Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 10

The moment Luo Jingyi got out of the car, Chen Ge, who was still recording her preliminary interview, saw her.

Seeing Luo Jingyi chatting and laughing with Director Feng confirmed that they were indeed very close lovers.

The two of them looked in Chen Ge’s direction together. Chen Ge did not know what they said, but their expressions suddenly changed, and they separated, each going her own way.

Chen Ge watched Luo Xin walk ahead alone while Director Feng followed behind her, talking without pause. But no matter what she said, Luo Xin did not turn around.

What… was going on? Had they argued?

Chen Ge’s heart gave a nervous thump.

Could it be because Director Feng had watched the footage Director Hu filmed last night?

Although they had been filming for the show, perhaps Director Feng still felt that they had been too intimate?

But it had all been a misunderstanding. Chen Ge had not known Qian Yu was tricking her into picking up his partner.

When the director asked her and Song Ruyu to record their preliminary interview together that morning, Chen Ge finally figured everything out.

Her partner had never changed. Qian Yu had fooled her. Director Feng’s lover was still paired with Qian Yu and had nothing to do with Chen Ge.

She did not know whether Director Feng might think Chen Ge had deliberately volunteered to pick her lover up.

Chen Ge’s mind was elsewhere throughout the interview. Song Ruyu liked monopolizing conversations anyway, so Chen Ge let her do all the talking.

After slapping Chen Ge’s arm and whining coquettishly, Song Ruyu said to the camera:

“Our Chen Ge is always like this. No matter what she’s doing, her mind is somewhere else. She’s always getting sleepy while filming too. Hahaha, she’s adorably absentminded. But don’t be fooled by how quiet she is—she’s actually very popular. I’m completely different. I’m always laughing and acting carefree, so everyone treats me like a boy and calls me their little brother. My luck with the opposite sex is suuuuper terrible. That’s probably why I’ve been single since birth…”

The assistant director said, “Take a break. You’re doing all the talking. Xiao Chen, say a few words too. You can’t be so stingy with your words, or the editors won’t have any footage of you to use.”

Song Ruyu still had a stomach full of things she wanted to say, but the assistant director abruptly cut her off. She could only pout and turn toward Chen Ge.

Chen Ge briefly introduced herself, saying that she was twenty-six and worked as an actress.

The assistant director guided her. “Say something more personal, such as what kind of personality you have.”

Chen Ge thought for a moment. “My personality is a little… reserved.”

The assistant director: “…We can tell.”

The preliminary interview was proving somewhat difficult. Actors who were not experienced variety-show personalities were truly hard to film.

The assistant director lit a cigarette and smoked while thinking of a solution.

As he was smoking, Feng Yunxin came over. After exchanging a few words with him, she told him to take a break and sent someone a WeChat message.

Song Ruyu whispered into Chen Ge’s ear, “What is Director Feng doing?”

Chen Ge shook her head.

Unexpectedly, Luo Jingyi appeared a moment later.

Chen Ge jolted and instantly sat up straight, like a student whose homeroom teacher had arrived for a class meeting.

Feng Yunxin and Luo Jingyi stood together in front of the monitor. Feng Yunxin said:

“Xiao Chen, how did it feel spending time with Sister Luo last night?”

Chen Ge had not expected Director Feng to ask so directly. She answered honestly:

“It was quite good. Sister Luo guided me, so the filming went smoothly.”

Song Ruyu had no idea what they were discussing. She whispered to Chen Ge, “Who’s Sister Luo?”

Chen Ge said, “The woman standing beside her.”

Song Ruyu glanced at Luo Jingyi. She had a tall, slender figure and skin as white as snow. With her wide-brimmed sun hat and sunglasses, she was fully covered from head to toe.

Even in such hot weather, she wore a sun-protective coat over her long dress. She looked fragrant and pristine, as though she could not sweat at all.

She was already exceptionally tall, and the heels of more than five centimeters made her appear even more statuesque.

Most striking of all were the custom-made designer clothes covering her body. Who was she?

“Why were you with her last night? You went out after I fell asleep? What did you do together? Who is she?”

Song Ruyu fired questions endlessly, making Chen Ge’s head ache.

Seeing Song Ruyu whispering without pause, Luo Jingyi moved Feng Yunxin aside, stepped in front of the monitor, and said to Chen Ge:

“I watched last night’s footage. The atmosphere was right. Remember how it felt when I fed you last night. Just face the camera in that same natural state.”

Song Ruyu: “??!”

She fed her?

What had happened last night?

Thinking back to the feeling from the previous night, Chen Ge’s drifting thoughts suddenly found a clear target.

“All right. I’ll try.”

A preliminary interview was a guest interview placed near the beginning of the first episode. It allowed the guests to introduce themselves or establish their public personas so the audience could gain a general understanding of them.

Luo Jingyi took the assistant director’s place and conducted the interview.

“What’s your name? How old are you? What do you do for work?”

“My name is Chen Ge. I’m twenty-six, and I’m an actress.”

Although Luo Jingyi asked the same questions as the assistant director, Chen Ge behaved more naturally and sincerely when facing her.

Perhaps because they were in an unfamiliar place and Luo Jingyi had been the first person to draw close to her. Although Luo Jingyi carried the intimidating air of an unapproachable elder, she still gave Chen Ge a sense of security.

Chen Ge also greatly admired Luo Xin because of the previous night’s filming.

The situation had originally been extremely awkward, yet the moment she stepped in, she achieved the best possible effect with only a few effortless moves.

Watching Chen Ge through the monitor, Luo Jingyi continued asking questions.

In post-production, Luo Jingyi’s voice would be removed entirely and replaced with subtitles. Under normal circumstances, the audience would only see the guest’s answers.

“What do you like doing in your free time?”

“I like exercising, reading, and things like that.”

Luo Jingyi reminded her, “Since you’re an actress, you must watch plenty of films. Whose work do you usually enjoy?”

Chen Ge genuinely loved watching all kinds of films, learning acting techniques and rhythm from them.

But she considered that part of her work rather than a leisure activity, so she had not mentioned it initially.

Still, Luo Jingyi’s question offered a much better opportunity to present herself.

Chen Ge quickly answered:

“My favorite works are Teacher Luo Jingyi’s!”

Feng Yunxin, who was drinking coffee nearby, nearly spat it out when she heard Chen Ge’s abrupt confession.

Chen Ge immediately became alert. Had she said something wrong?

Luo Jingyi, whose gaze had remained on the monitor, suddenly lifted her eyes and looked directly at Chen Ge.

Like a rabbit caught beneath a wolf’s gaze, Chen Ge froze.

“I asked which actor you like.”

After calmly tossing out that sentence, Luo Jingyi returned her attention to the monitor.

However, an almost imperceptible smile had appeared at the corner of her lips.

“Oh… Actors.” Chen Ge felt incredibly foolish. “As for actors, I like Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Hanks, Al Pacino… and many, many others.”

“You have fairly good taste. Yunxin, come over and see whether we have enough footage for the preliminary interview.”

Feng Yunxin finished the remaining half-mouthful of coffee in one gulp and waved her hand vigorously. “Why ask me when you’re here? If you think it’s okay, then it’s fine!”

Luo Jingyi clicked her tongue. “I’m not the director. Hurry over here.”

“Oh…”

One sentence from Luo Jingyi was enough to drag Feng Yunxin over. After watching the footage once, she said, “Isn’t this perfectly good? It looks very natural.”

Luo Jingyi said, “It’s natural, but it isn’t memorable. You’ve filmed so many variety shows. You should have experience with this.”

As they spoke, the assistant director brought over a prop. Feng Yunxin said:

“Ask and you shall receive. Have the other guests finished their tests?”

“They have.”

The assistant director handed her a folder. Luo Jingyi glanced at it. The top page contained a chart with four large characters written across it:

“Grip-Strength Test.”

Feng Yunxin said to them:

“This is a slow-living reality show. You must have known before coming here that we’ll need to rely on ourselves, plow fields, and grow crops! This isn’t just for show. You need real strength. See what I’m holding? This is a grip-strength meter. Squeeze it, and it will tell us how strong your hands are. Hand strength is basically the same as overall strength. Everyone will take the test, and we’ll rank the results. Whoever ranks first will receive a reward!”

Luo Jingyi glanced at the form in Feng Yunxin’s hand.

It listed the names of all the guests, with a number beside each one.

There were eight guests in total, and five had already completed the grip-strength test.

The highest score was 211, belonging to Sun Ruibin.

Qian Yu ranked second with 208, while Dong Shenghong was third with 201.

Then came Yin Yin, whose gender was difficult to determine, with 168.

The lowest score was Ren Yan’s 97.

Song Ruyu drew out an “Oh!” and raised her hand to take the grip-strength meter.

“I want to try! Let me try! Look at these muscles. I exercise every day! I’ll definitely crush a whole bunch of men!”

Feng Yunxin secretly glanced at Luo Jingyi and saw ice in her eyes. Not only was she completely unmoved, but she even appeared somewhat annoyed.

Feng Yunxin had spent so many years beside Luo Jingyi. She had not learned much of Luo Jingyi’s natural brilliance, but she had become exceptionally skilled at reading her expression.

By now, Luo Jingyi did not even need to speak. Merely standing there was enough for Feng Yunxin to sense whether she was happy or unhappy and exactly what she thought of the person before her.

Apart from resenting Song Ruyu for stealing her CP, Luo Jingyi probably found her inherently irritating.

Luo Jingyi hated this sort of affected, two-faced behavior most of all.

Feng Yunxin received Luo Jingyi’s telepathic signal.

She handed the grip-strength meter to Song Ruyu and instructed, “Remember to use all your strength.”

Song Ruyu rolled up her sleeves, revealing two soft, pale arms. She gripped the meter with both hands and shouted, “Hah!”

“What is it? What is it?”

When the number began appearing, Song Ruyu wriggled her upper body coquettishly in the chair.

98—an entirely unmemorable score.

Song Ruyu stuck her tongue out at the camera. “Oh dear, it seems I’m still far too delicate.”

Feng Yunxin took the device back, recorded the result on the form, then handed it to Chen Ge.

“You try too. Use all your strength.”

Chen Ge squeezed hard with her right hand. Her face, usually classically beautiful and cold, now carried the strained expression of someone exerting herself. The faint trace of discomfort made her features appear even more vivid.

Luo Jingyi watched her quietly as several dramatic scenes filled with restrained tension automatically unfolded in her mind.

Combined with Chen Ge’s face, each scene instantly felt complete.

“What is it? What is it? Yours will definitely be higher than mine.”

Song Ruyu eagerly looked toward Chen Ge’s result—and froze.

It was not merely higher than hers. It surpassed Qian Yu and the others as well, crushing the entire male lineup.

Song Ruyu: “???”

Chen Ge froze too. “This… Director Feng, did I break it?”

Feng Yunxin exclaimed, “Oh my,” took the meter back, and wrote “220” on the form.

Smiling, she said, “Xiao Chen, how are you so strong? Did you grow up eating magical strength pills?”

“This… I… That…”

Chen Ge remained seated, stammering for ages and completely unable to understand what had happened.

The entire process had been filmed. Chen Ge ranked first in grip strength, even surpassing all the male guests. Luo Jingyi quickly understood Feng Yunxin’s intention.

She truly was a professional reality-show director.

The most important thing in a reality show was to emphasize each person’s individuality and give the audience something memorable.

There were far too many fresh faces in the entertainment industry now—so many that people could not remember them.

Many struggled with all their might merely to appear before the audience once.

Then they were forgotten at lightning speed.

Being remembered was the crucial first step.

A woman being stronger than the men was a memorable trait.

With this move from Feng Yunxin, Chen Ge might immediately become one of the guests who left the strongest impression.

And Chen Ge’s stunned reaction to her own strength created an adorable contrast.

Luo Jingyi took everything in and found the situation rather interesting.

As expected, every industry had its own techniques. The filming methods used for reality shows were entirely different from those used in movies.

It was precisely because they were different that Luo Jingyi found a new kind of enjoyment in them.

Chen Ge’s preliminary interview was complete. Luo Jingyi, the amateur guest, also needed to record hers.

As Luo Jingyi prepared to leave, Chen Ge approached to thank her.

“There’s nothing to thank me for. Just remember to maintain that state,” Luo Jingyi said.

Chen Ge nodded. “Last night, Director Hu and I misunderstood. We thought Director Feng had changed my partner, which was why I went to pick you up. Actually, she hadn’t. My partner is still Song Ruyu.”

When they first met the previous night, they had only crossed paths briefly at the arrivals exit. They later sat inside the van, so this was the first time they had truly stood face-to-face.

Luo Jingyi noticed that Chen Ge was wearing flat shoes and was genuinely quite tall. Although Luo Jingyi’s shoes had heels, Chen Ge did not seem much shorter than her.

Chen Ge was wearing heavier makeup today, which was understandable for appearing onscreen.

Her eye makeup made her eyes appear even more alluring, but Luo Jingyi did not think this ordinary style of makeup suited her.

Something that could be used on anyone concealed the distinctive authenticity she naturally possessed.

What dissatisfied Luo Jingyi most was that foundation had also been applied to Chen Ge’s neck to match the color of her face, covering the beautiful, sensual mole there.

“I know,” Luo Jingyi said. “I didn’t understand the situation at the time either.”

“So you know now, Sister Luo.”

“I only found out this morning.”

“So everything last night was a misunderstanding.”

“?”

“Qian Yu was probably too lazy and persuaded me to go in his place. Please don’t blame Director Feng.”

Luo Jingyi had wondered what Chen Ge wanted to say, only for her to explain this.

Did she think Luo Jingyi and Feng Yunxin had argued?

“I never blamed her.”

“That’s good…”

Chen Ge clasped her hands behind her back. Standing before Luo Jingyi, she resembled an obedient student speaking to a teacher, nervously rubbing her fingers together.

“There’s nothing else. I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll leave first.”

“Mm.”

Chen Ge went inside to wait for the next filming session. Luo Jingyi recorded her solo preliminary interview with Feng Yunxin.

Still thinking about the grip-strength meter, Luo Jingyi did not quite believe Chen Ge could be that strong.

“Let me squeeze it.”

Feng Yunxin handed it to her.

Luo Jingyi squeezed.

Luo Jingyi: “??”

“This thing is broken, isn’t it?”

“Teacher Luo, you’re weak.”

Luo Jingyi squeezed it again. The result was still 50.

After staring at the electronic display for a long moment, Luo Jingyi noticed a button beneath the screen. She immediately pressed it, and the display changed into three horizontal lines.

“So the numbers are manually set. How boring can you be?”

Luo Jingyi tossed the grip-strength meter back.

Feng Yunxin immediately caught it. “That’s called a script! You’re a famous screenwriter, yet you can’t understand that? I was creating an entertaining moment for your little admirer. Don’t reject my kindness!”

“What little admirer?”

“Keep pretending. Go on, keep pretending. Ah, what fate! She accidentally went to pick you up last night, and you even fed her before discovering you had the wrong CP. Then today, Xiao Chen openly confessed that her favorite screenwriter is none other than Teacher Luo herself. Hey, how nervous do you think Xiao Chen would become if she learned that the Teacher Luo she admires most was standing right in front of her? If I expose your identity in a later episode, do you think this web variety show will explode in popularity?”

“I don’t know whether the web variety show will explode, but I’ll definitely make your head explode.”

“…Why are you so fierce? I was even considering showing mercy and pairing your little admirer with you.”

“No need.”

“You’re sure? Once you pass this village, there won’t be another shop like it.”

Author’s Note:

Luo Jingyi: There’s no need to change CPs. Truly, no need.

Feng Yunxin: Fine, fine. Then I’ll plant this flag for you too. Huh? Teacher Luo, there’s nowhere left to plant another flag. You’re already covered in them.

Luo Jingyi: “…”

【This is only Chen Ge’s first wave of confessions. We’re merely laying a small foundation, hehehe.】