Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 15

“…I’ve liked her for a very long time. No one can ever replace Teacher Luo Jingyi in my heart.”

Luo Jingyi had intended to walk into the living room, but hearing those words from Chen Ge, she froze at the corner of the stairs.

Not the first time, is it? This child… she confesses her love whenever she has a spare moment.

And it was getting more direct each time—in front of everyone, no less. Wasn’t it a bit mushy? Luo Jingyi clasped her hands behind her back, massaging her waist as she continued to listen.

Chen Ge: “I’ve read every script Teacher Luo has participated in, except for her early plays that aren’t available anywhere. I remember the lines for almost every important scene perfectly.”

Ren Yan: “Wow, it sounds like you really do love Screenwriter Luo.”

Chen Ge (Softly): “I’ve loved her since I first entered the industry, though I’ve never met her in person. I’ve heard plenty of rumors about her, but I think they’re nonsense. You can tell what kind of person she is from the small details buried in her scripts. She’s just strict with herself and her work. As for being ‘fierce’… I think she’s just more responsible than others.”

The living room was quiet, and Luo Jingyi could hear every word clearly. Chen Ge usually seemed quite reserved, yet when she spoke of Luo Jingyi, every sentence was filled with emotion—even a touch of defiance.

Behind the wall, Luo Jingyi imagined Chen Ge’s expression. Having had many pursuers since childhood, Luo Jingyi was long tired of confessions. She had seen every trick in the book, delivered in various languages with obvious hidden agendas. She thought she was jaded, that nothing could sway her emotions anymore.

She hadn’t expected this stranger to read her character and understand her temper through her scripts alone. It must have taken immense time and effort. It was far more touching than daily flowers or expensive gifts. As a writer, perhaps no one could resist such a gentle understanding.

Leaning against the wall, a soft smile flickered across Luo Jingyi’s lips.

Song Ruyu, seeing all the attention on Chen Ge, grew dissatisfied. She closed her bento box with a “snap.”

“Oh, you guys are so boring. Why talk about some screenwriter? It’s not like we’ll ever be in a big writer’s project. Hey, have you heard about Su Fang? The rapper from Debut Now!? Let me tell you, she’s actually gay! She’s had a girlfriend for three years!”

Su Fang was a popular contestant who had just debuted last month in second place. She looked sweet and cute, but she turned into a different person on stage with top-tier skills.

Yin Yin (Interested): “Really? She’s a lesbian? She doesn’t look like it. I thought the main dancer was!”

Song Ruyu: “The main dancer? Zuo Yizhen? She’s not! She’s cycled through several boyfriends already! She has short hair, but she’s a total bitch!”

Song Ruyu gossiped wildly. Since Debut Now! Season 3 was a massive hit, the group members were constantly trending. To these 18th-tier stars and non-celebrities, this was explosive insider news.

Feng Yunxin finished her meal and came downstairs. Seeing Luo Jingyi standing by the stairs instead of going out, she was about to ask what was wrong when she heard Song Ruyu’s words. After listening for a bit, she realized the conversation was becoming inappropriate. She called the staff to start the evening shoot immediately to prevent further nonsense.

The Evening Shoot: Game Time

The evening shoot consisted of romance-themed mini-games—a convenient way to openly provide “sugar” to the audience.

Earlier, Luo Jingyi had asked, “This unlucky game must have a script, right?”

Feng Yunxin: “Yeah. I stayed up all night writing it.”

Luo Jingyi: “Let me see.”

As Feng Yunxin handed over the script, she felt the panic of a student having her homework checked by a teacher. Luo Jingyi took one look at it, and her murderous gaze shifted toward her friend.

Feng Yunxin (Muttering): “It’s a CP-shipping show, after all…”

Luo Jingyi: “Shipping means kissing through cellophane? That’s sleazy.”

Feng Yunxin: “How is it sleazy? Games are just a fan-service benefit! It’s standard operation.”

Luo Jingyi: “Are you crazy? Kissing through a thin layer of glass paper? Will they even let you broadcast that?”

Feng Yunxin: “Dramas broadcast kisses that ‘stretch like silk’; mine is perfectly safe. Aside from that, what about ‘Charades’? It’s a perfectly innocent game!”

Luo Jingyi: “I’m not doing the kissing thing.”

Luo Jingyi tossed the script aside. Feng Yunxin quickly compromised. “Fine, fine! For your group… and the other male-female pair, I’ll change it to ‘Look This Way,’ okay?”

Luo Jingyi: “What is ‘Look This Way’?”

Feng Yunxin: “Have you not watched TV in two lifetimes? Two people face each other. One points their finger up, down, left, or right. If the other person moves their head in the same direction, they lose. The loser gets a penalty.”

Luo Jingyi: “What penalty?”

Feng Yunxin: “A hit on the head with an inflatable hammer.”

Luo Jingyi: “I’m not letting anyone hit me on the head.”

Feng Yunxin (Shouting): “…Then just don’t lose! Is the word ‘lose’ even in Teacher Luo’s dictionary?!”

The two reached a compromise. Luo Jingyi noticed Chen Ge’s name was listed next to Song Ruyu’s; they were a group. Thinking of Chen Ge’s gentle confession and then looking at Song Ruyu—that little chatterbox who loved to spout nonsense—she felt the two were a terrible match.

Luo Jingyi: “Why change the game for the mixed-gender pairs but not the same-sex ones? Why must they still kiss through the paper?”

Feng Yunxin: “Why are you meddling in other people’s business now? Are you representing the migrant workers to demand unpaid wages?”

Luo Jingyi: “I’m not meddling; your script is just biased.”

Feng Yunxin was losing her mind. “Screenwriter Luo, you just refused to write for me, but now you’re nitpicking my writing? If you hate it so much, write it yourself!”

Luo Jingyi: “I’m not writing it, but you shouldn’t write such trash.”

Feng Yunxin exploded: “How is it trash? It’s a normal reality show process! What else should happen? If Chen Ge doesn’t ship with her ‘Socialist Sister,’ should she ship with you?”

Luo Jingyi gave her a sidelong glance and slapped the script into her arms. “Is there no other way to interact? It has to be this low-brow?”

Feng Yunxin wondered how cellophane kissing was “low-brow”—it was clearly above the neck. It wouldn’t even be censored on a web novel site. What was Old Luo’s problem?

Then, looking at Luo Jingyi’s face and then the script, Feng Yunxin suddenly understood and started laughing like she was having a seizure.

Luo Jingyi: “Did that rat poison you ate finally kick in?”

Feng Yunxin (Whispering): “You’re jealous, aren’t you? You don’t want your little sidekick doing ‘business’ with anyone else?”

Luo Jingyi ignored her, which only made her more excited. “Then why don’t you do the ‘business’ with her instead, Teacher Luo? Let’s do it for real—we can even skip the cellophane. Xiao Chen is so obedient and takes such good care of you; she’d definitely say yes. Fine, it’s settled.”

Luo Jingyi grabbed her. “Are you sick? Say another word and I’ll slap you, believe it or not?”

“You’re flustered!” Feng Yunxin laughed. “Relax, I’m just kidding. Even if you were willing, their company might not agree. Chen Ge and Song Ruyu are both White Horse Media artists; they need to stay tied together to drive traffic to each other. ‘Don’t let the fertile water flow into an outsider’s field’.”

White Horse Media? Luo Jingyi thought the name sounded familiar.

“But since Teacher Luo has spoken, I’ll change it.” Feng Yunxin took a pen and crossed out “Kissing through Cellophane,” replacing it with “Water Transfer via Paper Cups.”

The game involved both people holding a paper cup in their mouths. One person scoops water and pours it into the other’s cup, and the second person pours it into a container—all without using hands.

After dinner, the guests were in low spirits. The day’s labor had left them drained and sunburned. However, since they’d signed the contract, they had to work.

To make it look “natural” for the audience, the director’s team drew numbers to form pairs. Chen Ge was No. 2 and Song Ruyu was No. 6, so they were naturally paired. Luo Jingyi was, without suspense, paired with Qian Yu.

Round 1: Charades.

Chen Ge and Song Ruyu vs. Sun Ruibin and Yin Yin.

Chen Ge was the actor, and Song Ruyu was the guesser. The assistant director held up the first topic: Dinosaur.

Being a professionally trained actor, Chen Ge knew exactly how to perform animals. She chose a Tyrannosaurus Rex—short arms, fierce expression. She acted it vividly, but Song Ruyu just giggled. “What is it? What are you doing?”

Chen Ge tried again. Song Ruyu clapped her hands and cried excitedly, “Sneaking around like a thief!” (偷雞摸狗 – literally stealing chickens and dogs)

Chen Ge: “…Look closely. Do your chickens and dogs stand on two legs?”

Song Ruyu: “Well, I don’t know then. Your performance must be too poor.”

Chen Ge: “…Skip!”

Luo Jingyi, sitting nearby, heard Yin Yin whisper to Sun Ruibin, “This girl named Song is so f*cking annoying.”

Topic 2: Mark the Boat to Find the Sword (刻舟求劍 – a classic idiom).

Chen Ge sat on the floor, imitating rowing, then mimed throwing a sword and marking the side of the “boat.” She then mimed “rowing” further before reaching into the water at the “mark” and looking confused when nothing was there.

Song Ruyu: “What is this? It’s too abstract. I guess I’ll have to use my clever brain to blind-guess. Is it… Dragon Boat racing?”

Chen Ge: “Don’t just look at the rowing. Look at this! This!” She emphasized the marking and the searching.

Song Ruyu: “Oh! It’s… I want to duel you! Come at me, Evil Dragon!”

Chen Ge: “…Never mind. Skip.”

Song Ruyu: “Why do you give up so easily? Aren’t you a professional? You should be confident in your acting. Persist a bit! Like when I practiced dancing until 4:00 AM—even with fluid in my knees, I didn’t give up. You should learn from me. ‘Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one become a master’.”

Earlier, Chen Ge wasn’t sure if Song Ruyu was just naturally blunt. But now, even an idiot could see it. Song Ruyu was doing this on purpose. If before it was “subtle undermining,” this was now blatant “stepping on her.”

Chen Ge: “How about this? We swap. You act, I guess.”

Before Song Ruyu could argue, Chen Ge walked over and gestured for her to take the acting spot. With everyone watching, Song Ruyu had to swap.

Topic 3: Black Cat Detective.

Song Ruyu didn’t even try; she just gave a random “Meow.”

Chen Ge: “How many characters?”

Song Ruyu: “Four.”

Chen Ge: “Black Cat Detective.”

Song Ruyu: “??”

Everyone: “???”

She guessed it just like that?!