baldness is a particular test of one's facial features. Only real beauties dare to shave their heads. I always wanted to shave my head to see how it goes, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Now I see, it's true."
She sighed with emotion: "Why am I so beautiful? Three thousand strands of black hair are three thousand strands of troubles. Do I feel like a transcendent hermit now?"
Xia Yitong was silent for a second before saying, "...Yes."
If you ignore the fact that she is unable to move now.
Lu Yinbing said, "Hey, please touch my head to see if it feels good. I can't feel it myself."
"..." Xia Yitong avoided the wound on her head and rubbed it slowly with her fingers first and then with her palm. The blue scalp, faintly visible light blue brain blood vessels, did not feel prickly at all when touched by the palm, but instead had a different kind of softness, a completely different feel.
Xia Yitong couldn't help but touched it twice more.
Two and two.
Lu Yinbing: "... Okay, you can stop now. If you touch it too much, I'm afraid my hair won't grow in the future. It's okay to be bald for a while, but it's not fun to be bald for life."
"It's okay, I'll buy you a Ba Wang." Xia Yitong touched it again before putting it down.
"What overlord?" Lu Yinbing wanted to laugh again, but tried to hold it back. "I'm telling you, if you keep teasing me like this, be careful of my brain... that's what."
"You can't use anything else as a substitute." Xia Yitong was very serious about this matter, "No crow's mouth is allowed."
Lu Yinbing looked at her and suddenly sighed.
Xia Yitong was bewildered by her sigh.
Lu Yinbing's palm was facing up, and Xia Yitong spontaneously shook her hand, looking at her with eyes so deep that it seemed as if there was a world hidden in them, and in that world there was only Lu Yinbing.
Lu Yinbing said: "Thank you for your hard work these past few days."
"Doctors have a hard time." Xia Yitong was not used to saying such things and didn't know how to express the emotions in her heart.
"I know, but you guys are working differently."
Xia Yitong held her hand with a little more strength, said nothing, and just looked at her steadily.
She wanted to get a guarantee from Lu Yinbing, "It will never happen again", but she also knew that there is no guarantee against accidents. You never know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident. There is the risk of car accidents when you go out, and earthquakes at home. Even worse, some people can die in their beds while sleeping. Who can guarantee a peaceful life? Being an actor is a job with a high risk of injury, but no one can foresee such a serious accident in advance.
Let Lu Yinbing stop being an actor? Xia Yitong couldn't ask for this, and she wouldn't ask for it.
Lu Yinbing also knew that she couldn't make such a promise. The two of them were silent until Xia Yitong was about to look away. Lu Yinbing made up her mind and said, "After my injury heals, I will make one last movie. Whether I win an award or not, I will change my career."
Xia Yitong's eyes suddenly widened, and then, without even thinking, she said, "No."
"What did you say?"
"I said no."
"Not changing careers?"
"Your wish hasn't been fulfilled yet. You said you wanted to go to the Cannes Film Festival."
Lu Yinbing also fell silent for a while, then said, "Let's talk about it later. Let's recover first."
"good."
The topic was put aside. After saying "no", it was impossible to say that Xia Yitong didn't have any regrets. If such an accident happened again, she was not sure she could bear it. But Lu Yinbing had been pursuing a dream in the film industry for so many years, and she couldn't let her change careers with regrets.
The doctor did not recommend that Lu Yinbing sleep too long during the day, so the two of them kept talking intermittently, mostly with Xia Yitong talking and Lu Yinbing listening. It was five o'clock in the afternoon when Lu Yinbing finally couldn't resist his eyelids drooping and fell into a deep sleep.
She had a dream.
I dreamed of the scene of that day again. The weather was nice and it was raining heavily. After the coordinator discussed with the director and actors, they moved the middle scene forward. The staff were running around in the rain to set up the scenery, the director was sitting behind the monitor, and Lu Yinbing was doing preparations in the back.
"Action!"
She ran up the unguarded stairs. One floor up, the heavy rain blurred her eyes. She had practiced the stairs thousands of times and knew where to step. But her feet suddenly slipped and her body tilted, falling uncontrollably. She didn't know where her head hit, and she was stunned. The world around her suddenly fell into a vacuum, without any sound.
It was not until the panicked crowd rushed towards her that she began to feel the pain surge through all parts of her body.
The noise, the rain, the pain everywhere. She closed her eyes, but opened them again. She was shocked to see another pair of hateful eyes in the crowd.
Who is it
…
Lu Yinbing's face turned pale, her eyelashes trembled violently, sweat appeared on her forehead, and her fingers began to tremble. Xia Yitong held her hand and called out urgently in her ear: "Teacher Lu, Teacher Lu, Lu Yinbing."
Lu Yinbing's chest heaved violently and he suddenly opened his eyes.
Xia Yitong called her softly: "Teacher Lu?"
Lu Yinbing smiled at her, but it was a bit forced: "It's okay, I just had a dream."
Xia Yitong asked: "A nightmare?"
"Um."
"It's okay, I'm here." Xia Yitong took her hand and kissed her fingers gently.
"What time is it?"
Xia Yitong said: "It's six o'clock, and you've only slept for an hour."
"Is that so?" After a while, Lu Yinbing asked her softly, "Is Xue Yao still in the hospital?"
"Yes."
"Go call her, I have something to tell you."
Xia Yitong didn't move. She called Xue Yao on her mobile phone. Five minutes later, Xue Yao came over. "What's the matter?"
Lu Yinbing looked at Xia Yitong and smiled shyly: "The following words involve my dark history. Can you avoid it for a while?"
Xia Yitong went out and closed the door.
As soon as she left, the smile on Lu Yinbing's face disappeared without a trace.
Xue Yao came over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I just had a dream. When I fell down, someone in the crew looked at me with hostility."
Xue Yao's face changed: "What?"
Lu Yinbing narrowed his eyes slowly: "I don't know. I have a feeling that this fall was not a simple accident. Go to the crew to check."