Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 27

Too strange, especially since the subject was Si…

Everyone on set unconsciously held their breath, their eyes darting back and forth between Si Xiaoxiao and Li Ting.

Anyone could smell the gunpowder and… a trace of extremely dangerous, ambiguous tension hanging in the air.

Si Xiaoxiao deliberately slowed her voice, tinged with a playful sense of watching a good show, her gaze locked tightly on Li Ting’s face, not missing any subtle change in her expression. “Teacher Li, this is an actor’s basic skill. You can’t… be incapable, can you?”

Li Ting’s eyes, however, were fixed on those few lines in the script, her amber pupils contracting almost imperceptibly.

The usual calm mask on her face finally showed a subtle crack. It wasn’t just panic, but a deep, almost lost… bewilderment. Her gaze was firmly nailed to the thin script in her hand, on those few lines specifically highlighted with a marker. After a moment, she buried all her emotions.

In fact, this was entirely unfamiliar territory for Li Ting.

Her acting talent was rooted in performing scenes involving emotional outbursts, especially crying scenes.

It was precisely because of this partiality that she could portray Xun Ye’s demonic obsession with his best friend and interpret the quiet despair of losing a loved one. But what she lacked was this kind of overt, almost bewitching “seduction” with a clear, lustful purpose.

Whether as an actress or as the person “Li Ting,” her emotions were always contained. She was like a clear spring on a snow-capped mountain, a cold moon among pine trees.

Asking her to play a charming seductress with shimmering eyes and soft breath was like asking a sharp sword to dance a slow, passionate tango—it was completely wrong.

How should she do it?

Li Ting unconsciously fiddled with the personal item Si Xiaoxiao had given her before the shoot.

As her rival, Si Xiaoxiao keenly caught Li Ting’s fleeting stiffness and bewilderment. A burst of retaliatory pleasure instantly surged up; she had finally caught her rival off guard.

A knowing, slightly impish and malicious smile curved on her lips. She deliberately drew out her words: “What? Tired, Teacher Li? Don’t want to act anymore? Or… no experience…”

Her eyes were filled with blatant provocation.

“Performance stems from observation and understanding, not… personal experience.” Li Ting’s voice remained steady, matching her gentle persona, but that gentleness seemed to carry a hint of imperceptible bitterness. At this moment, she was somewhat putting up a strong front, and only she knew how much confidence she truly had.

She hadn’t acted in many years. Although the theoretical knowledge taught by her teachers was still fresh in her memory, Tong Que Wu Jian ultimately spoke of the bond between young people—something deeper than friendship, like soulmates. Facing the current predicament, it was clearly over the limit.

“Oh? Is that so?” Si Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. She settled back comfortably, her injured left foot still suspended, while her right foot lightly tapped the ground. “Then please begin your ‘observation and understanding,’ Teacher Li. Let me see how you ‘understand’ this ‘soul-stirring’ scene.”

All eyes were focused on Li Ting. Clearly, no one expected Teacher Xiaoxiao’s “lesson” to be this explosive, practically treating them all like family.

Li Ting closed her eyes, seemingly mobilizing every image of “seduction” in her memory bank.

A few seconds later, she reopened her eyes and attempted to take a step.

At first, she tried to imitate the “shimmering eyes” described in the script, but her gaze was unsteady and lacked focus, looking more like she was searching for something lost rather than locking onto prey.

Then, she tried a “slightly parted red lip,” but she only pressed her lips together stiffly, the curve of her mouth appearing forced and unnatural.

Finally, she walked up to Si Xiaoxiao. The script required her to “lightly caress” the other person’s cheek with her fingertip.

Li Ting raised her hand with an almost clumsy hesitation, stopping a few centimeters from Si Xiaoxiao’s cheek.

Her fingertip trembled slightly, as if it were a scorching hot iron. She could even feel the base of her ears uncontrollably starting to heat up.

Too strange, especially since the subject was Si Xiaoxiao.

She tried to utter her lines, but her usually clear voice was now dry, as if all moisture had been sucked out. “You… tonight…” The script’s seductive line, “You look beautiful tonight,” turned into a simple declarative statement in her mouth, completely flat, and even a bit like… reporting on work.

One really shouldn’t force oneself to do what one is not good at.

In fact, the reason she was eliminated in the second round of the acting variety show was largely because she drew an outwardly expressive role, which she had never played before and was too different from her own personality, leading to a very stiff performance.

“Cut!”

This time, the pause was called by the director’s team. Anyone who had seen Li Ting’s intensely genuine portrayal of obsession and despair earlier would feel a strong sense of disconnect watching this currently frozen, rigid performance.

“Let’s do it again,” Li Ting said calmly, having anticipated the director’s cut. Only her tightly pressed lips betrayed a hint of unwillingness.

She retreated to her starting position, closed her eyes, seemingly trying to dispel the embarrassment and refocus her mind.

After repeating the attempt, Li Ting’s performance showed some slight improvement, but it was still far from excellent. Her movements seemed a bit smoother, and the “shimmering” of her eyes was no longer so erratic, though it had turned into a deliberate, scanner-like focus—full of sharpness, completely lacking in tenderness.

This was less the look of a lover and more the look of an enemy; it was incredibly awkward.

This time, it was Li Ting who stopped herself, clearly noticing that her emotional expression was incorrect.

The director then sought the opinions of the two actresses: “How about we switch to a different segment? Act out something else?”

While, from the director’s perspective, any seduction scene would definitely boost ratings, if they couldn’t film it well, it was pointless.

Si Xiaoxiao didn’t mind, looking down at her manicure. Her tone was flat: “Sure, anything is fine.”

Li Ting stood still, her face pale as paper, her eyes flickering with a stubborn light: “Let’s continue. I want to try again.”

That wasn’t dedication; it was a self-inflicted rivalry, a refusal to admit defeat when pushed to a corner.

Following this, came one attempt after another. Li Ting consistently failed to grasp the technique, and her emotional expression remained very awkward.

She mechanically repeated the movements over and over: eyes, mouth, hand lift, pause…

Each “improvement” was minuscule, and each “failure” was distinctly clear.

She seemed trapped in a strange cycle, yet she mechanically forced herself to repeat it again and again.

The atmosphere on set grew heavier and heavier. The expressions on the staff’s faces gradually turned from curiosity and sympathy to numbness and undisguised fatigue.

“Director, it’s already eleven o’clock. Everyone, let’s have lunch and take a break. We can film my part this afternoon, and Li Ting’s tomorrow.”

Finally, Si Xiaoxiao interrupted the farce. Her voice carried a subtle, consciously masked dryness.

The staff, including the director, had no objections. Filming a show is like this; it heavily depends on the celebrities’ condition. Sometimes, it’s common to not get a single shot for several days. No matter how urgent, it’s useless; sometimes a rest actually improves the performance.

Although it was a common occurrence, Li Ting clearly hadn’t often experienced a situation where one person held up the whole team. A strong mix of frustration and self-blame weighed heavily on her heart, making her look utterly exhausted.

If the condition for recording a song wasn’t right, she could lock herself in the recording studio until it was perfect. But this was different; a whole group of people were waiting for her.

During lunchtime, Li Ting’s assistant deftly walked in with two large bags of beautifully packaged milk tea, a look of apology and eagerness to please on her face. “Thank you for your hard work, everyone! Teacher Li wants to treat everyone to milk tea, just a small gesture!”

She handed them out individually, her attitude sincere, and the staff thanked her repeatedly, the fatigue slightly mitigated by the sweet milk tea.

Of course, Si Xiaoxiao was offered one, but she declined, citing the need to manage her weight.

The afternoon shoot involved Li Ting coaching Si Xiaoxiao on singing. The set design team brought in a microphone, a music stand, and an upright piano.

Si Xiaoxiao sat on a high stool, her injured left foot still carefully propped up, while her right foot swung idly. She had changed clothes after just one lunch break.

She wore an unusually casual denim overall dress paired with a white T-shirt, her hair tied in a high ponytail, revealing her clear forehead. She looked exactly like a naive college student, which fit her role as the student in the afternoon.

She was prepared to be challenged by Li Ting, after all, she had given her a tough time that morning.

She had even prepared a mental counterattack, ready to refute any harsh criticism Li Ting might offer.

Li Ting stood by the piano, holding the music sheet for the song Si Xiaoxiao needed to learn, which the production team had provided.

It was a simple, emotionally straightforward acoustic love song. The paleness and stubborn bewilderment from the morning had faded from her face, replaced by her usual gentle calm, though a trace of fatigue seemed to linger deep in her eyes.

“We’ll start with basic vocalization,” Li Ting began. Her voice was clear after the rest, devoid of extra emotion and none of the “retaliatory” harshness Si Xiaoxiao had expected that morning.

She didn’t even look at Si Xiaoxiao, her gaze fixed on the music sheet. Her tone was purely professional instruction: “The vocal range of this song isn’t high; the focus is on breath stability and emotional delivery. Teacher Si, please try using diaphragmatic breathing first and feel your breath sinking into your dantian [energy center].”

Teacher Si?

Si Xiaoxiao was momentarily stunned. Following Li Ting’s gentle voice, she honestly began to learn, momentarily feeling as if she had returned to her youth when they used to sit side-by-side, laughing with each other.

The afternoon shoot went much smoother than the morning’s. One taught patiently, and the other learned attentively. By five o’clock, they had captured all the footage the director’s team needed.

“Alright, cut! Thank you for your hard work, everyone. That’s it for today.”

Finally, the director spoke, ending the day’s filming.

As night fell, Si Xiaoxiao found it difficult to settle down. Li Ting’s vulnerable appearance from the day kept replaying in her mind.

Even after finding some things to occupy herself with, the restlessness did not fade.

“Truly a person who doesn’t let others rest easy,” Si Xiaoxiao sighed, talking to herself. She was never one to hesitate. Since she wanted to check on her, she would go.

She then left her room, telling herself in her mind.

She just wanted to get her hair tie back; that hair tie was quite expensive and matched her outfit better for tomorrow.

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