Chapter 43 is not acting.
Almost instinctively, Mu Jiu looked up at Ling Zhao—
His eyes held a lingering sense of dazedness and emotion, as if he were half-awake and half-asleep, lost in something.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Mu Jiu let go of her hand.
The force that had been pressing down on her disappeared as she retreated.
Ling Zhao looked at her hesitantly, but before she could speak, Mu Jiu's confident voice came through: "You're in character."
She laughed from the bottom of her heart and patted him on the shoulder: "Remember this feeling. When filming, ignore the camera and just focus on me."
Ling Zhao: "..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she walked towards the door.
Just as she was about to reach the door, she stopped and turned around in confusion, seemingly because she hadn't heard any footsteps behind her.
Ling Zhao raised his hand and scratched his hair somewhat evasively, then slowly took a deep breath: "Let's go."
——
[0909: Bad news! There was no "Morning and Evening" live stream today; the production team said both of them were attending commercial events!]
[A Bunch of Morning and Evening Energy: Although it's great that Jiu Jiu and Zhao Zhao are busy with their own careers, my Morning and Evening Energy bar is about to run out today.]
[Leopard Cat's Leg Accessory: Has the production team released any new content?! I'm going to quit if there's no more morning and evening content!]
...
These people are more suited to be here than she is.
Tan Xi swiped away the group chat notification that popped up on her phone, and unconsciously glanced at the lounge where the two of them were.
Although the dressing room door was open, everyone on set was busy, and no one would be so tactless as to pry into the artist's private space.
Tan Xi, naturally, wouldn't be so tactless as to step forward.
But her thoughts have become quite nuanced now.
On the one hand, these two have already distanced themselves from their brother. If they continue to try to ride on his popularity, even if fans don't intervene, bystanders will be outraged and flood their social media comment sections on their behalf.
On the other hand, she had long known that her rival had absolutely no acting skills, so it was no surprise that she saw Ling Zhao act like a robot who had just learned to control its limbs in front of the camera.
Logically speaking, she should have just focused on handling her own work and kept quiet about things that didn't concern her, or even... gloated over their misfortune.
But now, she's actually worried about her rival and her rival's ex?!
Tan Xi suddenly slapped his face with both hands.
My first reaction upon seeing the two of them together was actually anticipation!
It must be because I've been lurking in the "Chao Mu" CP group for too long lately and have been brainwashed by those messages.
Just as Tan Xi was desperately trying to convince herself that everything was because of the evil fan group, and that as long as she left the group and cleared her past search history, she would be able to restore everything to normal, footsteps came from the direction of the lounge.
When Mu Jiu and Ling Zhao returned to the filming location, Tan Xi clearly sensed a change in the atmosphere between them.
Although she couldn't clearly describe the subtle differences, she had a vague feeling that this shoot might go much smoother than before.
"All departments, get ready!" The director's voice echoed across the set through the loudspeaker. "Actors, take your positions!"
Fine, fragrant mist diffused under the warm-toned lights, outlining the slender lines of her neck, while her flowing hair swayed gently with her movements.
The moment the doorbell rang, those slightly upturned eyes, filled with a hint of expectation and a shy smile, suddenly turned back.
Tan Xi watched the events unfolding on the field intently.
There were no major mishaps during the rehearsals for the earlier parts.
After all, no matter how much criticism she receives, Mu Jiu is a professionally trained actress, and her acting skills are undeniably excellent. Even in just a few seconds, she was able to draw her into a scene of anticipation for her beloved's arrival.
Including the surprise of being suddenly given a bunch of champagne roses when opening the door, and the natural smile that appears when smelling the fragrance of the flowers.
While part of the reason might be the other person's exceptional appearance, which makes people more willing to stop and admire them, there is indeed a significant difference between actors and ordinary artists.
The biggest problem is whether the other person will hold us back.
When Tan Xi looked up again, the bouquet had already been placed in a crystal vase.
Just then, the silver-gray color entered the camera's field of vision for the first time.
The man's brown eyes, in the warm light, resembled the color of amber.
He lowered his eyes slightly and naturally took Mu Jiu's wrist.
Contrary to his actions, that hazy, aggressive gaze traveled down his wrist and landed on Mu Jiu's eyes, nose, and lips.
When he looked up, it was almost as if he wanted to kiss her.
However, the next moment, he simply moved slowly, very slowly, closer to her ear and restrained himself by closing his eyes.
Gently, as if confirming whether it was a puppy of the same kind, it carefully sniffed it.
Seeing this, Tan Xi instinctively covered her mouth to suppress the strange scream that she was being bewitched by the scene.
No one knows what happened to Ling Zhao.
Such a stark contrast clearly failed to prepare anyone on site.
From embarrassing acting to a gradually deepening and captivating performance, it has far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Even Director Mao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise, but then he accurately continued to give instructions: "Zoom in."
Mu Jiu's eyes were closed, her eyelashes fluttering gently. It was clear that a warm breath was intimately touching her hidden neck.
The two people in the picture seem to be dancing together in the fragrance, and even through the screen, there seems to be a bit more heat in the air.
A slender hand with distinct knuckles moved from Mu Jiu's lower back upwards, gently brushing across her arm and reaching her shoulder.
As the background music reached a tone reminiscent of lovers' whispers, the man in front of her gently pressed her down onto the sofa, burying his face in her hair with tender affection.
The blurry image from the camera fell onto the vase on the table.
"Card, passed."
The moment the director's voice rang out, Ling Zhao jumped up from the sofa with a high-difficulty leap.
The speed was so fast that even Mu Jiu, who had just gotten up from the sofa, was completely bewildered.
This time, even Director Mao couldn't keep a serious expression on his face, and jokingly scolded, "Isn't this something we can do? At the beginning, I even doubted whether you had actually talked to each other."
"Especially Ling Zhao, who used to be so shy and timid, like a young maiden... Now... well, he's a grown man too."
This teasing remark greatly dispelled the ambiguous atmosphere that had just been building.
After the joke, Director Mao became serious: "Alright, this transition from just starting to like someone to being deeply in love is great. We're about to shoot the next scene, let's wait for the factory crew to clear the set first."
...
The room was filled with the clatter of moving goods and the chatter of people.
A woman in her early thirties walked briskly across the film set, her eyes quickly scanning the crowd before precisely locking onto Tan Xi's direction.
"Xiao Tan, how's the situation here?"
She walked quickly closer, her tone crisp and efficient, as if she were working. Noticing Tan Xi's unusual expression, she instinctively asked, "Why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"
Tan Xi suddenly came to her senses and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her burning cheeks.
"N-nothing."
She hurriedly shook her head, trying to make her voice sound more steady: "Everything is going smoothly, the two teachers have found their rhythm and are filming now."
But that inexplicable feeling of excitement, like a subtle electric current, continued to linger around her until she got home from get off work, and it hadn't completely dissipated.
She nestled on the sofa, but her mind unconsciously began to replay scenes from the film set.
She suddenly remembered many years ago when she first accidentally heard Fang Yucheng's song. At that time, she was a high school student, and the clear voice flowing from her headphones struck her heart without warning, making her plunge into the world of idol worship.
A subtle sense of guilt quietly surfaced. She opened her phone, her fingers hesitating between several commonly used apps, but ultimately, as if possessed, she opened Chaomu's fan group.
The group chat was buzzing with discussion about today's Reuters news. Tan Xi took a deep breath.
[Sigh: Does anyone have saved Chaomu's archaeological videos so I can catch up?]
[0909: Sigh, does the master need to catch up on lessons?! I have to release this treasured little video!]
[Morning and Evening: Do you want the pure version of my Morning and Evening cut?]
...
The message was sent out and I immediately received several replies.
Even if it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, the enthusiastic group members on the other side had already prepared several carefully compiled video links.
Tan Xi: ...
Since things have come to this point, even though we're rivals, there's no harm in taking a look.
Moreover, the group members weren't bad people, and their enthusiastic recommendations reminded her of how she tried to recommend her brother to the people around her.
After mentally preparing himself, Tan Xi reluctantly clicked on the video.
Meanwhile, after finishing the filming, Mu Jiu declined the brand's offer of a ride and drove Ling Zhao towards the cottage.
When she was about a kilometer away from her destination, she glanced at the rearview mirror and suddenly slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
The sudden movement made Ling Zhao subconsciously turn his gaze away from the window and look at her questioningly.
"You need to adjust your current state of being immersed in the role."
Mu Jiu hesitated before looking at his earlobes, which were faintly red in the dim light: "If we go back to the cabin like this, everyone will notice something is wrong within three minutes."
Actors not only need to unleash strong emotions when they are immersed in a role, but also need to detach themselves from the role at the right time.
The original owner messed up at the point of the story, and as a result of various factors, he ended up in a situation where everyone hated him.
She had never been a teacher and wasn't used to beating around the bush, and besides, she didn't think she had said anything excessive.
But Ling Zhao's eyes seemed to dim even more after she said those words.
Hmm, her co-star isn't an actor after all.
Perhaps what I just said was discouraging the other person?
Mu Jiu hesitated for a moment, then spoke indirectly: "Your performance today was really good, full of emotion, and Director Mao kept praising you."
"But if you can't get out of character and can't detach yourself from the role, you'll find that your performance is completely different from what you imagined after you calm down."
After all, it was just an advertisement shoot, and afterwards they would continue to play a couple who had broken up in the cabin.
So no matter what, this current behavior is definitely not right...
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"But if..."
Ling Zhao paused for a moment before looking up at her again: "Isn't this just acting?"
-----------------------
Author's note: I had a slight lag, and it's too late to revise it QAQ
If you don't see an update before midnight, don't wait any longer. It's most likely the author is having OCD and rewriting the story. [laughing emoji]
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