Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 10

A person who blooms as splendidly as a rose naturally…

Of course, amidst the surging tide of comments (Dànmù), a few discordant notes inevitably cropped up:

[Empress Li’s acting is definitely better than Empress Si’s. Empress Si is just a lump, a mere pretty face.]

[LOL, why doesn’t Empress Li try acting something else? When Empress Li does it, she’s the pure ‘White Moonlight,’ but when Sister Xiao does it, she’s unmotivated? A certain fan group is truly hypocritical.]

[Yes, we’re hypocritical! Back then, everyone loved Xun Ye, who liked Cao Xueliao!]

[When Bronze Sparrow was a huge hit, whose heart wasn’t set on Boss Cao? Who the heck was Xun Ye?]

Though Li Ting and Si Xiaoxiao have each been dormant for many years, their die-hard solo fans have not completely dispersed.

Li Ting and Si Xiaoxiao, although both are individually out of the spotlight, their solo fans are still not extinct.

At the very least, Si Xiaoxiao’s dazzling, beautiful face is a recognized “killer,” and Li Ting’s songwriting is also decent, not to mention they were both popular once.

The sensational hit Interminable Bronze Sparrow permanently bound them together?

Even the most obscure celebrities still have fans.

With the two of them appearing on shows simultaneously, on different programs that began streaming at the same time, others might not know, but big fans are very familiar with their idol’s schedules.

Why did the news yesterday say their own idol was going to a singing/acting variety show, but then they suddenly changed at the last minute before the broadcast?

This must be the work of the rival’s scheme!

This must be the rival trying to snatch resources!

So, the two fan bases are definitely going to fight this round.

Logically speaking, the one in the acting circle should have more fans than the one who is practically unheard of in the singer circle.

However, although Si Xiaoxiao has many devoted big fans, she also has just as many anti-fans.

As a result, the two sides can be said to be fighting back and forth, neither dominating the other.

Of course, these are all just minor skirmishes; the truly immense force is the CP (Couple Pairing) fans:

The combined fan bases of Si Xiaoxiao and Li Ting might not be as powerful as the CP fans alone.

[My Sister-Baby is working so hard, I’m crying. She’s a singer but acting now, she must want to reunite with Xiaoxiao in the next drama! They will definitely collaborate!]

[Our Xiaoxiao is the true romantic maniac, clumsily and passionately singing a song that belongs to them. Sister-Baby must want to remind her sister of her original aspiration!]

[I reasonably suspect that the Sister who acts so well is just faking her usual indifference, and Xiaoxiao is privately coaching her on acting.]

[A CP that is comforting and respectable to ship—just ask, they were in love.]

[I truly love the Bronze Sparrow Twin Beauties, my youth is back, woo woo woo.]

[Can someone explain? What ‘PLAY’ are these two playing, and are we all part of their PLAY?]

As the stage lights across the venue brightened again, Li Ting’s performance came to an end.

How to describe her feelings at that moment? Perhaps only “thoroughly satisfying” is appropriate.

Of course, it wasn’t just her own satisfaction; the mentors and the audience who watched her performance also felt thoroughly satisfied.

Her delivery was simply too good; it could be said to be the combined product of the right time, place, and people.

Entering the mentor Q&A session, an experienced mentor finally couldn’t contain their curiosity: “Can you talk about why you chose to present such a character on this stage?”

Li Ting did not answer directly. A gentle curve played on her lips as she lightly tossed the question back: “Is there anything special about this character? Or… should I not have interpreted her?”

Her voice was steady, but her eyes held a subtle scrutiny.

The industry insiders were well-versed in maintaining decorum.

If the person involved reveals the information themselves, it’s intriguing; if an outsider exposes it, it’s low emotional intelligence.

The mentor smiled awkwardly and backed down: “Of course not, it was a wonderful interpretation.”

Unlike Si Xiaoxiao’s forthrightness, when faced with a mentor’s question, Li Ting reversed the dynamic, setting a trap for the person asking the question.

Following that, the mentors took turns asking questions, and Li Ting maximized the art of language.

She was like the most slippery bluefish, calmly maneuvering through the net woven by the questions. Every response was airtight, both polite and providing enough buzz, yet giving people no substantive handle to grasp.

As a result, the scene maintained a strange harmony, with everyone enjoying themselves—a win-win situation.

In the final critique and scoring segment, the mentors unanimously gave very high ratings.

Li Ting looked indifferent, neither phased by favor nor disgrace.

And in the online audience voting segment, she, naturally, advanced as expected.

After her advancement was announced, Li Ting’s work for this recording session was essentially over.

Since this variety show is quite popular, a lesser-known artist like Li Ting naturally wouldn’t have too much screen time.

However, given the explosive talking point in this episode, the footage dedicated to her likely won’t be too shabby.

The next episode will probably feature her more, as the production team will try every means to leverage her popularity.

However, Li Ting felt it didn’t matter what she performed next. She didn’t want to return to the acting world, nor did she plan to take on any roles.

Furthermore, she still harbored a certain guilt towards her long-unseen mentor.

She always felt that filming other people’s stories was nearly a betrayal of Xun Ye.

Backstage, Director’s Assistant Xiao Wang emerged from who knows where.

She eagerly added Li Ting’s WeChat, saying she would message Li Ting in advance before the next episode began.

Since she advanced, she might as well go with the flow. More exposure is a good thing, and perhaps it could boost her album sales.

What gave Li Ting a headache was that young lady in a certain dressing room.

Personally, Li Ting didn’t particularly dislike Si Xiaoxiao now.

The person who made their relationship so awful and complicated was Si Xiaoxiao.

It was Si Xiaoxiao who disliked Li Ting.

A person who blooms as splendidly as a rose naturally looks down on a fledgling mouse trapped in the shadows.

To respond to Si Xiaoxiao’s intense dislike, Li Ting naturally chose to use dislike as a weapon to protect herself.

Li Ting then returned to the dressing room assigned to her by the production team to remove her makeup.

She felt like a lot had happened today.

Who would have thought that the whole thing was triggered simply by placing her and Si Xiaoxiao in the same dressing room?

“I advanced! Being a singer is ridiculously easy!!”

As Li Ting pushed the door open, the girl’s robust voice immediately rang out.

Si Xiaoxiao was speaking animatedly to her assistant, but her gaze was like a magnet, firmly glued to Li Ting.

It was clear she really wanted to show off.

She really missed the system space’s dog ears. If Si Xiaoxiao was still in her puppy form now, her ears would surely be flapping.

“Those mentors all praised my singing, saying I have the voice of an angel,” Si Xiaoxiao even exaggerated and embellished.

She didn’t hesitate to exaggerate and embellish; even if she was internally resistant to advancing, in front of her arch-rival, the facade had to be maintained at full capacity.

However, as a nemesis, Li Ting still understood Si Xiaoxiao.

She immediately guessed that Si Xiaoxiao’s advancement was an accident and that she had absolutely not prepared a song for the second round, and was probably struggling internally right now.

So, she also spoke to her own assistant, deliberately using ‘humblebragging’: “Why did I advance? The mentors were just too enthusiastic.”

As a rival, one naturally knows best what the other is thinking and what their triggers are.

Sure enough, as soon as Li Ting finished speaking:

“You actually advanced!!”

Si Xiaoxiao, who was pretending to talk to her assistant, felt incredible disbelief and instantly cracked.

She even forgot the cardinal rule of treating her arch-rival as invisible in public.

It must be known that these mentors were notoriously strict; even she was very likely to be eliminated in the first round!

How could Li Ting, a person who hadn’t acted in so many years, advance so easily?

There must be something wrong with this!

It must just be her rival desperately trying to save face.

Li Ting pretended not to hear Si Xiaoxiao’s questioning, treating her like air. As she walked further into the dressing room, she said to her assistant: “The mentors were too kind to me. During the critique, Director Liu even invited me to guest-star in her hit drama. Ugh, what a headache.”

“??!!” Si Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she heard, and she shouted: “Director Liu invited you?! That’s absolutely impossible!”

Si Xiaoxiao held a grudge. This Director Liu had publicly criticized her twice!!

She called her a waste of resources, said she had nothing but a beautiful facade, and even declared she would never collaborate with a “clueless person” in her life.

How could this condescending person fancy Li Ting?!

This world must have broken down.

Li Ting finally lifted her gaze, meeting those bright eyes burning with fire. A cold curve played on her lips, and her words were laced with poison: “Some people should think about whether they’ll have to sing the national anthem in the next round!”

“You! Li Ting, you’re going too far! I will absolutely sing better than you!” Si Xiaoxiao also had a short fuse; how could she tolerate such a provocation?

The tension was palpable, and the air was taut like a bowstring. The two assistants barely dared to breathe.

Just at that moment, a blinding white light unexpectedly swallowed the entire dressing room.

A distant, muffled bell toll seemed to pierce through time, and the cold, mechanical voice arrived as scheduled:

[The script about to be opened is: Defiling the Holy Maiden.]

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