Huayu: Tianxian Qianmeng

"Could I be mistaken? Isn't Bai Xiuzhu Liu Yifei?"

Early June 2002, evening. Yanjing, Huairou Film and Television Base.

The studio was bathed in "moonlight," and a faint smell of dust filled the air. Ling Yuan stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the cold metal frame, his eyes fixed on the scene.

They're filming right now; it's the classic scene where Jin Yanxi and Leng Qingqiu first meet.

Chen Kun (playing Jin Yanxi) is dressed in a smart Western suit, his hair is slicked back, and he perfectly captures the arrogance of a scion of a noble family. Every glance and every turn is full of drama.

Dong Jie (Leng Qingqiu) is like a delicate white flower, with her head bowed and eyes downcast, yet her stubbornness and scholarly air cannot be hidden.

"Sir, could you move your car? My paper is stuck under your car."

"Cut! That's a good take!" Director Li Dawei's voice came through the loudspeaker.

Ling Yuan couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.

Chen Kun, this senior brother, is truly something else. His acting was so fluid and natural, perfectly capturing Jin Yanxi's initial amazement, curiosity, and slightly cynical attitude upon first meeting Leng Qingqiu.

As he looked at it, that little doubt in his mind started to pop up again.

That's not right!

Ling Yuan rubbed his temples hard, as if to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The cast list is posted on the small blackboard next to the stage manager, written in black and white.

"Baek Soo-joo: Kim Tae-hee (Korean)".

Kim Tae-hee? Ling Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

In his short 44 years of life in his previous life, he was a teacher at a drama academy and also wrote some novels on the side. He never worked in the entertainment industry, but he was still a die-hard fan of beautiful women and a "celestial beauty".

I've watched "The Story of a Noble Family" countless times. Bai Xiuzhu, who was breathtakingly beautiful at the age of 14 and even outshone Leng Qingqiu, is the white moonlight goddess I never got to see in my past life!

Reborn at 18, I easily got into the Beijing Film Academy and ranked first in my major courses.

Teacher Cui (Chen Kun's mentor, whom Chen Kun privately calls "Mom"; Chen Kun was a 96 graduate and Ling Yuan was a 01 graduate) recommended him to join the cast, where he landed the righteous supporting role of "Haoran".

My mind was racing with plans. Once I was on set, the goddess Liu Yifei would be right there in front of me. Getting an autograph and a photo would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? The first step to a perfect life!

And what happened? A week has passed since they joined the crew, and not only has Liu Yifei not appeared, but they haven't even seen a single strand of "XiXi's" hair!

Has Baek Soo-joo been replaced? And is she a Korean actress?

"Holy crap... Could it be that I've been transported to a different world? A parallel universe?" Ling Yuan muttered to himself, his brows furrowing in disbelief.

In my past life, my knowledge of entertainment gossip was really limited to that of a "gossip-eating spectator." I only found out about these shocking scandals when they were circulating like wildfire in my workplace: Dong Jie, the "pure white lotus/poisonous mushroom"; Ma Rong, the "green tea bitch/Pan Jinlian"; Wu Qian, the "I'm so big, you have to bear with me"...

When I watch movies and TV series, I only focus on the works themselves and don't pay much attention to the actors.

Liu Yifei's debut details? Who knows! Now, the goddess seems to have "disappeared," and I'm completely devastated. It feels like the most important part of my rebirth gift package has been taken away.

The halftime bell rang, and the shed instantly became lively.

Ling Yuan shook his head, temporarily putting aside the "mystery of parallel worlds," and jogged to meet Chen Kun, who was walking down the street.

"Senior brother, that scene was absolutely amazing! Your eyes and expressions were spot on!" Ling Yuan gave a thumbs up, his face full of sincere admiration. Chen Kun's portrayal of Jin Yanxi's charming and aristocratic demeanor was truly convincing.

The key point is that this senior student was previously described as "lacking in nobility".

This was entirely compensated for by acting skills.

In his previous life, Ling Yuan had also seen Chen Kun play Yu Huatian, the eunuch of the Western Depot, who was "incredibly noble."

"You ask me what the Western Depot is? Now I'll tell you—"

"Haha, don't give me that. I won't give you a bonus for flattering you." Chen Kun waved his hand with a smile, and habitually reached into his pocket, only to pull out a flat cigarette case.

I shook it; it was empty.

"Tsk, always the worst that can happen." Chen Kun muttered, pulled a fifty-yuan note from his wallet, and handed it to Ling Yuan. "Junior brother, run an errand for me. Same old place, Old Wang's shop, buy a pack of Marlboro hard red cigarettes. That old man is a master of deception; only he has the real stuff."

"Okay, I'll take care of it." Ling Yuan took the money. It was no big deal. In the few days since joining the crew, Chen Kun had really taken good care of him, his "junior brother" who also came from humble backgrounds. He had been very approachable when it came to explaining the scenes and rehearsing lines.

Who could blame them when they were "brothers" under Teacher Cui's tutelage? In addition, Ling Yuan himself lived up to expectations, with few scenes but solid performances in every scene, and his delivery of lines was superb. The director never yelled "NG," so Chen Kun found him even more pleasing to the eye.

Ling Yuan straightened his slightly loose gray Zhongshan suit, the costume for the character "Haoran". To be honest, when he put on this outfit, paired with his 185cm height and upright face, he really did have some of the "Haoran" spirit in his name.

He strode out of the studio.

Teacher Cui's evaluation of him was: handsome, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a righteous look, suitable for playing heroes and generals.

It was already getting dark outside. The back street of the film and television base was very narrow, with dim streetlights. Cars, tricycles, and bicycles were all mixed together, and the sounds of horns and bells created a chaotic mess.

The air was filled with the smells of dust, takeout food, and gasoline fumes that seemed to be coming from nowhere.

Following Chen Kun's instructions, Ling Yuan walked towards the general store on the street corner. His gaze casually swept over the messy street.

Suddenly, I stopped walking.

In the middle of the road, a little girl, about four or five years old, wearing a pink dress and pigtails, stood blankly, clutching a dirty rag doll tightly in her hand. Her face was pale, and she didn't notice at all that a tricycle full of prop boxes was rushing out of the dark alley next to her.

The man pedaling the bicycle shouted at the top of his lungs, "Make way! Make way!" but the little girl seemed to be frozen in fear and didn't move.

It looked like it was about to crash into us! Danger! A hair's breadth away!

Without the slightest hesitation, Ling Yuan's body moved faster than his mind, shooting out like a cannonball.

The movement was incredibly fast. It was a perfect, low-sliding shovel, almost scraping the ground, and with a "bang," it scooped up the child and carried them to the roadside green belt!

Wow!

The little girl was terrified by the sudden "air raid," and she threw her dirty doll away, wailing loudly.

Ling Yuan himself was also badly hurt by the fall, rolling half a circle on the ground before stopping.

My smart gray Zhongshan suit was instantly covered in dirt and grass clippings, and my left elbow was burning with pain; I guessed it was scraped raw.

"Hiss..." Ling Yuan winced, but ignoring his injury, he quickly scrambled to his feet, squatted down in front of the little girl, and frantically tried to soothe her: "Sweetie, don't cry! It's okay, look, the broken car ran away, don't be afraid..."

After carefully checking him over, Ling Yuan found that the little guy was only badly frightened and hadn't bumped or bruised himself. He breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling his back was soaked with sweat.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, reached out and picked up the little girl: "Come on, Uncle will take you to find your mom and dad..."

Before he could finish speaking, just as he stood up, holding the little girl (with his back to the main road), intending to continue comforting the sobbing little darling, "Squeak!!!"

A piercing, ear-piercing screech of brakes exploded behind us without warning! The sound was like metal screaming in agony!

Ling Yuan was so startled that he almost dropped the child he was holding! He turned around abruptly!

A gleaming black Cadillac limousine came to a stop, its front end almost touching his trouser leg.

The tires left two shallow black marks on the ground, and were still emitting a little smoke.

"Holy crap! What's going on?!" Ling Yuan's heart pounded wildly. He had been so focused on comforting the child that he hadn't paid any attention to the road conditions!

The driver's side window rolled down with a "whoosh," revealing a well-maintained face, now etched with shock and anger. It was a beautiful middle-aged woman with a refined air, but her eyes were like knives slicing through the car.

"You! What's wrong with you?!" Liu Xiaoli's voice was urgent and sharp, with a noticeable tremor. "You suddenly appeared with a child in your arms! Are you out of your mind?! You scared me to death! If that had happened... two lives!!!"

Her chest heaved with anger; she was clearly still shaken by the terrifying scene she had just witnessed and extremely frightened.

Ling Yuan was also quite startled by this sudden "back-to-back attack," and his mind was buzzing.

But when he saw that face clearly, the reborn man's memories exploded all at once!

Liu Xiaoli! It's her! The fairy mom!

Almost instinctively, Ling Yuan's gaze, like a searchlight, swept past the shocked and angry Liu Xiaoli and stared straight at the passenger seat.

In the dim light inside the car, a delicate, almost unreal face looked out the window with a lingering, shaken expression.

Liu Yifei, 14 years old.

Her face still had a bit of baby fat, her eyes were wide open like a startled fawn, and her long eyelashes fluttered. She didn't have the aloof and ethereal aura of later generations' "celestial beings," but rather the pure, innocent, and genuine panic of a young girl.

boom!

Ling Yuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning! He froze instantly! Holding the child, he stood there dumbfounded, his eyes fixed on the passenger seat, his mouth slightly open, unable to utter a single word.

My mind went blank: It's her! It really is Sissi! Alive! So close! Parallel world my foot! My goddess is right in front of me!

But looking at him like this, in his dirty, dusty costume, with blood seeping from his elbows, his hair all messy, and holding a little girl who was crying sobbing in his arms, his eyes seemed glued to the little girl's face...

He looks like someone with weird... well... not quite normal.

Liu Yifei was initially startled by the sudden braking and her mother's scolding, her face turning pale. But when she saw the "strange person" holding the child outside the car, who not only didn't apologize or explain, but was staring at her with an extremely strange, staring, even somewhat...obsessive? gaze...

The little girl's sympathy and lingering fear vanished in an instant!

Her delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed into a knot, her pink lips pursed unhappily, her eyes were full of vigilance and disdain, and she unconsciously shrank back into her seat.

The little voice inside Fairy Sister's head was screaming: "Who is this guy? Is he crazy? He already has a daughter and he's still staring at me like that, it's terrifying! Mommy, run!"

"I'm so sorry! I'm really sorry!" Ling Yuan was jolted awake by Liu Xiaoli's piercing gaze and Liu Yifei's undisguised disgust, and instantly came to his senses! His face flushed red, and he was extremely embarrassed!

He was indeed careless just now.

Because the gray Zhongshan suit he was wearing was not very conspicuous in the evening, and there were green belts on both the main road and the side road. Moreover, he had been squatting and was in the blind spot of the other car. When he suddenly stood up, he was tall and big. Well, it was a very classic Spielberg shot, the kind that could startle the "audience". It is not surprising that Liu Xiaoli and her daughter were frightened.

In my past life, I was careless and thought I was safe to cross the street when the light was green. Little did I know, I would be hit and killed by a car that ran a red light. In this life, I can't be so careless.

Holy crap, they were almost knocked flying by the celestial mother and daughter!

Ling Yuan felt a lingering fear.

From now on, I must be much more careful. Being reborn is an opportunity given by God; dying again might not offer another chance.

Liu Xiaoli gave a soft snort, retreated back into the car, and the Cadillac drove away.

Ling Yuan stared blankly at the departing car for a moment: "..."

What kind of mess is this? First meeting and this? He's probably been labeled a pervert. Negative impression score.

Actually, this was the first time he had seen the real Liu Yifei since his rebirth, and it was an accidental encounter in this kind of setting. He was a little shocked, and also felt a slight sense of temporal displacement. It really had nothing to do with "lust."

No matter how beautiful Liu Yifei is, she is only fourteen or fifteen years old. The law protecting minors does not allow him to have any designs on her.

Besides, she, the "Fairy Sister," reached the peak of her career right from the start, so why would she be interested in someone as unknown as him?

Why should I?