Finally, the director called for the slate and said that it was over.
The director edited the script, and this scene ended there. The next scene was that of Lu Nanqiao committing suicide after Shi Hanchu left. The suicide note she left behind was: I took your life away, one life for one life, so now we’re even.
It matched Shi Hanchu’s last line perfectly!
The director of “Silent Disaster” thought that Shi Hanchu and Su Manman’s scenes would take at least three days to shoot.
He hadn’t expected that Shi Hanchu and Su Manman could do all the scenes in one take.
The last scene of Shi Hanchu was of him carrying Su Manman’s corpse and leaving the General’s residence. Just like that, his part in “Silent Disaster” ended.
After Su Manman was done filming “Silent Disaster,” she had to return to the filming set of “The Olden Age” to complete the scene of her demise, which was also her last scene to film.
Amidst removing his makeup, Su Manman’s gaze during the filming filled Shi Hanchu’s mind. She looked struggling… and in pain, with a poignant hint of joy mixed with sadness.
Was his “I love you” really evoke such a reaction from Su Manman?
Was that Su Manman’s acting skills or her genuine reaction?
Shi Hanchu frowned as he recalled Su Manman saying that she liked him in Japan…
There were plenty of female celebrities who liked him all these years, but he never gave it much thought.
So why was he now taking a newcomer’s words to heart?
Was it really because she had investigated him, or was it because she resembled Jiang Mingzhu in her actions?
Shi Hanchu had already investigated Su Manman. Just as she said… she was the only daughter of the Fu family in Haicheng. As their only daughter, they had pampered her since she was young.
He had also found out that Su Manman had worked with him and Jiang Mingzhu before. He hadn’t expected Su Manman to be that child actress who played Little Su Qinghe in “The World.”
Perhaps because he now knew that they had worked together before, and at the thought of how adorable Su Manman was when she was young, he didn’t feel so disgusted with her.
He remembered Jiang Mingzhu used to tell him in a jealous tone that the young lady, Fu Manman, would definitely become prettier than her when she grew up!
Now that Fu Manman had grown up, she was indeed… very pretty. However, no one could beat Jiang Mingzhu’s beauty in Shi Hanchu’s heart.
“Thud thud thud—”
Someone knocked on the door.
The makeup artist that was helping Shi Hanchu remove his makeup halted her action.
“Come in…”
Little Song opened the door and poked his head in. He said to Shi Hanchu, “Brother Hanchu… Manman said she wanted to see you and asked if you have the time.”
Shi Hanchu’s fingers tightened slightly. After a long silence, he said, “Let her in!”
After saying that, Shi Hanchu gestured for the makeup artist to leave. He then removed the remaining makeup on his own.
When Su Manman came in, Shi Hanchu had already removed his makeup and was putting on his jacket. He said, “I still have to go to the airport to catch a plane… If there’s anything, just say it quickly.”
Su Manman let out a long exhale, a smile on her lips as she said to Shi Hanchu, “Since you’ve already checked on me, do you believe me now?”
Shi Hanchu looked straight at Su Manman, adjusted his collar, and pursed his lips, but he didn’t say a word.
“I’m not imitating Jiang Mingzhu. I might sound arrogant by saying this now, but I’ll definitely be better than Jiang Mingzhu. I haven’t imitated her at all!” Su Manman said seriously to Shi Hanchu.
Her starting point now was many times better than in her previous life. Su Manman’s path was broader than in her past life, and Jiang Mingzhu knew… that she was destined to stand higher in this lifetime.
“Then, how did you know about my chest pain and what I’m allergic to? Is there a reasonable explanation?” Shi Hanchu asked.
Su Manman had already thought of an excuse for all those questions. “I once saw Jiang Mingzhu taking you to the hospital, and she was the one who told me! You stopped by a convenience store to buy water after visiting the hospital. That was when I bumped into Jiang Mingzhu… She said she was there to accompany you to the doctor for your chest pain, not because she was unwell!”
“I know what you like to eat and what you’re allergic to. I learned it from your sasaeng[1] fans!!” Su Manman said.
Sasaeng fans…
When Shi Hanchu heard these words, he frowned. The sasaeng fans indeed knew a lot about Shi Hanchu.
Sometimes, when she and Jiang Mingzhu went out together, they would also be followed by the sasaeng fans. It was hard to say if they saw or heard it, but this explanation made sense.
“Shi Hanchu, I hope you don’t think I’m imitating Jiang Mingzhu to get close to you. It’s true that I like you, but I also have my own pride. I definitely won’t allow you to treat me as Jiang Mingzhu’s substitute! I hope that you can trust me! I would really love to become friends with you. Not the special kind, just an ordinary one… You can treat me like a junior!”
Su Manman thought about it for a long time while removing her makeup.
She felt that she was too eager…
She was too eager to become a couple with Shi Hanchu, so it was only logical that Shi Hanchu suspected her of having an ulterior motive.
For now, she could just be friends with Shi Hanchu, just like… how Shi Hanchu had protected her in the past!
Su Manman believed that one day… Shi Hanchu would definitely fall in love with her, just like how he had fallen in love with her in her previous life.
After all, she had not changed. She had merely changed her appearance.
If Shi Hanchu truly loved her, he would definitely love her again in this lifetime.
Shi Hanchu looked at Su Manman’s sincere smile and put his phone into his pocket on the dressing table. He nodded. “Okay…”
Su Manman’s eyes lit up, and the corners of her lips curled up. She took out her phone. “Then… Senior Shi Hanchu, please leave your number! After all, we’ve already worked together!”
Shi Hanchu felt that Su Manman’s character was really good at taking advantage of the situation.
Su Manman stared at Shi Hanchu, waiting for him to take her phone from her hand, and left his number on it.
Shi Hanchu hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take out Su Manman’s phone from her hand. He keyed in his number before handing it back to her.
Su Manman called the number. As expected, she heard Shi Hanchu’s phone vibrating. The corners of her lips curled up. “Then, I’ll have to trouble you to teach me in the future, Best Actor Shi!”
When Shi Hanchu got into his van and headed to the airport, he somehow managed to find the trailer of “The Olden Days” online.
Su Manman was playing the role of Feng Yi. She was carefree and unguarded, filled with trust for the people around her…
She felt completely different from when he was acting with her today.
Shi Hanchu acknowledged the young lady’s acting skills.
Just from the trailer, Shi Hanchu knew that even though she was a female supporting role, Su Manman would definitely surpass the female lead!
The corners of his lips turned up. Su Manman’s acting skills were too superb. The more carefree she acted as Feng Yi, and the more trust she showed to the main characters, the more heartache the audience would feel for her when she got betrayed in the future.
Seeing that Shi Hanchu was watching the trailer of “The Olden Days,” Little Song secretly stuck his head out to him and smiled. “Brother Hanchu, I heard Director Chen is worrying about the new female lead. Why don’t… you recommend Manman!”
[1] In Asia, specifically South Korea, sasaeng fans are obsessive fans who engage in the intrusion of privacy.