Just Friends

Chapter 2 Wang He Di (from Didi's POV)

Didi come on, focus! Do not let your eyes go there, ok... one look won't hurt our professional relationship. Yes! Exactly! Just be a professional. This is your first real job as an actor. One long stare that no one saw, still brings no harm. It's just a nice butt, nothing special. Pretty view, that's it. She's a nice girl, the girl next door. Normal.

I was going to really try not to tease her, but I just thought she looked tense and that she surely needed to relax that's why I said it. Contrary to what I had aimed for, I think it made her appear even more tense. I'm sure I could help her to relax....ok stop! Back to reality.

'Let's start' Lin ordered. 'This is the scene where Daoming Si says I love/like you to Shancai but she doesn't hear him. I picked this one not because we're gonna start shooting with it, but I just want to see your chemistry. And evaluate it. I'm sure you both read the script. Wang He Di I want you to be hopeful, waiting for her to say it first, also frustrated with her, but not at the max. You really can be way more frustrated with her. Give me a mild frustration. Shen Yue you have to be clueless or little bit pretending to be clueless just to get the upper hand in the relationship. The part with owning him money is supposed to be your joke at first. The longer you see him not getting it the more it becomes a serious explanation from you. Do you guys have any questions? If not, let's just begin.'

'No questions.' She answered right away and turned to face me. Her eyes were brighter all of a sudden, it seemed she really couldn't wait to start reading the lines.

Even though I was hesitant and my stress level got higher I said 'ok. Let's start.' Probably because of those eyes of hers. I began.

'What are you doing out here?' I already knew most of it by heart, but I still read it from the sheet. She looked at me sincerely and indulgently. For a short second until she spoke, I didn't know if she was already in the character or if I'd read something wrong. She was so real.

'I came out for some fresh air. You?' She asked.

I felt like it was going to be harder than I initially had thought. She was much nicer than just nice, definitely. I was getting more and more nervous around her. It seemed so easy for her to get into the role. My eyes couldn't get off of her in that moment, they were glued to her. Somehow, I got stuck and gaped at her face for a little too long. I forgot I should read the next line.

'You ok?' her voice got me back from my thoughts or, being more precise, from the state of complete lack of thoughts I was in.

'Yeah sorry, I came to find you' her face started to look confused as she moved her gaze from me. I continued.

'Shancai' her eyes came back. 'Nobody else is around, do you have something to say?'

Her confusion grew, I was already becoming frustrated without the need to pretend it. Even though I'd just met her I wanted her to admit that she loved me...as Daoming Si of course.

'Something to say? No.' her eyes widened.

'You said no without thinking' I'm sure they could hear the drop of anger in my voice now. That one I needed to fake. How could I be angry with her? ...ever.

'What do you want me to say? or is there something you want to hear?' Shen Yue narrowed her eyes and my heart beat accelerated. My head suddenly felt light.

She was a natural at this. I had so much to learn from her as an actor. I almost forgot to read the lines again.

'Figure it out. Nobody asks the other person what they want to hear... .don't you have anything to say to your savior?' as reading I was trying to appear irritated, but I was failing terribly. My voice came out soft.

I heard her making a noise 'ah' and I smiled at that.

'I almost forgot to thank you... thank you' she said trying to hide a smile. I held a gaze on her for a short moment, before I spoke again. I was becoming more and more aware how pretty she was up-close.

'Just a "thank you"? Is "thank you" all that you owe me?' I asked with a hint of hope.

'Hmmm I still owe you 500 000 yauns' her eyes were laughing but her face showed only cluelessness. Exactly how I had imagined this moment, she was so good at it.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Now I was thinking how disappointed Daoming Si was with Shancai in that scene. He had already declared his love for her, by his actions, multiple times and still hadn't managed to get her to love him back.

'I already have detailed repayment plan. Every month I'll use two thirds of my salary to pay you. I'm going to get another job. This was... '

'Nobody wants to hear that' I was able to really sound hopeless, I felt for Daoming Si. I broke the stare.

'You want me to pay you all at once? That's a little difficult for me. I hope you can understand' she whined, again so convincing.

When I looked back she was biting her lips. They were big, full, perfect shape. It was easy to assume they were also very smooth and soft. My heart was pounding now. Can you please at least stop biting your lips. I begged her inside my head.

This job was supposed to be easy, I was always a pretty confident guy and I had never felt this way around anyone before. Of course, my heart fluttered frequently and my voice often got a little shaky around girls, but this was a whole lot different level of being a teen male. I had to admit she was cute. So cute.

'Fireworks!' Shen Yue interrupted my train of thoughts by yelling. She was laughing out loud, glancing over her, I realized that I was unconsciously grinning wider than I had ever had, with a heart still racing. My next line would perhaps get me back to the reality and out of Shen Yue's beautiful smile world.

'Hey! Are you honestly dumb or are you just pretending to be dumb?' I called out.

'It's a New Year. Why are you yelling at me?' now she was roaring with laughter.

'That's because you won't say it' and finally I was cracking up too. I couldn't hold the laugh any longer.

'Say what?' she shouted giggling hard.

'So, you're not going to say it? Fine I'll do it then.' I shouted back. My heart sped up again this time even more than before.

'Go on' she yelled louder, but she turned her head from me, pretending to watch fireworks. I got up from the chair, stood straight and looked down at her. She was glimpsing curiously at me from the chair. Our eyes met, we both stop laughing. I had never said this to any girl ever before. I became completely breathless. When I coughed up the line, it happened really quickly and quietly.

'Shancai I love you' the silence after my statement was strange but not uncomfortable. We both couldn't look away from each other. My heart didn't stop racing, although there was somehow a peace inside of me. Shen Yue smiled gently to me and turned her head to face our producer and director, I followed.