Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 11

Once the preliminary interviews ended, they moved on to the main filming segment of the day.

Luo Jingyi was quite interested in the way reality shows were filmed. As a screenwriter, experiencing different ways of life was one of the most important parts of her work.

She had a strong desire to explore every field she did not fully understand, and reality-show production was one of them.

Come to think of it, she knew that her childhood friend worked as a director, but after all these years, she had never seen Feng Yunxin direct a proper film or television drama. Feng Yunxin had always been struggling within the reality-show industry.

Luo Jingyi had once considered introducing her to several famous directors. Once they became acquainted, those directors might be able to pull her forward in her career.

But Feng Yunxin rejected the offer, and her reason was remarkably principled:

“No need. I don’t want to rely on connections, so don’t find some famous director to give me a boost. I only want to accomplish something through my own abilities. Then I can show my parents that I can do perfectly well without borrowing anyone else’s influence.”

To preserve her old friend’s pride, Luo Jingyi did not interfere with her career.

In fact, because she was so busy with her own work, she had never had the time to pay close attention to Feng Yunxin’s working conditions.

She had not known what it was like until she saw it for herself.

Good heavens. The sight was truly shocking.

She had never seen such a chaotic filming set before.

Before participating in the reality show as an amateur guest, Luo Jingyi had specifically done some research.

Reality shows also had screenwriters and scripts. Some even had complete storylines.

Every guest had their own storyline. Depending on each guest’s personality, the production team would magnify certain traits and create a memorable image for the audience—what people called a “public persona.”

The clashes and growth between different public personas could give the audience varied viewing experiences.

When done well, it could be very compelling.

A program should contain different kinds of personas. Some were responsible for creating problems, while others resolved them.

Some acted cute, some created jokes, while others filled the role of the intelligent one or the source of conflict.

For a good reality show, the director needed to understand the personalities of every guest under their supervision. Only then would they know which persona suited each person and what kind of storyline they should follow.

But the production team of Our Rural Life did not merely fail to understand the guests’ personalities—they even mixed up their names.

The crew had divided into three filming groups. The teams kept fighting over props, and some even took the wrong scripts.

The filming schedule was also a complete mess. One group of guests was dragged from place to place and filmed until their mouths were dry.

Meanwhile, another group sat waiting to the side with absolutely nothing to do.

This was the terrifying consequence of inadequate pre-production preparation.

Luo Jingyi could barely tolerate such a dreadful sight. She wanted to step in personally and clear up this congested highway interchange of a production.

Feng Yunxin was also being tormented by the disorderly set. Although she was visibly irritated, she had abandoned her usual unserious attitude and concentrated completely on coordinating everything.

Seeing her old friend working so earnestly and desperately, Luo Jingyi did not interrupt.

She would not embarrass Feng Yunxin. She trusted that she could handle it.

Feng Yunxin did not disappoint her. After spending half an hour untangling the confusion, she reorganized everything into a unified plan.

First, they would film the scene where all eight guests met one another for the first time. After everyone introduced themselves and became somewhat familiar, they would divide into groups for filming.

Just before filming began, Luo Jingyi asked curiously, “How did your production become this chaotic? Didn’t you have a plan and script before coming here?”

“We did, but they were all written with someone’s feet! I’m not showing them to you. With your temper, one glance would probably make you tear the script apart. This cursed production… Even I was called in at the last minute to fill a hole.”

Luo Jingyi laughed. “So you’re Nüwa herself. Forgive my disrespect.”

Seizing the opportunity, Feng Yunxin hurriedly said, “Actually, I’ve been waiting for you to write me a blockbuster script, Teacher Luo!”

Luo Jingyi said, “So this was your plan all along? You think too highly of me. Every profession is separated by a mountain. I can’t write scripts for reality shows.”

“Seriously, something you wrote with your ass would still be better than the one I have!”

Luo Jingyi: “…Could you stop being so disgusting?”

They followed an extremely conventional process. The eight guests entered the courtyard in pairs and made their appearances one group at a time.

While still outside, they first exclaimed in amazement that the farmhouse was entirely different from the village buildings they had imagined. It was unexpectedly luxurious, almost like a villa.

Once they entered the house, things became even more ridiculous. They were curious about absolutely everything.

They wanted pictures with the posters on the walls, kissed the counterfeit dolls, and acted as though they had never seen a robot vacuum before. They nearly picked it up to pose for photographs too.

Luo Jingyi watched coldly from the sidelines. “This certainly puts their acting skills to the test.”

There were four pairs of guests in total.

Chen Ge and Song Ruyu: an actress paired with a female idol, forming a female-female partnership.

Dong Shenghong and Ren Yan: a middle-aged businessman paired with a delicate female influencer, forming a male-female partnership.

Sun Ruibin and Yin Yin: an emerging athlete paired with a slender, beautiful young man, forming a male-male partnership.

The final pair was Luo Jingyi and male idol Qian Yu, forming an older-woman-younger-man partnership.

From these four pairings alone, it was obvious that the production team was highly ambitious. They had practically gathered every currently popular type of CP.

The partners entered the house one after another, awkwardly complimented each other, and introduced themselves.

The laughter gradually weakened until everyone fell into a strange silence.

Here it was—the inevitable moment of awkwardness.

The silence made their scalps tingle.

Song Ruyu pulled Chen Ge onto the sofa, while Luo Jingyi stood nearby, absolutely refusing to sit on a sofa of unknown origin.

Qian Yu remained standing beside Luo Jingyi.

The moment Qian Yu saw “Luo Xin” in person, he regretted ten thousand times over that he had not gone to pick her up.

She was obviously a wealthy woman and definitely not an ordinary amateur!

Qian Yu completely abandoned his disdain from the previous night. Wherever Luo Jingyi went, he followed, acting exactly like a little attendant.

Luo Jingyi responded to him only occasionally.

Silence. Quiet. The smiles on everyone’s faces grew increasingly stiff.

Chen Ge sat there like a stone statue that had endured five thousand years of wind.

Help—

Why was this so awkward?

What kind of social death scene was this?

Feng Yunxin looked at the four groups. Forget the fact that they did not know one another yet—even the partners seemed to possess no chemistry whatsoever. If they continued forcing conversation, the situation would only become increasingly lifeless.

At a moment like this, it was time to bring out the game capable of instantly closing the distance between people—

Truth or Dare!

Feng Yunxin had originally thought that even this dog-chewed script possessed one bright spot, and Truth or Dare was its shining moment!

Unexpectedly, the instant she announced it, Luo Jingyi struck her with an icy glare.

Feng Yunxin: “…”

Feng Yunxin hated how thoroughly she understood her old friend. From that single look, she read countless layers of disgust.

The Empress Dowager truly disliked games that exposed people’s privacy. Besides revealing private information, Truth or Dare also easily led to physical contact.

Feng Yunxin’s mind buzzed helplessly. She had no choice but to accommodate Luo Jingyi.

They could postpone Truth or Dare. Once everyone became more familiar, they would also feel more comfortable playing it.

After thinking for a moment, Feng Yunxin said, “Then next, everyone can take turns performing a talent!”

Replacing Truth or Dare with a talent show counted as a fairly good decision, didn’t it?

Not only would the guests have a chance to display themselves, but it could also smoothly provide enough footage for most of an episode.

The guests did not agree.

The moment they heard the director say they needed to perform a talent, everyone reacted:

“??”

What did I just hear?

Perform a talent?

Was it the first day of the Lunar New Year? Were guests visiting the house to exchange New Year greetings? Were you my father?

Why would there be such a terrifying segment as performing talents?!

Luo Jingyi tried to glare again, but Feng Yunxin looked back and communicated through her eyes:

We both need to compromise! You can’t control every decision I make just because you have a terrible temper!

Luo Jingyi: Do you want to die?

Feng Yunxin: “…”

She immediately put on a mournful expression.

Feng Yunxin: Please, I’m begging you. I genuinely can’t think of another game to liven up the atmosphere! You don’t want everyone to remain awkward from morning until night, do you? We need some content!

Luo Jingyi sighed irritably and reluctantly accepted it.

Although it would visibly become even more awkward, at least she would not need to touch any strangers.

This cursed variety show needed to finish filming as quickly as possible.

They would not let the guests volunteer for the talent performances either. To improve efficiency, Feng Yunxin prepared eight slips of paper numbered one through eight. The guests would draw lots and perform in order. No one would be allowed to hide.

Chen Ge drew number seven, while Luo Jingyi drew number eight.

Song Ruyu, who drew the first performance, generously demonstrated the theme-song dance she had learned during the talent competition.

After singing and dancing through the entire routine, Song Ruyu was gasping so hard that she could barely speak clearly.

Considering the whole performance, there had been no visible talent, and no trace of artistry could be found either.

She drifted casually out of tune and cracked notes however she pleased, making everyone understand perfectly why she had been eliminated in the second round. Apparently, the talent show had not been entirely rigged after all.

The second person to perform was Qian Yu.

As a male idol, Qian Yu had probably noticed everyone painfully suppressing their laughter after Song Ruyu’s performance. He guessed that if he displayed the same kind of talent, he would undoubtedly suffer the same fate of being mocked.

After thinking for a long time, Qian Yu said, “I don’t really have any talents. Honestly, I don’t. But if I absolutely must do something, I can imitate a dog barking.”

Song Ruyu said, “What the hell?”

The directing team asked, “Can that even be called a talent?”

Qian Yu protested, “My imitation is extremely realistic!”

Then he began barking in one continuous burst, producing an expressive series of “woof, woof, woof” sounds with varying pitch and rhythm.

Not only could he imitate an ordinary dog’s bark, but he could also mimic the sounds dogs made while fighting and the ingratiating whines they used when begging for food. It was admittedly somewhat unusual.

Just as he prepared to imitate the sound of dogs mating, Feng Yunxin hurriedly stopped him.

“Even if you dare imitate that, I won’t dare broadcast it… Stop messing around. Hurry, next person.”

Some performed tai chi, some did handstands, and one person delivered eight consecutive cute meows. Another wanted to demonstrate calligraphy but had no supplies.

When it was Chen Ge’s turn, Luo Jingyi was deeply afraid she might perform a movie scene on the spot. That would have been truly horrifying.

Chen Ge did not subject everyone to that kind of social-death performance. Instead, she loosened up her muscles and said, “I’ll perform a push-up for everyone.”

Song Ruyu burst into laughter. “A push-up counts as a talent? I can do that too!”

Chen Ge did not respond. She placed both hands on the floor and performed one push-up, then two, then three.

Suddenly, she lifted her left hand.

She placed it against her lower back and continued doing push-ups using only her right arm.

Even the men present might not have been able to perform one-armed push-ups as steadily as she did. The room immediately erupted.

“Ohhh—That’s amazing!”

“As expected of the woman who ranked first in grip strength!”

Chen Ge: “…”

Her first-place grip-strength ranking was still a complete mystery, all right?!

Even Luo Jingyi stared in amazement.

The young woman looked refined, quiet, and adorable. Who would have expected her to possess such a hidden skill?

Luo Jingyi asked, “Can you lift your right hand too?”

Everyone: “??”

Chen Ge immediately collapsed onto the carpet…

“That was incredible. All right, all right. Xiao Chen’s performance definitely works.”

Feng Yunxin immediately discovered the perfect persona for Chen Ge—the monstrously strong beauty.

It was actually a very likable persona. Combined with Chen Ge’s beauty and slightly cool, glamorous presence, the contrast was extremely eye-catching.

Only Luo Jingyi remained to perform.

What had to come would always arrive. Luo Jingyi did not hesitate. She asked Feng Yunxin for a pair of gloves and a deck of cards, then said to everyone:

“I’ll perform a magic trick.”

“Ohhh! Magic is great!” Qian Yu was the first to cheer. “Sister Luo even knows close-up magic? I never would have guessed!”

“I love, love, love magic!” the delicate influencer Ren Yan enthusiastically added.

Luo Jingyi placed the chair she was carrying down and sat directly opposite Chen Ge.

Feng Yunxin had specifically ordered someone to disinfect and clean this chair because she was afraid Luo Jingyi’s lower back would hurt if she stood for too long.

The seven guests sat on the sofa, while Luo Jingyi sat alone on the other side of the coffee table. It looked exactly like a performer facing an audience.

When Luo Jingyi shuffled the cards with one hand, another wave of excited screams immediately erupted.

Luo Jingyi calmly swept her gaze across everyone before allowing it to settle on Chen Ge’s face.

Chen Ge was also marveling at Luo Jingyi’s astonishing one-handed shuffle.

How long and dexterous did someone’s fingers need to be to control such a thick deck with only one hand?

While Chen Ge was staring absentmindedly, Luo Jingyi suddenly looked directly at her, making her instantly nervous.

“You.” Luo Jingyi said to Chen Ge, “Blow on the cards.”

Luo Jingyi moved the deck in front of Chen Ge, and Chen Ge gently blew on it.

So obedient.

Luo Jingyi thought silently.

After shuffling, Luo Jingyi arranged the cards into a neat stack on the table and said:

“Choose any card you like. I’ll be able to tell you which card you selected.”

Qian Yu said, “Here it comes! The classic line from every magic trick!”

Sun Ruibin asked, “That can’t be possible. Is there some trick in the cards? Can I inspect them?”

Luo Jingyi said, “Be my guest.”

After examining the deck, Sun Ruibin genuinely found nothing unusual. The order was completely shuffled, and it was simply an ordinary deck of cards.

Not only the guests, but even the directing team watched with anticipation, eager to see what trick Luo Jingyi would use.

“Finished checking?”

Sun Ruibin scratched his head and nodded.

Luo Jingyi said, “Then Chen Ge, draw a card.”

Qian Yu had already prepared to draw the card for his partner, but Luo Jingyi did not call him. Instead, she chose Chen Ge.

Chen Ge’s eyes widened slightly, but she did not refuse. “Then I’ll draw one.”

Just as Chen Ge’s hand was about to touch the cards, Song Ruyu shouted:

“Wait!”

Everyone turned toward her, expecting her to expose some flaw.

Meeting their gazes, Song Ruyu suddenly whined coquettishly, “I want to draw the card…”

Everyone: “…”

Luo Jingyi rejected her coldly. “Chen Ge blew on the cards, so she must be the one to draw. Otherwise, the result won’t be accurate.”

What Luo Jingyi said sounded reasonable. Song Ruyu secretly glared at Chen Ge with deep resentment.

How could such a spotlight moment be given to her?

“Go ahead,” Luo Jingyi reminded Chen Ge. “Draw any card from the deck. Don’t show it to me or anyone else. Only you may look at it.”

Chen Ge followed her instructions. After drawing a card, she secretly glanced at it, then pressed it face-down against her thigh and covered it with one hand to prevent anyone from peeking.

Luo Jingyi crossed her left leg elegantly over her right while sitting on the blue plastic stool. She closed her eyes and pretended to think for several seconds before saying:

“The card you drew is the seven of clubs. Am I right?”

Everyone stared at Chen Ge, urging her with their eyes to reveal the card quickly.

Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Chen Ge turned the card over and placed it face-up on the coffee table.

The seven of clubs.

It was exactly what Luo Jingyi had said.

A wave of astonished cheers erupted. No one was acting; the screams came from genuine shock.

“How is that possible? She really guessed correctly!”

“I have goose bumps!”

“Sister Luo is incredible!”

“Why? Why?!” Song Ruyu grabbed Chen Ge’s arm and shook it, insisting that she answer. “Why did she guess it? You definitely know, don’t you?!”

Chen Ge’s vision blurred from being shaken. She looked toward Luo Jingyi.

A faint smile curved Luo Jingyi’s red lips as she looked only at Chen Ge.

“That is a secret between Chen Ge and me.”

Author’s Note:

Teacher Luo: See? Even when we aren’t CPs, Xiao Chen Ge and I can still interact perfectly well. I can even make her attention focus on an extraordinary place.

Chen Ge: The extraordinary place is…

Teacher Luo: You’re still straight right now, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to know.

Chen Ge: ??