Chapter 42: Go Home

And so, after a week-long hiatus, filming resumed under Yi Lan’s stubborn insistence.
This time, Shen Jinglan also came to the set, ready to step in as a substitute at any moment.

“Ready, three, two, one, action…”

Jiang Wenting strode over, raised her hand without hesitation, and slapped Yi Lan across the face.
“Beast, ungrateful wretch, get out of my sight!”

Yi Lan, who had been harshly slapped, froze for a moment.
The next second, large teardrops rolled from her eyes, splashing onto her clothes.

Jiang Wenting pointed to the forest behind her and repeated, “Get out! Get back to wherever you came from! Get out, get out!”

The Wolf Girl stood motionless.
She raised her hand again.
The Wolf Girl’s body flinched.

“Get out!” Jiang Wenting’s voice grew heavier, her wrist trembling, yet she couldn’t bring herself to deliver that slap.
The Wolf Girl lifted her chin, her tear-filled eyes staring at her stubbornly.
Jiang Wenting cried bitterly, her heart aching, “Go, I’m telling you to go!”

The Wolf Girl remained unmoved.
The two of them were at a stalemate.
Slowly, bit by bit, the Wolf Girl brought her head to the other’s palm.

Jiang Wenting bit her lip and gave her shoulder a hard push.
The Wolf Girl was pushed back, her figure unsteady.

On one side was the man’s playful smile and his persuasive words, adding fuel to the fire: “A’Yan, don’t act on impulse. A child who grew up among beasts like this will surely be a disaster if you keep her around. Uncle Bai entrusted you to me; I can’t just watch you fall into danger.”

The female lead’s name in the drama was Bai Yan, the daughter of a small business owner.
Before she turned eighteen, her parents had betrothed her to the man before her for the sake of business interests.
Because of this, the Bai family’s business had seen some improvement.

But Bai Yan was never satisfied with this arranged marriage.
Thus, a month before the wedding, she had driven away to this barren mountain and met the Wolf Girl.

Actually, the initial setting of the script was not a barren mountain, but a snowy one.
However, due to the season, Zhou Jing made a small change here, replacing the snowy mountain with a barren mountain and wilderness.

At this moment, Jiang Wenting picked up a wooden stick from the ground and, in front of the man, struck the Wolf Girl on the shoulder: “Beast, you beast! I hate you! Get out, get away!”

The Wolf Girl couldn’t believe it at first.
The master who was usually as gentle as water to her would now ruthlessly strike her with a stick.
She tremblingly raised her arm, wanting to touch her head, just as her master usually did to comfort her.

But the other person slapped her fingertips away abruptly: “Take your filthy hands off me, don’t come near me!”

The Wolf Girl lowered her eyes, stubbornly nudging her head into the person’s hand.
At this moment, Jiang Wenting suddenly raised her hand again and slapped her on the other side of her face.
With a loud smack, a red mark quickly swelled on the Wolf Girl’s wheat-colored cheek.

Her eyes began to turn crimson, revealing her beastly nature, but she still held back, restraining herself.

Jiang Wenting was not afraid of her at all.
She picked up stones from the ground and threw them at her head, one by one.

The Wolf Girl didn’t dodge or flinch, just stood there blankly, tears welling up in her reddened eyes, about to fall but not quite.
It wasn’t until the other person broke her head open with a stone that bright red blood trickled down from her forehead.

Only then did the tears in her eyes roll down, one by one.
She swallowed hard.
The girl who usually refused to speak no matter how much she was taught, now whimpered, calling out two words in a half-beast, half-human voice, “Bai… Yan,” and then choked out three more words intermittently, “I… am… sorry.”

The pain and reluctance in Jiang Wenting’s heart reached their peak at that moment.
Tears fell like broken strings of pearls, one after another.

She threw the last stone in her hand, hitting the Wolf Girl’s face, then turned around and, without hesitation, took the arm of the man beside her.

“OK, cut!” Just as Zhou Jing raised her arm and made the “pass” gesture, in the next second, Yi Lan, who was standing in front of the camera, collapsed.

“Yi Lan…” Jiang Wenting rushed forward and caught her in her arms.
The others also gathered around: “Teacher Yi.”

Shen Jinglan had long since had a doctor waiting in a hidden place.
Seeing her collapse, she quickly gave the doctor a look.
The doctor came over with a medical kit: “Everyone, please make way.”

The onlookers consciously cleared a path.

The doctor was a senior physician brought over by CEO Shen, very steady.
After guiding Jiang Wenting to lay the person flat, she skillfully took out a stethoscope and performed some basic checks.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious.
She glanced at Shen Jinglan and nodded slightly.

Shen Jinglan understood the general situation and comforted her in a soft voice, “It’s alright, Jiang Wenting. We can go back after she rests and wakes up.”

Then, she looked around: “Everyone, please disperse.”

Under the pressure of CEO Shen’s stern aura, the concerned and curious gazes finally retreated.
After the crowd dispersed, they stood in groups of two or three, discussing the sudden situation in low voices.

“With Teacher Yi’s health, can she continue with the upcoming scenes?”

“I think Sister Lan will have to step in. She’s fainted twice, and both times were very dangerous. No matter how bold Director Zhou is, she wouldn’t dare to risk it again.”

“Yeah,” someone lowered their voice, “I heard that Teacher Yi has a congenital heart condition. And the reason she knows Teacher Jiang is because she broke into the studio with a gun…”

“I know about that too. It was all over the news for a while. It’s just that the two families kept it under wraps…” The two speakers, because their answers were the same, subconsciously raised their voices.
A girl next to them quickly gestured for them to quiet down.

The girl lowered her voice and looked around. “Did Teacher Jiang hear that?”

The person next to her: “Probably not, it’s so chaotic right now.”

Then they lowered their voices even further: “Teacher Yi isn’t really a psychiatric patient, is she?”

“There’s no doubt about that. The police even came forward to explain. Didn’t you see the trending topic about her spraying water with a water gun?”

“I did, but during the filming these days, I feel her acting is really good. I couldn’t tell she was a psychiatric patient.”

“Maybe it’s intermittent,” someone explained. “Besides, when she was in the sanatorium, she was always watching Teacher Jiang’s films. Plus, psychiatric patients are more immersive in their imagination than ordinary people, so it’s normal for her acting to be good.”

Another person’s eyes widened in surprise at this explanation.
They looked back at Zhou Jing, their voice even lower: “Otherwise, how did Director Zhou get the title of ‘Goddess of Acting’? She even dares to use a psychiatric patient. Isn’t she afraid something might happen…”

“Shush,” someone gestured with their index finger. “Don’t you know, she has another nickname in the entertainment industry—’Acting Lunatic’.”

The few of them looked at each other and smiled.
Then someone brought the topic back to Jiang Wenting.

“Hey, I feel like the relationship between Teacher Jiang and Teacher Yi is unusual. Once, someone was curious about their relationship, and she admitted on the spot that Teacher Yi is her family. But someone with this kind of problem,” the speaker pointed to their own head, “how could they become family? Do you think it’s possible…”

She trailed off, but the others got the core idea in an instant. “It’s possible. Teacher Yi is indeed very beautiful. Her features are like they were meticulously carved by a craftsman, refined and three-dimensional. Who wouldn’t be moved by her?”

“Yes, she is indeed very beautiful, but Teacher Jiang is not bad either. I still find it a bit strange. If it were me, I might be attracted by her looks at first, but after a while, I’d still be a bit wary. After all…”

The conversation faded into the distance.
The gossipers didn’t have much malice, just couldn’t help their curiosity.

Yi Lan opened her eyes ten minutes later.
The heavy darkness before her took her a few seconds to adjust before she met Jiang Wenting’s anxious and worried eyes.

“Yi Lan, you’re awake.”
Her slightly curved peach blossom eyes concealed the nervousness within, and the mole at the corner of her eye was mesmerizing.

“Jiang Wenting,” Yi Lan could distinguish, yet she couldn’t.
She moved her dry throat, and it was several seconds before she asked, “Is the filming over?”

Jiang Wenting nodded, her fingertips gently caressing her brows and eyes. “It’s over. Yi Lan did a great job. We’re in Teacher Zhou’s RV now. She said Yi Lan acted well today and is personally taking us home.”

“Cough, cough…” Yi Lan let out a low cough, her heart aching.
She struggled to sit up but was pressed down by Jiang Wenting’s palm. “Yi Lan, don’t move. You just fainted. Your body is still very weak and needs rest.”

The woman who was pressed down didn’t move anymore.
Physiological tears brought on by the coughing slowly slid down the corners of her eyes, and the dull pain in her chest intensified once again.
She opened her lips, struggling to take in the air in the vehicle.

“Is it very uncomfortable, Yi Lan?” Jiang Wenting’s slender fingertips caressed her chest, soothing her breath by breath. “Hang in there, we’ll be home soon.”

The word “home” seemed to be a point of support at this moment, but it still couldn’t easily alleviate the discomfort in her heart.
She uncomfortably clutched Jiang Wenting’s hand, her cold and clammy palm against her warm skin.

“Jiang Wenting,” she called her name in a low voice, wanting to say something, but when she opened her mouth, there was only that repeated phrase, “Jiang Wenting…”

And the tears that fell uncontrollably.

Jiang Wenting raised her hand to wipe them away, her gentle presence enveloping her. “Don’t be afraid, Yi Lan. Filming is over. Let’s go home, okay?”

“Go home…”

Go home—

“Sister, let’s go home!”

The war that had lasted for over half a month was over.
She had stayed behind to clean up the battlefield, her body stained with fatigue and blood, as if she could collapse at any moment.
Just then, a woman in tattered, dusty clothes rushed over, took her hand, and said softly, “Sister, let’s go home.”

But before the expedition, she had been settled in the mansion, a thousand miles away from the battlefield.
Yet a week after they had set out, she had stolen a horse and ridden forth.
Along the way, she had experienced countless hardships, nearly losing her life.
When she finally appeared before her, disheveled, her peach blossom eyes were still curved, the mole at the corner of her eye brighter than the stars.

They had embraced in the dark ruins, kissed on the devastated land, sincere and passionate…