Against the Light - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: An Immature Little Guess
After a week of hype, the show A Good Show was already a hit before it even aired, continuously dominating the trending topic charts. On the eve of filming, the production team announced another upgrade to the competition format. During the initial selection phase, the thirty contestants would undergo five days of intensive training, personally led by the three mentors, to ensure they could present the most spectacular performance for their first stage appearance. This training period would be broadcast live, allowing the audience to see their favorite actors in their off-screen state.
Furthermore, the nine new actors who ultimately emerged from the selection would face off against nine veteran actors to compete for spots in the team competition!
The announcement of the new format immediately caused an uproar. While the audience naturally applauded, the contestants couldn't stop complaining.
After all, in addition to honing their acting skills, they had to maintain their public personas at all times. For these new actors, this was definitely a huge challenge!
When Fang Jinghai saw this news, her hands trembled. "It's over, it's over. Sister Ran has so many anti-fans. If they start crazily dissing her during the live stream, will the production team eliminate her early…"
Fang Jinghai wore a mournful expression, but when she looked up and saw Gu Xinran and Qu Qi looking completely relaxed and unconcerned, as if they hadn't taken her words to heart at all, she was very confused.
I have a feeling my boss is hiding something from me.
"Since you're all prepared, I won't say much more," Qu Qi said. "Have Jinghai take you tomorrow. It's not convenient for me to be seen."
"Mm."
"This is a good opportunity, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just go with the mindset of learning something from your seniors. Even if you don't pass the initial selection… worst-case scenario, you can just focus on variety shows in the future," Qu Qi said comfortingly.
Gu Xinran smiled. "Okay, I know."
"Go back and get some good rest. You have a tough battle to fight tomorrow. Jinghai, take her home."
"Alrighty~"
"Hey, be careful with your hand. It hasn't healed yet," Qu Qi reminded her.
"I know!"
"Hey, Sister Qi is actually pretty nice. She's not as fierce as she looks~" Fang Jinghai muttered under her breath after the two of them left.
"Mm."
"Why aren't you asking what I'm plotting?" Gu Xinran asked, seeing Fang Jinghai's hesitant expression, looking like she was struggling to hold back.
"If you're not telling me, you must have your reasons. As your assistant, I! Must! Not! Ask! Questions!" Fang Jinghai said through gritted teeth. Heaven knew she was about to die from curiosity.
Gu Xinran smiled.
"So… are you going to tell me??" Fang Jinghai's eyes sparkled.
"You'll find out tomorrow."
"…" I have a reasonable suspicion that my boss is messing with me.
The next afternoon, Fang Jinghai drove straight to the underground parking garage. She wore a mask and peeked around furtively from inside the car, waiting for Gu Xinran to come down.
She didn't know why, but Sister Ran had told her to be sure to come in disguise so no one would recognize her!
After waiting for a moment, she turned her head and saw a woman wearing a black mask, a slim-fit black-and-white color-block shirt, and khaki wide-leg casual pants, pulling a rolling suitcase. Her perfect proportions and impressive figure were on full display as she walked.
Her soft, wavy hair cascaded down her back, and her almond-shaped eyes rippled with endless charm. The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing delicate, straight collarbones. The sleeve on her left arm was rolled up, exposing a forearm so fair it seemed to glow. Her features were captivating, and she exuded a cool aura—both commanding and alluring. Fang Jinghai's heart fluttered on the spot. She quickly sent a WeChat message to Gu Xinran.
【Sister, if you don't get here soon, you'll have to collect my corpse. I saw a super-A young lady. I don't think I can take it, sob sob sob.】
As Fang Jinghai sent the message, her eyes remained glued to the young lady, who was standing right next to her car. Even the way she held her phone was so elegant and beautiful, sob.
She watched the young lady say something into her phone, and then her own phone chimed. She played the voice message and heard Sister Ran's voice say, "Open the door."
!? Open the door?
She whipped her head toward the young lady beside the car. That can't be right. This aura and fashion sense… she's like a completely different person!!
The little assistant dazedly opened the car door. As Gu Xinran sat down, the car was instantly filled with a floral scent—light, elegant, and exceptionally pleasant.
The little assistant craned her neck to sniff the air, then rubbed her eyes and looked at Gu Xinran. "Sister?"
Gu Xinran pulled down her mask. Seeing that her own assistant hadn't recognized her, she was quite satisfied.
"OMG! Sister, how did I never realize you were so A before?"
"What does 'A' mean?"
"It means… you have total top energy! But all the rumors online say you're a bottom!"
"…"
After she spoke, Fang Jinghai noticed her boss suddenly blush! Aiya! That's so adorable!
"Focus on driving and stop staring at me." Gu Xinran was watching a video of Yilan saved on her phone and caught her assistant sneaking glances at her from the corner of her eye.
"Ehehe, Sister, what perfume are you wearing today? It smells amazing. I'm completely captivated~"
Gu Xinran glanced at her. "Take off your fan goggles before you talk to me."
Sob, but she's so pretty!
An hour later, the car stopped a street away from the meeting point.
Rumor had it the production team had spent a fortune, setting up the newcomers' live broadcast in a villa complex. Meanwhile, several veteran actors would be watching from another villa, providing real-time commentary.
The hype was immense; even before the broadcast officially began, over fifty thousand people were already waiting in the live stream room.
"Sister, I've brought you all the way here, and you still haven't told me what you're plotting. And why do I have to wear a mask too? I'm not a celebrity."
"You've been seen on the show before. It's crowded here, and it would be bad if someone recognized you."
"Am I that much of an eyesore, sob…"
"Alright, stop whining. I'm going. You can go back now."
"Hey, but…"
Gu Xinran turned back and gave her a wink. The little assistant immediately lost her composure. "Stop electrocuting me!!!"
Gu Xinran arrived at the meeting point and spotted three large buses emblazoned with the A Good Show logo. Three of them? How extravagant.
As she got closer, she saw that each bus had a sign with a photo of one of the three mentors posted by the door.
So they had to choose their mentor first.
Gu Xinran walked to Yilan's bus and glanced inside. It was almost full. She poked her head in and immediately spotted Luo Bing in the crowd.
The people on the bus looked at her curiously. Luo Bing also met her gaze for a moment but didn't recognize her.
She glanced at Yilan's photo again, then turned and walked toward another bus, the one with Lu Qing's photo on it.
Lu Qing had been one of her closest friends in her past life! Although they hadn't interacted much in this life, seeing her face still filled Gu Xinran with a sense of warmth.
"Well, what do you know. I'm finally open for business."
In the studio, Lu Qing patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
Twenty minutes earlier, the three mentors had taken their seats in the studio to watch the recording site. As the newcomers arrived one by one to choose their preferred mentor, a surprising thing happened: almost everyone chose Bai Yilan, leaving a senior acting coach and a three-time Movie Queen completely ignored. The situation was, for a moment, extremely awkward.
It wasn't until this mysterious, masked girl boarded Lu Qing's bus that the stalemate was broken.
"Huh? Who is this girl?" Lu Qing was curious. The girl was dressed in a black-and-white shirt and wide-leg pants, showing excellent taste. She had a cool, aloof aura and wore a black mask that revealed only her eyes. Unlike the others, she didn't seek out the camera. Her behavior was completely different. Lu Qing racked her brain, but she couldn't place her among any of the actors she knew.
"Yilan, you know a lot of actors. Do you have any impression of this person?"
Yilan had been observing the girl ever since she appeared on screen. Her figure and build were incredibly familiar, but her fashion sense and aura made her feel like a stranger.
She shook her head, her heart full of doubt. Just as she was feeling uncertain, the girl on the screen raised a hand to brush back her hair, revealing the wrist guard on her right hand.
It's her.
Gu Xinran sat on the bus, observing the movements outside. When she saw that most of the actors who arrived after her chose Yilan's bus, her eyes curved into a smile. It seems Yilan is very popular.
Before long, another girl boarded Lu Qing's bus. The girl had a mournful look on her face and seemed surprised to see someone already there.
"Hello," Gu Xinran greeted her first.
"Hello," the girl replied listlessly, sitting down next to Xinran.
The girl looked at her. "You like Teacher Lu?"
"Yeah."
"Why? She's fierce and narcissistic. She acts all serious on the surface, but in reality…"
"Ahem, there's a camera over there. What do you think, can they hear you?" Gu Xinran kindly reminded her.
"Oh." The girl looked as if she had lost all will to live.
"You talk about her like that, yet you still chose her. If that's not true love, then…"
"Don't be ridiculous. If Director Bai's bus next door wasn't full, I wouldn't have chosen her."
"…"
In the studio, Lu Qing had to prop her face up with her hand to maintain her smile.
Beside her, Yan Xi added faintly, "You could have chosen me."
【Hahahaha, Teacher Lu has lost it.】
【Haha, Movie Queen Yan is so pathetic. Only one person on her bus, hahaha.】
【But then again, Teacher Bai is gorgeous! I'd choose her just for her looks! I could die happy if I got to live with a beauty like that for five days.】
【+1, Teacher Bai is so ethereal. Her figure is incredible, a natural model.】
【First time seeing her on a show, she's really beautiful!】
On screen, the girl suddenly turned to look at the mysterious masked person. "You don't recognize me, do you?"
"Mm, sorry, I…"
"Hello, my name is Lin Guo." Lin Guo extended her hand.
Gu Xinran smiled and shook her hand.
"I'm…" Gu Xinran paused for a moment, her eyes curving into a beautiful arc. "Little Fairy."
"???"
【Hahahaha, what the hell, Little Fairy? Who on earth is this person? Hahaha.】
【Hahaha, Guo Guo is stunned!】
【Guo Guo: I was terrified!】
【Haha, same question. Who is this? Can any expert decode her identity from her eyes?】
Fang Jinghai, who had been watching the live stream the whole time, remained outwardly calm, but she had an immature little guess.
This ancestor of mine isn't planning on participating in the show with her identity hidden, is she?!
Get instant access to all chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment