Hard to Escape

Chapter 31

I hung up. My throat felt dry, so I reached over for a cup of water. But I discovered that my whole body was shaking, from my shoulders all the way down to my fingertips. The tremors seemed to come from the palpitations in my heart. Shallow ripples formed in the cup, pulsating with the same rhythm as my heart.

I became afraid.

I even started to have misgivings about shooting the film. I had grown too close to her, too close for comfort. I didn't want to understand Yin Xuan any better. I felt like it was too dangerous.

Because of our outstanding collaboration, the director had specially added some scenes where the sisters went head on. Yin Xuan and my face-to-face meetings only grew in number.

From her face, I couldn't find any trace of yesterday's emotional breakdown. Yin Li looked on quietly like always. His face was rarely this calm. It seemed like he really didn't know. It even got to the point that during a rest break, he unobtrusively walked near me as he went to get a cup of coffee.

"You dance better than Xuan Xuan." Then he suddenly seemed at a loss for words. After a moment, he finally continued. "I'm very happy."

I watched his departing figure. After that interaction, I was absent-minded for the whole scene.

Sometimes, I really hoped that time would slow down.

But the movie shooting still slowly came to a conclusion. Yin Xuan's dedication to her role seemed to have lit a fire under the cast and crew. "Only I Dance" wrapped up shooting ahead of schedule.

"Then let's go out to eat!" The director was clearly overjoyed. "It just so happens that Director Huang's crew also wrapped up shooting today. Let's celebrate with both teams. I'll pay!"

"Mr. Yin, I'm really happy that I was able to work with Ms. Yin this time. It's really hard to find someone as dedicated as her, even among professional actors. Since you're our financial sponsor and supported us each step of the way, you can't be missing from our celebration. Come along!"

Yin Li smiled and nodded.

All of the cast and crew were brimming with happiness. Very quickly, the other team that the director spoke of joined us and was swept up in our joy.

Their team seemed to be shooting an idol drama that would debut next summer. Though it wouldn't air until far in the future, there still was a lot of talk about it. Its promotion was everywhere. Compared to our team full of ballet dancers, their team naturally had more clout.

With just a glance, I could see many famous actresses. I randomly looked up and saw Liu Nian.

Compared to the last time that I saw her, she was more slim. She had a very pretty blush on her cheeks, and that same air of naivety. Currently, she had a slight smile on her face and was walking towards Yin Li to sit next to him.

Everyone was drunk with merriment.

The atmosphere turned rowdy. The voices were too loud, and everything was in disarray. I walked towards the small garden behind the hotel's restaurant.

These days, time seemed to flow at a pace faster than normal. I needed to have some alone time for myself.

I never expected that there would already be someone in the garden. I only heard a woman's soft, frail sobs in the gloomy night.

I started to regret coming. Just as I was about to leave, I heard Yin Li's voice.

"Sorry, I already have someone I love very much."

"Mr. Yin, this is the first time I've fallen in love like this. I've liked you all along, from the very first time we met." The voice apparently belonged to Liu Nian. "Then tell me, what sort of person is the girl you love?" This was probably the first time Liu Nian was brutally rejected like this. Her tone sounded like she was unwilling to accept the matter.