Facial expression management

The invitation to the B3 terrace, like a line of unexecuted code, hovered between their programs. There was no follow-up, and it was never mentioned again. Days flowed smoothly under the fluorescent lights of the laboratory, data was collected as usual, and the instruments continued their low hum. Only, there was a tacit tension in the air, like a harmonic of a specific frequency mixed into the background noise, imperceptible yet undeniably present.

Jiang Mo's life began to be divided into two more distinct parts. One part was in the laboratory, facing cold instruments and that even more unfathomable man; the other part was in the hotel room, and with the constant influx of information belonging to her original world.

When Linda returned to the hotel after work that day, she was already waiting in the suite with a tablet computer in front of her, the screen filled with public opinion monitoring charts and program clip timelines.

“Look here,” Linda pointed to a curve, “your comment about ‘confidence intervals’ last week was well-received by knowledgeable audiences, but it didn’t reach a wider audience. We need a more memorable, mainstream point.” She swiped the screen, bringing up a rough cut of the latest episode of “Science Meets Art,” “However, your interaction with Professor Shen was quite interesting.”

On the screen, a clip was playing where Shen Zhiyan, through Researcher Zhou, reminded Jiang Mo to check the damping coefficient of the Z-axis fixture. The camera captured Jiang Mo's slightly startled expression followed by a moment of realization, as well as Shen Zhiyan's seemingly unintentional glance in the distance.

“This kind of ‘remote guidance’,” Linda stroked her chin, her professional instincts sharp, “has a strange… tension. The audience will wonder, why doesn’t he say it to your face? And why can you immediately understand?”

Jiang Mo picked up her water glass and took a sip, without replying. To outsiders, the meticulously calculated concern seemed utterly enigmatic.

"By the way," Linda opened another folder containing script summaries and commercial endorsement offers, "a few scripts and endorsements have come your way. Although they're not the scraps from your low period, they're still far from your previous level. The team is evaluating them, and the key is how much of a turnaround in public opinion this variety show can ultimately bring you."

Jiang Mo glanced at it: a supporting female character in a fantasy IP, a minor female lead in a workplace drama, and the spokesperson for a newly established light food brand. She put down her water glass and went to the balcony, where "Lu Gen" stood lush and green in the twilight. She gently touched its leaves, not immediately chanting sutras as usual, but simply standing quietly.

The reality of the entertainment industry is colder and more direct than laboratory data. Her "confidence interval" needs to be widened by her own hard-earned value.

The second day of recording involved reviewing and analyzing footage from previous episodes of the experiments. In a small conference room, the production team played clips of Jiang Mo's initial clumsiness while learning to use the 3D scanner, as well as several operational errors that resulted in data corruption. Although it was a "growth arc" edited for the sake of variety show effects, Jiang Mo still felt her cheeks burning as she watched her obvious awkwardness and forced composure on the screen.

After the clip finished playing, Researcher Zhou, who was in charge of guiding the discussion, asked Shen Zhiyan with a smile: "Professor Shen, from a scientific point of view, what was the main problem with Ms. Jiang's operation at that time?"

All eyes were on Shen Zhiyan. He sat in a chair by the window, his hands folded on his lap, his gaze calmly fixed on the image frozen on the screen in front of him—Jiang Mo's "frustrated yet adorable" expression after a failed maneuver, clearly theatrical.

He adjusted his glasses, spoke, his voice clear and steady, devoid of any emotional fluctuation:

"The operational issues have already been summarized. Analyzing her behavior alone, Ms. Jiang was facing cognitive overload but attempted to mask her predicament with formulaic facial expression management." He paused, as if retrieving data, before precisely dropping a bombshell—

"Specifically, in the third segment, when faced with a failed operation, the synchronization rate between your cheekbone muscle lifting and orbicularis oculi muscle contraction was less than 40%, which is a typical non-Du Xiang smile. The micro-expression lasted for 0.8 seconds, which does not match the physiological reaction cycle of real frustration. In the fifth segment, when you tried to show that you understood the content being explained, the depressor supercilii muscle group in the center of your forehead showed unnecessary tension, revealing subconscious resistance."

He tilted his head slightly to look at Jiang Mo, his gaze focused with the intensity of a purely academic discussion: "In short, your acting has too much variance. In scenes that require genuine reactions, the performance is too contrived; while when you need to manage your expressions and reduce cognitive load, you expose your true emotional flaws."

The conference room fell silent. The director and several staff members exchanged glances, wanting to laugh but daring not to. Researcher Zhou coughed awkwardly.

Jiang Mo felt all the blood rush to her head. She knew her acting skills weren't top-notch, but she had never been so...dissected. Using muscle groups, synchronization rate, and statistical variance.

She took a deep breath, met Shen Zhiyan's gaze, and a bright, almost perfect smile bloomed on her face—this time, her cheek muscles and orbicularis oculi muscles were highly synchronized.

"Thank you for your professional guidance, Professor Shen," her voice was so sweet it could drip honey. "It seems that my facial expression management also needs to be analyzed like data, with a dimensional reduction approach to remove noise and retain the truth."

The debriefing session ended in an eerie atmosphere. As everyone dispersed, Jiang Mo was the first to get up and leave the meeting room, the sound of her high heels clicking on the floor crisper than usual.

In the corridor, she heard unhurried footsteps behind her; it was Shen Zhiyan. She didn't turn around and walked straight towards the elevator.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hand reached in, and the automatic doors slid open again. Shen Zhiyan stepped inside; there were only the two of them in the elevator.

In the cramped space, the air seemed to freeze. Jiang Mo stared blankly at the fluctuating floor numbers.

“My statement just now was based on an objective analysis of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS),” Shen Zhiyan’s voice rang out in the enclosed space, calm and undisturbed, “not a value judgment.”

Jiang Mo twitched the corner of her mouth: "Professor Shen's analysis is always very 'objective'."

The elevator slowly descended.

“In situations with high cognitive load, forcing fine facial expression control will consume working memory resources that should be used for problem-solving,” he continued, as if fulfilling some kind of explanatory obligation. “From an efficiency point of view, it is not economical.”

Jiang Mo finally turned her head and looked at him. He stood there, upright, with clear eyes, as if he were really just stating an optimization plan.

"So, Professor Shen means that in the future, I should be able to cry whenever I want and curse whenever I want in the lab, which would be more 'economical'?"

Shen Zhiyan seemed stumped by the question. He thought for a few seconds and answered seriously, "Appropriate emotional release can indeed help relieve stress and improve focus on subsequent tasks. But it's necessary to choose the right situation and the right person..."

"Ding—" The elevator arrived on the first floor. The doors opened.

Jiang Mo didn't wait for him to finish speaking before walking out, leaving behind the words, "I've learned something."

She hurried towards the door, the sunlight outside blinding. Her phone vibrated in her bag; it was a voice message from Linda, her voice excited.

"MoMo! I just got a call. The variety show is having a media visit and group interview tomorrow afternoon! This is a crucial opportunity, so you need to prepare well, especially your interaction with Teacher Shen. Right now, the internet is really into the contrast between you two 'brainy men' and 'bright women'..."

Jiang Mo stopped and looked back. Shen Zhiyan was walking out of the elevator, his steps relaxed, seemingly unaffected by the "acting analysis" that had just taken place.

Tomorrow, in front of the media, how will this actress, whose acting skills vary wildly, interact with this "brainy man" who decodes her micro-expressions into data?