Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 17

“I’m your CP.”

Chen Ge stared blankly at the perfectly smooth slip of paper in her palm.

Sister Luo was her CP?

Puzzled, Chen Ge looked toward Feng Yunxin.

Luo Jingyi had performed another magic trick on Song Ruyu right there in front of everyone. This time, she had made Song Ruyu’s CP disappear entirely. Song Ruyu also turned a questioning gaze on Feng Yunxin.

How could a number nine appear when there were only eight people?

Who were they trying to fool?

Everyone present looked at Feng Yunxin in confusion.

Everyone except the instigator, Luo Jingyi.

Feng Yunxin: “…”

Luo Jingyi was already leisurely selecting a cup.

Of the entire stack of paper cups, only the most perfectly formed one was worthy of being held between Luo Jingyi’s teeth.

Feng Yunxin: “……”

Had the Empress Dowager dug an enormous hole and left Feng Yunxin to fill it?

Was this how one betrayed her sister?

Judging by Luo Jingyi’s manner, she had Feng Yunxin completely under her control, as though changing partners had already become a settled matter.

Fine…

Since Feng Yunxin had personally invited this great Buddha here, she naturally had to serve her properly.

Besides, Xiao Song had gone too far. Who knew what grudge she held against Xiao Chen? They worked for the same company, yet she kept pouring water over Chen Ge’s face, tugging her clothes, and stepping on her foot.

Admittedly, far worse things happened on variety shows, all for the sake of creating memorable moments and entertainment.

But if the two of them remained together and genuinely began fighting, the situation would become difficult to control.

They could change CPs. It was only for this game, anyway. They could switch them back afterward, and their company would have little reason to complain.

Song Ruyu said, “There was no number nine! And how could you possibly be number six? Chen Ge and I work for the same company. We already agreed—”

Feng Yunxin interrupted her directly.

“Oh, right. We made a mistake earlier. The script also says Luo Xin and Chen Ge are a pair.”

Song Ruyu: “??”

Luo Jingyi said, “Then we’ll reshoot the game from the beginning. Xiao Sun, Xiao Yin, what do you think?”

Sun Ruibin and Yin Yin were the opposing team in the game. They were young, but they were not blind.

Not only did Sister Luo radiate wealth and nobility, but Director Feng’s obedient attitude toward her made it obvious that she had an extraordinary background.

The two immediately said, “Of course. We have no problem with that!”

Luo Jingyi’s gaze shifted toward Chen Ge. Carrying one paper cup in each hand, she approached as though afraid of frightening a wounded little animal and asked softly:

“Is that all right?”

Chen Ge lifted her eyes toward her. “Of course…”

A faint smile appeared in Luo Jingyi’s eyes, softening her sharp features and making her look much more elegant and gentle.

Luo Jingyi removed her coat and draped it over Chen Ge’s shoulders, leaving herself in only a plain white T-shirt.

The T-shirt appeared ordinary, but Yin Yin, a singer-songwriter who followed fashion closely, and Qian Yu, whose eyes had not moved away from them on the other side of the room, immediately recognized it.

It was a newly released piece from a luxury fashion house’s current collection, costing several thousand yuan.

The coat now draped around Chen Ge was ready-to-wear from the same brand and cost tens of thousands.

Chen Ge had originally been wearing a white linen overshirt from a fast-fashion brand that cost 199 yuan. Wrapped in Luo Jingyi’s expensive coat, even her own shirt seemed to gain another zero on its price tag and instantly looked far more luxurious.

Overwhelmed by the attention, Chen Ge’s long, narrow eyes somehow managed to appear innocently adorable and faintly alarmed.

“Sister Luo, this…”

“Your clothes are wet,” Luo Jingyi said. “They’ve become a little transparent.”

Chen Ge remembered Song Ruyu pouring water over her. She had been too busy wiping her face and suppressing her anger to pay attention to her clothes.

At Luo Jingyi’s reminder, Chen Ge immediately pulled the coat more tightly around herself.

“Thank you…”

“Are you hot?”

“I’m fine. The air conditioner is on.”

“Then fasten the buttons so nothing becomes exposed when you move. Change your clothes as soon as we finish filming this scene.”

Chen Ge immediately began fastening them.

Luo Jingyi found it slightly amusing.

Why was she always so obedient?

Luo Jingyi pressed a paper cup against Chen Ge’s lips. Chen Ge became somewhat nervous, as though she were about to embark on a peacekeeping mission, and bit down on it with great seriousness.

Smiling, Luo Jingyi said, “Good girl.”

Then, with an expression of distasteful resignation, she placed her own cup between her teeth.

Watching the two interact as though they were filming a movie, Feng Yunxin began to sense something.

Surely not.

It couldn’t be, could it?

Why was Teacher Luo, a veteran homophobe, taking such special care of a young woman?

Song Ruyu had been transferred to Qian Yu’s group. Furious, she remained seated and repeatedly struck Qian Yu with the inflatable hammer.

Qian Yu was baffled by the attack. “Are you insane? I didn’t do anything to you!”

“I’m in a bad mood. What’s wrong with letting me hit you a few times?”

Qian Yu laughed dryly. “You caused trouble yourself and finally got taught a lesson. What, do you have a grudge against your coworker?”

“No!” Song Ruyu’s voice was sharp but not loud. As she spoke, she turned and glared fiercely behind her. Seeing Chen Ge and Luo Jingyi smiling at each other only made her more restless. “I just hate how fake she acts!”

Qian Yu clicked his tongue several times. “You’re jealous. You’re jealous because a rich woman is protecting her. You act like green tea, but you brewed yourself for the wrong person. How pitiful.”

Song Ruyu’s eyes widened. She pointed the inflatable hammer at Qian Yu.

“Go die—!”

After finishing the arrangements, Feng Yunxin announced:

“All right, let’s do it again! Groups A and B will reshoot together. Group A will restart the entire game. For Group B, President Dong and Ren Yan’s footage is approved, while Song Ruyu and Qian Yu will reshoot theirs.”

The competition restarted.

Despite Luo Jingyi’s usual aloof and composed demeanor, the moment she entered a competition, she threw herself into it completely and sprinted to collect water.

Her legs were long. She turned around, took two strides, and arrived in front of Chen Ge.

“Crouch lower.”

Luo Jingyi pressed down on Chen Ge’s shoulder to adjust the height difference slightly. She tilted her head and poured with swift, precise force, filling Chen Ge’s cup steadily to the brim.

Not a single drop was wasted.

Sister Luo was incredible.

Chen Ge’s spirits rose. She quickly ran to the container and poured in all the water, completing the first cup perfectly.

By the time she returned to her position, Luo Jingyi was already approaching with the second cup.

Another steady pour. Their coordination was smooth and effortless.

Working with Luo Jingyi was extraordinarily comfortable. Neither of them liked losing, and even while playing a game, they took it completely seriously. Their competitive spirits aligned perfectly.

Seeing how formidable their opponents were, Sun Ruibin grew anxious and shouted at Yin Yin:

“Hurry up!”

Yin Yin scooped up water and lunged forward, jumping directly onto Sun Ruibin. He wrapped both legs around Sun Ruibin’s waist, emptied the cup, immediately jumped back down, and ran to fetch the next one.

Sun Ruibin: “??”

What kind of special technique had he just used?

Why was he so practiced?!

The opposite-sex CPs were happily striking one another on the head, while the same-sex CPs fought a fierce battle on the other side.

The water levels in the two groups’ containers alternated in the lead.

As the game neared its end, Chen Ge’s legs began trembling.

She had already expended a considerable amount of energy during the previous round with Song Ruyu. She had maintained the horse stance for as long as that round lasted.

By the final stage of the second round, even Chen Ge, who exercised year-round, could not keep her legs from shaking.

Luo Jingyi approached with a cup filled to the brim, intending to overtake their opponents in one move, when she noticed Chen Ge swaying.

Luo Jingyi attempted to pour the water into her cup, but the moment she tilted her head slightly, some spilled out.

She immediately steadied herself.

Their faces were extremely close. Chen Ge realized that her own instability had caused the mistake and wasted some water. Her brows drew together, and her breathing quickened.

Luo Jingyi noticed that she was running out of strength and that her legs were trembling.

“Hold on a little longer.”

Luo Jingyi placed both hands against Chen Ge’s cheeks.

Chen Ge had not expected it at all. Luo Jingyi directly cradled her face between her palms, drawing their already close distance even closer.

Chen Ge felt the distinct scent of white musk from Luo Jingyi invade her breathing.

The fragrance’s base notes carried a complex mixture of sandalwood, amber, and musk.

It was not particularly soft, but it was distinctive, with an aggressive quality that seemed capable of seizing a person’s soul.

Luo Jingyi’s palms rested against Chen Ge’s cheeks, making her breathing grow increasingly rapid.

“Sister Luo, this isn’t very appropriate.”

Earlier, Chen Ge’s brows had only drawn together slightly. Now, she was frowning deeply.

She looked toward Feng Yunxin, only to see her smiling as she admired their excellent coordination.

“We’re only filming a game.”

Luo Jingyi assumed she was embarrassed, completely unaware that Chen Ge still believed she was Feng Yunxin’s lover.

Chen Ge knew Luo Jingyi was right. They were playing a game and completing a filming task.

As an actress, forget having her face held by someone who already had a lover—even if she had to passionately kiss a married person, she would need to do it when the scene required it.

Although she had never filmed a kissing scene so far.

That was the professionalism expected of an actor.

But Chen Ge was an actress. Sister Luo Xin was an amateur.

Luo Xin had no need to make such sacrifices.

Gritting her teeth, Chen Ge firmly settled back into her stance and said seriously:

“I’m fine now. I’m steady. Go ahead, Sister.”

The young and earnest expression on her face made Luo Jingyi raise her brows slightly before releasing her.

The warmth of Chen Ge’s cheeks remained in her palms.

Her cheeks had been soft and smooth. From that single touch, the sensation and size of her entire face seemed to remain cupped between Luo Jingyi’s hands.

Chen Ge exerted strength through her lower body and even bit down harder on the cup. She resembled a month-old leopard cub gripping its prey, small but fiercely determined.

Luo Jingyi wondered: Are all you lesbians this adorable?

Why does my mother’s girlfriend fall so far short?

Once Chen Ge regained her stable stance, Luo Jingyi moved even faster.

“Five seconds remaining. Five, four, three, two, one…”

With a splash, Chen Ge practically threw the final cup of water into the container.

“Time!”

The water level rocked and rose. After measuring the results, Chen Ge and Luo Jingyi’s group had won!

“That’s wonderful—!”

Chen Ge turned around excitedly and raised her hand to high-five Luo Jingyi.

Luo Jingyi: “…”

She had never done anything as childish as a high five.

Throughout her life, she had handled everything with cool detachment, except when she was reprimanding someone.

When she won the Best Screenwriter award, the friends watching television with her had nearly ascended to heaven from excitement, while Luo Jingyi merely smiled politely at the people around her.

Chen Ge rushed toward her, smiling so brightly that her eyes curved like crescent moons. She looked genuinely delighted.

Luo Jingyi sighed faintly inside.

A child was still a child.

She raised her hand and lightly struck Chen Ge’s palm.

There was truly no helping it, Luo Jingyi thought. If every unattainable first love in the world were as benevolent as I am, would anyone still suffer from hopeless yearning?

Because Luo Jingyi had temporarily switched partners, the resulting footage from the game was fairly good. They could only hope the editors possessed enough judgment to cut together something watchable, allowing Feng Yunxin and the production company to negotiate a price with the platform.

The long day finally approached its end.

Zhao Lian had already fallen asleep twice while waiting for Luo Jingyi inside the car before Luo Jingyi finally emerged.

Feng Yunxin personally escorted her to the vehicle.

“Teacher Luo, you worked so hard today. Take this spray for lower-back pain. Use it tonight, and it will definitely restore youthful vitality to your elderly waist.”

Luo Jingyi asked, “Does it work?”

“Of course it works! My grandfather uses it! He praises it endlessly every time!”

“…So now I’m using the same product as your grandfather?”

“You’re my biological grandmother. What’s strange about sharing a product with my grandfather?”

Feng Yunxin clung to the outside of the car window and smiled at her with complete sincerity—the sincerity of someone desperately trying to please her.

Luo Jingyi asked, “How many more days do we need to film?”

“At our current pace, three or four more days and you’ll be finished! It’ll be quick! I won’t send you into the fields tomorrow. You can take a day off.”

“You’re being that kind?”

“We’re picking fruit. You won’t need to bend over!”

“…”

“You can order your little partner to do the work. You don’t need to handle everything personally!”

“Listen to yourself. Do those sound like human words?”

As the two continued bickering, Chen Ge came outside dressed in full athletic gear for her nightly run.

She happened to see Feng Yunxin and Luo Jingyi speaking through the car window.

Chen Ge felt envious. Their relationship truly was excellent. Sister Luo had made considerable sacrifices to support Director Feng’s career.

Although Sister Luo was a good person, Chen Ge still did not want to be partnered with her again. Her lover was watching from the set, which created far too much pressure.

Chen Ge ran around them and happened to encounter Ren Yan.

“Huh?! Gege, are you going for a night run too?”

Ren Yan’s voice was sweet and soft. She wore a violently Barbie-pink outfit that made her visible at a glance even in the darkness. With two quick steps, she caught up and ran beside Chen Ge.

What kind of strange nickname was “Gege”?

Ren Yan casually gave people nicknames without hesitation. She was far too familiar with everyone.

Still, communicating with someone overly friendly was better than speaking with someone even quieter than herself. Chen Ge’s personality changed depending on the temperament of the person she was interacting with, similar to the way two actors influenced each other during a performance.

Chen Ge smiled and greeted Ren Yan.

“That’s right. I need to run every day. My whole body feels uncomfortable if I don’t.”

“Me too, me too! Even though we spent the entire day working, it would be such a waste not to come outside and breathe some fresh air! This is a small village. Even the air tastes sweet!”

Ren Yan’s voice seemed to carry its own electronic sound effect. She easily kept pace beside Chen Ge.

“I already scouted the route earlier. If we run straight down this way, it opens up beautifully, and there’s even a small stream. We can follow the stream in a loop and return here. There are houses all along the road, so I already thought it was pretty safe. Now that I’m running with Gege, I feel even more secure!”

Ren Yan smiled sweetly at Chen Ge, who asked:

“How many kilometers is the whole route?”

“About five or six.”

“That’s good. One loop should be suitable.”

Chen Ge noticed that Ren Yan was still wearing makeup while running and did not particularly resemble an athlete.

Since Ren Yan appeared to want to run together, Chen Ge did not dare move too quickly, afraid she might struggle to keep up.

Unexpectedly, Ren Yan’s endurance was no worse than Chen Ge’s. After running a full kilometer, she continued talking without pause and was not even out of breath. She clearly possessed the stamina of someone who had exercised consistently for years.

Chen Ge did not particularly enjoy taking care of others, but in most situations, she could not ignore their feelings.

During university, one of her teachers had told her that powerful empathy was an extremely valuable natural quality for a good actor.

Only by empathizing more deeply with others could an actor understand their joys and sorrows and learn how to portray people completely different from themselves.

Therefore, Chen Ge did not dislike her own personality. She had always remembered her teacher’s words:

“Chen Ge, never give up. You have tremendous potential.”

They ran side by side along the rural road—the only road leading out of Li Village.

Zhao Lian drove behind them, maintaining a distance of several dozen meters and a speed of several dozen kilometers per hour. She had already been following them for quite some time.

What were these two doing?

Zhao Lian grew anxious. She had no idea how long she would need to remain trapped behind the two night runners.

She could have sounded the horn to signal them, but Luo Jingyi was resting in the back with her eyes closed. Zhao Lian did not know whether she had fallen asleep and feared that a sudden blast of the horn would frighten Teacher Luo badly.

Then Zhao Lian would be finished.

Being a person was truly difficult.

She could only follow them for a while longer, planning to slowly move closer and flash the headlights, asking the two runners to step aside and let the car pass.

As she gradually approached, perhaps sensing how slowly the vehicle was moving, Luo Jingyi opened her eyes.

Zhao Lian looked at Teacher Luo’s expression through the rearview mirror. It was rather frightening, so she immediately said:

“Very soon! We’ll pass them immediately!”

Luo Jingyi glanced outside.

It was Chen Ge and Ren Yan.

Ren Yan’s strange nickname “Gege” had made Chen Ge think about food and grow hungry. The production team’s boxed meals were so awful that she had barely eaten anything all day. As she ran, she rubbed her flat stomach and looked toward the distant stars.

The smell of someone’s late-night cooking drifted through the air. Chen Ge said:

“I really want to eat roasted squab—the kind with especially crispy skin.”

Headlights flashed behind them. Chen Ge and Ren Yan noticed a vehicle approaching and moved aside together to let it pass.

Neither looked inside the car, but as the headlights swept over them, Zhao Lian clearly saw Chen Ge and exclaimed softly in surprise.

Luo Jingyi and Chen Ge crossed paths and separated.

Chen Ge did not realize that Luo Jingyi was sitting inside the vehicle.

But her comment about wanting roasted squab entered Luo Jingyi’s ears.

Zhao Lian drove Luo Jingyi out of Li Village.

As the car traveled along the winding mountain road, Zhao Lian saw Luo Jingyi looking out the window with her eyes open and said:

“That person just now was Chen Ge, Teacher Luo! Chen Ge is actually part of this production too. What a coincidence.”

Luo Jingyi asked, “You know her?”

Zhao Lian raised her voice. “Teacher Luo, have you forgotten Chen Ge? She acted in one of your films. Zhou Qiang—the Zhou Qiang from Skinny-Dipping!”

Luo Jingyi’s features relaxed.

So it was her…

No wonder Chen Ge had looked vaguely familiar the first time they met.

She had actually played the female lead in one of Luo Jingyi’s films.

“I genuinely didn’t recognize her,” Luo Jingyi said.

Zhao Lian chuckled. “Did you fail to recognize her, or did you barely watch Skinny-Dipping at all, Teacher Luo? No matter what, it was the first script you ever wrote. You truly dislike it from the bottom of your heart.”

Zhao Lian knew that Luo Jingyi had many complaints about the film. She believed the entire creative team had serious problems and had only watched a small portion before abandoning it.

It was therefore understandable that she barely remembered Chen Ge, the lead actress.

After all, Skinny-Dipping was an exceptionally embarrassing film for Luo Jingyi, and its box-office performance had been equally disastrous.

Luo Jingyi lightly supported her chin with the back of her hand as the shadows of the mountains swept past outside the window.

“I didn’t expect her to appear on this web variety show.”

A nearly imperceptible sigh escaped Luo Jingyi.

“That’s true…” Zhao Lian said. “Although Chen Ge played Teacher Luo’s female lead, she seemed to go a long time without any good projects after Zhou Qiang. She nearly disappeared from the film and television industry. She probably had no choice but to join this web variety show to make a living.”

Luo Jingyi said, “Just like me.”

Zhao Lian laughed. “How could you be the same? You came here to help. You’re Guanyin Bodhisattva, rescuing people from suffering.”

Zhao Lian had a sweet tongue and handled tasks in a way Luo Jingyi appreciated. Although she occasionally enjoyed flattering her, Luo Jingyi was still quite fond of her.

Besides, Zhao Lian was young enough to tell Luo Jingyi about the restaurants she and her friends currently enjoyed, the dramas they were watching, various trends, and popular internet expressions.

Whenever Luo Jingyi wrote characters in their twenties, she summoned Zhao Lian, interrogated her continuously for several hours, then finally released her after sending a red packet.

Zhao Lian deserved considerable credit for helping Luo Jingyi maintain a mindset that kept pace with current trends.

Once they returned to the hotel at Wuyi Mountain, Luo Jingyi’s stomach, which had barely received food all day, began protesting.

After returning to her room, she checked the menu, ordered several vegetable dishes and whole grains, then asked whether Zhao Lian wanted to eat with her.

“I’ll pass. Teacher Luo should eat by herself. Is there anything else you need?”

“Nothing. You worked hard today. Go to sleep early.”

“All right. Good night, Teacher Luo.”

“Good night.”

The butler soon delivered the meal. Luo Jingyi ate slowly. While eating, she opened her tablet, browsed her work emails, and checked the progress of the various projects managed by her screenwriting studio.

She planned to reply to everything after finishing her meal.

Soaking in a bathtub was one of Luo Jingyi’s most relied-upon methods of relaxation.

Her luggage always contained bath bombs of various colors and therapeutic effects.

After soaking for a while, Luo Jingyi stood and rinsed herself clean. Testing her lower back, she felt that it seemed slightly better.

Wearing a face mask, she sprayed on some of the medicine Feng Yunxin had given her, replied to her emails, then slowly applied and massaged a series of expensive skincare products onto her face in an elaborate order.

By the time she completed her evening skincare routine, it was already twelve forty at night.

Luo Jingyi lay flat on the bed and held De Profundis in her hands.

The reading lamp cast pale yellow light over the pages. Neat black characters were printed on slightly yellowed wood-free paper—

“Do not look with the eyes or listen with the ears. The eyes and ears are merely channels through which sensory impressions pass… It is within the mind that the poppy turns red, the apple becomes fragrant, and the lark begins to sing…”

…

Early the following morning, Chen Ge was awakened by the heat.

When she opened her eyes, Song Ruyu was gone, and the bedroom’s air conditioner had been switched off as well.

Chen Ge: “…”

She got up, washed, and walked outside. The cool air drifting upward from the first-floor living room immediately refreshed her.

From the second-floor bedroom, the corridor offered a direct view of the living room below.

Before Chen Ge could clearly see anyone, she heard Song Ruyu giggling.

Holding a youtiao, Song Ruyu was chasing Qian Yu around. The soy milk in Qian Yu’s hand had spilled all over the floor.

Director Hu said, “Stop fooling around. Hurry and finish breakfast so we can prepare for today’s filming!”

Qian Yu said to Song Ruyu, “Did you hear that? He’s talking about you. Stop fucking around.”

Song Ruyu’s voice grew louder. “I’m the one causing trouble? Would I be doing this if you hadn’t acted like an asshole?!”

Qian Yu said, “Your legs are short. Was I wrong? When you bend over, you can touch the ground with your head.”

Song Ruyu did not even look at what she grabbed. She simply picked something up and threw it at Qian Yu.

Unexpectedly, she had grabbed a plastic cup filled with soy milk. Qian Yu dodged quickly, and the cup struck the floor, bursting apart and splashing soy milk everywhere.

Every guest and crew member in the living room stared in shock.

What was this woman doing?

Qian Yu said, “Are you sick? That soy milk was saved for Chen Ge.”

Song Ruyu pouted. “Would I have thrown it if you hadn’t provoked me?!”

Luo Jingyi, Feng Yunxin, and several assistant directors entered from outside. Seeing everyone standing frozen in place, they did not understand what was happening.

“What’s going on? Why are you playing ‘One, Two, Three, Freeze’ first thing in the morning?”

Then they noticed the shattered soy-milk cup on the ground. Thick soy milk had sprayed across the floor, and several staff members were already pulling out wet wipes to clean themselves.

“Why are you wasting food like this?”

Feng Yunxin smiled. She assumed someone had accidentally knocked it over, so she did not react harshly.

Song Ruyu admitted it herself.

“I didn’t want to waste it either, but Qian Yu’s mouth is too vicious. Why do you enjoy provoking me so much? Do you like me?”

Qian Yu exclaimed, “Whoa,” and immediately fled.

The assistant director said to Chen Ge, “You’re missing a portion of soy milk. I’ll ask the production coordinator to buy another one later.”

Chen Ge said, “It’s fine. There’s no need to trouble anyone. I’ll just eat a youtiao.”

Director Hu said, “There aren’t any youtiao left either. Hey, Xiao Song, how could you eat four by yourself? Aren’t you full? Two of those belonged to Chen Ge.”

Song Ruyu had already eaten half of the final youtiao. Hearing Director Hu, she gave an “Oh” and extended the remaining half toward Chen Ge.

“Here.”

Chen Ge said, “…You can finish it yourself.”

Song Ruyu turned toward Director Hu. “Director Hu, she doesn’t want it.”

Director Hu said nothing else and returned to his work.

Seeing that Chen Ge did not continue arguing, Song Ruyu laughed silently to herself and happily resumed eating the youtiao slowly.

Weren’t you excellent at stealing the spotlight yesterday?

Today, I’ll make sure you don’t even get breakfast!

Song Ruyu secretly glanced at Chen Ge, a smug smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

There was no youtiao to eat and no soy milk to drink. None of the staff came over to ask Chen Ge again. It seemed no one in the production team took her seriously.

That made sense. No matter how many scenes she had, she was still an unknown eighteenth-tier actress.

However…

Song Ruyu’s teeth began hurting from chewing the youtiao.

Why did breakfast have to consist of something as disgusting as youtiao?

It was neither crispy nor soft!

It was exactly like chewing a rag!

When would this miserable production finally provide them with something decent to eat?

Luo Jingyi had witnessed their entire exchange, including Song Ruyu’s triumphant expression.

“Chen Ge, come here.”

Luo Jingyi beckoned for Chen Ge to approach.

Chen Ge had been reading the day’s filming outline. Hearing Luo Jingyi call her, she quickly walked over.

“Sister Luo. Director Feng.”

Both crew members and guests pretended to remain occupied, but everyone secretly watched them.

Luo Jingyi handed her a plastic bag bearing the hotel’s logo. Inside was a takeaway box.

“This is for you. Eat something to fill your stomach.”

Chen Ge asked, “This is…”

“Roasted squab from the hotel.”

Luo Jingyi spoke at precisely the right volume for everyone in the room to hear.

“The kind with especially crispy skin.”

The entire room fell silent.

That logo…

Wasn’t it from HY, the only five-star hotel at Wuyi Mountain?

This was HY’s roasted squab?

Holy shit. They could almost smell it…

Everyone who had spent the morning chewing rags and drinking watered-down soy milk swallowed secretly, consumed by envy.

Song Ruyu: “??”