Chapter 44
I’m Not A Bad Person, I’m Just Trying To Save You
Gina was beginning to feel slightly embarrassed, even a little surprised. She felt unwell after jumping into the lake the first time but Li Shengxia on the other had not faltered after numerous tries.
She appeared as if she was trying to find a hint of resentment on Li Shengxia’s face. She hoped the latter would learn from this lesson but she seemed tougher than expected.
Even a professional stuntperson would surrender after the continuous torture, yet Li Shengxia readily accepted the director’s stubborn desire to achieve the perfect shot.
A light drizzle started to fall from the sky. Soon, people began to shiver in the cold autumn rain.
“Director, it’s raining. Should we call it a day?”
The man raised his head toward the sky. “This gives a good mood to the scene. Let’s continue…”
The rest of them dared not say otherwise, thus the filming went on in the rain.
People could not help examining Li Shengxia carefully. The woman’s strength and stamina seemed to be near being exhausted but still she did not show a hint of impatience. She continued with the shoot, trying her best to obey the director’s orders and criticisms. The crowd was impressed.
Someone among them exclaimed the rarity of coming across such a professional and patient stuntperson.
Director Cheng the perfectionist was a blessing to the audience but a torture to the actors and actresses. The latter would feel tormented by the director at times.
Not to mention that the filming conditions were especially challenging now that it had started to rain. This young girl was indeed something to be able to accept Director Cheng’s harsh criticisms without any complaints.
The rain pitter-pattered on the ground, slowly bringing down the temperature in the air.
Each time they figured Li Shengxia was about to crumble, she surprised them by silently accepting the director’s request for yet another retake.
Right now, her whole body was shivering visibly. Numerous times of jumping into the freezing cold water slowly numbed her limbs…
After all, she was not a professional stuntperson. Leaping into the piercing cold water continuously without a break was not simple. Everyone else present at the scene felt terrified for her.
Gina was beginning to boil with anger. Had this woman lost her mind? Did she really have to go to this extent? She was not a professional stuntperson after all!
Finally, someone spoke among the crowd, “Gina, where did you find this stand-in? She’s a true professional to be able to endure the director’s torment.”
“I’m slowly noticing the resemblance between her and Gina,” the agent said.
Gina put on her sunglasses immediately, looking slightly annoyed. She hated it when people said that. This was because she was the one who went through cosmetic surgery to look more like Li Shengxia instead of the other way round.
“She doesn’t deserve to look like me,” she said coldly.
The agent trembled. “Yes, you’re right, she doesn’t look like you at all! I’m sorry. You’re a famous celebrity but she’s only your stand-in.”
‘If only that were true!’ Gina thought to herself. She felt rage surge through her out of the blue as she shifted her attention back to the set. That woman could jump all she wanted! That would give her a taste of the challenges of being a celebrity! It was not as simple as latching on to some rich men!
“Cut –”
“Cut!”
“Cut! What were you thinking?! Do you want to go home or not? One more time!”
Li Shengxia felt her legs about to turn jelly. Perhaps it was a muscle cramp. The director’s voice slowly faded next to her ears and she really felt like giving up. However, she quickly reminded herself that surrendering was not an option. Eventually, she leaped into the water once more…
The director was finally pleased. “This will do.”
Ouch… It hurts…
The woman in the water was experiencing an intense cramp in her legs, so much so that she could not move her legs to swim. She thought she was approaching the shore but her hands only ended up grabbing air. She could feel herself gradually sinking to the bottom of the water.
She had difficulty breathing as water was forced into her mouth. She felt suffocated. She wanted to cough, to breathe, but the cramp in her legs exhausted all her energy.
Several bubbles surfaced on the water.
“Let’s call it a day. We’ll continue the rest of them tomorrow.”
Everyone was occupied with packing up.
On the other hand, Li Shengxia wanted to cry for help but no sound came out from her mouth.
Slowly, she felt her consciousness being taken away from her, as if she had fallen into an abyss. She wished to open her eyes to regain her consciousness but it was to no avail. Lethargy took over all her cells and all she wanted was to close her eyes, to go into a deep sleep…
Someone finally noticed something was wrong.
“Where is she? Director, the stuntperson hasn’t surfaced from the water yet.”
“Her legs were cramping… Is she drowning!?”
“Hurry, someone save her!” Director Cheng did not expect the woman to continue with the filming despite suffering from leg cramps. He was strict, but he was not an evil person.
Although Li Shengxia failed numerous takes today, he was pleased with her attitude. He dared not delay another second in the face of life and death.
No one reacted!
Director Cheng bellowed, “What are you people doing, come on!”
“Director, I don’t know how to swim…”
“Me neither…”
The bubbles on the surface were slowly disappearing as well. He immediately took off his clothes and leaped into the water.
It was only until then that he realized the water was piercing cold in this season. The rain only made it worse. However, the woman did not complain, not even once…
A complicated feeling materialized in his heart. He swam swiftly and quickly toward her direction.
“Don’t… Don’t touch me…” He heard her mumbling.
The woman wanted to shout out loud but her cramps were worsening. Her face was currently as pale as a sheet. The sound she managed to force out her throat did not sound as threatening as she intended.
For reasons unknown to himself, this faint, slightly flirtatious voice tugged at the director’s heartstrings.
“I’m not a bad person. I’m just trying to save you,” Director Cheng said when she tried to struggle away from his touch, “You’ll die right here if you continue resisting.”
She would die?
No, she could not let that happen…
Consciousness slipped in and out of her mind. She vaguely felt that the man swimming toward her resembled Mo Nianchen. There was a glistening aura around his silhouette, as if he was trying to pull her away from the darkness.
She thought of backing away but it was to no avail. It seemed like she lost control of her own body.
“Mo Nianchen, you jerk…” she mumbled.
Mo Nianchen, you jerk…
Just let me die. Why even bother saving me…
Perhaps our tangled mess would come to an end if I die, but I…But how could I…
The man had no idea what she was murmuring. He tried to approach the woman again but she pushed him away once more.
“You’re not… You’re not him… You… Don’t… Don’t touch me…”
This caught Director Cheng by surprise – Him? Who was she talking about?