Now what... I can’t just stand here.
Xia Ruyun stared off into space as she pondered her current situation. She needed to make a friend to fulfill her promise to Gao Qian. What counted as making a friend? She had no idea. Given Gao Qian’s experience in negotiating contracts, perhaps it would’ve been wise to clarify those terms. Too late, though; now the party had already started and Gao Qian—as agreed upon earlier—did not come down and mingle amongst the numerous attendees.
So I just have to make a friend so... friend-like that I can surpass whatever metric Gao Qian can come up with...
She just needed to trick herself into being social. She just needed to read social cues one way or another, and, in her case, that way would be like students reading their notes two minutes before a test—with extreme panic.
Sliding over to a table, she blended into the circle while grabbing a glass of sparkling water.
... Wait a second.
“Xia Ruyun, here to join us?” Li Feiling smiled while offering a drink and a toast. “We’re honored, come, come, have a drink.”
Intending to shake her head and wave Li Feiling’s drink off with a “No thank you, but I appreciate the offer,” she, instead, met Li Feiling’s toast with her own glass of sparkling water. “... Good evening, everyone.”
With half-cheers breaking out around the table, she felt a flustered blush climb her cheeks.
Well... it didn’t seem like they disliked her...
“Good evening, Xia Ruyun!”
“I’ve always admired your work!”
“Welcome back to the industry, it’s a pleasure to work with you.”
“Yes, it’s... a pleasure,” Xia Ruyun bobbed her head up and down, overwhelmed with the intensity of the oncoming enthusiasm. Her throat began to throb as her anxiety climbed back to the front of her mind. Waving her free hand around, she snuck a glance towards the familiar face for some help.
A smile blossomed on Li Feiling’s face as she made eye contact with Xia Ruyun. She couldn’t quite figure out why, but her heart fluttered with joy. “Now, now, everyone, calm down. Don’t overwhelm her. Let’s just continue what we were talking about before, I’m sure she just wants to be treated normally, like one of us.”
“Ahh, that’s a great point!”
“Of course Li Feiling would know, I’m sure she suffers from similar situations often!”
“What great foresight, Li Feiling, as always, exceeds expectations with her wise words.”
“Hey, all this pointless flattery won’t get you all anywhere, your tongues are so slick they’ll start shining at this rate,” Li Feiling retorted with a laugh to the last person. “Anyway, how are you, Xia Ruyun? It’s been a long day, so we’re all just unwinding here.”
Grateful, Xia Ruyun mouthed a “thank you” to Li Feiling before taking a sip from her glass and agreeing. “I’m also tired. Worn out, and not yet used to doing so much work again.”
“Definitely, it’s going to be a long few months. I heard Zhang Jingsong wants to up the pace tomorrow,” A woman beside Li Feiling sighed while shaking her head and sipping her drink. “All while adding in more takes because the scenes are more difficult...”
“Just make sure to review tonight, everyone. It may be tempting to slack off, watch videos, and snack, but try your best to maintain your routines,” Li Feiling took a sip out of her own drink. At this table, she guided the conversation, and Xia Ruyun appreciated it.
Li Feiling, all-smiley and playful, managed to strike a perfect balance with her teasing. She’d do it enough to where everyone would laugh and become closer while not stirring up anyone’s pride. Every few moments though, she’d also sprinkle in a new question.
“So how’s work been for you?”
“Any tips on how to use that brand of skincare products?”
“Oh, what was your experience with him? Do we need to gang up on him?”
Xia Ruyun, herself, felt her heart moved by Li Feiling’s masterful social skills. She was... just... so good at keeping everyone at the table involved!
Just being here, I feel like my social skills are returning.
Over time, though, everyone else still trickled away—somehow—leaving Xia Ruyun alone with Li Feiling. Or, well, to be more realistic, everyone had a lot more people to talk to, so they all left, but she had nobody...
“So...” Xia Ruyun disturbed the silence as Li Feiling took quiet sips of her drink. “I have a question to ask.”
“Hmm? Ask away,” Li Feiling turned back to face Xia Ruyun, leaning in closer with a smile.
“Well...” Xia Ruyun trailed off before summarizing the contents of her bet to Li Feiling. Fidgeting with her fingers, she asked. “Li Feiling, would you be willing to be my friend?”
As the words left her mouth though, Xia Ruyun felt the urge to disappear infiltrate every fiber of her being.
Oh man. I sound like such a grade schooler. What are you doing Ruyun??
Those social skills definitely were not returning...
Before any sort of spiral could begin though, Li Feiling punctured these thoughts, her words a ray of sunshine.
“Of course,” Li Feiling reassured with a level expression. She maintained a pleasant smile as a slight laugh slipped through her lips, but on the inside, her heart pounded with joy. “No need to be so formal about it like we’re marrying. Now that we’re working together, it's a given that we should be friends. We can take that bond on-screen and bring it off-screen too.”
“That’s great...” Xia Ruyun murmured before breaking into a slight smile of her own. Weight lifted off her shoulders as she relaxed. “Thank you, Li Feiling.”
The splendid smile on Li Feiling’s face deepened as she felt her heart flutter for a moment, like a butterfly taking off from a flower. Managing her expression, she kept a calm facade in front of Xia Ruyun. The both of them though, leaned in a little closer to ensure the other could hear them over the bustle of the party. The dance music had gotten a touch louder as the evening party picked up its pace. The flushed faces, slurred speeches, and exuberance of inebriation became visible amongst the attendees.
Together, the two spent another thirty minutes in their own little corner.
“Chu Changfeng? Him? I would’ve never expected that...” Xia Ruyun trailed off as she took a deep sip from her glass.
“Yeah, be aware if you ever work with him, he’s an ultra-turbo creep,” Li Feiling shook her head with a snort.
“... What?” Xia Ruyun almost choked on her water after hearing the description.
“Well, he’s kinda just... obsessed with certain women. Sadly, I’m one of them. He comes from the powerhouse Chu family, the one with more money than brain cells; so, he’s solicited me several times for a uh... ‘private night together,’” Li Feiling grumbled as she took a sip of her champagne. She cracked a smile as Xia Ruyun’s face darkened. “Perhaps it’s just my dazzling brilliance.”
“You’re just too alluring,” Xia Ruyun laughed as she leaned against Li Feiling’s arm.
As the conversation progressed, Xia Ruyun, herself, felt her hesitations flying away. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the fatigue, or maybe it was her conversation partner, but words began flowing, even if her voice stayed quiet. The original conversation sparker, Gao Qian’s bet, disappeared from both their minds, as they shed the shells they both held.
“I really thought you were so unapproachable back when I debuted,” Li Feiling chuckled, comparing her old mental image to the nervous woman in front of her. “How did we never become friends back then?”
“Schedules never lined up perhaps...” Xia Ruyun scratched the back of her head. “I was still shy back then too, so I just didn’t talk to people.”
“Yeah, but I just bother people until they become friends with me,” Li Feiling winked. “This ancestor right here has practiced the Dao of prying open introverts.”
“I’m sure you’ve reached Nascent Soul by now,” Xia Ruyun rolled her eyes. “With what I’ve seen...”
“A true practitioner never loses sight of the heavens, and never rests on their achievements,” Li Feiling stroked an invisible beard coming off her chin. “You still have much to learn, young disciple.”
“This disciple has already given up and switched to the Dao of Laying in Bed,” Xia Ruyun jabbed back before she and Li Feiling broke into quiet laughter.
As time passed though, their small conversation drew a number of gazes. Most of the cast couldn’t help but notice two of the most important members in a corner alone, lost in their own world. A few times, even, an actor or actress would wander over—inebriation clear on their faces—trying to drag the two into the wider group. Li Feiling though, each time, would send them off with a gentle “I’ll come over in a bit, let me finish here real quick.”
Once the party peaked, though, and began its ever-so-slow descent, the two parted ways. Li Feiling, to continue her social savanting, where she seemed to talk to every person in the hall, in some capacity or another, and Xia Ruyun, to continue her ‘I swear I know language’ journey.
Xia Ruyun ended up wandering around the edge of the hall for a few minutes, nodding and clinking her glass against a few people she had never seen before. After spotting Wu Linjie in the corner, she ambled over with a curious glance.
Clink.
“Good evening, sister Xia,” Wu Linjie mumbled, his lack of complex mental faculties clear to the naked eye. Downing the dregs of his drink, he blinked a couple times before leaning back against the wall.
“Are you... okay?” Xia Ruyun raised an eyebrow, a little amazed at how fast the glass had emptied.
“Chilling. I’m clear-headed enough to win a motor race right now if asked,” Wu Linjie laughed, busting out a dance move. “Well, I guess that’s a weird thing to say. Don’t worry, I’m not that dumb. I know I’m quite a ways past the legal limit for drunk driving.”
“That’s good,” Xia Ruyun let out a sigh of relief.
He seems a little more... talkative? Maybe not in terms of words said, but in how he's saying them. He seems a fair bit more passive, but also more eloquent... I don’t think I’ve seen him talk to a woman this well in my life...
“How’s the evening been treating you?” Wu Linjie continued the conversation, grabbing a glass of water from the passing waiter with a “thank you.” He swirled the liquid in his cup before taking a few sips to wash the lingering alcohol taste in his mouth away. “I know I’ve said this before, but I’m looking forward to working with you during this production. We’ll have a lot of scenes together, so I hope we can become friends. I’ve always looked up to your music and career as a whole. So it’s an honor.”
“The evening’s been a surprisingly fun time. Also, yes, I’d like to become friends too,” Xia Ruyun smiled. A faint flicker of hesitation flickered behind her eyes. “Ignore my career though. Just treat it as if I’m starting a new chapter. No need to prop me up.”
“Noted,” Wu Linjie stared off into the mosh now forming in the center of the hall. “So... uh... any hobbies? I’m a big dancer, though that’s well-known.”
“... Singing...? Also well-known though...” Xia Ruyun coughed, as an atmosphere of awkwardness enveloped the two. A second later though, they both broke out laughing at the absurdity of their own responses as the conversation began to flow once more. Their conversation ebbed and flowed, but...
But it's a step in the right direction.
I can see why Li Feiling wants to be friends with him, even with the ‘situation’ between them...