Sweet Wife in My Arms

She had seen her fair share of such men.

Suddenly, a group of soldiers from the militia barged in.
There was something intimidating about their military boots and gleaming rifles.

A hush fell upon Rouge Pavilion.
In the silence, a tall military officer strode into the building; he was wearing the officer’s uniform of the National Revolutionary Army.
There was a gun in the holster around his waist.
His black military boots thumped ominously across the floor, breaking up the sound of his spectators’ nervous breathing.

Hong Yao’s red lips curved upwards, ever so slightly.
She had nothing but contempt for these so-called soldiers: they spent their days lazing about doing nothing, wasting the hard-earned money of their fellow countrymen.
All they ever did was bully helpless women.

Her eyes flickered towards the military officer.
Suddenly, her pupils constricted as her fingers reflexively flew to her forehead.
She brushed her bangs aside, her fingers tracing the uneven bump on her skin as she did so.
It was a scar, the only scar on her body—and it was the reason why she always covered her forehead with her bangs.

Her eyes grew unfocused.
She appeared to be lost in thought; her red lips parted as she silently mouthed a few words.

“Cut!” Director Jin shouted.
Everyone else finally snapped out of their trance.

Yan Huan’s magnetic performance had pulled everyone on set into the world of Love and Tribulations.

Everyone agreed that Yan Huan was an incredible— perhaps even awe-inspiring— actress.
Her expressions and body language had been on point; every look, every gesture had been exactly right.
She had expertly positioned herself for the camera in every shot.
All of the above could be taught through professional training, but they could only be mastered after years of hands-on experience.
Yan Huan’s masterful acting was beyond even Wen Dongni, who already had a number of acting credits under her belt.
During the audition, Wen Dongni had captured who Hong Yao was on the surface—a prostitute—but she had failed to express who Hong Yao really was inside.