Acting Out of Character (GL) - Chapter 33

Feng Yunxin searched everywhere for Luo Jingyi. Several scenes needed to be added to the afternoon shoot, and she wanted to push the schedule so they could finish gathering material for the remaining episodes within another week.

Compared with films and television dramas, reality shows had relatively short production cycles. For a small web variety show like theirs, filming this long already counted as dragging things out.

After searching everywhere without finding Luo Jingyi, Feng Yunxin began to worry.

Could the Empress Dowager be sulking because that explicit drawing made by their CP fans had spread beyond the fandom?

That didn’t seem right.

Although the Empress Dowager had quite a temper, her mental resilience was fairly strong. Whenever something happened, she might personally tear apart one or two living people, but she usually got over it quickly.

Feng Yunxin had never heard of her retreating into a corner and refusing to move forward because of a little embarrassment.

That was completely unlike the Empress Dowager.

Sure enough, just as Feng Yunxin was about to call her, she saw Luo Jingyi strolling over from the distance, looking remarkably pleased.

Feng Yunxin asked, “Sister Yi, did you return in a good mood?”

Luo Jingyi glanced at her, but she did not look fierce at all. Her entire body practically radiated benevolent light.

“Let it out.”

“Let what out? I don’t have any gas! I’m here about something serious!”

Feng Yunxin explained the filming schedule.

Luo Jingyi said, “Only one week? Isn’t that too rushed?”

Feng Yunxin’s forehead filled with question marks.

“Huh? I was worried you wouldn’t have enough time, so I wanted to finish filming sooner and let you arrange your important work. I’ve also prepared all the Li Village material for you. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. Who was the one constantly complaining about not having enough time before?”

Luo Jingyi said with complete seriousness:

“The show’s popularity has only just begun rising. Don’t focus solely on speed. You need to ensure the quality properly. Content is king, understand? Don’t be impatient. Settle down and film carefully, or all this excellent publicity will be wasted.”

Feng Yunxin: “…”

How had she suddenly become the impatient one?

Feng Yunxin understood.

Luo Jingyi was reluctant to leave.

She couldn’t bear to part with her little CP.

Judging by how refreshed and content she had looked while walking over, her little CP must have been especially fun to tease. Luo Jingyi was probably delighted and no longer wanted to go.

Since the extremely busy Luo Jingyi wasn’t in a hurry, why should Feng Yunxin be?

Then they wouldn’t rush today. They would film according to the original schedule.

Luo Jingyi added, “By the way, Group B’s part in the script I gave you earlier remains unchanged. Several parts for Group A need revisions. I’ll give them to you once I’m finished.”

“All right. I’ll have Group B begin filming first. I’ll wait for you.”

The script Luo Jingyi had originally written genuinely contained several scenes involving tormenting Chen Ge’s ears.

But since Chen Ge had begged for mercy, continuing to bully her would make Luo Jingyi seem excessively vicious. She could revise them.

The two of them also shouldn’t have too much physical contact. If they hugged and clung to each other in every scene, the promotional nature would become too obvious, and the audience would eventually grow tired of it.

Luo Jingyi was exceptionally skilled at controlling pacing.

Today’s filming could contain fewer overly affectionate moments.

When the revised script arrived, Feng Yunxin read it and laughed.

“Teacher Luo, what happened? You aren’t teasing your little CP today?”

Luo Jingyi said, “Be serious. These revisions were made for legitimate artistic reasons. How could they possibly be motivated by my selfish desires?”

Feng Yunxin laughed even harder.

“I never said they were motivated by selfish desires. Why are you protesting so much?”

Luo Jingyi said, “Do you believe I’ll burn this script in front of you?”

“Don’t, don’t! I was only running my mouth. We’ll begin filming according to this script.”

Naturally, Luo Jingyi’s script did not cover only her scenes with Chen Ge.

She was responsible for every script used by the entire production.

Luo Jingyi excelled most at shaping characters. In a web variety show, that meant establishing each guest’s public persona.

To properly amplify every guest’s most appealing personal traits, Luo Jingyi had deliberately spoken with them individually before she began writing.

Once the preliminary work was complete, every person became vivid when she wrote them into the script.

Episode Three of Our Rural Life went online.

Episode Two had surpassed thirty million views within one week.

Led by Song Ruyu’s endless troublemaking and the Gewai Xindong CP fans, the volume of discussion continued to rise.

Episode Three had not even gone online yet, but the ravenous CP fans were already eagerly waiting inside the super-topic.

【Please! Episode Three absolutely has to include Gewai Xindong scenes! Ahhhh!】

【I think the screenwriter has been one of us since Episode Two. They’ll definitely give us sweet moments.】

【Can we get another enormous wife-protecting treat on the level of the paper-cup water relay??】

【Judging from Director Feng’s accidental like, perhaps this episode will contain a reversal. [doge][doge]】

【Firmly supporting Xin as the top for ten thousand years without wavering!!】

【I don’t care anymore. As long as we get sweet moments between our two darlings, I’m fine with either of them being the flower or the cucumber!】

Episode Three updated punctually at eight that evening.

The moment it began, everyone discovered that Qian Yu’s CP had changed again.

Song Ruyu had disappeared!

【Was Song Ruyu completely kicked out of the production?】

【Wonderful! I finally don’t have to see that drama queen anymore. She annoyed me to death!】

【Honestly, the poisoning incident was terrifying. If I were the director, I probably would’ve driven her from the production immediately.】

【I heard Song Ruyu threw a huge tantrum on set after Chen Ge was reassigned to Sister Xin. Was that why her manager took her away and sent Mao Minhui in instead?】

【Huh?? Was Song Ruyu actually in love with Chen Ge? Why did she become so agitated when Chen Ge was taken away?】

【The commenter above is hilarious. True love? Not only did Song throw a tantrum on set, she also cut up Chen Ge’s clothes. I heard this directly from a crew member. This woman surnamed Song has been notorious since Debut Now! She loves forcibly attaching herself to others and undermining them. Does anyone still not know this?】

Even though Song Ruyu was no longer part of the production, her legend remained.

Xiao Mao replaced her and joined Our Rural Life.

Although Xiao Mao was also somewhat dramatic, her behavior differed from Song Ruyu’s kind of scheming, especially because Song Ruyu always directed her schemes toward the wrong places.

Xiao Mao’s dramatics were relatively cute, and she occasionally created genuinely amusing moments that weren’t awkward.

Paired with Qian Yu, who suffered from a lazy “young master syndrome,” the two tormented each other. Neither was willing to perform one bit more work than necessary.

The sight of them sitting together beneath the setting sun and smiling as they gave up attracted a group of fans.

Sun Ruibin and Yin Yin took the promotional male-male route.

Yin Yin had been completely buried by the terrible editing in Episode One.

For Episode Two, Luo Jingyi specifically dug out all his footage and instructed the editors to include his eye rolls.

The editors asked, “This?”

Luo Jingyi said, “Listen to me. Use them.”

In Episode Two, whenever Song Ruyu created trouble, the scene immediately cut to Yin Yin rolling his eyes so perfectly that they nearly reached the top of his skull.

That sequence of eye rolls quickly made the audience remember him.

【Hahahaha, those eye rolls are so sincere!】

【Yin Yin is so beautiful—a frail, sharp-tongued pretty boy!】

【Sun Ruibin is tall, muscular, and sunny. I can ship this CP!】

【During the water relay, Yin Yin practically hung his entire body from Sun Ruibin… May I ask whether anyone could possibly reject this??】

As for Dong Shenghong and Ren Yan, Luo Jingyi believed they were the most interesting and exploitable pairing in the entire production—apart from herself and Chen Ge.

Dong Shenghong was the young vice president of a technology company.

One similarity he shared with Luo Jingyi was that he also had a strong obsession with cleanliness.

However, to finish her work without holding anyone else back, Luo Jingyi could usually tolerate some discomfort and proceed despite her cleanliness issues.

Dong Shenghong was different.

No one knew why he had agreed to join this program, but he deeply disliked working in the fields.

If he could escape, he did. If he truly couldn’t, he preferred standing still and doing absolutely nothing over using his hands.

His partner, Ren Yan, was completely different.

Ren Yan had a beautiful face and a spectacular figure. She was a streamer on one of the platforms.

She usually spoke softly and delicately, looking like a pampered beauty who had never performed physical labor, but she was actually extremely explosive.

Whenever they faced heavy manual work, Ren Yan begged Dong Shenghong to complete it.

But Dong Shenghong always acted disgusted and refused to work, dragging things out until Ren Yan erupted, tore away her falsely sweet outer layer, and revealed her fierce true nature.

Every time Ren Yan revealed her real personality, Dong Shenghong trembled in fright.

The directing team had originally planned to speak with Dong Shenghong and tell him that since he had joined the show, he could not refuse to do all the work while relying on others.

But after Luo Jingyi spoke with him, she decided that the collision between his fussy personality and Ren Yan’s could create fascinating sparks.

She told him:

“Remain exactly as you are. You don’t need to change.”

Dong Shenghong was doubtful.

“Really? I can remain this useless?”

“Yes.”

“Will the netizens criticize me?”

“Of course.”

Dong Shenghong: “…”

Luo Jingyi continued:

“Let them criticize you. Isn’t that simply who you are? Are you going to change yourself because of other people’s judgments? If you change, will you still be yourself? Are you someone who cares what others say?”

Dong Shenghong: “…”

That seemed logical.

But the more he thought about it, the more he felt as though he had been tricked.

Every major CP shone brilliantly in Episode Three.

Even without relying purely on sexual tension and constant sweet moments, the script dug deeply into the personalities of each pairing, filling the entire episode with comedy.

Luo Jingyi and Chen Ge were not quite as overwhelmingly sweet in this episode, but they still received plenty of screen time.

The four teams continued working in the fields.

Luo Jingyi’s lower back genuinely could not tolerate it, so she negotiated with the director.

“Could we use some modern equipment?”

The director, whose face was blurred, said, “The production doesn’t have the budget.”

“The production may not have the budget, but I do. Can I purchase it myself?”

The directing team held an on-site meeting and finally accepted Luo Jingyi’s suggestion.

Not only did they agree, they were also extremely curious. Everyone wanted to know exactly how modern her so-called modern equipment would be.

While everyone else worked diligently with their faces toward the soil and their backs toward the sky, they suddenly heard the roar of machinery.

Everyone turned around in astonishment.

Luo Jingyi sat atop a tall four-wheel-drive cultivator, swaying slightly as she drove toward them.

The guests and directing team: “???”

Netizens: 【??? Holy shit—】

【A-a domineering village secretary?】

【What kind of machine is that?! It looks powerful!】

【I know this one. Fundamentally, it’s still a tractor. But this is the Rolls-Royce of tractors—absurdly expensive. President Luo is genuinely wealthy…】

【Am I the only one who noticed how flamboyant President Luo is? Even when buying a tractor, she chose a bright-red one…】

Wearing sunglasses and looking impossibly cool, Luo Jingyi skillfully drove the tractor across the field and rapidly crushed the other three teams.

“Get on.”

When Luo Jingyi drove beside Chen Ge, she tilted her head toward her.

Chen Ge: “…”

It was honestly somewhat embarrassing.

This Rolls-Royce of tractors had extremely tall wheels, and the seats were accordingly conspicuous, practically mounted at the highest point of the vehicle.

Like a timid little wife, Chen Ge sat beside Luo Jingyi.

The two chugged forward together, effortlessly plowing the field and taking first place without suspense.

【No one can outdo President Luo when it comes to extravagance.】

【I previously thought she was merely a wealthy woman who enjoyed luxury brands. Unexpectedly, she even insists on buying the most expensive tractor available.】

【Hahahahaha, did anyone notice Chen Ge’s expression? She looks like she desperately wants to distance herself from Luo Xin… I’m dying.】

Luo Jingyi led Chen Ge to an effortless victory.

The reward for first place was no longer merely a box of bizarrely flavored yogurt. Instead, they would film an advertisement for their sponsor’s yogurt.

Luo Jingyi asked the directing team:

“So Chen Ge and I will film it together?”

【Hahahahaha, President Luo genuinely never forgets to bring her wife along!】

【kswl, kswl!】

The directing team replied, “Yes.”

Chen Ge seriously asked:

“How will we film it? When will we film it?”

【Have them perform an upside-down kiss.】

【Or they could film a set called Our Life in Bed.】

【Bullet comments?? Isn’t that too explicit?! Please become even more explicit!】

【Hehehehehe…】

The directing team said, “We haven’t decided yet. We need to communicate with the sponsor. Don’t worry, Xiao Chen. It’ll definitely be filmed.”

Chen Ge’s face reddened.

“I-I wasn’t worried.”

【Hahahaha, is the director with the blurred face Director Feng herself? She understands everything!】

【She’s anxious, she’s anxious, she’s anxious!】

【Why is Little Gege this adorable? Mommy loves you, sob…】

【So Gege once starred in a film? And it was written by Luo Jingyi?】

【What? Is that true? Why have I never heard about it?!】

Inside the Gewai Xindong CP fan group, someone shared the official app link for Skinny-Dipping.

A group of fans began carefully appreciating Chen Ge’s performance frame by frame.

【My daughter’s acting is this good! Why isn’t she famous yet?】

【Gege had only just started university when she filmed this movie! She looked so young!】

【Eighteen-year-old Gege! Sob, she was too adorable!】

At first, Chen Ge had very few individual fans. Nearly everyone appeared to be a Gewai Xindong CP fan.

But as the program continued receiving attention, Luo Xin had too little information available as an amateur. Apart from this web variety show, she had no other work, so there was nothing for fans to explore.

Chen Ge was different.

There was naturally Skinny-Dipping, in which she had been the sole female lead.

Beyond that, fans uncovered every variety show, web drama, and film in which Chen Ge had ever appeared as part of the background.

They discovered that no matter how insignificant Chen Ge’s role was, she always devoted herself fully to performing it well. It was obvious that she had remained dedicated throughout the years.

Even when she appeared in only two or three shots, her performance remained exceptionally compelling.

Only someone who had carefully studied the character could deliver such a heartfelt performance.

【My daughter never gave up!】

【Please, producers, notice our Gege! Her acting is genuinely good!】

Chen Ge’s individual super-topic rapidly rose in the rankings.

When White Horse Pictures discovered that discussion around Chen Ge was increasing quickly, the company began assembling a team for her and properly maintaining her fanbase.

After Episode Three of Our Rural Life aired, the first two episodes surpassed forty million views.

The individual topics 【Chen Ge】 and 【Ren Yan’s Adorable Contrast】 floated on the trending list throughout the entire weekend.

【Our Rural Life Episode Three】 also trended.

Originally, 【Luo Xin’s Luxury Tractor】 was about to enter the trending list too, but Luo Jingyi had it removed.

“We’ve already been high-profile enough. We can skip this trending topic.”

Luo Jingyi had thought things through.

Judging from the web variety show’s popularity, someone would certainly recognize her eventually.

However, Luo Jingyi had nothing to complain about. Whether joining the variety show or personally shaping it, she had chosen this path herself.

If someone revealed her identity, that would be fine. It wasn’t a major issue.

Luo Jingyi even felt slightly expectant.

Once Chen Ge discovered that the person she spent every morning and evening with was actually her cherished white moonlight—and that she had already shared intimate contact with that white moonlight—what expression would she make?

After an entire day of filming ended, Director Tao requested a video call with Luo Jingyi.

“Sister Yi, you rejected every candidate for the female lead last time, and now you’re hiding in the mountains and refusing to come back. Are we still making this film?”

“Of course. Naturally, we’re making it.”

“Then choose a female lead!”

Director Tao had specifically come to make a scene with Luo Jingyi today.

He knew that Luo Jingyi pursued perfection. Put less politely, she dragged things out.

If no one pressured her, she would never make the final decision.

Director Tao had barely urged her once when Luo Jingyi said:

“I’ll choose one. Tonight.”

Director Tao: “??”

Luo Jingyi continued:

“There’s an actress I’m quite interested in. I’ll record an audition video tonight and send it to you. If she seems suitable, we can invite her out after returning to Beijing and let you meet her personally.”

Director Tao sounded doubtful.

“You found your female lead inside a reality-show production?!”

“Mm.”

“This… sounds rather careless.”

Luo Jingyi was completely confident.

“Whether it’s careless or not, decide after watching the video.”

Author’s Note:

Chen Ge: I heard the next chapter includes a scene where I □□.

Luo Jingyi: Oh? Why do I receive such a benefit?

Chen Ge: Perhaps it’s gratitude for not taking the opportunity to torment my ears. ///