The most beautiful space

66 Lin Zhen's call

In the entertainment industry, actors who star in classic films and television series often become couples. In retrospect, this makes a lot of sense. They experience a deeply moving love story together, fall in love with each other while giving their all in the performance, and that beautiful feeling is so captivating that it can easily carry over into real life. They may even develop feelings for their on-screen lovers and become a real couple. And because of the beautiful and romantic pairings in films and television series, these couples are highly accepted by fans.

Similarly, when Su Tong was talking to Lin Zhen, she knew perfectly well that he was the renowned and highly skilled actor Lin Zhen, not Fang Xinli who lived in Country A in the early 20th century. However, she still couldn't help but feel a pang of despair and sorrow when she was talking to him, just like Li Roujia felt when she faced Fang Xinli before her death.

But acting is acting, and life is life. Su Tong replied calmly, "Yes, that's me. Lin Zhen, how was your filming today?"

Lin Zhen is the absolute protagonist of this drama and has the most screen time. When Su Tong, with an unsightly face, was taking a break in the hospital room to enjoy half a day of leisure, he was just finishing a scene during a break in filming.

As soon as he stepped off the set, almost all the young actresses in the crew smiled at him in their best form. He was always approachable, and the staff around him praised him, saying, "As expected of Lin Zhen, he performs so well every day, and today he acted just as vividly as ever."

"Actor Lin is still very handsome today, even when he's playing a haggard and dejected character. With such great acting skills, it's no wonder that no one in the Chinese film industry can rival him!"

Lin Zhen smiled and replied, "Thank you, thank you for the compliment, and thank you all for your cooperation and hard work."

Only Lin Lili came over, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered, "Lin Zhen, you're not in good shape today, is it because... Su Tong?"

Lin Zhen smiled and said, "Maybe, but I'll be careful not to let my emotions affect the performance. Besides, it's only a minor impact anyway, so don't worry, Uncle Lin."

Lin Lili looked at his smiling face, hesitated for a moment, then sighed, looking at this exceptionally talented junior: "Although you have always respected and been close to me, from your debut until now, including the time you spent developing your career abroad, I have almost never really been able to help you in any way, because you have never needed anyone to worry about you. However, Uncle Lin wants to remind you today that the person who is protecting her is Xie Chengjing, that Xie Chengjing from the Xie family."

"I know." Lin Zhen nodded, still smiling. "Uncle Lin, you don't need to worry. Just like you said, I've always been the smartest and most sensible person, haven't I? I won't do anything foolish."

Looking at Lin Zhen like this, Lin Lili could only sigh: "When I first saw this script, I couldn't find an actress who suited my taste for Li Roujia. Later, just seeing Su Tong's photo, I felt she was absolutely perfect for the role. You know how I am when it comes to movies; I don't think too much, I just want to make the movie better and more perfect. If only... sigh, maybe I really shouldn't have cast her in this film. A woman like her is just too..."

Lin Lili wanted to say something more, but Lin Zhen interrupted him, "No, it is precisely because you have high standards for actors that you have been able to make so many excellent films and achieve such success today. Moreover, I am very grateful to you for inviting her to act in this film. As for me, you really don't need to worry too much."

Lin Zhen didn't wait for Lin Lili to say anything more before hurriedly ending their conversation. After changing his clothes and touching up his makeup, he waited in the dressing room for the next scene to begin. He then asked all his assistants to leave the dressing room and, alone in the brightly lit room, dialed Su Tong's number.

Looking at her exquisitely handsome face in the mirror, a face praised by countless people, Lin Zhen imagined how she would feel if that face were ruined. And how would Su Tong feel if her stunningly beautiful face, which many dared not even comment on, were destroyed? Surely Xie Chengjing would be by her side, Lin Zhen thought without a trace of a smile, imagining that the man always had a cold face, probably because he didn't need to please anyone.

However, when he heard Su Tong's voice as usual, he still had a gentle smile on his face, and a little bit of melancholy was hidden deep in his eyes. "Well, the filming went very smoothly. It's just that I probably had too much work backlog because I took a three-month vacation before, so I felt a little tired when filming. But luckily, I didn't film any scenes that required strong performances today, so no one could tell that I wasn't in good condition."

Su Tong's acting is just acting, unlike Lin Zhen, a real artist who has all sorts of commercials, shows, promotions, and practice to do. He's already busy from morning till night almost every day, so now that he's suddenly idle in the hospital with nothing to do, he feels incredibly bored. As for a top star like Lin Zhen, Su Tong can't even imagine how busy he must be. "To the point of being extremely tired?"

"Hmm." Lin Zhen looked at his perfect smile in the mirror and suddenly felt that his smile was actually terribly fake compared to Su Tong's natural and faint smile. However, no one noticed. Indeed, he was the best actor recognized throughout Asia and his fame was growing worldwide. As long as he didn't want to, no one could see the side of him that he didn't want to be seen. "Of course, don't be fooled by my perfect image in public. I'm often so tired that I just lie down on the bed as soon as I get home and fall asleep without even taking off my shoes. And when I'm really tired, I find work annoying. But I'm not used to getting angry at people, so I just keep my anger inside."

Su Tong couldn't find a word to say, so she could only listen quietly as Lin Zhen recounted his story.

"Actually, before I debuted, my health wasn't very good since I was a child. I saw many doctors and tried various treatments, but nothing worked. On the contrary, after I debuted, I was so busy that I could only sleep two or three hours a day sometimes. At that time, my family thought that my health was so poor that I would collapse from exhaustion soon. I was still young at the time, and I even thought that I might die from overwork. Unexpectedly, being forced to work like this actually improved my health. I started to develop chest and abdominal muscles that I didn't have before. Moreover, I was already 19 years old in my first year of debut, and I even grew several centimeters taller in that year. Later, I became more and more famous, and then I became busier and busier. It wasn't until this year that I was finally sure that I wouldn't be forgotten by anyone even if I disappeared from the entertainment industry for a few months, that I dared to let myself take a three-month break."

After recounting some not-so-easy past events, Lin Zhen concluded simply, "But being busy has its advantages, right? When you're busy, you can temporarily forget about things you don't want to think about. I guess it's not so bad for me to keep being busy like this, don't you think, Su Tong?"

He spoke with a smile throughout, his voice still magnetic and charming, yet carrying Lin Zhen's unique gentleness. However, as he spoke casually about his own affairs, the final, almost whispered "Su Tong" evoked a faint, chilling sadness in her, as if buried deep in the ocean.

Lin Zhen, well, he was a star she could see on TV since high school. From the time she saw his first leading role in a police and gangster film during college, she thought his acting was really good. But Su Tong was probably not the type to chase after stars. Although she thought the artist was good and would go to the cinema to watch his movies, she never became a fanatic.

Seeing him in person for the first time at the opening ceremony, I realized that the seemingly timid and incompetent, but actually tyrannical and insane last emperor in the film was not him at all. The real Lin Zhen was someone who made everyone who saw him feel comfortable, yet seemed to exist at a distance that could never be reached. When he shone, he could be the most dazzling superstar, but when he listened quietly to you, he could restrain all his brilliance, making you feel no pressure, only ease and comfort.

No one could hate someone like that. Even though Su Tong knew Lin Zhen wouldn't see her, she still nodded subconsciously when Lin Zhen seemed to be in a bad mood, and said with a smile, "Being busy is good, of course. I'm so bored right now, I'm either watching TV or playing on my phone. I'm trying to find something to do."

Lin Zhen laughed and said, "So you think being injured and hospitalized is so boring? When I was injured and had to be hospitalized while filming action movies, I was actually secretly a little happy."

After thinking for a moment, she tightened her grip on her phone and said, "Su Tong, you probably don't know, but because I was afraid people in the industry would bring this up, I haven't told anyone. Actually, Director Lin Lili and I are a distant uncle. Because we've always been close, I learned from him about your so-called illness. It's related to your face, right? And it's gotten to the point where you can't continue filming, is that right?"

His voice sounded incredibly gentle, yet also incredibly sorrowful: "Su Tong, I'm so worried about you."

"Really?" Su Tong didn't know what to say.

She didn't want to worry about this at all, because she had promised Xie Chengjing to keep her distance from Lin Zhen, and given her undeniable ambiguous relationship with Xie Chengjing, she didn't want to have any emotional entanglements with anyone else. But if the seemingly perfect Lin Zhen showed such concern for her, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

Finally, she downplayed the issue, saying, "Thank you so much for your concern. Lin, you're truly my best friend on set. My problem isn't that serious; I just have a few small bumps on my face. I should recover soon and then be back on set filming with you all. Lin Zhen, you must also do your best in your acting! You're the soul of our film. If you perform well, our movie will be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, and we supporting actors can benefit from that."

Lin Zhen looked at her reflection in the mirror and a hint of bitterness crept into her smile. With a face like Su Tong's, how could she possibly be a supporting character? Yet, Su Tong herself was the person in the world who cared least about her appearance, always calm and composed, placing herself in the most ordinary and unremarkable position. When she was with friends of any status, she always had the same gentle and smiling demeanor, which only made people want to get closer to her.

Unlike his usual understanding and considerate self, Lin Zhen didn't steer the conversation back to the film set. Instead, he continued, "Su Tong, I'm so worried about you. Which hospital are you staying at? I'd like to visit you tonight, is that alright?"

May I?

He asked in a low, soft voice, as if he had used all his courage to ask such a small question.

Su Tong admitted that she did initially have feelings for Lin Zhen, even some romantic feelings. It seems many people like to ask, "So-and-so, what type of guy/girl do you like?" Admittedly, liking someone is a difficult thing to grasp, but many people do tend to be attracted to certain types of men and women. Su Tong herself has been attracted to handsome, charismatic, and slightly aloof guys since her teenage years. This includes the young substitute teacher she liked for a while in high school, Gu Nian'an whom she liked so much in college that she would do anything for him, and now Lin Zhen—all of them are this type of guy.

However, nothing is ever absolute, especially human emotions.

The potted plant that Xie Chengjing brought in last night was still on the bedside table. The small white flowers were quietly blooming. It was the same kind that Su Tong had glanced at a few times when she was moving it to this hospital last night.

Regardless, Su Tong still had to reject him. Since they wouldn't be together, it was better to let any feelings die before they even began. "Thank you, but the hospital I'm staying at is quite far from our film set. It'll take you several hours to get here and back. Aren't you very busy? That would be a waste of your time. I'm fine, you don't need to worry." (166 Reading Network)