Against the Light - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Is This Person Flirting with Girls?
Fang Jinghai watched the live stream for a while and gradually started to wonder if she was going deaf or hallucinating. If she hadn't seen the outfit that morning, even she wouldn't be sure if the person on screen was Gu Xinran!
Mama! This woman must know magic!!
She could actually change her vocal tone?! Although it hadn't completely altered her original voice, her current voice sounded more ethereal and clear, with a colder quality that perfectly fit her current persona!
If you compared her original voice to her current one in isolation, you could hear a sixty or seventy percent similarity. But paired with her current outfit and aura, she was like a completely different person!
Fang Jinghai clutched her chest. Listening to her speak was enough to make your ears pregnant. That slightly cold, yet not entirely emotionless, voice was so her type. Just how many more talents did this woman have?!
On screen, the three cars set off simultaneously. In the end, there were only two people in Lu Qing's car. Of course, that wasn't the worst of it. The most tragic was Yan Xi, whose car had only one person from start to finish.
In the studio, Lu Qing rubbed her forehead, complaining of a headache.
"No one told me there'd be a segment like this before we started filming. Isn't this a public execution? How is Movie Queen Yan supposed to save face?"
Yan Xi already looked like she had lost the will to live. Hearing this, she took a moment to react. "Well, thank you so much!"
"Let's interview our mentors. You've all seen the thirty actors. Did any of them leave a deep impression on you?" the host asked.
"There's only one person in my car. That person left an indelible impression on me," Yan Xi was the first to speak.
The host didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What about Teacher Lu?"
Lu Qing pushed up her glasses and smiled at the host.
"Alright, I get it. The two in your car also left a deep impression on you!"
"I'm quite familiar with Lin Guo; she's my student. She's not just putting on an act; she's genuinely mischievous. As for the other one, Little Fairy, I'm quite curious who she is."
"Okay, and Teacher Bai?"
Bai Yilan glanced at the screen. "Same as Teacher Lu."
"Eh? So many people chose you, yet none of them left a deep impression?"
Bai Yilan shook her head. "No one particularly memorable. And I don't know why they chose me. I'm not as kind and easygoing as I might seem on the surface."
The host was taken aback again and was left in a slightly awkward position.
【?? Is Teacher Bai this cold?】
【Don't know her, no idea, but she seems to have a lot of personality. I'll keep watching.】
【Hahahaha Teacher Lu is so cute. Guozi is genuinely mischievous!】
【To be honest, I don't remember any of them either… I only remember Guozi and Little Fairy dissing Lu Qing. The others are not very recognizable, and their entrances were all surprisingly similar. They either told a joke, acted silly, or tried to be cute or play dumb. It's all cut from the same cloth, with no soul. I even mixed up several of them, a sea of plastic surgery faces! Director Bai has seen so many actors, she must have aesthetic fatigue.】
【I don't get why they had these people choose mentors. And it feels like the production team is deliberately stirring up trouble. It's so embarrassing for Lu Qing and Yan Xi. In terms of fame, Yan Xi is way more famous than the other two.】
【Same. By the way, can someone fill me in on this Teacher Bai? All I know is that she used to be Gu Xinran's wife.】
【Teacher Bai is very famous in the industry, but she's quite low-key and never appears on shows. It's normal not to know her. Her works mostly celebrate life, which is a breath of fresh air compared to the cliché, sappy romance idol dramas that are a dime a dozen these days. She was nominated for a prestigious industry award right after she started. She's a powerful director with strong professional skills.】
In the car, Lin Guo grew even more curious about the mysterious Little Fairy.
"Hey, can you give me a little hint? Like, what projects have you been in?" Lin Guo had been guessing for twenty minutes, listening to her voice, studying the shape of her eyes, and even going through every actress she could name based on hair color and fashion sense. She hadn't guessed a single one correctly, but she was still persistent.
Gu Xinran was starting to see her in a new light. This kid had incredible patience!
"Hey? You're not Gu Xinran, are you?"
Gu Xinran's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained unchanged.
Lin Guo watched her reaction. Her eyes curved, as if maintaining her usual smile, and she instantly deflated.
"Alright, I know you're not her."
"Hey, you're not an actress, are you!?"
Gu Xinran raised an eyebrow.
"Did I guess right!?" This was the only reaction she'd gotten after guessing for so long, and Lin Guo's confidence surged.
"I heard there might be some newcomers who aren't actors. So what do you do? A singer? A musician? You're not a makeup artist, are you~"
Gu Xinran covered her head. She had only casually raised an eyebrow, and the kid's imagination had already run this wild…
"Yes, that's right."
"I'm a designer."
"!? What? A designer? Fashion design? Fashion designers can be actors now? Wow, you're amazing! Hey, what brands have you designed for? Are there any finished products I can see?"
"…" For the next ten minutes, Gu Xinran was in disarray. She never expected that revealing her identity would not only fail to stop Lin Guo's prying but would instead ignite her passion for gossip! And it was burning brighter and brighter!
Of course, she wasn't the only one in disarray. Fang Jinghai had just returned to Qu Qi's office, planning to watch the live stream with her, when she heard Gu Xinran introduce herself this way. The two exchanged a look, their faces filled with despair.
"How can she say something like that? When her identity is exposed, she's going to get flamed by netizens again!!" Qu Qi was exasperated, banging her head against the wall.
"Uh… maybe… what if she really does know how to design clothes? Let's not assume the worst. Sister Ran isn't the type to make empty boasts."
"Hah, if she can design clothes, I'll… Put that phone down!"
【Hmm? A designer? Is she that amazing?】
【Am I just ignorant? I've never heard of a designer who can act, nor have I heard of any actors who started out in fashion design.】
【So, are there any experts who can decode her identity from her eyes?】
【Some expert on Weibo posted a comparison of twenty different pairs of eyes. They all look similar. I'm really looking forward to Guozi ripping off her mask!】
【Don't worry, this is a performance-based show. Can she perform with a mask on? We'll find out who she is soon enough.】
Twenty minutes later, the bus slowly drove into a villa complex. The moment it stopped, Gu Xinran eagerly got off. She couldn't stand being with Lin Guo for another minute!
"Little Fairy, wait for me!"
"…" Hearing Lin Guo call out to her from behind, she shuddered. Good grief, why did that nickname sound so… cringey when someone else said it!!
The two followed the signs to the assembly point and saw the group of people getting out of Bai Yilan's car. You could smell the gunpowder in the air from a mile away.
Luo Bing, being a singer, was clearly being ostracized by the other actors!
Some of the more familiar actors who had worked together before were chatting amongst themselves. The complete newcomers had also formed a group, and there were a few lone wolves who clearly saw everyone else as a competitor.
In contrast, Yan Xi's and Lu Qing's groups, though small, were exceptionally united. For instance, at this moment, Lin Guo was following Gu Xinran's every step, trying to peek at the features under her mask from the side.
Everyone naturally formed three large camps and several small cliques, waiting for the staff to give instructions.
"Hey, Little Fairy, look, there are three villas. Logically, each mentor's team should get one, right? Doesn't that mean their villa will have to house more than twenty people?"
Gu Xinran glanced over. Oh, it was true. There were three villas of the same size before them. A little further away was another villa with the production crew's cars parked out front, which was probably where the other veteran actors were staying temporarily.
"Huh? No way? So many people in one villa? How would that even work?" Someone in Bai Yilan's camp heard Lin Guo and immediately grew anxious.
"You can go over there, you know. They have fewer people."
"Hey, you're welcome to join us. Besides being short-tempered, loving to mock people, and always making unreasonable and twisted demands, Teacher Lu is not so bad." After saying that, Lin Guo leaned closer to Gu Xinran. "Hey, I checked. No cameras this time."
Just as she finished speaking, a small drone flew overhead.
"Excuse me, can we go to the site now?" Lu Qing flashed a brilliant smile at the host.
The host's smile looked worse than a grimace. "Yes, you can."
【Hahahaha I can tell, Teacher Lu is really about to hit someone!!】
【This Bai Yilan has zero variety show sense. She has such a cold face, like someone owes her a million bucks. I really don't get why they invited her.】
Besides Fang Jinghai and the others, Ming Zhen and Bai Yilan's crew support group were also closely watching the live stream. After all, this was their boss's first official appearance on a variety show, which was of great significance!
Seeing someone dissing Bai Yilan, Ming Zhen clenched her fist at a dozen staff members who were in a state of combat readiness. Everyone immediately lowered their heads and started typing.
【This isn't an entertainment variety show. Do you expect her to tell you a joke and make you laugh?】
【Exactly. I think Teacher Bai is very professional. Even though she wasn't talking, she was watching the screen very seriously, observing the actors' conditions.】
【Don't be so quick to diss her. You don't know her. Her professionalism is no joke.】
【Seconded! Teacher Bai is so beautiful and ethereal, ahhh!!!】
Watching the comment dissing Bai Yilan get instantly drowned out, Ming Zhen nodded in satisfaction and gave everyone a thumbs-up.
Bai Yilan and the others left the studio and arrived at the villa complex after a car ride of less than ten minutes.
The moment they entered the courtyard, the actors cried out in excitement.
"Ahhh, it's Teacher Bai! She's one of my favorite directors! I've dreamed of being in her crew!!"
"She's so ethereal. If she were an actress, we probably wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Wait, didn't the rumors say she smiles a lot? Why does she look so cold? Isn't she happy that she's so popular?"
The three mentors walked to their respective teams.
Lu Qing stood in front of Lin Guo, arms crossed, and offered a gentle smile. "I'm short-tempered? I love to mock people? I always make unreasonable and twisted demands?"
"No, no, no, no, you have the best temper, and you love to praise people, and you often make requests that are very helpful for improving our acting skills!" Lin Guo's clumsy improvisation made everyone burst into laughter.
Lu Qing gave a grunt that was a smile in name only, then looked at Gu Xinran. "You're not planning to wear that mask the whole time, are you?"
Gu Xinran's eyes curved into a smile in response.
On the other side, Yan Xi patted her sole team member's shoulder and said earnestly, "Don't worry, I will teach you everything I know, holding nothing back!"
"Aww!"
After greeting their students, they both looked over at Bai Yilan's team in the middle and couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement. They were all mentors, so how could the difference be so huge?
Bai Yilan was wearing a gray trench coat today. At this moment, she had both hands in her pockets, her expression indifferent as she scanned the crowd before her.
Everyone had been looking at her happily, but the more they looked, the more something felt off. Strange, she had the most people choose her, so why did she look a little angry?
After a long moment, Bai Yilan took a breath and pulled her hands out of her pockets.
Gu Xinran had been watching her the whole time. She noticed the silver ribbon was still wrapped around her left wrist and narrowed her eyes.
"According to the show's rules, each mentor has three spots for advancement. With the groups like this, do you know what this means?" Bai Yilan's voice was clear and cold, with a powerful resonance. After hearing her, everyone looked at each other.
"Does that mean we can advance directly without competing?" Lin Guo said excitedly.
"In your dreams." Lu Qing glanced at her. "But logically, it seems that way."
"No way…"
"Twenty-seven people competing for three spots. Are you sure you've thought this through?" Bai Yilan asked.
"This…"
"To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the show, you now have a chance to choose: switch groups voluntarily, or be forced to leave. Teacher Lu, Sister Xi, is that okay?"
"No problem. I'm very easygoing and don't hold grudges. Anyone who wants to come is welcome," Lu Qing said with a grin.
"I have no problem either."
Bai Yilan waited for a while, but no one moved! She thought for a moment, then turned her back to the crowd. After waiting a bit longer, she turned back around, and still, no one had moved!
【Wow, this Bai Yilan's EQ is so low. Yan Xi and Lu Qing are already in an awkward position. What is she doing? Giving charity or showing pity? This is even crueler than a public execution!】
【Hey sis upstairs, are you sure you're not blaming the wrong person? It's not like Teacher Bai made these people choose her. She already gave them a chance to choose again. Is it her fault that no one moved? Your logic is a bit out there.】
【These people are really something. Why make the situation so awkward? Do they have no brains?】
【I'm thinking, could there be some inside story? Is it guaranteed that this season's champion will come from Bai Yilan's team?】
Before long, someone in the team moved. A few actors who had worked with Bai Yilan before knew her well enough. Seeing her unusually calm expression, they realized she might be getting angry and sensibly slipped away.
Gu Xinran's eyes never left Bai Yilan. This was probably the first time she had officially seen Bai Yilan in work mode. She actually wanted to choose Bai Yilan's team too, but considering how well Bai Yilan knew her, she worried that being recognized might bring back painful memories, so she had painfully given up the idea.
Just as Gu Xinran was engrossed in watching, Bai Yilan happened to glance her way. Their eyes met, and Gu Xinran immediately looked away, feeling as if she had been seen through!
Could she have found out?
As the situation grew awkward, a staff member came forward. "According to the rules, each mentor can only take ten students. This grouping is not allowed. We need to regroup, and the mentors will select their members personally."
"Ah…" Voices of complaint immediately rose from the crowd.
Lu Qing glanced at the complainers. With that attitude, she wouldn't want them even if they were given to her for free!
"Teacher Bai will select ten members first," the staff member added.
Lu Qing and Yan Xi exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly.
【Holy crap, the favoritism is too blatant! Letting her choose first means she'll definitely pick the ones with the best acting skills.】
【Yeah, whoever picks first has the advantage. This is so unnecessary. This isn't behind-the-scenes manipulation anymore, it's blatant manipulation right in front of everyone!】
【Hah, looks like this season's champion really is coming from Bai Yilan's team. I just want to know what favors Bai Yilan gave the production team.】
【Everyone, please open your eyes. This is obviously the production team deliberately creating conflict to stir up drama!】
【Same. The production team's attempt to create drama is too obvious.】
The bullet comments erupted into an argument over the selection process, but of course, the people on site were unaware.
Bai Yilan was silent for a long moment before nodding. She scanned the crowd. "He Zixuan, Jiang Ming, Zhao Mingyu…" One by one, she called out a string of names. When she got to the last one, she paused, glanced at Little Fairy, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Luo Bing."
After she finished her selection, Lu Qing was stunned. Good heavens, she remembered all their names? Her memory was incredible!
Of course, that wasn't the main point. The point was, the people she had chosen were all newcomers who had barely been on a set. Not only did they lack work experience, but their acting skills were also an unknown. Some weren't even formally trained, and she even picked a singer! This was a complete waste of a golden opportunity!
【Did I hear that right? She remembered everyone?】
【These people she picked… why haven't I heard of any of them? I haven't seen any of their representative works. Are they even actors? And Luo Bing, isn't she a singer??】
【Holy crap, did Teacher Bai just pick the worst of the thirty people for her team?】
【??? Baffling human behavior.】
【The people who were just saying Teacher Bai had an inside deal, please step forward. Does your face hurt?】
"Ahem, Yilan, are you sure?" Even Lu Qing was unsettled. What kind of move was this??
"Yes." Bai Yilan looked at her streamlined team, her expression much softer.
"Then… why don't you go first?" Lu Qing looked at Yan Xi, who also didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You could win by picking with your eyes closed, right?" she whispered to Lu Qing.
"Then I'll go first." Lu Qing didn't stand on ceremony. She picked a few students she had taught before and a few newcomers she hadn't had much contact with to balance her team. Of course, she decisively kept Little Fairy and Lin Guo.
Once the selections were complete, the three groups returned to their respective villas.
The villa's interior was exquisitely decorated. It had two floors with five rooms in total: two double rooms, two triple rooms, and a single room for the mentor. Everyone placed their luggage in a corner by the entrance and then obediently waited in the living room for the mentor to assign rooms.
Lu Qing looked at her ten students and gestured for them to sit down and relax.
"I know I wasn't your first choice, but I will still do my best to guide each and every one of you. I also hope you can make full use of this opportunity. In this industry, once you leave school, it's rare to find someone who will genuinely teach you something substantial," Lu Qing said earnestly.
Hearing this, everyone's previous anxiety vanished, and they all looked at Lu Qing with anticipation.
"You're not very familiar with each other, are you? Let's all introduce ourselves first. Also, talk about your acting experience and the works you've been in."
"I'll go first. My name is Qin Qiong. The first drama I was in was Director Bai's Life Like Summer Flowers, where I played a small walk-on role. It was because of that opportunity that I entered this industry and became an actress. I've been in the business for ten years now and have played many vicious female supporting characters. I don't know if it's because I look too much like a villain, or if all villains look like me, but my range is very limited, and I haven't had any standout performances."
"Is that your real name? Do you have a stage name like 'Bao' or something?"
"Hahaha, are you serious?"
"Ah, I know you! Your greatest wish is to be a good person, right?"
"Hahaha."
"Okay, next."
"Me. My name is Lin Guo. I started as a child star. I was tortured under Teacher Lu for a whole year in university. Teacher Lu is a really good person, very serious and responsible. She…"
"Isn't it a bit late for flattery?" Lu Qing cut her off bluntly.
Lin Guo pouted.
"Next."
One by one, everyone finished their introductions, and then they all turned to look at the last person.
Gu Xinran was still cupping her cheek in her hand, listening intently. When she looked up, she found everyone staring at her.
"Oh, my name is… ahem, my name is Little Fairy." Gu Xinran blushed a little after saying it herself. Calling herself a fairy in front of so many people… it was too embarrassing!
"Pfft…" Someone couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"I don't have any acting experience, nor do I have any representative works to show."
"But! Our Little Fairy here was a fashion designer before her debut!" Lin Guo added at the perfect moment.
Gu Xinran was speechless. No… that's not it…
"Eh? What kind of clothes have you designed?"
"Why don't you take off your mask? You're not going to stay hidden the whole time, are you?"
"Yeah, how can you perform without taking off your mask?"
"You look a little familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"
Everyone started asking questions at once.
Lu Qing also looked at her with a curious expression.
Gu Xinran composed herself, her eyes curving into a smile. "When I leave this show, I will tell you who I am."
"Wow, you're really leaving us in suspense!"
"Exactly. What a way to create a gimmick," someone muttered disdainfully.
Gu Xinran smiled without saying a word.
Lu Qing rested her chin on her hand and watched for a moment, then nodded. "Always maintaining a bit of mystery is quite interesting. Alright, we'll call you by the codename Little Fairy for now."
"Thank you, Teacher Lu."
【Is that allowed? This is clearly just grandstanding. The way she's creating buzz is so deliberate. If she can do this, then everyone else might as well wear masks and maintain an air of mystery.】
【Exactly. Isn't this too unfair to the others?】
【Wait, upstairs, I don't get it. Who is she being unfair to? By acting without showing her face, isn't she just increasing the difficulty for herself? How is that bothering anyone else?】
【Sigh, this show is full of weird stunts. Less talk, more watching.】
"I don't have a good sense of your foundations, so I'll use this room assignment opportunity to gauge your abilities. Let's not waste any time. We'll start with a small test."
Everyone unconsciously sat up straight, waiting for her instructions.
"Crying scenes are a fundamental skill for an actor. Everyone here should have received training in this area. So, let's see who can cry the fastest. The first four will get the double rooms, and the rest will be in the triple rooms. Simple and efficient. Any questions?"
"No!"
The group rubbed their hands together in anticipation. Some had already started to get into character.
However, Lin Guo, who knew Lu Qing well, didn't let her guard down. She watched Lu Qing closely and, sure enough, saw a faint, mischievous smile appear on her teacher's face.
Lu Qing cleared her throat, took out her phone, and opened the timer. "Are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"Okay, ready… What does a fat man become when he falls from the twelfth floor? You have five seconds to answer. Five, four…"
Everyone was dumbfounded. "What? What fat man? What about the fat man?"
"Three, two…"
"He becomes…"
"One, start crying!" The moment Lu Qing's voice fell, she immediately pressed the start button.
Everyone was still thinking about the fat man problem. They never expected the topic to change so quickly. They scrambled to get into character again, and just as they were starting to feel it…
"Stop."
"??? It's over? I haven't even started!!"
"Huh? Was that even ten seconds?"
"What did the fat man do wrong!!"
Lu Qing herself couldn't quite believe her eyes. She looked at the person who had cried, then back at her phone. 7.00 seconds, not a millisecond more!
"Hey? Who was it?" Lin Guo was also stunned. Tears were already welling in her eyes, but they hadn't fallen yet, and it was already over? She had been a professional at crying scenes since she was a child, and she had lost in her strongest suit?
Everyone looked around, and their gazes finally landed on the masked Little Fairy. There were two distinct wet patches on her black mask, and tear tracks were still visible on her eyelids.
"???" Everyone's face was a question mark as they looked to Lu Qing for confirmation.
"Yes, it was Little Fairy. Seven seconds."
"Didn't you say you have no acting experience? How did you cry so fast? And that was with Teacher Lu messing with us. Your fundamentals are too strong!" Lin Guo looked at her in disbelief. Being able to cry within ten seconds was already considered extremely impressive! Her own personal best was eight and a half seconds, but this person had done it in just seven! Could you call that having no experience?
Gu Xinran smiled. "Just a fluke. I happened to think of something very sad."
"I'm going to have to see you in a new light!"
【Holy crap, what did I miss in the time it took me to drink some water?】
【I didn't see it clearly. By the time I looked, she was already crying… That's so badass.】
【Aren't crying scenes a required course for actors? Crying within ten seconds isn't a big deal, is it?】
【Not a big deal? Didn't you see Teacher Lu was messing with them? She disrupted their rhythm, and this person could still cry in seconds. That's real skill.】
【So what did the fat man become, ahhh!】
【A dead fat man…】
【She's got something. I'm starting to get curious about this Little Fairy.】
In the villa, Lu Qing had Gu Xinran sit to the side while the others began the second round of the crying test.
This time, everyone's expression was much more solemn. Little Fairy's unexpected success seemed to have put a lot of pressure on them. Even Lin Guo's brow was furrowed.
In the second round, Lin Guo won with a time of nine point eight seconds. She was a little dissatisfied with her result, but the next second, she ran over and hugged Gu Xinran's arm. "I want to be in the same room as my fairy sister!"
Gu Xinran nodded in agreement.
In the third round, the villainess specialist Qin Qiong narrowly won. In the fourth round, newcomer actress Deng Jia secured the last spot in a double room.
After the rooms were assigned, everyone went back to their rooms to unpack. The clothes Gu Xinran brought this time were in a completely different style from what the original host had worn on the show, cleverly preventing the audience from recognizing her by her outfits.
She organized her clothes and then placed several half-face masks in the closet.
Lin Guo saw them and was astonished. "Wow, fairy sister, are you really planning to not show your face the whole time? Hey, aren't you afraid I'll take off your mask while you're sleeping at night?"
"I trust you." Gu Xinran looked at her, her gaze filled with deep trust.
Lin Guo was silent for a moment, then broke into a smile. "I'm not the kind of person who pries into other people's secrets. If you don't want me to look, I absolutely won't. Don't worry!"
"Okay."
After unpacking, Gu Xinran went to the bathroom and changed into a lighter, half-face mask that revealed her mouth but covered her nose and one side of her face. She looked in the mirror. She probably wouldn't be recognized, right?
Actually, even when she was wearing the full mask, she felt that the shape of her eyes was a pretty obvious giveaway. But when people were guessing her true identity, they focused more on her speech, mannerisms, and style of dress. Just like Lin Guo, who had clearly guessed it was her but then decisively rejected the idea a second later.
After putting on the mask, she stepped out of the bathroom and immediately felt Lin Guo's gaze. She turned to look and gave her a slight smile.
"Wow… fairy sister, you really are a fairy. So that's the shape of your lips. Your face is so slender. You must be very beautiful without the mask!"
"Does this count as flattery?"
"Of course it does!"
The two went downstairs, talking and laughing.
In the living room, someone saw her wearing a new mask and, after a moment of surprise, looked at her with disdain. "Look at her, acting like a buffoon and still so smug."
"Exactly. She doesn't even dare to show her real face. She's probably too ugly to be seen!"
"Hey, what are you talking about?" Lin Guo's hearing was sharp. She heard them and gave the two a displeased look.
"What? We weren't talking about you."
"Well, well, look who it is. Aren't you the two who couldn't cry to save your lives just now? What, you can't compete in acting, so you're number one at talking trash behind people's backs?"
"You! Don't be so nasty."
"I haven't even started with the nasty words yet!" Lin Guo spread her hands, a look of pure innocence on her face.
"Alright, there's nothing to argue about. Let's go."
"Hey, where are you guys going?" Qin Qiong had also just come out of her room and saw Lin Guo pulling Little Fairy's arm as they headed outside.
"Going for a walk. Didn't Teacher Lu say it's free time today? I saw a pond nearby when we arrived. Shouldn't we be enjoying the gentle breeze by the pond on a summer evening~" Lin Guo said.
"That makes sense. I want to go too. I also want to ask fairy sister for some acting advice."
"…" Being called "fairy sister" over and over made Gu Xinran die of embarrassment. If she had known, she wouldn't have picked this name!
The two flanked her, practically escorting her out of the villa.
Lu Qing went to the villa where the veteran actors were staying. After greeting everyone, she started chatting familiarly with them. These were all actors she had worked with extensively in the past, so they were quite familiar with each other.
"You probably won't believe this, but I think I've picked up a real treasure this time!" Lu Qing said proudly.
"I saw. It's that Little Fairy, right? Her fundamentals are very solid, and she has a great presence."
"Yes, I think she's great too. Her control over her emotions is so fluid. She doesn't seem like a newcomer. I just don't know why she's hiding her face."
"Hey, could she be a veteran actor pretending to be a newcomer?"
"Probably not. Didn't she say she's a fashion designer?"
As they speculated, they would occasionally glance at the three television sets hanging on the wall, which were broadcasting the interior scenes of the three villas. Except for Lu Qing's villa, where everyone was enjoying their free time, the mentors in the other two villas were still testing their actors' skills.
"Sigh, Director Bai's group is really… difficult to manage. Their fundamentals are so poor. I'd probably have a breakdown, but her mentality is so good."
"Director Bai is indeed very patient. I've worked with her. She's the one who brought me out from being a mountain kid who knew nothing. I'm very grateful to her," Ye Qihan said.
"Oh, right! You were the star of Life Like Summer Flowers!"
"Yes. Actually, I was just a body double at the time. The original female lead was being a diva and couldn't handle the hardship. She wanted the double to do all her scenes, which infuriated Director Bai. Later, without telling anyone, she took me and reshot all the scenes where the lead's face was shown. During editing, she cut out all of the original lead's scenes and had me take her place."
Everyone was shocked. They had never heard this story before. That director was quite headstrong.
Before long, Yan Xi also arrived at the villa. She entered clutching her forehead. "This is too hard, way too hard. I never knew teaching acting was so difficult. I'm starting to feel sorry for directors. Am I this infuriating when I'm acting?"
Everyone laughed. "Your group is not bad. Look at Director Bai's. I'm really curious to see what she'll transform these people into in five days. Especially Luo Bing. That eye-widening school of acting is just deadly."
On screen, after watching everyone's performance, Bai Yilan was diligently taking notes in her notebook. The group looked at her, feeling slightly uneasy.
A moment later, she closed the notebook and looked at them.
"I have a general idea of your foundations now. They're very poor."
"…" Everyone looked at each other.
"However, precisely because you are blank slates, you're easier to guide." Bai Yilan's expression was gentle. She looked at each person, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face, warming everyone's hearts.
"I lead a team, and my team values teamwork and mutual support. I hope everyone can shine and contribute, motivating and encouraging each other, rather than engaging in backstabbing and scheming. My standard for a good actor is by no means limited to just acting skills."
"You can assign the upstairs rooms among yourselves. Dinner will be delivered later. Get some good rest. We'll officially start recording tomorrow." After speaking, Bai Yilan stood up and left, leaving a cool and composed figure for the camera.
【This Teacher Bai is so badass!!】
【I'm suddenly starting to like her!】
【She's a director, after all. She's the only one of the three mentors who seriously took notes on the actors' conditions the whole time. I believe her professionalism is very strong.】
【Curious to see what she'll transform these people into.】
【Can Luo Bing stop widening her eyes? You're fine at singing, but you really can't act.】
【Teacher Bai's smile just now was so warm! I feel healed!!】
【Am I the only one who noticed how awkward Yang Xue's expression was when the veteran actors were talking about Teacher Bai?】
【Seconded. I want to see the scene where Teacher Bai and Yang Xue meet. I wonder who will be more awkward.】
【I just want to know if Gu Xinran is watching this show. To give up such a wonderful Teacher Bai and cheat with Yang Xue, she must have been kicked in the head by a donkey.】
Meanwhile, Bai Yilan was walking out with a heavy heart when she heard a burst of laughter from the pond. Curious, she walked over for a look and saw Lin Guo and Qin Qiong sitting on either side of Gu Xinran. Xinran had casually woven a crown from willow branches and placed it on Lin Guo's head.
Seeing this, Qin Qiong also clamored for one.
Bai Yilan closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Is this person flirting with girls?
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