When Xia Weiliang placed a bundle of bamboo in front of Uncle Qu, his expression remained largely unchanged, and he didn't stop his work.
"Shave them all," she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "No problem!"
Noticing the blisters on her palms, Su Yuxi said with concern, "Let me do it."
Xia Weiliang shook her head. "Your hand is injured, it's not good for you to exert yourself. You should continue pasting the paper!"
At lunch, Xiao Shuai prepared a tableful of dishes and invited Uncle Qu to sit at the head. Xia Weiliang poured him more bamboo-tube wine.
Uncle Qu picked up the cup and drank.
Xia Weiliang picked up her chopsticks, intending to pick up a piece of tofu, but her hand trembled uncontrollably.
Uncle Qu glanced at her but said nothing.
In the end, Su Yuxi brought a bowl and spoon and helped her serve the food.
All day long, Xia Weiliang was either cutting bamboo or shaving bamboo strips. She was determined to complete the vow she had made, no matter what!
After leaving Uncle Qu's house, Xiao Shuai quickly turned on his camera.
He managed to capture Xia Weiliang, who had been standing tall a moment ago, now stooping over.
"Niangniang, is it very tiring?" Xiao Shuai asked, unable to bear it.
Xia Weiliang thought for a moment. "Compared to filming Director Zhou's movie, it's alright!"
Outside the screen, Director Zhou was working on post-production when he suddenly sneezed.
His assistant hurried to say, "Director Zhou, the weather is getting colder. You must take care of yourself!"
"Cold?"
For some reason, Director Zhou inexplicably had a sensitive reaction to this word.
When Xia Weiliang and Su Yuxi returned to the wooden house, Da Zhuang was preparing dinner with others.
Since Xiao Shuai hadn't turned on his camera all day, he carried the equipment everywhere, making everyone dislike him.
"You've been filming all day, aren't you tired?"
Xiao Shuai: Not tired at all!
Suddenly remembering that Su Yuxi's hand needed a dressing change, Xia Weiliang pulled him aside. "Hold out your hand."
Su Yuxi smiled. "Okay."
As Xia Weiliang sat down, something fell out.
She picked it up and took a look. It was the bronze mirror she had found on the tree that morning. After admiring her peerless beauty in it, she casually placed it on the table.
"Don't cry out even if it hurts!"
"Hehe, I won't."
The scene was too beautiful, with a handsome man and a beautiful woman making for a pleasing sight. Xiao Shuai immediately pointed his camera at them again.
After unwrapping the bandage, they were about to start disinfecting the wound.
But Xia Weiliang suddenly froze, staring intently at the wound on his hand.
It was an arc-shaped wound, about three centimeters long, from the tiger's mouth between her thumb and index finger to the back of her hand. It was a cut from a serrated knife, and it would leave a faint scar after healing.
Staring at his hand, she held the disinfectant cotton pad and remained frozen.
"Weiliang?"
Su Yuxi called her name several times before she reacted.
"Oh, sorry."
She quickly finished treating his wound, pursed her lips, and hesitantly asked, "Do you remember that I won the 'Most Watched Newcomer Award'?"
Su Yuxi chuckled. "I remember. I was at the awards ceremony too, sitting diagonally opposite you."
She took a deep breath and asked again, "After you accepted the award, where did you… where did you go?"
Su Yuxi thought for a moment. "My agent arranged for me to meet with several directors and producers. We had dinner at a nearby hotel."
"A hotel? Was it the Xing Ji Hotel?"
"It seems so. It was the only decent hotel nearby."
Xia Weiliang abruptly stood up. "I'm a bit tired today. I'm going back to rest."
"Okay."
Su Yuxi said considerately, "You did so much work today, you must be tired. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
Xia Weiliang didn't look back and practically fled.
Closing the door, her eyes were filled with disbelief.
His hand, and the faint scratch on it…
She remembered that the film emperor Xiao also had a scratch on his hand, and she had once thought that the man from the hotel that night was him!
But it wasn't until she saw the shape of Su Yuxi's wound that scenes from her past life abruptly flooded her mind…
She opened her eyes vaguely on the bed and happened to see the man leaving. He tiptoed to open the door, and as he closed it, she saw his hand: very fair skin, long and slender fingers, and a faint arc-shaped scar on the back of his hand…
Although the scar appeared at the wrong time, it still overlapped with the images deep in her memory.
Why hadn't she noticed it before?
In her past life, that man had left before dawn.
And in this life, Xiao Yi had no intention of avoiding her at all!
So…
So the people in the hotel in her past life and this life were not the same person!
Perhaps her rebirth was earlier, perhaps before she was drugged?
After that, everything changed as if by a butterfly effect, including her sleeping with the wrong person.
Her chest felt as if it were stuffed with something, and her nose felt a little sore. In this life, because the person was Xiao Yi, she hadn't become the target of public criticism.
Xia Weiliang took out her phone, and before she realized it, she had dialed the number.
Soon, someone answered.
"Hello."
Upon hearing this voice, Xia Weiliang said nothing, but tears immediately welled up.
"What's wrong?"
The man's voice was a little tense. "Are you crying?"
She sobbed, "No, no, I'm not crying…"
He took a deep breath, suppressing the ferocity in his voice. "Did someone bully you?"
"No, no…"
He asked suspiciously again, "Then did you bully someone?"
"Of course not!"
"Heh, so you miss me?"
She bit her lip and responded with tear-filled eyes, "Mm."
I miss you.
There was a pause on the other end, and then the man laughed, his voice even softer. "Was the filming smooth?"
"Smooth."
Xia Weiliang finally stopped crying and said softly, "I've taken on a master, learning to make oil-paper umbrellas. My master likes me very much. He praised me for being beautiful and skilled, and said he would teach me all his abilities!"
"Your master has good taste."
"Of course! He even treated me to bamboo-tube wine. Do you know what bamboo-tube wine is? It's brewed with bamboo leaves! My master usually doesn't bear to drink it!"
The man chuckled softly. "It seems he really likes you."
"Of course! How could anyone not like me!"
"Yes, you're right."
Xia Weiliang lay on the bed, her phone against her ear, chattering endlessly.
It wasn't until A Ning came in to call her for dinner that she woke up in a daze and realized she had fallen asleep.
She quickly picked up her phone and looked. It was still very hot, and the screen showed that the call had just ended.
So… he didn't hear her snoring, did he!!!
After a good night's sleep, having seen and understood some things, Xia Weiliang was fully revived!
"Weiliang, come and sit."
Su Yuxi was sitting with Director Huang and the others, and he called out to her with a smile.
Xia Weiliang glanced at him, said, "I'll sit with A Ning," and arm-in-arm with A Ning, she sat at her table.
It was understandable for female celebrities to avoid suspicion.
But for some reason, Su Yuxi felt her aloofness, especially the look in her eyes just now, which held a hint of… anger?
A Ning happily leaned against Xia Weiliang. "Sister, we're right not to pay attention to him!"
Mikoy also grumbled, "Ever since this Teacher Su joined the show, you haven't paid attention to us anymore!"
"Have I?" Xia Weiliang exclaimed. "I've treated everyone equally!"
Situ: "There really isn't."
Wai Shao nodded vigorously while holding his bowl.
Xia Weiliang quickly served them food. "How could that be! You are all the flowers of the crew. I can only cherish you!"
Su Yuxi silently withdrew his gaze, constantly reflecting. Had he done something wrong to offend her?