Chapter 2, Chapter 2: A Crossover Edit

The clock on the wall chimed, one tick after another, gradually syncing with the vibrations of my pulse.

"...Regarding the public opinion survey of the previous season's program, the general consensus among viewers was that couples with relationships lasting less than a year or single periods of less than six months were just trying to ride the show's popularity."

"Based on this, we can assume that we dated for two years and then broke up for a year."

"Furthermore, according to a survey of social media post volume, sweet and fluffy storylines are more likely to evoke emotional fluctuations, while slightly angsty storylines can also resonate with audiences. Only storylines in between have the least market appeal."

"Our dating experience can be based on the results of these two surveys..."

"…Teacher Ling Zhao?"

Ling Zhao raised her head.

What catches the eye is a pair of captivating, almond-shaped eyes.

But unlike another well-known actress in the industry who exudes gentle charm, she is more like a clear spring from a snow-capped mountain, falling into the most luxurious wine vessel.

At first glance, it has a crystal-clear, icy appearance.

Even with her terrifying, dark makeup, she couldn't hide the lively emotions in her eyes.

It was only at this point that Ling Zhao belatedly realized that she was facing an actor.

Mu Jiu: "...Teacher Ling Zhao, this is the private room you chose. There's no one else here. Wearing a head covering all the time can easily cause heatstroke. Would you like to take it off?"

Despite the temperature being over 30 degrees Celsius, he stubbornly refused to take off the huge sad frog headgear the whole way, which showed that he was quite wary of her.

This is natural, as Mu Jiu was well aware of how reckless and suspicious his invitation was.

However, after saying that, the two of them stared at each other in silence.

Seeing that the other party did not make any move, Mu Jiu was about to casually change the subject when he saw Sad Frog suddenly reach out and take off its headgear.

Mu Jiu: !

A silver-gray wolf tail.

This hairstyle is much more eye-catching than I expected.

The man's hair was soaked with sweat, and his eyes were filled with a wet, bewildered look.

It was only then that Mu Jiu realized the significance of the female lead's willingness to take the initiative to invite him out in the novel's plot.

Because of the shock of the Sad Frog costume, Mu Jiu had not yet realized what kind of species his "ex" was until now.

So at the moment, she felt somewhat relieved.

The other person is indeed a handsome human.

"...It doesn't matter what your dating history is like, I'll go along with it."

When she came to her senses, those brown eyes were already staring straight into her eyes.

His voice was slightly hoarse: "But why me? Don't you know my reputation online? This isn't a good choice for you."

Indeed, among male celebrities on the internet today, aside from those who have been to prison or have had illicit relationships, the "mysterious two-character male celebrity" and "abbreviated LZ" have the worst reputations.

but……

There won't be a better candidate.

Mu Jiu said decisively, "You are very principled and reliable, and I happen to need a partner like that to participate in variety shows together."

Such high praise was completely unexpected for him.

Ling Zhao frowned in confusion.

A few rays of sunlight shone through the window.

Mu Jiu: "If those claims were true, you should have made money by now."

The heavy, exaggerated makeup made it impossible to see her original appearance; only her eyes shone brightly in the sunlight.

"But you don't have that now, and you're even working hard handing out flyers to earn a living, which proves that you're a much better person than they imagine."

Her voice inexplicably evokes the sound of summer wind chimes, and when she smiles, faint dimples appear on her cheeks.

If she removed this makeup, she would probably look quite pleasing.

In addition, he was well-versed in the art of speaking—

For example, to put it bluntly, if he really would do anything to create hype, he wouldn't be so poor that he'd be wearing a mascot costume and handing out flyers in the middle of summer.

However, such reasons are easier to accept than those hypocritical flattery made with eyes closed.

"...Then I only have one last question."

Ling Zhao pursed her lips: "What is your relationship with Fang Yucheng?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere seemed to become strange for a moment.

Like him, the actress named Mu Jiu is also closely associated with Fang Yucheng's name.

From the conversation just now, he couldn't tell how the other person viewed that person.

Perhaps it was because of something she had done with Fang Yucheng, or even the resentment she felt, that she insisted on inviting him along...

"That's a good question."

Mu Jiu crossed his arms in front of him, his expression solemn: "As things stand now, he is your substitute."

Ling Zhao:...?

Are you familiar with the genre of "body double" literature?

As if worried that he wouldn't understand the terms used in online novels, Mu Jiu thoughtfully explained, "It's the one where the 'white moonlight' becomes the secretary when she goes abroad."

"...This doesn't need explanation."

Ling Zhao rubbed his temples. Before he could process all the information, he heard a cheerful voice from the other end: "So, is it my turn?"

"Um…?"

Mu Jiu: "Once we're on the show, the only people we can trust are each other. So, I want to know how good Ling Zhao's acting skills are."

She had done her research beforehand.

Judging from the few words on Ling Zhao's agent's social media account, it can be seen that the agent has acted in several well-known TV series.

However, whether it's because the TV series hasn't passed censorship or for some other reason, there are no clips of Ling Zhao acting circulating online, so she has no idea what her acting skills are like.

Now that we've decided to cooperate, we need to be open and honest about some things.

If possible, she would certainly hope that her partner would have relatively good acting skills, but since the other party is not a professional actor, she does not have high expectations for him.

As long as you can make the right facial expressions, that's fine.

Whether it was her imagination or not, the moment their eyes met, Ling Zhao seemed to feel a little guilty and avoided her gaze.

"..."

After staring at each other for a moment, he slowly and mechanically opened his phone's photo album and turned the screen around.

Mu Jiu patiently watched until the video finished playing, then suspiciously dragged the progress bar back a bit.

Logically speaking, someone with such an appearance shouldn't be completely hard to spot even in a crowd.

After three rounds of back-and-forth conversation, she finally spoke up, somewhat embarrassed: "If I may be so bold as to ask, where are you?"

The person opposite seemed to freeze.

Before Mu Jiu could react, the other person awkwardly placed their finger on a pixel in the corner.

It was only then that Mu Jiu recognized the character who appeared on screen for less than a minute.

In the scene, the person exaggeratedly screams "Help!" in a heart-wrenching manner, then tilts their head to the side and disappears from the scene in a flash.

Because it was fast enough, the next video started playing automatically before Mu Jiu could even react.

It's still the same face.

In the background of the drama, the male and female leads are pulling at each other, and a playboy is earnestly reading aloud... confessing his love to the beautiful courtesan, and then the next second he falls into the water.

The survival time of the next character, the one after that, and the one after that, was still less than thirty seconds.

"..."

When Mu Jiu finally looked up from the screen, the light in his eyes had completely disappeared.

"Just keep a blank expression; don't force yourself."

A gentle and serene smile appeared on her bright face: "It's okay. We don't need to rely on variety shows to attract viewers. It's already great that we can complete the filming safely."

——

"Cough cough cough—"

Amidst the muffled coughing, dim lights illuminated the old stairwell.

The key and the iron gate made a rustling sound as they struck each other.

The smell of dust and mildew in the air assaulted Ling Zhao's throat, and he clutched his throat uncomfortably as he slowly stepped into the house.

Only when she sat on the sofa did a tired expression appear on her face.

After casually swiping open my phone, several unread messages appeared in the notification bar.

[Landlord: Pay all outstanding rent and utility bills from the previous quarter, totaling 3175 yuan, by July 15th. Failure to pay by the deadline will result in consequences for the landlord.]

The other party has his own way of dealing with tenants who are behind on rent. The last time I saw him, he threatened that if the rent could not be paid this month, he would directly move a new tenant into the apartment.

Although he rented a place in the suburbs, because it was located in S City, there was never a shortage of tenants. Even the old and dilapidated single apartments cost two to three times more in rent and utilities each month than comparable properties in other areas.

He really is running out of housing.

After scrolling through the message, Ling Zhao saw a familiar nickname.

It was sent by the store manager of the part-time shop, saying that another senior employee had a family matter and the store was short-staffed, asking if he was free to help out tomorrow morning, and that he could be paid triple overtime.

three times.

Ling Zhao's eyes flickered, and as he subconsciously prepared to reply, he suddenly paused.

[0N: Sorry, I have other things to do tomorrow]

After reluctantly refusing triple pay, he was about to put down his phone when a video notification caught his eye.

[Huanggua Video: You Might Like [Mu Jiuchengzhen] Princess of a Fallen Kingdom X Crown Prince of an Enemy Kingdom]

Even he felt a little familiar with this CP name... but the recommendation algorithm of this AI is indeed problematic.

Nobody likes watching their rival's videos.

Just as he tapped "exit," his phone screen suddenly froze and automatically switched to the video playback interface.

In the brief moment of hesitation, the buzzing of swords exploded in my ears.

In the video, the veil of a woman in a red dress is slashed by the sharp tip of a sword.

Those clear, black eyes looked over with a chilling, eerie gaze.

Even the moment their eyes met through the screen, Ling Zhao felt a completely different atmosphere than when they met in person.

She is indeed a good actress.

It's clearly the same face, but without any words, just a glance is enough to make you feel like you're seeing someone else who looks somewhat similar.

The red dress accentuated her snow-white skin and those ambitious eyes.

She is not a beautiful butterfly, but a more intelligent, calm, and calculating predator.

After the scene fades away, what emerges is a dark study where an ambitious and powerful minister, after listening to his subordinate's report, casually crushes the jade cup in his hand.

When the camera zooms in, the man's face and eyebrows can be clearly seen.

A look of determination appeared on his face, which resembled his own.

The sound stopped abruptly.

When I came to my senses, the app crashed because my phone was overheating.

but……

Ling Zhao recalled the scene just now, the face that was almost indistinguishable from his own, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Without makeup, he and that person only looked somewhat alike. But in that TV series, after the other person put on makeup, their appearance became eight or nine parts similar to his.

It felt like seeing another version of myself acting in a TV drama, which was strangely unsettling.

"Buzzing—"

My phone suddenly started vibrating continuously.

【mujiu: Hello, I am mujiu】

[mujiu: Resume.pdf]

[They found a fun video and invite you to watch it together.]

[mujiu: Shared a video -- (shipping) Ling Zhao X SpongeBob SquarePants]

The video's cover features his deep, restrained gaze as he looks at the yellow sponge.