Chapter 59

After a night spent appeasing her husband, Tang Ruan was exhausted and couldn’t get up the next morning.

She burrowed into the covers, unwilling to leave the bed.

Fortunately, Ji Jing had finally agreed to let her join the production team.

Working with them allowed for occasional days off—typically two per month—and requests for leave were possible if needed. However, given the distance, Tang Ruan figured visiting home would still be a challenge. It would be better to save up her days off and take them all at once.

Ji Jing could visit her too, of course. But last night… well, she had been thoroughly “convinced” by his methods, leaving her in this state now.

As she lay half-asleep, Ji Jing emerged from the bathroom, impeccably dressed. He was the epitome of a gentleman when clothed—but without them, he was quite the rogue.

She peeked at him from under the covers, just in time to meet his gaze.

“Hmph.”

Ji Jing chuckled, buttoning his shirt as he leaned over the bed. “Awake?”

“Mm.” Tang Ruan stretched out a hand to touch his face. His skin was smooth and soft to the touch.

After a gentle squeeze, Ji Jing kissed her hand and pulled her halfway up. “Getting up?”

“Yes.”

Though reluctant, she had work to do.

He smiled, kissing her cheek. “What do you want for breakfast? I’ll have Butler Li make it.”

“Anything’s fine.”

“Alright.”

Ji Jing patted her head. “I’ll head down first.”

“Okay.”

–

After he left, Tang Ruan slowly freshened up in the bathroom. She applied light makeup, as she always did for work, and headed downstairs.

They didn’t leave the house together, opting to depart one after the other.

Today, the only people at the studio were An Xun and Tang Ruan. The others were still on break. As An Xun liked to say, two full days off felt more like a proper vacation.

Tang Ruan didn’t mind. She enjoyed chatting with clients and doing makeup; it gave her a chance to connect with people and break up her routine.

Once An Xun finished her tasks, she joined Tang Ruan. Their eyes met, and Tang Ruan smiled. “An Xun… about you and Xi Zijin?”

It wasn’t nosiness—it was genuine curiosity. She had spent the previous night pestering Ji Jing for details. While he wasn’t one for gossip, he knew a little about Xi Zijin and shared what he could.

Yet that only made Tang Ruan more curious.

Her eyes sparkled with interest as she watched An Xun, whose bemused smile deepened.

An Xun took a sip of tea, her eyes twinkling. “You’re that curious?”

“Just a little.”

An Xun laughed. “Then why don’t you tell me about you and your husband first? I’m quite curious too.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

She chuckled, spreading her hands. “What do you want to know? I’ll tell you anything.”

An Xun chuckled and teased, “How many times a night?”

…???

…?????

Tang Ruan stared at An Xun, utterly dumbfounded, her face frozen in shock. This…this…! Could she take back what she had just said? She definitely wasn’t ready to discuss everything.

Although they were both adults, and conversations could naturally take on more mature topics, Tang Ruan found this particular question far beyond her comfort zone. Her face flushed red, but An Xun, seeing her reaction, decided to relent.

With a smile softening her elegant features, An Xun laughed lightly. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing. You’re still so shy.”

“I’m not shy,” Tang Ruan muttered.

It was just that An Xun had been too direct.

An Xun laughed again. “As for me and Xi Zijin, you’ll find out soon enough. Where’s the fun if I tell you everything now?”

Hearing this, Tang Ruan simply nodded, her curiosity not entirely satisfied, but content to wait.

She couldn’t help but notice the glimmer of happiness in An Xun’s eyes whenever she mentioned Xi Zijin. Even though she didn’t understand why they had been together for so many years without marrying, she figured that everyone had their own life choices. As long as they were happy, that was what mattered.

“Enough about that,” An Xun said, steering the conversation back on track. “We’ll finish work next week, but we’ll officially start with the crew on the Monday after. There’s an opening ceremony that day, and only two makeup artists are needed.”

“Got it.”

“Xu Ya’s team still has some things to handle, so we’ll head there first. You okay with that?”

“No problem at all,” Tang Ruan responded with a nod.

With that, the arrangements were settled.

…

In the blink of an eye, a week flew by.

Two days before leaving, Tang Ruan took a break and stayed home, spending her time snuggled up with Ji Jing while also preparing her luggage. Ji Jing, somehow hearing that the filming location was notoriously cold, procured two incredibly bulky-looking yet surprisingly lightweight down jackets.

He handed them to her with a serious face. “These are designed for warmth without restricting movement. Don’t catch a cold.”

Tang Ruan couldn’t help but laugh at his over-preparedness, but she packed them nonetheless. With space in her suitcase limited, she decided to let Ji Jing send the rest of her clothes later if needed.

“Is there anything else you need?”

Turning to him with a playful smile, she quipped, “Yes, actually.”

He raised a brow. “Whatever’s missing, we’ll buy it tomorrow.”

“And what if it’s something you can’t buy?”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. Without warning, he pulled her up from where she sat on the carpet and into his arms, kissing her soundly.

“If you keep this up,” he murmured against her lips, “I won’t let you leave.”

Tang Ruan blinked, then leaned in to kiss him again, soft and sweet, like tasting jelly. When she finally pulled back, she sighed, “If only I could take you with me.”

He smiled at that, brushing his lips against hers once more. “I’ll come visit.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

No matter how much time they spent together, the moment of parting inevitably came.

–

On the morning of her departure, Ji Jing personally drove her to the airport.

December’s chill had deepened, and a frigid wind greeted them as they stepped outside. Tang Ruan nearly retreated into the house when the icy gust hit her.

Fog hung thick in the air, clinging stubbornly to the sky like a shroud. Visibility was poor, and the cold felt bone-deep.

Coincidentally, they ran into Xi Zijin and An Xun in the airport parking lot. Both men parked their cars one after the other.

“Isn’t that An Xun?” Tang Ruan asked.

Ji Jing gave a brief glance. “Yep. The couple you’ve been so curious about.”

She chuckled, stepping out of the car to watch Xi Zijin attempt to take An Xun’s luggage, only to have her swat him away—and then land a couple of kicks for good measure.

“Wow, poor guy.”

She turned to Ji Jing, who was casually lifting her suitcase. “See? I’m so much nicer to you by comparison.”

He arched a brow and replied, “That’s his own fault.”

After exchanging brief greetings, Tang Ruan and An Xun walked together while Xi Zijin carried both women’s luggage.

“Are we traveling on our own?” Tang Ruan asked.

An Xun nodded. “The crew is already there. We’re just catching up. They started too early for me.”

Tang Ruan grinned. “Mornings like this are brutal.”

Xi Zijin glanced back at them. “Bundle up when you get there. Don’t catch a cold.”

With their striking appearances, the four of them drew plenty of stares as they made their way through the terminal. Xi Zijin and Ji Jing seemed used to it, completely unfazed, while Tang Ruan, still getting accustomed to the attention, kept her head low.

Once their luggage was checked in, Ji Jing gently brushed his hand over her hair and spoke softly. “Call me if anything comes up. Gu Tian is nearby if you need help.”

“I will.”

After a few more reminders, it was finally time to part.

Tang Ruan stood on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek, her eyes sparkling. “I’ll miss you.”

Ji Jing held her face and kissed her deeply before releasing her with a husky whisper, “Go on.”

Only after watching the person disappear from sight did Ji Jing and Xi Zijin exchange a glance before leaving one after the other. A man abandoned by his wife truly looked a little pitiful.

–

The production of the Tang Dynasty drama was grand and ambitious. The leads were both top-tier stars. The male lead was Cheng Yan, a seasoned film emperor with numerous awards to his name, while the female lead was Xin Ran, a rising actress who shot to fame with just one film. An Xun described her as being around twenty-four or twenty-five, easygoing, and pleasant to work with.

After An Xun shared these details, she and Tang Ruan promptly dozed off on the plane.

They woke just before landing, and after a two-hour flight, they were met by someone from the crew who drove them straight to the filming site.

…

Once they checked into their hotel, An Xun led Tang Ruan to the set. The opening ceremony had already concluded, lunch had been served, and the afternoon was reserved for the first round of filming. But before that, the director wanted some final makeup and costume tests.

“Ah, An Xun is here.”

An Xun smiled. Being a veteran in the industry, she greeted the director with ease and gestured toward Tang Ruan. “This is Tang Ruan, another makeup artist from my studio.”

The director gave Tang Ruan a once-over, his eyes lighting up. “A makeup artist this stunning? Are you sure you don’t want to step in front of the camera instead?”

Tang Ruan chuckled softly. “I wouldn’t be much good as an actress, but I manage well enough as a makeup artist.”

With a mock sigh of regret, the director pointed toward Xin Ran, who was passing by. “Your looks could outshine even Xin Ran’s.”

Xin Ran: “…”

Tang Ruan: “…”

Xin Ran turned back, meeting Tang Ruan’s eyes, and laughed in exasperation. “Director, that’s not fair. You can’t compliment our makeup artist while putting me down!”

The director snorted smugly. “Pressure builds diamonds.”

Xin Ran shook her head with a wry smile, then extended her hand to Tang Ruan. “Hi, I’m Xin Ran. Later, make sure to glam me up.”

“Of course,” Tang Ruan replied, grinning. “You can count on it.”

The director waved them over, calling out to the male lead and second lead. “Come meet your makeup artists.”

Introductions completed, the director instructed, “Let’s start with makeup for the male actors for the costume shots.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

Her first day on set, and she was already tasked with doing makeup for male actors—Ji Jing would probably be jealous enough to drown the entire production in vinegar.