Lin Qinghe’s eyes instantly lit up.
A kiss that increased the progress bar by 2% seemed quite worthwhile!
Sensing You Rong’s stiffening body, a sly glint flashed in Lin Qinghe’s eyes. She deliberately kissed him longer. After finally pulling away from You Rong’s lips, she intentionally misread her lines, "You Rong, I like…"
Lin Qinghe feigned immediate realization, quickly took two steps back, and with a face full of regret, said to the director, "Director Wang, I’m so sorry, my tongue slipped. I called You Rong’s name directly. I should have said Gu Fan."
Director Wang didn't take it to heart. He waved his hand, "It's fine, everyone get ready, let's shoot it again!"
Lin Qinghe’s lips curved slightly, "Oh, okay!" She turned to look at You Rong again. Seeing that his ears had indeed turned red, she pursed her lips, suppressing the upward curve, and pretended to say, "You Rong, I'm sorry, it was my fault just now, but… I absolutely didn't mean to!"
When it came to reshooting kissing scenes, You Rong, as the male lead, was more like the one gaining an advantage. Lin Qinghe’s self-blame made him feel even more embarrassed.
You Rong coughed awkwardly, "Cough, cough… It’s okay, I understand. I… didn't think too much of it either. Reshooting scenes is normal, just relax."
"Don't worry, I'll shoot it seriously and guarantee we get it right on the next take!"
You Rong nodded, "Mm…"
When no one was looking, Lin Qinghe smiled, like an old fox.
One take?
That was impossible!
Soon, they were ready to start shooting again. As soon as You Rong finished his line, Lin Qinghe pushed him against a rock and, without a word, stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
After the kiss, Lin Qinghe released You Rong. Their eyes met. The shock on You Rong’s face was not just the character’s expression he was supposed to portray, but also some of his own.
Lin Qinghe stared at You Rong as if stunned, not saying her lines. The director couldn't help but remind her, "Qinghe? What's wrong? Your line! Say your line! Did you forget it?"
Lin Qinghe said apologetically, "Ah? I… I’m really sorry. I don’t know what happened just now, my mind went blank, and I forgot my lines. Director, I’m truly sorry…"
The director said with a hint of helplessness, "Then let's take a ten-minute break. Qinghe, find your state before we shoot again."
Lin Qinghe quickly replied, "Okay, thank you, Director!"
After apologizing to the director, Lin Qinghe continued to apologize to You Rong, "You Rong, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to, I…"
Lin Qinghe acted exceptionally well, standing in front of You Rong in a flustered and helpless manner, as if afraid he would truly misunderstand her and deliberately cause the reshoot.
You Rong turned his face slightly, pursed his thin lips, and said, "It's fine. You… I don't misunderstand you. You don't need to worry about it. Rest well and find your state."
Hearing You Rong say this, Lin Qinghe showed a relieved expression, "Mm, I will! I… I’ll try to get it right in one take next time!"
You Rong hummed, not saying anything else. Lin Qinghe narrowed her eyes and began to ponder.
After another kiss, wouldn't the progress bar increase anymore?
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, the system’s prompt sounded, "Progress bar increased by 2%, total progress is 26%."
Lin Qinghe rejoiced inwardly and secretly glanced at You Rong from the corner of her eye. You Rong lowered his gaze, thinking about something unknown, but the tips of his ears were still blushing.
When they resumed shooting, Lin Qinghe, by successfully creating various issues, caused the scene to be reshot three more times. Each kiss added 2% to the progress bar, bringing the total to 32% after these reshoots.
Lin Qinghe actually wanted to reshoot infinitely, but she understood when to stop. If she continued, the entire crew would realize she was doing it intentionally, and incurring You Rong’s resentment would be a loss that outweighed the gain.
After filming, it was getting late. Director Wang announced that filming would conclude for the day and everyone could go home.
After thanking everyone for their hard work, Lin Qinghe turned to greet You Rong, only to see him hurrying away with Hu Xiaobei, leaving her speechless for a moment.
The progress bar had increased just now, hadn’t it?!
Why was You Rong avoiding her as if he had seen a ghost?
Lin Qinghe felt a surge of frustration. At this moment, Yuan Xiaoai walked over and whispered, "Sister Qinghe, were you… really not doing that on purpose just now?"
Lin Qinghe raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "What? Am I not allowed to have a bad state while acting?"
Yuan Xiaoai flinched and chuckled dryly, "No… no, Sister Qinghe, I didn't mean that…"
Yuan Xiaoai didn't have the nerve to say it, but she had seen it clearly just now. Lin Qinghe was intentionally taking advantage of You Rong! She was intentionally performing poorly to cause the kissing scene to be reshot repeatedly!
Inside You Rong's car.
As soon as You Rong got into the car, he pretended to close his eyes to rest. However, beneath his outwardly calm demeanor, his mind uncontrollably replayed the scene from earlier.
It was merely a simple touch of lips, yet it felt frighteningly hot. His lips… still felt as if they were faintly burning.
You Rong frowned and tried to push the thoughts out of his mind.
When he was still in school, he had heard their teacher talk about how a good actor must immerse themselves in their role, becoming that character for a short period. Therefore… the strange feelings he had for Lin Qinghe now were actually Gu Fan’s feelings for Gu Yuening. He believed that after filming "Ask the Heavens," these feelings would quickly disappear.
Another week passed.
Lin Qinghe remained on the set of "Ask the Heavens," refusing many public appearances. Even when Yuan Xiaoai brought her the notice for the "A Love So Beautiful" fan meeting today, Lin Qinghe still refused to attend.
Yuan Xiaoai was almost in tears, "Sister Qinghe, you are the female lead of 'A Love So Beautiful'! How can the promotional fan meeting proceed without you? Besides… Brother You Rong will definitely be there! After all, he's one of the important supporting actors!"
The last sentence finally made Lin Qinghe open her eyes, "Really? You Rong will be there too?"
"Yes! Brother You Rong will definitely be there! So… Sister Qinghe, can you agree to go too? Otherwise, Brother Yang won’t be able to account for it."
Lin Qinghe ignored Yuan Xiaoai's pleading gaze and directly sent You Rong a message to inquire. After receiving You Rong's confirmation, Lin Qinghe said, "Alright, You Rong said he'll be there. Arrange this schedule for me."
"…"
Yuan Xiaoai saw You Rong's reply to Lin Qinghe's message and was instantly teary-eyed.
She had tried her best to persuade him, her throat dry from talking, but it was no match for You Rong's simple two-word reply of "will go," which changed Lin Qinghe's mind.