A Scummy Alpha and An Award-Winning Omega Actress Fell in Love After an Arranged Marriage - Chapter 52 

Sheng Lan had a very simple reason to give.

Lu Xueyin had skyrocketed to fame shortly after her debut.

Her stunning looks were one thing, but the strong emotional resonance she evoked in her limited screen time was another.

As her resources improved, she had the talent to seize opportunities, leading to a rapid rise in her career. After just a few TV dramas, she transitioned to films.

All her works were high-quality productions, so it was only natural for Sheng Lan to watch them.

For the more obscure roles like guest appearances or special cameos, a quick search to catch up was enough.

Sheng Lan had her own way of studying Lu Xueyin’s filmography. For lead roles, she sped through them. For supporting roles with minimal screen time, she searched for recaps and edits, familiarizing herself with the snippets highlighted by various bloggers.

The honest answer was as above.

But with other guests as foils, if she didn’t seize the chance to stir things up, she wouldn’t be Sheng Lan.

“Yes, I’ve always admired Lu Xueyin. I’ve watched all her works.”

The production team had a unique questioning technique, passing the mic with one question after another.

This method was Director Cheng’s brainchild, designed for on-screen couples real or fake. Asking a series of questions made it awkward if the guest avoided answering, hindering further discussion.

By throwing five or six questions at once, the guest could pick and choose, leaving some unanswered. This kept things measured and allowed for follow-up questions to extract more information.

Sensitive and routine questions were interspersed, with a few neutral ones in between. This way, when the sensitive ones came back, guests often answered selectively.

Sheng Lan was no stranger to tough interviews, but romance-related questions were unfamiliar territory since she’d never been linked to anyone before.

Her response strategy? “If you haven’t seen a pig run, at least you’ve eaten pork.”

Her template was the behavior of real-life couples during joint interviews.

Keep answers vague but suggestive.

Avoid looking at the camera or the host instead, let your gaze linger on your “partner,” subtle yet unmistakable.

No chemistry? Manufacture some.

With the right lighting and editing, even a glance could sparkle, making everyone believe it was real.

Her answers had to be shippable.

Within the bounds of ambiguity, sprinkle in words like “like” or “I like.”

For example, liking the contrast between her on-screen and off-screen personality, or admiring certain traits.

While expressing admiration, layer on the flattery, letting the audience see Lu Xueyin through her eyes.

This interview dynamic was rare for Trial Love.

Most guests, even those openly promoting a couple image, played it safe on the show, fearing fallout. Their vibe was, “We’re close, but it’s purely platonic respect.”

The show had two fixed segments: a pre-broadcast guessing game and a post-filming night chat.

Both involved solo interviews, usually filled with clichés. Even Sheng Lan’s answers were scripted but she dared to say what others wouldn’t.

In this episode, she’d already won.

With her leading the way, Lu Xueyin had to follow suit.

Equally inexperienced, but with acting skills beyond the ordinary.

In their increasingly bold attempts, since they had openly admitted to being “Artificial Sweetness” from the start and even had moments of forced awkwardness, their subsequent progress was smooth, achieving significant breakthroughs. Yet, even when they told the truth in front of the audience, no one believed them.

People might ship them, but they still saw them as fake.

With this premise as a safety net, she could perform without pressure, allowing herself to go slightly overboard at times while knowing when to rein it in.

Praise was necessary, but her compliments differed from Sheng Lan’s style. She didn’t sound like someone who had memorized countless lines, her vocabulary limited to repetitive phrases like “sounds good” or “looks nice.”

Yet, because it matched her personality, it came across as sincere, like genuine admiration.

After their segment wrapped up, Director Cheng prodded the other two pairs through the earpiece, urging them to keep up and arranging interviews for them as well.

The “Bing Tang” couple had no issues and quickly agreed.

They openly apologized for not being familiar with each other’s past works, explaining that their pairing was formed after their drama aired. Though they hadn’t collaborated much before, during the drama’s broadcast period, they joined Trial Love, and they weren’t entirely clueless about each other’s previous projects, they could name several, which the audience accepted well.

The interview questions were slightly guided, asking them to share their biggest takeaway since filming began and the most touching thing the other had done for them, smoothly wrapping up the activity.

For the “Fake Couple,” Director Cheng used reverse psychology.

Mainly targeting Ji Xinlan.

“Think about it, you three groups played the same game, but ended up just supporting Sheng Lan and the others, giving them free publicity. Doesn’t that annoy you? This is the grand finale, and you’re being interviewed last. Don’t you want to grab some of the spotlight?”

Anyone could see there was no way to steal the spotlight, nor could they outshine the others.

But Ji Xinlan took the bait. Since it was almost over, any extra attention was better than none.

Once she agreed, Meng Qing had no objections.

After this round, it was time for dinner, preparing for the haunted house challenge.

Cards had to be drawn. Tonight, Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin drew the “role-play” card, while the other two pairs got “hide-and-seek.”

Since they had a 100% accuracy rate in the afternoon’s game, completely outperforming the other groups, they could choose any props they wanted.

Truthfully, Sheng Lan didn’t want any.

Their own prepared props hadn’t even been memorized carrying them would just be a burden.

But Lu Xueyin was interested, so Sheng Lan followed along, picking and choosing lightweight items, all Talisman Paper.

After dinner, a short break followed the same routine as the previous day.

For the hide-and-seek card, they had to decide who would hide. The “Bing Tang” couple switched roles today, Yan Bing hid while Tang Yingyue searched.

The “Fake Couple” both wanted to slack off and hide, so Director Cheng made an exception, having them play rock-paper-scissors, one round to decide.

The good news: Meng Qing won.

The bad news: Meng Qing drew the “seek” card.

As per the rules, the “hide” card went first.

Each couple could exchange one sentence.

The “Bing Tang” couple had good chemistry. Tang Yingyue, full of energy, promised she’d definitely find Yan Bing. Yan Bing responded dutifully, “I’ll wait for you.”

For the “Fake Couple,” Meng Qing grinned like a villain. “You like slacking off, huh? Then hide well people who hide don’t get screen time or attention.”

She might as well have said, “Come find me yourself.”

Lu Xueyin sat next to Sheng Lan and remarked, “Meng Qing’s way of talking is a lot like yours.”

Sheng Lan didn’t hesitate to shift the blame. “Bad influence, she corrupted me.”

The two were close friends who shared similar interests, the kind who would openly tag each other in Weibo posts to chat. It was only natural for their behavioral styles to align.

Lu Xueyin didn’t mind this. She cut to the chase, “Oh, so you admit you’re bad?”

Sheng Lan decided to prove it, “Give me an example. Don’t just say it, what exactly have I done to make you think I’m bad? Elaborate.”

Lu Xueyin refused to indulge her.

She turned her head away and overheard Ji Xinlan responding to Meng Qing, “Do I really need help finding my way into the house? If you can catch me, I’ll admit defeat.”

Sheng Lan grew intrigued. “Their livestream today is going to be interesting. Based on the show’s flexible task cards, the ‘cat-and-mouse game’ will start within half an hour of entering.”

Lu Xueyin lowered her gaze.

She suspected Sheng Lan enjoyed this kind of thrilling gameplay, but her partner wasn’t up to the task, making it impossible to play.

To compensate, she’d have to fully commit to the role during the livestream, maximizing the tension.

Today’s location was the clock tower small in area but towering in height.

Sheng Lan hadn’t told her the main focus of the broadcast, making it seem more like she was taking her up there to hide.

They’d been playing games all afternoon, leaving no time to dwell on it.

She decided to adjust her approach once they arrived.

Following the schedule, the role-play cards were assigned to the second group to depart.

The distance was short just a few minutes’ walk.

On the way, Sheng Lan pulled out all the protective charms peace talismans, evil-warding talismans, and various other safeguards from the backpacks and stuffed them into Lu Xueyin’s pockets.

Too many items would reduce mobility. Given the livestream’s genre, the horror elements were minimal, so Sheng Lan sorted through them and handed Lu Xueyin the high-powered flashlight she’d found handy the night before.

The flashlight had a three-centimeter-thick steel base perfect for smashing mirrors.

Since they’d drawn role-play cards, they didn’t need to split up for costumes upon arrival.

To avoid repetitive tropes, Director Cheng maximized their strengths by assigning them the roles of “Matchmaker Ghosts.”

The ghost names and traits were self-invented.

A pair of Matchmaker Ghosts, one who loved uniting couples, the other who delighted in tearing them apart.

Encounter the Matchmaker? Danger, danger, danger.

Encounter the Matchmaker? Joy, joy, joy.

They were to act as flexible NPCs, roaming freely and issuing mandatory task cards to any guests they met.

For breakup tasks, they’d steer couples in opposite directions.

For matchmaking tasks, they could arrange impromptu dates.

The instructions were sparse. After skimming them, Sheng Lan found the show’s approach ridiculous. “They call us a pair of Matchmakers, but we have to split up? Seriously?”

Was this even a dating show anymore?

Director Cheng said they could also matchmake each other if they wanted. “The tasks are what they are.”

Sheng Lan understood within the rules, they could still move together and make guests draw their own fate.

The Matchmaker costumes were heavily inspired by traditional matchmaker attire, styled in a Republic-era fashion: dark blue jackets, black horse-face skirts, and red embroidered shoes.

The makeup had reference images, but the foundation was so pale that the overall effect was eerie. To compensate, they were given masks to choose from.

Both Sheng Lan and Lu Xueyin opted for masks, keeping the foundation light to avoid sweat ruining it when removed.

As key NPCs, they entered first to hide.

Sheng Lan pulled Lu Xueyin along, sprinting straight to the third floor to survey the scene below.

With their NPC identities, they couldn’t smash mirrors.

The third floor had the fewest mirrors, the perfect place to wait.

The view was wide open, allowing them to be flexible when other guests needed to go upstairs, even lying in wait on the staircase.

Sheng Lan turned off her earpiece, and Lu Xueyin followed suit.

Sheng Lan said, “Being a mere tool is out of the question, so let’s just go through the motions and then head to the attic to have some fun.”

Lu Xueyin glanced at her and, taking advantage of the fact that the show hadn’t started yet, asked, “What are we going to do in the attic? Don’t just stop broadcasting because I’m afraid of ghosts.”

Sheng Lan replied, “Oh, we’ll broadcast. Isn’t this the script the production team shoved at us? ‘A Pair of Matchmakers’, sister, do you know what ‘a pair’ means?”

So, today’s interactions would lean toward a theatrical, stage-play style.

Sheng Lan met Lu Xueyin’s gaze directly. “The more you fear something, the more you shouldn’t hide from it. Like a child’s fist clenched in their pocket or hands hidden behind their back… We can be open about it. You don’t have to be afraid, you’ve done nothing wrong.”

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