Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 18

Si Xiaoxiao’s scalp tingled from being stared at. She forced herself to lift her chin, desperately maintaining the last bit of “I’m beautiful even in a sackcloth” stubbornness.

Raising her voice, she called out toward the director: “Alright! Can we continue shooting now! Didn’t you say we needed to hurry?”

Although she intentionally raised her voice, she couldn’t hide a slight tremor caused by the unfamiliar attire and the intense scrutiny.

She felt like a child who had secretly worn adult clothes and was being gawked at, wanting only to quickly end this embarrassing “dress-up show” and divert everyone’s attention.

“Are you sure your foot can still handle filming?” Li Ting’s gaze calmly turned to Si Xiaoxiao, her tone one of scrutiny rather than pure inquiry.

Si Xiaoxiao nodded without hesitation, the stubborn refusal to admit defeat surfacing in her eyebrows again.

It was just a swollen ankle; this small setback wasn’t going to make her bow her head.

Besides, Li Ting’s swift treatment just now had indeed provided relief, and the pain was no longer as sharp as when she first fell.

Li Ting subtly raised an eyebrow. Her gaze lingered on Si Xiaoxiao’s face for a moment, confirming that her certainty wasn’t just a brave front, but that her condition had genuinely improved. Only then did she turn to the somewhat flustered on-set director: “Give me the script.”

“This…” The on-set director rubbed his hands, looking troubled, “Teacher Li, giving the script to the guests in advance… that’s not really in line with the rules.”

To ensure the desired effect of the variety show and capture the guests’ real-time reactions, the production team often wouldn’t reveal some arrangements upfront.

“Give it to me.”

Li Ting’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unyielding coldness that brooked no argument.

She slightly lowered her eyelashes, her eyes sharply sweeping over the director. The recent accident had clearly completely exhausted her trust in the directing team.

As her calm yet extremely pressurized gaze fell, the subtle murmurs at the scene instantly vanished, and the air seemed to solidify.

The on-set director, already feeling guilty because of the filming accident, almost instinctively handed over the script under this silent pressure, his movements even showing a flattering haste.

According to the original script, after the two guests met, they were supposed to earn the “luxury” accommodation for the night through a series of tasks, fostering chemistry between them—a common tactic for variety shows to create highlights and drive the narrative.

This was considered the most common driving force used by variety shows to achieve a desired program effect.

Li Ting’s slender fingers traced the pages, precisely pointing at one of the game segments: “Her foot is inconvenient, this part needs to be adjusted.”

She was referring to the main event specifically designed in the script for “shipping the female leads”: a three-legged relay race.

Damn it, one of them came to sing and the other to act, but now they were forced into a “femslash-baiting” setup.

This production team was truly good at “hanging a sheep’s head and selling dog meat” [a Chinese idiom meaning: deceptive advertising].

In Si Xiaoxiao’s current, almost half-crippled state, let alone running, just standing steady would be a problem.

“Just cut this segment.” Li Ting’s fingertip gently tapped the script. Her nail reflected a cool glint in the midday sun.

She didn’t wait for the on-set director to respond, preemptively making a unilateral decision.

Sweat beaded more rapidly on the director’s forehead: “Teacher Li, cutting it directly… This… the runtime won’t be enough, and today’s filming quota won’t be completed…”

“Then let’s waste time and stop filming.”

Si Xiaoxiao, supporting herself on one leg, interjected without ceremony, her tone carrying the recklessness of someone who fears nothing.

What the on-set director feared most now was a guest deciding to quit.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. He frowned deeply, calculating the gains and losses, and finally had no choice but to bite the bullet and concede: “Fine… fine, this game is canceled, but… the other segments arranged afterward must continue, right?”

Li Ting lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the names of the subsequent games: Carrying a Princess to Smash a Watermelon, Blindfolded Object Search by Instruction…

Every name hinted at an unspoken, ambiguous atmosphere.

She slightly furrowed her brow, asking with clear skepticism: “Only these?”

The on-set director nodded repeatedly, his face showing twelve parts sincerity: “Please be understanding, Teacher Li. The plan was drastically changed at the last minute, and we still need to report and apply to the head director… Sigh, we really aren’t trying to make things difficult.”

She sighed heavily, looking extremely stressed, suggesting that she, too, was a long-suffering working person persecuted by the job.

Neither Si Xiaoxiao nor Li Ting was the type of celebrity to be unreasonable or throw a tantrum.

After all, it was a rare opportunity for exposure. Since the production team was willing to film a separate extra episode for them, a win-win situation was naturally the best outcome.

“What do you think?” Li Ting turned her head, consulting Si Xiaoxiao for her opinion.

She hadn’t been on many variety shows either and didn’t really understand the process, nor could she think of other ideas that would create a good program effect.

Si Xiaoxiao was indifferent; instead, she questioned Li Ting: “With those thin arms and legs of yours, can you lift me?”

She was a half-cripple, so there was no way she could princess-carry Li Ting!

Li Ting’s thick eyelashes cast a fan-shaped shadow on her eyelids. She thought for a moment and replied: “You are not heavy.”

“You try…” Si Xiaoxiao’s challenging words were only half-said when Li Ting immediately took action.

Li Ting suddenly gripped Si Xiaoxiao’s waist and lifted her horizontally in a princess carry, amidst Si Xiaoxiao’s surprised gasp.

The chiffon shirt was pulled taut by her muscle lines into a beautiful curve, completely unlike her outwardly slim appearance.

“You…” Si Xiaoxiao hastily grabbed her shoulder, her cat-like eyes looking directly into Li Ting’s dark pupils.

Among female celebrities, Si Xiaoxiao was not the extremely thin type. She had a voluptuous figure—curvaceous and well-endowed where it mattered.

During one film shoot, a popular young male actor was trending for being unable to lift her, which led a lot of people to criticize her for being fat, even giving her the derogatory nickname “Fatty Xiao.”

The world is often harsh on women, and this projects onto the entertainment industry as extreme scrutiny of female stars.

While male celebrities might have beer bellies, female celebrities were required to have an A4 waist. The fault clearly lay with the male actor being weak, yet she was the one criticized for being fat.

During the period she was mocked for being “fat,” Si Xiaoxiao even tried crazy diets and workouts. The intensity was so great that she even landed herself in the hospital.

However, that very night, a black-listed search term about her secret marriage and having a child immediately popped up.

After this experience, Si Xiaoxiao let go of it, giving up the pursuit of extreme thinness.

She did, however, secretly complain to her manager about the male actor’s weakness and resolved never to film with him again.

“You’re quite strong, aren’t you?” Being held in her nemesis’s arms made Si Xiaoxiao a hundred times uncomfortable, feeling completely under her rival’s control.

“Your body is very healthy. Women shouldn’t obsessively pursue being ‘white, young, and thin,’ even as female celebrities.”

Li Ting’s gaze was filled with admiration.

Although she looked thin, she was actually the type who frequented the gym. While the requirements for a singer weren’t as strict as for actors, this was her personal pursuit.

The beauty Li Ting pursued was one of vitality and strength.

Perhaps her time as Xu Ye led her to have an almost pathological obsession with physical health.

Unfortunately, Li Ting was naturally the type who struggled to gain weight. She found it difficult to make herself look more robust.

Si Xiaoxiao’s feelings grew more complex because of Li Ting’s slightly complimentary words. She lightly patted Li Ting’s shoulder and said: “Alright, you can put me down now. Save your strength for when the production crew has set up the scene.”

“Get the watermelon and the wooden knife ready. Let’s start filming.” Li Ting had proven her strength and didn’t force herself to continue the princess carry.

What a joke, she wasn’t some displaying peacock.

“Everyone get ready, we’re resuming the recording!”

At the director’s command, the grips uniformly raised the reflectors. The film filtered the midday sun into a honey color, silently providing the best lighting for the shoot.

The director herself opened the camera, adjusted the angles, and made full preparations, aiming to finish filming as quickly as possible.

Li Ting effortlessly lifted Si Xiaoxiao. Before lifting her, she deliberately rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. Her distinctly muscled arms glowed with a honeyed sheen in the sunlight.

Princess-carrying someone while smashing a watermelon is a difficult task. Smashing a watermelon requires a certain amount of strength, and the princess-carry posture makes it very hard to exert force.

To make it easier for Si Xiaoxiao to use her strength, Li Ting cupped Si Xiaoxiao’s knee bends from below, protecting her waist while providing as many points of leverage as possible for her to exert force.

Although their posture looked ambiguous, in reality, anyone truly focused on quickly completing the task wouldn’t be thinking about anything else.

Perhaps their old chemistry was still there. Though the task was difficult, they completed it quickly—one might even say easily smashing the watermelon.

Therefore, to stretch the runtime and increase the challenge, the production team discussed it and decided to combine the other script game, the blindfolded instruction game, and film them together.

Another watermelon was placed in front of the two. This time, Li Ting needed to walk up to the watermelon blindfolded, while Si Xiaoxiao was responsible for giving instructions and the smashing step.

This tested their chemistry even more.

Si Xiaoxiao felt strange. How could she and Li Ting have anything like chemistry?

Yet, as soon as she opened her mouth, Li Ting was able to accurately grasp where she wanted to go.

Moreover, she executed Si Xiaoxiao’s instructions without any hesitation or doubt.

Si Xiaoxiao felt complicated, not expecting to be trusted like this.

But immediately afterward, she felt no guilt whatsoever in directing Li Ting toward the obstacle.

Just as Li Ting was about to bump into the obstacle, she stopped.

Si Xiaoxiao grew a little anxious and tricked her, saying: “Keep going, just a little further and you’ll hit the watermelon.”

Li Ting’s tone carried a slight helplessness: “Are you really that petty?”

Si Xiaoxiao feigned ignorance: “Ah, what are you saying?”

Li Ting replied: “I vaguely remembered the positions of the watermelon and the obstacles before closing my eyes.”

“???! You are so boring!” Si Xiaoxiao was shocked. Her surprise just now had been completely wasted. The reason they were so in sync, the reason Li Ting trusted her instructions so much, was because Li Ting had memorized everything herself!

Thus, Si Xiaoxiao strongly condemned her: “I’m reporting you for cheating! How can you disobey the commands of the supreme commander!!”

Li Ting sighed and bumped into the obstacle twice, like she was coaxing a child, saying dramatically: “Oh no, how did we bump into an obstacle? Was the direction wrong?”

She acted overly exaggerated, like a robot.

However, Si Xiaoxiao was pleased by the flattery. As long as someone was willing to humor her, no matter how exaggerated, she was happy to be treated like a baby.

She cheerfully decided to “bestow” the true location of the watermelon upon Li Ting.

Though, Li Ting probably didn’t need it.

Just as the task was about to be completed, an unexpected change occurred—the tide came in.

Support