Acting Spoiled and Arrogant [Rebirth] - Chapter 12

After the final series of rehearsals and script checks, the lights scattered and the cameras moved into position. With the director’s command, the press conference commenced as scheduled.

The atmosphere in the hall felt particularly different today. It was the height of winter, and all the hosts and leading ladies on stage were dressed in evening gowns. Naturally, for the sake of beauty, warmth had to be sacrificed.

Zuo Xian was slightly better off. Since she was wearing a temporary gown borrowed for the occasion and high heels, she had simply put on a pair of thermal leggings underneath, rolling them up just above where the gown’s slit began.

Down in the audience, the leads of several main camera crews were in a heated discussion, their gazes shifting between the stage as if appraising something of immense value. Some of the sturdier cameramen were even sweating profusely from the excitement!

A host must always be aware of these camera positions. While she didn’t fully understand the technicalities of photography, Zuo Xian knew that if a cameraman captured a particularly valuable shot, they’d get a bonus and a smoother career path. Naturally, the host’s pay would also see a bump.

Currently, these main cameras were drifting toward Zuo Xian, intentionally or otherwise. The host caught on, glancing at Zuo Xian with a look full of hidden meaning, ensuring the conversation included Zuo Xian more frequently.

Because Zuo Xian’s role was a last-minute addition due to a previous actor’s leave, she had lines for the conference but was completely absent from the pre-released promotional trailer. To compensate, she had a special task: assisting the host in warming up the crowd, acting as a guest co-host, and feeding lines to the leading lady, Yao Lan, to keep the atmosphere lively and build suspense for Jun Lin.

From another perspective, it was a golden opportunity for screen time—a performance that could dictate her entire future development.

Zuo Xian was the second to take the stage. Because of her special role, she stood right beside the female host from the start. The applause as she walked out was far from cold, which surprised her. Though she wasn’t sure why the crowd was so enthusiastic, she maintained a perfectly poised smile and greeted them: “Hello everyone. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the Jun Lin conference. You’ve worked hard.”

The female host stepped forward perfectly on the beat of the applause and laughed. “Now that Zuo Xian is here, shall we invite the rest of the cast of Jun Lin to join us?”

Zuo Xian followed suit, watching the leads enter in the rehearsed order. She and Yao Lan had practiced their dialogue exchange. In her past life, this conference had been smooth but lacked a “viral point,” failing to drive publicity effectively and forcing the production to spend a fortune on later marketing.

Zuo Xian’s gaze shifted, catching a silent exchange of looks between Sun Jiayi and the actress beside her. Zuo Xian’s lips curled into a smile.

The viral point has arrived.

The actors introduced themselves one by one. Following the script, the host said, “I heard the casting for Jun Lin was incredibly competitive. Almost every actor here has ‘real kung fu’—I hear many of you even passed professional skill tests?”

Zuo Xian nodded with a serious, sincere expression. “That’s true. Although I haven’t been with the crew long, I know that the protagonist played by Sister Yao Lan was a rare woman in ancient times who practiced the Six Arts. She’s skilled in both modern and ancient instruments—a truly formidable person.”

However, just as the microphone was about to be passed to Yao Lan, Sun Jiayi suddenly stepped forward with her own mic, looking as if she had made a grand resolution. She smiled at the cameras and said, “Sister Yao Lan isn’t the only one in the crew with a hundred skills. I heard that when Zuo Xian auditioned for Lin Xianxian, she told the director she could do a lot—zither, equestrianism… even calligraphy. I heard she won’t even need a stunt double for the filming!”

Everyone, including the host, froze.

Their scripts were identical; they all knew Sun Jiayi didn’t have a speaking part at this moment. Even later in the program, she had very few opportunities to speak; she was only on stage because she had landed a minor role and was there to show her face.

On the surface, Sun Jiayi’s words seemed to be praising Zuo Xian’s talents. In reality, it was a subtle “hidden jab,” implying Zuo Xian had used a director to climb to the top by making grand, unverified claims!

The host, an old hand in the industry, knew immediately that this girl was “adding scenes” for herself. She frowned, casting a displeased look at Sun Jiayi, and instantly made eye contact with Zuo Xian.

Seeing Zuo Xian looking calm and composed, the host breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. “Is that so? That’s quite a surprise. It’s impressive enough for a girl to know zither and calligraphy… Xianxian, you even know equestrianism?”

Zuo Xian pursed her lips and gave Sun Jiayi an unreadable look—one that seemed almost thankful for the extra screen time. Watching Sun Jiayi’s smug expression, she smiled. “I learned as a child and haven’t practiced in a long time. However, I often play the zither for my parents at home. While we were in the car, Sister Yao Lan and I even practiced a bit together.”

Hearing Zuo Xian speak so confidently while skillfully passing the topic back to Yao Lan, the host’s eyes lit up. She quickly steered the conversation. “In that case, it would be a huge loss if we didn’t hear you two play a piece!”

On cue, staff brought out two zithers (guzheng). The host sighed in relief; thank goodness she had asked the director to prepare a spare zither, or they would have been stuck.

However, just then, a staff member ran to the director and whispered something. Zuo Xian, having excellent eyesight, caught the bold text on the prompter below: “One zither string is broken, switch to another instrument!”

The host saw it too. But where were they going to find another instrument now? The host felt like crying—Zuo Xian and Yao Lan had already taken their seats!

But Zuo Xian proactively chose the zither with the broken string. She said with a grin, “It seems you all knew already that in Jun Lin, there’s a scene where Lin Xianxian and Azhen play a duet on broken-stringed instruments?”

In the story, the two characters played a piece in their leisure time on two discarded zithers. The passing Emperor heard the unique sound, investigated, and was so impressed he took the female lead into the harem—the first step in her rise to power.

Zuo Xian placed her hands on the strings and locked eyes with Yao Lan. Without waiting for the backing music, she took the lead.

The moment the intro rang out, Yao Lan caught the rhythm and joined in seamlessly. Gradually, Zuo Xian pulled back her sharp edge to act as support. In their occasional eye contact, Yao Lan felt a profound, unspoken chemistry.

How do we have this much chemistry? She’s a newcomer who’s been here for less than a week!

Sun Jiayi stood to the side, her fingernails digging so hard into her palms they almost drew blood. The actress beside her looked as if she had suffered a severe blow; her face turned pale, and during a moment when the cameras were diverted, she was ushered off-stage by staff!

The melody opened like a slowly unfurling ink wash scroll, revealing green skies and thousands of miles of wild fields. Within the painting, two women sat in a mountain pavilion, smiling and talking through their music.

But as the tone became passionate, one woman seemed to leave while the other remained until the trail vanished. Time passed, dust settled in the pavilion, the woman was gone, leaving only a nameless grave. The visiting woman, overcome with grief, draped her bright red robe over the tomb before leading her followers to the summit of power once more.

The music stopped abruptly.

As the piece ended, Zuo Xian and Yao Lan smiled at each other. Zuo Xian cleared her throat and addressed the crowd. “Sister Lan is truly amazing. I practiced that piece for so long and could barely keep up with you!”

Yao Lan’s joy faded into a complex expression as she looked at Zuo Xian. Only a fellow musician would know that Zuo Xian had just used other strings to compensate for the missing note. Without over a decade of technical mastery, such a feat was impossible.

But how old was Zuo Xian?

The host snapped out of her trance. Glancing at the director’s cue, she realized she was drenched in sweat despite the cold. “Wow, what a surprise! The Jun Lin crew is truly a den of hidden dragons. Director Jiang certainly has a sharp eye! But next, I have a question for Sister Yao Lan.”

Yao Lan took her mic, her friendship with Zuo Xian having solidified in that moment. “Oh? What question?”

“I heard that for a certain role, Sister Yao Lan specially invited her long-time friend—Lu Xingxian. Is that true?” The host’s voice rose and fell with dramatic flair, leaving Zuo Xian stunned.

Wait, what?

Lu Xingxian?

Axian?

Axian is in Jun Lin?

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Zuo Xian’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit’s. This exact expression was captured by multiple cameras. The host, having grown fond of this sincere girl who had “saved” her several times today, smiled and threw her a bone. “I heard that on set, Zuo Xian mentioned her favorite person is Sister Xingxian?”

Director Jiang, standing in the back, took the mic. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a figure in a black gown walking gracefully from the light. His eyes lit up. “Why not let the person in question answer that?”

The cameras swung around sharply.

Lu Xingxian walked slowly from the distance, microphone in hand. Her eyes were fixed solely on Zuo Xian. Amidst the breathless anticipation of the crowd, she spoke softly:

“Yes. Xianxian said that I am the one she loves the most.”

The hall fell silent for a few seconds—or maybe minutes.

Then—

“AHHHHHHHH!!!”

The screams pierced the sky as everyone erupted in unison: “Lu Xingxian! Lu Xingxian—!!!”