The night flight was very quiet.
After the plane broke through the clouds and entered cruise mode, the starry sky stretched out before their eyes like a Van Gogh painting. The passengers by the windows let out exclamations of wonder and took out their phones to start taking pictures of the starry sky that looked as if it had been washed with water.
Song Shuling, however, was not in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery.
Ever since that unthinkable thought appeared, her heart rate had not stabilized. She didn't want to think about the bizarre defiance of scientific principles behind this matter, nor did she want to think about what she should do if this was just a figment of her imagination.
That intense thought drove her to act like a puppet, abandoning all thought, only wanting to see her sister-in-law as quickly as possible.
But when the plane landed in Sucheng, as she stood at the busy domestic arrival gate, the cold night wind of Sucheng blew right in her face, like a basin of cold water waking her muddled mind.
She had no idea which hotel Zhong Ruanxing was staying at, and she had no idea...what she should say or do when she saw her to confirm her bizarre guess.
If it was true, would she admit it? If it was false, she would definitely think Song Shuling was crazy.
If her brother knew she had rushed over like this to bother his wife, would he dislike her even more?
The cold dampness of Sucheng was even more bone-chilling than the weather in Beijing. She sniffed her nose that was nearly frozen stiff, and finally got into a taxi.
She'd better find a place to stay first.
Although she didn't know which hotel her sister-in-law was staying at, she knew she was filming at the film and TV city in Sucheng. The taxi took her to a hotel near the film and TV city. It was nearly dawn, Song Shuling checked in for the night, and the emotional ups and downs of the day plus several hours of rushing about made her exhausted. As soon as she got to the room, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
The next day, the sun hadn't even come up yet when she awoke. In fact, she hadn't slept well all night, waking up many times, always feeling like she was in a dream one moment, at home the next, everything that happened last night blurring the lines between true and false, leaving her brain muddled.
After washing up briefly, she went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast wearing a haggard face. At the next table over, four or five young women were chatting excitedly.
Song Shuling gnawed on her bread, and keenly heard the words "Zhong Ruanxing".
She leaned back inconspicuously to listen. She heard them say: "We've already coordinated with the star's team. After she finishes shooting her first scene today, she'll come over, probably around ten o'clock."
"Everyone has the gifts for the star ready, right? Qiandi and the others are already at the airport. They said they'll go straight to the set with their banners and meet up with us after we eat."
"I'm so excited! We'll get to see the star soon! Help me see if the makeup I did today looks good, good enough for the star to notice me first in the crowd?"
"Don't be so eager for favor! The star will definitely notice me first!"
"Should I use the gold or pink marker for autographs? If I want both colored autographs, do you think she'll sign twice for me?"
...
Song Shuling's heart started racing again. She finished her bread in two or three bites, and finally worked up the courage to turn around and ask: "Are you going to visit the set of 'Floating Melodies'?"
The girls were delighted to see such an extremely beautiful young lady talking to them: "You know 'Floating Melodies'?"
Song Shuling nodded: "I'm also...the star's fan."
Afraid they wouldn't believe her, she took out her phone and opened the star's super-fan club on Weibo. Recently, Song Shuling had been diligently voting and promoting her sister-in-law, obediently doing whatever the fan club told her to do, so her super-fan ranking was quite high.
The girls took one look and knew this wasn't fake. They immediately became intimate, calling each other "sister" and asked her: "Sister, do you want to go visit the set with us?"
Song Shuling was a little nervous: "Can I go?"
The star chasers enthusiastically pulled her along: "Of course you can!"
Half an hour later, Song Shuling and the few girls got on the vehicle heading to the set.
Girls who chase stars are always full of energy, chattering the whole way about things related to Zhong Ruanxing. Song Shuling listened quietly, her mood rising and falling, just like that until they finally arrived at the set.
There was still half an hour until the arranged meeting time with Zhong Ruanxing. Outside the set, dozens of fans holding banners and bouquets had already gathered.
There were fan club organizers maintaining order at the scene. Everyone lined up in an orderly fashion, not noisy or pushy, just very excited. Under the organizers' lead, they came to the designated spot.
Song Shuling stood with the girls she met at the hotel in the middle of the line, holding a banner someone had passed to her, a pretty blue one with a photo of Zhong Ruanxing on it.
Winter in Sucheng was very cold, but everyone standing here didn't feel cold at all. Their faces were flushed from excitement, the atmosphere ardent.
She didn't know if it was because she was nervous to begin with, or influenced by the atmosphere on site, but Song Shuling's heart was beating faster than ever. Even with the din around her, she could clearly hear the intense pounding of her heart.
As it neared ten o'clock, excited shouts suddenly erupted from the front.
Song Shuling gave a start and looked up. Not far away, Zhong Ruanxing dressed in ancient costume from the drama, under the lead of an assistant, was walking towards them.
She had just finished shooting, so her styling was still in character. She wore a long down coat over her costume, but it didn't look bulky at all. The fans already knew she had replaced Xie Yunwei to take on the role of Cang Lingxue, and would play two roles in "Floating Melodies".
From afar, Zhong Ruanxing was smiling and waving at them.
She strode over briskly against the cold wind. Her first sentence was to ask them: "Are you cold?"
Everyone chorused that they were not.
Zhong Ruanxing just smiled. As she swiftly accepted the postcards handed over by fans and started signing them, she chatted with them.
"Don't come next time, it's going to rain and get colder in Sucheng in a few days."
"Pay attention to safety on your way back. Exchange contact info with each other and check in when you get home."
"Thank you for your gifts, I really like them."
She kept smiling, her beautiful smile brimming with gentle sincerity, practically spoiling the fans who came to visit the set until they cried.
Song Shuling just stood frozen in place, staring at her motionless. This was a completely different sister-in-law than in her memories, yet also gradually overlapped with another image.
Was this her?
Was this the sister-in-law who took initiative to care about her, who touched her head and told her she was always there, who stood up to defend her without hesitation when she was bullied?
At a certain moment, their eyes met in mid-air.
Zhong Ruanxing's signing hand paused, a trace of surprise surfacing on her face.
Song Shuling panicked for a second, about to avoid her gaze, when she saw Zhong Ruanxing raise her hand to beckon her, calling out her name: "Shuling, come over."
Song Shuling's whole body stiffened.
The other fans all turned curiously to see who their idol was looking at. Song Shuling endured everyone's stares as she awkwardly moved to the front. Zhong Ruanxing looked at her amusedly: "What are you doing here?"
She smiled and explained to the surrounding fans: "This is my sister-in-law."