Chapter 102 What Exactly Happened Back Then?
Song Ni's situation was not as easy as she let on. After all, it was her first time on a wire harness, and her skin was indeed tender. Prolonged restraint naturally caused pain, a burning, searing pain. Song Ni could endure this pain and felt that since she had agreed to film this drama, she had to bear the hardships. She never made a fuss about work. Exaggerating her suffering to Tan Zheng was purely an impulsive act, and she was pleased to see the man's concerned expression. But how could someone like Tan Zheng be concerned about an insignificant person? Even as his wife, if there were no feelings, just as Tan Zheng himself said, he wouldn't need to spend so much time and effort. He clearly had her in his heart. Song Ni narrowed her eyes slightly, tapping her chin intermittently, still unable to figure it out. With Tan Zheng's personality, like was like, there was nothing to hide, even if their beginning was a bit cliché. But meeting love through a blind date wasn't something to be ridiculed. It was called fate.
Xi Jinjiang. What kind of person are you? Song Ni reviewed all the information about Xi Jinjiang on her phone and checked the address Lu Fang had given her. No wonder she couldn't find any information when she checked the hospital Song Jing had visited five years ago. The location had long been changed. Song Ni then thought of the phone call with Qin Yang that day. She had said she might have found something, but she hadn't sent any messages in the past few days. There was only one possibility: she was verifying if her findings were correct. But Song Ni held no hope. Even Lu Fang didn't know, even Song Jing couldn't find out, so Qin Yang's efforts would only be in vain. Just as she was thinking, Qin Yang called, as if on cue. The moment she answered, Song Ni felt her own nervousness.
"Nini, Xi Jinjiang was supposed to retire five years ago, but for some reason, he suddenly re-registered for that championship. There was a major accident during that championship, and the reasons were varied. Some said it was the weather, others said it was the car."
"I've spent the last few days having people look for Xi Jinjiang's former fiancée. I learned something. Xi Jinjiang's legs were crippled in that accident five years ago, and he underwent a high-level amputation. It took a lot of effort to save him."
"And there's something else..." Song Ni's throat felt dry. "You said."
"One of the people in the modification team for the car he raced that year left after the racing accident."
Song Ni's hand gripping the phone tightened. "So, it was the car's problem?" But racing vehicles had to undergo strict inspection and could only compete if they met the rules of the competition.
"It's not clear yet." Song Ni still didn't understand. How could this information be related to Tan Zheng? If Tan Zheng retired just because Xi Jinjiang was his close friend, and his close friend had a racing accident that led to leg amputation, it would be too far-fetched. He wasn't that kind of person at all.
"The modification team was assembled with Tan Shen's help." Song Ni fell silent. If the racing accident five years ago was due to the car, the person who ran away was likely the culprit. If the team was indeed assembled with Tan Zheng's help, then Xi Jinjiang's situation... it wouldn't be impossible for Tan Zheng to feel guilty. But was it really like this? Song Ni still found it hard to believe. She didn't believe Tan Zheng couldn't identify such a scoundrel, didn't believe Tan Zheng hadn't taken precautions, and didn't believe Tan Zheng would have retired and suffered for these five years solely because of this. She didn't believe it.
After hanging up, Song Ni stood by the window for a long time. Watching the already gloomy sky turn completely dark, Song Ni's mood was complex. Tan Zheng must have been in great pain, so much pain that he had to suppress even his own feelings. Song Ni suddenly forgave Tan Zheng's rejection of her on the mountain that day. She felt a little breathless; the oppressive weather made her feel suffocated. Song Ni raised her hand to cover her left chest. It hurt a little. At this moment, Song Ni didn't know that this feeling was love.
For the evening's shoot, Song Ni still had to be on the wire harness. Her scene partner was the second female lead, Yang Lan, also an artist under Lu Corporation. Song Ni wasn't in a good mood and was lost in her own world. Fortunately, the scene required a somber mood, and some people thought Song Ni had truly gotten into character. Yang Lan had initially thought Song Ni was just a pretty face, only getting cast because of her relationship with Lu Fang and being mentored by Chang Zi, but she hadn't expected her to have some actual skill. But so what? A hint of gloom flashed in Yang Lan's eyes. She had pleaded for so long without being mentored by Chang Zi. Why should Song Ni get it?
The fight scene between the two actresses required extreme synchronization. Both practiced with the guidance instructor and hadn't had a real sparring session yet. Moreover, they had to be on the wire harness. Director Jiang wasn't in a hurry. He first had the two practice on the wire harness, and he only planned to shoot this scene that night, giving them plenty of time to work things out.
"You two are from the same company, family, you'll get along quickly." Even Jiang Dao didn't believe his own words as he said them. How could Song Ni consider herself family with someone from Lu Corporation? These words could only fool the others on set who didn't understand Song Ni's background. Yang Lan was a rising actress who had recently entered the top tier. She was hardworking and her acting skills were beyond reproach. In the public's eyes, only the villainesses she portrayed could be truly called wicked. Normally, when acting with a senior, one would feel a sense of pressure. However, Song Ni was preoccupied with her thoughts and only wanted to finish the scene quickly. She completely disregarded Yang Lan's seniority and only saw her as a fellow actor. Yang Lan was astonished by Song Ni's effortless fluidity in the fight scene, as if she had truly transformed into the junior disciple in the drama. Seeing this, she also gave her best to keep up with Song Ni's rhythm. Their first collaboration was surprisingly smooth. After practicing only three more times, Director Jiang decided to start filming.
"It's very cold tonight, let's try to get it in one take." But the chance of getting a fight scene in one take was extremely slim. Song Ni didn't know this, but Yang Lan knew it very well. Initially, Yang Lan, as always, was extremely focused and made no mistakes. But when she was supposed to kick back and retract her sword, she continued to lunge forward. Seeing that she was about to stab Song Ni, everyone gasped. Song Ni's eyes sharpened, and she quickly changed the direction of her sword, pushing off the ground for leverage and kicking backward. She successfully dodged Yang Lan's sword and also retracted her own, preventing them from colliding. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Lan, feigning shock, dropped her sword. "Director Jiang, I couldn't control myself just now; my body just carried forward with the momentum."
Director Jiang quickly had someone check on both of them. Yang Lan was fine, but Song Ni, to avoid collision, had forcefully countered the direction of the wire harness, twisting her waist. Her face turned deathly pale.
Song Ni: It's over, now I'm really injured.