Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 27

Song Ruyu’s hands were trembling when she called Sister Si.

Yet the phone rang for a long time without being answered.

Why was this happening?

How could Chen Ge change CPs?!

Why wasn’t Sister Si answering her call? Sister Si had always revolved around her!

A powerful panic seized Song Ruyu. She felt as though the entire world had conspired to toy with her and then abandon her together!

Just as Song Ruyu was becoming frantic, Sister Si finally answered.

“Sister Si!”

Song Ruyu nearly screamed. Without any explanation, she blurted:

“Chen Ge formed a CP with someone else!”

She had expected Sister Si to be just as shocked, perhaps even join her in cursing Chen Ge.

Unexpectedly, Sister Si merely gave a calm “Oh.”

“I already know about that.”

Song Ruyu: “?”

“Is there anything else, Xiao Song? I’m in a meeting. I’ll call you back later.”

It was indeed extremely quiet on Sister Si’s end, and she was speaking in a low voice.

“You already knew?” Song Ruyu still refused to end the call and continued pestering her. “You knew too? Why am I the only one who didn’t?”

“It happened suddenly. I can’t explain everything right now.”

In truth, the production had contacted Sister Si.

Their attitude had been forceful. They said the producers had learned about the poisoning incident and did not want to give Song Ruyu any more footage. However, they wanted to protect Chen Ge, so the CP had to be split up.

If White Horse Pictures insisted on protecting Song Ruyu, then the producers would demand that White Horse Pictures fully compensate them for every loss caused by the poisoning incident.

Sister Si had lost her nerve. She informed her boss, and the boss agreed to split the CP and protect Chen Ge.

Sister Si glanced inside the meeting room.

Xiao Mao sat in one corner. The room was filled with producers, production executives, and platform representatives. No one had continued the meeting. They were all waiting for Sister Si.

Xiao Mao shifted uneasily and secretly glanced at her, signaling with her eyes for Sister Si to hurry back.

Sister Si did not want to waste any more time on Song Ruyu.

“All right, I’m hanging up. I’m busy.”

Song Ruyu said, “Hello… Hello?! Sister Si!”

Unexpectedly, Sister Si genuinely ended the call.

Song Ruyu clutched her phone. Her face turned pale, and her entire body went cold.

The director of Group B continued calling for her, irritating Song Ruyu so much that she wanted to tear out her hair.

Chen Ge must have gotten close to Director Feng, right?

She must have seduced Luo Xin and used her to gain access to the directing team.

Otherwise, why would the directors care this much about an eighteenth-tier background actress?

At that thought, Song Ruyu sneered.

Of course. That heroic rescue in the orchard had certainly been profitable.

She had only scraped her forehead a little, yet she had successfully made that idiot Luo Xin become protective of her.

She was an actress, after all. She truly knew how to perform and gain sympathy.

Song Ruyu was so jealous she nearly coughed blood, but she continuously comforted herself.

Who cared about this terrible web variety show?

They could pretend to film and record as seriously as they liked. Once it went online, forget creating a splash—it probably would not even attract a fly’s leg.

Only an obscure actress like Chen Ge, who had been unemployed for an entire year and was nearly starving, would treasure it!

Song Ruyu felt relaxed again—

I only came here to show my face, and I’m still earning more money than you, Chen Ge.

Once filming wraps, I’ll definitely receive more opportunities than you. We’ll meet again in the industry.

As long as I, Song Ruyu, still have one breath left, I’ll destroy you!

Song Ruyu pretended to be sick, absolutely refused to continue filming, and returned to her room to sleep.

The Group B director questioned her outside for ages, but she refused to open the door.

With no other choice, the director went to find Feng Yunxin.

Luo Jingyi happened to overhear everything and asked Feng Yunxin:

“When does the first episode go online?”

“Within the next couple of days.”

“All right.”

Luo Jingyi said to the Group B director:

“Don’t call her. Let her sleep for as long as she wants. Later, even if she comes crying and begging to return to filming, don’t allow her.”

Unable to make the decision himself, the Group B director looked toward Feng Yunxin.

Feng Yunxin said, “Listen to Sister Luo. From now on, she has the final say on this set.”

After the Group B director left, Feng Yunxin pulled Luo Jingyi into a small corner and asked curiously:

“Teacher Luo, give me a spoiler. Have you already thought of a way to deal with Song Ruyu?”

Luo Jingyi saw that Feng Yunxin’s face had turned red with excitement. She was practically ready to raise her ears and stick out her tongue.

“Are you taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune?”

“Of course not. Whatever disaster Xiao Song encounters has nothing to do with me. I’m simply extremely curious about Sister Yi’s methods. Watching you discipline those blind little pieces of trash is always incredibly satisfying!”

Luo Jingyi smiled. “Then wait and see.”

“Hey, you’re keeping me in suspense!”

“I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.”

“Ahhh, hurry and let me enjoy it!” Feng Yunxin became even more impatient.

On the first day that Episode One of Our Rural Life went online, it created absolutely no impact, exactly as expected.

The production had even negotiated a relatively cost-effective advertising placement with a platform and tried hard to draw in traffic, but the final view count was still miserable.

There were no popular celebrities involved, and half the cast consisted of amateurs. Being crushed by every other web variety show airing at the same time was entirely predictable.

Moreover, the storyline was chaotic and awkward, the editing was dull, and the guests’ public personas had been jointly ruined by the script and postproduction.

Even if someone clicked on it by accident, very few could endure more than ten minutes.

The production team had actually anticipated this result long ago.

The producers had decided to create the web variety show on a whim. The planning and script were both a complete mess, making it obvious that they had never taken the project seriously.

The crew had even wondered whether the investors simply wanted to launder money and had never intended to earn anything back, which was why the entire production was such a disaster.

Its predictable failure after release was almost reassuring.

Exactly as imagined.

They only needed to finish editing the remaining episodes, release them all, and be done with it.

Episode One flopped so badly that even its parents would not have recognized it.

But no one could have imagined that two days later, after Episode Two went online, Our Rural Life would suddenly reverse its decline and soar upward, breaking ten million views in a single night.

The next day happened to be Saturday. Throughout the weekend, the show’s view count skyrocketed and surpassed twenty million.

The bullet comments exceeded a thousand, all filled with excited screaming.

Was Our Rural Life…

Showing signs of becoming a hit?

No one online had expected such a terrible variety show to return from the dead.

Even the creative team stared in stunned disbelief.

What kind of outrageous maneuver was this?!

The story began one hour before Episode Two of Our Rural Life went online on Friday evening.

A trending topic announcing the death of a master artist had remained in the number-one position for most of the day.

The entire internet was mourning the artist, remembering the countless memories and spiritual treasures he had given them and listing the classic works he had created.

His departure represented the end of an era. The internet was covered in grief and sorrow.

Every major entertainment agency remained highly alert. Many promotional announcements scheduled for the same period were withdrawn, afraid of provoking public disgust.

Publicity could be delayed. Becoming covered in scandal was not worth it.

Everyone made way for the elderly artist. Those with thicker skin even attempted to exploit the occasion for attention.

That day belonged entirely to the beloved artist.

But at around eight that evening, just as online traffic approached its peak, a new trending topic suddenly descended from the heavens and directly pushed the memorial topic into second place.

The topic that parachuted into number one was—

【Song Ruyu Is So Cool】

The entire internet: “…”

Who the hell was this random nobody named Song Ruyu?

After opening the 【Song Ruyu Is So Cool】 topic, people found nothing but GIFs of her participating in some web variety show.

Not only was she constantly making exaggerated faces, but when she danced the theme song from Debut Now! Season Three, her movements were limp and weak.

What part of that was cool?

【What does this Song Ruyu even do? Has she gone insane from wanting fame?】

【This publicity copy is indescribably awful. Why am I being forced to watch such an affected dance? There’s genuinely nothing cool about it, thank you.】

【This is an insult to the word “cool”…】

【Isn’t she that person who joined Debut Now! but failed to debut? She was eliminated in the second round. Luckily, the show didn’t end long ago, so I still remember her.】

【I remember her too… She was the bloodsucker who kept attaching herself to our Su Fang and forcibly promoting a CP with her!】

【Holy shit, it’s her! She’s finally lost her mind, right? If she wants infamy, I’ll gladly help her achieve it!】

Song Ruyu’s sudden appearance at number one, disrupting the public’s mourning, triggered enormous resentment.

Thousands of negative comments instantly flooded Song Ruyu’s Weibo.

One month earlier, fans of Su Fang, whom Song Ruyu had forcibly tied herself to during Debut Now! Season Three, had already fought fiercely with her.

Now that Su Fang had successfully debuted and become increasingly popular, her fans saw Song Ruyu appear again in such an irritating manner and immediately rushed to the front lines to educate everyone about her scandals.

Within moments, the entire 【Song Ruyu Is So Cool】 trending page was filled with her dirt.

In middle school, she had posted selfies on online forums and used vulgar language to flirt with boys.

In university, she had been caught cheating on an exam and had her degree revoked.

During Debut Now! Season Three, she secretly used her roommate’s expensive luxury skincare products.

Her professional abilities were poor, she slacked off during stage performances, and she had relentlessly attached herself to Su Fang…

Practically every detail of Song Ruyu’s past was dug up.

Netizens who arrived to enjoy the gossip felt nauseated after reading everything.

【Retching.jpg】

【Unbelievable. She’s been committing crimes under the protection of obscurity.】

【Can someone give me a pair of eyes that has never seen this filthy thing?】

…

Sister Si’s negotiations for Xiao Mao’s role were proceeding badly.

They might fail to secure the platform, and the web drama could remain obscure from beginning to end.

If that happened, even though Xiao Mao was the fifth-billed third female lead and had around a hundred scenes, she might ultimately gain nothing and waste three months.

It would provide her no benefit whatsoever.

Should Xiao Mao withdraw?

Or should they gamble?

Sister Si was so troubled by the matter that she nearly went bald.

Before Xiao Mao’s situation had even been settled, the agency supervisor at the company began calling Sister Si repeatedly.

Sister Si was already becoming anxious while negotiating with the producer. The phone vibrating inside her trouser pocket made her entire leg numb.

She glanced at the screen and saw that it was her superior, so she had no choice but to answer.

“Chris, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? You’re asking me what’s wrong?!”

Chris roared through the phone.

“Go onto the trending list and admire your precious artist’s heroic appearance!”

“The trending list?” Sister Si was completely bewildered. “I have an artist capable of trending?”

Sister Si immediately returned to the office, opened her laptop, checked Weibo, and froze.

“Wait, Sister. Who bought this trending topic for Song Ruyu?”

“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?! Do you even know what day it is? A nationally beloved elderly artist died, and the entire internet is sending him off. What is your Song Ruyu doing? ‘So cool’… I fucking want to kill her right now!”

Sister Si was cursed at so fiercely that she began stammering.

“I-I genuinely didn’t know about this!”

“Whether you knew or not, remove the topic immediately!”

“All right, all right! I’ll contact them now!”

Sister Si was utterly baffled.

How had Song Ruyu suddenly appeared at number one on the trending list, especially at such a sensitive moment?

Was someone deliberately attacking her?

Who would spend this much time and money attacking an unknown nobody no one cared about?

White Horse Pictures was a small company with neither a public-relations department nor a publicity department. Sister Si had to handle everything herself.

She hurriedly arranged to remove the topic. It was outrageously expensive, and she still needed to ask Chris for approval so the company could allocate the money…

After a frantic series of operations, they finally removed Song Ruyu’s trending topic, which had already become completely occupied by scandals.

White Horse’s boss was furious.

Song Ruyu had barely earned the company any money, yet they repeatedly had to pay for her negative publicity. No one would be pleased.

Sister Si rubbed her temples and was about to call Song Ruyu when Chris called again.

Sister Si: “??”

She answered with fear and trembling, only to receive another torrent of abuse.

“Wonderful. Truly wonderful! We just removed one, and another appeared. What, is Song Ruyu planning to live on the trending list today?”

Sister Si: “???”

She hurriedly opened the rankings again.

【The Best Song Ruyu in the Entire World】 had appeared.

It had originally been sixth. After one refresh, it became number one.

Sister Si: “…”

What cursed star had Song Ruyu offended?!

Everyone assumed Su Fang’s fans were responsible.

They must have hated Song Ruyu so much that they deliberately increased her visibility to blacken her reputation until she became charcoal.

Inside Su Fang’s fan groups, however, the fans were asking one another whether they had done it.

Who hated Song Ruyu enough to set one trap after another for her?

Although they were being blamed, Su Fang’s fans merely offered a brief explanation before continuing to enjoy the spectacle.

The Song Ruyu incident quickly spread beyond the fandom. The insults beneath her Weibo surpassed three thousand comments.

Some people genuinely watched the unfortunate web variety show Our Rural Life solely to criticize her.

By the time they finished, they looked visibly haggard.

【How is this “living in the countryside”? They’re clearly being sent there to perform farm labor.】

【This show is completely forcing everything. During the day, they work under the blazing sun. At night, they return and stay up late pretending to date. No wonder the guests have such heavy dark circles. They’re being pushed to the limits of human endurance.】

【Honestly, the postproduction editing is poisonous. They included every boring moment possible.】

【Did anyone manage to endure ten minutes?】

【I did. I survived ten minutes, but it was unbelievably awkward. Every scene involving Song made me cringe so hard I could carve the entire Great Wall out of the floor with my toes!】

【It’s too boring, and every person is uglier than the last. Only the one called Chen Ge is attractive.】

【Agreed! Chen Ge’s appearance is exactly my type! Her figure is incredible!】

【That older sister dressed entirely in luxury brands is beautiful too! Her aura is incredibly powerful!】

【Which older sister? I didn’t even notice her! She barely has any footage.】

【The one called Luo Xin. She’s the person standing while everyone else is sitting. The cameras almost never capture her. Her magic trick was the most watchable part of the entire episode.】

【Wait, how did Sister Luo Xin perform that trick? It was amazing!】

【She and Chen Ge secretly cooperated!】

【Why did she choose Chen Ge as her accomplice…? Am I the only one who thinks Sister Luo Xin and Chen Ge have much stronger CP chemistry?】

The moment that bullet comment appeared, comments of every color exploded across the screen!

【Yes, yes, yes! I thought so earlier too! Pairing Chen Ge with Song “Better Off Silent” Ruyu is such a waste! Song keeps talking over everyone. She’s unbearably annoying.】

【Sister Luo Xin didn’t interact with that man at all! But the way she looks at Chen Ge is completely different!】

【Exactly! Chen Ge becomes unbelievably obedient whenever she looks at Sister!】

【Quick—sisters, Episode Two is online! I skimmed it already. They changed CPs! Chen Ge and Sister genuinely formed a CP!】

【What?! Something this wonderful actually happened?!】

【Ahhhhh, I’m coming!】

An enormous wave of traffic rushed toward Episode Two.

After watching it, everyone was stunned.

From its script to its editing, Episode Two was completely different from Episode One.

Not only was it no longer boring—

It was overwhelmingly exciting!

Author’s Note:

Here it comes, here it comes—the love story of Little Gege and Sister is finally here!