As a martial artist, Ye Shaochen had a tendency to look out for extras who practiced martial arts as well.
It was his first time encountering an extra who initiated conversation with him, looking back awkwardly.
Was his question that difficult to answer?
Ye Shaochen followed Ye Tong's gaze and looked up, seeing only a group of extras, seemingly no different from one another.
"Don't be ner..." Before he could finish, the female extra in front of him suddenly turned and ran, directly pulling an inconspicuous extra from the crowd.
"Te... Teacher, I... I was taught by her..."
Ye Shaochen was momentarily stunned, glancing over Ji Ning a few times and then giving a gentle smile, "Those moves are not bad, we can spar sometime if there's a chance."
Ji Ning shot a glance at the "troublesome" girl next to her and made a sound of acknowledgment.
Ye Shaochen said no more and headed back to his original spot.
Ye Tong stared blankly at his back, feeling an unexpected emptiness in her heart.
When could she become an actor like Ye Shaochen?
Beside her, Ji Ning rolled her eyes and walked away directly.
With that personality, no wonder she gets her roles stolen.
The scene was filmed again, and Ye Tong strove harder to execute the moves Ji Ning had taught her, until the director shouted "cut."
Ye Shaochen told her, "Good job."
He accepted a towel from his assistant standing by, and left the set surrounded by people.
Ye Tong bit her lip but in the end did not voice the words she had repeated in her heart several times.
Sometimes, opportunities indeed disappear in a flash, never to appear again if missed.
"Heh... Some people have a big face trying to steal scenes, but in the end, it's all for nothing." An annoying male voice rang out not far from Ye Tong, scattering all her regrets and making her glare like a hedgehog, "What do you mean by that?"
The man responded with contempt in his eyes, "Didn't even mention you, why are you getting upset?"
"Who stole the scene? It was clearly you shamelessly stepping on my hand, and stealing..."
Before she could finish, the man's face darkened instantly, he walked straight up, grabbed Ye Tong's collar, and said sinisterly, "So it was you, daring to ruin my good thing, seeking death..."
The look in his ruthless eyes frightened Ye Tong into forgetting the words at her lips, a figure suddenly appeared before her, causing her to reflexively hug her head, and before the man could say anything else, she seemed to be scared silly, murmuring, "Don't hit me... Don't hit me..."
The man looked surprised, but seeing her trembling with fear, smugly prepared to let go, "Consider yourself... Ah—"
A scream.
The man's body suddenly flew up and slammed hard into the concrete wall nearby.
The loud crash of falling stones startled everyone nearby.
Some extras, who witnessed the entire scene, were shocked with their mouths agape, unable to make a sound for a long time.
What was that? How did he suddenly fly?
Until the set manager of the crew angrily shouted, "What's with the wall collapsing?"
Only then did the extras come to their senses, but the culprit responsible for this result had already vanished.
This is just ridiculous...
***
On another side.
Outside the film city, two people, covered in dirt and unrecognizable, hurriedly boarded the bus.
Not until the bus doors closed did Ye Tong seem to come back to life, collapsing onto the seat beside her.
The intense running left her breathing heavily, as if on the brink of collapse.
Meanwhile, Ji Ning, beside her, was breathing calmly, as if she had just taken a leisurely stroll.
"Sister Ning... I... huh... huh... you... cough cough cough..." Ye Tong, at that moment, felt an irritating itch in her throat, as if she were about to cough up her lungs.
"Additional training when we get back."
Ji Ning casually tapped her on the back twice, and Ye Tong instantly stopped coughing, even her breathing became a bit smoother.
Once she managed to calm down slightly, her eyes glistened with tears as she gazed at Ji Ning, filled with a nauseatingly sentimental look. Ji Ning glanced at her before turning her gaze elsewhere, unconsciously moving her body a bit to the side.
"Boohoo... Sister Ning, from now on you're like my own sister."
Ye Tong bit her lips, fighting back tears as she plunged into Ji Ning's embrace, holding onto her like an octopus.
When she again sank into that nightmare, Ji Ning was like a ray of light forcefully pulling her out of the abyss, and that feeling was supremely comforting.
Ji Ning frowned, internally chanting: I don't hit girls, I don't hit girls...
"Sister Ning, all my life, no one has ever protected me like you do... Boohoo..."
Ye Tong cried louder and louder, until it was almost heartrending, prompting the driver at the front to frequently glance into the rearview mirror, only to meet with a pair of cold eyes, frightening him into promptly focusing forward.
Are extras these days all so imposing?
Ji Ning withdrew her gaze, lowering it to look at Ye Tong, who was crying so wretchedly and pitifully on her shoulder, frowning even more.
Her arms spread out, instinctively straightening her body, with a trace of helplessness surfacing in her eyes; she really was not good at handling crying girls.
Only after Ye Tong cried for a full 20 minutes, completely venting all the grievances and fear in her heart, did she gradually quiet down, from wailing to soft sobs.
She said in broken words: "Sister Ning... I... from now on... will... acknowledge you... as my real sister..."
Ji Ning looked at her eyes swollen like walnuts and swallowed back the words of disdain at the corner of her mouth, pursing her lips as she looked out the window.
The scenery outside was unfamiliar.
They had missed their stop.
But she didn't say anything.
Just like that, until the bus reached the terminal station.
"Ladies, we've reached the terminal," the driver reminded helplessly.
Only then did Ye Tong realize, looking at Ji Ning's damp right shoulder in embarrassment, she whispered, "Sister Ning, thank you."
Ji Ning kept a stern face and extended her hand towards her: "The bus fare."
"..."
The two got off the bus and walked towards the station across the street.
Suddenly—
"Ding—"
Ji Ning's second-hand phone chimed.
She slowly took out her phone, recalling the steps Bai Xiaotang taught her, and tapped the screen.
She saw a new transfer notification.
She opened the notification to check:
[Ye Tong has transferred 12,410 yuan to your Huazhou Bank account 2341.]
"Sister Ning, this is all my savings. I'm entrusting it to you from now on." Ye Tong bit her lip, her eyes firm, as if making some kind of resolution.
Hmm???
Ji Ning looked at her like she was a fool.
"Are you in debt?"
Ye Tong shook her head, looking down slightly, staring at the stones by her feet in silence.
Ji Ning furrowed her brows tightly, reaching to tap between Ye Tong's eyebrows.
If it's not debts and running away, did someone provoke her into stupidity?
She examined Ye Tong's head a couple of times to confirm she wasn't mentally ill and then headed to the opposite bus stop.
She really couldn't understand the mentality of young girls these days.
Transferring money at the slightest disagreement?
Did she have a trustworthy face?
Ye Tong quickly caught up and only whispered when they reached the bus stop: "Sister Ning, can you help me keep it safe?"
Ji Ning turned her head to look, seeing a face with indistinct features, eyes red and filled with pleading.
"Alright."
Even though on the bus, Ye Tong had broken down into sobs, she hadn't revealed anything about her real past.
Ji Ning also didn't have the habit of probing.
For a moment, both were silent.
Until the bus stopped in front of them, Ye Tong suddenly said as Ji Ning boarded, "Sister Ning, aside from the monthly rent for Tangtang, I'll transfer the remaining money to you at the end of the month."
Ji Ning paused in her steps, turned and looked at her, "What rent?"
"Well, even though I don't have much money, I don't want to cling to Tangtang like a parasite. I'm afraid I'll become like them..." At this point, Ye Tong abruptly shut her mouth.
The resentment in her eyes flashed fleetingly.
But Ji Ning caught it.
She didn't press further, and the two returned to silence.
Just as Ye Tong was about to say something, Ji Ning's indifferent voice came from beside her: "How much is the rent?"
"Hmm?" Ye Tong looked at her puzzled, and Ji Ning glanced at her, uncharacteristically explaining, "I don't like owing favors."
Ye Tong immediately understood, her swollen eyes squinting into two lines, hugging Ji Ning's arm as she snuggled over, "Sister Ning, you're so nice."
"Let go!"
"I won't..."
"Want extra training?"
"Sure, if I can train to be as skilled as Sister Ning, I'm totally willing."
"Heh... dream on!"
"Yeah yeah, Sister Ning's always right."
"..."
"Sister Ning, I give Tangtang 2000 yuan a month for rent. Can you earn that much?"
"..."