After My Cross-dressing Cover Was Blown, the Movie Star Became My Accomplice - Chapter 4

◎ Mu Yao… Hello. Are you a civilian? ◎

After a day of traveling, the crew and guests were exhausted. Once the rooms were assigned, everyone dispersed to their own quarters.

Mu Yao found his room with his keycard, stepped inside, and set down his suitcase. Immediately after, he pulled back the curtains to look out at the village.

The thick ghostly aura was masked by the night, but danger seemed to be lurking in the darkness.

“Not good. I hope no issues arise during the upcoming filming.”

Mu Yao closed the curtains again, turned to open his suitcase, took out his toiletries, and headed to the bathroom. No matter what happened next, he needed to rest well today to face tomorrow’s shoot.

As the sky just began to turn gray, the pre-set alarm rang in his ear. Mu Yao woke up groggily to the pleasant melody.

“Time… to work.”

Rubbing his eyes, Mu Yao stood up unsteadily and headed back to the bathroom to wash up. Just as he finished brushing his teeth, a knock sounded on the door, and a staff member’s voice drifted in.

“Teacher Mu Yao, are you up? We’re doing a surprise wake-up call!”

The staff member’s voice wasn’t loud—it was mostly a symbolic line for the camera. Their goal was simple: to capture the guests looking sleepy or startled.

Unfortunately, since Mu Yao woke up early, this surprise was bound to fail. Mu Yao casually slung a towel around his neck and walked over to open the door.

“Good morning.”

“Uh, Teacher Mu Yao, you’re already awake? So early!”

The staff member was about to quietly open the door when it suddenly swung open on its own. He instinctively looked up to see Mu Yao standing there with a drop of water still hanging from his hair, clearly already finished with his morning routine.

“Mhm, I’m a habitual early riser. Are you still coming in to film?”

Mu Yao glanced at the cameraman behind the staff member. Seeing the man aiming the lens at him, he stepped aside and made an inviting gesture.

“N-no need! Since Teacher Mu Yao is already awake, we don’t need to wake you up! However, once you’ve finished packing, please hurry downstairs with your luggage. You need to change into your costume and get styled.”

The staff member waved his hands repeatedly, gave a quick reminder, and turned with the cameraman toward Bi Tu’s room.

Seeing they weren’t coming in, Mu Yao didn’t say much. He went back inside to pack, preparing to head downstairs and change into the crew’s costume as instructed.

“Teacher, these are the costumes for the upcoming shoot. We’ll need you to wear this during filming for the next few days! Also, do you still have the envelope for your identity card?”

Inside the dressing room, a female staff member stood before Mu Yao holding a stack of clothes. It was a very distinctive Miao ethnic female costume. On the table beside her sat a waist-length wig, silver ornaments that looked quite heavy, and a silicone prosthetic designed to make a man look more feminine by accentuating graceful curves.

“…Is it really necessary to be this thorough?”

Even someone as stoic as Mu Yao couldn’t help but be shocked. It was only the day before yesterday that his cross-dressing role was finalized; they had spent the following day flying and traveling. Where did the crew find the energy and means to prepare all of this?!

“Hehehe, Xiao Mu, our production team is very professional!”

The director walked over with a smile, giving a thumbs-up gesture.

“I… I can tell. Very professional indeed… Oh, I have the envelope.”

Seeing the director come over to explain personally, Mu Yao couldn’t ask much more. As a low-tier celebrity, he couldn’t exactly pick a fight with the director.

He had kept the envelope in the outermost pocket of his suitcase, making it easy to retrieve. He held the envelope and looked at the director and staff.

“Did you check the envelope? There’s a hidden sub-mission inside the inner lining—only the ‘Shrine Maiden’ identity has it. You can take a look. From here on out, it depends on your ability!”

The director patted Mu Yao on the shoulder mysteriously and gave him a wink.

Mu Yao was startled. He had assumed the envelope only contained the identity card; he hadn’t realized a mission was hidden inside. Following the director’s hint, he finally saw a line of small text at the bottom of the envelope.

“Hidden Mission: If a female guest draws the Shrine Maiden identity, she must have the guest star help complete her tasks on the mission day. If a male guest draws the Shrine Maiden identity, he must disguise his gender and ensure the guest star does not discover his true gender throughout the journey. A souvenir will be awarded upon completion!”

‘No wonder the crew prepared things so quickly; they had already anticipated a male guest might draw the role.’

Mu Yao finally understood what the director meant by “professional.” As expected of this crew.

Per the staff’s instructions, Mu Yao put on the long Miao skirt, the wig, and the silver jewelry. He felt the heavy weight on his earlobes and let out a long sigh.

“Wow! This outfit suits Teacher Mu Yao so well. You’ll look even prettier once the makeup is on!”

The makeup artist looked at the man in the long dress with amazement. Usually, a man in a dress looks discordant and abrupt, but this skirt fit Mu Yao perfectly. With the addition of the silicone curves, there was no sense of mismatch at first glance.

“Mhm.”

Mu Yao gave a weak response, letting the makeup artist continue to apply layers of products to his face.

At the inn’s entrance, Qu Fu, Bi Tu, and Kong Yanfei had already changed and were waiting by their suitcases.

Qu Fu wore a black-and-blue short jacket with side buttons and black fabric trousers with diamond-shaped canvas patches at the knees. The style was simple, durable, and dirt-resistant. Her hair was tied up high, making her look very capable.

Bi Tu wore an indigo cross-collar short jacket with dark reinforced patches at the elbows and black wide-leg trousers tucked into leggings. Over his clothes, he wore a double-layered cowhide apron with a pair of gloves in the pocket.

Kong Yanfei wore a blue side-buttoned short jacket and matching tapered trousers. Her pants were sewn with wild goatskin, and various beautiful stones hung from her waist, making crisp clinking sounds as she moved.

“I heard them say Mu Yao was already up. Does it really take that long to change?”

Qu Fu tapped the handle of her suitcase with her finger, her searching gaze shifting toward the dressing room.

“The production team must have a surprise.”

Bi Tu narrowed his eyes, recalling his experience while changing. The crew had prepared two dressing rooms on the first floor—one for men and one for women—which should have been enough. Strangely, Bi Tu was only scheduled to change after Qu Fu and Kong Yanfei had finished.

Bi Tu knew the crew was sensible; with his seniority, they wouldn’t slight him. For them to spend so much time on Mu Yao’s appearance, there had to be a deep reason.

“Hehe, Brother Mu Yao is changing into a girl’s outfit. I’m so excited!”

Kong Yanfei didn’t think too much, she simply wanted to see Mu Yao in a skirt.

The sound of silver bells rang out as Mu Yao walked out of the dressing room. The loose indigo cross-collar jacket outlined a slender silhouette, and the ankle-length layered skirt concealed the contours of his legs, its hem swaying with every step.

The complex silver ornaments gleamed strikingly in the morning sun. Moving past the silver, one saw a pair of spirited, narrow phoenix eyes. His beautiful eyes were enhanced with exquisite makeup; the subtle styling blurred his gender, creating an unspeakable sense of stunning beauty.

Qu Fu couldn’t help but praise him in her heart, while secretly feeling glad Mu Yao was a guy. If he were a girl, he’d be a competitor—the kind that might even outshine her!

Bi Tu’s eyes flickered. While not shielded by the camera, the complex and lewd glint in his eyes showed he was clearly up to no good.

Kong Yanfei remained pure as ever, exclaiming loudly: “Brother Mu Yao is so pretty!”

“Sorry to keep you all waiting.”

Mu Yao walked up to them. He caught the happily pouncing Kong Yanfei and said with a smile:

“From today until I change back into men’s clothes, call me ‘Sister’.”

“Mu Yao, your voice…”

Qu Fu’s eyes widened, and she pointed at Mu Yao, somewhat losing her composure.

“The crew prepared a voice changer. It can turn my voice into a female one.”

Mu Yao tucked a strand of long hair falling by his temple and tapped his throat and collar. His Adam’s apple wasn’t prominent and didn’t need much hiding; a tiny microphone was clipped to his collar—that little thing was what disguised his voice.

“Sister Mu Yao, your voice sounds great!”

“Thank you. Your outfit is very unique too.”

The few exchanged words briefly until a car slowly drove in from outside the village. The director hurried over to greet it. Seeing the director’s attitude, the group immediately knew the “hidden” guest star had arrived.

The black business van drew closer and finally stopped in front of the director. The door slid open, and a long, straight leg appeared first.

A suitcase was pulled out, a large hand rested on it, and a tall, vigorous figure stepped out of the car. He had unforgettable, exquisite features; his deep, ink-colored eyes were difficult to look at directly, and every movement carried the sharp aura of a high-ranking superior.

“So the guest star is him.”

Qu Fu realized suddenly and smiled. Only he could make the director personally greet him.

“Cheng Zeyì? This great Best Actor actually has the time?”

Bi Tu was astonished. He had speculated about the guest star but never expected it to be him.

“Ah, it’s the amazing Movie King Brother!”

Kong Yanfei, who spent her time training, knew little about entertainment industry affairs, but even she knew this great Best Actor. After all, her mother was his fan.

‘He truly deserves the title of a heavyweight guest.’

Mu Yao looked toward the man who had just stepped out of the car. Cheng Zeyì. At only thirty years old, he had already won three golden trophies. Every time he trended, it was equated with acting skill and professionalism; every one of his works was high quality and consistently well-received.

Since he appeared in the industry, if one wanted to see him, they had to watch his movies. He didn’t participate in any variety shows, focusing only on acting.

‘Wait, does this mean the Four Seasons Journey is the Movie King’s variety show debut? He’s the guest star, and my mission is to make sure he doesn’t realize my gender… You’ve got to be kidding me!’

Mu Yao’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at Cheng Zeyì, but internally, he felt like he had lost his will to live.

Cheng Zeyì was very sensitive to being watched. He looked up toward Mu Yao, and as their gazes met, both were momentarily stunned. Mu Yao silently turned his head to avoid the gaze, while Cheng Zeyì frowned slightly, feeling his heart give a sudden thud.

‘His body is very clean; no ghostly aura, unlike Bi Tu who is haunted. He seems like a normal person… though that’s not quite right either. His Yang energy seems a bit thin. Strange—with Yang energy this thin, he should be easily haunted by ghosts.’

After averting his eyes, Mu Yao continued to quietly observe his mission target. He faintly sensed that this man wasn’t simple either.

Once the guest star arrived, filming officially began. At first, only the four including Qu Fu were in the frame. After the staff briefly greeted them, they began to introduce the guest star and record Cheng Zeyì’s entrance.

Cheng Zeyì strode over with his long legs, his aura completely unreserved. Despite his imposing presence, a faint smile played on his face, which softened the pressure.

“Brother Cheng, we meet again. I didn’t expect us to collaborate in a variety show.”

Qu Fu was also an actress; she filmed both movies and dramas and had worked with Cheng Zeyì before, making them old acquaintances.

“Haha, to be a guest for Movie King Cheng’s variety debut—I’m truly lucky!”

Bi Tu walked forward with a laugh to shake hands with Cheng Zeyì. Mu Yao stared at their joined hands but saw no sign of Bi Tu using underhanded tricks.

‘Truly bullies the weak and fears the strong. He doesn’t dare to act up in front of the Movie King.’

Mu Yao grumbled in his heart as Kong Yanfei also stepped forward to greet him.

“Hello, Movie King Uncle! My mom is a fan of yours!”

At these words, everyone inside and outside the camera frame froze. A single sentence roared in their minds:

‘The classic “Uncle, my mom is a fan of yours”—his seniority just shot up by a whole generation instantly!’

“Haha, hello, little champion sister. I know you too, your performance on the field is truly amazing! However, I still hope you call me ‘Brother.’ It makes me feel younger.”

Cheng Zeyì wasn’t angered by being called “Uncle”, instead, he spoke with a gentle smile.

“Okay, Movie King Brother!”

Kong Yanfei was dazzled by Cheng Zeyì’s smile, her face turning red as she spoke.

After Qu Fu, Bi Tu, and Kong Yanfei were introduced, Cheng Zeyì’s gaze fell on Mu Yao again. This time, Mu Yao knew he couldn’t avoid the look and met it head-on.

“Hello, Movie King Cheng. I am Mu Yao.”

Under the disguise of the voice changer, a clear female voice reached everyone’s ears. Mu Yao didn’t introduce himself much. If he said he was a former idol, wouldn’t that be revealing his gender as male? Since the crew gave him a mission, he was going to complete it properly.

“Mu Yao… Hello. Are you a civilian?”

Cheng Zeyì softly repeated Mu Yao’s name and asked.

‘He doesn’t know me. Makes sense; I’m just a little transparent. How could a great Movie King know me? Good—it’ll make the mission easier if he doesn’t know me!’

“Yes, I am a civilian. Uh, it seems we’re officially heading to the village inn to check in now, right?”

Just as he said he was a civilian, Kong Yanfei was about to ask a confused question. How could Mu Yao let her ask? He quickly cut in and began to draw attention to the next part of the process.

“Yes, we are heading to the actual inn to stay for five days and four nights. This is the inn’s location.”

The staff also knew about Mu Yao’s mission. He hurried to cooperate, quickly handing over the inn’s location.

Since Cheng Zeyì hadn’t drawn an identity, he took the initiative to take on the role of accepting the task. He took the map and said to the others:

“The late-arriving guest star will be responsible for leading the way.”

Then, he pulled his suitcase and led the way, with the others following closely behind.

“Brother—Sister Mu Yao, aren’t you an idol?”

Kong Yanfei wasn’t a foolish girl. She sensed something was off with Mu Yao and took the chance while everyone was walking to lean in and ask.

“You’re quite sharp, girl. I have a little mission to do, so it’s not convenient to reveal my profession or gender. Keep it a secret for me, and I’ll give you half of the prize later.”

“Wow, okay! Mission absolutely will be completed!”

While Mu Yao and Kong Yanfei were whispering, Qu Fu and Bi Tu, who knew Mu Yao’s situation, had already guessed most of it.

Qu Fu: Kind of want to see the Movie King’s face when he finally learns Mu Yao’s gender.

Bi Tu: This is quite fun. Rarely do I get to watch a show; I’m going to enjoy this!

The two exchanged a look, seeing intense interest in each other’s eyes. They reached a rare consensus to help Mu Yao keep the secret.

Walking in front, diligently leading the way, Cheng Zeyì felt a faint cold wind blow past his back. He instinctively tugged at his collar and turned to look at the group walking behind him.

He narrowed his eyes at Mu Yao, who was talking with his head lowered. The silver ornaments swayed slightly, reflecting the light. Mu Yao’s ears were blown bright red in the cold wind, contrasting with the white neck behind his ear. Cheng Zeyì’s heart seemed to thud once more.

“Sigh, spring really is a bit cold!”