If those things that happened to her before were all Yue Ran's doing, then she truly couldn't stomach it. She would find an opportunity to question this guy face-to-face.
What Shi Xinxin didn't expect was that the "opportunity" would arrive so quickly.
The next afternoon, as evening approached, most of the crew had gone for their meals. Shi Xinxin had also planned to join some friends from the set for dinner, but she suddenly noticed her eyeshadow had smudged.
She thought about going to the makeup room to touch up her makeup. Since her personal makeup artist, Xiao Wu, had already gone to eat, she figured she'd do it herself.
Shi Xinxin, with her bag on her back, headed to the makeup room. The moment she stepped inside, a familiar male voice sounded, "Ah, what a coincidence."
Hearing the voice, Shi Xinxin turned her head. The speaker was none other than Yue Ran, who had been "constantly at odds" with her these past few days.
At first glance, Yue Ran didn't seem to be there to do his makeup. He was lounging lazily in a swivel leather chair, his legs crossed, one hand propping up his chin, while the other skillfully slid across his phone screen.
"It's not a coincidence at all. I don't want to see you," Shi Xinxin rolled her eyes and said grumpily.
She really didn't want to see Yue Ran; whenever she saw him, something bad was bound to happen. He was practically her nightmare!
Yue Ran paused, seemingly surprised by Shi Xinxin's attitude. But soon, his face regained its usual nonchalant expression.
"Shi Xinxin, do you have to hate me so much? Have I offended you in any way?"
Hearing Yue Ran's feigned tone, Shi Xinxin let out a disdainful cold laugh, thinking, "This guy has been teasing me repeatedly, and even now, he's pretending?"
"Yue Ran, it's just the two of us in the makeup room. Tell me directly, why do you always deliberately make things difficult for me? Is it fun for you to trouble me, tease me, and watch me make a fool of myself?"
Shi Xinxin had always had a good temper, rarely getting angry since childhood. But this time, she truly couldn't take it anymore!
Seeing her expression darken, Yue Ran immediately dropped his playful smile. He placed his phone on the table beside him, uncrossed his legs, straightened his posture, and stared seriously at Shi Xinxin.
"Honestly, I don't find any of this fun," he said, his gaze unwavering as he spoke with a serious tone.
Shi Xinxin frowned and asked, "Then why do you keep teasing me? You must give me an explanation, a reason."
As soon as she finished speaking, something completely unexpected happened.
Yue Ran suddenly stood up and, in three quick strides, rushed towards Shi Xinxin. His speed caught Shi Xinxin completely off guard.
Shi Xinxin had been sitting in a swivel chair in the makeup room, while Yue Ran was on another chair about two meters away. In Shi Xinxin's perception, he was in front of her in an instant.
Then, he half-crouched, looking directly into her eyes.
She was startled and flustered, "Hey, Yue Ran, what… what are you doing…"
Shi Xinxin thought Yue Ran was going to tease her again, but what happened next completely deviated from her expectations.
Yue Ran gazed at her expressionlessly. His perfectly sculpted face and features seemed frozen, unmoving, serious, and calm. Only his dark, deep eyes held a swirling light, as if a spring breeze was brushing through his black irises.
Staring into those bright, obsidian-like eyes, Shi Xinxin couldn't help but gasp.
She inwardly marveled, "Heavens, what is he doing so close?"
His eyes were too beautiful, like they held the entire starry sky! His skin was also so smooth and clean, it was almost infuriating! Why hadn't she noticed before?
Just as Shi Xinxin was filled with a thousand thoughts, Yue Ran suddenly leaned closer. He parted his lips and said softly, "Hey, Shi Xinxin, are you really foolish or just pretending to be?"
"Huh?" Shi Xinxin was completely bewildered.
Yue Ran moved a few inches closer to Shi Xinxin's face. The breath he exhaled brushed against her nose, warm and ticklish, as if it could easily stir her heart.
"You must be pretending, right? I've been so obvious, can't you see it? From the day you joined the crew, I started observing you secretly. It's normal that you didn't notice back then. But later, I was so obvious, didn't you feel even the slightest bit?"
Shi Xinxin stared at the handsome face so close to hers, feeling her heartbeat skip a beat.
What was he saying? Why was she getting more confused the more she listened?
Seeing Shi Xinxin's stunned expression, Yue Ran felt even more pleased. He chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll be direct. I like you, Shi Xinxin!"
Shi Xinxin pointed to her own face, stunned for a long moment, unable to react. She suspected she had misheard and stammered the question again, only to receive the same answer.
No, no, if this continues, she'll lose her composure! There's a saying, "strike while the iron is hot." Shi Xinxin felt that saying was quite profound right now.
Shi Xinxin took a deep breath, suddenly stood up, pushed Yue Ran away, and fled the makeup room as if running for her life.
Yue Ran gazed at her retreating back with a half-smile, "Xinxin, where are you going?"
"I'm going to the restroom, don't follow me!"
In the open space outside the set, Shi Xinxin bent over, hands on her knees, panting and exclaiming, "Heavens, what kind of luck is this?"
Suddenly, the face of Sheng Chenjin appeared in her mind.
His chiseled, three-dimensional, and deep facial features, his sword-like eyebrows and almond eyes, his high and straight nose, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
His clean, fair face rarely showed any extra expression, his features were so cool and rigid, as if he had never smiled in his life.
But when he faced her, he was polite, gentlemanly, and extremely gentle and patient. However, where was he now… Shi Xinxin shook her head vigorously, forcing herself to stop thinking about that man.
Speaking of which, she had absolutely no good feelings towards Yue Ran. Recalling his past actions, it would be good enough if she didn't dislike him, let alone like him.
Shi Xinxin looked up at the vast, dazzling, and brilliant starry sky and sighed heavily.
She feared she would have to avoid Yue Ran from now on.