CSGM - Chapter 68
Chapter 68: Don't Ignore Me
Her words landed like a heavy blow. Ren Zhi was being completely blunt.
Suddenly rebuked again, Chu Xi froze in a daze for a few seconds.
First she was tricked, then she was scolded. She'd done several things today that felt almost foreign to her... Normally, she would never tolerate anyone walking all over her like this.
Her nature was wild?
She was flippant?
Fine, fine. Regardless of whether those descriptions were accurate, even if they were, so what?
Chu Xi found it baffling. She frowned and asked Ren Zhi, displeased, "Did I do something to offend you?"
Why scold her all of a sudden...
She hadn't done anything out of line to Ren Zhi today, had she?
This is so unfair, Chu Xi thought to herself.
Ren Zhi looked at her, then closed her eyes and took a slow breath. The next moment, she turned her body away.
It's better not to face Chu Xi, she thought. I need to calm down a little, too.
Respect others' choices... Respect others' choices... It has nothing to do with me... Ren Zhi chanted silently.
Chu Xi circled around to face her and squatted down, tilting her head to look at her face. She asked persistently:
"What are you so angry about now?"
But Ren Zhi was also part of this training camp, part of the Three Kingdoms crew.
Even as she closed her eyes and tried to calm down, she truly couldn't fathom how Chu Xi could so casually treat all this effort as a game.
Just here to... have some fun?
"Ren Zhi, don't ignore me."
Chu Xi poked the back of her hand and tugged at the corner of her sleeve. "Hey, hey...?"
Now she looked completely clueless, not so smart anymore.
Until she figured out why Ren Zhi was suddenly angry again, Chu Xi felt as if a stone was weighing on her heart, unable to find peace.
Besides, why was she always getting angry at her?
Chu Xi asked, perplexed, "Do you hate me or something?"
That can't be it.
Fortunately, Ren Zhi replied, "No."
After replying, Ren Zhi found it amusing. Does Chu Xi actually care whether I hate her or not?
Isn't she someone who never lives by other people's opinions?
If it weren't for Chu Xi's genuinely superior intellect and her unique personal brand, with her disastrously low emotional intelligence, she would have faded into obscurity at the bottom of the industry long ago.
Ren Zhi sighed, admitting to herself that someone like Chu Xi was a truly rare oddity, the kind you see once in a century.
"Is your brain a one-way street? Do you ever consider other people's feelings?" she asked.
"So I really did make you angry?" Chu Xi understood the implication but not the reason.
She studied Ren Zhi's expression, her brow furrowed as she replayed her recent actions in her mind.
She was just weaving branches with her hands, not doing anything else...
As for what she'd said... those few sentences...
-Leaving the camp.
-It's not like I have to be in the movie.
Right, she got it.
Chu Xi told Ren Zhi again, "I won't leave the camp, don't worry. Since you're here, I'll stay until the end too. I said that was my original plan, but I've changed it now. So don't be angry anymore, okay?"
That should fix it, right?
Ren Zhi didn't want her to leave the training camp, so she wouldn't.
She'd keep her company.
Ren Zhi looked up at her. "..."
She had a little emotional intelligence, but not much.
As her stern expression softened, Chu Xi began to smile.
"I'll be here to keep you company every day."
Ren Zhi suddenly fell silent again. "..."
Did Chu Xi misunderstand something?
It seemed so. She quickly saw Chu Xi's expression turn smug.
She even looked secretly pleased with herself.
Ren Zhi was both exasperated and amused. She let out a scoff. "Chu Xi."
Chu Xi looked over with a grin. "Yes?"
"You've got it wrong. Let me ask you, when you auditioned for this training camp, did you tell the director you were just here to have some fun?"
"Of course not."
"Then did you tell anyone else you were planning to leave halfway through?"
"Huh? No."
Chu Xi gave her a puzzled look. Why was she suddenly asking this?
Ren Zhi sneered.
"Have some fun? Who are you playing with? The director, who's trying to figure out which role suits you? The teachers on the crew who are putting their hearts into teaching you? The person who was eliminated early because you took their spot? The feelings of every trainee who looks at the assessment rankings each week?"
Chu Xi was stunned, hit with a barrage of questions that left her unsure how to even begin to answer.
She...
"Everyone is taking this seriously. You know this is a job. Since you joined, you implicitly agreed to that, so why are you treating it like a game?"
As Ren Zhi questioned her, Chu Xi's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"If you only wanted to have fun from the start, then perhaps you shouldn't have come here at all. To take an opportunity like this, an investment of several months, and cast it aside like a worn-out shoe-does that bring you some kind of pleasure? Chu Xi?"
Ren Zhi said her name at the end, and the words Chu Xi was about to say caught in her throat.
As everyone knows, when someone calls you by your full name in a serious tone, you have a subconscious jolt of alarm.
The air was silent for a few moments.
It was like the calm after a summer downpour, and the usual, harmonious chirping of cicadas returned from all around.
But to Chu Xi, the sharp chirping of the cicadas seemed to slice through the air like a knife.
She had been fiercely attacked by Ren Zhi, a head-on assault. Ren Zhi had unleashed her full firepower, leaving her speechless.
But she was slowly starting to understand why Ren Zhi was angry.
It wasn't because she was planning to leave the camp, it seemed.
It was because she'd said she was just here to have some fun.
She cleared her throat. "Ren Zhi, it's not what you think..."
"Then what is it?"
"I originally... just wanted to come and check things out." To see if there was an opportunity to teach a class.
Ren Zhi asked, "And now you're done checking?"
Chu Xi nodded. "Yeah."
Ren Zhi gave a cold laugh. It seemed the rapid-fire questioning had stirred up her own deep-seated anger, and her expression turned unfriendly again. "Then do as you please."
She turned away again, facing a different direction, and focused on her craft.
Chu Xi ran a hand through her hair, messing up the wolf cut at the back of her head. She didn't know what to say, her brow knitted tightly.
She sat back down on the banana leaf, sinking into quiet self-doubt.
Did I do something wrong?
She just didn't care that much whether she ended up in this movie or not.
Why did saying it out loud... infuriate Ren Zhi?
Sigh...
Maybe Ren Zhi doesn't like it when people talk about 'having fun' so casually in a professional setting?
"Ren Zhi, I won't quit. I was just talking," Chu Xi said, nudging Ren Zhi's arm.
Ren Zhi continued to ignore her.
"I'll definitely stay until the end to compete for a role..."
"I think you misunderstood. I'm not being careless. I've been first in every single assessment."
"I just meant that with or without me, someone will end up playing the part. I wasn't trying to mess with anyone."
"Ren Zhi, Ren Zhi..."
Ren Zhi opened her eyes.
She never thought she'd live to see the day Chu Xi would wear such a meek and submissive expression.
Usually, Chu Xi was so proud her tail was practically in the clouds.
Now, that expression on Chu Xi's face actually made her look somewhat innocent and adorkable.
Sure enough... a pretty face was a trump card in social situations. Ren Zhi inevitably softened.
Once her heart softened, her words did too.
"Alright, I get it. Now hurry up and finish the souvenir you were making."
"Hehe."
Chu Xi's brow smoothed, and she broke into a smile.
The director had announced that everyone needed to gather back at the starting point by six in the evening. Watching the time, the two of them started heading back at five-thirty.
That afternoon, Ren Zhi had used willow twigs to fashion some stars, which she tied to a hanger-shaped branch she'd found, creating a little star tree.
However... the final result didn't quite match what she'd envisioned. Ren Zhi thought the handmade tree looked a little ridiculous.
It wasn't very pretty, but at least its materials were all-natural.
Ren Zhi couldn't help but laugh as she looked at her ridiculous creation.
"You made a tree?" Chu Xi asked, pointing at it with a smile.
"Yes, a star tree. It's a little strange," Ren Zhi said, unable to hold back a self-deprecating laugh.
"It's not as pretty as mine. The shape is all warped."
Ren Zhi's smile vanished the next second.
"Mm..."
When they got back to the meeting point, Ren Zhi gave the little tree to a trainee who came up and asked if she could have it.
She smiled generously. "If you like it, it's yours."
"Ahhhhh! Thank you, Teacher Ren!"
The female trainee was a fan of Ren Zhi's to begin with. Overjoyed to receive a handmade gift from her idol, she ran off, holding it, looking at it, and showing it off to everyone.
Chu Xi stared for a moment, then turned to her with an objection. "Why didn't you give it to me?"
As if she doesn't know why I didn't give it to her.
Ren Zhi's lips twitched into a polite but merciless smile.
Chu Xi looked down at the little cat she was holding. "..."
A wasted effort. It was all a wasted effort.
Still, she offered the one she had carefully prepared to Ren Zhi. "Here, I made this for you. A souvenir from our fun day today."
"For me?"
"Uh-huh."
Chu Xi placed it in her hand. It was a little brown cat, just the right size to fit in her palm.
"Be careful not to crush it. I left something for you on it..."
"Teacher Ren!"
Before she could finish, three more trainees ran over excitedly, their eyes fixed on the object in Ren Zhi's hand.
Chu Xi looked up, annoyed. Why are they so nosy?
Everyone knew Ren Zhi had just given a trainee a handmade gift, and they were envious. Seeing another one in her hand, they rushed over to try their luck.
They pointed at the little cat and asked eagerly, "Teacher Ren, did you make this one too? It's amazing! So cute!"
Chu Xi cut in mercilessly, "I made it."
Stop dreaming. Their intentions are so obvious.
The trainees let out a disappointed "Oh..." but they were still captivated by the cat's craftsmanship. They turned to Chu Xi. "Well, Chu Xi, can we borrow it for a bit?"
Chu Xi said flatly, "I've already given it to Teacher Ren."
Ren Zhi smiled. Chu Xi always felt she was much gentler with others than with her. "You can take it for a look, but be careful. You have to give it back to me later, okay?"
She even said "okay~".
Chu Xi sucked in a breath. She was about to get goosebumps.
"How come you're not that gentle with me? Why don't you say 'okay~' to me-"
She deliberately drew out the last word, exaggerating her imitation of Ren Zhi's tone to tease her.
Ren Zhi rolled her eyes at her.
"They're much more pleasant to talk to than you are."
Suddenly, a surprised "Holy crap!" erupted behind them.
The next shout was, "This is incredible!"
"It's amazing!!"
"So cool! Come look at this!"
A group of trainees was crowded around the little handmade cat, holding it up to the sunlight. They looked like gamers who had just discovered a hidden map, their jaws practically on the floor.
"Zhi-zhi-zhi-zhi-zhi-"
Ren Zhi thought someone was calling her name, but when she looked back, she saw the trainees were pointing at the ground.
"?" Ren Zhi felt something was odd.
"I left your name on it for you," Chu Xi explained with a smug smile.
"Teacher Ren! You have to come see this!"
Puzzled, Ren Zhi walked over to where the trainees were gathered. She saw that as the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the little cat's body, it projected a pattern of light and shadow on the ground, forming the character "Zhi".
Only then did she realize the cleverness of the little cat's construction.
There was a hidden feature.
Now, everyone knew this gift was made exclusively for Ren Zhi.
Chu Xi stood at the edge of the crowd with her arms crossed, tilting her head and watching her with a triumphant smile.
The little surprise I prepared had a pretty good effect, right?
"As expected of Chu Xi, even her crafts are on another level. I just don't know how she wove it like this..." a trainee muttered, scratching their head as they studied it.
"I was wondering why Chu Xi gave it to Teacher Ren and not me. It's because it has her name on it. I'm so jealous..."
Before they knew it, the group had been passing the little cat around until six o'clock. The longer they waited, the more puzzled they became-
Why aren't XX and XXX back yet?
In a corner, the Director was silently counting heads. He checked his watch, counted again, then scanned the area with a frown-
The time is up, so why have only eighty-something trainees returned?
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