Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 12

The morning’s filming finally came to an end. Luo Jingyi’s entire body ached, so she planned to take a walk outside.

“Sister Luo.”

Chen Ge caught up from behind and called out to her. She even glanced backward to make sure no one was watching before squeezing into the small vegetable garden behind the house with Luo Jingyi.

Luo Jingyi: “Hm?”

“I’m returning this to you.”

Chen Ge handed Luo Jingyi a slightly creased queen of hearts.

The queen of hearts was the card Chen Ge had actually drawn.

The seven of clubs, meanwhile, was the card Luo Jingyi had secretly passed to her beneath the coffee table while distracting everyone with her one-handed shuffle.

At the time, Chen Ge had suddenly felt someone touching her leg and nearly jumped in fright. Luo Jingyi had misjudged the distance. She had only meant to tap Chen Ge as a signal to take the card, but ended up patting her thigh instead.

After Luo Jingyi signaled with her eyes, Chen Ge quickly understood and secretly accepted the card.

Luo Jingyi had already chosen Chen Ge as her accomplice by then.

Later, when Luo Jingyi asked her to draw a card, Chen Ge concealed the one she had drawn and revealed the seven of clubs Luo Jingyi had given her. Naturally, it matched Luo Jingyi’s prediction.

Holding the queen of hearts between two fingers, Luo Jingyi waved it before her eyes and said:

“You reacted quickly.”

“As long as I didn’t ruin the performance. I’m going back.”

“Mm.”

During the midday break, Zhao Lian ordered several dishes she thought Luo Jingyi would enjoy from the hotel’s Chinese restaurant. She packed them into insulated lunch containers, drove the rented van twenty kilometers to Li Village, and delivered lunch to Teacher Luo.

Anyone could have guessed that someone as demanding as Teacher Luo would never eat comfortably in Li Village.

But Zhao Lian was a travel assistant, not a personal assistant. Delivering lunch was not supposed to be part of her job.

Still, whenever she considered that Teacher Luo could struggle to find a satisfying meal even in a major city, much less out here in the middle of nowhere, Zhao Lian could not bear to leave her alone.

Zhao Lian felt that she had developed a touch of Stockholm syndrome toward Luo Jingyi. After growing accustomed to being ordered around, she had somehow begun sincerely worrying about whether Teacher Luo was living comfortably.

Come to think of it, aside from being demanding about every aspect of daily life, food, and work, Teacher Luo was actually a very good person.

As long as you served her properly, she would treat you pleasantly and care for you like both a father and mother.

Most importantly, she paid extremely well and was generous.

Zhao Lian had begun working as Luo Jingyi’s travel assistant immediately after graduation. She now earned a five-figure monthly salary, and Teacher Luo also gave her a red packet at the end of every year. She earned more than most people her age.

Zhao Lian parked in the lot. The moment she got out, waves of heat rolled over her body, while the scorching sun burned above her head as though she might burst into flames.

The weather was far too hot…

After getting out, Zhao Lian changed into slippers. Even the soles seemed ready to melt against the ground.

In such deadly weather, they were actually filming an outdoor farming program. Weren’t they afraid someone might suffer heatstroke?

Zhao Lian entered the farmhouse courtyard, asking for directions along the way. She eventually found Luo Jingyi inside Feng Yunxin’s lounge.

Feng Yunxin was eating the boxed meal provided by the production team. There was also one in front of Luo Jingyi, but it seemed to have been opened and then closed again.

As expected, Teacher Luo had not eaten a single bite.

“Teacher Luo, guess what delicious food I brought you!”

Zhao Lian entered cheerfully.

The air conditioner was running inside. Luo Jingyi sat in Feng Yunxin’s reclining chair with her eyes closed, resting. Hearing Zhao Lian’s voice, she did not open her eyes and merely said softly:

“You came all this way in such hot weather.”

“Of course. I was worried our Teacher Luo wouldn’t find the food here suitable, so I specially brought something delicious.”

From Luo Jingyi’s voice, Zhao Lian could tell that she was not in a particularly good mood. She lowered her own voice and opened the insulated lunch containers.

Feng Yunxin, who had been eating beef with potatoes and dry-fried green beans, immediately leaned over.

“Let me see what wonderful things Xiao Zhao brought you. Look at this—she delivered food in such scorching weather. Teacher Luo certainly didn’t dote on you for nothing. When it comes to being thoughtful, our Xiao Zhao is the most considerate.”

Feng Yunxin was a frequent visitor at Luo Jingyi’s place, so Zhao Lian knew her fairly well.

Zhao Lian removed the containers one layer at a time. “There’s Dongshan lamb, Wenchang coconut chicken, chilled green beans, and fish-head soup.”

Feng Yunxin joked, “Lamb in the middle of summer? Aren’t you afraid she’ll get excessive internal heat?”

Zhao Lian said solemnly, “Eating lamb in summer has many benefits too. Lamb is sweet in flavor and warming in nature. It can stimulate the appetite, nourish the kidneys, and replenish qi and blood!”

“It’s that good? Sister Yi, can I have a piece?” Feng Yunxin asked coquettishly.

Luo Jingyi frowned. “Speak properly. Xiao Zhao, have you eaten yet? If not, eat with us.”

“Yes! I brought rice!”

The three gathered around the small table to eat. Luo Jingyi placed two pieces of Dongshan lamb, three slices of chicken, and a portion of vegetables onto her rice.

This was one of her habits. She disliked sharing dishes directly with others.

Whatever she placed on top of her rice was all she intended to eat.

She had many particular habits, and both Feng Yunxin and Zhao Lian knew them. They waited until she finished serving herself before beginning.

After taking one bite of the lamb, Luo Jingyi stopped eating it and left it aside. She ate only the chicken and vegetables, finished with a bowl of fish soup, and took merely one small bite of rice.

Zhao Lian asked in confusion, “Teacher Luo, does the lamb not suit your taste? I remember you used to enjoy Dongshan lamb.”

“This isn’t Dongshan lamb.”

After saying that, Luo Jingyi set down her chopsticks and told them, “I’m full. I’m going for a walk.”

Luo Jingyi left the room. Zhao Lian took a bite of the lamb.

“How could Teacher Luo tell? Doesn’t it taste about the same? Does lamb have that many different flavors?”

Feng Yunxin said, “You know what she’s like. She has this terrible habit and an impossibly picky palate. I wonder whether anyone in this world could ever satisfy her tastes.”

The heat had already diminished Luo Jingyi’s appetite. After sitting in the air-conditioned room for a while, she felt the chronic aches in her lower back and legs beginning to return. Unable to remain seated, she went outside to stand for a while.

Feng Yunxin’s lounge was on the third floor of the farmhouse. The first and second floors contained the guests’ rooms, while several rooms on the third floor had been converted into lounges.

After lunch, most of the guests and crew members had gone to sleep.

Luo Jingyi stood in the third-floor corridor. After taking a few steps, her phone rang.

It was Director Tao.

Luo Jingyi answered, “I’m only away for a week. Once I return to Beijing, I’ll definitely settle the choice for the female lead. Is that acceptable?”

Director Tao had not even spoken, yet Luo Jingyi already knew he had called to pressure her again.

Director Tao let out a long sigh. “I know you always strive for perfection. Fine, I’ll wait for you in Beijing. I’ve found three more actresses for you to consider, and they’re all quite good. Actually, apart from the female lead, I called about another urgent matter.”

“Why does your voice keep getting quieter? What are you feeling guilty about?”

“Teacher Luo, please stop mocking me. It really is important… I’m only afraid you won’t agree.”

“Go ahead. Who does the production company want to force into the cast this time?”

Director Tao was both the director and producer of A Minor’s Final Wish. He spent every day dining with the production company and attending countless drinking engagements.

The production company caused the most trouble. When they were pleased with someone, they promoted them however they liked. When they became displeased, they could remove an actor even halfway through filming.

Although Luo Jingyi had absolute veto power on any production involving her, the production company still constantly created problems.

After all, the investors provided the money, and whoever paid was the boss. Luo Jingyi dared confront them directly, but Director Tao was much more even-tempered.

Both sides were formidable, leaving Director Tao no choice but to mediate between them.

While speaking on the phone, Luo Jingyi saw Chen Ge emerge from a room, stretching her arms and loosening her waist.

When she raised her arms, her shirt lifted slightly, exposing a narrow strip of flat, firm abdomen.

Thinking no one was nearby, she did not hurry to cover herself. She failed to notice Luo Jingyi quietly watching her from upstairs.

Luo Jingyi could faintly see the definition of abdominal muscles and remembered Chen Ge’s one-armed push-ups.

“…Teacher Luo, are you listening?”

Director Tao had asked several questions without receiving an answer and finally could not help checking.

Luo Jingyi: “…”

She truly had not been listening, but she did not want to be caught. She said:

“I’ll look at it when the time comes.”

Director Tao became anxious. “Don’t wait until then. This actress is definitely better! I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. I’ll send you her audition video.”

“Audition? Who?”

“…So you genuinely weren’t listening.”

Luo Jingyi truly had not been listening. She was watching Chen Ge play with a cat.

An orange cat that often came to the courtyard begging for food had just finished eating and was licking its paw. Chen Ge noticed it and crouched down in front of it.

Luo Jingyi thought: Silly girl. A cat won’t pay attention to you.

Unexpectedly, the orange cat walked toward Chen Ge and rubbed repeatedly against her ankles. After that, it shamelessly flopped onto the ground, exposed its belly, and meowed at her.

Luo Jingyi: “…”

What kind of cat are you? Were you transformed from a dog?

Chen Ge smiled, tilted her head slightly, and gently scratched its belly.

The orange cat rolled back and forth, apparently extremely satisfied with Chen Ge’s service.

Luo Jingyi thought: Look at that shameless behavior. Do you even deserve to call yourself a cat? Ancestor should teach you how a proper cat behaves.

The orange cat narrowed its eyes in pleasure beneath Chen Ge’s hand. Chen Ge scratched all the way up to the top of its head.

Chen Ge wore a pink T-shirt beneath a white sun-protective jacket.

She had pushed the jacket’s sleeves partway up, leaving her slender, snowy-white arms exposed to the sun. Their lines were beautiful.

Her long hair was glossy and thick. Chen Ge had tied it into a high ponytail, fully exposing the graceful back of her neck.

Luo Jingyi discovered that the young woman was genuinely very fair. Beneath the sunlight, her skin was pale enough to reflect the light.

Chen Ge happily petted the cat alone, completely unaware that her neckline had sagged rather low.

Her legs became numb from crouching, so she shifted her position and turned directly toward Luo Jingyi.

Luo Jingyi inadvertently caught sight of the view inside her collar and frowned.

Director Tao patiently repeated himself:

“The actress originally cast as Huang Yitong in A Minor’s Final Wish has recently become involved in a major cheating scandal online. Both we and the production company intend to replace her. We’ve almost settled on a candidate. I’ll send you the video, so watch it when you have time and give us a definite answer. If you approve, we’ll sign her.”

Luo Jingyi coughed loudly.

Chen Ge heard her. The orange cat was startled and immediately darted away.

Chen Ge stood up, causing her neckline to return to its proper position. Still unaware of what had happened, she gave Luo Jingyi a brilliant smile.

Luo Jingyi said into the phone, “That Xiao Su who was originally cast as Huang Yitong… I was never particularly optimistic about her anyway. Send me the new actress’s audition video, and I’ll take a look.”

“I already sent it to your email!” Director Tao said. “Fortunately, you aren’t in Beijing. This Xiao Su has genuinely lost her mind. She goes to my place and President Lu’s every day to cause a scene. If you were here, she would probably annoy you to death.”

“I’ll tell you after I watch it. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

Luo Jingyi ended the call. At that moment, the crew members came outside to prepare for the afternoon shoot: digging up taro.

Luo Jingyi found it strange. “You’re digging up taro in this heat? Aren’t you afraid someone will suffer heatstroke?”

Feng Yunxin said, “We don’t have a choice. This is a program about doing farmwork.”

Luo Jingyi asked, “Why are you carrying hoes?”

Feng Yunxin did not understand the question. “To do the farmwork.”

“It’s already 2020. Shouldn’t farming involve some form of advanced technology? You’re still using tools from the Neolithic era? Did humanity spend 1.8 million years developing just for you people to squander it like this?”

“Sister, please have mercy. What did we agree on before you came? Didn’t I explain clearly that you would need to do farmwork here? How did you agree at the time? It wouldn’t be appropriate to regret it now.”

It was rare for Feng Yunxin to leave Luo Jingyi speechless with only a few sentences.

“Think carefully about why I agreed to come.”

Luo Jingyi went inside to retrieve her sun-protection equipment.

Feng Yunxin cheerfully followed her and clung to the doorway, twisting her body like a worm as she said in a shamelessly flirtatious voice:

“Wasn’t it because you love me so desperately—”

Love your ass. Would I have come if you hadn’t threatened and intimidated me?

Luo Jingyi immediately prepared to throw her sun hat and strike Feng Yunxin hard enough to make her incapable of caring for herself.

When she turned around, however, she found Chen Ge standing in the doorway.

Like a little hamster that had overheard something it should not have and did not know what to do, Chen Ge stared at Feng Yunxin, who was still clinging to the door.

“Director Feng.”

The moment Chen Ge spoke, Feng Yunxin sprang upright as quickly as a trainee snapping to attention when the drill instructor appeared.

“What is it?”

Feng Yunxin felt somewhat embarrassed that an outsider had witnessed her behaving so flirtatiously.

Chen Ge was even more embarrassed and wished she could spiral directly into the heavens.

How had she managed to stumble upon such an intimate moment between the couple?

Chen Ge said, “Director Hu said we’re short on props, and there’s a problem with the prop team. He asked me to come and consult you.”

Feng Yunxin said, “All right. I’ll go downstairs now.”

Feng Yunxin left. Chen Ge was about to follow when Luo Jingyi said:

“Come here.”

Chen Ge’s scalp tingled. She mechanically turned back toward Luo Jingyi.

“Do you… need something?”

“Come.”

Maintaining a stiff smile, Chen Ge walked over and stood before Luo Jingyi.

Luo Jingyi leaned forward, and Chen Ge instinctively stepped backward.

“What are you hiding from?” Luo Jingyi said. “Stand still.”

Chen Ge had originally assumed Luo Jingyi only wanted to lecture her briefly, but now she was no longer certain.

Sister Luo was tall. Chen Ge raised her head slightly. She herself was 172 centimeters, and Sister Luo had to be at least 175.

Combined with her tall figure and the cool, distant aura surrounding her, Luo Jingyi’s intimidating presence made it difficult to breathe. Chen Ge felt as though she might be silenced permanently at any moment.

She could not retreat any farther. The door was directly behind her—the same door where Feng Yunxin had just twisted herself like a pretzel.

At such close range, Chen Ge did not know where to place her gaze. It briefly swept across Luo Jingyi’s vividly colored lips.

Luo Jingyi raised a hand and reached toward her chest.

Chen Ge’s breath caught.

In the next instant, Luo Jingyi pulled the zipper of her sun-protective jacket slightly higher.

Chen Ge: “?”

This was better.

Luo Jingyi examined the zipper. At this height, there should be no danger of Chen Ge accidentally exposing herself.

This young woman was an actress, yet how could she be so careless while working outside?

To Chen Ge, however, Luo Jingyi’s gesture carried an entirely different meaning.

Sister Luo meant… that Chen Ge needed to zip her mouth shut. She was telling her to remain silent and not reveal Sister Luo’s relationship with Director Feng.

Chen Ge immediately pulled the zipper all the way to the top, nearly trapping it beneath her chin.

Luo Jingyi: “?”

With bright eyes and an utterly serious expression, Chen Ge promised:

“Don’t worry, Sister Luo. I understand what I should do.”

Then she left as though carrying an important responsibility.

Watching her retreating figure, Luo Jingyi wondered…

How could she be so obedient?

Author’s Note:

Luo Jingyi: She listens to me so well. How obedient. Apart from liking my scripts, could she possibly like something else about me too?

Chen Ge: I like helping you keep your secret. Hehe.

Luo Jingyi: ?