After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 38

Backstage was incredibly busy today, but unlike the usual atmosphere, the mentors were almost all gathered in the same dressing room. Although Lin Mengjia hadn’t participated in public events for several years, her appearance naturally made her the center of attention.

In terms of age, she wasn’t the oldest among the mentors; in terms of skill, she was a peerless leading lady who navigated both film and television with ease, though she wasn’t the only one. What made her so scrutinized was the fact that she was simply so hard to run into. People, like objects, are cherished more when they are rare.

Xu Feng and Lin Mengjia were peers; they had collaborated several times in the past and occasionally had tea together, so she remained quite calm. Qiuhetao and Su Yunzi, however, were practically trailing behind Lin Mengjia—whether catching her jokes or proactively initiating conversation, they didn’t stop for a second.

Gu Ruolan actually wanted to go up and say a few words, but she had never been one to push or compete, nor was she good at steering a conversation toward herself. Aside from initial greetings, she remained a quiet listener on the sidelines.

If the mentors were like this, the contestants were even more cautious; almost none dared to come over and join the fray.

In the large dressing room on the other side, a group of contestants clustered together to discuss today’s competition.

Ever since Gu Ruolan reminded Huo Xu to watch his posture, he made sure to pull in his stomach, square his shoulders, and stand tall whenever he was free—even while memorizing lines. Today, he was acting opposite Xie Zixuan; they were to play a couple on the verge of breaking up during graduation season.

Huo Xu had previously acted in idol dramas, but he had artistic aspirations and wasn’t satisfied with just being an “idol.” Xie Zixuan rolled up her script and tapped his shoulder twice from behind. Due to the height difference, Huo Xu turned and looked down slightly. “What’s up?”

“Do you really need to be memorizing lines right now?” Xie Zixuan looked at his script, which was noticeably worn from being flipped through, then at her own, which looked brand new.

“You saw the rehearsal yesterday. The moment I stumble on a line, the emotion breaks. I’d rather have the words memorized cold.”

Xie Zixuan was in worse shape; not only were her lines unmemorized, but she also liked to change them on the fly, leaving Huo Xu bewildered. Seeing her casual attitude, Huo Xu suggested, “You should memorize for a bit too.”

Xie Zixuan sized him up with a half-joke. “I’ve had them memorized for ages. You should stop puffing your chest so much; you’re tall enough as it is. If you keep standing like that, people will think you’re heading to a flag-raising ceremony.” With that, she turned and left to chat with others.

Huo Xu’s expression soured. They were both idols; she was just higher in the rankings and had bigger backing. What was with the attitude?

Originally, today’s recording wasn’t supposed to feature Gu Ruolan or Lin Mengjia. The contestants only learned about the line-up change upon arriving at the station. Their already heavy hearts grew even more tense.

Gu Ruolan’s sharp critiques from the last round were still fresh in their minds, and now with Lin Mengjia added, they didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse.

Once the mentors took their seats, everyone’s pressure spiked. Lin Mengjia was placed on one end, with Gu Ruolan on the other, acting as “echoes” to one another.

The moment Gu Ruolan appeared, Meng Qiuran instinctively craned her neck to get a good look. Every appearance on stage had to be cleared of any risk of a wardrobe malfunction.

Fortunately, Gu Ruolan wore a pale pink suit today. This time, there was no modified waistcoat; instead, she wore a V-neck undershirt paired with a diamond necklace. Her long hair draped over her shoulders, looking smooth and pure.

Sitting at the side, Meng Qiuran couldn’t see the frontal view clearly, so she kept glancing back and forth at the big screen. Yuan Yi was also watching, but she was content just seeing her idol; she wasn’t as restless as her boss.

“Sister Qiu, what are you looking at?” Yuan Yi finally asked.

Recording was about to begin, and cameras were being shoved in front of the mentors. Meng Qiuran, slightly anxious, asked, “Can you see what Gu Ruolan is wearing underneath?”

Yuan Yi was taken aback. “I can’t see clearly. She should be wearing something, right?”

Because the undershirt was a very similar color to the suit jacket, plus the lighting and distance, it was hard to tell. Most people’s attention was drawn to the flashing diamond necklace.

“Look again.”

Meng Qiuran also felt Gu wouldn’t go without an undershirt; that wasn’t her style. But the station was in charge of hair and makeup; if the team had a momentary lapse in judgment, anything could happen.

The two of them twisting and turning was somewhat conspicuous. Whether it was a coincidence or Gu Ruolan being caught by the flickering figure in her peripheral vision, she took advantage of a camera transition to look over.

Meng Qiuran usually sat there, but Gu hadn’t seen her since arriving at the station. Xiao Mi had mentioned that the sponsors likely wouldn’t be coming today, so she assumed she wouldn’t see Meng Qiuran.

However, when she saw clearly who that moving figure was, she was genuinely stunned. She hadn’t expected Meng Qiuran to be in the same old spot, staring straight at her.

Perhaps because they had shared a meal at the café recently, the sense of distance wasn’t as heavy. Gu Ruolan didn’t immediately look away when their gazes met. However, her expression was one of pure bewilderment and surprise—nothing more. As the host began speaking, she turned her gaze back.

Thanks to the camera zooming in, the mystery of the undershirt on the big screen was solved. She was wearing one, but it was very form-fitting and the same color as the suit, so it looked invisible at first glance.

Meng Qiuran let out a sigh of relief and pressed her temples. From rushing here upon hearing about the recording to insisting on her fixed seat to confirming there was no risk… she hadn’t had a chance to breathe properly.

“Today’s look is even sexier than the last,” Yuan Yi whispered.

Meng Qiuran hissed a warning. “Don’t use the word ‘sexy’ to describe her so casually from now on.”

“Why?”

Meng Qiuran thought for a while but couldn’t find a convincing reason. But the constant mention of “sexy” was just too nerve-wracking. “It causes me to misjudge the situation.”

Yuan Yi was even more confused, but seeing her boss’s expression, she didn’t think it was a joke.

The contestants’ performances began. There were still various issues. Gu Ruolan’s critiques remained a highlight, but with the experience from the last round, the show didn’t over-emphasize her today. Other mentors, having seen the feedback from the premiere, understood that the audience liked professional and direct guidance, so their styles had shifted. This time, critiques were almost entirely objective and blunt, putting even more pressure on the contestants.

Yu Yimeng intentionally controlled her emotions today and kept her rhythm. Although she lacked some emotional explosive power, her improvement was obvious. Xu Feng praised her by name. Yu Yimeng bowed in thanks and then stole a look at Gu Ruolan, nodding to her.

When it was Xie Zixuan and Huo Xu’s turn, Xie Zixuan forgot her lines when she got nervous, but she filled the gaps with her own words on the fly. The mentors had the scripts; they knew exactly what was happening. While the improvised lines generally made sense, Huo Xu lost his footing and could only deliver his original lines stiffly, causing them to mismatch.

The overall effect was poor. After Gu Ruolan critiqued their individual issues, she turned to Xie Zixuan. “The primary reason for today’s failure lies with you, Zixuan.”

Xie Zixuan’s face turned bright red. She gripped the mic and defended herself, “Actually, we practiced different lines, we just lacked chemistry.”

Gu Ruolan looked down at the script. “But the script we were given does not contain the different versions you mentioned. If you truly wanted to try something else, you should have informed us beforehand.”

Gu Ruolan clearly didn’t accept the excuse. Xie Zixuan wanted to keep talking, but the host stopped her in time.

Meng Qiuran shook her head. Her prediction at the café was right; this girl wasn’t putting her heart into her acting. Even Huo Xu showed clear effort, but Xie Zixuan was just making excuses.

After Ren Nanyi’s group finished, Lin Mengjia, who had been quiet, lightly adjusted her mic. The room fell silent as everyone gave her the floor.

Gu Ruolan also wanted to hear her critique and leaned in, following the others. Because she sat at the very edge, her lean was most noticeable. The diamond necklace swung down, but the neckline of her undershirt stayed tight against her skin.

Meng Qiuran sighed in relief again. Good. Safe.

“Ren Nanyi, it’s clear you practiced for a long time and prepared a lot,” Lin Mengjia said, looking at her own notes. “But you may have worked in the wrong direction. You focused all your effort on being ‘soft,’ which is completely inconsistent with the character.”

Ren Nanyi played an eighteen-year-old rebel who ran away from home. “You left home with a hard attitude, full of rebellion and thorns, yet your performance oozes a feminine shyness. You even had ‘orchid fingers’ in your small gestures.” Lin Mengjia mimicked the gesture and shook her head. “This is something that absolutely shouldn’t happen.”

Ren Nanyi licked his lips, looking lost. He instinctively looked at Gu Ruolan. Last time, Teacher Gu had been the one to tell him to “soften up.”

When Gu Ruolan saw his performance, she had realized the issue too. She immediately thought of Meng Qiuran’s words and her “orchid fingers” gesture. Those translucent, smooth nails and slender fingers were such a vivid image that the impression was deep.

Upon hearing Lin Mengjia’s critique, Gu Ruolan instinctively turned to look below the stage. Meng Qiuran was also looking at her. Their gazes met again.

This wasn’t a random crossing of eyes. At the moment they connected, both women curled their lips simultaneously, as if confirming they were thinking of the same thing. But Gu Ruolan quickly turned back, her expression well-controlled, as if the eye contact had been a mere illusion.

However, Meng Qiuran saw it, and so did Yuan Yi. Yuan Yi wanted to gasp because her idol had looked over, but she quickly realized Gu Ruolan was looking at Meng Qiuran. She looked at “Sister Qiu” blankly, feeling like the two were actually quite close.

Suddenly, Lin Mengjia shifted the topic to Gu Ruolan: “I watched the last episode too. Ruolan, your guidance back then was for him to act with more ‘softness’ in the dramatic scenes, right?”

Ren Nanyi nodded quickly, acting innocent.

Lin Mengjia leaned over the other mentors and looked across at Gu Ruolan: “So, Ruolan, why don’t you explain to him in more detail today—exactly what kind of ‘soft’ it should be?”