Chapter 23: Life of the Party

Nicholas’s POV: Life of the party

This set was so boring. Like literally. The third leads were rookies so their scene had been taken multiple times.

Even Lila was bored. And she was always happy.

“Wanna do something funny?”

She smiled politely as she dodged the question since she spoke to someone on the phone earlier. My guess, my uncle.

“You know, only you and a few others know he’s actually my uncle. You don’t need to shove me away because of that demon”

“Demon? He’s not a demon”

Ahhh. A woman in love. The most oblivious animal. And yet the stupid one.

Not that my uncle would ever find out I called his woman stupid. I would be dead beat.

“Okay. Just don’t listen to him okay? Pretty please. Allow me show you the real Nick. The fun Nick”

I did a dramatic pose which made her chuckle. Watching her face lit up made me understand why my uncle was in love with her.

I turned my face away as I smiled back.

“Let’s talk to the director to shoot our scene first. Agreed?”

“Sure”

I matched up to the already frustrated director and tapped on his shoulder.

“What!!?”

He snapped as he glared at me but seeing I was the one he calmed down. Influence of being one of the greatest actors.

“Why not film our scene first? At least get them in the mood and right state of mind. My sister is getting sleepy already and she needs to take her nap”

“Sister?” He looked confused as he stared around.

“Lila. She needs to rest.” I spoke as a fact that I need to be tended to. I noticed she had been yawning for a while now and if what I found about her was true, then she wouldn’t say a single thing about her discomfort.

“Sure” He soon dismissed the third leads after what seemed to be their hundredth take.

“Arrange the set to where the Emperor confesses his love to Bai Ying”

“Yes sir”

The set soon was changed and we were called.

“Be free. Be yourself and we will nail it.”

“Okay”

We both did our touch ups and got ready. I was the type that would give my self a breath or two with my eyes closed in order to get into character.

But when I opened my eyes, nothing prepared me for the scene in front of me.

It wasn’t just Lila there anymore. It was as if Bai Ying had come out in the flesh.

“And action!”

Snapping back to reality, I recalled my lines.

“Ying’r”

The Emperor raised his trembling hands to hold the small frame of Bai Ying’s face.

“Ying’r come with me. Please” he whispered solemnly. Unwilling to be parted from his beloved. Both of them had been through a lot. The Emperor had courted her like any other man would court the woman he loved.

But Bai Ying had vehemently refused each time, reminding him of his Empress who was waiting for him back home.

But how could the Emperor leave his beloved for a woman he had no feelings for?

Without Bai Ying by his side, it felt like a huge chunk of him was missing and nothing could replace that huge chunk until he saw her again.

The Emperor gazed at his love’s face and the tears that threatened to spill and his heart ached.

“Your Majesty, we have gone over this before, you have a wife, a loyal empress who sits at home every day and waits for you to return. I can’t be the one to tear you both apart. I’m sorry Your Majesty. I just can’t do it”

Bai Ying tried to remove the Emperor’s large hands that had cupped her tiny face which sent the Emperor into panic mode.

“No no no no no. Ying’r I can’t let you do this”

The Emperor had a sharp look in his eyes. A look that would make anyone flee. Even the soft Bai Ying. But he held onto her closely as he brought his face down to her neck.

“Ying’r I have waited for a long time to make you mine. You are mine. My woman. My obsession. Did you think I would leave you for a woman who threatened me to remain in a relationship with her?”

The Emperor Bai Ying had feelings for him too but was running away from it. So he spilled part of the truth about the reality of his marriage in order to gain her pity.

And just as he planned…

“Threatened? Did she hurt you? What happened?”

She anxiously checked his face and hands as she tried looking for any sign that would detect an abuse.

“Is she that awful even to her own husband?” She mumbled as her tears spilled. Her breath coming out in sniffles. The Emperor had confirmed it. His Ying’r loved him.

“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself. I just need to know you love me as much as I love you” The Emperor whispered as he held her tightly in his embrace. With Bai Ying he wasn’t just the Emperor. He could be himself. She never judged his quirky personality and never scolded him if he made a mistake.

With the Empress Cai Xuan, he needed to be perfect or she would nag all day. The Emperor at one time had told her she was lucky he didn’t hit women or else he would have single handedly beaten her to death.

“Your Majesty don’t say that”

“I love you Ying’r. With the rising of the sun and with setting of it. I yearn for your touch. I bled that I may hear my name from your mouth. I ache for your presence.

There’s no corner of the Earth that you may run to to free me from your hold. I love you desperately. Obsessively. Maddly in love with you.

And I don’t want to run away from it. I want to treasure it. Hold it close to me and know that you have chosen me in all ways that exist the same way I have chosen to be yours.

I love you Ying’r. And there’s nothing you can say to change it”

“And Cut. That was beautiful”

The directors words made me snap from my trance as I finally let go of Lila who had long left the zone of her character and returned to her normal self.

“As expected of a top actor” she complimented me as she smiled. The kind of smile that made one unconsciously smile along.

“Well it’s a natural gift. You did well too”

“Now with both of your scenes done, we can now attend to the third leads and wrap up for the sequel. Then in two weeks, we fly to Korea to start filming officially”

The director sounded pleased with himself as I saw it a breather.

“If you don’t mind director, I have other things to do so I would like to leave first. Of course I will be taking Lila with me”

“Ohh sure sure. If you both promise to keep up your stellar actings of course”

You could tell he was in a jolly mood after we finished our scene in one take.

“You heard the man. Pack your bags cause we are going back home” I dramatically said to her again just so I could hear her magical laugh once more.

Time to return my uncle’s egg to him.