Rebirth: A big star falls in love with me

Zhang Yu stood behind the lighting rig, his military overcoat having been removed at some point.

He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to his forearms, intently adjusting the background lighting effects.

When Chen Chen turned around in front of the camera, his skirt swirled like a blooming peony, and the mole under his left eye shone brightly for a moment in the strong light.

When they finished work at 9 p.m., Huang Ying announced that the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar would treat everyone to a late-night snack. The group went to a crayfish restaurant on Guijie Street in Dongzhimen, where the aroma of chili oil dispelled the fatigue of the day.

The private room was warm and cozy. Chen Chen took off her down jacket, revealing a beige turtleneck sweater underneath that accentuated her soft curves. As she bent down to peel shrimp, her long, emerald hair slipped from her shoulder and was casually tucked behind her ear by Zhang Yu. The gesture was fluid and effortless, as if he had repeated it a thousand times.

“Oh, right,” Huang Ying pulled an envelope out of her purple bag, “the editor-in-chief has decided at the last minute that this issue’s cover will feature a double photo.”

Everyone was taken aback. Huang Ying smiled and looked at Zhang Yu: "The editor-in-chief saw your work photos on set today and said that there's a wonderful chemistry between you two when you're together."

The envelope contained a candid photo—taken that afternoon at the Summer Palace, Zhang Yu was crouching in the snow adjusting a reflector, while Chen Chen stood by a pavilion watching him, holding a hand warmer. The snowlight illuminated their profiles, and that unspoken understanding was eternally captured by the lens.

“This…” Chen Chen’s ears turned slightly red.

“I think it’s great.” Zhang Yu took the photo and gently stroked the strands of her hair that were being blown by the wind in the picture with his fingertips. “Directors and actors should complement each other.”

On the taxi ride back to Beijing Film Academy, Chen Chen leaned against the window, gazing at the dazzling lights of Chang'an Avenue. Zhang Yu draped his military overcoat over her legs, while he himself wore only a thin sweater.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

Chen Chen shook her head, her long emerald hair casting a swaying shadow on the car window. Suddenly remembering something, she took out a brocade pouch embroidered with a star gate pattern from her bag: "This...you specially found this, right?"

Zhang Yu paused for a moment: "There is indeed an old embroiderer in Huairou, but I provided the pattern."

The taxi drove across Jianguomen Bridge, and in the distance, the CCTV building was brightly lit in the night. Chen Chen gently held his hand, the warmth of his palm seeping through his skin like a sudden warm current in the cold winter.

“In my past life, you always waited for me by the Star Gate.” Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. “In this life, it’s my turn to find you.”

Zhang Yu intertwined his fingers with hers, the beauty mark on his left eye shimmering gently in the neon lights outside the car window. The taxi stopped at the west gate of Beijing Film Academy, and he escorted her to her dormitory building, watching her long emerald hair disappear around the corner of the entrance.

When I got back to my dorm in the directing department, my phone vibrated. Chen Chen had texted me: "I really like the cover photo."

Looking at the photo of the two people in the snow on the screen, Zhang Yu recalled how, in his past life, they had stood side by side at the Star Gate, watching over countless dawns. And the story of this life had only just begun.

……

At six o'clock in the morning on January 14, 2000, the Huairou Film and Television Base was shrouded in a thick winter fog. When Chen Chen pushed open the door of the guesthouse, her long, jade-green hair was still damp from her shower, gleaming softly in the dim light of the corridor. She wrapped her white down jacket tighter and saw Zhang Yu already waiting downstairs, carrying a plastic bag printed with the words "Old Beijing Douzhi" (fermented mung bean juice).

“There’s a crying scene today.” He handed over a warm cup of soy milk, a section of dark gray sweater peeking out from the collar of his military overcoat. “Director Li added it last night, saying that the character of Xiuhe needs an emotional outburst.”

Chen Chen's eyelashes trembled slightly. In her previous life, when she controlled life energy, she had witnessed too many joys and sorrows, but releasing those emotions through performance was still a completely new challenge.

The warmth of the soy milk slid down her throat, and when she looked up, she noticed that the mole under Zhang Yu's left eye was particularly clear in the morning mist—just like in her past life by the Star Gate, where he would always light up a guiding star for her when she was about to face challenges.

On the way to the film set, the fog grew thicker. The eaves of the antique-style buildings appeared and disappeared in the fog, and the figures of the prop crew carrying equipment were like silhouettes. Zhang Yu walked on the outside of Chen Chen, the hem of his military overcoat occasionally brushing against her down jacket, making a soft rustling sound.

“There’s some new activity from Rong Xinda,” he suddenly said in a low voice. “Li Xiaoming met with Producer Wang last night.”

Chen Chen paused slightly. Her long, emerald-green hair slipped out from the edge of her down jacket hood, glistening with fine water droplets in the mist.

She recalled that in her previous life, when dealing with various forces in the Star Gate, Zhang Yu also relayed information in a timely manner, and the two of them were always able to set up a strategy before a crisis arrived.

At seven o'clock sharp, the heating in the dressing room was on full blast. Huang Ying was wearing a purple turtleneck cashmere sweater today, the tight-fitting design highlighting her graceful curves.

While applying foundation to Chen Chen, she observed the movement at the door from the mirror.

"The sample issue of Harper's Bazaar is out." She lowered her voice, her amethyst earrings swaying under the makeup light. "The cover has received a very good response, and three magazines have already asked for interviews."

Chen Chen saw Zhang Yu discussing lighting plans with the lighting technician outside the door in the mirror.

He would occasionally raise his hand to gesture as he spoke, and the sleeve of his military overcoat would slip down to reveal his wrist—there he wore an old-fashioned Shanghai watch, the first gift she had given him in her previous life at Xingmen.

“There’s one more thing.” Huang Ying dipped her fingertips in blush and gently blended it on Chen Chen’s cheekbone. “Zhou Xun’s team is contacting Southern Metropolis Weekly, wanting to do a feature on ‘Two Beauties from the Film Crew’.”

Chen Chen understood the deeper meaning behind those words. The so-called "two beauties" were merely using her popularity to promote Zhou Xun.

In her previous life at Stargate, she had seen similar tactics—certain forces would always try to claim credit for the Guardians' achievements.

When she was halfway through her makeup, Zhou Xun pushed the door open and came in. Today she was wearing a fuchsia down jacket over a tight-fitting knit dress, and her chestnut-brown curly hair was meticulously styled.

"Junior sister looks great today." Zhou Xun sat down at the adjacent dressing table and looked Chen Chen up and down in the mirror. "I heard that the cover photo for Harper's Bazaar was particularly stunning?"

"It's all thanks to the team's hard work," Chen Chen replied with a smile. Her long, jade-green hair was styled into a Republic-era updo by Huang Ying, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears, adding a touch of gentleness.

Zhou Xun's makeup artist began applying her makeup, and the two chatted casually about gossip from the film crew.

Chen Chen noticed that Zhou Xun would unconsciously glance towards the door when he spoke—Zhang Yu was there adjusting a handheld camera, his focused profile looking particularly serious in the morning light.

At 9:00 AM, the film set was ready.

Today's scene is Xiuhe's breakdown after learning she's been betrothed to the master as a concubine. The scene is set in her boudoir. Chen Chen has changed into a plain white nightgown, her long jade hair cascading over her shoulders, and she walks barefoot on the blue brick floor.

"Action!"

As soon as Director Li Shaohong finished speaking, Chen Chen knelt down in front of the embroidery frame.

Memories of witnessing the suffering of all living beings at the Star Gate in her past life surged back—those partings, those resentments, those helplessness at the mercy of fate, all of which now turned into Xiuhe's tears.

When the first tear fell, Zhang Yu, behind the monitor, held his breath. Through the viewfinder, Chen Chen's crying appearance was breathtakingly beautiful: teardrops rolled down her delicate cheeks, refracting iridescent light in the morning glow; her long emerald hair rose and fell with her trembling shoulders, and the collar of her nightgown opened slightly with the movement, revealing her slender collarbone and a touch of snow-white skin; the image of her bare feet on the blue bricks was so fragile that one wanted to hold her in their arms.