After My Cross-dressing Cover Was Blown, the Movie Star Became My Accomplice - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

◎Getting in back then was based on looks?◎

The ancestral hall is located in the center of Xiantao Village and is the most conspicuous building in the settlement.

When there are no events, the plaza in front of the hall is usually very quiet, but at this moment, it was bustling with people coming and going, a scene of great liveliness.

The villagers were preparing for the upcoming Mountain God Festival. They were setting up bonfires and stalls; the sound of wood clashing and hammers striking echoed throughout the plaza.

Women gathered in circles, their nimble hands weaving vibrant tassels with colored threads, which were then hung on ropes to flutter in the breeze.

The guests and the production crew carefully navigated around the busy locals. Without disturbing their work, they pushed open the heavy gates of the ancestral hall and stepped into the ancient interior.

The Village Chief stood behind the gate, greeting them with a smile; it seemed he had been waiting for a long time.

“Good morning, everyone! Today, I will be the one guiding you all to complete the mission.”

“Morning, Chief! Today is Sister Mu Yao’s turn for the mission!”

After spending time together yesterday, Kong Yanfei and the Chief had become somewhat familiar. Having adjusted her state after a night’s rest, she remained the most active among the guests.

“The mission says it’s dancing. Is it simple? Is it easy to learn?” Qu Fu asked. Due to the nature of her profession as an actress, she often experienced different things. She had never encountered a ritual dance before and figured she could observe it; if she ever took on a similar role in the future, it would serve as good reference.

“Haha, ordinary ritual dances are very simple—you can learn just by watching on the day of the Mountain God celebration. However, the mission Ms. Mu Yao has to complete today is quite special!”

The moment the Chief used that title, Mu Yao felt his body go stiff for a second. He awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Ms.? Chief, you might as well just call me ‘Guest Mu.’ Who on earth reminded you to say ‘Ms.’?!

The Chief certainly knew the guests’ identities and was aware of his disguise. For him to say this now, it could only be an arrangement made by the production crew.

“Our girl Mu Yao’s mission is special? Now I’m truly curious. Chief, hurry up and tell us what exactly makes it so special.”

Bi Tu originally wanted to crack a joke, but on second thought, the Mountain God dance was a local custom. It wouldn’t be good to joke about it in front of the Village Chief, so he dropped the idea, though his movements and voice remained extremely exaggerated as he looked around.

Cheng Zeyi walked up to Mu Yao’s side and said softly, “Don’t worry. No matter how special or difficult it is, I will help you. You just focus on the dance.”

…Actually, I could handle it alone.

Mu Yao nodded on the surface, but he felt a bit uncomfortable inside. He didn’t want to be constantly helped; he was capable on his own.

The group followed the Chief deeper into the ancestral hall. In a courtyard at the very back, there was a massive pool with several tall wooden stakes standing in the water.

Seeing these waterborne stakes, Mu Yao had a premonition: the upcoming task would likely involve them.

“Special ritual dances require special methods. These water stakes are the special part, and the other special element is this.”

The Chief gestured for everyone to look at the stakes. Simultaneously, several burly men wearing the same style of clothing as Mu Yao walked over. One of them was holding a black cloth strip.

“The dance of the Shrine Guardian requires being blindfolded while dancing on the stakes without falling. Success is only achieved once the music ends. I know this is hard, so we’ve prepared a teacher to instruct. Ms. Mu Yao has three hours to learn the dance. One hour before the formal performance, you can get on the stakes to familiarize yourself. At exactly 12:00 PM noon, the ritual dance officially begins.”

the man holding the cloth strip stepped forward and patted his chest.

“I am the teacher responsible for instructing the dance. The Shrine Guardian can practice here in the plaza with me. The first two hours are for learning the movements and familiarizing yourself with the tempo of the music. The last hour is for wearing the blindfold to adapt to the darkness.”

As soon as the dance instructor finished speaking, Cheng Zeyi and Qu Fu spoke at the same time, though Qu Fu was slightly faster.

“Wait a moment. Dancing directly on the stakes like that is too dangerous; there’s a risk of falling into the water at any time, let alone while blindfolded. In previous missions, other guests could help out, but other guests can’t provide any help for this task. How are you going to ensure Mu Yao’s safety?”

Looking at Qu Fu, who had spoken before him, Cheng Zeyi’s smile became more pronounced. He immediately followed up:

“This mission must be conducted under the condition that the other guests can assist Mu Yao. Otherwise, we won’t agree to Mu Yao doing the mission.”

“Exactly! Even though my mission hasn’t been done yet and I haven’t received help from everyone, we all put in effort and participated in Sister Qu Fu’s and Uncle Bi Tu’s missions. We can’t let Sister Mu Yao work hard all by herself.”

Kong Yanfei nodded repeatedly. She didn’t want a small gift exchanged for Mu Yao getting hurt; she wouldn’t want a gift like that.

Good grief, why are these big shots rushing to find trouble for themselves?

“Ahem, yes! It’s the spirit of participation—we have to participate too!” Bi Tu said, winking. In his heart, he was perfectly happy to watch from the sidelines, but after what he did yesterday, today was his chance to redeem himself. He couldn’t go against the grain.

“Hahaha, don’t worry everyone. I will certainly guarantee the guest’s safety. There are air cushions at the bottom of the pool, so falling in won’t cause injury. These men aren’t just here for show either; they were called by me to help catch Ms. Mu Yao in the water. Of course, the job of catching her isn’t just for them—each guest has a fixed position as well.”

The Chief smiled. He had long since made comprehensive arrangements to let the guests participate and keep Mu Yao from getting hurt.

“Let them catch people?” Cheng Zeyi frowned, asking a seemingly random question.

“Yes, they are all professionals, you can rest assured. Moreover, the dance movements are not difficult. If Ms. Mu Yao has dance experience, she will surely be able to complete it.”

The Chief nodded repeatedly. Besides safety, he had also considered the difficulty of the choreography.

Cheng Zeyi stopped speaking, and the others seemed to accept the Chief’s arrangements.

Once the decision was made to proceed, Mu Yao immediately began learning from the dance master. While the instructor was teaching the ritual dance, Qu Fu and Kong Yanfei huddled close to learn along with him. Although they wouldn’t be dancing on the stakes, they were very interested in this unique ritual.

Bi Tu was about to find a place to slack off but was stopped by Cheng Zeyi.

“Teacher Bi, let’s go check out the stakes.”

“Huh?” Bi Tu was stunned. He didn’t quite understand why he needed to go trudge through water at the stakes.

“Since we are responsible for Mu Yao’s safety, it’s best to inspect the terrain first. We need to confirm which stakes are difficult to step on or prone to causing a slip. Better safe than sorry!”

Cheng Zeyi finished with a smile and, without waiting for Bi Tu’s reply, turned toward the stakes.

Movie King, at least give me a choice! I’m old, I don’t want to exert myself!!

Bi Tu was actually very reluctant to participate, especially in physical labor, but he couldn’t afford to offend Cheng Zeyi, so he put on a smiling face and followed.

Mu Yao had participated in a survival show before and had undergone high-intensity dance training. To learn a dance as quickly as possible, he had summarized some tricks in his mind.

He carefully observed the instructor’s movements while trying to figure out the meaning behind them. He thought about the atmosphere and intent of the ritual dance, projecting himself into the actions. At this moment, Mu Yao wasn’t just learning specific moves; he was truly trying to merge into the state of the ritual, attempting to communicate with the gods.

The rhythm of the ritual music, the steps of the dance, and his own comprehension of the intent made Mu Yao’s learning progress extremely rapid. Qu Fu and Kong Yanfei, who were learning alongside him, were stunned. They looked at Mu Yao in disbelief.

“Wow, Sister Mu Yao learns so fast! How do you do it?”

“Yeah, Mu Yao, this is too fast. Didn’t the teacher only perform it twice?”

During a break between runs of the dance, the two swarmed him.

“I have my own little tricks. You can’t just learn the movements; you have to learn the meaning they express.” Mu Yao tried his best to teach his little tips to the two, but since neither had a dance background, they were completely lost.

“Mu Yao, did you study dance before? I mean, before entering the survival show.” Qu Fu asked curiously. She didn’t know much about Mu Yao, only that he came out of a boy group survival show, but she hadn’t looked into the details.

“No. Back then, getting in was… based on looks?” Mu Yao recalled the past with a peculiar expression on his face.

“You learned it later? Then you’re so talented! If you kept studying dance and participated in similar activities, you would definitely have debuted!” Qu Fu’s eyes widened. She truly felt Mu Yao had talent; if he could be in a group, he would definitely shine.

“No, that’s likely impossible.” Mu Yao just smiled, not speaking of his expectations for the stage.

“Sister Mu Yao, once the mission is done and you have time, can you teach me to dance?” Kong Yanfei saw that Cheng Zeyi was still in the distance, so she insisted on calling him Sister.

“Sure. You want to learn this ritual dance?” Mu Yao looked at her curiously. He sensed that this wasn’t the dance she wanted to learn.

“No, it’s another dance. It’ll be March soon, and I want to perform a dance for my mom. Shh, don’t tell anyone!” Kong Yanfei whispered. She wanted to give her mother a surprise.

Little girl, those words are being recorded by the crew. Let’s just hope they have a conscience and save this as an Easter egg for you! Mu Yao twitched his lips, thinking she was still young and naive, failing to consider the reality of a recorded television program.

“Okay. Find the dance, and I’ll teach you. We can exchange contact info when we get back.”

The three chatted for a few more minutes before continuing their practice. Because Mu Yao learned so quickly, the instructor shortened the time for ground practice. Once Mu Yao was comfortable with the darkness, the teacher led him to the stakes and let him step on them to get a feel for their positions.

The moment Mu Yao stepped onto the stakes, the people responsible for his safety were already in position. Mu Yao took a deep breath standing atop a stake and began to practice, his figure initially somewhat unsteady.