The Women in the Frame

Seventeen years in the past, in a small, cramped apartment turned Office Studio, Shen Rui lay on a worn-out, faded sofa, half asleep after working another late night.

The fan above him made creaky sounds while providing little air to cool the room. He had been working through most of the night, finally dizzy and exhausted, he lay down to rest.

He had dreamed of opening his studio for years. Working multiple part-time jobs, freelancing to keep his dreams afloat, he had been trying every possible way to make it happen.

Eating instant noodles for months, no new clothes, no social life.

Every penny accounted for.

Every decision was thought out multiple times.

Every risk is measured twice.

Now ..... finally .....

After months of scraping, sacrificing, and living like a ghost, he laid the foundations for his studio.

He signed his first-ever artist.

She wasn't a lead actress or a trained performer from a famous academy. She didn't have a manager, or fans, or even a name the public knew. She had been a stunt double, the kind of background filler whose name never made it to the credits. Always in someone else's shadow.

And yet, when Shen Rui had seen her perform, there had been something, the ambition, her movement, a kind of bottled-up fire. He knew at once she was meant for greatness. Just this, and he'd offered her a contract on the spot. A chance for her to stand and shine, and to change her fate.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yue, the newly signed artist, arrived at her workplace. The studio was dim, the curtains pulled, and Shen Rui lay asleep on the couch. She paused at the doorway...looking at the scattered papers, half-eaten sandwich, and sighed, he had been overworking again.

She did not wake him up immediately, instead, she slipped into the kitchen to make coffee for the two. The smell slowly filled the room. She reached for the sugar when, she suddenly heard him calling her name. startled, she turned around, only to hear his incoherent voice, "Jiang Yue… I'm sorry… I couldn't… protect you…", seemed like he was having a nightmare. But the way he said her, the pain in his voice, it wasn't like anything she'd heard before.

His hands clenched at his sides, beads of sweat rolled down his temples, and his body was trembling. Without thinking, she reached for a clean cloth, soaked it in cool water from the jug, and knelt beside the sofa.

"Director Shen…?"

She whispered, but he didn't respond.

His skin felt hot, unnaturally so. He was burning up.

Shen Rui's breathing hitched, his fingers twitching. He whispered again, this time softer, "Please… not again…"

What kind of dream… no, nightmare… was he trapped in?

She wiped his forehead again.

"It's okay. I'm here," she said under her breath, not knowing why she felt the need to say it at all.

Time passed slowly in the studio. His expression had changed. The crease between his brows had eased. She gently pressed the cloth to his temple again.

And then, his lashes fluttered, slowly, and he opened his eyes. Unfocused at first, he stared at the ceiling unmoving.

"You're awake," she asked softly.

"…Jiang Yue?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's me."

Shen Rui blinked slowly.

For a moment, it felt like time blurred. The memories of the past seventeen years came crashing, disorienting and confusing him.

"Are you… Feeling alright?" she asked hesitantly, "You had a high fever. I tried to wake you, but you were having a bad dream, I think."

"…How long was I asleep?"

She hesitated. "I came in around one. It's nearly five now."

Shen Rui reached up and touched his forehead, now cool and damp from the cloth. The fever was breaking slowly.

"…Thank you."

Jiang Yue smiled faintly. "It's nothing."

A silence settled between them again.

And then, just faintly, the flicker of something invisible stirred in his vision.

A faint glow, no sound, just words.

System Interface Activating...

Mission Progress: Protect Jiang Yue [Ongoing]

Emotional Affection Meter: +3

BP Gained: +100

He looked at her again, this girl who had brought him back to life twice now.

Once, with her loyalty in the past.

And once, now, with her quiet care.

Jiang Yue glanced at the time.

"I should go over the monologue," she said, standing to stretch. "I want to practice the monologue before tomorrow."

Shen Rui looked up from the couch, still a little weak but more alert than before.

"Monologue? For what?"

"For the audition," she said casually, reaching into her bag. "It's a historical drama—Dust and Rain. They sent the script the previous night."

Shen Rui sat up, more alert.

That name is "Dust and Rain."

He knew it.

In his previous life," Dust and Rain" had become a black horse, a hit, breaking records. It was well made, and helped the lead actress win many awards. It was the kind of project that could launch someone's career, if they got noticed. He remembered, Jiang Yue had gotten the callback, just like now, but never made it to the final auditions.

He found out much later. There were rumours about a mix-up. The wrong manager, the wrong schedule. Her performance had been brushed off as unpolished and forgettable. Someone else got the part, and Jiang Yue stayed in the shadows.

"Have you practiced it?" he asked.

"A little." She looked down. "But I don't think I'm right for it."

He glanced up. "Why?"

"I have not trained in historical tone," she said, voice low. "I've only ever done physical acting, stunts. I don't speak like those palace women do , I don't know how to make it graceful."

"You don't need to be graceful," he said.

She looked at him, startled.

He held the script out to her. "Try it now."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Just read it the way you think she would."

Jiang Yue hesitated, uncertain, but after a pause, she took a deep breath,....... and began.