Drifting on a String - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

I almost forgot.

Chen Piaopiao said to herself.

She forgot she was the one who'd initiated the breakup. Perhaps because the scene of them sitting across from each other was so familiar, her body had developed a sense of dependency.

She remembered the year Tao Jin had just arrived in Jiangcheng. She had taken time off to go see her, and Tao Jin used her lunch break to have coffee with her downstairs from the theater. She desperately wanted to press up against Tao Jin, and she knew Tao Jin wanted to as well, but her colleagues were in the coffee shop. So Tao Jin had only squeezed her hand and said, "Three more hours until I get off work."

She had scratched Chen Piaopiao's palm, propped her head on her hand, and gazed at her forlornly, sighing softly, "Tsk, this is unbearable."

Of course, Tao Jin wasn't someone who complained about having too much work. Chen Piaopiao understood perfectly well the hidden meaning in her words, so she just cupped her face and smiled.

She found it unbearable, too.

Just like this very moment.

Tao Jin picked up her coffee and took a silent sip.

Liking someone and not liking them is really that obvious, Chen Piaopiao thought. Tao Jin hadn't wanted her for a long time.

After she first brought up the breakup, Tao Jin had called to try and talk her out of it, but Chen Piaopiao had been a complete mess at the time, and the phone call hadn't gone well. After hanging up, she thought, If Tao Jin still cares about me, she'll come back, right? As long as Tao Jin came back to find her, she might not have been so resolute.

But she didn't. Xiao Ma had said that Tao Jin did return to Beicheng once after that, and they had a meal together.

But she hadn't come to find her.

It ended quite cleanly, no different from how it was with that ex-girlfriend of hers. Even their reunion was scheduled in a coffee shop.

Who would be watching from a distance this time? Who would Tao Jin explain this to later? Xiao Zhou? Would she laugh and say, "She wanted to get back together with me, I told her to dream on"?

Even though she knew it was just wild speculation, Chen Piaopiao's pride triggered an instinctive defense mechanism, indiscriminately attacking everyone, including herself.

If she sat there any longer, her emotions would turn sour. Chen Piaopiao got up and left.

Tao Jin gazed at the sluggish river water outside the window. Her eyes drifted, then drifted again. She swallowed, and swallowed again. Her index finger traced the edge of her phone. Her fingertip vibrated. She picked it up, swiped to unlock it. A message from Chen Piaopiao.

"I'll act my part well."

"Thank you for your guidance today, Teacher Tao."

Back in her room, Chen Piaopiao put down her phone. Before showering, she forced her heavy eyelids open to look over the script one more time.

She wouldn't ask questions she shouldn't ask anymore.

Grown-ups need to maintain their composure more than they did in their student days.

The next day, Li Yu arrived with bags of all sizes, including Chen Piaopiao's usual bedding, to take over from the junior assistant at Xilou. Chen Piaopiao was delighted. She was still in rehearsal, but she smiled the moment she saw her.

"You're here." The supporting actress happened to be working on her blocking, so Chen Piaopiao squatted down at the edge of the stage and took Li Yu's hand.

"I brought your pillow. Have you been sleeping well these past few days?" Li Yu touched her hair. It was so coarse, and she had an endorsement for her hair, too.

Chen Piaopiao felt much more relaxed, but there was no time to chat. She answered a call from the director's team and went back into the scene.

They had to rush for the livestream, so the morning rehearsal time was very tight. Fortunately, the work went smoothly, and she had made significant progress after the director's team gave her some pointers. Teacher Wu praised her with satisfaction, "You went back and thought about it, didn't you?"

Chen Piaopiao smiled brightly and admitted frankly, "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"That won't do. You still have to pay attention to getting rest, right?"

After working together for a while, the director's team had even started picking up Director Sun's verbal tics.

When they wrapped, Chen Piaopiao stood center stage and gave a symbolic clap, bowing to her hardworking colleagues.

She ate lunch in her room, squeezed for time, going over the schedule as she ate. It was good to be busy. She had no time to look at Tao Jin, and didn't even notice what she was wearing today.

The door to her room was open. The makeup and styling team came in. The junior assistant, wearing a backpack, came to say a reluctant goodbye. Chen Piaopiao held onto her backpack strap while getting her makeup done. "Be safe on your way back. Send me a message when you arrive."

The junior assistant had a mournful look on her face. "Piaopiao, I still want to work with you."

Chen Piaopiao's eyes curved into a smile as she comforted her, "I'm not famous enough yet to have two assistants. You work hard, and I'll work hard, okay?"

The junior assistant nodded. "Okay, it's a mutual journey."

Chen Piaopiao, smelling the fragrance of the cosmetics, watched the junior assistant leave with her suitcase. Could she one day become someone else's hope? How strange.

Her skin was very delicate. After a few days without makeup, it didn't react well to the powder and paint. Her face felt a little tight. The makeup artist mixed essence into the foundation, applying it as meticulously as a face mask.

The lights and livestream equipment were set up. Chen Piaopiao put on her professional smile and said "long time no see" to the crew members through the camera.

She would listen quietly, then burst into laughter, then make a teasing remark or two, then subtly drop promotional hints. No one could tell she was exhausted. She was very experienced; when her back ached from sitting, she would zone out. If someone asked, she would say, "Sorry, the connection was bad just now, I didn't hear you clearly."

After the little fox grew up, her evolved form was one where people could no longer see the fox within.

After a long afternoon, she couldn't even stomach dinner. She removed her makeup, took a quick shower, and felt refreshed. Spreading her arms, she decided to go for a walk, and unconsciously found herself at the Xilou theater.

There was still someone there, lit by a single, faint stage light.

She knew at a glance it was Tao Jin.

Standing center stage, holding a script, her back to her, writing and drawing.

The scene was dreamlike, luring Chen Piaopiao forward like a siren's call. She lightened her steps, and they gradually merged with the dream. She made her steps heavier, and they gradually separated from the dream.

"You haven't left yet?" Chen Piaopiao asked as Tao Jin turned around. It was almost nine o'clock.

Tao Jin paused for two or three seconds, then smiled. "I'm writing down the cue points."

Hm? What was that?

Tao Jin handed her the script and sat on the edge of the stage. "You weren't here this afternoon, so I had the stage department come over. The heads of lighting, sound, props, and stage design all did a run-through based on your blocking. We just finished."

Her voice sounded so beautiful in the empty theater that even the moon was reluctant to intrude.

"I've marked the cue points for you in the script. Simply put, they're signals based on a certain action or line of yours. When you get to that point, the lights, sound effects, music, and so on will change."

"These points are to prompt you."

So sad. As Chen Piaopiao flipped through the script, that was the only thought in her mind.

She was the one who had proposed keeping things professional, and Tao Jin had been patiently teaching her. But some people might not realize that Tao Jin herself was the very pair of hands Chen Piaopiao both chased and detested. Chen Piaopiao coveted the little that slipped through her fingers, and she also loathed that very little.

Tao Jin might not know how heart-wrenching it was for her to stay behind and take notes for Chen Piaopiao.

What was even more heart-wrenching was that this was all part of her job.

"Thank you," Chen Piaopiao said.

"You're welcome. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

"I have one."

"Oh?" It seemed she hadn't expected her to actually have a question.

Chen Piaopiao tucked the corner of her mouth, a strange half-smile forming in her heart.

She liked seeing Tao Jin caught off guard; it was a little like the old days. She liked talking calmly with Tao Jin even more; it was a little like nothing had ever happened.

"I need to move a large piece of luggage over in a couple of days. This afternoon, while I was getting my makeup done, I overheard my assistant on the phone. The security guard said that large luggage entering the Xilou residential area needs to be distinguished from props, and that it requires a form from the production team to be allowed in."

"Since I ran into you, I was wondering if you could issue one?"

Chen Piaopiao rolled up the script and looked at Tao Jin, her face bare of makeup.

The scent of cedarwood on Tao Jin was as light as her tone. "I can. Have Li Yu find me."

"You know her name is Li Yu?"

"She came this morning. You called her name," Tao Jin said with a small smile.

Oh.

Chen Piaopiao had nothing more to say. She lowered her head and gently bit her lip.

As if realizing this was a habit from her student days, she immediately let go. She had stopped doing it after her debut because if she broke the skin on her lip, it would be a hassle to apply makeup. Even if she didn't, she might get lipstick on her teeth.

The company had spoken to her about it a few times.

Tao Jin picked up her phone and glanced at the time. "I'm clocking off."

"Okay, you head back first. I'll stay a bit longer."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye."

They had rehearsal again tomorrow, but they no longer said "see you tomorrow."

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